040320   DANAEIAN M (Electrical Engineering Dep, Vali-e-Asr Univ of Rafsanjan, Rafsanjan, Iran, Email: danaeian@vru.ac.ir) : Compact microstrip diplexer based on CRLH metamaterial concept. IETE J Res 2020, 66(2), 172–81.

In this paper, a compact microstrip diplexer based on resonant-type metamaterial transmission lines is proposed. The proposed diplexer is designed by cascading two bandpass filters with different center frequencies. The bandpass filter, which the proposed diplexer has been designed based on it, is realized by series of capacitive gaps with grounded stub on the upper metal layer and the complementary spiral resonators unit cell which etching on the ground plane. The proposed diplexer as a three-port device has been designed to operate at two arbitrary frequencies. The simulation results show that the three-port diplexer can separate two different frequencies effectively. In order to confirm the design procedure and the capability of the proposed diplexer in size reduction and selectivity, two prototype devices operative in the center frequencies at 2.4 and 3.5 GHz have been fabricated and tested. Good agreement between measurement and simulation results has been achieved. These one- and two-stage diplexers have the overall sizes of 0.19 λ_g × 0.05 λ_g and 0.34 λ_g × 0.06 λ_g, respectively. The proposed diplexers have many advantages in terms of compact size, low loss, high isolation, ease of fabrication, and high selectivity.

22 illus, 2 tables, 25 ref

040318   MOHAMADI P, DADASHZADEH G R, NASER-MOGHADASI M (Electrical and Electronic Engineering Dep, Shahed Univ, Tehran, Iran, Email: gdadashzadeh@shahed.ac.ir) : A new symmetric multimodal MIMO antenna with reduction of modal correlation coefficient using TCM. IETE J Res 2020, 66(2), 150–9.

Today, multimode antennas for MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) systems have been used extensively to develop capacity or to improve the quality of WIFI. Due to the orthogonality of characteristic modes, the theory of characteristic modes used to achieve minimum interference between channels is common in this type of antennas. In this paper, a four-port antenna with symmetric structure is presented on a circular patch to be able to produce four orthogonal patterns with extremely low correlation coefficients (less than 0.001) and high gain in the frequency range of 4.4–5.2 GHz and SWR < 1.22, which is highly efficient in creating independent and simultaneous communication paths in MIMO systems. To create this orthogonality and decrease the correlation between channels, the characteristic modes method is used. Circular polarization can be obtained by changing feeding structure in this antenna.

7 illus, 2 tables, 22 ref

040317   PRIYA B L, JAYANTHI K, POTTAKKAT B, RAMKUMAR G (ECE Dep, Pondicherry Engineering Coll, Puducherry - 605 014, Email: lakshmipriyaece@pec.edu) : A modified framework for multislice image fusion for high contrast liver cancer detection. IETE J Res 2020, 66(2), 139–49.

The exact boundary extraction of liver using abdominal computed tomography (CT) images continues to be the greatest challenge in the computer-assisted diagnosis of liver tumour, as the organ boundary is very weak. In this paper, an efficient algorithm is proposed to enhance the edge information of the CT images prior to segmentation, by means of multislice image fusion and anisotropic diffusionfiltering in non-subsampled contourlet (NSCT) domain. The two adjacent slices of CT images are decomposed using NSCT, and the fusion of low- and high-frequency coefficients is obtained by means of phase congruency and sum-modified Laplacian operators, respectively. The major highlight of this work is that, prior to high-frequency fusion; the high-frequency coefficients of both images are processed using anisotropic diffusion to strengthen the edge information. Finally, the edge-enhanced image is obtained by NSCT reconstruction. The performance metrics show that the information pertaining to the edges is found to be precise in the fused image. The proposed logic, when applied to the real-time contrast-enhanced triple-phase CT image, has proven to be highly effective. All the image samples used in this work for test purpose were obtained from Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education Research (JIPMER), a Medical Research Institute and Hospital at Puducherry, India.

5 illus, 4 tables, 35 ref

040316   BABASAFARI M, YARGHOLI M (Electrical Engineering Dep, Zanjan Univ, Zanjan, Iran, Email: yargholi@znu.ac.ir) : A low power CMOS UWB LNA with dual-band notch filter using forward body biasing. IETE J Res 2020, 66(2), 127–38.

In this paper, two ultra-wide band (UWB) low noise amplifiers (LNAs) with out-of-band rejection between 2.4–10.2 GHz and forward body biasing technique for wideband application are designed and simulated in a standard 0.18 µm CMOS process. Simulation results of two types of LNA exhibit a maximum power gain of 13.6 and 14.9 dB with the input return loss lower than −9.8 and −11.3 dB from 3.1 to 10 GHz for a cascode and a cascade topologies, respectively. A minimum noise figure of 3.4 dB at frequency of 4.3 GHz and 3.1 dB at frequency of 4.1 GHz, IIP₃ of −3.3 and −12.3 dBm are obtained for the cascode and the cascade topologies, respectively. The power consumption of the cascode LNA with an output buffer is 17.5 mW from a 1.8 V voltage supply, while the cascade LNA with an output buffer dissipates 9.29 mW from a 0.9 V supply.

21 illus, 1 table, 25 ref

040315   SENGUPTA A S, CHAKRABORTY A K, BHATTACHARYYA B K (Electrical Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Agartala, Tripura - 799 046, Email: aditya.nitagt@gmail.com) : Supercapacitor module solely powering DC–DC buck converter for hand-held applications. IETE J Res 2020, 66(1), 115–23.

In this paper, two charged supercapacitor modules of identical specification have been used as the input, as also the sole power source for a buck converter including all of its components. Extra power supply like battery has not been used in this entire circuit. The load current ranges from 300 mA to 1.2 A. These two supercapacitor modules supply decaying input voltage to the buck converter, the output voltage of which is being regulated to a constant value by the feed-forward closed loop PWM control circuit that proportionately varies the duty ratio and amplitude of the switching pulse as a function of the time-varying input voltages across the supercapacitor modules. As a result, the operation of a dc analog circuit has been shown as is being powered by supercapacitor modules. This circuit topology is suited for low- and medium-voltage applications in which variable dc input source will be used to yield a constant output voltage at a constant current and also can be used in applications like mobile phones in place of battery since supercapacitor has a high rate of charging due to low equivalent series resistance values. The operating frequency ranges from 1 to 2.5 kHz.

9 illus, 2 tables, 22 ref

040312   WU Z, LI C, ZHAO Z, YANG Y (Xidian Univ, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China, Email: wuzhenyuxd@126.com) : Numerical modelling of interconnect electromigration under non-dc stressing conditions. IETE J Res 2020, 66(1), 85–90.

A numerical model of the equivalent time conversion to DC stressing for electromigration failures under various current waveforms is proposed based on the vacancy diffusion and damage healing theory. The Joule heating effect and the intrinsic stress-induced voiding are included in the calculation of interconnect reliability. The simulation results show that the cumulative lifetimes are strongly affected by current frequency and vacancy lifetime and a frequency shift to the right occurs for small vacancy lifetimes under AC stressing. For pulsed-DC stressing, the temperature rise dependent on the current frequency dominates the interconnect reliability. The average temperature rise due to Joule heating is reduced by two times when the frequency is larger than approximately the reciprocal of the thermal time of interconnect structures.

6 illus, 1 table, 39 ref

040311   KUMAR R, TRIPATHY M R, RONNOW D (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, Amity Univ, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Email: rajeshsheoram@gmail.com) : Multi-resonant bowtie antenna with modified symmetric SRR for wireless applications. IETE J Res 2020, 66(1), 77–84.

