012281   Verma A K;Shingweker A;Nihichlani M;Singh V; Mukhopadhyay P (NO, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad-500 058, Email: prantikmukherje@yahoo.com) : Deformation characterization of Cartridge Brass. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2013, 20(4), 283-8.

Cu-30 Zn (wt%) alloy is widely used for cartridge case. As received hot rolled (HR) cartridge brass is rolled about 15%, 30%, 40%, and 50% by plane strain rolling at normal room temperature in laboratory. The quantitative microstructure details such as mean grain size and grain size distribution are characterized by optical microscope equipped with microstructure analysis software. The developments of deformation texture are measured by X-ray texture Goniometer and analysis of texture details is done by LaboTex-Edu texture analysis software. The mean grain size is increased with rolling in rolling direction. The grain size distribution shows higher frequency for larger grains with deformation by rolling. The initial stages of rolling produce bi-modal grain size distribution. Later it shifts to multi-modality. The deformation strengthens Bs, L, R, Goss, Taylor, Cu and S texture components. Though the Cu texture orientation shows an increasing trend, the strength of Cu orientation is much less than that of Bs and S components. The transition of texture for Cu, S and Bs texture components is not found in this study.

6 illus, 2 tables, 16 ref

012280   Velumani S;Navaneethakrishnan P;Jayabal S; Smart D S R (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Velalar College of Engineering & Technology, Erode-638 012, Email: velumani2003@gmail.com) : Mathematical modeling and prediction of the thrust force and torque in drilling of Sisal/Glass-Vinyl Ester hybrid composite using the RSM, MLPNN, RBFN and ENN methods. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2013, 20(4), 289-98.

Drilling a polymer composite material without defects is not an easy task; even so, these materials are largely used in aerospace and other industries, due to their excellent mechanical properties. Tool wear, delamination and fiber pull out are the major problems in drilling. Literature reveals that the thrust force (th) and torque (tq) have a significant effect on tool life and delamination. Therefore, to improve the performance of drilling, it is essential to study the thrust force and torque. This paper discusses the methodologies used in the prediction and evaluation of the thrust force and torque in the drilling of sisal and glass fiber reinforced vinyl ester resin hybrid composite materials. Experiments are conducted in the CNC machining center, and high speed steel (HSS) drill bits are used in the machining center for the drilling operations. Process parameters such as the drill diameter (d), spindle speed (s) and feed rate (f) are considered as the controlling factors for the study. The experimental data obtained are used for training and testing with RSM and ANN techniques such as MLPNN, RBFN and ENN. The predicted thrust force and torque, based on the MLPNN model, are found to be in very good agreement witfAhe experimental values.

12 illus, 7 tables, 26 ref

012279   Vandana Kumari;Saxena M;Gupta R S;Gupta M (Semiconductor Device Research Laboratory, Electronics Science Dep, Delhi Univ, South Campus, New Delhi, Email: vandanakumari511@gmail.com) : Impact of insulating layers on single and double gate MOSFET for improved short channel effect and hot carrier reliability. Invertis J Sci Technol 2013, 6(4), 211-6.

Gate edge charges related issues of various un-conventional device architecture has been analyzed for low voltage analog applications using 3D numerical simulation. The accuracy of the simulated results is verified by an excellent match between simulated and experiment results of DG MOSFET. The impact of gate edge charges on short channel effects i.e. (i) threshold voltage, (ii) sub-threshold slope, (iii) on-current l_on, (iv) l_on/l_off ratio and analog performance metric i.e. (v) Early voltage (V_ea), (vi) Output Resistance (R_out), (vii) Trans-conductance (g_m), (viii) Trans-conductance generation efficiency (g_ml_ds and (ix) On-state Resistance (R_on) is analyzed by exhaustive device, simulation. Results show that Dielectric Pocket Double Gate (DP-DG) MOSFET and Empty Space in Double Gate (ESDG) MOSFET can not only effectively control the short channel effects and provide excellent analog and digital performance but can also be optimized to achieve better hot carrier immunity because of the existed gate edge charges as compared to conventional Double Gate (DG) MOSFET and their corresponding single gate architectures i.e. Dielectric Pocket (DP) and Empty Space in Silicon (ESS) MOSFET.

6 illus, 2 tables, 8 ref

012278   Tripathi N M (Powerwave Technologies, R & D Pvt. India Ltd., Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Email: neerajmanicool@gmail.com) : Microstrip-fed monopole antenna with V shape slot for ultra wide band application. Invertis J Sci Technol 2013, 6(4), 228-31.

Presents a microstrip fed monopole antenna which consists of a square patch with V slot and truncated ground plane, for ultra wide band application. The proposed antenna is designed to operate in frequency range 3.1 to 10 GHz for SI I <60> Odb. Good returnloss and radiation pattern characteristic are obtained in frequency of interest. FEM based simulator Ansoft HFSS is used for simulation.

4 illus, 1 table, 7 ref

012277   Torabizadeh M A (NO, Applied and Technology Univ, Mashhad, 91735-613, Iran, Email: torabizadeh@yahoo.com) : Tensile, compressive and shear properties of unidirectional glass/epoxy composites subjected to mechanical loading and low temperature services. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2013, 20(4), 299-309.

Composite materials are subjected to low temperatures in service and this has induced the need for a proper knowledge of low temperature behavior of composites. Most of the research in this field is focused on applying different types of loading and laminated configurations. This paper discusses the experimental study on the tensile, compressive and in-plane shear behavior of unidirectional (UD) glass fiber reinforced polymeric composite under static and low temperature loading conditions. Since UD composite is the basic building block of a composite structure and can be used to make general laminates. In order to fully characterize UD laminate, several experimental tests are performed using an environmental test chamber and a universal testing machine. Thermo-mechanical loads are applied to glass/epoxy unidirectional laminates at room temperature (25°C), -20°C and -60°C. The results of the present study indicate that low temperatures have a significant effect on composite failure mode. It is also found that the strength and modulus of UD composites both increased with decreasing the temperature in all cases including tensile, compressive and shear loads. On the other hand, the results show that strain to failure decreased by decreasing the temperature.

17 illus, 1 table, 35 ref

012276   Tiwari R K;Gaya Prasad;Tiwari V (Physics and Electronics Dep, Dr. R.M.L. Avadh Univ, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, Email: rktiwari2323@yahoo.co.in) : Comparative study of multilevel darlington pair FET amplifier. Invertis J Sci Technol 2013, 6(4), 205-10.

