Hybrid intelligent framework for one-day ahead wind speed forecasting

Neural Computing and Applications - Nowadays wind power is considered as one of the fastest growing alternative energies, that is expected to continue to grow rapidly in the upcoming...     

Composite polypyrrole-containing particles and electrical properties of thin films prepared therefrom

Preparation of core-shell particles consisting of polystyrene-poly(ethylene glycol) monomethacrylate (PS-PEGMA) core covered with polypyrrole (PPy) shell is described. The thickness of PPy shell, which strongly influences electrical properties of the films prepared from the particles, can be varied by changing pyrrole load, controlling the overall template surface area in the system and by influencing the pyrrole polymerization kinetics in the presence of different oxidants. The type of anions and PPy loading strongly influence the electrical conductivity. Typical value of the resistivity of thin film consisting of core-shell particles was 34 Ωm (PPy oxidized by FeCl₃, shell thickness 3 nm). Current-voltage dependences of low conductivity samples (thin PPy shell layer) are characteristic of contact-limited currents. The conductivity of the particles changes with humidity, which can be utilized in humidity sensors.     

The Use of a Eutectic Mixture of Olive Pomace Oil Fatty Amides to Easily Prepare Sulfated Amides Applied as Lime Soap Dispersants

Sulfated diethanolamides of fatty acids are known to be effective lime soap dispersing agents. However, their preparation from fatty acids via fatty amides requires the use of organic solvents due to the high viscosity of both fatty amides and sulfated fatty amides. This study shows that the preparation of sulfated fatty amides is relatively easy when using olive pomace oil as the raw material. The latter, is converted into sulfated fatty amides by performing the following steps: saponification, hydrolysis, esterification, amidation, and sulfation. In the final step, the mixture obtained has sufficient fluidity, due to its high linoleic acid amide content, to obviate the use of organic solvents, as usually suggested in the literature. Characterization of the product was carried out by chemical analyses, FTIR, ¹³C NMR, GC, and HPLC. It was shown that the yield of the amidation reaction is about 80%, and that of the sulfation reaction can exceed 100% against the pure amide (more than one sulfate group could be linked to one amide molecule). On the other hand, the Borghetty test showed that the product is an effective dispersant with a lime soap dispersing power equal to five.     

Self-assembly of thiourea intercalated graphene oxide based dual IIP for the SPE coupled FAAS method development of Cu(II) and Pb(II) determination

A new dual-template surface imprinted polymer for Cu(II) and Pb(II) was synthesized in one pot. Magnetic graphene oxide was self-assembled with low cost and environmentally benign thiourea. Presence of sulfur and nitrogen donor atoms provide hooks for coordination and partial reduction of graphene oxide matrix. It was used as an solid-phase extraction adsorbent for extraction, preconcentration, and coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry to manifest performance comparable with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICPAES) both in terms of quantification limit as well as interference. The critical experimental parameters such as pH; 4.6, contact time of 15 min and initial concentration of 777 (Q_e; 227 mg g⁻¹) and 800 μg L⁻¹ (Q_e; 273 mg g⁻¹) for Cu(II) and Pb(II), respectively, were optimized using RSM-CCD and artificial neural network. The adsorption process was kinetically faster (50% adsorption in 5 min), following fractal-like-pseudo-second-order (FLPSO) kinetics and Brouers–Sotolongo isotherm model owing to the heterogenous energy landscape. The imprinting factors were in the range of 4–7 in the presence of all coexisting ions. The proposed method was robust in the determination and removal of Cu(II) and Pb(II) from food, ground water, and industry effluents with low limit of detection (Cu(II); 1.03 μg L⁻¹ & Pb(II); 1.79 μgL⁻¹). Spiking and recovery tests were used to assess the method's accuracy. Cu(II)/Pb(II) loaded dual template IIP (DIIP) was utilized to remove anionic dyes with >95% efficiency. Thorough examination of the method and material selectivity (in binary, ternary, and multielement system), multi fold applications of determination, removal of Cu(II), Pb(II), and removal of anionic dyes makes DIIP a promising candidate for environmental remediation.     

