Volume 4, Issue 12, December 2013 Edition

Publication for Volume 4, Issue 12, December 2013 is in-process.

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Preparation of Biodiesel from Higher FFA Containing Castor Oil[ ]


Current study reveals the production of biodiesel from non-edible oil such as castor oil (Ricinus Communis L.). Oil was extracted from seed by mechanical press method. Various properties of the raw oil were measured by standard methods. Free Fatty Acid (FFA) content of the oil was found as 13.6% and kinematic viscosity was 253 mm²/s. Base catalyzed transesterification is widely used for biodiesel production than acid catalyzed transesterification due to its faster kinetics. But if the FFA content of the oil is higher than 2wt% then base catalyzed transesterification is not feasible. Hence, a two-step method, acid catalyzed esterification followed by base catalyzed transesterification was applied for the production of biodiesel from castor oil. After the esterification reaction FFA content of the oil was reduced below 2wt% which makes it suitable for base catalyzed transesterification. The reaction parameters for esterification and transesterification were optimized. 1NMR was studied for both oil and biodiesel. Finally, various properties of produced biodiesel from castor oil, such as specific gravity, viscosity, FFA, cloud point, flash point, saponification value, etc. were measured and compared with standard diesel and biodiesel properties.

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Kinetics of Batch Adsorption of Iron (II) ions from Aqueous Solution using Activated carbon from Strychnos Nux-Vomica L[ ]


Strychnos Nux-Vomica L leaves obtained from nearby pudukkottai district, having the particle size (53-150 µm) was used as an adsorbent for the removal of Fe (II) ion from aqueous solution. The effect of various factors (temperature, adsorbent dose and Initial pH) on adsorption of Fe (II) on Strychnos Nux-Vomica L was investigated. The effect of pH shows that the amount adsorbed increased with the increase of pH of solution. The equilibrium adsorption isotherms were analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich equations. Both Langmuir and Freundlich models can describe the adsorption equilibrium but the Langmuir model shows better agreement. The amount adsorbed increased with the increase of temperature suggests the formation of dimer in the contact region. SEM micrographs and differential molar isosteric heat of adsorption (?H) calculated at different surface coverage, indicate that the surface is heterogeneous having energetically different adsorption sites. Values of n calculated from Freundlich plots indicate that adsorption of Fe (II) on Strychnos Nux-Vomica L is spontaneous. At high surface coverage, the differential heat of adsorption versus surface coverage plot shows maximum value indicating the occurrence of structural rearrangement in the adsorbate. With the increase of adsorbent dose, amount adsorbed increased due to the increased surface area of adsorbent.

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Fish faunal Diversity of Vattakkayal, A Part of Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam District, Kerala, South India[ ]


Fish faunal studies were undertaken during the period from October -2012 to August-2013 in the Vattakkayal, Sakthikulangara panchayath, Kollam district. The major objective of this study was to find out the variety and abundance of fishes in Vattakkayal of Kollam district, South India. Fishes were collected from the study area and the Meristic and Morphometric characters were measured and fishes were identified up to the species level, with the help of standard keys given by Day (1967), Jayaram (1999), Talwar and Jhingran (1991). The results of present investigation revealed the occurrence of 22 fish species belonging to 10 orders and 17 families.Out of 22 species recorded, the order Perciformes was found dominant and represended by 9 species,with 40.90 % contribution of the total species followed by siluriformes, with 4 (18.18 %) species, Cyprinodontiformes with 2 (9.09%) species, Beloniformes, anguilliformes, Clupeifomes, Mugiliformes, Elopiformes, Cypriniformes each with 1(4.54 %) species. Out of 18 families recorded, order Perciformes contributed 7 (38.88 %) families, followed by Siluriformes with 3 (16.66 %), Cyprinodontiformes, Beloniformes, Anguilliformes, Clupeifomes, Mugiliformes , Elopiformes , Cypriniformes each with 1 (5.55%) families. Out of 19 genera recorded, order Perciformes contributed 8 (44.44 %) genera followed by Siluriformes with 3 (15.78 %) genera Cyprinodontiformes, Beloniformes, Anguilliformes, Clupeifomes, Mugiliformes, Elopiformes, Cypriniformes each with 1 (5.26%) genera. Perciformes with 9 species was the dominant group in the assemblage composed of Pseudosphromenus cupanus, Channa striata, Anabas testudineus, Awaous grammepomus, Oreochromis mossambicus, Etroplus surantensis, Etroplus maculatus, Parambassis thomassi and Terapon jarbua. Which was followed by Siluriformes comprises Heteropneustes fossilis, Clarias batrachus, Mystus gulio, Mystus vittatus, Cyprinodontiformes fishes like Aplocheilus lineatus, Aplocheilus panchax. The orders Beloniformes, Anguilliformes, Gonorhynchiformes, Clupeiformes, Mugiliformes, Elopiformes, Cypriniformes were represented by single species like Hyporhamphus xanthopterus, Anguilla bengalensis, Chanos chanos, Dayella malabarica , Mugil cephalus, Megalops cyprinoides, Puntius sarana subnasutus respectively This is a pioneer study on the fish diversity of Vattakkayal, a part of Ashtamudi lake and would help in adding some additional species to the previous diversity studies conducted on the diversity of fishes in the water bodies of Kollam district,South India.

