Search results for: electrical treeing mechanism

Authors: Yuting Wu, Faraz Choudhury, Daniel Benjamin, James Whalin, Joshua Blatz, Leon Shohet, Michael Sussman, Mark Richards

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Plasma-Induced Modification of Biomolecules (PLIMB) has been developed as a technology, which, together with mass spectrometry, measures three-dimensional structural characteristics of proteins. This technique uses hydroxyl radicals generated by atmospheric-pressure plasma discharge to react with the solvent-accessible side chains of protein in an aqueous solution. In this work, we investigate the three-dimensional structure of hemoglobin and myoglobin using PLIMB. Additional modifications to these proteins, such as oxidation, fragmentations, and conformational changes caused by PLIMB are also explored. These results show that PLIMB, coupled with mass spectrometry, is an effective way to determine solvent access to hemoproteins. Furthermore, we show that many factors, including pH and the electrical parameters used to generate the plasma, have a significant influence on solvent accessibility.

Keywords: plasma, hemoglobin, myoglobin, solvent access

Procedia PDF Downloads 180

Authors: A. A. Abaker Omer, H. B. Mohamed Balh, W. Liu, A. Abas, J. Yu, S. Li, W. Ma, W. El Kolaly, Y. Y. Ahmed Abuker

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We have discovered an important technical solution that could make new approaches in the processing of wet silicon etching, especially in the production of photovoltaic cells. During its inferior light-trapping and structural properties, the inverted pyramid structure outperforms the conventional pyramid textures and black silicone. The traditional pyramid textures and black silicon can only be accomplished with more advanced lithography, laser processing, etc. Importantly, our data demonstrate the feasibility of an inverted pyramidal structure of silicon via one-step Cu-catalyzed chemical etching (CCCE) in Cu (NO₃)₂/HF/H₂O₂/H₂O solutions. The effects of etching time and reaction temperature on surface geometry and light trapping were systematically investigated. The conclusion shows that the inverted pyramid structure has ultra-low reflectivity of ~4.2% in the wavelength of 300~1000 nm; introduce of Cu particles can significantly accelerate the dissolution of the silicon wafer. The etching and the inverted pyramid structure formation mechanism are discussed. Inverted pyramid structure with outstanding anti-reflectivity includes useful applications throughout the manufacture of semi-conductive industry-compatible solar cells, and can have significant impacts on industry colleagues and populations.

Keywords: Cu-catalyzed chemical etching, inverted pyramid nanostructured, reflection, solar cells

Procedia PDF Downloads 146

Authors: Amel Ourici

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An electrical machine failure that is not identified in an initial stage may become catastrophic and it may suffer severe damage. Thus, undetected machine faults may cascade in it failure, which in turn may cause production shutdowns. Such shutdowns are costly in terms of lost production time, maintenance costs, and wasted raw materials. Doubly fed induction generators are used mainly for wind energy conversion in MW power plants. This paper presents a detection of an inter turn stator fault in a doubly fed induction machine whose stator and rotor are supplied by two pulse width modulation (PWM) inverters. The method used in this article to detect this fault, is based on Park’s Vector Approach, using a neural network.

Keywords: doubly fed induction machine, PWM inverter, inter turn stator fault, Park’s vector approach, neural network

Procedia PDF Downloads 600

Authors: Veselin Konstantinov Hristov

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In recent years, the lease contract has become more and more applicable and occupies a key place in commercial relations and business. In Bulgaria, the legal regulation of the leasing contract is relatively new and imperfectly developed. There are many legal loopholes and it is they that determine the need for a comparative legal analysis. The purpose of the study is to analyze the various European legislations regarding the leasing contract and to find effective solutions for the legal system of Bulgaria. First of all, are examined the concept of the leasing contract, which originated in the United States of America around the 1950s and spread in Europe, and the etymology of the term "leasing". After that, the main types of lease contracts – financial and operational – are examined and analyzed in detail. Their features and characteristics were studied, as well as a comparative analysis was made between them. Next, in the research, a comparative-legal analysis of the leasing contract in different European countries was made in terms of its development and distribution, as well as its legal characteristics. The mechanism of action and functioning of the leasing contract in several European countries is analyzed. Conclusions are made regarding the legal framework under which the lease contract is most effective. Types of leasing contracts specific only to certain European countries and their advantages are examined. In conclusion, recommendations are made to improve the legal framework of the leasing contract in Bulgaria.

