Indian Institute Of Technology Bombay Research Articles

A Psycholinguistic Cross-Cultural Study of the Concept 'Conflict' in India and Ukraine

The paper presents a comparative study of the semantic field of the concept of conflict in Ukrainian and Indian cultures. The literature review has shown that there has not been any discussion on the abstract general concept of conflict. However, we consider such data exceptionally important for a better understanding of the worldview and cultural differences in diverse countries. Our study aimed to identify cultural features, similarities, and differences in the perception of the concept of conflict by representatives of various cultures. To investigate the way the concept of conflict is perceived, we used a set of methods, including speech activity analysis, free-listing for data gathering and processing, mathematical calculation, systematization, and generalization of results We conducted our study in three phases: at the first stage we gathered data, at the second we processed them, and at the third phase we generalized the findings and drawing conclusions. The students from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Ukraine) and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (India) participated in the research (19-24years old). In general, we got 292 questionnaires. The experiment revealed that the common semantic core of the concept of conflict in Ukrainian and Indian cultures contains seven words: fight, misunderstanding, war, disagreement, quarrel, struggle, aggression. But in contrast to the Ukrainian culture, in India, the associations with the given concept predominantly depict the person’s emotional state (sadness, anger, fear, confusion, and misunderstanding). Participants from India also mention caste discrimination and religious diversity. In Ukraine, the word conflict is much associated with negative interaction (quarrel, aggression, argument, dispute, etc.). Besides, in contrast to the Indian culture, there are no associations with social discrimination and religious diversity. The importance of our findings cannot be stressed too much since they can potentially be used in mediation, social advertising, and international negotiations.

First person – Amlan Barai

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Amlan Barai is first author on ‘ α-Actinin-4 drives invasiveness by regulating myosin IIB expression and myosin IIA localization’, published in JCS. Amlan is an Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Prof. Shamik Sen at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, where he uses multidisciplinary approaches to understand cell behavior and cellular dynamic processes including cancer development, metastasis and tumor heterogeneity.

Implementation of Automatic Mesh Rules Generation by Word Features Relationship (AMRG-WFR) for Word Sense Disambiguation for Marathi Language

One common feature of natural languages is a single word having the different meanings. Detecting the correct sense of the word in the given context is known as word sense disambiguation. In Natural language processing WSD is always a challenging and difficult task. The accuracy of many systems like information retrieval, machine translation text summarization depends upon the module used to identify the correct sense of the word. In this paper we proposed an automatic mesh rule generation technique by word feature relationship for the task of word sense disambiguation for Marathi language. Marathi is one the most popular and morphologically rich language in India. We conducted all the experiments on the benchmark WordNet dataset developed at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay). The proposed algorithm contains three sections.In the first section supervised learning technique is used to create training data set. Mesh rules of object were created in second section and in last section the correct sense of ambiguous word matched with the given context. Results show that the proposed method has superior performance as compared with already developed approaches.

Analyzing the impact of time pressure on drivers’ safety by assessing gap-acceptance behavior at un-signalized intersections

Time pressure is a driving condition experienced by drivers in day-to-day life. However, limited studies are conducted on assessing the effects of time pressure on driving performance, particularly in Low-and-Middle Income Countries. Further, the majority of road safety research in Low-and-Middle Income Countries is based on the assumption of consistency and homogeneity of driving condition without taking into account the risk tolerance of the drivers which highly governs the driving performance and decision making while driving. Thus, the current study was conducted to overcome this particular aspect by examining the gap-acceptance decision of the drivers and its implication on safety at un-signalized intersections under time pressure driving conditions. Ninety-four participants’ data were collected on the driving simulator located at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in three different time pressure conditions: No Time Pressure (NTP), Low Time Pressure (LTP), and High Time Pressure (HTP). The accepted gaps were analyzed using a decision tree which revealed that merge distance of oncoming vehicles, speed reduction, gender, regular exercise, and driving profession along with time pressure significantly influenced the gap-acceptance decisions. Compared to NTP driving condition, the accident probability was observed to increase by 127% and 181% in LTP and HTP driving conditions, respectively. The overall findings from the current study aids in understanding the effect of time pressure on drivers’ decision making and safety as well as highlight the role of human factors that needs to be specifically incorporated in the road safety research conducted in Low-and-Middle Income Countries to avoid safety–critical situations.

