Indian Institute Of Technology Research Articles

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Simulation of plume dispersion from single release in Fusion Field Trial-07 experiment

Accurate description of source–receptor relationship is required for an efficient source reconstruction. This is examined by simulating the dispersion of plumes resulted from the available ten trials of single releases conducted at Fusion Field Trials, Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. The simulation is addressed with an earlier developed IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) dispersion model using the dispersion parameters in terms of measurements of turbulent velocity fluctuations. Simulation is described separately in both stable and unstable conditions, characterizing the peak as well as overall observed concentration distribution. Simulated results are compared with those obtained using AERMOD.With IIT model, peak concentrations are predicted within a factor of two in all the trials. The higher concentrations (>5 × 10−4 g m−3) are well predicted in stable condition and under-predicted (within a factor of two) in unstable condition whereas relatively smaller concentrations (<5 × 10−4 g m−3) are severely under-predicted in stable conditions and over-predicted in unstable conditions.The AERMOD exhibits the similar prediction of concentrations as shown by IIT model in most of the trials. Overall, both the models predict 70–80% concentrations in stable conditions and 85–95% concentrations in unstable conditions within a factor of six. The statistical measures for both the models are found well in agreement with the observations.

Science Academies’ Refresher Course in Quantum Mechanics at Physics Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttarkhand 28 November–December 12, 2013

Science Academies’ Refresher Course in Quantum Mechanics at Physics Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttarkhand 28 November–December 12, 2013

Real-time rainfall monitoring and flood inundation forecasting for the city of Kolkata

Kolkata, the capital city of the Indian state of West Bengal, is prone to occasional flooding at times of moderate to heavy rainfall owing to relatively flat terrain and tide-dominated drainage outfalls. This article describes an instrumentation network that attempts to capture the distributed rainfall information in real time over the city with the help of an array of automatic rain gauges. Digital water level sensors, which monitor the elevations of the drainage channels, provide information about the water level in real time. Both rainfall and water level data, transmitted through GSM technology as SMS to a server at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, get uploaded to a website continuously. Future plans include linking the rainfall and channel water level data with an overland flow and inundation numerical simulation model for predicting possible inundation scenarios in the city. Plans also propose to utilise the real-time data of the Kolkata Doppler Weather Radar for supplementing the ground rainfall data for producing longer lead-time forecasts.

Science for All

With 400 million people earning less than $1.25 per day, India is home to a staggering one-third of the world's poor. Can scientists do more to lift people out of poverty?

Information literacy of U.S. and Indian engineering undergraduates

To be competitive, contemporary engineers must be capable of both processing and communicating information effectively. Available research suggests that Indian students would be disadvantaged in information literacy in their language of instruction (English) compared to U.S. students because English is not Indian students’ native language. Compared to U.S. students, Indian students (a) were predicted to apply practical text processing strategies to a greater extent than analytic strategies and (b) endorse the direct transmission of information over critical, interpretive analysis of information. Two validated scales measuring self-reported use of reading strategies and beliefs about interpreting and critiquing written information were administered to engineering students at an Indian Institute of Technology in their freshman to senior years. Neither prediction was supported: Indian students reported applying analytic strategies over pragmatic strategies and were more disposed to critically analyze information rather than accept it passively. Further, Indian students reported being more analytic and more reflective in their reading behaviors than U.S. engineering students. Additional data indicated that U.S. and Indian students’ text-processing strategies and beliefs are associated with the texts that they read and their academic behaviors.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-2-244) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Base isolated RC building - performance evaluation and numerical model updating using recorded earthquake response

Performance of a prototype base isolated building located at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG) has been studied here. Two numbers of three storeyed single bay RCC framed prototype buildings were constructed for experimental purpose at IITG, one supported on conventional isolated footings and the other on a seismic isolation system, consisting of lead plug bearings. Force balance accelerometers and a 12 channel strong motion recorder have been used for recording building response during seismic events. Floor responses from these buildings show amplification for the conventional building while 60 to 70% reduction has been observed for the isolated building. Numerical models of both the buildings have been created in SAP2000 Nonlinear. Infill walls have been modeled as compression struts and have been incorporated into the 3D models using Gap elements. System identification of the recorded data has been carried out using Parametric State Space Modeling (N4SID) and the numerical models have been updated accordingly. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of base isolation systems in controlling seismic response of isolated buildings thereby leading to increased levels of seismic protection. The numerical models calibrated by relatively low level of earthquake shaking provides the starting point for modeling the non-linear response of the building when subjected to strong shaking.

