On-Board Oxygen Generation Using High Performance Molecular Sieve

The majority of high performance combat aircrafts presently being operated by Indian air Force are fitted with conventional oxygen systems in which a replenishable store of oxygen is carried, most often as liquid oxygen and the flow of gas to each crew member is controlled by an individual pressure demand regulator in which the oxygen is diluted with cabin air to provide breathing gas.Moreover, in-flight refueling capability of present generation fighter aircraft has made it possible to fly for long durations (6 to 8 hours). In such case, the oxygen source becomes one of the limiting factors. In order to meet this requirement, a large supply of Gaseous Oxygen (GASOX) or Liquid Oxygen (LOX) have proven to be a costly affair and the Onboard Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS) has become a very convenient and attractive proposal. The OBOGS employs molecular sieves to adsorb nitrogen from engine bleed air using pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technique, wherein two molecular sieve beds are continuously cycled between steps of pressurization (adsorption) and depressurization (desorption) to generate oxygen enriched breathing gas for aircrew. This paper describes the design of OBOGS using high performance Lithium based Low Silica X-type (Li-LSX) molecular sieves and its performance characteristics. It consists of two Zeolite beds filled with Li-LSX material which adsorbs nitrogen fromengine bleed air tapped from Environmental Control System pipe line. The two beds are cycled by a 5/2 way solenoid valve. The input air is supplied to the solenoid valve through a coalescent filter to reduce moisture from it and a pressure regulator is fitted at the upstream of solenoid valve to regulate the system pressure. The experimental setup for evaluation of OBOGS is also discussed. The OBOGS, presented in this paper, meets all the performance requirements as specified in MIL-C-85521 (AS).

Nutrient and energy conservation through nano-fertilizers in maize

In the current scenario, achieving food security while conserving resources and energy is a significant challenge. Maize is a widely cultivated but nutrient-exhaustive crop. The adoption of nanotechnology-based nano-fertilizers offers a pathway to achieving sustainable yields while reducing fertilizer requirements and conserving energy. A field experiment was conducted during the Kharif season of 2021 to explore nutrient and energy conservation through nano-fertilizers in maize at the University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru. The experiment involved nine treatments comprising various combinations of the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) with nano-urea and nano Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) under a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The results indicated that Treatment T5 - 75% of the Recommended Dose of Nitrogen (RDN) + Nano-N—achieved a higher yield (10.20% higher than the conventional practice, T1-RDF + Farmyard Manure (FYM)) and improved nutrient uptake at harvest [299.22, 55.56, and 208.26 kg of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) per hectare, respectively]. This treatment also demonstrated greater physiological efficiency (36.11, 200.66, and 52.70 kg of maize per kg of N, P, and K, respectively), higher energy output (260,851 MJ ha?¹), improved energy use efficiency (16.93), enhanced energy productivity (0.627 kg MJ?¹), and better energy profitability (15.93). Using 75% of RDN + Nano-N increases yield while reducing fertilizer use and conserving energy

Modern Genomic Tools for Pigeonpea Improvement: Status and Prospects

Pigeonpea owing to its ability to sustain harsh environment and limited input/water requirement remains an excellent remunerative crop in the face of increasing climatic adversities. With nearly 70% share in global pigeonpea production, India is the leading pigeonpea producing country. Since the mid-1900s, constant research efforts directed to improve yield and resistance levels of pigeonpea have resulted in the development and deployment of several commercially accepted cultivars in India, accommodating into diverse agro-climatic zones. However, the crop productivity needs incremental improvements in order to meet the growing nutritional demands, especially in developing countries like India where pigeonpea forms a dominant part of vegetarian diet. Empowering crop improvement strategies with genomic tool kit is imperative to attain the project gains in crop yield. In the context, adoption of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has helped establish a wide range of genomic resources to support pigeonpea breeding, and the existing molecular tool kit includes genome-wide genetic markers, transcriptome/genome assemblies, and candidate genes/QTLs for target traits. Similarly, availability of whole mitochondrial genome sequence and derived DNA markers is immensely relevant in order to furthering the understanding of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) system and hybrid breeding. This chapter covers the progress of developing modern genomic resources in pigeonpea and highlights their vital role in designing future crop breeding schemes

Association between microsatellite regions and reproduction related traits in indigenous chicken ecotypes

The present study was carried out in six indigenous ecotypes of two divisions of Karnataka to assess association of twenty microsatellite regions of thirteen chicken autosomes with age, body weight and egg weight at sexual maturity and Forty week egg production. The general molecular technique protocols were adopted wherever required in PCR, electrophoresis, gel staining and reading. The analysis revealed significant difference (p&lt;0.05) among genotypes combined across ecotypes for nineteen microsatellite loci for body weight at sexual maturity. The analysis revealed significant difference (P&lt;0.05) among genotypes combined across ecotypes for eighteen microsatellite loci for EWSM. The posthoc dunnet's test conducted in one of the microsatellite region ADL0020 genotypes after excluding genotypes with only one bird at 0.05 level of significance revealed that a particular genotype A was significantly different from two of the genotypes C and D, indicating the important role of the corresponding alleles of these genotypes in influencing the Body weight at sexual maturity. The validity of using thus identified markers or alleles need further authentication by research in other populations and further proof by expression studies.</jats:p

Synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of some coumarin fused heterocycles

842-848Widely distributed in nature, coumarins are one of the more common and well-known representatives of a flavonoid class. Nevertheless, they exhibit a strong and broad variety of biological activities. In the present research study, we describe a series of naphthalene and quinoline, furan and thiophene derivatives fused with a coumarin scaffold. The compounds have been interpreted by IR, GCMS, and NMR spectral studies and evaluated in&nbsp;vitro for their antimicrobial activities against four different pathogenic bacterial strains such as E. coli, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumonia, S. aureus and S. faecalis and fungal strains such as A. flavus, A. fumigatus and B. albicans. The coumarins fused with thiophene ring exhibit promising anti-microbial properties.</span

Comprehensive studies on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) doped with MWCNTs and CNFs Nano composite membranes for fuel cells applications

Abstract This research work presents a comprehensive review and experimental studies on current trends in the development of proton exchange membrane (PEM) for fuel cell applications. The study focusses on fuel cells, types and their advantages when compared to convention energy conversion devices. Furthermore, research is essential for development of durable membrane resources/materials. Various aspects of PEM fuel cells have been reviewed to realize change in the membrane performance through characterization techniques adopted in this works. This study also focuses on gaps in already published literature which in turn limits our knowledge of characterization mechanism associated and the correlation existing between them. In addition, it needs to understand more appropriately to yield durable mechanisms. Further recent works on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells has been critically reviewed and in this direction two case studies have been presented as a part of experimental works carried out. Further Polymer based PEMs were developed using polyvinyl alcohol as a base matrix reinforced with different nano-particles viz., Multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and Carbon nano fibers (CNFs). The membranes were subjected to solubility and swelling tests and were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) for feasibility studies on their fuel cell applications.</jats:p