Abstract: Intrabody communication (IBC) is a new way of transferring data using human body as a medium. Minute current can travel though human body without any harm. IBC can remove electrical wires for human area network. IBC can be also a secure communication network system unlike wireless networks which can be accessed by anyone with bad intentions. One of the IBC systems is based on frequency shift keying modulation where individual data are transmitted to the external devices for the purpose of secure access such as digital door lock. It was found that the quality of IBC data transmission was heavily dependent on ground configurations of electronic circuits. Reliable IBC transmissions were not possible when both of the transmitter and receiver used batteries as circuit power source. Transmission was reliable when power supplies were used as power source for both transmitting and receiving sites because the common ground was established through the grounds of instruments such as power supply and oscilloscope. This was due to transmission dipole size and the ground effects of floor and AC power line. If one site used battery as power source and the other site used the AC power as circuit power source, transmission was possible.
Abstract: The acidity (citric acid) is the one of chemical content that can be refer to the internal quality and it’s a maturity index of tomato, The titratable acidity (%TA) can be predicted by a non-destructive method prediction by using the transmittance short wavelength (SW-NIR) spectroscopy in the wavelength range between 665-955 nm. The set of 167 tomato samples divided into groups of 117 tomatoes sample for training set and 50 tomatoes sample for test set were used to establish the calibration model to predict and measure %TA by partial least squares regression (PLSR) technique. The spectra were pretreated with MSC pretreatment and it gave the optimal result for calibration model as (R = 0.92, RMSEC = 0.03%) and this model obtained high accuracy result to use for %TA prediction in test set as (R = 0.81, RMSEP = 0.05%). From the result of prediction in test set shown that the transmittance SW-NIR spectroscopy technique can be used for a non-destructive method for %TA prediction of tomato.
Abstract: Blood gamma irradiation is the only available method
to prevent transfusion associated graft versus host disease (TAGVHD).
However, when blood is irradiated, determine blood shelf
time is crucial. Non irradiated blood have a self-time from 21 to 35
days when is preserved with anticoagulated solution and stored at
4°C. During their storage, red blood cells (RBC) undergo a series of
biochemical, biomechanical and molecular changes involving what is
known as storage lesion (SL). SL include loss of structural integrity
of RBC, decrease of 2,3-diphosphatidylglyceric acid levels, and
increase of both ion potassium concentration and hemoglobin (Hb).
On the other hand, Atomic force Microscopy (AFM) represents a
versatile tool for a nano-scale high resolution topographic analysis in
biological systems. In order to evaluate SL in irradiated and nonirradiated
blood, RBC topography and morphometric parameters
were obtained from an AFM XE-BIO system. Cell viability was
followed using flow cytometry. Our results showed that early
markers as nanoscale roughness, allow us to evaluate blood quality
since other perspective.
Abstract: Two new metal-based anticancer chemotherapeutic
agents, [(Ph2Sn)2(HGuO)2(phen)Cl2] 1 and [(Ph3Sn)(HGuO)(phen)]-
Cl.CH3OH.H2O 2, were designed, prepared and characterized by
analytical and spectral (IR, ESI-Mass, 1H, 13C and 119Sn NMR)
techniques. The proposed geometry of Sn(IV) in 1 and 2 is distorted
octahedral and distorted trigonal-bipyramidal, respectively. Both 1
and 2 exhibit potential cytotoxicity in vitro against MCF-7, HepG-2
and DU-145 cell lines. The intrinsic binding constant (Kb) values of 1
(2.33 × 105 M-1) and 2 (2.46 × 105 M-1) evaluated from UV-Visible
absorption studies suggest non-classical electrostatic mode of
interaction via phosphate backbone of DNA double helix. The Stern-
Volmer quenching constant (Ksv) of 1 (9.74 × 105 M-1) and 2 (2.9 ×
106 M-1) determined by fluorescence studies suggests the groove
binding and intercalation mode for 1 and 2, respectively. Effective
cleavage of pBR322 DNA is induced by 1.Their interaction with
DNA of cancer cells may account for potency.
Abstract: Various biomass based resources, which can be used
as an extender, or a complete substitute of diesel fuel may have very
significant role in the development of agriculture, industrial and
transport sectors in the energy crisis. Use of Karanja oil methyl ester
biodiesel in a CI DI engine was found highly compatible with engine
performance along with lower exhaust emission as compared to
diesel fuel but with slightly higher NOx emission and low wear
characteristics. The combustion related properties of vegetable oils
are somewhat similar to diesel oil. Neat vegetable oils or their blends
with diesel, however, pose various long-term problems in
compression ignition engines. These undesirable features of
vegetable oils are because of their inherent properties like high
viscosity, low volatility, and polyunsaturated character. Pongamia
methyl ester (PME) was prepared by transesterification process using
methanol for long term engine operations. The physical and
combustion-related properties of the fuels thus developed were found
to be closer to that of the diesel. A neat biodiesel (PME) was selected
as a fuel for the tribological study of biofuels.
Two similar new engines were completely disassembled and
subjected to dimensioning of various vital moving parts and then
subjected to long-term endurance tests on neat biodiesel and diesel
respectively. After completion of the test, both the engines were
again disassembled for physical inspection and wear measurement of
various vital parts. The lubricating oil samples drawn from both
engines were subjected to atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) for
measurement of various wear metal traces present. The additional
lubricating property of biodiesel fuel due to higher viscosity as
compared to diesel fuel resulted in lower wear of moving parts and
thus improved the engine durability with a bio-diesel fuel. Results
reported from AAS tests confirmed substantially lower wear and thus
improved life for biodiesel operated engines.
Abstract: Nanoscale thermites such as the composite mixture of
nano-sized aluminum and molybdenum trioxide powders possess
several technical advantages such as much higher reaction rate and
shorter ignition delay, when compared to the conventional energetic
formulations made of micron-sized metal and oxidizer particles. In this
study, the self-propagation of combustion wave in compacted pellets
of nanoscale thermite composites is modeled and computationally
investigated by utilizing the activation energy reduction of aluminum
particles due to nanoscale particle sizes. The present computational
model predicts the speed of combustion wave propagation which is
good agreement with the corresponding experiments of thermite
reaction. Also, several characteristics of thermite reaction in nanoscale
composites are discussed including the ignition delay and combustion
wave structures.
Abstract: The study aimed to collect morphological data of
secretory structures that contribute to taxonomy of Indigofera. Detail
features of trichomes occurrence in vegetative and reproductive
organs of Indigofera wightii Grah. ex Wigh & Arn., a species
traditionally used as source of indigo to dye “Thaisongdam” clothing
were investigated. Examination through light microscopy and
scanning electrom microscopy were done. Non secretory, T-shaped
trichomes appeared throughout surfaces of stems, leaves, flowers and
fruits. Secretory or glandular trichomes occurred in two types; one
has big cylindrical head and short peduncle, distributed on adaxial
surface of sepals and around the pedicel, whereas another possesses
smaller cylindrical head but long peduncle. The latter was found on
apical surface of immature pods. No phenolic and lipophilic
compounds were detected from these glands.
Abstract: This research studies the electroplating of zinc coating
in the zinc chloride bath mixed with supercritical CO2. The sodium
fluoride (NaF) was used as the bath additive to change the structure
and property of the coating, and therefore the roughness and corrosion
resistance of the zinc coating was investigated. The surface
characterization was performed using optical microscope (OM), X-ray
diffractometer (XRD), and α-step profilometer. Moreover, the
potentiodynamic polarization measurement in 3% NaCl solution was
employed in the corrosion resistance evaluation. Because of the
emulsification of the electrolyte mixed in Sc-CO2, the electroplated
zinc produced the coating with smoother surface, smaller grain, better
throwing power and higher corrosion resistance. The main role played
by the NaF was to reduce the coating’s roughness and grain size. In
other words, the CO2 mixed with the electrolyte under the supercritical
condition performed the similar function as brighter and leveler in zinc
electroplating to enhance the throwing power and corrosion resistance
of the coating.