Data-based research at IIT Bombay

1. OVERVIEW The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has a history of research and development in the area of databases, dating back to the early 1980s. D. B. Phatak and N. L. Sarda were among the first faculty members at IIT Bombay to work in the area of database systems. This was a period when the financial sector of India, headquartered primarily in Bombay (now renamed Mumbai) saw a spurt in computerization, and IIT Bombay faculty played a leading role as consultants for database implementations in these companies. Research in the area of databases began in the early 1980s, but increased greatly from the early 1990s, with the hiring of several faculty including S. Seshadri, S. Sudarshan, and later Krithi Ramamritham, who moved to IIT Bombay from U. Mass. Amherst in the early to mid 1990s. With the hiring of Sunita Sarawagi and Soumen Chakrabarti in the late 1990s, there was a significant broadening, with the group no longer being just a database group, but rather a much broader data management group, with interests in information retrieval, and data mining. More recently Ganesh Ramakrishnan joined our group, further increasing its strengths in information retrieval and data mining. The number of PhD students increased from around 1 or 2 enrolled at a time in the early 1990s, to about 12 to 15 students at a time in recent years. While this number is much better than earlier, and is increasing rapidly, it is still small by most standards. However, our master’s and bachelor’s students have compensated for the shortage of PhD students, and have made very significant contributions to our research efforts, with well over three fourths of our papers having such students as coauthors. Today, the group covers a diverse range of interests, which you can see from the different research projects showcased in this article. In the following sections, we outline the major research projects of the group. We wrap up the article with a summary of other contributions to the community, by group members. For more information about the group, please visit: http://www.cse.iitb.ac.in/infolab

Energy-efficient retrofit of an unconditioned institute building

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the energy-efficient retrofitting of an existing unconditioned academic department building in the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India. It is achieved with the use of energy simulation modelling to examine the energy-saving benefits of power-consuming equipments, power generation through renewable sources improving thermal comfort through Energy Conservation and Building Code India's compliance and motivating the buildings’ occupants for energy-responsive behaviours. These strategies, when applied together, lead to an overall reduction of 40.4% in the total energy consumption. It was observed that the energy units saved for an unconditioned building are significantly lower than that of a conditioned building, but the percentage changes are comparable for both the types. The heat gain results from simulation software also show that in such buildings external windows account for most of the heat gain within the building, whereas uninsulated walls result in heat loss throughout the year. Changes in the operative temperature of the order of 0.5–4.0°C are observed by proposing a green roof, false ceiling, wall insulation and high performance glass. If the same retrofits are applied to all other academic buildings, huge energy savings and cost benefits can be obtained.

Knowledge management and supporting tools for collaborative networks

Knowledge management and supporting tools for collaborative networks Alok K. Choudhary a , Jenny Harding b , Luis M. Camarinha-Matos c , S.C. Lenny Koh d & Manoj K. Tiwari e a Logistics and Supply Chain Management Research Centre, Management School, The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom b Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, United Kingdom c Faculty of Sciences and Technology, New University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal d Logistics and Supply Chain Management Research Centre, Management School, The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom e Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India Published online: 01 Feb 2013.

