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A novel flexible radio frequency (RF) sensor is designed to facilitate the accurate testing of various samples used in the biomedical industry at the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) frequency band. The proposed RF biosensor comprises a liquid channel-loaded interdigitated capacitor, which is integrated on a coplanar waveguide structure. The prototype of the sensor is fabricated on a 0.13 mm thin biodegradable polyethylene terephthalate polyester film to perform the testing of various bio-graded samples by recording the corresponding resonant frequency. It is observed that there is a noticeable change between the measured resonant frequencies of these samples, which primarily occurs due to the difference in their dielectric properties. The designed sensor was used to monitor and investigate the quality of glycerol, which is the most commonly used raw ingredient in the biomedical and food industry. The determination of glucose concentration in base fluids is considered to ease the challenges faced by doctors and biochemists regarding the monitoring of glucose concentration. It is found that the proposed sensor can quantify the glycerol purity up to the minimum specified adulteration level of 2 and 1% corresponding to toxic contaminants diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, respectively, and the glucose concentration of 0.5 mg/ml.

Multi-objective facility layout problem (mFLP) generates a different layout by varying objectives weights. Since the selection of objective weights in mFLP is critical, stages of designing layout having multiple objectives, the objective weights therefore play an important role in the layout design of mFLP. In practice, it is selected randomly by the layout designer based on his/her past experience that restricts the layout designing process completely designer dependent and thus the layout varies from designer to designer. This paper aims to resolve the issues of selecting the objective weight for each objective. We propose four methods to determine objective weight which makes the design process of mFLP completely designer independent.

We report photoluminescence (PL) investigations on Si-rich amorphous hydrogenated silicon nitride (a-SiNx:H) thin films of different compositions, using three different excitation lasers, viz., 325 nm, 410 nm, and 532 nm. The as-deposited films contain amorphous Si quantum dots (QDs) as evidenced in high resolution transmission electron microscopy images. The PL spectral shape is in general seen to change with the excitation used, thus emphasizing the presence of multiple luminescence centres in these films. It is found that all the spectra so obtained can be deconvoluted assuming Gaussian contributions from defects and quantum confinement effect. Further strength to this assignment is provided by low temperature (300 °C) hydrogen plasma annealing of these samples, wherein a preferential enhancement of the QD luminescence over defect luminescence is observed.

PurposeThe Indian marble and stone industry has got the potential to contribute well to the development of the emerging economy. However, unlike the other Indian industries, stone and marble industries are highly underrated sectors, which may become a critical factor for development. This paper analyses the sustainability factors in supply chain management practices.Design/methodology/approachA literature review is used to identify the barriers and drivers in sustainable supply chain management practices. Interpretive structural modeling has been used to obtain a hierarchy of barriers and drivers along with driving power and dependence power analysis. Further, MICMAC analysis is used for segregating the barriers and drivers in terms of their impact on sustainability.FindingsThe findings of the work of this research are that the attention of society, government, and commercial banks should be more toward the unorganized condition of stone and marble sector. There should be an increase in the commitment of stakeholders to reduce pollution and install safety, by enforcing more relevant laws and regulations and creating the importance of environmental awareness.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this research is to identify the barriers and drivers of sustainable supply chain management in a stone and marble industry. The paper proposes a sound mathematical model to prioritize the critical factors for responsible production and consumption of resources from sustainability perspectives of stone industry.

In this work, the unified methodology based on the newly designed electrically small planar resonant microwave sensor to detect the subsurface defect in wood products is presented. The proposed planar sensor involves loading of the specially designed coupled microstrip line with a novel small resonating element at its end. The novel design topology of the proposed near field sensor substantially increases the overall resolution and sensitivity of the microwave scanning system due to the strong localization of the electric field in the electrically small sensing region. A detailed electromagnetic and quasi static analysis of the near field scanning mechanism is also described in this work, which helps to understand the physics involved in the proposed scanning mechanism. The prototype of the designed sensor is fabricated on a 0.8 mm Roger 5880 substrate, and accordingly, the scattering parameters of the sensor under both loaded and unloaded conditions are measured. The measured and simulated scattering parameters under the unloaded condition are compared to validate the fabricated sensor, and a closed match between the simulated and measured resonance frequencies is observed. The fabricated sensor is used here for two potential applications, viz., the dielectric sensing of various low permittivity contrast dielectric materials and subsurface imaging of wood products to trace concealed defects and moisture content under the thin paint layer. The proposed resonant sensor can potentially be used to develop the low profile, low cost, non-destructive, and non-invasive quality monitoring system for inspecting various types of wood products without peeling off the upper paint coating.