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Commercial starch extraction is a multi-step process which requires high capital cost and infrastructure. The present study aimed at exploring a low cost process for small scale/on-farm processing of potato for isolation of starch which included potato grinding, slurry filtration, starch settling, increased number of starch washings to obtain maximum yield and purity followed by starch drying. Two commercial cultivars (Kufri-Chipsona-3 and Lady Rosette) and two commonly grown cultivars (Kufri Pukhraj and Kufri Ganga) were used for the experiments. The isolated starches varied significantly (p

The U.S. government, which funds virtually all types of basic research and development, can maximize its investment and best support technology transfer by focusing on RD the selection of projects that will produce research and development results convertible to prototypes for testing in the end user’s environment; and the selection of projects that complement each other for building a critical mass of technology transfer from the bottom up. This type of approach utilizes the best attributes of each member of the technology partnership; focuses technology transfer efforts at the level of basic technology, where there is maximum flexibility and opportunity; and utilizes existing program funding to accomplish technology transfer objectives.

Carbon sequestration in forests has increasingly captured the attention of scientists as a strategy for climate change mitigation and environmental sustainability. In this era of huge carbon emission, being a low-carbon and cost-effective technology, the economic analysis of forest carbon sequestration holds higher importance for the successful implementation and intended outcomes. This study elucidates a scientometric view of the research structure and thematic evolution of economic studies on forest carbon sequestration based on 1,439 articles over the time slice 2001-2021. The bibliographic data has been retrieved from the Dimensions database which accommodates a large coverage of research publications and also provides easy access to essential scholarly data and information. Vosviewer and Biblioshiny software tools have opted for visualization and evaluation purposes of bibliometric data. This study employs various measures of bibliometric analysis like co-authorship, bibliographic coupling, citation and keyword analysis to find out the principal articles, authors, journals, most frequent keywords and highest publishing countries and institutions in this field and the results show that the number of publications has escalated substantially in the last five years, Popp A, 2017 (305 citations) and André P C Faaij (11 documents) are the most cited article and the most productive author, respectively, Bradford’s law calculates 21 core journals out of total 503 journals among which Forest Policy and Economics is on the top, and the most productive country and institution are the USA and University of Florida, respectively. The study also investigates key publishing subject categories and the number of publications covered under each Sustainable Development Goals. The overall outcome of this bibliometric study confers an in-depth understanding of the various dimensions of economic analysis on forest carbon sequestration, its development pattern in the last 20 years and also provides emerging themes for future references.

Advances in nutritional genomics are intended to revolutionize nutrition practice. A basic understanding of nutritional genomics among nutritionist-dietitians is critical for such advancements to occur. As a precedent to the development and integration of gene-based nutrition advice, this study aimed to assess hospital-based nutritionist-dietitians’ perceptions of nutritional genomics. A total of ten focus group discussions (FGDs) with sixty-one registered nutritionist-dietitians (RNDs) from hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR), Philippines, were conducted from October to November 2019. Data were collected using a pretested semistructured discussion guide, and thematic analysis was subsequently performed. Diverging perceptions about nutritional genomics were noted among the FGD participants. Five themes emerged relating to the enablers and barriers of gene-based nutrition advice: training and capacity building, the extent of information to be disclosed, cost, ethical considerations, and government support. Themes related to the desired features of the gene-based nutrition advice included being consent-driven, cost-effective, technology-oriented, and guided by standards. The results of this study suggest that training and continued learning will equip RNDs to provide nutrition advice based on genetic information. However, other factors, such as cost and ethical considerations, are critical dimensions that need to be acknowledged and addressed before integrating gene-based advice into nutrition practice.

Voice transmission over wireless edge networks is a conventional, cost-effective technology to transmit voice calls over 802.11 edge networks. In this type of service, Session Initiating Protocol (SIP) is responsible for initiating sessions. Research has shown that the call control algorithm that controls SIP sessions can also guarantee the quality of the medium during audio data transmission. In spite of decision-making in wireless access points and changing the parameters of the medium access sublayer (MAC), the existing algorithms are complicated and cannot adequately ensure service quality and efficient use of system resources. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to propose a new algorithm that enables a SIP server to decide to admit or reject an incoming call, in concise time. This algorithm considers the dynamic parameters of the network such as the location of node, channel busyness rate and real-time traffic percentage of the channel without changing the settings of MAC sublayer. The location of each system depending on the access point that transmits the call has a great impact on how the required service is provided. Implementation of this location-aware method on a real network testbed is indicative of remarkable superiority over the recently proposed methods in terms of service quality as measured by parameters, such as response time, call duration, loss-rate, and delay in real-time packets.

Hydrogen gas, along with conventional fossil fuels, has been used as a green fuel with enormous potential. Due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, a new dimension of hydrogen production technology has arrived to reduce reliance on nonrenewable energy sources. Microwave-based hydrogen production is a more promising and cost-effective technology than other existing green hydrogen production methods such as fermentation and gasification. Microwave heating may be superior to traditional heating due to several advantages such as less power consumption compared to other methods, higher yield, and a higher rate of conversion. Compared to another process for hydrogen production, the microwave-driven process worked efficiently at lower temperatures by providing more than 70% yield. The process of production can be optimized by using properly sized biomass, types of biomass, water flow, temperature, pressure, and reactor size. This method is the most suitable, attractive, and efficient technique for hydrogen production in the presence of a suitable catalyst. Hot spots formed by microwave irradiation would have a substantial impact on the yield and properties of microwave-processed goods. The current techno-economic situation of various technologies for hydrogen production is discussed here, with cost, efficiency, and durability being the most important factors to consider. The present review shows that a cost-competitive hydrogen economy will necessitate continual efforts to increase performance, scale-up, technical prospects, and political backing.

Phytoremediation is a novel and cost-effective technology for removing contaminants from soil. This study investigated the effect of Chitosan (CS) and Chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) on phytoremediation ability of Datura stramonium L. for Cadmium (Cd) polluted soils. The results showed that D. stramonium is an accumulator plant for Cd, with the translocation factor (TF) of 1.12. Its accumulation ability was increased by the application of CS and CSNPs considerably. The concentration of Cd, in the soil, was decreased by increasing application of CS and CSNPs; also CSNPs were more effective in enhancing phytoremediation of Cd, in compared to CS. The application of CS and CSNPs significantly increased the bioconcentration factor (BCF) and TF. The highest BCF (1.85) and TF (1.65) were observed in the group treated by 5% CSNPs, showing the best function for phytoremediation of Cd. Increasing the uptake of Cd, after the CSNPs treatment, could be described as an effect of the small size, higher surface area and the low crystallinity of the nanoparticles. In the leaves of the plants treated with Cd + CS and Cd + CSNPs, the total protein content decreased in comparison to Cd- treated plants, that is the sign of Cd resistance in D. stramonium. Application of CS and CSNPs caused the increase in the peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activities as compared to the group treated just by Cd. The results, therefore, demonstrated that D. stramonium could be suitable for phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils and application of CS and CSNPs could enhance BCF and TF.

This work investigates the effectiveness of ammoniacal nitrogen (NH 4 + -N) removal from contaminated water by adsorptive hollow fiber ceramic membrane (HFCM) derived from naturally made clinoptilolite. The technological value of this work is the simple mechanism of the adsorptive HFCM in removing gaseous ammonia in water by combining adsorption and separation. To test the technical feasibility of this proposed technology, clinoptilolite HFCM was fabricated via phase inversion-based extrusion/sintering technique and characterized by SEM and water permeation flux. The produced HFCM corresponds to the desired morphology of the asymmetric structure (dense and void formations) with outstanding adsorption performance of NH 4 + -N. The effects of the HFCM’s operational parameters on its removal are examined in terms of membrane dosage and isothermal studies. The adsorption isotherm behavior exhibited that the adsorption process fitted the Freundlich isotherm model with outstanding removal performance even at trace concentration of ammonia. The low amount used by HFCM (4.75×10−4m2) resulted in over 96% ammonia removal, indicating a low cost of adsorption process. The regeneration of saturated HFCM suggests an outstanding recovery of the HFCM for its subsequent use for NH 4 + -N removal. This study also reveals the potential of adsorptive HFCM as a simple and cost-effective technology for ammonia removal from wastewater.

The present work proposes a novel dual dummy gate Silicon-on-Insulator Laterally Double Diffused Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (SOI-LDMOS) transistor. TCAD simulation shows considerable promise to enhance the dc, analog/RF, and switching performance than the single dummy gate and conventional SOI-LDMOS transistor. A strong accumulation region (SAR) forms under the optimum biased dummy gates (at the semiconductor surface in the drift region) that assist in increasing the On-current and, thereby, reducing the On-Resistance. The proposed device exhibits ~93.5% improvement in On-current (ION), ~144% increase in transconductance (gm), ~29% reduction in specific On-resistance (RON,sp), ~360% improvement of intrinsic gain compared to the conventional SOI-LDMOS transistor. The dummy gates, which are in short with the source contact at zero potential, act as a field plate, and minimize the gate to drain capacitance due to the shielding effect. Improvement in the cut-off frequency (fT) and the maximum frequency (fMAX) is reported. The proposed device also offers a decrease of the gate to drain charge (QGD) leading to reduction in Figure of Merit RON,sp × QGD by ~31%. The increase of maximum power per unit area by ~52% is reported for power amplifier applications. It is shown that improving the On-State performance by tuning the dummy gate bias gives a simple, new, and cost-effective technology solution for power electronics applications.

Organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite materials, i.e., ABX3 (A = methylammonium, B = Pb, X = Cl, Br, I) have been proved to be outstanding for solar energy conversion. They provide a solution to renewable energy problems with good efficiency and cost-effective technology. Here, we report the initial calculations done by solving Kohn-Sham equations by the use of density function theory. The electronic structural and band gap of CH3NH3PbI3 material are obtained by using different exchange-correlation potential (PBE, PBE-sol, GGA). Further, solar cell devices with CH3NH3PbI3 as absorption layer and CdS/TiO2/ZnTe as buffer layer have been modeled; device physics is discussed and performance of solar cell structure is analyzed in terms of short circuit current density, open circuit voltage, efficiency, fill factor, and quantum efficiency. The maximum efficiency of CH3NH3PbI3 solar cell is found to be 19.6% with TiO2 buffer layer, whereas efficiency with ZnTe buffer layer is also comparable which is 19.5%. Further the effect of layer thickness and temperature are analyzed for maximum efficiency.

This article examines the health system performance impact of China's new round of healthcare reform adopted in 2009. Specifically, we evaluated productivity and efficiency of health production pre- and post-reform period, compared the effects across all the 31 provinces of mainland China and identified potential determinants. As a major source of disability and premature mortality in China, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) had been the focus of our analysis, and the period during 2008-2015 was considered to allow enough time for the policy to have meaningful impact on the country's health system. Productivity and efficiency performance were analyzed using a bootstrapping data envelopment analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist productivity index (MPI) techniques, while a Tobit regression technique was used to identify determinants of inefficiency. We find that after the reform efficiency and productivity had declined across large number of provinces. Mean overall technical efficiency (OTE) post 2009 was about 30% lower than the potential maximum capacity, while productivity also fell at a rate of 7.57% per annum. Trends in productivity and efficiency performance were largely linked to patterns of scale of technological change observed during the study period. The findings suggest that efficiency and productivity can be improved through enhancing financial security, optimizing health resource allocation, particularly between human resources for health and hospital beds, and expanding cost-effective technology within the health sector. Better urban planning practices and investment in education were also found to contribute to improved efficiency of NCDs services.

These days, petroleum hydrocarbon pollution has become a global problem, because of this, bioremediation is presented as a strategy for cleaning up sites contaminated with organic pollutants, and it has an increasing role in relation to the potential it presents as a non-invasive and cost-effective technology. The aim of this study is to optimize the biomass production of Pseudomonas sp. MT1A3 strain as a soil bioremediation approach for petroleum hydrocarbon polluted environments. Factorial experimental designs were employed to study the effect of several factors of composition medium and incubation conditions on biomass production. Agro-industrial wastes such as peanut oil as carbon source, NaNO(3) as nitrogen source and incubation temperature were found to be significant independent variables. These factors were further optimized using Box–Behnken design. Combination of peanut oil 18.69 g/L, NaNO(3) 2.39 g/L and 26.06 °C incubation temperature was optimum for maximum biomass production of MT1A3 and the model validated in a bioreactor allowed to obtain 9.67 g/L. Based on these results, this autochthonous strain was applied in bioaugmentation as a bioremediation strategy through microcosm designs, reaching 93.52% of total hydrocarbon removal at 60 days. This constitutes a promising alternative for hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-022-03183-6.

Microalgae readily develop tolerance against environmental pollutants and are also capable of utilizing heavy metals in their metabolic activities. Microalgae-based heavy metal removal provides an eco-friendly, cost-effective technology to treat wastewater. In this study, a strain of the green alga Chlorococcum aquaticum, isolated from water polluted with Pb2+, was selected for bioremediation of Pb2+ in aqueous solutions. Chlorococcus aquaticum showed a high level of tolerance toward Pb2+ with an LC50 of 100 mg L−1. To assess the efficacy and practicality of the bioremediation process, adsorption isotherms and kinetic models were developed. The best-fitted adsorption model was Freundlich isotherm with the adsorption constant (KF) = 2.18 mg g−1 and n = 1.01, suggesting a multilayer adsorption to heterogeneous surfaces. The kinetic studies revealed that the interaction of Pb2+ with C. aquaticum obeys pseudo second-order kinetics with the rate constant (k′) = 1.21 × 10−5 g mg−1 min−1 and the amounts of Pb2+ adsorbed per gram of adsorbent at equilibrium (qe) = 500 mg g−1, indicating that the rate determining step involves a chemical reaction mechanism. Chlorococcum aquaticum showed a high tolerance toward Pb2+, high adsorption capacity and a moderate adsorption rate. Thus, growing C. aquaticum can be identified as a potential environmentally friendly and low-cost sorbent to remove a wide range of Pb2+concentrations from wastewater.

A real-time vehicle monitoring is crucial for effective bridge maintenance and traffic management because overloaded vehicles can cause damage to bridges, and in some extreme cases, it will directly lead to a bridge failure. Bridge weigh-in-motion (BWIM) system as a high performance and cost-effective technology has been extensively used to monitor vehicle speed and weight on highways. However, the dynamic effect and data noise may have an adverse impact on the bridge responses during and immediately following the vehicles pass the bridge. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) method, which can significantly purify the collected structural responses (dynamic strains) received from sensors or transducers, was used in axle counting, detection, and axle weighing technology in this study. To further improve the accuracy of the BWIM system, the field-calibrated influence lines (ILs) of a continuous multi-girder bridge were regarded as a reference to identify the vehicle weight based on the modified Moses algorithm and the least squares method. In situ experimental results indicated that the signals treated with FFT filter were far better than the original ones, the efficiency and the accuracy of axle detection were significantly improved by introducing the FFT method to the BWIM system. Moreover, the lateral load distribution effect on bridges should be considered by using the calculated average ILs of the specific lane individually for vehicle weight calculation of this lane.

Lateral flow assays (LAFs) especially integrated with a microfluidic chip, provides a simple, rapid, user-friendly, potable robust, and cost-effective technology for broad assays. However, this technology suffers from low sensitivity. In this paper, one kind of automatic roller of tap, which can be precisely controlled to replace sample tap was integrated into the microfluidic LAFs platform. And then, on-stripe repeated injection and concentration were realized with this simple mechanic unit. The minimum detection concentration for human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) was 1.26 ng/mL, comparable with literature using complex enzyme/chemical reaction-based signal amplification. The linear relationship between the signal intensity and enrichment times reflected the good reproducibility of the novel device. At the same time, the good linear relationship between the predicted accumulation quantity of HCG and the gray value of bands is very meaningful for quantitative detection. Consequently, this novel universal approach shows great potential in the rapid trace analysis and broaden the application of LAFs with its attractive characteristics.

In Arequipa (Peru), a small-scale tannery industry cannot afford costly or complicated methods for effluent treatment. In this work, we designed and tested a bubble column bioreactor for tannery effluent treatment based on the native filamentous fungi Penicillium citrinum and Trichoderma viride. The bioreactor construction used low-cost materials, with an easy-to-handle design. The parameters considered for testing were based on current Peruvian legislation. In the bioreactor, P. citrinum successfully reduced the effluent content of sulfides, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) and removed nearly 80% of the chromium (VI) after 120 h of reaction. The resulting treated effluent had a composition within the maximum limits permitted by Peruvian legislation. Trichoderma viride also reduced the content of TSS, COD and sulfides, but decreased the chromium (VI) concentration by only ~ 20% after the same reaction time. Both filamentous fungi were able to grow in the experimental conditions used and the bioremediation process occurred with no significant alteration in pH. These findings indicate that a bubble column bioreactor using P. citrinum as a bioremediator agent provides low-cost, effective technology for treating effluent waste produced by artisanal and small-size tannery factories in the region of Arequipa.

Heavy metal pollution threatens aquatic systems worldwide, and mining activities are an important pollution source. Currently, the treatment of polluted water using a cost-effective technology that can purify multiple pollutants and is sustainable, environmentally friendly, and simple is a major challenge. The in situ preparation of Mg–Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and the concurrent treatment of Zn, Cd, and Pb from mining wastewater are important for preventing multiple steps and increasing adsorption sites. This study focused on mining wastewater containing high concentrations of Mg2+ and Al3+, with anion chemistry controlled by SO42−, which facilitates the formation of LDHs. The required amounts of Mg2+ and Al3+ ions were added to the wastewater, and the conditions for the creation of Mg–Al LDHs were controlled. The heavy metals in the experimental wastewater were effectively removed after the treatment via Mg–Al LDH formation. The X-ray diffraction of the post-treatment products suggested the formation of Mg–Al LDHs. The Mg/Al molar ratio (2.3:1) in the product approached the initial ratio (2:1), which meets the general limits of Mg–Al LDH formation. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the products had a sheetlike stacked morphology, providing evidence for the formation of Mg–Al LDHs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that SO42− might be the intercalated anion in the Mg–Al LDH layers. Consequently, SO42− was removed from the mining wastewater, as it was captured between the LDH layers during the formation reaction of Mg–Al LDHs.

Microbial inoculants are suitable cost-effective technology to help plants endure drought. For the development of commercial inoculants, screening of efficient plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) is a crucial step. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of PGPB to modulate drought resistance in Sorghum bicolor. A pot experiment with sorghum was conducted to access the role of previously selected PGPB strains. In addition, two non-inoculated control treatments (with and without urea fertilization) were also evaluated. For comparison, a fully irrigated treatment (FIT) was also assessed. All plants were fully irrigated for 47 days when the water supply was completely suspended for the drought-stressed treatments. When the soil moisture was close to zero, the irrigation was resumed. During dehydration and rehydration process, the leaf gas exchange (LGE) was evaluated. The parameters of plant growth and nitrogen nutrition were assessed 8 days after reirrigation. Comparing to the FIT, all treatments reduced the LGE rates, but in the presence of Bacillus sp. ESA 402 photosynthesis rate was less reduced. Some inoculation treatments promoted better recovery of photosynthesis, comparable to the FIT, 6 days after rehydration. The plant growth and nitrogen nutrition were negatively affected by the drought, but the inoculation of different bacteria reduced some negative effects. The nitrogen accumulation in the shoots was increased by all strains, suggesting their diazotrophic ability even under drought. Overall, the inoculation of Bacillus sp. ESA 402 was the best bacterium with potential for future field trials.

Lipid productivity of microalgae depends considerably on the method of its cultivation. In the present study, a two-stage culture strategy was conducted to cultivate Chlorella vulgaris to enhance lipid productivity. In the first stage, C. vulgaris was grown in the synthetic medium to obtain maximum biomass concentration. Wastewater is used as a medium for growing microalgae to have commercial and environmental aptitudes for biomass production. The nutrient removal efficiencies were 80.5% (COD), 70% (TN), and 78% (TP). In the second stage, the synergistic effects of nitrogen and NaCl concentration on the lipid productivity was investigated by response surface methodology (RSM) for 2 days. The optimum conditions for relatively high lipid productivity (up to 80 mg L−1 day−1) were 2.6 mg L−1 of nitrogen, 6.3 g L−1 of NaCl, and 4.9 g L−1 of biomass concentration. The value which was predicted by model was in good agreement with the experimental value, as it was determined by the validation experiments. Saturated fatty acid composition was increased by 27.3% under optimized medium compared with synthetic medium, which is very suitable for biodiesel production. According to the above results, it is concluded that the combination of multiple stress conditions can lead to a cost-effective technology of microalgae lipid production.

Fresnel-based concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar power systems have been proven effective to significantly enhance the photoelectric conversion efficiency, but a standard-size solar plant will require an extremely large amount of polymer radial Fresnel lenses. Roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing is a high-throughput technology to mass produce high-quality functional optical polymer film. In this paper, we have firstly studied a complete manufacturing cycle for R2R embossing of radial Fresnel lens polymer film for CPV systems, in terms of polymer lens design, roller mold machining, R2R embossing and optical performance test. Instead of wrapping an electroplated metal sheet onto the roller in conventional R2R process, the lens pattern array is directly machined using a 5-axis ultra-precision machining system to guarantee its surface quality and accuracy. Optical performance evaluation for the manufactured polymer film using a reference solar cell is conducted, and results have shown that radial Fresnel lens on the polymer film can achieve a sunlight concentration ratio 3.9 × times that of linear lenses with a much smaller receiving area. This study has explored the feasibility for R2R embossing of optical polymer film, an industry-applicable and cost-effective technology for mass production of high-quality Fresnel lenses to be used in high-efficiency CPV systems.

Reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) from wastewater reclamation in water reuse retains concentrated toxic bio-refractory organics, and developing technologies for their removal is essential. This paper reviews innovative treatment technologies for organic contaminants in the ROC, and treatment options for applications are proposed. To adequately manage ROC, volume reduction and quality improvement are important. Forward osmosis (FO) can reduce the ROC volume. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) result in degrading organic contaminants and producing biodegradable organics, but the reduction of energy consumption is required. Coagulation is an effective option as a pre-treatment of AOPs and can improve the biodegradability of ROC. Partial use of short-time AOPs can transform high molecular weight organics into relatively biodegradable organics. Among AOPs, a rotating advanced oxidation contactor (RAOC) can be an energy-saving technique for removing bio-refractory organics from ROC using solar light irradiation. Post-biological treatment can significantly save energy and efficiently eliminate biodegradable organics that are produced by AOPs. Microalgae cultivation is also an effective option for resource recovery from ROC. Considering the techniques, an integrated process comprising FO, pre-coagulation, short-time and/or solar-driven AOPs (e.g., RAOC), and post-biological treatment is proposed as an energy-saving and cost-effective technology for ROC treatment.

Materials of nano-dimensions are gaining popularity due to their inherent properties such as high reactivity, mobility and surface area. Environmental bioremediation by employing microbial platforms is one of the most rapidly growing areas of nano-biotechnology. Nanoparticles synthesized using biological entities such as yeast, bacteria, fungi, algae and plants are referred to as biogenic nanoparticles. Owing to their nontoxicity, biologically synthesized nanoparticles have emerged as a sustainable alternative to chemically synthesized nanoparticles. In the past few years, several biogenic nanoparticles have been developed for potential application in medicine and environmental remediation. Biogenic nanoparticles such as biogenic manganese oxide (BioMnOx), biogenic nano-magnets, bio-palladium nanocrystals and biogenic iron species have proven to be effective for the removal of several micro-pollutants, heavy metals, recalcitrant pollutants and halogenated compounds. Nano-bioremediation could emerge as a better, safer, ecofriendly and cost-effective technology, which can greatly influence the domain of environmental remediation in the long run. This study reviews the synthesis, classification and applications of microbial nanoparticles for environmental bioremediation.

A novel pore-filling system was prepared using spray as the key-technique, for solar cells and various other applications. High performance in perovskite, dye-sensitized and eta cells is often achieved using metal oxide layers or their mesoporous analogues. One dimensional scaffold materials such as nanorods or nanotubes are also employed in order to improve charge collection. Herein, we introduce a method to more efficiently fill the pores in the most common nanostructure architecture namely mesoporous, nanorods or nanotubes. The method employs the use of spray technique with applied DC voltage (through two different voltage supplies) as the cost-effective technology for time efficient pore filling. SnS nanoparticles and N719 dye have been pore-filled onto a previously deposited ZnO nanorods and mesoporous TiO2 film, respectively, using the novel setup. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed an improved pore-filling, the complementary enhancement of ~ 24% in the DSSC efficiency and ~ 16% and 7% in terms of current density and fill factor, respectively has been found in comparison to the reference standard device. It is attributed to an increase in the concentration of dye molecules into the pores of TiO2 nanostructures due to better dye loading and hence observed an improvement in light absorption, electron transportation and charge collection. This pioneer pore filling technique exponentially reduced the dye loading time duration from overnight immersion of photo anodes in dye solution to 15–20 min.