Keywords: alternative financing, leasing contract, financing instruments, innovation

Procedia PDF Downloads 77

Authors: Xiaoming Jiang, Jinqiao Shi, Qingfeng Tan, Wentao Zhang, Xuebin Wang, Muqian Chen

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Nowadays, big companies such as Google, Microsoft, which have adequate proxy servers, have perfectly implemented their web crawlers for a certain website in parallel. But due to lack of expensive proxy servers, it is still a puzzle for researchers to crawl large amounts of information from a single website in parallel. In this case, it is a good choice for researchers to use free public proxy servers which are crawled from the Internet. In order to improve efficiency of web crawler, the following two issues should be considered primarily: (1) Tasks may fail owing to the instability of free proxy servers; (2) A proxy server will be blocked if it visits a single website frequently. In this paper, we propose Proxisch, an optimization approach of large-scale unstable proxy servers scheduling, which allow anyone with extremely low cost to run a web crawler efficiently. Proxisch is designed to work efficiently by making maximum use of reliable proxy servers. To solve second problem, it establishes a frequency control mechanism which can ensure the visiting frequency of any chosen proxy server below the website’s limit. The results show that our approach performs better than the other scheduling algorithms.

Keywords: proxy server, priority queue, optimization algorithm, distributed web crawling

Procedia PDF Downloads 207

Authors: Gloria A. Adewumi, Andrew C. Eloka-Eboka, Freddie L. Inambao

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Bio-based carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have received considerable research attention due to their comparative advantages of high level stability, simplistic use, low toxicity and overall environmental friendliness. New potentials for improvement in heat transfer applications are presented due to their high aspect ratio, high thermal conductivity and special surface area. Phonons have been identified as being responsible for thermal conductivities in carbon nanotubes. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of heat conduction in CNTs involves investigating the difference between the varieties of phonon modes and knowing the kinds of phonon modes that play the dominant role. In this review, a reference to a different number of studies is made and in addition, the role of phonon relaxation rate mainly controlled by boundary scattering and three-phonon Umklapp scattering process was investigated. Results show that the phonon modes are sensitive to a number of nanotube conditions such as: diameter, length, temperature, defects and axial strain. At a low temperature (<100K) the thermal conductivity increases with increasing temperature. A small nanotube size causes phonon quantization which is evident in the thermal conductivity at low temperatures.

Keywords: carbon nanotubes, phonons, thermal conductivity, Umklapp process

Procedia PDF Downloads 355

Authors: Ketan Naik, P. H. Bhathawala

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The purpose of this work is to develop a mathematical model of Human Cardiovascular System using lumped parameter method. The model is divided in three parts: Systemic Circulation, Pulmonary Circulation and the Heart. The established mathematical model has been simulated by MATLAB software. The innovation of this study is in describing the system based on the vessel diameters and simulating mathematical equations with active electrical elements. Terminology of human physical body and required physical data like vessel’s radius, thickness etc., which are required to calculate circuit parameters like resistance, inductance and capacitance, are proceeds from well-known medical books. The developed model is useful to understand the anatomic of human cardiovascular system and related syndromes. The model is deal with vessel’s pressure and blood flow at certain time.

Keywords: cardiovascular system, lumped parameter method, mathematical modeling, simulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 330

Authors: Cuong V Nguyen, Ralph Horne, John Fien, France Cheong

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Social vulnerability to climate change is increasingly being acknowledged, and proposals to measure and manage it are emerging. Building upon this work, this paper proposes an approach to social vulnerability assessment using a new mechanism to aggregate and account for causal relationships among components of a Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). To operationalize this index, the authors propose a means to develop an appropriate primary dataset, through application of a specifically-designed household survey questionnaire. The data collection and analysis, including calibration and calculation of the SVI is demonstrated through application in case study city in central coastal Vietnam. The calculation of SVI at the fine-grained local neighbourhood scale provides high resolution in vulnerability assessment, and also obviates the need for secondary data, which may be unavailable or problematic, particularly at the local scale in developing countries. The SVI household survey is underpinned by the results of a Delphi survey, an in-depth interview and focus group discussions with local environmental professionals and community members. The research reveals inherent limitations of existing SVIs but also indicates the potential for their use in assessing social vulnerability and making decisions associated with responding to climate change at the local scale.

