Performance of mesh-distortion tolerant finite element in free vibration and buckling analysis

108 p.In classical finite element method (FEM), mesh distortion is a commonly faced problem. Commercially available FE software packages like ANSYS use classical isoparametric formulation to generate element matrices and have facilities to generate meshes automatically. When the mesh is automatically generated for complex geometric shapes, it is inevitable to avoid mesh distortions. Mesh distortions cause error in the FEM solutions. In order to handle the mesh distortion problem, a element called parametric-metric element (labeled here as PM element) and the classical isoparametric element (labeled here as PP element) are studied in this project for various mesh distortions.Master of Science (Mechanical Engineering

Adaptive Cache Placement for Scientific Computation

The central data structures for many applications in scientific computing are large multidimensional arrays. These arrays dominate memory accesses and are often accessed with strides that vary across orthogonal dimensions posing a central and critical challenge to develop effective caching strategies. We propose a novel technique to optimize cache placement for multidimensional arrays with the focus on minimizing conflict misses in the cache hierarchy. We propose architectural extensions for adaptive cache placement that are exercised under software control to reduce conflict misses for various access patterns to array data structures. Adaptive cache placement complements existing compiler optimizations, offering a new degree of freedom in optimizing the memory system performance and can be used by dynamic optimizers. Our implementation is compared to traditional caches for a range of common scientific loop based kernels and applications, and is observed to reduce, and in some cases, eliminate conflict misses in the L2 cache to array data structures. We explore the effect of cache parameters such as cache size and associativity on global miss rates, average memory access time, area and power for these benchmarks

FROM ADAPTIVE TO SELF-TUNED SYSTEMS

The relentless progress of Moore’s Law has periodically inspired major hardware and software innovations at specific points in time to keep performance growth on pace with transistor density. The industry has reached another such point as it encounters major intellectual and engineering challenges in the form of i) increasing energy demands, ii) increasing processor-memory performance gap, iii) limits to instruction level parallelism (ILP), iv) an effective en

Standardisation of homoeopathic drug: Plectranthus fruticosus

Background: Plectranthus fruticosus (Benth.) Wight ex Hook. f, syn. P. deccanicus Brinq. is an under shrub belonging to the family Lamiaceae. Leaves and young stems of this plant are used as medicine in Homoeopathy. Objective: To carry out pharmacognostic and physico - chemical studies to use authentic and correct species as standard raw materials to ensure purity, quality and its usefulness. Materials and Methods: The leaves and young aerial parts of Plectranthus fruticosus were fixed in formaldehyde: acetic acid alcohol (F.A.A), processed for microtomy (paraffin method), sectioned, stained and permanent slides prepared following Johansen. The microtome sections in T.S. and longitudinal section (L.S.) were obtained at 6-8 um thickness on Leica RM 2155 microtome. The powder microscopy characters were studied by boiling the powdered drug in distilled water, stained in saffranin and mounted with glycerine. Photomicrography was done with Olympus BX 53 research trinocular microscope. Results: The leaves are large, ovate to cordate, thin, margins with rounded serrations, surface coarse with dense covering hair. Petiole is long and stem is quadrangular with nodes. Trichomes are predominantly uniseriate, macroform, conical besides few uniseriate filiform peltate and capitate hairs. Lamina is conspicuously thin. The hypodermal collenchyma is angularly thickened. Vascular bundles in midvein are arranged in an ′arc′. Petiole is oblong to rounded, in transection (T.S.) and undulated. A ring of angular collenchyma is present. Cortical cells possess starch grains and crystals of calcium oxalate. A continuous vascular cylinder is present interrupted with 2-3 seriate medullary rays. The physicochemical properties and HPTLC fingerprints of this plant have been standardized. Conclusion: The powder microscopic features and organoleptic characters along with the anatomical and physico chemical studies including HPTLC fingerprints are diagnostic to establish the pharmacopoeial standards for the drug

Pharmacognostic studies on seed of Datura ferox L.

Datura ferox L. is an erect annual herb belonging to the family Solanaceae. Its seeds are useful in the treatment of delirium and mania. Present paper includes powder microscopic and organoleptic characters of the seeds. The physico-chemical parameters of raw drug, viz. extractive values, ash values, formulation, besides wt. per mL, total solids, alcohol content along with HPTLC finger printing and UV studies were undertaken on mother tincture for the first time

Pharmacognostic standardization of Homoeopathic drug: Juniperus virginiana L.

Background: Juniperus virginiana L., commonly known as ′red cedar′ in English is a well-known evergreen tree belonging to the family Cupressaceae. The leaves and young aerial shoots are used for preparation of medicine in Homoeopathy. Objective: Standardization is the quintessential aspect which ensures purity and quality of drugs. Hence, the pharmacognostic and physico-chemical studies are carried out to facilitate the use of authentic and correct species of raw drug plant material with established parametric standards for manufacturing the drug. Materials and Methods: Pharmacognostic studies on leaves and young aerial parts of authentic samples of J. virginiana L. have been carried out; physico-chemical parameters of raw drug viz., extractive values, ash values, formulation, besides weight per mL, total solids, alcohol content along with High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and ultraviolet visible studies have been worked out for mother tincture. Results: The leaves are needles, narrow and sharp at tips; stems are round with greyish white to brown bark possessing small lenticels and covered by imbricate leaves. Epidermal cells in the surface have polygonal linear sides with pitted walls containing crystals and starch. Stomata exclusively occur on the adaxial surface in linear rows. Hypodermis of leaf in T.S. is marked with 1-2 layered lignified sclerenchyma. 2-4 secretory canals are present with one conspicuously beneath midvein bundle. The young terminal axis is sheathed by two closely surrounding leaves while the mature stem possess four leaf bases attached. Vascular tissue of stem possesses predominant xylem surrounded by phloem containing sphaeraphides, prismatic crystals and starch grains. Uniseriate rays occur in the xylem. Mature stem possess shrivelled cork, followed by the cortex. Physicochemical properties and HPTLC values of the drug are standardized and presented. Conclusion: The powder microscopic features and organoleptic characters along with anatomical and physicochemical studies are diagnostic to establish the standards for the drug

An experimental lower limit on the antiproton lifetime

A search for the possible decay of the antiproton has been carried out in a hydrogen bubble chamber exposed to a 0.76 GeV/c antiproton beam. As a result 161 odd-prong events with a net charge of −1 in the final state were observed. After subtracting the two types of background discussed in the paper we are left with a signal of 5 ± 16 events. From this a lower limit of 1.2 X 10−4s has been obtained for the antiproton lifetime with 95% confidence level

Pharmacognostic studies on seed of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Datura ferox</i> L.

326-331Datura ferox L. is an erect annual herb belonging to the family Solanaceae. Its seeds are useful in the treatment of delirium and mania. Present paper includes powder microscopic and organoleptic characters of the seeds. The physico-chemical parameters of raw drug, viz. extractive values, ash values, formulation, besides wt. per mL, total solids, alcohol content along with HPTLC finger printing and UV studies were undertaken on mother tincture for the first time