Effect of EGR on the exhaust gas temperature and exhaust opacity in compression ignition engines

In diesel engines, NOx formation is a highly temperature-dependent phenomenon and takes place when the temperature in the combustion chamber exceeds 2000 K. Therefore, in order to reduce NOx emissions in the exhaust, it is necessary to keep peak combustion temperatures under control. One simple way of reducing the NOx emission of a diesel engine is by late injection of fuel into the combustion chamber. This technique is effective but increases fuel consumption by 10–15%, which necessitates the use of more effective NOx reduction techniques like exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Re-circulating part of the exhaust gas helps in reducing NOx, but appreciable paniculate emissions are observed at high loads, hence there is a trade-off between NOx and smoke emission. To get maximum benefit from this trade-off, a paniculate trap may be used to reduce the amount of unburnt particulates in EGR, which in turn reduce the paniculate emission also. An experimental investigation was conducted to observe the effect of exhaust gas re-circulation on the exhaust gas temperatures and exhaust opacity. The experimental setup for the proposed experiments was developed on a two-cylinder, direct injection, air-cooled, compression ignition engine. A matrix of experiments was conducted for observing the effect of different quantities of EGR on exhaust gas temperatures and opacity     

Vibration in operating heavy haul trucks in overburden mining

The objective of this study was to determine if the vibration in sagittal (x), coronal (y) and vertical (z) axes of the seat pan of the heavy haul trucks used in overburden mining, and the vibration experienced by the drivers at the third lumbar and seventh cervical vertebral levels in operating these trucks exceeded the ISO standards, thereby posing threat to safety. A new and an old truck of two different makes and different carrying capacities (200 and 300 series) were instrumented with a triaxial accelerometer on the seat pan. Fourteen drivers (8 male and 6 female) were instrumented with a triaxial accelerometer at C7 and L3 spinous processes. The vibration at the seat pan, C7, and L3 levels were recorded using an onboard computer with PCMCIA card and, compared against the ISO standards. The vertical vibration of the seat pan in the entire sample ranged from a low of .37 m/s² to a high of 11.73 m/s². The vibration at the lumbar level in the sample ranged between .34 and 2.72 m/s². The values for cervical level vertical vibration in the sample ranged between .2 and 2.22 m/s². The gender of the driver, truck make, and it's carrying capacity did not have a significant effect on the vibration. However, the body weight of the driver, the segment of the truck and the site of measurement revealed significant differences in vibration (p<0.001). Out of a total 36 combinations (4 trucks×9 recording locations) the seat pan vertical vibration exceeded the ISO standards 8 times for males and 9 times for females. The lumbar vertebral vertical vibration in males exceeded ISO standards 12 times and in females 11 times. The cervical vertebral vertical vibration exceeded ISO standards once in females only. However, in sagittal and coronal planes the whole body vibration exceeded the ISO standards many times. Heavy haul trucks (240 and 320 ton capacity) frequently generated vibrations in excess of ISO standards in overburden mining operation representing a health hazard.     

Characterization of roadway stormwater system residuals for reuse and disposal options

The chemical characterization of sediments accumulated in catch basins and stormwater ponds provides important information for assessing risks associated with management of these residuals upon removal of accumulated deposits in stormwater systems. In this study, over a period of 15 months, more than 150 residual samples were collected from 77 catch basin units and 22 stormwater ponds from 16 municipalities throughout the state of Florida. Concentrations (mg/kg) of metals and metalloids (arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, silver, and zinc) and trace organics (volatile organics, semi-volatile organics, herbicides, and pesticides) in the sediments were measured. In addition, the synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) was utilized to evaluate pollutant leachability risk for a subset of the samples collected. Measured pollutant concentrations were compared to corresponding risk-based guidelines in Florida (i.e., Florida soil cleanup target levels) to assess potential human health risks of beneficial use of these residuals through land application. Leached concentrations were compared to risk-based water quality guidelines (i.e., Florida groundwater cleanup target levels) to examine the potential for groundwater contamination. Although several metals (arsenic, barium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc) were routinely detected in the catch basin and stormwater pond sediments, their concentrations were generally lower than the Florida's risk-based cleanup target levels for soils. A small number of organochlorine compounds (e.g., 4,4′-DDE, 4,4′-DDT) were detected, but only in a limited number of the samples (less than 10%); leaching of trace organic pollutants above the Florida risk-based groundwater thresholds was rare. The results suggest that when land-applied or beneficially used, these residuals are not expected to pose a significant threat to human health or the environment and the results of this research will provide stormwater managers and environmental management authorities with a useful resource to examine proper disposal and beneficial use of catch basin and stormwater pond sediments.     

