009610   Kumar E S;Sumathi A;Zubar H A (NO, Adhiyamaan College of Engeneering, Hosur, India-635 109, Email: saraninfo@gmail.com) : Hybrid ant colony optimization algorithm for job scheduling in Computational Grids. J scient ind Res 2015, 74(7), 377-80.

Grid computing links disparate computers having free resources to form a low cost infrastructure. Grid computing can provide enormous opportunities for organizations to use resources from multiple geographical locations. For efficient utilization of available resources, grid scheduling plays an important role in the grid system. Scheduling is challenging in grid due to the unique characteristics. Also, the complexity of scheduling algorithm is NP-Complete. In this study, a local search heuristic by way of multipoint mutation is introduced on the popular swarm intelligence inspired meta-heuristic, Ant Colony Optimization. Experiments show the proposed technique improves the Makespan and converges faster than conventional Ant Colony Optimization.

3 illus, 1 table, 27 ref

009609   Kowshikraman S;Mishra A;Belhekar N (Polymer and Surface coating Technology Dep, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Email: paintindia@gmail.com) : Developments in silicone based fouling-release (FR) and anti-fouling (AF) coatings for marine application. Paintindia 2015, 65(5), 59-66.

With emerging regulations and restrictions concerning the protection of environment and human health a great transformation is taking place in the coating industry for marine application with research focused on reducing the VOC content and the use of carcinogenic and toxic components in the coating. This review focuses on recent developments in non-toxic antifouling coating for marine application based on silicones and thus summarizes potential substitutes for the conventionally used eroding paints which effect the ecological system. Coating systems like polyorganosilazane-silicone, PDMS/PMMA copolymer, amphiphilic surface coating based on PEO-silane tether segments and PDMS and Zwitterionic siloxane-polyurethane are discussed in this article. The Zwitterionic siloxane- polyurethane system mentioned includes poly(SBMA)-block-PDMS-block-poly(SBMA) triblock polymer incorporated in a polyurethane formulation and carboxybetaine functionalized polysiloxanes (PDMS-g-CB). The characterization and properties of the coating systems are discussed in detail along with comparison and reasoning for their potential use as anti-fouling or foul ing-release coating for marine application.

7 illus, 31 ref

009608   Gopinathan S;Poornima S (Computer Science Dep, Madras Univ, Chepauk, Chennai, Email: gnathans2002@gmail.com) : Enhancement of images with speckle noise reduction using different filters. Int J appl Sci Engng Res 2015, 4(3), 333-52.

An Image is often corrupted by noise in its acquisition and transmission. Noise is any undesired information that contaminates an image. Speckle or Multiplicative noise, is a signal-dependent form of noise, whose magnitude is related to the value of the original pixel. This tends to reduce the image resolution and contrast. Denoising speckle is one of the most important process to increase the quality of the image. Many filters are widely used to improve the quality of images by despeckling it. This work comprises a number of filters such as Lee Filter, Frost Filter, Kuan Filter, Weiner Filter, Median Filter and SRAD(Speckle Reducing Anistrophic Diffusion) Filter that are applied to the following images such as Photographic, Ultrasound, SAR, PET, CT and MRI. The Statistical measures such as Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), Peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), Structural Similarity Index (SSIM), Mean Square Error (MSE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) are used to calculate the filtered images and the results are tabulated. These parameters are used to analyze image quality of the filtered images. The results obtained from the statistical measures are used for comparative study and also used to determine the filter name that is well suited for a particular type of image. The results obtained are presented in the form of statistical tables and graphs. Finally the best filter has been proposed based on the statistical and experimental results.

28 illus, 10 tables, 18 ref

009607   Ewulonu C M;Obele C M;Arukalam I O;Odera S R (Polymer and Textile Engineering Dep, Nnamdi Azikiwe Univ, P.M.B. 5025, Awka, Nigeria) : Effects of local clay incorporation technique on the mechanical properties of natural rubber vulcanizates. Int J appl Sci Engng Res 2015, 4(3), 307-20.

The effect of various clay incorporation techniques on the mechanical properties of natural rubber (NR) has been studied. The clay obtained from a local source within the south-eastern region of Nigeria was characterized using x-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy. The calcined clay which contains more than 50% silica with plate-like microstructure was used to produce NR/clay coagulum as master batch for the master batch technique of reinforcing NR. The study showed that the natural rubber compounds reinforced via the master batch technique had better tensile, hardness and abrasion properties. It was also evident that the calcined clay filler dispersed better in the natural rubber using the master batch technique than the conventional technique.

10 illus, 3 tables, 30 ref

009606   Elsabawy K M;El Hawary W F;Refat M S (Materials Science Unit, Chemistry Dep, Faulty of Science, Tanta Univ, Tanta-317 25, Egypt, Email: khaledelsabawy@yahoo.com) : New trend of application of high energy laser and gamma ionizing irradiations in sterilizing of milk products and water (Anti bacterial and Anti pollutants). Int J chem Sci 2015, 13(1), 143-56.

Present investigations introduce for first time new trend of coupling of two sterilizing sources, high energy Nd-Laser and Gamma-irradiations, which has oxidative nature by additional to its thermal effects. The investigated samples will be examined before and after radiations to confirm its internal structure [(XRD, microstructure (SEM, AFM, Raman-Spectra)] and killing ratio for polluted bacteria. Furthermore, some selected biological tests will be checked to be sure from toxicity ratio after radiations. Also many of investigational parameters were tested such as strength of irradiation dose and irradiation dosage time to achieve maximum healthy sterilizing ratio per minimum time to validate application and wide scale application of this promising sterilizing technique.

7 illus, 1 table, 46 ref

009605   Das S;Borse A (NO, , Technology Div, PPG Asian Paints Pvt. Ltd., Email: paintindia@gmail.com) : Polymer solar cell. Paintindia 2015, 65(5), 53-8.

Polymer solar cells have many intrinsic advantages, such as their light weight, flexibility, and low material and manufacturing costs. Recently, polymer tandem solar cells have attracted significant attention due to their potential to achieve higher performance than single cells. This trend article intends to provide the latest progress in polymer tandem solar cell technology with a focus on active layer materials and interfacial materials for sub-cell interconnection. Following an introduction of the structure and current status of polymer tandem solar cells, this article will review polymers which have been, and could be used, for tandem solar cells. Furthermore, this article will discuss the interconnecting layer consisting of p-and n-type interfacial layers, which is equally critical for polymer tandem solar cells. Finally, because tandem solar cell measurements are more complicated than that of single solar cells, this article will also address polymer tandem solar cell measurement issues.

^iia4 illus, 22 ref

009604   Dar M A;Ashish D K;Dar A R (P.G. Research Scholar, Civil Engineering, Swami Devi Dyal Institute of Engineering Technology, Haryana, Email: dar.adil89@gmail.com) : Theoretical analysis and design of innovative cold formed beam sections. Int J appl Sci Engng Res 2015, 4(3), 279-92.

