010395   Mishra S K;Singh P K;Agarwal P K (Water Resources Development and Management Dep, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee-247 667) : Curve number applications in surface water management. Bhartiya Vaigyanik Evam Audyogik Anusandhan Patrika 2012, 20(1), 13-23.

Mathematical modelling of watershed responses is employed to address a wide range of environmental and water resources related problems ranging from watershed management to engineering design. At the field scale, models are used for planning and designing soil conservation practices, irrigation, water management, wetland restoration, stream restoration, and water-table management. On a large scale, models are used for flood protection projects, rehabilitation of aging dams, floodplain management, water-quality evaluation and water-supply forecasting. Central to addressing these issues is surface water management which in turn largely focuses on the problem of rainfall-runoff modelling, which, in particular, is used in water resources assessment, flood and drought mitigation, irrigation and drainage engineering, and water resources planning and management. The Soil Conservation Service Curve Number method is one of the most widely used rainfall-runoff models. The SCS-CN method was developed in 1954 and it is documented in Section 4 of the National Engineering Handbook (NEH-4) published by the Soil Conservation Service (now called as Natural Resource Conservation Service), U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1956. The document has since been revised in 1964, 1965, 1971, 1972, 1985, and 1993. It computes the volume of surface runoff for a given rainfall event from small agricultural, forest, and urban watersheds (SCS, 1986). The passage of Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (Public Law 83-566) in August 1954 led to the recognition of the method at the Federal level and the method has since witnessed myriad applications all over the world. Because of its simplicity, the SCS-CN method has been applied for handling a number of problems in hydrology and water resources, even for the problems it was not originally intended to solve. The method requires basic descriptive inputs that are converted to numeric values for estimation of direct runoff volume. Curve number which is descriptive of watershed's runoff potential is required to be estimated as its only parameter. The method is widely used by engineers and hydrologists and watershed managers as a simple watershed model, and as a runoff estimating component in more complex watershed models. Since its inception, the SCS-CN method has witnessed myriad applications in realm of hydrology. Recently, Singh and Frevert (2002) edited a book titled `Mathematical Models of Small Watershed Hydrology and Applications', in which at least 6 of the 22 chapters have mathematical models of watershed hydrology based on SCS-CN approach. This reflects the robustness and everlasting popularity of the SCS-CN technique. The SCS-CN method is a conceptual model of hydrologic abstraction of storm rainfall, supported by empirical data. Its objective is to estimate direct runoff volume from storm rainfall depth, based on a curve number CN. Its popularity is rooted in convenience, simplicity, authoritative origin and responsiveness to four readily grasped catchment properties viz., soil type, land use/treatment, surface condition and antecedent moisture condition. This paper describes the existing SCS-CN method, its theoretical background, strengths and weaknesses, its recent advancements, and applications in various fields of hydrology, water resources, environmental and sedimentation engineering.

1 illus, 47 ref

010394   Markandeya M N;Mhetre M (NO, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, Email: mrunal.markandeya@gmail.com) : Estrus (Heat) detection aids in dairy animals. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2012, 2(2), 8-22.

In India, as dairy technology is developing day by day, reproductive performance of dairy animals requires regular and accurate heat detection. Heat detection is very useful for proper timing of artificial insemination. Failure to detect estrus (heat) is a major contributing factor for low fertility. New technologies for the solution of this problem must be more effective than visual observation and aids currently used to detect estrus. This paper mainly concentrates on what is estrus, need for accurate detection of estrus, signs of estrus, the brief view of papers, patents and products available on different electronic aids for estrus detection.

^iia2 illus, 1 table, 53 ref

010393   Malhotra R;Gupta S (Electronics & Communication Engineering Dep, Bhai Maha Singh College of Engineering, Muktsar, Email: blessurahul@gmail.com) : Speed control of electric drives using soft computing techniques. J Control Instrumn 2011, 2(2-3), 24-30.

The speed control of electric drives is a challenging engineering problem. The direct torque control (DTC) method is characterized by its simple implementation and a fast dynamic response. Soft computing techniques, viz., fuzzy control are ways for controlling a system without the need of mathematical model. It uses the experience of people's knowledge to form its control rule base. There are two techniques to control the speed of electrical drives. The traditional technique uses hardware by the knowledge of process and the tuning of controller whereas the dynamic model technique is a soft computing technique usually done by computer simulation before going for control hardware. This paper presents the implementation of intelligent ways to control the speed of synchronous motor and the induction motor. Direct torque control of induction motor and synchronous motor were implemented in MA TLAB/SIMULINK. SIMULINK is the software for modeling, simulating and analyzing dynamical systems. It supports linear and non-linear systems, modeled in continuous time, sampled time or a hybrid of the two.

6 illus, 27 ref

010392   Makwana Y N;Somkuwar A K (NO, Dr. K.N. Modi University, Rajasthan, Email: ynmakawana@aits.edu.in) : Image registration-implementation and performance analysis using log-poar transformation. Curr Trends Signal Process 2012, 2(3), 24-30.

Presents an image registration algorithm for affine motion recovery. The images which are to be registered may be misaligned due to rotation, scale and translation the algorithm presented estimates affine transformation parameters to register this images. The parameters are computed using a variation of the Levenberg-Marquadt nonlinear least squares optimization method in a coarse-to-fine hierarchical framework. To precisely registers images with subpixel accuracy this method gives a robust solution. To accommodate arbitrary rotation angles and a wide range of scale changes a log-polar registration module is introduced. By using this method authors achieve a good initial estimate for the optimization-based affine registration stage. This algorithm is implemented on pairs of digital images which are subjected to large affine motion.

3 illus, 9 ref

010391   Lv L;Meng G;Gong H;Zhu D;Zhu W (Engineering Mechanics Dep, Jilin University, Changchun-130 025, China) : New method for the measurement and analysis of three-dimensional morphological parameters of proximal male femur. Biomed Res 2012, 23(2), 219-26.

The common method to evaluate femoral fracture risk was to measure bone mineral density. However, the morphology of proximal femur also had a great influence on fracture risk. The objective of this paper was to measure three-dimensional morphological parameters of proxiªmal femur more accurately. A new measurement method was established by reverse engineerªing technique. Fifty-one subjects with the age range of 66-75 were divided into two age groups. All subjects were scanned using QCT and the right femurs were reconstructed to perform the measurement. There were eight three-dimensional morphological parameters measured. Cusªtom developed algorithm for parameters measurement was validated to be reliable. Relationªships between these parameters were analyzed. Statistical results showed that there were strong correlations between the parameters. There were large differences in morphological parameters between different age groups. This study provides the basic data about the morªphologies of proximal femur in elderly male and the references for the fracture risk evaluation of proximal femur for elderly.