Punjabi DeConverter for generating Punjabi from Universal Networking Language

DeConverter is core software in a Universal Networking Language (UNL) system. A UNL system has EnConverter and DeConverter as its two major components. EnConverter is used to convert a natural language sentence into an equivalent UNL expression, and DeConverter is used to generate a natural language sentence from an input UNL expression. This paper presents design and development of a Punjabi DeConverter. It describes five phases of the proposed Punjabi DeConverter, i.e., UNL parser, lexeme selection, morphology generation, function word insertion, and syntactic linearization. This paper also illustrates all these phases of the Punjabi DeConverter with a special focus on syntactic linearization issues of the Punjabi DeConverter. Syntactic linearization is the process of defining arrangements of words in generated output. The algorithms and pseudocodes for implementation of syntactic linearization of a simple UNL graph, a UNL graph with scope nodes and a node having un-traversed parents or multiple parents in a UNL graph have been discussed in this paper. Special cases of syntactic linearization with respect to Punjabi language for UNL relations like ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘fmt’, ‘cnt’, and ‘seq’ have also been presented in this paper. This paper also provides implementation results of the proposed Punjabi DeConverter. The DeConverter has been tested on 1000 UNL expressions by considering a Spanish UNL language server and agricultural domain threads developed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, India, as gold-standards. The proposed system generates 89.0% grammatically correct sentences, 92.0% faithful sentences to the original sentences, and has a fluency score of 3.61 and an adequacy score of 3.70 on a 4-point scale. The system is also able to achieve a bilingual evaluation understudy (BLEU) score of 0.72.

Application of Web 2.0 Tools in IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) & IIM (Indian Institute of Management) Libraries of India: a Study

Internet‟s rapid growth and broad penetration, along with affordable enabling Web 2.0 technologies, has not only democratized access to information but also catalyzed open access publishing which has contributed to the explosion of freely available digital information. The paper describes how the IIT and IIM Libraries provide access to their collection and user support for all that access using Web 2.0 technologies such as synchronous messaging and streaming media, blogs, wiki and social networking.

Special issue on nonlinear fractional differential equations and their applications in honour of Ravi P. Agarwal on his 65th birthday

Professor Ravi P. Agarwal received his Masters in Science from Agra University in 1969, and then his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India in 1973. Since then, he has become one of the reference researchers in the field of Nonlinear Differential Equations. He has authored over 1000 papers in collaboration with a large number of colleagues from various countries all over the world. He has published more than 25 monographs and books. Professor Ravi P. Agarwal is the Editor-in-Chief of four journals and serves on the editorial board of over 40 International journals. His work has been cited over 5000 times, which distinguishes him as one of the most cited professors in his field. At present, Professor Ravi P. Agarwal is Chair of the Department of Mathematics, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, USA. Over the last 40 years Professor Ravi P. Agarwal has played a leading role in many other branches of mathematics such as Difference Equations, Fixed Point Theory, General Inequalities and Numerical Analysis and their Applications. His seminal recent work on several topics has had an impact in the community of mathematics, as well as in the field of applied sciences. His points of view about science and mathematics in particular are unique and his multidis-

A Case Study on Maximizing Aqua Feed Pellet Properties Using Response Surface Methodology and Genetic Algorithm

Aims: The present case study is on maximizing the aqua feed properties using response surface methodology and genetic algorithm. Study Design: Effect of extrusion process variables like screw speed, L/D ratio, barrel temperature, and feed moisture content were analyzed to maximize the aqua feed properties like water stability, true density, and expansion ratio. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in the Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India. Methodology: A variable length single screw extruder was used in the study. The process variables selected were screw speed (rpm), length-to-diameter (L/D) ratio, barrel temperature (degrees C), and feed moisture content (%). The pelletized aqua feed was analyzed for physical properties like water stability (WS), true density (TD), and expansion ratio (ER). Extrusion experimental data was collected by based on central composite design. The experimental data was further analyzed using response surface methodology (RSM) and genetic algorithm (GA) for maximizing feed properties. Results: Regression equations developed for the experimental data has adequately described the effect of process variables on the physical properties with coefficient of determination values (R2) of > 0.95. RSM analysis indicated WS, ER, and TD were maximized at L/D ratiomore » of 12-13, screw speed of 60-80 rpm, feed moisture content of 30-40%, and barrel temperature of = 80 degrees C for ER and TD and > 90 degrees C for WS. Based on GA analysis, a maxium WS of 98.10% was predicted at a screw speed of 96.71 rpm, L/D radio of 13.67, barrel temperature of 96.26 degrees C, and feed moisture content of 33.55%. Maximum ER and TD of 0.99 and 1346.9 kg/m3 was also predicted at screw speed of 60.37 and 90.24 rpm, L/D ratio of 12.18 and 13.52, barrel temperature of 68.50 and 64.88 degrees C, and medium feed moisture content of 33.61 and 38.36%. Conclusion: The present data analysis indicated that WS is mainly governed by barrel temperature and feed moisture content, which might have resulted in formation of starch-protein complexes due to denaturation of protein and gelatinization of starch. Screw speed coupled with temperature and feed moisture content controlled the ER and TD values. Higher screw speeds might have reduced the viscosity of the feed dough resulting in higher TD and lower ER values. Based on RSM and GA analysis screw speed, barrel temperature and feed moisture content were the interacting process variables influencing maximum WS followed by ER and TD.« less

