Hot Soaking Research Articles

Influence of parboiling of red paddy varieties by simple hot soaking on physical, nutrient, phytochemical, antioxidant properties of their dehusked rice and their mineral, starch, and antioxidant's bioaccessibility studies.

The objective of this study was to know about the effect of simple parboiling on physical properties, proximate composition, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity. These were studied in raw and parboiled paddy varieties as well as bioaccessibility of specific nutrients (minerals, starch, and antioxidants). The pigmented rice paddy varieties such as Jyothi, Meter & Athikaraya were parboiled by hot soaking treatment after soaking for 2, 2½, and 3hr. Athikaraya rice showed high protein, low ash in raw and parboiled than other varieties. Amylose equivalents of all three varieties exhibited in the range of 24%-27% (d.b). Whereas, the soluble amylose content showed 12.7, 8.7, and 7.7% (d.b) in Athikaraya, Meter and Jyothi rice varieties, respectively. Jyothi rice showed less cooking time and more cooking volume. Athikaraya showed high phenolic content and antioxidant properties compared to other two varieties. The dialysability of minerals, starch, and antioxidants were increased due to simple hot soaking parboiling. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The present study has the significance in assessing the variation among different pigmented rice varieties after parboiling by simple hot soaking with various soaking periods. The industrial advantage of this method is, there is no usage of boiler for cooking the paddy by steam, which was economically better. The information gained by this study might be beneficial for consumers and suppliers regarding the quality of the selected pigmented rice varieties with respect to nutrient composition, antioxidant activities, and bioaccessibility of minerals, starch, and antioxidants. Ultimately, the present study can lead to better appreciation of pigmented rice and assist food processors in selecting rice variety with unique characteristics for specialty food preparations.

Evaluation of Evaporative Emission and Feasibility of an Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery System for Scooters

This paper aims at the development of a novel onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) system for scooters. The corresponding feasibility and evaporative emission are evaluated so that this preliminary study may offer important contributions for developing an effective ORVR system in Taiwan. A survey of research is initially conducted to compare the evaporative emission of the ORVR systems mounted on vehicles with that of the vapor recovery systems of Stage II installed at gas stations. The results show that the ORVR technology possesses better controllability and lower cost. Then, a novel ORVR system for scooters consisting of a self-made fuel tank, a self-made carbon canister, a vapor pipe, a fuel limit vent valve, and a surge protector etc. is developed and tested. The proposed self-made carbon canister possesses the storage capacity of fuel vapor large enough to perform the adsorption tests of diurnal and hot soak for as long as three consecutive days. Finally, the designed ORVR system is installed on a scooter and tested for evaporative emission under the regulation of Taiwan so as to check if it fulfills the requirements. The results are further compared with those with the evaporative emission control system (EVAP). A significant improvement on the leaking problem of fuel vapor is gained by using the proposed ORVR system. Consequently, the study can offer a valuable reference for developing an economical and effective ORVR system in the future.

Experimental study of the effect of soaking temperature on the peeling parameters of two oak species (Quercus canariensis Willd. and Quercus afares Pomel)

ABSTRACT Veneer checking is a common enough occurrence in woodworking. It appears as cracks in the veneer and generally following the grain. Their appearance and the variation of their depth and frequencies have tremendous impact on their utilization. Finding a means of identifying and characterizing the veneer checks is an important ongoing challenge. An automated device, named SMOF, was developed in LABOMAP (Arts et Metiers – France) and achieves this task. By using the SMOF device, the lathe checks occurred in veneers of two species: zeen oak (Quercus canariensis Willd.) and afares oak (Quercus afares Pomel) were detected, automatically imaged and then, the depth and intervals of checks measured. The results were described by statistical distributions that exhibited abnormalities, such as skewness and kurtosis, which were assessed by mode analysis. It has been established that hot soaking temperature (from 60°C to 90°C) reduce slightly the cutting forces for both species, no produce significant heart checks within the loose side of veneers. However, low soaking temperature (from 50°C to 65°C) allow avoiding deeper lathe checking, producing shallower ones acceptable for veneer production.

