Magnetic properties of Hydrogenated Li and Co doped ZnO nanoparticles

The effect of hydrogenation on magnetic properties of Zn0.85Co0.05Li0.10O nanoparticles is presented. It was found that the sample hydrided at room temperature (RT) showed weak ferromagnetism (FM) while that hydrided at 400oC showed robust ferromagnetism at room temperature. In both cases reheating the sample at 400oC in air converts it back into paramagnetic state (P) completely. The characterization of samples by X-ray and electron diffraction (ED) showed that room temperature ferromagnetism observed in the samples hydrogenated at RT is intrinsic in nature whereas that observed in the samples hydrogenated at 400oC is partly due to the cobalt metal clusters.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Artery of percheron infarction: case reports and literature review

The artery of Percheron is a rare anatomic variant supplying the thalamus and the rostral midbrain. Infarct in this territory results in a wide array of neurological signs and symptoms causing diagnostic dilemma and management issues. We describe the clinical presentations in three cases admitted and evaluated for neurological symptoms and diagnosed as artery of percheron infarct after brain imaging. In one patient, the etiology turned out to be infective while the other two patients had cerebrovascular accident secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy and hyper homcystinimea respectively. Artery of percheron infarction is a rare entity and should be considered in patients with altered sensorium and behavioral manifestations with associated eye abnormalities. MRI brain is the investigation of choice to detect this rare variant of thalamic circulation.

The carbon life cycle assessment of the production of shelterbelt species in Saskatchewan

Non-Peer ReviewedShelterbelt tree and shrub adoption has been a major landscape management practice on agricultural land in Saskatchewan throughout the 1900s. Shelterbelt trees were distributed to landowners, free of charge, from 1901 to 2002 by the Canadian government's prairie shelterbelt centre, which was located in Indian Head, Saskatchewan. Though the shelterbelt centre at Indian Head closed in 2013, many other shelterbelt centres and forestry nurseries still exist to serve this purpose. Saskpower's Shand Greenhouse, operated out of Estevan, Saskatchewan, provides approximately 500,000 seedlings a year, both free of charge for those eligible and for purchase. Shelterbelt tree and shrubs are important for carbon sequestration and storage efforts within Saskatchewan and Canada, however it is important to note the carbon produced in the production of these seedlings. Using data collected from Shand Greenhouse and an LCA software program (SimaPro), the overall carbon produced by this stage of the shelterbelt life cycle can be determined. With this information, the net carbon balance of shelterbelt production and use will be better understood. This may serve as beneficial information regarding future decision-making for individual landowners and governmental policies regarding the production as well as the removal/retention of shelterbelt trees

HIV infection among pregnant women attending an integrated counseling & testing centre at Agra: comparison with studies in other regions of India

Background: HIV in pregnant women has become an important focus of HIV research because of its role in the spread of HIV infection, particularly, among children. The aim of this seven year (2005-2011) observational study was to determine the prevalence, trend and risk factors associated with HIV infections among pregnant women presenting to ICTC at Agra.Methods: The socio-demographic data like age, marital status, literacy status, profession, locality of residence and index of gravity were analysed in the context of symptoms at the time testing.Results: 433 pregnant women were screened for HIV and VDRL infections. 5.7% were HIV-positive and 14.3% were VDRL-reactive. HIV-positivity ranged between 2-5% whereas that of VDRL ranged from 8-12%. During 2011, there was a surge in HIV-positivity (11%) and VDRL reactivity (24%).Conclusions: There is an urgent need to perform surveys of HIV and other co-infections like HBV, HCV and STD prevalence among pregnant women to assess the true extent of the problem. Cost-effective treatment regimens and HIV prevention programmes for low-risk group clients are urgently needed in most parts of the country. This is the first review of HIV and other co-infections among pregnant women in different regions of the country

MODELING OF EXTRUSION PROCESS USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY AND ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS

Artificial neural networks are a powerful tool for modeling of extrusion processing of food materials. Wheat flour and wheat– black soybean blend (95:5) were extruded in a single screw Brabender extruder with varying temperature (120 and 140 oC), dry basis moisture content (18 and 20%) and screw speed (156, 168, 180, 192 and 204 rpm). The specific mechanical energy, water absorption index, water solubility index, expansion ratio and sensory characteristics (crispness, hardness, appearance and overall acceptability) were measured. Well expanded products could be obtained from wheat flour as well as the blend of wheat– black soybean. The results showed that artificial neural network (ANN) models performed better than the response surface methodology (RSM) models in describing the extrusion process and characteristics of the extruded product in terms of specific mechanical energy requirement, expansion ratio, water absorption index, water solubility index as well the sensory characteristics. The ANN models were better than RSM models both in case of the individual as well as the pooled data of wheat flour and wheat- black soybean extrusion

Streblus asper Lour. (Shakhotaka): A Review of its Chemical, Pharmacological and Ethnomedicinal Properties

Streblus asper Lour is a small tree found in tropical countries, such as India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Various parts of this plant are used in Ayurveda and other folk medicines for the treatment of different ailments such as filariasis, leprosy, toothache, diarrhea, dysentery and cancer. Research carried out using different in vitro and in vivo techniques of biological evaluation support most of these claims. This review presents the botany, chemistry, traditional uses and pharmacology of this medicinal plant

Genetic Evaluation and AMMI Analysis for Salinity Tolerance in Diverse Wheat Germplasm

Soil salinity is one of the major environmental constraints in increasing agricultural crop production, especially wheat production in India. Screening of diverse germplasm in representative growing conditions is prerequisite for exploring traits with stable expression imparting salinity tolerance. A study was undertaken during 2011–2012 for characterizing wheat germplasm in three environments representing growing conditions of crop in Northern parts of India, estimating inter-relationship among traits and evaluating stability of trait conferring salinity tolerance. Significant value of mean square for observed trait across the environments signified presence of large variability in genotypes. Significant yield reduction was recorded in almost all genotypes in saline environment compared to non-saline condition. Ratio of potassium and sodium ion in leaf tissue (KNA); a key salt tolerance traits was found to be significantly correlated with biomass, SPAD value and plant height. Due to the presence of significant genotype × environment interaction (G × E) for KNA, additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model was utilized to study stability of KNA among genotypes and environments. IPCA1 and IPCA2 were found to be significant and explained more than 99 per cent of variation due to G × E. KRICHAUFF was having maximum trait value with specific adaptation while DUCULA 4 and KRL 19 were having general adaptability. AMMI2 biplot revealed high stability of Kharchia 65 and KRL 99 across environments. E1 (timely sown, non-saline soil) recorded maximum site mean while E2 (timely sown, sodic soil) was having minimum interaction with genotypes (AMMI1 = 1.383). Thus, our studies suggest that AMMI model is also useful for estimating adaptability of traits other than yield utilized for breeding salt tolerant wheat varieties