Abstract: A mechanically-resonant torsional spring scanner was developed in a recent study. Various methods were developed to improve the angular displacement of the scanner while maintaining the scanner frequency. However the effects of rotor magnet radial position on scanner characteristics were not well investigated. In this study, the relationships between the magnet position and the scanner characteristics such as natural frequency, angular displacement and stress level were studied. A finite element model was created and an average deviation of 3.18% was found between the simulation and experimental results, qualifying the simulation results as a guide for further investigations. Three magnet positions on the transverse oscillating suspended plate were investigated by finite element analysis (FEA) and one of the positions were selected as the design position. The magnet position with the longest distance from the twist axis of mirror was selected since it attains minimum stress level, while exceeding the minimum critical flicker frequency and delivering the targeted angular displacement to the scanner.
Abstract: The advent of Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) is giving rise to a new family of power electronic equipment emerging for controlling and optimizing the performance of power system, e.g. STATCOM. Static synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) is a commonly used FACTS device and has been successfully applied in power systems. In this sense, superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) in integration with a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) is capable of supplying power systems with both active and reactive powers simultaneously and very rapidly, and thus is able to enhance the security dramatically. In this paper the structure and characteristics of the STATCOM/SMES is proposed. In addition, using a proper control scheme, STATCOM/ SMES is tested on an IEEE 3-bus system and more effective performance of the presented STATCOM/SMES compensator is evaluated with alone STATCOM through the dynamic simulation by using PSCAD/EMTDC software.
Abstract: In communication systems, frequency jump is a serious problem caused by the oscillators used. Kalman filters are used to detect that jump, despite the tradeoff between the noise level and the speed of the detection. In this paper, an improvement is introduced in the Kalman filter, through a nonlinear change in the bandwidth of the filter. Simulation results show a considerable improvement in the filter speed with a very low noise level. Additionally, the effect on the response to false alarms is also presented and false alarm rate show improvement.
Abstract: In this research, it is aimed not only microwave synthesis of magnesium borates but also evaluation of magnesium wastes. Synthesis process can be described with the reaction of Mg wastes and boric acid using microwave energy. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) were applied to synthesized minerals. According to XRD results, magnesium borate hydrate mixtures were obtained as mcallisterite (pdf# = 01-070-1902, Mg2(B6O7(OH)6)2.9(H2O)) at higher crystallinity properties was achieved at the mole ratio raw material 1:1. Also, other kinds of magnesium borate hydrates were obtained at lower crystallinity such as admontite (pdf # = 01-076-0540, MgO(B2O3)3.7(H2O)), inderite (pdf # = 01-072-2308, 2MgO.3B2O3.15(H2O)) and magnesium borate hydrates (pdf # = 01-076-0539, MgO(B2O3)3.6(H2O)). FT-IR spectrums indicated that minor changes were seen at the band values of characteristic stretching in each experiment. At the end of experiments it is seen that using microwave energy may contribute positive effects to design of synthesis process such as reducing reaction time and products at higher crystallinity.
Abstract: Zinc borate is an important boron compound that can be used as multi-functional flame retardant additive due to its high dehydration temperature property. In this study, theraw materials of ZnSO4.7H2O, NaOH and H3BO3werecharacterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and used in the synthesis of zinc borates.The synthesis parameters were set to 100°C reaction temperature and 120 minutes of reaction time, with different molar ratio of starting materials (ZnSO4.7H2O:NaOH:H3BO3). After the zinc borate synthesis, the identifications of the products were conducted by XRD and FT-IR. As a result,Zinc Oxide Borate Hydrate [Zn3B6O12.3.5H2O], were synthesized at the molar ratios of 1:1:3, 1:1:4, 1:2:5 and 1:2:6. Among these ratios 1:2:6 had the best results.
Abstract: This paper deals with the assessment of faulted area around an industrial customer connected to a particular electric grid that will cause a certain sag magnitude on this customer. The faulted (critical or exposed) area’s length is calculated by adding all line lengths in the neighborhood of the critical node (customer). The applied method is the so-called Method of Critical Distances. By using advanced short-circuit analysis, the Critical Area can be accurately calculated for radial and meshed power networks due to all symmetrical and asymmetrical faults. For the demonstration of the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, a study case is used.