Обоснование применения биоактивированного зерна тритикале в спиртовом производстве

Triticale accounts for the biggest share in gross processing and state procurement of grain in Belarussian production of alcohol. The main difficulty in its processing is the formation of viscous technological fluids due to the presence of non-starch polysaccharides in its chemical composition. All measures taken to solve the problem come down to the selection of the efficient enzyme preparations, hydrolyzing grain polymers into low molecular weight compounds, which have the ability to be disposed by the yeast cells and form the ethyl alcohol. But grain own enzymes are not involved. It is possible to solve the problem by means of biological activation, which will activate grain enzyme systems and partially hydrolyze grain polymers into low molecular weight compounds. The article considers general and special technological parameters of six cultivars of triticale selected in the Republic of Belarus: Antos, Kastus, Dubrava, Run, Prometheus, Impulse. The authors determined that the most promising cultivars for bioactivation and food grade ethyl alcohol production are Antos and Dubrava. The authors explored the possibility of using hot soaking of triticale grain for the biological activation. They also showed the advantages of introduction of amaranth green mass in the amount of 8% during hot soaking for the reduction of grain microbiological contamination. They studied the changes in the technological properties of triticale cultivars Antos and Dubrava after the bioactivation with the green mass of amaranth. The authors determined that grain microbiological characteristics improved, the activity of grain enzymes increased, proportion of low molecular weight compounds in the chemical composition increased. They studied the processes taking place during wort and mash production from the bioactivated triticale grain. The authors showed that the processing of bioactivated triticale grain resulted in the production of wort with higher concentration of dry matter which allowed to increase the ethanol content in the mature mash produced from triticale cultivar Antos by 19.5% and from the triticale cultivar Dubrava by 29.3% and reduce the total quantity of the main impurities in distillates.

Distribusi, Retensi, dan Penetrasi Bahan Pengawet Ekstrak Daun Tuba (Derris elliptica Benth) pada Kayu Kemiri dan Kayu Agathis (Distribution, Retention, and Penetration of Tuba Leaves Extract (Derris elliptica Benth) on Aleurites moluccana and Agathis Wood)

Wood preservation is carried out to increase the service life of wood with low natural durability. Factors such as wood structure, preservatives, and methods of preservation influence the preservation processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate retention, penetration, and distribution of tuba ( Derris elliptica) leaves extract into the candlenut wood ( Aleurites molluccana) and agathis ( Agathis sp.) wood structures. The wood samples were treated with hot and cold soaking. The duration of hot soaking were 3, 5, and 7 hours, while for cold soaking were 3, 5, and 7 days. The result showed that the highest retention of extract was achieved by cold soaking for 7 days at 9.4 kg m -3 , and the lowest retention was achieved by hot soaking for 3 hours at 1.9 kg m ‑3 . The highest penetration occured by cold soaking for 7 days at 8.08 mm and the lowest was that with hot soaking for 3 hours at 2.81 mm. However, the distribution of the extract in the agathis wood structures could not be detected by stereo microscope. In the the case of the candlenut wood, the extract was distributed in the parenchyma cell.

Development of a new pre-drying method of accelerated water absorption and partial gelatinization of starch in paddy using pulsed microwave-water applications in a microwave rotary drum dryer

