bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance of Safety Indicators in Identification of Black Spots on Two-Lane Rural Roads
Authors: Cafiso Salvatore , Di Silvestro Giacomo
Published: January 2012

Defining a black spot is not as perceptual as it may appear. Unusually high crash counts do not necessarily indicate a real safety problem. When black spots on two-lane rural roads with low and medium traffic volumes are being identified, a reduced number of observed crashes is a critical issue that can emphasize weak results obtained with various safety indicators and checks. It is generally assumed that an empirical Bayesian (EB) estimate represents the best approach for the identification of black spots, but it is difficult to define quantitatively the precision of estimates that are arrived at with different procedures. Because traffic volume, segment length, and crash observation period are critical issues in the identification of black spots and can emphasize the quality of the results obtained with safety indicators and checks, definition is needed of the limits and errors that can be expected when inadequate indicators and procedures are used to identify black spots on two-lane rural roads. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to produce theoretical crash data similar to empirical data, and the data were used to define a priori hazardous sites and, therefore, to assess whether a method could correctly identify such sites. The accuracy and efficiency of procedures are compared on the basis of observed frequency of crashes, crash rate, EB estimation, and the potential for safety improvement (PSI). As a general rule, even if some arrangements can mitigate the lower performance of some indicators, the best practice is to use the indicators based on the EB estimation PSI to identify true positives.
Identifying Crash Distributions and Prone Locations by Lane Groups at Freeway Diverging Areas
Authors: Chen Hongyun , Zhang Yu , Wang Zhangyu , Lu Jian John
Published: January 2012

Crash distributions and the locations of all crashes and severe crashes at freeway diverging areas were analyzed and compared. Contributing factors to crashes were identified; these included exit ramp types, geometric design features, traffic conditions, and crash-related attributes. Exit ramp types are defined by the number of lanes exiting freeways and AASHTO's lane-balance theory. Four typical exit ramp types were considered: one-lane exit with lane-balanced design (Type 1), one-lane exit with lane-unbalanced design (Type 2), two-lane exit with lane-balanced design (Type 3), and two-lane exit with lane-unbalanced design (Type 4). Lanes are further classified as exit and drop lane group, impact lane group, and interior lane group. Proportionality tests were used to compare the crash distributions on different lanes. The results indicate that lane-balanced designs (Type 1 and Type 3) have a statistically significant higher percentage of severe crashes on the impact lane group than that for lane-unbalanced designs (Type 2 and Type 4). For the interior lane group, Type 4 ramps have a statistically significant higher percentage of severe crashes than the other design types. In addition, ordered probit models were developed for all crashes and severe crashes by one-lane exits and two-lane exits, respectively. Outcomes from the models suggested that more crashes occurred on the exit and drop lane group for the lane-unbalanced designs and more severe crashes occurred on the interior lane group for the lane-unbalanced designs. The study will help engineers have a better understanding of crash distributions and locations for different exit types and help them to develop effective countermeasures.
Data-Mining Techniques for Exploratory Analysis of Pedestrian Crashes
Authors: Montella Alfonso , Aria Massimo , D'Ambrosio Antonio , Mauriello Filomena
Published: January 2012

Exploratory analysis was made of data from pedestrian crashes to detect interdependence and dissimilarities between crash patterns and to provide insight for the development of safety improvement strategies focused on pedestrians. Data-mining techniques, such as classification trees and association rules, were used on data related to 56,014 pedestrian crashes that occurred in Italy from 2006 to 2008. Crash severity was the response variable most sensitive to crash patterns. The most influential crash patterns were road type, pedestrian age, lighting conditions, vehicle type, and interactions between these patterns. Notable results included associations between fatal crashes and rural areas, urban provincial and national roads, pedestrians older than 75 years, nighttime conditions, pedestrians older than 65 years in nighttime crashes, drivers' young age and male gender in nighttime crashes, and truck involvement. To mitigate the fatal crash patterns identified by the classification trees and association rules, several measures are suggested for implementation. Results of the study are consistent with results of previous studies that used other analytic techniques, such as probabilistic models of crash injury severity. The data-mining techniques used in the study were able to detect interdependencies among crash characteristics. The use of classification trees and association rules, however, must be seen not as an attempt to supplant other techniques, but as a complementary method that can be integrated into other safety analyses.
Fully Bayesian Approach to Investigate and Evaluate Ranking Criteria for Black Spot Identification
Authors: Lan Bo , Persaud Bhagwant
Published: January 2012

The fully Bayesian (FB) approach for identification of collision black spots has been available for some time. However, little research has been conducted on the performance of the FB method, especially on criteria for ranking sites. A study was done to fill this void by a thorough evaluation of the FB method for black spot identification. First, an investigation compared the FB approach with the now-traditional empirical Bayesian method. It was confirmed that the FB method was superior for key ranking criteria [the posterior Poisson mean (PM) of crash frequency and potential for safety improvement] based on evaluation criteria, including sensitivity and specificity, and the sum of the PM. Next, eight ranking criteria, which included PM, posterior expected, mode and median ranks, and probability of being the worst, were proposed and evaluated for the best of several FB model variations explored. The mode rank of the posterior distribution of the Poisson mean proved to be the most promising because it tended to provide the best results, especially for top-ranked sites. The sum of the Poisson mean was also found to be a solid evaluation criterion, especially for limited numbers of top-ranked sites.
High-Resolution Detector and Signal Data to Support Crash Identification and Reconstruction
Authors: Chatterjee Indrajit , Davis Gary A.
Published: January 2012

Traffic crashes may not always result in severe or fatal injuries, but they can have a nontrivial impact on system performance, particularly during heavy traffic conditions. One way to reduce the frequency of such incidents is first to identify the necessary circumstances that resulted in the collision. However, road accidents, particularly intersection-related crashes, are complex phenomena and may result from various combinations of causal factors. Recently, methods for recording high-resolution arterial traffic data have been developed. Traffic safety engineers should explore such high-resolution data to understand the causes of crashes. A study was done to illustrate, for a particular intersection crash resulting from a signal violation, how high-resolution event-based data obtained from loop detectors could be used to identify the incident and the vehicles involved in the crash. How high-resolution data could support a traditional reconstruction of this crash was also illustrated. A Monte Carlo simulation technique was used to estimate the most probable combination of driver behaviors that resulted in the collision. Excessive speed of the vehicle that violated the red light was the most critical factor contributing to the crash.
Modeling Highway Safety and Simulation in Rainy Weather
Authors: Jung Soyoung , Qin Xiao , Noyce David A.
Published: January 2012

Research was done to examine comprehensively the safety impact of rainy weather conditions on multivehicle crash frequency and severity and to validate the impact on traffic operations through microsimulation modeling. Three primary tasks were performed to meet these objectives. For weather data processing, available data were used to estimate the following factors: rainfall intensity, water film depth, and deficiency of car-following distance. For statistical modeling, negative binomial regression was used for crash frequency, and sequential logistic regression was tested with forward and backward formats for crash severity. A better format for the crash severity estimation was determined by combining all model performance measures. VISSIM was used to design traffic simulation models to reflect the effect of weather on traffic operation with five scenarios of the following weather-sensitive parameter adjustments: desired deceleration rate function, desired speed distribution, and headway time. As weather-related determinants, daily rainfall and wind speed were found to be statistically significant to crash frequency and severity estimations, respectively. VISSIM provided the most similar traffic data to the observed data when both desired speed distribution and deceleration rate function were adjusted. Statistical modeling in this research can be used to examine highway safety in rainy weather and to provide quantitative support on implementing road weather safety management strategies. Correspondingly, the adjustments of weather-sensitive traffic parameters will be the preliminary step to measure the strategy efficiencies through safety surrogate indexes in traffic simulation.
Accident Prediction Models for Winter Road Safety
Authors: Usman Taimur , Fu Liping , Miranda-Moreno Luis F.
Published: January 2012

Most accident prediction models are developed with single-level count data models, such as the traditional negative binomial models with fixed or varying dispersion parameters, assuming independence of data. For many accident data sets in road safety analysis, especially those that are highly disaggregated (hourly data), a hierarchical structure in the data often manifests in some form of correlation. Crash prediction models developed with aggregate data could produce biased results because of the assumption of data independence and inflation of the adequacy of the model's explanation because of the use of aggregate data. The potential effects of data aggregation and correlation on accident prediction models are investigated. The analysis uses an accident database that includes hour-level and storm-level accident counts for individual winter snowstorms at four highway sections in Ontario, Canada. Models of two levels of aggregation, aggregated event-based models and disaggregated hourly based models, were developed. The effect of data aggregation had a significant effect on model results, whereas the difference between conventional regression and multilevel regression was inconsequential.
U.S. National Household Travel Survey Used to Validate Exposure Estimates by the Quasi-Induced Exposure Technique
Authors: Jiang Xinguo , Qiu Yanjun , Lyles Richard W.
Published: January 2012

Unlike exogenous estimates of exposure to risk such as vehicle miles of travel, number of registered vehicles, and number of licensed drivers, quasi-induced (Q-I) exposure has not received adequate vetting. A criticism of Q-I is that its underlying assumptions are not convincingly validated or verified, partially because the risk estimates of Q-I have not been sufficiently compared with the more conventional techniques. The 2009 National Household Travel Survey data were used to derive annual vehicle miles traveled, disaggregated by characteristics of interest (age and gender). Comparisons were developed at different disaggregation levels between the vehicle miles traveled and the relative exposure calculated with Q-I. The main findings of the exercises follow: (a) statistical results suggest that the exposure estimates for 15 age groups and driver gender are in good agreement with the corresponding annual vehicle miles traveled and thus the induced exposure estimates are deemed to be reasonably representative of the driving population and (b) the validation study revealed that data disaggregation improves the homogeneity of age and gender distributions (reduced data irregularities caused by the aggregated distributions). The comparisons confirm that Q-I is a promising and powerful tool for estimating exposure in safety analysis.
Cyanex 302: An extractant for Fe3+ from Chloride Medium
Authors: Ali MR , Biswas RK , Salam SMA , Akhter A , Karmakar AK , Ullah MH
Published: January 2012

