020574   Dutta D K;Borah B J;Sarmah P P;Dutta D (Materials Science Div, CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat-785 006, Email: dipakkrdutta@yahoo.com) : Metal nanoparticles stabilized on montmorillonite clay: synthesis and reactivities. Sci Cult 2011, 77(11-12), 499-502.

In situ generation of metals Cu°-, Rh°- and Au°-nanoparticles into the pores of modified natural Montmorillonita clay and their characterization have been carried out. Tha modification of Montmorillonite clay was carried out with mineral acids under controlled conditions for generating nanopores on the surface of the clay. Powder XRD, TEM, N2 adsorption, UV-visible Spectroscopy etc. analyses were carried out to characterize the solid materials. The stabilized metals-nanoparticles are found very active as heterogeneous catalysts and exhibit antimicrobial activities.

5 illus, 22 ref

020573   Dubey O P;Dutta S;Agarwal A K (NO, Irrigation Research Institute, Roorkee) : Remote sensing based stochastic model for estimating runoff from watersheds. Wat Energy int 2011, 68(4), 43-8.

Attempt has been made to develop stochastic model for estimation of runoff from Himalayan watersheds. For this, first of all, various geomorphic parameters were calculated and estimated through synergistic use of remotely sensed data, ancillary data and limited field survey. Thereafter, multivariate optimization study has been carried out to delineate the most effective geomorphic parameters from information content criteria. Finally, a model has been developed to predict the runoff using the most influential geomorphic parameters. The model efficiency was found to be more than 80%.

9 tables, ref

020572   Dhansekaran N;Suresh S (Welding Research Institute, BHEL, Tiruchirappalli-620 014) : NDE of welds- present and future. WRI Jl 2012, 33(1), 32-47.

Currently there are various methods, techniques and equipments which are employed in different industries in order to evaluate materials and to produce efficient products that are better in quality at lower manufacturing cost. Non destructive testing methods occupy essential position. Liquid penetrant testing, Magnetic particle testing, Ultrasonic testing, Radiography testing are popular. The popularity which NDT methods have earned recently has inadvertently made them emerge as an integral part of various fields. NDT methods have a wide area of application and are progressively more used in industries like automotive, construction, power plants, aviation, manufacturing, naval, military, railways and more. Extremely beneficial for evaluating product and material quality, researching and troubleshooting, the biggest advantage NDT methods offer is, they do not affect the object that is being tested in even a slight manner. Many new methods and techniques are getting added in the list of NDT methods to help their customers for better quality at reduced production costs. NDT is to be utilised by the industry for high productivity. Effective utilisation of various NDT methods suitable for their products will lead to high quality and customer satisfaction. This paper provides an overview of emerging trends in NDT, emerging techniques, recent developments in the fields of ultrasonic testing, eddy current testing, surface inspection, visual inspection, radiographic inspection and many more. It is to enable the users to get benefit from NDT.

11 illus, 18 ref

020571   Devakumaran K;Ramesh P V D (Welding Research Institute, BHEL, Tiruchirappalli-620 014) : Pulsed current gas metal arc welding for superior weld quality of SA 106 gr.C pipe. WRI Jl 2012, 33(2), 11-17.

The investigation relates to use of base material of 28 mm thick and 273 mm outside diameter carbon steel SA 106 Gr. C material. The welding was carried out by modified short arc GMAW process for root pass and subsequent passes by pulsed current GMAW process using conventional groove design. The weld joints have been characterized with respect to its soundness, mechanical and metallurgical properties as per the ASTM standards recommended for pipe welding qualifications. From the investigation, it was observed that the weld joints prepared by modified short arc for root pass followed by pulsed current GMAW meets the required mechanical and metallurgical properties. Further, the use of P-GMAW has been found superior to the use of conventional GMAW and SMAW processes with respect to milder thermal effect on the weld pool along with considerable refinement in microstructure of weld deposit.

7 illus, 4 tables, 14 ref

020570   Chunrui Y;Yongsheng Z;Zhen D;Diannong L (NO, National Defense Technology Univ, Changsha, China, Email: ycrzxc@163.com) : SVD-based method for radio frequency interference suppression applied to SAR. Def Sci J 2012, 62(2), 132-6.

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a special type of active microwave sensor, which has got a wide range of applications in remote sensing. However, the performance of SAR systems may be affected by radio frequency interference (RFI) in several geographic regions. A novel singular value decomposition method is proposed for radio frequency interference suppression applied to SAR. This method decomposes the singular vectors of the received signal with RFI into interference subspace and signal subspace. The orthogonality of the two subspaces is used to suppress the RFI. The point-target simulation is used to show the working principle of the proposed algorithm. The experimental results based on SAR real data are also shown to verify the proposed algorithm.

4 illus, 8 ref

020569   Chaudhuri D;Kushwaha N K;Sharif I;Gohri V (Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory, , Dehradun-248 001, Email: deba_chaudhuri@yahoo.co.in) : Unique measure for geometrical shape object detection-based on area matching. Def Sci J 2012, 62(1), 58-66.

Object classifier often operates by making decisions based on the values of several shape properties measured from an image of the object. The paper introduces a unique definition of measure for 2-D geometrical object shape detection. Using this definition different object shapes can be identified on the basis of their degree of fitness parameter. Basically, we have fitted a 2-D polygon/curve on the object as a best fitted polygon/curve and computed the parameter degree of fitness which is the ratio of the matching area and non-matching area due to the fitted polygon/curve and the object both. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed measure.

7 illus, 4 tables, 31 ref

020568   Buvanashekaran G (Welding Research Institute, BHEL, Tiruchirappalli-620 014) : High energy beam welding-present applications and future trends. WRI Jl 2012, 33(1), 12-21.

Welding processes employ a large spectrum of power densities, starting from 10² W/cm² to 10⁷ cm² depending on the process. High power densities results in deeper penetration and a narrow HAZ like in the case of Laser and Electron Beam Welding (EBW) processes. Exotic materials are comfortably welded by EBW under vacuum with very good mechanical and metallurgical properties. In this work, EB welding of copper and aluminium alloys are discussed with case studies. Reduced pressure EBW for future applications is highlighted. Advantages of laser beam for welding applications like tailor welded blanks, transmission welding of thermoplastics and laser hybrid welding technique is discussed in detail. Future applications of laser welding, like under water welding dissimilar materials joining are also highlighted.

15 illus, 7 ref

020567   Asokkumar K (Welding Technology Centre, BHEL, Tiruchirappalli-620 014) : Solid phase welding processes. WRI Jl 2012, 33(1), 22-31.