A modified symmetric split ring resonator (MSSRR) loaded bowtie antenna with multi-band features over a range of 1.6–7.1 GHz is proposed in this paper. The antenna is designed on FR4 substrate with relative permittivity$\in$_r = 4.1 and thickness 1.5 mm. The fabricated antenna size is 40 mm × 58 mm. The Modified Symmetric SRR used beneath the substrate is novel and consists of two circles that are broken into four quarter circles by four rods. The effect of MSSRR location and its geometry is investigated and analysed thoroughly. The measurement results of the fabricated antenna are in good agreement with the simulation results, which confirms the proposed antenna design’s properties. ANSYS High Frequency Structural Simulator (HFSS) software is used for simulating the antenna.

16 illus, 4 tables, 13 ref

040310   RAO Y S, PATHAK M K (Electrical Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee - 247 667, Email: cnuiitr@gmail.com) : Model predictive control for three-level cascaded H-bridge D-STATCOM. IETE J Res 2020, 66(1), 65–76.

In this paper, a model predictive control (MPC) is investigated for a three-level H-bridge D-STATCOM. To predict the future behavior, a discrete-time model of the D-STATCOM is used. Here in the MPC, a single objective cost function is used to avoid the weighted factors in a multivariable objective function, which in turn leads to complex optimization problem. A single objective cost function controls the error in the reference and actual current. A separate proportional integral controller and a capacitor balancing algorithm are used to self-support the DC capacitor voltage under load variation. The reference current for D-STATCOM is generated by using d-q control strategy for the compensation of reactive power and current harmonics. The switching state which minimizes the current error and the corresponding redundant switching state which meets for the DC capacitor voltage balancing are applied at the next sampling instant. The performance of the investigated MPC control scheme is developed in MATLAB-SIMULINK model and steady-state performance is experimentally verified for non-linear load.

15 illus, 3 tables, 25 ref

040308   TIWARI S K, KAUR G (Electrical & Instrumentation Engineering Dep, Thapar Univ, Patiala, Punjab - 147 004, Email: sktiwari@thapar.edu) : Improved reduced-order modeling using clustering method with dominant pole retention. IETE J Res 2020, 66(1), 42–52.

This paper provides a quantitative measure criterion for selection of poles from a higher order model. The selection of poles is important because it determines both the transient and steady-state information of the dynamical system. The new indices specify which poles are dominant even when they are not the slowest. On the basis of important poles contribution to the system poles, they are selected to form cluster center. Pade approximation method is used to estimate the coefficients of numerator polynomial. Besides, this technique gives a better approximation in both the transient and the steady-state responses of the large-scale system. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through numerical test examples and compared with other well-known published methods.

4 illus, 5 tables, 45 ref

040307   DIVYA B S, SUBRAMANIAM K, NANJUNDASWAMY H R (Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu - 641 021, Email: divyabies@gmail.com) : Human epithelial type-2 cell image classification using an artificial neural network with hybrid descriptors. IETE J Res 2020, 66(1), 30–41.

Antinuclear antibody (ANA) testing is best performed using the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) method with human epithelial type-2 (HEp-2) cells as the substrate. IIF is a subjective procedure in which HEp-2 patterns are analyzed manually from the microscope. Therefore, ANA test results greatly rely on the experience and expertise of pathologists. Hence, complete automation of the ANA test is required to avoid incorrect diagnoses. This paper represents an algorithm for the complex HEp-2 cell classification problem. The proposed algorithm used a small hybrid feature set that characterizes the texture and morphology of the HEp-2 cells along with artificial neural network (ANN). The hybrid features were extracted by breaking up the image into eight binary images. The proposed hybrid descriptors were more efficient than the popular co-occurrence matrix descriptor and local binary pattern descriptors for texture analysis. The proposed algorithm was evaluated on the ICPR 2016 IIF HEp-2 cell image dataset. The results indicated that the hybrid descriptor with an ANN approach achieved improved performance, with “96.8 %” mean class accuracy.

11 illus, 5 tables, 22 ref

040306   AHMAD A, ARSHAD F, NAQVI S I, AMIN Y, TENHUNEN H, LOO J (Engineering and Technology (UET) Univ, Taxila 47050, Pakistan, Email: ashfaquetb11@gmail.com) : Flexible and compact spiral-shaped frequency reconfigurable antenna for wireless applications. IETE J Res 2020, 66(1), 22–9.

A flexible, spiral-shaped frequency reconfigurable antenna with a compact size (20 × 24 mm²) is presented. The proposed antenna has a low-profile planar structure and is able to operate at five different frequency bands, i.e., 4.19–4.48, 5.98–6.4, 3.42–4.0, 5.4–5.68, and 6.8–7.0 GHz. The multiband operation enables the antenna to cover aeronautical radio navigation, fixed satellite communication, WLAN, and WiMAX standards. A radiating element is backed by Rogers^® 5880 substrate with a thickness of 0.508 mm and dielectric constant of 2.2. The spiral shape is achieved by introducing different strips. Frequency reconfiguration is achieved by the incorporation of a lumped element in a strip, so that the antenna can switch between different resonances. To validate the performance of the antenna, the prototype of the design was fabricated and tested. Good acquiescent is seen between simulated and measured results. The proposed antenna operates efficiently with appreciable return loss, directivity, bandwidth, and peak gain.

8 illus, 4 tables, 25 ref

040305   MORADI R, FARSHIDI E, SOROOSH M (Electrical Engineering Dep, Shahid Chamran Univ of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran, Email: rmoradi@phdstd.scu.ac.ir) : Digital calibration of memory errors in passive sigma-delta modulator. IETE J Res 2020, 66(1), 14–21.

Based on output-referred error model of passive integrator (PI), the current study proposes a digital adaptive calibration to compensate passive delta-sigma modulator error. Due to signal attenuation in the modulator loop, the PI transfer function, which leads to gain and phase errors, causes degeneration of the modulator performance. A 1-bit pseudorandom noise test signal is applied to the input of the passive delta-sigma modulator in order to identify factors of the adaptive filter. Correlating output and test signals brings about the identification of error factors. The simulations show the effectiveness of the intrinsic error compensation of the modulator.

8 illus, 18 ref

040304   AYDEMIR O (Electrical and Electronics Engineering Dep, Karadeniz Technical Univ, Trabzon 61080, Turkey, Email: onderaydemir@ktu.edu.tr) : Detection of highly motivated time segments in brain computer interface signals. IETE J Res 2020, 66(1), 3-13.

Motivation of a subject, who is associated with the data acquisition of brain computer interface (BCI) experiment, is a very crucial parameter for executing a successful BCI application. This paper proposes a novel method to present the distribution of motivation of a subject during a BCI experiment. The proposed method was successfully applied to the BCI Competition 2003 Data Set III and the BCI Competition 2005 Data Set I using fast Fourier transform-based band power features with a linear discriminant analysis classifier. The results show that not only the motivation of the subject dramatically changes during the trial but also using highly motivated time segments provides 7.86 % and 2.00 % improvement in the classification accuracy of the BCI Competition 2003 Data Set III and the BCI Competition 2005 Data Set I, respectively

5 illus, 6 tables, 47 ref

044315   GOEL L, SHANKAR V, SHARMA R K (Civil Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur (H.P), Email: l_goyal74@nith.ac.in) : Influence of different organic mulches on soil hydrothermal and plant growth parameters in potato crop (Solanum tuberosum L.). J Agrometeorol 2020, 22(1), 56-9.

Present study was conducted to investigate the effect of different mulching materials on soil hydrothermal environment and plant growth parameters for potato crop at field experimental station of National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur in the humid sub-tropical agro climate of Western Himalayas. The field experiments were conducted in a randomized complete block design with four mulching treatments; wheat straw mulch, pine needle mulch, rice straw mulch and no mulch in three replications. An increase in soil moisture retention ranging from 5.14 % to 42 % was observed depending upon the mulch material and depth of the soil layer in root zone. Mulching also reduced the daily maximum soil temperature up to 3.5 ºC with an average temperature reduction of 1-2 ºC during the period of tuber formation. Mulching produced beneficial effects on root depth, plant height, leaf area index and tuber yield. Mulching helped to bring about a yield surplus of 1.7-4.4 tonnes ha-¹ over unmulched conditions and an increase in water use efficiency which varied from 13.5 % in rice straw mulch to 34.9 % inwheat straw mulch.