Investigations of the 80/20 (wt/wt) PA6/ABS blends system in presence of SMA co-polymers as Reactive Compatibilizer and Encapsulated Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes (MWNTs)

Introduction: The modification of a polymeric material with tailored properties was carried out either by blending with another polymer or by using suitable filler or by taking the advantages of both. The immiscible polymer blends were generally forming coarse and unstable phase morphology, which hamper mechanical properties of the materials. Therefore, it was essential to control and stabilize a desired type of morphology in order to generate polymeric materials with favourable properties through controlling composition, processing conditions, viscosity of the materials and can be compatibilized by using either reactive compatibilizer or filler or combination of both to reduce the interfacial tension. Methods: Keeping these aspects in mind, a novel strategy was introduced during melt-mixing of 80/20 (wt/wt) polyamide6 (PA6) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). Styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) co-polymer having 8, 14 and 50 wt% of maleic anhydride (MA) content was utilized as reactive compatibilizers for 80/20 (wt/wt) PA6/ABS blends system. Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were considered as a filler material to improve the stiffness and strength of the blends composites. To overcome the van der Waals’ forces of the MWNTs and achieve the uniform dispersion of the MWNTs in the blends phosphonium based modifier, namely octadecyl triphenyl phosphonium bromide (OTPB) was studied with Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopic analysis (TEM). To restrict the MWNTs in one of the phase and/or at the interfaces and taking the advantages of the compatibilizer and filler, the MWNTs were encapsulated by the SMA (8, 14, 50) co-polymer. A simple solution method was adopted for the preparation of the SMA (8, 14, 50) encapsulated MWNTs. Results & Discussions: A detail morphological analysis was carried out in context to the migration of the MWNT along with a decrease in dispersed droplet size of ABS phase with varying interfacial energy differences between the matrix and the dispersed phase. The morphological observations were further substantiated by FTIR spectroscopy and DSC non-isothermal crystallization studies. To understand the morphological changes (refinement) in 80/20 (wt/wt) PA6/ABS binary blends in presence of SMA encapsulated MWNTs in context to melt-viscosity factor and thermodynamic aspect during melt-mixing. These observations were supported by the torque rheometry, FTIR analysis and TEM images. Conclusions: Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) concluded that all combinations enhances the storage modulus with decrease in Tg compared to the 80/20 (wt/wt) PA6/ABS blends. However, SMA encapsulated MWNTs enhances highest storage modulus, may be due to the better interfacial adhesion between filler and polymers. Hence, a novel compatibilization strategy was developed and evaluated for 80/20 (wt/wt) PA6/ABS blends using a hybrid compatibilizer involving MWNT. Keywords: PA6/ABS blends, Reactive and hybrid compatibilizers, Multi-wall carbon Nanotubes, Encapsulation Acknowledgment: Professor Arup Ranjan Bhattacharyya, MEMS and SAIF Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Mumbai. References B.F. Jogi, M. Sawant, M. Kulkarni and P.K. Brahmankar, Dispersion and Performance Properties of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) Based Polymer Composites: A Review. Journal of Encapsulation and Adsorption Science, Scientific Research Publishing, 2012;(2):69–78. doi: 10.4236/jeas.2012.24010. G.S. Lohar, P.B. Tambe, B.F. Jogi, Influence of dual compatibilizer and carbon black on mechanical and thermal properties of PP/ABS blends and their composites. Composite Interfaces, Taylor and Francis, 2020;(12)1101–1136. https://doi.org/10.1080/09276440.2020.1726137. R.M. Dhajekar, B. F. Jogi and S.R. Nirantar, Preparation and Characterization of PAEK based Polymer Nanocomposites in the Presence of MMT Clay as Nanofiller to Study Tensile and Impact Properties. Materials Today: Proceedings, 2018;(5),6848–6854.

First person – Ambuja Navalkar

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Ambuja Navalkar is first author on ‘Direct evidence of cellular transformation by prion-like p53 amyloid infection’, published in JCS. Ambuja conducted the research described in this article while a research fellow in Professor Samir K. Maji's lab at the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India. She is now an Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in the Maji lab, investigating protein aggregation linked with cancer and neurodegeneration.

