ID: 51082
Title: Clarification of pectin-containing juice using ultrafiltration
Author: P.Rai and S.De
Editor: P.Balaram
Year: 2009
Publisher: Current Science, Vol 96, No 10, 25 May, 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Citrus fruits, clarification, fruit juice, pectin, ultrafiltration
Abstract: Membrane-based processes are emerging as significant unit operations for clarification of fruit juice in the food industry. In this article, pretreatment of pectin -rich juice, its clarification using ultrafiltration and storage study of the filtered juice are discussed. Mosambi (Citrus sinensis (L) Osbeck) juice is considered as a case study. Optimum conditions for enzymatic treatment for depectinization are reported. Efficacy of enzymatic treatment is explored compared to other pretreatment methods. Selection of a suitable membrane, performance of clarification, quantification of flux decline and methods to improve the permeate flux are also discussed. Finally, the effects of various parameters on teh shelf-life of the clarified juice are presented. After depectinization , the leftover pectin present in the juice causes flux decline during ultrafiltration. Higher pore-sized membranes may not lead to higher permeate flux during ultrafiltration because the filtration is mainly gel layer-controlled. Apart form conventional methods for membrane cleaning like backflushing, application of external electric field may improve the ultrafiltration flux due to the charged nature of pectin at its natural pH. Clarified juice has adequate shelf-life without addition of any external preservative or heat treatment.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51081
Title: Automatic gravity inversion for simultaneous estimation of model parameters and regional gravity background:an application to 2D pull-apart basins
Author: V.Chakravathi
Editor: P.Balaram
Year: 2009
Publisher: Current Science, Vol 96, No 10, 25 May, 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Gravity anomaly, inversion, pull-apart basin, random noise, regional background
Abstract: An automatic inversion using Marquardt algorithm has been developed to simultaneously estimate the parameters of 2D pull-apart basins and regional gravity background from the observed gravity anomalies. The density contrast is assumed to vary continuosly with depth based on a parabolic equation. The salient feature of this inversion is that the initial parameters of the basin are not a required input. The applicability and efficacy of the inversion is demonstrated with a synthetic model of a pull-apart basin. The synthetic gravity anomalies have been analysed (i) solely due to the structure, (ii) in the presence of a regional gravity background and (iii) in the presence of both random noise and regional gravity background . The analysis showed that the modelled structure closely mimics the true one irrespective of the degree of the polynomial that is used to decribe the regional background. In the presence of both random noise and regional background , the estimated dips of the boundary faults and the regional background show modest variation from the assumed ones. Two real-field anomalies observed over a set of pull-apart basins associated with the suture zone of the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt in Northeast India have been interpreted. The estimated depth in each case is consistent with the available borehole information.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51080
Title: Post-1980 world of biotechnology patents in the US
Author: Rajendra K.Bera
Editor: P.Balaram
Year: 2009
Publisher: Current Science, Vol 96, No 10, 25 May, 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Biotechnology, collaboration, patents, university-industry
Abstract: Till 1980 the US patent laws did not anticipate that one day such exotic objects as living things would become patentable. In the absence of laws tailored for biotechnology patents, the courts and the USPTO have tried to work within the existing legal framework. Their unease stems from the products of recombinant DNA technology which they treat as compositions of matter. Is life merely a patentable composition of matter? Post -1980, as DNA sequences, protein structures and disease pathways became patentable, the biotechnology sector has found a new unexpected commercial ally in the research university.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51079
Title: A new scheme for large-scale natural water storage in the floodplains: the Delhi Yamuna floodplains as a case study
Author: Vikram Soni, A.K.Gosain, P.S.Datta and Diwan Singh
Editor: P.Balaram
Year: 2009
Publisher: Current Science, Vol 96, No 10, 25 May, 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Aquifers, floodplains,monsoon discharge , sand top layer
