Biochar Derived from Agricultural Waste Biomass Act as a Clean and Alternative Energy Source of Fossil Fuel Inputs

In this study, pyrolysis was used to upgrade the agricultural biomass waste (ABW) and increase its energy at pyrolysis temperatures ranging from 350 to 950°C and a residence time of 60 minutes. The produced biochars were characterized and their fuel qualities (such as, fixed carbon & carbon percentage, gross calorific value, pH and surface area) were evaluated. Physiochemical analysis showed that the biochar has improved fuel qualities compared to the raw biomass, such as decreased volatile matter, increased carbon content, pH and its gross calorific value with lower ash content. The evolution of derived biochar, as determined by TG-DTG and FT-IR, showed that most hemicellulose and cellulose were decomposed at below 350°C while the decomposition of lignin only occurs at higher pyrolysis temperatures. The biochars had increased ignition temperatures and higher combustion temperature regions compared to raw biomass feedstock. The present study showed that pyrolysis pointed the differences in fuel qualities among different agricultural biomass feedstocks. It also compromises with a promising conversion process for the production of biochar which has an alternative, clean and environment friendly energy source

Evaluation of Anti-diabetic and Anti-hyperlipidemic Activity of Rhododendron arboreum bark extract against Streptozocin Induced Diabetes in Rats

The anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic activity of R. arboreum in bark extract against streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. R. arboreum bark extract in ethanolic solution was prepared by soxhlatation method and stored in refrigerator for further use. The plant extract was tested for its hypoglycaemic property in glucose overloaded albino rats. The effect of extract was evaluated for its anti-diabetic action in STZ induced diabetic rats on 7, 14, 21 and 28 days respectively.  Treatment with the ethanolic extract of Rhododendron arboreum significantly decreased blood glucose in diabetic rats and glucose overloaded rats, where as the extract also improved the others biochemical parameters associated with diabetes like total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL were reduced and HDL level was increased .The cardioprotective and nephroprotective qualities of the extract was determined by measuring biomarker LDH in diabetic rats. The histopathology of pancreas was studied to support the experimental results. The histology of pancreatic islet cells was normal in non-diabetic animals, whereas in diabetic treated rats. The significant percentage reduction of glucose level was found to be 44.78% at the dose of 200 mg/kg of aqueous extract of Rhododendron arboreum at 28th day of the treatment

What Factors Affect Average Fuel Economy of US Passenger Vehicles?

The auto industry consumes about 70 percent of total petroleum products used in the United States and is a major source of green house gas emissions. With the limited supply of traditional non-renewable energy and a slow growing renewable energy industry, it is important to increase energy efficiency to meet energy demand. Fuel economy, a measure of energy efficiency in automobiles, plays a vital role in reducing the consumption of limited energy and decreasing greenhouse gases. After reviewing past literatures, I find that factors such as, vehicle type, the price of fuel, CAFE standards, the weight of a vehicle, and engine performance have affected fleet fuel economy of automobiles in United States. In order to find the impacts on average fuel economy of passenger cars and light trucks (SUVs), I devise two empirical models. I find that among various attributes, technological factors such as, the weight of a vehicle and performance of a vehicles engine, affects the fuel economy of passenger vehicles significantly

The role of intravenous aminoacid infusion in case of oligohydramnios in improving pregnancy outcome

Background: Adequate amniotic fluid volume is essential for the normal growth and well-being of the foetus. Diminished liquor or oligohydramnios is quite often associated with abnormal foetal outcomes such as intrauterine growth restriction, foetal anomaly, malpresentation, post maturity syndrome and foetal distress in labour.Methods: The present study was conducted in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, at PDZH, RNT Medical College, Udaipur in the year 2020-2021. The study group comprised sonographically proven cases of Oligohydramnios in third trimester attending antenatal clinic and those admitted in wards and clean labour room.Results: Patient with severe oligohydramnios (AFI<5) 17% chance of persistent oligohydramnios and patient with borderline oligohydramnios (AFI 5-8) had 83% on 1st ANC visit, which improved at the time of delivery to 28% with normal AFI and 67% (5-8 AFI).Conclusions: Antepartum AFI assessment is one of the most reliable and inexpensive standard technique for assessment of foetal wellbeing in antepartum period. This is a good predictor of foetal wellbeing. oligohydramnios means that the foetus is in a compromised condition. Amniotic fluid index assessment is a helpful tool in determine who is at risk for adverse outcome during labour and delivery. This helps in instituting appropriate corrective measures so that interventional procedures can be undertaken in the interest of unborn baby.

Isolation And Identification Of Dominant Lactic Acid Bacteria From Dahi: An Indigenous Dairy Product Of Nepal Himalayas

Morphological, cultural, physiological and biochemical characteristics were employed to identify dominant Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolates from 39 dahi (indigenous dairy product) samples collected from different districts of eastern Nepal. The isolates comprised of predominately Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroids subsp. mesenteroids. S. thermophilus were found consistently in most of the samples examined. In this study, 59.38% of Lactobacilli, 21% of Streptococci, 8.2 % Lactococci and 11.42 % Leuconostocs were isolated from indigenous dahi. This study revealed diversity of lactic acid bacteria in Nepalese milieu having immense potential in producing qualitative fermented milk