The present study was undertaken to develop a pre-drying process of an accelerated water absorption and partial gelatinization of starch in paddy using pulsed microwave-water applications. The experiments on microwave-assisted water absorption by paddy (var. Sworn Masuri) at five power density levels in the range 0.2–1 kW kg−1 were conducted in a semi-pilot-scale microwave dryer. The paddy was exposed to pre-calculated intermittent water spray and pulsed microwaves up to 100 min. The water absorption kinetics were modeled using modified Azuara’s equation of mass transfer and the process was compared with traditional hot water soaking of the paddy at 60 °C for 3.33 h. The moisture content gained by paddy during microwave-assisted water absorption was faster (30% in 1.67 h) compared to hot water soaking (30% in 3.33 h). The consumption of water, specific energy, and water absorption time during microwave processing were reduced by 70%, 39.51%, and 50%, respectively. The method of slopes was used to estimate moisture diffusivity during microwave-assisted water absorption by paddy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of treated paddy were done to understand the changes in the crystallinity and the microstructure of starch molecules. The microwave-assisted water absorption process was found to accelerate the moisture gain with the effect of partial gelatinization of starch in the paddy. Further, the experiment can be continued in the same microwave dryer to fully gelatinize the paddy at 30% moisture content and dry the gelatinized paddy.

Germination pretreatment and storage behavior of Terminalia laxiflora seed

Terminalia laxiflora Engl. & Diels. is an important indigenous and multi-purpose species in Ethiopia. However threatened due to low germination and its storage behavior is unknown. In this study, we aimed to (1) test pretreatments for breaking the dormancy of T. laxiflora seed and (2) determine its storage behavior. Seeds were subjected to four pretreatments such as soaking, scarification, high-temperature, and control. Experiments were done before storage and after 2 years of dry storage at cold temperature (− 10 °C) based on randomized design with four replicates. The first round of experimental results showed that T. laxiflora seeds with high temperature treatments at 78 °C for 10 min showed significantly higher germination percentage (80%). In the second round experiment, high-temperature treatment at 78 °C for 15 min, cold water soaking, high-temperature treatment at 78 °C for 10 min, hot water soaking, and high-temperature treatment at 78 °C for 5 min showed significantly higher germination percentage from the remaining treatments (75, 64, 58, 56, and 53%, respectively). To break the dormancy of T. laxiflora seed and attain good germination result, seeds should be pretreated with high-temperature at 78 °C for 10 min to test the initial germination before storage and should be pretreated with high-temperature (at 78 °C for 15, 10, or 5 min), soaked in cold, or hot water for 24 h to monitor the germination after storage. The two experiments show that T. laxiflora produces orthodox seed.

How ethanol and gasoline formula changes evaporative emissions of the vehicles

China, the biggest vehicle market in the world, will implement nation-wide use of ethanol-added gasoline (contains 10% ethanol, E10) by 2020. This change will have significant impact on evaporative emissions which contribute 40% of total vehicular volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in China. This study performs the largest scale measurements on vehicle evaporation in China utilizing four types of market-based gasoline (three E10 gasolines versus one E0 gasoline) and 5 vehicles with two control levels: normal control (major fleet in Euro and China) and advanced control (US Tier 2 and future China 6). Add of thanol and aromatics components enhance emissions through permeation mechanism, while Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) has more impacts on canister-venting emissions. Average hot soak emissions increased by 45.4%, 40.5% and 28.6% when using E10 fuels for Euro 4, China 6 prototype and Tier 2 vehicles compared to emissions using E0 fuel. The average permeation of Euro 4 vehicles increased by ∼60% compared emissions when using E0 fuel. While, the impacts on diurnal emissions are associated with the dominated emission mechanism. Considering the real-world control strategy, the best performance on evaporative emissions was achieved by Fuel 3 (E10 with low RVP and aromatic). Besides, an upgrade on emission standard could dramatically reduce the total emission amount and the effects due to fuel composition difference can be ignored, indicating using ethanol would not become an excuse for violating compliance with emission regulations including China 6, which would be implemented in China in 2020.

