Optimal control of the dynamic response of an anisotropic plate with various boundary conditions

The problem of minimising the dynamic response of an anisotropic rectangular plate with minimum possible expenditure of force is presented for various cases of boundary conditions. The plate has a principal direction of anisotropy rotated at an arbitrary angle relative to the coordinate axes. This orientation angle has been taken as an optimisation design parameter. The control problem is formulated as an optimisation problem by using a performance index, which comprises a weight sum of the control objective and penalty function of the control force. The explicit solutions for the closed-loop distributed control function is obtained by means of Liapunov-Bellman theory. To assess the present solution, numerical results are presented to illustrate the effect of anisotropy ratio, orientation angle, aspect ratio and boundary conditions on the control process.     

Comparative phytochemical study of methanolic and ethanolic extracts of Thymus linearis and their antibacterial and antioxidant potential

Thymus linearis (Thyme) is a medicinal plant widely distributed throughout Asia. Various parts of thyme are utilized for diverse medicinal purposes, including its use as a tonic and diuretic, for cough relief, as a flavoring agent, in treating dysentery, and for alleviating stomach disorders. Numerous studies have been conducted to explore the unexploited potential of thyme. Thyme was collected from the northern region of Pakistan, and sun-mediated extraction was conducted. Phytochemical analysis, utilizing GC–MS, revealed numerous bioactive phytochemical constituents with disease-preventing roles, including detoxifying agents, antioxidants, anticancer compounds, dietary fiber, neuropharmacological agents, and immunity-potentiating agents, in the methanolic and ethanolic (14 days) extracts of the flower, leaf, and stem. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay results indicated that the ethanolic and methanolic extracts of the stem exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, reaching up to 67.34% and 62.73%, respectively, while the values for the flower and leaf extracts (both methanol and ethanol) were around 60%. The IC₅₀ (half maximal inhibitory concentration) values were also calculated for all the samples, ranging between 7 and 9 μg/mL. Positive antibacterial and antifungal effects against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli, as well as Aspergillus niger (fungi), were observed only in the extracts of the flower (both methanol and ethanol). The sun-mediated technique was used for extraction for the first time in this study. Therefore, this study introduces a novel approach to the extraction of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants, ultimately contributing to the development of herbal drugs with more convenient and cost-effective methods.     

Comparative study on the performance of co-extruded hollow fiber solid oxide fuel cell fuelled with hydrogen and methane

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this study, the effects of two fuel types, i.e., hydrogen and methane on the electrochemical performance of the co-extruded triple layer hollow fiber,...     

Experimental investigation of TiO2–water nanofluid flow and heat transfer inside wavy mini-channel heat sinks

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The present study comprises experimental investigation on heat transfer and hydrodynamic characteristics of TiO2 nanofluid as coolant in wavy channel...     

Thermal performance enhancement of shell and helical coil heat exchanger using MWCNTs/water nanofluid

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Heat exchangers serve as pivotal components in industries. Enhancement in the performance of heat exchangers has been the focus of researchers in the...     

Multiple internal resonances in MEMS arch resonators

Micromachined shallow arch resonant beams have attracted significant attention thanks to their rich dynamical behavior, inherent nonlinearities, and the potential to excite various internal resonances. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive experimental studies for the various types of internal resonances in arches and particularly at the micro and nano scales. Here, we aim to investigate and identify different types of internal resonances of an initially curved beam, electrothermally actuated and electrostatically driven, by electrical characterization techniques. Upon changing the electrothermal voltage of silicon micromachined arches, the second symmetric natural frequency of an arch is adjusted to near twice, three times, and four times the fundamental natural frequency, which gives rise to 2:1, 3:1, and 4:1 autoparametric resonances between the two modes. These resonances are demonstrated experimentally. We show various frequency-response curves of the total response around the excitation frequency and highlight the contribution of each mode before, during, and after the internal resonances. Allan-deviation results are also shown indicating enhanced frequency stabilization of the arch oscillation when experiencing internal resonances. These studies motivate further research in this direction to exploit internal resonances of micromachined resonators for practical applications, such as sensors and mechanical amplifier.     

