Second generation fully differential current conveyor based analog circuits

In this paper, we present a new voltage-mode biquad filter that uses a six-terminal CMOS fully differential current conveyor(FDCCII). The FDCCII with only 23 transistors in its structure and operating at ± 1.5 V, is based on a class AB fully differential buffer. The proposed filter has the facility to tune gain, ωo and Q. A circuit division circuit(CDC) is employed to digitally control the FDCCII block. This digitally controlled FDCCII is used to realize a new reconfigurable fully-differential integrator and differentiator. We performed SPICE simulations to determine the performance of all circuits using CMOS 0.25 μm technology.     

Hot corrosion behavior of double ceramic layered CaZrO3/Yttria‐stabilized zirconia coatings

A novel double ceramic layered (DCL) CaZrO₃/Yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) was designed for improved service life against sulfate vanadate hot corrosion as compared with that of YSZ single layered coating. The hot corrosion behavior of DCL CaZrO₃/YSZ coatings was studied at 950°C after dry spreading 50%Na₂SO₄+50%V₂O₅ mixture onto a coated surface. The CaZrO₃ as the topmost layer in DCL CaZrO₃/YSZ coatings, served as a sacrificial layer during sulfate vanadate hot corrosion protecting the underneath YSZ coating. The corrosion reactions in this case were sluggish due to the initial formation of low melting point meta‐calcium vanadate (CaV₂O₆) that isothermally transformed to higher melting point calcium vanadates having higher calcia (CaO) content. The corrosion reaction products sealed the top surface, impeding the oxygen movement and eventually retarded the thermally grown oxide (TGO) growth. The sulfate vanadate hot corrosion life of the DCL CaZrO₃/YSZ coatings was observed to be more than double as compared with single ceramic layered YSZ coatings.     

Observations of the north polar region of Mars from the Mars orbiter laser altimeter

Elevations from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) have been used to construct a precise topographic map of the martian north polar region. The northern ice cap has a maximum elevation of 3 kilometers above its surroundings but lies within a 5-kilometer-deep hemispheric depression that is contiguous with the area into which most outflow channels emptied. Polar cap topography displays evidence of modification by ablation, flow, and wind and is consistent with a primarily H2O composition. Correlation of topography with images suggests that the cap was more spatially extensive in the past. The cap volume of 1.2 x 10(6) to 1.7 x 10(6) cubic kilometers is about half that of the Greenland ice cap. Clouds observed over the polar cap are likely composed of CO2 that condensed out of the atmosphere during northern hemisphere winter. Many clouds exhibit dynamical structure likely caused by the interaction of propagating wave fronts with surface topography.     

Reliable computation of solid solubility in dense gases through homotopy continuation approach

A method to reliably compute the solid solubility in supercritical fluids is described. The method is based on computing all the possible roots of equifugacity equation at given temperature and pressure through homotopy continuation. The equifugacity equation is reformulated through global fixed-point homotopy. The global fixed-point homotopy guarantees that all the solutions of a non-linear equation can be located on a single homotopy path when it is forced to start from a single starting point. The starting point is selected from a criterion which minimizes the number of real roots of the global fixed-point homotopy function. Homotopy continuation-based formulation of equifugacity equation is also used to directly generate the solubility-pressure and solubility-temperature bifurcation diagrams by selecting either pressure or temperature as continuation parameter. These bifurcation diagrams provide a direct pathway to locate the cross-over pressures. The effect of equation of state model parameters on solid solubility through homotopy continuation based sensitivity analysis is also analyzed. Peng Robinson Stryjek Vera equation of state with conventional and Wong-Sandler mixing rules are used.     

Experience with larangeal mask airway in Pakistani patients

One hundred and thirty seven adult patients undergoing peripheral surgery were studied regarding ease of larangeal mask airway (LMA) insertion, airway maintenance during surgery and complication encountered during insertion, maintenance and in the postoperative period. In a majority (84%) of patients, the airway was positioned correctly at the first attempt, 3% patients had mild laryngospasm at insertion and in 85% a good airway was obtained. No airway related problems were encountered intraoperatively. Two percent patients had laryngospasm on removal of LMA. Postoperatively, the complaint of sore throat and uvular trauma was seen in 4% cases.     