WebFRIS: An efficient web-based decision support tool to disseminate end-to-end risk information for flood management

The present study describes the development of a web-based flood risk information system ‘WebFRIS’ for Jagatsinghpur district, a severely flood-prone region in Eastern India. The WebFRIS is designed by using various readily available open-source web tools and packages such as Google Map, PHP, MySQL, and JSON. Special emphasis is directed towards designing the layout and architecture, to be easily accessible by any end-user irrespective of any technical know-how. The WebFRIS illustrates spatial maps of flood hazard, socio-economic vulnerability, and flood risk at the village level for two-time scenarios. While analyzing a set of graphical statistics depicting the changes in flood risk components, a significant increase in high and very-high categories of both flood hazard (~140%) and socio-economically vulnerable villages (~68%) is noticed during Scenario-I. The number of villages facing compound risk (contributed equally by flood hazard and socio-economic vulnerability) nearly doubled in Scenario-I. A spatial analysis of diametric changes in flood risk shows that a large proportion of villages in Balikuda, Ersama, and Tirtol tehsils have undergone radical changes. Following these observations, a set of possible engineering, social, and policy measures are proposed, whose implementation in the near future is expected to reinforce flood management in the study area. The WebFRIS architecture is flexible, easy-to-use; it is expected to provide crucial lessons to the local bodies, town-planners, water professionals, flood experts, and also the citizens, a precious knowledge on flood risk management. The WebFRIS may be considered as a precious cartographic product for environmental management. The proposed web platform is generic, as it can be applied to study other inter-related systems such as environmental protection, land-use planning, coastal habitat restoration, and community resilience building.Software and data availabilityName: Web Flood Risk Information System -WebFRISDeveloper: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, MumbaiContact Information: (1) Mohit P. Mohanty: mohit2012.env@gmail.com; Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India, and (2) Subhankar Karmakar: skarmakar@iitb.ac.in; Environmental Science and Engineering Department (http://www.esed.iitb.ac.in/), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India.Software(s) required: Internet browser (latest versions are recommended), and MIKE FLOOD 2018 or higher (https://www.mikepoweredbydhi.com/products/mike-flood).Programming languages: HTML, PhP, MySQL, JSONAvailability and cost: Any user can access WebFRIS for no cost at https://webfrisiitb.com/. The login credentials for entering WebFRIS are available with reasonable requests to the authors. The flood model set-up and input data are not available freely due to data confidentiality.

Kanchan Arsenic Filters and the Future of Fe0-Based Filtration Systems for Single Household Drinking Water Supply

Biological and chemical contamination of natural water bodies is a global health risk for more than one billion people, mostly living in low-income countries. Innovative, affordable, and efficient decentralized solutions for safe drinking water supply are urgently needed. Metallic iron (Fe0)-based filtration systems have been described as such an appropriate solution. This communication focuses on the Kanchan arsenic filter (KAF), presented in the early 2000s and widely assessed during the past decade. The KAF contains iron nails as the Fe0 source and is primarily designed to remove As from polluted tube well waters. Recent independent works assessing their performance have all reported on a high degree of variability in efficiency depending mostly on the following factors: (1) the current operating conditions, (2) the design, and (3) the groundwater chemistry. This communication shows that the major problems of the KAF are two-fold: (1) a design mistake as the Fe0 units disturb the operation and functionality of the biosand filter, and (2) the use of poorly characterized iron nails of unknown reactivity. This assertion is supported by the evidence that the very successful community filter designed by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay works with iron nails and has been efficient for many years. Replacing iron nails by more reactive Fe0 materials (e.g., iron fillings and steel wool) should be tested in a new generation KAF. It is concluded that a methodological or systematic approach in introducing and monitoring the efficiency of KAF should be used to test and disseminate the next generation KAF worldwide. Moreover, better characterization of the Fe0 materials including their intrinsic reactivity is required.

Modeling ice thickness distribution and storage volume of glaciers in Chandra Basin, western Himalayas