In today's the construction industry both structural and non-structural elements are fabricated from thin gauges of steel sheets. These building materials make columns, beams, joists, studs, floor decking, built-up sections and other components. Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) construction materials differ from other steel construction materials known as hot-rolled steel (structural steel). The strength of CFS elements used for design is usually governed by buckling and it is the most common mode of failure as well. Hence there is an urgent need in the CFS industry to look beyond the conventional cold formed steel beam sections and generate new innovative CFS beam sections which are structurally efficient. This paper focuses on the theoretical analysis of some innovative CFS beam sections which results in higher load carrying capacity than the conventional ones

7 illus, 1 table, 20 ref

009603   Balasubramanyam N;Prasanthi M;Yugandhar M (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Sreenivasa Institute of Technology and Management Studies, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, Email: balu.iisc14@gmail.com ) : Design and analysis of a bicycle wheel spokes and their effects of the number of spokes on their stiffness. Int J appl Sci Engng Res 2015, 4(3), 300-6.

The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the effects that the number of spokes have on the radial stiffness of a bicycle wheel. For this investigation, three bicycle wheels with 28, 32, and 36 radial spokes were modeled as two dimensional nonlinear static stress models using a finite element analysis (FEA) software. These wheels were subjected to a radial load only. The stresses, forces and displacements of each model were compared to determine the relationship between the number of spokes and the radial stiffness of the wheel. Based on the FEA results, the radial stiffness increased with increasing number of spokes, as expected. The stresses and forces in the spokes and the displacements of the bottom spoke decreased as more spokes were added to the wheel. Additionally, the pre tensioned lower spokes had reduced in tension while the rest of the spokes slightly increased in tension.

10 illus, 4 tables, 6 ref

009602   Balakrishna Reddy V;Mohinuddin S K (EEE Dep, Vijay Rural Engg College, Nizambad, Telangana state, Email: vbkreddy12@gmail.com) : Adaptive control of a voltage source converter for power factor correction. Int J appl Sci Engng Res 2015, 4(3), 293-9.

In this paper an adaptive control is designed for a three-phase voltage source converter (VSC) acting as a static synchronous compensator to provide power factor compensation. The proposed method relies on an approximate third-order nonlinear model of the VSC that accounts for uncertainty in three system parameters. The design ensures asymptotic tracking of q-axis current and dc-voltage reference trajectories.

9 illus, 10 ref

008672   Zhu L;Ali A;Ye S;Ullah K;Lim C S;Oh W C (Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Dep, Hanseo Univ, Seosan-si, Chungnam-356 706, Republic of Korea, Email: wc_oh@hanseo.ac.kr) : Thermal and physical performance of heat sink for light-emitting diode improved with expanded graphite. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(6), 2298-302.

In this study, the fabrication of working expanded graphite based heat sink was carried out as follows. Briefly, the round heat sink were composed of graphite as an active material, Cu and Al as heat transfer enhancement material and resin as a binder. The prepared round heat sinks were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. After chemical intercalation treatment and heat treatment at 673-1073 K, it was clearly seen that the spacing of the interlayers of graphite flakes increased. The metal modified graphite heat sinks in our experiment exhibited a good rate of capability in physical performances. Sample GA10-400 showed a best and most high density, highest thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity.

10 illus, 2 tables, 22 ref

008671   Yu X;Wu Y;Sun D;Tian T (College and Material and Science Engineering, Central South Univ of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan Province, P.R. China, Email: sdlyxc@163.com) : Ultrasonic-supercritical CO₂-assisted extraction and component analysis of navel orange peel pigment. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(6), 2137-40.

Navel orange peel pigment was extracted using an ultrasonic-supercritical CO₂-assisted method. Extraction process was optimized using response surface methodology and pigment components were analyzed. Results of infrared spectroscopy and second-derivative analysis indicated that navel orange peel pigment principally contained aromatic ring, sugars and alkenes. Response surface methodology identified that the optimized conditions to obtain 72.34% yield were as follows: ultrasonic power, 250 W; supercritical CO₂ flow rate, 20 L/h; extraction pressure, 7.7 MPa; temperature, 53 °; and time, 38 min.

6 illus, 3 tables, 11 ref

008670   Yahya M A;Al-Qodah Z;Ngah C W Z C W;Hashim M A (Faculty of Science and Technology, Univ Sains Islam Malaysia, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, Email: z_alqodah@hotmail.com) : Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from desiccated coconut residue by potassium hydroxide. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(6), 2331-6.

This study investigates the effect of temperature and impregnation ratio on the physicochemical properties of activated carbon prepared from desiccated coconut residue by chemical activation using potassium hydroxide. Desiccated coconut residue sample was first carbonized at three different temperatures for 1 h at 400, 500 and 600 °C, respectively. The resulting chars were impregnated with KOH at three different impregnation ratio; 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3, respectively and activated under nitrogen atmosphere for 1 h at three different temperatures based on its carbonization temperature. The BET surface area and pore volume was strongly affected by temperature in which increased in temperature caused increased in BET surface are and pore volume. The BET surface area also increased with impregnation ratio but then decreased due to pore widening of activated carbons.

6 illus, 2 tables, 40 ref

008669   Xiang P;Hu X;Yu H;Zi F;Zhang Y (Faculty of Land Resource Engineering, Kunming Univ of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, P.R. China, Email: xpz20022002@yahoo.com.cn) : Degradation of thiosulfate in the process of gold leaching. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(6), 2075-8.

Thiosulfate is a promising alternative for the hydrometallurgical treatment of gold ores. Degradation of thiosulfate before leaching and in the process of gold as well as the behaviours of tetrathionate and trithionate by electrochemical methods is investigated in this work. Results are reported for the analysis of gold thiosulfate leach solutions and it is shown that tetrathionate and pentathionate are the dominant reaction products from thiosulfate oxidation. Trithionate was the main reaction product within certain range of hydroxide concentrations (0.0001-0.01 M), tetrathionate concentration decreases as the hydroxide concentration increases when pH is greater than 13 which show tetrathionate can be readily decomposed to thiosulfate and trithionate by raising the pH. Degradation of thiosulfate in the process of gold leaching was carried out in the paper by electrochemical methods, The result shows that 43.57% of thiosulfate in solution had consumed after 24 h.

8 illus, 11 ref

008668   Wang H;Zhang Y;Li X (College of Civil and Architecture Engineering, Hebei United Univ, Tangshan, P.R. China, Email: wanghao1689@gmail.com) : Pilot study on electrochemical oxidation treatment of lightly polluted water. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(6), 1980-2.

According to the problem of Wenyu River in which C/N was mismatch and biodegradability was poor, a new kind of electro-catalytic oxidation technology was adapted to replace the traditional lightly polluted water quality improvement process and the pilot test was conducted based on the laboratory test. The results showed that the average removal rates of NH₃-N, COD, BOD₅, total nitrogen were 63.53, 55.91, 44.42, 20.67 and 67.47%, respectively on the condition of electrolytic voltage of 6 V, plate distance of 1 cm, electrolysis time of 10 min, the handling capacity of 2 m^{3/h, molar ratio of sodium chloride dosing (NH₄ + -N/Cl-) was 1:3 and effluent fully meet the process requirements. In addition, after the electrochemical oxidation process, the biodegradability of effluent was increased from 0.35 to 0.51 or so.}

4 illus, 1 table, 11 ref

008667   Wang H;Zhang Y;Li X (College of Civil and Architecture Engineering, Hebei United Univ, Tangshan, P.R. China, Email: wanghao1689@gmail.com) : Electrochemical advanced treatment of laboratory wastewater using Ti/Ru electrodes. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(6), 1977-9.

