Mass Transfer Studies on Adsorption of Phenol from Wastewater Using Lantana camara

Adsorption is one of the important treatment methods for the removal of pollutants from wastewater. The determination of rate controlling step in the process is important in the design of the process. Therefore, in the present work, mass transfer studies were done to evaluate the rate-limiting step in the adsorption of phenol from aqueous solution onto Lantana camara. Different mass transfer models were used to find the rate-limiting step and also to find the values of external mass transfer coefficient and diffusion coefficient. The Biot number was found to investigate the importance of external mass transfer to intraparticle diffusion. From the various models studied and the Biot numbers obtained, it was found that the adsorption on Lantana camara was controlled by film diffusion. The sensitivity analysis was performed to study the significance of the model parameters on the adsorption process

On the occurrence of Acanthaster planci (the crown-of-thorns) at Minicoy Atoll.

The predation of coral-polyps by the multi-armed star fish Acanthaster planci is identified during the last two decades as a major biological factor that causes large scale death to reef corals at several parts of the Indo-Pacific. During a recent visit by a team of scientists from Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute,the presence of this star fish in the lagoon of Minicoy Atoll was noticed in November, 1979.Many control measures of star fishes have been practised elsewhere in the Pacific. However, hand-picking of the adults with the aid of pointed spears and killing them with formalin or ammonia solution is the most eifective.Careful search among the corals is required, since the crown-of-thorns hide under the crevices during day time

THE CASE OF THE EARLY POETRY

The creation of poetry works for poets is by given the freedom to use the language (licencia poeitica). However, the freedom to use language can be interpreted for people who are already proficient in the rules and meaning of language. For beginner poets the use of poetic lyses is sometimes inappropriate. Instead, they tend to display their inability to use language. This is what the authors found in the poetry anthology of the beginner writers who became the main background in this study. This is a qualitative research and used purposive sampling. This research took the object of 650 poems from 91 writers who were compiled in 7 anthologies of poetry writing to see the case found in their poems as an illustration of the misunderstanding of poetry creation. The data collection techniques used in this study was observation and document study. The writer used Spiral Model data analysis techniques for this research. The results of this research found that a) the meaning transparency or message b) language rules such as the use of capital letters with punctuation c) unity of ideas in the verse d) consideration of building typography e) beheadings

Holographic grating based Ebert spectrograph

In this paper we discuss the aberration properties and design procedure of in-plane Ebert spectrograph using conventional as well as holographic diffraction gratings. In both cases the gratings are situated at the well-known √3-position so that the spectrum can be recorded on a flat surface. It has been found that the holographic grating system has better resolution than the conventional grating system. The design parameters of a medium sized holographic grating spectrograph in which a concave spherical mirror is mounted in the off-axis configuration have been specified. The performance of the spectrograph has been evaluated by plotting spot diagram

Flat field spectrograph using convex holographic diffraction grating and concave mirror

In this paper we have discussed the aberration properties and the design procedure of a spectrograph which uses a convex holographic grating as the dispersing element and a concave mirror as the focusing element. Both the concave mirror and the convex grating have common axis and they are concentric. The grating is constructed by recording the interference fringes on the convex surface which are formed by two convergent light beams incident from opposite sides of the axis. The illuminating source of the spectrograph is located on a plane perpendicular to the axis and passing through the common centre. It has been found that under certain conditions both positive and negative order spectra are perfectly focused on this plane. Aberration properties of the zero order image as well as the positive and the negative order spectral images have been studied by actual ray tracing. Using this system, design parameters of a medium-sized spectrograph having moderate dispersion and good resolution throughout theuv-visible region of the spectrum have been specified. The performance of the spectrograph has been evaluated by plotting spot diagram

Salinity changes in the estuary and the coastal sea adjacent to the portmouth at Cochin

The article deals with the details of salinity changes in the Cochin estuary and its influence and interrelations with the Vembanad lake

Antihyperlipidemic activity of Chloroxylon swietenia in triton WR1339 induced hyperlipidemia

