006057   Osaghae G N;Ahidjo H;Olukotapo O;Akinmola; Abdulazeez O T (NO, , ) : Revitalization of the power sector through diversification; the sure way forward for Nigeria power crisis. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2014, 5(2), 11-28.

Energy is the bedrock on which the development of any nation lies as its overall growth and prosperity depend, to a large extent, on the adequacy, efficiency and functionality of its electricity industry. Despite the huge potential energy resources in Nigeria, Its power supply has however, been inadequate for the socio-economic development. The need to address this trend led to the conduct of a survey to capture the opinions of Nigerians on ways of ending its power problem which has continued to stall its progress over a long period of time. This paper expresses the opinion of Nigerians on steps in addressing its energy crisis, visa- a-vis meeting the demand of the country energy need in twenty five year time. Closed ending questions were used. The aggregate opinion was needed to possibly adjust the national energy policies. It is inferred from the result that the government needs to intensify its present commitment in the sector, sustenance of privatization policy of the sector received a boost by Nigerians as they believed private sectors participation in the industry will enhance its efficiency and management, there is also an indication that vigorous pursuit of energy efficiency and conservation including renewable energy development are necessary in revamping the power sector.

006056   Navrotsky V (NO, Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB, Sweden) : Gas turbine performance and maintenance continuous improvement. Indian J Pwr River Valley Dev 2013, 63(9-10), 125-9.

4 illus, 8 ref

006055   Mohanty S;Gupta K K (NO, , ) : Bearing fault analysis using variational mode decomposition. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2014, 4(2), 20-27.

Bearing health analysis plays a significant role in industry to improve reliability and performance of critical processes by alarming the faults at early stages. Conventional techniques do not guarantee to detect the faults at early stages because the low energy bearing frequencies get suppressed by stern noise and higher vibrations. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) fails to analyze the transient and nonstationary signals directly. This paper performs the signal analysis on vibration data of ball bearing using variational mode decomposition (VMD). First the intrinsic mode functions are extracted using VMD followed by FFT and finally the status of bearing is analyzed to be faulty or impeccable. The VMD can extract close tone vibration signatures and takes less computation time.

006054   Mohan D (NO, , ) : Energy meter reading automation using global system for mobile. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2014, 4(2), 28-31.

Electronic Energy Meter (EEM) is based on digital microtechnology (DMT) and uses no moving parts. So the EEM is known as "Static Energy Meter". In EEM the accurate functioning is controlled by a specially designed IC called ASIC (application specified integrated circuit). ASIC is constructed only for specific applications using Embedded System Technology. Energy meter reading is very costly nowadays. It is because the meter reader people goes to each meter to take the reading manually and issue the bill which is to be paid later. If this process is automated, then the tedious task of meter reading and bill calculation can be simplified. As a solution for this problem we introduce an Automated EEM Meter Reading System. This system is to monitor the energy consumption of each user and send it to the monitoring panel by using global system for mobile (GSM) module for further processing.

006053   Ming-Shih H;Narayanan R M (Electrical Engineering Dep, The Pennsylvania State Univ, Park Univ, PA 16802, USA) : Trilateration-based localization algorithm using the lemoine point formulation. IETE J Res 2014, 60(1), 60-73.

The centroid of three most closely spaced intersections of constant-range loci is conventionally used as trilateration estimate without rigorous justification. In this paper, we address the quality of trilateration intersections through range scaling factors. Several triangle centres, including centroid, incentre, Lemoine point, and Fermat point, are discussed in detail. Lemoine point (LP) is proposed as the best trilateration estimator thanks to the desired property that the total distance to three triangle edges is minimized. It is demonstrated through simulation that LP outperforms centroid localization without additional computational load. In addition, severe trilateration scenarios such as two-intersection cases are considered in this paper, and enhanced trilateration algorithms are proposed.

16 illus, 1 table, 17 ref

006052   Martinek R;Zidek J (NO, Cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering Dep, Faculty of Electrical Engineering) : Real implementation of ANFIS channel equalizer on the system of software-defined radio. IETE J Res 2014, 60(2), 183-93.

This paper "deals with the usage of a combination of fuzzy system and artificial techniques, which are called adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), in order to minimize the distance between the signal and SNR transmitting channel noise and then reduce the error rate of bit error rate (BER) transmission. The authors are focusing on a real implementation of ANFIS channel equalizer on software-defined radio (SDR) system working on PCI extensions for instrumentation (PXI) platform. This sophisticated modular measuring system consists of a vector signal generator RF VSG Nl PXI-5670 and a vector signal analyzer RF VSA Nl PXI-5661. Experimental results suggest that researched ANFiS equalizer embodies better BER values in comparison to commercially most common equalizers of the least mean square algorithm group. Moreover, the conducted experiments show that the usage of the SDR conception is very suitable for testing new principles in channel equalization field.

15 illus, 46 ref

006051   Mallik A K;Dandapat N;Ghosh P;Ganguly U;Jana S;Das S;Guha K;Rebello G;Lahiri S K;Datta S (NO, Central Glass &Ceramic Research Institute, CSIR, 196, Raja S.C. Mullick Road, Kolkata-700 032, Email: amallik@cgcri.res.in) : Deposition and characterization of diamond-like nanocomposite coatings grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition over different substrate materials. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(2), 193-202.

Diamond-like nanocomposite (DLN) coatings have been deposited over different substrates used for biomedical applications by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). DLN has an interconnecting network of amorphous hydrogenated carbon and quartz-like oxygenated silicon. Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infra red (FT-IR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have been used for structural characterization. Topical DLN growth rate is about 1 μm/h, measured by stylus pro-fllometer. Due to the presence of quartz-like Si:O in the structure, it is found to have very good adhesive property with all the substrates. The adhesion strength found to be as high as 0.6 N on SS 316 L steel substrates by scratch testing method. The Young's modulus and hardness have found to be 132 GPa and 14.4 GPa, respectively. DLN coatings have wear factor in the order of 1 x 10^{-7 mm3/N-m. This coating has found to be compatible with all important biomedical substrate materials and has successfully been deposited over Co-Cr alloy based knee implant of complex shape.}

10 illus, 5 tables, 46 ref

006050   Liu X M;Gu Y J;Liu Z G;Ouyang J H;Yan F Y; Xiang J (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Da-Zhi Street, Harbin-150001, P.R. China, Email: ouyangjh@hit.edu.cn) : Electrical conductivity and chemical stability of BaCe_0.8-xA_xGd_0.2O₃-100 (A = In, Zr, Ta; x = 0, 0.1 ceramics. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(3), 395-401.

