Consistency-motivated reason maintenance in hypothetical reasoning

We present a general framework for logic-based hypothetical reasoning, which introduces truth maintenance, as a collection of truth tables, to Theorist-like hypothetical reasoning systems. This framework uses full first-order logic, performs nonmonotonic reasoning by maintaining refutable theories, and incrementally identifies and records information (similar to the TMS-like caching mechanism) about inconsistencies and derived implicit knowledge, to improve overall search efficiency. The proposed framework retains the simplicity of hypothetical reasoning and adds the advantage of an incremental dynamic truth maintenance system. Experimental results provide evidence for efficiency advantages of the proposed framework.     

Phenolic constituents in major fractions of tropical rapeseed

Phenolic constituents in major fractions such as seed, cotylendons and hulls of commercial rapeseed varieties Ganyou-5, Westar, Raya-brown and Raya yellow grown under tropical conditions in Pakistan, were determined. Quantitative determination in percentage of sinapine, catechin, tannic acid and total phenolics as well as in absorption units at 550 nm of procyanidine, proanthocyanidine and flavan-4-ols in relation to different extractants such as methanol, methanol-HCl and their totals, were made. These varieties and their fractions widely varied in different phenolic constituents in respect of extractants used. Hulls of all cultivars contained higher levels of catechin, procyanidine, pronanthocyanidine and flavan-4-ols while lower amounts of sinapine, tannic acid and total phenols than the cotylendons. Cotylendons and hulls in seeds of raya-brown were exceptionally high in procyanidine.     

Thermal performance of a solar heated wood seasoning skin

The paper deals with the experimental investigation of thermal analysis for a simple greenhouse type solar timber kiln. Four mixed charges of four hardwood species were dried in the kiln throughout the year. The energy inputs and outputs were calculated. The results showed that the combined overall efficiency of the kiln was 18% which indicated a reasonable performance for this type of solar kiln. Areas of heat use and loss were identified and suggestions were made for improving the heat efficiency of this type of drier.     

RADIATION EFFECTS ON SOME PHYSICO-BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN PISUM SATIVUM

Effect of irradiation treatment (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 kGy) on fresh pea cultivars was investigated. Results indicated that significant decrease in colour (% transmittance) and ascorbic acid occurred due to storage period. Higher irradiation treatments showed a significant difference in colour retention in both the cultivars. Visual observation indicated no sprouting until 6th days after which sprouting started in both the cultivars irrespective of radiation treatments. At higher irradiation dose (4.00 kGy) sprouts died soon after emergence. Peas irradiated at 2.0-4.0 kGy doses showed rottage after 9-12 days of storage in both the varieties. Higher irradiation doses enhanced the rate of rot compared with lower doses, p-8 was more resistant to rottage than Moon cultivar of pea.     

Approximations to a Joint Detection/Decoding Algorithm

The problem of optimally detecting coded data transmitted over channels which produce intersymbol interference is examined. The optimum bit-by-bit detector structure which directly estimates the transmitted data symbols from the received signal at the channel output is given. The performance of this joint detector is contrasted to that of a receiver in which the decision process is partitioned into the usual detector followed by a decoder. Even when the detector and decoder are separately optimized (bit-by-bit criterion), the joint detector is shown to considerably out perform the separately optimized structure, thereby illustrating the considerable loss of information resulting from partitioning of the decision process. Two near optimum algorithms which significantly reduce the complexity of the optimum joint detector are given. These relatively simple algorithms, which approximate the joint detector, are shown to be capable of performance superior to that of the more complex, separately optimized detector/decoder structure. The joint detector and the approximate algorithms presented offer an attractive alternative to the soft decision decoder which also attempts to overcome the loss of information resulting from sharp partitioning of the detector/ decoder decisions.     

Direct C–H bond sulfenylation of (Het)arenes using sulfonyl hydrazides as thiol surrogate: a review

Sulfonyl hydrazides are easily accessible, non-toxic, stable and extremely valuable compounds in organic synthesis that are extensively utilized as sulfonylating and arylating agents (through the cleavage of their sulfur–nitrogen and carbon–sulfur bonds, respectively) for the synthesis of diverse range of biologically active molecules such as biaryls, sulfones, and sulfonamides. These compounds have also been broadly used as environmentally friendly, stable, and odorless sulfenylation agents (through the cleavage of their sulfur–nitrogen and sulfur–oxygen bonds) in the synthesis of synthetically and biologically important thioether derivatives. In this review, we will highlight the most important advances and explorations in the direct C–H bond sulfenylation of (het)aromatic compounds with these compounds during the period 2013 to October 2018. Particular emphasis is placed on the mechanistic aspects of the reactions.     

Recent advances and developments in advanced green porous nanomaterial for sustainable energy storage application

Journal of Porous Materials - Compared with traditional battery and super capacitor materials, nanomaterials can significantly improve ion transport and electron conductivity. There are many...     

Phonon phase stability,structural, mechanical,electronic, and thermoelectric properties of two new semiconducting quaternary Heusler alloys CoCuZrZ (Z = Ge and Sn)

For meeting the energy demand, the development of new and novel thermoelectric (TE) materials for power generation is very vital. In this draft, we have theoretically investigated two new quaternary CoCuZrZ (Z = Ge and Sn) Heusler alloys for their structural, mechanical, electronic, and TE properties. In the energy minimization process, the alloys are found to be non-magnetic in the ground state. Based on calculated phonon dispersion curves, formation energy, and elastic constants, we propose that both CoCuZrGe and CoCuZrSn are stable. Furthermore, the mechanical properties indicate that CoCuZrGe (CoCuZrSn) has a brittle (ductile) nature. The electronic properties examined in Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE), PBEsol, and modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) potential, all predict that reported systems are narrow-gap semiconductors (SCs). In addition, the temperature dependent TE properties have been studied by calculating the electronic thermal conductivity (κ), Seebeck coefficient (S), power factor (PF) and electrical conductivity (σ/τ). The obtained positive value of S conveys the materials as p-type SCs, with a maximum value of 26.2 μV/K for CoCuZrGe and 28 μV/K for CoCuZrSn. The σ/τ, κ, and PF show increasing trends with rising temperature. The PF is found to be 1.55 × 10¹² WK⁻²m⁻¹s⁻¹ for CoCuZrGe and 1.38 × 10¹² WK⁻²m⁻¹s⁻¹ for CoCuZrSn. The proposed semiconducting Heusler alloys may receive attention for a range of TE and spintronic applications.     

Development of a Robust Carrier Synchronizer for High Dynamic and Low Signal to Noise Ratio Signals in GPS Receivers

Wireless Personal Communications - In this paper, a robust carrier recovery loop for high dynamic and weak signals in GPS receivers is proposed. To achieve optimal tracking performance at...