Optimization of Process Parameters for Decortication of Finger Millet Through Response Surface Methodology

Decorticated finger millet is prepared by hardening the endosperm by hydrothermal processing and polishing the processed grains. The yield of the decorticated grains is of paramount importance in the millet industry. Milling yield depends on the grain moisture content and incipient moisture conditioning during milling. It was found that steaming conditions such as steaming time and steam pressure significantly influenced the milling yield. Hence, studies were undertaken to determine the influence of moisture and steaming conditions on the yield of decorticated millet. Steaming conditions were optimized through response surface methodology. The responses studied were hardness, milling yield, porosity and water uptake of hydrothermally processed millet. The studies indicated that hydrothermally processed millet with 16±1% moisture content, tempered with 5% added water at I stage and 4% water in the II stage milling, resulted in a yield of 64.6%. The relationship of milling yield, hardness and porosity of the millet was quadratic with the severity of steaming conditions, while water uptake of the steamed millet exhibited a linear relationship. Based on the regression analysis, optimum conditions estimated for steaming time and pressure were 17.5 min and 313.8 kPa, respectively. At this condition, the milling yield, water uptake, porosity and hardness values were also predicted and the values were 68.33 g/100 g, 63.43 g/100 g, 52.23% and 204.01 N, respectively. The studies indicate that steaming the millet at elevated pressure and temperature increases the milling yield and steaming beyond the threshold level has a detrimental effect on the yield of head grains.     

Ionic conduction in poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(ethyl methacrylate)-based polymer blend electrolytes complexed with different lithium salts

Poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(ethyl methacrylate)-based polymer blend electrolytes comprising propylene carbonate as a plasticizer and a lithium salt LiX (X = BF₄⁻, ClO₄⁻, CF₃SO₃⁻) are prepared by a solvent casting technique. The electrolytes are subjected to characterization by ionic conductivity, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetic/differential thermal analysis. The electrolytes that contain LiBF₄ exhibit maximum conductivity and are thermally stable up to 254 °C.     

Radionuclide inventories in the discharged fuels of PHWR-220, BWR-160, VVER-1000 and the conceptual ATBR-600 reactors – A case study

Radionuclides content in the discharged fuel of the conceptual thorium breeder reactor ATBR-600 has been assessed and compared against other thermal power reactors considered in Indian nuclear power programme. The contribution of actinides and the fission products inventories in the discharged fuels are separately estimated and assessed. The ATBR-600 reactor is suggested for closed fuel cycle option. The relatively large presence of the unspent plutonium would in fact be recycled. Nonetheless, the data has been presented in the event of operating ATBR-600 like other present day power reactors in a once through fuel cycle mode.     

Physics principles to achieve comparable fission power from fertile and fissile rods of the conceptual ATBR/FTBR reactors

Loading of seedless fertile rods has been used as the central principle to maximize fertile to fissile conversion in the two thorium breeder reactor concepts, viz. ATBR and FTBR [Jagannathan, V., Pal, Usha, Karthikeyan, R., Ganesan, S., Jain, R.P., Kamat, S.U., 2001. ATBR – a thorium breeder reactor concept for an early induction of thorium in an enriched uranium reactor. Nuclear Technology 133, 1–32; Jagannathan, V., Pal, Usha, Karthikeyan, R., Raj Devesh, Srivastava, Argala, Ahmad Khan, Suhail, 2007. Reactor physics ideas to design novel reactors with faster fissile growth. In: Paper accepted for oral presentation in ‘ICENES 2007 – 13th International Conference on Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems, 3--8 June 2007, Istanbul, Turkey]. At fresh state the seedless thoria rods will produce practically no fission power, or nearly thousand times less fission rate compared to the seed fuel rods. Hence it is conceived that the fuel assembly would be constituted by assembling the fresh seed rods with one fuel cycle irradiated fertile thoria rods. Even in this state there is a wide disparity between the fissile content of these rods. By judicious choice of the rod dimensions and their relative locations, a degree of balance in the fission rate is achieved in the fresh state of seeded rods. Remarkably as the burnup proceeds the initially seedless fertile rods have a continuous growth of fissile content up to an asymptotic value for a given spectrum and the fissile content in seeded rods monotonically decreases. If the discharge burnup is sufficiently large by design, it is seen that the power share of the initially seedless fertile rods can even exceed that of the seed fuel rods. The physics principles of achieving this characteristic are presented in this paper.     

A review of technology diffusion models with special reference to renewable energy technologies

Diffusion of renewable energy technologies (RETs) are driven by policies and incentives due to their inherent characteristics such as high upfront costs, lack of level playing field but distinct advantages from energy security, environmental and social considerations. Even after three decades of their promotion, only 20–25% of their potential has been realized. The theory of diffusion modeling allows analysis of diffusion processes and study of growth rates of different technologies and underlying diffusion factors. Their applications have focused on commercial and consumer products such as television, automobiles and IT products and their applications to RETs have been limited. Diffusion analysis of RETs have been based on barriers’ to RET adoption and techno–economic, learning and experience curve approaches. It is observed that these diffusion models when applied to commercial products do not deal with the issues of policy influences which are critical to RET diffusion. Since policies drive RET diffusion, the models for analyzing RET diffusion should allow establishing explicit relationships between the diffusion parameters and policies and their impact on diffusion rates. Given the potential of renewable energy technologies for sustainable development, the aim of this paper is to review different diffusion theory based models and their applicability to RET diffusion analysis.     

Adenosine deaminase activity in protein-energy malnutrition

Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) was evaluated in 69 children with protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and 20 healthy controls. Significantly decreased responses to purified protein derivative (PPD) (p < 0.02) and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) (p < 0.01) and increased serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity (p < 0.001) were observed in PEM cases compared with the controls. The mean values of ALC and ADA activity in PEM patients were 85.9% and 158.7% of the normal mean, respectively. A significant negative correlation was observed between the two parameters (r=- 0.2765, p < 0.01). The CMI tests were abnormal in all three grades of PEM, except for the response to PPD in grade I, when compared with the controls. No significant differences were found between infected and uninfected PEM cases. Thus, impaired CMI was observed not only in grades II and III but also in grade I PEM patients and the concomitant infection did not affect its status. However, ADA activity demonstrated a more pronounced change than the other tests.     

Reno-colo-cutaneous fistula. A case report

Reno-colo-cutaneous fistula due to genito-urinary tuberculosis is extremely rare. We describe one such case which was successfully managed by single stage surgery (nephroureterectomy, fistulectomy and primary repair of colon) and anti-tubercular treatment.