Modelling of mechanical properties of five maize varieties at critical processing conditions in the production of fermented slurry-ogi

ABSTRACTThis research work was conducted to investigate the impact of critical processing conditions on the selected mechanical properties of maize in the production of fermented ogi slurry. Five varieties of maize (A4W, C3Y, D8W, B2Y, and E9W) were soaked at 28 ºC and average hot soaking at 65ºC, respectively, for 96 h at 12-h interval. Selected mechanical properties were evaluated based on a 5 × 2 × 9 factorial design (varieties× soaking methods× soaking periods). Force (FB) and energy required to break (EB) maize grains decreased significantly (p < 0.05) up to the 12th hour. The EB reduced from 873.3 to 70.0 N mm and from 873.3 to 77.8 N mm for variety E9W at soaking conditions of 28ºC and 65ºC, respectively. Similar trends were observed for other maize varieties. Modulus of elasticity and resilience decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with increase in soaking period and moisture content. The EB to break maize grains was directly proportional to the product of Young’s modulus and area (Em A1.5), the FB and area (Fm A°.5) and force required to break and geometric mean diameter (F Dg2) of maize grains with a high R2 (0.9610.999). This study suggested that the duration of soaking between 12 and 24 h should be enough to significantly (p > 0.05) reduce the hardness, force, and energy required to break whole maize grains in the production of this fermented product and relevant for predicting minimum required energy for a large-scale operation.

Effect of Ultrasound on Rough Rice Moisture Absorption Rate during Initial Soaking

Discharge of untreated wastewater to the environment, especially to the natural water bodies, is common in most of the small and medium scale parboiled rice processing facilities in Sri Lanka although the regulations do not permit such discharge. Effluents are added to water during soaking in the parboiling process where raw paddy is soaked in stagnant cold water for 36 to 72 hours or 2 to 4 hours in hot water at 60-650C. Soaking followed by steaming and drying are the main steps of rice parboiling and this pre-gelatinization process reduces rice breakage during milling. Hot soaking can reduce water consumption by 91.6 – 95.8 % and soaking time by 95%. However, hot soaking needs significantly high energy and special equipment including a boiler and therefore, it is not popular among the small-scale millers. The small-scale millers are accountable for about 70% of rice milling in the country and about 55% of rice is consumed as parboiled rice. Due to high prevalence of cold-water soaking method, adverse environmental effects could occur as a result of discharging of waste water. Therefore, finding solutions to minimize the impact is essential. Recent studies have shown evidence that different types of grain soaking can be improved by applying ultrasound waves during soaking. The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of moisture absorption rate of rough rice during cold soaking when combined with sonication to reduce soaking time, water usage and effluent generation. The laboratory studies revealed that ultrasound treatment could increase the soaking rate significantly. However, this is mainly due to the temperature rising during sonication and not due to the cavitation shear forces causing high sound pressure. When the temperature of water was maintained at room temperature, the soaking rate increased only slightly. Therefore, this study proved that sonication improved soaking rate of paddy.

An updated emission inventory of vehicular VOCs and IVOCs in China

Abstract. Currently, the emission inventory of vehicular volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is one of those with the largest errors and uncertainties due to suboptimal estimation methods and the lack of first-hand basic data. In this study, an updated speciated emission inventory of VOCs and an estimation of intermediate-volatility organic compounds (IVOCs) from vehicles in China at the provincial level for the year of 2015 are developed based on a set of state-of-the-art methods and an abundance of local measurement data. Activity data for light-duty vehicles are derived from trajectories of more than 70 000 cars for 1 year. The annual mileage of trucks are calculated from reported data by more than 2 million trucks in China. The emission profiles are updated using measurement data. Vehicular tailpipe emissions (VTEs) and four types of vehicular evaporation emissions (VEEs), including refueling, hot soak, diurnal and running loss, are taken into account. Results show that the total vehicular VOC emissions in China are 4.21 Tg (with a 95 % confidence interval range from 2.90 to 6.54 Tg) and the IVOC emissions are 200.37 Gg in 2015. VTEs are still the predominant contributor, while VEEs are responsible for 39.20 % of VOC emissions. The control of VEEs is yet to be optimized in China. Among VTEs, passenger vehicles emissions have the largest share (49.86 %), followed by trucks (28.15 %) and motorcycles (21.99 %). Among VEEs, running loss is the largest contributor (81.05 %). For both VTEs and VEEs, Guangdong, Shandong and Jiangsu province are three of the highest, with a respective contribution of 10.66, 8.85 and 6.54 % to the total amounts of VOCs from vehicles. 97 VOC species are analyzed in this VOC emission inventory. i-Pentane, toluene and formaldehyde are found to be the most abundant species in China's vehicular VOC emissions. The estimated IVOCs are another inconvenient truth, concluding that precursor emissions for secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from vehicles are much larger than previously estimated.