Abstract: The top layer of accumulated sand washed down by floods over millions of years, makes river floodplains into giant aquifers. We propose a scheme for the natural storage of excess monsoon river-water discharge in the extensive and deep sand top layer of the floodplain of the river. The excess monsoon discharge can be used for regulated inundation of an embanked area of the floodplain- to soak in and store the water. This storage can then be used for the withdrawal of water during the dry months. We illustrate this by an evaluation of the potential of the Yamuna floodplains in the National Capital Territory of Delhi and show that there can be an annual yield of 600-900 MCM of water, which is three-fourths the total water supply to Delhi. This makes it an invaluable natural resource potentially worth about 6000-9000 crores a year of non-invasive use.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51078
Title: Bidis and smokeless tobacco
Author: Cecily S. Ray and Prakash C. Gupta
Editor: P.Balaram
Year: 2009
Publisher: Current Science, Vol 96, No 10, 25 May, 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Bidi, disease consequences, gutka, tobacco use, youth
Abstract: Bidis and smokeless tobacco are the cheapest, least taxed and most commonly used tobacco products in India. They are highly addictive and high in carcinogens. They cause a broad spectrum of diseases; yet awareness about their ill-effects is low. Smokeless tobaco products containing are - canut, e.g. gutka and mawa, are especially addictive and carcinogenic. The high incidences of oral and lung cancers in India are mainly due to bidis and smokeless tobacco. Bidis bear no health warnings and smokeless products, only warnings in English in small print. The public favours tobacco control policies and the Government tries to impose them, but the industry delays such implementation. This article highlights the widespread use of bidis and smokeless tobacco in India, reviews their harmful effects, documents public support for tobacco control policies and provides scientific evidence for the implementation of these policies.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51077
Title: The hookah - the Indian waterpipe
Author: Cecily S. Ray
Editor: P.Balaram
Year: 2009
Publisher: Current Science, Vol 96, No 10, 25 May, 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Disease consequences, hookah, second-hand smoke, tobacco use, youth
Abstract: The hookah, a waterpipe, originated in India and became popular for smoking tobacco. It spread elsewhere and acquired other names like nargile, shisha, goza and hubble-bubble , before its popularity declined in India. A resurgence of hookah smoking is occuring in India and around the world and is being promoted as safer than cigarette smoking. This article debunks this myth, by showing that hookah smoke contains more tar and carbon monoxide than the cigarette smoke, promotes nicotine addiction and exposure to second-hand smoke, and causes gum disease, tuberculosis, chronic lung diseases, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and low birth weight.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51076
Title: Building tobacco control training capacity in India
Author: Jonathan M.Samet and Heather Wipfli
Editor: P.Balaram
Year: 2009
Publisher: Current Science, Vol 96, No 10, 25 May, 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Bidi, control and training initiatives, public health, tobacco
Abstract: There are immediate and long-term needs for tobacco control capacity development in India. In the short term, the development of in-person and virtual training programmes aimed at increasing the number of people educating the population about tobacco offers a critical and cost-effective approach to expanding the knowledge -base regarding tobacco. For the longer term, a core of tobacco control professionals is needed, who will sustain tobacco control initiatives across the country for decades to come. This article identifies past courses that offer core curriculum and various training models that could be used to reach a large and diverse audience in India.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51075
Title: Morphology - based Building Detection from Airborne Lidar Data
Author: Xuelian Meng, Le Wang and Nate Currit
Editor: Russell G. Congalton
Year: 2009
Publisher: ASPRS, April ,Volume 75, Number 4
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Keywords: lidar, vegetation, three-dimensional building
