Browse Articles

Kinetic Monitoring and Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy of the Green Oxidation of (-)-Menthol to (-)-Menthone

Surapaneni et al. | Aug 06, 2020

Kinetic Monitoring and Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy of the Green Oxidation of (-)-Menthol to (-)-Menthone

In an effort to reduce the production of hazardous substances, green chemistry aims to make chemical processes more sustainable. One way to do so is changing solvents in chemical reactions. Here, authors assessed different “green” solvents on the oxidation of (-)-menthol to (-)-menthone using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, optimizing the solvent system for this reaction.

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Nintendo Da Vinci: A Novel Control System to Improve Performance in Robotic-Assisted Surgery

Al-Akash et al. | Oct 26, 2019

Nintendo Da Vinci: A Novel Control System to Improve Performance in Robotic-Assisted Surgery

Complications of robotic-assisted surgery are on the rise, partly due to surgeons not receiving proper training. Al-Akash and Al-Akash hypothesized Nintendo JoyCon controls would improve surgical performance compared to the FDA-approved Da Vinci Surgical System with two user groups (doctor and gamer). Their results show that implementing a Nintendo JoyCon control system is associated with improved surgical performance and learning rate compared to the Da Vinci Surgical System.

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The Effect of Bead Shape and Texture on the Energy Loss Characteristics in a Rotating Capsule

Misra et al. | Jan 25, 2019

The Effect of Bead Shape and Texture on the Energy Loss Characteristics in a Rotating Capsule

Industrial process are designed to optimize speed, energy use and quality. Some steps involve the translation of product-filled barrels, how far and fast this happens depends on the properties of the product within. This article investigates such properties on a mini-scale, where the roll of bead size, texture and material on the distance travelled by a cylindrical capsule is investigated.

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Effect of sub-layer water saturation on two-layer sand fluidization

Doan et al. | Oct 27, 2026

Effect of sub-layer water saturation on two-layer sand fluidization
Image credit: Doan, Damm, and Doan

This study investigates the effect of water saturation in a two-layer fluidization behavior of an overlying dry sand bed. Building on prior work showing that moisture inhibits fluidization in granular media, the authors address an underexplored configuration involving layered dry and wet sand. The experiments demonstrate that even minimal water saturation in the sub-layer prevents uniform fluidization of the dry upper layer, leading to the conclusion that two-layer fluidized beds with moisture are not viable under the conditions tested.

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A 3D printed triboelectric nanogenerator for bridge vibration energy harvesting and sensing

Walavalkar et al. | Jul 19, 2026

A 3D printed triboelectric nanogenerator for bridge vibration energy harvesting and sensing
Image credit: Jakub Żerdzicki

This study strongly illustrates that optimizing 3D printing parameters would enhance a triboelectric nanogenerator's performance. The design improvements substantiate the potential of optimized, 3D-printed TENGs for developing scalable, cost-effective solutions for powering low-energy electronics, particularly in applications such as structural health monitoring.

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