Keywords: climate change, local scale, social vulnerability, social vulnerability index

Procedia PDF Downloads 426

Authors: Mohamad Ghozali Hassan, Abdul Aziz Othman, Mohd Azril Ismail

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Adapting quickly to environmental dynamism is essential for an organization to develop outsourcing strategic and management in order to sustain competitive advantage. This research used the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) tool to investigate the factors of environmental dynamism impact on the strategic outsourcing success among electrical and electronic manufacturing industries in outsourcing management. Statistical results confirm that the inclusion of customer demand, technological change, and competition level as a new combination concept of environmental dynamism, has positive effects on outsourcing success. Additionally, this research demonstrates the acceptability of PLS-SEM as a statistical analysis to furnish a better understanding of environmental dynamism in outsourcing management in Malaysia. A practical finding contributes to academics and practitioners in the field of outsourcing management.

Keywords: environmental dynamism, customer demand, technological change, competition level, outsourcing success

Procedia PDF Downloads 494

Authors: Kamalendu Pal

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This paper describes the main features of a knowledge-based system evaluation method. System evaluation is placed in the context of a hybrid legal decision-support system, Advisory Support for Home Settlement in Divorce (ASHSD). Legal knowledge for ASHSD is represented in two forms, as rules and previously decided cases. Besides distinguishing the two different forms of knowledge representation, the paper outlines the actual use of these forms in a computational framework that is designed to generate a plausible solution for a given case, by using rule-based reasoning (RBR) and case-based reasoning (CBR) in an integrated environment. The nature of suitability assessment of a solution has been considered as a multiple criteria decision making process in ASHAD evaluation. The evaluation was performed by a combination of discussions and questionnaires with different user groups. The answers to questionnaires used in this evaluations method have been measured as a combination of linguistic variables, fuzzy numbers, and by using defuzzification process. The results show that the designed evaluation method creates suitable mechanism in order to improve the performance of the knowledge-based system.

Keywords: case-based reasoning, fuzzy number, legal decision-support system, linguistic variable, rule-based reasoning, system evaluation

Procedia PDF Downloads 361

Authors: Tharaki S. Hettiarachchi

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Sustainable construction has gained massive attention in the present world as the construction industry is highly responsible for carbon emissions and other types of unsustainable practices. Yet, the construction industry has not been able to completely attain sustainable goals. Therefore, the present study aims to identify the extent to which sustainability has been considered within the scope of construction project management and to analyze the challenges, gaps, and constraints associated. Accordingly, this study develops a sustainable framework to integrate in construction project management. In accomplishing the research aim, this research integrates a qualitative approach while relying on secondary data sources. The data shall be then analyzed with the use of a systematic literature review (SLR) method while following the PRISMA (2020) guideline and represented in a statistical form. The outcomes of this study may become highly significant in identifying the nature of the existing sustainable frameworks associated with construction project management scopes and to develop a new framework to integrate in order to enhance the effectiveness of sustainable applications in construction management. The outcomes of this research may benefit present and future construction professionals and academicians to organize sustainable construction-related knowledge in a useful way to apply in practical implementation for effective project management. Overall, this study directs present and future construction professionals toward an advanced construction project management mechanism.

Keywords: construction, framework development, project management, sustainability

Procedia PDF Downloads 51

Authors: Zineb Ouahdi

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Spirocyclic compound derivatives, with their unique heterocyclic motifs, serve as a continual source of inspiration in the pursuit of developing potential therapeutic agents. These compounds are diverse in their chemical structures; some have fully saturated skeletons, while others are partially unsaturated. Nevertheless, these compounds share a characteristic feature with natural products - the presence of at least one heteroatom in one of their rings. The inclusion of a C = O dipolarophile in pyridazinones imparts an exciting aspect for 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions, the focal point of our study. Our research has involved a detailed theoretical investigation of the reaction between ethyl (Z)-2-bromo-2-(2-(p-tolyl)hydrazono)acetate and 6-methyl-4,5-dihydropyridazine-3(2H)-one. This has been accomplished using the DFT/B3LYP/6-31g(d,p) method, intending to illuminate the chemical pathway of this reaction. The chemical reactivity theories we used for this purpose included FMO, TS, and local and global indices derived from conceptual DFT. The theoretical framework outlined in this study allowed us to propose a reaction mechanism for cycloaddition reactions. It also enabled the identification of the potential activities of the analyzed compounds (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6) against the major protease of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This was achieved using various computational tools, including AutoDock Tools, Autodock Vina, Autodock 4, and PYRX.

Keywords: MEDT, pyridazin, cycloaddition, FMO, DFT, docking

Procedia PDF Downloads 92

Authors: Amornnat Thuppia, Pornrut Rabintossaporn, Suphaket Saenthaweesuk, Nuntiya Somparn

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The aim of this present study was to determine the antioxidant effects and its mechanism of aqueous leaves extract of Bauhinia acuminata (BA) in rat. The extract was screened for its phytochemical contents and antioxidant activity in vitro. Moreover, the extract was studied in rats to evaluate its effects in vivo. Rats were orally administered with the extract at the dose of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg for 28 days. Phytochemical screening of plant extracts showed the presence of saponin, alkaloid, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, tannin and steroid compounds. The extract contained phenolic compounds 53.36 ± 1.01 mg of gallic acid equivalents per gram BA extract. The free radical scavenging activity assessed by DPPH assay gave IC50 of 44.47 ± 2.83 µg/mL, which is relatively lower than that of BHT with IC50 of 12.34 ± 1.14µg/mL. In the animals, the extract was well tolerated by the animals throughout the 28 days of study as shown by normal serum levels AST, ALP, ALT, BUN and Cr as well as normal histology of liver and pancreatic and kidney tissue. Significantly, reduction of serum oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde (MDA) was found in rat treated with BA extract compared with control. Taken together, this study provides evidence that Bauhinia acuminata (BA) exhibits direct antioxidant properties and induces cytoprotective enzyme in vivo.

Keywords: Bauhinia acuminata, antioxidant, malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidative marker

Procedia PDF Downloads 263

Authors: Yili Chen, Jixiang Fu, Zhihua Liu, Zhicheng Zhang, Rongmao Li, Nan Fu, Yaoqin Xie

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Retinal prothesis is designed to help the blind to get some sight.It is made up of internal part and external part.In external part ,there is made up of camera, image processing, and RF transmitter.In internal part, there is RF receiver, implant chip,micro-electrode.The image got from the camera should be processed by suitable stragies to corresponds to stimulus the electrode.Nowadays, the number of the micro-electrode is hundreds and we don’t know the mechanism how the elctrode stimulus the optic nerve, an easy way to the hypothesis is that the pixel in the image is correspondence to the electrode.So it is a question how to get the important information of the image captured from the picture.There are many strategies to experimented to get the most important information as soon as possible, due to the real time system.ROI is a useful algorithem to extract the region of the interest.Our paper will explain the details of the orinciples and functions of the ROI.And based on this, we simplified the ROI algrithem,and used it in outside image prcessing DSP system of the retinal prothesis.Results show that our image processing stratiges is suitable for real-time retinal prothesis and can cut redundant information and help useful information to express in the low-size image.

Keywords: image processing, region of interest, saliency map, low-size image, useful information express, cut redundant information in image

Procedia PDF Downloads 275

Authors: Artemis Louppis, Michalis Constantinou, Ioanna Kosma, Federica Blando, Michael Kontominas, Anastasia Badeka

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The aim of the present study was to differentiate yellow prickly pear according to geographical origin based on the combination of mineral content, physicochemical parameters, vitamins and antioxidants. A total of 240 yellow prickly pear samples from Cyprus, Spain, Italy and Greece were analyzed for pH, titratable acidity, electrical conductivity, protein, moisture, ash, fat, antioxidant activity, individual antioxidants, sugars and vitamins by UPLC-MS/MS as well as minerals by ICP-MS. Statistical treatment of the data included multivariate analysis of variance followed by linear discriminant analysis. Based on results, a correct classification of 66.7% was achieved using the cross validation by mineral content while 86.1% was achieved using the cross validation method by combination of all analytical parameters.

Keywords: geographical differentiation, prickly pear, chemometrics, analytical techniques

Procedia PDF Downloads 135

Authors: Akash Bera, Suraj Singh, Jacinta Dsouza, Ramakrishna V. Hosur, Pushpa Mishra

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Ultraviolet C (UVC) radiation induces apoptosis in mammalian cells and it is suggested that the mechanism by which this occurs is the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis through the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol. The Bcl-2 family of proteins pro-and anti-apoptotic is the regulators of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Upon UVC irradiation, the proliferation of apoptosis is enhanced through the downregulation of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xl and up-regulation of Bax. Although the participation of the Bcl-2 family of proteins in apoptosis appears responsive to UVC radiation, to the author's best knowledge, it is unknown how the structure and, effectively, the function of these proteins are directly impacted by UVC exposure. In this background, we present here a structural rationale for the effect of UVC irradiation in restoring apoptosis using two of the relevant proteins, namely, Bid-FL and Bcl-xl ΔC, whose solution structures have been reported previously. Using a variety of biophysical tools such as circular dichroism, fluorescence and NMR spectroscopy, we show that following UVC irradiation, the structures of Bcl-xlΔC and Bid-FL are irreversibly altered. Bcl-xLΔC is found to be more sensitive to UV exposure than Bid-FL. From the NMR data, dramatic structural perturbations (α-helix to β-sheet) are seen to occur in the BH3 binding region, a crucial segment of Bcl-xlΔC which impacts the efficacy of its interactions with pro-apoptotic tBid. These results explain the regulation of apoptosis by UVC irradiation. Our results on irradiation dosage dependence of the structural changes have therapeutic potential for the treatment of cancer.

