P. Bala Anki Reddy^a , B. Mallikarjuna^b,*,K. Madhu Sudhan Reddy^a

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol.11, pp. 1-10, 2018, DOI:10.5098/hmt.11.5

Abstract In this paper, a mathematical model has been developed to analyze the double diffusive convective flow of Casson fluid over an inclined stretching sheet with Cattaneo-Christov Heat Flux model. The velocity slip is considered over the surface of the stretching sheet as well. The governing equations for the pertinent model are transformed into non-dimensional highly coupled nonlinear differential equations using similarity transformations. The implicit finite difference method is used to carry out the numerical results and presented the graphs for different values of the physical parameter, Casson fluid parameter, and thermal relation time parameter, chemical… More >

D. R. V. S. R. K. Sastry

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol.11, pp. 1-7, 2018, DOI:10.5098/hmt.11.3

Abstract The present paper investigates the combined effects of melting phenomenon and viscous dissipation over a steady incompressible mixed convection boundary layer fluid flow along a vertical plate. Radiation and double dispersion are also taken into consideration. Further effect of homogeneous chemical reaction of order ’n’ is studied over the non-Darcy porous plate. Continuum equations that characterize fluid flow are transformed to a set of non linear ordinary differential equations through a suitable similarity transformation. These equations are then solved by MATLAB ’bvp4c’ iterative programming method. As a matter of accuracy and validation, available results are More >

Liang Wang^a,b, Jiping Liu^a,b, Shenghua Xu^b, Jinjin Dong^c, Yi Yang^d

Intelligent Automation & Soft Computing, Vol.24, No.2, pp. 391-398, 2018, DOI:10.1080/10798587.2017.1296660

Abstract Forest biomass is a significant indicator for substance accumulation and forest succession, and can provide valuable information for forest management and scientific planning. Accurate estimations of forest biomass at a fine resolution are important for a better understanding of the forest productivity and carbon cycling dynamics. In this study, considering the low efficiency and accuracy of the existing biomass estimation models for remote sensing data, Landsat 8 OLI imagery and field data cooperated with the radial basis function artificial neural network (RBF ANN) approach is used to estimate the forest Above Ground Biomass (AGB) in More >

Yu Zhu^1*, Yong Chen^1*, Yu Feng², Di Yu¹, Xuming Mo¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 271-281, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12567

Abstract We conducted this meta-analysis to address the open question of a possible association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and congenital heart defects (CHDs) in infants. We conducted a comprehensive computerized search of PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and Embase databased (January 1980 through August 2017). We assessed the association between maternal BMI and the risk for congenital heart defects in their offspring. Study-specific relative risk estimates were polled according to random-effect or fixed-effect models. From 2567 citations, a total of 13 case-control studies and 4 cohort studies were selected for a meta-analysis, including more… More >

Yumi Shiina¹, Tomoaki Murakami², Noriko Matsumoto³, Daisuke Okamura⁴, Yuta Takahashi⁴, Yosuke Nishihata¹, Nobuyuki Komiyama¹, Koichiro Niwa¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.1, pp. 79-84, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12555

Abstract Objectives: To assess body composition and relationships among body composition, appetiterelated hormones, adipocytokines, and heart failure (HF) in adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD).
Patients: This prospective study enrolled 46 consecutive adult patients with CHD and 12 agematched healthy controls. The patients and control subjects were divided into four groups: 13 patients with Fontan circulation (group A), 16 patients with cyanosis (group B), 17 patients who previously underwent biventricular repair (group C), and 12 age-matched healthy controls.
Design: Body composition was measured using InBody730, and levels of appetite-related hormones (ghrelin and leptin) and adipocytokines (leptin, interleukin-6, and… More >

Tang Y¹, SS Jin²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 280-285, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.280

Abstract Persistent seed banks have been detected in the Horqin Sandy Land, China using experimental methods. In this study, we used seed traits (i.e. seed mass and seed shape) to predict the persistence of seed banks using the random forest algorithm. The results showed that the mean decrease in accuracy for seed mass and seed shape was 18.26 and 9.90, respectively, suggesting that seed mass was a better predictor than seed shape. With increasing seed mass, the log of P (where P is the ratio of the number of votes selecting existence of a persistent seed… More >

Z. Neffah¹, H. Kahalerras^{1, *}, B. Fersadou¹

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.14, No.1, pp. 39-56, 2018, DOI:10.3970/fdmp.2018.014.039

Abstract A numerical study of heat and mass transfer in a non-Newtonian fluid in a parallel-plate channel partly filled with an anisotropic porous medium and subjected to an exothermic chemical reaction on its walls has been conducted. The flow field in the porous region has been modeled by the modified Brinkman-Forchheimer extended Darcy model for power-law fluids and a finite volume method has been used to solve the governing equations. The influence played by a variation of the anisotropic ratio on thermal conductivity, power-law index, Darcy number, and chemical reaction characteristics has been examined. We show More >

Mehul Barde^1,2, Yusuf Celikbag³, Brian Via³, Sushil Adhikari⁴, Maria L. Auad^1,2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.7, pp. 724-736, 2018, DOI:10.32604/JRM.2018.00116

Abstract Bio-based phenol-formaldehyde polymer (BioNovolac) was developed by reacting molar excess of bio-oil/phenol with formaldehyde in acidic medium. Glycidyl 3,5-diglycidoxybenzoate (GDGB), was prepared by direct glycidylation of α-resorcylic acid (RA), a naturally occurring phenolic monomer. GDGB was crosslinked in the presence of BioNovolac by anionic polymerization. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the formation of semi-interpenetrating polymer networks. The glass transition temperature and moduli of bio-based crosslinked systems were observed to increase with increasing GDGB content. Active chain density and mass retention measured by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and Soxhlet extraction, respectively, indicated a high crosslink More >

Cristiane S. Farinas*, José Manoel Marconcini, Luiz Henrique C. Mattoso

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.2, pp. 203-216, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.6341578

Abstract The conversion of sugarcane lignocellulosic biomass into fuels, chemicals and high-value materials using the biochemical pathway is considered the most sustainable alternative for the implementation of future biorefineries. Actually, the first large-scale cellulosic ethanol plants that have started operating worldwide apply the enzymatic hydrolysis process to convert biomass into simple sugars that are fermented to ethanol by yeasts. However, several technological challenges still need to be addressed in order to obtain commercially competitive products. This review describes current challenges and perspectives regarding the enzymatic hydrolysis step for processing sugarcane lignocellulosic biomass within the biorefinery. Recent More >

Reynaldo Palacios-Bereche¹, Adriano Ensinas², Marcelo Modesto¹, Silvia Nebra^1,3,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.2, pp. 183-194, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634175

Abstract The aim of this study is to assess the possibility of increasing ethanol production by introducing the bagasse hydrolysis process into conventional distilleries. Simulations were performed for mass and energy balances using Aspen Plus® software. It was assumed that sugarcane trash and lignin cake—hydrolysis process residues—are available as supplementary fuel. Several cases were evaluated, including: (a) conventional ethanol distillery, (b) conventional plant combined with a hydrolysis process without heat integration, with different solid contents in the hydrolysis reactor, and (c) conventional plant combined with the hydrolysis process applying heat integration by pinch analysis. The highest More >