Experimental design in soap manufacturing for optimization of fuzzified process capability index

In manufacturing industries, the quality of a product depends on the combined effect of multiple input variables working singly or together and therefore attention has been given on process capability indices to shift from single to multivariate domain. In case of multivariable domain the capability to incorporate uncertainties at the time of decision making becomes necessary. Fuzzy system is introduced to take care of this requirement. In this article the process parameters of soap manufacturing industries have been analyzed. The process capability is determined using Fuzzy Inference System rule editor based on a set of justified if then statements as applicable for the process. The data has been collected in linguistic form to derive its process capability, using a set of justified rules and the effect of each factor has been determined using Design of Experiments (DoE) and analysis of variance technique (ANOVA) for improving the soap quality from perspective of its softness. This article ventures to propose a new methodology by integrating Fuzzy with DoE providing better result followed by DoE and Fuzzy Inference system in isolation.     

The dielectric behavior of natural resin shellac

The Cole-Cole method has been applied for an analysis of the dielectric relaxation data of the natural resin shellac, obtained by Bhattacharya in the temperature range 20–110°C. Three relaxation processes were observed for temperatures 20–60°C. At 70°C, two relaxation processes were noticed, whereas only one was observed by Bhattacharya between 20 and 110°C. The relaxations at 80°C and above represented typical Cole-Cole type. The variation of the static dielectric constant with temperature revealed three distinct slopes, which indicated different phases of the resin during its thermal transition from solid to liquid state. Two “transformation points,” around 40 and 70°C were noted, i.e., the glass transition temperature and melting point of the resin, respectively. Significant changes in static dielectric constant, dielectric increment, relaxation time, and Cole-Cole distribution parameter were observed during a rise of temperature from 80 to 110°C. The results of the present study indicate that some rearrangement in the teriary disposition of the resin molecules takes place during the rise of temperature from 20 to 110°C.     

An application of PSO technique for harmonic elimination in a PWM inverter

Harmonic elimination problem in PWM inverter is treated as an optimization problem and solved using particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. The derived equation for computation of total harmonic distortion (THD) of the output voltage of PWM inverter is used as the objective function in the PSO algorithm. The objective function is minimized to contribute the minimum THD in the voltage waveform and the corresponding switching angles are computed. The method is applied to investigate the switching patterns of both unipolar and bipolar case. While minimizing the objective function, the individual selected harmonics like 5th, 7th, 11th and 13th can be controlled within the allowable limits by incorporating the constraints in the PSO algorithm. The results of the unipolar case using five switching angles are compared with that of a recently reported work and it is observed that the proposed method is effective in reducing the voltage THD in a wide range of modulation index. The simulated results are also validated through suitable experiments.     

Two-echelon fuzzy stochastic supply chain for the manufacturer–buyer integrated production–inventory system

This paper deals with two-echelon integrated procurement production model for the manufacturer and the buyer integrated inventory system. The manufacturer procures raw material from outside suppliers (not a part of supply chain) then proceed to convert it as finished product, and finally delivers to the buyer, who faces imprecise and uncertain, called fuzzy random demand of customers. The manufacturer and the buyer work under joint channel, in which a centralized decision maker makes all decisions to optimize the joint total relevant cost (JTRC) of entire supply chain. In this account, in one production cycle of the manufacturer we determine an optimal multi-ordering policy for the buyer. To be part of this, we first derive the JTRC in stochastic framework, and then extend it in fuzzy stochastic environment. In order to scalarize the fuzzy stochastic JTRC, we use an evaluation method wherein randomness is estimated by probabilistic expectation and fuzziness is estimated by possibilistic mean based on possibility evaluation measure. To derive the optimal policies for both parties, an algorithm is proposed. A numerical illustration addresses the situations of paddy procurement, conversion to rice and fulfillment of uncertain demand of rice. Furthermore, sensitivity of parameters is examined to illustrate the model and algorithm.     

Algorithms for computing diffuse reflection paths in polygons

Let s be a point source of light inside a polygon P of n vertices. A polygonal path from s to some point t inside P is called a diffuse reflection path if the turning points of the path lie on edges of?P. A?diffuse reflection path is said to be optimal if it has the minimum number of reflections on the path. The problem of computing a diffuse reflection path from s to t inside P has not been considered explicitly in the past. We present three different algorithms for this problem which produce suboptimal paths. For constructing such a path, the first algorithm uses a greedy method, the second algorithm uses a transformation of a minimum link path, and the third algorithm uses the edge–edge visibility graph of?P. The first two algorithms are for polygons without holes, and they run in O(n+klogn) time, where k denotes the number of reflections in the constructed path. The third algorithm is for polygons with or without holes, and it runs in O(n ²) time. The number of reflections in the path produced by this third algorithm can be at most three times that of an optimal diffuse reflection path. Though the combinatorial approach used in the third algorithm gives a better bound on the number of reflections on the path, the first and the second algorithms stand on the merit of their elegant geometric approaches based on local geometric information.     

