Laser receptive polyelectrolyte thin films doped with biosynthesized silver nanoparticles for antibacterial coatings and drug delivery applications

We report a simple method to fabricate multifunctional polyelectrolyte thin films to load and deliver the therapeutic drugs. The multilayer thin films were assembled by the electrostatic adsorption of poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and dextran sulfate (DS). The silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) biosynthesized from novel Hybanthus enneaspermus leaf extract as the reducing agent were successfully incorporated into the film. The biosynthesized Ag NPs showed excellent antimicrobial activity against the range of enteropathogens, which could be significantly enhanced when used with commercial antibiotics. The assembled silver nano composite multilayer films showed rupture and deformation when they are exposed to laser. The Ag NPs act as an energy absorption center, locally heat up the film and rupture it under laser treatment. The antibacterial drug, moxifloxacin hydrochloride (MH) was successfully loaded into the multilayer films. The total amount of MH release observed was about 63% which increased to 85% when subjected to laser light exposure. Thus, the polyelectrolyte thin film reported in our study has significant potential in the field of remote activated drug delivery, antibacterial coatings and wound dressings. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Auto-ignition based synthesis of Y2O3 for photo- and thermo-luminescent applications

We present a simple route for synthesis of Y2O3 for both photoluminescent (PL) and thermoluminescent (TL) applications. We show that by simply switching the fuel from ethylene di-amine tetracetic acid (EDTA) to its disodium derivative (Na-2-EDTA), we obtain a better photoluminescent material. On the other hand, use of EDTA aids in formation of Y2O3 which is a better thermoluminescent material. In both cases pure cubic nano-Y2O3 is obtained. For both the material systems, structural characterization, photoluminescence, thermoluminescence, and absorbance spectra are reported and analyzed. Use of EDTA results in nano Y2O3 with crystallite size similar to 10 nm. Crystallinity improves, and crystallite size is larger (similar to 30 nm) when Na-2-EDTA is used. TL response of Y2O3 nanophosphors prepared by both fuels is examined using UV radiation. Samples prepared with EDTA show well resolved glow curve at 140 degrees C, while samples prepared with Na-2-EDTA shows a glow curve at 155 degrees C. Effect of UV exposure time on TL characteristics is investigated. The TL kinetic parameters are also calculated using glow curve shape method. Results indicate that the TL behavior of both the samples follow a second order kinetic model. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multifunctional Properties of Multistage Spark Plasma Sintered HA-BaTiO3-Based Piezobiocomposites for Bone Replacement Applications

This work reports the processing-microstructure-property correlation of novel HA-BaTiO3-based piezobiocomposites, which demonstrated the bone-mimicking functional properties. A series of composites of hydroxyapatite (HA) with varying amounts of piezoelectric BaTiO3 (BT) were optimally processed using uniquely designed multistage spark plasma sintering (SPS) route. Transmission electron microscopy imaging during in situ heating provides complementary information on the real-time observation of sintering behavior. Ultrafine grains (0.50m) of HA and BT phases were predominantly retained in the SPSed samples. The experimental results revealed that dielectric constant, AC conductivity, piezoelectric strain coefficient, compressive strength, and modulus values of HA-40wt% BT closely resembles with that of the natural bone. The addition of 40wt% BT enhances the long-crack fracture toughness, compressive strength, and modulus by 132%, 200%, and 165%, respectively, with respect to HA. The above-mentioned exceptional combination of functional properties potentially establishes HA-40wt% BT piezocomposite as a new-generation composite for orthopedic implant applications.

Structural health monitoring of aerospace structural components using wave propagation based diagnostics

The paper discusses a wave propagation based method for identifying the damages in an aircraft built up structural component such as delamination and skin-stiffener debonding. First, a spectral finite element mode l (SFEM) is developed for modeling wave propagation in general built-up structures by using the concept of assembling 2D spectral plate elements. The developed numerical model is validated using conventional 2-D FEM. Studies are performed to capture the mode coupling,that is, the flexural-axial coupling present in the wave responses. Lastly, the damages in these built up structures are then identified using the developed SFEM model and the measured responses using the concept Damage Force Indicator (DFI) technique.

