Phytochemical screening, antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of successive extracts of Couroupita guianensis Aubl. plant

Couroupita guianensis Aubl. is widely used in Indian traditional medicines to treat stomach aches, cold, skin diseases, microbial and fungal infections. In the present study series of experiments were performed to screen phytochemical constituents, antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of successive extracts of leaves, stem and crude methanolic extract of flowers of Couroupita guianensis. The extracts were evaluated for their antioxidant activity by 1,1’-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, nitric oxide free radical scavenging activity, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, lipid peroxide inhibitory activity, hydroxyl radical by deoxyribose method and total antioxidant capacity of extracts and cytotoxic property of extracts as well as total phenolic content. The methanolic leaf extract showed highest total phenol content. Ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were found to possess excellent antioxidant activity in most of the tested methods. In the cytotoxicity study of extracts, the results suggested that ethyl acetate leaf and crude methanolic flower extracts possess better activity

IMPACT OF EFFICIENT CASH MANAGEMENT IN THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs)

This research paper examines the impact of efficient cash management on the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the north coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. The study involves both primary and secondary data analysis and seeks to elucidate the direct correlation between cash management techniques and SMEsperformance. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in any economy as they can generate employment, promoting the growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), embarking on innovations, and stimulating of other economic activities. The SME sector is said to be the backbone of all developed and developing nations. The development of the SME sector is of paramount importance for any country irrespective of their level of development since this sector has immense potential to generate maximum socio-economic benefits to the country with the minimum level of investment. The available statistics indicate that a vast majority of the small and medium scale industries die within their first five years of their existence and a few firms go into between the six to ten years of existence. It may be noted that only 5 to10 percent of the small and medium enterprises can survive, thrive, and grow into maturity stage. The reason for this is not an only capital shortage but may be improper cash management practices. In this paper, an attempt is made to analysethe cash management practices in small and medium enterprises. It is a descriptive study with a structured questionnaire from a sample of 360 which includes 346 small and 14 medium scale enterprises in Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram district

New LiDAR System Pinpoints Pedestrian Behavior to Improve Eficiency and Safety at Intersections

Pedestrian safety is critical to improving walkability in cities. To that end, NITC researchers have developed a system for collecting pedestrian behavior data using LiDAR sensors. Tested at two intersections in Texas and soon to be tested at another in Salt Lake City, Utah, the new software created by a multi-university research team is able to reliably observe pedestrian behavior and can help reduce conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles at signalized intersections. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is already working on implementing this new LiDAR system to improve data collection at intersections

Emission model sensitivity analysis: The value of smart phone weight-mile tax truck data

This research serves to evaluate the potential use of a system developed by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for emission estimates. The data collection system developed by ODOT – Truck Road Use Electronics (TRUE) – includes a smart phone application with a Global Positioning System (GPS) device and microprocessor. Previous research with the TRUE data served to demonstrate its use for important ancillary applications such as highly accurate trip generation rates and m obility performance measures. In addition, it was shown that the TRUE data has strong potential use for safety, accessibility and connectivity, system condition and environmental stewardship performance measures. This new research builds on that past work and evaluates the potential use of the TRUE data for emissions estimates that take into account truck type details, truck weight and detailed speed profiles. A sensitivity analysis using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Motor Vehicle Emissi on Simulator 2010b (MOVES2010b) is performed in order to understand the level of error that might be encountered when such detailed data are not available. The impact of grade on emissions estimates is also considered. Results indicate that TRUE data in in tegration with Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) weight - mile tax (WMT) data will greatly improve the accuracy of emissions estimations at the project and regional level

Techniques Used in Biometric Authentication - Applicability and Future Scope

In recent past, biometrics has emerged rapidly with its worldwide applications for daily living. Novel trends and new developments have been proposed to obtain and pursue many diverse biometric traits. The ignored challenge in the precedent and potential issues need to be addressed together and intensely integrated. The main objective of the paper is to keep up with the innovative technologies on some current theoretical development as well as fresh trends of biometric applications. The topics covered in this paper reflect well both aspects of development. This paper deals with the techniques used for biometric authentication and their future possibilities. This paper also focus on the applicability, strengths and weaknesses of several biometric recognition systems with a comprehensive review of the developments in this field

