COELACHNE GHATICA NAIK, SP. NOV.

Coelachne ghatiea Naik, a new species of grass is described from Western Ghats, India

NOVELTIES IN PANICUM (POACEAE) FROM INDIA

Four novelties in the genus Panicum L. namely P. phoiniclados,P. deccanense and P. paianum together with its variety minor have been described from materials collected from the Marathwada region of the Deecan plateau

Fortification of milk with phytosterol and its effect on sensory and physicochemical properties

peer-reviewedPhytosterols are a group of lipophilic steroid alcohols found in plants, which have been shown to lower cholesterol when supplemented in the diet. A commercial phytosterol preparation was added to milk in the form of an oil-in-water emulsion. For the preparation of an emulsion, diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides was used as an emulsifier and butteroil was used as a source of fat. Three emulsion formulations, i.e. A (8% phytosterols), B (10% phytosterols) and C (12% phytosterols), were prepared in which the levels of emulsifier (6.5%) and butteroil (10%) were kept constant, and each emulsion was added to milk at a rate of 5% (w/w). Based on sensory evaluation, B-emulsion formulation was selected for fortification of milk. The phytosterol content of the fortified milk determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography was 410.8 mg/100 g. No significant loss in the initial content of phytosterol was observed after 1 week of storage. Sensory and physicochemical analyses indicated that significant differences were not observed between control and fortified milk samples up to 7 days of refrigerated storage. The present study suggests that it is feasible to add phytosterol as a functional ingredient in milk in the form of water-soluble emulsion to enhance health benefits of consumers. Two servings of such fortified milk per day provide almost the entire recommended daily requirement of phytosterol

Do technical skills correlate with non-technical skills in crisis resource management: a simulation study

Background Both technical skills (TS) and non-technical skills (NTS) are key to ensuring patient safety in acute care practice and effective crisis management. These skills are often taught and assessed separately. We hypothesized that TS and NTS are not independent of each other, and we aimed to evaluate the relationship between TS and NTS during a simulated intraoperative crisis scenario. Methods This study was a retrospective analysis of performances from a previously published work. After institutional ethics approval, 50 anaesthesiology residents managed a simulated crisis scenario of an intraoperative cardiac arrest secondary to a malignant arrhythmia. We used a modified Delphi approach to design a TS checklist, specific for the management of a malignant arrhythmia requiring defibrillation. All scenarios were recorded. Each performance was analysed by four independent experts. For each performance, two experts independently rated the technical performance using the TS checklist, and two other experts independently rated NTS using the Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills score. Results TS and NTS were significantly correlated to each other (r=0.45, P<0.05). Conclusions During a simulated 5 min resuscitation requiring crisis resource management, our results indicate that TS and NTS are related to one another. This research provides the basis for future studies evaluating the nature of this relationship, the influence of NTS training on the performance of TS, and to determine whether NTS are generic and transferrable between crises that require different T

Ferromagnetism at 300 K in spin-coated anatasea and rutile Ti0.95Fe0.05O2 films

Thin films of Ti1-xFexO2 (x=0 and 0.05) have been prepared on sapphire substrates by spin-on technique starting from metal organic precursors. When heat treated in air at 550 and 700 degrees C respectively, these films present pure anatase and rutile structures as shown both by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Optical absorption indicate a high degree of transparency in the visible region. Such films show a very small magnetic moment at 300 K. However, when the anatase and the rutile films are annealed in a vacuum of 1x10-5 Torr at 500 degrees C and 600 degrees C respectively, the magnetic moment, at 300 K, is strongly enhanced reaching 0.46 $\mu$B/Fe for the anatase sample and 0.48 $\mu$B/Fe for the rutile one. The ferromagnetic Curie temperature of these samples is above 350 K.Comment: 13 october 200

Prediction of Shot Start Pressure for Rifled Gun System

Determination of short start pressure (SSP) for gun system has always been of paramount interest for gun designers. In this paper, a generalised model has been developed for theoretical prediction of SSP for rifled gun system using dimensional analysis approach. For this, parameters affecting the SSP of the gun like rifling dimensions, driving band dimensions, material properties of driving band, projectile mass and diameter are taken into consideration. For a particular case of large caliber rifled gun system, the model is established using linear relations among dimensionless groups of parameters. The model has been validated by data available from the open literature

Exploring the role of low-density neutrophils during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by infection with the bacteriu

Volatility of aggregate volatility and hedge fund returns

This paper investigates empirically whether uncertainty about equity market volatility can explain hedge fund performance both in the cross section and over time. We measure uncertainty via volatility of aggregate volatility (VOV) and construct an investable version through returns on lookback straddles on the VIX index. We find that VOV exposure is a significant determinant of hedge fund returns. After controlling for fund characteristics, we document a robust and significant negative risk premium for VOV exposure in the cross section of hedge fund returns. We corroborate our results using statistical and parameterized proxies of VOV over a longer sample period