This article reports modeled ice thickness distribution and total ice volume of the 65 selected glaciers (>0.5 km2) of Chandra basin, located in the Western Himalayas. This is a first-of-its-kind study that gives detailed insights about the current ice thickness distribution at an individual glacier level in the Western Himalayas. The estimates are obtained using an optimally parameterized GlabTop2_IITB [Glacier Bed Topography Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) version] model with highresolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) as an input. The total estimated volume of all the 65 selected glaciers is about 55.32 km3 covering a total area of about 591.03 km2. Using hypsometric analysis, it is found that the maximum amount of ice volume, i.e., about 12.79 km3 is currently residing at the elevation range of 5200–5400 m a.s.l. Ice thickness estimates obtained in the current study are compared with the ensemble estimates obtained in the Global Glacier Thickness Initiative (G2TI) project for three large glaciers, namely, Bada Shigri, Samudra Tapu, and Gepang Gath glaciers. The obtained results indicate that the difference between both the studies is marginal in terms of mean ice thickness and maximum ice thickness estimates except Samudra Tapu glacier. Moreover, the uncertainty of the estimated glacier ice volume from this study is about ±15% whereas, from the G2TI project, it is about 25%. The main reasons for the difference could be the quality of the inputs used, model structure, model parameterization as well as the time stamp of the input used. The obtained results from this study indicate that the use of appropriate shape factor and better DEM would result in more reliable glacier ice thickness estimates even by using a simple slope-dependent model like GlabTop2_IITB.

The Effect of Different Absorber Configurations On The Exergy and The Energy of Parabolic Solar Dish

Abstract— The solar energy is the most important type of energy. The parabolic dish solar collector (PDSC) is the best type among other solar collectors because it is always tracking the sun movement. The exergy and the energy performances of a PDS were analyzed experimentally and numerically. The effect of different coil geometries and different mass flow rates of heat transfer fluid (HTF) were investigated. The PDS has parabolic dish and receiver with diameter (1.5) m and (0.2) m respectively. Concentration ratio is 56.25. The parabolic polar dish was supported by a tracking system with two axes. The types of the copper absorber were used which are: (spiral –helical) coil (SHC) and spiral-conical coil (SCC). The results showed that the useful energy and thermal efficiency are varying with solar radiation variation. The useful energy varying between (480-765) W for (SHC), the thermal efficiency varying between (35.2-39.8) % for (SHC). Exergy efficiency varying between (6.9 –8.6) %. It was shown that the higher values of useful energy for (spiral – helical) absorber was 0.1L/min flow rate.
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Centrifuge model studies on the settlement response of geosynthetic piled embankments

The paper aims at comparing the deformation behaviour of unreinforced embankments, basal reinforced embankments and geosynthetic reinforced embankments with floating and end bearing piles. The floating piles were terminated within the soft foundation soil, while the end bearing piles transfer the loads to a hard stratum. Four series of centrifuge model tests were conducted at gravity g = 40, using the 4.5 m radius large beam centrifuge facility at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. The tests were performed at constant pile spacing, and the embankment was constructed using an in-flight sand hopper. The deformations were measured using Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LVDTs). A digital image analysis technique was employed to arrive at the surface displacements, displacement vectors, and displacement contours. The geogrid reinforced embankments resting on end bearing piles and floating piles showed 88% and 44% lesser settlements respectively, compared to the unreinforced embankments. The geogrid reinforcement helps to distribute the load uniformly. A deep-seated slope failure was observed for unreinforced embankments. The piled embankments proved to be a practical solution for construction without prolonged waiting periods for pre-consolidation of the foundation soil.

Bond Activations Assisted by Redox Active Ligand Scaffolds

AbstractInvited for the cover of this issue is the group of Professor Goutam Kumar Lahiri from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India. The cover image shows a redox active ligand bound to a metal that brings about bond activation.