Abstract: The advent of Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) techique provides a promising resource for three-dimensional building detection. Due to the difficulty of removing vegetation, most building detection methods fuse lidar data with multispectral images for vegetation indices and relatively few approaches use only lidar data. However, the fusing process may cause errors introduced by resolution and time differences, shadow and high-rise building displacement problems and the geo-referencing process. This research presents a morphological building detecting method to identify buildings by gradually removing non-building pixels. First, a ground-filtering algorithm separates ground pixels with buildings, trees and other objects. Then , an analytical approach removes the remaining non-building pixels using size, shape , height , building element structure and the height difference between the first and last returns. The height difference between the first and last returns. The experimental results show that this method provides a comparative performance with an overall accuracy of 95.46 percent as in a study site in Austin urban area.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51074
Title: Evaluating AISA + Hyperspectral Imagery for Mapping Black Mangrove along the South Texas Gulf Coast
Author: Chenghai Yang, James H.Everitt, Reginald S.Fletcher, Ryan R.Jensen and Paul W. Mausel
Editor: Russell G. Congalton
Year: 2009
Publisher: ASPRS, April ,Volume 75, Number 4
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Keywords: Mangrove wetlands, AISA+ hyperspectral imagery, minimum noise fraction (MNF) , spectral angle mapper (SAM)
Abstract: Mangrove wetlands are economically and ecologically important ecosystems and accurate assessment of these wetlands with remote sensing can assist in their management and conservation. This study was conducted to evaluate airborne AISA + hyperspectral imagery and image transformation and classification techniques for mapping black mangrove populations on the south Texas Gulf coast. AISA+ hyperspectral imagery was acquired from two study sites and both minimum noise fraction (MNF) and inverse MNF transforms were performed. Four classification methods, including minimum distance, Mahalanobis distance , maximum likelihood and spectral angle mapper (SAM), were applied to the noise-reduced hyperspectral imagery and to the band-reduced MNF imagery for distinguishing black mangrove from associated plant species and other cover types. Accuracy assessment showed that overall accuracy varied from 84 percent to 95 percent for site 1 and from 69 percent to 91 percent for site 2 among the eight classifications for each site. The MNF images provided similar or better classification results compared with the hyperspectral images among the four classifiers. Kappa analysis showed that there were no significant differences among the four classifiers with the MNF imagery, though maximum likelihood provided excellent overall and class accuracies for both sites. Producer ' s and user ' s accuracies for black mangrove were 91 percent and 94 percent, respectively, for site 1 and both 91 percent for site 2 based on maximum likelihood applied to the MNF imagery. These results indicate that airborne hyperspectral imagery combined with image transformation and classification techniques can be a useful tool for monitoring and mapping black mangrove distributions in coastal environments.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51073
Title: Agro-ecological Interpretation of Rice Cropping Systems in Flood-prone Areas using MODIS Imagery
Author: Toshihiro Sakamoto, Phung Van Cao, Nhan Van Nguyen, Akihiko Kotera and Masayuki Yokozawa
Editor: Russell G. Congalton
Year: 2009
Publisher: ASPRS, April ,Volume 75, Number 4
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Keywords: MODIS, Rice-cropping systems, Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI),WFCP,WFCS,WFFI
Abstract: This study attempts a new approach using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) time-series imagery to evaluate the agro-ecological interpretation of rice-cropping systems in flood-prone areas. A series of wavelet-based methodologies were applied to reveal the dyanamic relationships among annual flood inundation, rice phenology and land-use change in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). The rice-heading dates of multi-cropping areas were estimated by detecting the local maximal points in smoothed Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) profiles, using the Wavelet-based Filter for determining Crop Phenology (WFCP) and Wavelet-based Filter for evaluating the spatial distribution of Cropping Systems (WFCS) methods. The temporal information for annual flood intensity was determined for the six annual flood seasons over the period from 2000 to 2005 by the Wavelet-based Filter for detecting spatio-temporal changes in the Flood Inundation (WFFI) method. Analysis using remote sensing techniques revealed an interaction between the regional environment and agricultural activity in the VMD.First, comparing the estimated heading date of the winter-spring rice with the end date of flood inundation showed that the cropping season for the winter-spring rice in the flood -prone area fluctuates depending on the annual change in flood scale. This result implied that the onset of winter-spring rice is spatially and temporally linked to the variable flood-recession season, and hence the annual change in flood scale. Secondly, the field survey study of the yearly change in the rice-cropping system in the An Giang province from 2000 to 2006 showed that the triple rice-cropped area in the An Giang province expanded.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51072