BaCe_0.8-xA_xGd_0.2O_3-δ(A = In, Zr, Ta; x = 0, 0.1) ceramics were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. Microstructure and electrical properties of BaCe_0.8-xA_xGd_0.2O_3δ ceramics were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and complex impedance analysis at intermediate temperatures of 573-1073 K in different atmospheres. BaCe_0.8Gd_0.2O_3-δ, BaCe_0.7In_0.1Gd_0.2O_3δ and BaCe_0.7Zr_0.1Gd_0.2O_3-δ ceramics exhibit a single cubic perovskite structure. BaCe_0.7In_0.1Gd_0.2O_3-δ ceramic has the highest conductivity of 4.6 x 10^{-2 S.cm-2 in air at 1073 K. BaCe_0.7In_0.1Gd_0.2O_3-δ and BaCe_0.7Zr_0.1Gd_0.2O_3-δ) ceramics exhibit an excellent chemical stability against boiling water. Indium is a suitable doping element to promote the sintering densification and to enhance both electrical conductivity and chemical stability of Gd-doped at operating temperatures.}

5 illus, 2 tables, 31 ref

006049   Liu L;Jiang W;Yao L;Yang X W;Chen B H;Wu S X; Li F S (National Special Superfine Powder Engineering Research Centre, Nanjing Univ of Science and Technology, No. 200 Xiaolinwei Street, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210 094, China, Email: zhlfs@yahoo.com.cn ) : Multifunctional CNTs nanohybrids decorated with magnetic and fluorescent nanoparticles layer-by-layer. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(3), 373-83.

Fe₃O₄/CNTs nanocomposites, which were prepared by polyol-medium in situ high-temperature decomposition of Fe(acac)₃ using PVP as stabilizing agent and modified with SDS, were further decorated with high-quality ZnS nanocrystal via a wet technique in glycol solution. The obtained ZnS/Fe3O4/CNTs nanohybrids were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, Raman microscope, TEM, EDS, XPS, VSM and fluorophotometers. Results indicated that magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and fluorescent ZnS nanocrystal were uniformly dispersed on the surface of CNTs layer-by-layer with PVP and SDS as stabilizing agent and ion-capture agent, respectively. The novel multi-functional nanohybrids exhibit super-paramagnetic properties with a saturation magnetization about 6.795 emu g^{-1 at room temperature and show a strong emission band at 367 nm with a broad shoulder around 342-483 nm due to the interactions and/or background emissions of Fe₃O₄ and CNTs. The superparamagnetic and fluorescent properties of obtained products are promising for potential applications in magnetically guided and fluorescence tracing drug delivery systems.}

11 tables, 42 ref

006048   Li Z;Liu J;Zhang F J;Oh W C (Anhui Key Laboratory of Advanced Building Materials, Anhui Univ of Architecture, Anhui Hefei 230 022, People's Republic of China, Email: liujin910@yeah.net) : UV and visible light photodegradation effect on Fe-CNT/TiO₂ composite catalysts. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(2), 293-9.

Using multi-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) as an one-dimensional support, we have succeeded in uniformly anchoring of TiO2 and Fe nanoparticles at its surface. The as-prepared Fe-CNT/TiO2 composite photo-catalysts have been investigated by degrading methylene blue (MB) under UV and differently intensified visible light irradiation. The ability of CNT to store and shuttle electrons, and Fe nanoparticles demonstrate its capability to serve as a yield and transfer electrons on demand to separate h^{+/e- pairs. Moreover, the MB photodegrada-tion increase with an increase of visible light intensity can be ascribed to the enhancement MB cationic radical. In addition, chemical oxygen demand (COD) of piggery waste and reduction efficiency of Cr (IV) was done at regular intervals, which gave a good idea about mineralization of wastewater.}

11 illus, 1 table, 29 ref

006047   Kee-Won K;Jun-Cheol J (College of Convergence Technology and Institute of Media Content, Dankook Univ, Yongin 448-701, Korea) : Polynomial basis multiplier using cellular systolic architecture. IETE J Res 2014, 60(2), 194-9.

In this study, we present a polynomial basis multiplication architecture based on cellular systolic hardware architecture for Montgomery multiplication over Galois fields by adopting a qualified Montgomery factor which is highly suitable for the design on our structures. At first, we propose a parallel computation algorithm which operates two independent computations. The algorithm is efficiently designed by reordering the sequence of the terms on the polynomial. Second, we construct an ideal architecture which is composed of two independent parts. Our architecture is possible to compute two parts simultaneously. Each part is composed of same cell structures so that it is easy to be generalized and scalable. Finally, we obtain a time-saved architecture in a large degree with high scalability.

4 illus, 2 tables, 12 ref

006046   Katoch S;Sharma V;Kundu P P (Applied Chemistry Dep, Sri Sai Univ, Palampur-176 061, Email: sunainkatoch@yahoo.co.in) : Synthesis and characterization of saturated polyester and nanocomposites derived from glycolyzed PET waste with varied compositions. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(2), 277-86.

Saturated polyester resin, derived from the glycolysis of polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) was examined as an effective way for PET recycling. The glycolyzed PET (GPET) was reacted with the mixture of phthalic anhydride and ethylene glycol (EG) with varied compositions and their reaction kinetic were studied. During polyester-ification of GPET, acid and EG, the parameters like degree of polymerization (DP_n), extent of reaction (p) acid value and hydroxyl values were measured. The thermomechanical properties and the morphologies of the saturated polyester nanocomposites were examined by using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD) and transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM). There were significant differences observed in T_g, T_m and T_c before and after addition of GPET and clay content. Nanocomposites with lower content of organoclay showed intercalated morphology while by increasing the amount of organoclay, the exfoliated morphology was more prevalent. Water vapour transmission (WVT) was determined for saturated polyester nanocomposite sheets according to ASTM E96-80.

10 illus, 5 tables, 25 ref

006045   Kale S A;Sapali S N; (NO, , ) : Finite element analysis of vertical and inclined flanged diffusers for micro wind turbine. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2014, 5(2), 37-42.

Micro-wind turbines have huge potential to generate power and to add support to meet growing energy demand across the globe. Wind power produced changes with third power of wind velocity. Even a small increase in wind velocity improves power performance of wind turbine significantly. A diffuser plays a significant role to increase wind velocity at rotor diameter. Diffuser-augmented micro-wind turbines can effectively fulfill energy demand of many rural houses in developing countries in low-wind regions. Researchers are always working to reduce the size and weight of the diffuser in order to make diffuser-augmented wind turbine (DAWT) compact and practicable. With this objective, DAWT developed through various stages such as a long straight conical diffuser, aerodynamic-shaped diffuser, curved diffuser and diffuser with vertical flange. Curved diffuser with vertical flange enhances performance of the system significantly. On the other side, deformation and stresses induced in vertical flange diffuser need to be minimized. A curved inclined flanged diffuser developed by authors has shown enhancement in performance because of flange inclination in CFD analysis. It is also necessary to study stresses induced in this inclined flanged diffuser. The diffuser with vertical flange and diffuser with inclined flange are modeled and analyzed using ANSYS11. These results are presented in this paper. A significant amount of stress reduction is found in inclined flanged diffuser.

006044   Jaswinder Kaur;Khanna R;Kartikeyan M V (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, Thapar Univ, Patiala-147 004) : Optimization and development of O-shaped triple-band microstrip patch antenna for wireless communication applications. IETE J Res 2014, 60(2), 95-105.