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Audio Compression Using Biorthogonal Wavelet Transform[ ]


The idea of audio compression is to encode audio data to take up less storage space and less bandwidth for transmission.. An effective wavelet-based audio compression algorithm is presented to provide highly efficient signal compression mechanism with acceptable human hearing perception. The basic engine that used in this method is the wavelet transform tap 9/7 followed by the quantization processes and used some of lossless compression techniques (run length encoder and shift coder) to obtain on good compression ratio with preserving the signal quality. The advantages of Wavelet transform are to provide characteristic of multiple resolution and global decomposition that are the significant features for the audio compression applications. The best compression ratio that obtains on it is (13.4) and the PSNR is (38.66) in the sound1, when the number level is (5) and quantization step value is (30). The main objective of this research is to construct a compression method that compress the audio files by using biorthogonal wavelet transform technique.

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Utilization of Low-Frequency Capacitance Sensor Integrated with Artificial Neural Network for Real Time Prediction of Biscuit Shelf-Life[ ]


Capacitance sensors integrated with ANN may possibly to be implemented in solving disadvantages of some shelf-life prediction methods that currently used. The aims of this research are to (1) design a circuit sensors that can measure capacitance value, (2) Design a Artificial Neural Network models to predict the shelf-life of biscuit, (3) Integrate capacitance sensor and ANN that can be applied to predict in real time. In reducing noise occurred commonly the frequency value was not set at single value, therefore the value set up in range is set at 5 kHz - 6 kHz. ANN learning algorithm used backpropagation by trial and error the activation function, learning function, the number of nodes per hidden layer, and the number of hidden layer. ANN models are integrated by using a dielectric sensor interface built with MATLAB GUI toolbox through AVR microcontroller ATMega 8535. ANN integrated with capacitance parameters was very good for predicting the shelf-life of biscuit with training performance MSE 0.0001 and R 99.86%. ANN architecture with the best training performance contain 5 hidden layers, 10 nodes per hidden layer, tansig as the hidden layer activation function, purelin as the output layer activation function, trainlm as learning function and 86 epoch. Integration of ANN and capacitance sensors have the ability to predict the shelf-life of biscuit in real time. The performance of intelligent real-time system in predict the shelf-life of biscuit is fairly accurate (=30%). The results of this study can be used as an alternative method for measuring shelf-life biscuit. This study also showed low frequencies can be used to measure the capacitance as well. Therefore, the integration of ANN and sensor capacitance can minimize time and make cost effective.