2 illus, 3 tables, 15 ref

044312   PALAKURU M , SIRISHAADAMALA, BACHINA H B (Applied Engineering Dep, Technology and Research (VFSTR) Univ, Vadlamudi, Email: bachina.harish@gmail.com) : Modeling yield and backscatter using satellite derived biophysical variables of rice crop based on Artificial Neural Networks. J Agrometeorol 2020, 22(1), 41-7.

In this study, ‘observed rice yield (ton acre^-1)’ and ‘remotely sensed backscatter’are modelled using artificial neural network (ANN) and multiple linear regression (MLR) methods for East and W est Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh in India. The biophysical variables viz. backscatter (bs), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), Chlorophyll (chfl), fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR), leaf area index (LAI), canopy water content (CW C), and fraction of vegetation cover (F_cover ) were derived from Scatterometer Satellite-1 (SCATSAT-1), Moderate Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) and Sentinel-2 satellite data.Inputs selected are bs, NDVI, chfl, FAPAR, LAI, CW C, and Fcover  for rice yield model, whereas NDVI, chfl, FAPAR, LAI, CWC, and F_cover  are inputs for backscatter models. The performance of ANN and MLR models was evaluated using three indices such as root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and coefficient of determination (R² ). The results concluded that the ANN models achieved R²  of 0.908 and 0.884 which are 42.73 % and 28.85 % higher than that of the MLR method for rice yield and backscatter, respectively

5 illus, 2 tables, 15 ref

040219   SUCHARITHA S, Y, KRUPAVATHI, K, SATYANARAYANA, T V, EDUKONDALU, L (Soil and Water Engineering Dep, Dr. NTR Coll of Agricultural Engineering, Andhra Pradesh, Email: ysaisucharitha028@gmail.com) : Development of circular flumes for low discharges using critical flow concept. Int J Agric Envir Biotechnol 2020, 13(3), 285-92.

In the water scarce situation, measurement of flow in open channel reduce the pressure on water resources and promotes the better utilization of water. The present study aimed at developing critical flow circular flume with rectangular centre contraction. The circular flume was designed by placing rectangular block in a U- shaped channel. Six flumes were fabricated with different contractions and throat lengths (30%, 40% and 50% contractions and 15 cm and 30 cm throat lengths). Water surface profiles were collected for four discharges (6, 9, 12 and 15 Lps). Critical depths were computed and located on the water surface profiles. The study revealed that the critical flow conditions occurred at 15, 12 Lps in all six flumes. At low discharges and low contractions critical flow conditions not occurred in the throat. The head discharge equations were derived the computed discharges are compared with the actual discharges. The highest deviation observed in case of Flume -1 (-8.344 %). 90 % of the errors are within the range of ± 5 %.

10 illus, 5 tables, 10 ref

040217   DUBEY S, RAO J H, PATLE D (Farm Engineering Dep, Banaras Hindu Univ, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Email: snehildubey002@gmail.com) : Morphometric analysis and prioritization of sub watersheds of umar nala watershed, Madhya pradesh using geospatial technique. Int J Agric Envir Biotechnol 2020, 13(3), 269-74.

Morphometric analysis and thereby prioritization of watersheds have gained significant importance in land and water resources management. In this study an attempt has been made to prioritize subwatersheds based on morphometric analysis using geospatial techniques in Umar Nala watershed of Narsinghpur district, of Madhya Pradesh. Morphometric parameters, considered for the present study are stream frequency (S_f ), drainage density (D_d ), texture ratio (T), elongation ratio (R_e ), circulatory ratio (R_c ), form factor (R_f ), bifurcation ratio (R_b ) and relief ratio (R_h ). These parameters were estimated for each subwatershed then ranks were assigned for prioritization of sub-watersheds on the basis of value/relationship to arrive at a computed value for final ranking of the sub-watersheds. On the basis of morphometric parameters determined in GIS environment and then applying standard formulae prioritization among seventeen sub watersheds of Umar Nala, sub watershed no 10 is on top priority among seventeen sub watersheds for further soil and water conservations measures to be taken in the watershed.

3 illus, 4 tables, 26 ref

040193   SINGH M, MISHRA G C, MALL R K (Farm Engineering Dep, Banaras Hindu Univ, Varanasi, Email: manvendrastat66@gmail.com) : Calibration and validation of ceres-wheat model in north eastern plain zone (nepz) of India. Int J Agric Envir Biotechnol 2020, 13(1), 99-103.

The crop growth model DSSAT (Decision Support Systems for Agrotechnology Transfer) used to simulate the weather parameters impacts on crop growth and yield. The experiment was conducted on Wheat crop in North Eastern Plain Zone of India. The main objective of the study was to evaluate wheat phenological stages and yield in major wheat growing zone of India. Among the parameters of the crop Yield and Days of flowering has been used for calibration and validation purpose. For the study CERES - Wheat model was used for the calibration and validation. Different data sets were used for the calibration and validation of the model. Methods of deviation statistics like Index of Agreement (d), RMSE and NRMSE are used to measure the efficiency of the model. For Yield it shows (d), RMSE and NRMSE values 0.961,199.25 and 5.17 respectively and for Days of flowering it shows (d), (RMSE) and NRMSE values are 0.970, 4.37 and 4.35 respectively. Study results shows that model is adequate to simulate the effects of climate change on wheat yield in North Eastern Plain Zone of India that are free from all pests. The model may also be used to improve and evaluate the current practices of wheat growth management to enhance wheat production.

2 illus, 1 table, 13 ref

040084   KADIRI I, TAHIR Y, FERTAHI S E-D, IKEN O, DLIMI M, AGOUNOUN R, SBAI K (Moulay Ismail Univ, Meknes- 500 50, Morocco, Email: imad_kadiri@hotmail.com) : Measurement and 2d axisymmetric modeling of mining blast-induced ground vibrations. Indian Geotech J 2020, 50(1), 96-116.

Blast-induced ground vibrations are considered as an undesirable phenomenon resulting from productivity explosions in the extractive industries. Moreover, they are considered as a high potential cause for the damage of the surrounding structures. In this paper, the ground vibration data were recorded using a seismograph device at different distances from the detonation point in the quarry site of ‘‘Sococim Cement Factory,’’ which is located on Senegal. Thereafter, 2D axisymmetric numerical model has been established to simulate the propagation of the mechanical shock wave in the considered medium. The numerical modeling was developed under AUTODYN software, which is an explicit FEM code. First of all, the numerical model has been validated against the experimental measurements, by comparing the numerical and experimental longitudinal (Vl) and vertical (Vv) velocity signal at different gauges, for different equivalent explosive charges per delay (meqðTNTÞ). A calibration was carried out only on the elastic properties of the rock to achieve this purpose. The adjusted values of K and G allowed to reproduce the numerical PPVs, in order to be in a good agreement with the measured PPVs. The energy dissipation due to the RHT model and the phenomenon of vibration’s damping as a function of time at the gauges locations is well reproduced by the numerical model. It is noted that the plasticity and damage near the borehole have no effect on the propagation celerity of the shock wave, which remains the same in the elastic medium. Furthermore, the damaged zone nearby the detonation point has been assessed and described by identifying the transition of limestone properties from the elastic–plastic to plastic-damage state. The characterization of the damaged zone, near the borehole for different explosive charges per delay, helps to calculate the face burden side and to enhance the blasting design.