Physical demands analysis of occupational tasks in neighborhood pubs

This paper describes a case study of a neighborhood pub in British Columbia, Canada. This case study is an examination of three common pub occupations-bartending, waitressing and cooking (n = 17). The aims of this study are to determine the biomechanical loads of job tasks identified as physically demanding for the three occupations analyzed, to assess the potential risk of musculoskeletal injury in these job tasks, and to recommend injury prevention measures. Risk of musculoskeletal injury was assessed with four validated methods (RULA, NIOSH lifting equation, Shoaf pulling model, 3D Static Strength prediction program). Tasks commonly and frequently performed were observed to pose some risk to the working populations and require investigation and changes soon as indicated by the upper extremity and low-back assessment procedures used. Mean combined compression at the lumbrosacral disc in common tasks have been demonstrated to exceed the action limit described by NIOSH. Ligament strain was observed to reach as high as 18% at the lumbosacral joint.     

An Advanced DV-Hop Localization Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

In emerging sensor network applications, localization in wireless sensor network is a recent area of research. Requirement of its applications and availability of resources need feasible localization algorithm with lower cost and higher accuracy. In this paper, we propose an Advanced DV-Hop localization algorithm that reduces the localization error without requiring additional hardware and computational costs. The proposed algorithm uses the hop-size of the anchor (which knows its location) node, from which unknown node measures the distance. In the third step of Advanced DV-Hop algorithm, inherent error in the estimated distance between anchor and unknown node is reduced. To improve the localization accuracy, we use weighted least square algorithm. Furthermore, location of unknown nodes is refined by using extraneous information obtained by solving the equations. By mathematical analysis, we prove that Advanced DV-Hop algorithm has lesser correction factor in the distance between anchor and the unknown node compared with DV-Hop algorithm, improved DV-Hop algorithm (Chen et al. 2008) and improved DV-Hop algorithm (Chen et al. in IEICE Trans Fundam E91-A(8), 2008), which is cause of better location accuracy. Simulation results show that the performance of our proposed algorithm is superior to DV-Hop algorithm and improved DV-Hop algorithms in all considered scenarios.     

Improved 3-dimensional DV-hop localization algorithm based on information of nearby nodes

DV-Hop, a range-free localization algorithm, has been one of the most popular localization algorithm. It is easy and inexpensive to implement. Therefore, in the literature, many improved variants of this algorithm exist. However, poor location accuracy and higher power consumption by DV-Hop algorithm always open new avenues for research on this algorithm and makes it a favorite among the researchers. In this paper, we have proposed an Improved 3-Dimensional DV-Hop algorithm based on the information of nearby nodes (I3D-DVLAIN). In the algorithm, by calculating hopsize at the unknown nodes, we eliminate one communication among the nodes, which reduces power consumption in the network. The hopsize calculation and location estimation is done by using only the nearby anchor nodes, which minimizes the network usage and decreases the computational effort. For the selection of nearby anchor nodes, we introduce a new method. Further, for localization, a novel method is used for solving the system of distance equations that restricts propagation of inherent error in the distance and increases localization accuracy. Furthermore, by mathematically analyzing the propagation of error in solving the system of equations, we prove the superiority of I3D-DVLAIN over other compared algorithms. The results obtained through simulation and complexity analysis of the computation and communication further strengthens our observations about the superiority of the proposed algorithm.