Solid phase welding processes find wider applications in automotive railways, aerospace, electronic as well as in power sectors of industry. The versatility of these processes and their fundamentals are to be cleanly understood for better exploitation of the processes to our advantages. This paper is an attempt to discuss the fundamentals and the applications of solid phase welding process.

10 illus, 5 ref

020566   Ashok Kumar;Balaji Y;Kiran H V;Sarkar P;Varma V K;Eswara Prasad N;Tamilmani K (NO, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification, Hyderabad-500 058, Email: nep@cemilac.drdo.in) : Concurrent development and certification of SOFTCOMAG 49AA alloy for aeronautical applications. Def Sci J 2012, 62(1), 67-72.

Softcomag 49AA alloy consisting of 49 wt per cent Fe, 49 wt. per cent Co and 2 wt per cent V is a soft magnetic alloy with a combination of very high saturation magnetisation and high magnetostriction and used for several aeronautical applications such as generators (stators and rotors), fixed iron moving armature units etc. Though this alloy is brittle in nature, it can be formed into hot rolled bars and cold rolled sheets by adopting suitable thermo mechanical treatments. In order to indigenise and subsequent type certification for aeronautical applications, the alloy was produced using 100 per cent virgin raw materials in a vacuum induction melting (VIM) furnace which not only ensures substantial reduction of inclusions, but also the production of homogeneous alloy as a result of induction stirring. The chemical composition was examined and hot working parameters of the alloy were so optimised that they would result in the best combination of magnetic, physical and mechanical properties for the end use, which forms the central theme behind the developmental activity that was simultaneously covered by a comprehensive certification process. The material thus produced is subjected to stringent quality control checks in accordance with stipulated airworthiness norms. The paper discusses in detail the indigenisation efforts and airworthiness certification of the alloy Softcomag 49AA and its comparison with equivalent grades, namely PERMENDUR 49 and VACOFLUX 50.

4 illus, 5 tables, 23 ref

020565   Appa Rao G;Sankaranarayana M;Balasubramaniam S (NO, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad-500 058, Email: gouduapparao@rediffmail.com) : Hot isostatic technology for defence and space applications. Def Sci J 2012, 62(1), 73-80.

Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technology has been established for the development of AISI-304 stainless steel and nickel base superalloy Inconel 718 integral turbine rotors, for liquid propulsion engine of Prithvi missile, and cryoengine of geostationary satellite launch vehicle (GSLV), respectively. Before making the full size rotors, the structure - property relationships in hot isostatic pressed (HIPed) 304 stainless steel and superalloy 718 were established. The HIPed steel and superalloy have shown near 100 per cent theoretical density, homogeneous, and fine grained microstructure. Their mechanical properties were found to be in agreement with those specified for the integral turbine rotors and hence, development of full size near net shaped integral turbine rotors was undertaken. The HIPed steel rotors subjected to the static engine tests have shown a satisfactory performance, and therefore a large number of rotors could be produced to fulfill the requirement of target labs. The HIP technology for the integral turbine rotors was found to be cost effective (about 50 per cent) over the conventional fabrication method which involves forging, machining, and welding of blades to the disk. The processing, structure, and properties of the HIPed 304 stainless steel and superalloy 718 in relation to the performance of integral turbine rotors for missile and space vehicle applications are discussed.

15 illus, 6 tables, 19 ref

020564   Abbass M;Mohammed K Z;Hamdy A (Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute (EPRI), Nasar City, Cairo, Egypt, Email: amalhamdy66@hotmail.com) : Adsorption properties and inhibitive effect of antibacterial drug on carbon steel corrosion in HCl medium. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2012, 9(1), 27-37.

Corrosion inhibition of carbon steel in 1.0 M HC1 by antibacterial drug named Cephradine (CPD), has been investigated by weight loss and potentiodynamic polarization techniqes. The results showed that CPD is an effective inhibitor for the carbon steel corrosion in acidic solution. The inhibition efficiency increases with increasing inhibitor concentration, while it decreases with the increase in solution temperature. Thermodynamic parameters were calculated and discussed. Adsorption characteristics of the inhibitor has been studied and it is found that cephradine inhibits the corrosion of carbon steel by being adsorbed on the surface of carbon steel by a physical adsorption mechanism. The adsorption of the inhibitor was also found to be spontaneous and consistent with the assumptions of Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Surface analysis using energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) was applied to confirm the inhibition efficiency of cephradine.

8 illus, 4 tables, 42 ref

019525   Tiwari R;Singh R K (Electronics and Commnication Engineering Dep, Kumaon Engineering College, Dawarahat, Almora, Uttarakhand, Email: trajan@rediffmail.com) : Innovative approach of the analysis of the low nois of a CMOS-based amplifier for analog signal-based applications. J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(3), 1-9.

Low-noise amplifier (LNA), which is based on the cascode feedback methodology, has been commonly used for various wireless protocol-based network applications nowadays. It is so because this topology ensures that the low-noise amplifier (LNA) can achieve quite a high performance and thus, provides a high qualitative output. This amplifier is operated with a low voltage supply in the range of few volts that requires that the impedances of the input and the output to be rather of matched value so as to provide the output with minimum possible noise distortion. Thus, based on this concept/approach, an innovative approach of the design methodology for the design of a CMOS-based low-noise amplifier (CLNA) has been put forward for discussing the performance of the system. Now, in this efficient procedure of the design of CLNA, one has to consider the effective behavior of certain dominant parameters of the circuit such as noise figure, gain, linearity, channel length, etc. The simulation work of the proposed LNA has been carried out with pSpice software using the level 3 parameters based on 0.13μm CMOS technology that provides the desired outputs. From these experimental results, it has been observed that with the input referred noise of the proposed amplifier 2.5 nV/Hz, the bandwidth of the circuit is in the range of 1 GHz, the power dissipation due to various devices is about 160 μW, with 0.5 dB of low-noise figure and the power consumption in the circuit is as low as 7.0 mW.

8 illus, 37 ref

019524   Suman S;Singh N B (NO, CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Institute, Pilani-333 031, Email: suman.shipra@gmail.com) : Design of CMOS AM modem for wirelss sensors. J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(1), 23-30.

Design of amplitude modulated (AM) modem, compatible to CMOS technology for its monolithic integration with either wireless microsensors or other sources of baseband signals, is presented in this paper operating in different frequency bands. Circuits functional in different operating conditions are considered in the paper to satisfy the requirement from low- to high-speed signals produced either from the wireless sensor or other signal source to be modulated on a MHz or GHz carrier signal in the industrial scientific and medical (ISM) band. Different modem circuit designs are presented right from the module up to the schematic level after their analysis, circuit simulations are carried out using spice with its equivalent Hspice MOS model level 13 for the CMOS process of SCL 1.2 micrometer semiconductor foundry.

