Multidisciplinary Applications Research Articles

Proximate white light-long phosphor emission and a photoelectrochemical probe from boron defects engineered carbon-nitride nanosheets

A recent surge in the study of a room temperature afterglow nanomaterial has surfaced. Considering its natural coverage of a wide emission spectrum and long afterglow with single light excitation have tinkled many multidisciplinary applications. A synthesis of nanosheets with white light phosphorescence at room temperature is arduous. The manuscript emphasizes on the photoelectrochemical response of room temperature proximate white light phosphorescence in boron carbon nitride nanosheets (BCNs), synthesized at consistent physical operands by varying the overall boron dopant. The study thus envisages the interplay of the participating precursors unfolding the physio-chemical interactions between boron/carbon and nitrogen needed towards the phosphorescence phenomenon. BCNs have provided an immense physio-chemical link between the analyte and photoanode under illuminated conditions, as found vital to achieve the reported sensitivity. Three varying boron conditions are examined, out of which, a 1:4 ratio (BCN-2) is distinguished for remarkable afterglow duration. In addition, the as-synthesized BCN-2 has been used for the photo-electrochemical detection of H2O2 via a differential pulse voltammetry method with a limit of detection of 25 nM. The after-glow property has shown a remarkable response toward H2O2 detection. The easy synthesis and reproducibility of these organic phosphors also prompt its propensity to replace commercially available toxic phosphors.

Linked Argumentation Graphs for Multidisciplinary Decision Support.

Multidisciplinary clinical decision-making has become increasingly important for complex diseases, such as cancers, as medicine has become very specialized. Multiagent systems (MASs) provide a suitable framework to support multidisciplinary decisions. In the past years, a number of agent-oriented approaches have been developed on the basis of argumentation models. However, very limited work has focused, thus far, on systematic support for argumentation in communication among multiple agents spanning various decision sites and holding varying beliefs. There is a need for an appropriate argumentation scheme and identification of recurring styles or patterns of multiagent argument linking to enable versatile multidisciplinary decision applications. We propose, in this paper, a method of linked argumentation graphs and three types of patterns corresponding to scenarios of agents changing the minds of others (argumentation) and their own (belief revision): the collaboration pattern, the negotiation pattern, and the persuasion pattern. This approach is demonstrated using a case study of breast cancer and lifelong recommendations, as the survival rates of diagnosed cancer patients are rising and comorbidity is the norm.

Q learning based adaptive protocol parameters for WSNs

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are widely used for multi-disciplinary applications. According to the requirements and the goal of the application, the network is designed and the protocol is tuned to obtain the best performance of the WSN. In real world applications, all nodes in the network have a common protocol parameter set, irrespective of their position in the network. In several experiments with multihop sensor networks, we observed that individual nodes perform differently depending on the protocol parameter values. With the observation the question was raised whether the performance of the network can be improved by using tuned parameter sets for each individual node in the network. Tuning protocol parameters for each node manually is tedious and may not be practical for large number of nodes. As a solution, adaptive protocol parameters are introduced using reinforcement learning. The learning algorithm gradually approaches an optimal set of protocol parameter values for each and every node during the runtime resulting in average improved network performance with 13.44% and 29.41% compared to networks with static common parameter sets in a network of 20 and 30 nodes respectively in simulation environment. The performance of the adaptive protocol is validated using real testbed with 10 nodes and the performance improvement is 16.21%. With the simulation results it was observed that networks with higher number of nodes obtain more performance gain using the adaptive protocol algorithm compared to networks with lower of nodes.

Use of Biomonitoring in Health Risk Assessment of Workers to Heavy Metals in Industrial Environment

The problem of occupational and work exposure to trace and toxic metals existed at the beginning of industrialization which even persists today. Biomonitoring is the analytical science with multidisciplinary applications that guides industrialist in assessment, management and prevention of trace and toxic metal exposure to workers at workplace. In the present research work, 40 workers were included for the study as subjects out of which, 20 were exposed and 20 were included as controls. Head hair samples were collected from all the subjects and were pretreated for decontamination by wash-ing then digested to get colourless solution prior to analysis for lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) with an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer.

ESIPT-based probes for cations, anions and neutral species: recent progress, multidisciplinary applications and future perspectives.