In this work, a triple-band patch antenna for wireless communication applications has been proposed. For designing an antenna with suitable resonance characteristics to cover many frequency bands simultaneously, a strip is coupled on the right side of an O-shaped patch element and ground plane has been modified with an inverted L-slot and two unequal slits. The proposed design resonates in three different bands, viz. 2.35-2.86, 3.0 4.3, and 5.64-6.85 GHz with respective bandwidths of 510 MHz, 1.3 GHz, and 1.21 GHz. Obviously, the achieved bands are suitable to cover wireless local area network/industrial, scientific and medical band, Bluetooth, Globalstar satellite phone uplink, worldwide interoperability for microwave access, International Mobile Telecommunication, intelligent transport systems, and satellite communication. The overall size of the proposed antenna is 35 x 30 mm^{2. The fabrication and measurement of parameters of proposed structure was carried out to verify the simulated results. Finally, complete geometrical method for the design of O-shaped microstrip patch antenna with modified ground plane is presented.}

13 illus, 27 ref

006043   Jamel T M (Electrical and Computer Engineering Dep, Missouri Univ, Columbia, MO 65211, USA) : New combined adaptive (NCA) algorithm for smart antenna system applications. IETE J Res 2014, 60(2), 119-27.

This paper proposes a new combined algorithm for performance enhancement of smart antenna systems in mobile communications. The new combined algorithm (NCA) uses sample matrix inversion (SMI) initialization with a modified version of normalized least mean square (NLMS) algorithm (MNLMS). The MNLMS algorithm is regarded as time-varying regularization parameter ε(k) that is fixed in the conventional NLMS algorithm. The MNLMS algorithm uses a reciprocal of the estimation error square term in the denominator of the learning rate of NLMS instead of fixed regularization parameter (ε). Through simulation results of smart antennas for an additive white Gaussian noise channel model, the NCA algorithm achieves about 15 and 19 dB improvement in interference suppression compared with NLMS and another proposed previously matrix inversion NLMS (MI-NLMS) algorithms, respectively. While the NLMS algorithm starts to converge from 50 iterations, the MI-NLMS and NCA algorithms start to converge from the initial iteration. Moreover, when this algorithm applied for the Rayleigh fading channel with a Jakes power spectral density, it provides about 7 dB improvements over NLMS and MI-NLMS algorithms and starts converge from the initial iteration. The NCA provides improved performance in weight stability for both channels.

11 illus, 24 ref

006042   Isa A H;Ojosu J O;Chukwu P U;Olayande J S (NO, , ) : MAED model analysis of biomass and biofuels demand in Nigeria. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2014, 5(2), 29-36.

Biomass forms 85% of the energy resources commonly utilized for cooking and heating in the rural areas of Nigeria where about 60% of the population lives. The total consumption of biomass in Nigeria grows from 153 million tons in 2007 to 160 million tons in 2009. Hitherto, the demand for energy from biomass resources keeps increasing despite efforts to introduce the use of biofuels. Also, the supply failed to meet the demand due to insufficient biomass resources. These cause a lot of hardship and palpable poverty in rural households. There have been several efforts in the past to replace the use of traditional biomass such as fuelwood, agricultural wastes and animal droppings as energy resources, with modern biofuels such as briquettes, biofuels (biodiesel and ethanol) and biogas, and also the use of improved wood stove. But all these efforts turned out to be inadequate for the supply to meet the demand. This paper examines bioenergy demand and the factors that affect its use in Nigeria. The IAEA's Model for Analysis of Energy Demand (MAED) was used to evaluate bioenergy demand in Nigeria in three scenarios: reference (7%); high growth (10%); and optimistic (13%), over the periods 2005 - 2030. Emphasis is placed on the use of biofuels, biogas and charcoal for activities in household and services sectors and biodiesel for the transport sector. Also analyzed are their conversion technologies and appliances, in addition to the profiles of the consumers. An analysis of the results obtained shows that the demand for biomass is projected to be replaced by biofuels, briquettes, biogas and charcoal over the period of study.

006041   Hwang K S;Kim S D;Hwangbo S;Kim J T (Biomedical Engineering Dep, Nambu Univ, 864-1 Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 506824, Korea, Email: kimjt@mail.chosun.ac.kr) : Red-emitting alkaline-earth rare-earth pentaoxometallates powders prepared by metal carboxylates solution. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(3), 499-504.

Moisture-insensitive metal carboxylates that are mostly liquids at room temperature have been first applied to the preparation of strontium europium aluminate (Sr₂EuAlO₅) powders for red-emitting phosphor under near ultraviolet radiation. Strontium naphthenate, aluminium-2-ethylhexanoate and europium-2-ethyIhexanoate were dissolved with toluene to prepare starting solution. Precursor pyrolyzed at 500 °C for 240 min was finally annealed at 900-1200 °C for 240 min in Ar. X-ray diffraction analysis, field emission-scanning electron microscope and fluorescent spectrophotometer were used to evaluate structural and optical properties. For the 1000 °C-annealed powders with regular shape and narrow size distribution confirmed by FE-SEM observation, strong red emission at 615 nm under the excitation of 395 nm maximum was reached, then the higher annealed samples at above 1100 °C gave the lower emission intensities.

5 illus, 16 ref

006040   Huang Z H;Qi W J;Zheng K H;Zhang X M;Liu M;Yu Z M;Xu J (NO, Guangzhou Research Institute of Non-ferrous Metals, Guangzhou 510650, P.R. China, Email: zhhuang@live.cn) : Microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg-Zn-Zr-Dy wrought magnesium alloys. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(3), 437-45.

Microstructures and phase compositions of as-cast and extruded ZK60-xDy (x = 0-5) alloys were analysed by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Meanwhile, the tensile mechanical property was tested. With increasing Dy content, Mg-Zn-Dy new phase increases gradually, while MgZn2 phase decreases gradually to disappear. As-cast microstructure is refined gradually; meanwhile extruded one is refined further with decreasing average grain size to 1 μm for ZK60-4.32Dy alloy. Second phase, tending to distribute along grain boundary by continuous network in as-cast state, breaks and distributes dispersedly in extrusion state. As-cast tensile mechanical property remains almost unchanged at ambient temperature; however, extruded ones are enhanced significantly at ambient and elevated temperatures, respectively. Tensile strength at 298 and 473 K increases gradually from 355 and 120 MPa for ZK60 alloy to 395 and 171 MPa for ZK60-4.32Dy alloy, respectively. Extruded tensile fractures exhibit a typical character of ductile fracture.

10 illus, 4 tables, 15 ref

006039   Gitizadeh M;Ghavidel S (Electronics and Electrical Engineering Dep, Shiraz Univ of Technology, Shiraz, Iran) : Improving transient stability with multi-objective allocation and parameter setting of SVC in a multi-machine power system. IETE J Res 2014, 60(1), 23-41.

