Guiding juniors in the Christian way

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Development of a Thomson X-ray Polarimeter

We describe the current status of the design and development of a Thomson X-ray polarimeter suitable for a small satellite mission. Currently we are considering two detector geometries, one using rectangular detectors placed on four sides of a scattering element and the other using a single cylindrical detector with the scattering element at the center. The rectangular detector configuration has been fabricated and tested. The cylindrical detector is currently under fabrication. In order to compensate any pointing offset of the satellite, a collimator with a flat topped response has been developed that provides a constant effective area over an angular range. We have also developed a double crystal monochromator/polariser for the purpose of test and calibration of the polarimeter. Preliminary test results from the developmental activities are presented here.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, in "X-ray Polarimetry: A New Window in Astrophysics", edited by R. Bellazzini, E. Costa, G. Matt and G. Tagliaferri, Cambridge University Press (proceedings of "The Coming of Age of X-ray Polarimetry," Rome, Italy, April 27-30, 2009

Computation of aquifer parameters using geo-electrical techniques for the North Chennai coastal aquifer

1298-1306Computation of aquifer characteristics, such as hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, formation factor, and porosity utilizing the geophysical method is less complex compared to that using arduous pumping test. Vertical electrical soundings directed in 33 areas in the north Chennai coastal aquifer in the Araniyar–Kosasthalaiyar basin demonstrates that the geo-electrical technique is a valuable tool to assess subsurface development and aquifer parameters. High values of hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity were recorded in the western part of the investigated region. Spatial conveyance of Dar Zarrouk parameters and aquifer parameters are helpful in evaluating the examined territory and for finding the favorable area for extraction. This study demonstrates that aquifer properties of coastal area are found to improve while moving away from the drift. Aquifer parameters were calculated using a pumping test and a geophysical technique in the examined zone and they were found to match. The investigation demonstrates that the geo-electrical study is a good alternative for the estimation of aquifer parameters instead of the laborious pumping tests

Bioremediation of marine oil spill using beeswax

1227-1231Oil spills can have devastating environmental, economical, and social impacts. The use of bioremediation is a preferred technique for cleaning up oil spills because it facilitates the process of naturally converting oil into non-toxic byproducts without any further local environmental disruption. An experimental study was conducted to degrade marine oil spill using beeswax as a biostimulant for bioremediation and also to study the chemical variation. Beeswax, a nutrient source for proliferation of olephic (oil eating) bacteria, was added in intervals of five days and the corresponding dissolved oxygen (DO) was measured using Azide Winkler’s method. The recuperation of the DO concentration from 3.1 mg/l to 7.4 mg/l is an indication of the reduction in oil content. An oxygen sag curve and a graph showing temporal variation of chemical parameters such as nitrite, nitrate, and ammonium were plotted. During the period of study, the oil content reduced from 10 ml to 5 ml. As the addition of biostimulant resulted in an increase in the rate of bioremediation, the use of beeswax as a biostimulant appears to be an effective tool for the clean-up of oil-contaminated marine waters without adverse environmental impact

A randomised controlled study for the prevention of post-partum haemorrhage with oxytocin plus methyl ergometrine versus oxytocin alone in the third stage of labour

Background: Postpartum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death. Uterine atony which is preventable, causes 80% of Post partum haemorrhage (PPH). Active management of third stage of labour (AMTSL) lowers maternal blood loss and reduces the risk of PPH. In this open labelled randomised controlled study we compared the combined use of oxytocin and methyl ergometrine vs oxytocin alone in prevention of PPH in the third stage of labour.Methods: 200 Women admitted for safe confinement and following the inclusion criteria were randomised immediately post delivery to receive either oxytocin +methyl ergometrine or oxytocin alone. The amount of blood loss was assessed objectively by weighing the mops and under sheets used during delivery. If bleeding could not be controlled, additional uterotonics were given. The incidence of PPH, amount of blood loss, use of additional uterotonics and side effects were recorded. The difference in pre natal and post natal haemoglobin (Hb) and the need for blood transfusion were assessed.Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of PPH between the groups. Post partum blood loss was significantly lesser in the combined group. Additional oxytocics were required more often in the oxytocin only group. The incidence of headache was significantly more in the combined group. The difference in haemoglobin levels post natally and the need for blood transfusion was comparable among both groups.Conclusions: The combined use of methyl ergometrine +oxytocin is not recommended over oxytocin alone in the third stage of labour for prevention of PPH

MEDICINAL PLANTS USED AS HOME REMEDIES: A FAMILY SURVEY BY FIRST YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS

Background: There is a hierarchical organisation of knowledge in the use of medicinal plants in communities. Medicinal use knowledge starts in the home and is passed on to family members. Next in the hierarchy are neighbours, village elders and finally, traditional healers being the most knowledgeable. For primary health care this hierarchy is actively followed in seeking remedies for ailments. Materials and Methods: This study was a survey of medicinal plant knowledge from family members of 1st year medical students registered at Walter Sisulu University. A total of 206 first year medical students participated in this study in 2010 and 2011. Results: Results revealed 47 species used as home remedies, 32% of which are food plants. Leaves and roots were reported as most commonly used. The top five ailments managed at home were gastrointestinal problems (25 plants), wounds (19 plants), respiratory tract problems (19 plants), infections, including sexually transmitted diseases (19 plants) and pain including headaches (19 plants). Chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer and reproductive ailments also formed a large group of diseases self-managed at home (29 plants). Conclusion: Family members hold knowledge of medicinal plant use. From this study, first year medical students were made aware of the relationship between common ailments and associated home remedies. This study forms a basis for further study of medicinal plants to validate their use as medicinal remedies

Synthesis and Characterization of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles from Solanum Nigrum and Eclipta prostrata for Effective Removal of Fluoride

The present study reports the novel approach to remove the excess fluoride in water using nano sized zinc oxide (ZnO) particles extracted from the plant leaf Solanum nigrum and Eclipta prostrate. The thermal behavior of the fabricated ZnO particles were characterized by XRD, the porosity and microstructure were studied by the SEM. The measurement of FTIR was carried out to find the probable biomolecules in both plant leaves. These leaves contain high amount of proteins, amino acids and rich in polyphenols. Batch experiments was carried out to study the removal of Fluoride under several factors like the effects of initial concentration, adsorbent dosage and various time interval. It is revealed at optimum dosage of Eclipta and Solanum is 0.8g/100ml and the capacity of adsorption was creating to be 1.984 mg/g and 1.943 mg/g and its efficiency is 98% and 55% respectively. Thus, the optimum dosage of the adsorbents can be used to lowering the fluoride concentration. The synthesized ZnO Nanoparticles in this work are highly capable material for removal of Fluoride ion. Thus, it is proven that the leaf of Solanum nigrum and Eclipta prostrata produce higher efficiency in reduction of Fluoride

Effect of feeding Indukantham kashayam residues on growth performance and economics of production of weaned New Zealand White rabbits

A study was conducted to examine the effect of inclusion of Indukantham kashayam residue on growth performance and economics of production of weaned New Zealand White rabbits. Eighteen weaned New Zealand White rabbits of four to six weeks age were selected from Rabbit Breeding Station, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy. The experimental animals were randomly divided into three groups of six animals each and one of the three dietary treatments T1 (control diet with 18 per cent CP and 2700 kcal DE), T2 (Diet containing 5 per cent Indukantham kashayam residues) and T3 (Diet containing 10 per cent Indukantham kashayam residues) was alloted to each group. Data on weekly weight gain and daily feed intake were collected during course of study, while feed conversion ratio and economics of production were computed. The findings of the current study revealed that growth performance of weaned New Zealand White rabbits remained unaffected (p>0.05) among the dietary treatments. Indukantham kashayam residue can be included in the diet of growing rabbits up to 10 per cent level to reduce cost of production

Discovery of a 0.02 Hz QPO feature in the Transient X-ray Pulsar KS 1947+300

We report the discovery of Quasi Periodic Oscillations (QPO) at 0.02 Hz in a transient high mass X-ray binary pulsar KS 1947+300 using {\em RXTE}-PCA. The QPOs were detected during May-June 2001, at the end of a long outburst. This is the 9th transient accretion powered high magnetic field X-ray pulsar in which QPOs have been detected and the QPO frequency of this source is lowest in this class of sources. The unusual feature of this source is that though the outburst lasted for more than 100 days, the QPOs were detected only during the last few days of the outburst when the X-ray intensity had decayed to 1.6% of the peak intensity. The rms value of the QPO is large, $\sim15.4\pm1.0$ with a slight positive correlation with energy. The detection of QPOs and strong pulsations at a low luminosity level suggests that the magnetic field strength of the neutron star is not as high as was predicted earlier on the basis of a correlation between the spin-up torque and the X-ray luminosity.Comment: Accepted in MNRA