Fluorescent and colourimetric probes for small analytes (cations, anions and neutral molecules) have drawn significant attention in recent years. These probes interact with analytes and induce spectral change due to the variations in the photo-physical properties of the fluorophore/chromophore used. Among several photo-physical mechanisms, ESIPT (excited state intramolecular proton transfer) based probes are more advantageous due to their photo-physical properties viz. solvent polarity effect, large spectral shift with multi-channel fluorescence, high quantum yield etc. In recent years, ESIPT-based probes have shown several promising applications, especially monitoring small analytes in biological samples, smartphone app-assisted heavy metal detection in environmental samples, inkless writing, anti-counterfeiting applications etc. Therefore, this review is dedicated to recently reported ESIPT-based probes for small analytes. We have highlighted the organic units responsible for the ESIPT mechanism, their photo-physical parameters, selectivity and sensitivity properties and recent advances in their applications.

Hydrophobic nanoporous carbon scaffolds reveal the origin of polarity-dependent electrocapillary imbibition.

An engineered nanoporous carbon scaffold (NCS) consisting of a 3-D interconnected 85 nm nanopore network was used here as a model material to investigate the nanoscale transport of liquids as a function of the polarity and magnitude of an applied potential ('electro-imbibition'), all in 1 M KCl solution. A camera was used to track both meniscus formation and meniscus jump, front motion dynamics, and droplet expulsion, while also quantifying the electrocapillary imbibition height (H) as a function of the applied potential of the NCS material. Although no imbibition was seen over a wide range of potentials, at positive potentials (+1.2 V vs. the potential of zero charge (pzc)), imbibition was correlated with carbon surface electro-oxidation, as confirmed by both electrochemistry and post-imbibition surface analysis, with gas evolution (O2, CO2) seen visually only after imbibition was well underway. At negative potentials, vigorous hydrogen evolution reaction was observed at the NCS/KCl solution interface, well before imbibition began at -0.5 Vpzc, proposed to be nucleated by an electrical double layer charging-driven meniscus jump, followed by processes such as Marangoni flow, adsorption induced deformation, and hydrogen pressure driven flow. This study improves the understanding of electrocapillary imbibition at the nanoscale, being highly relevant in a wide range of multidisciplinary practical applications, including in energy storage and conversion devices, energy-efficient desalination, and electrical-integrated nanofluidics design.

Movement Artifact Suppression in Wearable Low-Density and Dry EEG Recordings Using Active Electrodes and Artifact Subspace Reconstruction.

Wearable low-density dry electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets facilitate multidisciplinary applications of brain-activity decoding and brain-triggered interaction for healthy people in real-world scenarios. However, movement artifacts pose a great challenge to their validity in users with naturalistic behaviors (i.e., without highly controlled settings in a laboratory). High-precision, high-density EEG instruments commonly embed an active electrode infrastructure and/or incorporate an auxiliary artifact subspace reconstruction (ASR) pipeline to handle movement artifact interferences. Existing endeavors motivate this study to explore the efficacy of both hardware and software solutions in low-density and dry EEG recordings against non-tethered settings, which are rarely found in the literature. Therefore, this study employed a LEGO-like electrode-holder assembly grid to coordinate three 3-channel system designs (with passive/active dry vs. passive wet electrodes). It also conducted a simultaneous EEG recording while performing an oddball task during treadmill walking, with speeds of 1 and 2 KPH. The quantitative metrics of pre-stimulus noise, signal-to-noise ratio, and inter-subject correlation from the collected event-related potentials of 18 subjects were assessed. Results indicate that while treating a passive-wet system as benchmark, only the active-electrode design more or less rectified movement artifacts for dry electrodes, whereas the ASR pipeline was substantially compromised by limited electrodes. These findings suggest that a lightweight, minimally obtrusive dry EEG headset should at least equip an active-electrode infrastructure to withstand realistic movement artifacts for potentially sustaining its validity and applicability in real-world scenarios.

Guidelines for user requirements elicitation in design for assistive technology: a shower chair case study

A substantial proportion of the world population currently lives with some functional limitation that directly affects their daily lives. In this context, the prescription of assistive technology has been fundamental in promoting an individual's independence, social inclusion, and well-being. However, high abandonment rates of these devices have been reported and are commonly associated with the non-correspondence to personal needs. Designing customized and personalized products, especially for multidisciplinary applications, requires levels of systematization and user participation that are not well addressed by traditional methods. This paper introduces customization-based guidelines for requirements elicitation integrated with the House of Quality matrix and assistive technology assessment protocols. The proposition was based on clinical evidence, research experiences, a literature review, and a theoretical model. A shower chair case study was conducted with twelve users to demonstrate the approach's potential during the task planning and clarification stage. The strategy allowed the systematic identification of the central sources of dissatisfaction and the definition and prioritizing of user requirements in a multidisciplinary domain. The procedure led to analyzing demands that had not been initially conceived by the engineering team while also providing communication facilitators between the different knowledge domains and incorporating participatory design elements into the early stages.