This paper aims to select the optimal location, size, and setting parameters of SVC (Static Var Compensator) controller using MOPSO (multi-objective particle swarm optimization) to improve the power system stability in a multi-machine power system. Though power system stabilizers are mandatory requirements for damping of oscillations, its performance still gets affected by changes in network configurations, load variations, etc. Hence, installations of SVC have been suggested in this paper to achieve appreciable damping of system oscillations. However, the performance of SVC highly depends upon its parameters, suitable location, and sizes in the power network. In order to find the solution, this problem is formulated as a multi-objective function. Then, MOPSO is used to find the best answers. In this paper, two objectives are considered to improve both the transient stability of the system and the SVC investment cost. The proposed method was tested on the 10-machine 39-busbar New England test system. The results of the nonlinear simulation show that the optimum sizing, siting, and parameter setting of SVC can improve greatly the transient stability of the multi-machine power system.

12 illus, 17 ref

006038   Gautam C R;Kumar D;Parkash O;Singh P (Physics Dep, Lucknow Univ, Lucknow-226 007, Email: gautam_ceramic@yahoo.com) : Synthesis, IR, crystallization and dielectric study of (Pb, Sr)TiO₃ borosilicate glass-ceramics. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(3), 461-9.

Eleven glass compositions were prepared by melt and quench method with progressive substitution of SrO for PbO (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) with a step-wise increment of 0.10 in the glass [(Pb_xSr_1-xOTiO₂]-[(2SiO₂B₂O₃B_{2< D>O3)]-[BaO.K2O].Nb2O5 (mol percentage) system. The infrared spectra (IR) of various glass compositions in the above mentioned glass system was recorded over a continuous spectral range 400-4000 cm^-1} to study their different oxides structure systematically. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) was recorded from room temperature (<126>27 °C) to 1400 °C employing a heating rate of 10 °C/min to determine glass transition temperature, T_g and crystallization temperature, T_c. The melting temperature, T_m, of these glass compositions was found to be in the range 597-1060 °C depending on the composition under normal atmospheric conditions. T_g and T_m of glasses were found to increase with increasing SrO content. X-ray diffraction analysis of these glass-ceramic samples shows that major crystalline phase of the glass-ceramic sample with x ≤ 0.5 was found to have cubic structure similar to SrTiO₃ ceramic. Scanning electron microscopy has been carried out to see the surface morphology of the crystallites dispersed in the glassy matrix.

8 illus, 4 tables, 30 ref

006037   Doddamani M R;Kulkarni S M (Mechanical Engineering, B.V.B. College of Engineering and Technology, Hubli, Email: mrd_phd@rediffmail.com) : Compressive properties of sandwiches with functionally graded rubber core and jute-epoxy skins. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(2), 319-28.

The compressive behaviour of a new class of sandwich composite made up of jute fiber reinforced epoxy skins and piece-wise linear fly ash reinforced functionally graded (FG) rubber core is investigated in flat-wise mode. FG samples are prepared using conventional casting technique. Presence of gradation is quantified physically by weight method. This paper addresses the effect of weight fraction of fly ash, core to thickness ratio (C/H) and orientation of jute on specific compressive modulus and strength. In each trial five replicates are tested with lower amount of fly ash below the upper skin of sandwich (rubber-up). Results of experimentation are subjected to statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) to find the influential factor governing the compressive behaviour. Furthermore piece-wise linear gradation is modeled in finite element and strength values are compared with experimental results. Sandwich sample with fly ash content of 40%, C/H of 0.4 and orientations of 30°/60° registered better performance. Specific strength is observed to increase upto 30% filler content followed by stabilization. Finite element results for strength match very well with experimental ones.

16 illus, 12 tables, 34 ref

006036   Demir Z (NO, Anadolu Univ, Eskisehir, Turkey, Email: zaferdemir@anadolu.edu.tr) : Tribological performance of polymer composites used in electrical engineering applications. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(2), 341-4.

Sliding wear performance of 20% mica-filled poly amide 6 (PA6 + 20% mica) and 20% short glass fibre-reinforced polysulphone (PSU + 20 GFR) polymer composites used in electrical applications were investigated using a pin-on-disc wear test apparatus. Two different disc materials were used in this study. These are AISI 316 L stainless steel and 30% glass fibre-reinforced polyphenylenesulphide (PPS + 30% GFR) polymer composite. Wear test was carried out at 10, 20 and 30 N applied load values and 0.5 m/s sliding speed and at ambient temperature and humidity. Different combinations of rubbing surfaces were examined and friction coefficient and specific wear rate values were obtained and compared. For two material combinations used in this investigation, the coefficient of friction shows insignificant sensitivity to applied load values and large sensitivity to material combinations. For specific wear rate, PA6 + 20% mica composite has shown insensitivity to change in load, speed and materials combination while PSU + 20% glass fibre composite has shown high sensitivity to the change in load and material combinations. The friction coefficient of PA6 + 20% mica and PSU + 20 glass fibre rubbing against the AISI 4140 steel disc is between 0.35 and 0.40. In rubbing against PPS + 30% glass fibre their values were between 0.25 and 0.30. Specific wear rate for PA6 + 20% mica and PSU + 20% glass fibre composites are in the order of 10^{-13 to 10-14 m2/N. Finally, the wear mechanisms are a combination of adhesive and abrasive wear processes. In terms of application, especially in electrical systems, a substantial contribution was provided to extend switch life. Thus, besides robustness, this also ensured safety for the system and the users against undesirable situations.}

4 illus, 13 ref

006035   Dandajeh H A (NO, , ) : Hydrogen as an alternative fuel for internal combustion engines. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2014, 5(2), 50-7.

This paper critically reviews articles on hydrogen as an alternative fuel in an internal combustion engines (ICE). Emphasis is given to the properties of hydrogen fuel with respect to engine performance while developing explicit comparison with a typical gasoline fuel (iso-octane). Calculations were made which demonstrated lower volumetric efficiency of a -ICE as result of its 30% relative occupancy in the combustion chamber. Detailed combustion chemistry and consequent dependence of emissions on engine speed have been analyzed. Advantages and limitations, such as pre-mature ignition have been well elucidated. Suggestions were made on the salient factors needed to be considered before an ICE can operate on and valid conclusions were drawn based on the issues seminal to the progress of -ICE.

006034   Chen Z;Chen Y;Zuo C;Zhou S;Xiao A G;Pan A X (College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Univ of Arts and Science, Changde, Hunan 415000, China, Email: xiaoanguo123@126.com) : Hydrothermal synthesis of porous Co(OH)₂ nanoflake array film and its supercapacitor application. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(2), 239-44.

Porous α-Co(OH)₂ nanoflake array film is prepared by a facile hydrothermal synthesis method. The α-Co(OH)2 nanoflake array film exhibits a highly porous net-like structure composed of interconnected nanoflakes with a thickness of 15 nm. The pseudo-capacitive behaviour of the Co(OH)₂ nanoflake array film is investigated by cyclic voltammograms (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests in 2M KOH. The α-Co(OH)₂ nanoflake array film exhibits high capacitances of 1017 F g^{-1 at 2 Ag-1 and 890 F g-1 at 40 A g-1 as well as rather good cycling stability for supercapacitor application. The porous architecture is responsible for the enhancement of the electrochemical properties because it provides fast ion and electron transfer, large reaction surface area and good strain accommodation.}

7 illus, 22 ref

006033   Chavhan S;Venkataram P;Chetan Kumar S;Kamath S S (Electrical Communication Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore) : Performance analysis of a cooperative MAC protocol of wireless and hoc networks. IETE J Res 2014, 60(2), 106-18.

