Explore the vast range of titles available.

Stringent emission regulations and the depletion of conventional fuel sources drive research on green fuels, additives, and the optimization of fuel injection and exhaust gas recirculation. This study analyzes the impact of butanol additives in diesel and cashew shell liquid biodiesel (CSLB) blends under optimal operating conditions. CSLB was produced with an 85.43% yield from waste cashew nut shell liquid under optimal conditions: a methanol/CSL molar ratio (MR) of 20:1, a process temperature (PT) of 70 °C, and a 4 wt% industrial waste-derived heterogeneous catalyst (IC), using the desirability function approach in the RSM-CCD model. The catalyst was characterized using XRD, FTIR, and BET analyses to confirm its catalytic activity. Engine performance improvements were achieved with specific modifications, including 4° CA timing retardation, 15% split injection, and a 20% exhaust gas recirculation rate when using CSLB blends. In common rail direct injection (CRDI) experimental investigations, diesel and CSLB blends were combined with butanol additives (2.5%, 5%, and 10%) and compared to the baseline test. Incorporating 10% butanol, with its higher latent heat, resulted in a lower combustion temperature, reducing NO x emissions by 47.09% in CSLB10. Additionally, the additive’s lower viscosity and higher oxygen content enhanced atomization, reducing CO (33%) and smoke (23.02%) emissions. However, a slight increase in CO 2 (8.92%) and a decrease in HC emissions (27.14%) were observed in CSLB10. Improved combustion characteristics, reflected in higher peak pressure and heat release rate, resulted in a 4.75% increase in brake thermal efficiency and a 13.92% reduction in brake-specific energy consumption compared to ideal conditions. Overall, this study explores the impact of butanol additives on the performance and emissions of CRDI engines fuelled with CSLB blends derived from waste cashew nut shell liquids, providing insights for sustainable fuel optimization.

The present research focuses on developing an innovative biochar-based heterogeneous catalyst from Prosopis Juliflora biomass waste using response surface methodology and genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize pyrolysis parameters, achieving a 46.31% PJBC yield from 60 mg of biomass at 790 °C for 60 min. The pyrolyzed PJBC is characterized using SEM, FTIR, XRD, EDX, BET, XPS analyses, and physico-chemical measurements to confirm its catalytic activity. Now, the newly synthesized PJBC serves as an efficient catalyst for waste Trichosanthes cucumerina seed biodiesel (WTSB) production from waste Trichosanthes cucumerina seed bio-oil through trans-esterification, achieving a maximum yield of 97.42%. Also, the WTSB exhibits excellent physico-chemical properties that meet most of the ASTM D6751 standards for biodiesel and closely align with the characteristics of conventional diesel fuel. Therefore, this research utilized neat WTSB and WTSB/diesel blends (WTSB25, WTSB50, and WTSB75) in a direct injection (DI) diesel engine at variable load settings. Among all WTSB blends, the WTSB25 blend showed closer variations of 1.65% lower BTE and 9.29% higher BSEC when compared to conventional diesel fuel readings. Its peak in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate were similar to those of diesel fuel at 100% engine load. Emission analysis indicated that the WTSB25 reduced specific HC, CO, and smoke opacity emissions by 8.39%, 13.97%, and 4.18%, respectively. However, specific NO emissions increased slightly by 3.05% compared to diesel fuel. Thus, WTSB25 is validated as a viable diesel alternative requiring no significant engine modifications. The environmental impact, lifecycle and economic feasibility are also discussed.

