Energy Information Systems: From the Basement to the Boardroom

A significant buildings energy reduction opportunity exists in the office sector, given that this market segment typically is an early adopter of new technology. There is a rising trend towards smart and connected offices through the internet of things (IoT) that provides new opportunities for operational efficiency and environmental sustainability practices. Leading commercial real estate companies have begun to shift from individual building automation systems (BAS) to partially integrated and automated systems such as energy information systems (EIS). In both the United States and India, organizations are seeking operational excellence, enhanced tenant relationships, and topline growth. Hence it is imperative to engage the executives with decision-making power, by tapping into their interest in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and innovation. This expansion of interest can enable data-driven decisions, strong energy investments, and deeper energy benefits, and would drive innovation in this field. However, none of this would be possible without robust, consistent building energy information to provide visibility across all the levels of decision making, i.e. from the basement where the facilities staff take operational action to the boardroom where the executives make investment decisions. Price, security, and ease of use remain barriers to the adoption and pervasive use of promising EIS technologies in commercial office buildings. We believe that these barriers can be addressed through the development of ready, simplified, consistent, commercially available, low-cost EIS-in-a-box packages, that have a pre-defined set of hardware components and software features and functionality that are pertinent to a particular building sector. These simplified, sector-specific EIS packages can help to obviate the need for customization, and enhance ease of use, thereby enabling scale-up, in order to facilitate building energy savings. The EIS-in-a-box are adaptable in both U.S. and Indian office buildings, and potentially beyond these two countries

IDENTIFICATION OF CRITICAL FACTORS FOR DELAY IN METRO RAIL PROJECTS IN INDIA

Purpose of the study:World over, transportation infrastructure projects face delays in commissioning and India is no exception. This study is carried out with an objective to specifically identify the critical delay factors in the commissioning of metro rail projects in India. Methodology: A questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the major causes of delay from the opinion of clients, contractors and consultants. Calculation of Relative Importance Index (RII) for the shortlisted factors yielded the ranking. The ranking by various categories of respondents was analysed using Spearman’s rank coefficient. Main Findings:The study concluded in identification of 10 most critical delay-factors from a list of 49 shortlisted factors spread across 7 categories. The identified factors included: (1) Delay in land acquisition and site handover to contractor, (2) Shifting of utilities and contingency works, (3) Scope change, (4)Delay in payments, (5) Effects of unforeseen subsurface and changing ground condition, (6) Shortage of construction materials in the market, (7) Delays in design approvals and decision making, (8) Shortage of labour, (9) Lack of data collection and survey before design, and (10) Delay in obtaining permits from local body. Implications: Project management interventions based on the identified critical factors of delay can improve the delivery of upcoming metro rail projects in terms of schedule compliance. Applications of this study:The Application of suitable course correction measures targeting the critical factors can result in mitigation of delays. Novelty/Originality of this study:The study is one of its kind attempt to investigate all the commissioned metro rail projects in India for analyzing delays in the Indian urban rail sector

An Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants used by the Locals in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

This study represents a systematic attempt to explore the knowledge of the native people about plants, which they use to cure diseases. And it is an attempt towards conserving the local knowledge of people to plants. This paper presents a list and uses of some medicinal plants distributed in the high altitude district Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir. The list was prepared during an ethno-botanical survey of the region from December 2007 to January, 2009. This paper provides information about 71 ethno-medicinally useful plants grown in this region. In this paper, family, botanical name, local name, ethnomedicinal uses are given for each plant

STATISTICAL, DIAGNOSTIC AND RESPONSE SURFACE ANALYSIS OF NEFOPAM HYDROCHLORIDE NANOSPHERES USING 35 BOX-BEHNKEN DESIGN

Objective: Objective of the current investigation was to analyze effects of operating conditions on characteristics of nefopam hydrochloride nanospheres (NFH-NS). Statistical assessment and diagnostic analysis examined an adequacy and reliability of models.Methods: NFH-NS were developed by quasi solvent diffusion technique using poly (meth) acrylates by 35 Box-Behnken design. Drug: polymer ratio (X1), surfactant concentration (X2), stirring time (X3), DP/CP Ratio (X4) and stirring speed (X5) were selected as independent variables. Response variables investigated were % entrapment efficiency (% EE), mean particle size, % process yield and % drug loading (% DL).Results: Standardized Pareto chart illustrated that X1 and X5 were important factors (p<0.05) affecting response parameters of nanospheres. Significant model F-value (p<0.05) and non-significant lack of fit F-value (p>0.05) epitomized an accuracy of data. Smaller value of predicted residual error sum of squares (PRESS) for regression models stipulated good fit of models. Diagnostic analysis proved normality of data and signified that actual values of response parameters were in agreement with predicted values. Graphical analysis concluded that X1, X2, X4 and X5 had the significant positive effect on % EE. X1 and X5 produced remarkable synergistic and antagonistic effect on mean particle size, respectively. X1 and X5 exhibited positive effect on % process yield. X1 produced significant antagonistic effect on % DL.Conclusion: Optimization report concluded that formulation prepared with 1:3 drug: polymer ratio (w/w), 2 % (w/v) surfactant, 3.8 h stirring time, 1:12 DP/CP ratio and 2000 rpm stirring speed was having highest desirability function of 0.920. Regression models indicated good fit of model, adequate model discrimination and concluded that models can be used to navigate design space.Â

