Magnetic properties of biogenic selenium nanomaterials

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Bioreduction of selenium oxyanions to elemental selenium is ubiquitous; elucidating the properties of this biogenic elemental selenium (BioSe) is thus...     

一种改进的多学习教与学优化算法

针对传统教与学算法在解决复杂多峰函数优化问题时,具有局部最优且搜索开发能力较差的缺点,提出了一种改进的多学习教与学优化算法,新算法为学员的每一维加入不同的教学因子,设计了基于学员均值比较的教师选择策略和向教师及学员学习的多学习策略。基于多个单峰和多峰函数的仿真结果表明,新算法跟传统的、改进的教与学算法相比,在稳定性、寻优精度和收敛速度方面更具优势。     

Algae and bacteria consortia for wastewater decontamination and transformation into biodiesel,bioethanol, biohydrogen,biofertilizers and animal feed: a review

Traditional wastewater treatment has been aimed solely at sanitation by removing contaminants, yet actual issues of climate change and depletion of natural resources are calling for methods that both remove contaminants and convert waste into chemicals and fuels. In particular, biological treatments with synergic coupling of microalgae and bacteria appear promising to remove organic, inorganic, and pathogen contaminants and to generate biofuels. Here, we review the use of algae and bacteria in the treatment and valorization of wastewater with focus on cell-to-cell adhesion, wastewater properties, and techniques for algae harvesting and production of biodiesel, bioethanol, biohydrogen, exopolysaccarides, biofertilizers, and animal feeds.

     

Prediction of flange wrinkling in deep drawing process using bifurcation criterion

Surface distortions in the form of wrinkles are often observed in sheet metals during stamping and other forming operations. Because of the trend in recent years towards thinner, higher-strength sheet metals, wrinkling is increasingly becoming a more common and troublesome mode of failure in sheet metal forming. The prediction and prevention of wrinkling during a sheet forming process are important issues for the design of part geometry and processing parameters. This paper treats the phenomenon of flange wrinkling as a bifurcated solution of the equations governing the deep drawing problem when the flat position of the flange becomes unstable. Hill’s bifurcation criterion is used to predict the onset of flange wrinkling in circular and square cup drawing. In particular, the maximum cup height that can be drawn without the onset of flange wrinkling is predicted for the given set of process parameters. A parametric study of the maximum cup height is also carried out with respect to various geometric, material and process parameters. Finite element formulation, based on the updated Lagrangian approach, is employed for the analysis. The incremental logarithmic strain measure, which allows the use of a large incremental deformation, is used. The stresses are updated in a material frame. The material is assumed to be elastic–plastic, strain hardening, yielding according to an anisotropic yield criterion of Barlat et al. (2005) [23] (named as Yld2004-18p). Isotropic power law hardening is assumed. Inertia forces are neglected due to small accelerations. Modified Newton–Raphson iterative technique is used to solve the nonlinear incremental equations.     

Biosorption of chromium (VI) from aqueous solutions and ANN modelling

The use of sustainable, green and biodegradable natural wastes for Cr(VI) detoxification from the contaminated wastewater is considered as a challenging issue. The present research is aimed to assess the effectiveness of seven different natural biomaterials, such as jackfruit leaf, mango leaf, onion peel, garlic peel, bamboo leaf, acid treated rubber leaf and coconut shell powder, for Cr(VI) eradication from aqueous solution by biosorption process. Characterizations were conducted using SEM, BET and FTIR spectroscopy. The effects of operating parameters, viz., pH, initial Cr(VI) ion concentration, adsorbent dosages, contact time and temperature on metal removal efficiency, were studied. The biosorption mechanism was described by the pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir isotherm model. The biosorption process was exothermic, spontaneous and chemical (except garlic peel) in nature. The sequence of adsorption capacity was mango leaf > jackfruit leaf > acid treated rubber leaf > onion peel > bamboo leaf > garlic peel > coconut shell with maximum Langmuir adsorption capacity of 35.7 mg g^?1 for mango leaf. The treated effluent can be reused. Desorption study suggested effective reuse of the adsorbents up to three cycles, and safe disposal method of the used adsorbents suggested biodegradability and sustainability of the process by reapplication of the spent adsorbent and ultimately leading towards zero wastages. The performances of the adsorbents were verified with wastewater from electroplating industry. The scale-up study reported for industrial applications. ANN modelling using multilayer perception with gradient descent (GD) and Levenberg-Marquart (LM) algorithm had been successfully used for prediction of Cr(VI) removal efficiency. The study explores the undiscovered potential of the natural waste materials for sustainable existence of small and medium sector industries, especially in the third world countries by protecting the environment by eco-innovation.     

The rationales behind the unit-segment theory and its analysis methodology for modeling vehicular movement networks

The theory of space accessibility analysis, space syntax, has been considered for capturing trip-makers’ route-choice decisions with an understanding that, while selecting routes, trip-makers tend to follow forward-facing fields traditionally represented by axial lines. But the idea of treating axial lines as a set of roadway segments representing an urban texture has remained under scrutiny when distinct procedures have been tested without much success. Nor has the axial-line theory seemed to gain much popularity within the orthodox transportation planning community. Studies show that a long axial line is found gaining configurational centrality, in general, for being well connected to its incident lines. Fragmenting a long axial line results in weakening it (in centrality terms), but also in generating a locally oriented model. Recent investigations, dealing with this problem, have resulted in the emergence of the unit-segment theory, which has turned out to be more sensitive to the local structures located within a large urban texture than the axial counterpart for the purpose of modeling vehicular movement networks without using origin–destination trip-counts. Essentially, the question now is: Is the unit-segment analysis also capable of generating syntax configurations that are equally sensitive to large and complex urban textures? What should be the methodology of such an analysis? This paper throws deeper insights into these questions by producing theoretical and empirical research findings and seeks to develop a common ground for both transportation planning and space syntax communities to work together for gaining a better understanding of how urban configurations relate to urban vehicular movement networks.     

Water quality improvement through macrophytes—a review

Increasing urbanization, industrialization and over population is leading to the degradation of the environment. The main hazardous contents of the water pollution are heavy metals etc. Water bodies are the main targets for disposing the pollutants directly or indirectly. They are again at the receiving end as the storm water, residential and commercial waste is disposed into it. The prevailing purification technologies used to remove the contaminants are too costly and sometimes non-eco friendly also. Therefore, the research is oriented towards low cost and eco friendly technology for water purification, which will be beneficial for community. The present paper is a comprehensive review of approximately 38 literature sources. The paper discusses the potential of different aquatic plants (macrophytes) in purifying water and wastewater. Experimental work was developed to test the hypothesis that nutrient enrichment enhances metal tolerance of relative macrophyte.