The rising demand for alternative fuels stems from fossil fuel depletion, rising crude oil prices, and environmental concerns. Diesel engines, valued for efficiency and durability, contribute to resource depletion and pollution. Biofuels offer a sustainable alternative, with waste lemon peels presenting a viable feedstock for biofuel production. Using a steam distillation process, lemon peel waste oil (LPWO) is extracted from waste lemon peels and test fuel blends of LPWO and conventional diesel have been created in ratios of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. According to the ASTM standards, the properties of LPWO and its blends, along with diesel, have been assessed. The characteristics of LPWO were determined by FTIR, GC-MS, and TG/dTG analysis. The performance, combustion, and emission parameters have been evaluated for neat LPWO and LPWO blends in a variable compression ratio (VCR) engine by varying BP between 0 kW and 5.2 kW and compression ratio from 16:1 to 18:1. From experimental analysis, optimum results are observed while using the blend 5% LPWO, BP 5.2 kW and CR 18:1. LPWO5 showed an increase in BTE and EGT by 2.168% and 3.09% while minimizing BSFC by 6.54%, also improved HRR and in-cylinder pressure; a decrease of CO, NO x , and smoke emissions by 59.42%, 30.99%, and 7.89% whereas 9.14% and 0.201% increase in HC and CO 2 when compared to diesel fuel. To model and optimize the engine responses, a multiple regression model was developed using response surface methodology (RSM) with a desirability function approach (DFA). The optimal operating conditions predicted were 6.51% LPWO blend, 1.42 kW load, and CR 18:1, which closely aligned with experimental findings. The RSM-CCD design coupled with the DFA model yielded a combined desirability value of 0.8997. The VCR engine results were validated with the RSM predictions and DFA optimization, showing an error margin of less than 5%. These outcomes indicate that the LPWO5 blend holds strong potential as a viable alternative fuel for VCR engine applications.

Industrial waste-based catalysts provide a sustainable and cost-efficient solution for biodiesel production, improving yield, quality, and environmental impact. When this biodiesel is used in advanced reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) mode, it enhances the combustion process within direct injection (DI) diesel engines. These strategies effectively reduce nitrogen oxide (NO x ) emissions and smoke without compromising engine performance. This study used cottonseed ( Gossypium arboreum ) methyl ester (CSME) as the pilot injection fuel. It was produced under optimal conditions of 2 wt% industrial waste dolomite catalyst, an 8:1 methanol-to-oil molar ratio, and heating at 55 °C for 45 min during transesterification through the response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD). The catalytic potential of the industrial waste dolomite catalyst is validated through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses. Next, the n-butanol was injected into the intake manifold of the diesel engine at different energy shares of 10%, 20%, and 30% using an electronic primary fuel injection (EPFI) system in the RCCI mode. The fuel blends of diesel, CSME10 (10% CSME + 90% diesel), CSME20 (20% CSME + 80% diesel), and CSME100 (100% CSME) were tested as single-fuel in conventional mode, and CSME100 + 10% n-butanol, CSME100 + 20% n-butanol, and CSME100 + 30% n-butanol were tested in RCCI mode under variable load settings. Compared to the single-fuel operation, the RCCI combustion mode improved the performance and reduced emissions characteristics for all n-butanol energy shares. Especially, the CSME100 + 30% n-butanol mixture boosts brake thermal efficiency (BTE) by 22.25% and lowers brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) by 23.33%. The unburnt hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions were slightly increased by 28.13% and 27.37%, respectively. Also, the RCCI mode could simultaneously reduce smoke opacity (up to 58.07%) and NO x emission (up to 41%) through lower peak cylinder pressure and heat release rate (HRR) at 18 kg in 100% engine load operation. Based on these analyses, it is suggested that the RCCI mode with n-butanol injection by the EPFI system shows efficient fuel combustion and significantly reduced tailpipe emissions in DI diesel engine applications.

Breast cancer is a major global health issue in women, where diagnosis at an early stage is decisive for enhancing the effectiveness of treatment and survival. Despite the advances in imaging using medical technologies, maintaining uniformly good diagnostic accuracy is challenging due to the difficulty of lesion characterization and limitations of single-modality imaging. This work presents HXM-Net, a deep learning model specifically tailored to improve breast cancer detection through the synergistic benefit of multi-modal ultrasound imaging. HXM-Net combines Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for spatial feature extraction and Transformer-based fusion for optimal concatenation of information from the B-mode and Doppler ultrasound images. The dual modality-based method captures morphological and vascular features of breast lesions and produces a more informative and discriminative feature representation. The model embeds multi-scale feature learning and data augmentation to guarantee generalizability to different lesion types and patient populations. In the tests conducted on a class-balanced breast ultrasound database, the HXM-Net achieved accuracies of 94.20%, sensitivity (recall), 92.80%, specificity, 95.70%, an F1 score of 91.00%, and AUC-ROC of 0.97, thereby establishing the superiority of HXM-Net over conventional models like ResNet-50 and U-Net, especially in distinguishing benign tumours from malignant ones. The strong diagnostic ability and versatility of the model make it a good contender for integration with clinical decision support systems that can facilitate more assured diagnostics and enhanced patient care.

