Eng最新文献

{"title":"Zirconia Enrichment of Zircon from Arikya, Nasarawa State, Nigeria, by Magnetic and Gravity Separation Processes for Use as Reinforcing Agent in Composite Formulation","authors":"Benneth Ifenna Okoli, O. Agboola, A. P. Onwualu, Abdulhakeem Bello, O. Sholiyi, V. Anye, O. T. Yusuf","doi":"10.3390/eng5010010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/eng5010010","url":null,"abstract":"Acceptable zircon for composite formulation in the aerospace industry requires that the mineral contains a minimum of 65% zirconia (ZrO2). Despite having vast deposits of zircon, Nigeria’s aerospace industry has historically relied primarily on imported mild steel tubes for solid rocket motor cases (SRMCs) construction, resulting in three major challenges: low strength-to-weight ratio, pressure, and temperature containment. In this study, the Arikya zircon deposit located in northern Nigeria was investigated with the aim of upgrading low-grade zircon ore using magnetic and gravity separation processes for use in composite formulation for SRMCs. The dry high-intensity magnetic separator (DHIMS) produced a ZrO2 grade of 52.48%, recovery of 57.99%, and an enrichment ratio of 0.78 with a separation efficiency of 0.56, while the air-floating separator (AFS) generated the highest of 65.52% ZrO2 grade with 70.81% recovery and enrichment ratio of 1.25 with a separation efficiency of 0.25. The ZrO2 content increased from 40.77 to 65.52% after beneficiation. Iron oxide and titanium dioxide contaminants at 0.73 and 0.83% were reduced to 0.66 and 0.54%, respectively, while the specific gravity increased from 4.4 to 4.6 g/cm3. The ZrO2 content and specific gravity were improved to the minimum standard specified for zirconia-reinforced composite application and competed effectively with industrially/globally accepted zircon. These results demonstrated the efficacy of combining DHIMS and AFS to upgrade the low-grade zircon ore from Arikya, Nasarawa State.","PeriodicalId":502660,"journal":{"name":"Eng","volume":" 678","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139617636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Amazon Natural Fibers for Application in Engineering Composites and Sustainable Actions: A Review","authors":"P. H. D. da Silveira, Bruno Figueira de Abreu Ferreira Cardoso, Belayne Zanini Marchi, S. N. Monteiro","doi":"10.3390/eng5010009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/eng5010009","url":null,"abstract":"The Amazon rainforest, spanning multiple countries in South America, is the world’s largest equatorial expanse, housing a vast array of relatively unknown plant and animal species. Encompassing the planet’s greatest flora, the Amazon offers a tremendous variety of plants from which natural lignocellulosic fibers (NLFs) can be extracted. In this century, NLFs, which have long been utilized by indigenous populations of the Amazon, have garnered interest as potential reinforcements for composites, whether polymer- or cement-based, in various technical applications such as packaging, construction, automotive products, and ballistic armor. A comparison with synthetic materials like glass, carbon, and aramid fibers, as well as other established NLFs, highlights the cost and specific property advantages of Amazon natural fibers (ANFs). Notably, the sustainable cultivation and extraction of ANFs, as alternatives to deforestation and livestock pasture, contribute to the preservation of the Amazon rainforest. This review article provides a comprehensive examination of recent studies directly related to ANF-reinforced polymer matrix composites. The specific advantages, proposed applications, and reported challenges are highlighted, shedding light on the potential of these unique natural fibers.","PeriodicalId":502660,"journal":{"name":"Eng","volume":" 46","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139624907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Screening of Azo-Dye-Degrading Bacteria from Textile Industry Wastewater-Activated Sludge","authors":"Grazielly Maria Didier de Vasconcelos, Isabela Karina Della-Flora, M. Kelbert, L. M. de Andrade, Débora de Oliveira, S. M. A. Guelli Ulson de Souza, A. A. Ulson de Souza, Cristiano José de Andrade","doi":"10.3390/eng5010008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/eng5010008","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates the biodegradation of Reactive Red 141 (RR 141), an azo dye prevalent in the textile industry, by bacteria isolated from activated sludge in a textile effluent treatment plant. RR 141, characterized by nitrogen–nitrogen double bonds (-N=N-), contributes to environmental issues when improperly disposed of in textile effluents, leading to reduced oxygen levels in water bodies, diminished sunlight penetration, and the formation of potentially carcinogenic and mutagenic aromatic amines. This research focuses on identifying bacteria from activated sludge with the potential to decolorize RR 141. Microbiological identification employs MALDI-TOF-MS, known for its precision and rapid identification of environmental bacteria, enhancing treatment efficiency. Results highlight Bacillus thuringiensis