10 illus, 1 table, 5 ref

019523   Sood R (Reclamation Shop, Bhilai Steel Plant, Chhattisgarh, Email: rajeshsood25@rediffmail.com) : Reclamation of rack teeth of tilting mechanism of mixer of steel melting shop of Bhilai steel plant. Indian Weld J 2011, 44(2), 25-8.

Reclamation, in general, means economical sense of unused damaged waste item by value addition which otherwise would have been useless. Reclamation is the process of reclaiming some thing from loss or from a less useful condition. Economics plays a very important role in deciding to go for reclamation. Bhilai Steel Plant is an integrated steel plant. In this plant, the production of steel is done through two routes, first one is the conventional route (ingot route) and second route is converter and continuous cast route. The main function of Mixer in any steel melting shop is to receive hot metal (pig iron) from Blast Furnace and to supply hot metal to the Twin Hearth Furnace or Converters. The Mixer acts as a reservoir for homogenization of chemical composition and temperature of hot metal received from different Blast Furnaces. For pouring of hot metal in to the ladle, the Mixer is tilted towards ladle. After filling one ladle, the Mixer is then tilted back for positioning of next empty ladle. So, for pouring of each ladle, Mixer is to be tilted to and fro. Hence tilting mechanism is very vital equipment of Mixer. While inspecting, it was found that the rack teeth of tilting mechanism is worn out beyond permissible limit and it was unsafe to work i.e. tilting of Mixer for handling of hot metal. At that time, the spare rack was not available. Hence it was decided to reclaim the other rejected rack which was lying. The estimated value of Mixer Rack is around Rs.1.75 crores. This paper deals with the reclamation technology adopted to revive this vital assembly. This paper includes selection of welding consumable, welding parameters, preparation, preheat and post heat treatment and precautions for entire reclamation procedure.

6 illus, 2 ref

019522   Singh S;Chakrabarti P (Electronics Engineering Dep, IT-BHU, Varanasi-221 005, Email: shivi.phy@gmail.com) : Comparative characteristics of ZnO thin films deposited by RF sputtering, thermal oxidation of metallic zinc and sol-gel methods. Invertis J Sci Technol 2012, 5(2), 103-5.

ZnO thin films were deposited using three processes: Thermal oxidation of metallic zinc (Zn), sol-gel and RF sputtering. The structural and electrical properties of ZnO films were investigated and compared systematically using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and four probe methods. The main difference between all the three ZnO thin films were the stoichiometry and surface morphology. Thermally oxidized ZnO films with the best crystalline quality, have potential for application in electronic and optoelectronic devices.

019521   Singh P;Singh N B (NO, CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani-333 031, Email: nbs44254@gmail.com) : High-speed CMOS ADCs design. J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(1), 31-46.

Presents the design of high-speed subranging and flash analog to digital data converters (ADC) including the design of efficient operational amplifier to meet the performance requirements of these data converters for the specifications laid down targeted to the SCL 1.2μm CMOS Foundry. The design starts from the specification of the circuit, its theoretical analysis for the parameter estimations of the transistors as well as the circuit's design. Its simulation studies with design iterations were carried out using EDA tools. Pre- and post-layout electrical behavior verification of the circuit was carried out for the circuits from its layout as well as netlist extracted circuit from its schematic. Best performance has been achieved by the design iterations as presented .

21 illus, 3 tables, 19 ref

019520   Sheth M;Bakliwal S;Trivedi S;Shah D (Electronics and Communication Dep, Nirma University, Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, Chandlodia, Gota, Ahmedabad-382 481, Email: manntsheth@gmail.com) : Detailed study of working and applications of FinFET technology and its adaptability in current era. J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(3), 16-22.

CMOS technology is following Moore's law since almost 25 years. The scaling of CMOS transistor has increased packaging density, speed and decreased power dissipation in the integrated circuits. However, CMOS dimension when scaled to nanometer dimension, many physical barriers arise. In sub-100 nm scale, MOSFET has new variants as SOI implementation and double gate.

19 illus, 1 table, 6 ref

019519   Sharma T;Singh P;Singh N B (NO, CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani-333 031, Email: tripti.mzn@gmail.com) : Decimator design for sigma-delta ADC. J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(1), 7-19.

Describes the design of a decimator which is used in digital signal processing as well as 10-bit sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter to down sample the incoming signal for further applications. It is also used for verification of the sigma-delta modulator functionality to reconstruct the incoming signal. The design has been carried out using 180 nm TSMC, CMOS foundry parameters for spice level 49 model parameters in TANNER EDA (Tspice). The results for the presented decimator model are mentioned; the higher decimation factor can be taken similarly as per requirement.

19 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

019518   Shafiqul I M (Civil Engineering Dep, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi, Bangladesh, Email: islam94001@yahoo.com) : Probabilistic sensitivity analysis of cover quantity and quality of reinforced concrete structures. J Constr Engng Technol Mgmt 2012, 2(3), 7-12.

Design procedures based on current specifications do not always ensure required service life, mostly due to the environmental effect, error at the time of construction and underestimated cover properties at the time of design. Moreover, single-point value of any property does not provide rational support to the decision maker. Statistical resampling technique for each of the cover properties used to find out the service life of the structures is thus adopted. The results suggest the importance of the use of type of cement as a durability parameter which governs service life of RC structures.

10 illus, 2 tables, 8 ref

019517   Satya Murty S A V;Baldev Raj;Sivalingam K M; Sridhar S;Ebenezer J;Kuchipudi K R (NO, Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, Email: satya@igcar.gov.in) : Wirelss sensor network in fast breeder test reactor. J nucl Engng Technol 2013, 3(1), 28-36.

Second stage of India's three-stage nuclear energy programme envisages of the development of Sodium cooled fast breeder reactors. As a forerunner, Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam has been constructed. It is being operated successfully for more than 27 years. FBTR provides experience in fast reactor operation, fuel behavior, large scale sodium handling and is serving as a test bed for irradiation of fast reactor fuels & materials. Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is an emerging technology in industrial automation. WSN application in nuclear reactor environment requires high data reliability, fault tolerance, low latency, security etc. To analyze these features and to prove its feasibility, authors have established a pilot WSN in FBTR. In this deployment, few non nuclear safety signals from in and around the reactor containment building have been networked wirelessly to monitor them in the control room and data is logged. Describes about the hardware and software of WSN node, deployment details of wireless sensor network and the observations derived for the future permanent deployment.