Electrochemical oxidation was adapted to advanced treatment laboratory wastewater. The removal effect of major pollutants of laboratory secondary effluent was mainly investigated and the main chemical reaction path of the removal of organic matter and nitrogen compounds by electrochemical method was discussed preliminarily. The results showed that, after dosing NaCl the best removal ratio of chemical oxygen demand, NH₃-N, total nitrogen and total phosphorus was 84.4, 100, 90.9 and 81.2%, respectively on the condition of different electrolysis time, constant current 5A, namely the current density 7.4 mA/cm^{2 and the effect was better than that without NaCl. The removal ratio of major pollutants was higher after dosing NaCl, namely they were removed faster by electrolysis in the case that other experimental conditions remained unchanged. Comprehensive consideration of power consumption suggested that the best operation condition was of definite salt concentration, constant current 5A, namely the current density 7.4 mA/cm2 and electrolysis time 0.5 h.}

2 illus, 1 table, 12 ref

008666   Vikas L;Sruthi C K;Jayaraj M (Nanophotonic and Optoelectronic Devices Laboratory, Physics Dep, Cochin Univ of Science and Technology, Kochi-682 022, Email: mkj@cusat.ac.in) : Defect assisted tuning of electrouminescence from p-GaN -ZnO nanorod heterjunction. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 901-7.

Growth of nanostructured ZnO by solution process always lead to the formation of various kinds of defects. Defect states also can aid in improving different properties of the material. In the case of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), major research is focused on tuning the emission colour so as to achieve white emission without the use of any phosphors. Vertically aligned ZnO nanorods were grown over Mg:GaN substrate by hydrothermal process. High-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) analysis confirms the epitaxial growth of nanorods over the substrate. The photoluminescence (PL) studies revealed a narrow near band edge emission and a broad defect-induced deep level emission. The intensity of deep level emissions related to Zni, Vo, O i defects decreases on annealing. The V-I characteristics of the heterojunction showed excellent rectifying nature with electroluminescence emission on forward bias. Device fabricated by as-grown ZnO nanorods emits in the UV-blue region and broad emission in the visible region. While the annealed device emitted only in UV-blue region. The emission wavelengths closely matched with that of defect state emissions obtained in the PL studies. By annealing, various defect states density can be controlled, thereby emission colour tuned from white to blue.

6 illus, 1 table, 28 ref

008665   Vijayakumar T P;Kowsalya R;Banupriya L (Food Science and Nutrition Dep, Periyar Univ, Salem, Tamil Nadu, Email: poonvija@gmail.com) : Characterization and mathematical modelling of drying behaviour of wood apple (Limonia acidissima) pulp. J scient ind Res 2015, 74(6), 338-42.

Present study was undertaken to investigate drying characteristics and the effect of drying conditions on quality parameters of wood apple pulp in hot air oven drier and solar drier and to describe the suitable drying process through mathematical modelling. The wood apple pulp was dried in hot air oven at 50°C, 60°C, 70°C and 80°C and also in solar drier. The experimental moisture ratio during drying was fitted to the most widely investigated mathematical models. The yield of wood apple powder was ranged between 28 to 48%. Though the drying time was lengthier (8 hours) in solar drying, the overall drying rate, dehydration ratio, moisture ratio, fruit powder yield, bulk density, porosity, swelling power and retention of nutrients were found to be greater than hot air oven drying at various temperatures. Authors approximation model could adequately describe hot air oven drying behaviour at 50°C, 60°C and 70°C; Page, Modified Page and Modified Page Equation models together could describe the hot air oven drying behaviour at 80°C equally and adequately; and Two-term Exponential model could adequately describe solar drying behaviour.

2 illus, 3 tables, 33 ref

008664   Venkateswari R;Rani S S;Meeravali S K A (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, PSG College of Technology, Peelamedu, Coimbatore-641 004, Email: r_venkateswari@yahoo.com ) : Robust MAC protocol for wireless body sensor network. J scient ind Res 2015, 74(6), 334-7.

In recent years, wireless sensor networks prove to be pervasivefor the deployment of innovative healthcare applications. It provides remote monitoring of patient vital body parameters such as ECG, blood pressure, temperature etc. The main advantage is that it removes traditional wired patient monitoring system. In the wireless body area sensor network (WBASN/WBAN), different sensors attached to the human body contend for the wireless channel and hence the MAC protocol plays a vital role in deciding the power consumption. The design of MAC protocol highly depends on the intended application. In this paper a modification is done on the XMAC announcement size to make it compatible for the body area sensor network. The results show that for an optimum value of announcement size the percentage of radio usage decreases by 7% which confirm the reduction in power consumption. An analysis has been done on the energy efficiency and packet loss. The work has been implemented in real time using TelosB motes with biological sensors after careful analysis.

3 illus, 2 tables, 12 ref

008663   Ullah K;Ye S;Zhu L;Kim S G;Lee B J;Yoon E H; Kim Y R;Kim B S;Oh W C (Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Dep, Hanseo Univ, Seosan-si, Chungnam-356-706, Republic of Korea, Email: wc_oh@hanseo.ac.kr) : Additional materials effect for improved electrochemical performance of activated carbon fiber based electric double layer capacitors. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(6), 2260-6.

Electrochemical performance of electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) with activated carbon fiber electrodes was improved by adding a small amount of graphene and commercial ketjenblack. The structure of fabricated electrodes consists of activated carbon fiber, different weight ratio of graphene with fixed amount of ketjenblack and polytetrafluoroethylene as binder materials. The fabricated devices were electric double layer capacitors. The electrolyte used was 3 M KOH for each EDLCs test. The surface analysis was carried out for their specific surface area and pore size distribution by BET technique. The electrode fabrication process was unique type and can be utilized for commercial production of EDLCs. In this report, the source of carbon based EDLCs internal resistance were explored using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The capacitive performance of EDLCs with the same charge on positive and negative electrodes were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, charge and discharge, electrochemical impedance spectroscopic and electron spin resonance analysis were evaluated.

10 illus, 3 tables, 29 ref

008662   Tavoosi M;Heydari H;Hosseinkhani A; Adelimoghaddam B (Material Engineering Dep, Malek Ashtar Univ of Technology, Shahin Shahr, Isfahan-841156 83111, Iran, Email: ma.tavoosi@gmail.com) : Effect pf crystalline growth on corrosion behaviour of nanocrystalline NiAl coating. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 895-9.