and Kosakonia radicincitans as the most promising strains for RR 141 decolorization. Analysis of micro-organisms in activated sludge and database exploration suggests a correlation between these strains and the decolorization process. It is worth noting that this is the first report on the potential use of K. radicincitans for azo dye decolorization. Three distinct culture media—BHI, MSG, and MS—were assessed to investigate their impact on RR 141 decolorization. Notably, BHI and MSG media, incorporating a carbon source, facilitated the bacterial growth of both tested species (B. thuringiensis and K. radicincitans), a phenomenon absent in the MS medium. This observation suggests that the bacteria exhibit limited capability to utilize RR 141 dye as a carbon source, pointing towards the influence of the culture medium on the discoloration process. The study evaluates performance kinetics, decolorization capacity through UV-VIS spectrophotometry, potential degradation pathways via HPLC-MS analysis, phytotoxicity, and enzymatic activity identification. B. thuringiensis and K. radicincitans exhibit potential in decolorizing RR141, with 38% and 26% removal individually in 120 h. As a consortium, they achieved 36% removal in 12 h, primarily through biosorption rather than biodegradation, as indicated by HPLC-MS analyses. In conclusion, the research emphasizes the importance of exploring bacteria from activated sludge to optimize azo dye degradation in textile effluents. B. thuringiensis and K. radicincitans emerge as promising candidates for bioremediation, and the application of MALDI-TOF-MS proves invaluable for rapid and precise bacteria identification.","PeriodicalId":502660,"journal":{"name":"Eng","volume":"6 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139439566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing the Robustness of Traffic Signal Control with StageLight: A Multiscale Learning Approach","authors":"Gang Su, Jidong J. Yang","doi":"10.3390/eng5010007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/eng5010007","url":null,"abstract":"The continuous evolution of artificial intelligence and cyber–physical systems has presented promising opportunities for optimizing traffic signal control in densely populated urban areas, with the aim of alleviating traffic congestion. One area that has garnered significant interest from both researchers and practitioners is the application of deep reinforcement learning (DRL) in traffic signal control. However, DRL-based algorithms often suffer from instability due to the dynamic nature of traffic flows. Discrepancies between the environments used for training and those encountered during deployment often lead to operational failures. Moreover, conventional DRL-based traffic signal control algorithms tend to reveal vulnerabilities when faced with unforeseen events, such as sensor failure. These challenges highlight the need for innovative solutions to enhance the robustness and adaptability of such systems. To address these pertinent issues, this paper introduces StageLight, a novel two-stage multiscale learning approach, which involves learning optimal timings on a coarse time scale in stage 1, while finetuning them on a finer time scale in stage 2. Our experimental results demonstrate StageLight’s remarkable capability to generalize across diverse traffic conditions and its robustness to various sensor-failure scenarios.","PeriodicalId":502660,"journal":{"name":"Eng","volume":"59 22","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139447665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Behind the Scenes of PluriZyme Designs","authors":"Ana Robles-Martín, Sergi Roda, Rubén Muñoz-Tafalla, V. Guallar","doi":"10.3390/eng5010006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/eng5010006","url":null,"abstract":"Protein engineering is the design and modification of protein structures to optimize their functions or create novel functionalities for applications in biotechnology, medicine or industry. It represents an essential scientific solution for many of the environmental and societal challenges ahead of us, such as polymer degradation. Unlike traditional chemical methods, enzyme-mediated degradation is selective and environmentally friendly and requires milder conditions. Computational methods will play a critical role in developing such solutions by enabling more efficient bioprospecting of natural polymer-degrading enzymes. They provide structural information, generate mechanistic studies, and formulate new hypotheses, facilitating the modeling and modification of these biocatalysts through enzyme engineering. The recent development of pluriZymes constitutes an example, providing a rational mechanism to integrate different biochemical processes into one single enzyme. In this review, we summarize our recent efforts in this line and introduce our early work towards polymer degradation using a pluriZyme-like technology, including our latest development in PET nanoparticle degradation. Moreover, we provide a comprehensive recipe for developing one’s own pluriZyme so that different laboratories can experiment with them and establish new limits. With