Flexible Monitoring, Diagnosis, and Therapy by Microneedles with Versatile Materials and Devices toward Multifunction Scope.

Microneedles (MNs) have drawn rising attention owing to their merits of convenience, noninvasiveness, flexible applicability, painless microchannels with boosted metabolism, and precisely tailored multifunction control. MNs can be modified to serve as novel transdermal drug delivery, which conventionally confront with the penetration barrier caused by skin stratum corneum. The micrometer-sized needles create channels through stratum corneum, enabling efficient drug delivery to the dermis for gratifying efficacy. Then, incorporating photosensitizer or photothermal agents into MNs can conduct photodynamic or photothermal therapy, respectively. Besides, health monitoring and medical detection by MN sensors can extract information from skin interstitial fluid and other biochemical/electronic signals. Here, this review discloses a novel monitoring, diagnostic, and therapeutic pattern by MNs, with elaborate discussion about the classified formation of MNs together with various applications and inherent mechanism. Hereby, multifunction development and outlook from biomedical/nanotechnology/photoelectric/devices/informatics to multidisciplinary applications are provided. Programmable intelligent MNs enable logic encoding of diverse monitoring and treatment pathways to extract signals, optimize the therapy efficacy, real-time monitoring, remote control, and drug screening, and take instant treatment.

ANOCRITICISM: THEORIZING AND DISCOVERING INTERSECTIONS OF AGE AND GENDER

Abstract This paper presents historical research on the theoretical foundations and application of ‘anocriticism’ as a method to trace portrayals of female aging in American literary texts to understand what it means to be “aged by culture” (Gullette 2004). Originally developed in the 1990s in context of American Studies as an analytical framework for the analysis of cultural representations of intersections of age and gender in literature, anocriticism brings together the feminist tradition of Elaine Showalter’s (1985) “gynocriticism” – a study of women writers and of the history, styles, themes, genres and structures of writing by women – through analysis of narratives and Germaine Greer’s (1992) use of “anophobia” (from Latin “anus” for “old woman”) to describe the fear of old women. The paper presents examples of anocriticism in practice in age studies and gerontology and highlights its potential for future multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary application.

Higher Transcendental Functions and Their Multi-Disciplinary Applications

This volume consists of a collection of 17 peer-reviewed and accepted submissions from authors around the world (including several invited feature articles) to the Special Issue of the journal Mathematics, on the general subject-area of “Higher Transcendental Functions and Their Multi-Disciplinary Applications” [...]

Mathematical modeling and computational outcomes for the thermal oblique stagnation point investigation for non-uniform heat source and nonlinear chemical reactive flow of Maxwell nanofluid

Owing to fine thermal prospective of nanomaterials, different applications have been addressed in nanotechnology and thermal management systems. Multidisciplinary applications of such nanomaterials are commonly observed in nuclear reactors, thermal systems, transportation systems, industrial products cooling, power industry, renewable energy etc. The motivated work aims to predicts improved thermal consequences of Maxwell nanofluid with applications of non-uniform heat source and radiated phenomenon. The heat transfer analysis is assessed by using the Cattaneo-Christov theories. The thermal phenomenon is controlled with interference of slip effects. The flow pattern is based on the oblique stagnation point flow confined by stretched cylinder. The Keller Box numerical determination of problem is worked out with fine accuracy. The physical dynamic of flow parameters is visualized graphically. It is claimed that control of thermal transportation phenomenon is resulted when the slip effects are dominant. The exponential heat source with nonlinear radiated phenomenon is important when enhancement in thermal process needed.

