EXPERIMENTAL WORK ON DIESEL ENGINE PERFORMANCE AND EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS USING NANO ADDITIVES IN DIESEL AND BIODIESEL

ABSTRACT Diesel engines are well adapted by mankind because of their low fuel consumption and better efficiency. In recent times researchers have focused more on alternate fuels, with the depleting trend of petro diesel. Biodiesel is the one of such alternate fuel whose calorific value nearer to diesel. Most of the researchers concluded that with the usage of biodiesels the emissions can be reduced maintaining the consistency in efficiency, compared to diesel. In the present era of Nano technology there is the scope to improve the efficiency of engines using Nano additives in blended fuels. In this work single cylinder 4 stroke DI diesel engine is selected. The performance of different blends of mahua oil methyl esters for which cerium oxide (CeO2) Nano additives of size 30-50 nm is added in different proportions in blended fuel. The experiment has been conducted with neat diesel fuel and diesel-biodiesel blends (addition of cerium oxide (CeO2) Nano additive) in a four stroke single cylinder direct injection (DI) diesel engine. Those results are compared with conventional diesel fuel, diesel-biodiesel blends showed good performance, lower carbon monoxide (CO), and hydro carbons(HC) but higher oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emission.

Assessment of Radioactivity in Textile Sludge Incorporated Bricks

165-171Textile sludge generated from the textile industry is potentially reused in manufacturing bricks. Radiological hazard to the environment while using any kind of new material in the construction industry needs to be predicted to ensure its safety for domestic use. This paper reports the effect of radiation from textile sludge-incorporated bricks. Primordial radionuclides such as Uranium- 238 (238U), Thorium- 232 (232Th), and Potassium- 40 (40K)., are present in raw materials used in the manufacturing of various building materials. In the present investigation, textile sludge-incorporated bricks were studied. It was observed that the content of 238U was less than 20.6 Bq/kg (Becquerel per kg), 232Th was less than 38.3 Bq/kg, and 40K less than 168 Bq/kg compared to the permissible limit of 32 Bq/kg, 45 Bq/kg and 420 Bq/kg respectively, as prescribed by UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation). The activity concentration of primordial radionuclides ranged between 48 Ba/kg to 88 Ba/kg, which was also well below the permissible limit of 370 Bq/kg. Parameters like internal and external hazards index, radium equivalent activity (Raeq), annual effective dose rates, and absorbed dose rates were investigated. The results of all these parameters obtained for sludge-incorporated bricks were found to be less than unity, the permissible limit declared by the UNSCEAR. The study concludes that the sludgeincorporated bricks do not pose any radiation hazard and are suitable for use as construction material

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Not AvailableThe investigation was carried out to know prevalence of Leptospira serovar Hardjo in organised cattle dairy farms of India by using the commercial Leptospira Bovine Hardjo ELISA kit. Cattle serum samples (964) collected from different organized farm in various states, viz. Maharastra, Gurajat, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Telangana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, were tested. The overall seroprevalence of 12.7% was observed with high prevalence of 30.4% in Maharashtra and least with 3.7% in Punjab. The results revealed that seroprevalance is not independent across the states for the samples with the history of abortion/reproductive/respiratory disorders (χ², 11.64), abortion/reproductive (χ², 49.11), abortion/respiratory (χ², 11.21) and apparently healthy animals (χ², 37.65). However, across the disease history revealed that the seroprevalence is not independent (χ², 95.62) and seroprevalence is independent across the age (χ², 0.58). This study supported that cattle have a role in maintaining a well-known reservoir for Leptospira Hardjo serovar and warrants an intensive control and surveillance programme for reducing leptospirosis in organised cattle dairy farms in India. © 2016, Indian Council of Agricultural Research. All rights reserved.Not Availabl

2-Methoxy-4-[3-(3-nitrophenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-5-yl]phenol

In the title compound, C16H15N3O4, the pyrazole ring has an envelope conformation, with the C atom substituted by the 2-methoxyphenol ring as the flap. Its mean plane makes dihedral angles of 56.78 (9) and 9.7 (1)° with the 2-methoxyphenol and 3-nitrophenyl rings, respectively. The benzene rings are inclined to one another by 49.37 (8)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked by pairs of O—H...N hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers with an R22(16) ring motif. The dimers are linked by C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming slabs parallel to the ac plane. There are slipped parallel π–π interactions present within the slabs, involving inversion-related 2-methoxyphenol rings [intercentroid distance = 3.729 (1) Å] and inversion-related 3-nitrophenyl rings [intercentroid distance = 3.831 (1) Å]