In the current work, the effect of crystalline growth on the corrosion behaviour of nanocrystalline NiAl coating was investigated. In this regard, NiAl coatings with different crystalline sizes in the range of 20-110 nm were produced by mechanical alloying, high-velocity oxy-fuel processing (HVOF) and isothermal annealing at 600 C for 0-30 h. The produced and annealed samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The corrosion behaviours of coatings were examined in NaCl 3/5% electrolyte by potentiostat analysis. The nanocrystalline NiAl coating with the average crystalline size of about 20 nm and the porosity content of about 2% was successfully produced by mechanical alloying and HVOF processing. By annealing the coating, the NiAl crystalline sizes increased sharply, approaching a constant value of about 110 nm. It was found that the corrosion resistance of nanocrystalline coating increased with the increase in the crystalline size.

10 illus, 21 ref

008661   Sutha S;Lakshmi P;Sankaranarayanan S;Shabeer H A (Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering Dep, Jayaram College of Engineering and Technology, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, Email: suthaa_s@yahoo.co.in) : Improved robustness and finite time convergence for a multivariable process using integral terminal sliding mode controller via multilevel switching. J scient ind Res 2015, 74(8), 444-9.

This paper discusses the control of non-linear multivariable process named as Completely Modified Quadruple Tank Process (CMQTP) operating in Minimum Phase (MP). Initially PI (Proportional Integral) controller is designed to control the level of bottom two tanks. Then Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) strategy is designed with relative degree two. In order to reduce the control input effort, Back stepping Sliding Mode Controller (BSMC) is introduced. For a finite settling time and robust performance, Terminal Sliding Mode Controller (TSMC) is used. To improve the controller performance, integrality property is added to TSMC which leads to Integral Terminal Sliding Mode Controller (ITSMC). The undesirable chattering effect is reduced by introducing a novel Multi level switching algorithm. The complexities in CMQTP is discussed and compared with Quadruple Tank Process (QTP) through mathematical analysis. All the above mentioned controllers are compared using MATLAB simulation. From the simulated responses, the performance of proposed ITSMC is elucidated with good robustness, better servo tracking and disturbance rejection along with improved performance indices.

4 illus, 4 tables, 14 ref

008660   Sujatha S;Anita R (NO, TNEB, Karur, Tamil Nadu, Email: anusujatha22@gmail.com) : Power quality enhancement by using SVC in real time power system. J scient ind Res 2015, 74(8), 466-70.

Electrical power distribution system is facing various problems such as unbalanced loading, reactive power burden, harmonic distortion and voltage regulation. The appropriate choice for such problem is the Static Var Compensators (SVCs) due to its low cost and simple control strategy. This paper proposes to minimize the harmonics injected into the power distribution systems by the operation of SVC used in coordination with fast changing loads. The main objective of this paper is to mitigate the harmonics in real time industrial power system and compare the results with IEEE std 519-1992. Industry encounters many non-linear loads like arc furnace, VFD which injects the harmonics. In order to reduce the harmonics and its impacts in this paper introduced the FACTS device such as SVC which effectively reduces the harmonics presents in the supply and there by enhances the power quality.

2 tables, 14 ref

008659   Suganya E;Rangabhashiyam S;Varghese L A; Selvaraju N (Chemical Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kozhikode-673 601, Email: selvaraju@nitc.ac.in) : Dynamic adsorption modeling study using a modified Redilch-Peterson isotherm model. J scient ind Res 2015, 74(6), 358-61.

The untreated grey water generated by domestic activities is the major sanitation problem. From the industrial point of view, the modeling approach of three parameter isotherm model Redilch-Peterson based on the column system has been considered. A theoretical one dimension dynamic model was proposed to understand the behaviour in fixed bed, assuming Straight run mode to study the phenomenon of adsorption. Using MATLAB linear programming and least square method the parameters involved have been optimized. Thus predicted results are correlated with the theory and experimental observation available in the literature using Mathematical derivation and MATLAB. Thus a modified Redilch-Peterson isotherm model in packed bed for waste water treatment has been proposed.

2 illus, 9 ref

008658   Singh M;Sastry M;Lalitha S V N L (NO, CPRI, Bangalore-560 080, Email: manoharsingh@cpri.in) : Intelligent distance to over current relay coordination in sub-transmission networks. Jl CPRI 2015, 11(2), 287-96.

Sub-transmission power networks are primarily protected by distance relays and over current relays are used as backup relay due to their poor operational speed. Coordination of distance to over current relays is achieved in this research paper by optimally selecting the over current relay parameters which constitutes relay time-inverse characteristics and relay parameters and zone-2 setting of distance relays. Solving such type of combine distance to over current relay coordination problems is tedious job using the conventional optimization methods. Therefore an evolutionally based optimization techniques is applied in this research paper which selects the optimal over current relay parameters, user defined time inverse relay characteristics and zone-2 settings of the distance relays.

6 illus, 4 tables, 14 ref

008657   Singh K P;Hussain S Q (Mechanical Engineering Dep, DCTM, Palwal, Haryana, Email: kishan.amu@gmail.com) : Effect of heat input on a solar still at indoor and outdoor conditions. Invertis J renewable Energy 2015, 5(2), 111-16.

Experimental studies on a basin type still, basically application to the solar energy has been carried out at room condition for the purpose of simulation and to provide a substantial feed back for its thermal modeling in the actual conditions of solar energy. The basin holds water maintain at a certain depth which is being heated electrically. Due to evaporation of water, there exist humid air zone above the water level. The vapour on reaching the inclined glass cover condenses and trickles down to collected outside the still. The measurement consists of power input, distillate output and temperatures along the height from the base of basin up to the glass outer and the air surrounding it. Temperature profiles along the height in water depth, humid air region and near the glass cover are quite interesting. Subsequently, the vapour pressure in the system has also been predicted. Effect of heat input on the temperatures of the absorber, the water, humid air vapour and those of glass cover are studied. The distillate output increases with time of heating as well as on increasing the heat input. Efficiency of the still has been studied based upon the total heat input and the heat taken by the water. The efficiency of the still increases with the heat input.

7 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

008656   Singh K P (NO, DCTM, Palwal, India, Email: kishan.amu@gmail.com) : Experimental study and development of correlation for the design parameters of a solar water still using MATLAB. Invertis J renewable Energy 2015, 5(2), 90-4.

Correlation for the design parameter of solar distillation plant based upon experimental data collected on a prototype unit of size 2m x 1m area at Aligarh, has been developed. The correlation for the absorber plate temperature, glass temperature, water liner temperature and water vapor temperature developed in terms of the solar flux fit the experimental data for the month of March, April and December. The mass of distillate calculated from the energy balance equation with the help of MATLAB software using the developed correlation also agree well, with the measured values of the distillate on the available plant.

7 illus, 1 table, 4 ref

008655   Siddhartha Bhatt M (ERED, Central Power Research Institute, Bangalore-560 080, Email: msb@cpri.in) : Knockdown analysis of the perfomance of solar photovoltaic plants. Jl CPRI 2015, 11(2), 357-74.

