Effect of frying on physicochemical properties of sesame and soybean oil blend

Most common cooking oil, such as soybean oil, can not be used for high-temperature applications, as they are highly susceptible to oxidation. Sesame seed oil rich in natural antioxidants provides high oxidative stability. Therefore, blending sesame oil with soybean oil offer improved oxidative stability. This study aims to determine the effect of frying on the physicochemical properties of sesame and soyabean oil blend. Soybean oil (SO) was blended with sesame seed oil (SSO) in the ratio of A-40:60, B-60:40 and C-50:50 so as to enhance its market acceptability. The changes occurring in soybean and sesame seed oil blend during repeated frying cycles were monitored. The parameters assessed were: Refractive index, specific gravity, viscosity, saponification value, free fatty acid (FFA) , peroxide value, and acid value. Fresh and fried oil blends were also characterised by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). No significant changes were observed for refractive index and specific gravity values in oil blends. Viscosity of blend B blend was the least, making it desirable for cooking purposes. However, FFA, acid value and peroxide value increased after each frying cycle. The increment of FFA and AV was found low for blend A (10% and 10%,) than blend B (27%,13%) and blend C (13%,13%). The peroxide value of all samples was within the acceptable range. The results of the present study definitely indicated that blending sesame oil with soybean oil could produce an oil blend which is economically feasible and provide desirable physicochemical properties for cooking purposes

Scientific and Technical Writing in Hindi

119-124India is a vast country where a large proportion of population uses Hindi as their mother tongue and for formal communications. No language has been designated as "National Language" in Indian constitution. However, several provisions have been made in the Constitution for promoting uses of Hindi in official as well as for other communications. It is essential for the progress of any country to be technologically self-reliant. Thus, scientific and technical writings must be in the language that can be understood by the common people so that the benefits of science and technology also reach to the common people. Since, a large population in India is non-Hindi speaking, it is essential that other regional languages along with Hindi is encouraged for scientific and technical writings so that the fruits of development through use of science and technology reaches to the common people also. At present very limited number of scientific and technical journals and magazines are published in Hindi or regional languages that need to be increased for the benefit of common people

Performance evaluation of CALINE 4 dispersion model for an urban highway corridor in Delhi

521-530The paper focuses on the performance evaluation of CALINE 4 model for predicting carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations along an urban highway corridor passing through the city of Delhi. The model was applied using two different sets of Indian emission factors for different categories of vehicles specified by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) in conjunction with on-site traffic and micro-meteorological inputs. The modelling results indicate that the dispersion of CO along the corridor was limited to a distance of ~150m from the edge of the mixing zone width (road width+3m on each side of the road). The concentrations were found to be 12% higher in the case of ARAI emission factors as compared to the CPCB emission factors. The correlation coefficient values (r2) between predicted and observed 1-hour concentrations for CPCB and ARAI emission factors were found to be 0.60 and 0.65 respectively. In addition, the estimated index of agreement (d) values of 0.86 and 0.85 respectively indicate satisfactory model performance. However, the estimated fractional bias (FB) values of 0.04 for CPCB and 0.06 for ARAI emission factors indicate that the CALINE 4 model under predicts the concentrations in both the cases

Assessment of fuel choices and associated health effects on women in hilly regions of Uttarakhand

135-144In India, nearly 86% of rural households use biomass for cooking. Easy availability of fuel wood and prolonged winters increases its usage particularly in hilly regions. In rural hilly regions, fuel is primarily used for cooking, water heating and space heating purposes. A study was carried out in three villages namely Naugaon, Mawana and Kota from the Pauri district of Uttarakhand to identify the current status of fuel consumption pattern of rural areas in a hilly region. A questionnaire was prepared comprising the queries related to socio-economic status, choice of fuels for cooking, health and social awareness among women. It was observed that fuel wood is preferred fuel choice due to its low cost and easy availability. Socio-economic factors, inconsistent supply of fuels like LPG and geographical locations of the villages discourages the people of these villages to switch to cleaner fuel. In the present study, due to economic, social and geographic location, fuel wood seems to be a viable option. Further, government and public participation practices like social forestry, joint forest management could be adopted to ensure the sustainable, regular and cheap availability of fuel. Adverse health impacts of fuel wood could be reduced by using improved cook stove(s) and by making conventional kitchens well ventilated