Critical study of multilevel darlington pair field effect transistor amplifier is carried out and it is found that specially three level darlington pair field effect transistor amplifier is suitable to use at high frequencies with excellent bandwidth. Frequency responce curve is independent on temprature from -50°C to100°C which shows good temprature stability. Input and output impedances have been worked out for such multilevel darlington pair field effect transistor amplifier. Proposed amplifier is suitable for various applications in digital and analog electronics circuits.

10 illus, 1 table, 10 ref

012275   Sultana Q;Sarma A D;Ashwani Kumar;Malik M A (NO, Deccan College of Engineering and Technology, Osmania Univ, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh) : Enhancement of DOP in stratolite-based navigation systems. IETE J Res 2012, 58(6), 476-82.

Global Positioning Sysem (GPS)-independent, stratolite (SL)-based navigation system is introduced and an optimum configuration of SLs is proposed by estimating its Geometric Dilution of Precision (GDOP) value. Improvement in GDOP due to augmentation of SL-based navigation system with geostationary satellite(s) is investigated. For this purpose, GDOP is estimated for various geometries of SLs/geostationary satellites. Furthermore, effect on DOP due to augmentation of SLs with GPS is examined. When a constellation of four SLs is augmented with GPS over Hyderabad region of India, GDOP is improved to 3.25 (max) from 4.45 (max).

11 illus, 6 tables, 19 ref

012274   Subadar R;Sahu P R (ECE Dep, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Itanagar) : Outage probability of L-SC receiver over exponentially correlated η-μ fading channels. IETE J Res 2012, 58(6), 511-5.

Mathematical expression for the outage probability of an L branch selection combining diversity receiver is obtained for exponentially correlated η-μ fading channels. A new expression for the joint probability density function of exponentially correlated multivariate η - μ random variable is derived, which is further used to obtain the expression for the outage probability of a SC receiver. Numerical and simulation results are plotted and the effect of fading correlation, L and fading parameter on the outage probability of the receiver are studied. From the obtained result, we observed that it is better to go for lower order diversity with sufficient antenna spacing instead of higher order diversity with less antenna spacing.

2 illus, 16 ref

012273   Subadar R;Sahu P R (ECE Dep, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Itanagar) : Performance of L-SC receiver over hoyt fading channels with arbitrary and non-identical fading parameters. IETE J Res 2012, 58(6), 507-10.

Authors have presented the performance-related expressions for L-selection combining (SC) receiver over Hoyt fading channels, in the form of infinite series. In this presentation, these expressions are simplified using Yacoub's integral, a general solution to which is recently published. The obtained expressions are compact containing Yacoub's integral and hence are easily computable. Furthermore, the work in is extended to non-identical branch fading parameter case in the remaining of the paper. Expressions for the probability density function of the SC output signal-to-noise ratio and average bit error rate are derived which are also compact and computationally efficient. Both numerical and computer simulation results are plotted and the effect of fading parameters on the performance is studied.

4 illus, 5 ref

012272   Sinha S;Sharma L K (Remote Sensing Dep, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi-835 215, Email: laxmikant1000@yahoo.com) : Investigations on potential relationship between biomass and surface temperature using thermal remote sensing over tropical deciduous forests. Res Rev : J Space Sci Technol 2013, 2(3), 13-8.

Forest temperature and forest biomass are important parameters in concern to forest ecosystem and related parameters. Satellite remote sensing data is the best possible source for obtaining information on both regional and global scales. Landsat TM is used to retrieve the surface temperature using spectral information and radiation heat flux parameters for a tropical deciduous forest area of Munger forests (Bihar, India). Surface emissivity values derived from spectral band information are used for estimating surface temperature. Sample plots by random-sampling approach are selected for developing plot-based forest inventory; thus leading to plot-based biomass assessment. Investigation is carried out for apparent relationship between the biomass and surface temperature. A logarithmic relation is observed between the two. Areas with vegetation have lover temperature profiles as compared to non-vegetative regions. Results reveal the potential of the sensor by simultaneous use of thermal and visible spectral bands along with the forest inventory data.

4 illus, 26 ref

012271   Shih M H;Kuo J C;Sung W P;Tung S H (Civil Engneering Dep, National Chi Nan Univ, Nantou 545, Taiwan, Email: shtung@nuk.edu.tw) : Developing digital image correlation techniques for using water immersion to improve strain field measurement in micro-scale. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2013, 20(4), 237-44.

Light reflection on the surface of test specimen leads to analyse error of strain measurement by using digital image correlation (DIC) technique in micro-scale test. In this study, water immersion is firstly proposed to combine with DIC technique to reduce the influence of light reflection on the surfaces of measured sample in a micro-scale experiment. Then, all test images are transformed into two dimensional K-space to compare the influence degree of light reflection on the various configurations of test specimens. Furthermore, the effects of light projection direction and the angle of light source are investigated into the analysis accuracy of strain measurement for the various configurations of test specimens. The test and analysis results from AT-space indicate that the frequency signals of images, measured from test samples, observed in air are higher than the results from this proposed method. Otherwise, no matter how the variation of the light projection direction and the angle of light source are, the standard deviations of strain from this proposed method are diminished, reduced to below 0.001. The analysis accuracies of strain analysis for using water immersion method have been verified.

12 illus, 24 ref

012270   Sharma R T;Rawat Y S;Tiwari A K;Sharma N K (NO, , Saraswati Kunj, Magistrate Colony, Doranda, Ranchi, Email: sharmank@rediffmail.com) : Geospatial analysis of biomass in lake region of Kumaun Himalaya, Uttarakhand. Res Rev : J Space Sci Technol 2013, 2(3), 1-12.

Study includes vegetation and forest biomass mapping in the lake region of Kumaun, Uttarakhand, using IRSIC LISSIII satellite data. A total of 11 forest types including forest plantation were mapped, among various forest types analyzed, maximum area exhibited by Banj oak followed by Pine forest. Mean total above-ground biomass values were ranged between 52.1 and 402 t/ha. Mean crown cover and biomass values were computed for selected sites. Biomass values were related to crown cover through allometric equation. The biomass estimated through remote sensing in the present study has shown to be in close agreement with that estimated through conventional methods.

7 illus, 3 tables, 17 ref

012269   Satyanarayana B;Janardhana G R;Rao D H (Mechanical Engineering Dep, VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering & Technology, Hyderabad-500 072, Email: sanbollu@gmail.com) : Optimized high speed turning on inconel 718 using Taguchi method based grey relational analysis. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2013, 20(4), 269-75.