modest computational resources and with help from this review, your first pluriZyme is one step closer.","PeriodicalId":502660,"journal":{"name":"Eng","volume":"48 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139451041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Double-Side Feeding and Reactive Power Compensation Using the Railway Interline Power Flow Controller","authors":"António Pina Martins, Vítor A. Morais","doi":"10.3390/eng5010005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/eng5010005","url":null,"abstract":"This paper gives an overview of the operating characteristics of the railway interline power flow controller (RIPFC) regarding the capability of transferring active power between two sections of an electrified railway line separated by a neutral zone and proposes its use for compensating the power factor at the substation instead of regulating the voltage level at the neutral zone. The basic analysis is based on simplified steady-state models for the energy supply architecture, while detailed time-domain simulations are used for more realistic tests. The paper mainly focus on active power balancing between two neighbouring substations and the global losses in the system. Other functionalities of the RIPFC system are also analysed, like reactive power compensation at the substations. The paper presents the main operating principles of the system, shows results for some representative scenarios (generic and reduced) and discusses the results. The most relevant conclusions are related to substation active power balancing and peak shaving, power factor compensation in the substation, voltage stability at the neutral zone and system power losses.","PeriodicalId":502660,"journal":{"name":"Eng","volume":"9 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139153348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mathematical Formulation of Learning and Its Computational Complexity for Transformers’ Layers","authors":"D. Pau, Fabrizio Maria Aymone","doi":"10.3390/eng5010003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/eng5010003","url":null,"abstract":"Transformers are the cornerstone of natural language processing and other much more complicated sequential modelling tasks. The training of these models, however, requires an enormous number of computations, with substantial economic and environmental impacts. An accurate estimation of the computational complexity of training would allow us to be aware in advance about the associated latency and energy consumption. Furthermore, with the advent of forward learning workloads, an estimation of the computational complexity of such neural network topologies is required in order to reliably compare backpropagation with these advanced learning procedures. This work describes a mathematical approach, independent from the deployment on a specific target, for estimating the complexity of training a transformer model. Hence, the equations used during backpropagation and forward learning algorithms are derived for each layer and their complexity is expressed in the form of MACCs and FLOPs. By adding all of these together accordingly to their embodiment into a complete topology and the learning rule taken into account, the total complexity of the desired transformer workload can be estimated.","PeriodicalId":502660,"journal":{"name":"Eng","volume":"10 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139167095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Spatial Rainfall Scenarios on River Basin Runoff Simulation a Nan River Basin Study Using the Rainfall-Runoff-Inundation Model","authors":"K. Pakoksung","doi":"10.3390/eng5010004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/eng5010004","url":null,"abstract":"This study aims to investigate the impact of spatial rainfall distribution scenarios from ground observation stations on runoff simulation using hydrological modeling specific to the Rainfall-Runoff-Inundation (RRI) model. The RRI model was applied with six different spatial distribution scenarios of input rainfall, including Inverse Distance Weight (IDW), Thiessen polygon (TSP), Surface Polynomial (SPL), Simple kriging (SKG), and Ordinary kriging (OKG), to simulate the runoff of a 13,000 km2 watershed, namely the Nan River Basin in Thailand. This study utilized data from the 2014 storm event, incorporating temporal information from 28 rainfall stations to estimate rainfall in the spatial distribution scenarios. The six statistics, Volume Bias, Peak Bias, Root Mean Square Error, Correlation, and Mean Bias, were used to determine the accuracy of the estimated rainfall and runoff. Overall, the Simple kriging (SKG) method outperformed the other scenarios based on the statistical values to validate with measured rainfall data. Similarly, SKG demonstrated the closest match between simulated and observed runoff, achieving the highest correlation (0.803), the lowest Root Mean Square Error (164.48 cms), and high Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency coefficient (0.499) values. This research underscores the practical significance of spatial interpolation methods, such as SKG, in combination with digital elevation