UAV Path Following in Windy Urban Environments

This paper considers UAV path following in cluttered environments under windy conditions. Unstructured wind patterns in cluttered environments can make path following difficult resulting in high errors and possibly collisions with buildings. Combining a pursuit guidance law philosophy with a line-of-sight guidance law, we develop a novel guidance law that has low computational complexity and can track straight line paths, circular paths, a combination of both and waypaths accurately in the presence of wind blowing as high as fifty percent of the UAV’s air speed. Performance of the guidance law is demonstrated through numerical simulations.     

Study of annealing effects in In-Sb bilayer thin films

The thin films of In-Sb having different thicknesses of antimony keeping constant thickness of indium was deposited by thermal evaporation method on ITO coated conducting glass substrates at room temperature and a pressure of 10⁻⁵ torr. The samples were annealed for 1 h at 433 K at a pressure of 10⁻⁵ torr. The optical transmission spectra of as deposited and annealed films have been carried out at room temperature. The variation in optical band gap with thickness was also observed. Rutherford back scattering and X-ray diffraction analysis confirms mixing of bilayer system. The transverse I-V characteristic shows mixing effect after annealing at 433 K for 1 h. This study confirms mixing of bilayer structure of semiconductor thin films.     

Differential expression of uterine progesterone receptor forms A and B during the menstrual cycle

Recent studies suggest that the progesterone receptor isoforms (PR-A and PR-B) activate genes differentially and that PR-A may act as a repressor of PR-B function. Hence, the absolute and relative expression of the two isoforms will determine the response to progesterone. We have measured their relative expression in the uterus of cycling women who underwent endometrial biopsy. PR isoforms were identified on blots of SDS-PAGE gels by reaction with the AB-52 antibody after immunoprecipitation from endometrial extract. Both isoforms were highest in the peri-ovulatory phase, but levels of PR-A were always higher than those of PR-B. The ratio of PR-A to PR-B changed during the menstrual cycle. Between days 2 and 8, PR-B is almost undetectable and the A:B ratio is >10:1. From days 9 to 13, the ratio is about 5:1, and it is about 2:1 between days 14 and 16. Thereafter, PR-B dwindles rapidly and is virtually undetectable at the end of the cycle. In various hypoestrogenic environments, PR-B expression was reduced. However, exogenous estrogens in the follicular phase in the form of oral contraceptives, enhanced PR-B expression. These data support the possibility that progesterone acts through cycle-specific PR isoforms.     

Optimal placement of piezoelectric patches over a smart structure

Control of structural vibrations has significant applications in manufacturing, infrastructure engineering, aerospace engineering and various consumer products. In last two decades, considerable attention has been focused to suppress structural vibrations using active vibration control technique. Various researchers have proposed various optimization criteria for optimal placement of piezoelectric patches over a smart structure to suppress vibrations using various optimization techniques. This paper presents a review of various optimization criteria and techniques that have been used by various researchers in the field of smart structures. Mathematical expressions of objective functions of twelve optimization criteria have been presented and their justifications have been reasoned. Step by step procedures of commonly used optimization techniques have also been presented.     

Effect of nano-Al2O3 particles on the corrosion behavior of alkyd based waterborne coatings

A modification in the alkyd based waterborne coatings was studied with the addition of 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% nano-Al₂O₃. Corrosion performance of the nano-composite coatings were evaluated by applying these nanocomposites on mild steel substrate and exposing them to salt spray, humidity, and accelerated weathering. Mechanical properties were studied by subjecting the coating to scratch and abrasion test. The results showed that, with an increase in the concentration of nano-Al₂O₃ there was an improvement in the corrosion resistance, UV resistance, and mechanical properties of the coatings indicating the positive effect of addition of nano-Al₂O₃ particles in the coatings. Further, the transparency of the coating was not altered, maintaining the optical clarity of the coating.     

