A low power,temperature compensated,robust design of CS amplifier in nanoscale regime

Microsystem Technologies - A low power, temperature compensated, robust design of CS amplifier is proposed in this paper. A new voltage reference is introduced to enhance reliability of the design...     

Current issues and emerging trends in supply chain management: an editorial perspective

Due to the ever-changing dynamics of today's global market place, it is necessary to examine upcoming future trends that may impact businesses. Supply chains are a valuable component of all business planning, and hence, they must be continuously monitored. This paper reflects on the views and contributions of various authors writing on the crucial issue of managing supply chains. Specifically, topics such as relationship quality, performance, integration, responsiveness, risk management strategies, agility, and incentive systems in supply chains are addressed.     

Introduction to the Works of Rodney C. Wingrove: Engineering Approaches to Macroeconomic Modeling

A continuous-time control model was formulated and fitted to macroeconomic data by an expert control engineer who worked at NASA-AMES in the 1980s, Rodney C. Wingrove. Two articles were prepared and made available to the aerospace industry at that time, however the authors feel that wider distribution of his study posthumously is warranted at this time. This introduction to the two Wingrove articles that follow provides background information on the technologies Wingrove was working with, as well as subsequent developments in both macroeconomic and engineering modeling and analysis technology. Our purpose is to stimulate further research along the same lines which can potentially lead to structural and/or policy rule improvements that can prevent the extremely turbulent abberations that have been seen in recent years, and promote steady growth with low inflation and low unemployment in a sustainable way. Of particular concern is the exploding national debt problem.     

Optimisation of Detergent Ingredients for Stain Removal Using Statistical Modelling

Artificially soiled test fabrics are widely used to study the cleaning performance of detergents formulations. In this study, artificial soiled cotton test fabrics were prepared in the laboratory using carbon black as a model soil. Design of experiments was used to optimise the concentration of detergent ingredients for stain removal. A multi‐factorial analysis of variance was used to model the effect of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, nonylphenol ethoxylate, sodium silicate, sodium citrate and sodium carbonate as builders on soil removal. A colourimetric evaluation using the CIELAB system was used to measure soil removal. In general, performance increases with increasing concentration of surfactant, silicate and soda ash.     

Prediction of Bubble Size Distribution in Aluminium Foam as a Function of %Titanium Hydride Addition

Foaming of liquid aluminium by addition of foaming agent (TiH₂ particles) is numerically simulated using population balance equations. Phenomena such as hydrogen release by the TiH₂ particles, heterogeneous nucleation of bubbles in oxide surface cavities, and diffusion based bubble growth are modelled. A simple mass transfer coefficient, which varies inversely with the bubble size is used to estimate the bubble growth rate. Simulation is performed to study the effect of TiH₂ content on the final bubble size distribution, total number of bubbles and average bubble size. In general, the average properties of the predicted distributions are close to the experimental values, whereas the spread in the bubble size is observed to be considerably narrower for the predicted values. The deviation in the spread of the distributions is attributed to the inverse bubble size dependent growth rate and non-inclusion of bubble coalescence in the model.     

Light-induced changes in the solar cell parameters and temperature coefficient of n-C/p-Si heterojunction solar cell

Amorphous carbon (a-C) is a potential material for the development of low-cost and high-efficiency solar cell. We report the study of the influence of light soaking up to 100 h on n-C/p-Si heterojunction solar cell. It is observed that the deterioration in the fill factor and the efficiency are significantly smaller as compared to that observed in a-Si:H solar cell. Variations in the temperature coefficients of the I–V characteristics subjected to light degradation and recovery has also been investigated. A good correlation between change in the temperature coefficient and the degradation/recovery state of cell's conversion efficiency has been observed.     

Analysis of electrical,dielectric, and electromagnetic interference shielding behavior of graphite filled high density polyethylene composites

Conducting polymer composites were prepared by hot compression molding of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) prelocalized with graphite (Gr). The variation of room temperature electrical conductivity, dielectric constant, and Shore‐D hardness as a function of graphite content were studied below and above percolation threshold. The percolation threshold at which insulator‐conductor transition takes place is estimated to be 0.029 volume fraction of graphite. The observed increase in dielectric constant with addition of graphite also found to be percolative in nature. Above percolation threshold, the dielectric constant is found to decrease sharply with increase in frequency. Electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of HDPE/Gr composites was evaluated in the X‐band frequency range. The composites were found to possess both positive and negative temperature coefficient of resistance. Reproducibility of electrical resistivity with temperature was observed only below the processing temperature. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers