The studies on micro-structural defects in deformed composite matrix of Al-Si-Mg and SiC

Detailed Fourier line shape analysis has been performed on three different compositions of the composite matrix of Al-Si-Mg and SiC. The alloy composition in wt% is Al-7%Si, 0.35%Mg, 0.14%Fe and traces of copper and titanium (similar to 0.01%) with SiC varying from 0 to 30wt% in three steps i.e., 0, 10 and 30wt%. The line shift analysis has been performed by considering 111, 200, 220, 311 and 222 reflections after estimating their relative shift. Peak asymmetry analysis has been performed considering neighbouring 111 and 200 reflections and Fourier line shape analysis has been performed after considering the multiple orders 111 and 222, 200 and 400 reflections. Combining all these three analyses it has been found that the deformation stacking faults both intrinsic alpha' and extrinsic alpha " are absent in this alloy system whereas the deformation twin beta has been found to be positive and increases with the increase of SiC concentration. So, like other Al-base alloys this ternary alloy also shows high stacking fault energy, and the addition of SiC introduces deformation twin which increases with its concentration in the deformed lattices.

Evaluation and improvement of total transfer capability - A case study

With deregulation, the total transfer capability (TTC) calculation, which is the basis for evaluating available transfer capability (ATC), has become very significant. TTC is an important index in power markets with large volume of inter-area power exchanges and wheeling transactions taking place on an hourly basis. Its computation helps to achieve a viable technical and commercial transmission operation. The aim of the paper is to evaluate TTC in the interconnections and also to improve it using reactive optimization technique and UPFC devices. Computations are carried out for normal and contingency cases such as single line, tie line and generator outages. Base and optimized results are presented, and the results show how reactive optimization and unified power flow controller help to improve the system conditions. In this paper repeated power flow method is used to calculate TTC due to its ease of implementation. A case study is carried out on a 205 bus equivalent system, a part of Indian Southern grid. Parameters like voltage magnitude, L-index, minimum singular value and MW losses are computed to analyze the system performance.

The reaction of aspirin with base

Aspirin anion appears to exist only fleetingly, rearranging via acetyl transfer to the ortho carboxylate group, as indicated by IR, UV and NMR. The resulting mixed anhydride cyclises to the more stable bicyclic orthoacetate isomer, a process facilitated by time and increasing pH. Mechanistic possibilities are discussed to explain these intriguing observations. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Half-sandwich (eta(6)-arene)ruthenium(II) chiral Schiff base complexes: Analysis of the diastereomeric mixtures in solution by 2D-NMR spectroscopy

2D NMR spectroscopy has been used to determine the metal configuration in solution of three complexes, viz. [(eta(6)-p-cymene)Ru(L*)Cl] (1) and [(eta(6)-p-cymene)Ru(L*)(L')] (ClO4) (L' = H2O, 2; PPh3, 3), where L* is the anion of (S)-(1-phenylethyl)salicylaldimine. The complexes exist in two diastereomeric forms in solution. Both the (R-Ru,S-C)- and (S-Ru,S-C)-diastereomers display the presence of attractive, CH/pi interaction involving the phenyl group attached to the chiral carbon and the cymene ring hydrogens. This interaction restricts the rotation of the C*-N single bond and, as a result, two structural types with either the hydrogen atom attached to the chiral carbon (C*) or the methyl group attached to C* in close proximity of the cymene ring protons get stabilized. Using 2D NMR spectroscopy as a tool, the spatial interaction involving these protons are studied in order to obtain the metal configuration(s) of the diastereomeric complexes in solution. This technique has enabled us to determine the metal configuration as (R-Ru,S-C) for the major isomers of 1-3 in solution.

Machine recognition of printed Kannada text

This paper presents the design of a full fledged OCR system for printed Kannada text. The machine recognition of Kannada characters is difficult due to similarity in the shapes of different characters, script complexity and non-uniqueness in the representation of diacritics. The document image is subject to line segmentation, word segmentation and zone detection. From the zonal information, base characters, vowel modifiers and consonant conjucts are separated. Knowledge based approach is employed for recognizing the base characters. Various features are employed for recognising the characters. These include the coefficients of the Discrete Cosine Transform, Discrete Wavelet Transform and Karhunen-Louve Transform. These features are fed to different classifiers. Structural features are used in the subsequent levels to discriminate confused characters. Use of structural features, increases recognition rate from 93% to 98%. Apart from the classical pattern classification technique of nearest neighbour, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based classifiers like Back Propogation and Radial Basis Function (RBF) Networks have also been studied. The ANN classifiers are trained in supervised mode using the transform features. Highest recognition rate of 99% is obtained with RBF using second level approximation coefficients of Haar wavelets as the features on presegmented base characters.

An assessment of creep deformation and fracture behavior of 2.25Cr-1Mo similar and dissimilar weld joints

The evaluation of the creep deformation and fracture behavior of a 2.25Cr-1Mo steel base metal, a 2.25Cr-1Mo/2.25Cr-1Mo similar weld joint, and a 2.25Cr-1Mo/Alloy 800 dissimilar weld joint at 823 K over a stress range of 90 to WO MPa has been carried out. The specimens for creep testing were taken from single-V weld pads fabricated by a shielded metal arc-welding process using 2.25Cr-1Mo steel (for similar-joint) and INCONEL 182 (for dissimilar-joint) electrodes. The weld pads were subsequently given a postweld hear treatment (PWHT) of 973 K for I hour. The microstructure and microhardness of the weld joints were evaluated in the as-welded, postweld heat-treated, and creep-tested conditions. The heat-affected zone (HAZ) of similar weld joint consisted of bainite in the coarse-prior-austenitic-grain (CPAG) region near the fusion line, followed by bainite in the fine-prior-austenitic-grain (FPAG) and intercritical regions merging with the unaffected base metal. In addition to the HAZ structures in the 2.25Cr-1Mo steel, the dissimilar weld joint displayed a definite INCONEL/2.25Cr-1Mo weld interface structure present either as a sharp line or as a diffuse region. A hardness trough was observed in the intercritical region of the HAZ in both weld joints, while a maxima in hardness was seen at the weld interface of the dissimilar weld joint. Both weld joints exhibited significantly lower rupture lives compared to the 2.25Cr-1Mo base metal. The dissimilar weld joint exhibited poor rupture life compared to the similar weld joint, at applied stresses lower than 130 MPa. In both weld joints, the strain distribution across the specimen gage length during creep testing varied significantly. During creep testing, localization of deformation occurred in the intercritical HAZ. In the similar weld joint, at all stress levels investigated, and in the dissimilar weld joint, at stresses greater than or equal to 150 MPa, the creep failure occulted in the intercritical HAZ. The fracture occurred by transgranular mode with a large number of dimples. At stresses below 150 MPa, the failure in the dissimilar weld joint occurred in the CPAG HAZ near to the weld interface. The failure occurred by extensive intergranular creep cavity formation.

