Crystallite shape, dielectric constant and functional data analysis of various cotton fibres using WAXS data

Four different varieties of cotton fibres have been used for X-ray diffraction study using in-house programs. X-ray datahave been corrected for instrumental broadening and Lorentz polarization factors before using them for further analysis.Using Peakfit® program, 13-15 Bragg reflections are identified and cell parameters are determined by CHECKCELL®. Fullwidth at half maxima (FWHM) of these reflections are used to estimate the crystallite size and strain along [hkl] directions.Using these results and employing a novel method, a 3-dimensional image of the crystallite shapes in these cotton fibres arecomputed. Employing Lorenz-Mie theory of scattering of electromagnetic radiation by molecules embedded in dielectricspheres, the dielectric constant of cellulose along amorphous region has been computed. This technique can be extended toany material of interest. Correlation among varieties of fibres and each physical parameter like crystallite size, strain,tenacity and staple length have been investigated using functional analysis, which shows the correlation between physicalparameters with varieties of cotton fibres

Experimental Study on Strength Properties of Triple Blended Self-Compacting Concrete

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is a flowing concrete mixture that can self-consolidate under its own weight, and it is one of the most significant advancements in concrete technology in the recent decade. SCC's very fluid character makes it ideal for use in challenging situations and in sections with crowded reinforcing. SCC, which was initially created in the late 1980s, has since expanded around the world, with an ever-growing variety of applications. Because of its unique features, SCC has the potential to significantly improve the quality of concrete buildings while also opening up new areas for concrete use. The addition of treated and untreated industrial byproducts, raw materials, and home wastes to SCC is becoming increasingly popular as a way to make it more durable and cost effective. This not only allows waste materials to be reused, but it also results in a eco-friendly environment. The Strength Characteristics of Self-Compacting Concrete were determined by an experimental investigation (SCC). The goal of this research is to see how Fly Ash (FA), Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS), and Silica Fume (SF) can be used as cement substitutes and what influence they have on the fresh and hardened qualities of concrete. The investigation involves the notion of using a triple blend of Fly ash, GGBS, and Silica Fume to produce better concrete. This triple blend takes use of the favorable properties of Pozzolanic materials

Meteor radar measurements of MLT winds near the equatorial electro jet region over Thumba (8.5° N, 77° E): comparison with TIDI observations

The All-Sky interferometric meteor (SKYiMET) radar (MR) derived winds in the vicinity of the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) are discussed. As Thumba (8.5° N, 77° E; dip lat. 0.5° N) is under the EEJ belt, there has been some debate on the reliability of the meteor radar derived winds near the EEJ height region. In this regard, the composite diurnal variations of zonal wind profiles in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere (MLT) region derived from TIMED Doppler Interferometer (TIDI) and ground based meteor radar at Thumba are compared. In this study, emphasis is given to verify the meteor radar observations at 98 km height region, especially during the EEJ peaking time (11:00 to 14:00 LT). The composite diurnal cycles of zonal winds over Thumba are constructed during four seasons of the year 2006 using TIDI and meteor radar observations, which showed good agreement especially during the peak EEJ hours, thus assuring the reliability of meteor radar measurements of neutral winds close to the EEJ height region. It is evident from the present study that on seasonal scales, the radar measurements are not biased by the EEJ. The day-time variations of HF radar measured E-region drifts at the EEJ region are also compared with MR measurements to show there are large differences between ionospheric drifts and MR measurements. The significance of the present study lies in validating the meteor radar technique over Thumba located at magnetic equator by comparing with other than the radio technique for the first time

A synopsis of the family Pottiaceae (Bryophyta) of Kerala, India

The Potttiaceae are one of the dominant acrocarpic moss family of India with 26 genera and 130 species. The present paper is a synopsis of the family Pottiaceae in Kerala State. Here we report 18 species distributed among 13 genera such as Anoectangium aestivum, A. bicolor, Barbula tenuirostris, B. indica, Hyophila involuta, H. nymaniana, Hymenostylium recurvirostrum, Hy-menostomum edentulum, Indopottia zanderii, Oxystegus cylindricus, Pottia bry-oides, Scopelophila cataractae, S. ligulata, Syntrichia fragilis, T. muralis, Tor-tella tortuosa, Trichostomum wayanadense and T. crispulum. Among these one species viz., Pottia bryoides is a new record for India. Scopelophila ligulata is widely known as “copper moss” but this species was not recorded yet from Pen-insular India. This report is then new to Peninsular India. Two species viz; Bar-bula tenuirostris Brid. and Syntrichia fragilis (Tayl.) Ochyra. are new records for Kerala and Indopottia zanderii is endemic to Western Ghats