Keywords: Bid, Bcl-xl, UVC, apoptosis

Procedia PDF Downloads 123

Authors: Aya Al Masri, Kamel Guerchouche, Youssef Laynaoui, Safoin Aktaou, Malorie Martin, Fouad Maaloul

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Introduction: Mobile C-arms move throughout operating rooms of the operating theater. Being designed to move between rooms, they are not equipped with relays to retrieve the exposition information and export it outside the room. Therefore, no light signaling is available outside the room to warn the X-ray emission for staff. Inadvertent exposition of staff outside the operating theater is a real problem for radiation protection. The French standard NFC 15-160 require that: (1) access to any room containing an X-ray emitting device must be controlled by a light signage so that it cannot be inadvertently crossed, and (2) setting up an emergency button to stop the X-ray emission. This study presents a system that we developed to meet these requirements and the results of its clinical test. Materials and methods: The system is composed of two communicating boxes: o The "DetectBox" is to be installed inside the operating theater. It identifies the various operation states of the C-arm by analyzing its power supply signal. The DetectBox communicates (in wireless mode) with the second box (AlertBox). o The "AlertBox" can operate in socket or battery mode and is to be installed outside the operating theater. It detects and reports the state of the C-arm by emitting a real time light signal. This latter can have three different colors: red when the C-arm is emitting X-rays, orange when it is powered on but does not emit X-rays, and green when it is powered off. The two boxes communicate on a radiofrequency link exclusively carried out in the ‘Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM)’ frequency bands and allows the coexistence of several on-site warning systems without communication conflicts (interference). Taking into account the complexity of performing electrical works in the operating theater (for reasons of hygiene and continuity of medical care), this system (having a size <10 cm²) works in complete safety without any intrusion in the mobile C-arm and does not require specific electrical installation work. The system is equipped with emergency button that stops X-ray emission. The system has been clinically tested. Results: The clinical test of the system shows that: it detects X-rays having both high and low energy (50 – 150 kVp), high and low photon flow (0.5 – 200 mA: even when emitted for a very short time (<1 ms)), Probability of false detection < 10-5, it operates under all acquisition modes (continuous, pulsed, fluoroscopy mode, image mode, subtraction and movie mode), it is compatible with all C-arm models and brands. We have also tested the communication between the two boxes (DetectBox and AlertBox) in several conditions: (1) Unleaded room, (2) leaded room, and (3) rooms with particular configuration (sas, great distances, concrete walls, 3 mm of lead). The result of these last tests was positive. Conclusion: This system is a reliable tool to alert the staff present outside the operating room for X-ray emission and insure their radiation protection.

Keywords: Clinical test, Inadvertent staff exposition, Light signage, Operating theater

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Authors: Yijin Kang

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Chemical-electrical energy conversion and storage are greatly attractive for the development of sustainable energy. Catalytic processes are heavily involved in such energy conversion and storage. Development of high-performance catalyst nanomaterials relies on tuning material structures at nanoscale. This is in particular manifested in the design of catalysts demanding both high activity and durability. Here, a research system will be presented that connects fundamental investigation on well-defined extended surfaces (e.g. single crystal surfaces), extrapolation onto nanocrystals with highly controlled shape and size, exploration of interfacial interaction using novel nanocrystal superlattices as platform, and finally design of high performance catalysts in which all the possible beneficial properties from complex functional structures are implemented. Using recently published results, it will be demonstrated that optimal and fine balanced activity and durability, as well as tunable functionality, can be achieved by carefully tailoring the nanostructure of catalytic nanomaterials.

