Selection of a Realistic Viscous Vortex Tangential Velocity Profile for Computer Simulation of Vortex-Structure Interaction

Structure loading by vortices is a relevant phenomenon in numerous fields of engineering significance. Computer modelling is a powerful tool that can be used to study the loading produced on structures by impacting vortices. Realistic simulation of vortex-loading of structures necessitates the use of a realistic vortex tangential velocity profile (TVP). The present study compiles measured TVPs from various types of experimentally-produced vortices as well as real-world tornado and hurricane vortices. The measured TVPs are compared with commonly-used, analytical TVPs. Analytical TVPs that realistically represent the range of measured TVPs are identified and selected for use in future computer simulation studies

An Dynamic Voltage Regulator For HVDC System On Low Power DC Line With Series Active Power Filter And Reducing Repulsion To The Transmitting Station

Harmonics in HVDC power systems, which are caused by highly non-linear devices, affect its performance. Therefore, the main concern of power engineers in power system design and operation have been controlling and eliminating such repulsion. In respect of this, HVDC power system repulsion analysis is, therefore, imperative in power system planning, control and operation. It is worthy of note that, different alternatives of filter design should be considered before making final decision on filter Configuration. In this paper the reduction of harmonics in the HVDC power transmission system by implementing the active power filter. Also the power factor is increased drastically by reducing the current harmonics in the load side. The solar PV output can be presented and analyzed with help of boost converter in order to proof that the solar output voltage can be increased by the boost converter. The series active power filter appears to be a viable solution for eliminating repulsion currents and current transient condition. Shunt active power filter compensates current by injecting equal voltage compensation is created by nonlinear loads

Citizen Sensor Data Mining, Social Media Analytics and Development Centric Web Applications

With the rapid rise in the popularity of social media (500M+ Facebook users, 100M+ twitter users), and near ubiquitous mobile access (4.1 billion actively-used mobile phones), the sharing of observations and opinions has become common-place (nearly 100M tweets a day, 1.8 trillion SMSs in US last year). This has given us an unprecedented access to the pulse of a populace and the ability to perform analytics on social data to support a variety of socially intelligent applications -- be it towards targeted online content delivery, crisis management, organizing revolutions or promoting social development in underdeveloped and developing countries. This tutorial will address challenges and techniques for building applications that support a broad variety of users and types of social media. This tutorial will focus on social intelligence applications for social development, and cover the following research efforts in sufficient depth: 1) understanding and analysis of informal text, esp. microblogs (e.g., issues of cultural entity extraction and role of semantic/background knowledge enhanced techniques), and 2) building social media analytics platforms. Technical insights will be coupled with identification of computational techniques and real-world examples

Technology mapping and adoption behaviour for sugarcane protection technologies by Dharmapuri District Sugarcane growers

Sugarcane is the second most important industrial crop in the country occupying about 5 million hectares of area with the production of 376.9 mt.  Although more than 40% of the cane area in the country is in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu ranks first in productivity of sugarcane. Even though Tamil Nadu is in higher productivity zone, the average farm level potential yield was very less which leads lot of scope for increasing production in Tamil Nadu. Sugarcane farmers from Tamil Nadu ranged from small to large. All the farmers not following all the recommended practices. Hence, a study is required to analyses the predominant technologies in the particular area and adoption behavior of the farmers to bridge the technological gap. With that idea in mind, a study has been taken up with the objectives that to document the technological mapping and to study the adoption behavior of sugarcane farmers at Subaramani Siva Co-operative Sugar Mill area in Dharmapui district of Tamil Nadu state. From Dharmapuri districts seven blocks were selected. From each block ten respondents were selected; thus 70 respondents were constituted for the study. The Study revealed that all the blocks are not similar in case of technologies, the predominant technologies are differing block to block. Adoption pattern for protection technologies reveled that integrated weed management was adopted by majority of the respondent. The technologies ‘pheromone trap’ and ‘soil trenching of recommended termiticides’ are not at all adopted by the respondents in the study area

Oil Pulling - A Blessing in Disguise

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic remedy for oral health and detoxification. It involves the use of pure oils as agents to cleanse out harmful bacteria, as well as reduce fungal overgrowth. Oil pulling may also increase saponification in the mouth, creating a soapy environment that cleanses the mouth as vegetable fat is an emulsifier by nature. Most interesting is perhaps the ability of oil to help in cellular restructuring, and are related to the proper functioning of the lymph nodes and other internal organs. Apart from the various available scientific advancements in the medical field, there are age old traditional practices in Ayurvedic medicine which have to be encouraged. Oil pulling, which only requires one to swish oil in the mouth is known to cure many oral and systemic ailments. Though oil pulling is effective, none of the studies considered it as a replacement for the tooth brushing, but can definitely be a supplemental oral hygiene aid. This paper aims at throwing light on the various health benefits of this bygone practice