18 illus, 10 tables, 40 ref

040082   RAO K S (Civil Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi- 110 016, Email: raoks@civil.iitd.ac.in) : Characterization, modelling and engineering of rocks and rockmasses. Indian Geotech J 2020, 50(1), 1-95.

Rocks are heterogeneous materials usually associated with geological discontinuities making them weak for sustaining the loads due to civil and mining engineering structures. Characterization details of different isotropic, anisotropic and weathered rocks are presented along with the newly formulated classification system for weathered rockmass. Physical modelling of jointed rockmass under uniaxial, biaxial and polyaxial stress state through newly designed polyaxial system yielded significant results. Critical role of intermediate principal stress on strength and deformation for jointed rockmass is highlighted. New polyaxial failure criteria are proposed and compared. New observations on brittle fracture propagation and interlocking phenomena in crystalline rocks are modelled under polyaxial stress state. Extensive large-scale test results on rock joints under constant normal load and constant normal stiffness in static and cyclic modes were presented along with new predictive models. A new closedform analytical solution is provided for circular openings in isotropic, homogeneous and elastoplastic rockmass for assessing the wellbore stability and openings. Results of physical modelling tests conducted on shallow tunnels subjected to impact loads and new predictive models developed for squeezing behaviour are also included in this paper. Understanding gained from the extensive characterization and physical modelling of materials in appropriate stress regime used effectively to solve real-time cases. The case studies included are: stability analysis of jointed rock slopes of Chenab bridge abutments, Subansiri power house slope stability, Tindharia landslide in Darjeeling, evaluation of bored tunnelling practices in rocks for Delhi metro and coupled hydromechanical modelling for the slopes in Beas catchment.

134 illus, 14 tables, 196 ref

039532   SINGH N (Electrical & Electronics Engineering Dep, Rabindranath Tagore Univ, Bhopal, Email: nishi.20.singh@gmail.com) : Hybrid generation system optimization for rural electrification by homer: A review. Curr Trends Tech Sci 2020, 11(3), 947-52.

The Hybrid Generating systems have become a very common avenue of generating sustainable energy in the modern world. The success of this particular method of power generation is widely attributed to the technological advancements in the field of renewable energy. The production of electricity via diesel generators is subject to operational challenges related to the fluctuating prices of diesel. On the other hand, wind energy is intermittent in nature, hence a limited reliability. In this regard, it will be a remedial move to adopt the use of various hybrids to internalize these shortcomings. The advantages of one particular element in a given hybrid will compensate for the shortcomings of a given element within the same hybrid. There exist a variety of hybrids that are used in the generation of electricity in the modern world. A typical hybrid will harness or store energy from two or more sources. This work present a deep review of Homer optimization tool used for the analysis of cost and optimum size of hybrid system.

2 illus, 18 ref

039531   MALVIYA A (Electrical and Electronics Dep, Rabindranath Tagore Univ, MP, Email: malviyaachie@gmail.com) : Various MPPT techniques for solar PV module- A review. Curr Trends Tech Sci 2020, 11(3), 942-6.

Electricity demand is growing with highest rate for the energy consumed worldwide. Thus the mankind is facing a massive challenge of never ending increase in energy demand. Photovoltaic energy is one of the most important energy sources since it is clean and inexhaustible. It is important to operate PV energy conversion systems in the maximum power point to maximize the output energy of PV arrays. An MPPT control is necessary to extract maximum power from the PV arrays. The aim of MPPT to control the voltage of solar panels in the influence of variation in atmospheric conditions. In recent years, a large number of techniques have been proposed for tracking the maximum power point. This paper presents a deep review and comparison of different MPPT methods and proposes one which used a power estimator and also analyses their suitability for systems which experience a wide range of operating conditions.

2 illus, 13 ref

039529   TAMRAKAR I, NIGAM M K (Electronics and Electrical Engineering Dep, MATS School of Engineering & IT, Singapore- 117 576, Email: ishantamrakar@gmail.com) : Impact of distributed generation on power distribution systems. Curr Trends Tech Sci 2020, 11(1), 933-6.

In order to reduce the green house gas emissions all over the world the investment on renewable energy infrastructure is increasing particularly in the distribution network. The penetration of generating sources in the distribution network changes the characteristics of distribution system and will have impact on various technical parameters based on its size and location in the network. This paper modeled the IEEE 34 Node distribution test feeder using the commercial software package DIgSILENT power factory version 14. Solar photovoltaic generators are introduced as Distributed Generators (DGs) at various nodes and the impacts that DG produces on real and reactive power losses, voltage profile, phase imbalance and fault level of distribution system is studied. Simulated results obtained using load flow and short circuit studies are presented and discussed.

6 illus, 2 tables, 10 ref

039527   BHATTI D T, PARIKH S P (Chemical Engineering Dep, VVP Engineering Coll, Gujarat, Email: darshana333@yahoo.com) : Solar light induced photocatalysis for treatment of high cod pharmaceutical effluent with recyclable ag-fe codoped tio2: Kinetics of cod removal. Curr Wld Envir 2020, 15(1), 137-50.

A wide range of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) is found in various water streams. These synthetic non-biodegradable organics create trouble in conventional wastewater treatment due to toxicity. There is a strong need to develop substitute technology such as visible light driven photocatalysis with a reusable photocatalyst to completely oxidize these substances into carbon dioxide and water. Sol-gel method was used for synthesis of Fe doped TiO₂ and Ag-Fe codoped TiO₂ nanoparticles with 0.5 wt % Fe and Ti/Ag molar ratio 30 (Ag-Fe CT 30). The morphology and structure of nanoparticles were studied using various analytical techniques. Ag-Fe CT 30 photocatalyst has exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity compared to commercial TiO₂, undoped TiO₂ and Fe doped TiO₂ nanophotocatalysts under solar and UV irradiation for removal of an antifungal drug intermediate, Difloro triazole acetophenone (DFTA) from water. COD reduction efficiency was highest with Ag-Fe CT 30 under solar and UV irradiation proves the potential of Ag-Fe CT 30 photocatalyst to absorb both UV as well as visible radiations. Ag-Fe CT 30 has shown good stability for 4 runs without much decline in the efficacy. This study provides insights on the solar application of a reusable Ag-Fe CT 30 photocatalyst for the treatment of high strength COD wastewater. Kinetics of COD reduction by photocatalysis has been determined.

12 illus, 4 tables, 51 ref

039517   RAHMAN M S, KARMAKER C L, ROY R, AHMED S M T (Industrial and Production Engineering Dep, Jashore Science Univ, Bangladesh, Email: sumon.just16@gmail.com) : Prevalence of accidental injuries among building construction workers in Bangladesh. Curr Wld Envir 2020, 15(1), 42-51.

The construction sector is the biggest and most unsafe venture compared to other sectors of the world. The workers in this sector are more prone to accidental injuries. There are different types of agents and lacking for this type of injuries. The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of accidental injuries among building construction workers in Bangladesh. The agents and lacking behind these injuries also investigated. A survey on 390 building construction workers was conducted through a structured questionnaire. The survey data was built to find out the prevalence of accidental injuries among the construction workers. The Statistical Packages for the Social Science (SPSS) version 25 was used to analysis the data. The result indicates that overall 63.80 % of the participants’ sufferred from at least one-body part injuries during their work time. Most of them (24.70 %) injured due to falling from the height. The workplace safety facilities (41.70 %) were identified as the main lacking of the construction management that led to major accidents. The proper implementation of workplace safety facilities and design or redesign the work process may reduce or eliminate this type of injuries.