Composting is an efficient and cost-effective technology for sewage sludge treatment, and bulking agents are essential in sewage sludge composting. In this study, perlite was chosen as inorganic bulking agent to partially substitute for the organic bulking agent. Variations in the temperature, bulk density, moisture content, pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were detected during sewage sludge composting. The treatment with a mass ratio of spent mushroom substrate to perlite at 3:1 exhibited the highest pile temperature and the best effect on reducing bulk density and moisture content. In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectra showed that perlite promotes the degradation of organic matter during the composting process, and the germination index showed that the compost from all treatments was safe for agricultural application. When the mass ratios of spent mushroom substrate and perlite at 3:1 and 2:2 were chosen as bulking agents, the sewage sludge compost product could be used to produce plant cultivation substrate, and economic benefits could be obtained from sewage sludge composting according to comprehensive cost analysis.

An integrated process of cellulase production and pretreatment employing Piptoporus betulinus was proposed to accomplish economic feasibility of lignocellulosic ethanol. After 24 days of cultivation, the maximum loss of weight and hemicellulose of rice straw was 21.25% and 24.79%, respectively. The cellulose was degraded slightly and exposed. Furthermore, the modified lignin led to the weak interaction between lignin and hemicellulose. The optimized enzyme production for CMCase activity (58.37 U g−1 substrate) and FPase activity (7.43 U g−1 substrate) were obtained on the 12th day and the 18th day, respectively. Whereas, the highest reducing sugar yield of rice straw (392.96 mg g−1) was obtained on the 24th day, which was 2.82 times higher than that of the control with the reduced cellulase dosage of 37.15%. In this study pretreatment, cellulase production and enzymatic hydrolysis were coupled into one process, which opens an avenue for environmentally friendly and cost effective technology in lignocellulosic ethanol production.

In this work, a simple electrical conductivity measurement technique is applied to effectively determine the boron concentration in the aqueous solution based on the ionized complex formed between boron species and vitamin B6, which can be easily detected and accurately measured using a conductivity meter. The log of boron concentration is linearly correlated with the log of conductivity change within the range of 0–550 mg/L boron content. The correlation coefficient (R2) is up to 0.99882. The reproducibility is 100%. The methods can be directly applicable in deionization water or diluted seawater within diluted factor 34 times or higher (0–1600 us/cm conductivity range). This work provides a cost-effective technology for the boron measurement and will be of great industrial importance in boron measurement field.

The cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) comprise an efficient and cost-effective technology for harvesting solar energy. However, device efficiency remains limited in part by low-open circuit voltage (VOC) and fill factor (FF) due to inefficient transport of photo-generated charge carriers. Given the deep valence band of CdTe, the use of copper/gold (Cu/Au) as a back contact serves primarily to narrow the width of the inherent Schottky junction evident in CdTe solar cells (in our laboratory, Cu/Au has been used as a standard back contact). For efficient transport of carriers to and into the back contact, a hole transport layer (HTL) is desired with valence band edge comparable to that of CdTe (∼ -5.9 eV). Here, we report solution-processed nanocrystal (NCs) based thin films as HTLs in CdTe solar cells. The earth abundant materials we discuss include iron pyrite (FeS2), nickel-alloyed iron pyrite (NixFe1-xS2), zinc copper sulfide (ZnxCu1-xS) nanocomposites, and perovskite-based films. The FeS2 and NixFe1-xS2 NCs are synthesized by a hot-injection route, and thin films are fabricated by drop-casting, and spin-coating techniques using colloidal NCs. ZnxCu1-xS thin films are fabricated by chemical bath deposition. These NC-based thin films are applied and studied as the HTLs in CdTe devices. On using these materials, the device performance can be increased up to 10% compared to the standard Cu/Au back contact. Here, we discuss the benefits, challenges, and opportunities for these back contact materials in CdTe photovoltaics.

Anthropogenic and natural activities can lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions and discharge of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) into soil environment. Biochar amendment to soils is a cost-effective technology and sustainable approach used to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, improve phytoremediation, and minimize the health risks associated with consumption of PTE-contaminated vegetables. Greenhouse pot experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of peanut shell biochar (PNB) and sewage sludge biochar (SSB) on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, plant growth, PTE bioaccumulation, and arsenic (As) speciation in bean plants. Results indicated that amendments of PNB and SSB increased plant biomass production by increasing soil fertility and reducing bioavailability of PTEs. Addition of biochars also increased soil pH, total nitrogen (TN), total carbon (TC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and ammonium-nitrogen (NH

Open-pit metal mines contribute toward air pollution and without effective control techniques manifests the risk of violation of environmental guidelines. This paper establishes a stochastic approach to conceptualize the air pollution control model to attain a sustainable solution. The model is formulated for decision makers to select the least costly treatment method using linear programming with a defined objective function and multi-constraints. Furthermore, an integrated fuzzy based risk assessment approach is applied to examine uncertainties and evaluate an ambient air quality systematically. The applicability of the optimized model is explored through an open-pit metal mine case study, in North America. This method also incorporates the meteorological data as input to accommodate the local conditions. The uncertainties in the inputs, and predicted concentration are accomplished by probabilistic analysis using Monte Carlo simulation method. The output results are obtained to select the cost-effective pollution control technologies for PM25, PM10, NOx, SO2 and greenhouse gases. The risk level is divided into three types (loose, medium and strict) using a triangular fuzzy membership approach based on different environmental guidelines. Fuzzy logic is then used to identify environmental risk through stochastic simulated cumulative distribution functions of pollutant concentration. Thus, an integrated modeling approach can be used as a decision tool for decision makers to select the cost-effective technology to control air pollution.