The solvent extraction of Fe3+ from aqueous chloride solution by bis-(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) monothiophosphinic acid (Cyanex 302, H2A2) dissolved in kerosene has been investigated over a wide range of aqueous acidity as a function of phase contact time, concentrations of Fe3+, H+ and Cl- in the aqueous phase, Cyanex 302 concentration in the organic phase and temperature. The equilibration time is 50 min. The distribution ratio is found to be independent on [Fe3+] in the aqueous phase at a constant aqueous acidity and extractant concentration. The H+, extractant and Cl- dependences are -1, 0.5 in low concentration region of extractant and -0.5, respectively; which suggest that extraction occurs via the following two parallel reactions: (i) FeCl3 + 0.5 H2A2(o) FeCl2.A(o) + H+ + Cl-; and (ii) FeCl2 + + 0.5 H2A2(o) -----FeCl2A(o) + H+. Temperature dependence data give ΔH value of 9.95 kJ/ mol. The loading capacity of Cyanex 302 towards Fe3+ is 29.41 g Fe3+/100 g Cyanex 302. The extraction equilibrium constant (Kex) is 10-0.632. Extraction ratio is found to be dependent on diluent used. Stripping of the extracted complex is found to be a difficult task, but may be made effective by a solution containing 6 M H2SO4 and 1 M Na2C2O4. Keywords: Extraction equilibrium; Fe3+ extraction; Cyanex 302; Chloride medium.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9583 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 407-414
Comparative Study on the Material Selection Process for Rickshaw Frames by Weighted Property Method Using Modified Digital Logic and Analysis of Failure
Authors: Khan MH , Islam MN
Published: January 2012

Systematic approaches on the material selection for rickshaw frames were applied by cost per unit and weighted property method using modified digital logic. Ashby's material selection charts were used for preliminary material selection and relative cost analysis. Physical and mechanical properties and the main failure parameters were identified in the frames. Fatigue, associated with corrosion and impact load were identified as the causes of failure for the rickshaw frames. Stress analysis on the frame system was done and for the preliminary selection of materials, the constraints were identified through mathematical models. Magnesium alloy, Titanium alloy, Steel, Aluminum alloy, CFRP, KFRP and GFRP came out from the initial selection. Among the preliminary selected materials, CFRP attained the highest performance index. However, commonly used steel was found to be the optimum for rickshaw frames in terms of figure of merit followed by aluminum alloy and KFRP. Key words: Material selection; Rickshaw frame; Weighted property; Digital logic; Failure analysis DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9584 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 415-424
Preservative Treatment of Keora (Sonneratia Apetala) Poles by Full Cell Method of Wood Preservation with CCA Preservative
Authors: Islam MS , Ashaduzzaman M , Islam MH , Karim MR , Hannah MO
Published: January 2012

Keora (Sonneratia apetala Buch. Ham.) poles which contain mostly sapwood (more that 61%) and are readily susceptible to wood destroying agents were used in the study. Keora poles were treated with 5.5% CCA-C type preservative by full cell method of wood preservation for the period of 2, 3, 4 and 5 hours with the treating pressure of 200 psi (1,379 kPa). The maximum penetration was 4.36 cm for 5 hours treating duration. Retention and penetration increased with the increase of treating duration. The total retentions of CCA preservative were 9.15 kg m-3 for 2 hours, 12.72 kg m-3 for 3 hours, 16.35 kg m-3 for 4 hours and 18.31 kg m-3 for 5 hours treating duration for sapwood dominated keora poles. Significant variation in penetration and retention was found in the statistical analysis for different treating durations. Key words: CCA-C preservative; Full-cell method; Penetration; Retention; Sonneratia apetala DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9585 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 425-428
Biochemical Estimation and Antimicrobial Activities of the Extracts of Caesalpinia Sappan Linn.
Authors: Senthilkumar N , Murugesan S , Banu N , Supriya S , Rajeshkannan C
Published: January 2012

Caesalpinia sappan Linn., a traditional Indian medicinal plant used widely in oriental medicine. The plant extracts were found to be a good source of secondary metabolites, vitamins and metals. The extracts were further tested against certain human pathogenic microbes. The methanol and ethyl acetate extracts of the heartwood was found to be effective against certain pathogenic microbes. Key words: Caesalpinia sappan; Secondary metabolites; Vitamins; Antimicrobial activity DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9586 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 429-436
Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant and Anti-Diarrheal Effects of Ethanol Extract of Stephania Japonica
Authors: Ahmed NU , Akter R , Satter Mohammed A , Khan MS , Islam F , Abdullah AM
Published: January 2012

The present study was carried out to investigate anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-diarrheal effect of ethanol extract of Stephania japonica. This study showed that the plant extract has significant (p<0.05) anti-inflammatory effect at all phases of carrageenan induced inflammation at a dose level 2g/kg. The DPPH free radical scavenging effect of the extract was compared with standard antioxidant ascorbic acid. IC50 values were found 33.57 μg/ml for the extract and 15.57 μg/ml for ascorbic acid. S. japonica extract at dosage level 2g/kg and 1g/kg decreased the gastrointestinal motility 36.56 and 21.53 %, respectively, in rats. The ethanol extract of the plant also reduced the total number of feces as well as wet feces of rats in castor oil-induced diarrheal model. The results revealed that the extract possesses promising anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antidiarrheal activity. Keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Antioxidant; Anti-diarrheal; Stephania japonica DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9587 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 437-442
Correlation of Carbohydrate Content with the Changes in Amylase, Invertase and ?-Galactosidase Activity of Ripe Mango Pulp During Storage under Different Temperatures
Authors: Rahman MM , Rahman MM , Absar N , Ahsan MA
Published: January 2012

