Model track studies on fouled ballast using ground penetrating radar and multichannel analysis of surface wave

Ballast fouling is created by the breakdown of aggregates or outside contamination by coal dust from coal trains, or from soil intrusion beneath rail track. Due to ballast fouling, the conditions of rail track can be deteriorated considerably depending on the type of fouling material and the degree of fouling. So far there is no comprehensive guideline available to identify the critical degree of fouling for different types of fouling materials. This paper presents the identification of degree of fouling and types of fouling using non-destructive testing, namely seismic surface-wave and ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey. To understand this, a model rail track with different degree of fouling has been constructed in Civil engineering laboratory, University of Wollongong, Australia. Shear wave velocity obtained from seismic survey has been employed to identify the degree of fouling and types of fouling material. It is found that shear wave velocity of fouled ballast increases initially, reaches optimum fouling point (OFP), and decreases when the fouling increases. The degree of fouling corresponding after which the shear wave velocity of fouled ballast will be smaller than that of clean ballast is called the critical fouling point (CFP). Ground penetrating radar with four different ground coupled antennas (500 MHz, 800 MHz, 1.6 GHz and 2.3 GHz) was also used to identify the ballast fouling condition. It is found that the 800 MHz ground coupled antenna gives a better signal in assessing the ballast fouling condition. Seismic survey is relatively slow when compared to GPR survey however it gives quantifiable results. In contrast, GPR survey is faster and better in estimating the depth of fouling. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trapped fermions in a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field

On increasing the coupling strength (lambda) of a non-Abelian gauge field that induces a generalized Rashba spin-orbit interaction, the topology of the Fermi surface of a homogeneous gas of noninteracting fermions of density rho similar to k(F)(3) undergoes a change at a critical value, lambda(T) approximate to k(F) [Phys. Rev. B 84, 014512 ( 2011)]. In this paper we analyze how this phenomenon affects the size and shape of a cloud of spin-1/2 fermions trapped in a harmonic potential such as those used in cold atom experiments. We develop an adiabatic formulation, including the concomitant Pancharatnam-Berry phase effects, for the one-particle states in the presence of a trapping potential and the gauge field, obtaining approximate analytical formulas for the energy levels for some high symmetry gauge field configurations of interest. An analysis based on the local density approximation reveals that, for a given number of particles, the cloud shrinks in a characteristic fashion with increasing.. We explain the physical origins of this effect by a study of the stress tensor of the system. For an isotropic harmonic trap, the local density approximation predicts a spherical cloud even for anisotropic gauge field configurations. We show, via a calculation of the cloud shape using exact eigenstates, that for certain gauge field configurations there is a systematic and observable anisotropy in the cloud shape that increases with increasing gauge coupling lambda. The reasons for this anisotropy are explained using the analytical energy levels obtained via the adiabatic approximation. These results should be useful in the design of cold atom experiments with fermions in non-Abelian gauge fields. An important spin-off of our adiabatic formulation is that it reveals exciting possibilities for the cold-atom realization of interesting condensed matter Hamiltonians by using a non-Abelian gauge field in conjunction with another potential. In particular, we show that the use of a spherical non-Abelian gauge field with a harmonic trapping potential produces a monopole field giving rise to a spherical geometry quantum Hall-like Hamiltonian in the momentum representation.

Approximate synthesis formulas for microstrip line with aperture in ground plane

Approximate closed-form expressions for the propagation characteristics of a microstrip line with a symmetrical aperture in its ground plane are reported in this article. Well-known expressions for the characteristic impedance of a regular microstrip line have been modified to incorporate the effect of this aperture. The accuracy of these expressions for various values of substrate thickness, permittivity and line width has been studied in detail by fullwave simulations. This has been further verified by measurements. These expressions are easier to compute and find immense use in the design of broadband filters, tight couplers, power dividers, transformers, delay lines, and matching circuits. A broadband filter with aperture in ground plane is demonstrated in this article. (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2012.

Towards sustainability: a new, solid-state synthetic route for supported metal nanocatalysts

Noble metal ions like Pt(IV) and Pd(II) were impregnated on gamma-alumina and aerosol 300 silica surfaces. Reduction of these ions using ammonia borane in the solid state resulted in the formation of the respective metal nanoparticles embedded in BNHx polymer which is dispersed on the oxide support. Removal of the BNH polymer was accomplished by washing the samples repeatedly with methanol. In this process the polymer undergoes solvolysis to release H-2 accompanied by the formation of ammonium methoxy borate salt, which has been removed by repeated methanol washings. As a result, metal nanoparticles well dispersed on gamma-alumina and aerosol 300 silica were obtained. These samples have been characterized by a combination of techniques, including electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, NMR spectroscopy and surface area analyser.

Curcumin-glucoside, A Novel Synthetic Derivative of Curcumin, Inhibits alpha-Synuclein Oligomer Formation: Relevance to Parkinson's Disease

alpha-Synuclein aggregation is centrally implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD). It involves multi-step nucleated polymerization process via the formation of dimers, soluble toxic oligomers and insoluble fibrils. In the present study, we synthesized a novel compound viz., Curcumin-glucoside (Curc-gluc), a modified form of curcumin and studied its anti-aggregating potential with alpha-synuclein. Under aggregating conditions in vitro, Curc-gluc prevents oligomer formation as well as inhibits fibril formation indicating favorable stoichiometry for inhibition. The binding efficacies of Curc-gluc to both alpha-synuclein monomeric and oligomeric forms were characterized by micro-calorimetry. It was observed that titration of Curc-gluc with alpha-synuclein monomer yielded very low heat values with low binding while, in case of oligomers, Curc-gluc showed significant binding. Addition of Curc-gluc inhibited aggregation in a dose-dependent manner and enhanced alpha-synuclein solubility, which propose that Curc-gluc solubilizes the oligomeric form by disintegrating preformed fibrils and this is a novel observation. Overall, the data suggest that Curc-gluc binds to alpha-synuclein oligomeric form and prevents further fibrillization of alpha-synuclein; this might aid the development of disease modifying agents in preventing or treating PD.

Performance evaluation of neural network algorithms for multisensor data fusion in an airborne track while scan radar

This paper deals with the solution to the problem of multisensor data fusion for a single target scenario as detected by an airborne track-while-scan radar. The details of a neural network implementation, various training algorithms based on standard backpropagation, and the results of training and testing the neural network are presented. The promising capabilities of RPROP algorithm for multisensor data fusion for various parameters are shown in comparison to other adaptive techniques

Synthetic studies toward geranylated PPAP natural products oblongifolin A, oblongifolin D, and enervosanone

A concise approach of general utility toward mono- and di-geranylated PPAP frameworks employing `reconstructive aldol cyclization' as the key step is delineated. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Model synthetic studies toward jiadifenin and majucin type seco-prezizaane natural products via a stereo- and enantioselective approach

A concise stereo- and enantioselective approach to seco-prezizaane sesquiterpenoids, leading to the acquisition of two bicyclic fragments, is delineated. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interacting fermions in synthetic non-Abelian gauge fields

Generation and study of synthetic gauge fields has enhanced the possibility of using cold atom systems as quantum emulators of condensed matter Hamiltonians. In this article we describe the physics of interacting spin -1/2 fermions in synthetic non-Abelian gauge fields which induce a Rashba spin-orbit interaction on the motion of the fermions. We show that the fermion system can evolve to a Bose-Einstein condensate of a novel boson which we call rashbon. The rashbon-rashbon interaction is shown to be independent of the interaction between the constituent fermions. We also show that spin-orbit coupling can help enhancing superfluid transition temperature of weak superfluids to the order of Fermi temperature. A non-Abelian gauge field, when used in conjunction with another potential, can generate interesting Hamiltonians such as that of a magnetic monopole.

Ganga-Brahmaputra river discharge from Jason-2 radar altimetry: An update to the long-term satellite-derived estimates of continental freshwater forcing flux into the Bay of Bengal

