An information flow technique for category related evokedpotentials

We report a technique for studying interactions among many subsystems of a biological system. A general mathematical technique is developed for information flow among various subsystems of a system when two or more classes of stimuli are presented to the system. The technique is validated by various simulation studies and then applied to a brain system. The usefulness of the technique is demonstrated for visual event related potentials (ERP's) obtained from human subjects suffering from phobias. The stimuli are briefly flashed words and phrases. The word classes are pleasant, unpleasant, conscious, and unconscious. The conscious class consists of words known by the patient to relate to the problem, whereas the unconscious class of words consists of words related to deep conflicts which are not recognized by the patient. It is demonstrated that information flow is suppressed under supraliminal presentation of the unconscious class, but is strong under subliminal presentation. The technique has the potential of being an objective indicator of conflictual relationships in these patients. The principle of the technique can be applied to any system in which interactions among subsystems are to be analyzed.     

Morphotropic phase boundary in high temperature ferroelectric xBi(Zn1/2Ti1/2)O3 − yPbZrO3 − zPbTiO3 perovskite ternary solid solution

A bismuth and lead oxide based perovskite ternary solid solution xBi(Zn_1/2Ti_1/2)O₃ − yPbZrO₃ − zPbTiO₃ (xBZT − yPZ − zPT) was investigated as an attempt to develop a high T_C ferroelectric material for piezoelectric sensor and actuator applications. A morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) between rhombohedral and tetragonal phases was determined through an XRD study on a pseudobinary line 0.1BZT − 0.9[xPT − (1 − x)PZ] for composition 0.1Bi(Zn_1/2Ti_1/2)O₃ − 0.5PbZrO₃ − 0.4PbTiO₃. Enhanced piezoelectric and ferroelectric activities were observed for MPB composition with dielectric constant ε_r′ ~ 23,000 at Curie temperature (T_C) ≈ 320 °C, remanent polarization (P_r) = 35 μC/cm², piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃) = 300 pC/N, unipolar strain = 0.15%, and electromechanical coupling coefficient (k_P) = 0.45.     

Energy consumption pattern of wheat production in India

Wheat covers approximately 25% of the total global area devoted to by cereal crops. Wheat production needs to be augmented to meet the growing demand. The amount of wheat produced is a direct function of energy inputs. Wheat is produced using energy sources ranging from human and animal power to power of heavy machinery. The basic purpose of the present study is to optimize energy use patterns of different wheat growing regions (Western Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Madhya Pradesh (MP)) of the Country in order to maximize yield. Villages and farmers were randomly selected for collecting data on energy requirement of wheat in Western Rajasthan and data for other regions were taken from reports. Wheat consumed maximum energy input in Western Rajasthan because light textured soil required frequent irrigation. Punjab and UP recorded maximum output–input energy ratio, 5.2 and 4.2, respectively. Punjab recorded minimum specific energy of 4.6 MJ/kg followed by UP (6.0 MJ/kg). Further, Punjab occupied the first place among all the States with 3334.8 kg/ha average yield, which is about 31% higher than the average productivity (2550.5 kg/ha) of the regions considered under the study. However, use of commercial energy was found maximum in Punjab (91.7%). Therefore, by ensuring optimal energy inputs in different regions wheat production in the Country could be increased.     

Phase-Dependent Tensile Properties of 9Cr-1Mo(V, Nb) Ferritic/Martensitic Steel

Phase-dependent tensile properties of 9Cr-1Mo(V, Nb) ferritic/martensitic steel were evaluated in the temperature range 300 K to 1073 K (27 °C to 800 °C) to quantify differences in the tensile behavior of different phases of this material. The results showed considerable difference in the tensile properties such as yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation of the three phases of this material—tempered martensite, metastable austenite, and martensite—which can exist at a common temperature. This has been discussed on the basis of structural hysteresis in this material when subjected to thermal cycles causing excursions across various phase fields.     

Finding best-fitted rectangle for regions using a bisection method

In this paper, we have presented a new method for computing the best-fitted rectangle for closed regions using their boundary points. The vertices of the best-fitted rectangle are computed using a bisection method starting with the upper-estimated rectangle and the under-estimated rectangle. The vertices of the upper- and under-estimated rectangles are directly computed using closed-form solutions by solving for pairs of straight lines. Starting with these two rectangles, we solve for the best-fitted rectangle iteratively using a bisection method. The algorithm stops when the areas of the fitted rectangles remain unchanged during consecutive iterations. Extensive evaluation of our algorithm demonstrates its effectiveness.     

The UPLC–ESI–QqQLIT–MS/MS method for quantitative determination of phytochemicals in ethanolic extracts of different parts of eight Ficus species: Development and validation

Ficus and validation of the ultra performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization hybrid triple quadrupole–linear ion trap–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–ESI–QqQ_LIT–MS/MS) method in a multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode for the quantitative determination of 19 phytochemicals. The chromatographic separation of targeted phytochemicals was performed using the Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH? C18 column (1.7 μm, 2.1 mm × 50 mm) with 0.1% formic acid with water and acetonitrile as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. The validation parameters showed the overall recoveries from 95.78?101.44% (RSD ≤ 3.25%), precision (intra-day: RSD ≤ 2.96%; inter-day: RSD ≤ 2.89%), linearity (R² ≥ 0.9982), limit of detection (8.60 × 10^–10?2.18 × 10^–6 mg/mL), and the limit of quantitation (2.60 × 10^–9–6.63 × 10^–6 mg/mL) in the concentration range from 0.5 to 1000 × 10^–6 mg/mL. This method was successfully applied in ethanolic extracts of different parts (fruits, leaves, and barks) of selected eight Ficus species. Quinic acid was predominant followed by rutin and chlorogenic acid among the studied nineteen phytochemicals. Ficus benjamina showed the maximum total content in fruits and leaves. The UPLC–ESI–QqQ_LIT–MS/MS method combined with principal component analysis (PCA) was successfully used for Ficus species discrimination on the basis of the contents of 15 compounds. The UPLC–ESI–QqQ_LIT–MS/MS method combined with PCA could be used for quality control.     

Performance of Different Inert Gases in Production of Fuel Grade Ethanol by Diffusion Distillation

Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering - Performance of sulfur hexafluoride, nitrogen, argon, and helium inert gases was investigated in a view to produce fuel grade ethanol by diffusion...