Two good qualities of mango cultivars namely Fazli and Khirshapat, harvested at the full mature stage i.e. begining of ripening, have been stored at -5°C, 4°C and 25±2°C for 10 days and the changes in the content of amylase, invertase, β -galactosidase, starch, total sugar, reducing sugar and non-reducing sugar of the pulp were analyzed after 2-days regular interval of time. The activities of all the enzymes examined in the study were found to be higher in mango-pulp at 25°C as compared to those in 4°C or -5°C. The activities of amylase and invertase decreased after 8-days of storage while that of β -galactosidase increased with the increasing days of storage mango pulp. Total sugar and non-reducing sugar content of mango were increased gradually while starch content was decreased sharply with the increasing days of storage of mature mango. Changes in carbohydrate during storage of mango was found to be associated with the content of amylase, invertase and β -galactosidase. At -5°C the enzymes as well as carbohydrate content of storage mango pulp changed slightly upto 4- days and thereafter the enzyme became fully dormant. Key Words: Ripe mango; Carbohydrate; Amylase; Invertase; β -galactosidase; Temperatures DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9588 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 443-446
Photoperiod and Relationship with Body Mass and Size in Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Workers
Authors: Amin MR , Kwon YJ
Published: January 2012

Bombus terrestris L. appears to be a promising and cosmopolitan bumblebee species for pollination of greenhouse crops and its demand for large scale rearing. For effective crop pollination, colonies with optimal body sized workers are essential because generally larger bees visit more flowers per unit time. The body size is correlated with flexible development and growth in a changing environment. This study explored the effect of different photoperiodic regimes i.e., L0:D24, L8:D16, L16:D8 and L24:D0 in regulation of the body mass and size of bumblebee workers during the stages of larval, pupal and adult eclosion. The results showed that wet masses of larvae, pupae and adult ranged from 144.2 ± 7.6 to 198.7 ± 11.7, 398.3 ± 16.0 to 464.7 ± 9.3 and 224.8 ± 9.3 to 274.7 ± 7.0 mg, respectively whereas their dry masses were 47.7 ± 4.8 to 63.7 ± 5.4, 176.7 ± 6.7 to 204.7 ± 5.6 and 62.8 ± 3.0 to 78.7 ± 2.1 mg, respectively. The length of wing and tibae were observed 8.14 ± 0.82 to 8.47 ± 0.73 and 4.30 ± 0.51 to 4.47 ± 0.32 mm, respectively. The L0:D24 photoperiodic condition produced heavier larvae, pupae and adult workers with larger wings and tibiae and worker's body size and mass decreased significantly when the bees were reared under L16:D8 and L24:D0 conditions. Key words: Bumblebee; Body mass and size; Photoperiod DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9589 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 447-450
Analysis of Boundary Layer Flow and Heat Transfer for two Classes of Viscoelastic Fluid Over a Stretching Sheet with Heat Generation or Absorption
Authors: Bhattacharyya K , Uddin MS , Layek GC , Pk W Ali
Published: January 2012

In this paper, we obtained solutions of boundary layer flow and heat transfer for two classes of viscoelastic fluid over a stretching sheet with internal heat generation or absorption. In the analysis, we consider second-grade fluid and Walter's liquid B. The governing equations are transformed into self-similar ordinary differential equations by similarity transformations. The flow equation relating to momentum is solved analytically and then the heat equation using the Kummer's function. The analysis reveals that for the increase in magnitude of viscoelastic parameter both the velocity and temperature for a fixed point increase for second-grade fluid and both decrease for Walter's liquid B. Due to increase in Prandtl number and heat sink parameter, the thermal boundary layer thickness reduces, whereas increasing heat source parameter increases that thickness. Key words: Boundary layer flow; Heat transfer; Viscoelastic fluid; Stretching sheet; Heat generation or absorption DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9590 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 451-456
Digital Simulation of Pmbldc Motor Drive with Power Factor Correction
Authors: Narmadha TV , Thyagarajan T
Published: January 2012

In this paper, performance of voltage source inverter.(VSI) fed Permanent Magnet Brushless DC Motor(PMBLDCM) with Power Factor Correction (PFC) is discussed. A power factor correction converter is suggested at the input to correct the power factor on the input side. The conventional circuit is improved by introducing double boost converter at the input side. The Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) inverter fed Permanent Magnet Brushless DC motor system with L-filter, T-filter and double boost converter are simulated and the results are presented. The performance of PMBLDCM operating with the above mentioned converters is studied. By digital simulation, the characteristics of the PMBLDCM system are investigated. FFT analysis for various converters is presented. The simulation results indicate improved performance. Key words : VSI; Double boost converter; PMBLDC; Harmonic reduction; PWM; PFC; Sim power systems DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9591 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 457-464
Magnetohydrodynamic Three Dimensional Flow and Heat Transfer Past a Vertical Porous Plate Through a Porous Medium with Periodic Suction
Authors: Das SS , Mitra M , Mishra PK
Published: January 2012