This paper presents an efficiency map of a solar photovoltaic (SPV) plant through knock down analysis for the three major cell types monocrystalline silicon (C-Si), multicrystalline (M-Si) and amorphous silicon (A-Si). The highest efficiency achievable by a SPV cell is the Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limit which is the ultimate efficiency. When it comes to computing the working cell efficiency which can be treated as the SQ nominal conditions (after considering the cell losses) there is a drop. Moving up the organizational level, while at the module level, there is a further drop in the overall efficiency by 2-3% points between the cell and the module. Further drop is seen when computing under Standard test conditions (STC) conditions and (PTC conditions PV-USA industrial test conditions). The STC module efficiency is taken as the reference or base condition for the SPV plant design. From the module to the array there is yet a drop of 3-4% points. The performance drop of the plant from the STC conditions to the actually achieved conditions can be represented by the performance ratio (PR) which considers the stochastic efficiency of the plant site. The PR excludes excludes auxiliary power (2-4% of the generated power), losses in battery (<126>20%) due to storage component (if storage is present) and loss of energy generated due to non-availability of the grid (for grid tied systems). The stochastic incident radiation loss (<126>16-37%) is already accounted in the PR. Automation helps to a large extent in tracking the component efficiencies and correcting the losses. The paper also covers the sensitivity of SPV efficiency to positive factors such as incident angle variation, module tracking, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), concentration, etc., and negative factors such as environmental conditions (temperature, turbidity, water vapor), cell shunt resistance, initial and long term degradation, etc..

13 illus, 4 tables, 47 ref

008654   Shashank V;Reddy S T;Kulkarni P S (Electrical Engineering Dep, VNIT, Nagpur, Email: shashankvedra2000@gmail.com) : Photovoltaic emulator. Jl CPRI 2015, 11(2), 375-82.

In order to facilitate the testing of PV systems, PV panels are required and it is necessary to connect them in different configurations to get the required output voltage and power. The output of PV panels depends on environmental factors like insolation, temperature, inclination of the panel, partial shading, etc. hence it is difficult to maintain and reproduce the same characteristics of PV panel. Therefore PV emulator is required to maintain and reproduce the same characteristics irrespective of weather conditions to facilitate the testing of PV systems. The aim of this paper is to design a controlled DC-DC converter which acts as PV emulator.

9 illus, 1 table, 10 ref

008653   Settu S;Velmurugan P;Jonnalagadda R R;Nair B U (Chemical Laboratory, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Leather Research, Adyar, Chennai-600 00, Email: jrrao@clri.res.in) : Extraction of bovine serum albumin using aqueous two-phase poly (ethylene glycol)-poly (acrylic acid) system. J scient ind Res 2015, 74(6), 348-53.

The partitioning behavior of bovine serum albumin in a new aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) based on low cost commercial polymers like poly (ethy1ene glycol) (PEG) and poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) has been studied. In this ATPS, PAA and PEG are enriched in the bottom and upper phase, respectively. The influence of molecular weight (MW), tie line length, pH, temperatures and NaCl concentration on the partition coefficient of protein has been studied. The protein partitioning decreases on increasing MW of PEG and temperature, whereas increases with an increasing pH and NaCl concentration. This may be attributed by strong electrostatic interactions between the proteins and polymer as well as excluded volume effects. Protein partitioning is better for PEG4000 at 0°C, pH 8.0 with 1 M NaCl with a yield 88.8%. The present study indicates that PEG-PAA ATPS may be considered as an interesting alternative for protein purification from the biological suspensions.

1 illus, 2 tables, 14 ref

008652   Sekar K;Duraisamy V (EEE Dep, Hindusthan College of Engineering and Technology, Tamil Nadu, Email: kosekar_2007@yahoo.co.in) : Efficient energy management system for integrated renewable power generation systems. J scient ind Res 2015, 74(6), 325-9.

This paper presents viability study of integrated renewable power system for telecommunication applications. Rapid depletion of fossil fuel resources necessitated research on alternative energy sources. A wind solar integrated system is a reliable alternative energy source because it uses solar energy combined with wind energy to create a stand-alone power system. Incremental Conductance and Fuzzy Logic Maximum Power Point Tracking is proposed in this paper for solar and wind power system to provide a constant voltage with the help of DC-DC Single-Ended Primary-Inductance Converter. Main objective of this paper is to supply uninterruptible power for telecommunication loads from standalone solar-wind-Diesel integrated power system with efficient energy storage system. Embedded based Effective Energy Management Controller is proposed to monitor the power from all resources and load demand continuously and to control whole integrated power system. It provides uninterrupted power, effective utilization of sources, improves life time of battery and minimized usage of diesel. The whole system is analysed with telecom tower load demand and real weather data using MATLAB/simulink.

2 illus, 19 ref

008651   Ren J;Tao L;Ni T R (School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Institute of Environmental Ecology, Lanzhou Jiaotong Univ, Lanzhou 730070, P.R. China, Email: renjun@mail.lzjtu.cn) : Effects of liquid-to-solid ratio and reaction time on dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment of Achnatherum splendens. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(6), 2133-6.

In sulfuric acid pretreatment of Achnatherum splendens, the ground biomass was pretreated by 0.5-3% (w/v) sulfuric acid with 8:1-20:1 (v/w) of liquid-to-solid ratio at 100 °C for 1-4 h. Increasing sulfuric acid concentration, liquid-to-solid ratio and reaction time had significant effects on hemicellulose solubilization. Increasing the sulfuric acid concentration, liquid-to-solid ratio and reaction time caused significant decrease in hemicellulose and significant increase in formation of cellulose and lignin. The optimum treatment conditions of sulfuric acid pretreatment for Achnatherum splendens were 2% (w/v) sulfuric acid, 15:1(v/w) of liquid-to-solid ratio, 3 h of reaction time and temperature 100 °C. Under these conditions, 92.57% hemicellulose was solubilized and the content of cellulose in pretreated solids increased to 66.79%. This study can serve as a step towards the optimization of pretreatment of Achnatherum splendens.

3 tables, 20 ref

008650   Reddy S S R;Gowri Manohar T (EEE Dep, Sri Kalahasteeswara Institute of Technology, Srikalahasti-517 640, Email: rssrskit@gmail.com) : Power loss reduction and voltage stability enhancement by optimal location of UPFC. Jl CPRI 2015, 11(2), 297-303.

Power system is a very complex system. The considerable components of power system are voltage, power flows real and reactive power losses. These components are controlled by compensating the system. The system can be compensated by the various types of devices such as static capacitors, synchronous condensers etc. But the devices which are mentioned are not providing the flexible control of the power system components. The majority of the losses are shared by the transmission system. By controlling the parameters at transmission, the total system is controlled. So the devices with the combination of power electronic devices provide the flexible control on the transmission system of the power system parameters which are called FACTS devices. This paper proposed the combined series-shunt compensation FA CTS device called UPFC. This paper mainly concentrated on the suitable placement of the UPFC FACTS device for Loss reduction and enhancement of voltage profile of the power system using Fast Voltage Stability Index (FVSI).

7 illus, 3 tables, 6 ref

008649   Ravi Kumar D;Sankar V (NO, VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering & Technology, Hyderabad-500 090, Email: ravi44d@gmail.com) : Loss reduction and reliability optimization in electrical distribution systems using network reconfiguration. Jl CPRI 2015, 11(2), 259-68.