Inconel 718, a Nickel based super alloy which has wide applications in aerospace industry particularly in the hot sections of gas turbine engines due to their high temperature strength and corrosion resistance. It is known as being among the most difficult-to-cut materials. This paper presents an optimum process parameters (speed, feed and depth of cut) to minimize the cutting force, surface roughness and tool flank wear together in CNC high speed dry turning of Inconel 718 using Taguchi method based Grey relational analysis. The study involved nine experiments based on Taguchi orthogonal array and the result indicates that the optimal process parameters are 60 m/min for speed, 0.05 mm/rev for feed and 0.2 mm for depth of cut from the selected range. Also the significant process parameters have been found out for the above process optimization by performing ANOVA. Confirmation tests with the optimal levels of cutting parameters are carried out in order to illustrate the effectiveness of the method.

5 illus, 7 tables, 26 ref

012268   Santhi M;Lakshminarayanan G;Venkataramani B (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu) : Design and implementation of online clock skew scheme-based asynchronous wave-pipelined distributed arithmetic filters on FPGA. IETE J Res 2012, 58(6), 494-500.

In this paper, Design and implementation of asynchronous wave-pipelined (WP) Distributed Arithmetic (DA) filters on FPGA using online clock skew scheme is proposed. DA filters of 8-taps, 16-taps, and 32-taps are implemented on an FPGA using non-pipelining (NP), pipelining, and WP schemes and compared with that of self-tuned scheme reported in the literature. The WP DA filters operate 1.4 to 1.53 times faster than NP DA filters. The delay-power products of the WP DA filters of 8-taps, 16-taps, and 32-taps using Online Clock Skew Scheme are less by 51.24%, 29.6%, and 3.78%, respectively, compared to those using Self-tuned Scheme.

9 illus, 3 tables, 17 ref

012267   Saini A K;Bhadauria A (NO, CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani, Rajasthan, Email: aksaini@ceeri.ernet.in) : CMOS compatible RF MEMS based FBAR for wireless applications: design, model and simulation. Invertis J Sci Technol 2013, 6(4), 232-7.

Presents the design and finite element 3-D analysis of a CMOS compatible thin film bulk wave resonators (FBARs) cons/sting zinc oxide (ZnO) with top and bottom electrodes of aluminum (Al). FBARs can be realized by CMOS compatible bulk micromachining process followed by deposition of piezoelectric layer sandwiched by two electrodes. This 3-D analysis has been carried out using finite element method (FEM) based CoventorWare T tool. In our analysis we have investigated the series and parallel resonances and harmonic response with extraction of equivalent circuit element. The proposed FBAR has been studied for S-band operation.

9 illus, 8 ref

012266   Reddy A S;Santhosh Kumar G;Sarma A D (Research and Training Unit for Navigational Electronics, Osmania Univ, Hyderabad) : Mitigation of code-carrier divergence effect using an optimized filter for LAAS applications. IETE J Res 2012, 58(6), 464-8.

Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) is an augmentation to GPS, for providing aircraft precision approach and landing. LAAS relies on Hatch filter for code smoothing but its filtered range is affected by code-carrier divergence occurring during ionospheric storms. Substituting traditional Hatch filter by optimized filter reduces this effect to a considerable extent. The objective of this paper is to estimate code-carrier divergence and mitigate it using the optimized filter. The performance of both Hatch and optimized filters is analyzed for different ionosphere conditions such as the geomagnetic storm of October 2003 over a low latitude station. Investigations showed that the optimized filter outperforms Hatch Filter for disturbed day data, whereas for quiet day data, it does not provide any additional advantage. The results obtained are agreeing with the results published elsewhere and are encouraging.

9 illus, 8 ref

012265   Rakhi Kumari;Arora V;Ashok Kumar (NO, Solid State Physics Laboratory, Delhi, Email: choudharyrakhi56@gmail.com) : Compact and low insertion loss DC-6GHz DPDT Switch. Invertis J Sci Technol 2013, 6(4), 242-3.

DC-6 GHz MESFET based low insertion loss, compact and broadband DPDT switch has been developed. DPDT switch has been designed by combining two SPOT switch. To have low insertion loss, the switch circuit has one series and one shunt switching element. Fabricated Circuit gives better than I dB Insertion loss and 29dB Isolation in DC-2GHz and better than I. /dB Insertion loss and 19dB Isolation in 2-6GHz. Input and on branch return losses are better than 14dB.

4 illus, 1 table, 4 ref

012264   Pramod Kumar;Yadav K K;Singh S (ECE Dep, IPEC, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Email: pramodkumar@gmail.com) : Design of a compact microstrip diplexer with stubs. Invertis J Sci Technol 2013, 6(4), 238-41.

A new microstrip structure for diplexers is proposed. The proposed diplexer has only four stubs and two transmission lines with the same characteristic impedances while it has a good transmission performances and good isolation between the output ports. A microstrip diplexer is designed and fabricated with 2.4/2.86 GHz response. Measured results of the fabricated diplexer have a good agreement with the calculated results.

6 illus, 4 ref

012263   Pradhan K P;Agarwal P K;Sahu P K;Mohapatra S K (NO, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, Email: kp2.etc@gmail.com) : Role of high-k materials in nanoscale TM-DG MOSFET: a simulation study. Invertis J Sci Technol 2013, 6(4), 195-99.

Triple Material (TM) Double Gate (DG) Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) with high-k dielectric material as Gate Stack (GS) is presented in this paper. The high-k dielectric materials as Si₃N₄ε (s = 7.5), HfO₂ (ε = 20) and TiO₂ (ε = 40) is sandwiched over a low-k SiO₂ (ε = 3.9) layer. Investigated the parametrs like Surface Potential, Electric field in the channel. Sub threshold Swing (SS), Drain Induced Barrier Lowering (DIBL), Transconductance (g_m, on current (I_on, leakage current/off current (I_off) for TM-DG and TM-GS-DG and a close comparison is made between them. The ability of suppressing the short channel effects (SCEs) in case of TM-GS-DG over TM-DG MOSFET is also discussed in this paper. The simulation and parameter extraction have been done by using the commercially available device simulation software ATLAS^TM.

7 illus, 3 tables, 16 ref

012262   Phoongernkham T;Chindaprasirt P;Sata V; Sinsiri T (Sustainable Infrastructure Research and Development Center, Civil Engi, Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen Univ, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand, Email: prinya@kku.ac.th) : High calcium fly ash geopolymer containing diatomite as additive. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2013, 20(4), 310-8.