Keywords: energy, nanomaterials, catalysis, electrocatalysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 223

Authors: MIkheil Pipia, Nazibrola Beglarashvili

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Modern anthropogenic changes in climate can affect the microphysical and electrical properties of clouds, such as the conditions that cause intense hail and lightning. At the same time, the effect of the impact largely depends on the physical-geographical conditions and the ecological situation. It should be noted that the growth of anthropogenic pollution in the atmosphere has a significant impact on the dynamics of hail processes. For the statistical analysis of the number of hail days against the background of modern climate change, the average number of hail days at the stations according to decades was used, which allows to weaken short-term fluctuations and reveal long-term changes. In order to determine the dynamics of hail days in Eastern Georgia, the observation data of some meteorological stations from 1951-2000 were analyzed. In total, the data of 41 meteorological stations of Eastern Georgia about hail for the period of 1961-2018 have been processed.

Keywords: climate, meteorology phenomena, anthropocenic influence, hail

Procedia PDF Downloads 67

Authors: Roshani S. Golhar, Neerajkumar S. Sathawane, Snehal Dongre

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Background and objectives: As the, cardiovascular illnesses increasing and becoming cause of mortality worldwide, killing around lot of people each year. Arrhythmia is a type of cardiac illness characterized by a change in the linearity of the heartbeat. The goal of this study is to develop novel deep learning algorithms for successfully interpreting arrhythmia using a single second segment. Because the ECG signal indicates unique electrical heart activity across time, considerable changes between time intervals are detected. Such variances, as well as the limited number of learning data available for each arrhythmia, make standard learning methods difficult, and so impede its exaggeration. Conclusions: The proposed method was able to outperform several state-of-the-art methods. Also proposed technique is an effective and convenient approach to deep learning for heartbeat interpretation, that could be probably used in real-time healthcare monitoring systems

Keywords: electrocardiogram, ECG classification, neural networks, convolutional neural networks, portable document format

Procedia PDF Downloads 63

Authors: Guangyuan Zhao, Nan Huang, Xuesong Han, Xu Huang

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In order to solve the problem of sample dilution in the traditional particle filter algorithm and achieve accurate state estimation in a nonlinear system, a particle filter method based on an improved artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm was proposed. The algorithm simulated the process of bee foraging and optimization and made the high likelihood region of the backward probability of particles moving to improve the rationality of particle distribution. The opposition-based learning (OBL) strategy is introduced to optimize the initial population of the artificial bee colony algorithm. The convergence factor is introduced into the neighborhood search strategy to limit the search range and improve the convergence speed. Finally, the crossover and mutation operations of the genetic algorithm are introduced into the search mechanism of the following bee, which makes the algorithm jump out of the local extreme value quickly and continue to search the global extreme value to improve its optimization ability. The simulation results show that the improved method can improve the estimation accuracy of particle filters, ensure the diversity of particles, and improve the rationality of particle distribution.

Keywords: particle filter, impoverishment, state estimation, artificial bee colony algorithm

Procedia PDF Downloads 138

Authors: Siba Soren, Purnendu Parhi

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Today, the world is facing a severe challenge due to depletion of traditional fossil fuels. Scientists across the globe are working for a solution that involves a dramatic shift to practical and environmentally sustainable energy sources. High-capacity energy systems, such as metal-air batteries, fuel cells, are highly desirable to meet the urgent requirement of sustainable energies. Among the fuel cells, Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are recognized as an ideal power source for mobile applications and have received considerable attention in recent past. In this advanced electrochemical energy conversion technologies, Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) is of utmost importance. However, the poor kinetics of cathodic ORR in DMFCs significantly hampers their possibilities of commercialization. The oxygen is reduced in alkaline medium either through a 4-electron (equation i) or a 2-electron (equation ii) reduction pathway at the cathode ((i) O₂ + 2H₂O + 4e⁻ → 4OH⁻, (ii) O₂ + H₂O + 2e⁻ → OH⁻ + HO₂⁻ ). Due to sluggish ORR kinetics the ability to control the reduction of molecular oxygen electrocatalytically is still limited. The electrocatalytic ORR starts with adsorption of O₂ on the electrode surface followed by O–O bond activation/cleavage and oxide removal. The reaction further involves transfer of 4 electrons and 4 protons. The sluggish kinetics of ORR, on the one hand, demands high loading of precious metal-containing catalysts (e.g., Pt), which unfavorably increases the cost of these electrochemical energy conversion devices. Therefore, synthesis of active electrocatalyst with an increase in ORR performance is need of the hour. In the recent literature, there are many reports on transition metal oxide (TMO) based ORR catalysts for their high activity TMOs are also having drawbacks like low electrical conductivity, which seriously affects the electron transfer process during ORR. It was found that 2D graphene layer is having high electrical conductivity, large surface area, and excellent chemical stability, appeared to be an ultimate choice as support material to enhance the catalytic performance of bare metal oxide. g-C₃N₄ is also another candidate that has been used by the researcher for improving the ORR performance of metal oxides. This material provides more active reaction sites than other N containing carbon materials. Rare earth oxide like CeO₂ is also a good candidate for studying the ORR activity as the metal oxide not only possess unique electronic properties but also possess catalytically active sites. Here we will discuss the ORR performance (in alkaline medium) of N-rGO/C₃N₄ supported nano Cerium Oxides hybrid synthesized by microwave assisted Solvothermal method. These materials exhibit superior electrochemical stability and methanol tolerance capability to that of commercial Pt/C.