Different medium access control (MAC) layer protocols, for example, IEEE 802.11 series and others are used in wireless local area networks. They have limitation in handling bulk data transfer applications, like video-on-demand, videocon-ference, etc. To avoid this problem a cooperative MAC protocol environment has been introduced, which enables the MAC protocol of a node to use its nearby nodes MAC protocol as and when required. We have found on various occasions that specified cooperative MAC establishes cooperative transmissions to send the specified data to the destination. In this paper we propose cooperative MAC priority (CoopMACPri) protocol which exploits the advantages of priority value given by the upper layers for selection of different paths to nodes running heterogeneous applications in a wireless ad hoc network environment. The CoopMACPri protocol improves the system throughput and minimizes energy consumption. Using a Markov chain model, we developed a model to analyse the performance of CoopMACPri protocol; and also derived closed-form expression of saturated system throughput and energy consumption. Performance evaluations validate the accuracy of the theoretical analysis, and also show that the performance of CoopMACPri protocol varies with the number of nodes. We observed that the simulation results and analysis reflects the effectiveness of the proposed protocol as per the specifications.

14 illus, 6 tables, 14 ref

006032   Charoborty D (NO, , ) : Nobel method of auxiliary power consumption saving by vibrating level probe on ash conveying system. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2014, 4(2), 15-9.

In thermal power plant, ash conveying system through electrostatic precipitator (ESP) is a vital phenomenon. There are two modes of conveying in thermal power plant ash conveying system-timer mode and probe mode. Timer mode of conveying is done through distributed control system (DCS) logics. Probe type of level measurement is done by vibrating forks type-level probe; we used the same in the study. By this method, lesser quantity of conveying air was used as well as there was a decrease of loading cycle of compressor. This technique helps us to save the auxiliary power of plant, which is subjected to conservation of energy. This paper discusses the modes to achieve such a type of saving by vibrating forks type-level probe in ash conveying system in thermal power plants.

006031   Chandrasekaran K;Simon S P;Padhy N P (Electrical and Electronics Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology Puducherry, Karaikal) : Cuckoo search algrithm for emission reliable economic multi-objective dispatch problem. IETE J Res 2014, 60(2), 128-37.

This paper presents a novel emission/reliable/economic dispatch (ERED) problem using a newly developed multi-objective cuckoo search algorithm (CSA). Traditionally, electric power systems are operated in such a way that the total fuel cost is minimized regardless of the emission and reliability level of the system. Recently, the restructured power system stresses the need for non-polluting, reliable, and economic operation. Hence, three conflicting objective functions such as emission, reliability, and fuel cost functions are considered in the practical economic dispatch (ED) problem. The ERED problem is formulated as a non-smooth and non-convex multi-objective ED problem incorporating valve-point effects of thermal units. The CSA utilizes the breeding behaviour of cuckoos, where each individual searches the most suitable nest to lay an egg (compromise solution) in order to maximize the egg's survival rate and achieve the best habitat society. The fuzzy set theory is used to find a best compromise solution from the Pareto-optimal set. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is tested on a benchmark of 6-unit test system, IEEE RTS 24 bus system, and IEEE 118 bus system. The results are validated and compared with the solution available in the existing literature.

8 illus, 8 tables, 29 ref

006030   Chandrakanth R;Saibaba J;Varadan G;Raj P A (Sapce Dep, Advanced Data Processing Research Institute, Hyderabad-500 009) : Novel image fusion system for multisensor and multiband remote sensing data. IETE J Res 2014, 60(2), 168-81.

Presents a novel image fusion system for multisensor and multiband remote sensing data with an objective to synthesize an image which is either not feasible or not economical to obtain from single remote sensing satellite image. The fusion system focuses on objective, selection of data, pre-processing, registration, and fusion methodology with results. The paper also emphasizes on understanding of physics of remote sensing for meeting the objective as well as for success of fusion. In view of availability and archival of huge amount of remote sensing imagery from several satellites, different combinations for fusion from multisensor and multiband images are proposed. Due to use of images with differing modalities, resolution, and time of acquisition for fusion, a generalized and robust image registration methodology is adopted; Appropriate fusion methodologies are proposed for different fusion combinations and their results are illustrated and compared.

12 illus, 1 table, 28 ref

006029   Boubata N;Roula A;Moussaoui I (Faculty Science and Technology, Process Engineerign Dep, LIME of Jijel Univ, Jijel 18000, Algeria, Email: amkroula@univ-jijel.dz) : Thermodynamic and relative approach to compute glass-forming ability of oxides. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(3), 457-60.

This study deals with the evaluation of glass-forming ability (GFA) of oxides and is a critical reading of Sun and Rawson thermodynamic approach to quantify this aptitude. Both approaches are adequate but ambiguous regarding the behaviour of some oxides (tendency to ainorphization or crystallization). Indeed, ZrO₂ and A1₂O₃ were inappropriately listed by Sun and Rawson to be glassformer oxides while being intermediate ones. We present a non-dimensional approach to value GFA of single oxide by affecting to each one of the coefficients (without measuring units). Obeying to the non-dimensional analysis rules, we introduce a neglected (in all prior thermodynamic models) characteristic: the isobaric heat capacity (C_p) of oxides, and execute a mathematical treatment of oxides thermodynamic data. We note this coefficient as thermodynamical relative glass-forming ability (ThRGFA) and formulate a model to compute it. Computed values of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th period metal oxides reveal a clear differentiation between them. Indeed, all glass former oxides are characterized by ThRGFA values over 1.709. Moreover, the value intervals confirm the oxides classification into three groups (forming, intermediate and modifier) and sorting of the former ones in distinctive strong and fragile oxides.

1 illus, 1 table, 29 ref

006028   Bhattacharya R;Gupta R;Basu A;Rawat K;Koul S K (Centre for Applied Research in Electronics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-110 016) : A fully integrated dual-band CMOS power amplifier using a variable switched interstage matching network. IETE J Res 2014, 60(2), 139-44.

This work demonstrates a dual-band, two-stage power amplifier designed for WLAN and Wi-MAX applications (2/5 GHz) in 0.18 um complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Dual-band operation is achieved by only varying a switchable inductor in the interstage matching network and low-Q broadband on-chip input and output matching networks. This reduces the need for dual-band off-chip matching networks, thus making the design area efficient. The post-layout simulation results indicate a maximum P_sat of 17.8/16.3 dBm and a peak power-added efficiency (PAE) of 26/15% at 2/5 GHz. Measurements of a Quad Flat No Lead (QFN) packaged version indicate a maximum P_sat of 16.2 dBm and a PAE of 26% and harmonic contents below -12.5 dBc. Most importantly, the proposed power amplifier occupies a core area of only 0.9 mm^{2 and does not use any off-chip component.}

11 illus, 1 table, 5 ref

006027   Bhagavan Raju C S;Anjan Kumar M;Prasada Raju G V R (NO, Gammon Infrastructure Projects Limited, Rajahmundry-533 104, Email: bhagavan.raju@gammoninfra.com) : Performance evaluation of flexible pavements on expansive soils. Asian J Microbiol Biotechnol envir Sci 2013, 15(2), 241-8.

