Spectral-domain analysis of submillimetre-wave microstrip filters

We consider the cut-off frequencies of high-order modes in boxed submillimetre-wave microstrip filters. It is shown that many of the filters in use at the present time are not cut off in the way that the designers imagine. It is also shown that for ease of manufacture the height of the microstrip channel should be 0.7 times the width and the thickness of the quartz substrate should be 0.5 times the width. This optimum geometry suggests that the upper frequency limit of conventional waveguide components is 1THz.     

Leakage flux saturation effects on the transient performance of wound-rotor induction motors

The prediction of induction machine performance has traditionally been based on the constant parameter models. This approach was later replaced by considering saturation in the main flux paths. However, such models have not been sufficiently accurate for certain transient conditions such as on-line starting and short-circuit. So, an accurate study of their performance should necessarily consider the magnetic saturation effect both in the main and leakage flux paths. In this paper, an experimental procedure to determine the machine parameters and saturation characteristics is adopted. The adopted experimental procedure facilitates the measurement of both stator and rotor leakage reactance saturation characteristics. Two models of saturated induction motors are developed to predict the transient performance of a laboratory wound-rotor induction motor. The results calculated by the proposed models considering and ignoring the leakage flux saturation are compared with the experimental results. The model that considers saturation in the leakage flux paths produces more accurate transient responses.     

The Tail Effect of Some Prepared Cationic Surfactants on Silver Nanoparticle Preparation and Their Surface,Thermodynamic Parameters,and Antimicrobial Activity

The surface parameters of some cationic surfactants having different hydrophobic alkyl chains were assessed in aqueous solution using different techniques; surface tension, ultraviolet-Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, and conductivity measurements. The obtained critical micelle concentration (CMC) for N-(2-((3,4-dimethoxybenzylidene)amino)ethyl)-N,N-dimethyloctan-1-aminium bromide (DBAO), N-(2-((3,4-dimethoxybenzylidene)amino)ethyl)-N,N-dimethyldodectan-1-aminium bromide (DBAD), and N-(2-((3,4-dimethoxybenzylidene)amino)ethyl)-N,N-dimethylhexadectan-1-aminium bromide (DBAH) in aqueous solution using three techniques are nearly the same. Increasing the hydrophobic chain length enhances micelle formation. Raising the solution temperature from 25 to 65 °C also shows the same trend. The thermodynamic calculations outlined the adsorption propensity of the surfactants at the surface compared to their affinity to form micelles. Both micellization and adsorption processes are enhanced with both the hydrocarbon elongation and with raising the solution temperature. The effect of the surfactant tail on the preparation process of the silver nanoparticles (AgNP) was assessed and confirmed using transmission electron microscope (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and UV–Vis spectra. Increasing the surfactant tail leads to a smaller particle size with a narrow distribution. The stability of the prepared AgNP is enhanced with hydrophobic surfactant tail elongation as proved with increasing the zeta-potential of the prepared AgNP colloid. The foaming power, interfacial tension, and emulsification stability of the DBAO, DBAD, and DBAH surfactants were determined. The DBAO, DBAD, and DBAH surfactants showed good antimicrobial activities against both bacteria (Gram positive and negative) and fungi, which have been enhanced because of incorporation of AgNP.     

Influences of Mn doping on the microstructural,semiconducting, and optoelectronic properties of HgO nanostructure films

Mn-doped HgO nanostructured thin films (Hg_1-xMn_xO) have been prepared using electron beam evaporation technique on Corning glass (1022) substrate at room temperature with different concentrations x = 0, 0.015, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2. The microstructural, morphological, semiconducting, and optoelectronic properties of the films have been investigated. The X-ray diffraction spectra suggest a hexagonal wurtzite type structure with lattice parameters decreased with increasing Mn content. It was found that the average particle size of the films decreases with increasing Mn doping which is confirmed by FE-SEM and AFM micrographs. The optical band gap of the investigated Mn-doped HgO nanocrystalline films is determined from the absorption coefficient and found to increase with the increase of Mn concentration which is attributed to the sp-d exchange interaction and/or the quantum confinement effect. The refractive index and extinction coefficient of the Mn-doped HgO films are also reported. The refractive index dispersion n(λ) is analyzed by single-effective-oscillator dispersion model proposed by the Wemple–DiDomenico (WDD). The oscillator parameters were estimated. The obtained dispersion values are suitable for the design of optoelectronic devices.     