Characterization of aluminium alloys in tetrahydrofuran media

Rest potential measurements and voltammetric scans at different rates (0.01–1 V min^–1) have been carried out on aluminium alloys in a tetrahydrofuran (THF) environment. The solvent contained either chloride, perchlorate or trifluoromethane sulfonate ions. For the Al-Mg alloys in chloride environments, the voltammograms observed for low scan rates show electrode passivation with the formation of a magnesium salt layer. For Al-Li alloys, rest potential measurements indicate the selective dissolution of lithium. The maximum dissolution current is sensitive to the lithium content in the alloy and limited by the solubility of lithium chloride. In chloride environments, the passivity breakdown potentialE _b and the protective potentialE _p have similar values and do not depend on the type of alloy. In contrast, large differences between these potentials are observed in the presence of CF₃SO ₃ ^– ions.     

Cancer ecology in Kerala,India

Studies carried out on the spatial distribution of cancer in India reveal a high intensity zone of cancer in Kerala, especially in respect of tumours of the oral cavity, pharynx and respiratory system. It is suggested that an ecological approach involving the study of environmental deficiencies or overloads of minerals and radio‐active elements in the soil and dietary habits, could provide useful guidelines for the control of cancer in Kerala.     

Characterization of defect density created by stress in the gate to?drain overlap region using GIDL current model in n-channel MOSFET

In this paper we study the impact of stress on gate induced drain leakage (GIDL) current variations in MOS transistors, which manifested by tunneling in the gate to drain overlap region. The oxide thickness of n-channel transistor used is 8.5?nm. We show that this phenomenon is accentuated in high stress accumulation V _g=?3?V, V _d=3?V, but more less for stress V _g=V _d=3?V. In both cases, any constraint corresponds to an increase in accumulated charges in the transistor and hence the current GIDL.     

First real-time detection of surface dust in a tokamak

The first real-time detection of surface dust inside a tokamak was made using an electrostatic dust detector. A fine grid of interlocking circuit traces was installed in the NSTX vessel and biased to 50 V. Impinging dust particles created a temporary short circuit and the resulting current pulse was recorded by counting electronics. The techniques used to increase the detector sensitivity by a factor of ×10,000 to match NSTX dust levels while suppressing electrical pickup are presented. The results were validated by comparison to laboratory measurements, by the null signal from a covered detector that was only sensitive to pickup, and by the dramatic increase in signal when Li particles were introduced for wall conditioning purposes.     

Design and simulation of High Q MEMS LC-tank for oscillators

This research focuses on the design of a high-performance MEMS LC-tank using a high Q MEMS inductor and capacitor. A two different gap varactor has been used to avoid pull-in voltage at 2.4 GHz. The layout has been done by CoventorWare software. The DC voltage is 2.5 v, which is applied to the plates and results of 2.04 pF could be gained. The Q factor of the varactor is computed at about 557.27, which is good enough to make a low-phase noise VCO. A hollow spiral inductor with a silicon base substrate for compatibility with CMOS technology has been designed. The Greenhouse equation has been used to obtain the dimensions of the inductor. A suspended inductor has been implemented to avoid substrate coupling. The simulation has been done by CoventorWare. The Q factor of the inductor has been calculated using Yue's model. The resultant values of inductance and the Q factor at 2.4 GHz, are 2.89 nH and 27, respectively, which are in good agreement with the results of theoretical computation. The results were verified with the well-documented literature.     

Lithium carbonate therapy is not a risk factor for osteoporosis

Lithium carbonate is a widely used drug for affective disorders. It may effect calcium metabolism and alter parathyroid physiology by causing hypersecretion of parathyroid hormone. Patients treated with this medication might therefore be predisposed to osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of either short- or long-term lithium carbonate therapy on parameters of bone metabolism. Parathyroid function and indices of bone metabolism were assessed in 23 patients treated for affective disorders. 10 patients were treated for 0.4-1.0 year (Group 1), and 13 patients were treated for more than 3 years (Group 2). In all subjects, bone mineral density measurements in the hip and lumbar spine regions were performed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Serum thyroid hormone, PTH, LH, testosterone and urine OH-proline, free cortisol, calcium and phosphate excretion were measured. The two groups were well matched for sex, weight, calcium intake, lithium levels and smoking habits, although Group 2 was slightly older. No differences between the two groups were noted in either bone mineral density or other parameters that were assessed. Urinary OH-proline was elevated similarly in both groups. Our results did not detect any effect on bone density after short- or long-term lithium carbonate therapy, although the data does suggest an increase in bone turnover associated with this treatment. Thus, short- or long-term treatment with lithium is not associated with increased risk for osteoporosis.