This paper studies the influence of the addition of diatomite on the properties of high calcium fly ash geopolymer pastes. Diatomite is calcined at 800°C and used to partially replace fly ash at the rate of 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% by weight of binder. Sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃), sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution and curing at temperature of 60°C for 24 h are used to activate the geopolymerization. The NaOH concentration of 10 M and Na₂SiO₃/NaOH ratio of 2.0 by weight are used for all mixes. The results revealed that the use of diatomite to replace part of fly ash delayed the setting time of fresh geopolymer paste and also resulted in the reduction of density of hardened paste which is highly desirable for lightweight structure member. However, the strength and modulus of elasticity of the paste are reduced. Another positive effect is the increase in the strain capacity of the paste. The increase in strain capacity is significant and reflects in the ability of the paste to withstand increased strain before cracking.

7 illus, 7 tables, 47 ref

012261   Park H;Han J;Song J (New and Renewable Energy Engineering Dep, Kundong Univ, 34 Kundong-gil, Imha-myeon, Andong-760 833) : Control strategy for shunt active power filter using hybrid multi-level inverter in AC electrified railway systems. IETE J Res 2012, 58(6), 451-7.

AC electrified railway systems have the power quality problems such as the harmonic current pollution and the reactive power demand, which are due to the inherent load characteristics of locomotives. The electrical nonlinearity and the single-phase moving load features of locomotives produce large amount of the harmonic current and the reactive power demand. This paper presents a shunt active power filter (SAPF) adopting hybrid multi-level inverter and a novel control algorithm based on the synchronous reference frame and the phase-shifted carrier PWM to improve the power quality in the AC electrified railway systems. The proposed SAPF and its control algorithm are investigated in the autotransformer-fed AC electrified railway application. The validity and the effectiveness of the proposed SAPF and the control algorithm are demonstrated through the case study.

13 illus, 3 tables, 12 ref

012260   Parida S;Hiremath U S (Extension and Communication Management Dep, College of Rural Home Science, Agricultural Sciences Univ, Dharwad-580 005, Email: splibra7@gmail.com) : Knowledge of students regarding information and communication technology tools. Karnataka J agric Sci 2012, 25(3), 377-80.

Information technology has been geared up by the advent of effective technology innovations. The new information technology tools and techniques can play a great role to improve communication. Information and Communication Technology, with its beneficial characteristics has improved students efficiency by providing them the fastest, accurate, reliable and versatile operations. Hence the study was conducted in the year 2009 to elicit the awareness and knowledge of ICT tools by the post graduate students of University of Agricultural Sciences and Karnatak University in Dharwad district of Karnataka state. In case of source of awareness, students of both Universities had awareness from friends or relatives (64.13%) followed by print media and TV (38.04%) and radio (16.30%). Majority of them were aware about Internet and MS Word (94.56%) followed by MS Power point (91.30%) and MS Excel (89.13%). The findings showed that 47.82 per cent of students had high knowledge level. The source of knowledge of students of University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad about Internet was through cyber cafe (30.43%), MS Word through friends or colleagues (63.04%), MS Excel (43.47%) through teaching and Web based search engines (30.43%). With respect to students of Karnatak University, Dharwad, majority of them got knowledge regarding Internet through friends (41.30%), MS Word through teaching (36.95%) and MS Excel from training (23.91%).

5 tables, 5 ref

012259   Ozkan M T (Industrial Design Engineering Dep, Faculty of Technology Gazi Univ, 06500 Besevler, Ankara, Turkey, Email: mtozkan06@yahoo.com) : Experimental and artificial neural network study of heat formation values of drilling and boring operations on Al 7075 T6 workpiece. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2013, 20(4), 259-68.

Drilling operation is one of the most important processing among the manufacturing processes. Manufacturing processes usually contain the drilling operation. Because of the importance of drilling operation, it has been accomplished drilling and boring experimental study. Al 7075 T6 workpieces has been used for this experimental study. For this material heat formation is important while the processing the material because this material changes its specification after certain temperature. Especially heat changes have been observed during the drilling and boring processes. In this study, firstly experimental setup has been accomplished then collected the heat formation data while the processing Al 7075 T6. Data have been collected from eleven different points on the workpiece. After that these data have been interpreted by statistical methods. Annova analysis has been applied to these data. However, no significant results were obtained with the Annova analysis. For this reason; data have been interpreted with artificial neural network system. Different cutting speeds and feed rates have been taken into consideration that are processing the drilling operations. The main goal is to predict the heat formation that is at any point on workpiece Al 7075 T6. So designers and manufacturers do not need do any calculation or experiment to determine the heat formation values on workpiece Al 7075 T6.

15 illus, 4 tables, 33 ref

012258   Ohwofosirai A;Johnbull E;Orhorhomu E R;Femi D M;Lucky I F (Physics and Astronomy Dep, Nigeria Univ, Nsukka, Nigeria, Email: adrian4ist2007@gmail.com) : Morphological, optical and structural studies of deposited ZnO films by SILAR method for solar energy applications. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2013, 4(3), 7-12.

Deposited ZnO films were grown on glass substrates using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). The morphology of the deposited ZnO is that of flower-like bud. The optical properties were characterized using UV/VIS spectroscopy. The optical band gap decreases with increasing reaction time, and these films have band gap values of 3.19 eV, 3.22 eV, 3.24 eV and 3.25 eV. The crystal structures of the films were also characterized using the X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. Prominent among them are the peaks at 2θ values of around 32.5°, 35.9° and 38.5° corresponding to the diffraction lines produced by (100), (002) and (103) planes, respectively.

5 illus, 21 ref

012257   Niasar A H;Vartanian R;Moghbelli H (NO, Kashan Univ, Kashan P.O. Box 87317-51167, Iran, Email: halvaei@kashanu.ac.ir) : Implementation of solar cells and natural gas fuel cells as a green hybrid power plant. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2013, 4(1), 19-26.

Global warming is a major concern in today's world To address this issue, most countries are working on the usage of renewable energy sources like solar energy, clean fuels (hydrogen) and trying to increase the efficiency of fossil fuel plants. This paper discusses the hybridization of the renewable solar energy source with highly efficient and clean usage of natural gas fossil fuel. The hybrid power plant used in this project uses renewable energy sources as a reliable power supply with stand-alone and grid-connected capability which can increase network power quality. Simulation results have been discussed to show the contribution of natural gas fuel cells, photovoltaic power plants, and electric energy storage in supplying a constant load.

11 illus, 13 ref

012256   Narang R;Saxena M;Gupta R S;Gupta M (Semiconductor Device Research Laboratory, Electronic Science Dep, Delhi Univ, South Campus, New Delhi-110 021, Email: rakhinarang@gmail.com ) : Performance investigation of silicon nanowire tunnel FET for analog and digital applications. Invertis J Sci Technol 2013, 6(4), 254-9.