Title: An Assessment of Geometric Activity Features for Per-pixel Classification of Urban Man-made Objects using Very High Resolution Satellite Imagery
Author: Jonathan Cheung-Wai Chan, Rik Bellens, Frank Canters and Sidharta Gautama
Editor: Russell G. Congalton
Year: 2009
Publisher: ASPRS, April ,Volume 75, Number 4
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Keywords: Geometric Activity, object based features, VHR satellite imagery
Abstract: In this paper, we propose the use of Geometric Activity (GA) features for detecting man-made objects in urban areas using VHR satellite imagery. These features describe the geometric context of a pixel without the necessity of segmentation and can be integrated as extra bands in a per-pixel classification. Two main types of GA features were investigated: ridge features based on the well -known facet model and morphological features obtained by applying closing transforms with structuring elements of different size and shape. Our findings show a substantial increase in classificaion accuracy for the man-made object classes "roads and buildings with dark roof" after inclusion of GA features. Next to GA features, the use of object-based features derived from eCognition,containig both geometric and textural information, was also investigated for per-pixel classification. Accuracies obtained with object-based features are comparable to the accuracies obtained with GA features. The inclusion of both GA features and object-based features further improves the overall accuracy. GA features and object-based features thus contain complementary information.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51071
Title: Application of Association Rule Mining for Exploring the Relatioship between Urban Land Surface Temperature and Biophysical / Social Parameters
Author: Umamaheshwaran Rajasekar and Qihao Weng
Editor: Russell G. Congalton
Year: 2009
Publisher: ASPRS, April ,Volume 75, Number 4
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Keywords: Urban heat island, Land surface temperature, association rule mining model, ASTRA Scaled normalized difference vegetation index
Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between remote sensing measurements of land surface temperature and biophysical /socioeconomic data by utilizing the association rule mining technique. The surfaces associated with urban uses typically radiate more heat as compared to its rural counterparts. There is a need to quantitatively analyze this contrast in temperature and the biophysical and social characteristics which influence it. Furthermore, in order to consider the urban heat island (UHI) effect, a parameterization is required to account for the urban surface characteristics impacts on the magnitude of land surface temperature (LST). The association rule mining model has demonstrated to bring in additional quantitative information concerning the relationships among urban parameters. The ASTER data from 2000 was used for the selection of appropriate variables to be used in the model. This information was then used for generating association rules between land-use land-cover (LULC) and LST information from 2000, 2001 and 2004. The results thus obtained quantitatively described the relationships between various urban parameters. It was found that there was little change in the percentage area of the LULC types from 2000 to 2004. This made the comparison of the results possible. In the case of the 2000 data, it was found that forest and impervious surfaces had strong association with temperature and scaled normalized differences vegetation index (SNDVI). Specific zones such as hospitals and universities had negative association with water. The comparison of data from 2000, 2001 and 2004 suggests that impervious surface and the zoning category of airport had a strong association. Nevertheless, the information extracted needs to be analyzed in greater detail in order to arrive at robust decision rules. Overall, the model so developed has demonstrated to be effective in predicting associations between urban LST and pertinent factors. This model could be useful for urban planners and environmental managers in quantifying rules that characterize a particular urban landscape.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51070
Title: Hemispheric Image Modeling and Analysis Techniques for Solar Radiation Determination in Forest Ecosystem
Author: Ellen Schwalbe, Hans-Gerd Maas, Manuela Kenter and Sven Wagner
Editor: Russell G. Congalton
Year: 2009
Publisher: ASPRS, April ,Volume 75, Number 4
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Keywords: Fisheye images, sun-path model, Forest ecosystems,equi-angular camera model,forest crown
