A Review on Precision Agriculture Using Wireless Sensor Networks Incorporating Energy Forecast Techniques

Wireless Personal Communications - Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are prominently used for environment monitoring, however, energy constraints limit their applications. So, the energy consumption...     

Granularity-based workflow scheduling algorithm for cloud computing

The workflow scheduling problem has drawn a lot of attention in the research community. This paper presents a workflow scheduling algorithm, called granularity score scheduling (GSS), which is based on the granularity of the tasks in a given workflow. The main objectives of GSS are to minimize the makespan and maximize the average virtual machine utilization. The algorithm consists of three phases, namely B-level calculation, score adjustment and task ranking and scheduling. We simulate the proposed algorithm using various benchmark scientific workflow applications, i.e., Cybershake, Epigenomic, Inspiral and Montage. The simulation results are compared with two well-known existing workflow scheduling algorithms, namely heterogeneous earliest finish time and performance effective task scheduling, which are also applied in cloud computing environment. Based on the simulation results, the proposed algorithm remarkably demonstrates its performance in terms of makespan and average virtual machine utilization.     

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) Engines: A Review

The homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion is considered to be the principally promising future IC engine concepts. HCCI is a concept of hybrid combustion, between the Otto engine and Diesel engine. HCCI is however not a modern finding. Already in the early twentieth century hot bulb engines operated with an HCCI-like combustion. They were superior in terms of brake efficiency compared with the contemporary gasoline engines and at the same level as the diesel engines. High engine efficiencies and ultra low NO emissions and low particulates are the benefits of HCCI engines. Volumetric auto ignited combustion of the compressed lean air–fuel mixture is attributed to these benefits. There are few drawbacks also were there in HCCI engines like, low specific output, narrow operating range, lack control over the ignition process, long start up time and high emissions like CO and UHC emissions. The CO and UHC emissions can be after treated using catalytic converters. In this study a literature review on HCCI engine has been performed and the parameters affecting the HCCI combustion phasing, performance and emissions were discussed. Strategies to widen the peak load bearing capacity of HCCI engine, reducing the emissions like NOx, CO and UHC, easy auto-ignition were discussed in the present study.     

Numerical Analysis of a Vortex Tube: A Review

Ranque–Hilsch vortex tube is a simple devise with no moving parts which could generate cold and hot air/gas streams simultaneously with compressed air/gas as a working fluid. The energy and flow separation in a vortex tube is highly depends on factors like nozzle shape, nozzle number, diameter and length of the vortex tube, inlet pressure, control valve, diaphragm hole size and cold mass fraction. As the energy separation and flow patterns in a vortex tube are highly complex and were not explained successfully by any researcher, a computational study of vortex tube flow and energy separation will give a better understanding about the physics and mechanism involved. Many researchers conducted computational fluid dynamic analysis of the vortex to have a deep insight about the process of flow separation. In this paper computational analysis of vortex by many researchers were presented along with the results obtained and suggestions to improve the performance of the vortex tube. Researchers considered Turbulence models which predict the performance precisely were discussed in the present paper. Researchers considered turbulence models like LES, k–ε, k–ω and RMS to predict the energy separation in vortex tube. Some researchers considered artificial neural networks (ANN) and Taguchi methods for their analysis. Comparison of the predictions with simulation results were also presented to give a clear idea for the reader about the CFD models prediction capabilities.     

Robust Silica Aerogel Microspheres from Rice Husk Ash to Enhance the Dissolution Rate of Poorly Water-Soluble Drugs

The present paper demonstrates the capability of specially prepared robust silica aerogel microspheres (RSAMs) to enhance the dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble drugs. A sol-gel/mineral oil emulsion method has been developed for RSAMs from rice husk ash (RHA), a biogenic source. The particles were characterized for their Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area, Barrett, Joyner and Halenda (BJH) pore volume and pore diameter, and morphology by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The dissolution rate of ibuprofen, a poorly water-soluble drug, was investigated by adsorbing it onto RSAMs upon dissolving it in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) at 150?bar and 40°C. This resulted in a loading of ～0.13?g ibuprofen/g loaded RSAMs in 24?h. X-ray diffraction analysis was used to characterize the nature of the adsorbed ibuprofen onto RSAMs. It was observed that the loaded drug on the aerogels is in amorphous form. An in vitro drug-release kinetic studies confirmed a significant enhancement in the dissolution rate, namely ～100% of the loaded ibuprofen released as compared to that of ～11% of crystalline ibuprofen in 15?min.     

Diffusion coefficients of aqueous cesium fluoride at 40°C

Diaphragm cell technique has been employed to determine diffusion coefficient for cesium fluoride at 40°C in the concentration range varying from 0.01 to 0.1 M. The data were analysed in the light of the theory of Onsager and Fuoss (O-F), J. chem. Phys.2, 599 (1932)[20]. The results indicate that the O-F theory is inadequate to explain the behaviour of this salt at 45°C. The results are also discussed with other 1:1 type salts of cesium.     

Multi-objective optimal power flow considering wind power cost functions using enhanced PSO with chaotic mutation and stochastic weights

Electrical Engineering - A multi-objective optimal power flow (OPF) solution using an enhanced NSPSO, incorporating chaotic mutation and stochastic weight trade-off features, is proposed here. The...     

Effect of abrasive jet process parameters on machining glass fibre reinforced polymer composite

An experimental and theoretical research work on abrasive jet machining of glass fiber reinforced polymer composite materials was conducted using abrasive jet machining setup fabricated in our workshop. The objective of this research work is to machine holes on the glass fiber reinforced polymer composite using an abrasive jet machine under various levels of process parameter. The material removal rate and hole geometry (kerf analysis) were observed as a part of the investigation. Four factors five levels central composite rotatable design matrix was used for optimizing the required number of experiments. The objective of the present investigation is to develop mathematical models using the response surface methodology. The adequacy of the models has been checked using the ANOVA technique. Use of the developed mathematical models, material removal rate and hole geometry of the machined glass fibre reinforced polymer composite helps prediction at 95% confidence level.     

A HIGH AIRFLOW DRYING EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP TO STUDY DRYING BEHAVIOR OF POLYMER SOLVENT COATINGS

A High Airflow Drying Experimental Set-up (HADES) has been constructed to simulate conditions encountered in industrial dryers. In this experiment the drying gas flows parallel to the coating in a narrow gap (6 × 10^-3 cm). Measured heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) on HADES range from 7 W/m² K at 0.072 m/s to 26 W/m² K at 0.72 m/s. The range of HTCs could easily be extended by using higher gas flow rates or narrower gap. The drying results obtained in HADES compare well with model predictions for poly (vinyl acetate)/toluene and show expected trends for changes in drying temperature and flow rate. Experimental drying results for poly (methyl methacrylate)/acetone show an anomalous drying behavior where residual solvent content is minimized at intermediate drying gas flow rate. This phenomenon is likely due to formation of a glassy skin at the surface of the drying coating.