Enhancing linearity in I–V characteristics by B/N doping in graphene for communication devices

To explore communication applications, a study towards achieving linearity in the I–V characteristics through increasing concentrations of Boron (B) / Nitrogen (N) doping on pristine graphene sheet is investigated. Individual B/N doping of 6.25, 12.50, 18.75 and 25% has been done in the same sub lattice using Density Functional Theory (DFT) along with Non Equilibrium Greens Function (NEGF) calculations. The modification in the electronic and transport properties of graphene sheet are also investigated. In comparison to the variation of band gap from 0.35 to 1.183 eV and 0.36 to 1.149 eV for B and N respectively, an insignificant variation in effective mass is reported. Apart from linearity, variation in conductance in doped structures is seen. B doping increases conductivity and yields ON current of 610 µA while N doping gives ON current of 310 µA for maximum doping concentrations. In this work, the sustained carrier mobility and high gain linear characteristics of doped graphene obtained will help to utilise a graphene channel for different communication device applications.     

Physicochemical characterisation of corn extrudates prepared with varying levels of beetroot (Beta vulgaris) at different extrusion temperatures

This study examines the effect of beetroot powder (BRP) incorporation (0%, 5%, 10% and 15%) at different extrusion temperatures (125, 150 and 175 °C) on the physicochemical, antioxidant and sensory properties of corn grit (CG) extrudates. BRP showed higher values of total phenolic content (TPC = 9095 μg GAE g^?1) and free radical inhibition (ABTS = 6.5 μm trolox mg^?1 and DPPH = 7.9 μm trolox mg^?1) than CG (1346 μg GAE g^?1, 1.5 μm trolox mg^?1 and 2.2 μm trolox mg^?1, respectively). Pasting viscosity (peak, breakdown and final) decreased, while pasting temperature of CG increased with the level of BRP incorporation. Analyses of the extrudates showed an increase in redness, bulk density, hardness, TPC, free radical inhibition, total dietary fibre (TDF) and a decrease in water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), expansion ratio and oil uptake with the increase in the level of BRP incorporation. On the other hand, higher extrusion temperature increased porosity, WAI, WSI, oil uptake but decreased redness, bulk density, hardness and TPC.     

Robust kernelized approach to clustering by incorporating new distance measure

A new data clustering algorithm Density oriented Kernelized version of Fuzzy c-means with new distance metric (DKFCM-new) is proposed. It creates noiseless clusters by identifying and assigning noise points into separate cluster. In an earlier work, Density Based Fuzzy C-Means (DOFCM) algorithm with Euclidean distance metric was proposed which only considered the distance between cluster centroid and data points. In this paper, we tried to improve the performance of DOFCM by incorporating a new distance measure that has also considered the distance variation within a cluster to regularize the distance between a data point and the cluster centroid. This paper presents the kernel version of the method. Experiments are done using two-dimensional synthetic data-sets, standard data-sets referred from previous papers like DUNN data-set, Bensaid data-set and real life high dimensional data-sets like Wisconsin Breast cancer data, Iris data. Proposed method is compared with other kernel methods, various noise resistant methods like PCM, PFCM, CFCM, NC and credal partition based clustering methods like ECM, RECM, CECM. Results shown that proposed algorithm significantly outperforms its earlier version and other competitive algorithms.     

Optimal monolithic configuration for heat integrated ethanol steam reformer

A design concept for optimal design of monolith catalyst is presented through modeling of transport–kinetic interactions in a monolith catalyst. We argue that reactors employing monolithic catalysts should be based on its optimal choice of geometry. In line with that argument, we present a thorough analysis of the geometrical parameters influencing the performance of non-isothermal reactor operation. In this study, an optimal monolith configuration is estimated to be a combination (d_h, t_w) of (0.9 mm, 0.2 mm) for a compact ethanol reformer to produce hydrogen for portable applications where maximum volumetric reactor activity exists. A three-dimensional modeling framework is developed for the resulting optimal monolithic catalyst design that couples the reforming section with a suitable heat source in a recuperative way. As a result, greater ethanol conversion is obtained from the monolith channels near the periphery of the block. The coupling with combustion could predict the formation of cold and hot spots inside the reactor, their nature being dependent on the flow configuration. Further, the effect of altering the feed inlet operating conditions over the variation of ethanol conversion and temperature inside the reactor is also analyzed. The increase in reforming inlet velocity decreases the outlet conversion and shifts the cold spot, forward and deeper in co-flow configuration. The decreasing inlet feed temperature enhances the transfer of heat, eliminating the cold spot.     