7 illus, 1 table, 30 ref

039421   KHUSWAHA K, SAXENA J, AGARWAL M K (Biochemical Engineering Dep, B.T. Kumaon Institute of Technology, Dwarahat- 263 653, Email: saxenajyoti30@gmail.com) : Identification and characterization of psychrotrophic strain of Planococcus maritimus for glucosylated C₃₀ carotenoid production. Indian J Expl Biol 2020, 58(3), 190-7.

Cold-adapted bacteria produce various pigments as their adaptive strategy. Here, we studied an aerobic, gram-positive motile coccoid bacterial strain KK21, isolated from the Siachen, Himalayas and characterized the major pigments present in it. The KK21 strain is capable of growth in a broad range of temperature (-4 to 37 °C), pH (6.0-13.0) and salinity (0.5-8 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that it belongs to the genus Planococcus and closely related to P. maritimus. Total pigment extraction was best found in polar methanol. Alanine among amino acids, NaCl among inorganic salts and evening primrose amongst oils best supported the pigment production at 10°C after 6 days in BHI at neutral pH of 7.0. Maximum pigment production was recorded at 3 % of NaCl concentration. In photoprotection activity, radiation exposed plates showed increased colony forming units and more than 3.5 times of total carotenoid production after 15 min exposure compared to the control group. Detailed characterization of orange pigment was done systematically by TLC, HPLC and MALDI-TOF. Chromatographic and MALDI-TOF data have revealed the exclusive presence of glycosylated C₃₀-carotenoid in P. maritimus KK21 with m/z of 655.871.

4 illus, 1 table, 46 ref

039332   CUI J, GAO Z, LI B, LI J, LI X, WANG C, CHENG D, DAI C (Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Dep, Harbin Institute of Technology, China, Email: cuijie@hit.edu.cn.) : Identification of anthocyanin biosynthesis related microRNAs and total microRNAs in Lonicera edulis by high-throughput sequencing. J Genet 2020, 99, 31.

miRNAs are important regulators of plant gene expression. There are few studies on the regulation of miRNAs in Lonicera edulis. We used high-throughput sequencing technology to analyse miRNAs in L. edulis, aiming to identify miRNAs and elucidate their function in L. edulis. In the present study, we employed the high-throughput sequencing technology to profile miRNAs in L. edulis. A total of 51,819,072 small RNA tags with sizes ranging from 18 to 30 nt were obtained, indicating that L. edulis have a large and diverse small RNA population. Bioinformatic analysis identified 507 mature miRNAs, and 16 predicted novel miRNAs that are likely to be unique to L. edulis. Three miRNAs related to anthocyanin biosynthesis were locked by gene ontology (GO) analysis and target gene analysis. The selected three miRNAs are relatively high in the expression of L. edulis. Some of the previous studies have studied these types of miRNAs involved in the anthocyanin metabolism pathway in fruits. Among them, expression profiles of three conserved miRNAs were validated by stem loop qRT-PCR. Further, the potential target genes of conserved and novel miRNAs were predicted and subjected to GO annotation. Enrichment analysis of the GO-represented biological processes and molecular functions revealed that these target genes were potentially involved in a wide range of metabolic pathways and developmental processes. In particular, different families of miRNAs can directly or indirectly regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis. In recent years, the research on miRNAs has become more and more clear, but the research on miRNAs involved in the regulation of anthocyanin synthesis of L. edulis is still lagging. This study provides a useful resource for further elucidation of the functional roles of miRNAs during fruit development and ripening.

12 illus, 2 tables, 36 ref

039273   MEIKANDAN M, KUMAR P G, SUNDARRAJ M, KARTHICK M, MALARMOHAN K (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Techno, Avadi, Email: meikandan013@gmail.com) : Fabrication and investigation of superhydrophobic surface by dip coating. Indian J Chem Technol 2020, 27, 60-6.

The present research work is focused on to fabricate and examine the characteristics of a superhydrophobic surface on copper (Cu) substrates by dip coating method. Three different samples of ‘Cu’ are set with chemical etching, mechanical rubbing and the combination of above two methods. The variations in the exteriorsurface morphologies have been examined by profilometer, scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The adapted samples are immersed in a solution of silver nitrate follow by immersing in a combination of ethanol and perflurodecyltriethoxysilane for 10 min. The presence of leaf and dendrites assemblies have been observed on the surface, which are useful to trap the air between them and the entrapment allows water to roll off from the surface. The outcomes reveal that the modified substrates have a water contact angle (WCA) of 159 ° in the case of ‘Cu’ using combination of chemical etching and mechanical rubbing followed by immersion coating. The proposed methodology has the advantage of size compatibility and easy scale up for the development of superhydrophobic surface on copper in a cost and time effective manner.

5 illus, 22 ref

039271   PARVEEN N, ZAIDI S, DANISH M (Chemical Engineering Dep, Aligarh Muslim Univ, Aligarh, Email: sadaf63in@yahoo.com) : Support vector regression: A novel soft computing technique for predicting the removal of cadmium from wastewater. Indian J Chem Technol 2020, 27, 43-50.

The presence of toxic heavy metals in the wastewater coming from industries is of great concern across the world. In the present work, a novel soft computing technique support vector regression (SVR) technique has been used to predict the removal of cadmium ions from wastewater with agricultural waste ‘rice polish’ as a low-cost adsorbent, with contact time, initial adsorbate concentration, pH of the medium, and temperature as the independent parameters. The developed SVR-based model has been compared with the widely used multiple regression (MR) model based on the statistical parameters such as coefficient of determination (R²), average relative error (AARE) etc. The prediction performance of SVR-based model has been found to be more accurate and generalized in comparison to MR model with low AARE values of 0.67 % and high R² values of 0.9997 while MR model gives an AARE value of 29.27 % and 0.2161 as coefficient of determination (R²). Furthermore, it has also been observed that the SVR model effectively predicts the behavior of the complex interaction process of cadmium ions removal from waste water under various experimental conditions.

9 illus, 6 tables, 34 ref

039268   WAVEL A S, PATEL P, NEMADE P R, MATHHPATI C S (Chemical Engineering Dep, Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga- 400 019, Email: cs.mathpati@ictmumbai.edu.in) : Experimental studies in antisolvent crystallization: Effect of antisolvent ratio and mixing patterns. Indian J Chem Technol 2020, 27, 18-25.

The crystals size and distribution play an important role in drug properties which has a major impact on the performance e.g., stability, solubility and bioavailability. The crystal size distribution (CSD) depends on the hydrodynamics and local degree of supersaturation in the crystallizer. In this study, we have investigated the effects of various operating conditions (antisolvent ratio, power, agitator design) using different mixing techniques such as impellers and ultrasound on CSD andaverage crystal size (ACS). It is found that mixing plays a dominant role in CSD and ACS. The hydrofoil (axial flow impeller) provides a wide range of ACS (406 to 240 μm) at lower power as compared to Rushton turbine (radial flow impeller) (395 to 375 μm). The mixed flow impeller produces the intermediate crystal size (365 to 345 μm). The increase in the antisolvent ratio results in a decrease in ACS. The same results observed for the power input.

7 illus, 2 tables, 20 ref

039267   SELVAKUMAR C, DEEPA M (Sri Sairam Engineering Coll, Chennai- 600 044, Email: selvakumar.chem@sairam.edu.in) : Optical and anti-oxidant application of zinc doped cadmium sulfide nanoparticle. Indian J Chem Technol 2020, 27, 9-17.

Present work explains about optical and oxidant activity of zinc doped cadmium sulfide nanoparticle. Compare with undoped cadmium sulfide, zinc doped nanoparticles have different results in IR, SEM, TEM and XRD. EDAX image shows the crystalline arrangement of nanoparticles. Anti-oxidant activity describes using DHHP‘s radical scavenging method and optical relation determine by Tauc‘s equation.