5 illus, 4 tables, 28 ref

010390   Kothari A M;Dwivedi V V (NO, Shri Jagdishprasad Jhabarmal Tibrewala University, Rajasthan, Email: amkothari@aits.edu.in) : Video watermarking - implementation and performance analysis of combined DWT - SVD approach. Curr Trends Signal Process 2012, 2(2), 25-31.

Authors state the implementation and performance analysis of digital video watermarking that use the combination of the transform domain processing of the video and fundamentals of the linear algebra. The concept of Discrete Wavelet Transform and Singular Value Decomposition has been used for the development of the proposed algorithm. The authors first applied discrete wavelet transform and then used the singular values, obtained by Singular Value Decomposition, for the insertion of the message behind the video. Two of the visual quality matrices were used for the analysis purpose.

8 illus, 1 table, 16 ref

010389   Kolios A J;Paganini S;Proia S;Cossard J; Fahran M;Alsuwahri M (Offshore, Process and Energy Engineering Dep, Cranfield University, UK, Email: a.kolios@cranfield.ac.uk) : Scaling cost model for the economics of concentrated solar power plants. J Energy envir Carbon Credits 2012, 2(2), 11-24.

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is a renewable energy technology that can provide clean and reliable energy to regions with adequate environmental resources. Especially for the regions around the Mediterranean Sea, where solar radiation is significant, this technology seems to have great potential towards meeting the medium and long term targets for emission free energy production, once cost related issues have been resolved. Factors such as the capacity of the plant, the efficiency of the thermodynamic cycle and individual components as well as the environmental conditions of the deployment area, all have a significant effect on the cost of the energy production. Discusses those issues and develop a cost scaling model that will provide the cost of unit energy production for different output capacities of a potential plant.

5 illus, 27 ref

010388   Kansal M L;Mishra G C;Bishnoi K (Water Resource Development & Manegment, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee-247 667) : Radial collector well as a sustainable source of water supply. Bhartiya Vaigyanik Evam Audyogik Anusandhan Patrika 2012, 20(1), 30-5.

Continued population growth and uneven distribution of water resources have forced the hydrologists and decision makers to search for continuous and sustainable sources of water supply. In India, as the surface water sources are becoming more and more inadequate and unsafe due to contamination, the decision makers are looking towards the ground water as a sustainable source of drinking water. Radial collector well can be used as a sustainable source of water supply provided other conditions are favourable. In this study, a radial collector well installed near river Yamuna in Mewat district of Haryana to provide safe and adequate drinking water has been discussed. In Mewat district, there is no surface source for drinking water supply. The ground water is mostly brackish in nature and is not fit for drinking. Water of river Yamuna is highly polluted. The water from the river cannot be supplied directly for domestic purposes. In radial collector well, the polluted water is filtered by the natural filtration process. Since the source of raw water is river, hence it is a continuous source. Further, as the water is treated through natural filtration process, the cost of treatment is low. Thus, radial collector well is a continuous and sustainable source of water supply. As these are effective and sustainable sources of water supply, such radial collector wells are being constructed in many parts of the country. In this study, radial collector well is advocated as an alternate, continuous and sustainable source of water supply for Mewat district of Haryana.

4 illus, 1 tables, 6 ref

010387   Kalpana Mitra P;Roy B;Satpati S K;Roy S B (Uranium Extraction Div, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, , Mumbai, Email: kalpana.p@gmail.com) : Instrument for identification of inter-phase between two liquids (Organic and In-organic) in extraction process using conductivity. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2012, 2(1), 1-6.

This paper is for design and development of a concept for an instrument for identification of phase eparation between two liquids (i.e. organic and inorganic) in a single vessel. The instrument finds its applications in various industries like oil, nuclear etc. The process dynamics are maintained such that the ratio between the organic and the inorganic liquids always remains the same. Any deviation would indicate a change in the dynamics and would require immediate attention. This important process parameter does not have a specific instrument designed to remotely observe it. The instrument designed works on the principle of the conductivity difference between organic and inorganic liquids. The novelty of the system is in providing a low cost solution with simple sensor design and in providing a digital indication of the percentage of liquids in the vessel after phase separation. This system is of extreme use in a remotely handled automated plant for its ease of operation and maintenance.

8 illus, 3 ref

010386   Joshi H (Hydrology Dep, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttrakhand) : Role of modern technologies in purification of water. Bhartiya Vaigyanik Evam Audyogik Anusandhan Patrika 2012, 20(1), 63-9.

It is a universal fact that after air, water is the most important requirement of the human beings. The availability and purity of water happens to be a major cause of concern in India amongst all the developing countries. In few last decades, factors like rapid urbanization and industrialization, better and more precise identification of contaminants due to improved technical capabilities and finally, increasing stress on the water resource systems have presented numerous challenges before the conventional water treatment technologies. In view of the above, few modern technologies like Membrane filtration, Nanotechnology and Micro/Nano bubbles present a better alternative for water treatment. This research paper presents a brief review of the aforementioned technologies. It is expected that the advantages offered by these technologies would allow them to be used over a much larger scale in the near future.

7 illus, 1 table, 32 ref

010385   Jain S K (Applied Sciences Dep, Galgotias College of Engineering and Technology, Knowledge Park-II, Greater Noida, Email: sk.gei@gmail.com) : Temperature-programmed reduction studies on fe-promoted Pt/AI₂O₃ bimetallic catalysts. J Modern Chem chem Technol 2011, 2(2), 24-31.

Pt/Al₂O₃-based bimetallic catalysts were prepared using surface organometallic method (SOMC) to obtain catalysts with a nominal promoter to platinum surface atomic ratio of 1:2 and 1:1 (corresponding to typically 0.2-0.4 mass% of the promoting metals; here Fe). Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) studies showed two distinct temperature regions of hydrogen uptake during reduction by the parent Pt/Al₂O₃ (5 mass%) and the Fe-promoted catalysts. The shift in peak maxima in the case of promoted catalysts to higher temperatures has been interpreted as a result of creation of interfacial sites responsible for improved performance of the bimetallic catalysts. Thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric studies, performed in air and under H₂/N₂ atmosphere, supported the TPR results and confirmed the stability of catalytic systems up to 600°C.

5 illus, 1 table, 24 ref

010384   Gunda J B;Venkateswara Rao G (NO, Advanced Systems Lab, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Email: jagadishasl@gmail.com) : Shock response spectrum and its damage potential: an application to launch vehicle structures. Res Rev : J Space Sci Technol 2012, 1(3), 23-36.

Work briefly summarizes the analysis of pyrotechnic shocks encountered in launch vehicle structures using the shock response spectrum (SRS) and the pseudo velocity shock response spectrum techniques. The mathematical idealization assumes a single degree of freedom (SDOF) system model with base excitation. The mounting elements of SDOF system are assumed to be flexible and each mounting element can be described by its stiffness and damping parameters. The convolution integral approach is used for obtaining an analytical solution of the differential equation and later it is transformed to a digitized form using the techniques based on z-transform approach. The two different z-transform techniques which are used namely are Kelly-Richman algorithm which is based on the impulse invariant response and Smallwood algorithm which is based on the ramp invariant response, for assessing the numerical accuracy of the two different approaches in evaluating the shock response spectrum which indicates the peak response of each system with respect to the natural frequency of each system. Accuracy of the two numerical techniques discussed in this study are briefly applied to predict the shock response of the structure subjected to half-sine input base excitation and to an arbitrary base excitation recorded during a pyro-stage separation event.

7 illus, 1 table, 15 ref

010383   Gulen J;Erkayacan H (Chemical Engineering Dep, Yildiz Technical University, 34210, Davutpasa Campus, Esenler-Istanbul, Email: gulenj@yildiz.edu.tr) : Removal of 2,4-diclorofenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) with carbonized peanut shell. J Modern Chem chem Technol 2012, 3(1), 28-34.

Removal of 2,4-diclorofenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) has been studied using carbonized peanut shell (CPS). The effects of experimental parameters such as the initial pesticide concentration, contact time and temperature were evaluated. The concentrations of solutions of 2,4-D used were 0.4 and 0.6 mg/L and the temperatures were 25, 35, 45 and 55 °C. Some adsorption isotherms such as the Langmuir and the Freundlich models were applied to experimental data. It was found that the Langmuir isotherm model conformed to correlation coefficients. Thermodynamic parameters ΔG °, ΔH ° and ΔS °§ were calculated. The adsorption enthalpy and entropy were found to be 12 438.58 J/mol and - 56.14 J/mol, respectively. This is a physical process which is endothermic. The monolayer capacity was found to be 53.19 mg/g. The carbonized peanut shell is inexpensive and can be used effectively in adsorption experiments.

9 illus, 1 table, 18 ref

010382   Garg B;Saleem D (Electronics Engineering Dep, Madhav Institute of Technology and Science, Gwalior, Email: dauood.saleem@gmail.com) : Analysis and design of innovative double H metamaterial structure for amelioration in patch antenna parameters. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2012, 2(3), 1-8.

A rectangular microstrip patch antenna along with a SSRR based "Double H" shaped metamaterial is proposed and analyzed at a height of 3.2 mm from the ground plane. This work is mainly focused on increasing the potential parameters of microstrip patch antennas. The patch antenna along with the proposed metamaterial structure is designed to resonate at 1.84GHz. The impedance bandwidth of the patch antenna along with the proposed metamaterial structure is improved by 12.9MHz and return loss is reduced by 9. 89dB. All the simulation work is done by using CST-MWS Software. Double -Negative properties (Negative Permeability and Permittivity) of the proposed metamaterial structure have also been verified using Nicolson-Ross- Weir method (NRW).

16 illus, 2 tables, 21 ref

010381   Farnoush A;Wiktorsson M (NO, School of Innovation, Design Engineering, Malardalen University, Eskilstuna, Sweden, Email: alirezafarnoush@gmail.com) : Production control mechanisms and POLCA performance in a divergent production line. J Prod Res Mgmt 2012, 2(3), 26-39.

Production control mechanism is a critical element in today's production situation, where production systems compete on quick response and resource efficiency. The purpose of a production control mechanism is to define the best time to release material and orders. POLCA as a simple production control mechanism that in one hand tries to reduce throughput time and on the other hand helps manager to control work-in-process inventory. In addition to reviewing the history of the production control mechanism and looking into some of them, the paper classify production control mechanisms in different categories and studies more specifically a POLCA system performance in a divergent production line situation with long changeover time in the supplier cell (the shared cell which has to supply different routes). It is concluded that the best form of POLCA in a divergent production line is to push material in the first stage without any limit and then control and limit it in the second stage.

5 illus, 2 tables, 32 ref

010380   Dinesh Kumar;Minj F D;Vijay Kumar (Computer Science Dep, Shekhawati Institute of Engineering & Technology, Shekhawati Group of, Sikar, Rajasthan, Email: dinesh_matwa@yahoo.co.in) : Performance analysis of signcrypt and cryptsing on joint signatures. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2011, 1(2-3), 11-15.

Mobile commerce is becoming common nowadays as it looks more convenient for a user to pay through their mobile phones rather than through other electronic payment systems and it reduces frauds in electronic payments. This paper describes the performance analysis of sign then encryption and encryption then sign of the messages on joint signature scheme. Asymmetric encryption/decryption is applied along with signature generation and verification to make it secure and to authenticate user. This paper tells which method cryptsign or signcrypt is better by measuring their performance and memory consumption. Experimental results show that signcrypt takes lesser time and memory consumption as compared to cryptsign technique. Authors conclude that signcrypt as compared tocyptsign technique is better than joint signature scheme.

4 illus, 1 table, 6 ref

010379   Dinesh Kumar;Minj F D (Computer Science Dep, Shekhawati Group of Institutions, Sikar, Rajasthan, Email: dinesh_matwa@yahoo.co.in) : Designing of QMF Bank. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2011, 1(2-3), 1-10.

Quadrature mirror filter QMF) banks have been of great interest during the past decade. These filters find application where a discrete signal is to split into a number of consecutive bands in the frequency domain, so that sub-band signal can be processed in an independent manner and sufficient compression may be achieved. Typical processing includes under sampling the sub-band signals, encoding them and transmitting over a channel. Eventually, at some point in the process, the sub-band signals should be recombined so that original signal is properly reconstructed. Typical application of such signal splitting includes sub-band coders for video signals [2], digital trans-multiplexers used in FDM/TDM conversion, and frequency domain speech scramblers. In this thesis, we look at the QMF design problem purely as a signal reconstruction problem. The channel is therefore assumed to be noiseless and the exact signal characteristics are not given. We eat the QMF design problem as a multivariable optimization over the filter coefficient.

9 illus, 11 ref

010378   Devarajan P;Karanam R;Bhuma A (Electrical and Electronics Engineering Dep, SVU College of Engineering, Tirupati, Email: praveentirupathi9@gmail.com) : Atmospheric temperature variability with modified LIDAR error analysis. J Optics 2011, 40(3), 77-83.

6 illus, 5 ref

010377   Devamane M G;Jothiprakash V;Mohan S (NO, The Orchid College of Engineering and Technology, Tale-hipparga, Solapur, Maharashtra, Email: mgdevamane@yahoo.co.in) : Storage allocation and release rules for multi-reservoir system. Hydrol J 2009, 32(3-4), 208-20.