Noel Deerr Gold Medal Award of the Year 2012 – 2013

We are pleased to receive the joint Noel Deerr Gold Medal Award of the Year 2012-2013 for our research paper titled Vertical Business Integration: A Logical Prospective Evolutionary Step for Sugar Industry in India presented under management section in 71 st STAI (Sugar Technologists' Association of India) convention held in Hyderabad, India. The paper was written by Dr. Vinay Sharma, Dr. Rajat Agrawal, Faculty Members, Anita Sengar, Ritika Mahajan and KumKum Bharti Research Scholars, Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.

Synthesis and characterization of surface-enhanced Raman-scattered gold nanoparticles

In this paper, we report a simple, rapid, and robust method to synthesize surface-enhanced Raman-scattered gold nanoparticles (GNPs) based on green chemistry. Vitis vinifera L. extract was used to synthesize noncytotoxic Raman-active GNPs. These GNPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light-scattering, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The characteristic surface plasmon-resonance band at ~ 528 nm is indicative of spherical particles, and this was confirmed by TEM. The N–H and C–O stretches in FTIR spectroscopy indicated the presence of protein molecules. The predominant XRD plane at (111) and (200) indicated the crystalline nature and purity of GNPs. GNPs were stable in the buffers used for biological studies, and exhibited no cytotoxicity in noncancerous MIO-M1 (Müller glial) and MDA-MB-453 (breast cancer) cell lines. The GNPs exhibited Raman spectral peaks at 570, 788, and 1,102 cm−1. These new GNPs have potential applications in cancer diagnosis, therapy, and ultrasensitive biomarker detection.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles protect rodent lungs from hypobaric hypoxia-induced oxidative stress and inflammation

BackgroundCerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) are effective at quenching reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cell culture and animal models. Although nanoceria reportedly deposit in lungs, their efficacy in conferring lung protection during oxidative stress remains unexplored. Thus, the study evaluated the protective efficacy of nanoceria in rat lung tissue during hypobaric hypoxia.MethodsA total of 48 animals were randomly divided into four equal groups (control [C], nanoceria treated [T], hypoxia [H], and nanoceria treated plus hypoxia [T+H]). Animals were injected intraperitoneally with either a dose of 0.5 μg/kg body weight/week of nanoceria (T and T+H groups) or vehicle (C and H groups) for 5 weeks. After the final dose, H and T+H animals were challenged with hypobaric hypoxia, while C and T animals were maintained at normoxia. Lungs were isolated and homogenate was obtained for analysis of ROS, lipid peroxidation, glutathione, protein carbonylation, and 4-hydroxynonenal-adduct formation. Plasma was used for estimating major inflammatory cytokines using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Intact lung tissues were fixed and both transmission electron microscopy and histopathological examinations were carried out separately for detecting internalization of nanoparticles as well as altered lung morphology.ResultsSpherical nanoceria of 7–10 nm diameter were synthesized using a microemulsion method, and the lung protective efficacy of the nanoceria evaluated during hypobaric hypoxia. With repeated intraperitoneal injections of low micromole concentration, we successfully localized the nanoceria in rodent lung without any inflammatory response. The lung-deposited nanoceria limited ROS formation, lipid peroxidation, and glutathione oxidation, and prevented oxidative protein modifications like nitration and carbonyl formation during hypobaric hypoxia. We also observed reduced lung inflammation in the nanoceria-injected lungs, supporting the anti-inflammatory properties of nanoceria.ConclusionCumulatively, these results suggest nanoceria deposit in lungs, confer protection by quenching noxious free radicals during hypobaric hypoxia, and do not evoke any inflammatory response.

