Power line communications

This article overviews the power line communication, which is originally devised to transmit electric power from a small number of sources to a large number of sinks. Initially the first data transmission were over power lines were primarily done only to protect sections of the power distribution system in case of faults. This paper also studies the performance of power lines for high bit rate applications. DMT technology is adopted by the homeplug standard can theoretically provide data rates of 100Mb/s. However, products based on the standard only have achieved data rates up to 14 Mb/s. To protect against the severe noisy conditions and fading in the powerline channel, very high levels of error control coding need to be provided. The efforts of the homeplug alliance and home networking technology's growth in the US portend a very bright future for DMT-based PLC home networking.     

An exploration of nitrate concentrations in groundwater aquifers of central-west region of Bangladesh

Groundwater and river water samples were collected from the study area to investigate the spatial distribution of nitrate (NO(3)(-)) in the central-west region of Bangladesh. The shallow and deep groundwater nitrate concentrations ranged from <0.10 to 75.12 and <0.10 to 40.78 mg/L, respectively. Major river water NO(3)(-) concentrations were ranged from 0.98 to 2.32 mg/L with an average of 1.8 mg/L. The average Cl(-)/NO(3)(-) ratio (4.9) of major river water has been considered as reference point to delineate denitrification processes. The alluvial fan, alluvial, deltaic and coastal deposits shallow groundwater having C1(-)/NO(3)(-) values less than that of the average river water value (4.9), suggested denitrification processes within the aquifers. On the other hand, denitrification processes are insignificant in the Pleistocene terraces area aquifers related to relatively higher concentrations of nitrate. Iron pyrite has been found as insignificant effect on denitrification.     

Novel biofiltration methods for the treatment of heavy metals from industrial wastewater

Most heavy metals are well-known toxic and carcinogenic agents and when discharged into the wastewater represent a serious threat to the human population and the fauna and flora of the receiving water bodies. In the present review paper, the sources have discussed the industrial source of heavy metals contamination in water, their toxic effects on the fauna and flora and the regulatory threshold limits of these heavy metals. The various parameters of the biofiltration processes, their mechanism for heavy metals removal along with the kinetics of biofilters and its modeling aspects have been discussed. The comparison of various physico-chemical treatment and the advantages of biofiltration over other conventional processes for treatment of heavy metals contaminated wastewater have also been discussed. The applications of genetic engineering in the modification of the microorganisms for increasing the efficiency of the biofiltration process for heavy metals removal have been critically analyzed. The results show that the efficiency of the process can be increased three to six folds with the application of recombinant microbial treatment.     

A probability-based spectroscopic diagnostic algorithm for simultaneous discrimination of brain tumor and tumor margins from normal brain tissue

This paper reports the development of a probability-based spectroscopic diagnostic algorithm capable of simultaneously discriminating tumor core and tumor margins from normal human brain tissues. The algorithm uses a nonlinear method for feature extraction based on maximum representation and discrimination feature (MRDF) and a Bayesian method for classification based on sparse multinomial logistic regression (SMLR). Both the autofluorescence and the diffuse-reflectance spectra acquired in vivo from patients undergoing craniotomy or temporal lobectomy at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center were used to train and validate the algorithm. The classification accuracy was observed to be approximately 96%, 80%, and 97% for the tumor, tumor margin, and normal brain tissues, respectively, for the training data set and approximately 96%, 94%, and 100%, respectively, for the corresponding tissue types in an independent validation data set. The inherently multi-class nature of the algorithm facilitates a rapid and simultaneous classification of tissue spectra into various tissue categories without the need for a hierarchical multi-step binary classification scheme. Further, the probabilistic nature of the algorithm makes it possible to quantitatively assess the certainty of the classification and recheck the samples that are classified with higher relative uncertainty.     

Evaluation of Chemical Solution Deposited Ba x Sr 1−x TiO 3 Thin Films on LaAlO 3 in Tunable Microwave Devices

Epitaxial Ba x Sr 1 m x TiO 3 (BST) films grown on LaAlO 3 by several deposition methods have been tested in coupled microstrip phase shifters (CMPS) at frequencies from 10 to 24 GHz. To date the best performance for the devices has been achieved using Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). However, recently chemical solution deposition (CSD) methods such as sol-gel and Metal-Organic Chemical Liquid Deposition (MOCLD) have shown advances in fabricating BST films for tunable microwave applications. CSD processes promise improvements in cost, speed and area covered during BST film deposition. This paper compares over 35 BST films used in identical CMPS circuits. In this study, the highest measured figures of merit of phase shift per dB of loss for PLD, MOCLD and sol-gel CMPS are 49, 47 and 41°/dB respectively. While other phase shifter designs using BST films have surpassed these values, these data base of identical circuits allows us to compare the BST films. X-ray diffraction characterization for many of the BST films is also given.     

