Dual role of betel leaf extract on thyroid function in male mice

The effects of betel leaf extract (0.10, 0.40, 0.80 and 2.0 g kg-1 day-1 for 15 days) on the alterations in thyroid hormone concentrations. lipid peroxidation (LPO) and on the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were investigated in male Swiss mice. Administration of betel leaf extract exhibited a dual role, depending on the different doses. While the lowest dose decreased thyroxine (T4) and increased serum triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations, reverse effects were observed at two higher doses. Higher doses also increased LPO with a concomitant decrease in SOD and CAT activities. However, with the lowest dose most of these effects were reversed. These findings suggest that betel leaf can be both stimulatory and inhibitory to thyroid function, particularly for T3 generation and lipid peroxidation in male mice, depending on the amount consumed.     

Speed ripple minimization in PM synchronous motor using iterative learning control

Permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives are widely used for high-performance industrial servo applications where torque smoothness is an essential requirement. However, one disadvantage of PMSM is parasitic torque pulsations, which induce speed oscillation that deteriorates the drive performance particularly at low-speeds. To suppress these speed ripples, two iterative learning control (ILC) schemes implemented in the time domain and frequency domain respectively are proposed in this paper. Although a conventional proportional-integral (PI) speed controller does suppress speed ripples to a certain extent, it is not adequate for many high performance applications. Thus, the proposed plug-in ILC controller is applied in conjunction with a PI speed controller to further reduce the periodic speed ripples. Experimental verification of the two schemes is carried out, and test results obtained demonstrate that the scheme implemented in frequency domain has better performance in reducing speed ripples than that implemented in time domain because of the elimination of forgetting factor that is indispensable for robustness in time domain learning method.     

Characteristics of DC magnetron sputtered ternary cobalt-nickel silicide thin films for ultra shallow junction devices

Ternary cobalt-nickel silicide thin films were synthesized by DC magnetron sputtering from an equiatomic cobalt-nickel alloy target. Grazing incidence XRD, Rutherford back scattering, high-resolution cross-sectional TEM analysis and electrical study were carried out to investigate the formation of silicide, stoichiometry, film thickness, depth profile and sheet resistance of as-deposited and post-deposition annealed films. The ternary silicide layer thickness was calculated from RBS simulated data, which was found to vary 20-43 nm for as-deposited and different vacuum annealed films. A minimum value of sheet resistance 2.73 Ω/sq corresponding to a resistivity of ∼8.4 μΩ-cm was obtained for optimized deposition and annealing conditions.     

Integrated energy system for industrial complexes. Part I: A linear programming approach

A personal-computer based model of an Integrated Energy System for Industrial Estates (IESIE) has been developed as a pre-feasibility tool: it addresses the total energy concept by combining a set of CHP plant(s), boilers, vapor-compression and absorption chillers, national grid and utility transportation system. The core of the general model is the linear programming (LP) model which takes into account the changing demand-pattern of various loads and their tariffs, standby charge of electricity, unit fuel price, equipment costs, land cost, depreciation, O & M expenses, interest rate, taxes, etc. The output of the LP model yields the minimum total operating cost, optimal sizes of the equipment and their respective operational schedules. The hot utility and cold utility transportation model estimates the economic-minimum pipe size, considering installation cost, heat loss/gain cost and pumping cost. The heat balance model finds the thermal cycle equipment sizes as well as the variation of the heat-to-power ratio with load. Finally the economic model does the cash-flow analysis to determing whether the project will yield a required rate-of-return to be economically viable.

Simulations have been done using the model considering a number of sample load patterns with the prevailing cost factors in India. An after tax IRR of 20% was found for sites having load factors greater than 0·6, and up to 10 km utility transportation distance.     

Design and fabrication of thermoelectric waste heat reutilization system—possible industrial application

The current article discussed the detail design and development of an experimental test rig to derive usable energy by utilizing the waste heat energy through a heat exchanger made of Bi₂Te₃ material. The accuracy including the efficiency of the fabricated device is demonstrated further by verifying the associated parameter through a simulation model (commercial finite element package, ANSYS 15.0). To imitate the waste hot air from the industry is achieved via a heat gun and fed to the test rig for the generation of thermoelectric power. The simulation model accuracy has been demonstrated by juxtaposing the associated experimental data and computational readings. Subsequently, the feasibility and optimum range of design parameters are established by comparing the experimental and the simulation data (triggered temperature difference, voltage output, and heat flux) generated at the interface of the thermoelectric power generators. In addition, the coefficient of determination (R²) value has been evaluated statistically and verified with the current experimental results for the demonstration of the relevancy. The statistical study shows the existence of the correlation between the current experimental and the simulation model. Also, the experimental result indicates the possible implementation of the newly developed system for the recovery from the waste heat either the automobile exhaust or any other kind of dissipated heat from the industries.