Contribution to the bryophyte flora of India

The bryophyte flora of the Silent Valley National Park is catalogued. The catalogue consists of 148 taxa (109 mosses, 36 liverworts, 3 hornworts), of which nine species viz., Chrysocladium flammeum (Mitt.) M.Fleisch., Gymnostomum calcareum Nees & Hornsch., Glossadelphus bilobatus (Dix.) Broth., Hypnum flaccens Besch., Notoscyphus paroicus Schiffn., Macromitrium turgidum Dix., Calyptothecium pinnatum Nog., Brotherella amblystegia (Mitt.) Broth. and Wijkia deflexifolia (Ren. & Card.) Crum. are newly reported for Peninsular India. Another four species viz., Lejeunea cavifolia (Ehrh.) Lindb., Radula obscura Mitt., Radula meyeri Steph. and Barbella turgida Nog. are new record of occurrence for Kerala State. Trichostelium stigmosum (Manju et al., 2012) and Aerobryopsis wallichii (Brid.) Fleisch. (Prajitha et al., in press), has been reported as new records for India from Silent Valley

Overseas Conservation Education and research: the new colonialism?

The overseas field course is a common feature of European and North American undergraduate degrees and increasingly students are seeking out volunteering opportunities abroad in order to gain career-related experience in the overcrowded conservation sector. We argue that, without careful consideration, both activities run the twin risks of becoming ‘parachute’ science and perpetuating harmful neo-colonial attitudes. We propose a series of guidelines for those running overseas university field courses and volunteering activities to reduce these risks

Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) analysis is an effective tool for the detection of novel intragenic PLA2G6 mutations: Implications for molecular diagnosis

Phospholipase associated neurodegeneration (PLAN) comprises a heterogeneous group of autosomal recessive neurological disorders caused by mutations in the PLA2G6 gene. Direct gene sequencing detects 85% mutations in infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy. We report the novel use of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) analysis to detect novel PLA2G6 duplications and deletions. The identification of such copy number variants (CNVs) expands the PLAN mutation spectrum and may account for up to 12.5% of PLA2G6 mutations. MLPA should thus be employed to detect CNVs of PLA2G6 in patients who show clinical features of PLAN but in whom both disease-causing mutations cannot be identified on routine sequencin

A simple method to combine multiple molecular biomarkers for dichotomous diagnostic classification

BACKGROUND: In spite of the recognized diagnostic potential of biomarkers, the quest for squelching noise and wringing in information from a given set of biomarkers continues. Here, we suggest a statistical algorithm that – assuming each molecular biomarker to be a diagnostic test – enriches the diagnostic performance of an optimized set of independent biomarkers employing established statistical techniques. We validated the proposed algorithm using several simulation datasets in addition to four publicly available real datasets that compared i) subjects having cancer with those without; ii) subjects with two different cancers; iii) subjects with two different types of one cancer; and iv) subjects with same cancer resulting in differential time to metastasis. RESULTS: Our algorithm comprises of three steps: estimating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for each biomarker, identifying a subset of biomarkers using linear regression and combining the chosen biomarkers using linear discriminant function analysis. Combining these established statistical methods that are available in most statistical packages, we observed that the diagnostic accuracy of our approach was 100%, 99.94%, 96.67% and 93.92% for the real datasets used in the study. These estimates were comparable to or better than the ones previously reported using alternative methods. In a synthetic dataset, we also observed that all the biomarkers chosen by our algorithm were indeed truly differentially expressed. CONCLUSION: The proposed algorithm can be used for accurate diagnosis in the setting of dichotomous classification of disease states

Bryophyte diversity in the Sacred Groves, with special reference to Vallikkattukavu of Kozhikode district in Western Ghats

The bryophyte diversity in the Vallikkattu kavu of Kozhikode district is enumerated along with the conservation of bryophytes in the sacred grove is discussed. This report represents many interesting finds such as Bryum retusifolium  var. heterophyllum Card. ex Gangulee a new record to Kerala and Ditrichum tortuloides Grout. is a new record for Peninsular India. The endemic species Fissidens kammadensis Manju et al. and the rare species Calymperes palisotti  Schwaegr. could be collected from this sacred grove