Physicochemical and functional properties of barley β-glucan as affected by different extraction procedures

Four methods were evaluated for extraction of β-glucan from barley. Gum pellets obtained by respective methods were examined for yield, purity and various physicochemical and functional characteristics. Highest yield and recovery was found in samples that were extracted by hot water treatment. This method also removed the maximum impurities from gum pellets and contained highest amount of soluble fibre, while alkali-extracted sample contained highest amount of insoluble fibre. All samples contained an appreciable amount of calcium and phosphorus. Extracted pellets had good water retention and foaming capacity. A significant variation in extraction methods was observed with respect to water binding capacity and foaming capacity. However, the same level of foaming stability was observed in all extraction methods. Alkaline and acidic extraction methods adversely affect the viscosity properties of the samples. A significant affect of extraction methods was also observed on colour parameters of β-glucan. A negative correlation exists between foaming capacity and viscosity, whereas a positive correlation observed between soluble fibre and viscosity.     

Performance analysis of modular mover hybrid excited flux switching linear machine

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - Hybrid excited flux switching linear machines (HEFSLM) are attracting attention in rail transit applications due to their high thrust force density,...     

Solution of the one-dimensional Bratu equation arising in the fuel ignition model using ANN optimised with PSO and SQP

In this paper, an efficient procedure based on the neural networks methodology is presented for the solution of the fuel ignition model in one dimension. The neural networks were optimised with the particle swarm optimisation algorithm hybridised with sequential quadratic programming. The accuracy and convergence of the scheme are analysed by Monte Carlo simulations and their statistical analyses for three test cases of the problem represented by Bratu-type equations. It was found that the hybrid approach converges in all cases, and can solve the problem with higher accuracy and reliability than most of the methodologies used so far to solve this problem.     

Foliar micromorphology and its role in identification of the Apocynaceae taxa

In the present study, we evaluate the importance of foliar epidermal micromorphological characteristics of Apocyanaceae for accurate identification and classification. The species were collected from the University of Peshawar's main campus in the spring season to observe its qualitative and quantitative features. The length and width of guard cells, stomatal pore and subsidiary cells, trichomes, and crypts on both sides of the leaf were examined. Many species were observed to be hypostomatic. Plumeria rubra, Raulfia serpentine, Thevetia peruviana, Trachelospermum lucidum, Alstonia scholaris, and Catharanthus roseus demonstrated hypostomatic leaves. Nearly all the investigated species had anisocytic type of stomata only or in combination with other types of stomata on the upper and lower epidermis. Carissa carandas had anomocytic, anisocytic, and cyclocytic type of stomata on the upper epidermis, and the lower epidermis showed variations in stomatal type, such as anomocytic, stephanocytic, brachyparacytic, and hemiparacytic. Nerium oleander had no specific shape of stomata but showed stomatal crypts in which the stomata were enclosed inside many trichomes. The taxonomic key based on stomatal types, epidermal cells, stomatal index value, and statistical analysis, along with the variations in the epidermal cells, shows the link between the selected plants species, which will provide a baseline for future anatomical studies. This study highlights many undocumented micromorphological characteristics. The anatomical characteristics observed in this study will be helpful for taxonomic identification and species delimitation of the family Apocynaceae.     

Integrated neuro-evolution-based computing solver for dynamics of nonlinear corneal shape model numerically

Neural Computing and Applications - In this study, bio-inspired computational techniques have been exploited to get the numerical solution of a nonlinear two-point boundary value problem arising in...     

Influence of Ag nanoparticles on state of the art MnO2 nanorods performance as an electrocatalyst for lithium air batteries

The need for an alternative and efficient electrocatalyst to replace Pt-based noble materials is a goal of prime importance in Li– air battery technology. In this work, novel silver nanoparticles-incorporated MnO₂ nanorods as an air electrode bifunctional catalyst have been synthesized by a simple polyol method. The physical characteristics of the thus prepared materials are analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) techniques. These analyses confirmed the successful synthesis of 20 to 25 nm-sized different weight % Ag nanoparticles incorporated on α-MnO₂ nanorods. Linear sweeping voltammetric results of AgMnO₂ showed improved ORR performance as compared to α- MnO₂ nanorods in terms of the onset potential, half wave potential and limiting current. The addition of catalysts has significantly increased the discharge capacity and overall performance of the cells. The first discharge curve of 5 wt% Ag MnO₂ sample reached a maximum capacity of 3500 mAhg-1 at 2.0 V with a current density of 0.1 mA cm^?2 with a plateau between 2.7 and 2.6 V. Long term stability of increasing weight percentage of Ag nanoparticles on MnO₂ samples is increased.     

Properties of polyamide‐zirconia nanocomposites prepared from sol‐gel technique

Transparent nanocomposites were prepared by producing zirconia network in glassy polyamide matrix using sol‐gel technique. Different amounts of tetrapropyl zirconate (TPZ) were added in polymer solution using anhydrous dimethylformamide as solvent. TPZ was hydrolyzed and condensed in situ in the matrix for the generation of inorganic networks using diethylamine. Thin and transparent films containing different proportions of zirconia were obtained by evaporating the solvent. Mechanical, dynamic mechanical thermal and morphological analyses of these films were carried out. An increase in tensile modulus was observed with the films containing zirconia contents up to 15 wt%, but the elongation at rupture was found to decrease sharply on further addition of zirconia. Toughness of the hybrid materials decreased with increased amount of zirconia. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) performed on the samples indicates an increase in the glass transition temperature; 102°C with pure polyamide to 132°C with polyamide containing 15 wt% zirconia contents. The storage modulus was also found to increase with increase in zirconia proportion in the matrix. The decrease in the storage modulus of the hybrids with rise in temperature was observed to be much smaller as compared with that of pure polymer. Thermal decomposition temperatures of the hybrids were found in the range of 450–500°C. The weights of the residues left at 700°C were nearly proportional to the zirconia contents in the original hybrids. The morphological studies suggest a uniform dispersion of zirconia domains in the matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers