Abstract: This paper presents a spectroscopic study on doping
of Vanadyl pathalocyanine (VOPc) by [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid
methyl ester (PCBM). The films are characterized by UV/Vis/NIR
spectroscopy. A drastic increase in the absorption coefficient has
been observed with increasing dopant concentration. Optical
properties of VOPc:PCBM films deposited by spin coating technique
were studied in detail. Optical band gap decreased with the PCBM
incorporation in the VOPc film. Optical band gap calculated from the
absorption spectra decreased from 3.32 eV to 3.26 eV with a
variation of 0–75 % of PCBM concentration in the VOPC films.
Abstract: Annotation of a protein sequence is pivotal for the understanding of its function. Accuracy of manual annotation provided by curators is still questionable by having lesser evidence strength and yet a hard task and time consuming. A number of computational methods including tools have been developed to tackle this challenging task. However, they require high-cost hardware, are difficult to be setup by the bioscientists, or depend on time intensive and blind sequence similarity search like Basic Local Alignment Search Tool. This paper introduces a new method of assigning highly correlated Gene Ontology terms of annotated protein sequences to partially annotated or newly discovered protein sequences. This method is fully based on Gene Ontology data and annotations. Two problems had been identified to achieve this method. The first problem relates to splitting the single monolithic Gene Ontology RDF/XML file into a set of smaller files that can be easy to assess and process. Thus, these files can be enriched with protein sequences and Inferred from Electronic Annotation evidence associations. The second problem involves searching for a set of semantically similar Gene Ontology terms to a given query. The details of macro and micro problems involved and their solutions including objective of this study are described. This paper also describes the protein sequence annotation and the Gene Ontology. The methodology of this study and Gene Ontology based protein sequence annotation tool namely extended UTMGO is presented. Furthermore, its basic version which is a Gene Ontology browser that is based on semantic similarity search is also introduced.
Abstract: The abundance and availability of rice husk, an agricultural waste, make them as a good source for precursor of activated carbon. In this work, rice husk-based activated carbons were prepared via base treated chemical activation process prior the carbonization process. The effect of carbonization temperatures (400, 600 and 800oC) on their pore structure was evaluated through morphology analysis using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Sample carbonized at 800oC showed better evolution and development of pores as compared to those carbonized at 400 and 600oC. The potential of rice husk-based activated carbon as an alternative adsorbent was investigated for the removal of Ni(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) from single metal aqueous solution. The adsorption studies using rice husk-based activated carbon as an adsorbent were carried out as a function of contact time at room temperature and the metal ions were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The ability to remove metal ion from single metal aqueous solution was found to be improved with the increasing of carbonization temperature. Among the three metal ions tested, Pb(II) ion gave the highest adsorption on rice husk-based activated carbon. The results obtained indicate the potential to utilize rice husk as a promising precursor for the preparation of activated carbon for removal of heavy metals.
Abstract: 16-Mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHDA) and tripeptide glutathione conjugated with gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) are characterized by Fourier Transform InfaRared (FTIR) spectroscopy combined with Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) technique based on FTIR spectroscopy has become an important tool in biophysics, which is perspective for the study of organic compounds. FTIR-spectra of MHDA shows the line at 2500 cm-1 attributed to thiol group which is modified by presence of Au-NPs, suggesting the formation of bond between thiol group and gold. We also can observe the peaks originate from characteristic chemical group. A Raman spectrum of the same sample is also promising. Our preliminary experiments confirm that SERS-effect takes place for MHDA connected with Au-NPs and enable us to detected small number (less than 106 cm-2) of MHDA molecules. Combination of spectroscopy methods: FTIR and SERS – enable to study optical properties of Au- NPs and immobilized bio-molecules in context of a bio-nano-sensors.
Abstract: Small signal stability causes small perturbations in the
generator that can cause instability in the power network. It is
generally known that small signal stability are directly related to the
generator and load properties. This paper examines the effects of
generator input variations on power system oscillations for a small
signal stability study. Eigenvaules and eigenvectors are used to
examine the stability of the power system. The dynamic power
system's mathematical model is constructed and thus calculated using
load flow and small signal stability toolbox on MATLAB. The power
system model is based on a 3-machine 9-bus system that was
modified to suit this study. In this paper, Participation Factors are a
means to gauge the effects of variation in generation with other
parameters on the network are also incorporated.