In vitro and in vivo degradability,biocompatibility and antimicrobial characteristics of Cu added iron-manganese alloy

In recent years,iron(Fe)based degradable metal is explored as an alternative to permanent fracture fixation devices.In the present work,copper(Cu)is added in Fe-Mn system to enhance the degradation rate and antimicrobial properties.Fe-Mn-xCu(x=0.9,5 and 10 wt.％)alloys are prepared by the melting-casting-forging route.XRD analysis confirms austenite phase stabilization due to the presence of Mn and Cu.As predicted by Thermo-Calc calculations,Cu rich phase precipitations are noticed along the austen-ite grain boundaries.Degradation behaviours of Cu added Fe-Mn alloys are investigated through static immersion and electrochemical polarization where enhanced degradation is found for higher Cu added alloys.When challenged against E.Coli bacteria,the Fe-Mn-Cu alloy media extract shows a significant bac-tericidal effect compare to the base alloy.In vitro cytocompatibility studies,as determined using MG63 and MC3T3-E1 cell lines,indicate increased cell density as a function of time for all the alloys.When implanted in rabbit femur,the newly developed alloy does not show any kind of tissue necrosis around the implants.Better osteogenesis and higher new bone formation are observed with Fe-Mn-10Cu alloy as evident from micro-computed tomography(μ-CT)and fluorochrome labelling.     

Fault Diagnosis of Smart Grid Distribution System by Using Smart Sensors and Symlet Wavelet Function

In today’s era of smart grid system scenario, the fault diagnosis is of utmost important task. Present distribution networks change drastically due to expansion and inclusion of large number of distributed generation units into power system at distribution level. To face the challenges of modernized girds, conventional fault diagnosis methodologies require drastic change by making use of advanced infrastructure and technologies. This will be helpful to achieve automation in fault diagnosis tasks, improved power quality, reliability, resilience and self healing property of the power system. This paper proposes the use of smart sensors and advanced communication technology that will be available in future smart grids to carry out automated fault diagnosis tasks using signal processing techniques. Methods of using Standard deviation features of fault transient signal and a fault location factors are proposed. Performance of various scaling levels, features and components of fault transient current signals extracted using the latest non conventional Symlet mother wavelet function are evaluated and compared. The attempt is made to select optimal features and components of fault transient currents to improve the performance of present limited types of available fault locators. The tests are taken on standard model of smart grid distribution system but can be applied for fault diagnosis of any other power equipment. Results show adequate accuracy to extend the use of proposed method for real time applications.     

Non-dairy Based Probiotics: A Healthy Treat for Intestine

Dairy-based fermented products and yoghurts have been utilized as potential probiotic products since ancient times. However, recent upsurge in interest of consumers towards dairy alternatives has opened up new vistas for non-dairy probiotic research and development. Various matrices and substrates such as cereals, fruit juices, or mixture thereof are being utilized for delivering these beneficial microorganisms. Each matrix offers some advantages over the other. Vast knowledge available on a number of conventional fermented foods can also be utilized for future research in this area. The present review provides an insight on the recent research/developments in the field of non-dairy probiotic foods with particular reference to the foods consumed conventionally, in addition to their commercial availability and a way forward.     

Utilization of Food Processing By-products as Dietary,Functional, and Novel Fiber: A Review

Fast growing food processing industry in most countries across the world, generates huge quantity of by-products, including pomace, hull, husk, pods, peel, shells, seeds, stems, stalks, bran, washings, pulp refuse, press cakes, etc., which have less use and create considerable environmental pollution. With growing interest in health promoting functional foods, the demand of natural bioactives has increased and exploration for new sources is on the way. Many of the food processing industrial by-products are rich sources of dietary, functional, and novel fibers. These by-products can be directly (or after certain modifications for isolation or purification of fiber) used for the manufacture of various foods, i.e. bread, buns, cake, pasta, noodles, biscuit, ice creams, yogurts, cheese, beverages, milk shakes, instant breakfasts, ice tea, juices, sports drinks, wine, powdered drink, fermented milk products, meat products and meat analogues, synthetic meat, etc. A comprehensive literature survey has been carried on this topic to give an overview in the field dietary fiber from food by-products. In this article, the developments in the definition of fiber, fiber classification, potential sources of dietary fibers in food processing by-products, their uses, functional properties, caloric content, energy values and the labelling regulations have been discussed.