A NOVEL APPROACH OF LOCUST BEAN GUM MICROSPHERES FOR COLONIC DELIVERY OF MESALAMINE

Objective: The objective of the present study was to formulate site-specific drug delivery of mesalamine using Locust bean gum.Methods: The core microspheres were prepared by ionic gelation method using CaCl2 solution and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde and were further coated with pH-sensitive polymer eudragit S-100(1.5-4.5 ml) to retard the drug release in the upper gastrointestinal environment (Stomach and small intestine). Microspheres were characterized by ftir spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analysis, entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release studies in different simulated gastric fluids. Stability studies were carried out for one month at 40±2 °C/75±5% RH.Results: The SEM images revealed the surface morphology was rough and smooth for core and coated microspheres, respectively. The optimized batch (ILBG6) of core microspheres(for 7hr), coated microspheres and coated microspheres in presence of rat caecal contents (8%w/v) for 24hr exhibited 98.44±2.48, 73.58±3.49 % and 98.28±4.42 drug release, respectively. The drug release from all locust bean gum microsphere formulations followed higuchi kinetics. Moreover, drug release from Eudragit S-100 coated microspheres followed the korsmeyer-peppas equation with an fickian kinetics mechanism. Finally, stability studies suggested the change in entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release of microspheres was minimal, indicating good stability of the formulation.Conclusion: The microspheres formed using natural polysaccharide locust beangum by ionic gelation method are capable of colon targeting the anti-inflammatory drug, mesalamine for the treatment of ulcerative colitis

Cellulase stimulation during biodegradation of lignocellulosic residues at increased biomass loading

Microbial degradation of lignocellulosic biomass is primarily affected by the composition and structure of biomass, as well as enzyme activities that are influenced by the presence of in-process degradation products. This study focuses on the latter, and demonstrates that cellulase activity of Neurospora discreta is stimulated in the presence of in-process soluble lignin degradation products. Two types of biomass - cocopeat and sugarcane bagasse, with contrasting lignin content and cellulose structure were tested at two biomass loadings each. At the higher biomass loading, cocopeat showed the highest amount of hydrolyzed cellulose and cellulase activity, despite its low cellulose content and recalcitrant cellulose structure. A strong positive correlation was revealed between the amount of in-process degraded lignin and cellulase activity, indicating a stimulatory effect on cellulase, which contradicts most previous literature. Furthermore, the causal relationship between the amount of degraded lignin and cellulase activity was established in a model system of commercial cellulase and standard soluble lignin. This work could pave the way for using biomass loading as a process lever to enhance cellulose hydrolysis in microbial conversion of lignocellulosic biomass

Screening Mammograms in Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

Very little guidance exists to help clinicians and families decide whether mammograms are useful in elderly women with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). We present a case of a patient with moderate AD who had a positive mammogram and discuss the dilemma faced by the family and clinician in deciding what was best to do for the patient. In this case, the family opted for breast conserving surgery (BCS) followed by palliative care which brought up the question of whether screening was appropriate with this treatment goal in mind. We reviewed the literature on AD and breast cancer screening and summarize these findings in our discussion

Bleomycin induced skin rashes- a case report

Bleomycin is a cytotoxic glycopeptide derived from Streptomyces verticillus and is used in ABVD         (Adriamycin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine, Dacarbazine) chemotherapy regimen. Bleomycin is effective against several human cancers particularly lymphomas, testicular and ovarian germ cell tumors and squamous cell carcinoma. Pulmonary toxicity and skin toxicity are the major toxicities of bleomycin. The various dermatological adverse effects of bleomycin include flagellate dermatitis, erythema, hyperpigmentation, hyperkeratosis, palmoplantar desquamation, Raynaud’s phenomenon. The development of rash is independent of dose and route of administration. This is a case of 68 years male patient diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma who developed rashes after receiving bleomycin based chemotherapy. The patient responded well to the antihistamines, aloe Vera-calamine lotion and bleomycin was withheld from the subsequent chemotherapy cycles. Keywords: Bleomycin, Skin toxicity, Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Multimodal Data at Signalized Intersections: Strategies for Archiving Existing and New Data Streams to Support Operations and Planning & Fusion and Integration of Arterial Performance Data

There is a growing interest in arterial system management due to the increasing amount of travel on arterials and a growing emphasis on multimodal transportation. The benefits of archiving arterial-related data are numerous. This research report describes our efforts to assemble and develop a multimodal archive for the Portland-Vancouver region. There is coverage of data sources from all modes in the metropolitan region; however, the preliminary nature of the archiving process means that some of the data are incomplete and samples. The arterial data sources available in the Portland-Vancouver region and that are covered in this report include data for various local agencies (City of Portland, Clark County, WA, TriMet and C-TRAN) covering vehicle, transit, pedestrian, and bicycle modes. We provide detailed descriptions of each data source and a spatial and temporal classification. The report describes the conceptual framework for an archive and the data collection and archival process, including the process for extracting the data from the agency systems and transferring these data to our multimodal database. Data can be made more useful though the use of improved visualization techniques. Thus as part of the project, a number of novel, online visualizations were created and implemented. These graphs and displays are summarized in this report and example visualizations are shown. As with any automated sensor system, data quality and completeness is an important issue and the challenge of automating data quality is large. Preliminary efforts to validate and monitor data quality and automate data quality processing are explored. Finally, the report presents efforts to combine transit and travel time data and signal timing and vehicle count data to generate some sample congestion measures