Factors determining informal tanker water markets in Chennai,India

Many developing world cities have seen the emergence of informal markets where private tanker truck operators transport water extracted from peri-urban wells to urban consumers. This study adopted a systems-modelling approach to analyzing the informal tanker market in India. The results indicate that the demand for tanker supply was caused by lack of groundwater availability in private wells as well as unreliable piped supply. The study shows that two groundwater factors are relevant: depth to water and aquifer productivity. Together, these could explain the difference in spatial, temporal and consumer-specific variations in tanker dependence.     

ILP turns 20

Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) is an area of Machine Learning which has now reached its twentieth year. Using the analogy of a human biography this paper recalls the development of the subject from its infancy through childhood and teenage years. We show how in each phase ILP has been characterised by an attempt to extend theory and implementations in tandem with the development of novel and challenging real-world applications. Lastly, by projection we suggest directions for research which will help the subject coming of age.     

Optimum operating conditions for an adsorption cryocooler: a case of activated carbon + nitrogen system

Adsorption cryocoolers are among the possible options for obtaining cryogenic temperatures, in particular for small cooling capacity applications such as cooling of infra red detectors. They need to be optimized for liquid yield. The performance of thermal compressors therein pivots around the adsorption characteristics of the adsorbent + adsorbate combination and how effectively one could pack requisite amounts of adsorbent into a given volume of the compressor housing. In addition, the overall performance of the cooler is a function of limits of operating temperatures and pressures across the compressor. This paper proposes a performance indicator—the product of liquid yield and the uptake efficiency of the compressor—and evaluates its values for various possible operating conditions for one specimen of activated carbon. It is shown that there is a limited domain of operation and that there is a condition of best performance within that domain.     

Phantom-based haptic interaction with virtual objects

In 1993, haptic interaction with computers took a significant step forward with the development of the Phantom haptic interface. This simple device has spawned a new field analogous to computer graphics-computer haptics-defined as the discipline concerned with the techniques and processes associated with generating and displaying synthesized haptic stimuli to the human user. Inspired by the authors' previous work in interpreting robot touch sensor information and study of human touch perception, the Phantom interface permits users to feel the forces of interaction they would encounter while touching objects with the end of a stylus or the tip of their finger. The resulting sensations prove startling, and many first-time users are quite surprised at the compelling sense of physical presence they encounter when touching virtual objects. To appreciate why the Phantom system succeeded where others failed, you need to understand the nature and functioning of the human haptic system.     

Comparative evaluation of strain controlled low cycle fatigue behaviour of solution annealed and prior cold worked 316L(N) stainless steel

The effect of 20% prior cold work on low cycle fatigue (LCF) behaviour of type 316L(N) stainless steel (SS) was studied at 873 K by conducting total axial strain controlled tests in air with strain amplitudes in the range ±0.25% to ±1.0%. The cyclic deformation behaviour of 20% prior cold worked (PCW) material was compared with the LCF response of solution annealed (SA) alloy tested under similar conditions. The cyclic stress response (CSR) of 316L(N) SS in the PCW condition was characterized by a short period of hardening followed by prolonged softening prior to failure, whereas SA material exhibited a significant hardening regime followed by stress saturation. Interrupted tests on PCW material were carried out at different stages of CSR in order to determine the underlying mechanisms as reflected in substructural changes. The fatigue life in the solution annealed condition was similar to that of the PCW material at higher strain amplitudes of testing (≥±0.5%) while at lower strain amplitudes, the PCW material exhibited longer life.     

A framework for capacity planning and machine configuration in flexible assembly systems

We consider the problem of simultaneously determining the number of machines (and/or workers), the assignment of tasks (and related tools and components) to these machines, and the number of jobs circulating in a flexible assembly system (FAS), to satisfy steady-state throughput requirements for a family of similar products at minimum cost. We focus on situations where there are precedence relations among the various tasks, as is common in assembly systems. We present a framework for solving this problem based on a heuristic decomposition approach which involves the solution of only a few types of sub-problems. We demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall procedure using a number of example problems.     