Comparison of measured and Monte Carlo-calculated electron depth dose distributions in aluminium

Depth dose profiles in aluminium have been measured using the cellulose triacetate dosimeter against different electron energies (4, 4.5 and 5 MeV) at a recently upgraded 15 kW industrial electron beam accelerator facility. The study also includes comparison of these profiles against Monte Carlo calculations. The measured and simulated depth dose profiles are similar in shape. For all electron energies, at initial depths, the measured doses are higher than the simulated ones. The simulated and measured normalized surface dose values are 0.58 and 0.66, respectively, independent of electron energy. The difference in the surface dose between Monte Carlo and experiment could be attributed to possible presence of low energy electrons in the measurements whereas the Monte Carlo calculations are based on monoenergetic electrons. Between the region of dose maximum and the tail portion of the depth dose curve, the measured dose is smaller than the simulated values (about 17% to 40% at 5 MeV). Using the depth dose profiles, electron beam parameters such as depth at which maximum dose occurs, dmax, practical range, Rp and half-value depth, R50 have been determined. Using the measured parameters Rp and R50, the incident kinetic energy of the electron beam has been determined. The estimated electron energies while using Rp are 4.02, 4.41 and 4.75 MeV. When using R50, the corresponding values are 3.83, 4.21 and 4.64 MeV. The measured RP/R50 ratios are slightly larger than the Monte Carlo-calculated values, which suggest that the electron beam may not be monoenergetic

Bioreduction of silver nanoparticles from aerial parts of Euphorbia hirta L. (EH-ET) and its potent anticancer activities against neuroblastoma cell lines

Euphorbia hirta L. (Family: Euphorbiaceae) is a versatile medicinal plant and enriched with novel bioactive molecules and possess broad-spectrum pharmacological actions. Present work is aiming to synthesis and characterize of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by bioreduction method an using ethanolic extract of aerial parts of Euphorbia hirta L. (EH-ET). The synthesized AgNPs observed by a color change of source solution (as AgNPs) and further confirmed by the UV-Visible spectroscopic technique. The AgNPs synthesized were characterized by Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Zeta potential analysis. The synthesized AgNPs are polydispersed and some places it’s agglomerated. The particle size EH-ET silver nanoparticles were analyzed using Beckman coulter particle size analyzer (DelsaTM Nano common). The average size of the particles size noted in 2.9-206.3 nm. Anticancer activity of EH-ET Silver nanoparticles was tested against neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) and breast cancer cells (SH-SY5Y) and cytotoxicity were tested in vero cells by MTT assay. The preliminary confirmation of the synthesized AgNPs by the present method was made by the appearance of reddish brown color and the visible absorption peak at 429.5 nm. SEM image revealed that AgNPs synthesized were spherical in shape and silver nanoparticles were in the size range of 2.9 to 206.3 nm. FT-IR spectra showed the peaks corresponding to functional groups C=O, -C=C and -OH, which actively participated in bio-reduction and subsequent stabilization reactions in the synthesis of AgNPs. The obtained nanoparticles showed promising anticancer activity against neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Yc) and breast cancer cells (MCF-7) with IC50 values of 29.85 and 335 µg/mL, respectively. Whereas, the nanoparticles did not show any activity against vero cell lines. The synthesized silver nanoparticles using an ethanolic extract of Euphorbia hirta L. would be helpful for the preparation of potent cytotoxicity agents to destroy cancer cells

Iron bioavailability of sweet potato and moringa leaves in comparision with leafy green vegetables commonly consumed in Ghana