15 illus, 4 tables, 25 ref

039223   DASH D, SINGH R, SAMANTA S, RAI R N (Mechanical Engineering Dep, NERIST, Arunachal Pradesh - 791 109, Email: suta_sama@yahoo.co.in) : Influence of TiC on microstructure, mechanical and wear properties of magnesium alloy (AZ91D) matrix composites. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(02), 164-9.

This paper deals with the wear and mechanical (tensile, compressive, and microhardness) properties of Mg/TiC composites over magnesium alloy (AZ91D). Magnesium based metal matrix (AZ91D) composites were synthesized by using TiC particles varying wt % from 0 % to 20 % with a step of 5 % by stir casting. The mechanical properties shows there is significant improvement of ultimate tensile strength (UTS) & % elongation, compressive strength, and microhardness with % increase of TiC content in Mg alloy. The fracture mechanism of the tensile and compressive specimen was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). A Pin-on-Disk (POD) tribotester was used to determine the wear rate (WR) and specific wear rate (SWR) of the composites. The test was carried out in a dry sliding condition of varying load of 10N, 30N and 50 N corresponding to a constant sliding distance & sliding speed of 1000 m and 1 m/s respectively and the worn surface of the pin is examined by SEM after the test.

4 illus, 14 ref

039222   GUPTA M, SHARMA K, SARASWAT M (Mechanical Engineering Dep, GLA Univ, UP, Email: kamal.sharma@gla.ac.in) : Heat transfer and pressure drop investigation in a circular tube by the use of various kinds of inserts. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(02), 160-3.

The ability of a traditional heat exchanger in transferring heat requires improvement for conveying a considerable proportion of energy at cheaper rate and amount. For augmenting the heat transfer coefficient, different means have been employed. However, the use of inserts has become an assured method in enhancing heat transfer through endurable escalation of frictional losses. The grinding factor improvement proportions are observed to be in the scope of 2.68-3.43, 3.14-4.14, 4.30-5.34, 5.22-6.18 and 6.53-6.96 for the previously mentioned configurations of additions.The objective of the investigation is the examination of a circular tube fitted with multiple inserts with regard to its characteristics related to fluid flow & heat transfer; these inserts are organized in co-swirl and counter-swirl directions.

2 illus, 1 table, 17 ref

039218   GUERRERO M R, CARRANZA R, TRONCOSO R R, RIOS R A O (Autonomous Univ, Mexico, Email: raosornio@hspdigital.org) : High rate report synchrophasor technique during dynamic conditions. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(02), 139-43.

Current industrial applications of synchrophasors in intelligent grids depend to a great extent on highly trustable measurements, mainly during dynamic conditions of a power system, like a power swing which exhibits simultaneous variations of amplitude and phase in both voltage and current. This work presents the assessment of the performance of a novel synchrophasor technique following tests of the dynamic section of the IEEE Std. C37.118.1-2011, which requests testing the simultaneous variations of amplitude and phase.

2 illus, 10 ref

039217   HEMANTHA G R, VARADARAJAN S, GIRIPRASAD M N (ECE Dep, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological Univ, Ananthapuram, Email: hemanthag75@gmail.com) : Low latency prefix accumulation driven compound MAC unit for efficient FIR filter implementation. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(02), 135-8.

This article presents hierarchical single compound adder-based MAC with assertion based error correction for speculation variations in the prefix addition for FIR filter design. The VLSI implementation of approximation in prefix adder results show a significant delay and complexity reductions, all this at the cost of latency measures when speculation fails during carry propagation, which is the main reason preventing the use of speculation in parallel-prefix adders in DSP applications. The speculative adder which is based on Han Carlson parallel prefix adder structure accomplishes better reduction in latency. Introducing a structured and efficient shift-add technique and explore latency reduction by incorporating approximation in addition. The improvements made in terms of reduction in latency and merits in performance by the proposed MAC unit are showed through the synthesis done by FPGA hardware. Results show that proposed method outpaces both formerly projected MAC designs using multiplication methods for attaining high speed.

3 illus, 2 tables, 12 ref

039216   KANGARAJ G, KUMAR P S (Electronics & Communication Engineering Dep, AVS Engineering Coll, Salem-003, Email: raj.techstorm@gmail.com) : Pulmonary tumor detection by virtue of GLCM. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(02), 132-4.

As per the technical evolution and latest trend, Image processing techniques has become a boon in medical domain especially for tumor detection. Presence of tumor in Lungs which leads to lung cancer is a prominent and trivial disease at 18 %. This is important to be detected at early stage thereby decreasing the mortality rate. The survival rate among people increased by early diagnosis of lung tumor. Detection of tumor cell will improve the survival rate from 14 to 49 %. The aim of this research work is to design a lung tumor detection system based on analysis of microscopic image of biopsy using digital image processing. This can be done using Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix (GLCM) method and classified using back propagation neural network. This method is used for extracting texture features based on parameters such as contrast, correlation, energy, and homogeneity from the lung nodule. The microscopic lung biopsy images are classified into either cancer or non-cancer class using the artificial neural network algorithm. The proposed system has proven results in lung tumor detection and diagnosis.

2 illus, 1 tables, 6 ref

039209   GOPINATH S, SUMA N (ECE Dep, Karpagam Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Email: gopinath.ece@karpagamtech.ac.in) : Fuzzy enhanced cluster based energy efficient multicast protocol for increasing network lifetime in WSN. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(01), 99-102.

Wireless Sensor Networks (CWSN) consists of sensor node which is mobile roaming inside and outside the network region. The difficulty in existing models observed is to identify the best routes for forwarding packets. If the balancing of packet arrivals and energy conservation is not achieved, it may lead to reduction of network lifetime. In our research work, Fuzzy enhanced Cluster based Energy Efficient Multicast Protocol (FCEEMP) is developed based on three aspects. First one, the establishment of multicast routing based on the calculation of best route metric and average reliability metric. Second, the cluster is formed based on node stability and route capability. Three set of nodes are formed in the cluster network model i.e. sensor node, cluster member and Cluster Head (CH) to estimate energy consumption. Third, enhancement of fuzzy model is implemented to produce optimal energy and the value of network lifetime. From the simulation analysis, proposed protocol achieves better improvement over existing schemes.

3 illus, 1 tables, 12 ref

039208   SAIKIA M, BORA D K, KALITA K (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Dibrugarh Univ, Dibrugarh- 786 004, Email: madhurjyasaikia3@gmail.com) : Effect of TBHQ on the combustion characteristics of pomelo oil biodiesel in a compression ignition engine. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(01), 81-3.

Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) models allow for probabilistic estimations with the aim of formulating macroeconomic policies and monitoring them. In this study, we propose to apply the Sequential Monte Carlo Multilevel algorithm and Approximate Bayesian Computation (MLSMC-ABC) to increase the robustness of DSGE models built for small samples and with irregular data. Our results indicate that MLSMC-ABC improves the estimation of these models in two aspects. Firstly, the accuracy levels of the existing models are increased, and secondly, the cost of the resources used is reduced due to the need for shorter execution time Biodiesel is a biomass-based fuel. Biodiesel faces the difficult issue of storage stability. The storage stability of a biodiesel can be enhanced by adding an antioxidant to the fuel, which represses oxidation reactions that take place upon exposure to sunlight, heat, moisture, humidity, and metal. In the present study, biodiesel is synthesized from pomelo oil (Citrus maxima) and treated with a synthetic antioxidant called TBHQ (Tertiary butyl hydroquinone). The engine andemission performance of the biodiesel with TBHQ in various concentrations have been determined in a single cylinder four stroke diesel engine. It is observed that brake specific fuel consumption increases with the increasing concentration of TBHQ. Brake power stays unaltered for the biodiesel with or without TBHQ. Considerable reduction in carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide has been observed for biodiesel irrespective of antioxidant treatment.

