Optical and Light Scattering Studies of Starch Granules

Starch samples were extracted from food grains namely Jowar, Cheno, Vatana and Tuwer, and physico-chemical properties were determined. These samples were examined under polarized light. SALS pattern enabled to determine the size of these starch granules. A comparison has been made between the size determined from the optical microscopy and the SALS technique.     

Effects of Reaction Medium on Grafting of Acrylonitrile Onto Sodium Salt of Partially Carboxymethylated Amylose

The grafting of acrylonitrile (AN) onto sodium salt of partially carboxymethylated amylose (Na-PCMA) using ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as an initiator has been studied in water/solvent mixtures. The solvents used include methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, acetone and carbon tetrachloride. The results have been discussed. The effect of reaction medium on the molecular weight of grafted PAN has also been studied. The chain transfer constants (C_s) for solvents like methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, acetone and carbon tetrachloride have been evaluated at 30°C by the help of Mayo's equation.     

A Study on Reaction Influencing Factors in Carboxymethylation of Leucaena glauca Seed Gum

Sodiummonochloroacetate and sodiumhydroxide were employed under different conditions to prepare and optimize the carboxymethyl derivative of Leucaena glauca seed gum. The effects of concentration of reactants, reaction temperature and time have been interpreted in terms of degree of carboxymethylation as well as efficiency and rate of carboxymethylation reaction. The formation of the proposed derivative has also been supported by providing infra-red spectral characterization.     

Differential Physio-Biochemical and Metabolic Responses of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) under Multiple Abiotic Stress Conditions

The frequency and severity of extreme climatic conditions such as drought, salinity, cold, and heat are increasing due to climate change. Moreover, in the field, plants are affected by multiple abiotic stresses simultaneously or sequentially. Thus, it is imperative to compare the effects of stress combinations on crop plants relative to individual stresses. This study investigated the differential regulation of physio-biochemical and metabolomics parameters in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) under individual (salt, drought, cold, and heat) and combined stress treatments using multivariate correlation analysis. The results showed that combined heat, salt, and drought stress compounds the stress effect of individual stresses. Combined stresses that included heat had the highest electrolyte leakage and lowest relative water content. Lipid peroxidation and chlorophyll contents did not significantly change under combined stresses. Biochemical parameters, such as free amino acids, polyphenol, starch, and sugars, significantly changed under combined stresses compared to individual stresses. Free amino acids increased under combined stresses that included heat; starch, sugars, and polyphenols increased under combined stresses that included drought; proline concentration increased under combined stresses that included salt. Metabolomics data that were obtained under different individual and combined stresses can be used to identify molecular phenotypes that are involved in the acclimation response of plants under changing abiotic stress conditions. Peanut metabolomics identified 160 metabolites, including amino acids, sugars, sugar alcohols, organic acids, fatty acids, sugar acids, and other organic compounds. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that abiotic stresses significantly affected amino acid, amino sugar, and sugar metabolism. The stress treatments affected the metabolites that were associated with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) and urea cycles and associated amino acid biosynthesis pathway intermediates. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and heatmap analysis identified potential marker metabolites (pinitol, malic acid, and xylopyranose) that were associated with abiotic stress combinations, which could be used in breeding efforts to develop peanut cultivars that are resilient to climate change. The study will also facilitate researchers to explore different stress indicators to identify resistant cultivars for future crop improvement programs.     

Modeling of void formation and removal in liquid composite molding. Part I: Wettability analysis

This two-part paper focuses on the characterization and simulation of two important molding defects in liquid composite molding—poor wetting and void formation. Part I analyzes resin-fiber wettability. This involved characterization of various liquids/resins and fiber filaments/fiber mats by using wicking test and capillary pressure measurement. Methodology to quantify capillary pressurewettability relationships was developed. It was found that the Leverett J function can correlate capillary pressure-saturation relationships for fiber reinforcements with various porosities and fiber architecture.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds of Guar Gum and Hydroxyethyl Guar Gum

The quaternary ammonium compounds of guar gum (QAGG) and hydroxylethyl guar gum ether (QAHEG) were prepared by the reaction of guar gum (GG) or hydroxyethyl guar gum ether (HEG) with amine condensates of epichlorohydrin using either aliphatic or heterocyclic tertiary amines. These quaternary salts were characterized by infra-red spectra, viscometry and thermogravimetry. The temperature characteristics like initial decomposition temperature (IDT), ten percent volatilization temperature (T₁₀), temperature of maximum rate of decomposition (T_max), integral procedural decomposition temperature (IPDT) and activation energy of QAGG and QAHEG salts are compared with those of GG and HEG.     

