Thapar University

About: Thapar University is a education organization based out in Patiāla, Punjab, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Cloud computing & Fuzzy logic. The organization has 2944 authors who have published 8558 publications receiving 130392 citations.

Dual Inoculation of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal and Phosphate Solubilizing Fungi Contributes in Sustainable Maintenance of Plant Health in Fly Ash Ponds

Abstract: Fly ash is one of the residues produced during combustion of coal, and its disposal is a major environmental concern throughout coal-based power-generated counties. Deficiencies of essential nutrients, low soil microbial activity, and high-soluble salt concentrations of trace elements are some of the concerns for reclamation of fly ash ponds. The effect of fly-ash-adapted arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and phosphate solubilizing fungus Aspergillus tubingensis was studied on the growth, nutrient, and metal uptake of bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus) plants grown in fly ash. Co-inoculation of these fungi significantly increased the P (150%), K (67%), Ca (106%), and Mg (180%) in shoot tissues compared control plants. The Al and Fe content were significantly reduced (50% and 60%, respectively) due to the presence of AM fungi and A. tubingensis. The physicochemical and biochemical properties of fly ash were improved compared to those of individual inoculation and control. The results showed that combination of AM fungi and A. tubingensis elicited a synergetic effect by increasing plant growth and uptake of nutrients with reducing metal translocation.

Barium disilicide as a promising thin-film photovoltaic absorber: structural, electronic, and defect properties

Abstract: Barium disilicide (BaSi2), composed of abundant and inexpensive elements, is a potential absorber material for thin-film solar cells. In this study, density-functional theory calculations show that BaSi2 belongs to a Zintl phase with a mixed character of covalent units of tetrahedral Si4 with an ionic nature described by (2Ba2+)(Si4)4−. The molecular orbital diagram is elucidated based on the electronic structures, suggesting that the charge transfer transition from Si p to Ba d greatly enhances optical absorption. A large photoabsorption coefficient is confirmed using advanced excited state calculations that include excitonic effects. The ionization potential of BaSi2 is smaller than that of silicon or germanium, suggesting that the band edge positions are suitable for p-type conductivity and type II heterojunctions for BaSi2/Si or BaSi2/Ge. The chemical potential window for the stable growth of a stoichiometric BaSi2 film is very narrow, and the stability of native defects is investigated under realistic growth conditions. Si vacancy, Ba substituted for Si antisite, and Si interstitial defects are predominant but do not cause the generation of a significant number of carriers. The calculated Fermi level is pinned in the middle of the band gap for the entire silicon chemical potential range and a wide growth temperature range, indicating the feasibility of bipolar doping, which is advantageous for fabricating p–n junctions.

Kawahara equation and modified Kawahara equation with time dependent coefficients: symmetry analysis and generalized G′G-expansion method

Abstract: In this paper, variable coefficients Kawahara equation (VCKE) and variable coefficients modified Kawahara equation (VCMKE), which arise in modeling of various physical phenomena, are studied by Lie group analysis. The similarity reductions and exact solutions are derived by determining the complete sets of point symmetries of these equations. Moreover, some exact analytic solutions are considered by the power series method. Further, a generalized -expansion method is applied to VCKE and VCMKE for constructing some new exact solutions. As a result, hyperbolic function solutions, trigonometric function solutions and some rational function solutions with parameters are furnished. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Secure Authentication Scheme for Medicine Anti-Counterfeiting System in IoT Environment

Abstract: A counterfeit drug is a medication or pharmaceutical product which is manufactured and made available on the market to deceptively represent its origin, authenticity and effectiveness, etc., and causes serious threats to the health of a patient. Counterfeited medicines have an adverse effect on the public health and cause revenue loss to the legitimate manufacturing organizations. In this paper, we propose a new authentication scheme for medicine anti-counterfeiting system in the Internet of Things environment which is used for checking the authenticity of pharmaceutical products (dosage forms). The proposed scheme utilizes the near field communication (NFC) and is suitable for mobile environment, which also provides efficient NFC update phase. The security analysis using the widely accepted real-or-random model proves that the proposed scheme provides the session key security. The proposed scheme also protects other known attacks which are analyzed informally. Furthermore, the formal security verification using the broadly accepted automated validation of Internet security protocols and applications tool shows that the proposed scheme is secure. The scheme is efficient with respect to computation and communication costs, and also it provides additional functionality features when compared to other existing schemes. Finally, for demonstration of the practicality of the scheme, we evaluate it using the broadly accepted NS2 simulation.

Optimization of process parameters for drilled hole quality characteristics during cortical bone drilling using Taguchi method.

Abstract: Orthopaedic surgery involves drilling of bones to get them fixed at their original position. The drilling process used in orthopaedic surgery is most likely to the mechanical drilling process and there is all likelihood that it may harm the already damaged bone, the surrounding bone tissue and nerves, and the peril is not limited at that. It is very much feared that the recovery of that part may be impeded so that it may not be able to sustain life long. To achieve sustainable orthopaedic surgery, a surgeon must try to control the drilling damage at the time of bone drilling. The area around the holes decides the life of bone joint and so, the contiguous area of drilled hole must be intact and retain its properties even after drilling. This study mainly focuses on optimization of drilling parameters like rotational speed, feed rate and the type of tool at three levels each used by Taguchi optimization for surface roughness and material removal rate. The confirmation experiments were also carried out and results found with the confidence interval. Scanning electrode microscopy (SEM) images assisted in getting the micro level information of bone damage.