Electric drive subsystem for a low-storage requirement hybridelectric vehicle

Integrating an electric machine drive system into the powertrain of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) represents a challenging exercise in packaging complex electromechanical and power electronic subsystems. The Ford combined alternator starter (FCAS) and its attendant power and control electronics are physically partitioned because power electronics has not yet evolved to the stage in which fully packaged drives can be realized. A similar situation exists for the control and sensor subsystems necessary for a fully functional high-performance drive. Hardware partitioning requires that more attention be given to installation issues and to mitigating system interactions. The FCAS system consists of an integrated starter/alternator (S/A), an S/A module (SAM), and a vehicle electrical infrastructure that can support the power and energy levels demanded. Our field experience with the FCAS system is presented along with test results obtained from vehicle operation     

Residual strength evaluation of concrete structural components under fatigue loading

This paper presents methodologies for residual strength evaluation of concrete structural components using linear elastic and nonlinear fracture mechanics principles. The effect of cohesive forces due to aggregate bridging has been represented mathematically by employing tension softening models. Various tension softening models such as linear, bilinear, trilinear, exponential and power curve have been described with appropriate expressions. These models have been validated by predicting the remaining life of concrete structural components and comparing with the corresponding experimental values available in the literature. It is observed that the predicted remaining life by using power model and modified bi-linear model is in good agreement with the corresponding experimental values. Residual strength has also been predicted using these tension softening models and observed that the predicted residual strength is in good agreement with the corresponding analytical values in the literature. In general, it is observed that the variation of predicted residual moment with the chosen tension softening model follows the similar trend as in the case of remaining life. Linear model predicts large residual moments followed by trilinear, bilinear and power models.     

Development and evaluation of ZnO-Fe2O3 based nanocomposite sensors for butanol detection

Olfactory sensing of specific volatile organic compounds released by bacterial pathogens is one of the unique ways for determining microbial contamination in packaged food products. This study reports the development and evaluation of zinc oxide-iron oxide (ZnO-Fe2O3) nanocomposite sensors to detect low concentrations of butanol, one of the VOCs specific to Salmonella contamination in packaged beef, at low operating temperature (100 degrees C). The ZnO-Fe2O3 sensor was developed using modified Sol-gel method on an interdigitated alumina substrate. The sensor thin film characterization confirmed a uniform layer of ZnO-Fe2O3 thin film formation with ZnO nanorods of 100 nm height. Also, ZnO-Fe2O3 nanocomposite sensor demonstrated repeatable responses and good sensitivity to butanol with an estimated lower detection limit of about 26 ppm at 100 degrees C.     

Shape-controlled Au particles for InAs nanowire growth

We present a study of InAs nanowire (NW) growth with shape-controlled Au seed particles. In comparison to more conventional spherical particles, the highly faceted, shaped Au particles are found to enhance the initial growth kinetics of InAs NWs at identical growth conditions. Analysis of the NWs after growth by transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy suggests that while In diffuses into the bulk of the shaped Au particles, in accordance with the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanism, the surface faceting is preserved. A key difference is that the shaped Au particles are characterized by a thicker In shell on their surfaces than the spherical Au particles, indicating that increased adsorption of In leads to the observed growth rate enhancement. On the basis of these results, we propose that our picture of VLS growth in regards to liquefaction and droplet formation is incomplete and that the initial particle morphology can be used to tailor NW growth.     

Numerical analysis of reaction–diffusion effects on species mixing rates in turbulent premixed methane–air combustion

The scalar mixing time scale, a key quantity in many turbulent combustion models, is investigated for reactive scalars in premixed combustion. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of three-dimensional, turbulent Bunsen flames with reduced methane–air chemistry have been analyzed in the thin reaction zones regime. Previous conclusions from single step chemistry DNS studies are confirmed regarding the role of dilatation and turbulence–chemistry interactions on the progress variable dissipation rate. Compared to the progress variable, the mixing rates of intermediate species is found to be several times greater. The variation of species mixing rates are explained with reference to the structure of one-dimensional premixed laminar flames. According to this analysis, mixing rates are governed by the strong gradients which are imposed by flamelet structures at high Damköhler numbers. This suggests a modeling approach to estimate the mixing rate of individual species which can be applied, for example, in transported probability density function simulations. Flame–turbulence interactions which modify the flamelet based representation are analyzed.     

