Technology, Sustainability, and Marketing of Battery Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Medium-Duty and Heavy-Duty Trucks and Buses in 2020-2040

The objective of this study is to project the introduction of battery-electric and fuel cell technologies into the medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicle markets and to identify which markets will be most suitable for each of technologies and the factors (technical, economic, operational) which will be most critical to their successful introduction. The use of renewable energy sources to generate electricity and produce hydrogen are key considerations of the analysis. The present status of the battery-electric and hydrogen/fuel cell technologies are reviewed in detail and the futures of these technologies are projected. The design and performance of various types of buses and trucks are described based on detailed simulations of the various electrified vehicles. The total cost of ownership (TCO) of each bus/truck type were calculated using EXCEL spreadsheets and their market prospects projected for 2020-2040. It was concluded that before any of the electrified vehicles can be cost competitive with the corresponding diesel powered vehicle, the unit cost of batteries must be $80-100/kWh and the unit cost of the fuel cell system must be$80-100/kW. The long term economics of battery-electric buses and trucks looks more favorable than that for the fuel cell/hydrogen option if the range requirement (miles) for the vehicle can be met using batteries. This is primarily due to the significantly lower energy operating cost ($/mi) using electricity than hydrogen.View the NCST Project Webpag

Groundwater Marketing in Nalanda District of Bihar State: A Socio-economic Appraisal

The cost and marketing of groundwater have been assessed in the Nalanda district, which is one of the most agriculturally advanced districts of the Bihar state. For the study, 60 farmers have been randomly selected from the district. It has been found that small and marginal farms use their tubewells mainly for hiring, whereas, large and medium farms use them mainly for their own purposes during the main crop seasons, i.e. kharif and rabi. The average installation cost on a tubewell has been found highest on large size of holdings (Rs 33,130), followed by medium (Rs 27,240), small (Rs 23,850), and marginal (Rs 19,610) holdings. The capital budgeting techniques, viz. net present value (NPV), benefit-cost ratio (B:C ratio) and internal rate of return (IRR) have been used for evaluating the investment on tubewells. The NPV has been found positive (Rs 1440) and B:C ratio more than one (1.05:1). The IRR has been estimated to be more than the capital cost (10.95%). But, the tubewells have failed to generate income flow equal to the investment by marginal farms. Farm size-wise analysis has revealed that the owner-seller farms category predominates in the water market in the study area. The participation in water market has been found to decline with increase in the size of farms. Financial analysis has revealed that the installation of tubewells is financially viable on large and medium farms but not on small and marginal farms. However, with the development of water market in the area, adoption of modern technologies in crop production and cultivation of cash crops would make the installation of tubewells on marginal and small size of farms financially viable.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Interrelation Between Personality Characteristics and Social Capital in Formation of Entrepreneurial Intention: a Conceptual Framework

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to increase theoretical knowledge regarding psychosocial antecedents of entrepreneurial intention by explaining the interrelation between personality characteristics and social capital in the formation of entrepreneurial intention.   Theoretical framework: The study is a combination of two theories. The first one is the personality approach(trait approach) of entrepreneurship(Chye Koh, 1996) and the second one is the social capital approach of entrepreneurship (Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998) . Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on secondary data collected by a review of the literature from journals in the disciplines of entrepreneurship, business and management, psychology, and sociology.   Findings: This article establishes the interrelationships between three major entrepreneurial personalities (Need for Achievement, Locus of control, and Innovativeness) and social capital in forming entrepreneurial intentions by presenting five major propositions which led to building a conceptual framework.   Research, Practical & Social implications: The theoretical implication of this study is that the conceptual framework presented in this article may be used to guide empirical investigations on entrepreneurial intention in the future.   Originality/value: This study theoretically demonstrates how personality characteristics and social capital interactively form entrepreneurial intention through a conceptual framework

Nondestructive Evaluation of Microstructure and Stresses in Steels

The paper presents an overview of the nondestructive methodologies developed at the author's laboratory for characterization of microstructural features in various steels such as ferritic, austenitic stainless and manag-ing steels. The emphasis is given on the judicious sel-ection of a single non destructive evaluation non dest-ructive evaluation (NDE) technique/parameter or multi-technique/ mult-parameteric approach for comprehensive characterization of microstructural/substructural changes occuring in steels, based on the indepth understanding of the materials response to the specific form of energy imparted during NDE

Mapping of femtosecond laser-induced collateral damage by electron backscatter diffraction

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98720/1/JApplPhys_110_083114.pd

Comparison of central venous oxygen saturation and serum lactate clearance as predictors of outcome in septic shock patients: a prospective control trial

Background: Sepsis is the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in ICU. Early recognition and intervention ensures speedy recovery and early discharge. It’s possible only if good predicting parameters indicating optimum resuscitation are available. Lactate level reduction and ScvO2 level in the jugular vein can be utilized as predictors.Methods: In this prospective study after applying exclusion inclusion criteria, 99 patients were selected and randomized into 2 groups. In one group reduction in lactate levels and in other ScVo2 levels were used as a predictor of resuscitation. Therapeutic interventions, Hospital stay, ICU Stay and 28-day mortality were compared in both groups. Statistical analysis was carried out by SPSS software.Results: On comparison of demographic profile, morbidity, SOFA score and hemodynamic parameters, there was insignificant difference (P >0.05). No significant difference in the number of vasopressors, Average Hospital or ICU Stay (Group A is 10.68±21.46 while Group B is 9.49±17.22) and 28-day mortality rate (in Gp A 60% vs group B 57.1) was observed. Mean crystalloids administered in group A was 4.93±1.11 liters, significantly more than group B i. e. 4.19±1.17 liters. (P<0.05) which was statistically significant.Conclusions: Although both parameters of resuscitation are used widely and sometimes simultaneously, in this study lactate and ScvO2 both used and compared in a similar set of patients, appeared to be equivocal in term of 28-day mortality, except the volume of crystalloids required was more in ScvO2 Group

STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL IMPACT OF G2032R MUTATION IN ROS1 – A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

Objective: Drug resistance is an imperative issue in the treatment of patients with lung cancer. In this work, investigation of the drug resistance mechanism of G2032R mutation in ROS1 is carried out using computational simulation techniques.Methods: Molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approach have been utilized to uncover the mechanism behind crizotinib resistance in ROS1 at a molecular level. Normal mode analysis was carried out using ElNemo server which examines the movements and conformational changes in the protein structure. ArgusLab, PEARLS, and Autodock were employed for the docking analysis, whereas GROMACS package 4.5.3 was used for MD simulation approach.Results: The results from our analysis indicates that wild-type ROS1 (Protein Data Bank Code 3ZBF) could be more crucial for the crizotinib binding as it indicates largest binding affinity, minimum number of H-bonds, and higher flexibility than mutant-type ROS1. Moreover, the theoretical basis for the cause of drug insensitivity is the differences in the electrostatic properties of binding site residues between the wild and mutant ROS1 structures. Our analysis theoretically suggests that E-2027 is a key residue responsible for the ROS1 drug selectivity.Conclusion: Molecular docking and MD simulation results provide an explanation of the resistance caused by G2032R and may give a key clue for the drug design to encounter drug resistance.Â

Petri Nets Modelling and Analysis of the Veneer Layup System of Plywood Manufacturing Plant

In this paper performance behaviour is analysed in respect of the availability of the Veneer layup system of a plywood manufacturing plant. Generalized Stochastic Petri Nets (GSPN) technique is applied for modelling interactions among various components as well as the subsystems. The effects of the failure and repair rates, as well as availability of repair facilities on the behaviour of the system is investigated using a licensed software package. The outcomes will provide guidelines for the effective maintenance priorities to the practitioners and help in selecting appropriate maintenance strategies

Identification of Nonlinear Systems From the Knowledge Around Different Operating Conditions: A Feed-Forward Multi-Layer ANN Based Approach

The paper investigates nonlinear system identification using system output data at various linearized operating points. A feed-forward multi-layer Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based approach is used for this purpose and tested for two target applications i.e. nuclear reactor power level monitoring and an AC servo position control system. Various configurations of ANN using different activation functions, number of hidden layers and neurons in each layer are trained and tested to find out the best configuration. The training is carried out multiple times to check for consistency and the mean and standard deviation of the root mean square errors (RMSE) are reported for each configuration.Comment: "6 pages, 9 figures; The Second IEEE International Conference on Parallel, Distributed and Grid Computing (PDGC-2012), December 2012, Solan