Enrichment of Zinc and Iron Micronutrients in Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) through Biofortification

Biofortification of pulse crops with Zn and Fe is a viable approach to combat their widespread deficiencies in humans. Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a widely consumed edible crop possessing a high level of Zn and Fe micronutrients. Thus, the present study was conducted to examine the influence of foliar application of Zn and Fe on productivity, concentration, uptake and the economics of lentil cultivation (LL 931). For this, different treatment combinations of ZnSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%) and FeSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%), along with the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), were applied to the lentil. The results of study reported that the combined foliar application of ZnSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%) + FeSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%) at pre-flowering (S1) and pod formation (S2) stages was most effective in enhancing grain and straw yield, Zn and Fe concentration, and uptake. However, the outcome of this treatment was statistically on par with the results obtained under the treatment ZnSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%) + FeSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%) at S1 stage. A single spray of ZnSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%) + FeSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%) at S1 stage enhanced the grain and straw yield up to 39.6% and 51.8%, respectively. Similarly, Zn and Fe concentrations showed enhancement in grain (10.9% and 20.4%, respectively) and straw (27.5% and 27.6% respectively) of the lentil. The increase in Zn and Fe uptake by grain was 54.8% and 68.0%, respectively, whereas uptake by straw was 93.6% and 93.7%, respectively. Also the benefit:cost was the highest (1.96) with application of ZnSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%) + FeSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%) at S1 stage. Conclusively, the combined use of ZnSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%) + FeSO₄·7H₂O (0.5%) at S1 stage can contribute significantly towards yield, Zn and Fe concentration, as well as uptake and the economic returns of lentil to remediate the Zn and Fe deficiency.     

Chemische Vitamin D3-Bestimmung in Lebertran

The different aspects of Vitamin D₃ determination and the data reported in the literature are discussed. The spectrophotometric determination of Vitamin D₃ in cod-liver oil is carried out after the alkaline saponification, extraction of unsaponified parts, precipitation of accompanying sterols and the column- and thin-layer chromatographic purification and separation of vitamin D₃ on 40 cm plates from other vitamins. The dyestuff α-naphtholbenzein is suited well as standard substance for the better location and identification of vitamin D₃ zone on the thin-layer plate. The results obtained from the chemical method were checked through the simultaneous biological determination.     

Determination of multiple thermal degradation mechanisms of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)

The thermal degradation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) was investigated by kinetic analyses in detail to clarify its complex degradation behavior, resulting in a finding of mixed mechanisms comprising at least a thermal random degradation with subsequent auto-accelerated transesterification, and a kinetically favored chain reaction from crotonate chain ends. The thermal degradation behavior of PHB varied with changes in time and/or temperature. From the kinetic analysis of changes in molecular weight, it was found that a non-auto-catalytic random degradation proceeding in the initial period was followed by an auto-accelerated reaction in the middle period. From the kinetic analysis of weight loss behavior, it is proposed that there are some kinetically favored scissions occurring at the chain ends, where the degradation proceeded by a 0th-order weight loss process in the middle stage. The observed 0th-order weight loss process was assumed to be an unzipping reaction occurring at ester groups neighboring the crotonate end groups.     

Cylindrically symmetric gravitational-wavelike space–times

We present Noether symmetries of a geodetic Lagrangian for a time-conformal cylindrically symmetric space–time. We introduce a time-conformal factor in the general cylindrically symmetric space–time to make it nonstatic and then find approximate Noether symmetries of the action of the corresponding Lagrangian. Taking the perturbation up to the first order, we find all Lagrangians for cylindrically symmetric space–times for which approximate Noether symmetries exist.     

Simulation and hybrid fuzzy-PID control for positioning of a hydraulic system

Accuracy and precision of position control of hydraulic systems are key parameters for engineering applications in order to set more economical and quality systems. In this context, this paper presents modeling and position control of a hydraulic actuation system consisting of an asymmetric hydraulic cylinder driven by a four way, three position proportional valve. In this system model, the bulk modulus is considered as a variable. In addition, the Hybrid Fuzzy-PID Controller with Coupled Rules (HFPIDCR) is proposed for position control of the hydraulic system and its performance is tested by simulation studies. The novel aspect of this controller is to combine fuzzy logic and PID controllers in terms of a switching condition. Simulation results of the HFPIDCR based controller are compared with the results of classical PID, Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC), and Hybrid Fuzzy-PID controller (HFPID). As a result, it is demonstrated that Hybrid Fuzzy PID Controller with Coupled Rules is more effective than other controllers.     

