Self‐focusing of laser light in the isotropic phase of a nematic liquid crystal

Self‐focusing of ruby laser light is studied as a function of sample length and temperature in the isotropic phase of nematic liquid‐crystal MBBA. The critical power for self‐focusing, 0.36 kW, observed near the phase transition temperature is a factor of 20 times less than that for CS2. The corresponding nonlinear index 4.4 × 10−10 esu is the largest value known so far for any material

Managing the natural disasters from space technology inputs

Natural disasters, whether of meteorological origin such as Cyclones, Floods, Tornadoes and Droughts or of having geological nature such as earthquakes and volcanoes, are well known for their devastating impacts on human life, economy and environment. With tropical climate and unstable land forms, coupled with high population density, poverty, illiteracy and lack of infrastructure development, developing countries are more vulnerable to suffer from the damaging potential of such disasters. Though it is almost impossible to completely neutralise the damage due to these disasters, it is, however possible to (i) minimise the potential risks by developing disaster early warning strategies (ii) prepare developmental plans to provide resilience to such disasters, (iii) mobilize resources including communication and telemedicinal services and (iv) to help in rehabilitation and post-disaster reconstruction. Space borne platforms have demonstrated their capability in efficient disaster management. While communication satellites help in disaster warning, relief mobilisation and telemedicinal support, Earth observation satellites provide the basic support in pre-disaster preparedness programmes, in-disaster response and monitoring activities, and post-disaster reconstruction. The paper examines the information requirements for disaster risk management, assess developing country capabilities for building the necessary decision support systems, and evaluate the role of satellite remote sensing. It describes several examples of initiatives from developing countries in their attempt to evolve a suitable strategy for disaster preparedness and operational framework for the disaster management Using remote sensing data in conjunction with other collateral information. It concludes with suggestions and recommendations to establish a worldwide network of necessary space and ground segments towards strengthening the technological capabilities for disaster management and mitigation

Computational Modeling of Business Processes

In this paper we investigate the modeling and analysis of business processes with the goal of improving their efficiency and effectiveness. The main objective of this research is to develop a computational model of business processes that takes into account relevant economic, social, organizational facets of a business process. The research develops a computational tool that will help uncover insights into the interdependencies among agents, activities, and resources in a business process

Lipid nanoparticles for transdermal delivery of flurbiprofen: formulation, in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo studies

The aim of the study is to prepare aqueous dispersions of lipid nanoparticles – flurbiprofen solid lipid nanoparticles (FLUSLN) and flurbiprofen nanostructured lipid carriers (FLUNLC) by hot homogenization followed by sonication technique and then incorporated into the freshly prepared hydrogels for transdermal delivery. They are characterized for particle size, for all the formulations, more than 50% of the particles were below 300 nm after 90 days of storage at RT. DSC analyses were performed to characterize the state of drug and lipid modification. Shape and surface morphology were determined by TEM which revealed fairly spherical shape of the formulations. Further they were evaluated for in vitro drug release characteristics, rheological behaviour, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. The pharmacokinetics of flurbiprofen in rats following application of SLN gel (A1) and NLC gel (B1) for 24 h were evaluated. The Cmax of the B1 formulation was 38.67 ± 2.77 μg/ml, which was significantly higher than the A1 formulation (Cmax = 21.79 ± 2.96 μg/ml). The Cmax and AUC of the B1 formulation were 1.8 and 2.5 times higher than the A1 gel formulation respectively. The bioavailability of flurbiprofen with reference to oral administration was found to increase by 4.4 times when gel formulations were applied. Anti-inflammatory effect in the Carrageenan-induced paw edema in rat was significantly higher for B1 and A1 formulation than the orally administered flurbiprofen. Both the SLN and NLC dispersions and gels enriched with SLN and NLC possessed a sustained drug release over period of 24 h but the sustained effect was more pronounced with the SLN and NLC ge

Status of brackishwater prawn farming in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is estimated to have 762.51 ha of brackishwater area under prawn culture- Prawn culture In brackishwater ponds as well as in paddy fields converted into prawn ponds is picking up fast In the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, especially in East Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts. There are more than 200 ha of brackishwater areas suitable for prawn culture in West Godavari district alone. IVIore and more are being brought under prawn farming in this district. Seml-lntensive culture technology is employed by the fish farmers. The average yield Is estimated at 450 kg/ha/crop. This paper presents and discusses the status of prawn culture in Andhra Pradesh, identifies the constraints and suggests strategies for bringing the abundantly available brackishwater areas under scientific prawn culture to Increase the yield from these ponds