Attempt is made to derive storage allocation release rules for multi-pur pose multi-reservoir system by using the results obtained from a non-linear programming model. From the optimization results, the release pattern was observed from each reservoir corresponding to their storage and inflow in each month. These optimal releases and storages were included in the derivation of release rules. The storage allocation rules and release rules are derived by regressing the storages and releases, and monthly regression equations are fitted for each reservoir. It is found that the over-flow or spill is not useful in the derivation of release rules. The derived rule curves are tested with a detailed simulation model, and the performances of these rules for five years are compared with the direct results of detailed optimization model. The comparison indicate that the simple regression equation developed in the study could be useful in updating reservoir operation plan even for large and complex systems while being found to be simple and easy for practical implementation.

010376   Chymitdorzhiev T N (NO, Institute of Physical Materials Science, SB RAS, Ulan-Ude, Russia, Email: tchimit@gmail.com) : Normalized difference of polinsar coherence for classification of earth covers. Res Rev : J Space Sci Technol 2012, 1(2), 11-20.

Use of the interferometric SAR is extremely urgent for conditions of Siberia, nearly accessible and often covered by clouds. The polarimetric radar interferometry (PolInSAR) makes it possible to analyze the coherence of interferometric couples that provides additional information. This work makes an attempt to use a difference of polarimetric coherence value for the different types of classifications of the earth's surface. As the processing method, it is proposed to use a widely known normalized difference vegetation index for interferometric coherence on different polarimetric combinations. It is established that two-dimensional brightness distribution of the coherence images on different polarimetric combina-tions is analogous with a similar distribution for multispectral data in the coordinates NIR- red. This distribution has angular dependence; therefore, it is necessary to use a procedure of the calculation of ratio-indexes. It is shown that the proposed approach improves the classification of earth covers.

8 illus, 1 table, 10 ref

010375   China Venkateswarlu S;Satya Prasad K;Subba Rami Reddy A (NO, JNTUK, Kakinada-533 003, Email: cvenkateswarlus@gmail.com) : Analysis of speech using different methods. Curr Trends Signal Process 2012, 2(1), 11-25.

In speech analysis, the voiced-unvoiced decision is usually performed in extracting the information from the speech signals. Two methods are performed to separate the voiced and unvoiced parts of the speech signals. These are zero-crossing rate (ZCR) and energy. Evaluated the results by dividing the speech sample into some segments and used the zero-crossing rate and energy calculations to separate the voiced and unvoiced parts of speech. The results suggest that zero-crossing rates are low for voiced part and high for unvoiced part whereas the energy is high for voiced part and low for unvoiced part. Therefore, these methods are proved effective in separation of voiced and unvoiced speech.

15 illus, 9 ref

010374   Bikshalu K;Reddy V S K;Reddy P C S; Krishnaveni T;Rao K V;Babu B S S S;Rao P V (NO, Kakatiya University College of Engineering and Technolgy, Kakaitya Uni, Warangal-560 009, Email: kalagadda2003@gmail.com) : Solution combustion synthesis of nanocrystalline and high-K dielectric lanthanum oxide. J Nanosci Nanoengng Applic 0000, 1(3), 1-7.

Describes a simple and eco-friendly chemical method of lanthanum oxide or lanthania (La₂O₃) nanoparticles by the solution combustion synthesis based on urea. The fuel urea is varied for different fuel to oxidizer ratios (F/O) or ψ = 0.5 to 1.5 in the steps of 0.25. The average crystallite size of La₂O₃ nanoparticles was estimated from the full width half maximum of the X-ray diffraction peaks of powders using Scherer's formula. Particle size is estimated using Brumauer Emmett Teller (BET) analysis. Thermal analysis was done by thermal gravimetric-differential thermal analyzer and results obtained. The morphological studies were carried out with SEM and AFM. The particle size distribution was done with particle size analyzer.

10 illus, 1 table, 23 ref

010373   Bhishm Kumar;Sapra T R (NO, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee) : Isotope techniques in water resources: an advanced tool. Bhartiya Vaigyanik Evam Audyogik Anusandhan Patrika 2012, 20(1), 46-9.

Environmental isotopes (either radioactive or stable) have a distinct advantage over injected (artificial) tracers and these facilitate the study of various hydrological processes on a much larger temporal and spatial scale through their natural distribution in a hydrological system. Thus, environmental isotope methodologies are unique in regional studies of water resources to obtain time and space integrated characteristics whereas the artificial tracers generally are effective for site-specific, local applications. Generally, isotope tracers are not used as an independent tool but to supplement hydrogeological, geophysical and geochemical information for a better understanding of the processes taking place in a hydrological system. Therefore, in hydrological investigations, isotope techniques should be used routinely along with hydrochemical and hydrogeological techniques. As all isotopic, hydrogeological and hydrodynamic interpretations are space and time related, it is imperative that one should consider all the related aspects of water sampling and prevailing hydrogeological conditions in a study area. A large variety of environmental stable and radioactive isotopes are employed for hydrological studies (e.g., ²H, ³H, ³He, ⁶Li, ¹¹B, ¹³C, ¹⁴C, ¹⁵N, ¹⁸O, ³⁴S, ³⁶Cl, ³⁷Cl, ⁸¹Br, ⁸¹Kr, ⁸⁷Sr, ¹²⁹I, ¹³⁷Cs, ²¹⁰Pb etc.) However, the stable isotopes have the distinct advantage over injected (artificial) tracers ³H, ⁴⁶Sc, ⁶⁰Co, ⁸²Br, ¹³¹I, ¹⁹⁸Au, etc. is that they facilitate the study of various hydrological processes on a much larger temporal and spatial scale through their natural distribution in a system. Earlier, artificially produced radioactive isotopes which were being used with a very limited isotopes are widely used for a variety of applications with no fear of health hazards. Environmental isotopes are freely available in the atmosphere and automatically injected in to the hydrologic cycle. Therefore, the users have neither to purchase these isotopes nor to inject them in the hydrological system.

10 ref

010372   Alemayehu Shitaye A;Ojha C S P;Hari Prasad K S (NO, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667) : Estimation of partially penetrated aquifer parameters from pumping test data by genetic algorithm optimization technique. Hydrol J 2009, 32(3-4), 221-9.