Hydro-thermal performance of normal-channel facile heat sink using TiO2-H2O mixture (Rutile–Anatase) nanofluids for microprocessor cooling

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Thermal management of microelectronics is a challenging task in modern high heat generating devices. In this work, thermal performance of...     

Selenide‐chitosan as High‐performance Nanophotocatalyst for Accelerated Degradation of Pollutants

Water pollution is one of the major global challenges today. Water bodies are contaminated by the heavy release of waste effluents of textile industries, which includes intensively colored dye pollutants. Herein, a ternary nanocomposite of bismuth copper selenide with small particle size and ternary metal selenide (TMS)‐chitosan microspheres (TMS‐CM) of the spherical porous surface were successfully synthesized. SEM, XRD, EDX, FTIR, and UV/Vis spectrophotometry analysis revealed the structural and morphological characteristics of the newly synthesized nanocomposites. SEM imaging showed the average diameter of TMS nanoparticle to be 33 nm. The crystal size was calculated as 6.33 nm and crystalline structure as orthorhombic using XRD findings. EDX confirmed the presence of Bi, Cu, and Se in the ternary nanocomposite. The bandgap of 1.8 eV was calculated from Tauc's plot for the TMS nanocomposite. SEM confirmed the successful synthesis of spherical TMS‐CM microspheres of porous surface morphology with an average size of 885.6 μm. The presence of chitosan microspheres in the synthesis of TMS nanocomposite was identified by FTIR spectral analysis. Furthermore, highly efficient photocatalytic degradation (up to 95.4%) of ARS was achieved within 180 min at pH 4.0 using 0.5 g of TMS‐CM in sunlight. The first‐order kinetic model fitted well to the photocatalytic decontamination of ARS using TMS‐CM with a rate constant of 6.1x10^?2 min^?1. The TMS‐CM gave attractive results and high efficiency in photocatalytic degradation of ARS dye after reusing and regeneration of up to seven successive cycles. The newly synthesized nanophotocatalyst could be efficiently used for the decontamination of dye polluted water from textile industries.     

The Role of Discrete Capillary Rings in Mass Transfer From the Surface of a Drying Capillary Porous Medium

Transport in Porous Media - The mass exchange between the surface of a model capillary porous medium and the adjacent gas-side boundary layer is studied in the limiting condition of isothermal,...     

Early Optimization Stages of Agave lechuguilla Bagasse Processing toward Biorefinement: Drying Procedure and Enzymatic Hydrolysis for Flavonoid Extraction

Agave lechuguilla agro-waste is a promising renewable material for biorefining purposes. The procurement of added-value co-products, such as bioactive phytochemicals, is required to improve bioprocesses and promote the bio-based economy of the productive areas of Mexico. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of post-harvest management and enzymatic pretreatment as the first stages of the A. lechuguilla valorization process. Four drying methods were compared, and enzymatic hydrolysis was optimized to obtain a flavonoid-enriched extract applying ultrasound-assisted extraction. In both experiments, the total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) contents, HPLC-UV flavonoid profiles, and radical scavenging capacity (DPPH) were considered as response variables. The results demonstrated that light exposure during the drying process particularly affected the flavonoid content, whereas oven-dehydration at 40 °C in the dark preserved the flavonoid diversity and antioxidant functionality of the extracts. Flavonoid glycoside recovery, particularly anthocyanidins, was 1.5–1.4-fold enhanced by enzymatic hydrolysis using the commercial mix Ultraflo© under optimized conditions (pH 4, 40 °C, 180 rpm, and 2.5 h) compared to the unpretreated biomass. The extraction of flavonoids from A. lechuguilla bagasse can be carried out using a scalable drying method and enzymatic pretreatment. This study confirmed the potential of this agro-waste as a source of marketable natural products.