Abstract: Hemispheric image processing with the goal of solar radiation determination from ground-based fisheye images is a valuable for silvicultural analysis in forest ecosystems.The basic idea of the technique is taking a hemispheric crown image with a camera equipped with a 180o fisheye lens, segmenting the image in order to identify solar radiation relevant open sky areas, and then merging the open sky area with a radiation and sun-path model in order to compute the total annual or seasonal solar radiation for a plant. The results of hemispheric image processing can be used to quantitatively evaluate the growth chances of ground vegetation (e.g. tree regeneration) in forest ecosystems.This paper shows steps towards the operationalization and optimization of the method. As a prerequisite to support geometric handling and georeferencing of hemispheric images, an equi-angular camera model is shown to describe the imaging geometry of fisheye lenses. The model is extended by a set of additional parameters to handle deviations from the ideal model. In practical tests, a precision potential of 0.1 pixels could be obtained with off-the-shelf fisheye lenses. In addition, a method for handling the effects of chromatic aberration, which may amount to several pixels in fisheye lens systems, is discussed. The central topic of the paper is the development of a versatile method for segmenting hemispheric forest crown images. The method is based on linear segment-oriented classification on radial profiles. It combines global thresholding techniques with local image analysis to ensure a reliable segmentation in different types of forest under various cloud conditions. Sub-pixel classification is incorporated to optimize the accuracy of the method. The performance of the developed method is validated in a number of practical tests.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51069
Title: Canopy Reflectance Model Inversion in Multiple Forward Mode: Forest Structural Information Retrieval from Solution Set Distrubutions
Author: S.A.Soenen, D.R.Peddle, C.A.Coburn, R.J.Hall and F.G.Hall
Editor: Russell G. Congalton
Year: 2009
Publisher: ASPRS, April ,Volume 75, Number 4
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Keywords: MFM, LUT, BSI,REQ,NSD,SRD
Abstract: Remote estimation of canopy structure is important in forestry and a variety of environmental applications. Multiple Forward Mode (MFM) look-up table (LUT) inversion of canopy reflectance models is one approach for obtaining forest canopy biophysical-structural information (BSI). MFM provides inversion results from models that are not invertible directly, and has advantages in terms of software requirements, model complexity, computational demands, and provision of physically-based BSI output. Proper handling of MFM-LUT parameterization and inherent uncertainty in the inversion procedure at the critical final BSI retrieval stage is essential, and is the theme of this paper. Three approaches are presented for deriving BSI from MFM-LUT multiple solution sets: reflectance equality (REQ), nearest spectral distance (NSD), and spectral range domain (SRD). These approaches were validated at a Rocky Mountain test site, for which SRD corresponded best with field data, with RMSE 0.4 m and 0.8m obtained for horizontal and vertical crown radius, respectively. Recommendations for selecting MFM inversion approaches are provided for future applications.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 51068
Title: Ecological integrity of Wetlands, their functions and sustainable use with a case study of Anjali wetland , Iran
Author: N.Jafari and R.K. Trivedy
Editor: Dr. R.K.Trivedy
Year: 2009
Publisher: Enviro Media, Vol 15, No.(1), 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Ecology, Environment and Conservation
Keywords: Wetland, Caspian Sea, Anzali Wetland
Abstract: It is estimated that 90% of sewage in cities in developing countries are today discharged untreated into water bodies. The physical, biological, chemical, and geologic interactions among different components of the environment that occur within a wetland. Anzali wetland complex is a good example of a natural wetland, characteristic of the south Caspian lowlands. It supports an extremely diverse wetland flora and fauna. Anzali wetland supports over 1% of the regional Middle East wintering populations of several species of waterbirds. Anzali wetland complex as a large and freshwater lagoon fed by several rivers, separated from the Caspian Sea by a dune system; supports extensive reed beds and abundant submerged and floating vegetation. It is vital life support system for many biological communities as it has so many different fishes like caviar that is the best in the world and supports a major commercial fishery. It has marvelous climate and beautiful views for tourists ' attraction as an important recreation center in the north of I.R.Iran.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None