10 illus, 3 tables, 24 ref

019516   Satya Murty S A V;Baldev Raj;Sivalingam K M; Ebenezer J;Parthasarathy R;Sai Subalakshmi D (NO, Indira Gadnhi Center for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, Email: partha@igcar.gov.in) : Experimental development of wirelss sensor network for radiation monitoring. J nucl Engng Technol 2012, 2(1), 10-21.

Understands and predict the chemical behavior of fuels, coolants, fission products and structural materials Radio Chemistry Laboratory (RCL) has been established at Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research. RCL has structured facilities like hot cells, lead mini cells, radioactive sodium chemistry loops, glove boxes, etc., in which radioactive materials are being handled. This necessitates the radiation monitors to be placed in various locations of RCL to ensure that the ambient radiation is within the stipulated level. To reduce the intricacy involved in cabling, the wireless sensor networking technology has been introduced. Describes about the experiments conducted to check the feasibility of establishing wireless sensor network for radiation monitoring and to test signal penetration across the lead and concrete shielding of cells at RCL.

10 illus, 1 table, 16 ref

019515   Satish Prakash;Gir R K;Ravindra Kumar (Physics Dep, Meerut College, Meerut-250 002, Email: drsatishprakash@rediffmail.com) : Analysis of Western disturbance during 17th to 21st February 2005 over Western Himalayan region. Invertis J Sci Technol 2012, 5(1), 45-53.

Highly variable mountain terrain of different altitudes and orientations in Northern India are responsible for complexity of the weather systems. The Himalayan region is frequently affected by eastward moving weather systems known as western disturbance (WD). A qualitative analysis of very heavy snowfall/rainfall in Kashmir in association with the western disturbance from 17th to 21st February 2005 is given. The use of INSAT imageries and derived products is also highlighted which is found to be immense help in tracking and forecasting of such weather events, over the data sparse western Himalayas region. The outputs of high-resolution mesoscale model have a good capability of making severe weather forecast up to 72 hours. It can be further used for planning transportation, public safety, properties and human lives. It has been observed that Limited Area Model (LAM) predicted weather analysis associated with the above said WD by outputs was found to be reasonably accurate when compared to the actual occurrence of weather.

019514   Sanam Suraj M;Hassan M R (Applied Science Dep, Al-Falah School of Engineering Technology, Dauj, Faridabad, Haryana, Email: mdsanamsuraj@gmail.com) : Solution of Sitnikov restricted four body problem when the primaries are point masses or spherical in shape: circular case. Invertis J Sci Technol 2012, 5(1), 12-19.

Studied the Sitnikov problem when extended to four body problems. Here all the three primaries are moving in the circular orbit in the x-y plane and fourth particle is moving along the z-axis. Determined the equation of motion and then using the Lindstedt-Poincare methods and Green's function have determined the motion of the fourth particles. Finds the analytical solution up to the second order. Then authors have determined the time period of the motion.

019513   Sampath Kumar V;Neerja Singh (NO, JSS Academy of Technical Education, Noida-201 301, Email: sampath.kumarjss@gmail.com) : Delay minimization of 3 cascaded inverters with the help of logical effort and transistor sizing. J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(1), 20-2.

With logical effort minimum delay of the path can be estimated by only knowing number of stages, path effort, and parasitic delay without the need to assign transistor sizes. This is superior to simulation where delay depends on sizes and you never achieve certainty that the size selected would offer minimum delay. In this work 3 cascaded inverters is being sized in the ratio 1:2:3 to achieve minimum propagation delay and comparison is made with the 3 cascaded inverter not sized in the ratio 1:2:3.

2 illus, 2 tables, 3 ref

019512   Saini A K;Singh S (IC Design Group, CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani-333 031, Email: anilsaini.ceeri@gmail.com) : Design of a 10-bit segmented current-steering CMOS D/A converter for high speed communication system. J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(3), 10-15.

In the work, design of a 10-bit digital-to-analog (D/A) converter using current segmentation architecture in 0.35 æm double-poly, four-metal, CMOS process has been attempted. The measured differential nonlinearity (DNL) and integral nonlinearity (INL) are 0.8 and 2.5 least significant bits (LSBs) respectively. For sampling frequency of 12-MSample/s, the spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) is better than 56 dB for signal up to Nyquist rate. The worst case power consumption is 58 mW and it operates with a single supply voltage of 3.3.

9 illus, 2 tables, 8 ref

019511   Saini A K;Dwivedi P;Singh S (NO, CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani-333 031, Email: anilsaini.ceeri@gmail.com) : Low-voltage low-power single supply rail-to-rail high resolution comparator in 0.18 μ CMOS technology. J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(3), 23-7.

Presents an absolute input rail-to-rail ultrahigh-resolution comparator for low-voltage low-power applications. To enhance the input range rail-to-rail, the proposed comparator utilizes dynamic configuration with a MOSFET-only clock booster to supply a boosted voltage for pre-amplifier stage. Cadence SPICE simulations of the proposed comparator in a 0.18 μm CMOS process confirm the rail-to-rail input range with a supply voltage of 1.2 V with a decision time less than 9 ns. The dynamic power consumption of the proposed comparator is 59.3μæW with a clock frequency of 1 MHz.

6 illus, 1 table, 8 ref

019510   Rohilla S;Aghamkar P (NO, The Technological Institute of Textile and Sciences, Bhiwani-127 021, Email: rohillasunil2003@yahoo.co.in) : Investigations on structural and magnetic characterization of nickel ferrite nanocrystallites dispersed in silica matrix. Invertis J Sci Technol 2012, 5(2), 85-92.

Magnetic nanocomposites of nickel ferrite nanoparticles dispersed in silica matrix (NiFe₂O₄/SiO₂) have been synthesized by coprecipitation method using metal chlorides as precursors for ferrite. Subsequently composites were annealed at 100, 200 and 300°C for 2h. Techniques employed for structural characterization of the samples, regarding phase, average crystallite/particle size, morphology and particle size distribution, were Xray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). NiFe₂O₄ particles were formed in the matrix pores and the nucleation of these particles was observed with the increase in the calcination temperature. The magnetic properties of the nanocomposites were measured by using Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The particle size dependence of magnetic properties has been revealed as the coercivity and saturation magnetization of these nanocomposites were found much higher and much below the corresponding values for bulk nickel ferrite respectively. The realization of the adjustable particle sizes and the controllable magnetic properties makes the applicability of NiFe₂O₄ nanocomposites more versatile.

019509   Rao J P;Kehshari A K;Gunasekaran G;Ravi N; Vijayavelu B;Ravi Y;Parthasarathy R (Chemical Facilities Div, Chemistry Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, Email: jprao@igcar.gov.in) : Comprehensive centralised surveillance system for safe operation of radiological laboratory. J nucl Engng Technol 2013, 3(1), 1-6.

Ventilation system plays an important role in preventing the release and dispersal of radioactive materials. There are a set of radiation monitoring instruments installed in vantage points in the laboratory to monitor whether ambient radiation level is within safe limits. Novel implementation of collecting ventilation system data in syncronization with radiation background data in areas handling radioactivity, ensures comprehensive safe functioning of the radioactive laboratory. In Radiochemistry Laboratory of IGCAR, in order to preempt any malfunctioning or deviation of the operational parameters of the above systems, a customised electronic logger cum annunciator with LAN facility is developed. The system also makes the data available to designated authorities through LAN to recognize the tendency of the system performance and to make any preemptive actions. The instrumentation details of the logger and the performance are discussed.

6 illus, 7 ref

019508   Radhika K S;Baskar K (NO, National Institute of Technology, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, Email: drkbaskar@yahoo.co.in ) : Influence of mineral admixture on compressive strength of concrete. J Constr Engng Technol Mgmt 2012, 2(3), 1-6.

Shows the results of an investigation focused on the effect of metakaoline (MK) and silica fume (SF) on the compressive strength of concrete. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of concrete compressive strength containing different percentage levels of metakaoline and silica fume on fresh and mechanical properties of the concrete. Pastes containing 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of metakaoline and silica fume concrete were prepared at constant water-cement ratio of 0.4 and cured in indoor climate of laboratory condition for hydration periods from 1 to 28 days. The work focused on concrete mixes having a fixed water-cement ratio of 0.4 and variable cement content for replacement levels. The results of the research indicate that as the proportion of metakaoline and silica fume increased, the workability of concrete decreased but the compressive strength of concrete containing silica fume and metakaoline was not reduced than the control concrete.

4 illus, 4 tables, 12 ref

019507   Pathak T K;Purohit L P (Physics Dep, Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, Email: tpathak01@gmail.com) : Structure, piezoelectricity and optical properties of ZnO thin films fabricated by sol-gel method. Invertis J Sci Technol 2012, 5(2), 93-7.

ZnO thin films were prepared on crystal substrate Si (111) by sol-gel technology and then characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The ZnO films characterized by X-ray diffraction are highly oriented in (002) direction with the growing of the l mm thickness. The morphologies, roughness and grain size of ZnO investigated by AFM show that roughness and grain size of ZnO films decrease with the increase of the film thickness. The roughness dimension is 2.188-0.914 nm. The results show that the piezoelectric coefficient increases with the increase of thickness and (002) orientation. When the force reference is close to surface roughness of the films, the piezoelectric coefficient measured is inaccurate and fluctuates in a large range, but when the force reference is big, the piezoelectric coefficient d33 changes little and ultimately keeps constant at a low frequency. The photoluminescence spectrum of the samples has an UV emission peak centred at 383 nm with broad band visible emission centred in the range of 500 - 600 nm.

019506   Panwar V;Lee C;Seoungyoung K O;Jong Oh P; Sukho P (NO, School of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju-500757, Republic of Korea, Email: spark@3nv.ac.kv) : Actuation of ionic polymer metal composites actuator based on without surface roughening of PVDF/PVP/PSSA ionic membrane. Invertis J Sci Technol 2012, 5(2), 65-70.

Recently, there have been on-going efforts to replace the Nafion (117) based ionic polymer metal composites (IPMC) actuator due to high cost of materials, less environmentally friendly nature and its back-relaxation under DC voltages. Poposes IPMC using Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/ Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)/ Polystyrene sulfonic acid ionic membrane without surface roughening and reports the actuation of the proposed IMPC under DC and AC voltages of 1 to 2 V. The proposed IPMC were compared with IPMC using Nafion membrane without surface roughening. The actuating performances of PVDF/PVP/PSSA based actuators were found to be higher than those of Nafion based actuator under DC and AC voltages of 1 to 2 V. The ion exchange capacity (IEC) and water uptake (WUP) of PVDF/PVP/PSSA ionic membranes were found to be higher than those of the Nafion membrane. In addition, the proton conductivity of the proposed membrane was found to be nearly equal to that of the Nafion membrane.

019505   Pandey B K;Pandey A K;Dwivedi R K (Applied Sciences Dep, Madan Mohan Malaviya Engineering College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Email: bkp11@rediffmail.com) : Optical and electronic properties of silicon nanostructures. Invertis J Sci Technol 2012, 5(2), 109-15.

Advances in the design, synthesis and characterization of nano-materials are important to provide the unprecedented ability to manipulate matter at the most fundamental level. In the work photo spectrum of bulk silicon and silicon dots have been examined which were deposited on silicon dioxide (for deposition time: 45 and 60 seconds). It is observed that with decrease in the size of the particles, photoluminescence spectra have been blue shifted and different peaks are obtained corresponding to different sizes of quantum dots. One peak of them is due to oxide layer (quantum confinement effect) and others are due to broad size distribution of Si nano particles. Sizes of quantum dots have been calculated by local density approximation methods. The estimated size of quantum dots are 2.7, 3.4 and 3.9 nanometer and corresponding energy band gaps are 2.41, 1.98 and 1.77 eV respectively.

019504   Packiaraj G;Panchal N R;Jotania R B (Material Science Research Lab, Physics Dep, University School of Sciences, Gujarat University, Amhedabad-380 009, Email: rbjotania@gmail.com) : Structural and dielectric properties of hexaferrite-spinel composites prepared using a sol-gel auto combustion technique. Invertis J Sci Technol 2012, 5(2), 71-5.

Hexa-spinel ferrite composites with various mass ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:5, and 1:8) of the two constituent phases Ba₂Ni₂Fe₁₂O₂₂ and CuFe₂O₄ were prepared by Sol-Gel auto combustion technique. The effects of composition on the crystallography, particle morphology, and Dielectric constant were investigated. The XRD patterns of the composites reveal that all the composites were consisted of two phases: hexagonal and spinel. The absence of new phase proved that there was no chemical reaction between spinel and hexagonal ferrites. The SEM photographs show that the two kinds of phases were distributed homogenously. All the samples show the frequency dependent phenomena, i.e. the dielectric constant decreases with increasing frequency and then reaches a constant value.

019503   Momeni A;Fathian M;Akhavan P (Industraial Engineering Dep, Iran University of Science and Technology, Narmak, Tehran-16846_13114, Iran, Email: Afrooz.momeni@gmail.com) : Competitive intelligence and knowledge management's affinities and relations: developing a model. Invertis J Sci Technol 2012, 5(1), 1-7.

Knowledge management is the process through which corporate knowledge is used to improve organizational performance. Essentially it looks at managing internal knowledge processes, developing the efficient usage of all information required for corporate decisions. Competitive intelligence (CI) is a process for gathering usable knowledge about the external business environment. The aim of the study is to demonstrate the synergy between Competitive Intelligence, Knowledge Management. As practices; both CI and KM have the same fundamental requirements. Each need a strategic purpose, each depends on having a corporate culture that encourages people to create and share information and knowledge, each requires skills and competencies to carry out the processes involved, and each is facilitated by the same technology tools. But they have some differences. In the study authors show these differences and similarities.

019502   Li W;Li X;Cho Y (NO, Graduate School of Mechanical Engineerng, Pusan National University Ja, Gumjeong-gu, Busan, 609-735, Korea, Email: mechcyh@pusan.ac.kr) : Evaluation of thermal damage in pipe by nonlinear guided wave. J nucl Engng Technol 2013, 3(1), 22-7.

Work investigates the evaluation of thermal damage in aluminum pipe by using nonlinear guided wave. Thermal loading was imposed on the specimens to cause thermal degradation. Flexible Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) comb transducers are used to generate and receive the ultrasonic waves. The second harmonic wave generation technique was used to check the material nonlinearity change after different heat loading. Conventional linear ultrasonic approach based on the acoustic attenuation was also used to evaluate the thermal damages in specimens. These results show that the proposed experimental setup can be used to assess the thermal damages in tube-like structures. Ultrasonic nonlinear parameter is a more promising potential candidate for the prediction of micro-damages in a tube-like structure than linear ones.

9 illus, 1 table, 13 ref

019501   Kuzma Kichta Y;Lavrikov A;Shustov M;Tsurikov D;Zhukov V (NO, Moscow Power Engineering Institute, T-106, Krasnokazarmennaya-17, Moscow, 111250, Russia, Email: kuzma@itf.mpei.ac.ru ) : Boiling heat transfer enhancement on macro-, micro- and nano-scales. J nucl Engng Technol 2012, 2(2-3), 1-10.

Presents a review of investigations on boiling heat transfer enhancement on macro-, micro- and nano-scale surfaces and fluids by the authors at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute (MPEI) plus known results of other researchers. These investigations were conducted with the purpose of increasing safety and efficiency of power generating systems. The investigations were focused on such problems as effective cooling at high heat flux (1 MW/m² and more), enhancement of the CHF, minimization of the thermal deformations, development of new heat exchanger designs, elaboration of theoretical models and engineering methods. The results are used in applications such as gas-cooled nuclear reactors with twisted metal-carbide fuel elements, targets and resonators for charged particle accelerators, high-power laser mirrors, compact heat exchangers, refrigerators and air-conditioners, and heat pipes.

12 illus, 35 ref

019500   Kim D;Cho Y (NO, Graduate School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Jangjeon-dong, Gumjeong-gu, Busan, 609-735, Korea, Email: mechcyh@pusan.ac.kr) : Phased array technology for polyethylene pipe Butt fusion joint to apply in nuclear power plants. J nucl Engng Technol 2012, 2(1), 1-9.

Butt fusion welding has been widely used for its ease to fuse and suitability for high-quality High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes. Studies background and advantages of ultrasonic phased array technology and positive attributes of high density polyethylene pipes to apply in nuclear power plants. Classified two types of flaws: cold-fusion and inclusion. Specimens have been designed and fabricated using butt fusion welding method, and potential flaws such as four different size grains of sand, aluminum pieces, and water injection were inserted. The study investigates the flaw images in the butt fusion joints of high density polyethylene pipe using the ultrasonic phased array technique.

15 illus, 1 table, 6 ref

019499   Kam K J;Hilmy A;Hamid A (NO, School of Housing, Building and Planning, University of Malaysia, Malaysia, Email: kamkennjhun@gmail.com) : Develpment of the quality assurance approach in the building construction industry; the Malaysian context. J Constr Engng Technol Mgmt 2012, 2(3), 13-21.

Reviews the quality assurance approach which may have a huge potential impact in Malaysia's construction industry. Rather than the price of the product alone, it has been stated by many previous researchers that a better product quality will serve as an advantage in sustaining the competition that emerges in the construction market. Recently, quality has been identified as one of the basic requirements that the clients tend to look for. Buyers are becoming more educated and their expectation on high-quality products is increasing. The preference for product quality as one of the clients' aspect of concern in completed buildings can be classified as one of the biggest investments of assets in their entire lives, for most clients. This phenomenon results in the Malaysian government introducing a quality system model - the quality assessment system in construction (QLASSIC) to promote the approach towards better quality delivery in the construction industry.

7 tables, 21 ref

019498   Jaiswal S K;Yadav S;Bandyopadhyay A K;Agarwal R (CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, India (CSIR-NPLI), New Delhi-110 012, Email: skjaiswal@mail.nplindia.org) : Global water flow measurement and calibration facilities: review of methods and instrumentations. MAPAN 2012, 27(2), 63-76.

Water Flow Calibration Facilities (WFCFs) are widely used for the calibration of water flowmeters all over the world. Last two decades have witnessed significant research contributions in the development of instrumentation and techniques with special emphasis on reducing the measurement errors and improving the measurement uncertainty in flow calibration. It is difficult to find a consolidated report/review of such developments for the new entrants/researchers/ metrologists in this field. Therefore, authors considered that it is high time to review the literature and compile a concise report to this effect. Present paper is an attempt to publish terse review on the historical background, recent developments and current status of WFCF and related works. The work going on at National Physical Laboratory, India, in this direction is also briefly described.

18 illus, 2 tables, 44 ref

019497   Goswami R;Singh P;Singh N B (Design Semiconductor Area, CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani-333 031, Email: nbs44254@gmail.com) : System level modeling of ISMB quadrature transceiver. J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(2), 28-37.

New ISMB quadrature transceiver system-level design architecture is presented along with its referenced mathematical models and these were verified using state-of-the-art system modeling tools. Unlike a K-TEK's receiver, it does not suffer from the timing and template matching problems, and it circumvents processing at high frequencies, thereby reducing the on-chip circuit complexity and power consumption. Hilbert transform has been used at the output of the demodulator for the envelope detection to get the more reliable desired signal that is also the uniqueness in the system. It also presents parallel approach to use a band-pass filter at the output of the demodulator to eliminate the d.c. component to get the desired signal. Matlab coding and Simulink system modeling were parallel done before the design of monolithic integrated circuit using CMOS technology to transfer the similar function on silicon and the objective is completed for most of the blocks. The system-level simulation, presented in this paper, shows the functional behavior of the proposed transceiver.

