Gray wolf optimizer approach to the reliability‐cost optimization of residual heat removal system of a nuclear power plant safety system

To ensure the safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs), nuclear regulatory agencies set technical specifications (TSs). TSs define the safety‐related operational measures and specify essential requirements and set specific limitations that is necessarily be followed by a nuclear industry to meet the requirements for the safety of an NPP. One of the important bases for the setting of TSs is the estimates of the availability and reliability of various systems and costs associated with an NPP. In this work, authors have presented a framework based upon a hodiernal nature‐inspired metaheuristic called multiobjective gray wolf optimizer (MOGWO) algorithm, which mimic the hierarchal and hunting behavior of gray wolves (Canis lupus), for technical specifications optimization of residual heat removal system (RHRS) of an NPP safety system. The efficiency of MOGWO in optimizing the TSs is demonstrated by comparing its results with a very popular swarm‐based optimization technique named multiobjective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO).     

Two-dimensional Corrosion Pit Initiation and Growth Simulation Model

A two-dimensional corrosion initiation and growth model for aircraft aluminum materials is developed. The model takes into account the electro-chemical parameters as well as specific rules governing corrosion mechanisms. The simulation program is implemented in a cellular automata framework. The corrosion initiation and growth patterns obtained from simulations are compared qualitatively and quantitatively to the experimental data obtained from the Center for Materials Diagnostics at the University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton. The results indicate that the present model effectively captures the corrosion damage process including initiation and growth. The effects of various electro-chemical parameters on the damage growth obtained from the simulation are presented and discussed. The results presented illustrate a new approach to modeling corrosion damage in aircraft aluminum materials. The simulation program is developed in a JAVA environment for ease of portability and usability.     

Automated Sleep apnea detection using optimal duration-frequency concentrated wavelet-based features of pulse oximetry signals

Applied Intelligence - Sleep apnea is a potential sleep disorder, which deteriorates the quality of sleep. It is characterized by the obstruction in nasal airflow, which results in a low...     

Benefits of sliceable photonic-based transponders in metro and long-haul networks

The multicast paradigm offers tremendous benefits in efficiency for transmitting data across optical networks, allowing a single client to send information to an entire set of endpoints. A multicast request is most efficiently provisioned through the creation of a tree, with the endpoints, or resources, occasionally serving as branching points. This practice can lead to the source of the request becoming disconnected from the associated resources should one of those branching resources fail. In cases where a large amount of data are currently in transmission, the ramifications of this failure can be severe. We propose an optimal solution through integer linear programming for the static protected multicast routing and wavelength assignment problem, where an entire set of requests is provisioned with built-in redundancy against single resource node failure. We compare the optimal performance against several heuristics and find that protection against this type of failure can be provided with the trade-off of increased wavelength consumption, compared to less-protected solutions.     

Extracellular microbial synthesis of gold nanoparticles using fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hormoconis resinae</Emphasis>

In this study, the fungus Hormoconis resinae was screened from soil near a refinery and was found to produce stable gold nanoparticles extracellularly. The kinetics of the reaction was studied using UV-Vis spectroscopy and was further characterized by x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. These analyses revealed that the gold nanoparticles are spherical and in nano-regime. The most important feature of Hormoconis resinae fungi is the following fact: they have a widespread presence in soil and can produce huge biomass. Such a cheap source of material gives the opportunity for cost-effective preparation of various gold-based nanostructures.     

A novel route of synthesis,characterization of terephthalic dihydrazide from polyethylene terephthalate waste and it's application in PVC compounding as plasticizer

The degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste by making use of hydrazine monohydrate was investigated at ambient temperature and pressure. The aminolysed end products obtained were characterized with chemical tests and spectroscopic techniques namely IR, UV‐visible spectroscopy and NMR, and the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The end product was characterized as terephthalic dihydrazide (TPD) and further used in PVC compounding as secondary plasticizer. The hardness, tensile strength, elongation at break, thermal stability, and compatibility of the PVC sheet were studied and concluded that the aminolysed product may find potential application as secondary plasticizer in PVC formulations. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Web services in the retail industry

It is a well-known fact that the retail industry always works on razorthin margins and the key to survival lies in optimization of resources both in space and time dimensions as well as maximization of customer satisfaction. Access to timely and even real-time information to a wide variety of channel and trading partners, sales personnel, line managers, store managers etc. is the key to achieving this. Web services technology holds out a lot of promise for the retail industry in this respect. It is a platform-neutral, easy to deploy set of standards for achieving business data and process integration, without going for proprietary point to point connections. It promises to connect the information providers and information consumers across a wide variety of platforms, devices and on an on-demand basis. Being based on service-oriented architecture (SOA) principles it can also form the enabling service interface layer for other emerging technologies like BAM, BPM, mobile and RFID. In this paper, we attempt to understand information-flow needs in the retail industry and also suggest a roadmap approach by which the retail enterprise could exploit the potential of web services at minimal risk.     

Safety impacts of signal-warning flashers and speed control at high-speed signalized intersections

For many years, to reduce the crash frequency and severity at high-speed signalized intersections, warning flashers have been used to alert drivers of potential traffic-signal changes. Recently, more aggressive countermeasures at such intersections include a speed-limit reduction in addition to warning flashers. While such speed-control strategies have the potential to further improve the crash-mitigation effectiveness of warning flashers, a rigorous statistical analysis of crash data from such intersections has not been undertaken to date. This paper uses 10-year crash data from 28 intersections in Nebraska (all with intersection approaches having signal-warning flashers; some with no speed-limit reduction, and the others with either 5 mi/h or 10 mi/h reduction in speed limit) to estimate a random parameters negative binomial model of crash frequency and a nested logit model of crash-injury severity. The estimation findings show that, while a wide variety of factors significantly influence the frequency and severity of crashes, the effect of the 5 mi/h speed-limit reduction is ambiguous—decreasing the frequency of crashes on some intersection approaches and increasing it on others, and decreasing some crash-injury severities and increasing others. In contrast, the 10 mi/h reduction in speed limit unambiguously decreased both the frequency and injury-severity of crashes. It is speculated that, in the presence of potentially heterogeneous driver responses to decreased speed limits, the smaller distances covered during reaction time at lower speeds (allowing a higher likelihood of crash avoidance) and the reduced energy of crashes associated with lower speed limits are not necessarily sufficient to unambiguously decrease the frequency and severity of crashes when the speed-limit reduction is just 5 mi/h. However, they are sufficient to unambiguously decrease the frequency and severity of crashes when the speed-limit reduction is 10 mi/h. Based on this research, speed-limit reductions in conjunction with signal-warning flashers appear to be an effective safety countermeasure, but only clearly so if the speed-limit reduction is at least 10 mi/h.     

Microwave absorbing properties of a thermally reduced graphene oxide/nitrile butadiene rubber composite

Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with a layered and porous structure was synthesized by thermal exfoliation of graphite oxide. Synthesized RGO is very light weight and flaky. The formation of RGO was studied using Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Composites were prepared by dispersing 2%, 4% and 10% by weight of the synthesized RGO into nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) matrix. Microwave absorption properties of RGO/NBR composites were investigated by measuring their complex permittivity and permeability by using waveguide method. Simulation studies show that 10 wt.% of graphene oxide in NBR matrix exhibits high values of reflection loss (>10 dB) over a wide frequency range 7.5–12 GHz and maximum loss is 57 dB at 9.6 GHz at a thickness of 3 mm.