Flavour characteristics of Piper betle L.

The betel leaves are aromatic with varied taste ranging from sweet to pungent due to the presence of essential oil. Compounds that contribute to the pungency flavour and stimulating properties of the leaf are of interest to the flavour industry. The results of investigations carried out so far on the chemical analysis of essential oil of betel leaves have been reViewed. The results of the gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GCMS) of the oil of all the five recognized varieties of Piper betle are discussed. The yield and composition of essential oil of betel leaves have been influenced by age and position of the leaf on the stem, season of harvest, potassium nutrition etc. Promoting the use of this important essential oil in flavour industry and confectionerles so as to utilise the surplus leaves from the assembling and wholesale markets which will otherwise go waste is suggested. &nbsp

Lab-to Land - The success story of betelvine cultivation in Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh

Betel leaf chewing is so common that it is taken for gran ted and most people are oblivious of the problems facing this important segment of plant industry. &nbsp

Power System State Estimation using Microsoft Excel

This paper presents the design and development of a Microsoft Excel based tool for Power System Static State Estimation. This tool can be effectively used to understand the process of state estimation and its real-time application. The tool contains Newton-Raphson load flow that provides system measurements, which are used as inputs to the state estimator that uses the popular weighted least square (WLS) algorithm. The spreadsheet has features for corrupting the data to simulate wide ranging scenarios of data errors. With the user-friendly screens, this can be a versatile desktop tool for learning and experimenting with the Power System State Estimation. Different system loading and operating configurations and wide range of corrupted measurements can be simulated for obtaining the reliable state estimator. All intermediate numerical results are made available for verification purposes. For illustration IEEE 14 bus system is considered

Syn-axial steric and counter-ion coordination factors in the methylation of 6-membered cyclic esters

It was found in an earlier study that one (A) of the four possible configurational isomers of trimethyl 1-methylcyclohexane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate yields, in regiospecific and highly stereospecific manner, trimethyl trans, meso 1,2-dimethylcyclohexane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate on exposure to the methylation condition of treatment with tritylsodium (ether)/methyl iodide. Isomer A changes to isomer C via enolate formation unexpectedly slowly even though what was needed for the transformation was only a ring inversion. Equally unexpectedly, it was found in an independent experiment that an alpha-enolate is not formed at all directly from C on treatment with tritylsodium. The role that coordination of counterion (Na+) may play in the first case and manner in which 1,3-syn axial steric effect may operate in the second was sought to be tested by employing methyl 9-ethoxycarbonyl- and methyl 9-methyl trans-decalin-2-carboxylates as test systems having no possibility of ring-inversion. The 9-methyl system, analogue of C, did not form an alpha-enolate ion, as expected. On the other hand, the 9-ester, analogue of A, readily formed an enolate that does not undergo methylation under conditions when A does. It did undergo the reaction, practically non-stereoselectively however, when the strong de-coordinating agent hexamethyl phosphoric triamide was added before the addition of methyl iodide

The turmeric effect

The Turmeric Effect created by the successful opposition of a US patent on Turmeric by CSIR, India, has made its name known not only amongst the millions of common Indian people but also all over the world for its capabilities and expertise in taking up this techno-legal issue to its logical end and by showing to the world that, the India can take on any such complex issue at any international platform, like the present case which has been handled at one of the strongest and exemplary Patent Offices in the world USPTO. This case, very clearly, brings out the weakest links in one of the strongest patent systems and at the same time attempts to allay fears of those who think that once India fulfils its obligations as committed under WTO by amending its IP laws by 2000, the country would be forced to play on an uneven playing field and that the developed world would take advantage of the IP system under WTO. Starting with a brief introduction to turmeric, this paper traces the various developments beginning with the genesis of the re-examination proceeding initiated against the US Patent No. 5401504 on turmeric and then focussing on how this issue was successfully litigated by CSIR. The article emphasises the importance of a very thorough search of the existing disclosures, both patent and non-patent, in dealing with the patentability of aspects of the use of traditional products. Some such disclosures may be very old or in particular languages, but nevertheless highly relevant.

Hot deformation mechanisms in Ti-5.5Al-1Fe alloy

The mechanisms of hot deformation in the alloy Ti-5.5Al-1Fe have been studied in the temperature range 750 to 1150°C and with the true strain rate varying from 0.001 to 100 s−1 by means of isothermal compression tests. At temperatures below β transus and low strain rates, the alloy exhibited steady-state flow behavior, while, at high strain rates, either continuous flow softening or work hardening followed by flow softening was observed. In the β region, the deformation behavior is characterized by steady-state behavior at low strain rates, yield drops at intermediate strain rates, and oscillations at high strain rates. The processing maps revealed two domains. (1) In the temperature range 750 to 1050°C and at strain rates lower than 0.01 s−1, the material exhibits fine-grained superplasticity. The apparent activation energy for superplastic deformation is estimated to be about 328 kJ/mole. The optimum conditions for superplasticity are 825°C and 0.001 s−1. (2) In the β region, a domain occurs at temperatures above 1100°C and at strain rates from 0.001 to 0.1 s−1 with its peak efficiency of 47% occurring at 1150°C and 0.01 s1. On the basis of kinetic analysis, tensile ductility, and grain size variation, this domain is interpreted to represent dynamic recrystallization (DRX) of β phase. The apparent activation energy for DRX is estimated to be 238 kJ/mole. The grain size (d) is linearly dependent on the Zener-Hollomon parameter (Z) per the equation log (d)=2.86-0.023 log(Z)log(d)=286-0023log(Z) In the regimes in the temperature range 750 to 825°C and at strain rates from 0.01 to 1.2 s−1 and at temperatures above 1050°C and strain rates above 10 s−1, the material exhibits flow instabilities manifested in the form of adiabatic shear bands