3 illus, 2 tables, 11 ref

039207   SARASWAT M, CHAUHAN N R, SHARMA V K, SHUKLA R K, SHARMA K (Mechanical Engineering Dep, ABES Engineering Coll, Ghaziabad, Email: er.manishsaraswat@gmail.com) : Assessment of biomass potential in engine emission reduction. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(01), 77-80.

The twin crisis of environmental degradation and fossil fuel depletion has confronted the world with the upcoming threat to seek the solution for some alternate fuel. The present condition of environment forces the search of some suitable alternate fuel. The present degradation of environment is also mainly influenced by the diesel vehicles. The emissions released by these diesel vehicles not only degrade the environment but also increase the number of health diseases. The present research on bio-fuels will lead to develop a sustainable solution to this problem and also create a harmonic relationship between the economy and ecosystem. The present research will provide the optimized blending ratio compression ratio and other operating parameters to be selected while approaching to sustainable output. The present study will depict the behavior of different bio-fuels poured in VCR engine at different compression ratio at different operating parameters. The outcomes of this research paper reveals the discussion on the potential assessment of different biofuels in the reduction of engine emissions.

3 illus, 1 tables, 6 ref

039205   BEIGH M A, HUSSAIN S Z, NASEER B, ROUF A, WANI F (Agricultural Sciences and Technology Univ, Shalimar- 190 025, Email: zameerskuastj@rediffmail.com) : Grade classification for water chestnuts, their dimensional properties and correlation analysis. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(01), 66-70.

The aim of the present study was to devise the grade classification for whole water chestnuts and kernels and to determine their dimensional properties. The data generated during the study will help in designing post-harvest handling equipments for water chestnuts in future. The mean values of length, width and thickness for whole water chestnuts ranged between ≤ 30 - > 45mm; ≤ 23- > 35mm and ≤ 9 - >18mm from grade I (very small) to grade V (very large) respectively, whereas, the corresponding values for whole water chestnut kernels ranged between ≤ 18 - > 36 mm; ≤ 13- > 22mm and ≤ 7 - > 16 mm from grade I to grade V respectively. For all the five devised grades, the mean values of derived dimensional properties were significantly (p<0.05) different in both whole water chestnuts as well as in kernels. Correlation analysis revealed significant (p<0.05) positive correlation among all the dimensional properties of whole water chestnuts. In case of whole water chestnut kernels, all the dimensional properties showed significant positive correlation with each other, except sphericity and aspect ratio, which showed non-significant positive and negative correlations with all the dimensional properties respectively.

2 illus, 3 tables, 5 ref

039202   HAMEED A Z (Industrial Engineering Dep, King Abdulaziz Univ, Saudi Arabia, Email: abdulzubar@gmail.com) : Prioritizing and achieving quality services in gas stations using analytical hierarchy process and quality function deployment. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(01), 53-5.

Identifying customer requirement and modifying the services as per expectation of customer in service sector leads to achieve the profit of organization and sustain in the market. The customer expectations towards the service organization dramatically increased in recent years, in order to sustain in the market, the organization should identify the customer requirements, adopting the system, process, services as per expectation of customer in the organization. This article highlights the expectation of customer in gas stations located at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The data collection done at various gas stations, a questioner-based survey conducted to identify the customer requirements from 10 gas stations, 250 responds collected from different category of customer based on the driving vehicle such as four wheelers and heavy vehicle. The data collection validated by SPSS software and Analytical Hierarchy process used for prioritizing the customer requirements and House of quality constructed as per requirement of customer, the quality function deployment introduced to enhance the services in gas stations. The article concludes that, the following requirements were highly expected from gas stations, the requirements were need space between one pump to another pump, payment by credit card also to be considered, services for cleaning car windows, quick wash, availably of rest room and the proper maintenance of gas stations (calibration of air machine, cleaning of work station frequently, introducing 5S Concept and displaying in and exit board). The article suggests the function modification required in gas stations for achieving customer requirement.

3 tables, 6 ref

039200   DEBNATH R, SINGH R, SASTRY G R K, RAI R N (Production Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Agartala, Email: rabi101991@gmail.com) : A RSM based grey relation analysis of process parameters in a CI engine using various bio diesel blends. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(01), 44-8.

This work exhibits the performance output and emission results of Undi bio diesel with butanol blend in a CI engine at varying load conditions. In this work two butanol blends has been exploited for the experiment along with Undi bio diesel and diesel. The other blend contained 50 % Undi also 50 % diesel and compared with base fuel diesel. From the experimental results it was found that blend containing 50 % Undi bio diesel and 50 % diesel displayed better results for BThE, bsfc and UHC among all the blends where as lower NO_x was obtained for the butanol blends. After that Grey relation analysis based RSM was executed in the work to see the significance of the experimental results through GRA and validation of the work was executed which resulted adequate response.

2 illus, 3 tables, 12 ref

039195   ALAMINOS D, RAMIREZ A, GAMEZ M A F, VICARIO R B (Mechanical Engineering and Energy Efficiency Dep, Málaga Univ, Spain, Email: jasantos@ualg.pt) : Estimating DSGE models using multilevel sequential Monte Carlo in approximate Bayesian computation. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(01), 21-5.

Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) models allow for probabilistic estimations with the aim of formulating macroeconomic policies and monitoring them. In this study, we propose to apply the Sequential Monte Carlo Multilevel algorithm and Approximate Bayesian Computation (MLSMC-ABC) to increase the robustness of DSGE models built for small samples and with irregular data. Our results indicate that MLSMC-ABC improves the estimation of these models in two aspects. Firstly, the accuracy levels of the existing models are increased, and secondly, the cost of the resources used is reduced due to the need for shorter execution time.

1 illus, 2 tables, 17 ref

039161   BHATTACHARYA A, DE A, ROY B, BHATTACHARJEE A K (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur - 713 209, Email: bhattacharya.ankan1987@gmail.com) : Investigations on a low-profile, filter backed, printed monopole antenna for UWB communication. Indian J Pure Appl Phys 2020, 58(02), 106-12.

A compact, printed dual band-notched, filter backed antenna or filtenna, with suppressed radiation characteristics outside the ultra-wide frequency band (UWB) has been scripted in this manuscript. Te filtenna has been designed  to work in the UWB frequency domain (03.1 - 10.6 GHz), as prescribed by federal communications commission (FCC). Band-notching structures have been incorported in the radiating element for realization of dual band- notchs for WLAN and WiMAX. The noovelty lies in the fact that, a microstrip band pass filter has been itroduced in the antenna feeding section for improvement of the cut-off frequency selectivity. An impendance bandwith (S₁₁  _ -10.0 d B) of 03.1 - 10.6GHz has been obtained excepting two frequency-notches having centre frequencies of 03.5 GHz, respectively. Promise able simulation results followed by measurement,  justify the applicity of the novel filtenna for UWB communications. 

13 illus, 3 tables, 11 ref

039147   PRABAKARAN G, VAITHIYANATHAN D, GANESAN M (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, Anna Univ, Chennai - 600 025, Email: kgp.com@outlook.com) : Relationship between qualitative physics and fuzzy logic in natural subsystems. Indian J Pure Appl Phys 2020, 58, 44-9.

The purpose of this research is to present a comparison between the two ad hoc appearance and control techniques of conceptual systems. In that respect, it is a description of the interconnected notion between the principle of qualitative physics and of ambiguous quality. On that basis the first point is to determine the key feature of each approach is significant. In the early stages of the product development and forecasting process, a large number of input energies were used for its creation. However, they are still being used in nature, though not subjectively impure. Therefore, this research presents the concept of the relationship between qualitative physics and fuzzy logic in terms of developing predictive outputs and using logical resources. Finally, the relationship between qualitative physics and fuzzy logic processes has been proven with the support of the selected natural subsystem.