Microwave-induced combustion synthesis and characterization of NixCo1−xFe2O4 nanocrystals (x = 0.0, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0)

A series of Ni-doped cobalt ferrites Ni_xCo1_−xFe₂O₄ (x = 0.0, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0) were prepared using microwave-induced combustion. Nickel, cobalt, and ferric nitrates were used as starting materials and glycine as fuel. The influence of Ni content on the lattice parameter, stretching vibrations, and magnetization was studied. XRD, FTIR, and SEM were used for structure, composition, and morphology investigation. A porous network structure was observed with average particle size 60–67 nm. All samples had a cubic spinel structure. The unit cell parameter “a” decreases linearly with nickel concentration due to the smaller ionic radius of nickel. Magnetization measurements showed that coercivity decreased as Ni content increased; it increased with decreasing temperature.      

Asset pricing for an affine jump‐diffusion model using an FD method of lines on nonuniform meshes

We present a novel numerical scheme for the valuation of options under a well‐known jump‐diffusion model. European option pricing for such a case satisfies a 1 + 2 partial integro‐differential equation (PIDE) including a double integral term, which is nonlocal. The proposed approach relies on nonuniform meshes with a focus on the discontinuous and degenerate areas of the model and applying quadratically convergent finite difference (FD) discretizations via the method of lines (MOL). A condition for observing the time stability of the fully discretized problem is given. Also, we report results of numerical experiments.     

Systematic design of single-mode coupled-resonator optical waveguides in photonic crystals

By establishing a direct relation between the dispersion and the field profile of a coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW) and those of its constituent cavities, we present a systematic method for the design of a single-mode CROW and for control of its dispersion. The procedure includes the design of a single-mode cavity and control of its frequency by engineering its structure. Then, by chaining these cavities in the proper direction and at an appropriate distance, we achieve the desired dispersion for the CROW.     

Community detection based on the “clumpiness” matrix in complex networks

The “clumpiness” matrix of a network is used to develop a method to identify its community structure. A “projection space” is constructed from the eigenvectors of the clumpiness matrix and a border line is defined using some kind of angular distance in this space. The community structure of the network is identified using this borderline and/or hierarchical clustering methods. The performance of our algorithm is tested on some computer-generated and real-world networks. The accuracy of the results is checked using normalized mutual information. The effect of community size heterogeneity on the accuracy of the method is also discussed.     

New cold-fiber headspace solid-phase microextraction device for quantitative extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediment

A new automated headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) sampling device was developed, with the capability of heating the sample matrix and simultaneously cooling the fiber coating. The device was evaluated for the quantitative extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from solid matrices. The proposed device improves the efficiency of the release of analytes from the matrix, facilitates the mass transfer into the headspace and significantly increases the partition coefficients of the analytes, by creating a temperature gap between the cold-fiber (CF) coating and the hot headspace. The reliability and applicability of previously reported cold-fiber devices are significantly enhanced by this improvement. In addition, it can be easily adopted for full automation of extraction, enrichment and introduction of different samples using commercially available autosampling devices. Sand samples spiked with PAHs were used as solid matrices and the effect of different experimental parameters were studied, including the extraction temperature, extraction time, moisture content, and the effect of sonication and modifier under optimal experimental conditions, linear calibration curves were obtained in the range of 0.0009-1000 ng/g, with regression coefficients higher than 0.99 and detection limits that ranged from 0.3 to 3 pg/g. Reproducible, precise and high throughput extraction, monitoring and quantification of PAHs were achieved with the automated cold-fiber headspace solid-phase microextraction (CF-HS-SPME) device coupled to GC-flame ionization detection. Determination of PAHs in certified reference sediments using the proposed approach exhibited acceptable agreement with the standard values.