Two New Species of Stenamma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Indian Himalaya With a Revised Key to the Palaearctic and Oriental Species

Two new species of genus Stenamma viz Stenamma wilsoni sp. nov. and Stenamma jhitingriense sp. nov. are described from Indian Himalaya. This adds two more species to the genus from Indian Himalaya, with only Stenamma kashmirense Baroni Urbani, 1977 described earlier. A revised key to 26 species from Palaearctic and Oriental is provided here with

Heart Rate Variability based Classification of Normal and Hypertension Cases by Linear-nonlinear Method

The aim of this study is to analyse and compare the heart rate variability (HRV) of normal and hypertension cases using time domain, frequency domain, and nonlinear methods. For short term HRV analysis, a five-minute electrocardiogram (ECG) of 57 normal and 56 hypertension subjects were recorded with prior verification of their clinical status by a cardiologist. Most time domain features of hypertension cases have clearly reduced values over normal subjects, frequency domain features, like power in different spectral bands, also have the distinguishable decreased values, whereas sympathovagal balance has clear edge over hypertension cases than normal cases. Nonlinear parameters of Poincare plot, approximate entropy and sample entropy, have higher values in normal cases when compared with hypertension cases. Support vector machine-based binary system classifies these two classes with 100 per cent accuracy and 100 per cent sensitivity when all time domain, frequency domain, and nonlinear features were used. It may work as a better predictor for in patients with hypertension.Science Journal, Vol. 64, No. 6, November 2014, pp.542-548, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.64.786

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF UV-SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD FOR QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF NEFOPAM HYDROCHLORIDE IN POLYMETHACRYLATE NANOSPHERES

Objective: To develop and validate simple, sensitive, accurate, specific, precise, rugged, robust and reproducible UV spectrophotometry method for the quantitative estimation of Nefopam hydrochloride (NFH) loaded in polymethacrylate nanospheres (NFH-NS) as per ICH guidelines.Methods: Polymethacrylate nanospheres of NFH were fabricated by quasi-solvent diffusion technique. The analytical method used phosphate buffer, pH 7.4 as a solvent for the estimation of NFH which has the absorption maxima (λmax) value 266 nm. The calibration curve was plotted for NFH in beer's range of 50-400 μg/ml. linear regression of calibration curve was performed by Graph Pad Prism version 5.01 for windows to find a p-value of the regression coefficient. The amount of NFH in polymethacrylate nanospheres (NFH-NS) was analyzed spectrophotometrically using regression equation obtained from the calibration curve. The analytical method was validated for linearity, range, accuracy, specificity, precision, ruggedness and robustness. Sandell's sensitivity value was determined for validation of sensitivity. The drug content of polymethacrylate nanospheres (NFH-NS) was estimated using regression equation.Results: Polymethacrylate nanospheres of NFH were successfully fabricated by quasi-solvent diffusion technique. Regression equation obtained from calibration curve was y = 0.002x+0.001. The estimated amount of NFH in 50 mg of NFH-NS analyzed by UV spectrophotometry using regression equation was found 10.19 mg. Developed analytical method for NFH was found linear in the concentration range of 50-400 μg/ml with high correlation coefficient of 0.9994 with p-value 0.008325 (*p<0.05). Molar absorptivity (ε), sandell's sensitivity and best-fit value slope was found to be 2.5 × 10-3, 0.115 and 0.002509±0.00002569, respectively. Mean percentage recovery was found in accepted limit of 98%-102% which validated the accuracy of the method. Method exhibited system precision as well as intra-day precision as exemplified by % RSD of 0.570 and 0.704%, respectively. The proposed analytical method was validated for ruggedness, sensitivity, and robustness.Conclusion: It was concluded that developed UV spectrophotometry method was accurate, precise, linear, specific, rugged, robust and sensitive and, therefore, can be used for routine analysis and quantitative estimation of NFH loaded in polymethacrylate nanospheres.Â