4 illus, 2 tables, 13 ref

039048   LI G, ZHAO K, YANG H (Xi’an Univ of Posts and Telecommunications, Shaanxi- 710 121, Email: lghcd@163.com) : A new method for detecting line spectrum of ship-radiated noise based on a new double duffing oscillator differential system. Indian J Geo-Mar Sci 2020, 49(1), 34-43.

In order to detect line spectrum of ship-radiated noise under the ocean background noise and improve the method of detecting duffing oscillator intermittent chaos, a method of detecting intermittent chaos based on variable step size dual duffing oscillator differential system is proposed. Based on the duffing oscillator, two independent and incompletely coupled duffing oscillators can be differentiated based on the differential principle by using the proposed method, which reduces the computational complexity and makes the timing diagram more intuitive. In order to further improve the detection efficiency and reduce the computational complexity of the system, the author put forward that a sequence of solving steps can be built by using only one duffing oscillator and the method of detecting the unknown frequency signal can be achieved by changing the step size of the system. Simulation results show that compared with the conventional duffing oscillator detection method, the proposed method has improved the SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) by at least 10.6 dB. Comparing with duffing system chaotic oscillator column and double duffing system chaotic oscillator column detection method, the proposed method is most effective in detecting line spectrum of ship-radiated noise.

10 illus, 1 table, 26 ref

027185   MAHLA S K, DHIR A, SINGLA V, ROSHA P (Mechanical Engineering Dep, I.K. Gujral Punjab Technical Univ, Hoshiarpur- 146 001, Email: mahla.sunil@gmail.com) : Investigations on environmental emissions characteristics of CI engine fuelled with castor biodiesel blends. J Environ Biol 2018, 39(3), 353-7.

Biodiesel is an attractive fuel option for diesel engines in view of issues related to fossil fuel crisis and environmental degradation. The present study aimed to prepare biodiesel from non-edible grade castor Ricinus communis oil and to evaluate the emission characteristics of castor biodiesel fuelled diesel engine at different engine operating loads. The biodiesel was prepared from non-edible grade castor oil by single step alkaline transesterification process at room temperature.The fuel properties like kinematic viscosity, density, calorific value, flash point, pour point, and cloud point were measured as per ASTM D-6751 specifications.The engine used for experimental work is a single cylinder, four stroke, constant speed, direct injection diesel engine. The engine testing was performed at different engine loads (0.9, 1.8 and 2.7 bmep) and at constant speed of 1500 rpm with different tested fuel blends i.e. B0, B20, B40 and B60. The emission parameters like nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide were evaluated using flue gas analyzer. Production yield of 96.5 % was obtained using biodiesel synthesis and castor oil based biodiesel was found to possess similar fuel properties when compared to fossil petro-diesel. At full engine load condition of 2.7 bmep, the hydrocarbon emission was lowered by 24.6, 39.6 and 42.1 % for B20, B40 and B60 fuels, respectively, and the carbon monoxide emission was reduced by 12.9, 17.1 and 26.2 % for tested fuel blends B20, B40 and B60, respectively, when compared to petro-diesel. At 2.7 bmep load condition, the NOx emissions was higher by 28.2 % for B60 fuel when compared to petro-diesel, while, at 0.9 bmep load condition, NOx emissions increased by 11.8 and 15.1 % for B20 and B40 blends, respectively, when compared with petro-diesel. The non-edible grade of castor oil can be used as a raw material for biodiesel production and its blend with diesel is a suitable fuel candidate for use in diesel engine without modifications, which results in overall low emissions.

2 illus, 2 tables, 20 ref

027180   MAHMOUDINEZHAD M H, KARKHANEH A, JADIDI K (Biomedical Engineering Dep, Amirkabir Univ of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran, Email: a.karkhaneh@aut.ac.ir) : Effect of PEDOT:PSS in tissue engineering composite scaffold on improvement and maintenance of endothelial cell function. J Biosci 2018, 43(2), 307–19.

According to recent research, smart polymers can affect different kind of mammalian cells such as endothelial cells. It is known that conductive polymers have great features, e.g. electrical conductivity, and can help increase electrical cell communication. To clarify the effect of one of these smart materials on endothelial cells, which are not inherently electrically dependent, poly (3, 4-ethylene dioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) was chosen. Scaffolds were composed of gelatin, alginate, and PEDOT:PSS and made through solvent casting. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured on the scaffold with different PEDOT:PSS concentrations. SEM, MTT assay, cell attachment, nitric oxide measurement, real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry analysis were employed to assess endothelial cell responses. Although there was no significant difference in swelling ratio, mass loss, and cell attachment when PEDOT:PSS concentration increased in scaffold construction, cell proliferation noticeably increased after seven days. The cells showed a significant increase in proliferation and NO release to the scaffold with 1 % PEDOT:PSS concentration. The results indicated increases in the amount of expression of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1, CD31), kinase insert domain receptor (KDR), vascular-endothelial Cadherin (VE. Cadherin), and von Will brand factor (vWf) in the group which contained a conductive polymer in comparison with the non-conductive scaffold. Therefore, as a conductive polymer, PEDOT:PSS can affect the endothelial cell behaviours.

12 illus, 1 table, 50 ref

027179   AMBROSE D C P (Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Email: dawncp@yahoo.com) : Effect of packaging on the shelf life of tender palmyra (Borassus flabellifer) fruit endosperm. J Appl & Nat Sci 2018, 10(2), 705 - 9.

Tender palmyra (Borassus flabellifer) fruit endosperm, also known as ice apple is consumed during the summer months especially in Southern and Eastern India. The endosperm is manually removed from the tender palmyra fruit using a heavy knife or sickle by the road side vendors before it is consumed. An investigation on retail film packaging was conducted to study the shelf life of tender palmyra endosperm in sealed packages. The research was carried out to study the effect of packaging films of different thickness on the physio-sensory properties of the endosperm under ambient (32 ± 2 °C) and refrigerated (5 ± 1 °C) conditions. The endosperm was packed in polypropylene bags of 40 and 80 micron thickness and low density polyethylene bags of 150 and 450 micron thickness and High Molecular density (HM) polyethylene bags of 40 micron thickness. The packed samples were kept for storage under ambient and refrigerated conditions. They were evaluated for the changes in weight loss, TSS and also firmness, colour and odour by subjective evaluation at periodic interval during storage. The weight loss was minimum for the sample packed in 450 micron Low Density Polyethylene bag under refrigerated storage. Sensory scores revealed that the overall acceptability (5.0) of palmyra endosperm packed in 450 micron thickness Low Density Poly Ethylene was highest at the end of storage under ambient condition. Similarly, highest overall acceptability (4.0) was observed in High Molecular density polyethylene bag of 40 micron thickness at refrigerated storage. Under normal conditions, palmyra endosperm is prone to spoilage within few hours due to oxidation and fermentation. The results of the study revealed that the shelf life of palmyra endosperm could be extended up to two days under ambient condition, when packed in Low Density Poly Ethylene bag of 450 micron thickness, whereas under refrigerated condition, shelf life could be up to eight days, when packed in high molecular density polyethylene bags of 40 micron thickness.

2 illus, 3 tables, 14 ref

027184   JAWA G K, AHUJA S M (Chemical Engineering Dep, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal-148 106, Email: jawagulshan@gmail.com) : Removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solution by using Arachis hypogea as low cost biosorbent. Asian J Chem 2018, 30(5), 1078-82.

Present study reports the removal of cadmium(II) removal from aqueous solutions by using Arachis hypogea as abundantly available biomaterial. Kinetic and equilibrium studies have been reported. Effects of various parameters such as pH, stirring speed, initial metal ion concentration, contact time, adsorbent dose have been found in batch experiments in their significant ranges. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms have been applied to find adsorption behaviour.

7 illus, 2 tables, 37 ref