Use of regional climate model simulations as input for hydrological models for the Hindukush-Karakorum-Himalaya region

The most important climatological inputs required for the calibration and validation of hydrological models are temperature and precipitation that can be derived from observational records or alternatively from regional climate models (RCMs). In this paper, meteorological station observations and results of the PRECIS (Providing REgional Climate for Impact Studies) RCM driven by the outputs of reanalysis ERA 40 data and HadAM3P general circulation model (GCM) results are used as input in the hydrological model. The objective is to investigate the effect of precipitation and temperature simulated with the PRECIS RCM nested in these two data sets on discharge simulated with the HBV model for three river basins in the Hindukush-Karakorum-Himalaya (HKH) region. Six HBV model experiments are designed: HBV-Met, HBV-ERA and HBV-Had, HBV-MetCRU-corrected, HBV-ERABenchmark and HBV-HadBenchmark where HBV is driven by meteorological stations data, data from PRECIS nested in ERA-40 and HadAM3P, meteorological stations CRU corrected data, ERA-40 reanalysis and HadAM3P GCM data, respectively. Present day PRECIS simulations possess strong capacity to simulate spatial patterns of present day climate characteristics. However, also some quantitative biases exist in the HKH region, where PRECIS RCM simulations underestimate temperature and overestimate precipitation with respect to CRU observations. The calibration and validation results of the HBV model experiments show that the performance of HBV-Met is better than the HBV models driven by other data sources. However, using input data series from sources different from the data used in the model calibration shows that HBV-Had is more efficient than other models and HBV-Met has the least absolute relative error with respect to all other models. The uncertainties are higher in least efficient models (i.e. HBV-MetCRU-corrected and HBV-ERABenchmark) where the model parameters are also unrealistic. In terms of both robustness and uncertainty ranges the HBV models calibrated with PRECIS output performed better than other calibrated models except for HBV-Met which has shown a higher robustness. This suggests that in data sparse regions such as the HKH region data from regional climate models may be used as input in hydrological models for climate scenarios studies

Experience in feeding coal into a liquefaction process development unit

A system for preparing coal slurry and feeding it into a high pressure liquefaction plant is described. The system was developed to provide supporting research and development for the Bureau of Mines coal liquefaction pilot plant. Operating experiences are included

Enhancement of Human Cheek Skin Texture by Acacia Nilotica Bark Extract Cream

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of a topical application of a cream formulation containing extract of Acacia nilotica bark extract on human cheek skin texture.Methods: A cream containing 3 % concentrated extract of Acacia nilotica bark was developed by entrapping the extract in the internal aqueous phase of the cream having strong antioxidant activity. A similar cream but without the extract was also prepared. Each of the formulations was applied to the cheeks of 11 human volunteers for a period of three months. Both cream formulations were assessed, using Visioscan VC 98, for various parameters including texture parameters (energy, contrast and variance) as well as for skin roughness (Ser), skin scaliness (SEsc), skin smoothness (SEsm) and skin wrinkles (Sew).Results: Unlike the cream base, the extract cream exhibited steady, significant improvement in skin parameters over the 3-month period of application. Images showed visible improvement of the overall skin appearance and reduction of fine lines by the extract cream. Furthermore, skin texture (variance and contrast) and SELS (SEr, SEsc, SEsm and SEw) parameters showed significant decline (p < 0.05) and the texture parameter of energy showed significant increase (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the cream containing 3 % Acacia nilotica bark extract possesses anti-aging effect and improves skin surface appearance..Keywords: Acacia nilotica, Cream, Visioscan VC 98, Skin texture, Anti-agin

The use of modern tools for modelling and simulation of UAV with Haptic

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is a research field in robotics which is in high demand in recent years, although there still exist many unanswered questions. In contrast, to the human operated aerial vehicles, it is still far less used to the fact that people are dubious about flying in or flying an unmanned vehicle. It is all about giving the control right to the computer (which is the Artificial Intelligence) for making decisions based on the situation like human do but this has not been easy to make people understand that it’s safe and to continue the enhancement on it. These days there are many types of UAVs available in the market for consumer use, for applications like photography to play games, to map routes, to monitor buildings, for security purposes and much more. Plus, these UAVs are also being widely used by the military for surveillance and for security reasons. One of the most commonly used consumer product is a quadcopter or quadrotor. The research carried out used modern tools (i.e., SolidWorks, Java Net Beans and MATLAB/Simulink) to model controls system for Quadcopter UAV with haptic control system to control the quadcopter in a virtual simulation environment and in real time environment. A mathematical model for the controlling the quadcopter in simulations and real time environments were introduced. Where, the design methodology for the quadcopter was defined. This methodology was then enhanced to develop a virtual simulation and real time environments for simulations and experiments. Furthermore, the haptic control was then implemented with designed control system to control the quadcopter in virtual simulation and real time experiments. By using the mathematical model of quadcopter, PID & PD control techniques were used to model the control setup for the quadcopter altitude and motion controls as work progressed. Firstly, the dynamic model is developed using a simple set of equations which evolves further by using complex control & mathematical model with precise function of actuators and aerodynamic coefficients Figure5-7. The presented results are satisfying and shows that flight experiments and simulations of the quadcopter control using haptics is a novel area of research which helps perform operations more successfully and give more control to the operator when operating in difficult environments. By using haptic accidents can be minimised and the functional performance of the operator and the UAV will be significantly enhanced. This concept and area of research of haptic control can be further developed accordingly to the needs of specific applications

The use of modern tools for modelling and simulation of UAV with Haptic

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is a research field in robotics which is in high demand in recent years, although there still exist many unanswered questions. In contrast, to the human operated aerial vehicles, it is still far less used to the fact that people are dubious about flying in or flying an unmanned vehicle. It is all about giving the control right to the computer (which is the Artificial Intelligence) for making decisions based on the situation like human do but this has not been easy to make people understand that it’s safe and to continue the enhancement on it. These days there are many types of UAVs available in the market for consumer use, for applications like photography to play games, to map routes, to monitor buildings, for security purposes and much more. Plus, these UAVs are also being widely used by the military for surveillance and for security reasons. One of the most commonly used consumer product is a quadcopter or quadrotor. The research carried out used modern tools (i.e., SolidWorks, Java Net Beans and MATLAB/Simulink) to model controls system for Quadcopter UAV with haptic control system to control the quadcopter in a virtual simulation environment and in real time environment. A mathematical model for the controlling the quadcopter in simulations and real time environments were introduced. Where, the design methodology for the quadcopter was defined. This methodology was then enhanced to develop a virtual simulation and real time environments for simulations and experiments. Furthermore, the haptic control was then implemented with designed control system to control the quadcopter in virtual simulation and real time experiments. By using the mathematical model of quadcopter, PID & PD control techniques were used to model the control setup for the quadcopter altitude and motion controls as work progressed. Firstly, the dynamic model is developed using a simple set of equations which evolves further by using complex control & mathematical model with precise function of actuators and aerodynamic coefficients Figure5-7. The presented results are satisfying and shows that flight experiments and simulations of the quadcopter control using haptics is a novel area of research which helps perform operations more successfully and give more control to the operator when operating in difficult environments. By using haptic accidents can be minimised and the functional performance of the operator and the UAV will be significantly enhanced. This concept and area of research of haptic control can be further developed accordingly to the needs of specific applications

Effect of Turmeric (Curcuma longa Zingiberaceae) Extract Cream on Human Skin Sebum Secretion

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of a w/o cream of turmeric (Curcuma longa Zingiberaceae) extract on skin sebum secretion in human volunteers.Methods: Two w/o cream formulations were prepared - one contained 5% extract prepared from the rhizomes of the plant, turmeric, and the second was similar except that it did not contain the extract and served as control. The antioxidant activity of the extract was determined by using the DPPH method. Evaluation of the effect of the creams on skin sebum secretion was conducted with the aid of a sebumeter. Initial sebum measurements on the face of thirteen human volunteers were taken with the sebumeter prior to application of cream, and then fortnightly after twice daily application of cream (on the right and left cheeks for control and extract creams, respectively) over a period of three months.Results: Significant increase (p ˂ 0.05) in the sebum values was observed from the 6th week onwards after control cream application. Maximum increase of 6.2% was observed on the 10th week of the study. On the other hand, following extract cream application, a significant decrease (p ˂ 0.05) in sebum secretion occurred from the 4th week onwards, reaching a maximum of 24.8% at the end of the study period. The antioxidant activity of the extract was 88.5% of the standard.Conclusion: The study demonstrates that the extract obtained from the rhizomes of turmeric plant can be used in skin preparations to regulate excessive sebum secretion in persons suffering from acne and related problems.Keywords: Tumeric, Sebum, Curcuma longa, Sebumeter, Skin, Acn

Prunus domestica, Prunus persica and Prunus avium extracts: determination of radical scavenging activities and development of natural antioxidant emulsions

Background: Nowadays antioxidants from plants origin are considered as a promising source of biologically active substances; as synthetic agents are accompanied with a number of side effects.Materials and Methods: Three fruit extracts Prunus domestica (plum), Prunus persica (peach) and Prunus avium (cherry) of family Rosaceae and genus Prunus were prepared and characterized. These natural antioxidant extracts were used for the development of stable oil/water emulsions. DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay was used to evaluate antioxidant activities of various fruit extracts alone and in emulsions containing these extracts. Novel o/w emulsions were developed by using a suitable combination of oil phase and aqueous phase loaded with natural fruit extracts. Physicochemical parameters i.e. organoleptic evaluation (color, liquefaction and phase separation), pH and conductivity were monitored at 8oC, 25oC, 40oC, 40oC + 75% relative humidity and 50oC for 3 months as per stability studies guidelines.Results: Various fruit extracts and emulsions containing these extracts showed good and comparable antioxidant activities. Test formulations containing fruit extracts (6%) showed good stability compared to control formulations and pH and conductivity were found as desired. Formulations were studied for patch test on 33 healthy human (female) volunteers and observed for any skin reaction. No skin irritation was observed.Conclusion: It can be concluded that the final formula was suitable for preparing new antioxidant emulsions loaded with pleasant fruity extracts which remain economical, effective and completely safe for human skin therefore, enhancing patient compliance.Key words: Prunus domestica; Prunus persica; Prunus avium; Rosaceae, antioxidant activity; novel formulations

Changes in the Characteristics of Water-in-Oil-based High Internal Phase Emulsion Containing Moringa Leaves Extract at Various Storage Conditions

Purpose: To explore changes in the characteristics of water-in-oil-based high internal phase emulsion containing Moringa oleifera (Moringa HIPE) extract at various storage conditions and time intervals.Methods: Moringa leaves extract (3 %) was entrapped into HIPE. Color, liquefaction, conductivity, pH, and centrifugation were assessed by keeping the samples of Moringa HIPE at 8, 25, 40 and 40 °C, and 75 % RH (relative humidity) over time up to 54 days. Rheological measurements were made on freshly prepared emulsion and after one and two months. Data were analysed using Brookfield Software Rheocalc version (2.6) with IPC Paste and Power Law (PL) math models.Results: There was no change in color, electrical conductivity, liquefaction and phase separation (after centrifugation) in any sample of Moringa HIPE at the various storage conditions and periods. The pH of freshly prepared Moringa HIPE was 5.5 which gradually decreased with slight variation in the storage conditions. The viscosity of freshly prepared emulsion was 3256.65 cP and this decreased with increase in shear stress. Flow index and shear sensitivity factor of freshly prepared emulsion were 0.36 and 0.65, respectively. The rheograms of Moringa HIPEs indicate non-Newtonian behaviour and pseudo-plastic tendency. Power Law and IPC paste provided the data of confidences of fit.Conclusion: Moringa HIPE showed stability and can be guided exclusively to protect skin against ultraviolet radiation-mediated oxidative damage.Keywords: Moringa oleifera, High Internal Phase Emulsion, Rheogram, Pseudoplastic, Non-Newtonian, Shea