Cyber-Physical Systems as Key Element to Industry 4.0: Characteristics, Applications and Related Technologies

This paper aims to review the state-of-the-art in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) as a key element to Industry 4.0 and to provide engineering managers with adequate and sufficient knowledge about CPS, highlighting their characteristics, technologies, capabilities, and applications. A three-stage research method was applied to provide an extensive search and systematic literature review (SLR). We identified, selected, and reviewed 218 publications. The convergences in specific areas in which studies are still needed were detailed. We identified 5 characteristics, 7 capabilities, 17 related technologies, and 11 areas of application. Four application areas remain as an opportunity to be explored in future research, such as environmental sustainability; smart and precision agriculture; smart construction, and social sciences. This article is the first to present a wide-ranging review of CPS and bringing together a significant number of publications. Its originality is focused on detailing and analyzing CPS characteristics, technologies, and multidisciplinary applications allowing engineering professionals and managers to identify which technologies a manufacturing equipment should integrate, as well as the level of development of each of them to achieve its full operation in Industry 4.0 environment. The main limitation of this work is the fact that new features, applications, and technologies will certainly appear soon.

The shift in the laminar‐to‐turbulent transition flow mode in atmospheric pressure plasma jet

AbstractNonthermal equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jet gained great interest due to its multidisciplinary applications. This work is focused on studying the characteristics of an argon atmospheric pressure plasma jet and the laminar‐to‐turbulent flow mode transition. By increasing the applied voltage from 10 to 25 kV, the plasma can run in four operational modes depending on the number of current pulses per half a cycle of the applied voltage. The plasma jet gas temperature increases from 310 to 370 K and the laminar‐to‐turbulent transition value shifts toward lower flow rate values from 3.75 to 2.6 slpm as a result of increasing the applied voltage. A clear border between the laminar and the turbulent regions has been resolved at different applied voltages and flow rates at a fixed applied frequency of 24 kHz.

Investigations on visualization and interaction of ship structure multidisciplinary finite element analysis data for virtual environment

Although the extraction and sharing of important data in the finite element model (FEM) and analysis data is particularly significant in the ship structure collaborative design process, the efficiency of sharing finite element analysis (FEA) data using a standardized neutral format is still relatively low, which is attributed to the format that has to accommodate various data types generated by different commercial computer aided engineering (CAE) software and multidisciplinary analysis applications. Aiming to solve the problem of efficient visualization and sharing of heterogeneous FEA data in ship structure collaborative design and review, we proposed a new FEA data visualization framework for virtual environments (VE) to realize multidisciplinary data sharing in the collaborative design process, where only essential finite element (FE) information is stored to reduce the weight of the model and analysis data. In addition, the visualizing results can be updated in response to the modification of the model geometry and simulation variables. Furthermore, we implemented a general system based on our data framework. To maximize the efficiency of managing multidisciplinary data (statics, dynamics, ultimate strength), the system adopts a client/server (C/S) architecture and hierarchical management of data structures. The virtual visualization of these complex FEA data effectively enhances the efficiency of scientific communication, model evaluation and validation, and interdisciplinary discussion of research findings. Eventually, examples from commercial CAE software are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and versatility of the system.

Direct interfacial growth of Sr–CeO2 nanoparticles on carbon nanofibers and their multidisciplinary applications

Cerium oxide (CeO2) and carbon nanofibers (CNF) based material have been widely used for supercapcitor, optoelectronic as well and electrochemical sensor applications due to their interesting physicochemical properties. Present article reports the facile hydrothermal synthesis of Sr–CeO2/CNF electrode material under subcritical reaction conditions. Different analytical techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV–Visible spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used for the chractrization of nanocomposite. XRD and XPS results confirm the formation of Sr–CeO2/CNF having cubic fluorite structure. In addition, morphological studies shows formation of dot like morphology of Sr–CeO2 nanoparticals embedded on CNF nanorods. Surface area analysis indicated that synthesized material is mesoporous in nature and exhibited high surface area of 38.45 m2/g. The optical absorption concludes that the band gap values lies between 2.1 and 3.15 eV, suitable for optoelectronic applications. Moreover, the electrochemical study of 5 wt% Sr–CeO2/CNF exhibits substantial specific capacitance of 192 Fg-1 with 95.4% good cyclic stability at 5000 cycles. The composite electrode exhibit energy density and power density of 96 WhKg−1and 1440 WKg−1at 0.8 Ag-1 current density suggesting a good electrode material for supercapacitor. Finally, the nanocomposite was also studied for cyclic voltammetric electrochemical detection of Harmaline (HAR) showing good sensitivity with Limit of detection (LOD) and Limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.82 μg mL−1 and 2.48 μg mL−1 respectively.

Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of a Novel Polysaccharide Hemostatic System for Multidisciplinary Application: A Multicenter Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Operative blood loss is associated with postoperative morbidity and mortality. Hemostatic agents are used as adjunctive methods for hemostasis during surgery and to prevent postoperative bleeding. We evaluated safety and efficacy of an investigational polysaccharide hemostatic (PH) device, compared with an FDA-approved control in clinical use comprising microporous polysaccharide hemospheres (MPH), to achieve hemostasis of bleeding surfaces during surgery. Methods: This prospective multicenter trial enrolled patients undergoing open elective cardiac, general, or urological operation. Patients were stratified by bleeding severity and therapeutic area, then randomized 1:1 to receive PH or MPH. Bleeding assessments occurred intraoperatively using a novel bleeding assessment methodology. Primary endpoint was non-inferiority as compared with control via effective hemostasis at 7 minutes. Patients were followed postoperatively, discharge, and 6-weeks. Survival was assessed in oncology patients at 24-months. Safety of PH vs MPH was determined by comparing relative incidence of adverse events. Results: Across 19 centers, 324 (161 PH, 163 MPH) patients were randomized; approximately half underwent general surgery, while 25% each underwent cardiac and urologic surgery. PH met the primary endpoint of hemostatic success at 7-minutes demonstrating efficacy of PH was non-inferior to MPH. No significant differences were found in adverse event rates or supplementary safety measures. Six deaths were reported through 6-week follow-up. There was no difference in survival at 2 years (76% (PH) vs 74% (MPH), p = 0.66) for patients undergoing cancer operation. Conclusion: Across 3 therapeutic areas, PH was noninferior to MPH at all hemostasis assessment time points. No safety concerns were identified.

Geometric analyses and experimental characterization of toroidal Miura-ori structures

Origami inspired structures are largely being recognized as efficient deployable structures that can serve multidisciplinary applications. This research focuses on the geometric analyses and quasistatic behavior of toroidal folding patterns based on the four-fold line origami concept. A sequential design process is presented to develop four-fold line toroidal origami structures from a flat sheet of paper, followed by a generalized design algorithm based on the mathematical formulation of the design process. The availability of the geometric design space is calculated considering the limiting values of the design parameters. Geometric analyses is performed to investigate the influence of design parameters on the packaging parameters and availability of the design space. A novel experimental setup is developed, and methodology is introduced to investigate the quasistatic behavior of the single story toroidal patterns. Then, this experimental approach is utilized to characterize the single story toroidal Miura-ori patterns (TMOPs) on the basis of their quasistatic behavior. Moreover, the quasistatic behavior of multi story TMOPs is investigated experimentally.

Fuzzy Sensitivity Analysis of Structural Performance

Despite the versatility and widespread application of fuzzy randomness in structural and mechanical engineering, less attention has been paid to the formulation of sensitivity analysis for this uncertainty model. In this research, a brief review of the application of sensitivity analyses in structural engineering is provided, and then the concept of local sensitivity analysis is developed for the fuzzy randomness theory. Several sensitivity tests based on the classical probability theory are extended to this uncertainty model, namely, Monte Carlo simulation (MCS), tornado diagram analysis (TDA), and first-order second-moment method (FOSM). The multidisciplinary application of these methods in engineering is shown using a numerical example, a truss structure, and finally, seismic performance evaluation of a framed structure from a full-scale experimental test. The way of visualizing the results is also provided, which helps the interpretation and better understanding. The results show that the established tools can provide detailed insight into the uncertainty of fuzzy random models. The formulated fuzzy local sensitivity can show how the output uncertainty is affected by the uncertainty of input parameters and the effectiveness of each parameter on the output variability. The provided visualization technique can show variability, the fuzziness of variability, and the order of most influential parameters. Furthermore, efficient methods such as TDA and FOSM can substantially reduce the computational time compared to the MCS while providing an acceptable trade-off for accuracy.

Methods of Chitosan Identification: History and Trends

Chitosan, discovered in 1859 and named in 1894, has long attracted the attention of scientists. However, endless possibilities for the chemical engineering of chitosan still offer inspiration for various innovative applications. The highly biocompatible and antimicrobial features of chitosan enable its multi-disciplinary applications, such as in medical engineering, food science, environmental science, and cosmetics; this is evident from the significantly increasing number of chitosan articles in the last two decades. This article presents methods for identifying chitosan using various analytical techniques and summarizes the findings from such techniques throughout the literature. The summary of the key analytical data presented in this review article could be used as a quick reference for a researcher who intends to analyze chitinous content by the method of their choice.