Control of Clinical Pathogens by the Haemolymph of Paratelphusa hydrodromous, a Freshwater Crab

In the present study, effort has been made to find the antimicrobial activity of haemolymph collected from freshwater crab, Paratelphusa hydrodromous. The haemolymph collected was tested for antimicrobial assay by disc diffusion method against clinical pathogens. Five bacterial species, namely, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and five fungal strains, namely and Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus sp., and Mucor sp., were selected for the study. The result shows a strong response of haemolymph against the clinical pathogens which confirms the immune mechanism of the freshwater crab

A novel porous media-based approach to outflow boundary resistances of 1D arterial blood flow models

In this paper we introduce a novel method for prescribing terminal boundary conditions in one-dimensional arterial flow networks. This is carried out by coupling the terminal arterial vessel with a poro-elastic tube, representing the flow resistance offered by microcirculation. The performance of the proposed porous media-based model has been investigated through several different numerical examples. First, we investigate model parameters that have a profound influence on the flow and pressure distributions of the system. The simulation results have been compared against the waveforms generated by three elements (RCR) Windkessel model. The proposed model is also integrated into a realistic arterial tree, and the results obtained have been compared against experimental data at different locations of the network. The accuracy and simplicity of the proposed model demonstrates that it can be an excellent alternative for the existing models

Thermal Characterization of Flax/Basalt Fiber Reinforced Phenol Resin Brake Pad Material: Effective Replacement of Asbestos

Asbestos fiber usage as reinforcement in friction material composites is avoided because of its carcinogenic property that might cause cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the thermal characteristics of the novel noncommercial brake pad materials, i.e., flax fiber reinforced phenolic resin composites (FRPCs) and basalt fiber reinforced phenolic resin composites (BRPCs). FRPCs and BRPCs with different volume percentages of 2, 4, 6, and 8 of chemically treated flax and basalt fiber are fabricated by diffusion bonding technique. The thermal behavior was investigated by the use of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. DSC results revealed that FRPC and BRPC samples reinforced with 6% volume fraction (Vf) of the respective fibers are having better thermal stability than other volume percentage, since the glass transition temperature (Tg) is relatively high. TGA analysis also shows that FRPC and BRPC specimens reinforced with 6% Vf of flax and basalt fibers have good thermal stability when compared to other volume fractions. The weight loss observed for 6% Vf of FRPC and BRPC is less compared to other specimens with increase in temperature. Scanning electron microscopy photography is used to analyze the orientation and bonding structure of matrix and fibers

Optimization of Karanja oil transesterification

505-509Production of biodiesel through transesterification of Karanja (Pongamia pinnata) oil was studied. The Karanja oil was treated with a lower alcohol (methanol) in the presence of a base catalyst (KOH) to yield methyl esters of fatty acids (biodiesel) and glycerin. The influences of reaction temperature, molar ratio of alcohol to oil, amount of catalyst and reaction time on the product yield were studied. The optimal combination of operating parameters for maximum yield was found out using Taguchi’s method. The performance and emission tests were carried out in a four stroke single cylinder, Kirloskar Av1 D.I.Engine. Different blends of biodiesel with conventional diesel were tested. The results show an appreciable reduction in emission level and marginal increase in performance when compared with sole fuel. The results concluded that the biodiesel from Karanja oil can be used as an effective alternate in existing diesel engines without any engine hardware modifications

Optimization of thermophile <i style="">Bacillus</i> <i style="">licheniformis</i> <img src='/image/spc_char/alpha.gif' border=0>-amylase desizing of cotton fabrics

253-258Desizing of cotton fabrics using thermophile -amylases has been studied using Taguchi methods in terms of release of reducing sugars from starch, absorbency, flexural rigidity and weight loss of the desized fabrics. The effect of treatment time, pH, enzyme concentration and temperature on desizing efficiency has been investigated to optimize the process parameters. Residual matters after desizing are found to be at lower levels compared to that observed in acid desized samples and this results in significant improvement in the absorbency of the samples. The pH and amylase concentration exhibit the dominant effects followed by the treatment time on the desizing efficiency. 3.0 g/L acidic -amylase, 6.0 pH, 40 min treatment time and 85o C temperature are found to result in the higher weight loss of the desized fabrics