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Design and implementation of cellular manufacturing in a sewing floor of a ready-made garment industry[ ]


The existing cellular systems are dedicated to work on parts of few products. In garment manufacturing the lines are temporarily dedicated to manufacture only one product. Presently each garment manufacturing line behaves as one entity, where empowerment, team work are difficult to be promoted. The research proposes a method for introducing cellular manufacturing in an operating sewing floor. By applying cellular manufacturing to produce garments, a factory can reduce costs, improve quality and delivery performance. The new sub-cell concept changes the organizational culture and makes the production lines more flexible through motivated, cohesive team. The operators are motivated with higher earnings through higher productivity and dignity. The research outlines a method designing and implementing cellular manufacturing, and proposes a cellular layout and performance with an example. The conclusions of the research highlight the key lessons for successful design and implementation of cellular manufacturing in a sewing floor.

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Faster Convex Hull Computation By Reducing Computatinal Overhead and Time[ ]


Finding the convex hull of a point set has applications in research fields as well as industrial tools. This paper presents a pre-processing algorithm for computing convex hull vertices in a 2D spatial point set. Based on the position of extreme points we divide the exterior points into four groups bounded by rectangles (p-Rect). Then inside each p-Rect we recursively find and check the extreme points to verify if they are eligible to be convex hull points or not. The process gives a small set of candidate points for convex hull computation. Efficiency of the algorithm is evaluated with respect to time and space. Performance comparison with other classical algorithms shows that implementation of this pre-processing algorithm significantly improves their performance by reducing computational overhead and time.

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A novel comparative analysis on mobile adhoc network routing protocols performance based on ns2 simulator[ ]


The formation of Mobile Adhoc Network occurs (MANET), when the group of wireless mobile nodes dynamically forms a temporary network without the use of any existing network infrastructure.The nodes presented in network can move in any direction & acts as a router. To provide communication in such network, a routing protocol plays a vital role; routing protocols have been proposed, to set up proficient route among pair of nodes. There are number of routing protocolsout of which essential protocols like Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), Ad Hoc-On Demand Distance Vector Routing (AODV), Destination Sequence Distance Vector (DSDV) are discussed.

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Investigations of the effect of standard and potential anticancer drugs on the antioxidant activity of ascorbic acid[ ]


The influence of some potential and standard anticancer drugs on the antioxidant activity of ascorbic acid was examined by electrochemical and UV-visible spectroscopic techniques. The experimental results were complemented by theoretical calculations. The stoichiometry of the predominant complex formed between drugs and ascorbic acid was calculated by Job’s method. The antioxidant activity of ascorbic acid was estimated in terms of IC30 and IC50 by plotting a graph between radical scavenging activity and the concentration of the added ascorbic acid. Scavenging constant was calculated by using Bensei-Hilderbrand equation. IC30, IC50 and scavenging constants were also calculated from cyclic voltammetric data. AMI calculations using HyperChem were carried out to determine the binding energy and HOMO and LUMO energy values. An agreement was found between theoretical predictions and experimental results.

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Applications of Neural Networks In Wireless Communications[ ]


In recent years, the use of neural networks (NNs) for wireless-communication becoming wider and has been getting momentum. The basic purpose of applying neural network is to change from the lengthy analysis and design cycles required to develop high-performance systems to very short product-development times. There is an overview of different applications of neural network techniques for wireless communication and a description of future research in this field.

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Experimental Investigations of the Cruciform Specimen of GFRP16 under Biaxial Monotonic and Cyclic Loading[ ]


Composite materials are increasingly believed to be the materials of the future with potential for application in high performance structures. One of the reasons for that is the indication that composite materials have a rather good rating with regard to life time in fatigue. Fatigue of composite materials is a quite complex phenomenon, and the fatigue behavior of these heterogeneous materials is fundamentally different from the behavior of metals.In literature, many researches related to the biaxial fatigue experiments using tubular, bar and planar specimens can be found, the biaxial loading was achieved by using cruciform specimen with innovative mechanism.After cycling the specimens for 2000 cycles the strength reduction became more obvious. The vertical strength reduction was found to be 14.38% while the horizontal strength reduction ratio was 13.46%. Although more investigations are needed to evaluate the correct load transferred to the central gauge section of the cruciform specimen.

