Indirect Effects of Lightning Discharges

Abstract: The occurrence of lightning strokes due to indirect effect of lightning discharges, has assumed a lot of importance in the recent times. This is due to the sensitive, vital electronic equipment which are highly vulnerable to such indirect effects. In this article, attempts are made to bring out the salient features and related parameters of lightning discharges (with specific reference to indirect effects). Glimpses of the experimental research efforts to understand the phenomenon are described based on the published scientific work, along with some of the typical simulation results of the authors. These simulation results (computed electromagnetic fields) are validated by some of the important results described in the literature. This being a review article, the vital electrical and electronic systems/components which have been researched with reference to indirect effects have been enumerated, and the present understandings have been discussed

An Energy-Efficient Clustering Algorithm for Edge-Based Wireless Sensor Networks

AbstractTo employee clustering algorithms in multi-hop data forwarding mechanism, Hot-spot problem will cause unbalanced energy dissipation among the cluster heads in the network. Unequal clustering technique promotes even energy dissipation only in inter-cluster communications not in intra-cluster communication. An Energy-efficient Clustering Algorithm (EECA) is introduced to avoid these problems in edge-based wireless sensor networks. The main aim of the presented algorithm is to avoid hot-spot problem by balancing uniform energy utilization among networked cluster heads. EECA constructs uneven size clusters in different levels to enable uniform energy expenditure among cluster heads. Data delivery is one of the important and unavoidable energy consuming operation in any sensor networks. To balance energy consumption load among data transmission routes, a multi-hop data forwarding protocol is introduced. Here, source node selects a relaying node who has minimum hop count to base station with more energy reserves and relayed less number of packets. Extensive experimental results prove that the presented algorithm overcome the congestion problem in the network by uniform distribution of energy consumption and enhances network's lifetime

Functional Annotation of Hypothetical Proteins Derived from Suppressive Subtraction Hybridization (SSH) Analysis Shows NPR1 (Non-Pathogenesis Related)-Like Activity

Fusarium wilt is considered the most devastating banana disease incited by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (FOC). The present study addresses suppressive subtraction hybridization (SSH) analysis for differential gene expression in banana plant, mediated through FOC and its interaction with biocontrol agent Trichoderma asperellum (prr2). SSH analysis yielded a total of 300 clones. The resultant clones were sequenced and processed to obtain 22 contigs and 87 singleton sequences. BLAST2GO (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool 2 Gene Ontology) analysis was performed to assign known protein function. Initial functional annotation showed that contig 21 possesses p38-like endoribonuclease activity and duality in subcellular localization. To gain insights into its additional roles and precise functions, a sequential docking protocol was done to affirm its role in the defense pathway. Atomic contact energies revealed binding affinities in the order of miRNA > phytoalexins > polyubiquitin, emphasizing their role in the Musa defense pathway. Contig 21 and polyubiquitin showed an atomic contact energy value of −479.60 kJ/mol, and even higher atomic contact energies were observed for miRNA (−804.86, −482.28, −494.75 kJ/mol), demonstrating its high RNA-binding properties. Phytoalexin contig 21-interacting interfacial residues were identified as rigid (10)/non-rigid (2) based on Bi, N values, and B-factor per residue. Hence, based on these results, contig 21 was characterized as a NPR1 (non-pathogenesis-related protein) homolog that is involved in plant defense and systemic induced resistance

Synthetic Method Dependent Physicochemical Properties and Electrochemical Performance of Ni-Doped ZnO

Nickel doped zinc oxide (Ni/ZnO) nanostructures have the potential to improve the performance of electrochemical capacitors. This study investigates the preparation of Ni/ZnO nanomaterials by facile co-precipitation (CPM) and hydrothermal (HTM) methods. The effect of the synthesis methods on the optical, structural, chemical and morphological properties of ZnO products is investigated using ultra violet (UV)-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), room temperature photoluminescence (PL), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Finally, the electrochemical performance of the synthesized nanorods was examined by the fabrication of a supercapacitor using standard three electrode cell configurations and tested with a cyclic voltammogram (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) measurements. The results showed that the samples synthesized by HTM exhibited improved electrochemical capacitance performance with higher current density. The discharge curves are linear in the total range of potential with constant slopes, showing perfect capacitance. In conclusion, Ni/ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by this method with further optimization have the potential to lead to high-efficiency supercapacitors