Tyr(b10) Prevents Stabilization of Bound Oxygen in Soybean Leghemoglobin

Root nodules are complex structures that occur on roots of many agronomically important plants such as soybeans. Root nodules are a symbiosis between the plant and soil-borne bacteria. Once formed, and functional, root nodules can fix atmospheric nitrogen and provide the plant with a pollution-free source of nitrogen for seed production. A basic component of functional and efficient root nodules are the heme proteins called leghemoglobins. Leghemoglobins can bind to, and transport molecular oxygen and thereby maintain a low oxygen environment within the root nodule, permitting the microaerobic bacteria to convert atmospheric dinitrogen into ammonia, which is then assimilated by the plant for growth. Thus understanding the oxygen-binding characteristics of leghemoglobin are of major importance from both a basic and applied point of view. In this paper we have shown that specific amino acid residues are critical for allowing the orderly binding and transfer of oxygen from leghemoglobins. Although several hypotheses have been advanced to account for the biochemical properties of leghemoglobins, this work is the first that clearly demonstrates the molecular consequences of amino acids that surround the heme-pocket. Using engineered mutant proteins and spectroscopy, the role of Tyr (B10) has been investigated in detail for several vertebrate and plant hemoglobins

Cost estimation of micro-hydropower equipment in Nepal

Selecting the appropriate technology for providing electricity to rural communities depends upon evaluating the cost of a potential installation. For some rural communities, locally manufactured technology, in the form of wind and hydropower, can be effective. However, often the cost of these locally manufactured technologies is largely unknown. Access to costing data allows the economic viability of a site to be compared with other options. Furthermore, it enables benchmarking, allowing the expected total cost of an installation, or individual sub-systems, to be compared with quotations. This paper attempts to address the current lack of publicly available costing information for locally manufactured micro-hydropower equipment. A methodology is presented where quotations are provided by micro-hydropower manufacturing companies in Nepal for randomly generated sites. Using that information, they provided a quotation for various sub-systems. This data allows comparison of the cost of major components and the influence of turbine type. Through a linear regression model, expression have been developed that can be used to determine the expected cost for both Pelton and Crossflow turbine installations. The accuracy of these expressions is compared with previous costing models, the outcomes of the work and their significance in the context of Nepal and elsewhere is discussed. The key contribution of this work is establishing numerical expressions which allow proposed costs of micro-hydropower equipment to be rapidly evaluated

24 Hours chronomics of ambulatory blood pressure and its relation with circadian rhythm of 6-sulfatoxy melatonin in night shift health care workers

Background: Night shift workers have altered circadian pattern of blood pressure/heart rate and hormones like melatonin and cortisol. Due to this variation, night shift worker suffers from various cardiovascular disorders and hormonal disturbances.Methods: The Present study was aimed to investigate the effects of rotating night shift on 24 hours chronomics of BP/HR and its relation with 6-sulfatoxy melatonin levels. 62 healthy nursing professionals, aged 20-40 year, performing day and night shift duties were recruited. Each month scheduled to continuous 9 days night shift (12 hours in regular 9 nights, from 20:00 to 08:00); after 9 days night shift they perform remaining duties in day shift and 4 days off in each month.Results: Ambulatory BP and HR were recorded at every 30 min intervals in day time and each hour in night time synchronically with circadian pattern of 6 sulfatoxy melatonin during shift duties. Highly Significant difference was found in double amplitude (2DA) of blood pressure between night and day shift (p<0.001). In night shift, hyperbaric index (HBI) of mean systolic blood pressure was found to be increased at 00-03 am (midnight) while during day shift, peak was found at 06-09 am. Peak melatonin was to be found in early morning as compared to mid night in both the shift.Conclusions: The present study concluded that the desynchronization was appeared during night shift and entrainment of circadian rhythm in the day shift.

Democratic Middle Ground in Nepal: A Perspective from the North American Nepali Diaspora

The call of our time is to safeguard the accomplishments of the 1990 Peoples Movement, to restore sovereignty to the people, and to work towards the middle ground to resolve the nation\u27s core problems. History teaches us that recognizing, adopting and adhering to the middle path takes much vision and courage. The natural instinct is to stick to one\u27s own interpretation of the world (usually based on narrow self-interest) and to shun ideas and individuals that require a moderation of one\u27s views. However, success in politics and statecraft, more so than in any other area of human affairs, is hinged to the middle ground in a way that ultimately requires friend and foe to migrate sufficiently towards each other so that the peoples\u27 business can move forward and flourish. We urge all political forces in Nepal to recognize that great achievements in the affairs of nations come about when leaders practice the art of compromise. There is no dishonor for Nepal\u27s monarch and political leaders if they follow the path of the likes of Gandhi, Nehru and Mandela.\u2

Crucial contribution of the multiple copies of the initiator tRNA genes in the fidelity of tRNAfMet selection on the ribosomal P-site in Escherichia coli

The accuracy of the initiator tRNA (tRNAfMet) selection in the ribosomal P-site is central to the fidelity of protein synthesis. A highly conserved occurrence of three consecutive G–C base pairs in the anticodon stem of tRNAfMet contributes to its preferential selection in the P-site. In a genetic screen, using a plasmid borne copy of an inactive tRNAfMet mutant wherein the three G–C base pairs were changed, we isolated Escherichia coli strains that allow efficient initiation with the tRNAfMet mutant. Here, extensive characterization of two such strains revealed novel mutations in the metZWV promoter severely compromising tRNAfMet levels. Low cellular abundance of the chromosomally encoded tRNAfMet allows efficient initiation with the tRNAfMet mutant and an elongator tRNAGln, revealing that a high abundance of the cellular tRNAfMet is crucial for the fidelity of initiator tRNA selection on the ribosomal P-site in E. coli. We discuss possible implications of the changes in the cellular tRNAfMet abundance in proteome remodeling