Adequate and reliable estimate of aquifer parameters are of utmost importance for proper management of groundwater resources. The pumping test is the standard technique for estimating various hydraulic properties of aquifer systems, viz., transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity, storage coefficient, and thickness of the aquifer, for which the graphical method is widely used. In the present study, the efficacy of the genetic algorithm (GA) optimization technique is assessed in estimating aquifer parameters from the time-drawdown pumping test data. Computer codes were developed to optimize aquifer parameters of a partially penetrated confined aquifer by using the GA technique. Applicability, adequacy, and robustness of the developed codes were tested using two sets of field data. The aquifer parameters were also estimated by the graphical method, and compared with those obtained by the GA technique. The GA technique yielded significantly low values of the sum of square errors (SSE) for both the datasets. The results revealed that the GA technique is an efficient and reliable method for estimating aquifer parameters, for when the graphical matching is poor. Also, it was found that because of its inherent characteristics, GA avoids the subjectivity, long computation time and ill-posedness often associated with conventional optimization techniques. Furthermore, the performance evaluation of the developed GA-based computer codes showed that the fitness value (SSE) of the best point in a population reduces with increasing generation number and population size. The analysis of the sensitivity of the parameters during the performance of GA indicated that a unique set of aquifer parameters was obtained for both the datasets.

010371   Alam M;Kidwai N R;Khan E;Bal Gopal (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, Integral University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Email: malam_iu@rediffmail.com) : Modified listless set partitioning in hierarchical trees (MLS) for memory constrained image coding applications. Curr Trends Signal Process 2012, 2(2), 1-11.

SPIHT image coding algorithm is a very effective state-of-art technique for compression of wavelet transformed images. However, the use of three continuously growing linked lists, limit its applications to achieve high quality images in memory constrained environments. The No List SPIHT (NLS) is an attempt to implement SPIHT algorithm without lists, but it uses 4 bits per coefficient state markers to keep track of significant/insignificant information of pixels/sets. Presents a listless implementation of SPIHT algorithm that uses state markers with only 2.5 bits/coefficients(on an average) to keep track of pixels, set and subsets information. Simulation results show that the proposed modified listless SPIHT (MLS) coder has nearly the same coding performance as that of SPIHT and NLS, but it requires significantly smaller memory compared to these coders.

3 illus, 2 tables, 15 ref

010370   Abutaleb A (Systems and Bioengineering Dep, School of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, Email: ataleb@mcit.gov.eg) : Blind separation of instataneous mixtures of sources using stochastic calculus. Curr Trends Signal Process 2012, 2(3), 1-23.

Stochastic calculus methods are used to estimate the Nonstationary components of a linear mixture. Each component in the mixture is assumed to follow a stochastic differential equation with some unknown parameters. The estimation of the stochastic process parameters and the estimation of the unknown amplitudes of the mixture matrix, through Girsanov theory, will generate a stochastic equation for each unknown process. Several examples are given, and a comparison to existing methods is provided.

4 illus, 2 tables, 25 ref

010369   Abutaleb A (Systems and Bioengineering Dep, School of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, Email: ataleb@mcit.gov.eg) : Estimation of time-varying parameters - a Malliavin calculus approach. Curr Trends Signal Process 2012, 2(1), 26-38.

Malliavin derivative of the Malliavin calculus is used to estimate the time-varying amplitudes that appear in the sum of signals or time-varying regression models. A closed form solution is obtained for the estimates of the time-varying amplitudes. The duality principle of the Malliavin calculus is then used to find a numerically tractable expression for the estimates. Given are examples and comparisons to existing methods.

4 illus, 27 ref

010368   Abraham E S;Pamela D (Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering Dep, Karunya University, Coimbatore-641 114, Email: pamela@karunya.ed) : Online monitoring of daily energy expenditure using smartphones. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2012, 2(1), 7-14.

This paper presents a novel method to empower the people with solutions to monitor their energy expenditure and balance their weight against food intake. In addition, enabling users to share this knowledge with their physicians enhances the physician's ability to help their patients. In this paper, an application was developed to track user's physical activity and estimate the energy expenditure using 3-axis accelerometer in a smartphone with android operating system. To implement this system, the accelerometer data was collected from different users as they performed activities like walking and running by wearing the phone in the pants pocket and then classified the user activities on the basics of frequency component present in the acceleration data. Also an application was developed to estimate the energy expenditure in Android SDK during a period of 24 hours. The significance of this work is that, since this lets us to get useful information about the daily routines of millions of users and their energy expenditure just by having them carry their smartphones in their pockets.

10 illus, 2 tables, 9 ref

009373   Zhu S;Zhou W (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological Univ, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore-639 798, Singapore, Email: slzhu@ntu.edu.sg) : Optical properties of pentagram nanostructures based on localized surface plasmon resonance. J Optics 2011, 40(2), 65-70.

The shape of nanostructure array is one of the important parameters for the nanobiosensor applications. In this paper, we focus on the optical properties of silver pentagram nanostructure arrays based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). This novel nanostructure array has more hot spots than the tradition nanostructure array. Finite-difference and time-domain (FDTD) method was used to design the suitable structure parameters and the localized electric field distribution on the surface of the nanostructures is also explored too. According to the design results, we fabricated the regularly silver pentagram nanostructure array distributed on the surface of the glass substrate using focused ion beam (FIB) nanofabrication method. The calculated and experiment results show that the pentagram nanostructure array can be realized easily by FIB method. The nanostructure array has potential application for the high sensitivity nanobiosensor in the future.

6 illus, 22 ref

009372   Zhu P;Liu M;Zhou R (School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum Univ, Chengdu-610 500, PR China, Email: zhourenxian@zju.edu.cn) : Effect of interaction between CuO and CeO₂ on the performance of CuO-CeO₂ catalysts for selective oxidation of CO in H₂-rich streams. Indian J Chem-Sect A 2012, 51(11), 1529-37.

Series of CuO-CeO₂ catalysts have been prepared by different methods and the effects of interaction between CuO and CeO₂ on the performance of CuO-CeO₂ catalysts for selective oxidation of CO in H2-rich streams have been investigated. The results show that HY-CuO-CeO₂ with strong interaction and synergistic effect between interfacial CuO and CeO₂ exhibits superior catalytic activity, especially at low temperatures. For HY-CuO-CeO₂, the temperature of 50% CO conversion is only 75 °C and the temperature window of CO conversions up to 99.0% is about 30 oC wide, from 120-140 °C. The strong interaction between copper and cerium oxide promotes the reduction of highly dispersed CuO species, the formation and stability of abundant Cu⁺ species and the production of abundant oxygen vacancies and lattice oxygen of copper oxide.

6 illus, 2 tables, 41 ref

009371   Yendiyarov S;Zobnin B;Petrushenko S (Computer Science Dep, Ural State Mining Univ, Russain Federation, Email: endeyarov@olympus.ru) : Online change detection algorithm based on the continuous waveltet transform, the CUSUM algorithm and an autoregressive model. Curr Trends Signal Process 2011, 1(2-3), 7-18.