Abstract: This paper presents an alternative strategy of queuing
handover called Pseudo Last Useful Instant PLUI scheme for Low
Earth Orbit Mobile Satellite Systems LEO MSSs. The PLUI scheme
uses the same approach as the Last Useful Instant LUI scheme
previously proposed in literature, with less complex implementation.
Simulation tests were carried out using Dynamic Channel Allocation
DCA in order to evaluate the performance of this scheme and also an
analytical approach has been presented to allow the performance
evaluation of Fixed Channel Allocation FCA, with different
handover queuing disciplines. The results show that performances
achieved by the proposed strategy are close to those achieved using
the LUI scheme.
Abstract: Power system stabilizers (PSS) are now routinely used in the industry to damp out power system oscillations. In this paper, particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique is applied to design a robust power system stabilizer (PSS). The design problem of the proposed controller is formulated as an optimization problem and PSO is employed to search for optimal controller parameters. By minimizing the time-domain based objective function, in which the deviation in the oscillatory rotor speed of the generator is involved; stability performance of the system is improved. The non-linear simulation results are presented under wide range of operating conditions; disturbances at different locations as well as for various fault clearing sequences to show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller and their ability to provide efficient damping of low frequency oscillations. Further, all the simulations results are compared with a conventionally designed power system stabilizer to show the superiority of the proposed design approach.
Abstract: The MFCAV Riemann solver is practically used in many Lagrangian or ALE methods due to its merit of sharp shock profiles and rarefaction corners, though very often with numerical oscillations. By viewing it as a modification of the WWAM Riemann solver, we apply the MFCAV Riemann solver to the Lagrangian method recently developed by Maire. P. H et. al.. The numerical experiments show that the application is successful in that the shock profiles and rarefaction corners are sharpened compared with results obtained using other Riemann solvers. Though there are still numerical oscillations, they are within the range of the MFCAV applied in onther Lagrangian methods.
Abstract: The purpose of my research proposal is to
demonstrate that there is a relationship between EEG and
endometrial cancer.
The above relationship is based on an Aristotelian Syllogism;
since it is known that the 14-3-3 protein is related to the electrical
activity of the brain via control of the flow of Na+ and K+ ions and
since it is also known that many types of cancer are associated with
14-3-3 protein, it is possible that there is a relationship between EEG
and cancer. This research will be carried out by well-defined
diagnostic indicators, obtained via the EEG, using signal processing
procedures and pattern recognition tools such as neural networks in
order to recognize the endometrial cancer type. The current research
shall compare the findings from EEG and hysteroscopy performed on
women of a wide age range. Moreover, this practice could be
expanded to other types of cancer. The implementation of this
methodology will be completed with the creation of an ontology.
This ontology shall define the concepts existing in this research-s
domain and the relationships between them. It will represent the
types of relationships between hysteroscopy and EEG findings.
Abstract: Bacterial cellulose, a biopolysaccharide, is produced by the bacterium, Gluconacetobacter xylinus. Static batch fermentation for bacterial cellulose production was studied in sucrose and date syrup solutions (Bx. 10%) at 28 °C using G. xylinus (PTCC, 1734). Results showed that the maximum yields of bacterial cellulose (BC) were 4.35 and 1.69 g/l00 ml for date syrup and sucrose medium after 336 hours fermentation period, respectively. Comparison of FTIR spectrum of cellulose with BC indicated appropriate coincidence which proved that the component produced by G. xylinus was cellulose. Determination of the area under X-ray diffractometry patterns demonstrated that the crystallinity amount of cellulose (83.61%) was more than that for the BC (60.73%). The scanning electron microscopy imaging of BC and cellulose were carried out in two magnifications of 1 and 6K. Results showed that the diameter ratio of BC to cellulose was approximately 1/30 which indicated more delicacy of BC fibers relative to cellulose.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the chemical
degradation of the organophosphorus pesticide of parathion and
carbamate insecticide of methomyl in the aqueous phase through
Fenton process. With the employment of batch Fenton process, the
degradation of the two selected pesticides at different pH, initial
concentration, humic acid concentration, and Fenton reagent dosages
was explored. The Fenton process was found effective to degrade
parathion and methomyl. The optimal dosage of Fenton reagents (i.e.,
molar concentration ratio of H2O2 to Fe2+) at pH 7 for parathion
degradation was equal to 3, which resulted in 50% removal of
parathion. Similarly, the optimal dosage for methomyl degradation
was 1, resulting in 80% removal of methomyl. This study also found
that the presence of humic substances has enhanced pesticide
degradation by Fenton process significantly. The mass spectroscopy
results showed that the hydroxyl free radical may attack the single
bonds with least energy of investigated pesticides to form smaller
molecules which is more easily to degrade either through
physio-chemical or bilolgical processes.