Insecticidal Effect of Carbon Dioxide Treatment on Onion Thrips (Thrips tabaci: Thripidae: Thysanoptera)

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of hot solution soaking and chilling treatment on sprouting and enlargement of bulblets obtained through in vitro culture in Korean native lilies with ornamental values. In vitro bulblets of Lilium cernuum, L. hansonii, L. hansonii for. mutatum, L. leichtlinii, and L. tsingtauense were soaked in distilled water or 100 and solution maintained at for two hours (hot water treatment) and/or exposed at for 0, 4, or 8 weeks (chilling treatment) and then planted in plastic trays filled with media and grown in a greenhouse at and under 16 h photoperiod. In all species, no bulblet propagated by tissue culture sprouted without chilling or hot water treatment due to dormancy. For dormancy breaking, hot solution treatment increasing sprouting by 55-96%, whereas distilled water or GA was not effective in sprouting. Chilling treatment for 4 weeks induced sprouting by 50-70% in L. cernuum and L. leichtlinii, whereas 8 weeks was needed for sprouting of L. hansonii and L. hansonii for. mutatum. Combined treatment of hot water and chilling treatments synergistically promoted sprouting. Especially, in L. cernuum and L. hansonii, hot solution soaking prior to chilling for 4 weeks promoted sprouting by 35-45% compared with the reverse order. Enlargement of bulblets resulted from increase in fresh weight and diameter was promoted by the treatments that increased the sprouting percentage of bulblets. Only in L. cernuum, shoots emerged from bulblets soaked in hot solution or chilled at and shoot emergence rate was highest in bulblets soaked in hot solution and then chilled for 8 weeks. From these results, the most effective method for bulblet sprouting and enlargement was to soak in hot solution and then chill for 4 weeks in L. hansonii, hansonii for. mutatum, and leichtlinii, and to soak in hot solution and then chill for 4 weeks in L. cernuum and tsingtauense.

Characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the evaporative emissions of modern passenger cars

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vehicle evaporative emissions contribute substantially to photochemical air pollution. Yet, few studies of the characteristics of VOCs emitted from vehicle evaporative emissions have been published. We investigate the characteristics of 57 VOCs in hot soak, 24 h diurnal and 48 h diurnal emissions by applying the Sealed Housing Evaporative Determination unit (SHED) test to three modern passenger cars (one US Tier 2 and two China IV vehicles) using two different types of gasoline. The characteristics of the VOCs from the hot soak, 24 h diurnal and 48 h diurnal emissions were different due to their different emission mechanisms. In the hot soak emissions, toluene, isopentane/n-pentane, and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane were dominant species. In the 24 h and 48 h diurnal emissions, isopentane and n-pentane were dominant species. Toluene was the third most dominant component in the 24 h diurnal emissions but decreased by a mass of 42%–80% in the 48 h diurnal emissions. In the hot soak, 24 h diurnal and 48 h diurnal emissions, alkanes were generally the dominant hydrocarbons, followed by aromatics and olefins. However, owing to different evaporative emission mechanisms, the weight percentages of the aromatic hydrocarbons decreased and the weight percentages of the alkanes increased from the hot soak test to the 24 h diurnal and 48 h diurnal tests for each vehicle. The dominant contributors to the ozone formation potentials (OFPs) were also different in the hot soak, 24 h diurnal and 48 h diurnal emissions. The OFPs (g O3/g VOC) of the hot soak emissions were higher than those of the 24 h and 48 h diurnal emissions. In addition, the combined effect of decreasing the olefin and aromatic contents of gasoline on vehicle evaporative emissions was investigated. The aromatics all decreased substantially in the hot soak, 24 h and 48 h diurnal emissions, and the total masses of the VOCs and OFPs decreased, with the greatest reduction occurring in the hot soak emissions when the fuel aromatic and olefin contents were reduced.