As part of infrastructure development huge investment is being made on expansion of National highways and important roads across the country. For improvement of Highways two types of Pavements commonly used in India viz., Flexible Pavements (Bituminous) and Rigid pavements (Concrete). Flexible pavements are widely used in this country from the considerations of economy The performance of Flexible pavements depends largely on properties of original ground on which the pavement rests, the quality of materials used in the construction of various layers of pavement and quality assurance as per relevant specifications. In general any road after construction is basically evaluated by the performance in terms of unevenness index and structural stability over a period of time. The evaluation of these two important parameters will facilitate the clear understanding of performance of various materials used in the construction and to undertake suitable rehabilitation measures if necessary.

11 illus, 13 tables, 8 ref

006026   Barbadikar D;Gautam R;Sahare S;Patrikar R; Bhatt J (Metallurgical and Material Engineering Dep, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur-440 010, Email: jatinbhatt@mme.vnit.ac.in) : Optimization of process parameter for synthesis of silicon quantum dots using low pressure chemical vapour deposition. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(3), 483-90.

Si quantum dots-based structures are studied recently for performance enhancement in electronic devices. This paper presents an attempt to get high density quantum dots (QDs) by low pressure chemical vapour deposition (LPCVD) on SiO₂ substrate. Surface treatment, annealing and rapid thermal processing (RTP) are performed to study their effect on size and density of QDs. The samples are also studied using Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photo-luminescence study (PL). The influence of Si-OH bonds formed due to surface treatment on the density of QDs is discussed. Study also discusses the influence of surface treatment and annealing on QD formation.

7 illus, 18 ref

006025   Annamalai R;Upadhyaya A;Agrawal D (Materials Science and Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur-208 016, Email: raja.anna@gmail.com) : Investigation on microwave sintering of Fe, Fe-Cu and Fe-Cu-C alloys. Bull Mater Sci 2013, 36(3), 447-56.

The powder characteristics of metallic powders play a key role during sintering. Densification and mechanical properties were also influenced by it. The current study examines the effect of heating mode on densifl-cation, microstructure, phase compositions and properties of Fe, Fe-2Cu and Fe-2Cu-0.8C systems. The compacts were heated in 2.45 GHz microwave sintering furnaces under forming gas (95%N₂-5%H₂) at 1120 °C for 60 min. Results of densification, mechanical properties and microstructural development of the microwave-sintered samples were reported and critically analysed in terms of various powder processing steps.

11 illus, 2 tables, 25 ref

006024   Anil Kumar B;Dahiya A K;Berwal P (NO, , ) : Production of biodiesel from Karanja oil. J Alternate Energy Sour Technol 2014, 5(2), 43-9.

Biodiesel is a mono-alkyl ester of fatty acid which is obtained from various edible and non-edible oil of different feed stock through transesterification and is a potential alternative fuel to petroleum diesel. India being a developing country is still short of edible oil to meet the demand of its burgeoning population. Therefore, in its National Policy on Biofuel, declare to use 20% biodiesel blend with petroleum diesel by 2017 and biodiesel will be produced mainly from the feed stock of non-edible oil like Karanja, Jatropha, etc. Karanja has high acidic value and to get biodiesel from it first esterification should be done to reduce its acidic value. Fatty acid composition of methyl ester of Karanja has physio-chemical properties makes a suitable fuel for C.I. Engine.

006023   Alsulaiman M (Speech Processing Group, Computer Engineering Dep, College of Computer and Information Sciences, King Saud Univ, Riyadh 11543, Saudi Arabia) : Voice pathology assessment systems for dysphonic patients: detection, classification, and speech recognition. IETE J Res 2014, 60(2), 156-67.

In the past decade, much research has been done on automatic detection and classification of vocal fold disorders, and these tasks continue to require further investigation. The aim of this study is to develop systems that may help in diagnosing patients from their speech. The systems will perform voice disorder detection, classification of voice disorders, and digit recognition. To find the best system, we will compare the system performance when using different voice features. We are the first to explore the use relative spectral transform perceptual linear predictive (RASTA-PLP) feature for speech pathology. The speech samples used in most of the literature are sustained vowels, while the speech samples we worked on are words, which are more natural. To evaluate the performance of the developed system, we used a database containing five types of vocal fold disorders. The database includes a total of 142 speakers half of them were normal speakers. The best accuracy achieved for the voice disorder detection system was 92.40%. In the voice disorder classification system, the maximum obtained recognition rate by using words was 73%. For the digit recognition system, a recognition rate of 98.57% was obtained. PLP and RASTA_PLP showed better performance in the developed pathology assessment systems.

2 illus, 19 tables, 29 ref

006022   Alnumay W S;Chatterjee P;Ghosh U (Computer Science Dep, King Saud Univ, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) : Energy aware secure routing for wireless ad hoc networks. IETE J Res 2014, 60(1), 50-9.

In this paper, authors present a clustering-based energy aware secure routing protocol that computes trustworthy and energy efficient secure routes for wireless ad hoc networks (WANETs). Clustering in ad hoc networking paradigm is very useful for achieving scalability and robustness as it helps to save the bandwidth, to take simpler routing decisions, thus results in decreased energy dissipation of the network. WANETs are often deployed in such places where recharge or replace of energy sources is difficult. Further, unpredicted mobility and quasi-static nature of nodes and dynamic network topology yield a serious need for battery awareness during routing. In light of this, we first provide a definition of network lifetime based on application-specific criteria. Also a mathematical model for calculating residual battery power has been framed to propose an energy aware routing protocol. Trust-based scheme is used to assure secure end-to-end delivery of packets in the network. Extensive simulation has been carried out to show the efficacy of the proposed protocol to prolong the network lifetime.

2 illus, 1 table, 31 ref

006021   Ahmed M S;Hazari M R (NO, , ) : How to improve energy management in Bangladesh. J Energy envir Carbon Credits 2014, 4(2), 19-24.

Energy efficiency and demand response are essential elements in any comprehensive national energy policy. In Bangladesh energy management is not efficient and there is a lot of work to do in order to make it efficient. Several countermeasures are developed from various fields of responsibility in order to provide the sufficient and sustainable energy policy. This paper demonstrates how energy system can be managed more efficiently in Bangladesh. How more efficiently resources can be conserved while minimizing the cost and climate pollution ensuring permanent access to the energy by the people.

006020   Afridi A;Ullah S;Ali I;Khan S;Flint J A (NO, Engineering and Technology Univ, School of Electronic, Electrical and System Engineering, Loughborough Univ, LE11 3TU, UK) : Design and parametric analysis of a dual-band frequency reconfigurable planar dipole using a dual-band artificial ground plane. IETE J Res 2014, 60(1), 3-11.