Acoustic emission techniques for NDE & structural health monitoring of advanced composite materials

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an effective extension of NDE to reduce down time and cost of Inspection of structural components. On – line monitoring is an essential part of SHM. Acoustic Emission Techniques have most of the desirable requirements of an effective SHM tool. With the kind of advancement seen in the last couple of decades in the field of electronics, computers and signal processing technologies it can only be more helpful in obtaining better and meaningful quantitative results which can further enhance the potential of AET for the purpose. Advanced Composite materials owing to their specific high performance characteristics are finding a wide range of engineering applications. Testing and Evaluation of this category of materials and SHM of composite structures have been very challenging problems due to the very nature of these materials. Mechanical behaviour of fiber composite materials under different loading conditions is complex and involves different types of failure mechanisms. This is where the potential of AET can be exploited effectively. This paper presents an over view of some relevant studies where AET has been utilised to test, evaluate and monitor health of composite structures.

Biased PN based impact angle constrained guidance using a nonlinear engagement model

Impact angle constrained guidance laws are important in many applications such as guidance of torpedoes, anti-ballistic missiles and reentry vehicles. In this paper, we design a guidance law which is capable of achieving a wide range of impact angles. Biased proportional navigation guidance uses a bias term in addition to the basic PN command to satisfy additional constraints. Angle constrained BPNG (ACBPNG) uses small angle approximations to derive the bias term for impact angle requirement. We design a modified ACBPNG (MACBPNG) where the required bias term is derived in a closed form considering non-linear equations of motion. Simulations are carried out for a wide range of impact angle requirements. We also analyze capturability from different initial positions and also the launch angles possible at each initial position. The performance of the proposed law is compared with an existing law.

Electrical switching behavior of amorphous Ge15Te85 Si--x(x) thin films with phase change memory applications

Amorphous Ge15Te85-xSix thin film switching devices (1 <= x <= 6) have been deposited in sandwich geometry, on glass substrates with aluminum electrodes, by flash evaporation technique. These devices exhibit memory type electrical switching, like bulk Ge15Te85-xSix glasses. However, unlike the bulk glasses, a-Ge15Te85-xSix films exhibit a smooth electrical switching behavior. The electrical switching fields of a-Ge15Te85-xSix thin film samples are also comparable with other chalcogenide samples used in memory applications. The switching fields of a-Ge15Te85-xSix films have been found to increase with increasing Si concentration. Also, the optical band gap of a-Ge15Te85-xSix films is found to increase with Si content. The observed results have been understood on the basis of increase in network connectivity and rigidity with Si addition. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Asymptotics of Harish-Chandra expansions, bounded hypergeometric functions associated with root systems, and applications

A series expansion for Heckman-Opdam hypergeometric functions phi(lambda) is obtained for all lambda is an element of alpha(C)*. As a consequence, estimates for phi(lambda) away from the walls of a Weyl chamber are established. We also characterize the bounded hypergeometric functions and thus prove an analogue of the celebrated theorem of Helgason and Johnson on the bounded spherical functions on a Riemannian symmetric space of the noncompact type. The L-P-theory for the hypergeometric Fourier transform is developed for 0 < p < 2. In particular, an inversion formula is proved when 1 <= p < 2. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modified roaming optimization for multi-modal optima

This paper explains the algorithm of Modified Roaming Optimization (MRO) for capturing the multiple optima for multimodal functions. There are some similarities between the Roaming Optimization (RO) and MRO algorithms, but the MRO algorithm is created to overcome the problems facing while applying the RO to the problems possessing large number of solutions. The MRO mainly uses the concept of density to overcome the challenges posed by RO. The algorithm is tested with standard test functions and also discussions are made to improve the efficacy of the MRO algorithm. This paper also gives the results of MRO applied for solving Inverse Kinematics (IK) problem for SCARA and PUMA robots.

Eco-friendly wood polymer composites for sustainable design applications

Environmental inputs can improve the level of innovation by interconnecting them with traditional inputs regarding the properties of materials and processes as a strategic eco-design procedure. Advanced engineered polymer composites are needed to meet the diverse needs of users for high-performance automotive, construction and commodity products that simultaneously maximize the sustainability of forest resources. In the current work, wood polymer composites (WPC) are studied to promote long-term resource sustainability and to decrease environmental impacts relative to those of existing products. A series of polypropylene wood–fiber composite materials having 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt. % of wood–fibers were prepared using twin-screw extruder and injection molding machine. Tensile and flexural properties of the composites were determined. Polypropylene (PP) as a matrix used in this study is a thermoplastic material, which is recyclable. Suitability of the prepared composites as a sustainable product is discussed.