Mining and geogenic activities can lead to elevated concentrations of potentially toxic elements in soil. Biochar amendment to soil is a cost-effective technology and environmentally friendly approach to control soil pollution, improve phytoremediation and mitigate health risks due to agricultural products. Greenhouse pot experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of rice husk biochar on alfalfa biomass, metal bioaccumulation and arsenic speciation. Results indicated that rice husk biochar amendments to contaminated soil increased plants biomass by improving soil fertility and available nutrients. Biochar also increased soil cation change capacity, dissolved organic carbon, while decreased available concentrations of potentially toxic elements (except for arsenic). The accumulation of nickel, lead, cadmium and zinc (except for chromium and arsenic) significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased as compared with unamended control plants. In addition, increases were observed for inorganic arsenite and arsenate. Current findings demonstrate that rice husk biochar can be used as a beneficial amendment for contaminated soil. However, further field experiments are needed to validate its long-term effectiveness where environmental factors are diverse and complex.

A procedure is proposed for the design of a "structural geotechnogenic massif," which permits the selection of a cost-effective technology for reinforcing soil with soil-cement elements at the design phase, thus assuring the required level of settling.

An efficient and new magnetic nanoadsorbent photocatalyst was fabricated by co-precipitation technique. This research focuses on understanding metal removal process and developing a cost-effective technology for treatment of heavy metal-contaminated industrial wastewater. In this investigation, magnetic nanoadsorbent has been employed for the removal of Zn(II) ions from aqueous solutions by a batch adsorption technique. The adsorption equilibrium data fitted very well to Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. The thermodynamics of Zn(II) ions adsorption onto the magnetic nanoadsorbents indicated that the adsorption was spontaneous, endothermic and physical in nature. Surface morphology of magnetic nanoadsorbent by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and elemental analysis by EDX technique. The structural and photocatalytic properties of magnetic nanoadsorbent were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR techniques. Also, the magnetic properties of synthesized magnetic nanoadsorbent were determined by vibrating spinning magnetometer (VSM).

Drawing increasing attention, free-space optics (FSO) is a cost-effective technology to support data intensive communications. Cooperative diversity is considered to be an effective means for combating weather turbulence in FSO networks. In this paper, we consider the challenging problem of joint relay selection and power allocation in FSO networks. The objective was to maximize the FSO network-wide throughput under constraints of a given power budget and a limited number of FSO transceivers. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem, which is NP-hard. We first adopt the reformulation-linearization technique (RLT) to derive an upper bound for the original MINLP problem. Due to the relaxation, the solutions obtained from RLT are infeasible. We then propose both centralized and distributed algorithms using bipartite matching and convex optimization to obtain highly competitive solutions. The proposed algorithms are shown to outperform the noncooperative scheme and an existing relay selection protocol with considerable gains through simulations.

India’s growing self-sufficiency in food production and food stocks since independence suggest that soils have the capacity to produce. Therefore, a review of Indian soils and their capacity to sequester carbon; and the factors favouring C sequestration under different land uses is in order. Several researchers, especially those in The National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning and the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics monitored the changes in soil organic (SOC) and inorganic (SIC) carbon as influenced by land use in the Indo-Gangetic Alluvial Plains and black soil regions between 1980 and 2005. The results showed an increase in SOC stocks due to turnover of greater plant biomass into the soil. Results of long-term fertilizer experiments with rice-based double or triple cropping systems indicate soil’s capacity to store greater C, and maintain higher C in passive pools and that active fraction of soil C can be used as an indicator of soil health. The inclusion of active pool/labile SOC is expected to improve the performance of Century eco-system model in predicting SOC changes under different climatic conditions. Greenhouse gas emissions from the tropical Indian soils (both zeolitic and non-zeolitic) do not seem to contribute significantly to the global warming potential. The application NPK plus FYM emerged as a cost effective technology for Indian farmers. In view of the potential of C sequestration by major zeolitic and non-zeolitic soils, the present SOC stock of about 30 Pg can be further increased.

The persistent occurrence of aflatoxins in food and feed remains a problem for producers of commodities subject to colonization with toxigenic molds. Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi of the Aspergillus spp. associated with deleterious health effects. Because current screening methods for these toxins are lengthy, destructive, and costly, there is a continuous search for a more rapid, noninvasive, and cost-effective technology. The present study utilized a fluorescence excitation–emission matrix (EEM) of aflatoxin as well as two additional secondary metabolites (kojic acid and the bright greenish-yellow fluorescence (BGYF) compound) of Aspergillus flavus measured with a fluorescence spectrophotometer. The results were compared to image data acquired with a fluorescence hyperspectral sensor in order to evaluate the potential of image-based technology for detecting aflatoxin in grain. The excitation–emission matrix of aflatoxin B1 standard produced overlapping peaks in 340–400 nm of excitation range emitting in the blue range at around 450 nm. The spectral signature extracted from the hyperspectral image was also in the blue range, emitting blue fluorescence. Because the results from both systems were comparable, where all fluorescence peaks were in the blue range, the present study validates the feasibility of image-based technology for nondestructive detection of aflatoxin in corn. Additional peaks were revealed in the aflatoxin EEM in the 260-nm excitation range that were not present in the kojic acid and BGYF compound mixture. This new information allows for the separation of the aflatoxin signature from the potentially confounding overlap of other secondary metabolites occurring in the blue and blue-green spectral ranges.

Image processing is a cost-effective technology in various applications. Partial differential equation (PDE) methods are popular when realizing image processing. However, computational speed of existing PDE methods cannot meet requirements in practice. To solve this problem, scholars proposed a novel method: Lattice Boltzmann (LB) model. Although LB model has already been applied for image denoising, inpainting and segmentation, its explanation is not systematically concluded and a general LB model for image processing is missing, which resulted in previous investigations difficult to be scaled up. The purpose of this paper is to explore the explanation of LB model for image processing, and propose a general LB mathematical model. To test the feasibility of the proposed LB model, we did several comparison experiments. The comparison results showed that the proposed LB model augmented CPU calculating speed and kept good image processing effect.

Feather waste, a by-product of poultry processing sectors, contains a large quantity of hard to degrade keratin that pose great threat to the environment and mankind. Thus, development of a biotechnological approach to use such waste as substrate for enzyme production with its subsequent conversion to nitrogenous soil input is the main aim of the present investigation. Thirteen proteolytic bacteria were isolated from feather dump soil, amongst which Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 6B (JQ904625) was found to completely degrade native feather in shortest time period (24 h) and thus selected for further investigation. Upon optimization of process parameters, the maximum enzyme yield (610.13 U/ml) was obtained after 12 h of fermentation at 37 °C using a medium containing 0.5 % (w/v) feather meal and 0.5 % (w/v) xylose at pH 8.0. The keratinolytic protease 6B exhibited optimum activity at 50 °C and pH 8.0. The enzyme exhibited significant stability in presence of solvents, surfactants and bleach-oxidant, suggesting its potential use in industries. Furthermore, the strain could produce antifungal metabolites which could inhibit the growth of fungal phytopathogens in the same conditions observed for keratinolytic enzyme production. Consequently, feather hydrolysates resulting from the microbial conversion of feather keratin might be utilized as a bioactive agricultural nitrogen input. Thus, degradation of bird feather using a soil bacterial isolate with simultaneous production of solvent and detergent tolerant keratinolytic protease, offers a cost-effective technology for industrial protease production, while adding value to poultry feather waste.

Phytoremediation is an environmental friendly, cost-effective technology for a soft restoration of abandoned mine sites. The grasses Agrostis capillaris, Deschampsia flexuosa and Festuca rubra, and the annual herb Helianthus annuus were combined with microbial consortia in pot experiments on multi-metal polluted substrates collected at a former uranium mine near Ronneburg, Germany, and a historic copper mine in Kopparberg, Sweden, to test for phytoextraction versus phytostabilization abilities. Metal uptake into plant biomass was evaluated to identify optimal plant-microbe combinations for each substrate. Metal bioavailability was found to be plant species and element specific, and influenced by the applied bacterial consortia of 10 strains, each isolated from the same soil to which it was applied. H. annuus showed high extraction capacity for several metals on the German soil independent of inoculation. Our study could also show a significant enhancement of extraction for F. rubra and A. capillaris when combined with the bacterial consortium, although usually grasses are considered metal excluder species. On the Swedish mixed substrate, due to its toxicity, with 30 % bark compost, A. capillaris inoculated with the respective consortium was able to extract multi-metal contaminants.

We established a novel gene expression analysis platform, Multiplex Competitive RT-PCR Using Fluorescent Universal Primers (MCF-PCR), to study multi-gene expression patterns simultaneously. This platform combines fluorescent universal primers, multiplex competitive RT-PCR, and capillary electrophoretic separation, which ensures MCF-PCR a reliable, medium-throughput, cost-effective technology for gene expression profiling. With cloned standard DNAs, the detection limits, precision, and sensitivity of MCF-PCR were evaluated and compared with that of the assay without adding competitive templates and real-time PCR, respectively. The results showed that detection limit was 3.125 × 10(3) to 3.2 × 10(6) copies, and 10 % copy differences between two samples can be detected by MCF-PCR. To validate MCF-PCR, we analyzed expression profile of five genes in interleukin (IL)-4/IL-13 pathway in peripheral blood of 20 healthy adults and 20 allergic dermatitis patients; three genes including IL-4, IL-13, and STAT6 were found differentially expressed in the two sample groups, which maybe key players in IL-4/IL-13 immunological signaling pathway and need further function analysis.

Restricting global warming below 2 °C to avoid catastrophic climate change will require atmospheric carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Current integrated assessment models (IAMs) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scenarios assume that CDR within the energy sector would be delivered using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). Although bioenergy-biochar systems (BEBCS) can also deliver CDR, they are not included in any IPCC scenario. Here we show that despite BECCS offering twice the carbon sequestration and bioenergy per unit biomass, BEBCS may allow earlier deployment of CDR at lower carbon prices when long-term improvements in soil fertility offset biochar production costs. At carbon prices above $1,000 Mg−1 C, BECCS is most frequently (P>0.45, calculated as the fraction of Monte Carlo simulations in which BECCS is the most cost effective) the most economic biomass technology for climate-change mitigation. At carbon prices below $1,000 Mg−1 C, BEBCS is the most cost-effective technology only where biochar significantly improves agricultural yields, with pure bioenergy systems being otherwise preferred., Prior mitigation assessments of atmospheric CO2 removal rely on bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS), excluding bioenergy-biochar systems (BEBCS). Here, Woolf et al. find that BEBCS offers an alternative cost-effective solution, and may allow earlier CO2 removal at a lower carbon price.

We demonstrate a simple and efficient method for producing ultrathin Bessel (‘non-diffracting’) light sheets of any color using a line-shaped beam and an annulus filter. With this robust and cost-effective technology, we obtained two-color, 3D images of biological samples with lateral/axial resolution of 250 nm/400 nm and high-speed, 4D volume imaging of 20 μm sized live sample at 1 Hz temporal resolution.

Item does not contain fulltext This paper examines the short run inefficiencies that arise during gradual implementation of a new cost-effective technology in healthcare. These inefficiencies arise when health gains associated with the new technology cannot be obtained immediately because the new technology does not yet supply all patients, and when there is overcapacity for the old technology in the short run because the supply of care is divided among two mutually exclusive technologies. Such efficiency losses are not taken into account in standard textbook cost-effectiveness analysis in which a steady state is presented where costs and effects are assumed to be unchanging over time. A model is constructed to quantify such short run inefficiencies as well as to inform the decision maker about the optimal implementation pattern for the new technology. The model operates by integrating the incremental net benefit equations for both the period of co-existence of mutually exclusive technologies and the period after complete substitution of the old technology. It takes into account the rate of implementation of the new technology, depreciation of capital of the old technology as well as the demand curves for both technologies. The model is applied to the real world case of converting from screen film to digital mammography in the Netherlands.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is a relatively new paradigm for civil infrastructure stakeholders including operators, consultants and contractors which has in the last two decades witnessed an acceleration of academic and applied research in related areas such as sensing technology, system identification, data mining and condition assessment. SHM has a wide range of applications including, but not limited to, diagnostic and prognostic capabilities. However, when it comes to practical applications, stakeholders usually need answers to basic and pragmatic questions about in-service performance, maintenance and management of a structure which the technological advances are slow to address. Typical among the mismatch of expectation and capability is the topic of vibration-based monitoring (VBM), which is a subset of SHM. On the one hand there is abundant reporting of exercises using vibration data to locate damage in highly controlled laboratory conditions or in numerical simulations, while the real test of a reliable and cost effective technology is operation on a commercial basis. Such commercial applications are hard to identify, with the vast majority of implementations dealing with data collection and checking against parameter limits. In addition there persists an unhelpful association between VBM and ‘damage detection’ among some civil infrastructure stakeholders in UK and North America, due to unsuccessful transfer of technology from the laboratory to the field, and this has resulted in unhealthy industry scepticism which hinders acceptance of successful technologies. Hence the purpose of this paper is showcase successful VBM applications and to make the case that VBM does provide valuable information in real world applications when used appropriately and without unrealistic expectations.

