Assessment of Nutritional and Antioxidant Potential of Selected Vitality Strengthening Himalayan Medicinal Plants

Three Himalayan medicinal plants (Habenaria intermedia, H. edgeworthii, and Roscoea procera), widely used in vitality strengthening Ayurvedic formulations in India, were assessed for nutritional phytochemical constituents, and antioxidant activity. These target species emerged as a good source of minerals and possessed important micro elements. Individually, H. intermedia contained a high content of total phenols, thiamins, tannins, and calcium; R. procera was rich in potassium and iron content; and H. edgeworthii emerged as a good source of sodium. While various antioxidant assays provided evidences on the antioxidant potential of target species, greater antioxidant potential of H. intermedia as compared to the other two species was revealing. This study, therefore, highlighted the possibilities of harnessing nutritional and antioxidant potential of these species.     

Higher-order squeezing of the electromagnetic field in spontaneous and stimulated Raman processes

The occurrence of fourth and fifth-order squeezing in the fundamental mode of the electromagnetic field in spontaneous and stimulated Raman processes under the short-time approximation is investigated on the basis of a fully quantum-mechanical approach. In an idealized model, the Raman process is looked upon as a two-photon on a one phonon interaction process. The coupled Heisenberg equations of motion involving real and imaginary parts of the quadrature operators are established. The dependence of fourth- and fifth-order squeezing in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio on the number of photons is investigated. We have also established the amplitude squeezing effects in the Stokes and vibrational modes, which is found to be dependent on higher-order difference squeezing showing a difference squeezing that can be converted to normal squeezing.     

Adaptive stabilization of input-saturated plants with known unstable poles

This paper considers the problem of controlling partially uncertain, possibly unstable and non-minimum phase linear plants submitted to a control saturation constraint. It seeks both plant l_∞-stabilization and output tracking. It proposes a direct adaptive controller and shows that if the closed loop poles are placed in a specific region, then the desired stability and tracking objectives are achieved.     

水泥颗粒生长与黏结的微观分析

水泥微观结果的变化是一个十分复杂的过程,其中包含了水泥颗粒的生长、黏联、絮凝以及其它反应。了解这些水泥颗粒的行为对于更好地掌握水泥基材料早期性能非常重要。采用扫描电子显微镜内安装的Quantomix密封舱系统,原位观察了3种不同的水泥浆体的微观结构。基于这个系统可连续观察水泥浆体微结构发展的优点,研究了水化过程中单个颗粒的生长与颗粒间的连接。通过显微照片的图像分析获得水泥颗粒的灰度变化,用于上述研究。对这些水泥浆体中水泥颗粒的生长与连接情况进行了定量研究。     

Diameter dependence of interwall separation and strain in multiwalled carbon nanotubes probed by X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering studies

We have made a systematic study on the diameter dependent spectral features in X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman scattering studies of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) of various diameters in the range 5?100 nm. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging reveals a systematic decrease in the interwall separation from 3.8 Å down to 3.2 Å as the diameter of nanotubes increases from 5.8 nm to 63.2 nm. Analysis of the XRD patterns shows an exponential decrease in d₀₀₂ interlayer spacing with increasing tube diameter, in close agreement with the HRTEM results. Further, XRD profile line width shows inverse diameter dependence and exponential increase in intensity as the diameter of the MWCNTs increases. Raman spectra of different diameter nanotubes show different evolutions of metallic and semiconducting components in the G-band, as found from spectral deconvolution. The frequency and full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the semiconducting component of the G^? band gradually decreases as the tube diameter increases. Ratio of intensities of G^? band to D-band first shows a sharp fall as the tube diameter increases from 7 nm to 15 nm and then slowly increases with increasing diameter. On the other hand, G′ mode frequency shows large up shift when average diameter is increased from 7 nm to 15 nm and then saturates for higher diameter tubes. Analysis of Raman and XRD data reveals that the lowest diameter (7 nm) MWCNTs have features similar to those of the single walled nanotubes, while the spectral features are distinctly different for higher diameter MWCNTs due to the interaction among tube walls that is very significant for large diameter MWCNTs. Observed diameter dependence of the spectral features is explained in terms of nanotube curvature and atomic vibrations involving interaction among the walls in MWCNTs. The present study demonstrates the power of XRD for nondestructive evaluation of diameter distribution and interwall separation in MWCNTs with wide range of diameters.     

A globally convergent pole placement indirect adaptive controller

A pole displacement indirect adaptive control algorithm is discussed for discrete-time linear deterministic plants with arbitrary zeros. The global convergence of the resulting closed-loop control system is achieved subject to the assumptions that the plant order and a nonzero lower bound on its degree of controllability are known. The problem of controllability of the plant model estimate is handled by using both a parameter correction and time-varying nonlinear feedback. A key property of the algorithm is that the plant estimate reaches a reasonable degree of controllability in a finite time, after which the parameter correction and the nonlinear feedback are no longer used     

Dielectric behavior of highly conducting perfluoropolyetherwater-in-oil microemulsions

The dielectric and conductive properties of a new ternary water-in-oil microemulsion consisting of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) oil, PFPE surfactant and water, were investigated by an impedance analysis technique in the frequency range of 5 Hz to 100 MHz. The trend of both the electrical conductivity and the static permittivity was analyzed as a function of the temperature in the interval from -10 to +40°C. Maxwell-Wagner relaxation phenomena in the MHz range and a percolative transition, of dynamic type against temperature, were observed     

Biodegradation of domestic wastewater under the simulated conditions of Thailand

Serious concerns have been raised about the sustainability of conventional mechanized linear wastewater treatment systems in the developing world. Bangkok in Thailand is no exception to these concerns, and merits closer examination. This paper is aimed at unveiling the fundamental facts and characteristics relating to the organic degradation potentials of domestic wastewater in Bangkok. It is supported by evidence from simple laboratory experiments in which existing local conditions were simulated. The results showed that greywater‐like qualities of domestic wastewater do predominate in Bangkok, most probably as a result of three main factors: (1) continued use of leaching septic tanks, (2) the tradition of using water after defecation, instead of toilet paper, and (3) high organic degradation potentials under tropical monsoon conditions. Considering the small organic content, coupled with high organic degradation rates of the freshly collected greywater‐based sewage in Bangkok, low‐cost and decentralized natural treatment systems could be far more suitable for environmental sustainability in such tropical monsoon areas than the implementation of large‐scale sewage works.