Rooted-tree network for optimal non-local gate implementation

Quantum Information Processing - A general quantum network for implementing non-local control-unitary gates, between remote parties at minimal entanglement cost, is shown to be a rooted-tree...     

Understanding the role of internal microstructure in capsule‐based healing of polymeric composites

The efficacy of microcapsules possessing varied internal microstructure toward introducing extrinsic self‐healing functionality in epoxy has been compared. Unsaturated polyester was encapsulated in microcapsules by adopting different methodologies. Microcapsules formed using dispersion polymerization exhibited “reservoir” microstructure while solvent evaporation led to the formation of “monolithic” microcapsules. Theoretical model was developed to predict the amount of healant released in the event of microcapsule rupture, which clearly highlighted the benefits associated with reservoir type microcapsules, especially at lower core contents. At larger core contents (≥50% vol/vol), all the micro‐droplets within the monolithic structure coalesced to form a healant reservoir. Self‐healing composites were prepared by introducing both types of microcapsules in an epoxy matrix and the healing efficiency was quantified. In line with the theoretical predictions, reservoir type microcapsules led to much higher healing efficiencies in comparison to monolithic microcapsules. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45471.     

Microwave promoted grafting of acrylonitrile onto Cassia siamea seed gum

Cassia siamea seed polysaccharide was grafted with acrylonitrile under microwave (MW) irradiation without adding any radical initiator or catalyst. Free radicals are generated here due to the dielectric heating caused by the localized rotation of the hydroxyl groups at the polysaccharide backbone and initiate grafting. To obtain the optimal conditions for the microwave promoted grafting, effect of reaction variables such as monomer/seed gum concentration; MW power and exposure time on the graft copolymerization was studied and the maximum %grafting (%G) and %efficiency (%E) observed were 150% and 43.54%, respectively. The representative graft copolymer was characterized by Fourier transform‐infrared, Thermogravimetric analysis and X‐ray diffraction measurement, taking C. siamea gum as reference. At the same monomer concentration, K₂S₂O₈/ascorbic acid initiated grafting onto the seed gum could result into 80% grafting with 23.22% efficiency. Various properties of the MW synthesized grafted gum like water/saline retention, water retention after saponification and viscosity of the gum solutions were studied. The results have been compared with the conventionally synthesized grafted gum and the parent gum. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2384–2390, 2006     

Characterization of some organic poly(aminiumphosphate)s

Summary Metachromatic reactions of MB and AO are studied with poly(aminium phosphate)s. The main band() at 665 m and 492 m for MB and AO are shifted to 580 m and 455 m respectively (-bands). The metachromatic values at different concentrations of poly(aminium phosphate)s are also reported. The dye association for MB with these polymer derivatives is investigated conductometrically as well. It is observed that MB can be at the most bind with the phosphate residue of polymer upto 11 molar ratio. The polymeric nature was further established by paper chromatographic technique in Terry's, Ebel's & Pfrengle's solvents.     

Integration of Palmer Drought Severity Index and remote sensing data to simulate wetland water surface from 1910 to 2009 in Cottonwood Lake area, North Dakota

Spatiotemporal variations of wetland water in the Prairie Pothole Region are controlled by many factors; two of them are temperature and precipitation that form the basis of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Taking the 196 km² Cottonwood Lake area in North Dakota as our pilot study site, we integrated PDSI, Landsat images, and aerial photography records to simulate monthly water surface. First, we developed a new Wetland Water Area Index (WWAI) from PDSI to predict water surface area. Second, we developed a water allocation model to simulate the spatial distribution of water bodies at a resolution of 30 m. Third, we used an additional procedure to model the small wetlands (less than 0.8 ha) that could not be detected by Landsat. Our results showed that i) WWAI was highly correlated with water area with an R² of 0.90, resulting in a simple regression prediction of monthly water area to capture the intra- and inter-annual water change from 1910 to 2009; ii) the spatial distribution of water bodies modeled from our approach agreed well with the water locations visually identified from the aerial photography records; and iii) the R² between our modeled water bodies (including both large and small wetlands) and those from aerial photography records could be up to 0.83 with a mean average error of 0.64 km² within the study area where the modeled wetland water areas ranged from about 2 to 14 km². These results indicate that our approach holds great potential to simulate major changes in wetland water surface for ecosystem service; however, our products could capture neither the short-term water change caused by intensive rainstorm events nor the wetland change caused by human activities.     