Abstract: The nonlinear chaotic non-autonomous fourth order
system is algebraically simple but can generate complex chaotic
attractors. In this paper, non-autonomous fourth order chaotic
oscillator circuits were designed and simulated. Also chaotic nonautonomous
Attractor is addressed suitable for chaotic masking
communication circuits using Matlab® and MultiSIM® programs.
We have demonstrated in simulations that chaos can be synchronized
and applied to signal masking communications. We suggest that this
phenomenon of chaos synchronism may serve as the basis for little
known chaotic non-autonomous Attractor to achieve signal masking
communication applications. Simulation results are used to visualize
and illustrate the effectiveness of non-autonomous chaotic system in
signal masking. All simulations results performed on nonautonomous
chaotic system are verify the applicable of secure
communication.
Abstract: The present microfluidic study is emphasizing the flow behavior within a Y shape micro-bifurcation in two similar flow configurations. We report here a numerical and experimental investigation on the velocity profiles evolution and secondary flows, manifested at different Reynolds numbers (Re) and for two different boundary conditions. The experiments are performed using special designed setup based on optical microscopic devices. With this setup, direct visualizations and quantitative measurements of the path-lines are obtained. A Micro-PIV measurement system is used to obtain velocity profiles distributions in a spatial evolution in the main flows domains. The experimental data is compared with numerical simulations performed with commercial computational code FLUENT in a 3D geometry with the same dimensions as the experimental one. The numerical flow patterns are found to be in good agreement with the experimental manifestations.
Abstract: The paper presents an investigation in to the effect of neural network predictive control of UPFC on the transient stability performance of a multimachine power system. The proposed controller consists of a neural network model of the test system. This model is used to predict the future control inputs using the damped Gauss-Newton method which employs ‘backtracking’ as the line search method for step selection. The benchmark 2 area, 4 machine system that mimics the behavior of large power systems is taken as the test system for the study and is subjected to three phase short circuit faults at different locations over a wide range of operating conditions. The simulation results clearly establish the robustness of the proposed controller to the fault location, an increase in the critical clearing time for the circuit breakers, and an improved damping of the power oscillations as compared to the conventional PI controller.
Abstract: Chemical and physical functionalization of multiwalled
carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) has been commonly practiced to
achieve better dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in polymer
matrix. This work describes various functionalization methods (acidtreatment,
non-ionic surfactant treatment with TritonX-100),
fabrication of MWCNT/PP nanocomposites via melt blending and
characterization of mechanical properties. Microscopy analysis
(FESEM, TEM, XPS) showed effective purification of MWCNTs
under acid treatment, and better dispersion under both chemical and
physical functionalization techniques combined, in their respective
order. Tensile tests showed increase in tensile strength for the
nanocomposites that contain MWCNTs up to 2 wt%. A decrease in
tensile strength was seen in samples that contain 4 wt% of MWCNTs
for both raw and Triton X-100 functionalized, signifying MWCNT
degradation/rebundling at composition with higher content of
MWCNTs. For the acid-treated MWCNTs, however, the tensile
results showed slight improvement even at 4wt%, indicating effective
dispersion of MWCNTs.
