Studies in use of coir fiber in blend of ethylene Propylene diene Rubber and Polypropylene

Thermoplastic elastomers are a special class of polymeric materials that combine the propertiesof thermo plasticity during processing and rubber-like behaviour in service. They can beprocessed in conventional plastic processing equipment, such as twin screw extruders, internalbatch mixers, extruders and injection moulding machine, but exhibit vulcanized rubber likeultimate properties (i.e. long-range reversible extensibility) immediately on cooling.Dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic fibrous composites based on melt processed hybridethylene-propylene diene rubber (EPDM)/maleic anhydride (MA) grafting and polypropylene(PP) with coir fibers were prepared. Coir fiber acts as a nucleating agent for polypropylenecrystallization; they also form physical interlocking between EPDM/Polypropylene blends whichserve the function of compatibalization along with EPDM – g – Maleic anhydride. Results fromRubber Process Analyzer, Mechanical Analysis, Scanning Electron Microscope, DifferentialScanning Calorimetery, reflect upon the microstructure developed during dynamic cross linking.The coir fiber forms well dispersed structures in the EPDM/PP / EPDM-g-MA thermoplasticvulcanizates. The EPDM/PP TPV fiber composites show a matrix-disperse type of morphologyin which the cross linked EPDM particles appear in the form of agglomerates covered by a layerof PP coir fiber composites. This has been assigned to the formation of a coir fiber networkstructure by the layer of coir fiber PP covered EPDM rubber particles

Solid waste management in Rameswaram Island - “Green Ramesawaram project”

Hand in Hand Inclusive Development and Services (HHIDS), is a non-profit company registered under Section-25 of the Indian Companies Act, 1956 with its office at Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, India. HHIDS works in the field of Solid Waste Management. This involves educating the people in waste management principles, conducting awareness programs and on field implementation of waste management. The project also ensures that the practices are implemented in a sustainable manner through community participation. The long-term objective is thus to reduce the environmental degradation caused by the unscientific handling of solid waste. The project aims at ensuring environmental, social and financial sustainability in a period of three years and advocating the 3 R concepts (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), to achieve that the people are educated on the importance of segregating garbage at source and avoiding usage of disposable plastics. At present, Hand in Hand’s solid waste management project is implemented with community participation at 22 locations, in 8 districts, in the State of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Union Territory of Puducherry; covering 156,878 families with a total population of 6, 27,512

Effect of hydroxyl value of acrylic polyol and type of crosslinkers on the properties of Polyurethane coetings

Acrylic polyol base polyurethane coatings were prepared by reacting polyol with hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) base prepolymer. Five different types of acrylic polyol based on their hydroxyl value and two type of HDI prepolymer i.e. HDI biuret and HDI trimer were used as a hardners, for preparation of Polyurethane coating. The effect of hydroxyl value of acrylic polyol on PU coating properties like physical, mechanical and chemical properties were studied. The base and hardners were mixed prior to application of coating in a NCO: OH ratio of 1:1.  It was found that the as hydroxyl value of polyol increases, it forms a hard film due to high cross-linked structure than low hydroxyl value polyol. Also HDI prepolymer with higher functionality gives better coating properties

Evolution of polyembryony: consequences to the fitness of mother and offspring

Polyembryony, referring here to situations where a nucellar embryo is formed along with the zygotic embryo, has different consequences for the fitness of the maternal parent and offspring. We have developed genetic and inclusive fitness models to derive the conditions that permit the evolution of polyembryony under maternal and offspring control. We have also derived expressions for the optimal allocation (evolutionarily stable strategy, ESS) of resources between zygotic and nucellar embryos. It is seen that (i) Polyembryony can evolve more easily under maternal control than under that of either the offspring or the 'selfish' endosperm. Under maternal regulation, evolution of polyembryony can occur for any clutch size. Under offspring control polyembryony is more likely to evolve for high clutch sizes, and is unlikely for low clutch sizes (<3). This conflict between mother and offspring decreases with increase in clutch size and favours the evolution of polyembryony at high clutch sizes, (ii) Polyembryony can evolve for values of "x" (the power of the function relating fitness to seed resource) greater than 0.5758; the possibility of its occurrence increases with "x", indicating that a more efficient conversion of resource into fitness favours polyembryony. (iii) Under both maternal parent and offspring control, the evolution of polyembryony becomes increasingly unlikely as the level of inbreeding increases, (iv) The proportion of resources allocated to the nucellar embryo at ESS is always higher than that which maximizes the rate of spread of the allele against a non-polyembryonic allele. Finally we argue that polyembryony is a maternal counter strategy to compensate for the loss in her fitness due to brood reduction caused by sibling rivalry. We support this assertion by two empirical evidences: (a) the extent of polyembryony is positively correlated with brood reduction inCitrus, and (b) species exhibiting polyembryony are more often those that frequently exhibit brood reduction

Higher Education Financial Perspective amidst Crisis: A Historical Analysis of Public Opinion through Social Media

Student: Varun Vasudeo Faculty Sponsor: Dr Kathleen P King, Professor, Higher Education, COE, ACHE Department Abstract Title- Higher Education Financial Perspective amidst Crisis: A Historical Analysis of Public Opinion through Social Media Purpose - To identify, collect and analyze a higher education trend in images by collecting results from different search engines and graphing the trend due to economic recession of 2007 over a desired timeline. Project will include analyzing the results across a timeline as well as identifying patterns or themes in the results and related historical events (political, economic, social, etc) which could influence the results. The data for the theme will be drawn from search engines; the data for the timeline will be drawn from Google timeline function and other tools. The specific higher education theme for this project is finance in higher education. Secondary Purpose: This project will also serve as a model/prototype for student research assignments using social media primary source evidence. IRB Approval- received 3-3-11 Search Engines- Tumblr, Flickr, Photobucket,Google, Taggalaxy, Twitter Time Frame- January 2005- January 2011, December 2007-June 2009 Yearly: January 2005- January 2011 Screenshots timeline – Weekly/monthly Procedure 1. Prepare a list of terms (tags) that have to be used in search engines. 2. Identify timeline for the images being searched. 3. Identify search engines, and ways to search images, making them date specific. 4. Storing and classifying images according to tags and dates so the best results can be obtained. 5. Analyzing and identifying a trend among the different data collections but graphing them to different scales. 6. Analyzing the effect of economic recession on the images and deriving desired conclusion. Data Collection The main method used to store data is to take periodical screenshots and classifying them according to dates and tags. The main way to store these images would be either an external hard drive or on board hard drive. Trends The trends will be identified using Google trends, timeline and making trend lines among the tags. Paper Writing The paper will be written based on the results obtained from trends. The paper will discuss consequences of the recent economic recession on higher education discussions by comparing the longitudinal results. The paper can be used as a prototype for faculty design student research assignments using social media primary source evidence in their discipline A second paper will later be written with the faculty sponsor as the primary author, describing this approach as an instructional strategy couched within the framework of research methods, 21st century learning and instructional technology. This paper will assist professors and teachers in using the wealth of primary data available through social media to build students skills in research, critical thinking, and content related knowledge

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Unnat Sabji Paudhashala Prabandhan

Not AvailableIt is an extension leaflet in the Hindi language on 'Unnat Sabji Paudhashala Prabandhan' (Improved Vegetable Nursery Management).AICRP-VC (Anusuchit Jati Upyojana