Heart rate time series: decreased chaos after intravenous lactate and increased non-linearity after isoproterenol in normal subjects

In this study, we reanalyzed our previous heart rate time series data on the effects of intravenous sodium lactate (ns9) and intravenous isoproterenol (ns11) using non-linear techniques. Our prior findings of significantly higher baseline non-linear scores (NL: S ) and significantly lower largest Lyapunov exponents in supine posture in netGS patients with panic disorder compared to control subjects prompted this study. We obtained the largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE), and a measure of non-linearity (NL: S ) of heart rate time series. LLE quantifies predictability netGS and NL quantifies the deviation from linear processes. There was a significant increase in NL score, (S ) after netGS isoproterenol infusions and a significant decrease in LLE (an increase in predictability indicating decreased chaos ), after intravenous lactate in supine posture in normal control subjects. Increased NL scores in supine posture after intravenous isoproterenol may be due to a relative increase in cardiac sympathetic activity or a decrease in vagal activity at least in certain circumstances, and an overall decrease in LLE may indicate an impaired cardiac autonomic flexibility after intravenous sodium lactate, as LLE is diminished by autonomic blockade by atropine. Band analysis of LLE (LFyHF )( LF: 0.04 – 0.15 Hz and HF: 0.15 – 0.5 Hz) showed an increase of these ratios during either condition with a higher sympathovagal interaction after the drug administration. These findings may throw new light on the association of anxiety and significant cardiovascular events. 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

In silico and in vitro investigations on the protein–protein interactions of glutathione S-transferases with mitogen-activated protein kinase 8 and apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1

Cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes participate in several cellular processes in addition to facilitating glutathione conjugation reactions that eliminate endogenous and exogenous toxic compounds, especially electrophiles. GSTs are thought to interact with various kinases, resulting in the modulation of apoptotic processes and cellular proliferation. The present research used a combination of in silico and in vitro studies to investigate protein–protein interactions between the seven most abundant cytosolic GSTs—GST alpha-1 (GST-A1), GST alpha-2 (GST-A2), GST mu-1 (GST-M1), GST mu-2 (GST-M2), GST mu-5 (GST-M5), GST theta-1 (GST-T1) and GST pi-1 (GST-P1)—and Mitogen-activated protein kinase 8 (MAPK8) and Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1). MAPK8 and ASK1 were chosen as this study’s protein interaction partners because of their predominant role in electrophile or cytokine-induced stress-mediated apoptosis, inflammation and fibrosis. The highest degree of sequence homology or sequence similarity was observed in two GST subgroups: the GST-A1, GST-A2 and GST-P1 isoforms constituted subgroup1; the GST-M1, GST-M2 and GST-M5 isoforms constituted subgroup 2. The GST-T1 isoform diverged from these isoforms. In silico investigations revealed that GST-M1 showed a significantly higher binding affinity to MAPK8, and its complex was more structurally stable than the other isoforms, in the order GST-M1 > GST-M5 > GST-P1 > GST-A2 > GST-A1 > GST-M2 > GST-T1. Similarly, GST-A1, GST-P1 and GST-T1 actively interacted with ASK1, and their structural stability was also better, in the order GST-T1 > GST-A1 > GST-P1 > GST-A2 > GST-M5 > GST-M1 > GST-M2. To validate in silico results, we performed in vitro crosslinking and mass spectroscopy experiments. Results indicated that GST-M1 interacted with GST-T1 to form heterodimers and confirmed the predicted interaction between GST-M1 and MAPK8. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.publishersversioninpres

Extension service for prawn farming

The technology of prawn culture in India is still traditional and extensive called trapping-cum-holding in brackish water ponds, but adoption of Improved extensive prawn culture technology Is claimed to be picking up fast In several places notably In West Bengal, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. The production from such culture practices is estimated at 15000-17000 tons/year, accounting for about 5% of the total prawn production In India the technology of scientific prawn culture is now available. Though steps are being taken to motivate, and encourage the fish farmers to take up prawn culture on scientific lines to increase their Income, lack of an appropriate extension network Is felt to be a major handicap In the field. This paper attempts to review the various extension services available for taking up prawn culture by the fish farmers. Identifies the pitfalls and proposes a working fisheries extension programme for prawn culture In Indi