Network reconfigurations an operation strategy, which alters the topological structure of the distribution feeders by rearranging the status of switches in order to obtain an optimal configuration, minimise system losses and to improve reliability. In this paper, an approach using Distribution Load Flow(DLF) solution and a reconfiguration algorithm that enhances voltage profile, reliability and voltage stability index besides minimising losses is developed. The proposed algorithm has been implemented on33 bus Radial Distribution System (RDS) in the MATLAB^{TMenvironment.}

6 illus, 2 tables, 10 ref

008648   Ramesh Babu U;Reddy V K V;Tarakalani S (EEE Dep, NBKRIST, SPSR Nellore-524 413) : Optimal DSTATCOM placement in radial distribution system using fuzzy-ANFIS. Jl CPRI 2015, 11(2), 305-10.

Paper aim is to obtain voltage control with optimal DSTATCOM placement to decrease the total cost of voltage regulators and losses. This algorithm makes the initial selection, installations and buck boost setting of the DSTATCOM which provides a smooth voltage profile along the network. It is also used to obtain the minimum number of the initially selected DSTACOM, by moving them in such way as to control the network voltage at the minimum possible cost. Software using MATLAB^{TM has been developed and implemented using back track algorithm, fuzzy logic and ANFIS (Artificial Neuro Fuzzy Inference system) results are compared.}

11 illus, 1 table, 15 ref

008647   Rajiv A;Sudhakara Reddy M;Viswanatha R;Uchil J;Reddy C N (Physics Dep, School of Graduate Studies, Jain Univ, Bangalore-560 027, Email: niveterjareddy@gmail.com) : Conductivity studies on microwave synthesized glasses. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 985-93.

Conductivity measurements have been made on x V 2O5 - (100-x) [0.5 Na₂O + 0.5 B2O3] (where 10 x 50) glasses prepared by using microwave method. DC conductivity (τ) measurements exhibit temperature-and compositional-dependent trends. It has been found that conductivity in these glasses changes from the predominantly 'ionic' to predominantly 'electronic' depending upon the chemical composition. The dc conductivity passes through a deep minimum, which is attributed to network disruption. Also, this nonlinear variation in τ_dc and activation energy can be interpreted using ion-polaron correlation effect. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and impedance spectroscopic techniques have been used to elucidate the nature of conduction mechanism. The EPR spectra reveals, in least modified (25 Na2O mol%) glasses, conduction is due to the transfer of electrons via aliovalent vanadium sites, while in highly modified (45 Na2O mol%) glasses Na^{+ ion transport dominates the electrical conduction. For highly modified glasses, frequency-dependent conductivity has been analysed using electrical modulus formalism and the observations have been discussed.}

14 illus, 1 table, 51 ref

008646   Rad S;Shamsudin S;Taha M R;Shahid S (Hydraulic and Hydrology Dep, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Univ Technology Malaysia, 81310 Johor, Malaysia, Email: saeedrad1979@gmail.com ) : Tropical stormwater chemical oxygen demand degradation using nano TiO₂ in photocatalytic reactor detention pond. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(6), 2311-16.

Photo-degradation of stormwater chemical oxygen demand in wet detention pond was monitored. A scale model pond was converted to photocatalytic reactor using immobilized nano titanium dioxide (TiO₂) as contamination remover under natural ultraviolet from tropical sunlight. Amount of chemical oxygen demand and dissolved oxygen within three weeks of experiment were measured with and without the catalyst for comparison and control. Mixture of nano TiO₂ in white and ordinary portland cement was applied as a thin layer to surround the body of the pond (reactor). Three different mixtures of 3, 10 and 30% weight of anatase and rutile form of nano TiO₂ replaced with cement in concrete. Results shown that utilization of nano-TiO₂ can decrease the amount of chemical oxygen demand up to 43% within two days and 68% during three weeks. While in the regular pond were 16 and 19%, respectively. Also, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the pond using TiO₂ was stable compared to 20% oxygen depletion in normal pond after three weeks.

5 illus, 1 table, 59 ref

008645   Peri B;Borah B;Dash R K (School of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Hyderabad Univ, Prof. C R Rao Road, Gachibowli, Hyderabad-500 046, Email: rkdse@uohyd.ernet.in) : Effect of Rf power and gas flow ratio on the growth and morphology of the PECVD SiC thin films for MEMS applications. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 1105-12.

Low temperature PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition) deposited SiC thin films are promising materials for development of high temperature working MEMS (Microelectromechanical System) due to their excellent mechanical properties, non-corrosive nature and ability to withstand high temperature. However, the surface roughness of such thin films is the main obstacle to achieve thicker thin films for MEMS applications as the surface more rougher by increasing the thickness of PECVD SiC thin films. Therefore, in this present study, thicker SiC thin films were deposited by PECVD process by using the CH4 and SiH4 as the precursor gases in presence of Ar as the carrier gas and two process parameters i.e. RF (Radio Frequency) power with mixed frequency condition and flow ratio of silane to methane were varied by keeping the temperature and pressure constant to investigate the influence of these parameters on the growth rate, surface roughness and morphology of SiC thin films. It was observed that both the RF power (with the mixed frequency condition) and flow ratio of SiH₄/CH₄ can control the growth rate, surface roughness and morphology of the PECVD SiC thin films. Higher the carbon content in the thin films the surface became more smoother whereas the surface became for rougher by increasing the RF power.

4 illus, 2 table, 26 ref

008644   Paschoal G B;Da Silva M R;Takashima K (NO, , Laboratorio De Processos De Oxidacao Avancados, Departamento De Quimica, Caixa Postal-10011 86057-970 Londrina, Parana,, Email: keiko@uel.br) : Preparation and characterization of Zinc and Cobalt(II, III) oxides mixture and direct red 23 diazo dye heterogeneous photocatalysis. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 1087-92.

Decolourization of the direct red 23 diazo dye, commonly used in textile industries, was investigated through the heterogeneous photocatalysis mediated by zinc oxide, n-type semiconductor combined with p-type cobalt oxide at 30°C. The mixture of n- and p-type semiconductors may form a p-n junction, which can decrease the band gap energy and thus increase the photocatalytic activity. This work reports the preparation and characterization of cobalt oxide and oxide mixtures of Zn and Co in 1, 3 and 5% proportions, respectively, as well as their photocatalytic activity, measured by direct red 23 diazo dye decolourization rate constants. These oxides were characterized through the X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry. The suspension, formed from direct red 23 diazo dye solution and oxide mixtures, was kept in the dark for 1 h at 30°C for diazo dye adsorption on the oxide surface and irradiated by UV light for diazo dye decolourization. The mixture of ZnO containing, respectively, 3 and 5% cobalt oxide showed higher decolourization rate constant in comparison to ZnO.

5 illus, 1 table, 29 ref

008643   Pal K P;Mehmood A (NO, , Mechanical Engineering DCTM Dep, Palwal, Haryana, Email: kishan_amu@rediffmail.com) : Comparative study of cooling using different techniques of small buildings. Invertis J renewable Energy 2015, 5(2), 63-71.