Abstract: In this study, Li4SiO4 powder was successfully
synthesized via sol gel method followed by drying at 150oC. Lithium
oxide, Li2O and silicon oxide, SiO2 were used as the starting
materials with citric acid as the chelating agent. The obtained powder
was then sintered at various temperatures. Crystallographic phase
analysis, morphology and ionic conductivity were investigated
systematically employing X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transform
Infrared, Scanning Electron Microscopy and AC impedance
spectroscopy. XRD result showed the formation of pure monoclinic
Li4SiO4 crystal structure with lattice parameters a = 5.140 Å, b =
6.094 Å, c = 5.293 Å, β = 90o in the sample sintered at 750oC. This
observation was confirmed by FTIR analysis. The bulk conductivity
of this sample at room temperature was 3.35 × 10-6 S cm-1 and the
highest bulk conductivity of 1.16 × 10-4 S cm-1 was obtained at
100°C. The results indicated that, the Li4SiO4 compound has
potential to be used as host for LISICON structured solid electrolyte
for low temperature application.
Abstract: The increasing interest in plant sterol enriched foods
is due to the fact that they reduce blood cholesterol concentrations
without adverse side effects. In this context, enriched foods with
phytosterols may be helpful in protecting population against
atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present
work was to evaluate in a population of Viseu, Portugal, the
consumption habits low-fat, plant sterol-enriched yoghurt. For this
study, 577 inquiries were made and the sample was randomly
selected for people shopping in various supermarkets. The
preliminary results showed that the biggest consumers of these
products were women aged 45 to 65 years old. Most of the people
who claimed to buy these products consumed them once a day. Also,
most of the consumers under antidyslipidemic therapeutics noticed
positive effects on hypercholesterolemia.
Abstract: The ability of the brain to organize information and generate the functional structures we use to act, think and communicate, is a common and easily observable natural phenomenon. In object-oriented analysis, these structures are represented by objects. Objects have been extensively studied and documented, but the process that creates them is not understood. In this work, a new class of discrete, deterministic, dissipative, host-guest dynamical systems is introduced. The new systems have extraordinary self-organizing properties. They can host information representing other physical systems and generate the same functional structures as the brain does. A simple mathematical model is proposed. The new systems are easy to simulate by computer, and measurements needed to confirm the assumptions are abundant and readily available. Experimental results presented here confirm the findings. Applications are many, but among the most immediate are object-oriented engineering, image and voice recognition, search engines, and Neuroscience.
Abstract: Electro Chemical Discharge Machining (ECDM) is an
emerging hybrid machining process used in precision machining of hard and brittle non-conducting materials. The present paper gives a
critical review on materials machined by ECDM under the prevailing machining conditions; capability indicators of the process are
reported. Some results obtained while performing experiments in micro-channeling on soda lime glass using ECDM are also presented. In these experiments, Tool Wear (TW) and Material Removal (MR)
were studied using design of experiments and L–4 orthogonal array. Experimental results showed that the applied voltage was the most influencing parameter in both MR and TW studies. Field
emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) results obtained on the microchannels confirmed the presence of micro-cracks, primarily responsible for MR. Chemical etching was also seen along the edges.
The Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) results were used to detect the elements present in the debris and specimens.
Abstract: In this study, the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP)with Back-Propagation learning algorithm are used to classify to effective diagnosis Parkinsons disease(PD).It-s a challenging problem for medical community.Typically characterized by tremor, PD occurs due to the loss of dopamine in the brains thalamic region that results in involuntary or oscillatory movement in the body. A feature selection algorithm along with biomedical test values to diagnose Parkinson disease.Clinical diagnosis is done mostly by doctor-s expertise and experience.But still cases are reported of wrong diagnosis and treatment. Patients are asked to take number of tests for diagnosis.In many cases,not all the tests contribute towards effective diagnosis of a disease.Our work is to classify the presence of Parkinson disease with reduced number of attributes.Original,22 attributes are involved in classify.We use Information Gain to determine the attributes which reduced the number of attributes which is need to be taken from patients.The Artificial neural networks is used to classify the diagnosis of patients.Twenty-Two attributes are reduced to sixteen attributes.The accuracy is in training data set is 82.051% and in the validation data set is 83.333%.