Investigation on the Effect of ECAP Routes on the Wear Behavior of AA2014

ECAP is an effective process to improve the mechanical strength and wear resistance along with mechanical and microstructural properties. AA2014 solutionized at 495 °C and aged at 195 °C was subjected to Equal Channel Angular Pressed (ECAP) through route A and B_c at room temperature. It was well proved that the mechanical strength increased due to ECAP in AA2014. In order to investigate their wear behavior after ECAP, dry sliding wear tests were conducted using vacuum tribometer at nominal loads of 10N and 30N with constant speed of 2 m/s for sliding distance of 2000 m. The co-efficient of friction and loss in volume were decreased after ECAP both in route A and B_c. The dominant wear mechanisms observed were adhesive, delamination and stick slip process. In addition to these wear mechanisms, abrasive wear also appeared along with transfer of iron particles from the counter surface to the AA2014 pin. Presence of black powder and oxide formation were observed using EDAX analysis on wear debris. Routes A and B_c showed similar wear mechanisms and characteristics which were better than in unECAPed specimens.     

Megalithic and Continuing Peninsular High-Tin Binary Bronzes: Possible Roots in Harappan Binary Bronze Usage?

This paper attempts to trace the development of an unusual and skilled class of alloys, of binary high-tin bronze (i.e. alloys of only copper with a higher percentage of tin), which are found from surprisingly early contexts from Indian antiquity. In particular, the deliberate use was made of binary beta bronze with around 22–24 % tin, specifically exploiting the properties of higher hot-forgability of bronze of this composition due to the formation of the high temperature beta intermetallic compound phase of 22.9 % tin. Quenching resulted in the retention of the beta phase, yielding a musical alloy with golden lustre and improved tensile strength as compared to the as-cast state. Examples of hot forged and quenched high-tin beta bronzes studied by the author from the South Indian Iron Age and megalithic cultures from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra and Gandharan Grave Culture of Taxila are summarised here ranking amongst the earliest and most finely wrought such finds. There are technological and morphological similarities to surviving high-tin bronze crafts practices documented by the author in Kerala since 1990. Since the 1990’s she has also documented the making of high-tin delta bronze mirrors at Aranmula with a composition closer to the pure delta phase of 32.6 % tin, which instead exploited the specular properties this alloy while managing its brittleness. Although it is difficult to speculate about origins, a long standing practice of using binary tin–bronzes (i.e. only copper–tin alloys) can be detected going back to Harappan bronzes which also seem to be predominantly binary bronzes with not much lead added to them. Though most of these seem to be low-tin bronze, the presence of a couple with higher tin of about 20 % is also notable in terms of the above discussion.     

<Emphasis Type="Bold">Analysis of Spatio-temporal Characteristics and Regional Frequency of Droughts in the Southern Peninsula of India</Emphasis>

A detailed regional drought study is carried out in the southern peninsula of India to characterize the spatio-temporal nature of droughts and to predict the drought magnitudes for various probabilities in the homogeneous drought regions. The method of several random initializations of the cluster centres of the K-means algorithm is suggested for the identification of the initial regions in the context of drought regionalization, which is shown to perform better than the initialization from the Ward’s algorithm and the Ward’s algorithm itself. The peninsula is classified into seven spatially well-separated homogeneous drought regions. The robust L-moment framework is used for the regional frequency analysis of drought magnitudes computed using the standardized precipitation index. The Pearson type III is found to be appropriate for regional drought frequency analysis in six of the regions, while the robust Wakeby distribution is suggested for one region. Low magnitude droughts are frequent and dominant in the northern part of west coast, the north-eastern coast and its adjoining inland region, while high magnitude droughts are less in number and are experienced in semi-arid central part, southern part of western coast, south-eastern part and north-western inland region. The spatial maps of drought magnitudes indicate that at higher return periods (100 and 200 years) the south-eastern part of the peninsula is likely to encounter high magnitude droughts, while the central region is likely to experience the same at lower return periods (10 and 50 years). Hence these regions need to be given special importance in the drought mitigation planning activities.