Preparation of Al2O3 - SiC In-Situ Composite Powder Mixtures by Carbothermal Reduction of Kaolinite

A1,,O3-SiC,, composite powder mixtures were prepared by carbothermal reduction of kaolinite (A],03.2SiO,.2H,O) in argon atmosphere at constant gas pressure of 0.15 MPa. The reactions were carried out with different mole ratios of silica (in the precursor) and carbon (4.5-9.0), with two types of carbon i.e.carbon black (300m2/g)and activated charcoal (1000m2/g) and at different temperatures in the temperature range of 1550-17000C with one hour of soaking to find the progress of the reaction in all the cases. It was observed that the reactions were complete at 17000C. The reactions were carried out with higher soaking time to optimise the process. It was noted that mullite forms as the intermediate phase at lower temperatures which converts progressively later to a mixture of A1,O, and SiC,, composite product at higher temperatures

One- dimensional consolidation of modified peat soil

Peat soil has been known to be the major group of problem soil in Malaysia. In Sarawak alone, peat covers 13% of the total land area. The main problem in peat is the excessive and differential settlement which results difficult design and construction condition. Furthermore, peat is difficult to sample and test using conventional method. One important characteristic that is important for analysis is the consolidation characteristic. This is because the consolidation behavior is related to the org anic content of the soil. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the consolidation behaviors of peat, in particular the consolidation parameters with respect to the organic content and relationships. The Oedometer consolidation test equipment will be used to obtain the results and effects of organic content on the coefficient of consolidation (Cv), coefficient of compression index (Cc) and coefficient of volume compressibility (mv). From the experiments conducted, the value of Cv was found to be in the range of 0.094 to 0.848 cm 2 /min. Where as the value of mv was found to be decreasing as the organic content decreased. The value of Cc was also found to be decreasing as organic content decreased

Study of Seed Orientation in Different Depths in Jatropha Curcas L.

Seeds were sown in three orientations (Radicle downwards, radicle upwards and flat position) at four different depths (1, 2, 3 and 4 centimeters) to improve the germination on Jatropha curcas. The results revealed that sowing seed at 2 centimeter depth with radical downwards position enhanced the production of normal seedling and the germination percentage (85%). Compare to radicle downward and flat position of seed at different depth of sowing, speed of emergence and abnormal seedling existence were lower and higher respectively in radicle upward position of seeds with 4 centimeter depth

Phylogenomics of Porites from the Arabian Peninsula

The advent of high throughput sequencing technologies provides an opportunity to resolve phylogenetic relationships among closely related species. By incorporating hundreds to thousands of unlinked loci and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), phylogenomic analyses have a far greater potential to resolve species boundaries than approaches that rely on only a few markers. Scleractinian taxa have proved challenging to identify using traditional morphological approaches and many groups lack an adequate set of molecular markers to investigate their phylogenies. Here, we examine the potential of Restriction-site Associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) to investigate phylogenetic relationships and species limits within the scleractinian coral genus Porites. A total of 126 colonies were collected from 16 localities in the seas surrounding the Arabian Peninsula and ascribed to 12 nominal and two unknown species based on their morphology. Reference mapping was used to retrieve and compare nearly complete mitochondrial genomes, ribosomal DNA, and histone loci. De novo assembly and reference mapping to the P. lobata coral transcriptome were compared and used to obtain thousands of genome-wide loci and SNPs. A suite of species discovery methods (phylogenetic, ordination, and clustering analyses) and species delimitation approaches (coalescent-based, species tree, and Bayesian Factor delimitation) suggested the presence of eight molecular lineages, one of which included six morphospecies. Our phylogenomic approach provided a fully supported phylogeny of Porites from the Arabian Peninsula, suggesting the power of RADseq data to solve the species delineation problem in this speciose coral genus

Combined acute hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic clamp induced profibrotic and proinflammatory responses in the kidney

Increase in matrix protein content in the kidney is a cardinal feature of diabetic kidney disease. While renal matrix protein content is increased by chronic hyperglycemia, whether it is regulated by acute elevation of glucose and insulin has not been addressed. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether short duration of combined hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, mimicking the metabolic environment of prediabetes and early type 2 diabetes, induces kidney injury. Normal rats were subjected to either saline infusion (control, n = 4) or 7 h of combined hyperglycemic- hyperinsulinemic clamp (HG+HI clamp; n = 6). During the clamp, plasma glucose and plasma insulin were maintained at about 350 mg/dl and 16 ng/ml, respectively. HG+HI clamp increased the expression of renal cortical transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and renal matrix proteins, laminin and fibronectin. This was associated with the activation of SMAD3, Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complexes, and ERK signaling pathways and their downstream target events in the initiation and elongation phases of mRNA translation, an important step in protein synthesis. Additionally, HG+HI clamp provoked renal inflammation as shown by the activation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and infiltration of CD68-positive monocytes. Urinary F2t isoprostane excretion, an index of renal oxidant stress, was increased in the HG+HI clamp rats. We conclude that even a short duration of hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia contributes to activation of pathways that regulate matrix protein synthesis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the kidney. This finding could have implications for the control of short-term rises in blood glucose in diabetic individuals at risk of developing kidney disease. © 2014 the American Physiological Society