Synthesis of Biochar from Microwave Assisted Co-Pyrolysis of Tea Waste and Coal for Supercapacitor Application See

Rechargeable energy sources are becoming more important due to the current trend toward smaller portable electronic devices. The most promising option for extracting energy among the different non-conventional energy devices is the supercapacitor. In this work, biochar is produced from the co-pyrolysis of the tea waste, coal, and their blends (75:25, 50:50, and 25:75) utilizing the microwave-assisted pyrolysis at 450W, 2.45GHz. The obtained biochar was activated using the double crucible meth...

Machine Learning Models for Prediction of Ground Vibrations Induced by Blasting in Opencast Mines Vis-À-Vis Conventional Approaches See

This study explores predictive models for blast-induced ground vibrations using blast vibration data. Both conventional prediction models and modern machine learning (ML) models, specifically Random Forest (RF) and XGBoost were employed to forecast Peak Particle Velocity (PPV). The dataset, sourced from a land development site, includes 17 blast vibration records with detailed parameters such as hole depth, explosive weight, and distance to measuring points. The performance of the developed M...

Rock Blasting Practices and Induced Ground Vibrations in Opencast Mines - Case Studies See

This paper presents case studies on instrumentation with accelerometers, and scientific studies conducted on ground vibrations due to blasting with various types of explosive and accessories (Cartridge, Site Mixed Emulsions, electronic detonators etc) at Dunguri limestone mine, Jindal Power Opencast Coal Mine- Tamnar, and Baphlimali Bauxite Mines under M/S Utkal Alumina International Limited, Jayanthipuram Limestone Mine, The Ramco cements Ltd to design safe blasting practices to contain the ...

Exploration of the bactericidal property of the Indian Ghost Grasshopper (Aularches miliaris, Linn, 1758) Wing – A bioinspirational Surface See

Contamination of dental and orthopaedic implants, biomedical devices, loss of thermal control due to biofouling-mediated water clogging in industrial systems, corrosion of the ship's bottom, and microbial growth-mediated skin infections resulting from the wetting of clothes are common global problems associated with microbial biofilm formation. Therefore, there is a demand for antiwetting, antifouling and antibacterial surfaces in the material industry, biomedical industry, marine transportat...

Exploring Potential of Rationally Designed Short-Synthetic Peptides as Anti-Amyloid Drug Candidates See

Misfolded and natively disordered globular proteins have a tendency to aggregate together to form fibrous, proteinaceous deposits referred to as amyloid fibrils. Formation and deposition of such insoluble fibrils are the hallmarks of a broad group of diseases known as amyloidosis, such as Amyloid-Beta (Aβ) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide (hIAPP, amylin) in type 2 diabetes, α-synuclein (α-syn) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and so on. The fact that these proteins do n...

Untangling the Digital Web: A Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS Approach to Prioritizing SCF Digitization Challenges in India See

This study presents a novel approach to identifying and prioritizing the critical challenges hindering the digitization of Supply Chain Finance (SCF) in India, with a focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Despite growing interest in digital SCF platforms, adoption remains slow due to complex, interrelated barriers. Objective 1 is to systematically classify these challenges into five core dimensions—technological, organizational, financial, regulatory, and supply chain ecosystem—along ...

Wavelet Method for Distributed-Order Optimal Control Problem See

This research presents a novel numerical method for solving a class of complex optimal control problems that feature distributed-order derivatives. The approach leverages the advanced mathematical properties of fractional-order Laguerre wavelets to transform the original continuous-time control problem into a more manageable discrete set of algebraic equations. This transformation is accomplished by utilizing Reimann-Liouville distributed-order operational matrices, which serve as the foundat...

In Silico Designing of APR-Derived Pentapeptides as Inhibitors of Human Insulin Amyloidogenesis See

An important therapeutic approach for the treatment of amyloidosis is the rational design of sequence-oriented short peptides, which can prevent the highly ordered cross-β-sheet aggregates formed by misfolded amyloidogenic proteins. In this chapter, we have emphasized human insulin that is a much-studied model protein for amyloidogenesis, because of its well-studied fibrillation pathways. We were able to examine the three delineated aggregation-prone regions (APRs) for targeting insulin aggre...

Drilling Characteristics of Multiple Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites See

Drilling is one of the most used machining processes for creating holes in composite materials. However, unlike conventional materials, drilling fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites poses greater challenges due to their heterogeneous and anisotropic nature. In this study, flax-epoxy composites with and without steel wire mesh reinforcement are fabricated and tested using a Taguchi L9 orthogonal array. The effects of spindle speed, feed rate and drill diameter on thrust force, torque and ...