A TENGRAM method based part-of-speech tagging of multi-category words in Hindi language

In this paper, we have dealt on the problem of part-of-speech tagging of multi-category words which appear within the sentences of Hindi language. Firstly, a Hindi tagger is proposed which provides part-of-speech tags developed using grammar of Hindi language. For this purpose, Hindi Devanagari alphabets are used and their Hindi transliteration is done within the proposed tagger. Thereafter, a Rules’ based TENGRAM method is described with an illustrative example, which guides to disambiguate multi-category words within sentences of Hindi corpus. The rules generated in TENGRAM are the result of computation of discernibility matrices, discernibility functions and reducts. These computations have been generated from decision tables which are based on theory of Rough sets. Basically, a discernibility matrix helps in cutting down indiscernible condition attributes; a discernibility function has rows corresponding to each column in the discernibility matrix which develops reducts; and the reducts provide a minimal subset of attributes which preserve indiscernibility relation of decision tables and hence they generate the decision rules.     

Effects of the dose and viability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 2. Ruminal fermentation,performance of lactating dairy cows,and correlations between ruminal bacteria abundance and performance measures

This study examined effects of the dose and viability of supplemented Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain YE1496 on ruminal fermentation and performance of lactating dairy cows. A second objective was to examine correlations between ruminal bacteria abundance and performance measures. Four ruminally cannulated lactating cows (284 ± 18 days in milk) were assigned randomly to 1 of 4 treatment sequences in a 4 × 4 Latin square experimental design using four 21-d experimental periods. Cows were fed a nonacidotic total mixed ration comprising 22.5% starch (minimum ruminal pH >5.8), 41.7% corn silage, 7.60% wet brewers grain, and 50.7% concentrate on a dry matter (DM) basis. The diet was supplemented with no yeast (control), a low (5.7 × 10⁷ cfu/d; LLY) or high (6.0 × 10⁸ cfu/d; HLY) dose of live yeast, or a high dose of killed yeast (6.0 × 10⁸ cfu/d; killed by heating at 80°C for 1.5 h; HDY). Milk production and composition were measured twice daily from d 11 to 21 of each period, and rumen fluid samples were collected on d 21. In vivo digestibility was measured using chromic oxide as a marker. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess whether animal performance parameters were correlated with relative abundance (RA) of ruminal bacteria. Supplemental LLY increased yields (kg/d) of milk (29.6 vs. 31.7) and milk protein (0.95 vs. 1.03), tended to increase milk fat yield (1.10 vs. 1.17) and ruminal acetate:propionate ratio (1.92 vs. 2.21), and increased in vivo apparent digestibility (%) of DM (64.5 vs. 69.1), neutral detergent fiber (NDF; 45.0 vs. 54.5), and ADF (53.1 vs. 60.9) compared with the control. Feeding HLY had no effects on milk yield compared with the control (30.0 vs. 29.6 kg/d). Feeding HDY tended to increase in vivo digestibility (%) of NDF (45.0 vs. 50.7), ADF (53.1 vs. 57.7), and the ruminal concentration of lactate (0.78 vs. 2.82 mM) but did not affect milk yield compared with the control. Dry matter and NDF digestibility correlated negatively with RA of unclassified Lachnospiraceae in both solid (r = ?0.50 and ?0.52, respectively) and liquid (r = ?0.56 and ?0.57, respectively) fractions, whereas milk yield correlated positively with RA of Lachnospiraceae [Ruminococcus] (an incompletely classified genus; r = 0.43) in the solid ruminal fraction. Supplemental LLY, HLY, or HDY increased or tended to increase DM, NDF, and ADF digestibility, but only LLY increased yields of milk, milk fat, and milk protein.