Detailed study of Silicon based Nanowire (NW) tunnel FET (conventional p-i-n and pocket doped p-n-p-n) has been carried out and the various analog and digital parameters have been investigated and compared with that of MOSFET. The digital performance has been assessed on the basis of, threshold voltage, I_on/I_off and ambipoiar characteristics and analog performance in terms of device efficiency g_m/l_ds and cut-off frequency (f_T). Further, the lengths of high-k and low-k gate dielectric in a hetero-gate (HG) dielectric TFET architecture have been optimized in order to obtain high ON current, low off current, suppressed ambipoiar behavior and low parasitic capacitances and thus an optimum device performance.

6 illus, 1 table, 8 ref

012255   Mukhopadhyay A K;Das P S;Dey A;Raychaudhuri M;Mandal A K;Dey N (NO, CSIR- Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, 196, Raja S.C. Mullick Road, Kolkata-700 032, Email: anoopmukherjee@cgcri.res.in) : Development and characterization of magnesium hydroxide thin films. J Instn Engrs : Ser D 2013, 93(2), 53-7.

Present work reports the in situ formation of nanostructured magnesium hydroxide thin film by an inexpensive and simple chemical deposition technique on commercially available soda lime silica glass substrates at room temperature. The structural characterizations of the thin films were done by X-ray diffraction as well as thermo-gravimetric and differential thermal analyses. A detailed study of the microstructure by scanning electron microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy revealed the formation of magnesium hydroxide nanorods. The condition that favours the growth of the nanorods was identified.

4 illus, 17 ref

012254   Ma M;Li Z (Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing & Information Processing of Mi, Xiangtan Univ, Hunan-411 105, China) : All current mode RF receiver front end. IETE J Res 2012, 58(6), 441-6.

In this paper, an all current mode RF receiver of direct conversion for 802.11b WLAN has been proposed. The front end of this receiver, containing a current mode LNA plus mixer (CLPM) circuit and a current mode quadrature ring oscillator (CQRO), has been designed and simulated in chartered 0.18 μm CMOS process. The proposed method features that the pseudo-cascode current mirrors of the current mode LNA have not been implemented in cascade, so we can decrease the supply voltage and increase the output impedance by adding a common-gate transistor. The current mode mixer has been composed by the four added common-gate transistors; this implementation makes the current mode mixer a two-layer structure that reduces the supply voltage. The current mode quadrature oscillator is a four current mode stage ring oscillator employing feed forward paths. The CLPM has a measured power conversion gain of 18.6 dB, an input referred third-order intercept point (IIP3) of -0.53 dBm. The total noise figure is 3.9 dB and the power is only 15 mW by post-simulations. The CQRO core current consumption is 24 mA with a 1 V supply. The phase noise results in -121.61, -148 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz, and 10 MHz from the carrier, respectively.

9 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

012253   Ladopoulos E G (NO, Interpaper Research Organization 8, Dimaki Str. Athens, GR-106 72, Greece, Email: eladopoulos@interpaper.org) : Non-linear integral equations ideal solar cells anlysis with one and two intermediate bands. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2013, 4(2), 8-15.

An innovative and groundbreaking theory is proposed by using intermediate bands within the energy gap of the semiconductor in order to increase the efficiency of solar cells. Consequently, photons with energy less than the band gap may contribute to the output device by using the intermediate band or bands, in order to jump to the conduction band. This problem is reduced to the solution of non-linear integral equations and for their evaluation a special numerical method is proposed Generally, in solar cells low energy photons cannot excite electrons to the conduction band and then to the external circuit. On the other hand, intermediate bands get advantage of the lower energy photons by allowing the electrons to be promoted to levels in the usually forbidden energy gap. Thus, through the above multi-step approach, then the efficiency of the solar cell is increasing. In the present research it will be shown that the maximum efficiency of an ideal solar cell containing one and two intermediate bands will be 63% and 75%, respectively.

4 illus, 2 tables, 25 ref

012252   Kuo C C (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Ming Chi Technology Univ, No. 84, Gungjuan Road, Taishan Dist., New Taipei City 24301, Taiwan) : Development of green rapid tooling technologies. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2013, 20(4), 245-51.

Rapid tooling technology is regarded as an important method of reducing the cost and time to market in a new product development process. Silicone rubber mold and epoxy-based composites mold are frequently used in the indirect tooling. Based on green manufacturing, a green rapid tooling technology is developed and implemented in this work. This technology provides a new and simple approach for producing the green silicone rubber mold and the green epoxy-based composites mold without appreciable loss of surface roughness. The savings in costs of development in the green silicone rubber mold and green epoxy-based composites mold are about 35.6% and 52.5%, respectively. The saving in cost of development in the large-sized silicone rubber mold fabrication is up to 66.4%.

14 illus, 1 table, 31 ref

012251   Kulkarni A;Joshi G;Sargade V G (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological Univ, Lonere-402 103, Email: apk_31173@redffmail.com) : Design optimization of cutting parameters for turning of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel using Taguchi method. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2013, 20(4), 252-8.

Taguchi method is used to optimize cutting parameters during dry turning of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel with AlTiCrN coated tool. The coating was deposited on fine-grained K-grade (ISO K-20) cemented carbide cutting insert using physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique. The turning parameters evaluated are cutting speed of 200 and 260 m/min, feed rate of 0.20 and 0.26 mm/rev, coating thickness of 3.6 urn and 4.6 μm each at two levels. The analysis of results shows that the optimal combination of process parameters is obtained at 260 m/min cutting speed, 0.20 mm/rev feed and 4.6 μm coating thickness for minimum cutting force. It is observed that cutting speed plays an important role in minimization of cutting force and coating thickness plays an important role in minimizing average flank wear (V_B). A multiple linear regression models are developed for cutting force and average flank wear. The correlation coefficient is found to be more than 0.95, which shows that the developed model is reliable and could be used effectively for predicting the cutting force and average flank wear for the given tool and work material pair and within the domain of the cutting parameters.

7 illus, 10 tables, 28 ref

012250   Khadak Bhavi B I;Venkateshwar Reddy V; Ullagaddi P B (Civil Engineering Dep, M.B.E. Society's College of Engineering Ambajogai, Maharashtra) : Effect of different percentages of waste high density polyethylene (HDPE) fibres on the properties of fibre reinforced concrete. Nat Envir Pollut Technol 2012, 11(3), 461-8.