Carbon dioxide emission and its regulation at land–water interface downstream of a point source at Ganga River (India)

The streams and rivers are considered hotspots of CO₂ exchange; and representative direct CO₂ emission measurements are essential for a correct regional estimate. We measured CO₂ emission flux at 15 sites at land–water interface downstream of a point source during low flow for three consecutive months for the year 2017. The general range of CO₂ efflux observed here was close to the results of regional studies, although values near the point source were disproportionately high (>350 mg/m²/h). CO₂ emission flux showed strong dependence on total organic carbon (TOC; R² = 0.96; P < 0.001), (R² = 0.88; P < 0.001), soluble reactive‐P (SRP; R² = 0.91; P < 0.001) and microbial activity measured in terms of fluorescein diacetate activity (FDAase; R² = 0.92; P < 0.001) and substrate induced respiration (SIR; R² = 0.96; P < 0.001). Because point source‐associated interfaces provide heterogeneous habitats, our study suggests the need for large scale monitoring of CO₂ emission at land–water interface of major rivers for more correctly presenting the regional scale CO₂ budget.     

Increasing ionic conductivity and mechanical strength of a plastic electrolyte by inclusion of a polymer

In this contribution we present a soft matter solid electrolyte which was obtained by inclusion of a polymer (polyacrylonitrile, PAN) in LiClO₄/LiTFSI-succinonitrile (SN), a semi-solid organic plastic electrolyte. Addition of the polymer resulted in considerable enhancement in ionic conductivity as well as mechanical strength of LiX-SN (X = ClO₄, TFSI) plastic electrolyte. Ionic conductivity of 92.5%-[1 M LiClO₄-SN]:7.5%-PAN (PAN amount as per SN weight) composite at 25 °C recorded a remarkably high value of 7 × 10⁻³ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹, higher by few tens of order in magnitude compared to 1 M LiClO₄-SN. Composite conductivity at sub-ambient temperature is also quite high. At −20 °C, the ionic conductivity of (100 − x)%-[1 M LiClO₄-SN]:x%-PAN composites are in the range 3 × 10⁻⁵-4.5 × 10⁻⁴ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹, approximately one to two orders of magnitude higher with respect to 1 M LiClO₄-SN electrolyte conductivity. Addition of PAN resulted in an increase of the Young's modulus (Y) from Y → 0 for LiClO₄-SN to a maximum of 0.4 MPa for the composites. Microstructural studies based on X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggest that enhancement in composite ionic conductivity is a combined effect of decrease in crystallinity and enhanced trans conformer concentration.     

Fatty acid modified polyurethane dispersion for surface coatings: Effect of fatty acid content and ionic content

The higher molecular weight fatty acid modified polyurethane–urea dispersions (PUDs) were prepared with effective utilization of fatty acid and ionic emulsifier. The PUDs were prepared using oligomer of linoleic fatty acid, dimethylol propionic acid (DMPA), linear polyester diol, isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), triethylamine (TEA) and ethylenediamine (EDA) by prepolymer mixing method. Resultant PUDs had so-called controlled branched polymer structures. To incorporate fatty acid residues in the backbone of the polyurethane two types of oligomers were used which were synthesized by esterifying linoleic acid and phthalic anhydride (PA) with different monomers having different hydroxyl functionality i.e. trimethylol propane (TMP), pentaerythritol and neopentyl glycol (NPG). The oligomers were mixed with linear polyester diol in different proportions and used as polyol part in prepolymer for PUDs. Various compositional variations such as type of oligomer, content of oligomer and ionic emulsifier were studied for stability and compatibility with water. The PUDs were also examined by FTIR, AFM, GPC, particle size analyzer, viscometer, TGA, DMA and tensile tester to analyze structures and properties. Chemical, water and corrosion resistances of the dried films were also evaluated to study the effect of oligomer content in modified PUDs. These properties are found to be significantly affected by the content and type of oligomer as well as ionic content in the polymer.