An efficient Sm and Ge co-doped ceria nanocomposite electrolyte for low temperature solid oxide fuel cells

In this study we present a new nanocomposite electrolyte based on samarium (Sm) and germanium (Ge) co-doped ceria Ce_0.7Sm_0.15Ge_0.15O_2-δ (SGeDC). The nanocomposite electrolyte was prepared using co-precipitation method. The crystal structure and surface morphology were determined using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Four probe dc conductivity indicated the value of 0.074 S/cm at 650 °C. The Fuel cell performance was carried out using hydrogen as fuel. The maximum OCV observed was 0.95 V while the peak power density came out to be 600 mW/cm² at 600 °C. It is suggested that adding Ge, the conductivity as well as performance of this new nanocomposite electrolyte is comparatively enhanced and it can find potential applications in low temperature solid oxide Fuel cells (LTSOFCs).     

Robust regression for face recognition

In this paper we address the problem of robust face recognition by formulating the pattern recognition task as a problem of robust estimation. Using a fundamental concept that in general, patterns from a single object class lie on a linear subspace (Barsi and Jacobs, 2003 [1]), we develop a linear model representing a probe image as a linear combination of class specific galleries. In the presence of noise, the well-conditioned inverse problem is solved using the robust Huber estimation and the decision is ruled in favor of the class with the minimum reconstruction error. The proposed Robust Linear Regression Classification (RLRC) algorithm is extensively evaluated for two important cases of robustness i.e. illumination variations and random pixel corruption. Illumination invariant face recognition is demonstrated on three standard databases under exemplary evaluation protocols reported in the literature. Comprehensive comparative analysis with the state-of-art illumination tolerant approaches indicates a comparable performance index for the proposed RLRC algorithm. The efficiency of the proposed approach in the presence of severe random noise is validated under several exemplary noise models such as dead-pixel problem, salt and pepper noise, speckle noise and Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN). The RLRC algorithm is found to be favorable compared with the benchmark generative approaches.     

Determination Of Waterhyacinth Biomass/Water Area Ratio For Effective Reclamation In Simulated Models Of Wastewater At Two Nutrient Levels

Using three different densities, requirement of waterhyacinth biomass for adequate nutrient depletion was examined in simulated models of wastewater of two different trophy. Density dependent removal of phosphate and nitrate was pronounced in low nutrient levels. The results indicated greater preference of N over P when space and nutrients were limitless, whereas, preferential uptake of P over N occurred at high density of both nutrient levels. It is concluded that the required level of orthophosphate of water was achieved at high density of low nutrient enrichment after 12 days of waterhyacinth introduction, suggesting their immense potentials for reclamation of eutrophic water and induction of grazing food chain.     

Economic analysis of consumer choices based on rice attributes in the food markets of West Africa—the case of Benin

The focus of this study was to investigate consumer preferences for various attributes of rice marketed in Benin. Consumer choice theory postulates that products are consumed not for themselves, but for the characteristics they possess that satisfy consumers’ greater liking of one attribute over another. In the case of rice, quality attributes, as incentives for both producers and consumers, have important price implications. In this study, we empirically analyzed the relationship between the price paid by consumers for their choice of rice and its attributes in the markets of Benin using hedonic pricing and discrete choice models of demand. We used data collected from rice-consuming households in four major provinces of Benin, in both rural and urban areas, during 2006. The results of this econometric estimation indicated that there was considerable variability in consumer preferences for different rice attributes across the regions studied. Nevertheless, consumers paid a premium price for observable attributes, such as grain size and breakage. In addition, both urban and rural consumers preferred imported and parboiled rice to domestic and raw rice. The study results showed that implicit prices paid by consumers for both domestic and imported rice were based on quality attributes. These findings have important implications for future breeding programs aimed at making domestic rice more competitive with imported rice.     

Carbon nanotube-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite for DNA complexation

This communication reports that a plasmid DNA molecule could spontaneously interact with hydroxyapatite (HA) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs-HA) in water-solute environment. Gel electrophoresis, UV absorption, FT-IR, and Raman spectra were used to characterize MWNTs-HA/DNA complexes. AFM and TEM images revealed that DNA induces the de-aggregation of MWNTs-HA. Our preliminary study suggests that the plasmid DNA significantly interacted with MWNTs-HA, and formed the stable complex, and could find the application in nanotechnology for gene delivery system.     

A step‐by‐step application of Sandia method in developing typical meteorological years for different locations in Oman

This paper reports on the development of typical meteorological years (TMYs) for seven different locations in Oman based on measured meteorological data. Depending on the availability of data the TMYs developed using Sandia method used data covering 7–17 years. The method as implemented here in a step‐by‐step procedure with illustrations is made simple. The procedure described herein is computerized and can handle any number of data sets in an easy‐to‐use manner. This should facilitate the development of TMYs for any location where enough data is available. Sensitivity analysis of different weights assigned to different weather parameters shows that Sandia method is highly affected by solar flux even if its weight is reduced by half while the weights of other parameters such as temperature, wind, and relative humidity have less impact on the selection of TMY. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

RADIATION OR WAXING EFFECT ON SHELF LIFE OF GUAVA FRUIT

Red and white guavas were treated with wax emulsion or irradiation (0.25-2.0 kGy) and kept for 12 days at room temperature. Initiation of rot attack occurred after 3 days which increased significantly during further storage. In the waxed fruits rottage, weight loss and vitamin loss were significantly less than controls and irradiated ones. Sensory scores decreased with storage time and they ranged 3.7-4.5, 2.1-3.9 and 2.3-2.7 in waxed, radiated and untreated controls respectively, after 12 days storage. Waxing was found to increase the. shelf life of this fruit for 3-4 d while irradiation exhibited no beneficial effects.