3D study of temperature drop behavior of subsonic rarefied gas flow in microchannel

3D Numerical study of temperature variation for subsonic rarefied gas flow in a microchannel is carried out using an in-house MPI-based parallelized DSMC code. The temperature drop in the microchannel decreases with an increase in the aspect ratio whereas it increases with an increase in the pressure ratio, the cross-aspect ratio (CAR), and the Knudsen number. 3D and 2D simulations results are compared and effect of the CAR and Knudsen number are brought out. Finally, a correlation that predicts the temperature drop is formulated along with a list of conditions that ensures a near isothermal flow.     

An efficient image encryption scheme using elementary cellular automata with novel permutation box

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Digital image communication over public networks requires a high level of security to protect picture elements that represent information. Security is an...     

Uncertainty Assessment in Cognitive Load for Multiple Object Tracking Based on EEG

Cognitive load varies the attention level, which has serious consequences in complex dynamic situations. Assessment of uncertainty in cognitive load during multiple object tracking task is necessary, as it is used to improve the cognitive capabilities. The present research work investigates the uncertainty in cognitive load of multiple object tracking task using electroencephalograph (EEG) on 25 football players. A d2 test of neuropsychological measure of attention was employed before starting the experiment. Each player participated in four levels of the task with variation in the cognitive load, which varies in terms of the targets from 2 to 5. Percentage changes in the power spectral density were estimated for the cognitive levels. Results show that the percentage changes were much more in high cognitive load than in low cognitive load. Significant changes (p < 0.05) were observed in level 1 (− 11.07 to 1.91%), level 2 (− 3.13 to − 14.51%), level 3 (− 6.33 to − 19.46%) and level 4 (− 8.10 to − 20.88%). Variation in the EEG data in terms of the combined uncertainty corresponds very well with low to high cognitive loads. The fourth level of the task with high cognitive load has more uncertainty than the low cognitive load levels. The results are useful for assessing the cognitive state of the player, which is valuable for the design of the effective training model.     

Catalytic properties of dispersed iron oxides Fe2O3/MO2 (M = Zr,Ce, Ti and Si) for sulfuric acid decomposition reaction: Role of support

Supported iron oxides have been established as an important class of catalyst for high temperature sulfuric acid decomposition. With an objective to elucidate the role of support in modifying the overall catalytic properties of dispersed iron oxide catalysts, a series of supported iron oxide based catalysts, Fe₂O₃ (15 wt%)/MO₂ (M = Zr, Ce, Ti and Si), synthesized by adsorption-equilibrium method, is investigated for sulfuric acid decomposition reaction. The structure of dispersed iron oxide phases largely depended on the nature of the support oxide as revealed by the XRD and Mössbauer studies. α-Fe₂O₃ is found to be present as a major phase on ZrO₂ and CeO₂ support while ε-Fe₂O₃ was the major phase on silica supported iron oxide. On the other hand, presence of mixed oxide Fe₂TiO₅ was revealed over TiO₂ support. Strong dispersed metal oxide-support interactions inhibited the total reduction of the dispersed phase on SiO₂ and TiO₂ as compared to complete reduction of dispersed iron oxide on CeO₂ and ZrO₂ supports during temperature programmed reduction upto 1000 °C. The order of catalytic activity at a temperature of ～750 °C is observed as Fe₂O₃/SiO₂ > Fe₂TiO₅/TiO₂ > Fe₂O₃/ZrO₂ > Fe₂O₃/CeO₂, while at higher temperatures of ～900 °C the SO₂ yield is found to be comparable for all catalysts. A relationship between the rate of sulfate decomposition and catalytic activity is established through detailed TG-DTA investigations of sulfated catalyst and support. Considerable influence of the support oxide on the composition, structure, redox properties, morphology and catalytic activities of the active iron oxide dispersed phase has been observed. Thus, the support oxides operate as a critical component in the complex supported metal oxide catalysts and these findings might influence the design and development of future high temperature sulfuric acid decomposition catalysts.     

Data-Driven DPPM Estimation and Adaptive Fault Coverage Calibration Using MATLAB?

A manufacturing defect is a finite chip area with electrically malfunctioning circuitry caused by fabrication errors. The fraction of defective chips that escapes to the customer is called the defect level, also known as defective parts per million (DPPM, or simply PPM) when normalized to one million units. This paper demonstrates a technique used to correlate coverage goals to DPPM based on test fallout data using a MATLAB^?-based error function minimization approach. This analysis is explained using regression models for DPPM yield versus fault/defect coverage. This approach is beneficial to semiconductor companies for calibrating their fault coverage goals to meet DPPM requirements from automotive or other customers that have very aggressive (i.e., ultra-low) DPPM demands.     

Viscous Potential Flow Analysis of Kelvin–Helmholtz Instability of a Cylindrical Flow with Heat and Mass Transfer

A linear analysis of Kelvin–Helmholtz instability of a cylindrical interface has been carried out when there is heat and mass transfer across the interface, using viscous potential flow theory. Both fluids are considered as incompressible, viscous, and thermally conducting with different kinematic viscosities. Both axisymmetric as well as asymmetric disturbances are considered. Stability criterion is given by a critical value of relative velocity and stability is discussed theoretically as well as numerically. Various graphs with respect to physical parameters such as wave number, viscosity ratio, heat transfer coefficients, Reynolds number, etc., have been drawn and the effect of various parameters have been described. A comparison with the linear stability analysis of inviscid fluids (Lee [10]) has been made and it is observed that viscosity has a stabilizing effect on the stability of the system. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 43(6): 489–503, 2014; Published online 3 October 2013 in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj ). DOI 10.1002/htj.21092     

Carbon nanotube-based electrochemical sensor for the determination of halobetasol propionate, a topical corticosteroid

Electrocatalytic reduction of halobetasol propionate (HBP) at single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) modified edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrode (EPPGE) was performed by square wave voltammetry and cyclic voltammerty in phosphate buffer of pH 7.2. The surface morphology of SWCNT/EPPGE was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The enhanced peak current (i _p) and lower reduction peak potential (E _p) at modified electrode as compared to bare electrode were obvious evidences for the electrocatalytic ability of SWCNT toward the reduction of HBP. The cathodic peak current varied linearly with concentration of HBP in the range 0.02 to 1 mM with sensitivity of 2.432 μA mM⁻¹ and detection limit (3σ/slope) of 10 μM. The product of electrochemical reduction of HBP was characterized using FT-IR and ¹H-NMR spectroscopic techniques. A tentative mechanism for the formation of product was suggested and it was found that reduction of >C=O occurred at position three. The proposed methodology was successfully applied to the detection of HBP in pharmaceutical preparations.     

A unified graphical formulation for synthesis of basic and subcolumn distillation sequences

In contrast to the different approaches currently adopted for generating basic and side-split subcolumn distillation sequence for separating zeotropic multicomponent feed mixture, we present a unified graphical method applicable towards both basic and side-split subcolumn distillation sequence. For a given number of components in the feed mixture, we enforce constraints on a base graph to eliminate violations of conservation principles and to preclude distillation sequences that demand higher heat duty in all appraised practical scenarios. A compact set of algebraic constraints is transfixed using the graph counterpart for generating basic-only distillation configurations. These algebraic constraints utilize binary variables to quantify existence of submixture streams and this considerably reduces the number of variables in generating distillation sequences. We also suggest extension of the formulation to enable the exploration of thermally coupled configurations.