Effect of Ni ion irradiation on microstructure and corrosion properties of Zr59Nb3Cu20Al10Ni8 amorphous alloy

The amorphous Zr59Nb3Cu20Al10Ni8 alloy has been irradiated by 100 MeV Ni+7 ion beam at the fluence rates of 1×1013 and 1×1014 ions/cm2 at room and elevated temperature. The effect of irradiation on structure sensitive properties of Zr-based amorphous alloys has been investigated in this study using XRD and FESEM and potentiodynamic polarization study. The results reveals that there are no significant changes in the microstructure at lower fluence rate but the formation of nanocrystalline structures have been observed at the higher fluence rates and the results have been corroborated using corrosion studies

Capnography as an aid in localizing the phrenic nerve in brachial plexus surgery. Technical note

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine whether monitoring end- tidal Carbon Dioxide (capnography) can be used to reliably identify the phrenic nerve during the supraclavicular exploration for brachial plexus injury.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three consecutive patients with traction pan-brachial plexus injuries scheduled for neurotization were evaluated under an anesthetic protocol to allow intraoperative electrophysiology. Muscle relaxants were avoided, anaesthesia was induced with propofol and fentanyl and the airway was secured with an appropriate sized laryngeal mask airway. Routine monitoring included heart rate, noninvasive blood pressure, pulse oximetry and time capnography. The phrenic nerve was identified after blind bipolar electrical stimulation using a handheld bipolar nerve stimulator set at 2–4 mA. The capnographic wave form was observed by the neuroanesthetist and simultaneous diaphragmatic contraction was assessed by the surgical assistant. Both observers were blinded as to when the bipolar stimulating electrode was actually in use.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In all patients, the capnographic wave form revealed a notch at a stimulating amplitude of about 2–4 mA. This became progressively jagged with increasing current till diaphragmatic contraction could be palpated by the blinded surgical assistant at about 6–7 mA.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Capnography is a sensitive intraoperative test for localizing the phrenic nerve during the supraclavicular approach to the brachial plexus.</p

Hydroxy Ketones Part XIII-Fries Rearrangement of the Phenyl Esters of Thiophene-2-Carboxylic Acid

Fries migration of the esters of phenol, isomeric cresols and naphthols with thiophene-2-carboxylic acid has been investigated at 120 Degree C and 160 Degree C in absence of a solvent, with a view to study the behaviour of the sulphur atom in the thiophene ring towards an acid catalyst and its interference in the complex formation necessary for the migration. The isomeric ortho- and para-hydroxy ketones have been isolated employing chemical methods and each is characterised by the preparation of its 2:4-dinitrophenylhydrazone. The yields of the hydroxy ketones were poor and ranged from 4-8% in the case of para and from 9-18% in the case of ortho. Further, in all cases studied, above 50% of the ester was recovered unchanged. These suggest that the charge density at the sulphur atom is greater than at the phenoxyl oxygen atom as compared with similar migrations high and no unreached ester was encountered

Report on swimbladder disorder in the honeycomb grouper, Epinephelus merra

Swimbladder or airbladder is a thin layered epithelial sac filled with air, lying above the alimentary canal of bony fishes that regulates buoyancy of the fish so that the specific gravity of the fish always matches the depth at which it is swimming. Swimbladder disorder (SBD) is a condition caused by sudden temperature changes impacted stomach resulting from improper feeding or due to bacterial or viral infections of the bladder characterised by inability of the fish to keep a normal upright position in water. Normally gold fishes suffer from SBD due to their globoid body shape. Fish with SBD may float on their side or their back, swim in circles or take head-down posture

ANTI-ANGIOGENIC ACTIVITY OF THE EXTRACTED FERMENTATION BROTH OF AN ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGUS, CORDYCEPS MILITARIS 3936

Objective: Cordyceps militaris is an entomopathogen and known to exhibit significant therapeutic potential. In the present study, we aimed to extract various fractions (aqueous; hexane; chloroform &amp; butanol) including active ingredient cordycepin from fermented broth of Cordyceps militaris followed by their evaluation as anti-angiogenic agents. Methods: The bioactive metabolite, cordycepin and various Cordyceps derived fractions were isolated from liquid culture of Cordyceps militaris using solvent-solvent extraction method followed by purification on silica gel column chromatography. Furthermore anti-angiogenic properties of extracted fermentation broth were also investigated using chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Results: Butanolic fractions, demonstrated the highest anti-angiogenic activity followed by chloroform, hexane and aqueous fractions of extracted fermentation broth. Anti-angiogenic studies for extracted cordycepin showed that 40 µg/egg dosage of cordycepin was sufficient to inhibit the branching of blood vessels significantly (~50%) in a CAM assay. Conclusion: It is concluded that butanolic extract/cordycepin from fermented broth of Cordyceps militaris potentially inhibits the angiogenesis and suggests that the inhibition of angiogenesis is one of the mechanisms by which Cordyceps militaris can mediate an anti-cancer effect

Spiders (Araneae) from Agricultural fields near foothill of Satpura Mountain ranges of Amravati District, Maharashtra, India.

This paper deals with the study of spider distribution in agricultural fields adjoining the Satpura Mountain Ranges of the Amravati district. The total collection of spiders comprises 12 families, 37 genera and 76 species. The Araneidae and Thomisidae families were dominant, followed by Saltisidae from the selected agricultural area. Lycosidae and Tetragnathidae were also found in a decreasing number of species due to their specific habitation. The analysis of guild structure revealed six feeding guilds. Orb web weavers and Ambushers constituted the dominant feeding guild representing 33% and 22% of the total collection respectively. Stalkers and ground runners represent 20% and 17% and foliage hunters and sheet web weavers represent 5% and 3% respectively. A new species of genus Sassacus (Beetle like spider), family Saltisidae was found for the first time in the Vidarbha region. The richness of spider diversity is a sign of the overall biodiversity which is a useful indicator of the species richness of the agro-ecosystem.&#xd;&#xa

Physico-Chemical and Microbiological Quality Changes in Cocoa and Whey Protein Enriched Functional Dairy Drink During Storage

Cocoa and whey protein enriched functional dairy drink was subjected to storage studies at refrigeration temperature 4±1°C in the present study. The samples were studied for microbial and physicochemical tests during storage. The results in this study suggest that the product can be stored upto 18 days at 4±1°C. A decrease in pH from 7.01 to 6.49 for whey protein enriched product and from 6.94 to 6.41 in case of cocoa & whey protein enriched product was observed at the end of shelf life. The FFA increased from 0.72 to 1.46 meq./ml at the end of shelf life of 18 days in case of whey protein enriched product and from 1.16 to 2.02 meq./ml in case of cocoa & whey protein enriched product. An increase in the HMF content of the functional drink was recorded from 59.84 to 134.56 µmol/l at the end of 18 days of storage in case of whey protein enriched product and from 1.16 to 2.02 µmol/l in case of cocoa & whey protein enriched product. The total bacterial counts and yeast and mould counts were increased from 3.14 to 6.48 log cfu/ml and 1.14 to 2.10 log cfu/ml respectively in whey protein enriched functional drink. The coliform count was observed to be nil in both the variants of the functional dairy drink of throughout the storage period

Regional characterization of pigeonpea sterility mosaic disease and exploring broad-based resistance

Pigeonpea sterility mosaic disease (SMD) caused by Pigeonpea sterility mosaic virus (PPSMV) is a serious threat to pigeonpea production in the Indian-subcontinent. Recent reports on the possible existence of two different viruses associated with the SMD further complicate the etiology of this difficult to manage viral disease. In this regard, a comprehensive and systematic survey was taken up across several pigeonpea growing areas in southern India to know the disease prevalence and variability in virus isolates. Further, selected pigeonpea elite genotypes were screened in different locations for their broad-based resistance. Results indicate huge variation in SMD incidence among the surveyed states. The highest disease incidence (9.38 percent) was observed in Karnataka, followed by Tamil Nadu state with 8.44 per cent incidence. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states recorded disease incidences of 4.51 and 2.08 per cent respectively. Samples collected from Patancheru location and tested using viral-specific RNA-3 segment primers were all positive for both the viruses. However, one of the samples collected from Bengaluru location and four samples from Coimbatore location had a positive reaction for PPSMV-2 only. In order to identify broad-based resistance to SMD, 20 pigeonpea genotypes were screened in three different locations (Patancheru, Bengaluru and Coimbatore) in southern-India during rainy seasons of 2017 and 2018. Among them, ICPL- 16078, ICPL-16086 and ICPL-16087 showed resistance reaction ((≤10 % incidence) in all the three locations, whereas, ICPL-16072, ICPL-16077 and ICPL-16083 showed resistance to Patancheru and Coimbatore isolates but highly susceptible (≥40 % incidence) to Bengaluru isolate

On the performance of GPU accelerated q-LSKUM based meshfree solvers in Fortran, C++, Python, and Julia

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the performance of GPU accelerated meshfree CFD solvers for two-dimensional compressible flows in Fortran, C++, Python, and Julia. The programming model CUDA is used to develop the GPU codes. The meshfree solver is based on the least squares kinetic upwind method with entropy variables (q-LSKUM). To assess the computational efficiency of the GPU solvers and to compare their relative performance, benchmark calculations are performed on seven levels of point distribution. To analyse the difference in their run-times, the computationally intensive kernel is profiled. Various performance metrics are investigated from the profiled data to determine the cause of observed variation in run-times. To address some of the performance related issues, various optimisation strategies are employed. The optimised GPU codes are compared with the naive codes, and conclusions are drawn from their performance.Comment: 42 pages, 3 figure