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Leaks in water distribution networks (WDNs) produce significant economic losses. These leaks from underground pipelines affect the surrounding environment in different ways that can be detected using various technologies. This article introduces an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) equipped with an infrared temperature sensor to remotely detect thermal anomalies on the surface caused by underground leaking pipelines. An MLX90614 low-cost thermopile infrared sensor was proposed to trace the surface temperature above leaking pipelines and record the corresponding position of each reading. Two positioning techniques were tested independently: a satellite navigation system and odometry using a magnetic encoder. Raw data from the temperature sensor along with the corresponding locations were recorded on a MicroSD card using an Arduino Uno Board through analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus. Experimental work showed the ability of the robot in detecting thermal anomalies caused by leaks accurately with the required trace resolution. Finally, a 2-D convolutional neural network (CNN) solution is introduced for distinguishing true detections from false alarms.

The recently proposed “equivalent transmit beamforming” (ETB) scheme for the frequency diverse array effectively forms a beampattern that spotlights a particular spatial location in the far field. This contrasts with conventional beamforming that illuminates the whole range along the desired direction. However, the pioneering ETB method is computationally challenging to execute in time-sensitive scenarios. As such, this article proposes a lower complexity scheme for ETB based on a convex optimization reformulation with a reduced number of degrees of freedom. Moreover, whereas the ETB method lights up one spot at a time, the proposed method can illuminate/suppress several designated spots simultaneously while producing a beampattern that exhibits a finer spatial resolution. Numerical simulations are conducted to verify the efficacy of the proposed approach.

AbstractThe SARS-CoV-2 contagion has had a huge impact on world population. It has been observed that despite massive spread of the contagion in India particularly during the second wave, the overall case fatality rates remain low. This prompted us to look into dietary factors that can possibly modulate the viral impact and/or host response. In silico studies were carried out on forty-two commonly used spices and their 637 known active compounds with an aim of identifying such compounds that may have propensity to reduce viral impact or boost host immune response. We chose to study SARS-Cov-2 helicase on account of its functional importance in maintaining viral load within the host, and the human tank binding protein (TBK1) for its important role in host immunity. We carried out in silico virtual screening, docking studies with 637 phytochemical against these two proteins, using in silico methods. Upon assessing the strength of the ligand-target interactions and post simulation binding energy profile, our study identifies procyanidin-B4 from bay leaf, fenugreekine from fenugreek seed and gallotannin from pomegranate seed as active interactors that docked to viral helicase. Similarly, we identified eruboside B from garlic, gallotannin from pomegranate seed, as strong interacting partners to human TBK1. Our studies thus present dietary spice constituents as potential protagonists for further experimentation to understand how spices in the diet might help the hosts in countering the viral assault and mount a robust protective response against COVID and other infections.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

AbstractLysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a multifunctional regulator of actin cytoskeleton that exerts a dramatic impact on the actin cytoskeleton to build a platform for diverse cellular processes including growth cone guidance, neurite retraction and cell motility. It has been implicated in the formation and dissociation of complexes between actin and actin binding proteins, supporting its role in actin remodeling. Several studies point towards its ability to facilitate formation of special cellular structures including focal adhesions and actin stress fibres by phosphoregulation of several actin associated proteins and their multiple regulatory kinases and phosphatases. In addition, multiple levels of crosstalk among the signaling cascades activated by LPA, affect actin cytoskeleton-mediated cell migration and chemotaxis which in turn play a crucial role in cancer metastasis. In the current review, we have attempted to highlight the role of LPA as an actin modulator which functions by controlling activities of specific cellular proteins that underlie mechanisms employed in cytoskeletal and pathophysiological events within the cell. Further studies on the actin affecting/remodeling activity of LPA in different cell types will no doubt throw up many surprises essential to gain a full understanding of its contribution in physiological processes as well as in diseases.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Furans are promising second generation biofuels with comparable energy densities to conventional fossil fuels. Combustion of furans is initiated and controlled to a large part by reactions with OH radicals, the kinetics of which are critical to understand the processes occurring under conditions relevant to low-temperature combustion. The reactions of OH radicals with furan (OH + F, R1), 2-methyl furan (OH + 2-MF, R2), and 2,5-dimethyl furan (OH + 2,5-DMF, R3) have been studied in this work over the temperature range 294–668 K at pressures between 5 mbar and 10 bar using laser flash photolysis coupled with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy to generate and monitor OH radicals under pseudo-first-order conditions. Measurements at p≤ 200 mbar were made in N2, using H2O2or (CH3)3COOH radical precursors, while those at p≥ 2 bar were made in He, using HNO3as the radical precursor. The kinetics of reactions R1–R3 were observed to display a negative dependence on temperature over the range investigated, indicating the dominance of addition reactions under such conditions, with no significant dependence on pressure observed. Master equation calculations are in good agreement with the observed kinetics, and a combined parametrization of addition channels and abstraction channels for R1–R3 is provided on the basis of this work and previous shock tube measurements at higher temperatures. This work significantly extends the temperature range previously investigated for R1 and represents the first temperature-dependent measurements of R2 and R3 at temperatures relevant for atmospheric chemistry and low-temperature combustion.