Keywords: oxygen reduction reaction, electrocatalyst, cerium oxide, graphene

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Authors: Pasala Gopi, P. Linga Reddy

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The response of the load frequency control problem in an multi-area interconnected electrical power system is much more complex with increasing size, changing structure and increasing load. This paper deals with Load Frequency Control of three area interconnected Power system incorporating Reheat, Non-reheat and Reheat turbines in all areas respectively. The response of the load frequency control problem in an multi-area interconnected power system is improved by designing PID controller using different tuning techniques and proved that the PID controller which was designed by Simulink Design Optimization (SDO) Software gives the superior performance than other controllers for step perturbations. Finally the robustness of controller was checked against system parameter variations

Keywords: load frequency control, pid controller tuning, step load perturbations, inter connected power system

Procedia PDF Downloads 636

Authors: Umesh Kumar, Arun Kumar Shukla, B. V. V. Ravindra Babu

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The paper presents a compact tri band Curved U-Slot patch antenna with improved bandwidth and isolation characteristics. The proposed antenna excited by coaxial feed resonates at tri band of 2.8 GHz, 4.1 GHz and 5.7 GHz for VSWR ≤ 1.5 with an improved bandwidth of 99.7% and also for getting high gain antenna of 11.31 dB. A 2×2 MIMO is developed using the proposed antenna giving an excellent isolation of 28 dB between the two antennas. The simulation results of return loss, Mutual Coupling, Gain, VSWR, Surface Current Distribution and Electrical Distribution are presented. By keeping the substrate thickness constant over various dielectric constants, simulations were carried out using MATLAB® and HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulator) software.

Keywords: performance analysis, curved U-slot patch, antenna with enhanced bandwidth, isolation for mimo systems

Procedia PDF Downloads 578

Authors: Jyothi Nagraj, Sudeshna Mukherjee, Rajdeep Chowdhury

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Autophagy has recently been linked with cancer cell survival post drug insult contributing to acquisition of resistance. However, the molecular signaling governing autophagic survival response is poorly explored. In our study, in osteosarcoma (OS) cells cisplatin shock was found to activate both MAPK and autophagy signaling. An activation of JNK and autophagy acted as pro-survival strategy, while ERK1/2 triggered apoptotic signals upon cisplatin stress. An increased sensitivity of the cells to cisplatin was obtained with simultaneous inhibition of both autophagy and JNK pathway. Furthermore, we observed that the autophagic stimulation upon drug stress regulates other developmentally active signaling pathways like the Hippo pathway in OS cells. Cisplatin resistant cells were thereafter developed by repetitive drug exposure followed by clonal selection. Basal levels of autophagy were found to be high in resistant cells to. However, the signaling mechanism leading to autophagic up-regulation and its regulatory effect differed in OS cells upon attaining drug resistance. Our results provide valuable clues to regulatory dynamics of autophagy that can be considered for development of improved therapeutic strategy against resistant type cancers.

Keywords: JNK, autophagy, drug resistance, cancer

Procedia PDF Downloads 283

Authors: W. N. L. Mahadi, S. N. Syed Zin, W. A. R. Othman, N. A. Mohd Rasyid, N. Jusoh

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Public concerns on Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Electromagnetic Field (EMF) exposure have been elongated since the last few decades. Electrical substations and high tension rooms (HT room) in commercial buildings were among the contributing factors emanating ELF magnetic fields. This paper discussed various shielding methods conventionally used in mitigating the ELF exposure. Nevertheless, the standard methods were found to be impractical and incapable of meeting currents shielding demands. In response to that, remarkable researches were conducted in effort to invent novel methods which is more convenient and efficient such as magnetic aqueous shielding or paint, textiles and papers shielding. A mitigation method using magnetic aqueous substrate in shielding application was proposed in this paper for further investigation. using Manganese Zinc Ferrite (Mn0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4). The magnetic field and flux distribution inside the aqueous magnetic material are evaluated to optimize shielding against ELF-EMF exposure, as to mitigate its exposure.