Investigation of tailpipe and evaporative emissions from China IV and Tier 2 passenger vehicles with different gasolines

The limited understanding of vehicular emissions in China, especially evaporative emissions, is one obstacle to establishing tighter standards. To evaluate tailpipe and evaporative emissions, two typical China IV vehicles and one Tier 2 vehicle with an onboard refuelling vapour recovery (ORVR) system were selected and tested. One of the China IV vehicles was fuelled with gasoline, E10 and M15, respectively, to investigate the effect of fuel properties on vehicular emissions. For each vehicle, cold-start tailpipe emission tests were conducted first, followed by an evaporation test. Based on the emission factors and real-world vehicle activity data, the annual tailpipe and evaporative hydrocarbon (HC) emissions of each vehicle were calculated and compared. The results show that E10 and M15 significantly reduced the tailpipe CO and particle number (PN) emissions but seriously aggravated the NOx emissions, especially for M15. The hot soak losses (HSLs) and diurnal breathing losses (DBLs) were slightly impacted by the fuel properties. The annual evaporative emissions with E10 and M15 were higher than that with gasoline. The ORVR system effectively controlled the evaporative emissions, especially for DBLs. Evaporative emissions from the China IV vehicles were 1.1–1.4 times the tailpipe HC emissions. Additionally, the evaporative emission factors of the China IV vehicles were almost 50% lower than the standard (2.0g/test), whereas their annual evaporative emissions were almost 1.8–2.8 times higher than those from the Tier 2 vehicle. Therefore, controlling evaporative emissions currently remains a great need in China, and the ORVR might be a recommended evaporative control technology.

On-road vehicle emissions and their control in China: A review and outlook

The large (26-fold over the past 25years) increase in the on-road vehicle fleet in China has raised sustainability concerns regarding air pollution prevention, energy conservation, and climate change mitigation. China has established integrated emission control policies and measures since the 1990s, including implementation of emission standards for new vehicles, inspection and maintenance programs for in-use vehicles, improvement in fuel quality, promotion of sustainable transportation and alternative fuel vehicles, and traffic management programs. As a result, emissions of major air pollutants from on-road vehicles in China have peaked and are now declining despite increasing vehicle population. As might be expected, progress in addressing vehicle emissions has not always been smooth and challenges such as the lack of low sulfur fuels, frauds over production conformity and in-use inspection tests, and unreliable retrofit programs have been encountered. Considering the high emission density from vehicles in East China, enhanced vehicle, fuel and transportation strategies will be required to address vehicle emissions in China.We project the total vehicle population in China to reach 400–500 million by 2030. Serious air pollution problems in many cities of China, in particular high ambient PM2.5 concentration, have led to pressure to accelerate the progress on vehicle emission reduction. A notable example is the draft China 6 emission standard released in May 2016, which contains more stringent emission limits than those in the Euro 6 regulations, and adds a real world emission testing protocol and a 48-h evaporation testing procedure including diurnal and hot soak emissions. A scenario (PC[1]) considered in this study suggests that increasingly stringent standards for vehicle emissions could mitigate total vehicle emissions of HC, CO, NOX and PM2.5 in 2030 by approximately 39%, 57%, 59% and 79%, respectively, compared with 2013 levels. With additional actions to control the future light-duty passenger vehicle population growth and use, and introduce alternative fuels and new energy vehicles, the China total vehicle emissions of HC, CO, NOX and PM2.5 in 2030 could be reduced by approximately 57%, 71%, 67% and 84%, respectively, (the PC[2] scenario) relative to 2013. This paper provides detailed policy roadmaps and technical options related to these future emission reductions for governmental stakeholders.