Preface

SVKM's NMIMS, Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering, Shirpur Campus proudly hosted the second "International Conference on Emerging trends in Manufacturing, Engines and Modelling" from 23rd -24th December, 2019. It was jointly organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, MPSTME Shirpur Campus and Mumbai. The inaugural function of the conference was enlightened by the august presence of Mr. Ashutosh Pandey - MD and CEO, Mahindra First Choice Wheels as the Chief Guest, Dr. K.B. Patil - Director of SVKM's NMIMS, Dhule Campus as the Guest of Honour, Dr. R S Gaud- Director MPTP Shirpur Campus, Dr. Nikhlesh Kumar Sharma- Director (Engineering) & Chairman ICEMEM 2019, Dr. K. K. Gupta Co-Chairman ICEMEM 2019, Dr. Gowri Sankara Rao- Dean(SAST), Dr Narayan Chandak- Associate Dean, Dr Basant Kumar Mohanty Associate Dean (Research), Dr Ashwini Deshpande - Associate Dean (SPTM), Shri Rahul Dande- Chief Accountant and Administration, Dr Rakesh Choudhari- Head (Mechanical), Shri Rajeev Dalal- Deputy Registrar, All HOD's, Faculty members and more than 100 participants. The inaugural function commenced with the customary felicitation of the guests followed by the Saraswati Vandana. Dr. Nikhlesh Kumar Sharma, Director (Engineering Programs), MPSTME presented the welcome note to the guests, invited speakers, delegates and the participants. Dr. K.K. Gupta - Co-Chairman of the Conference briefed about the theme of the conference and presented the salient features of the event and expectations from them. Dr. R.S Gaud, Director, MPTP, Shirpur Campus introduced the audience about the legacy of SVKM's NMIMS and the laurels brought by the campus at various levels. His speech was followed by the address of Dr. K.B. Patil. He had been the Vice-Chancellor of North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon. The audience were fortunate to gain his insights on engineering education and employability in general which represented his vast experience in the field of education and academic administration. The last but the most awaited address was delivered by Mr. Ashutosh Pandey who had graciously accepted the invitation of the organizing committee to be the Chief Guest of the inaugural function. A civil engineering graduate with an MBA from FMS, Delhi, Mr. Pandey pointed out the need for developing multiple skills. He highlighted the current trends in the job market and discussed about the capabilities sought after by the employers. An important take-away from his address is the fact that technology environment is constantly getting disrupted and therefore everyone has to be on their toes to withstand the corresponding challenges. The address was truly captivating and thought provoking. The ceremony culminated with the vote of thanks proposed by Prof. M. Ramachandran, Convenor ICEMEM 2019 followed by the tea break. The keynote sessions on the first day were divided into two segments.

Spectroscopic Analysis of Thermodynamic Changes in Shataputi Abhrak Bhasma at Various Stages of its Preparation

Introduction: The science of Rasashastra needs to be upgraded with the help of technological advances of today's world, which shall open up new avenues for drug processing, development, and therapeutics in Ayurveda. Bhasma Kalpana is a widely used pharmaceutical form that demands exploration in view of the thermodynamic changes occurring in a closed system during incinerations. Shataputi Abhrak Bhasma encompassing a wide range of Putas was selected for assessing the quantum mechanical changes due to repeated incinerations. Aims and objectives: To analyze the effect of preparatory procedures on molecular structure, particle size, elemental assay, effect of rise in temperature on mass, and the percentage reflectance and absorbance of sunlight of Shataputi Abhrak Bhasma. Materials and methods: Shataputi Abhrak Bhasma was prepared in accordance to reference from Rasa Jala Nidhi. Shodhan was done with Nirvap in Godugdha and Maran was done with hundred Gajaputas adopting Bhavana with Gomutra. Abhrak Bhasma samples of various stages of incineration were subjected to advanced analytical tests like X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductive coupled plasma-atomic electron spectroscopy (ICP–AES), field emission gun-scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysisdifferential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), and ultraviolet-visible-infrared spectroscopy (UV-Vis-IR) at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay. Results and conclusion: Advanced spectroscopic analytical tests revealed significant changes with increase in incinerations like complete destruction of the original compound, formation of newer compounds, significant change in the percentage of original elements, particle size reduction to the nanometer scale, thermal decomposition and recrystallization, and decrease in reflectance of sunlight. Clinical significance: The number of incinerations of a Bhasma is directly related to its therapeutic potential. Understanding the physical and chemical changes occurring at the molecular level of the Bhasma during incinerations highlighted the significance attached with the process of Maran. The study helped standardize and update the knowledge regarding differently incinerated Abhrak Bhasma and also explore the therapeutic potential of Shataputi Abhrak Bhasma that is regarded as a Rasayan.

Formation of Leading Universities: World Practice and Russian Perspective

The subject of the research presented is the phenomenon of university leadership and its conditions and factors. The study is based on “success stories” of leading universities in various countries: Harvard and Stanford Universities (USA), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (India), Pohang University of Science and Technology (Korea), National Research University Higher School of Economics (Russia). We can conclude that universities become leaders if they manage to “ride the wave” of important changes for society and support the deployment of these processes, as well as use their energy and the emerging opportunities. An important factor is the activity of key partners that support the development of a leading university: professional communities, authorities, governmental institutions and large companies. The impact of leading universities on the development of the regions and countries where they are located is formulated as follows: they form elites; create an educated society, bring up professionals; produce and distribute new knowledge, technological, organizational and institutional solutions; directly develop the economy through the creation of new enterprises and jobs. Leading universities initiate cooperation on a regional and global scale; solving the problems faced by the humanity; they set new future-oriented objectives and goals. In the history of universities, we can observe various relations with the state: partnership of universities and authorities or state domination over universities. The implementation of the strategic interests of the state can be combined with the freedom and activeness of universities, modelling the promising practices of the future “on themselves”. At the same time, the situation in Russia is characterized by the actual absence of “universities as communities” demonstrating a high level of academic autonomy, their own vision of the prospects for the economy, technology, science, education and formulating their own independent strategies