Synthesis and characterization of cetirizine‐containing,pH‐sensitive acrylic acid/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels

In this study, interpenetrated acrylic acid (AA)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels were prepared by free‐radical polymerization with N,N‐methylene bisacrylamide (MBAAm) as a crosslinker. The basic structural parameters, such as the molecular weight between crosslinks, volume interaction parameter, number of crosslinks, Flory–Huggins solvent interaction parameter, and diffusion coefficient, were calculated. Cetirizine dihydrochloride was loaded as a model drug in selected samples. The prepared hydrogels were evaluated for swelling, sol–gel fraction, and porosity. The swelling of the AA/PVA hydrogels was found to be directly proportional to the pH, that is, 1.2–7.5, depending on composition. The percentage of cetirizine hydrochloride was found to be directly proportional to the buffer pH and was at its maximum at pH 7.5, that is, 90–95%, and its lowest at pH 1.2, that is, 20–30%. The gel fraction increased with increasing concentration of AA and MBAAm, whereas the porosity showed the same response with AA, but an inverse relationship was observed with MBAAm. The drug‐release data were fitted into various kinetics models, including the zero‐order, first‐order, Higuchi, and Peppas models, which showed non‐Fickian diffusion. The prepared hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and no interaction was found among the polymer ratio and the drug. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43407.     

An Ontology-Based Multi-Agent System for Active Software Engineering Ontology

The ongoing trend towards multi-site software development not only brings the benefits but also creates additional challenges regarding remote communication and coordination. The Software Engineering Ontology (SE Ontology) was first developed to clarify the software engineering concepts and project information, and to enable knowledge sharing among dispersed teams. However, the current SE Ontology has the same passive structure as other ontologies that exist on the Web. Passive structure refers to a need to know exactly the concepts and relationships to which users are referring in the ontology. Otherwise, he/she may not be able to obtain the knowledge required. What is needed is active support that can help users find the information they need and provide them with meaningful output. In this paper, we propose an active Software Engineering Ontology through Multi-Agent System (SEOMAS) framework which is intended to provide active support to access software engineering domain knowledge and to recommend software project information captured in the SE Ontology. The UML and Agent UML are used to formalise the SEOMAS framework and to model interactions between the various agents. The prototype is developed and evaluated using several scenarios of the online shopping system development as a case study.     

Advances in Shape Memory Polyurethanes and Composites: A Review

Polyurethanes are synthetic smart materials having exquisite property to regain original shape from temporary shape when an external force (heat, light, electricity, and entropy driven deformation) is applied. Shape memory polyurethanes have ability to replace shape memory alloys due to cut-rate, easy manufacturing, programing, and high shape recovery ratio. The review focused on polyurethane types exhibiting shape memory effect and various categories of shape memory effects in polyurethane. Moreover, compound structure, modeling structure, applications, and related synthetic methods for shape memory polyurethanes are discussed. The strategies for induction of cross-linking and post cross-linking at high, medium, and low temperature are surveyed.     

Polarity-Based Solvents Extraction of Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale for In Vitro Antimicrobial Activities

Extracts from dried stem of Opuntia dillenii and rhizome of Zingiber officinale were evaluated for antimicrobial activities by extraction in non-polar (petroleum ether and chloroform) and polar solvents (methanol and water). Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus showed considerable susceptibility to all extracts of Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale. Ether and chloroform extracts of Opuntia dillenii showed improved antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli (gram negative) as compared to that of its methanolic and water extracts. On the other hand, methanolic and water extracts of Zingiber officinale showed better susceptibility for Escherichia coli. Salmonella typhi (gram negative) was found to be resistant to all extracts of both Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale. Our results indicated that both Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale have potent antimicrobial activity that is also based on solvent polarity during extraction.     

Hybrid shape descriptor and meta similarity generation for non-rigid and partial 3D model retrieval

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Non-rigid and partial 3D model retrieval are two significant and challenging research directions in the field of 3D model retrieval. Little work has been done in...