Keywords: ELF shielding, magnetic aqueous substrate, shielding effectiveness, passive shielding, magnetic material

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Authors: S. Meguenni, A. Djahbar, K. Tounsi

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Electric railway traction systems are complex; they have electrical couplings, magnetic and solid mechanics. These couplings impose several constraints that complicate the modeling and analysis of these systems. An example of drive systems, which combine the advantages of the use of multiphase machines, power electronics and computing means, is mono convert isseur multi-machine system which can control a fully decoupled so many machines whose electric windings are connected in series. In this approach, our attention especially on modeling and independent control of two five phase synchronous machine with permanent magnet connected in series and fed by a matrix converter application to the rail traction (bogie of a locomotive BB 36000).

Keywords: synchronous machine, vector control Multi-machine/ Multi-inverter, matrix inverter, Railway traction

Procedia PDF Downloads 367

Authors: Barbara Kyampeire, Gerald Karyeijja

Abstract:

This study investigated the influence of local community participation on the adoption of new agricultural technology in Uganda, using the case study of Smooth Cayenne Pineapples in Kayunga District, Uganda. The mechanism of adoption of new technologies is often not fully understood and this prompted the study. The study adopted a descriptive, co relational, survey design. The researcher used questionnaire survey, focus group discussion as methods of data collection. A total of 152 respondents including adopters and non-adopters of new technology for producing pineapples were selected from 8 farmer groups in Kayunga District. The results indicated that the participation of the community in the planning, implementation and the monitoring and evaluation of the adoption of the new technology for producing pineapples was low thus reducing the adoption of the new technology in the District. The researcher concluded that community participation significantly influences the adoption of new agricultural technology by members of a particular community. The study thus recommended that: first, there is need for maximum involvement of members of the community in the planning, implementation and monitoring of any new agricultural technology; secondly, there is need for continued sharing of information about new agricultural technologies being introduced; and finally, community members must be equipped with Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) skills in order to make them monitor the progress made by the new agricultural technologies.

Keywords: adoption, community, technology, implementation

Procedia PDF Downloads 414

Authors: A. I. A. Rahman, Sh-Hussain Salleh, K. Ahmad, K. Anuar

Abstract:

Analysis of vocal fold vibration is essential for understanding the mechanism of voice production and for improving clinical assessment of voice disorders. This paper presents a Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) based approach to analyze and objectively classify vocal fold vibration patterns. The proposed technique was designed and implemented on a Glottal Area Waveform (GAW) extracted from high-speed laryngeal images by delineating the glottal edges for each image frame. Feature extraction from the GAW was performed using Linear Predictive Coding (LPC). Several types of voice reference templates from simulations of clear, breathy, fry, pressed and hyperfunctional voice productions were used. The patterns of the reference templates were first verified using the analytical signal generated through Hilbert transformation of the GAW. Samples from normal speakers’ voice recordings were then used to evaluate and test the effectiveness of this approach. The classification of the voice patterns using the technique of LPC and DTW gave the accuracy of 81%.

Keywords: dynamic time warping, glottal area waveform, linear predictive coding, high-speed laryngeal images, Hilbert transform

Procedia PDF Downloads 235

Authors: Zoe Lynch, Kirsty Zieschank

Abstract:

There are several factors that compromise the utility and wide-spread use of existing emotional and behavioural distress screening instruments. Some of these factors include lengthy administration times, high costs, feasibility issues, and a lack of self-report options for children under 12 years of age. This animation-based resource was developed to overcome as many of these factors as possible. Developed for educators and medical and mental health professionals, this resource offers children a self-guided mechanism for reporting any current emotional and behavioural distress. An avatar assistant, selected by the child, accompanies them through each stage of the screening process, offering further instruction if prompted. Children enter their age and gender before viewing comparative animations conveying common childhood emotional and behavioural difficulties. The child then selects the most relatable animations, along with the frequency with which they experience the depicted emotions. From a perspective of intellectual development, an engaging, animated format means that outcomes will not be constrained by children’s reading, writing, cognitive, or verbal expression abilities. Having been user-tested with children aged 6 to 12, this resource shows promising results as a self-guided screening instrument.

Keywords: animation-based screening instrument, mental health, primary-aged children, self-guided

Procedia PDF Downloads 152