This paper discusses the use of Jason-2 radar altimeter measurements to estimate the Ganga-Brahmaputra surface freshwater flux into the Bay of Bengal for the period mid-2008 to December 2011. A previous estimate was generated for 1993-2008 using TOPEX-Poseidon, ERS-2 and ENVISAT, and is now extended using Jason-2. To take full advantages of the new availability of in situ rating curves, the processing scheme is adapted and the adjustments of the methodology are discussed here. First, using a large sample of in situ river height measurements, we estimate the standard error of Jason-2-derived water levels over the Ganga and the Brahmaputra to be respectively of 0.28 m and 0.19 m, or less than similar to 4% of the annual peak-to-peak variations of these two rivers. Using the in situ rating curves between water levels and river discharges, we show that Jason-2 accurately infers Ganga and Brahmaputra instantaneous discharges for 2008-2011 with mean errors ranging from similar to 2180 m(3)/s (6.5%) over the Brahmaputra to similar to 1458 m(3)/s (13%) over the Ganga. The combined Ganga-Brahmaputra monthly discharges meet the requirements of acceptable accuracy (15-20%) with a mean error of similar to 16% for 2009-2011 and similar to 17% for 1993-2011. The Ganga-Brahmaputra monthly discharge at the river mouths is then presented, showing a marked interannual variability with a standard deviation of similar to 12500 m(3)/s, much larger than the data set uncertainty. Finally, using in situ sea surface salinity observations, we illustrate the possible impact of extreme continental freshwater discharge event on the northern Bay of Bengal as observed in 2008.

Metal-Ion Metathesis in Metal-Organic Frameworks: A Synthetic Route to New Metal-Organic Frameworks

A porous metalorganic framework, Mn(H3O)(Mn4Cl)(3)(hmtt)(8)] (POST-65), was prepared by the reaction of 5,5',10,10',15,15'-hexamethyltruxene-2,7,12-tricarboxylic acid (H(3)hmtt) with MnCl2 under solvothermal conditions. POST-65(Mn) was subjected to post-synthetic modification with Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu according to an ion-exchange method that resulted in the formation of three isomorphous frameworks, POST-65(Co/Ni/Cu), as well as a new framework, POST-65(Fe). The ion-exchanged samples could not be prepared by regular solvothermal reactions. The complete exchange of the metal ions and retention of the framework structure were verified by inductively coupled plasmaatomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and BrunauerEmmettTeller (BET) surface-area analysis. Single-crystal X-ray diffractions studies revealed a single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC)-transformation nature of the ion-exchange process. Hydrogen-sorption and magnetization measurements showed metal-specific properties of POST-65.

RCS ENHANCEMENT DUE TO BRAGG SCATTERING

With the advances of techniques for RCS reduction, it has become practical to develop aircraft which are invisible to modern day radars. In order to detect such low visible targets it is necessary to explore other phenomenon that contributes to the scattering of incident electromagnetic wave. It is well known from the developments from the clear air scattering using RASS induced acoustic wave could be used to create dielectric constant fluctuation. The scattering from these fluctuations rather than from the aircraft have been observed to enhance the RCS of clear air, under the condition when the incident EM wave is half of the acoustic wave, the condition of Bragg scattering would be met and RCS would be enhanced. For detecting low visibility targets which are at significant distance away from the main radar, inducement of EM fluctuation from acoustic source collocated with the acoustic source is infeasible. However the flow past aircraft produces acoustic disturbances around the aircraft can be exploited to detect low visibility targets. In this paper numerical simulation for RCS enhancement due to acoustic disturbances is presented. In effect, this requires the solution of scattering from 3D inhomogeneous complex shaped bodies. In this volume surface integral equation (VSIE) is used to compute the RCS from fluctuation introduced through the acoustic disturbances. Though the technique developed can be used to study the scattering from radars of any shape and acoustic disturbances of any shape. For illustrative condition, enhancement due to the Bragg scattering are shown to improve the RCS by nearly 30dB, for air synthetic sinusoidal acoustic variation profile for a spherical scattering volume

Digestive ripening: a synthetic method par excellence for core-shell, alloy, and composite nanostructured materials

The solvated metal atom dispersion (SMAD) method has been used for the synthesis of colloids of metal nanoparticles. It is a top-down approach involving condensation of metal atoms in low temperature solvent matrices in a SMAD reactor maintained at 77 K. Warming of the matrix results in a slurry of metal atoms that interact with one another to form particles that grow in size. The organic solvent solvates the particles and acts as a weak capping agent to halt/slow down the growth process to a certain extent. This as-prepared colloid consists of metal nanoparticles that are quite polydisperse. In a process termed as digestive ripening, addition of a capping agent to the as-prepared colloid which is polydisperse renders it highly monodisperse either under ambient or thermal conditions. In this, as yet not well-understood process, smaller particles grow and the larger ones diminish in size until the system attains uniformity in size and a dynamic equilibrium is established. Using the SMAD method in combination with digestive ripening process, highly monodisperse metal, core-shell, alloy, and composite nanoparticles have been synthesized. This article is a review of our contributions together with some literature reports on this methodology to realize various nanostructured materials.