Amylograph Pasting Behaviour of Cereal and Tuber Starches

The pasting characteristics in terms of peak viscosity (P), hot paste viscosity (H), cold paste viscosity (C) and at the selected fixed peak viscosities, the various ratios i.e., breakdown (H/P), setback (C/P), total setback (C/H) and relative breakdown, BD_r, (P-H)/(C-H) to distinguish the starches from different species, are reported. Important differences in these characteristics among various starches have been observed. The amount of soluble amylose present in a starch, significantly affected its tendency for retrogradation. The breakdown (H/P), setback (C/P), total setback (C/H) ratios and especially the relative breakdown (BD_r) can be made use of in distinguishing the starches from different species of wheat.     

Template-free synthesis of flower-shaped zero-valent iron nanoparticle: Role of hydroxyl group in controlling morphology and nitrate reduction

Well-dispersed single phasic flower-like zero valent iron nanoparticles have been synthesized under aerobic conditions using a facile approach without the addition of any additives or templates. The role of hydroxyl groups of polyhydroxy alcohols in controlling surface morphology of nanoparticles has been thoroughly investigated. The obtained nanoparticles have been characterized by TEM, FE-SEM, XRD and BET surface area analyzer. Electron microscopy analyses reveal that the solvent plays a pivotal role in determining the morphology of the particles. With increase in viscosity of the solvent, formations of ‘petal-like’ structures, which are joined at the center are formed. The nitrate removal efficiency of the iron nanoparticles synthesized in different solvents has been studied and it is seen that the “flower-like” iron nanoparticles were most active in the removal of nitrate. Experiments have been done by varying (i) nitrate concentrations, (ii) nanoparticle dose, and (iii) type of nanoparticles. The results conclude that highest removal efficiency (～100%) was achieved when the nanoparticle dose was 2.88 g/L, even for high nitrate concentrations up to 400 mg/L. The major highlight of this work is the fact that even though the nanoparticles synthesized in glycerol-water mixture have larger size in comparison to the other nanoparticles, still they remove the nitrates with highest efficiency.”     

Growth of nano-particles of Al2O3, AlN and iron oxide with different crystalline phases in a thermal plasma reactor

The paper presents the experimental results showing that the crystalline phase of the nano-particles, synthesized in a DC transferred arc thermal plasma reactor, critically depend on the operating pressure in the reaction zone. The paper reports about the changes in crystalline phases of three different compounds namely: aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃), aluminium nitride (AlN) and iron oxide (Fe_xO_y) synthesized at 760 Torr and 500 Torr of operating pressures. The major outcome of the present work is that the phases having higher defect densities are more probable to form at the sub-atmospheric operating pressures. The variations in the crystalline structures are discussed on the basis of the change in the temperature during the nucleation process, prevailing at the boundary of the plasma, on account of the ambient pressures. The as-synthesized nano-particles were examined by X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the confirmatory analysis of the crystalline phases of iron oxides was carried out with the help of Mössbauer spectroscopy.     

Variable-Gain Controllers for Nonlinear Systems Using the T–S Fuzzy Model

This correspondence proposes two novel control schemes with variable state-feedback gain to stabilize a Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy system. The T-S fuzzy model is expressed as a linear plant with nonlinear disturbance terms in both schemes. In controller I, the T-S fuzzy model is expressed as a linear plant around a nominal plant arbitrarily selected from the set of linear subsystems that the T-S fuzzy model consists of. The variable gain then becomes a function of a gain parameter that is computed to neutralize the effect of disturbance term, which is, in essence, the deviation of the actual system dynamics from the nominal plant as the system traverses a specific trajectory. This controller is shown to stabilize the T-S fuzzy model. In controller II, individual linear subsystems are locally stabilized. Fuzzy blending of individual control actions is shown to make the T-S fuzzy system Lyapunov stable. Although applicability of both control schemes depends on the norm bound of unmatched state disturbance, this constraint is relaxed further in controller II. The efficacy of controllers I and II has been tested on two nonlinear systems     

Portable single-pan wood stoves of high efficiency for domestic use

We describe and evaluate here certain new designs for single-pan wood stoves of high efficiency. The novelty in the design consists chiefly in the use of improved geometries for the combustion chamber and the vessel support. Extensive tests on water boiling and cooking demonstrate efficiencies exceeding 40%; these high values are attributable to stove operation at near stoichiometric conditions. The configuration termed Swosthee is among the most efficient stoves available to date, and is able to burn wet wood under partial loading with little accompanying smoke. Two versions of the same basic design provide inexpensive stoves that retain to a large extent the advantages of the original design like the generation of pollutants at low levels in the flue gases and the ability to handle wet wood. For the proposed designs the dependence of their cooking efficiency on vessel size has been obtained. These are reflected in terms of specific fuel consumption (whose variation is a function of vessel size). The present designs, when compared to other currently available improved stove designs like Priyagni, Tara, the Tamil Nadu Stove and theAstra three-pan stove, are better with respect to at least one of the following criteria-efficiency, cost, CO emission and portability. The stoves are presently being disseminated in small numbers. The results presented here are the outcome of the projects on “Wood Stoves” financed and administered by the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.     

Chemical,rheological and parotta making characteristics of flourmill streams

Chemical, rheological and parotta-making characteristics of wheat-milling flour streams were studied with the main aim of developing a speciality flour for parotta. Important quality characteristics such as ash, flour colour, dry gluten content, sedimentation value, free and bound lipid content, farinograph and alveograph characteristics of the mill streams were determined. The studies showed an increase in ash, gluten content and sedimentation value with increasing numbers of breaks in the flour streams. An increase in percentage whiteness and bound lipids was observed in the first five reduction passages (C1 to C5). The alveograph characteristics indicated that the average abscissa at rupture (L) length of the curve increased with increasing reduction streams from C1 to C5, and also that the curves were better balanced when compared to 1 BK to 5 BK. The parottas made from the first five break passages had a decreased spread ratio, dull brown colour, and fused layers and lower overall quality score (43–79). The initial reduction streams (C1 to C5) produced good quality parottas in terms of appearance, spread, layers and texture. The shear force values indicating the texture of the product ranged from 1,120 to 1,250 g. The speciality flour made by combining C1 to C5 streams had 0.45% ash, 9.63% dry gluten, 45 ml sodium dodecyl sulphate sedimentation value, 0.7% free lipid and 1.8% bound lipid and produced parottas having creamish white colour, excellent pliability, thin, transparent and distinct layers, soft texture and moderate chewiness. In the mouth the parottas broke down easily, without leaving any residue. The overall quality score of parotta was highest (93.5) for the speciality flour when compared to break and reduction streams (43–77 and 56–92 respectively).     

Snow depth estimation over north‐western Indian Himalaya using AMSR‐E

This paper presents the estimation of snow depth over north‐western Indian Himalaya using the 18.7H and 36.5H GHz channels of Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer‐EOS (AMSR‐E). The Microwave Emission Model of Layered Snowpacks (MEMLS) was used along with AMSR‐E to understand the difference in the snow pack emitted and sensor received signals due to the prevailing topography. The study shows that the brightness temperature of AMSR‐E and MEMLS are comparable at 18.7 GHz with some differences in their values at 36.5 GHz showing the sensitivity of this channel to the prevailing topography.

Three years of AMSR‐E data were used to modify the 1.59 algorithm to suit the terrain and snow conditions of the north‐western Indian Himalayas. The retrieved snow depth is then compared with ground observations. Data from December to February 2003–2006 were used for the study of snow depths less than 1 m. The modified algorithm estimates the snow depth better than the old algorithm over the mountainous terrains of the north‐western Himalayas.