Progressive fusion of reconstruction algorithms for low latency applications in compressed sensing

Recently, it has been shown that fusion of the estimates of a set of sparse recovery algorithms result in an estimate better than the best estimate in the set, especially when the number of measurements is very limited. Though these schemes provide better sparse signal recovery performance, the higher computational requirement makes it less attractive for low latency applications. To alleviate this drawback, in this paper, we develop a progressive fusion based scheme for low latency applications in compressed sensing. In progressive fusion, the estimates of the participating algorithms are fused progressively according to the availability of estimates. The availability of estimates depends on computational complexity of the participating algorithms, in turn on their latency requirement. Unlike the other fusion algorithms, the proposed progressive fusion algorithm provides quick interim results and successive refinements during the fusion process, which is highly desirable in low latency applications. We analyse the developed scheme by providing sufficient conditions for improvement of CS reconstruction quality and show the practical efficacy by numerical experiments using synthetic and real-world data. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An experimental and numerical study of piezoceramic actuator hysteresis in helicopter active vibration control

An aeroelastic analysis is used to investigate the rate dependent hysteresis in piezoceramic actuators and its effect on helicopter vibration control with trailing edge flaps. Hysteresis in piezoceramic materials can cause considerable complications in the use of smart actuators as prime movers in applications such as helicopter active vibration control. Dynamic hysteresis of the piezoelectric stack actuator is investigated for a range of frequencies (5 Hz (1/rev) to 30 Hz (6/rev)) which are of practical importance for helicopter vibration analysis. Bench top tests are conducted on a commercially available piezoelectric stack actuator. Frequency dependent hysteretic behavior is studied experimentally for helicopter operational frequencies. Material hysteresis in the smart actuator is mathematically modeled using the theory of conic sections. Numerical simulations are also performed at an advance ratio of 0.3 for vibration control analysis using a trailing edge flap with an idealized linear and a hysteretic actuator. The results indicate that dynamic hysteresis has a notable effect on the hub vibration levels. It is found that the theory of conic sections offers a straight forward approach for including hysteresis into aeroelastic analysis.

Synthesis and Characterization of CoFe2O4/Polyaniline Nanocomposites for Electromagnetic Interference Applications

The Cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) powders were synthesized by Co-precipitation method. The as prepared ferrite powders were incorporated into a polyaniline matrix at various volumetric ratios. The as prepared composites of ferrite and polyaniline powders were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM). The particle size of CoFe2O4 is found to be 20 nm. The saturation magnetization (M-s) of all the composites was found to be decreasing with decrease of ferrite content, while coercivity (H-c) remained at the value corresponding to pure cobalt ferrite nanopowders. The complex permittivity (epsilon' and epsilon `') and permeability (mu' and mu `') of composite samples were measured in the range of 1 MHz to 1.1 GHz. The value of epsilon' and mu' found to be increased with ferrite volume concentration.

Packaging of Polyvinylidene fluoride nasal sensor for biomedical applications

This paper presents the design technique that has been adopted for packaging of Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nasal sensor for biomedical applications. The PVDF film with the dimension of length 10mm, width 5mm and thickness 28 mu m was firmly adhered on one end of plastic base (8mmx5mmx30 mu m) in such a way that it forms a cantilever configuration leaving the other end free for deflection. Now with the leads attached on the surface of the PVDF film, the cantilever configuration becomes the PVDF nasal sensor. For mounting a PVDF nasal sensor, a special headphone was designed, that can fit most of the human head sizes. Two flexible strings are soldered on either side of the headphone. Two identical PVDF nasal sensors were then connected to either side of flexible string of the headphone in such a way that they are placed below the right and left nostrils respectively without disturbing the normal breathing. When a subject wares headphone along with PVDF nasal sensors, two voltage signals due to the piezoelectric property of the PVDF film were generated corresponding to his/her nasal airflow from right and left nostril. The entire design was made compact, so that PVDF nasal sensors along with headphone can be made portable. No special equipment or machines are needed for mounting the PVDF nasal sensors. The time required for packaging of PVDF nasal sensors was less and the approximate cost of the entire assembly (PVDF nasal sensors + headphone) was very nominal.

Going beyond Red with a Tri- and Tetracoordinate Boron Conjugate: Intriguing Near-IR Optical Properties and Applications in Anion Sensing

The design and synthesis of a new tri- and tetracoordinate boron conjugate is reported. The conjugate shows broad near-IR emission (similar to 625-850 nm) and is found to be a selective colorimetric and ratiometric sensor for fluoride ions.