Axially-Loaded Column under Earthquake Loading See

The fundamental vibration frequency of columns decreases with increasing axial compressive load. 1. This paper carries out the free vibration analysis of a beam using the finite element method. The frequencies and mode shapes are determined. The vibration behavior of the beam under axial load is investigated analytically and using the finite element method. The results show that the square of the frequency reduces linearly with an increase in axial load. At the critical buckling load, this fr...

Building Sustainable Futures: Quantifying the Impact of Sustainable Banking Practices, Green Finance, and Innovation on Sustainability Performance See

Purpose - The evaluation of sustainable banking practices (SBP) on the sustainability performance (SP) of banks receives limited empirical research scrutiny, especially for developing economic sectors like India. The study fills this research gap by examining the serial mediation effect of green finance (GF) and financial innovation (FI) in the relationship between SPs and banks' sustainability performance. Design/methodology/approach - The paper utilizes resource-based view theory (RBV) to s...

Harnessing Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Elements for Digital Transformation in Sustainable Women Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries See

The paper explores the complex and under-researched role of elements of the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE), including financial capital (FC), social capital (SC), institutional and policy support (IPS), and entrepreneurial culture (EC), as strategic facilitators of sustainable women entrepreneurship in India. It is based on the Resource Orchestration Theory (ROT) and examines digital financial literacy (DFL) as a mediating variable and digital technology adoption (DTA) as a moderating variabl...

Curiosity Rover Observation of Dust Storm Induced Changes in The Near-Surface Atmosphere at The Gale Crater See

Martian dust storms are one of the most dynamic phenomena on the planet. The dust storms considerably alter several atmospheric characteristics. In this study, the changes in the near-surface atmospheric parameters are observed for two dust storms that occurred during the Martian Year (MY) 36 using the data from the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) onboard the Curiosity rover. REMS observations revealed a decline in maximum temperature and an increase in minimum temperature, indi...

Emerging Liquid Thermoplastic Resin-based Fibrous Composites for Structural Applications: A comparison with conventional Glass/Epoxy See

Despite offering superior mechanical performance and excellent chemical resistance, thermoset-based fibrous composites come along with a few drawbacks, such as brittle failure, non-biodegradability, difficulty in recycling, and difficulty in joining. These challenges can be addressed by a novel polymer matrix, Liquid Thermoplastic Resin (LTR). Unlike other thermoplastic polymers, LTR offers recyclability, weldability, and easy processing to fabricate composites through Vacuum Assisted Resin T...

Enhancing the Bending and Interlaminar Shear Performance of Glass/Epoxy Composites at in-situ Elevated and Sub-zero Temperatures by incorporating Recycled Short Glass Fibers See

Sustainable recycling and reuse of recycled glass fibers are essential for minimizing environmental impact and promoting resource efficiency. This study aims to recycle and reuse the recycled short glass fibers (RSGFs) by chopping and incorporating them in virgin glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites (VGFECs) at varying concentrations (i.e., 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5%, and 0.7%) with respect to the weight of epoxy for enhancing the mechanical performance. The flexural performance of RSGFs incorporate...

Phase Transformation in Silicon: Anomalies Revealed by Computational Free Energy Analysis See

Silicon holds critical importance as both a technological and structural material. In this study, the melting mechanism of silicon is systematically investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the Stillinger–Weber1 (SW) potential, emphasizing free energy analysis. A first-order solid–liquid phase transition is proposed to elucidate silicon’s anomalous behavior. Unlike conventional substances, silicon exhibits a density anomaly: a sharp density drop during quenching and an abru...

Hierarchically Structured Biomimetic Alumina/Epoxy Composite with Enhanced Strength and Toughness See

Abalone nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, is a natural composite known for its exceptional combination of strength, toughness, and resistance to impact. This remarkable performance is attributed to its hierarchical ‘brick-and-mortar’ architecture, consisting of hard aragonite (CaCO₃) platelets embedded in a thin biopolymer matrix. Drawing inspiration from this structural motif, the present study focuses on the fabrication and mechanical property evaluation of nacre-mimetic alumina/epoxy c...

Masstige Consumption and Identity Reframing Among Return Migrants in India: A Qualitative Study See

This study examines how return migrants’ resort to masstige consumption for the construction of hybrid identities upon returning from metropolitan cities to their Tier 2 and Tier 3 hometowns. While research to date has primarily focused on economic and structural considerations in migration, the symbolic and psychosocial processes of return migration remain an underexplored field. This study, through the branded consumption of masstige products, a rare combination of aspirational appeal with ...

Role of Invisible Digital Innovations in Shaping Consumer Experience: A Qualitative Study See

Invisible In-store Technologies (IIST) profoundly influences the purchasing process by creating a seamless, data-driven retail experience that stimulates customers' decision-making at every phase. Interestingly, this transformation of the purchase journey takes place without customers' awareness or explicit consent at the point of action; thus, satisfaction may increase due to convenience or decrease because of unauthorised data access. The study utilised a multi-method qualitative approach t...