Most of HDPE fibre become waste after their usage, causing environmental problems. To address this issue, a method to recycle waste High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) fibre is presented to investigate the possibility of using various plastic wastes containing HDPE fibre as polymer additives to concrete. The experimental investigation is carried out to verify the effect of different percentages of waste HDPE fibres on the workability and strength characteristics of fiber reinforced concrete. Appropriate tests were performed to measure different strength characteristics like compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strength on different percentages of waste HDPE fibres like 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8% and 1%. The results show that how compressive strength increases up to certain percentage and decreases as fiber volume fraction is increased.

5 tables, 19 ref

012249   Keat C W;Ramaiah H;Kanesan J (Electrical Engineering Dep, Faculty of Engineering, Malaya Univ, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) : Low-voltage, high-precision bandgap current reference circuit. IETE J Res 2012, 58(6), 501-6.

Low-voltage, low-power current-mode bandgap reference is designed and simulated in standard 0.13 μm CMOS technology on the Spectre platform. The proposed current-mode bandgap reference has a simulated temperature coefficient of 47.15 ppm/°C over the temperature range of-40°C to 140°C, with the corresponding current consumption of 42.06 μA complying with the specified temperature range. It could be operated down to 1.0 V of supply voltage headroom, while consuming 300 μW of power.

8 illus, 2 tables, 8 ref

012248   Kapurkar P M;Kurchania A K (Renewable Energy Engineering Dep, College of Technology & Engineering, MPUAT, Udaipur-313 001, Email: prashant.36@hotmail.com) : Refractive-type fresnel lens concentrated solar water heater-cum-distillation unit. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2013, 4(3), 30-8.

Refractive-type Fresnel lens concentrated solar water heater coupled with distillation unit was developed and fabricated. The developed system was tested for technical as well as economic feasibility of solar water heating and distillation units. The data was collected during the no-load and full-load testing of the system along with input environmental parameters such as solar insolation, ambient temperature, etc. Overall efficiency of the solar water heater was 42.38%. The yield of distilled water was 4.72 kg. m^-2 day^-1 and efficiency of the distillation unit was 28.78%. The solar water heater coupled with distillation unit performed well. Total cost of the unit was Rs. 7524. The payback period was 2 years with benefit-cost ratio of 2.64.

6 illus, 3 tables, 13 ref

012247   Jothi S H;Prabha K H (ECE Dep, RMD Engineering College, Kavaraipettai, Tamil Nadu) : Fetal electrocardiogram extraction using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems and undecimated wavelet transform. IETE J Res 2012, 58(6), 469-75.

Fetal electrocardiogram (FECG) signal reflects the electrical activity of the fetal heart. Fetal heart monitoring yields vital information about the fetus health and can support medical decision making in critical situations. In this paper, FECG is extracted from the maternal electrocardiogram using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems and undecimated wavelet transform (UWT) is proposed. The performance of the proposed system is compared with the standard discrete wavelet transform (DWT). For numerical evaluation, the mean square error (MSE) between de-noised FECG signal and original FECG signal is used. Experimental results show that the UWT produce better results than DWT, as the MSE of DWT is higher than the UWT.

10 illus, 6 tables, 15 ref

012246   Iyer S;Singh S P (ECE Div, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Sector-3, Dwarka, New Delhi) : Theoretical evaluation of combined nonlinearities and amplified sontaneous emission noise penalties in optical star WDM networks based on ITU-T conforming optical fibers. IETE J Res 2012, 58(6), 489-93.

This paper investigates the Quality-factor (Q-factor) deterioration due to individual effects of stimulated Raman scattering, cross-phase modulation, and four-wave mixing and their collective impact on system Q-factor in presence of amplified spontaneous emission noise for various ITU-T compliant fibers (G.652, G. 652D, G. 653, G. 654, and G.655), considering the optical frequency grid based on ITU-T Recommendation G.692. The results obtained through the developed mathematical model show very clearly that the performance of G.653 fiber is worst compared to other fiber types, thus justifying the preferred use of fibers with high dispersion and effective area values (G.652, G.652D, G.654, and G.655) over G.653 in view of combating the deleterious effects of nonlinearities. The results suggest that with the use of a fiber having low dispersion and effective area values, it may not be possible to obtain the desired error rate of 10^-9 (Q = 6). The simulation results make it evident that deterioration due to nonlinearities is not the same for different fiber types which suggest the nature of limitations due to different nonlinearities and fiber types.

11 illus, 2 tables, 25 ref

012245   Hemanth Kumar T R;Swamy R P;Chandrashekar T K (Industrial Engineering and Management Dep, Sri Siddhartha Institute of Technology, Tumkur-572 105, Email: hemantkumar.iem@gmail.com ) : Experimental investigation on wear test parameters of metal matrix composites using Taguchi technique. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2013, 20(4), 329-33.

This study evaluates the influence of wear test parameters such as sliding speed and normal load on dry sliding wear performance of Al-Cu-Mg/titanium dioxide particle reinforced composites. Three different weight percentages of titanium dioxide reinforced composite materials are used to conduct the test. Experiments are performed based on the plan of experiments generated through Taguchi technique. A mathematical model is developed relating wear rate and the test parameters using multiple regressions and the model is checked for adequacy. The experimental results and the developed model show that higher sliding speed and titanium dioxide reinforcement will favor for reducing the wear rate of composites.

5 illus, 6 tables, 22 ref

012244   Ghosh S;Dutta D (NO, Camellia School of Engineering & Technology, Barasat, Kolkata, West Bengal, Email: ddebabrata83@gmail.com) : Comparative study of the performance and emission characteristics of a diesel engine fuelled with soybean oil and 20% soybean oil blend with diesel oil and neat diesel oil. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2013, 4(1), 1-6.

Compliance with the limited oil reserves on the earth and governmental regulations about the environment to meet emission standards leads to the quest for fuels which are eco-friendly and safe for the human beings. It is now well established that lower blends of biodiesel and diesel works well in the existing engines without any modifications due to the similarity of the bio fuels to the diesel fuel. Experimental investigation was carried out in a single cylinder direct injection diesel engine fuelled with diesel, soybean oil methyl ester (SOME) and 20SOME (80% diesel+20% Soybean oil methyl ester). The performance such as brake thermal efficiency and exhaust gas temperature (EGT) at different brake power and exhaust emission characteristics such as unburned hydrocarbon (UBHC), Carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), and smoke density at different brake power and compared with diesel fuel. The investigation revealed that the engine performance under biodiesel blend 20SOME was similar to that of pure diesel fuel with nearly the same brake thermal efficiency and the maximum emission of smoke for 20 SOME blend was same as for diesel. The carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions decreased significantly compared to neat diesel fuel.

