Compression behaviour of hand-tufted carpets: Part II—Effect of cyclic compressive load

305-311The effect of cyclic compressive load on compression characteristics of wool and acrylic hand-tufted carpets has been studied. Wool carpets exhibit higher compression and recovery than the acrylic carpets with similar construction. Compression and matting decrease with an increase in pile density. Percentage recovery of the carpets is found to increase with increase in the number of compression cycle

Compression behaviour of hand-tufted carpets: Part I–Effect of short-term static and dynamic loading

139-144The effect of static and dynamic loading on the compression characteristics of hand tufted carpets has been studied using two types of pile materials. Wool tufted carpets are found to show better retention of thickness. Higher tuft density is found to assist retention of thickness, while higher pile height results in more thickness loss. Thickness loss is also found to be more at the initial impacts, while the recovery rate is found to be more at the initial stage

Environmental toxicity influences disease spread in consumer population

The study of infectious disease has been of interest to ecologists since long. The initiation of epidemic and the long term disease dynamics are largely influenced by the nature of the underlying consumer (host)-resource dynamics. Ecological traits of such systems may be often modulated by toxins released in the environment due to ongoing anthropogenic activities. This, in addition to toxin-mediated alteration of epidemiological traits, has a significant impact on disease progression in ecosystems which is quite less studied. In order to address this, we consider a mathematical model of disease transmission in consumer population where multiple traits are affected by environmental toxins. Long term dynamics show that the level of environmental toxin determines disease persistence, and increasing toxin may even eradicate the disease in certain circumstances. Furthermore, our results demonstrate bistability between different ecosystem states and the possibility of an abrupt transition from disease-free coexistence to disease-induced extinction of consumers. Overall the results from this study will help us gain fundamental insights into disease propagation in natural ecosystems in the face of present anthropogenic changes

Pokazatelji mono-fraktalnosti emisije protona u sudarima 24Mg – AgBr na 4.5 A GeV

This paper presents a fractal analysis of emission of medium-energy target protons from 24Mg – AgBr interactions at 4.5 A GeV, in terms of their emission angle (θ) and azimuthal angle (φ), following the method proposed by F. Takagi. The generalised dimensions Dq have been calculated for q = 2, 3 and 4. The values are almost independent of the order for both phase spaces, suggesting mono-fractality of proton emission in heavy ion interactions.Predstavljamo fraktalnu analizu emisije protona srednjih energija iz mete u sudarima 24Mg – AgBr na 4.5 A GeV, prema kutu njihove emisije (θ) i azimutalnom kutu (φ), slijedeći metodu F. Takagija. Izračunali smo poopćene dimenzije Dq za q = 2, 3 i 4. Te su vrijednosti gotovo neovisne o redu za oba fazna prostora, što ukazuje na mogućnost mono-fraktalne emisije protona u sudarima teških iona

Pokazatelji mono-fraktalnosti emisije protona u sudarima 24Mg – AgBr na 4.5 A GeV

This paper presents a fractal analysis of emission of medium-energy target protons from 24Mg – AgBr interactions at 4.5 A GeV, in terms of their emission angle (θ) and azimuthal angle (φ), following the method proposed by F. Takagi. The generalised dimensions Dq have been calculated for q = 2, 3 and 4. The values are almost independent of the order for both phase spaces, suggesting mono-fractality of proton emission in heavy ion interactions.Predstavljamo fraktalnu analizu emisije protona srednjih energija iz mete u sudarima 24Mg – AgBr na 4.5 A GeV, prema kutu njihove emisije (θ) i azimutalnom kutu (φ), slijedeći metodu F. Takagija. Izračunali smo poopćene dimenzije Dq za q = 2, 3 i 4. Te su vrijednosti gotovo neovisne o redu za oba fazna prostora, što ukazuje na mogućnost mono-fraktalne emisije protona u sudarima teških iona

Biochemical, biophysical, and functional characterization of bacterially expressed and refolded receptor binding domain of Plasmodium vivax duffy-binding

Invasion of erythrocytes by malaria parasites is mediated by specific molecular interactions. Plasmodium vivax is completely dependent on interaction with the Duffy blood group antigen to invade human erythrocytes. The P. vivax Duffy-binding protein, which binds the Duffy antigen during invasion, belongs to a family of erythrocyte-binding proteins that also includesPlasmodium falciparum sialic acid binding protein andPlasmodium knowlesi Duffy binding protein. The receptor binding domains of these proteins lie in a conserved, N-terminal, cysteine-rich region, region II, found in each of these proteins. Here, we have expressed P. vivax region II (PvRII), the P. vivax Duffy binding domain, in Escherichia coli. Recombinant PvRII is incorrectly folded and accumulates in inclusion bodies. We have developed methods to refold and purify recombinant PvRII in its functional conformation. Biochemical, biophysical, and functional characterization confirms that recombinant PvRII is pure, homogeneous, and functionally active in that it binds Duffy-positive human erythrocytes with specificity. Refolded PvRII is highly immunogenic and elicits high titer antibodies that can inhibit binding of P. vivax Duffy-binding protein to erythrocytes, providing support for its development as a vaccine candidate forP. vivax malaria. Development of methods to produce functionally active recombinant PvRII is an important step for structural studies as well as vaccine development