Reliability stochastic optimization for a series system with interval component reliability via genetic algorithm

This paper deals with chance constraints based reliability stochastic optimization problem in the series system. This problem can be formulated as a nonlinear integer programming problem of maximizing the overall system reliability under chance constraints due to resources. The assumption of traditional reliability optimization problem is that the reliability of a component is known as a fixed quantity which lies in the open interval (0, 1). However, in real life situations, the reliability of an individual component may vary due to some realistic factors and it is sensible to treat this as a positive imprecise number and this imprecise number is represented by an interval valued number. In this work, we have formulated the reliability optimization problem as a chance constraints based reliability stochastic optimization problem with interval valued reliabilities of components. Then, the chance constraints of the problem are converted into the equivalent deterministic form. The transformed problem has been formulated as an unconstrained integer programming problem with interval coefficients by Big-M penalty technique. Then to solve this problem, we have developed a real coded genetic algorithm (GA) for integer variables with tournament selection, uniform crossover and one-neighborhood mutation. To illustrate the model two numerical examples have been solved by our developed GA. Finally to study the stability of our developed GA with respect to the different GA parameters, sensitivity analyses have been done graphically.     

Photoluminescence studies on porous silicon/polymer heterostructure

Hybrid devices formed by filling porous silicon with MEH-PPV or poly [2-methoxy-5(2-ethylhexyloxy-p-phenylenevinylene)] have been investigated in this work. Analyses of the structures by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that the porous silicon layer was filled by the polymer with no significant change of the structures except that the polymer was infiltrated in the pores. The photoluminescence (PL) of the structures at 300 K showed that the emission intensity was very high as compared with that of the MEH-PPV films on different substrates such as crystalline silicon (c-Si) and indium tin oxide (ITO). The PL peak in the MEH-PPV/porous silicon composite structure is found to be shifted towards higher energy in comparison with porous silicon PL. A number of possibilities are discussed to explain the observations.     

Free‐standing and flexible nano‐ZnO/PVDF composite thin films: impedance spectroscopic studies

Nanocrystalline ZnO‐impregnated polyvinylidene fluoride (nano‐ZnO/PVDF) composite films were prepared by sol‐gel technique. Free‐standing and flexible films with different nano‐ZnO loadings were synthesized. Addition of ZnO in PVDF host matrix modulated the impedance and dielectric properties. The composite films thus obtained were characterized by microstructural, XPS, and impedance spectroscopic measurements. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of polyurethane from cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), a renewable resource

A novel thermoplastic polyurethane was prepared from cardanol, a renewable resource and a waste of the cashew industry. Cardanol was recovered from cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) by double vacuum distillation. It was characterized by CHN analysis and IR, ¹H-NMR, and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy techniques. Cardanol is a meta-substituted long chain phenol. The long aliphatic chain unit substituent was found to be a monoene. The monomer, 4-[(4-hydroxy-2-pentadecenylphenyl)diazenyl]phenol was prepared from cardanol. It was a dihydroxy compound as characterized by CHN analyzer, UV, and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. The polyurethane was synthesized from this dihydroxy compound by the treatment with 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) in dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent at 80–90°C under nitrogen atmosphere. The polymer was characterized by ¹H-NMR, FTIR, and UV spectroscopy. The elemental analysis was done for determining the percentage content of C, H, and N, and the intrinsic viscosity [η] of polymer showed 1.85 dL/gm. Thermogravimetric investigations (TGA) of the cardanol, the dihydroxy compound, and the polyurethane were performed to study their decomposition. The semicrystalline nature of the PU was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer (DMTA). The wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXS) study of PU shew a broad amorphous halo indicative of absence of crystallinity in the polymer, which has been explained as due to strong hydrogen bonding in the hard phase. PU may possibly be useful as a telecommunication and as a nonlinear optical material. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36 : 391–400, 1998     

Optimization for the improvement of power in equal volume of single chamber microbial fuel cell using dairy wastewater