Environmental protection, road safety issues and related provisions during transportation of hazardous materials by road in India

15-30In recent years, keeping pace with other industrialized countries, India has also witnessed rapid growth in transportation of hazardous goods by road. Moreover, due to unprecedented growth of chemical industries all over the world, the proportion of hazardous chemicals/ goods in total freight traffic is increasing at a much higher rate than any other commodity. Experiences from all over the world have shown that the transportation of such substances/ chemicals is more prone to accidents than the movement of the other goods. It has been observed that the carriers of such hazardous materials, when involved in a road accident may lead to disastrous consequences like fire, explosion, spillage and leakage, resulting in a number of fatalities and injuries besides property loss and environmental pollution.The Government (both Central and State), have prescribed various rules and regulations for the safe handling (e.g., manufacture, storage,transportation, treatment and disposal) of hazardous materials/ chemicals without adversely affecting the environment. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Govt. of India has prescribed various rules and regulations under various Environmental Legislations/Acts for safe handling of these hazardous materials (excluding related to their transportation by road), which has been covered under the differentprovisions of the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) (1988) including the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) (1989) formulated by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways [now, Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways (MoSRTH]), Govt. of India. In spite of these rules and regulations, accidents do take place due to the lack of their strict implementation and awareness amongst different stake holders. The present paper briefly summarizes some major accidents which have occurred during the transportation of hazardous materials by road in India and enlist various major national laws (including environment and road safety related laws) which are applicable while transporting such hazardous materials/ chemicals by road in India. As accidents during transporation of hazardous materials, may have serious consequences and generally cause damage to life, property and environment, it is essential that the Central and State Governments and also local authorities must be fully prepared to meet such eventualities. The paper has also enlisted several short-term and long-term measures which if implemented by Government and other agencies will help in improving road safety during the transporation of hazardous material

Importance of biodiversity study in road/highway projects

135-149Indian subcontinent is famous for its unique geographic location and its biodiversity. India's diverse geography and tropical monsoon climate has always been congenial for the growth of varieties of plants and animals. Out of world's thirty-four mega diversity hot-spots, India is home for four hot-spots. In the past few years, India has been experiencing rapid increase in industrialization and urbanisation. For the better connectivity of cities/towns and for transportation of construction materials, expansion of existing roads and construction of new roads/highways have taken place in past few years. This unabated pace of roads and highway development has led to segregation/ reduction in natural habitat of flora and fauna and even eradication of several species. Over the years, throughout the world (including India) several steps have been taken to abate and minimize adverse impacts of these activities on fragile biological setup. Indian government has introduced several legislations for conservation and protection of biodiversity including flora and fauna. In India, under the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification (EIA) of 14 September, 2006, it is compulsory for road/ highway projects to carry out EIA study and get prior environmental clearance if the project falls under the criteria as stipulated in the EIA notification. In EIA study, it is important to carry out comprehensive study of flora and fauna in and around the project site and make it an integral part of EIA report. In the present paper, an effort has been made to highlight various national and international rules/ regulations/ treaties which are being implemented for the conservation and management of biodiversity. The paper further discusses the various issues related to biodiversity conservation with particular reference to road/highways projects in India

Environmental significance of recycled materials used in road construction

16-23<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:calibri;="" mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:="" en-us;mso-bidi-language:hi"="" lang="EN-IN">Roads and highways have played a major role in industrial and social development of India. However, the construction of roads and highways involves construction of various natural resources like, aggregate, bitumen etc. which are used in large quantities. The demand for the raw material for roads construction is depleting availability of these natural resources and degrading our environment. Now-a-days, various alterative/ non-conventional techniques and materials are used in road construction to reduce the impacts of road construction on environment and natural resources. Use of recycled materials from road construction is one such sustainable method, which is widely used in road construction. In the present paper, use of recycled material obtained from roads repair/ up-gradation and other alternate materials and techniques, which can be used in road construction, have been briefly discussed.</span