This paper analyzes the effect of magnetic field and the permeability of the medium on the three dimensional flow of a viscous incompressible electrically conducting fluid through a porous medium bounded by an infinite vertical porous plate in presence of periodic suction and a transverse magnetic field. The governing equations for the velocity and temperature of the flow field are solved employing perturbation technique and the effects of the pertinent parameters such as magnetic parameter (M), suction parameter (α), permeability parameter (Kp), Reynolds number (Re) and Prandtl number (Pr) on the velocity field, temperature field, skin friction and the rate of heat transfer are discussed with the help of figures and tables. It is observed that both magnetic parameter and the permeability parameter have accelerating effect on the velocity of the flow field. The effect of growing Prandtl number/suction parameter/ Reynolds number is to enhance the temperature of the flow field at all points while a growing magnetic parameter has retarding effect on the temperature field. The magnetic parameter increases the x-component of skin friction and reduces the magnitude of z-component of skin friction at the wall while the permeability parameter shows the reverse effect on both the components of skin friction. The rate of heat transfer at the wall grows as we increase the magnetic parameter or suction parameter or Prandtl number in the flow field and the effect reverses with the increase of the permeability parameter. Key words: MHD; Three dimensional flow; Heat transfer; Vertical plate; Porous medium; Periodic suction   DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9593 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 465-474
Availability Analysis of Polytube Industry When Two Sub-System Are Simultaneous Fail
Authors: Shakuntla M , Kalal Sanjay , Lal AK , Bhatia SS , Singh Jai
Published: January 2012

The paper discusses the availability of a pipe manufacturing industry using supplementary variable technique. The plant is divided into many sections like mixture, extruder, die and cutter. The failure rates of the sub-systems are constant and the repair rates are general and variable. The mathematical equations are derived using Chapman-Kolmogorov equation. The problem is formulated using the supplementary variable technique and the solution is carried out using the Lagrange's partial differential. Long run availability of the system is also calculated for the various cases using constant transition rates. Key Words: MATLAB; Availability; Chapman-Kolmogorov equation; Lagrange's partial differential. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9594 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 475-480
Impact of the Winding-on-Speed and the Consequent Machine Efficiency on Productivity and Quality of final yarn
Authors: Rashid MS
Published: January 2012

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9595BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 481-486
Multiplicity of Active-Site in Heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta Catalyst and Its Correlation with Polymer Microstructure
Authors: Hasan ATM Kamrul
Published: January 2012

Multiplicity of active-site in heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts and its correlation with polymer microstructure was studied through the surface structure analysis of catalyst by computer simulation of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) data and microstructure investigation of polypropylene chains based on the deconvolution of the molecular weight distribution curves by multiple Flory most probable distributions using Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) method. The number and relative intensities of these peaks were found correlated to the distribution of multiple active sites. In this investigation, four individual categories of active sites were identified, each of which yields polypropylene with unique properties of molecular weight and chain structure different from other active sites. The reason of the multiplicity of active sites was determined by the presence of different locations of surface titanium species coordinated with other surface atoms or molecules. These different surface complexes of active species determine the multiple active site nature of catalyst which replicates the microtacticity, molecular weight and chain microstructure distribution of polymer. Keywords: Ziegler-Natta catalyst; Multiple active sites; Flory components; Computer simulation; Deconvolution; MWD. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9596 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 487-494
High Frequency In Vitro Regeneration of Dianthus caryophyllus L., a Herbaceous Perennial Ornamental Plant
Authors: Hassan AKM Sayeed , Munshi JL , Sultana R , Jahan MAA , Khatun R
Published: January 2012

High frequency plant regeneration was established from shoot tips and nodal explants of a perennial ornamental plant, Dianthus caryophyllus L. Best shoot induction was observed on MS basal medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l BAP + 0.1 mg/l NAA, in which 82% of the explants responded to produce maximum number of shoots (38) per culture. In vitro raised healthy shoots were rooted on half strength MS medium with 0.5 mg/l IBA +0.5 mg/l NAA. For acclimatization and transplantation, the plantlets in the rooting culture tubes were kept in normal room temperature for 7 days before transplanting in pots where plantlets were reared for three weeks. The survival rate of regenerated plantlets was 78%. Key words: Dianthus caryophyllus; Shoot proliferation; Micropropagation; Acclimatization DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9597 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 495-498
Generalized Cantor Set and its Fractal Dimension
Authors: Islam MJ , Islam MS
Published: January 2012

Keywords: Cantor sect; fractal; fractal dimension; box-counting dimensionDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9598BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 499-506
Evaluation of Seed Quality of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Collected from Different Branches
Authors: Khatun A , Bhuiyan MAH
Published: January 2012

Mature seeds of three chickpea varieties like BARI Chhola-5, 6 and 8 were collected from three different branches like primary, secondary and tertiary, and were evaluated for quality in the Seed Technology Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh during August to September of 2004 and 2005. All the seeds were stored in earthen pot for five months before conducting the laboratory study. Significant variation was observed in all three varieties of chickpea for all the parameters studied except seed vigour. The highest moisture percentage (10.17 in 2004 and 10.18 in 2005), dry weight (0.50 g in 2004 and 0.51 g in 2005) and seed vigour (39.7 in 2004 and 41.6 in 2005) was observed in BARI Chhola-8 and the lowest in BARI Chhola-5. Germination percentage was significantly higher in BARI Chhola-5 (87.6 in 2004 and 88.9 in 2005). Seeds of different branches did not vary significantly for most of the parameters. However, seeds of primary or secondary branches had higher moisture and germination percentage, dry weight of seedling and seed vigour. Interaction effects of varieties and seeds of different branch had no definite trend though non-significant effect was observed in most of the parameters. Keywords: Chickpea; Seed of different branches; Vigour; Moisture; Germination DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9599 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 507-512
Antimicrobial Activity of Leaves and Flowers of Cassia auriculata linn
Authors: Subhadradevi V , Asokkumar K , Umamaheswari M , Sivashanmugam AT , Ushanandhini JR , Jagannath P
Published: January 2012