This paper presents the design of dual-band frequency reconfigurable fork shape planar dipole in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band (2.4 and 5.2 GHz). The proposed antenna can be used for wireless local area network (WLAN) applications. Antenna operates in dual-band as well as single-band mode depending on switching combination. The proposed antenna gives bandwidth of 12.5% and 6.7% for 2.4 GHz and 5.2 GHz, respectively, in dual-band mode while 15.5% for 2.4 GHz in single-band mode. The performance of the antenna is analysed with a ground-free substrate and traditional perfect electric conductor (PEC) ground plane. The same antenna is mounted on a dual-band slotted mushroom-type electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) surface which improves the return loss of the antenna in both bands by -25 dB w. r. t. the PEC-based dipole antenna. The proposed antenna can be used in WLAN applications. The simulations were carried out in SEMCAD and CST MWS.

15 illus, 5 tables, 20 ref

006019    (NO, ABB Inc., Corporate Communications, 501 Merritt 7, Norwalk, Connecticut 06856, Email: www.abb.us) : Energy efficiency in the power grid. Indian J Pwr River Valley Dev 2013, 63(9-10), 130-4.

3 illus

005072   Zohrevand A;Khosrojerdi A;Jahromi S H M (Water Engineering Dep, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad Univ, Tehran, Iran, Email: dralizohrevand@gmail.com) : Analyzing earth dam seepage and phreatic surface by comprehensive porous media properties. Ecol Envir Conserv 2013, 19(2), 311-16.

Seepage is one of the parameters that must be considered in earth dams designing. To assess accurately, the most important process is the exact calculation of the highest seepage line or really phreatic surface. In this study, seven physical models, dams, with different properties were made in laboratory and the seepage quantity and phreatic surface were analyzed. The results show the effect of core, it?s width, soil texture of the materials used in dam body - soil compaction, hydraulic conductivity- and water level in the reservoir on the mentioned parameters. It can be said making physical models is a practical way to find the best solution to control seepage in earth dams. The unique characteristic of this research is using seven laboratory models with regard to more than two variables for having a comparative analysis. The results of this study can be beneficial to decrease the seepage and phreatic surface or to decrease volume of borrow stuff in earth dams.

4 illus, 5 tables, 14 ref

005071   Yadav A K;Gaur P (Division of Instrumentation and Control Engineering, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, New Delhi-110 078, Email: anilei007@gmail.com) : AI-based adaptive control and design of autopilot system for nonlinear UAV. Sadhana 2014, 39(4), 765-83.

Objective of this paper is to design an autopilot system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to control the speed and altitude using electronic throttle control system (ETCS) and elevator, respectively. A DC servo motor is used for designing of ETCS to control the throttle position for appropriate amount of air mass flow. Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based controllers such as fuzzy logic PD, fuzzy logic PD + I, self-tuning fuzzy logic PID (STF-PID) controller and fuzzy logic-based sliding mode adaptive controller (FLSMAC) are designed for stable autopilot system and are compared with conventional PI controller. The target of throttle, speed and altitude controls are to achieve a wide range of air speed, improved energy efficiency and fuel economy with reduced pollutant emission. The energy efficiency using specific energy rate per velocity of UAV is also presented, in this paper.

11 illus, 6 tables, 35 ref

005070   Xiaobin L;Shuangxi X;Weiguo W;Jun L (School of Transportation, Wuhan Univ of Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China, Email: LJY60023@yahoo.com) : Exact dynamic stiffness matrix for axially loaded double-beam systems. Sadhana 2014, 39(3), 607-23.

Exact dynamic stiffness method is presented in this paper to determine the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the axially loaded double-beam systems, which consist of two homogeneous and prismatic beams with a distributed spring in parallel between them. The effects of the axial force, shear deformation and rotary inertia are considered, as shown in the theoretical formulation. The dynamic stiffness influence coefficients are formulated from the governing differential equations of the axially loaded double-beam system in free vibration by using the Laplace transform method. An example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method, in which ten boundary conditions are investigated and the effect of the axial force on the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the double-beam system are further discussed.

5 illus, 10 tables, 17 ref

005069   Vijayakumar M;Vijayan S (Electrical and Electronics Engineering Dep, KSR College of Engineering, Tiruchengode-637 215, Email: vijaymettur@yahoo.co.in) : Design and implementation of PV-based three-phase four-wire series hybrid active power filter for power quality improvement. Sadhana 2014, 39(4), 859-77.

This paper proposes a Photovoltaic (PV)-based three-phase four-wire Series Hybrid Active Power Filter (SHAPF), it comprises of a Series Active Power Filter (SAPF) and an LC shunt passive filter. The proposed system eliminates both the current and voltage harmonics and compensates reactive power, neutral current and voltage interruption. A SAPF demands a source of energy for compensating the voltage sag/swell. This system found a new topology for SHAPF which utilizes the PV with DC-DC boost converter as a source of DC power for the series active filter. The compensation current reference evaluation is based on the twin formulation of the vec-torial theory of electrical power theorem with Fuzzy Logic-Controller (FLC). The PV array/battery managed DC-DC boost converter is employed to step up the voltage to meet the DC bus voltage requirement of the three-leg Voltage Source Inverter (VSI). The foremost benefit of the proposed system is that, it will provide uninterrupted compensation for the whole day. This system utilizes the renewable energy; accordingly saves the energy and provides the uninterruptable power supply to critical/sensitive load, through the PV array/battery bank during both day time and night time. An experimental model was established and results were obtained, which indicated the capability of the proposed control scheme.

9 illus, 4 tables, 28 ref

005068   Velmurugan S;Babuponnusami A;Gopinath K P; Kumar B S M (Chemical Engineering Dep, Adhiparasakthi Engineering College, Melmaruvathur-603 319, Email: velmuruganchemical@gmail.com) : Studies of solvent selection in extraction of oil from waste mud. Int J chem Sci,Udaipur 2013, 11(1), 546-52.

The most important adsorbent used in bleaching fats and oils is bleaching earth mixed with activated char coal. After every adsorption cycle, considerable amount of oils and fats were wasted by adsorption. In this study, we suggested an extraction process to recover oil wastes from adsorbent. Three different solvents namely, hexane, benzene and toluene were used for the experimental studies. The effective solvent was selected based on the removal efficiencies of the solvents. The influences of temperature and solvent to feed ratio were studied. The results showed that for any solvent studied, the removal efficiency increased with increase in solvent to feed ratio. Also, for any solvent at any solvent feed ratio studied, the removal efficiency increased with increase in temperature. From the results obtained hexane is considered as effective solvent for the extraction of oil from the waste mud.

3 illus, 1 table, 6 ref

005067   Thangaraj R;Thenmozhi R (Civil Engg Dep, CMS College of Engineering & Technology, Coimbatore-641 032, Email: thangaraj573@gmail.com) : Sustainable concrete using high volume fly ash from thermal power plants. Ecol Envir Conserv 2013, 19(2), 461-6.