7 illus, 2 tables, 11 ref

012243   Ghosh P;Haldar S;Gupta R S;Gupta M (Semiconductor Device Research Laboratory, Electronic Science Dep, Delhi Univ, South Campus, New Delhi-110 021, Email: puja510@gmail.com) : Analytical I-V model for dual metal gate surrounded MOSFET. Invertis J Sci Technol 2013, 6(4), 200-4.

Analytical model has been developed for Dual Metal Gate Surrounded MOSFET. This model is based on unified charge control model derived from Poisson's equation. Results show the impact of applied voltages on drain current, transconductance and drain conductance. An excellent agreement between analytically and simulated results are found which validates the model.

5 illus, 14 ref

012242   Ghosh D;Mitra S K (NDT and Metallurgy Div, CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur-713 209, Email: dghosh@cmeri.res.in) : Effect of Y₂O₃ superficial coating on the high temperature corrosion bhavior of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel in SO₂ + O₂ atmosphere. J Instn Engrs : Ser D 2013, 93(2), 59-63.

Present investigation is primarily aimed to study the effect of superficially Y₂O₃ coated specimens on the high temperature corrosion behavior of normalized and tempered 2.25Cr-1Mo steel in oxidation-sulfidation (S0₂ + 0₂) mixed gas environment. The isothermal high temperature corrosion study of uncoated as well as Y₂O₃ coated specimens were carried out in SO₂ + O₂ environment at 973 K for 150 h. The post corroded specimens were characterized in SEM, EDS and XRD. The result shows the significant improvement of corrosion resistance of the Y₂O₃ coated specimen in comparison to the uncoated one. The thermal cycling behavior of the uncoated, and Y₂O₃ coated specimens were also examined up to three cycles in the same environment for 100 h. The result shows the inferior corrosion resistance along with extensive scale spallations of the uncoated specimens, while the Y₂O₃ coated specimen shows significant improvement of the corrosion resistance under thermal cycling. The mechanism corrosion in presence of Y₂O₃ coating has been explained in details.

6 illus, 11 ref

012241   Farook M A;Sivaraman M B J;Kesavaraj S (IV Year B.E., Geoinformatics, CEG, Anna Univ, Chennai, Email: farookrceg@gmail.com) : Sub-pixel classification of multi-date satellite images for accurate change detection in Pichavaram Mangroves, Tamil Nadu, India. Res Rev : J Space Sci Technol 2013, 2(3), 29-36.

Pichavaram mangrove wetland ecosystem contains species such as Rhizophora apiculata and Avicennia marina which are interspersed with the creeks and marshland landforms. Various studies have indicated that over the years the areal extent of this mangrove ecosystem has decreased due to both human impact and natural causes (erosion). However, field visits have indicated an increase in the areal extent due to reforestation by the officials of the forestry department. To verify the fact, mapping of the changes in the Pichavaram mangrove ecosystem has to be attempted using multi-date satellite images. However, accurate mapping of these mangroves using multispectral satellite image data is difficult due to the presence of mixed pixels, which in turn is due to rich diversity, presence of brackish water bodies, and a complex network of tidal creeks and canals. While using remote sensing technology, conventional image classification (per-pixel) approaches result in misclassification and inaccurate estimates of the areal extent of mangroves. Such inaccuracy, in turn, leads to an indication that there has been an alarming rate of degradation of these mangroves. This paper examines the issues in the approaches to estimate the areal extent of mangroves and suggests that the sub-pixel approach (spectral unmixing) can be the appropriate technique to carry out change detection in mangrove ecosystems, instead of visual interpretation or per-pixel classification approaches. Satellite images of Pichavaram mangroves, acquired over a period of three decades were subjected to per-pixel and sub-pixel classification to determine the area covered by the mangroves during different dates. While per-pixel approach over-estimated the areal extent (due to the inclusion of water-spread area under the mangrove class), the sub-pixel approach gave estimates that agreed well with the actual areal extent of the mangroves. Thus, the need for an appropriate approach such as the sub-pixel classification to map mangroves is demonstrated in this paper.

4 illus, 2 tables, 13 ref

012240   Dhilip T;Nallappan R;Vijayakanth T (Aeronautical Engneering Dep, Karpagam Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Email: dhilipaero@gmail.com) : Experimental study of burn rate and mechanism of burning of karanja oil biodiesel and diesel by using a porous sphere. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2013, 4(1), 13-8.

Biodiesel is a renewable energy resource, which has the potential to reduce greenhouse emissions and to facilitate energy sustainability. It can provide an alternative to petroleum-based diesel. The combustion characteristics of diesel and biodiesel such as burning rate and flame shape are determined by using the porous-sphere experimental technique. Fuel has been transpired to the surface of a porous sphere. Burning of the fuel takes place on the surface of the porous sphere, which is placed in atmospheric pressure and temperature under normal gravity conditions. For each sphere size and fuel type, the fuel feed rate will vary and the same is recorded as the burning rate for that configuration. The burning rate is determined experimentally and compared for diesel and biodiesel of Pongamia Pinnata (Karanja). The flame shape is analyzed by postprocessing the digital image of the flame photograph using suitable imaging software. Results show that the diesel fuel has higher burning rate and evaporation rate when compared to biodiesel. The height of the diesel flame, smoke emission and its luminosity is higher than that of biodiesel.

4 illus, 2 tables, 10 ref

012239   Deshpande V K;Manjare S D (Chemical Engineering Dep, BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, Email: manjare@goa.bits-pilani.ac.in) : Determination of heat transfer coefficient in solar collector tube under simulated operating conditions. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2013, 4(1), 7-12.

Heat transfer coefficient, in solar collector tube under scaling conditions has been experimentally determined using a specifically fabricated test apparatus. The effect of various variables such as scale thickness, flow conditions and tube wall temperatures on heat transfer coefficients have been investigated. The experimental results reveals that the scale thickens has a dominating effect on heat transfer coefficient.

6 illus, 2 tables, 16 ref

012238   Dass D;Vaid R (Physics and Electronics Dep, Jammu Univ, Jammu-180 006, Email: rakeshvaid@ieee.org) : Impact of varying the carbon nanotube (CNT) diameters on the performance of carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNTFET). Invertis J Sci Technol 2013, 6(4), 249-53.

Silicon-bosed technology has experienced phenomenal growth in the last few decades. Si MOSFET gives us higher performance when reduced its dimensions but when it reaches its limiting size, various short-channel effects appear to affect its performance. In that case the semiconductor industry is looking for different materials and devices to integrate with the current silicon-based technology and in the long run, possibly replace it. Among all the alternatives investigated, Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistor (CNTFET) has been found to be the most promising one due to its superior electrical properties. In this paper author have investigated the current-voltage characteristics of cylindrical CNTFET by varying carbon nanotube (CNT) diameters. Also studied the key parameters of CNTFET such as drive current (l_on), average electron velocity, I_on/I_off ratio, transconductance (g_m), output conductance (g_d) and subthreshold swing.