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Comparative Analysis of Maternal Mortality in Some Hospitals in Enugu State of Nigeria: A Demographic Study[ ]


Maternal mortality is one of the major health challenges facing the developing countries like Nigeria, yet families cannot do without childbearing. This paper has carried out a study to determine if mortality depends on type of hospital attended by pregnant mothers. Hospitals were categorized into three; Federal, State and Private owned. Three different categories of hospitals, based on Federal Government, State Government and Private organisation owned, were selected and their average maternal mortality calculated. Using the Analysis of variance statistical tool, P-value of 0.479 (P-value > 0.05) revealed that maternal mortality was the same in the three categories of hospitals. This study therefore suggests that action should be geared towards improving on the available health services irrespective of who owns the hospital, as this will go a long way in improving the health status of mothers.

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Effect of organic amendments on chromium speciation in chromium contaminated soils (Maize field)[ ]


The distribution and mobility of chromium in the soils surrounding a tannery waste dumping area was investigated to evaluate its vertical and lateral movement of operational speciation which was determined in five steps to fractionate the material in the soil and sludge into (i) water soluble, (ii) exchangeable, (iii) reducible, (iv) oxidizable, and (v) residual phases. In this study the speciation of Cr was determined in soil after the harvest of crops by a sequential fractionation procedure. The result showed that, initially, in maize field soils, about 41 per cent of Cr was found as exchangeable form (as extractable by KNO3) followed by 33.8 per cent in residual forms. A reduction of only 28 per cent from the initial concentration of Cr in the surface soils under maize was observed due to the addition of organic amendments. Such reduction is attributed to the formation of either organo-chromic complexes (Immobilization) or chelates. Significantly higher amounts Cr were found in the subsurface soils of maize field due to greater amount of Cr leaching. The predicted (cumulative) net drainage of 483 mm computed for maize and the sandy loam nature of the soil appeared to have facilitated greater leaching and transport of Cr to the subsurface soil. The results showed greater risk for groundwater contamination due to Cr in these contaminated soil.

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Assessing Vertical Accuracy of SRTM Ver 4.1 and ASTER GDEM Ver 2 Using Differential GPS Measurements - Case Study in Ondo State Nigeria[ ]


Digital Elevation Model (DEM) vertical accuracy is usually achieved by its comparison with elevation of well-defined Global Positioning System (GPS) ground control points. This accuracy varies spatially because of the various sources, from which they were derived, thus warrants the need for specific testing of their level of compliances for geomatic applications. This paper therefore investigates the quality of vertical accuracy of two DEMs covering Ondo state Nigeria. The DEMs which are currently dataset of choice from; Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM), were assessed based on two independent GPS ground control points from two regions of the state. From the statistical analysis carried out, it was observed that in the mountainous region A, the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) was quite small for SRTM DEM; ±7.75 compared to ASTER DEM; ±12.72, while in the less mountainous region B, it was ±14.48 for SRTM and ±13.25 for ASTER. A 3D model of both DEMs com-pared with the referenced GPS data, revealed that ASTER DEM projects terrain features better than SRTM DEM. The results from both assessments revealed their level of suitability for geomatics application for the concerned region of the State.

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A critical analysis of innovation management in service sectors[ ]


The number of innovation management literature grew considerably over the last four decades. This led to an increasing amount of different models of innovation processes .Actually, in this paper we tried to define management innovation as the invention and implementation of a management practice, process, structure, or technique .The most utterable words in management sector are ‘innovation’ and ‘organizational change .By becoming more innovative is the top most priority of the business leaders or CEO’s of big industries. Here, we gave a critical overview of this new technology which is being implemented in the service sector as a need for today’s business world.

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Faster Convex Hull Computation By Reducing Computatinal Overhead and Time[ ]


Finding the convex hull of a point set has applications in research fields as well as industrial tools. This paper presents a pre-processing algorithm for computing convex hull vertices in a 2D spatial point set. Based on the position of extreme points we divide the exterior points into four groups bounded by rectangles (p-Rect). Then inside each p-Rect we recursively find and check the extreme points to verify if they are eligible to be convex hull points or not. The process gives a small set of candidate points for convex hull computation. Efficiency of the algorithm is evaluated with respect to time and space. Performance comparison with other classical algorithms shows that implementation of this pre-processing algorithm significantly improves their performance by reducing computational overhead and time.

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