Cuckoo Search Based Optimization of Multiuser Cognitive Radio System Under the Effect of Shadowing

Shadow fading is one of the least investigated factors of received signal power in a typical wireless communication system. Variations in the received power caused by shadowing events can impose some serious changes in the communication. This paper, proposes a new multiuser cognitive radio system in shadowing environment and its design optimization using cuckoo search algorithm. The transmission parameters of multiple secondary users in the purposed CR model are considered on the basis of IEEE 802.22 WRAN standard. An attempt to optimize these parameters in shadowing environment to achieve multiple objectives for desired quality of service have been made using a relatively newer and simpler cuckoo search algorithm. The optimization results have been compared with another efficient biogeography based optimization technique and the traditional simulated annealing.     

MIMO Channel Capacity and Configuration Selection for Switched Parasitic Antennas

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems offer significant enhancements in terms of their data rate and channel capacity compared to traditional systems. However, correlation degrades the system performance and imposes practical limits on the number of antennas that can be incorporated into portable wireless devices. The use of switched parasitic antennas (SPAs) is a possible solution, especially where it is difficult to obtain sufficient signal decorrelation by conventional means. The covariance matrix represents the correlation present in the propagation channel, and has significant impact on the MIMO channel capacity. The results of this work demonstrate a significant improvement in the MIMO channel capacity by using SPA with the knowledge of the covariance matrix for all pattern configurations. By employing the “water-pouring algorithm” to modify the covariance matrix, the channel capacity is significantly improved compared to traditional systems, which spread transmit power uniformly across all the antennas. A condition number is also proposed as a selection metric to select the optimal pattern configuration for MIMO-SPAs.     

Relationship between physicochemical and functional properties of amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) protein isolates

Protein isolates from six amaranth lines/cultivars (APIs) were evaluated to study their physicochemical (hunter colour, protein content and zeta potential), structural (thermal and conformational) and functional (emulsification, foaming, water and fat absorption) properties. APIs had protein content, whiteness index and gel temperature in range of 79.4–85.4%, 41.17–54.26 and 87.8–91.8 °C, respectively. The Fourier‐transform infrared spectra of APIs revealed α‐helix, β‐sheets and random coil conformations in the secondary structure. APIs with higher relative proportion of β‐sheets had higher Differential Scanning Calorimeter denaturation temperature and gel temperature. Minimum protein solubility (PS) was observed at pH 5.0, indicating isoelectric point (pI) of amaranth proteins. The PS, emulsifying activity index (EAI), emulsifying stability index (ESI), foaming capacity (FC) and foam stability (FS) of APIs at neutral pH were related to their zeta potential (ζ). The emulsifying and foaming properties were also determined at different pHs (between 2.0 and 9.0). The EAI‐pH profile of APIs confirmed close relationship between the emulsifying ability and PS.     

Effect of Ni7+ Ion Irradiation on Structure and Ammonia Sensing Properties of Thermally Oxidized Zinc and Indium Films

ZnO and In2O3 films were prepared by thermal oxidation of vacuum deposited zinc and indium films, respectively onto the glass substrate at 30 C. The fabricated films have been irradiated with 100-MeV Ni7+ ions at different fluences ranging from 5×1011 to 5×1013 ions/cm2. The structural and gas sensing properties of pristine and irradiated films have been discussed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of pristine and irradiated films reveal that the films are polycrystalline in nature and crystallinity increases after irradiation. In this study, highly porous In2O3 nanorods evolved when being irradiated at a fluence of 5×1013 ions/cm2 while ZnO film shows decrease in number of nanowires. The ammonia sensing performance of the Ni7+ irradiated In2O3 films shows an improvement as compared to its pristine counterpart.     

Analysis of Fatty Acid and Lignan Composition of Indian Germplasm of Sesame to Evaluate Their Nutritional Merits

An attempt was made to individually analyze a germplasm collection of 54 indigenous Indian sesame cultivars for fatty acid and lignan composition of their seed oil by gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography, respectively. The entries varied in their fatty acid and lignan composition. The mean percentage contents of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and α‐linolenic acids ranged between 10–22, 5–10, 38–50, 18–43 and less than 1 whereas sesamol, sesamin and sesamolin scored between 3–37, 27–67, 20–59 of the total percentage of lignan, respectively. The highest percentage of α‐linolenic acid (ALA) was obtained in Var‐9 (1.3 % of the total fatty acids). Among the lignans, high sesamin content is considered to be significant, particularly in terms of long shelf life and nutraceutical value of sesame seed oil. The study has broadened our understanding related to differential biochemical composition of the rich sesame germplasms, thereby providing us with a useful groundwork for identifying potential targets and suitable cultivars for genetic engineering approaches to be undertaken in order to improve the nutritional quality of sesame oil, which in turn would be beneficial towards human health.