In this article, authour present a change point detection algorithm based on the continuous wavelet transform, the CUSUM algorithm and an autoregressive model. At the beginning of the article, we describe a necessary transformation of a signal which has to be made for the purpose of change detection. Then case study related to iron ore sinter production which can be solved using our proposed technique is discussed. After that, we show how the CUSUM algorithm works on our testing signals. Then we describe the structure of AR models which can be used to improve change detection abilities of the CUSUM algorithm. Finally, we present the results of our proposed approach. It is shown that our algorithm works well with the presence of some noise and abnormal random bursts.

9 illus, 4 tables, 8 ref

009370   Wang Y;Chen G H (School of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Engineering, Taizhou Univ, Linhai-317 000, China, Email: chenguihua518@hotmail.com) : DFT study on the mechanism of the gas phase reaction of niobium with acetaldehyde. Indian J Chem-Sect A 2012, 51(11), 1553-60.

The reaction between niobium atom and acetaldehyde has been investigated with a DFT approach. Both ground and excited state potential energy surfaces are investigated in detail. The present results show that the title reaction starts with the formation of a η²-CH₃CHO-metal complex followed by C-C, aldehyde C-H, methyl C-H and C-O bond activation. These reactions can lead to several different products, viz., NbCO+CH₄, NbCOCH₂+H₂, NbCOCH₃+H, NbCHO CH₂+H, NbH+CH₃CO, NbO+CH₃CH and NbO+C₂H₄. The spin-forbidden reaction, ⁶Nb+CH₃CHO → ²IM9 is found to be energetically most favorable. According to the identified reaction mechanisms, the sextet-quartet and quartet-doublet surface crossings are suggested and the crossing region is approximately determined. The present results may be helpful in understanding the mechanism of the title reaction and in experimental investigations of the reaction.

3 illus, 1 table, 35 ref

009369   Tripathi A K;Pal S K;Kar P K (Mining Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur-721 302) : Repairing techniques for trailing cables of mobile underground mining equipment. J Mines Metals Fuels 2011, 59(3-4), 123-30.

Highly mobile equipment, poor lighting, restricted operating room and machine operator mistakes result in frequently damaged cables in underground mines. Immediate repair or replacement of damaged cable is necessary to prevent fires or methane gas ignitions in underground coal mines and to minimize production delays. Repairing usually means splicing, which is the mechanical joining of one or more severed conductors, and replacing the insulation, shield and jacket. Production is delayed by approximately 1-2 hours while the splice is completed underground or the damaged cable is replaced and sent for repair. Furthermore, a weak point in the cable usually results from a splice, since attempts to repair the original cable decreases the mechanical and electrical properties. This paper provides an overview of cable construction and its components, methods for reliably locating faults in damaged cables with minimum risk to the cable, methods for repairing trailing cables, and testing procedures for evaluating the quality of constructed splice.

11 illus, 15 ref

009368   Thareja P;Jain A (NO, PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh) : Evaluation of biometric technology for class control. Curr Trends Inf Technol 2012, 2(1), 1-25.

Productivity of a class room has direct correlation with students' attendance and recording of its effectiveness. The current technology revolution oversees the gradual substitution of the age-old call method, bringing biometrics to the forefront. As a viable alternative to traditional personal identification system, the concept of biometrics promises tremendous accuracy and speed as it automatically verifies or recognizes the identity of students. Locally, in a large class of 236 post-graduate and doctoral students in subject of MA 505, Design of experiments and Research Methodology, at PEC University of Technology, the need of this facility was envisaged to avoid proxy attendances, etc. Biometric technology is based on physiological or behavioral characteristics. Since the student to be identified should be physically present at the point of identification, biometric techniques gives high security for the sensitive information stored in mainframes, and simultaneously obviates the need for physical marking of attendance. Reports the student perception about this attendance option. Among various types of biometric security systems prevalent in India, the finger print is most popular; hence, summarizes differences along with the advantages of modern biometrics. The study was complemented by a perspective analysis for current technological revolution in the PEC. While 45.8% respondents were using the biometric security at office, majority of the respondents (58.6%) were facing issues and challenges while adopting biometric security system. It is expected that biometric characteristics should be as unique and permanent as possible.

6 illus, 11 tables, 18 ref

009367   Singh S K;Sinha A (PPD, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), 2 Rafi marg, Anusandhan Bhavan, New Delhi-110 001, Email: satyendraksingh@yahoo.com) : Analogue to design and optimise underground mining methods in some Indian coal mines. J Mines Metals Fuels 2011, 59(3-4), 63-7.

Only about 20% coal recovery is possible during development and rest should be extracted during depillaring with 70-90% depending on the feasible method of extraction so selected and applied at the site(s). To optimize the overall coal recovery with better ground control and safety during development and depillaring, the author has a prudent approach with case-studies analogues, presented in this paper. The approach is that the method of extraction per se need to be decided, based not only on techno-economic criteria (as the practice in vogue), but also based on detailed scientific studies right from planning stage. Such studies require evaluation of physico-mechanical properties at laboratories, application of established formulae and norms and scheme of numerical modelling exercises with mechanistic understanding of the stability of barrier/left-out pillars and (if any) ribs. This will not only ensure overall better coal recovery from the seam and higher safety and productivity, but also will mitigate the chances of premature collapses, overriding and other geotechnical problems that may otherwise be encountered during depillaring or final extraction. If we know beforehand that a virgin coal seam is to be exploited below an important surface properties, a suitable method of partial extraction may then be pro-actively designed based on the author's approach. Accordingly, we may have the optimum dimension of pillars during development, keeping an eye on the best-possible recovery during depillaring. Keeping above aspects in view, this paper describes the total planning approach (TPA) with some case studies application and validation with achieved positive results. The poor recoveiy with encountered geotechnical problems in some case studies, where TPA has not been followed, is only an eye-opener and therefore presented here for the benefit of the readers. A synergy among the design engineers and rock-mechanics scientists is thus emphasized in this paper.

2 illus, 3 ref

009366   Singh S K;Jayanthu S (Mining Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela) : Implication of continuous miner in room and pillar mining for mass exploitation of underground coal deposits: an overview. J Mines Metals Fuels 2011, 59(3-4), 83-95.

Developing country like India has ever-growing thrust on faster economic development. As energy is the lifeline of all economy, India is genuinely concerned about its energy security. To meet the projected energy demands, government has declared that fossil fuels, particularly coal, are going to be the mainstay fuel for power generation. Coal provides the single most vital input for the growth of Indian industry. It is the key contributor to the Indian energy scenario. Out of the four major Indian fuel resources i.e. oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium, coal has the largest domestic reserve base, and the largest share of India's energy production. The reasons for the choice of continuous miner for mass exploitation of underground coal deposits mainly depends on significant improvement upon safety as well as providing a major increase in production and productivity. It is shown that, at relatively suitable in present domain in bord and pillar or room and pillar method, the extraction rates as well as the cost are more favourable than those of proved total extraction methods regarding competency of roof strata. The selection of a continuous miner is largely dictated by factor such as advancement rate, capital and running cost, imported content and the extent to which local content and manufacturing are to be increased, manpower requirements, seam thickness, expected floor and roof conditions and maximum cutting heights. Continuous miners operation keep playing a major role in the underground coal mining industry as safety and as well as productivity. This paper presents overview on implication of continuous miner technology for mass exploitation of underground coal deposits.