Since ancient times plant as sources of medicinal compounds have continued to play a dominant role in the maintenance of human health. To treat chronic and infectious diseases plants used in traditional medicine contain a wide range of ingredients. In this regard, Cassia auriculata L. (Caesalpiniaceae) is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as a tonic, astringent and as a remedy for diabetes, conjunctivitis, ulcers, leprosy, skin and liver diseases. The aim of present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extract of Cassia auriculata leaves and flowers (CALE & CAFE). CALE and CAFE exhibited broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis and exhibited no antifungal activity against standard strains of Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was carried out for CALE and CAFE. The results obtained in the present study indicate that the CALE and CAFE can be a potential source of natural antimicrobial agents. Key words: Cassia auriculata; Antimicrobial activity; Agar well diffusion method. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9600 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 513-518
Studies on the Epidemiology of Leaf Rot and Leaf Spot Diseases of Betel Vine (Piper Betle L.)
Authors: Huq MI
Published: January 2012

The experiment was conducted in an established pan betel vine crop field (Pan boroj). The disease data were recorded for 12 months. The incidence of leaf rot was observed in the month of June, July and August. The peak infection was noted in the second week of August, 2002 when the average temperature, relative humidly and rainfall were 29.60°C, 94.6% and 13.4mm respectively. The incidence of leaf spot was observed during months of March, April and May. But gradually infection reached maximum when average temperature, relative humidly and rainfall parameters were 26.7°C, 88.3% and 19.4mm respectively. The meteorological factor which had greatly influenced initiation of leaf spot was less favourable for leaf rot disease. Key words: Epidemiology; Betel vine; Leaf spot; Leaf rot diseases DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9601 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 519-522
Lipid Profile of the Skin and Muscle of Freshwater Sardine (Pellenula afzeliusi): Nutritional /Dietary Implications
Authors: Adeyeye EI , Oyarekua MA
Published: January 2012

The levels of fatty acids, phospholipids and sterols were determined in the skin and muscle of Pellenula afzeliusi using gas chromatograph. Results showed crude fat varied from 0.697-7.476 g/100 g; SFA varied from 30.3-34.8 % of total fatty acids, total unsaturated fatty acids varied from 57.3-61.2 %, PUFA range was 12.1-17.8 % and PUFA/SFA ranged from 0.348-0.587. Both skin and muscle had high levels of n-6 fatty acids but low in n-3 fatty acids. The correlation coefficient was significantly and positively high at r = 0.05 in the fatty acids. In the phospholipids, cephalin was highest in skin but lecithin was highest in the muscle with respective values of 965 and 432 (mg/100 g). The sterol values in the skin varied between 111-112 (111.5±0.58) mg/100 g and muscle was 19.5-19.6 (19.6±0.058) mg/100 g. Whilst 100 g skin would provide 5.233 g fatty acids, 100 g muscle would provide 0.488 g fatty acids. Key words: Lipid profile; Skin and muscle; Pellenula afzeliusi; Gas chromatograph; Fatty acid; Phospholipid; Sterol DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9602 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 523-532
Biomass Production of Jatropha curcas L., a Comparison
Authors: Rahman MM , Banu LB , Uddin MN , Begum MN
Published: January 2012

Height, weight of wood, vegetative growth rates in field and pot condition and a comparison of biomass of Jatropha curcas L. by using fertilizer and without fertilizer were studied. Results showed that although survival rate in pot condition was higher (58.06%) than that of field condition (49.14%), other biomass parameters were better in field condition. Average biomass of plants (dry weight) in pot condition was 62.09 g, and it was 209.28 g in field condition after one year. Associations among the parameters of biomass growth of the plant also studied here to show how the rate of change of length and diameter of stem, number of branches are interrelated in overall vegetative growth. Fertilizers used in the process of cultivation of J. curcas, better yield in terms of biomass production could be obtained than the condition where no fertilizer was used. Here on an average biomass of plants was 291.25 g without fertilizer and it was 683.75 g when fertilizers had been used. The extent of differences in all conditions are analyzed in the paper. Analysis and findings of this study might help to get information on better cultivation of J. curcas for mass production of this plant. Key words: Jatropha curcas L.; Vegetative growth; Biomass production; Fertilizer DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9603 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 533-538
Nutritional Value and Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Apple Snail Pila globosa (Swainson) and Lymnaea luteola Lamark
Authors: Nargis A , Talukder D , Parmanik SHA , Hasan MR
Published: January 2012

