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This research focuses on the impact of stir casting variables namely, Stir speed, Melt temperature, Percent of reinforcement and Stir time on two characteristics namely Ultimate tensile strength and wear rate of Al 6063/TiB2/Al2O3 hybrid composites using Taguchi method. It also aims at developing a multi-response optimization technique using Taguchi based TOPSIS. Through the experiments, it was found that the highest and the lowest value of ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was in experiment 3 and 14 respectively. Likewise, the maximum and minimum wear rate (WTR) were noted down in the experiments 15 and 7, respectively. By using the TOPSIS method, the optimal solution for both UTS and WTR was identified to be the SD2 ‘ME3 PT4 SE1 set at 500 rpm, 800°C, 8 wt%, and 5 minutes. When the experiment was performed under these optimal conditions the tensile strength recorded were measured to be 229 MPa and wear rate of 0. 00272 mm3/Nm.

Livestock nutrition is crucial for sustaining the health and productivity of farm animals, which are a cornerstone of the global food supply. Proper nutrition ensures that animals receive the necessary nutrients for essential bodily functions, growth, reproduction and lactation. Tailored, balanced diets that cater to the specific nutritional needs of different livestock species and their developmental stages also boost reproductive performance, leading to higher birth rates and healthier offspring. Conversely, inadequate nutrition can lead to stunted growth, diminished productivity and increased vulnerability to diseases, ultimately resulting in significant economic losses. Nutritional imbalances among animals, especially in dairy goats and cattle, pose a significant challenge in livestock management. These disorders result from inadequate or imbalanced nutrient intake, leading to a range of metabolic and health issues. Fodders are essential to livestock nutrition, providing a balanced diet that supports overall animal health, growth and productivity. They are primary sources of energy, with grasses and cereals supplying carbohydrates needed for maintenance and production activities. Leguminous fodders like alfalfa and clover are rich in protein and crucial for muscle development, milk production and growth. Additionally, green fodders offer vital vitamins (A, D, E, K) and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, which are necessary for various metabolic functions. The high fibre content in fodders aids in proper digestion and prevents digestive disorders. Overall, the review highlights the impact of various nutrient deficiencies on livestock, including the effects of anti-nutritional factors and the mechanisms of nitrate, oxalate, and prussic acid toxicity in animals. It underscores the importance of agronomic bio fortification as a promising strategy to enhance the nutritional quality of fodder crops, thereby improving animal health and welfare, while also contributing to food security and sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever-increasingly stringent emission objectives and restrictions have not been able to alleviate the serious danger that road traffic emissions bring to human health. Several EU countries' older vehicle fleets continue to contribute significantly to particulate matter (PM) emissions, despite the new passenger car laws' successfully reduce the PM emissions. It has also been demonstrated that various driving situations, such as sub-zero running temperatures, impact the emissions, and the toxicity of particulate matter (PM) emissions from various novel biobased fuels is still up in the air. Generally speaking, there is a dearth of both theoretical and empirical information regarding the toxicity of various PM emissions and circumstances. This study demonstrates that at sub-zero temperatures, exhaust gas particulate matter (PM) from recently controlled passenger cars powered by various fuels can cause toxicological reactions in laboratory settings. Using exhaust gas volume-based PM doses and an older diesel vehicle, we were able to assess the impact of the new emissions regulations and gain a clearer grasp of the actual exposure. Toxicological reactions and particulate matter (PM) concentrations were highest in E20 gasoline in vehicles that were required to comply with the new standards, but E80, a higher methanol blend, produced exhaust gas PM concentrations that were marginally lower and significantly lower, respectively. Engines that ran on modern diesel and LNG produced the fewest particulate matter (PM) concentrations and toxicological reactions. The current research demonstrates that different fuels have different levels of harmful exhaust gas PM. The increased emissions limits were beneficial, as previous diesel cars produced far more particulate matter (PM), which was both more concentrated and more harmful than what modern cars produce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical co-precipitation was used to successfully synthesis of nanocrystalline Ni1−xZnxAl2O4 (where 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5). The resultant nanoparticles have a crystalline cubic spinel structure, according to analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The determined crystal sizes for NiAl2O4 and Zn-doped NiAl2O4 are 36 and 15 nm, respectively. The band gaps of the materials were calculated to be 3.51 and 5.47 eV, respectively. The synthesis of zinc-doped nickel aluminates was confirmed by infrared (IR) studies, which showed the bond formation of the synthesized nanoparticles. Notable IR bands at 495 cm−1 corresponding to octahedral-metal (Ni–O) stretching and a band at 563 cm−1 corresponding to tetrahedral metal stretching (Al–O) were identified. The synthesized nanoparticles had ferromagnetic behavior, and M–H loop analysis was used to assess the magnetic properties of the particles, such as saturation magnetization (Ms), coercivity (Hc), and remanent magnetization (Mr). Z-scan technology was used to determine nonlinear optical parameters such as χ(3) (third order nonlinear susceptibility), n2 (nonlinear refraction), and β (nonlinear absorption). Further evidence supporting these material´s potential as viable options for use in devices such as optical switches and optical power limiters comes from the results of optical limiting experiments. In essence, our findings underscore the promising potential of Zn-doped NiAl2O4 nanoparticles for a wide range of applications in optics, magnetics, and beyond. The comprehensive characterization presented in this study lays a solid foundation for further exploration and exploitation of these nanoparticles in various technological fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An attempt was made to study the response of nano-sulfur in groundnut using four levels of nano-sulfur (NS) and conventional sulfur (CS) fertilizers in a completely randomized block design and replicated thrice. The results indicated that application of nano-sulfur @ 30 kg S ha−1 recorded 0.76 mg root sulfur uptake plant−1, 40.5 mg shoot sulfur uptake plant−1, 14.9 mg kernel sulfur uptake plant−1, and 3.09 mg shell sulfur uptake plant−1 higher in comparison to conventional sulfur @ 40 kg S ha−1 recorded root, shoot, kernel and shell sulfur uptake of 0.53, 35.8, 11.4 and 2.46 mg plant−1, respectively. The highest pod yield was recorded at 12.4 g plant−1 with nano-sulfur application @ 30 kg S ha−1 when compared to conventional sulfur @ 40 kg S ha−1 registered at 10.7 g plant−1. Quality parameters such as oil, crude protein, methionine, cysteine, and total free amino acid content were recorded highest under nano-sulfur application @ 30 kg S ha−1 i.e. 48.3%, 27.2%, 3.44 mg g −1, 1.89 mg g−1 and 46.3 mg g−1 respectively whereas conventional sulfur @ same set of sulfur treatment observed (46.7% oil, 25.1% crude protein, 3.16 mg methionine g−1, 1.75 mg cysteine g−1, and 39.6 mg total free amino acids g−1. Finally, the results concluded that the application of nano-S @ 30 kg S ha−1 is sufficient to attain higher sulfur use efficiency with a reduction of sulfur fertilizer to the tune of 25% besides augmenting the soil sulfur reserve without harming the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum alloy is a widely utilized material in the modern automotive industry due to its lightweight properties and corrosion resistance. Unconventional machining processes, particularly electrochemical machining (ECM) offer effective means to work with such materials. This study focuses on assessing the influence of four specific parameter combinations on the machining of AA6082/ZrSiO4/SiC alloy. This work also analyzes the impact of critical ECM process parameters, including tool feed rate, applied voltage, electrolytic concentration, and electrode type on the output response variables. These variables encompass characteristics such as material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (SR), and their relationships are explored through the application of the Taguchi design of experiments methodology. The analyzed experimental data were employed to train an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model aimed at achieving more accurate predictions to increase the MRR and reduce SR. The ANN setup is a multilayer perceptron utilizing a feed forward architecture, denoted as (4–20–2). This notation indicates that there are 4 nodes in the input layer, twenty neurons in the hidden layers, and 2 nodes in the output layer. The ANN predictions yield an R2 value of 0.98003 and MSE within the range of 0.02413, specifically for the experiment dataset. The results of the regression study strongly indicate that the ANN model can effectively and reliably predict both MRR and SR with a high degree of precision. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrograph of the surface also indicates an improved surface finish with brass tool as compared to graphite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]