4 illus, 7 tables, 7 ref

009365   Singh R;Vidyarthi U S (Central Soil and Materials Research Station, Olof Palme Marg, Hauz Khas, Near IIT Hostels, New Delhi-110 016, Email: rajbal.singh@nic.in) : Efficacy of grouting in head race tunnel of Tala hydroelectric project. J Rock Mech Tunnelling Technol 2011, 17(1), 39-49.

This paper deals with quality control assurance of the grouting operations (contact/consolidation) and permeability tests carried out in HRT at Tala Hydroelectric Project in Bhutan. Efficacy of grouting was determined by conducting permeability tests before and after consolidation grouting. Contact grouting is done to fill the cavities/voids between concrete and rock mass on account of shrinkage of concrete and uneven overbreaks. Consolidation grouting is done to strengthen the surrounding rock mass by filling up the open joints, fissures, cracks etc. Proper grouting of surrounding rock mass around the opening helps in monolithic behaviour of the rock mass. The quality assurance during grouting was ensured by checking the properties of all materials being used and by conducting permeability tests in pre/post grouting stage.

5 illus, 4 tables, 18 ref

009364   Singh R;Sthapak A K (NO, Central Soil and Materials Research Station, New Delhi-110 016, Email: Rajbal.singh@nic.in ) : Use of polypropylene fibre reinforced shotcrete (PFRS) for rock slope protection at Tala hydroelectric project in Bhutan- a case study. J Rock Mech Tunnelling Technol 2011, 17(2), 115-24.

At Tala hydroelectric project in Bhutan, the total quantity of concrete and shotcrete for the construction of different components of the project structures worked out as 11,00,000 m³ and 1,50,000 m, respectively. Application of polypropylene fiber reinforced shotcrete (PFRS) was completed successfully for right bank slope protection work on the downstream of the concrete gravity dam. The mix design trials were carried out in the laboratory of Tala Hydroelectric Project Authority (THPA) and site trials were also carried out before adoption of final mix. The details of mix design and features of site application including difficulties encountered in PFRS application have been brought out in this paper. A comparison between the performance of steel fibre reinforced shotcrete (SFRS) and PFRS has also been studied and presented.

5 illus, 5 tables, 7 ref

009363   Singh M;Viladkar M N;Choudhari J;Rajaraman R (Civil Engineering Dep, IIT Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667, Email: singhfce@iitr.ernet.in) : Stress dependency of rock mass modulus in predicting closure of underground openings. J Rock Mech Tunnelling Technol 2011, 17(1), 25-38.

A correct understanding of the deformability characteristics of rock mass is essential to estimate the closure of underground openings subjected to a given stress field. The rock mass modulus is generally obtained from classification techniques or field tests, and is treated stress-independent in the analysis. Evidences are available in literature, which indicate that the rock mass modulus varies with in situ stresses. This paper presents results from a laboratory study which was conducted to highlight the effect of stress dependency of rock mass modulus in prediction of closure of underground openings in nearly elastic ground conditions. Specimens of jointed rock mass were prepared with D-shaped model opening excavated in the mass. Different joint configurations and in situ stress conditions were used. Observations on closure of opening and internal support pressure were taken. The closure for a given set of in situ stress conditions and internal support pressures was computed using the stress-independent modulus. These predictions were found to be different from laboratory test results. The observed ground reaction curves are non-linear. To improve the predictions, stress-dependent rock mass modulus was used and satisfactory results were obtained. Based on this study, an empirical expression has been suggested to take into account the stress dependency of rock mass modulus in the prediction closure of underground openings.

9 illus, 3 tables, 18 ref

009362   Singh J K;Singh D D N (Corrosion & Surface Engineering Div, CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur-831 007, Email: ddns@nmlindia.org) : Defects in galvanized coating on steel wire. Indian J chem Technol 2012, 19(5), 361-5.

Causes for deposition of defective galvanized coating (lumpy deposition of coating during hot dip galvanizing) of carbon-steel wire have been investigated. It is established that the lumpy deposition is caused due to segregation of silicon on the surface of steel wire. Due to this change in composition of the steel at surface, the regions get modified and lie in Sandelin hyper reactive zone. This accelerates reaction of steel with molten zinc in those localized regions of the surface and leads to formation of lumpy deposition of zinc. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X- ray analysis and Raman spectroscopy of lumpy wire (LW) and normal wire (NW) coatings confirm the presence of silicon bearing phases present in the LW coating. It is observed that due to localized high concentration of silicon on steel surface, a diffused and porous zeta layer instead of normal compact delta and zeta layers is formed. Thus, incoherent deposition of zinc layers occurs on steel surface. In order to control this problem, it is suggested to maintain silicon equivalent in the steel below 0.04 wt% and conduct flash pickling of wires in oxidizing acid to dissolve silicon rich phases.

^ssc4 illus, 2 tables, 18 ref

009361   Singh A K (NO, Central Mine Planning & Design Institute, Ranchi) : Challenges and opportunities for underground coal mining in India. J Mines Metals Fuels 2011, 59(3-4), 31-5.

It contributed to build the esteem of mine managers, geologists as well as metallurgists and has provided a common forum for sharing the experiences and ideas in the field of engineering. Amongst the august gathering of intellectuals and dignitaries, I would like to take the opportunity to share some of my thoughts on the subject with respect to the coal industry as one of the key players in the mineral industry.

1 illus, ref

009360   Sharma K K;Fageria D K (Electronics & Communication Engineering Dep, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, Rajasthan, Email: kksharma_mrec@yahoo.com) : Watermaking based on image decomposition using self-fractional fourier functions. J Optics 2011, 40(2), 45-50.

Watermarking is an important technique used for copyright protection and hiding information in digital media objects, and has attracted lot of attention recently. A novel watermarking scheme based on decomposition of an image to be watermarked (or its transformed version) using self-fractional Fourier functions is proposed. In the proposed method a primary (original) image is decomposed into M self-fractional Fourier function (SFFF) images and the decomposed images are watermarked by different watermarks through the embedding process. The resulting images are then combined to obtain the final watermarked image. The proposed decomposition scheme and the use of some transform before the decomposition step offers additional degrees of freedom to enlarge the encryption/ decryption key size enhancing the level of security. Robustness of the recovery of the watermark in the proposed watermarking scheme under different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) has also been demonstrated through simulation results.