The physico-chemical characteristics, lipids, protein, fat, moisture and ash of P. globosa and L.luteola were studied. The percentage of oil content found were 2.30 ± 0.29 and 1.61 ± 0.12 in meat of P. globosa and L. luteola. The protein and fat content of P. globosa were 33.81% and 1.80% whereas 22.71% and 1.49% in L. luteola. The moisture content were 75.31% and 78.96% in P. globosa and L. luteola respectively. The total lipid extracts were fractionated into three major lipid groups neutral lipids, glycolipids and phospholipids by silicic acid column chromatography. The glycolipid were averaged to 57.39% and 57.24% of the weight of the lipid applied in L. luteola and P. globosa. The percentage composition of fatty acids were found in the form of oleic 19.46 ± 0.33, lauric 13.23 ± 0.73, palmitic 16.56 ± 0.41 in L. luteola and 20.37 ±1.38, 14.30 ± 1.06 and 18.52 ± 1.10 in P. globosa respectively. Keywords: P. globosa; L .luteola; Lipid; Protein; Moisture. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9604 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 539-542
Suitability of Muli Bamboo (Melocanna baccifera) for Making Bamboo Mat Plywood
Authors: Ashaduzzaman M , Rana R , Khan MNH , Shams MI
Published: January 2012

This paper investigated the potentiality of muli (Melocanna baccifera) for making bamboo mat plywood. Bamboo mat plywood with the length, width and thickness of 2.4 m × 1.2 m × 7 mm was made using liquid urea formaldehyde resin. The physical and mechanical properties of such plywood were compared with the existing market plywood. The average density of bamboo mat plywood was much higher compared to the existing market plywood. The modulus of rupture (MOR) of bamboo mat plywood was 3 times and the modulus of elasticity (MOE) was 6 times higher compared to commercial (Bombax ceiba) plywood. Interestingly, the specific MOR and MOE were significantly higher than those of market plywood. The high strength values might be due to the long fiber length of the bamboo. Furthermore, the lamination of decorative thin garjan (Dipterocarpus turbinatus) veneer did not significantly reduce mechanical properties of the products. Bamboo plywood mat as well as garjan laminated bamboo mat plywood showed better performance in respect to thickness swelling, linear expansion and water absorption. Hence, muli bamboo can be a potential alternative source of raw material for the manufacture of plywood materials. Key words: Bamboo mat plywood; Density; Dimensional stability; Modulus of elasticity; Modulus of rupture DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9605 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 543-548
Optimization of Concentration of Medium Ingredients for Production of Citric Acid using Statistical Methods
Authors: Rahman MU , Gul S , Odhano AA , Hafeez I , Tareen RB , Yasinzai MM
Published: January 2012

The concentration of medium ingredients was optimized by applying statistical methods for production of citric acid by locally isolated Aspergillus niger PCSIR-06. Box-bhenken design and response surface methodology were applied for designing experiment and statistical analysis of results. The Box-bhenken design limited the number of experiments to fifty four for studying possible interaction between the six medium ingredients i.e., Sucrose, KH2PO4, NH4NO3, MgSO4, zinc and iron. The statistical method predicted maximum citric acid yield of 108.69 g/l with medium ingredients concentration Sucrose 149.92 g/l, KH2PO4 1.25 g/l, NH4NO3, 4.66 g/l, MgSO4 0.15 g/l, Zn 24.00 mg/l, Fe 0.21 mg/l. The verification run confirmed the predicted yield with the given concentration of medium ingredients. These studies successfully demonstrated the use of Box-Bhenken experimental design for the optimization of nutrient concentration for maximum yield of citric acid. Key words: Optimize; Medium; Citric acid; Box-bhenken design; Response surface methodology DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9606 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 549-560
Studies on the Physico-Chemical Properties of Siyal Kanta (Argemone mexicana linn) Seed Oil
Authors: Ahmed Gm , Rahman MS , Zaman MR , Hossain MA , Uddin MM , Yeasmin S
Published: January 2012

The physico-chemical properties of the extracted oil were studied by the conventional methods. It was observed that Siyal Kanta grown under the soil and climatic condition of Bangladesh contains about 35% of pale yellow coloured oil. The total lipids were fractionated into three major lipid groups, neutral lipids, glycolipid and phospholipids by silicic acid column chromatography. Among the lipids, the neutral lipids were varied from 92.1-92.3%, glycolipid 5.5-5.8% and phospholipid 1.5-1.7% of the total oil of the lipid applied. The oil was also fractionated into mono-, di- and triglyceride by silicic acid column chromatography. The triglycerides were varied from 90.1-90.3%, diglycerides from 2.3-2.8% and monoglycerides from 1.5-1.8%. The saturated and unsaturated fatty acids present in the oil were separated and found to be 14.2-14.5% and 84.2-84.8% respectively depending on the areas in which the plant grows. The fatty acid compositions of the oil were analyzed by Gas Liquid Chromatography (GLC). The major fatty acids found in the oil were oleic acid (23%), linoleic acid (58%), palmetic acid (7%) and ricinoleic acid (10%). Key words: Siyal kanta seed oil; Glyceride; Lipid; Fatty acid. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9607 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 561-564
Carbon and Nitrogen Mineralization of a Plant Residue Amended Soil: The Effect of Salinity Stress
Authors: Walpola BC , Arunakumara KKIU
Published: January 2012