Deep drainage technique utilised for flood mitigation in low-land coastal areas of Australia during the late 1960s has resulted in the generation of sulphuric acid in soil by the oxidation of pyritic materials. Further degradation of the subsurface environment with widespread contamination of the underlying soil and groundwater presents a major and challenging environmental issue in acid sulphate soil (ASS) terrains. Although several ASS remediation techniques recently implemented in the floodplain of Southeast Australia including operation of gates, tidal buffering and lime injections could significantly control the pyrite oxidation, they could not improve the long-term water quality. More recently, permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) filled with waste concrete aggregates have received considerable attention as an innovative, cost-effective technology for passive in situ clean up of groundwater contamination. However, long-term efficiency of these PRBs for treating acidic groundwater has not been established. This study analyses and evaluates the performance of a field PRB for treating the acidic water over 2.5 years. The pilot-scale alkaline PRB consisting of recycled concrete was installed in October 2006 at a farm of southeast New South Wales for treating ASS-impacted groundwater. Monitoring data of groundwater quality over a 30 month period were assessed to evaluate the long-term performance of the PRB. Higher pH value (~pH 7) of the groundwater immediately downstream of the PRB and higher rates of iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al) removal efficiency (>95%) over this study period indicates that recycled concrete could successfully treat acidic groundwater. However, the overall pH neutralising capacity of the materials within the barrier declined with time from an initial pH 10.2 to pH 7.3. The decline in the performance with time was possibly due to the armouring of the reactive material surface by the mineral precipitates in the form of iron and aluminium hydroxides and oxyhydroxides as indicated by geochemical modelling.

Sites co-contaminated with organic and metal pollutants are common and considered to be a more complex problem as the two components often causes a synergistic effect on cytotoxicity. Phytoremediation has been proposed as a cost-effective technology for treating heavy metal or organic contamination and may be suitable for remediation of co-contaminated soil. This study investigated the concurrent removal of pyrene and cadmium in co-contaminated soil by growing maize in a pot experiment. At the end of 60 day culture, pyrene in spiked soil diminished significantly, accounting for 21–31 % of the initial extractable concentration in unplanted soil and 12–27 % in planted soil. With the increment of cadmium level, the residual pyrene both in unplanted and planted soil tended to increase. Although the presence of cadmium increased the accumulation of pyrene in maize, plant accumulation only account for less than 0.30 % of the total amount of the dissipated pyrene in vegetated soils. It implied that plant-promoted microbial biodegradation was the predominant contribution to the plant-enhanced dissipation of pyrene in co-contaminated soil. Unlike pyrene, heavy metal cadmium cannot be degraded. It was observed that maize can concurrently removed about on the average 0.70 % of the total cadmium amount in soil by plant uptake, but cadmium phytoextraction would be inhibited under contamination of pyrene. Maize CT38 can normally grow in the co-contaminated soil with high level cadmium and pyrene and can effectively remedy the sites co-contaminated with these two types of contamination, which suggest the possibility of simultaneous phytoremediation of two different contaminant types.

International audience; The contamination of the environment by explosives is a worldwide problem resulting in part from 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) production. In situ phytoremediation is an appropriate, alternative, cost-effective technology to detoxify extended contamination of surface soil. The ability of rice (Oriza sativa) to both tolerate and assimilate 14C-labeled TNT was investigated over a 40-day exposure period. The germination rate decreased at 500 mg/kg TNT whereas root and shoot length increased significantly at high TNT concentrations, from 150 to 500 mg/kg. Rice took up TNT residues from soil and accumulated most in roots. Less than 25% of radioactivity taken up was translocated to aerial parts. Above 200 mg/kg TNT, the concentration of TNT residues in roots reached a maximum of approximately 0.7 mg/g. No TNT was found in plant extracts, good evidence for rapid metabolism of TNT. More than 60% of 14C activity was found as unextractable residues in roots. It was concluded that TNT metabolized and subsequently sequestered by roots could not be translocated to aerial parts.

HgCdTe offers significant advantages over other similar semiconductors, which has made it the most widely utilized variable-gap material in infrared (IR) focal plane array (FPA) technology. HgCdTe hybrid FPAs consisting of two-dimensional detector arrays that are hybridized to Si readout circuits (ROIC) are the dominant technology for second-generation infrared systems. However, one of the main limitations of the HgCdTe materials system has been the size of lattice-matched bulk CdZnTe substrates, used for epitaxially grown HgCdTe, which have been limited to 30 cm2 in production. This size limitation does not adequately support the increasing demand for larger FPA formats which now require sizes up to 2048×2048, and only a single die can be printed per wafer. Heteroepitaxial Si-based substrates offer a cost-effective technology that can be scaled to large wafer sizes and further offer a thermal-expansion-matched hybrid structure that is suitable for large format FPAs. This paper presents data on molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown HgCdTe/Si wafers with much improved materials characteristics than previously reported. We will present data on 4- and 6-in diameter HgCdTe both with extremely uniform composition and extremely low defects. Large-diameter HgCdTe/Si with nearly perfect compositional uniformity and ultra low defect density is essential for meeting the demanding specifications of large format FPAs.

Innovative and cost-effective technology for synthesizing bulk anisotropic nanograin composite rare earth magnets has been developed. Using a powder blending technique, ( BH ) max of nanograin composite magnets can reach 40 to 50 MGOe, while applying powder coating techniques, ( BH ) max = 45–55 MGOe were achieved. Thus, principal technical difficulties in synthesizing bulk anisotropic nanograin composite magnets are successfully overcome. In addition, it was observed that the magnetically soft phase in a composite magnet could be up to tens of micrometers, or more than 1000 times larger than the upper size limit predicted by the current models of interface exchange coupling, which indicates that further reducing the size of the soft phase and improving its distribution will significantly improve the magnetic performance of nanograin composite magnets.