VOC from Vehicular Evaporation Emissions: Status and Control Strategy.

Vehicular evaporative emissions is an important source of volatile organic carbon (VOC), however, accurate estimation of emission amounts and scientific evaluation of control strategy for these emissions have been neglected outside of the United States. This study provides four kinds of basic emission factors: diurnal, hot soak, permeation, and refueling. Evaporative emissions from the Euro 4 vehicles (1.6 kg/year/car) are about four times those of U.S. vehicles (0.4 kg/year/car). Closing this emissions gap would have a larger impact than the progression from Euro 3 to Euro 6 tailpipe HC emission controls. Even in the first 24 h of parking, China's current reliance upon the European 24 h diurnal standard results in 508 g/vehicle/year emissions, higher than 32 g/vehicle/year from Tier 2 vehicles. The U.S. driving cycle matches Beijing real-world conditions much better on both typical trip length and average speed than current European driving cycles. At least two requirements should be added to the Chinese emissions standards: an onboard refueling vapor recovery to force the canister to be sized sufficiently large, and a 48-h evaporation test requirement to ensure that adequate purging occurs over a shorter drive sequence.

Neonatal Tetanus, Yet Not Gone: Infectious Disease Hospital Experience

Background: Although neonatal tetanus (NT) has been declared eliminated from Bangladesh in June 2008, it is not uncommon in Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Dhaka. There are various presentations of NT cases and treatment practices also vary.Objective: This study was conducted to describe our experiences with NT at IDH outlining the clinical characteristics, maternal immunization and treatment outcome.Materials and Methods: Thirty neonates admitted with tetanus in IDH from March 2011 to December 2012 were observed prospectively to study risk factors, clinical features and outcomes during hospital stay.Results: Among 30 neonates with tetanus 80% were male. Eighty seven percent of these cases were delivered at home and 83% of mothers did not receive any dose of tetanus toxoid (TT). Fifty percent of the neonates were admitted within 3–5 days of age. Shidur (Vermillion) was applied to the cord stump in 23% neonates. Hot soak was applied to the umbilicus in 5 (17%) neonates. Presenting features were convulsion and/or stiffness or rigidity (93%), inability to suck (90%) and umbilical infection (70%). During hospital care multiple cardiac arrests developed in 86% neonates and apnea developed in 60% of the neonates. Treatment was given in pediatric ward. Case fatality rate was 50%.Conclusion: Risk factors observed in NT cases were maternal non-immunization, unhygienic delivery practices and application of substances in the umbilicus. Antenatal TT administration and universal immunization under school health program should be more emphasized to prevent NT.J Enam Med Col 2015; 5(3): 161-165

Quantifying the Relationship between Rice Starch Gelatinization and Moisture‐Electrical Conductivity of Paddy during Soaking

AbstractThis study formulates a mathematical relationship correlating the degree of starch gelatinization (DSG) of rice to the paddy moisture‐electrical conductivity (EC) of paddy water during the soaking portion of the parboiling process. DSG values of rice were measured using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Paddy was parboiled by soaking at 60, 65, 70 and 75C. At each temperature paddy samples were selected at five different soaking times. Optimum soaking times for 60, 65, 70 and 75C were determined to be 240, 180, 120 and 80 min, respectively. Paddy moisture (22.43–34.93%, wet basis), EC of paddy water (1.63–2.71 mS/cm) and DSG of rice (5.38–36.90%) increased with increasing temperature and soaking time. It was found that a linear relationship exists between DSG and EC, as well as between DSG and moisture content during soaking. EC of paddy water correlates well with DSG of rice during soaking. An online measurement system of paddy water EC was manufactured and evaluated. The relationship between DSG and EC can be utilized for quick and simple determination of DSG during soaking and eliminating the need for conventional chemical analysis.Practical ApplicationsParboiled rice enjoys high popularity because of its high nutritional content. The soaking stage is the most important stage of the parboiling process. Soaking conditions (temperature and time of soaking) largely determine the characteristics of the parboiled product and can be evaluated by DSG. Therefore, from an industrial point of view, it is important to apply the best processing conditions for parboiling rough rice. Hot soaking requires precise control because starch granules are gelatinized during soaking. Determination of DSG is commonly done by DSC instrument. This method is associated with high costs and cannot provide online data. Online measurement of EC values of paddy water during soaking can be used to easily and accurately predict the final time of the soaking stage. This study was developed as a quick and easy method for online determination of DSG values during soaking. The method presented here can be used for monitoring and controlling the soaking stage by measuring paddy water EC via an online system based on DSG values during soaking.

Influence of Different Pre-sowing Treatments on Germination and Seedling Vigour of Guava (Psedium guajava L.) Seeds

The study aimed at investigating the effect of pre-sowing treatments on the germination and seedling vigour of Guava (Var. Allahabad Safeda) seeds. The pre- sowing treatments were made up cold and hot water soaking, manual scarification with sand paper, electronic scarification, different concentration of sulphuric acid, H2O2, CaOCl2 along with control. The treated and control seeds were placed for germination in top of the paper method. Twenty five days after sowing the result revealed that seeds soaked with CaOCl2 2% for 12 hrs. registered highest germination of 41 per cent followed by seed treated with H2SO4 200ml/kg for 15 minutes (40%). The control seeds gave only 10 per cent germination. Vigour index values shows significant differences among the treatments. The highest vigour index values of 119 were recorded in the seeds treated with H2SO4 200ml/kg for 10 minutes. The lowest vigour index value of 16 was recorded in control treatment. The results showed that treating the seeds with CaOCl2 2% for 12 hrs (or) treated with H2SO4 200ml/kg for 10 (or) 15 minutes was the most effective pre-sowing treatment for the germination and seedling vigour of Guava seeds.

Effect of gasoline/methanol blends on motorcycle emissions: Exhaust and evaporative emissions

The emission characteristics of motorcycles using gasoline and M15 (consisting of 85% gasoline and 15% methanol by volume) were investigated in this article. Exhaust and evaporative emissions, including regulated and unregulated emissions, of three motorcycles were investigated on the chassis dynamometer over the Urban Driving Cycle (UDC) and in the Sealed Housing for Evaporative Determination (SHED), respectively. The regulated emissions were detected by an exhaust gas analyzer directly. The unregulated emissions, including carbonyls, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and methanol, were sampled through battery-operated air pumps using tubes coated with 2,4-dintrophenylhydrazine (DNPH), Tenax TA and silica gel, respectively. The experimental results showed that, for exhaust emission, compared with those from gasoline fueled motorcycles, the concentration of total hydrocarbons (THC) and CO from motorcycles fueled with M15 decreased by 11%–34.5% and 63%–84% respectively, while the concentration of NOx increased by 76.9%–107.7%. Compared with those from gasoline fueled motorcycles, BTEX from motorcycles fueled with M15 decreased by 16%–60% while formaldehyde increased by 16.4%–52.5%. For evaporative emission, diurnal losses were more than hot soak losses and turned out to be dominated in evaporative emissions. In addition, compared with gasoline fueling motorcycles, the evaporative emissions of THC, carbonyls and VOCs from motorcycles fueled with M15 increased by 11.7%–37%, 38%–45% and 16%–42%, respectively. It should be noted that the growth rate of methanol was as high as 297%–1429%. It is important to reduce the evaporative emissions of methanol fueling motorcycles.