<b>Environmental impact assessment of roads and highway projects</b>

108-116The roads and highway projects are lifeline of any country. They are also important for the building the nation and are mirror of country’s development. However, most of these road and highway projects on account of their location, route alignment and associated activities are invariably accompanied by significant environmental and social impacts during different phases (viz., Pre-construction, Construction and Operational phase) of the project. The nature of these impacts could be either positive or negative depending upon their potential to favourably or adversely affect the surrounding environment and also the resident community. While favourably viewing the positive impacts on the environment and community, it is also imperative to develop an appropriate and sound Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and execute it on the field/impacted area of the project to minimise and mitigate various adverse environmental and social impacts. In view of their significant environmental implications,roads and highway projects have been brought under the purview of the EIA Notification dated Sept. 14th, 2006 requiring “Environmental Clearance” (EC) either from Central Government (i.e., Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) (Category ‘A’ Project) or at State Level from State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) (Category ‘B’ Project) if they meet certain conditions specified under the EIA Notification. As per the requirement of EIA, the project has to follow specified procedures which amongst other requirements also include conducting “Public Consultation” including “Public Hearing” to include and incorporate views of various stakeholders into decision making process. The EIA ensures that various Acts, Rules and Regulations for preservation, conservation and management of the environment along with R & R (Resettlement & Rehabilitation) issue are appropriately taken care of in the suggested EMP. Recently, the role of EIA of Roads and Highways have become more important as Central Government is undertaking widening and upgrading of various National Highways throughout the country under the different phases of National Highway Development Programme (NHDP). The present paper briefly describes provisions and procedure for carrying out EIA for the Roads and highways along with the EMP for mitigating various negative environmental impacts during different phases of the project

<b>Environmental impact assessment & environment management</b>

101-107 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an important tool for integrating the objectives of environmental management into the decision making process to ensure environmentally sound and sustainable development. Earlier, any developmental project/activity were reviewed keeping in view the technical feasibility and financial viability of the project only. However, with the introduction of concept of EIA the environmental considerations have also been included as one of the factors to be considered while deciding about the feasibility and sustainability of any developmental/industrial project/activity. In fact, the main purpose of EIA is to mitigate adverse environmental impacts (if any) of any project/activity and bringing them to an acceptable level and to project the community likely to be affected by the proposed project. In India, EIA was started in 1976-1977 to examine the river valley projects from environmental angle. But during that time it lacked legislative support. On 27th of January 1994, EIA notification  [under the environmental (Protection) Act (1986)] was issued by which EIA process became "statutory requirement" rather than an "administrative requirement" for a number of projects/activities likely to have significant environmental impacts and health implications. Since then, the EIA notification has undergone several amendments incorporating provisions for "Public Hearing" and bringing in several important projects/activities into the purview of EIA, requiring "Environmental Clearance" by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), Govt of India. To further improve the EIA procedure in India, EIA notification was revised on September 14th, 2006. According to the notification, different projects/developmental activities have been divided into 8 major heads requiring "Environmental Clearance" (EC) either from Central Government, i.e. MoEF (Category 'A') or at State Level from State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) (Category 'B'). The category 'B' has been further divided into category 'B1'(project requires to submit EIA report) and 'B2' project activities which don't require EIA report). All categories 'A' and 'B1' projects necessarily have to carry out EIA studies along with the "public Hearing" as per the procedure stipulated in the notification. In the draft notification (January 19th 2009), revised "threshold criteria" have been introduced for different project categories. Further, an effort has also been made to make EIA procedure more transparent and to provide societal vigil of projects affecting the environment through "Public Hearing/ Consultation" by moving the environment protection agenda into public domain. </smarttagtype