Oral field cancerization and its clinical implications in the management in potentially malignant disorders

Oral cancer is one of the common malignancies reported in India. Most of these cancers are preceded by potentially malignant disorders. Despite improvements in the management strategies of these cancers the posttreatment prognosis has remained poor. The 5-year survival rates of oral cancers in most countries are still below 50%. The poor outcomes in oral cancer prevention and treatment can be due to nature of the spread of genetically altered cells as fields within the epithelial compartment. The conventional management protocols need to be modified taking into consideration the field spread of genetically altered cells

Potential of acute phase proteins as predictor of postpartum uterine infections during transition period and its regulatory mechanism in dairy cattle

Among the various systemic reactions against infection or injury, the acute phase response is the cascade of reaction and mostly coordinated by cytokines-mediated acute phase proteins (APPs) production. Since APPs are sensitive innate immune molecules, they are useful for early detection of inflammation in bovines and believed to be better discriminators than routine hematological parameters. Therefore, the possibility of using APPs as a diagnostic and prognostic marker of inflammation in major bovine health disorders including postpartum uterine infection has been explored by many workers. In this review, we discussed specifically importance of postpartum uterine infection, the role of energy balance in uterine infections and potential of APPs as a predictor of postpartum uterine infections during the transition period and its regulatory mechanism in dairy cattle

Relationship of udder and teat conformation with intra-mammary infection in crossbred cows under hot-humid climate

Aim: The present study was aimed to investigate the relationship of udder shape, teat-end shape, teat length, and teat diameter with intra-mammary infection in Jersey crossbred cows under hot-humid climate. Materials and Methods: A total of 24 lactating Jersey crossbred cows were evaluated for udder shape (pendulous/regular) and teat-end shape (flat/inverted/pointed) by visual examination, while teat length and teat diameter were measured using vernier caliper. Monthly milk sampling was done for 4 months of duration. Few quarters were found as blind or nonfunctional and so, a total of 366 quarter wise milk samples were collected at the monthly interval and subjected to somatic cell count (SCC) microscopically. The data on SCC were transformed into log scale and analyzed. Results: There was a significant (p<0.01) effect of udder shape and teat-end shape on SCC level. The mean SCC level for pendulous udder was significantly (p<0.05) higher as compared to the regular shaped udder. Similarly, significantly (p<0.05) a higher level of mean SCC was found in flat teat-end shape. A significant (p<0.01) correlation was found between SCC and teat length as well as teat diameter. Conclusion: In conclusion, pendulous udder, flat and inverted teat-end, very long and thick teat were more susceptible to intra-mammary infection in Jersey crossbred cows and these traits must be considered accordingly while selecting dairy animals for future milk production

Infrared thermography: A potential noninvasive tool to monitor udder health status in dairy cows

The animal husbandry and livestock sectors play a major role in the rural economy, especially for the small and marginal farmers. India has the largest livestock population in the world and ranks first in the milk production. Mastitis is the most common and expensive infectious disease in dairy cattle. The global economic losses per year due to mastitis amounts to USD 35 billion and for Indian dairy industry INR 6000 crores per year. Early detection of mastitis is very important to reduce the economic loss to the dairy farmers and dairy industry. Automated methods for early and reliable detection of mastitis are currently in focus under precision dairying. Skin surface temperature is an important indicator for the diagnosis of cow’s illnesses and for the estimation of their physiological status. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a simple, effective, on-site, and noninvasive method that detects surface heat, which is emitted as infrared radiation and generates pictorial images without causing radiation exposure. In human and bovine medicine, IRT is used as a diagnostic tool for assessment of normal and physiological status