Modification of silicon carbide fibers for use in SiC/Ti composites

The degradation of silicon carbide fibers during exposure to conditions typical of composite fabrication was investigated. The tensile strength of pristine fibers and fibers sputtered with thin metal coatings were determined before and after treatment at 870 C for one hour in vacuum. Each fiber strength distribution was related by an analytical procedure to a projected composite ultimate tensile strength (PC UTS). The results indicate that a thin aluminum diffusion barrier can yield a 150 percent increase in PC UTS over the baseline SiC/Ti system

Inflaton Decay in an Alpha Vacuum

We study the alpha vacua of de Sitter space by considering the decay rate of the inflaton field coupled to a scalar field placed in an alpha vacuum. We find an {\em alpha dependent} Bose enhancement relative to the Bunch-Davies vacuum and, surprisingly, no non-renormalizable divergences. We also consider a modified alpha dependent time ordering prescription for the Feynman propagator and show that it leads to an alpha independent result. This result suggests that it may be possible to calculate in any alpha vacuum if we employ the appropriate causality preserving prescription.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, Revtex 4 preprin

To evaluate the anticonvulsant activity of ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera (drumstick leaves) in albino mice

Background: To evaluate the anti-convulsant activity of ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera (Drum stick leaves) in seizure induced albino mice and to compare it with standard drug Sodium valproate.Methods: Swiss albino mice of either sex weighing around 25-30g were randomly selected and divided into four groups of six mice each. Group 1: control- treated with gum acacia. Group 2: Standard - Valproic acid 40mg/kg body weight. Group 3: T1- ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera (150mg/kg). Group 4: T2 - ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera (300mg/kg). All drugs were administered orally one hour prior to induction of seizure. The anticonvulsant activity was screened using maximal electroshock seizure (MES) model and pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) model.Results: Results were analysed by ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s post hoc test. Abolition of Tonic hind limb extension was taken as the protective end point against MES induced seizures and prolongation of seizure latency in PTZ model.At both the doses the ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera significantly (p value <0.05) reduced the duration of hind limb extension in MES test and also significantly (p value <0.05) delayed the onset of clonic seizures in PTZ induced convulsion when compared with control group.Conclusions: On comparing the percentage protection offered by Moringa oleifera leaves against both MES and PTZ model, it possesses significant anticonvulsant activity at both doses, with more efficacy at 300mg/kg BW indicating that the test drug can prove a very promising drug for treatment of epilepsy. Further studies are required for isolation and identification of the active constituent

Cervical traction: a simple step ahead in the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage is the most common preventable cause of maternal mortality in developing countries. The present study aimed to examine the impact of cervical traction technique in reducing the amount of postpartum blood loss and rate of PPH.Methods: This was a case-control, pilot study conducted in a tertiary hospital between June 2017 to June 2018. A total of 200 singletons, low-risk pregnant females, undergoing normal vaginal delivery, were enrolled in this study. Subjects showing a high risk for PPH were excluded. Patients were randomized as case group (n=100) and control group (n=100). The case group received sustained traction for 90 seconds to anterior and posterior lip of the cervix with active management of the third stage of labor, whereas the control group received routine active management of the third stage of labor. All subjects were followed up for 6 hours post-delivery. The amount of blood loss, hematocrit and hemoglobin post-delivery were compared between both groups.Results: The mean blood loss (ml), decrease in hemoglobin (g/L) and decrease in hematocrit post-delivery in cases were significantly low compared to controls (207±37.6 versus 340±49, P<0.01), (0.78±0.2 versus 1.4±0.3, P=0.03) and (1.7±0.2 versus 3.5±0.2, P<0.01). PPH occurred in 7 of 200 (3.5%) patients. The difference in the number of PPH was not significant (5/100; 5% versus 2/100; 2% P=0.2). There were no complications reported due to cervical traction.Conclusions: Cervical traction is a simple and safe maneuver to reduce the amount of postpartum blood loss. Larger RCT is recommended to investigate the reduction in PPH rate

VALIDATED SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF CHLORAMPHENICOL IN PURE AND IN ITS DOSAGE FORM

Objective: A simple, economic, selective, precise, and accurate UV-Visible spectrophotometric method for the analysis of Chloramphenicol in bulk drug and pharmaceutical formulations was developed and validated in the present study. Methods: Based on oxidative coupling reaction with MBTH reagent at PH-4.5 which is extractable at 620 nm. The Beer's law is obeyed in the concentration range 1-6 ml (10-60 µg ml-1). Results: The RSD was found to be 0.0194% and recovery is 99.73%. The method was completely validated and proven to be rugged. The interferences of the ingredients and recipients were not observed. The repeatability and the performance of the proved method were established by point and internal hypothesis and through recovery studies. Conclusion: The method was found to be accurate and precise, as indicated by recovery studies close to 100 and % RSD is not more than 2. The summery of validation parameters of proposed UV-Visible method is given

VALIDATED SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF CHLORAMPHENICOL IN PURE AND IN ITS DOSAGE FORM

A simple, précis, rapid sensitive and accurate spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the estimation of Chloramphenicol UV in pure form and its pharmaceutical formulations based on oxidative coupling reaction UV with MBTH reagent at P H-4 which is extractable at 620 nm. Beer's law is obeyed in the concentration range 1-6 ml (10-60 µgml-1). The developed method was applied directly and easily for the analysis of the pharmaceutical formulations. RSD was found to be 0.0194 % and recovery 99.73%. The method was completely validated and proven to be rugged. The interferences of the ingredients and excipients were not observed. The repeatability and the performance of the proved method were established by point and internal hypothesis and through recovery studies.Keywords: Spectrophotometry, Chloramphenicol, MBTH, Oxidative coupling

Case studies to enhance online student evaluation: Bond University – Surveying students online to improve learning and teaching

One of the most sensible ways of improving learning and teaching is to ask the students for feedback. At the end of each teaching period (i.e. semester or term) all universities and many schools survey their students. Usually these surveys are managed online. Questions ask for student perceptions about teaching, assessment and workload. The survey administrators report four common problems

Finger Ridge Count Correlations Among Four Tribes of Andhra Pradesh, India

The present paper reports the distribution of finger ridge count correlations among four tribal populations from Andhra Pradesh, India viz., Dulia, Kotia, Manne Dora and Manzai Mali, and examines the intra and inter population variation. Higher correlations are recorded in left hands compared to right hands, but they are not significant. The homologous fingers exhibit a stronger correlation. In all the tribes, the correlations between right hand fingers are relatively higher among women when compared to men. Regarding inter population variation Dulia men differ significantly from the men of Manne Dora and the Manzai Mali tribes, and Kotia women also differ from the women of the Manne Dora significantly. The average correlation coefficient of the present populations is similar to other Indian populations reported earlier but lower than African and European populations