models (DEMs) and landuse/soil type datasets, in delivering reliable runoff simulations considering the RRI model on the river basin scale.","PeriodicalId":502660,"journal":{"name":"Eng","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139166858","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Applied Research on Electronic Documentation and 3D Product Model Deployment in Production and Assembly Processes","authors":"Carl Kirpes, Dave Sly, Guiping Hu","doi":"10.3390/eng5010002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/eng5010002","url":null,"abstract":"The three-dimensional (3D) product model has become a tool that has transitioned from a legacy instrument, used in design, to an emerging technology applied to production and assembly processes. As this evolution has occurred, the need has developed to understand the value of deploying the 3D product model beyond the design phase. This research answers the question and solves the problem, does electronic documentation inclusive of the 3D product model add to the production workers’ ability to complete the production task? To answer this question, the methods used were that the research team tested how accurately and quickly a production and assembly team could build the product using interactive, electronic documentation, including the 3D product model, as a means to understand the design intent as opposed to printed bills of materials (BOMs) and two-dimensional (2D) paper drawings. The conclusions that can be drawn from this research are that the research found statistically significant improvements in the production throughput time (~10%), reductions in the direct labor hours per unit (~14%), and retained quality levels, when deploying electronic documentation, including the 3D product model, into the production and assembly processes. Through the deployment of the interactive 3D product model electronic documentation to the production floor, the organization also took a step towards creating a digital twin of the produced product and laid a foundation for the further adoption of Industry 4.0 practices. The novelty of the work and the areas where it goes beyond previous efforts in the literature concerns the current body of knowledge that does not demonstrate a repeatable methodology through which industry and other researchers can replicate the experiment on demonstrating economic value when deploying the 3D product model to production and assembly processes. In this paper, the authors aim to build on prior work to demonstrate a repeatable methodology for determining the economic value of 3D product model deployment in production and assembly processes through applied research.","PeriodicalId":502660,"journal":{"name":"Eng","volume":"185 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139171433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Retesting Schemes That Improve Test Quality and Yield Using a Test Guardband","authors":"Chung-Huang Yeh, Jwu E. Chen","doi":"10.3390/eng4040169","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/eng4040169","url":null,"abstract":"The digital integrated circuit (IC) testing model module is applied in this study to simulate the fabrication and testing of integrated circuits. The yield and quality of ICs are analyzed by assuming that the wafer devices under test conditions are normal probability distributions. The difficulties of testing and verification become increasingly great as the design function of the chip becomes remarkably complex. Conversely, the automotive industry chip supply chain has been substantially affected since the COVID-19 outbreak. The shortage of chips in the auto-market has always existed; therefore, increasing available chips under a limited production capacity has become a top priority. Therefore, this study applies the digital integrated circuit testing model (DITM) and proposes a retest plan. This method does not require considerable time to collect large wafer data, nor does it require additional hardware equipment. Furthermore, the required test quality parameters are set, and the test is repeated on the device by adjusting the test guardband (TGB). Moreover, three retesting schemes are proposed to improve the IC test quality (Yq) and test yield (Yt) to meet the requirements of consumers for product quality. A set of 2021 IEEE International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS) parameters is used to demonstrate the three proposed retesting schemes. The simulation results from the 2021 IRDS data prove that the retest method can effectively improve the test yield (Yt). A comparison of the estimated results of the three retest methods shows that using the repeat test method can maximize the test yield without sacrificing the test quality (Yq). By contrast, repeat testing can indeed improve the test yield (Yt) by 14% or more. Moreover, the increase in sellable ICs not only increases additional earnings for corporations, but also alleviates the current global shortage of automotive ICs.","PeriodicalId":502660,"journal":{"name":"Eng","volume":"232 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139181221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}