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a type of sustainable technology that may treat wastewater and generate power at the same time. Therefore, researchers are being challenged to design a technically feasible bio electrochemical system that generates environmentally friendly and renewable electricity from waste water. The current research examined at how MFC may be used to generate electricity while treating real dairy wastewater (RDW) with Pseudomonas aeruginosa-MTCC-7814. The experiments were carried out in fed-batch mode for 15 days in two 300 ml single chamber microbial fuel cells (SCMFCs) that were connected in series. During a fed batch investigation, three process parameters such as inoculum percentage, temperature, and pH were optimized. Inoculum percentage, temperature, and pH were found to be optimal at 5%, 37 °C, and 7.4, respectively and the highest open-circuit voltage was found to be 1025 mV. The COD removal efficiency and columbic efficiency (CE) were found to be 95.84% and 37.13% respectively. The optimized fed batch process yielded the maximum current density and power density of 313 mA/m² and 105 mW/m², respectively. Thus, this work successfully demonstrates that connecting single chamber microbial fuel cells (SCMFCs) in series is a viable technique for generating sustainable power utilizing Pseudomonas aeruginosa-MTCC-7814 from dairy wastewater.     

On the linearity and classification of $${\mathbb {Z}}_{p^s}$$ Z p s -linear generalized hadamard codes

Designs, Codes and Cryptography - $${\mathbb {Z}}_{p^s}$$ -additive codes of length n are subgroups of $${\mathbb {Z}}_{p^s}^n$$ , and can be seen as a generalization of linear codes over...     

Study of the Discrepancies between Crystallographic Porosity and Guest Access into Cadmium–Imidazolate Frameworks and Tunable Luminescence Properties by Incorporation of Lanthanides

An extended member of the isoreticular family of metal–imidazolate framework structures, IFP‐6 (IFP=imidazolate framework Potsdam), based on cadmium metal and an in situ functionalized 2‐methylimidazolate‐4‐amide‐5‐imidate linker is reported. A porous 3D framework with 1D hexagonal channels with accessible pore windows of 0.52 nm has been synthesized by using an ionic liquid (IL) linker precursor. IFP‐6 shows significant gas uptake capacity only for CO₂ and CH₄ at elevated pressure, whereas it does not adsorb N₂, H₂, and CH₄ under atmospheric conditions. IFP‐6 is assumed to deteriorate at the outside of the material during the activation process. This closing of the metal–organic framework (MOF) pores is proven by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS), which revealed inherent crystal defects. PALS results support the conservation of the inner pores of IFP‐6. IFP‐6 has also been successfully loaded with luminescent trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln^III=Tb, Eu, and Sm) in a bottom‐up one‐pot reaction through the in situ generation of the linker ligand and in situ incorporation of photoluminescent Ln ions into the constituting network. The results of photoluminescence investigations and powder XRD provide evidence that the Ln ions are not doped as connectivity centers into the frameworks, but are instead located within the pores of the MOFs. Under UV light irradiation, Tb@IFP‐6 and Eu@IFP‐6 (λ_exc=365 nm) exhibit observable emission changes to a greenish and reddish color, respectively, as a result of strong Ln 4 f emissions.     

Gel viscosity influenced by nanosilica phase morphology in high and low molecular weights PVA-ex-situ silica hybrids

Change in poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) molecular weight has been found to affect nanosilica phase morphology in PVA-ex-situ silica aqueous gel which in turn influences shear viscometric parameters such as near-zero shear viscosity, pseudoplastic index, thixotropic index and net viscosity drop at various levels of nanosilica contents. About 25 °C rise in temperature does not produce any serious changes in these parameters from that studied at room temperature.     

Mechanophotonics: Flexible Single‐Crystal Organic Waveguides and Circuits

We present the one‐dimensional optical‐waveguiding crystal dithieno[3,2‐a:2′,3′‐c]phenazine with a high aspect ratio, high mechanical flexibility, and selective self‐absorbance of the blue part of its fluorescence (FL). While macrocrystals exhibit elasticity, microcrystals deposited at a glass surface behave more like plastic crystals due to significant surface adherence, making them suitable for constructing photonic circuits via micromechanical operation with an atomic‐force‐microscopy cantilever tip. The flexible crystalline waveguides display optical‐path‐dependent FL signals at the output termini in both straight and bent configurations, making them appropriate for wavelength‐division multiplexing technologies. A reconfigurable 2×2‐directional coupler fabricated via micromanipulation by combining two arc‐shaped crystals splits the optical signal via evanescent coupling and delivers the signals at two output terminals with different splitting ratios. The presented mechanical micromanipulation technique could also be effectively extended to other flexible crystals.