Dielectric Properties of ZnO-Based Nanocomposites and Their Potential Applications

Energy storage devices constitute one of the research areas in recent years. Capacitors are commonly used for the storage of electrical energy. The current research is focusing on not only the improvement in energy density but also the materials which are environment friendly. Polymer composites are known to be technically essential materials owing to their wide range of applications. Enormous research has been devoted to zinc oxide- (ZnO-) based polymer nanocomposites, due to their extraordinary dielectric properties. This review article presents a detailed study of the dielectric properties of ZnO-based nanocomposites. The dielectric constant study includes the effect of transition metals and rare earth metals as a dopant in ZnO. This review gives an insight into the mechanism responsible for the variation of dielectric constant in ZnO nanocomposites due to various factors like size of nanoparticles, thickness of the thin film, operating frequency, doping concentration, and atomic number. The observations have been summarized to convey the mechanism and structural changes involved in the ZnO nanocomposites to the researchers. The deployment of biodegradable nanocomposite materials is expected to open an innovative way for their outstanding electronic applications as storage materials

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF NUTRACEUTICAL TABLET USING HERBAL DRURS BY DIRECT COMPRESSION METHOD

Aim: The objective of present study was to formulate and evaluate the nutraceutical tablets with different combination of herbal drugs. Material and Method: The nutraceutical tablet containing lactose and mannitol as diluent and containing natural drugs like clove and cinnamon which was prepared by direct compression method. The compressed formulations were subject to several evaluation parameters like appearance, thickness, weight variation, hardness and friability. Results: The results of all evaluation parameters of nutraceutical tablet were within the acceptable limit. Pre-compression studies of nutraceutical tablet show satisfactory results. The thickness, hardness, weight variation, and friability of nutraceutical tablet were found to in acceptable range. The in-vitro drug release of eugenol from optimised nutraceutical formulation was found to be 90.23%. Significant results were obtained from present study. Discussion: The finding of current investigation clearly found that the health promotion of the body could be done by nutraceuticals. Keywords: Direct compression, Nutraceutical, Eugenol, In-vitro drug release

Fogarty International Center collaborative networks in infectious disease modeling:Lessons learnt in research and capacity building

Due to a combination of ecological, political, and demographic factors, the emergence of novel pathogens has been increasingly observed in animals and humans in recent decades. Enhancing global capacity to study and interpret infectious disease surveillance data, and to develop data-driven computational models to guide policy, represents one of the most cost-effective, and yet overlooked, ways to prepare for the next pandemic. Epidemiological and behavioral data from recent pandemics and historic scourges have provided rich opportunities for validation of computational models, while new sequencing technologies and the ‘big data’ revolution present new tools for studying the epidemiology of outbreaks in real time. For the past two decades, the Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies (DIEPS) of the NIH Fogarty International Center has spearheaded two synergistic programs to better understand and devise control strategies for global infectious disease threats. The Multinational Influenza Seasonal Mortality Study (MISMS) has strengthened global capacity to study the epidemiology and evolutionary dynamics of influenza viruses in 80 countries by organizing international research activities and training workshops. The Research and Policy in Infectious Disease Dynamics (RAPIDD) program and its precursor activities has established a network of global experts in infectious disease modeling operating at the research-policy interface, with collaborators in 78 countries. These activities have provided evidence-based recommendations for disease control, including during large-scale outbreaks of pandemic influenza, Ebola and Zika virus. Together, these programs have coordinated international collaborative networks to advance the study of emerging disease threats and the field of computational epidemic modeling. A global community of researchers and policy-makers have used the tools and trainings developed by these programs to interpret infectious disease patterns in their countries, understand modeling concepts, and inform control policies. Here we reflect on the scientific achievements and lessons learnt from these programs (h-index = 106 for RAPIDD and 79 for MISMS), including the identification of outstanding researchers and fellows; funding flexibility for timely research workshops and working groups (particularly relative to more traditional investigator-based grant programs); emphasis on group activities such as large-scale modeling reviews, model comparisons, forecasting challenges and special journal issues; strong quality control with a light touch on outputs; and prominence of training, data-sharing, and joint publications. Keywords: Infectious diseases, Transmission models, Computational models, Pathogen evolution, Capacity building, Emerging disease threats, Influenza, Control, Polic

A study of the role of gene TaMYB2 and an associated SNP in dehydration tolerance in common wheat

The myeloblastosis oncogenes (MYB) are one of the important transcription factors that facilitate induction of various developmental and stress responsive genes. They are hence, emerging as key players in improving stress tolerance of plants in response to several abiotic stresses. Therefore, isolation and characterization of these genes, development of transgenics and functional molecular markers for useful alleles is central to various crop improvement programs. In this manuscript, we for the first time are reporting the identification of a synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism associated with dehydration tolerance at 458th bp (an A/G transition) in the TaMYB2 gene of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and development of an allele-specific marker (ASM) for dehydration tolerance for the same. Further we validated this TaMYB2-ASM in a core set of 28 wheat cultivars which can be used for marker-assisted selection for dehydration tolerance in plant breeding programs. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2012

Antimicrobial activity of medicinal plants against some pathogenic microbial strains

Abstract Methanol extracts of ten plant species have been screened for their antimicrobial potential against fungal pathogens namely Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans and bacterial strains Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Extracts of all the plant species taken for the present study except Cucumis anguri showed fungicidal activity against both the fungal pathogens used. Leaves extract of Withania somnifera exhibited maximum 80-95% inhibition against both of the fungal pathogens, while extract of Azadirachta indica showed 88% growth inhibition against C. albicans. Acacia nilotica and Withania somnifera have shown inhibition zones of 17 and 19mm respectively against E. coli and B. subtilis. All the plant species have shown significant antibacterial potential in the range of 1-18mm against B. subtilis. Azadirachta indica, Cucumis anguri, Emblica officinalis and Solanum nigrum did not exhibit any antibacterial activity against E. coli. The identification of these potential herbs as antimicrobial agents will be helpful in replacing some commercially synthesized antimicrobial drugs

CoSP approach for the synthesis of blue MoO3 nanoparticles for application as hole transport layer (HTL) in organic solar cells

The synthesis of MoO3 nanoparticles is reported using a Continuous Spray. Pyrolysis (CoSP) reactor and the influence of zone temperature, precursor concentration on the structural and morphological properties is investigated. The collected nanoparticles are utilized to prepare thin films by spin coating and further annealing at various temperatures. The improvement in morphology, crystallinity and the band gap shift shows the effectiveness of the annealing treatment in creating a proper hole transport layer for device applications. The technique thus allows the film formation using a non-vacuum method well suited for organic solar cells. The CoSP based MoO3 (CoSP_MoO3) films are demonstrated to have equal performance to hole-injection layers composed of thermally evaporated MoO3 (eMoO(3))

Adsorption of hazardous dye crystal violet from industrial waste using low-cost adsorbent Chenopodium album

The present article describes the use of Chenopodium album ash (wildly growing weed) as effective adsorbent for the removal of a hazardous dye, crystal violet, from its aqueous solutions. This paper presents an experimental study and discussion of the adsorption characteristics of this dye on the plant ash. Two techniques, that is, batch and column operations have been used to explain the removal process. Column capacity is found to be lesser than the batch adsorption capacity. Batch adsorption studies were conducted as a function of adsorbent dose, equilibrium pH, contact time, initial dye concentration, kinetics and Freundlich isotherms. Extent of adsorption has been found to be greater at neutral pH. Kinetic studies indicate that the overall adsorption process is best described by pseudo-first-order kinetics. The adsorption data were fitted to linearly transformed Freundlich isotherm with R2 (correlation coefficient) 0.999. Values of Freundlich parameters n and Kf have been found to be 1.642 and 14.253, respectively. These results indicate that ash of Chenopodium album can be used as an effective and low-cost adsorbent for the treatment of wastewaters contaminated with organic dye crystal violet

Causes of tracheal re-intubation after craniotomy: A prospective study

Background: Re-intubation of neurosurgical patients after a successful tracheal extubation in the operating room is not uncommon. However, no prospective study has ever addressed this concern. This study was aimed at analyzing various risk factors of re-intubation and its effect on patient outcome. Methods: Patients aged between 18-60 yrs and of ASA physical status I and II undergoing elective craniotomies over a period of two yrs were included. A standard anesthetic technique using propofol, fentanyl, rocuronium, and isoflurane/sevoflurane was followed, in all these patients. ′Re-intubation′ was defined as the necessity of tracheal intubation within 72 hrs of a planned extubation. Data were collected and analyzed employing standard statistical methods. Results: One thousand eight hundred and fifty patients underwent elective craniotomy, of which 920 were included in this study. A total of 45 (4.9%) patients required re-intubation. Mean anesthesia duration and time of re-intubation were 6.3±1.8 and 24.6±21.9 hrs, respectively. The causes of re-intubation were neurological deterioration (55.6%), respiratory distress (22.2%), unmanageable respiratory secretion (13.3%), and seizures (8.9%). The most common post-operative radiological (CT scan) finding was residual tumor and edema (68.9%). Seventy-three percent of the re-intubated patients had satisfactory post-operative cough-reflex. The ICU and hospital stay, and Glasgow outcome scale at discharge were not significantly affected by different causes of re-intubation. Conclusion: Neurological deterioration is the most common cause of re-intubation following elective craniotomies owing to residual tumor and surrounding edema. A satisfactory cough reflex may not prevent subsequent re-intubation in post-craniotomy patients