In hot and humid region, air-conditioning is increasingly used to attain thermal comfort. Air conditioning is highly energy intensive and it is desirable to develop alternative low-energy means to achieve comfort. A comparison of overall cost reduction in providing thermal comfort in a building by the use of (i) Wetted roof surface and (ii) Painted roof, against bare roof surface. For this purpose M.R reading hall of M.A Library A.M.U Aligarh is chosen as the subject building and the mathematical model available in the literature have been used for prediction of roof outside surface temperature and consequent heat transmission in the building through the roof. Calculations were carried out for a typical summer day of May for Aligarh (India). The difference between the wetted & bare roof and painted & bare roof is compared to conclude that wetted roof surface cooling technique is much better than the painted roof surface.

5 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

008642   Padhi S;Ganga Raju Achary P;Nayak N C (Micro and Nano Materials Laboratory, Chemistry Dep, Institute of Technical Education and Research, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan U, Bhubaneswar, Odisha-751 030, Email: nimainayak@soauniversity.ac.in) : Molecular transport behaviour of organic solvents through halloysite nanotubes filled ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 925-33.

Transport behaviour of three organic solvents (benzene, toluene and xylene) through halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) filled ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer composites have been investigated in the temperature range 303-323 K. The effects of HNTs loading, nature of solvent and temperature on the transport behaviour of solvents through composites were studied. It has been observed that all the systems follow a Fickian mode of transport on increasing temperature. The solvent uptake and sorption coefficient decreases with the increase in halloysite loading while diffusion coefficients and permeation coefficients were found to be dependent on the concentration of filler. The percentage of bounds rubber content and swelling ratio decreases up to 7.5 phr filler content, whereas above 7.5 phr filler loading were found to be increased due to poor dispersion of halloysite in EVA copolymer matrix. The transport behaviour of three organic solvents was further validated by their crosslink density values. The thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy, entropy and free energy of sorption were evaluated. The positive values of free energy indicate the non-spontaneity of the sorption of HNTs filled EVA in aromatic solvents at 303 K.

6 illus, 8 tables, 34 ref

008641   Naveen Kumar K;Vasudeva Reddy M;Vijayalkshmi L;Ratnakaram Y C (Physics Dep, Sri Venkateswara Univ, Tirupati-517 502, Email: knaveenphy@gmail.com) : Synthesis and analysis of Fe<. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 1015-23.

Blended polymer films of polyethylene oxide + polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PEO + PVP) containing transition metal (TM) ions like Fe^{3+, Co2+ and Ni2+ have been synthesized by a solution casting method. For these films, structural, thermal, magnetic and optical properties have been studied. X-ray diffraction results reveal the semi-crystalline nature of the polymer films. Thermal stability of the host (undoped) polymer film has been investigated from its thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis profiles. Raman spectral profiles indicate a complex formation trend owing to the addition of TM ions into the host matrix. Co2+, Fe3+ and Ni2+ ions doped polymer films have revealed ferromagnetism based on their vibrating sample magnetometre profiles. However, the host polymer film has exhibited a paramagnetic nature. Further, ionic conductivities have been calculated using an impedance analyser at different temperatures for all the samples. Among these films, a maximum ionic conductivity (τ = 7.5 x 10-6 S cm-1) has been noticed from PEO + PVP : Ni2+ polymer film at 373 K. Emission analysis of Co2+: PEO + PVP polymer film has exhibited a strong red emission under an UV source and from both PEO + PVP : Fe3+; PEO + PVP: Ni2+, green emissions have commonly been noticed under an UV source. Thus, based on these results, it could be suggested that these TM ions doped PEO + PVP polymer films are found to be potential multifunctional materials for magneto-electric, magneto-optic fields with encouraging electrical, dielectric and optical properties as well as displaying with ferromagnetic nature from the doped films.}

12 illus, 1 tables, 28 ref

008640   Nashine B K;Prasad R;Sharma V;Rao B P C (NO, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam-603 102, Email: bknash@igcar.gov.in) : Design of high temperature induction motor for application in sodium cooled fast reactor control system. Jl CPRI 2015, 11(2), 323-31.

Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) employs induction motors of various power ratings in high, temperature ambient and sometimes corrosive atmosphere. Safe operation of the reactor depends on robustness and reliability of induction motors in its critical components. Safety related systems such as shutdown and online inspection systems, utilize induction motors as actuators in their mechanisms. Since external cooling is not permitted in control and inspection motors, special design of motors is required to withstand high temperatures. This paper deals with design, analysis, fabrication and testing of a compact 50 W, three phase induction motor, suitable for operating up to 250 °C ambient with winding temperature withstand capability up to 550°C. The designed motor was analyzed with two dimensional Finite Element Model (FEM) code FEMM to study the torque slip characteristics and magnetic flux density patterns in stator and rotor.

19 illus, 1 table, 12 ref

008639   Nandagopal J L;Chandran L R;Remya R;Vani V (Electrical & Electronics Dep, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Campus, Kollam-690 525) : Design and testing of a novel single-stage half-bridge AC-DC converter for battery charging. Jl CPRI 2015, 11(2), 383-90.

AC-DC converters are used in most of the electrical utility applications especially in battery charging. Here, a novel topology for single-stage bridgeless AC-DC converter is presented which can give an isolated output voltage and input power factor correction. The input current to an AC-DC converter is rich in low order harmonics and so the total harmonic distortion is high and input power factor is poor. Hence Power Factor Correction (PFC) schemes have been implemented. The effectiveness of the converter is tested and verified in PSIM^{TM simulation software and in experimental hardware prototype. This topology is found to have reduced losses and better power factor correction compared to the single-stage PFC AC to DC converters with full-bridge diode rectifier. This topology is suitable for battery charging application with reduced losses and better power quality.}

11 illus, 2 tables, 15 ref

008638   Mujahid M (Physics Dep, Faculty of Science, Tabuk Univ, Tabuk, P.O. 741, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia, Email: mujahidm72@gmail.com) : Synthesis, characterization and electrical properties of visible light driven Pt-ZnOCNT. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 995-1001.

This paper deals with synthesis of ZnO doped with different concentrations of platinum (Pt) and its deposition on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). The synthesized nanocomposite material was characterized by standard analytical techniques like X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. The XRD analysis confirms two things; first, synthesized nanocomposite shows no impurity peaks indicating products being crystalline in nature, second, the phase structure of composite remains unchanged during doping of Pt into ZnO crystal. Results indicate that the incorporation of dopant into ZnO coated on the surface of MWCNT was found to shift the fundamental absorption edge towards the longer wavelength side. The impedance analysis was carried out to distinguish between the grain and grain boundary contributions to the system. The dielectric property was strongly affected by increasing the dopant concentration. The dielectric constant (ε) and dielectric loss (tan ε) factors decrease with the increase in frequency only upto a certain limit. The a.c. conductivity also increases with the increase in frequency.

10 illus, 2 table, 47 ref

008637   Masrour R;Hlil E K;Hamedoun M;Benyoussef A; Mounkachi O;Moussaoui H E (NO, Laboratory of Materials, Processes, Environment and Quality, Cady Ayyed Univ, National School of Applied Science 63, 46000 Safi, Marocco, Email: Rachidmasrour@hotmail.com) : Structural, electronic and magnetic properties of MnB₂. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 1065-8.