Parameters extraction of PEMFC's model using manta rays foraging optimizer

In this article, a recently developed bio-inspired based manta rays foraging optimizer (MRFO) is attempted for reliable and accurate extraction of the model uncertain parameters of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The parameter estimation is formulated as a non-linear optimization problem subject to set of restrictions. The great development and tremendous revolution of computation heuristic-based algorithms are the impetus of the authors to apply the MRFO to solve this constrained optimization problem resulting in a precise PEMFC model. Three case studies of typical field PEMFC stacks namely Ballard type Mark V, NedStack type PS6, and Horizon type H-12. Various I to V datasets are demonstrated to appraise the performance of MRFO among other recent optimizers available in the literature. To be objective and for sake of quantifications, the best scores of minimum fitness values are 0.8533, 2.1360, and 0.0966 for the later said PEMFC stacks, correspondingly. At a later stage, production of various characteristics under varying operating conditions such as changeable cell temperature and regulating pressures are established using the generated best values of PEMFCs model. Further calculations of statistical indices are performed to validate the robustness of obtained results by the MRFO. Through comprehensive performance assessments, it can be confirmed that MRFO is very promising tool for the effective extraction of PEMFCs' model and suggested to be applied for solving other engineering problems.     

Review of the phase change material (PCM) usage for solar domestic water heating systems (SDWHS)

The shortage in energy resources combined with the climb in greenhouse emissions is the main incentive beyond the deployment of solar energy resource in various applications. One of the most successful applications is the utilization of solar energy in the domestic water heating systems (DWHS) because 70% of the consumed energy in the residential segment is utilized for space heating and appliances in cold climates 1 . However, the full deployment of solar energy in domestic water heating is only possible when an energy storage system with acceptable price is available. Recently a new tendency for deploying phase change materials (PCMs) as an energy storage system is introduced in several solar DWHS. These systems are known as integrated PCM in solar DWHS and offer several advantages including high storage capacity, low storage volume, and isothermal operation during the charging and discharging phases. The present study reviews various techniques utilized for integrating the PCM in solar water heating systems and the utilized methods for enhancing the heat transfer characteristics of the PCM through the usage of extended surfaces and high conductive additives. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Dynamic Emission Zone in Sandwich Polymer Light‐Emitting Electrochemical Cells

In light‐emitting electrochemical cells (LECs), the position of the emission zone (EZ) is not predefined via a multilayer architecture design, but governed by a complex motion of electrical and ionic charges. As a result of the evolution of doped charge transport layers that enclose a dynamic intrinsic region until steady state is reached, the EZ is often dynamic during turn‐on. For thick sandwich polymer LECs, a continuous change of the emission color provides a direct visual indication of a moving EZ. Results from an optical and electrical analysis indicate that the intrinsic zone is narrow at early times, but starts to widen during operation, notably well before the electrical device optimum is reached. Results from numerical simulations demonstrate that the only precondition for this event to occur is that the mobilities of anions (μ_a) and cations (μ_c) are not equal, and the direction of the EZ shift dictates μ_c > μ_a. Quantitative ion profiles reveal that the displacement of ions stops when the intrinsic zone stabilizes, confirming the relation between ion movement and EZ shift. Finally, simulations indicate that the experimental current peak for constant‐voltage operation is intrinsic and the subsequent decay does not result from degradation, as commonly stated.     

Hyperparameter Tuned Deep Learning Enabled Cyberbullying Classification in Social Media

Cyberbullying (CB) is a challenging issue in social media and it becomes important to effectively identify the occurrence of CB. The recently developed deep learning (DL) models pave the way to design CB classifier models with maximum performance. At the same time, optimal hyperparameter tuning process plays a vital role to enhance overall results. This study introduces a Teacher Learning Genetic Optimization with Deep Learning Enabled Cyberbullying Classification (TLGODL-CBC) model in Social Media. The proposed TLGODL-CBC model intends to identify the existence and non-existence of CB in social media context. Initially, the input data is cleaned and pre-processed to make it compatible for further processing. Followed by, independent recurrent autoencoder (IRAE) model is utilized for the recognition and classification of CBs. Finally, the TLGO algorithm is used to optimally adjust the parameters related to the IRAE model and shows the novelty of the work. To assuring the improved outcomes of the TLGODL-CBC approach, a wide range of simulations are executed and the outcomes are investigated under several aspects. The simulation outcomes make sure the improvements of the TLGODL-CBC model over recent approaches.