N′-[(1E)-4-Hydroxy-3-Methoxybenzylidene]isonicotinohydrazide Monohydrate

In the title hydrate, C\sb 14H\sb 13N\sb 3O\sb 3⋅H\sb 2O, the dihedral angle between the pyridine and benzene rings is 2.52(9)\circ. Intra\-molecular O—-H⋅sO hydrogen bonds occur. In the crystal, O—-H⋅sO, O—-H⋅sN, N—-H⋅sO and C—-H⋅sO hydrogen bonds link the components into a three-dimensional network. π—π inter\-actions are also observed

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Not AvailableIn this study, the seroprevalence and distribution of Leptospira in dairy cattle in endemic states of India were investigated in association with reproductive problems of the cattle. A total of 373 cattle serum samples from 45 farms in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand states were collected from animals with a history of reproductive disorders like abortion, repeat breeding, anoestrus and endometritis, and also from apparently healthy animals. These samples were screened for Leptospira serogroup-specific antibodies by microscopic agglutination test (MAT) using a panel of 18 live reference serovar antigens. The seropositivity of 70.51% (263/373, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.75) was associated with reproductive problems (χ2 = 55.71, p 0.10) and age groups of cattle (χ2 = 0.91, p > 0.10). Further, the odds (risk-relation) of reproductive disorders was 5.29 compared to apparently healthy animals (0.25 odds). The frequency distribution of predominant serogroup specific Leptospira antibodies were determined against the serovars: Hardjo (27.76%), Pyrogenes (18.63%), Canicola and Javanica (17.49%), Hebdomadis (17.11%), Shermani and Panama (16.73%), Djasiman (16.35%), Tarassovi, Grippotyphosa and Pomona (15.97%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (15.59%), Copenhageni (14.83%), Australis (13.69%), Kaup and Hurstbridge (10.65%), Bankinang (10.27%) and Bataviae (9.51%). In conclusion, dairy cattle have a role in maintaining important several serovars besides well-known Hardjo serovar in endemic states of India and warrant mitigating measures to reduce the incidence of cattle leptospirosis including need for an intensive surveillance programme, preventive vaccination and control strategies.Not Availabl

Novel benzoxazine-based aglycones block glucose uptake in vivo by inhibiting glycosidases

Glycoside hydrolases catalyze the selective hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds in oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and their conjugates. β-glucosidases occur in all domains of living organisms and constitute a major group among glycoside hydrolases. On the other hand, the benzoxazinoids occur in living systems and act as stable β-glucosides, such as 2-(2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy- 2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one)-β-D-gluco-pyranose, which hydrolyse to an aglycone DIMBOA. Here, we synthesized the library of novel 1,3-benzoxazine scaffold based aglycones by using 2-aminobenzyl alcohols and aldehydes from one-pot reaction in a chloroacetic acid catalytic system via aerobic oxidative synthesis. Among the synthesized benzoxazines, 4-(7-chloro-2,4-dihydro-1H- benzod1,3oxazin-2-yl)phenol (compound 7) exhibit significant inhibition towards glucosidase compared to acarbose, with a IC50 value of 11.5 μM. Based upon results generated by in silico target prediction algorithms (Naïve Bayesian classifier), these aglycones potentially target the additional sodium/glucose cotransporter 1 (where a log likelihood score of 2.70 was observed). Furthermore, the in vitro glucosidase activity was correlated with the in silico docking results, with a high docking score for the aglycones towards the substrate binding site of glycosidase. Evidently, the in vitro and in vivo experiments clearly suggest an anti-hyperglycemic effect via glucose uptake inhibition by 4-(7-chloro-2,4-dihydro-1H-benzod1,3oxazin-2-yl)phenol in the starved rat model. These synthetic aglycones could constitute a novel pharmacological approach for the treatment, or re-enforcement of existing treatments, of type 2 diabetes and associated secondary complications. © 2014 Bharathkumar et al