Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research http://www.niscair.res.in; http://nopr.niscair.res.in Total visitors:11096 since 21-08-2010
VOLUME 69			NUMBER 10		OCTOBER 2010
CONTENTS
Review
727	Recent developments in microbial fuel cells: a review Surajit Das & Neelam Mangwani			This review presents microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that convert biochemical metabolic energy into electrical energy. Microbes can be fed with waste products rich in organic matter (domestic wastewater, lignocellulosic biomass, brewery wastewater, starch processing wastewater, landfill leachates etc.) to generate electricity. MFCs can also be used for wastewater treatment, as biosensors and production of secondary fuels like hydrogen.
732	Phytochemistry of Solanum xanthocarpum: an amazing traditional healer Okram Mukherjee Singh & Thokchom Prasanta Singh			Solanum xanthocarpum contains alkaloids, phenolics, flavanoids, sterol, saponins and their glycosides, and has a wide range of medicinal values. This review presents chemical constituents of S. xanthocarpum and its biological activities.
Management & Information Technology
741	Regression & neuro fuzzy models for prediction of thurst force and torque in drilling of glass fibre reinforced composites S Jayabal & U Natarajan			This study presents drilling of glass fiber reinforced composites with HSS drill bit to evaluate thrust force and torque under different cutting conditions, by using models developed using regression analysis & Neuro fuzzy system.
Management & Information Technology
746	A new approach for estimation of software testing process based on software requirements Arupratan Santra			This study presents a new approach for estimation of software testing process based on software requirements. It is an initial input in software development life cycle (SDLC). This paper proposes a more reliable and simpler approach for estimating software testing process in application software built in object-oriented (OO) technology.
S & T and Industrial Research
750	A low-power Gm-C low pass filter for mobile applications M Santhana Lakshmi & P T Vanathi			This study presents a high performance complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transconductor used in a multimode channel selection filter for mobile applications. A second - order Butterworth low pass filter (LPF) is designed with proposed transconductor and simulated using TSMC 0.35-µm CMOS technology in H-spice in synopsis tool. LPF consumes very low power (0.2 mW) and provides a wide tuning range (200 KHz - 3.1 MHz).
756	Thermodynamics and kinetics of ion exchange using titanium diethylene triamine pentamethylene phosphonate - a hybrid cation exchanger Parimal Patel & Uma Chudasama			A novel hybrid cation exchange material [titanium diethylene triamine pentamethylene phosphonate (TiDETPMP)] of the class of tetravalent metal acid (TMA) salt has been synthesized by sol gel method. A study on equilibrium exchange of Mg^2+, Ca^2+, Sr^2+and Ba^2+ions with H^+ ions contained in TiDETPMP, revealed mechanism to be ion exchange. Thermodynamic and kinetic parameters have also been evaluated under conditions favouring a particle diffusion-controlled mechanism.
S & T and Industrial Research
767	Synthesis and characterization of Fe(III)-ion imprinted polymer for recovery of Fe(III) from water samples D K Singh & Shraddha Mishra			Ion imprinted polymer (IIP) was prepared by formation of binary complex of iron (imprint ion) with acrylic acid (functional monomer) in cyclohexanol and thermally copolymerizing with styrene (monomer) and divinylbenzene (crosslinker) in presence of 2, 2’-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator.. Maximum adsorption (62.4 mg g^-1) of Fe(III) ions on to IIP was at pH 6. Distribution studies showed selectivity order as: Fe(III) > Zn(II) > Co(II) > Ni(II). Fe(III)-IIP was used to study preconcentration and recovery of Fe(III) from water samples.
773	Synthesis and characterization of aluminum titanium carbonitride TiAlCN via mechanical alloying J A Avila, H E Jaramillo, N A de Sanchez & H Sánchez Sthepa			This study presents synthesis of titanium aluminum carbonitrides alloy (TiAlCN) by mechanical alloying in Attritor ball mill from elemental powders of titanium, aluminum and graphite in nitrogen atmosphere. XRD showed presence of titanium aluminum nitride, aluminum nitride, titanium carbide and titanium aluminum carbon nitride, while SEM showed existence of micro and nano particles with high agglomeration. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis shows a homogeneous distribution of elements, and mapping analysis from X-rays confirms distribution of elements.
S & T and Industrial Research
777	Investigation on crosslinking density for development of novel interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) based formulation Subham Banerjee, Gaurav Chaurasia, Dilipkumar Pal, Ashoke Kumar Ghosh, Animesh Ghosh & Santanu Kaity			Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) based formulation, consisting of sodium alginate and poly vinyl alcohol, were prepared by water-in-oil emulsion crosslinking method. IPN based formulation was cross-linked with glutaraldehyde, and loaded with diclofenac sodium (DS) as a model drug. Scanning electron microscopy revealed spherical nature of microspheres (size, 472-157 μm). Drug entrapment efficiency (72%) was obtained depending upon concentration of crosslinking density. Novel formulation can be a potential carrier for controlled delivery of short half-lived drugs.
785	Quality characteristics of dehydrated leafy vegetables influenced by packaging materials and storage temperature Uadal Singh & V R Sagar			Leafy vegetables (curry leaves and drumstick leaves) were dehydrated in cabinet drier at 58±2°C and packed in four packaging materials (200 gauge and 400 gauge LDPE, 200 gauge HDPE and 150 gauge PP) and stored at room temperature (RT) and low temperature (LT) for 3 months to evaluate best package and storage temperature for maximum retention of nutrients in leafy vegetables during storage. HDPE (200 gauge), followed by storage at LT (7±1°C), was found to be good for higher retention of β-carotene, ascorbic acid, chlorophyll content, rehydration ratio, sensory score and less moisture and non-enzymatic browning (NEB) in dehydrated vegetable leaves during 3 months of storage.
Energy and Environment
790	Effect of recirculation rate on anaerobic treatment of fleshing using UASB reactor with recovery of energy E Ravindranath, Chitra Kalyanaraman, S Shamshath Begum & A Navaneetha Gopalakrishnan			This study presents performance of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor in treating liquefied fleshings (LFs) with tannery wastewater (TWW) using liquefaction reactor (LR). With increase in recirculation rate, methane production increased in LR than in UASB reactor due to methanogenic bacteria in LR. UASB reactor with continuous feeding of LFs and TWW resulted with cumulative methane in UASB reactor (128 l) and LR (145 l).
Energy and Environment
794	Studies on soya bean oil based lubricant for diesel engines K Balamurugan, N Kanagasabapathy & K Mayilsamy			Transesterified soya bean oil (SBO) was tested for lubrication, wear, corrosion, thermal and oxidation properties. Bio-degradable additives [palm oil methyl ester (POME), castor oil (CO)] were added to soya bean methyl ester (SBME) to improve wear resistance and oxidation stability. Various SBO formulations (crude SBO, SBME, SAE 40+SBME, SBME+POME+CO) were used as lubricants in diesel engines and sump oil temperature was measured and compared with SAE 40. SBOs showed physico-chemical properties similar to those of commercial mineral oil. Engine performance and lube oil temperature were not significantly different for SBO forms as compared to manufacturer’s recommended oil. SBME blends (SBME+CO+POME, SAE 40+SBME) were observed to be used as crankcase oils.
Author-Reader Platform
Book Reviews
798	Bioalcohol Production -Biochemical Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass, reviewed by Dr Ashok Pandey Current Trends in Science, Platinum Jubilee Special, reviewed by Dr P D Tyagi
800		Instructions to contributors