An assessment of creep deformation and fracture behavior of 2.25Cr-1Mo

The evaluation of the creep deformation and fracture behavior of a 2.25Cr-1Mo steel base metal, a 2.25Cr-1Mo/2.25Cr-1Mo similar weld joint, and a 2.25Cr-1Mo/Alloy 800 dissimilar weld joint at 823 K over a stress range of 90 to WO MPa has been carried out. The specimens for creep testing were taken from single-V weld pads fabricated by a shielded metal arc-welding process using 2.25Cr-1Mo steel (for similar-joint) and INCONEL 182 (for dissimilar-joint) electrodes. The weld pads were subsequently given a postweld hear treatment (PWHT) of 973 K for I hour. The microstructure and microhardness of the weld joints were evaluated in the as-welded, postweld heat-treated, and creep-tested conditions. The heat-affected zone (HAZ) of similar weld joint consisted of bainite in the coarse-prior-austenitic-grain (CPAG) region near the fusion line, followed by bainite in the fine-prior-austenitic-grain (FPAG) and intercritical regions merging with the unaffected base metal. In addition to the HAZ structures in the 2.25Cr-1Mo steel, the dissimilar weld joint displayed a definite INCONEL/2.25Cr-1Mo weld interface structure present either as a sharp line or as a diffuse region. A hardness trough was observed in the intercritical region of the HAZ in both weld joints, while a maxima in hardness was seen at the weld interface of the dissimilar weld joint. Both weld joints exhibited significantly lower rupture lives compared to the 2.25Cr-1Mo base metal. The dissimilar weld joint exhibited poor rupture life compared to the similar weld joint, at applied stresses lower than 130 MPa. In both weld joints, the strain distribution across the specimen gage length during creep testing varied significantly. During creep testing, localization of deformation occurred in the intercritical HAZ. In the similar weld joint, at all stress levels investigated, and in the dissimilar weld joint, at stresses greater than or equal to 150 MPa, the creep failure occulted in the intercritical HAZ. The fracture occurred by transgranular mode with a large number of dimples. At stresses below 150 MPa, the failure in the dissimilar weld joint occurred in the CPAG HAZ near to the weld interface. The failure occurred by extensive intergranular creep cavity formation.

Remarkable photocytotoxicity in hypoxic HeLa cells by a dipyridophenazine copper(II) Schiff base thiolate

Copper(II) complexes Cu(satp)(L)] (1-3) of a Schiff base thiolate (salicylidene-2-aminothiophenol, H(2)satP) and phenanthroline bases (L), viz. 1,10-phenanthroline (phen in 1), dipyrido3,2-d:2',3'-f]quinoxaline (dpq in 2) and dipyrido3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine (dppz in 3), were prepared, characterized and their anaerobic DNA photocleavage activity and hypoxic photocytotoxicity studied. The redox active complexes show the Cu(II)-Cu(I) couple near -0.5 V for 1 and near 0.0 V vs. SCE (saturated calomel electrode) for 2 and 3. The one-electron paramagnetic complexes (similar to 1.85 mu(B)) are avid DNA binders giving K(b) values within 1.0 x 10(5) - 8.0 x 10(5) M(-1). Thermal melting and viscosity data along with molecular docking calculations suggest DNA groove and/or partial intercalative binding of the complexes. The complexes show anaerobic DNA cleavage activity in red light under argon via type-I pathway, while DNA photocleavage in air proceeds via hydroxyl radical pathway. The DFT (density functional theory) calculations reveal a thyil radical pathway for the anaerobic DNA photocleavage activity and suggest the possibility of generation of a transient copper(I) species due to bond breakage between the copper and sulfur to generate the thyil radical. An oxidation of the copper(I) species is likely by oxygen in an aerobic medium or by the buffer medium in an anaerobic condition. Complex 3 exhibits significant photocytotoxicity in HeLa cells (IC(50) = 8.3(+/- 1.0) mu M) in visible light, while showing lower dark toxicity (IC(50) = 17.2(+/- 1.0) mu M). A significant reduction in the dark toxicity is observed under hypoxic cellular conditions (IC(50) = 30.0(+/- 1.0) mu M in dark), while retaining its photocytotoxicity (IC(50) = 8.0(+/- 1.0) mu M). (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mapping of large scale 158 mu m [CII] line emission: Orion A

We present the first results of an observational programme undertaken to map the fine structure line emission of singly ionized carbon ([ CII] 157 : 7409 mum) over extended regions using a Fabry Perot spectrometer newly installed at the focal plane of a 100 cm balloon- borne far- infrared telescope. This new combination of instruments has a velocity resolution of similar to 200 km s(-1) and an angular resolution of 1.'5. During the first flight, an area of 30' x 15' in Orion A was mapped. These observations extend over a larger area than previous observations, the map is fully sampled and the spectral scanning method used enables reliable estimation of the continuum emission at frequencies adjacent to the [ CII] line. The total [ CII] line luminosity, calculated by considering up to 20% of the maximum line intensity is 0.04% of the luminosity of the far- infrared continuum. We have compared the [ CII] intensity distribution with the velocity- integrated intensity distributions of (CO)-C-13(1- 0), CI(1- 0) and CO( 3- 2) from the literature. Comparison of the [ CII], [ CI] and the radio continuum intensity distributions indicates that the largescale [ CII] emission originates mainly from the neutral gas, except at the position of M 43, where no [ CI] emission corresponding to the [ CII] emission is seen. Substantial part of the [ CII] emission from here originates from the ionized gas. The observed line intensities and ratios have been analyzed using the PDR models by Kaufman et al. ( 1999) to derive the incident UV flux and volume density at a few selected positions. The models reproduce the observations reasonably well at most positions excepting the [ CII] peak ( which coincides with the position of theta(1) Ori C). Possible reason for the failure could be the simplifying assumption of a homogeneous plane parallel slab in place of a more complicated geometry.

Boxicity of Line Graphs

The boxicity of a graph H, denoted by View the MathML source, is the minimum integer k such that H is an intersection graph of axis-parallel k-dimensional boxes in View the MathML source. In this paper we show that for a line graph G of a multigraph, View the MathML source, where Δ(G) denotes the maximum degree of G. Since G is a line graph, Δ(G)≤2(χ(G)−1), where χ(G) denotes the chromatic number of G, and therefore, View the MathML source. For the d-dimensional hypercube Qd, we prove that View the MathML source. The question of finding a nontrivial lower bound for View the MathML source was left open by Chandran and Sivadasan in [L. Sunil Chandran, Naveen Sivadasan, The cubicity of Hypercube Graphs. Discrete Mathematics 308 (23) (2008) 5795–5800]. The above results are consequences of bounds that we obtain for the boxicity of a fully subdivided graph (a graph that can be obtained by subdividing every edge of a graph exactly once).

Synthesis and DNA binding studies of Ni(II), Co(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) metal complexes of N(1),N(5)-bis[pyridine-2-methylene]-thiocarbohydrazone Schiff-base ligand

The thiocarbohydrazone Schiff-base ligand with a nitrogen and sulphur donor was synthesized through condensation of pyridine-2-carbaldehyde and thiocarbohydrazide. Schiff-base ligands have the ability to conjugate with metal salts. A series of metal complexes with a general formula [MCl(2)(H(2)L)]center dot nH(2)O (M=Ni, Co, Cu and Zn) were synthesized by forming complexes of the N(1),N5-bis[pyridine-2-methylene]thiocarbohydrazone (H2L) Schiff-base ligand. These metal complexes and ligand were characterized by using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy, physicochemical characterization, CHNS and conductivity. The biological activity of the synthesized ligand was investigated by using Escherichia coli DNA as target. The DNA interaction of the synthesized ligand and complexes on E. coli plasmid DNA was investigated in the aqueous medium by UV-Vis spectroscopy and the binding constant (K(b)) was calculated. The DNA binding studies showed that the metal complexes had an improved interaction due to trans-geometrical isomers of the complexes than ligand isomers in cis-positions. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Potential and Electric Field Profiles for Transmission line Insulators

Transmission of bulk power at high voltages over very long distances has become very imperative. At present, throughout the globe, this task has been mostly performed by overhead transmission lines. The dual task of mechanically supporting and electrically isolating the live phase conductors from the support tower is performed by string insulators. Whether in clean condition or under polluted conditions, the electrical stress distribution along the insulators governs the possible flashover, which is quite detrimental to the system. However, a reliable data on stress distribution in commonly employed string insulators are rather scarce. Considering this, the present work has made an attempt to study accurately, the field distribution in 220 kV strings for six different types of porcelain/ceramic insulators (Normal and Antifog discs) used for high voltage transmission. The surface charge simulation method is employed for the required field computation. Voltage and electric stress distribution is deduced and compared across different types of discs. A comparison on normalised surface resistance, which is an indicator for the stress concentration under polluted condition, is also attempted.