Whole-body vibration exposure is a critical factor affecting human health and comfort, particularly for individuals operating on/off-road vehicles. Prior studies have focused on male biomechanical models. This study intentions to develop a new female-specific biomechanical model to analyze and optimize biodynamic responses under vertical vibration conditions. The objective is to introduce a ten degrees-of-freedom (dofs) biomechanical model tailored for the female body, considering the average weight of human beings. The new model has compared against existing male-oriented models to evaluate its effectiveness. The female body is divided into ten key segments: head, pelvis thorax, abdomen, left upper arm, left hand, left forearm, right upper arm, right forearm, and right hand. Mechanical properties are adjusted based on female-specific mass distribution, stiffness, and damping characteristics. The Firefly Algorithm is used for parameter optimization. The biodynamic responses, including seat-to-head transmissibility, apparent mass, and driving point mechanical impedance, are evaluated and compared with previous male models. The optimized female model exhibits distinct biodynamic response characteristics due to anatomical and biomechanical differences. The goodness of fit analysis indicates improved predictive accuracy for female subjects, suggesting the necessity for gender-specific modelling in vibration analysis.

In the present work, experimental studies of drying Krishna tulsi leaves in an in-house fabricated evacuated tube solar collector (ETSC) connected with an indirect solar dryer are carried out. The acquired findings are compared to those obtained from drying the leaves in open sun drying (OSD). The developed dryer takes 8 h to dry Krishna tulsi leaves; it takes 22 h in the OSD to reach a final moisture content of 12% (db) from an initial moisture content of 47.26% (db). The collector and dryer efficiencies range from 42 to 75%, 0–18%, respectively, with an average solar radiation of 720 ± 20 W/m 2 . The ETSC and drying chamber exergy inflow and outflow vary from 200 to 1400 W, 0 to 60 W, and from 0 to 50 W,  0 to 14 W, respectively. The ETSC and cabinet exergetic efficiencies range from 0.6–4% and 2–85%, respectively. The exergetic loss of the overall drying process is estimated to be 0–40%. The drying system sustainability indices, including improvement potential (IP), sustainability index (SI), and waste exergy ratio (WER), are calculated and presented. The value of the embodied energy of the fabricated dryer is 349.874 kWh. For an expected life span of 20 years, the dryer will reduce CO 2 by 13.2 tonnes and earn carbon credits worth between 10,894 and 43,576 INR. The proposed dryer has a payback period of 0.4 years.

Opercular myoclonic-anarthric status epilepticus (OMASE) is an uncommon disorder of diverse etiology. This condition is characterized by fluctuating cortical dysarthria associated with epileptic myoclonus involving glossopharyngeal musculature bilaterally. We report two cases of OMASE of vascular etiology in adults. In both patients, ictally clonic expression was consistent with epilepsia partialis continua and bilateral, symmetrical involvement of soft palate in one patient and tongue, lips, chin and inferior jaw in both patients due to bilateral projections of the inferior corticonuclear pathways. The inferior rolandic area of dominant and high frontal region in non-dominant hemispheres were involved by an epileptogenic lesion of vascular etiology, which was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging of brain and single photon emission computerized tomography. Carotid Doppler study showed thrombosis of internal carotid artery in both patients, suggestive of an embolic origin. Early recognition of OMASE is important for early management of carotid occlusive disease.

Lead poisoning is a common occupational health hazard in developing countries. We report the varied clinical presentation, diagnostic and management issues in two adult patients with lead encephalopathy. Both patients worked in a battery manufacturing unit. Both patients presented with seizures and one patient also complained of abdominal colic and vomiting. Both were anemic and a lead line was present. Blood lead level in both the patients was greater than 25 µg/dl. Magnetic resonance imaging of brain revealed bilateral symmetric involvement of the thalamus, lentiform nucleus in both patients and also the external capsules, sub-cortical white matter in one patient. All these changes, seen as hyperintensities in T2-weighted images suggested demyelination. They were advised avoidance of further exposure to lead and were treated with anti-epileptics; one patient also received D-penicillamine. They improved well on follow-up. Lead encephalopathy is an uncommon but important manifestation of lead toxicity in adults.