Introduction: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is a significant public health problem in Northern Ghana especially amongst women and children. Leafy green vegetables are major contributors to iron intake in this part of the world; poor iron bioavailability from these food sources may be part of the reason for the high prevalence of IDA. Evidence suggests that sweet potato and Moringa leaves might be better sources of bioavailable iron, compared with other leafy green vegetables, as both have high levels of iron, and also beta−carotene − a dietary factor that has been suggested to improve iron bioavailability. Aims/Hypothesis: Our research aims were to evaluate iron bioavailability of sweet potato and Moringa leaves in comparison with other leafy green vegetables commonly consumed in Ghana. We hypothesized that iron uptake from sweet potato and Moringa leaves would be higher compared with the other tested vegetables. Methods: We used the Caco−2 cell/in vitro digestion system; Caco−2 cell ferritin formation was used as a surrogate marker of iron bioavailability. In addition, we also measured levels of other nutrients and dietary factors known to affect iron bioavailability: beta−carotene, iron, calcium, zinc, ascorbate, phytates and polyphenols. Results: Iron bioavailability from all tested vegetables was poor despite relatively high absolute levels of iron in the leaf samples (14.5 − 24.6 mg/100 grams dry weight); there was no statistically significant difference in iron uptake between any of the tested varieties or the control sample with no added iron. Levels of phytates and polyphenols, known inhibitors of iron uptake, were high and probably accounted for the low iron bioavailability of tested leaves. As expected, beta−carotene levels were highest in the sweet potato and Moringa leaves (ranging from 47−98 micrograms retinol activity equivalent)/gram freeze dried leaf) − approximately 100% more compared with the other leafy green vegetables, with the exception of the purple leafed sweet potato variety tested that had approximately the same amount of beta−carotene as the commonly consumed vegetables. Conclusion: In our in vitro model neither sweet potato nor Moringa leaves demonstrated good iron bioavailability suggesting that increased consumption of these vegetables would not lead to improved iron status. However, both leaves were good sources of beta−carotene, and further testing in vivo to evaluate whether they could impact on vitamin A status may be warranted

Synthesis of novel 2-substituted benzimidazole derivatives as potential anti microbial agents

In the present study, a novel series of 2-substituted benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized and characterized by means of IR, 1H-NMR, 13C- NMR, mass spectral and elemental analysis. The compounds were screened for antibacterial (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC9144,  Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 155, klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 29665 and Esherichia coli ATCC 25922) and antifungal (Candida albicans ATCC 2091 and Aspergillus niger ATCC 9029) activities. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations was determined by agar streak dilution method. 1-(4-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-chloro-4-(4-nitro phenyl)azetidin-2-one (3a) was found to exhibit the most potent in vitro antimicrobial activity with MIC of 15, 17, 19, 9, 11 and 15 μg/mL against E.coli, K.pneumoniae, S.aureus, S.epidermidis, C.albicans and A.niger respectively. All the other compounds exhibited moderate activity against the bacterial and fungal organism tested

Thermal mixing characteristics of flows in horizontal T-junctions

Thermal striping induced fatigue cracking incidents in the vicinity of a T-junction - where coolant streams at different temperatures mix together intensively - has been reported in several Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) and is considered a challenge to the safe operation of NPPs. The complex underlying turbulent flow behavior following the T-junction makes it difficult to monitor the extent of fatigue damage employing the surface thermocouple instrumentation. While there are isolated guidelines issued by regulatory bodies on how to approach the issue, no general consensus exists internationally regarding the fatigue assessment approach induced by such incidents. The existing literature predominantly contains T-junction mixing experiments where the temperature difference (∆T) between the fluids is lower in relation to the ∆Ts experienced in NPPs. Experiments carried out at realistic ∆T between the fluids, on the other hand, lack detailed numerical studies analyzing the different aspects of the flow mixing behavior. This work deals with the coupled experimental and numerical studies of flow mixing occurring in a horizontal T-junction piping from a thermal-hydraulic standpoint. The chosen range of temperature difference (∆T) between the mixing fluids lie between 60 °C and 240 °C which is highly representative of operating temperatures encountered in an NPP. Experiments have been conducted at the horizontally aligned Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) test loop at the University of Stuttgart using deionized water as the working fluid. Numerical studies were performed using the large-eddy simulation (LES) turbulence model to capture the T-junction mixing flow behavior in greater detail using the ANSYS CFX solver. The observed mixing behavior could be summarized as follows: Thermally stratified flow behavior is observed in all the investigated cases with (i) an oscillating flow at lower ∆T ( 140 °C) where buoyant forces significantly come into play. Hot flow penetration into the cold branch and vice versa occurs at higher ∆T (> 140 °C) resulting in the partial mixing of fluids even before they converge at the T-junction. Results from the study reveal that significant thermal gradients exist near the stratification layer, a potential region of high amplitude thermal fluctuations (a factor in thermal fatigue analysis). Frequency analyses of thermal fluctuations using the power spectral density (PSD) method highlight the absence of any specific dominant frequency (spectral peak) in the thermal fatigue relevant frequency range of 0.1 - 10 Hz. Comparison of measurement data and LES predictions exhibits very good agreement with one another highlighting the utility of LES as a useful tool in nuclear safety based research. In addition, LES calculations to analyze the flow mixing scenario at inflow conditions that could not be presently realized at the FSI test facility (e.g. higher branch velocity) were also performed in the present study. With rise in branch velocities, the flow nature changes from an unstably stratified flow to a completely mixed flow at lower ∆T ( 140 °C) between the fluids, a transition from a stably stratified flow to an unstably stratified flow is observed