Abstract: The increasing penetration of Distributed Generation and storage connected to the distribution network via PWM converters increases the possibility of a DC-component (offset) in voltage or current flowing into the grid. This occurs when even harmonics are present in the network voltage. DC-components can affect the operation and safety of several grid components. Therefore, an investigation of the way they are produced is important in order to take appropriate measures for their elimination. Further research on DC-components that appear on output voltage of converters is performed for different parameters of PWM technique and characteristics of even harmonics.
Abstract: In this article our research focused on study of basic physical and mechanical parameters of polymer-cement repair materials is presented. Namely the influence of applied aggregates in combination with active admixture is specially considered. New formulas which were exposed in ambient with temperature even to 1000°C were suggested. Subsequently densities and strength characteristics including their changes were evaluated. Selected samples were analyzed using electron microscope. The positive influence of porous aggregates based on sintered ash was definitely demonstrated. Further it was found than in terms of thermal resistance the effective micro silica amount represents 5% to 7.5% of cement weight.
Abstract: In this study, the Mo-electrode thin films were deposited using two-stepped process and the high purity copper indium selenide-based powder (CuInSe2, CIS) was fabricated by using hydrothermal process by Nanowin Technology Co. Ltd. Because the CIS powder was aggregated into microscale particles, the CIS power was ground into nano-scale particles. 6 wt% CIS particles were mixed and dispersed into isopropyl alcohol (IPA). A new non-vacuum thin-film deposition process, spray coating method (SPM), was investigated to deposit the high-densified CIS absorber layers. 0.1 ml CIS solution was sprayed on the 20 mm×10 mm Mo/glass substrates and then the CuInSe2 thin films were annealed in a selenization furnace using N2 as atmosphere. The annealing temperature and time were set at 550oC and 5 min, and 0.0g~0.6g extra Se content was added in the furnace. The influences of extra Se content on the densification, crystallization, resistivity (ρ), hall mobility (μ), and carrier concentration of the CIS absorber layers were well investigated in this study.
Abstract: We have developed a polyimide based neural interface electrode to record nerve signals from the sciatic nerve of a rat. The neural interface electrode has a split-ring shape, with four protruding gold electrodes for recording, and two reference gold electrodes around the split-ring. The split-ring electrode can be opened up to encircle the sciatic nerve. The four electrodes can be bent to sit on top of the nerve and hold the device in position, while the split-ring frame remains flat. In comparison, while traditional cuff electrodes can only fit certain sizes of the nerve, the developed device can fit a variety of rat sciatic nerve dimensions from 0.6 mm to 1.0 mm, and adapt to the chronic changes in the nerve as the electrode tips are bendable. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement was conducted. The gold electrode impedance is on the order of 10 kΩ, showing excellent charge injection capacity to record neural signals.
Abstract: In this paper, we have investigated the free convection MHD flow due to heat and mass transfer through porous medium bounded by an infinite vertical non-conducting porous plate with time dependent suction under the influence of uniform transverse magnetic field of strength H0. When Temperature (T) and Concentration (C) at the plate is oscillatory with time about a constant non-zero mean. The velocity distribution, the temperature distribution, co-efficient of skin friction and role of heat transfer is investigated. Here the partial differential equations are involved. Exact solution is not possible so approximate solution is obtained and various graphs are plotted.
Abstract: Diverse contaminants released into the environment through progress of urbanization and industrialization adversely affect human health. Among various sources of contaminants, especially, in big cities, automobiles play a significant role in aggravating the pollution. Various pollutants viz., heavy metals (Pb, Mn, Ni, Zn, As, Hg, Cd) and Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (Benzo-a-pyrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo-b-anthracene, benzo-b-fluoranthene, acenaphthylene, fluorine, phenantherene, anthracene, chrysene, benzo-k-fluoranthene, benzo-e-pyrene, indenol-1,2,3-cd-pyrene, dibenzo-a,h-anthracene, benzo-ghi-perylene) are released by vehicles. Further, these pollutants are expected to cause severe mutagenic, genotoxic and carcinogenic effects. Considering this, many authors monitored the levels of pollution in roadside soil, water and plants. The present review focuses upon the analysis and effects of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the roadside samples.