Self-consistent ab-initio calculations, based on density functional theory approach and using the full potential linear augmented plane wave method, are performed to investigate both electronic and magnetic properties of the MnB₂ compounds. Polarized spin and spin-orbit coupling are included in calculations within the framework of the ferromagnetic state between two adjacent Mn atoms. Magnetic moment considered to lie along the (001) axes are computed. The antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic energies of MnB₂ systems are obtained. Obtained data from ab-initio calculations are used as input for the high-temperature series expansions (HTSEs) calculations to compute other magnetic parameters. The exchange interactions between the magnetic atoms Mn-Mn in MnB₂ are established by using the mean field theory. The HTSEs of the magnetic susceptibility with the magnetic moments in MnB₂ (m Mn) through Ising model is given. The critical temperature T C (K) is obtained by HTSEs applied to the magnetic susceptibility series combined with the Pade approximant method. The critical exponent γ associated with the magnetic susceptibility is deduced as well.

1065-8

008636   Masiha H R;Bagheri H R;Gheytani M; Aliofkhazraei M;Roughashdam A Sabour;Sharherabi T (Materials Science Dep, Faculty of Engineering, Tarbiat Modares Univ, Teharan, P. O. Box-14115 143, Email: maliofkh@gmail.com) : Effect of nanocrystalline surface of subtrate on microstructure and wetting of PEO coatings. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 935-43.

In this research, effect of surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) was studied on characteristics of the coatings formed using plasma electrolyte oxidation (PEO) on AA1230 aluminium. To do so, first, the samples were coated with and without SMAT pre-process. Coating by PEO method was carried out in two phosphate-based and silicate-based suspensions of silicon nitride nanoparticles for 10 min. Next, to study the distribution of the nanoparticles and elements inside the coating, surface morphology of the samples was examined using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. In addition, wettability test was performed on all samples using the deionized water. Also, droplet expansion manner on the porous oxide coating surface and its relation with fine structure of the coating was investigated. The results indicated that samples coated in silicate-based electrolyte have a relatively rougher microstructure as compared to samples coated in phosphate-based electrolyte. The average surface pores area percentage of the samples coated in silicate-based electrolytes was 13.9% greater than that of samples coated in phosphate-based electrolyte. Moreover, the average height to diameter (h/d) value obtained from wettability test for samples coated in silicate-based electrolyte was 13.3% greater than that of phosphate-based electrolyte.

10 illus, 6 tables, 33 ref

008635   Lv F;Meng Z;Li P;Zhang Y;Lv G;Zhang Q;Zhang Z (State Key Laboratory of Geological Proceses and Mineral Resources, National Laboratory of Mineral Materials, School of Materials Science, Beijing- 100 083 China, Email: lfz619@cugb.edu.cn) : Contribution of sodium dodecyl sulphate and sodium lauric acid in the one pot synthesis of intercalated ZnAl layered double hydroxides. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 1079-85.

Anion surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and sodium lauric acid (SLA), with almost the same chain length but different anion groups were used together as intercalates to prepare intercalated ZnAl-layered double hydroxides (ZnAl-LDHs). Their composition, structure and morphology were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray fluorescence, thermogravimetric and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicated SDS intended to maintain the lamellae structure of LDHs, but SLA was more likely to expand the basal spacings of LDHs in the present system. The arrangement of the surfactants in the interlayer of ZnAl-LDHs was also simulated by Materials Studio. The basal spacings of the LDHs calculated based on simulated structure consisted with that from XRD.

5 illus, 1 table, 27 ref

008634   Li Y;Zhao G;Kou Z;Jin L;Wang Y (Advanced Material Analysis Centre, Xi'an Univ of Technology, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710 048, Email: liying@xaut.edu.cn) : Influence on micro-fabricated resistive swithching organic ZrO<2> array by C-AFM measurement. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 1055-9.

In this paper, a comparison of the interfacial electronic properties between Pt/Ir conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) tip and ZrO₂ organic array was carried out. A uniformed ZrO₂ array was fabricated with a mean diameter of around 1 μm using laser interference lithography. A C-AFM measurement set-up was built up. The I-V curve was directly measured of the organic ZrO₂ array which shows a resistive switching characteristic by C-AFM measurement. The set voltage is 18.0 V and the reset voltage is -5.0 V. After the Pt layer was coated on the ZrO₂ array, the set voltage decreases to 0.8 V and the reset voltage decreases to -2.2 V. This result shows that Pt layer can prevent the potential drop effectively. The electron barrier height between Pt/Ir C-AFM tip and organic ZrO₂ array was enhanced by sputtering Pt layer on the ZrO₂ organic array.

4 illus, 14 ref

008633   Kumar R;Dixit A K;Sharma R K (Farm Machinery and Power Engineering Dep, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Punjab Agricultura, Ludhiana, Email: rajneesh@pau.edu) : Properties and use of Jatropha curcas ethyl ester and diesel fuel blends in variable compression ignition engine. J scient ind Res 2015, 74(6), 343-7.

There is an increasing interest in India to search for suitable alternative fuels that are environmental friendly. This paper presents the results of investigations carried out in studying the fuel properties of Jatropha ethyl ester and its blend with diesel fuel from 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% blends by volume and compare performance, emission characteristics of ester blends with base line results of diesel fuel at compression ratio of 17.5:1. The performance parameters evaluated were: brake thermal efficiency, brake specific fuel consumption, mechanical efficiency, and volumetric efficiency and exhaust gas temperature. The emission parameters evaluated were: carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen. The brake thermal efficiency of Jatropha ethyl ester blends with diesel were higher than diesel fuel. The maximum brake thermal efficiency and brake specific fuel consumption at 75% of rated load for B40 blend was 9.8% and 4.9% higher than that of diesel fuel respectively. Brake specific fuel consumption was found to be higher for all blends. The exhaust gas temperature increased with increase in load and amount of blended ester in the diesel fuel. Mechanical efficiency for all the blends increased with increase in load. However, CO emission was found to be lower for Jatropha ethyl ester blend. NOx emissions on Jatropha ethyl ester blends were higher than Diesel fuel.

2 illus, 2 tables, 12 ref

008632   Kmita A Rapacz;zych E Stodolak;Ziabka M; Rozycka A;Dudek M (AGH Univ of Science and Technology, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, Cracow 30-059, Poland, Email: kmita@agh.edu.pl) : Instrumental characterization of the smectite clay-gentamicin hybrids. Bull Mater Sci 2015, 38(4), 1069-78.

This paper focusses on the intercalation of clay mineral with gentamicin (an aminoglycoside antibiotic). The smectite clay-gentamicin hybrids were prepared by a solution intercalation at 60°C and the process was carried out on unmodified smectite clay and on smectite after Na+ ionic activation. The resulting structural/microstructural properties and the potential for introducing gentamicin between smectite clay layers were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic techniques and transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy X-ray analysis. The results confirm the successful intercalation of gentamicin into the interlayer space of smectite clay, demonstrating that the material thus obtained could potentially be used as a drug carrier.

7 illus, 2 table, 39 ref