Antioxidant effect of turmeric powder,nitrite and ascorbic acid on stored chicken mince

This investigation was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant effect of turmeric (turmeric 1000 ppm, turmeric 5000 ppm), nitrite (nitrite 200 ppm) and ascorbic acid (ascorbic acid 500 ppm) on raw minced chicken stored at 4 ± 1 °C. Physicochemical properties [pH, water activity, cooking loss, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, peroxide value (PV), free fatty acid (FFA)] were evaluated on 0, 2, 4 and 6th day of storage. Highly significant differences (P < 0.01) in pH, TBA value, PV and FFA value were noticed between treatments and between storage periods. TBA values were observed to be lowest for nitrite 200 ppm and then turmeric 5000 ppm, and there was no significant difference between nitrite 200 ppm and turmeric 5000 ppm, and both were superior to ascorbic acid 500 ppm and turmeric 1000 ppm. Among different treatments, PV was found to be lowest in turmeric 5000 ppm and highest in nitrite 200 ppm. FFA value was found to be lowest in turmeric 5000 ppm and highest in ascorbic acid 500 ppm among all treated samples. It can be concluded that turmeric has potential to replace synthetic antioxidants presently used in meat processing with many added advantages.     

Synthesis and characterization of UV photocrosslinkable hydrogels with poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone): Determination of the network mesh size distribution

Hydrogels of poly(n-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) were produced by UV irradiation of aqueous solutions of the polymer in presence of hydrogen peroxide, used as initiator. The mechanical and the nanostructural properties of the gels were characterized by a combination of experimental techniques including rheology, low field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (LF-NMR), and small angle X-ray scattering. Different irradiation doses as well as polymer and initiator concentrations were tested in the characterization. The study elucidates the relationship between different methods to estimate the mesh size of the gel polymeric network. Moreover, a novel correlation model was developed based on Chui and Scherer theories for the interpretation of LF-NMR dataset of polymer solutions and networks.     

Isomeric Carborane Neuromuscular Blocking Agents

We synthesized a family of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMB) based on decamethonium, but containing a carborane cluster in the methylene chain between the two quaternary ammonium groups. The carborane cluster isomers o-NMB, m-NMB, and p-NMB were tested in animals for neuromuscular block and compared with agents used clinically: rocuronium and decamethonium. All three isomers caused reversible muscle weakness in mice as determined by grip strength and inverted screen tests, with a potency rank of p-NMB > rocuronium > decamethonium > m-NMB > o-NMB. The mechanism of action of the compounds was determined by using the in vitro rat phrenic nerve hemi-diaphragm preparation and electrophysiologic measurements in cells. Neostigmine reversed hemi-diaphragm weakness caused by the three isomers and rocuronium, but not succinylcholine. In electrophysiologic recordings of currents through acetylcholine receptor channels, the carborane compounds did not activate channel activity but did inhibit channel activation by acetylcholine. These results demonstrate that the carborane neuromuscular blocking agents are non-depolarizers in contrast to the depolarizing action of the parent compound.     

Corrosion-Fatigue Behavior of Aluminum Alloy 5083-H131 Sensitized at 448?K (175?°C)

The fatigue crack growth behavior of aluminum alloy 5083-H131 has been systematically studied as a function of degree of sensitization for aging at 448?K (175?°C). Fatigue crack growth rates were measured at load ratios of 0.1 and 0.85, in vacuum, air, and a corrosive aqueous environment containing 1?pct NaCl with dilute inhibitor. Sensitization does not affect the fatigue crack growth behavior of Al 5083-H131 significantly in vacuum or air, at low- or high-load ratio. For high-load ratio, in the 1?pct NaCl+inhibitor solution, the threshold drops by nearly 50?pct during the first 200?hours of aging, then it degrades more slowly for longer aging times up to 2000?hours. The change in aging behavior at approximately 200?hours seems to be correlated with the transition from partial coverage of the grain boundaries by ?? Al₃Mg₂ phase, to continuous full ?? coverage. ASTM G-67 mass loss levels below approximately 30?mg/cm² do not exhibit degraded corrosion-fatigue properties for R?=?0.85, but degradation of the threshold is rapid for higher mass loss levels.     

Synthesis,characterization and corrosion performance evaluation of DDR membrane for H2 separation from HI decomposition reaction

An all silica DDR (deca dodecasil rhombohedral) zeolite membrane with dense, interlocked structure has been developed for separation of H₂ from HI/I₂ mixture of HI decomposition reaction. In this work, the DDR zeolite membrane was synthesized on the seeded clay-alumina substrate within 5 days. The seeds were synthesized by sonication mediated hydrothermal process within short crystallization time which enhanced the nucleation for the membrane growth. The synthesized membranes along with seed crystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). The selectivity of hydrogen with respect to CO₂ and Ar was evaluated by single gas permeation studies at room temperature. The tests for corrosion resistance were carried out upto 120 h with both support and DDR membrane at 130 °C which confirmed the stability of membrane under the harsh HI/I₂ environment.