Webometrics Ranking (WR) of World Universities and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF): A Comparative Study

Ranking institutions of a country, continent or the entire world is not an easy task. However, there are certain agencies that regularly undertake such an exercise. In this paper we have considered Webometrics Ranking (WR) and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) specific to India for our study. Various parameters have been compared citing their features. The methodology used by these rankings have been discussed such as WR depends on web presence and categorises institutions on the basis of Presence rank, Impact rank, Openness rank and Excellence rank whereas NIRF categorises on the basis of Graduation Outcomes, Learning Teaching & Resources, Outreach of students, Research and Professional Practice and Awareness. Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Maharashtra tops the list in Webometrics Rankings whereas Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai tops the list in NIRF rankings. An interpretation of these rankings along with their limitations have been given finally some conclusions have been drawn on the basis of the data.

Research Performance of the National Institutes of Technology in India

This article presents a bibliometric assessment of research performance of the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) in India. While many of these institutes were originally established in 1960s as Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs), they were upgraded to NITs around 2002 and later. Initially NITs offered only undergraduate programmes in engineering. However, during the last decade, several NITs have started postgraduate teaching and are focusing more on research activities. It is in this context that this article assesses the research performance of NITs during 2005–2016. The performance assessment uses research publication data obtained from the Web of Science index. The data collected are computationally analysed to identify productivity, productivity per capita, rate of growth of research, international collaboration pattern, citation impact and discipline-wise distribution of the research output for the NITs. The performance of NITs is also viewed vis-a-vis two top-performing Indian institutions, namely Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai. A simple single-value composite ranking of research performance of NITs is also presented by combining quantity and quality factors. The study presents an informative and useful account of assessment of research work in the NITs.

Thermal hydraulic studies on cold start-up in a multichannel natural circulation system

Abstract Two-phase natural circulation has been adopted as the heat removal mechanism in the primary loop of Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR). For safe and reliable operation, it is required that the system should be operated in stable regions where no thermo-hydraulic oscillations are present. For the experimental study of thermo-hydraulic instabilities, a facility called Parallel Channel Natural Circulation Test Facility (PCNCTF) was erected and commissioned at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB). The loop in this facility is geometrically similar to the primary loop of AHWR. The present paper focuses on the thermal hydraulics of cold start-up process in a Natural Circulation Systems (NCS) in general and AHWR in particular. Experiments were conducted in the three channel loop of PCNCTF as per the prescribed philosophy to be adopted in AHWR. The response of the system was then simulated satisfactorily using RELAP/MOD3.2 after some tuning. Subsequently, parametric studies were carried out with the developed numerical model to accelerate the cold start-up process by increasing power levels. Finally, a rational start-up methodology is developed which could further accelerate the cold start-up.

"Interpretable credibility assessment of web claims" by Kashyap Popat with Prateek Jain as coordinator

Kashyap Popat is a PhD candidate, advised by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Weikum, at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics (MPI-INF) and the University of Saarland in Saarbrücken, Germany. His PhD thesis focuses on analyzing and explaining credibility of textual content. His research interests span text mining, natural language processing and deep learning. Prior to joining MPI-INF, he completed his masters from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) and worked at IBM Research India. He has co-authored several publications in different areas of natural language processing and text mining. For more information, please visit his website at: http://mpi-inf.mpg.de/kpopat

Immobilization of an Aminobisphosphine–PdII Complex Over Graphene Oxide: an Efficient and Reusable Catalyst for Suzuki–Miyaura, Ullmann Coupling and Cyanation Reactions

AbstractInvited for the cover of this issue is the group of MaravanjiàS. Balakrishna from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India. The cover image shows a homogeneous catalyst on a heterogeneous surface used for organic transformations.