Polyaniline/pillared montmorillonite clay composite nanofibers

In situ polymerization of aniline is done inside the pillared clay matrix. The nonswellable pillared clay confined matrix allows efficient polymerization that leads to nanofibrous morphology. As a result high polymer order and crystallinity is attained and is evident from XRD patterns. The strong interaction between the clay layers and polyaniline (PANI) is understood from FTIR and DRS spectra. Additionally these analytical results suggest that the prepared PANI is in the doped state. The PANI/pillared clay nanocomposite formation gives additional thermal stability to the polymer backbone and is clear from the DTG curves. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Development of ultra-fine grained dual phase microalloyed steels through severe cold rolling and intercritical annealing

A Nb-microalloyed structural steel with ferrite-pearlite microstructure was subjected to cold rolling and intercritical annealing to produce ultra-fine grained dual phase microstructure. Optical and transmission electron microscopy techniques were employed to characterise the microstructure. Initial results showed that the intercritical annealing (at 790°C for 90s) of samples rolled to a true strain of 2.4 resulted in a significant grain refinement from the average initial grain size of 20 μm to 1–2 microns. The microstructure primarily consisted of UFG ferrite matrix with homogeneously distributed islands of plate martensite with volume fraction of 27%.     

Examining age differences in performance of a complex information search and retrieval task.

This study examined age differences in performance of a complex information search and retrieval task by using a simulated real-world task typical of those performed by customer service representatives. The study also investigated the influence of task experience and the relationships between cognitive abilities and task performance. One hundred seventeen participants from 3 age groups, younger (20–39 years), middle-aged (40–59 years), and older (60–75 years), performed the task for 3 days. Significant age differences were found for all measures of task performance with the exception of navigational efficiency and number of problems correctly navigated per attempt. There were also effects of task experience. The findings also indicated significant direct and indirect relations between component cognitive abilities and task performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Ultra-Wideband Amplitude Modulation (AM) Detector Using Schottky Barrier Diodes Fabricated in Foundry CMOS Technology

Utility of Schottky diodes fabricated in foundry digital 130-nm CMOS technology is demonstrated by implementing an ultra-wideband (UWB) amplitude modulation detector consisting of a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a Schottky diode rectifier, and a low-pass filter. The input and output matching of the detector is better than -10 dB from 0-10.3 GHz and 0-1.7 GHz, respectively, and almost covers the entire UWB frequency band (3.1-10.6 GHz). The measured peak conversion gain is -2.2dB. The sensitivity over the band for amplitude modulation with the minimum E _b/N_o of 6 dB is between -53 and -56 dBm. The power consumption is only 8.5 mW     

A Series of Ferulic Acid Amides Reveals Unexpected Peroxiredoxin 1 Inhibitory Activity with in vivo Antidiabetic and Hypolipidemic Effects

Insulin resistance is a major pathophysiological feature in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Ferulic acid is known for attenuating the insulin resistance and reducing the blood glucose in T2DM rats. In this work, we designed and synthesized a library of new ferulic acid amides (FAA), which could be considered as ring opening derivatives of the antidiabetic PPARγ agonists Thiazolidinediones (TZDs). However, since these compounds displayed weak PPAR transactivation capacity, we employed a proteomics approach to unravel their molecular target(s) and identified the peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1) as a direct binding target of FAAs. Interestingly, PRDX1, a protein with antioxidant and chaperone activity, has been implied in the development of T2DM by inducing hepatic insulin resistance. SPR, mass spectrometry-based studies, docking experiments and in vitro inhibition assay confirmed that compounds VIe and VIf bound PRDX1 and induced a dose-dependent inhibition. Furthermore, VIe and VIf significantly improved hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in streptozotocin-nicotinamide (STZ-NA)-induced diabetic rats as confirmed by histopathological examinations. These results provide guidance for developing the current FAAs as new potential antidiabetic agents.