On the performance of Indian technical institutions: a combined SOWIA-MOORA approach

Indian technical education system is facing challenges due to liberalization and globalization of Indian economy. Many foreign multinationals are focusing on India for employable talents. Many technical institutions with state of the art technologies and techniques are being set up by foreign collaboration, national and private initiatives. Therefore it is a requirement of all stakeholders to do performance evaluation and ranking these institutions. For this objective we propose a multiple criteria analysis based performance evaluation model consisting of subjective and objective weight integrated approach (SOWIA) and multiple objective optimization on the basis of ratio analysis (MOORA) method. Seven Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) have been chosen for study using the proposed model.

Effect of Mycorrhizal Infection on Phosphorus Efficiency of Maize (Zea mays L.) Cultivars

Phosphorus is considered as one of the least available plant nutrients found in the rhizosphere. The large variation in phosphorus acquisition efficiency of different crop cultivars provides opportunities for screening cultivars that perform well on low phosphorus soil for sustainable agriculture. To assess phosphorus efficiency of maize cultivars viz.: Paras and JH 3459, a field experiment was conducted for 2 years at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India on sandy loam soil, having pH 5.1, organic carbon 4.1 g kg−1 soil and as low as 11.2 kg ha−1 available phosphorus. Phosphorus was applied at a rate of 0 (low) and 400 kg ha−1 (high) with and without the application of fungicide Benomyl at 500 kg ha−1 for eradication of arbuscular mycorrhiza. Maize plants were harvested at 24, 48, and 74 days after sowing and final harvest was taken at maturity. In low phosphorus soil without Benomyl, cv. Paras produced 29, 18, and 69 %, while cv. JH 3459 produced 19, 9, and 57 % of their maximum shoot dry weight at 24, 48, and 74 days after sowing, respectively during the first year and the trend was same during the second year. The results indicate that relative shoot dry weight varies with growth stages and therefore, grain yield should be used to assess phosphorus efficiency. At maturity, maize cv. Paras produced 91 and 80 % while JH 3459 produced 71 and 60 % of their maximum grain yield during the first and second year respectively, proving that cv. Paras was more phosphorus efficient than cv. JH 3459. Root growth of both the cultivars was restricted under phosphorus deficiency conditions; however, cv. Paras produced 1.4–2.6 times more root length than cv. JH 3459 at different growth stages. Cultivar Paras had lower phosphorus influx than cv. JH 3459, but it was more phosphorus efficient because of more roots, lower internal phosphorus requirement and higher root length/shoot dry weight ratio. Application of Benomyl was completely effective in suppressing arbuscular mycorrhiza infections up to 48 days after sowing. Its effect started diminishing thereafter and some infection occurred, which however was significantly less than that observed in untreated plots. Thus, the yield difference between Benomyl treated and untreated plots can be attributed to arbuscular mycorrhiza. In low phosphorus soil, Benomyl application reduced the growth of cultivars by 12–45 % and the maximum reduction of growth was at 48 days after sowing. However, in high P soil, Benomyl application had no significant effect on dry matter yield of the cultivars.

Measurement of personal and integrated exposure to particulate matter and co-pollutant gases

Personal exposure measurement can serve as an effective tool to understand the effect of exposure to air pollutants. Alternatively, exposure assessment using pollutant concentrations in different microenvironments and accurate time-activity information for the subjects can provide good information regarding human integrated exposure. A panel of 18 healthy students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur in the age group of 18 to 30 years participated in the personal exposure measurements for particulate matter, CO, NO(2) and VOC during post-monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons. Overall, 432 h person exposure data was collected in this study. The major sources of particulate and gaseous co-pollutants were identified. These directly obtained personal exposure values were then compared to the indirectly estimated integrated exposure values. Personal and integrated exposures gave statistically similar results. Through this study, we have shown that integrated exposure values could closely estimate the personal exposure values for particulate matter that can significantly reduce time and cost involved in personal exposure studies. The lung parameters for all the subjects measured during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons showed statistically significant reduction during pre-monsoon. This was attributed to the high levels of coarse particles during pre-monsoon.