Propagation Characteristics of an Elliptically-cored Highly Birefringent Fiber using an Analytical Method

By using the method of separation of variables in the elliptical coordinate system, a representative formula in terms of Mathieu and modified Mathieu functions is derived and longitudinal field components for the even and odd modes are presented for the proposed fiber. The eigen value equation for the fiber to be considered is obtained by solving the fourth order determinantal equation under weak guidance condition and is given in this paper. The cutoff frequency of several lower orders modes for different eccentricities have been obtained and their propagation characteristics have been plotted. The effect of the eccentricity on the modal cutoff values and mode transmissions is discussed. Finally, the modal birefringence in the proposed fiber is also estimated.     

Crystal slip modeling of small strain yield behavior in textured copper tubing

A self-consistent polycrystalline model developed by Kr?ner, and Budiansky and Wu (KBW) was used to model small strain (2 and 8 × 10_-6) biaxial yield behavior in textured copper tubing. The results were compared to simulations using the Bishop-Hill model and a lower bound (LB) model which neglected strain compatibility. It was found that the Bishop-Hill model poorly represents texture effects whereas the KBW and LB models give accurate predictions of biaxial yield surfaces at these strain levels. A linear latent hardening law was used with both the KBW and LB model. Varying the latent hardening ratio an order of magnitude had little effect on the yield surface. Introducing the odd 1 coefficients of the generalized spherical harmonic expansion was also found to have negligible effect on the predicted yield loci. Formerly Graduate Student of Mechanical Engineering at Brigham Young University Formerly Graduate Student of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida     

Life cycle cost analysis of HPVT air collector under different Indian climatic conditions

In this communication, a study is carried out to evaluate an annual thermal and exergy efficiency of a hybrid photovoltaic thermal (HPVT) air collector for different Indian climate conditions, of Srinagar, Mumbai, Jodhpur, New Delhi and Banglore. The study has been based on electrical, thermal and exergy output of the HPVT air collector. Further, the life cycle analysis in terms of cost/kWh has been carried out. The main focus of the study is to see the effect of interest rate, life of the HPVT air collector, subsidy, etc. on the cost/kWh HPVT air collector. A comparison is made keeping in view the energy matrices. The study reveals that (i) annual thermal and electrical efficiency decreases with increase in solar radiation and (ii) the cost/kWh is higher in case of exergy when compared with cost/kWh on the basis of thermal energy for all climate conditions. The cost/kWh for climate conditions of Jodhpur is most economical.     

Three‐body abrasive wear behavior of short jute fiber reinforced epoxy composites

In present investigation, the three‐body abrasive wear behavior of short jute fiber reinforced epoxy composites was studied. The effect of various parameters such as fiber loading, sliding velocity, normal load, and abrasive size on the abrasive wear rate of composite has been analyzed. Abrasive wear study has been carried out using a dry sand/rubber wheel abrasion tester. The abrasive wear and friction characteristics of these composites are analyzed successfully using Taguchi orthogonal array and analysis of variance. The experimental study reveals that sliding velocity, fiber loading, and abrasive size have greater influence on the specific wear rate of the composites. The results show that the specific wear rate of the composites decreases with the increase in sliding velocity whereas, with the increase in normal load the specific wear rate increases. The study also revealed that the coefficient of friction of the composites increases up to a certain value than decreases with the increase in normal load as well as sliding velocity. The worn surfaces of the abraded specimens were examined using SEM to understand the mechanism involved in material removal. POLYM. COMPOS., 270–278, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

A survey on future research about electron beam welding for aerospace applications

Electron beam welding plays an important role in the aerospace industry where components like sensors,gears,actuators and air frames used in aircraft and rocket engines were welded using this technique.Welding is normally performed in a vacuum to avoid the scatter of electron due to the presence of gas molecules in the atmosphere and hence electron beam welding process provides the greater results.But still joining of dissimilar metals is challenging.This paper represents review of process,generation and distribution of heat source various input parameters,materials,microstructure,mechanical strength and the possibilities of joining dissimilar metals using electron beam welding.     

Exploring the Molecular Interactions of 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone and Its Derivatives with TrkB and VEGFR2 Proteins

7,8-Dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) is a TrkB receptor agonist, and treatment with this flavonoid derivative brings about an enhanced TrkB phosphorylation and promotes downstream cellular signalling. Flavonoids are also known to exert an inhibitory effect on the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) family of tyrosine kinase receptors. VEGFR2 is one of the important receptors involved in the regulation of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis and has also been implicated to exhibit various neuroprotective roles. Its upregulation and uncontrolled activity is associated with a range of pathological conditions such as age-related macular degeneration and various proliferative disorders. In this study, we investigated molecular interactions of 7,8-DHF and its derivatives with both the TrkB receptor as well as VEGFR2. Using a combination of molecular docking and computational mapping tools involving molecular dynamics approaches we have elucidated additional residues and binding energies involved in 7,8-DHF interactions with the TrkB Ig2 domain and VEGFR2. Our investigations have revealed for the first time that 7,8-DHF has dual biochemical action and its treatment may have divergent effects on the TrkB via its extracellular Ig2 domain and on the VEGFR2 receptor through the intracellular kinase domain. Contrary to its agonistic effects on the TrkB receptor, 7,8-DHF was found to downregulate VEGFR2 phosphorylation both in 661W photoreceptor cells and in retinal tissue.     

Effect of different plasticizer on structural and electrical properties of PEMA-based polymer electrolytes

Plasticized poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(ethyl methacrylate) PVC/PEMA-based blend polymer electrolyte films containing lithium perchlorate (LiClO₄) as a salt were prepared by solvent casting technique. The effects of the plasticization on structural, thermal and electrical properties of the plasticized polymer blend electrolytes were investigated. The changes in the structural and complex formation properties of the materials were studied by XRD and FTIR techniques. Dielectric relaxation studies of the polymer electrolyte have been undertaken, and the results are discussed. TG/DTA technique is used to study the thermal stability. Complex impedance analysis is used to calculate the bulk resistance of the complexes. The effect of different plasticizer on the structural and physical properties of polymer blend electrolyte is well correlated.     

A mixed-integer programming approach for optimal configuration of artificial neural networks

A mathematical programming approach for automatic computation of the optimal configuration of artificial neural networks (ANNs) is presented. Training of the network is modelled as a mixed-integer program (MIP) where 0–1 binary variables are introduced to represent the existence (binary variable = 1) and non-existence (binary variable = 0) of the nodes and the interconnections between the nodes. The objective is to minimize the number of nodes and/or interconnections to meet a given error criteria. From modelling point of view, the key advantage of the proposed approach is that the user does not have to try different configurations of the network, a solution of the proposed MIP formulation automatically generates the optimal configuration of the network. From the implementation of ANN point of view, a simplified representation of the network is obtained, where redundant nodes and interconnections have been eliminated. A number of examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach.     

Hydrogen Generation from CO2 Reforming of Biomass-Derived Methanol on Ni/SiO2 Catalyst

Topics in Catalysis - CO2 reforming of methanol for producing hydrogen was experimentally carried out in a fixed-bed reactor on 10%Ni/SiO2. The 10%Ni/SiO2 was completely reduced during H2...