9 illus, 9 ref

012237   Das P;Ghosh A;Bhattacharyay B K;Datta S (SQC & OR Div, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata-700 108, Email: dasprasun@rediffmail.com) : New approach for feature selection of thermomechanically processed HSLA steel using pruned-modular neural networks. J Instn Engrs : Ser D 2013, 93(2), 73-86.

New approach has been used in modeling of strength and ductility of high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel, where a comparative study among fully-connected neural network, modular network and pruned-module architecture has been performed. The important features for modeling such a complex steel processing system have been worked out. Performance evaluation and feature selection in the soft computing domain are the two important activities for modeling input-output relationship. The need arises specially when the system is complex in terms of type of network architecture, number of features involved, number of inter-connections, application domain etc. In this paper, an attempt is made to develop a new metric of performance evaluation, using mean squared error and the total number of inter-connections of a network to improve the understanding about a complex system of thermomechanically controlled processed HSLA steels. The methodology for feature selection is developed next based on the functional form of output in terms of input variables where gradient of the function can be computed in the network.

11 illus, 4 tables, 39 ref

012236   Chaturvedi Y;Sandhu K S (Electrical Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, Email: yatender.neeru@gmail.com) : Operating limits of three-phase self excited induction generator under unbalanced operations. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2013, 4(3), 13-29.

This paper presents a new GA based model to analyze the steady state performance of the self-excited induction generator (SEIG) under unbalanced load and excitation. The proposed model is based upon the load decoupled approach using symmetrical component theory. The simulated results as obtained using proposed model are compared with experimental results on a test machine. Close agreement with the experimental results proves the effectiveness of GA based model and same is adopted to investigate the performance and operating limits of SEIG under unbalanced operation.

21 illus, 2 tables, 21 ref

012235   Biswas N;Dey A;Kundu S;Chakraborty H; Mukhopadhyay A K (NO, CSIR- Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, 196, Raja S.C. Mullick Road, Kolkata-700 032, Email: anoopmukherjee@cgcri.res.in) : Orientational effect in nanohardness of functionally graded microstructure in enamel. J Instn Engrs : Ser D 2013, 93(2), 87-95.

Nanoindentation experiment was conducted on the enamel surface of extracted premolar tooth. The nanohardness constantly increased as the distance from a region close to the enamel dentine junction to the outer enamel zone was traversed. The plastic energy dissipated during the nanoindentation process also continuously increased as measurements were taken from the outer enamel zone to the inner enamel zone. The percentages of calcium and phosphorous measured by energy dispersive X-ray technique decreased from the outer enamel zone to the inner enamel zone. Further, local variation of nanohardness was explained in terms of different orientations of enamel rods as experimentally observed by the scanning probe microscopy.

12 illus, 29 ref

012234   Bhavanam A;Sastry R C (Chemical Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Warangal-506 004, Email: anjireddy.bhavanam@gmail.com) : Modelling of solid waste gasification process for synthesis gas production. J scient ind Res 2013, 72(9-10), 611-6.

This study presents a mathematical model to predict synthesis gas (CO+H₂) composition from selected solid wastes (municipal waste, animal waste and agricultural waste) in a downdraft fixed bed reactor. This model assumes chemical and thermodynamic equilibrium with products inside the reactor. Effect of temperature in gasification zone, equivalence ratio and moisture content of biomass on gas composition was investigated. Model helps to know the behaviour of different biomass types and is a useful tool for predicting operating parameters of downdraft gasifiers with this biomass.

4 illus, 1 table, 15 ref

012233   Bhattacharya M;Jogi J;Gupta R S;Gupta M (Semiconductor Device Research Laboratory, Electronic Science Dep, Delhi Univ, South Campus, New Delhi-110 021, Email: mridula@south.du.ac.in ) : Gate-length and donor-layer characteristics optimization of InAIAs/InGaAs DG-HEMT for improved RF and noise performance. Invertis J Sci Technol 2013, 6(4), 244-8.

Focuses on the significance of optimization of the various device parameters for achieving improved RF and noise performance. A charge control based analytical model is employed for the evaluation of various performance parameters of InAIAs/lnGaAs double-gate (DG-) HEMT. While, shortening of gate-length leads to significant improvement in the device performance in terms of lower Minimum Noise Figure (NF_miin) and higher Maximum Frequency of Oscillation (f_max), reduction in the donor-layer thickness leads to lower f_max. In addition to this, increase in the donor-layer doping which accompanies reduction in gate-length and donor-layer thickness leads to lower f_max and higher NF_min. Therefore, optimisation of various device parameters is essential for achieving improved RF and noise performance without letting the short channel effects become dominant.

6 illus, 8 ref

012232   Benarchid O;Raissouni N (Remote Sensing & GIS Lab (RS&GIS), Abdelmalek Esaadi Univ, Tetuan, Morocco, Email: benarchidomar@gmail.com) : Potential of semi-automatic object-based land cover classifications using very high resolution satellite images: Tetuan-city comparison case study. Res Rev : J Space Sci Technol 2013, 2(3), 19-28.

Nowadays, mapping agencies need to update their topographic and information systems databases in order to draw: (i) urban planning (e.g., urban sprawl, road networks, etc.), and (ii) environmental planning (e.g., ecological corridors, forest change, etc.). In this context, object-based land cover classifications using very-high resolution satellites (VHRS) images (e.g., IKONOS, QuickBird, GeoEye WorldView-2, and recently Pleaides) are interesting tools to satisfy the needs of both scientific community and decision makers in local authorities. Accordingly, the number of non-experts in using VHRS remotely sensed images is increasing, and the requirements of semi-automated/automated processing using less number of parameters is an expanding need. Recently, object-based classification algorithms have been integrated to commercial remote-sensing software. These last, are trying developing user-friendly automated classification solutions. In this research, an evaluation and comparison study of the implementation of these object-based land-cover classifications using VHRS - integrated in eCognition Developer, ERDAS, and ENV1 - has been carried out. Potential of these classification methods in the case of Tetuan-city (Northern Morocco) has been carried out by evaluating: (i) the number of required parameters as imperative inputs, and (ii) the accuracy assessment of land cover classifications. In this case, eCognition Developer shows promising results with: (i) two input parameters; and (ii) Kappa coefficient mean value of about 0.80.

6 illus, 3 tables, 43 ref