Perovskite phase formation in sol-gel derived Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 thin films

Abstract

Thin films of lead zirconate titanate having the composition Pb_1.05(Zr_0.53Ti_0.47)O₃ were deposited by a solgel method on a set of crystalline and amorphous substrates. The thickness of the film was varied by controlling the sol concentration or by repeated coatings. Factors controlling phase formation in the films such as nature of the substrate material, film thickness, chemical composition of the film, heating rate and gaseous atmosphere during the heat treatment were studied. On glass substrates the pyrochlore phase was obtained in thin (0.4 um) films and the perovskite phase in thicker (>1.5 um) films. Crystalline substrates (except Si and stainless steel) yielded a perovskite phase in 0.6 um thick film. Low Zr/Ti ratio, rapid heating and introduction of nitrogen in the later stage of heat treatment also favoured the formation of the perovskite phase. It is shown that Pb deficiency in the film caused by diffusion of Pb into amorphous substrates or by other mechanisms is primarily responsible for inhibiting the pyrochlore to perovskite transformation. The initial crystallisation of the amorphous film into pyrochlore rather than a perovskite phase (as in powders) is proposed to be due to higher strain energy barrier which exists for the amorphous to perovskite transformation in the film.     

Lignocellulosic jute fiber as a bioadsorbent for the removal of azo dye from its aqueous solution: Batch and column studies

The feasibility of the use of jute fiber for the adsorption of azo dye from an aqueous solution was evaluated with batch and fixed‐bed column studies. The batch studies illustrated that dye uptake was highly dependent on different process variables, namely, the pH, initial dye concentration of the solution, adsorbent dosage, contact time, ionic strength, and temperature. The exothermic and spontaneous nature of adsorption was revealed from thermodynamic study. The equilibrium adsorption data were highly consistent with the Langmuir isotherm and yielded an R² value of 0.999. Kinetic studies divulged that the adsorption followed a pseudo‐second‐order model with regard to the intraparticle diffusion. In the column studies, the total amount of adsorbed dye and the adsorption capacity decreased with increasing flow rate and increased with increasing bed height and initial dye concentration. Also, the breakthrough time and exhaustion time increased with increasing bed depth but decreased with increasing flow rate and influent dye concentration. The column performances were predicted by the application of the bed‐depth service time model and Thomas model to the experimental data. The virgin and dye‐adsorbed jute fiber was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The investigation suggested that jute fiber could be applied as a promising low‐cost adsorbent for dye removal. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Assessment of arsenic exposure from groundwater and rice in Bengal Delta Region, West Bengal, India

Arsenic (As) induced identifiable health outcomes are now spreading across Indian subcontinent with continuous discovery of high As concentrations in groundwater. This study deals with groundwater hydrochemistry vis-à-vis As exposure assessment among rural population in Chakdaha block, West Bengal, India. The water quality survey reveals that 96% of the tubewells exceed WHO guideline value (10 μg/L of As). The groundwaters are generally anoxic (−283 to −22 mV) with circum-neutral pH (6.3 to 7.8). The hydrochemistry is dominated by HCO₃⁻ (208 to 440 mg/L), Ca²⁺ (79 to 178 mg/L) and Mg²⁺ (17 to 45 mg/L) ions along with high concentrations of As_T (As total, below detection limit to 0.29 mg/L), Fe_T (Fe total, 1.2 to 16 mg/L), and Fe(II) (0.74 to 16 mg/L). The result demonstrates that Fe(II)-Fe(III) cycling is the dominant process for the release of As from aquifer sediments to groundwater (and vice versa), which is mainly controlled by the local biogeochemical conditions. The exposure scenario reveals that the consumption of groundwater and rice are the major pathways of As accumulation in human body, which is explained by the dietary habit of the surveyed population. Finally, regular awareness campaign is essential as part of the management and prevention of health outcomes.     

Estimating the effect of cutting parameters on surface finish and power consumption during high speed machining of AISI 1045 steel using Taguchi design and ANOVA

The present paper outlines an experimental study to investigate the effects of cutting parameters on finish and power consumption by employing Taguchi techniques. The high speed machining of AISI 1045 using coated carbide tools was investigated. A combined technique using orthogonal array and analysis of variance was employed to investigate the contribution and effects of cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut on three surface roughness parameters and power consumption. The results showed a significant effect of cutting speed on the surface roughness and power consumption, while the other parameters did not substantially affect the responses. Thereafter, optimal cutting parameters were obtained.