A factorial combination of saline and non-saline soil with three residue types (Sesbania grandiflora, Caliandra calothyrsus and Gliricidia maculata leaves) was used in laboratory incubation. The CO2-C content of plant residue amended soils was found to be increased steadily during the first two weeks of incubation followed by gradual reduction as incubation progressed. Under non-saline condition (EC=0.97 dS/m), the highest cumulative CO2-C content (1551 mg/kg soil) was observed in Caliandra amended soil, followed by Sesbania (1161 mg/kg soil) and Gliricidia (1042 mg/kg soil). The higher biodegradability of Caliandra leaves induced by the higher C content compared to the other residues. The CO2-C evolved under saline condition (EC=18.2 dS/m), ranged from 313 mg/kg (control) to 905 CO2-C mg/kg (Caliandra amended) soils. Sesbania amended non-saline soil showed the highest (227 mg/kg soil) and rapid release of NH4+-N, followed by Gliricidia (181 mg/kg soil) and Caliandra (177 mg/kg soil). Whereas under saline condition, release of NH4+-N ranged from 93 mg/kg (control) to 183 mg/kg (Sesbania amended). Though treatment behavior pattern of NO3--N was similar to that of NH4+-N throughout the incubation, saline soil showed significantly (P< 0.05) low NH4+-N and NO3--N contents compared to non-saline soil. Key words: Soil quality; Plant residues; Carbon and nitrogen mineralization; Salinity stress DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9608 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 565-572
Fecundity and Gonadal Maturity of Gongota Loach Somileptes Gongota (Hamilton) (Cobitidae) in the Habitat of the Someswari River
Authors: Saha BK , Saha A
Published: January 2012

Fecundity and gonadal maturity of gongota loach, Somileptes gongota (=Cobitis gongota) (Ham.) were studied from October 2005 to September 2006. The fecundity of S. gongota varied from 1540 to 91500. The average fecundity was calculated as 34916.85 ± 25967.51. The maximum and minimum fecundities were determined as 72520± 13423.59 and 2891.44 ± 1084.19 in June and March, respectively. The relationships between fecundity and other variables were calculated and found to be straight, linear and positively significant. The gonadal maturity of S.gongota was determined by using five methods viz. Percentage of gravid females against time, Gonado- Somatic Index (GSI), Gonadal-length Index (GLI), Ova Diameter (OD) and Colour of Ovary (CO). The highest percentages of gravid females were recorded as 100 in June and July. The overall percentage of gravid females was determined as 58.15±30.11. The Gonado-Somatic Index level was recorded as 7.76 8.66 with maximum (26.17±3.13) in May. The Gonadal-Length Index level was determined as 35.34 ±10.40 having the highest (50.31± 3.04) in May. The Ova Diameter ranged from 0.1-1.5 mm with a mean value of 0.53± 0.3 mm. The highest ova diameter was found to be 1.40±0.23 mm in June. The colour of ovary was recorded as reddish orange and orange in the months of May to June and July, respectively. Key words: Fecundity; Gonadal maturity Ova diameter DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9609 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 573-78
Les « sociétés animales » : un défi à l'ordre savant
Authors: Feuerhahn Wolf
Published: January 2012

Longtemps employée à titre analogique, l’expression de « société animale » connaît à la fin du XIX e siècle avec l’œuvre éponyme d’Alfred Espinas ( Des sociétés animales , 1877) une grande notoriété. Emblème d’une science comparée du vivant, elle veut rompre avec l’idée d’une frontière absolue entre l’homme et l’animal. La faveur de cette expression gagne à être ressaisie dans le cadre de la lutte du philosophe Espinas contre le spiritualisme qui domine alors l’université française et qui récuse toute continuité du vivant érigeant la conscience en attribut inaliénable de l’homme. Mais l’expression se verra également rejetée par les aspirants sociologues et en particulier par Durkheim et ses collaborateurs de l’ Année sociologique . Ceci marquera pour un siècle au moins l’échec d’Espinas à remettre en cause l’ordre des savoirs et à faire de l’animal un objet légitime des sciences sociales.
De l'épigastre au ventre : œconomia animale et économie du corps social
Authors: Marquer Bertrand
Published: January 2012

Topos de la pensée du Vivant, l’association du principe vital au processus de la nutrition semble consacrer, au XIX e siècle, la suprématie d’un organe qui proposait l’avantage de concilier l’ancien discours des alchimistes et l’optique de la physiologie héritée des Lumières. En popularisant l’image du « triumvirat, trépied de la vie », constitué du cerveau, du cœur, et de l’estomac, Théophile de Bordeu a en effet joué un rôle central dans l’élaboration d’une configuration, tant anatomique qu’idéologique, dans laquelle le « second cerveau, placé dans le diaphragme » ( Le Cousin Pons ) fait figure d’organe primus inter pares , à l’image d’une classe bourgeoise se définissant, elle aussi, comme médiane et centrale. Relayée par une gastronomie conçue comme un art de vivre en société, la nouvelle œconomia animale issue de la physiologie lie ainsi étroitement les représentations du Vivant aux représentations sociales, et dessine les contours d’un organicisme à vocation transdisciplinaire, et paradigmatique. À travers l’affirmation de la centralité de l’estomac se joue l’instauration d’une norme et d’un écart, dont la littérature est tour à tour le relais critique et ironique.