Background: Medicinal herbs are beneficial and effective either in the management and prevention of several metabolic disorders, associated with hyperlipidemia, hypertension and insulin resistance which increases the cardio-metabolic risk and demands for the life time therapy. Current allopathic medicines are expensive and reported with several adverse effects and hence, finding of a suitable herbal medicine for hyperlipidemic disorders is very important.Methods: Thirty albino rats weighing 200-230g were randomly divided into 5 groups were rendered hyperlipidemia with a single dose of triton WR 1339. Normal control, positive control, standard, aqueous and ethanolic extract groups were treated with tween-80, tween-80, atorvastatin, aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Chloroxylon swietenia respectively for seven days. At the end of the study, blood was collected for estimation of the lipid profile.Results: Both the aqueous and ethanolic extract groups significantly reduced the TG and VLDL levels.Conclusions: The extracts exhibited remarkable activity on one or either parameter of the lipid profile. It could be due to the presence of alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids, coumarins and phenols in the extracts

Adapting to climate change in Agriculture: Building resiliency with an effective policy frame in SAT India

Climate change has emerged as the biggest threat to livelihood sustainability of our times, posing an imminent danger to our food security and a challenge for improving agricultural productivity. Presently, scientists are identifying and refi ning the projections of future location specifi c climate scenarios that farmers might have to deal with. In India, annual mean surface air temperature is projected to rise by 1.7°C to 2.0°C by 2030 (INCCA 2010). These projections further imply that there can be a predicted decrease in rainy days in most parts of the Indian subcontinent by 2030. Climate Change projections for the coming 50 to 100 years are alarming. Indian agriculture will have to face these climatic changes in the coming decades. The semi-arid tropics (SAT) of India already face multiple challenges of low and uncertain rainfall, poor soil fertility, inadequate infrastructure, high population pressure as well as high levels of poverty. The future governments of India must grapple with the changed climate and associated productivity decline while at the same time meeting the demands of increasing productivity in order to feed the increasing population

Cytogenetic analysis of adult T-Cell leukemia/ lymphoma: evaluation of a Caribbean cohort

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a rare and highly aggressive type of peripheral T-cell lymphoma associated with human T-lymphotropic virus, type I (HTLV-I) infection. ATLL has a long latency and only a small percentage of HTLV-I infected individuals develop ATLL, suggesting the requirement of additional genetic events for neoplastic transformation of HTLV-I infected lymphocytes. The disease is endemic in several regions of the world, in particular, southwestern Japan and the Caribbean basin. The clinical features of Caribbean ATLL have been reported to differ from Japanese cases, includ- ing a younger age at diagnosis, higher frequency of the lymphomatous subtype, and a more aggressive clinical course [1–7]. A number of publications have described the cytogenetic profile of Japanese ATLL [8–11]; however, cytogenetic data on Caribbean ATLL are limited [5,6]. In this study, we assessed the cytogenetic alterations in a large series of Caribbean ATLL cases to investigate whether the differences in the types and frequencies of karyotype abnormalities account for the reported differ- ences in clinical presentation and outcome between Japanese and Caribbean patients

Tracking Adaptation Pathways and Identifying Strategies for Enhancing Grass-root Resilience to Climate Change Synthesis of Case Studies from Selected Countries of Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam)

The recent 4th Assessment of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides the latest revelations on the science, impacts, and potential measures to address climate change. Nevertheless, the state of knowledge that is available at the global level is far from comprehensive. Whereas there has been high focus on continental understanding, the same cannot be said at regional and sub-regional levels (INCAA 2010). The early action plans in response to growing awareness on the challenges of climate change, the governments worldwide, including those from developing countries, have strengthened confidence, capacity, knowledge, and experience to focus on agricultural production systems that are resilient to climate risks. Motivated by growing interests and building on available knowledge, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) together with six countries in Asia undertook the challenge to “know in order to act” and implemented the project entitled “Vulnerability to Climate Change: Adaptation Strategies and Layers of Resilience “. Funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), this study is a comprehensive effort to analyze the vulnerability and adaptation strategies by farmers in the marginal regions of Asia in the context of a changing climate or increasing climate associated variability and risk. We hope the results will provide a basis for further suggestions on strategies and policies to reduce risk and vulnerability, build and strengthen adaptive capacity, to provide options for farmers to be able to cope better with the future climate change...