     

Genetic diversity assessment of Jatropha curcas L. germplasm from Northeast India

Genetic variability in the wild genotypes of Jatropha curcas L., collected from different parts of Northeast India, was analyzed using two different single primer amplification reactions (SPAR) methods, viz., inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and directed amplification of minisatellite DNA (DAMD). A total of 36 genotypes were used to investigate the existing natural genetic variation at intra-specific level. One hundred forty nine (149) amplification products were scored by ISSR and DAMD, both of which collectively showed 75.83% polymorphism with a mean intra-population genetic diversity (H_S) of 0.1309. However, their level of diversity at inter- and intra-population levels was significant, with the percentage of polymorphic loci (P) ranging from 22.82% to 44.30%, Shannon’s information index (H_pop) from 0.1302 to 0.2541 and Nei’s gene diversity (H_E) from 0.0831 to 0.1723 with mean Nei’s gene diversity (H_T) 0.2202 and the overall estimate of gene flow being (Nm) 0.8085. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 68.88% of variation at intra-population level, whereas 31.12% variation was recorded at inter-population level. Cluster analysis also supported the existence of genetic diversity in the genotypes of J. curcas collected from Assam and Meghalaya provinces of Northeast India. Present investigation suggests the efficiency of SPAR methods to estimate the genetic diversity precisely which can define genetic relationship and population genetics of J. curcas.     

Measures of localized spinal muscle fatigue

The objective of this study was to determine the best variable, if any, to indicate the level of localized muscle fatigue. Six male and six female subjects were studied while they exerted their maximal voluntary contraction and 40% of maximal voluntary contraction of spinal extensors in an isometric lifting activity. The electromyography (EMG) of erectores spinae at thoracic and lumbar levels was measured bilaterally. Also, the muscle bed blood volume, level of blood oxygenation to erector spinae at L3 level and heart rate were measured. The initial and final values of subjective feelings of fatigue through visual analogue score, rate of perceived exertions and body part discomfort rating were recorded. The mean maximal voluntary contraction forces for males and females were 899 (238) N and 431 (135) N respectively. The mean durations of hold in maximal voluntary fatiguing contraction were 68.1 (39.9) s and 72.3 (37.0) s for men and women respectively. By the end of the hold the force declined to 52% for males and 62% for females. The EMG amplitudes and median frequencies also progressively declined (p < 0.01). ANOVA revealed that the task percentile values of all variables were significantly different (p < 0.01). Gender had a significant main effect (p < 0.01). The correlation coefficients between force and other individual variables were weak to modest, but significant (p < 0.001). None of the single variables predicted fatigue reliably for either gender and levels of contraction. The regression equations developed were highly significant (p < 0.01) and they explained 96 to 98% of variance in both genders and contractions.     

Perceived physical stress at work and musculoskeletal discomfort in X-ray technologists

A structured questionnaire/interview was designed to explore demographic, personal, occupational and occupational health factors as well as recreational physical activities which can affect X-ray technologists' musculoskeletal symptoms. This questionnaire was piloted for clarity and validity. Subsequently, a random sample of 20 volunteer participants (18 female, 2 male) from two University hospitals were administered the questionnaire in the presence of the investigators to ensure that questions were correctly understood. The data obtained were analysed for magnitude, duration and frequency of activities and for severity, duration and recurrence of morbidity. The X-ray technologists in the sample were found to be a young group of professionals ranging from between 20 - 54 years of age. Eighty-nine per cent of the technologists were physically active and 44% indulged in physical recreational activities. Despite the young age and active life style, the X-ray technologists had significant and diverse musculoskeletal problems; 83% of technologists had backache and 39% of the female technologists had neck pain and 28% shoulder pain. The majority of technologists had suffered multiple episodes of pain. Fifty per cent of the female sample and both male volunteers suffered from upper extremity pain.     

Power efficient range-free localization algorithm for wireless sensor networks

Considering energy consumption, hardware requirements, and the need of high localization accuracy, we proposed a power efficient range-free localization algorithm for wireless sensor networks. In the proposed algorithm, anchor node communicates to unknown nodes only one time by which anchor nodes inform about their coordinates to unknown nodes. By calculating hop-size of anchor nodes at unknown nodes one complete communication between anchor node and unknown node is eliminated which drastically reduce the energy consumption of nodes. Further, unknown node refines estimated hop-size for better estimation of distance from the anchor nodes. Moreover, using average hop-size of anchor nodes, unknown node calculates distance from all anchor nodes. To reduce error propagation, involved in solving for location of unknown node, a new procedure is adopted. Further, unknown node upgrades its location by exploiting the obtained information in solving the system of equations. In mathematical analysis we prove that proposed algorithm has lesser propagation error than distance vector-hop (DV-Hop) and other considered improved DV-Hop algorithms. Simulation experiments show that our proposed algorithm has better localization performance, and is more computationally efficient than DV-Hop and other compared improved DV-Hop algorithms.