13 illus, 13 ref

009359   Sharma A;Sharma S (Faculty of Management Studies, Mody Institute of Technology & Science, (A Deemed Univ), Lakshmangarh, Sikar, Rajasthan, Email: sourabh_sh22@rediffmail.com) : Determine the factors of adoption for radio frequency identification technology by the retailers of hypermarket. J Control Instrumn 2012, 3(1), 1-14.

Emerging technology always opens new dimensions to improve and revolutionize the way of doing business. RFID is one of the latest technologies with a potential to improve business processes not only within an organization but also throughout the market. The potential value of RFID has been widely recognized and reported. Various reasons are required to acknowledge new technology in an organisation and they differ from industry to industry. RFID is not an exception from this regulation. RFID is a technology and therefore numbers of issues are studied for the acceptance of the technology in the market. These issues relate with technological, operational, efficiency, etc. This paper identifies the prominent factors which are responsible for the adoption of RFID in hypermarket retail stores.

7 tables, 54 ref

009358   Satheesh Kumar J;Remya Revi K;Avinashe K K; Rajsekaran K (Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering Dep, Karunya Univ, Coimbatore, Email: jsatheeshngl@yahoo.com) : Model reference adaptive controller for non-linear processes. J Control Instrumn 2012, 3(1), 15-22.

This paper presents the application of adaptive controller for three different non-linear processes and analysing the effect of the controller for three systems which are having different levels of non-linearities. The controller chosen is a direct model reference adaptive controller (DMRAC) for adjusting the feed forward gain using MIT rule. The non-linear systems considered are cylindrical tank, conical tank and spherical tank. The model reference adaptive controller is designed and implemented in real time by using LabVIEW. The result shows that model reference adaptive controller shows better results than conventional Proportional Integral (PI) controller.

6 illus, 1 table, 12 ref

009357   Sarkar S K (NO, Mining Research Sustainable Development and Environment, Kolkata) : Underground mining and role of longwall in Indian coal industry-the most likely scenerio by 2025. J Mines Metals Fuels 2011, 59(3-4), 38.

This is definitely not copy of an address or a paper but it is an outline and frame of the interaction which I desire to have with the participants. Some data and information have been incorporated to facilitate such interaction.

3 tables, ref

009356   Sarkar B C;Samal A R (Applied Geology Dep, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad) : Mineral resource modelling: a review of mathematical techniques. J Mines Metals Fuels 2011, 59(7), 189-92.

In the last couple of decades, mineral resource modelling has become highly computational intensive. Mathematical techniques have been developed or have been fine-tuned to develop appropraite degree of confidence on the estimates of qualitative and quantitative parameters in a mineral resource model. A computerized resource model employing geostatistical techniques is generally developed and used for estimating grade and tonnage of a mineral deposit for characterization of the distribution function within the framework of geological domains defined by various geological controls that govern the mineralization process in a deposit. Focuses on a review of mineral resource modelling processes and provides a step procedure employed in the development of a mineral resource model starting from raw exploration data. Using more than one example, the paper reviews geostatistical techniques, viz. ordinary kriging (OK) and uniform conditioning (UC) employed in the resource modelling process. The paper also demonstrates the use of discrete Gaussian model for change of support to assess the accuracy of the grade-tonnage estimates.

7 illus, 8 ref

009355   Sandeep Kumar (NO, S&T Mining Co. Pvt. Ltd., 43 J.L. Nehru Road, Kolkata-700 071) : Coking coal security for steel makers: India's perspective. J Mines Metals Fuels 2011, 59(7), 184-8.

15 illus, ref

009354   Samui P (Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management, VIT Univ, Vellore, Email: pijush.phd@gmail.com) : Least square support vector machine applied to elastic modulus of jointed rock mass. J Rock Mech Tunnelling Technol 2011, 17(1), 5-12.

This paper uses least square support vector machine (LSSVM) for the determination of elastic modulus (E_j) of jointed rock mass. LSSVM is firmly based on the theory of statistical learning, uses regression technique. The inputs of the LSSVM model are joint frequency (J_n), joint inclination parameter (n), joint roughness parameter (r), Elastic modulus of intact rock (E₁) and confining pressure (? ₃). LSSVM has been used to compute error barn of predicted data. An equation has been developed for the determination of E_j of jointed rock mass. Sensitivity analysis has been also performed to investigate the importance of each of the input parameters. A comparative study has been presented between LSSVM and artificial neural network (ANN) model. This study shows that LSSVM is a powerful tool for determination E_j of jointed rock mass.

7 illus, 12 ref

009353   Sabadra R;Shroff U K (Technical & HR, K.V. Fire Chemicals (India) Pvt. Ltd., Vashi, Navi Mumbai-400 703) : Coal mine fires: evaluation of class A foam. J Mines Metals Fuels 2011, 59(3-4), 111-15.

Coal is a very useful source of energy and its mining is very important for national development. Coal mines fire apart from being one of the major hazards faced by miners world over, destroys millions of tonnes of coal and impart damage to the environment. Coal mine fires generally start due to heat produced by oxidation of coal or other combustibles like methane, hydrogen etc.

1 table, 3 ref

009352   Roy S K;Singh R R (Explosive & Explosion Laboratory, CIMFR, Dhanbad) : Achieving higher pull and yield in solid blasting in underground coal mines using spacer-aided-initiation technique. J Mines Metals Fuels 2011, 59(3-4), 68-75.

Spacer-aided-initiation technique envisages distribution of explosive energy over longer length of shot hole using plastic spacers for air decking of cartridges with single priming at one end of suitable P₅ explosives for achieving longer pull in solid blasting. In a Ministry of Coal funded S&T project, all relevant parameters were studied by Explosive and Explosion Laboratory of CIMFR under simulated conditions to establish safety and efficacy of using spacer-aided-initiation technique in solid blasting in underground coal mines. Based on which, DGMS approved this method initially for field trial in May 2007 and after successful field trial finally for commercial use in August 2009. A special P₅ explosive having high air gap sensitivity namely Pentadyne-HP was also developed for use in this method. Pull up to 1.7m in shot holes of 1.8 m length and up to 2.2m in shot holes of 2.4m length were achieved with yield of coal ranging from 24 to 41 tonnes per blast depending on the face dimensions during field trial of this method with Pentadyne-HP in an underground coal mine of SCCL. Considering the fact that there has not been any innovation in solid blasting since its inception in 1969, improvement in pull and yield by 60% to 110% under different conditions achieved using spacer-aided-initiation in solid blasting with Pentadyne-HP can be considered to be a great achievement. Result of field trials proved that this method of spacer-aided-initiation has potential to increase production and productivity of underground coal mines in India by achieving consistently higher pull and yield per blast in solid blasting.

5 illus, 3 tables, 13 ref