The production of OPC consumes large amount of natural resources and energy and also releases substantial quantity of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to the atmosphere. The cement Industries all over the world produces 1.5 billion tons of OPC (ordinary portland cement) each year and it releases about 1.5 billion tons of CO₂ into the Atmosphere. As a remedy to theses issues, it is essential to find alternative binders to make concrete environmental friendly and the best solution is to replace the amount of OPC in concrete with byproduct materials such as fly ash. An important achievement in this regard is the development of high volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete that utilizes up to 60 percent of fly ash and yet possesses excellent mechanical properties with enhanced durability performance. Considering the above, experimental study on HVFA concrete beams has been made by providing 8mm dia 2 legged stirrups, at ?d? and ?d/2? depth of beams with 0.75d and half of 0.75d spacing. An attempt is also made to compare the load versus deflection of the HVFA concrete beams with conventional RCC beams and evaluated the performances of the proposed methods of confinement. In earth quake regions it becomes essential to construct the structures as a ductile one. Sudden failures due to poor workability of RC structures can be avoided, if critical sections are able to undergo large plastic deformations and to absorb large amount of strain energy. The results indicated that the confinement in the form of stirrups improves the ultimate strength and ductile behaviour of the concrete.

2 illus, 3 tables, 7 ref

005066   Tewari S;Anand T N C;Nishikant M P; Ravikrishna R V (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560 012, Email: ravikris@mecheng.iisc.ernet.in) : Liquid fuel transport in a small carburetted engine in the context of cold-start HC emission control. Sadhana 2014, 39(3), 549-71.

In the present study, a detailed visualization of the transport of fuel film has been performed in a small carburetted engine with a transparent manifold at the exit of the carburettor. The presence of fuel film is observed significantly on the lower half of the manifold at idling, while at load conditions, the film is found to be distributed all throughout the manifold walls. Quantitative measurement of the fuel film in a specially-designed manifold of square cross section has also been performed using the planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique. The measured fuel film thickness is observed to be of the order of 1 mm at idling, and in the range of 0.1 to 0.4 mm over the range of load and speed studied. These engine studies are complemented by experiments conducted in a carburettor rig to study the state of the fuel exiting the carburettor. Laser-based Particle/Droplet Image Analysis (PDTA) technique is used to identify fuel droplets and ligaments and estimate droplet diameters. At a throttle position corresponding to idling, the fuel exiting the carburettor is found to consist of very fine droplets of size less than 15 μm and large fuel ligaments associated with length scales of the order of 500 μm and higher. For a constant pressure difference across the carburettor, the fuel consists of droplets with an SMD of the order of 30 μm. Also, the effect of liquid fuel film on the cold start HC emissions is studied. Based on the understanding obtained from these studies, strategies such as manifold heating and varying carburettor main jet nozzle diameter are implemented. These are observed to reduce emissions under both idling and varying load conditions.

18 illus, 1 table, 11 ref

005065   Talbi M (High Institute of Applied Mathematics and Informatics of Kairouan, Univ of Kairouan, Kairouan, Tunisia, Email: mouradtalbi196@yahoo.fr) : Electrocardiogram de-noising based on forward wavelet transform translation invariant application in bionic wavelet domain. Sadhana 2014, 39(4), 921-37.

In this paper, we propose a new technique of Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal de-noising based on thresholding of the coefficients obtained from the application of the Forward Wavelet Transform Translation Invariant (FWT_TI) to each Bionic Wavelet coefficient. The De-noise De-noised ECG is obtained from the application of the inverse of BWT (BWT^{-1) to the de-noise de-noised bionic wavelet coefficients. For evaluating this new proposed de-noising technique, we have compared it to a thresholding technique in the FWT_TI domain. Preliminary tests of the application of the two de-noising techniques were constructed on a number of ECG signals taken from MIT-BIH database. The obtained results from Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and Mean Square Error (MSE) computations showed that our proposed de-noising technique outperforms the second technique. We have also compared the proposed technique to the thresholding technique in the bionic wavelet domain and this comparison was performed by SNR improvement computing. The obtained results from this evaluation showed that the proposed technique also outperforms the de-noising technique based on bionic wavelet coefficients thresholding.}

7 illus, 3 tables,

005064   Sivapragasma M;Deshpande M D;Ramamurthy S; White P (Automotive and Aeronautical Engineering Dep, M S Ramaiah School of Advanced Studies, Bangalore-560 058, Email: msp@msrsas.org) : Turbulent jet in confined counterflow. Sadhana 2014, 39(3), 713-29.

Mean flowfield of a turbulent jet issuing into a confined, uniform counterflow was investigated computationally. Based on dimensional analysis, the jet penetration length was shown to scale with jet-to-counterflow momentum flux ratio. This scaling and the computational results reproduce the well-known correct limit of linear growth of the jet penetration length for the unconfined case when the momentum flux ratio is small. However, for the high momentum flux ratio case corresponding to the confinement, the jet penetration length is shown to reach an asymptotic limit of about 3.57 times the confining duct diameter. This conclusion is contrary to the existing results which predict indefinite growth. A simple modification of an existing similarity solution for the jet in an unconfined counterflow provides a convenient framework for presenting the results of the flowfield and jet penetration length.

12 illus, 14 ref

005063   Singh G;Bapat H M;Singh B P;Bandyopadhyay M; Puri R K;Badodkar D N (Division of Remote Handling & Robotics, Bhabha Atomic Researh Centre, Trombay, Mumbai-400 085, Email: harsh_bapat@rediffmail.com) : Thickness evaluation of aluminium plate using pulsed eddy current technique. J Instn Engrs : Ser D 2013, 94(2), 89-93.

This paper describes a pulsed eddy current (PEC) based non-destructive testing system used for detection of thickness variation in aluminium plate. A giant magneto-resistive sensor has been used instead of pick up coil for detecting resultant magnetic field. The PEC response signals obtained from 1 to 5 mm thickness change in aluminium plate were investigated. Two time domain features, namely peak value and time to peak, of PEC response were used for extracting information about thickness variation in aluminium plate. The variation of peak value and time to peak with thickness was compared. A program was developed to display the thickness variation of the tested sample.

7 illus, 4 ref

005062   Shih-Heng T;Ming-Hsiang S;Wen-Pei S (Civil and Environmental Engineering Dep, National Univ, of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung 820, Taiwan, Email: iloveaachen@gmail.com) : Applying the digital-image-correlation technique to measure the deformation of an old building's column retrofitted with steel plate in an in situ pushover test. Sadhana 2014, 39(3), 699-711.

An in situ pushover test is carried out on an old building of Guan-Miao elementary school in south Taiwan. Columns of this building are seismically retrofitted with steel plate. The DIC (digital-image-correlation) technique is used to measure the deformation of the retrofitted column. The result shows that the DIC technique can be successfully applied to measure the relative displacement of the column. Additionally, this method leads to the measurement of relative displacements for many points on the column simultaneously. Hence, the column deformation curve, rotation and curvature can be determined using interpolation method. The resulting curvature-diagram reveals that the phenomenon of plastic hinge occurs at about 2% storey drift ratio, and that the DIC technique can be applied to measure column deformation in a full scale in situ test.

12 illus, 10 ref