Automated bank cheque verification using image processing and deep learning methods

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Automated bank cheque verification using image processing is an attempt to complement the present cheque truncation system, as well as to provide an alternate...     

Tribological behavior of natural fiber reinforced PLA composites

The application spectrum of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites is growing rapidly in various engineering fields. The present study explores the possibilities of reinforcing thermoplastic bio-polymer with locally available inexpensive plant fibers for developing a new tribo-material. Three different types of natural fibers (nettle, grewia optiva and sisal) were incorporated into PLA polymer to develop laminated composites using a hot compression technique. TGA analysis was carried out to investigate the thermal stability of developed composites. Wear and frictional characteristics of developed composites were investigated under dry contact condition at different operating parameters, such as applied load (10–30 N), sliding speed (1–3 m/s) and sliding distance (1000–3000 m). The experimental results indicate that incorporation of natural fiber mats into PLA matrix significantly improves the wear behavior of neat polymer. There was 10–44% reduction in friction coefficient and more than 70% reduction in specific wear rate of developed composites as compared to neat PLA. The worn surface morphology was studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM) to analyze the wear mechanism in different types of developed composites.     

Oxidative Dehydrogenation of n-Butane: Activity and Kinetics Over VO x /Al2O3 Catalysts

The catalytic activity of a VO _x /Al₂O₃ catalyst for the oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butane is investigated. The effects of reaction temperature, oxygen to n-butane ratio and GHSV on the catalytic performance are examined and optimized. Interestingly, this simple catalyst gives good conversion and selectivity. Butane was 22–24 %, and the selectivity to C₄ alkenes was 56 %, of which 20–22 % to 1,3-butadiene. Moreover, the catalyst is stable for at least 72 h on stream. Kinetic studies show that the activation barriers for the formation of (butene + butadiene), CO and CO₂ amount to 70.2, 65 and 81.3 kJ/mol respectively.

     

Off‐flavour development in soybeans: comparative role of some antioxidants and related enzymes

Off‐flavour development is the major impediment in the effective use of soybeans as food ingredients. In the present study, the levels of vitamin E and vitamin C along with those of antioxidant enzymes, like superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase, were estimated in sixteen soybean varieties to explore their effectiveness against off‐flavour generation. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) number, an indicator of lipid peroxidation, was used to measure the quality with respect to off‐flavour. Data on activities of various antioxidant enzymes indicated that the off‐flavour is mainly generated enzymatically by the action of lipoxygenase on polyunsaturated fatty acids. Furthermore, varieties PK 416 and JS 7105 had the highest level of vitamin E while their TBA number was the lowest indicating the inverse relationship between the two parameters. It was further observed that the peroxidative effect of higher vitamin C concentrations is controlled by vitamin E. Among the varieties analyzed, PK 416 and JS 7105 appeared to have greater potential as most acceptable food ingredients. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Strategies for evaluating performance of flexibility in product recovery system

In view of the increasing business opportunities with changing customer attitudes and stricter legislations, the handling of returns has become a daunting challenge. The need for decision models for evaluating return performance has been observed in the academia and the corporate world. To improve return system performance, integrated flexible reverse enterprise systems have attracted attention from researchers as well as practitioners. This paper addresses these critical issues and proposes a novel integrated and Flexible recovery system decision model. The proposed model aims to facilitate enterprises in assessing their product recovery system capability, and in improving overall performance. The proposed model is a natural extension of several well-grounded policies for conventional reverse supply chains and can be verified on a simulation platform.     

Inventory management of perishable products: a time decay linked logistic approach

This paper proposes a logistic-based approach to a class of inventory problems with shortages and time decay functions. Time decay and shortages are a common phenomena in products with short life cycles, and financial volatility necessitates more accurate characterisation of inventory costs based on time-adjusted value. In this paper an extended approach of Wagner–Whitin (WW) is used to determine lot sizes, replenishment cycle, and schedules. A sensitivity analysis of the proposed optimisation procedure has been conducted to justify its advantages.     

Analysis of a perovskite-ceria functional layer-based solid oxide fuel cell

A fuel cell based on a functional layer of perovskite Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3?δ (BSCF) composited samarium doped ceria (SDC) has been developed. The device achieves a peak power density of 640.4 mW cm^?2 with an open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.04 V at 560 °C using hydrogen and air as the fuel and oxidant, respectively. A numerical model is applied to fit the experimental cell voltage. The kinetics of anodic and cathodic reactions are modeled based on the measurements obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Modeling results are in well agreement with the experimental data. Mechanical stability of the cell is also examined by using analysis with field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) associated with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) after testing the cell performance.     

A study of seeds of musk melon (Cucumis melo L.): A lesser known source of edible oil

The oil content and oil characteristics of seeds of 91 accessions of musk melon (Cucumis melo), including two allied species collected from different parts of the world, have been studied to assess their variability. Oil content (on a whole seed basis) ranged from 12.5 to 39.1% and iodine values from 106.0 to 124.1. Gas liquid chromatographic analysis showed that only linoleic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acids were present. Unsaturated fatty acids constituted 64.6–88.2% of the total fatty acids present. The proportion of kernel in the seeds of different accessions, varied from 25.0 to 74.1% and contributed significantly to the total oil content of the whole seed. A similar relationship existed in the case of the 100-seed weight.     

Optimization of Reaction Conditions and Regeneration Procedure of the PdSb/TiO2 Catalyst for Acetoxylation of Toluene

The catalytic activity of a PdSb/TiO₂ catalyst for the acetoxylation of toluene to produce benzyl acetate was investigated. The reaction was carried out in a fixed bed Hastelloy^® C reactor. The effects of various reaction parameters such as reaction, temperature, space velocity, acetic acid, toluene (Tol), and oxygen concentration in the feed mixture on the catalytic performance were examined and optimized. Interestingly, this catalyst sample displayed reasonably good performance (X-Tol = 54% and S-BA = 91%) with significant decrease in induction period and improved long-term stability compared to previously used catalysts. In addition, regeneration of the catalyst was also carried out at different temperatures in the range from 250 to 400 °C in air. Effective regeneration of the catalyst was achieved at 300 °C; temperatures higher than 300 °C revealed to be not suitable. Furthermore, the duration of regeneration has also been optimized. Doing this, suitable regeneration procedure was established for effective restoration of activity that is lost during the process of deactivation.     

Studies on the nutritional quality of some cucurbit kernel proteins

The nutritional quality of proteins of four cultivated cucurbit species was measured by nitrogen balance. The biological value of muskmelon, watermelon and pumpkin proteins were 59, 64, and 67 respectively. A value of 70 for bittergourd kernels was calculated from chemical score. Lysine was the first limiting essential amino acid in all the proteins. The leucine:isoleucine and leucine:lysine ratios did not show imbalance.