12 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

019496   Goswami R;Singh P;Singh N B (Design Semiconductor Devices Area, CSIR-Cental Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani-333 301, Email: nbs44254@gmail.com) : Low power RF QPSK modem design. J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(2), 7-18.

System-level simulation including design of CMOS circuits for radio frequency QPSK MODEM targeting applications in 2.45 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band has been presented in this paper. Based on the QPSK architecture, the MODEM consists of an analog mixer using a voltage multiplier, a 90°øphase shifter, delay circuits, a voltage adder and a filter to detect the information. A code reuse subsystem block consisting of Chebyshev filter type-II and lowpass RC filters is used prior to determine the envelope of the signal. The design will be useful in analog signal processing for its monolithic integration having higher speed and low cost. The MODEM circuit has been designed using SCL 1.2μ m CMOS foundry's model parameters. It can operate at a supply voltage of 3.5 V. The circuit consumes power less than 3.5 mW and analog mixer performs a conversion gain of + 9.54 dB (<60> 10 dB). Simulink system-level simulation verifies the stepwise behavioral aspects of the QPSK architecture and proves that its CMOS circuit's design presented in the paper shows similarity in the behavior with acceptable performance loss with respect to ideal case.

20 illus, 2 tables, 16 ref

019495   Gopal K A;Murugan S;Venugopal S; Kasiviswanathan K V (Group for Remote Handling, Irradiation Experiments and Post Irradiation Examination (GRIP), Metal, Kalpakkam-603 102, Email: gopal@igcar.gov.in) : Laser welding of precision engineering components. Indian Weld J 2011, 44(2), 54-9.

Laser beam welding (LBW) with its high power density produces narrow and deep welds with a small heat-affected zone. Nd-YAG laser has been used extensively in the fabrication of small precision components at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR). Some important laser welding works carried out are related to Eddy Current based Position Sensor (ECPS) and Sodium Leak Detector (SLD) in Diverse Safety Rod Drive Mechanism (DSRDM) of Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), and components for Ir-192 High Dose Rate (HDR) source for Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT). ECPS is being designed to incorporate in the DSRDM to provide a measurement on signal which indicates that all the safety rods are dropped in case of a reactor scram signal. Mineral insulated (MI) cable of 1 mm diameter used as the eddy current coil in the ECPS has been terminated with suitable end configuration using laser welding. SLD is housed inside the electromagnet assembly of DSRDM to indicate if there is any leakage of sodium into the electromagnet. The fabrication of SLD requires precision laser welding of a few of its components. For the indigenous development of Ir-192 source assembly for use in HDR Branchy therapy, the feasibility study has been carried out for the fabrication of the miniature source holder by laser welding process. This paper discusses the techniques followed in the successful fabrication of above mentioned variety of intricate components used in critical applications.

9 illus, 4 tables, 2 ref

019494   Ghosh P K;Devakumaran K;Piyush M (Metallurgical & Materials Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667, Email: prakgfmt@gmail.com) : Arc stability of pulse current gas metal arc welding of low alloy steel under different pulse parameters and shielding gas compositions. Indian Weld J 2011, 44(2), 29-42.

The arc stability and performance of pulse current gas metal arc welding (P-GMAW) process under different pulse parameters (considered as their summarized influence defined by a factor φ) and shielding gas compositions have been studied through an analysis of irregularity in pulse waveform during weld deposition of low alloy steel. The arc stability has been primarily analysed as average number of peaks (N_PA) shooting above an arbitrarily defined current (I_s) at a given interval of arcing, average deviated current (I_DC) defined as summation of shooting peak current (I_SP) beyond the I_S per peak of instability, average time interval of deviated current (T_IDC) and average duration of deviated current (T_DDC). The performance of the P-GMAW process has been analyzed with respect to its response to short circuiting. The effect of pulse parameters has been analyzed as a function of φ, I_m and arc voltage and the shielding gas compositions has been studied with varying content of C0₂ in Ar. It is observed that the arc stability and performance of the P-GMAW power source significantly vary with the change of pulse parameters and C0₂ content of argon gas shielding. A relatively higher φ, I_m and arc voltage and low C0₂ content of Ar gas shielding provides better arc stability with low short circuiting.

18 illus, 1 table, 24 ref

019493   Galahom A A;Bashter I;Aziz M (NO, Higher Technological Institute 10th of Ramadan, Egypt, Email: galhom_20102000@yahoo.com) : Design boiling water reactor core model using MCNPX for studying the burnable poisons and the axial enrichment fuel effect on the neutronic characteristics. J nucl Engng Technol 2013, 3(1), 7-21.

Incorporation of gadolinium directly into nuclear fuel is important for improving the reactor behavior and satisfying the safety criteria during the core lifetime. MCNPX (Monte Carlo N-Particle code extended) has been used for designing Advanced Boiling Water Reactor model. MCNPX code based on Monte Carlo method, is used to design a three-dimensional model for a BWR fuel assembly in a typical operating temperature and pressure conditions. This model has been designed to study the effect of Gd₂O₃ on the power, total neutron flux, and normalized power. The effects of axial fuel enrichment and control rod on the total neutron flux and normalized power have been studied also. The initial fuel enrichment has been increased, which means that the additional amount of fissile material (U²³⁵) in the reactor core has to be compensated by the introduction of additional neutron absorber material. The use of a burnable poison in nuclear reactors provides the necessary negative moderator reactivity coefficient at the beginning of core life and helps shape core power distributions. In this study, the influences of the burnable poisons on the main parameters of the reactor such as multiplication factor, burn-up, soluble poison concentration, moderator temperature coefficient over the reactor lifetime are investigated. It is found that the axial fuel enrichment distribution flat the power through the axial core distance. The spent fuel in the reactor can be recycled, and plutonium and its isotopes can be extracted from it. The extracted plutonium can be used as a fuel.

17 illus, 2 tables, 14 ref

019492   Dinu A D (NO, Institute for Nuclear Research, Campului Street, No. 1, Mioveni 115400, Romania, Email: alice.dinu@nuclear.ro) : Influence of the oxide layer on the stress corrosion cracking initiation in the case of incoloy 800 in the alkaline environment. J nucl Engng Technol 2012, 2(2-3), 11-19.

Oxidized and non-oxidized C-rings cuts from Incoloy 800 tubes were tested with the purpose to study the influence of the oxide layer in the first step of the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) mechanism. A mechanical pre-crack of 100μm depth was executed on the external side of the C-rings in order to create some stress concentrations. The oxidized C-rings were obtained by autoclaving for 20 days in demineralised water adjusted with hydrazine (pH=9.7), at 260°C and 50atm. By X-rays diffraction there are emphasized iron dichromium oxide, nickel dichromium oxide, magnetite and hematite. Using the scanning electron microscopy, distinguished the presence of a double layer: the inner layer compact and adherent, containing fine grains associated with iron dichromium oxide, nickel dichromium oxide and the outer layer composed of other greater and less uniform particles associated with magnetite and hematite. The SCC tests were performed in 10% sodium hydroxide solutions (pH=13) at 260°C and 50atm, for 57 days. After the SCC test, it was observed that the presence of the oxide layer led to a transgranulary SCC initiation, direct from a fissure in the oxide layer; the length of the SCC cracks is about 80-100μm. In the absence of the oxide layer, the SCC cracks start intergranulary, from a local corrosive attack zone and their depth is approximately 200μm. In both cases the SCC cracks have transgranular propagation.

12 illus, 1 table, 12 ref

019491   Chechenin N G (NO, Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics of Lomonosov Moscow State Univ, Leninskie Gory 1/2, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation, Email: chechenin@sinp.msu.ru) : Review on cosmic radiation effects om spacecraft electronics in low energy transfer range. J nucl Engng Technol 2012, 2(1), 22-40.

Review of space radiation environment from the point of its hazardous impact on spacecrafts is given. The current status of knowledge of the mass and energy spectra of the heavy fraction of the radiation environment in quiet solar daily variations and contribution of the Galactic Cosmic Rays to the average fluxes are analyzed. Further on, the main radiation effects for on-board electronics are discussed. A commonly used Linear Energy Transfer (LET) and Critical Charge conceptions are reviewed and origin of these conceptions at low LETs are discussed stressing on nuclear reactions contribution. The scaling of the integrated circuitry (IC) into deep submicron range and current measures to mitigate the single effect errors rates induced by the cosmic rays on the on-board electronics are discussed.

12 illus, 44 ref

019490   Chaurasia P K;Murugan S;Venugopal S; Kasiviswanathan K V (Group for Remote Handling, Irradiation Experiments and Post Irradiation Examination (GRIP), Metal, Kalpakkam-603 102, Email: pramod@igcar.gov.in) : Development of brazed joints using induction heating system for high temperature nuclear applications. Indian Weld J 2011, 44(2), 43-6, 51-3.

Fabrication of instrumented capsule for irradiation experiments for evaluating the irradiation performance of fuel and structural materials in a nuclear reactor requires development of thin-walled joints capable of withstanding high temperature and internal pressure. Instrumented capsules are being developed in IGCAR for irradiation of fuel and structural material specimens in Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR). Instrumented capsule for irradiation of fuel pin specimen will have thermocouple of diameter 1 to 1.5 mm passing through the end plug of the fuel pin in a leak tight manner to prevent the release of fission gases generated in the fuel pin that may reach a pressure upto 10 MPa at 550°C during reactor operation. Out of the various joining methods, development of high temperature brazed joint method is found to be beneficial with respect to sealing the thermocouple passing through the end plug of the fuel pin and the intermediate plug of the irradiation capsule. Furnace and induction brazing methods have been tried and induction brazing method is seen to be more suitable for the present application. A procedure has been established to properly orient and braze the thermocouples in stainless steel plugs representing end plug and intermediate plug. Brazing parameters like temperature, time, vacuum level, and the brazing gap width are important factors in achieving good quality brazing joints. The trials carried out and the results obtained are discussed in this paper.

7 illus, 4 tables, 4 ref

019489   Chakraverty M;Arun Kumar P;Kittur H M (NO, IBM India Private Limited, Whitefield, Bangalore, Karnataka, Email: nanomayank@yahoo.com) : Performance analysis of Fe/SiO₂/Fe MTJ and Ni/AI₂/Ni MTJ-based magnetoresistive random access memories (MRAMs). J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(2), 19-27.

Reports the first principle simulations of Fe/SiO₂/Fe and Ni/Al₂O₃/Ni magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). A performance analysis has been done based upon the device-level simulations of the two magnetic tunnel junctions followed by the circuit level simulations of magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) cell operating with the two MTJs respectively. From the device-level simulations, the two MTJs have been compared with regard to the bias dependence of TMR ratios, insulator thickness dependence of TMR ratios and insulator thickness dependence of parallel and anti-parallel state resistances taking the relative magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic films of the MTJs into consideration. From the circuit-level simulations, the static and switching power dissipations have been computed along with the delay time estimation.

8 illus, 4 tables, 7 ref

019488   Chakraborty A;Pradhan S N (ECE Dep, N.I.T., Agartala, Email: ans_22@rediffmail.com) : Power reduction at 90 nm through circuit level modification. J VLSI Des Tool Technol 2012, 2(3), 28-34.

Along with dynamic power, leakage power has turned out to be a major contributor to the overall power consumption in VLSI circuits. This problem is even more stringent in nano-scale dimension devices according to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). As the technological advancements demand more function per device with a significant shrinking in device dimension, heat per unit area is also escalating at an elevated rate. This turns out into degradation of device material, viz., di-electric breakdown, altered component characteristics, etc. This demands additional cooling arrangements to keep the heat density to a minimal operational range. Due to increased power consumption, the battery power also gets drained at a rapid rate. This demands bulky power sources in miniature devices, which is a great hindrance in hand-held portable gadgets. Static power dissipation occurs in run time as well as in active mode of operation of the device. In the work, authors have proposed a run time leakage current reduction technique for the CMOS logic circuit at 90 nm technology. As a basic building block, selected NAND (universal gate) as point of focus. Compared the leakage value of the proposed NAND gate with the leakage of the normal NAND gate. Maximum leakage saving has been obtained more than 90%. The technique is also well suited for the reduction of dynamic power. Simulation results show up to 63.6% in dynamic power saving with small area and delay overhead.

12 illus, 2 tables, 16 ref

019487   Chahal B;Ahmad S;Rana A S;Verma A;Goyat N S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Al-Falah School of Engineering and Technology, Dhauj, Faridabad, Haryana, Email: baljeetchhal86@gmail.com) : Fault diagnosis of bearing by the application of acoustic signal. Invertis J Sci Technol 2012, 5(1), 40-4.

Suggests a technical automated approach for fault detection in roller bearing at inner race. Bearing fault detection is a typical problem in rotating machinery. Each time the rolling element passes over the defect and an impulse of vibration is generated. For this authors used a mike to record acoustic signals generated by rolling element when it passes over the defect. The acoustic signals generated by the bearings are recorded by Placing the mike in front of the rotating bearing. Results show that the technique used is very effective not only in fault detection but also for severity of defect. The aim of the research work is the early detection of bearing faults in rotating machinery.