Fly ash and its use in cementitious material in civil engineering

This paper briefly outlines the evolution of ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Portland Pozzolana Cement in India and their judicious use in civil engineering constructions The paper also describes the different classes of fly ash with their varying pozzolanic activities and other properties like strength, corrosion and alkali aggregate reaction while used in concrete

Efficacy of Trichoderma asperellum against Ralstonia solanacearum under greenhouse conditions

The rhizosphere soil samples of healthy tomato plants were used to isolate Trichoderma spp and identified based on morphological and molecular characterization as a Trichoderma koningii (T1) T. flavofuscum (T2), T. harzianum (T3), T. asperellum (T4), T. harzianum (T5 & T7), T. koningii (T6), T. asperellum (T8), T. harzianum (T9), T. viride (T10). The isolates screened for antagonistic activity against ten virulent strains of Ralstonia solanacearum (Rs). Two isolates of Trichoderma (T4 and T8) exhibiting high antagonistic activity (24-29mm and 20-27mm respectively) and also studied for several biocontrol mechanisms under greenhouse conditions. These strains were found to be positive to protease, β-1, 3-glucanase, Cellulase, Chitinase, Xylanase, Amylase, Pectinase and lipase activity. Germination percentage increased by 48% and 45% by Trichoderma with pathogen treated seeds and also increased root length, shoot length, fresh weight, dry weight and vigour index. Efficacy of T4 and T8 isolate were evaluated under green house conditions in suppressing disease and promoting tomato plant growth. The disease incidence was significantly reduced by about 50% in tomato plants raised under green house conditions

End-uses of electricity in households of Karnataka state, India

This paper describes the results of a survey of electricity consumption in a sample consisting of 1,165 households in four districts of Karnataka state in India. The survey revealed the patterns of consumption of electricity in AEH[1] and non-AEH[2] households, the stock of electrical appliances used by the households, the differences in the consumption of electricity in urban and rural areas, the use of other sources of energy for domestic purposes, and the degree of penetration of energy-efficient appliances/devices. The analysis of electricity consumption of appliances in AEH households showed that the consumption of electricity is mainly due to lighting, air circulation, water-heating and cooking. In non-AEH households, the end-uses accounting for most of the consumption of electricity are lighting, entertainment and air circulation. The survey also yielded the appliance elasticities and the degree of penetration of energy-efficient devices. As a result policy-makers can take corrective actions by promoting efficiency improvements in certain end-use devices so that increases in the penetration of these devices would not significantly affect the overall electricity requirement for the domestic sector

A COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF PHARMACOLOGICALLY ACTIVE PRINCIPLES AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF COMMONLY OCCURRING MUCUNA SPS. IN INDIA

The genus Mucuna (Fabaceae) includes about 150 species and almost all the species are reported to contain L-3,4-dihydroxy phenylalanine (L-Dopa), a non-protein amino acid that acts as precursor for the neurotransmitter dopamine, used in the treatment of Parkinsons disease. The present study was aimed to assess the pharmacologically active principles and antioxidant activities of Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC., Mucuna bracteata DC., Mucuna cochinchinensis (Lour.) A. Chev. black seeds sp. and Mucuna cochinchinensis (Lour.) A. Chev. white seeds sp. The aqueous extract of plant material was subjected to assess the pharmacologically active principles by using L-dopa quantification, determination of protein and flavonoids, total phenolic content, Inhibition of DPPH radical and Reducing power/Ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assays. The results obtained showed that, Mucuna cochinchinensis black seeds sp. has highest protein, total phenolic content, L-dopa content and DPPH radical scavenging activity. Mucuna bracteata seeds showed highest flavonoid content whereas, in FRAP assay Mucuna pruriens extract showed highest potential to reduce the ferric ions. It can be concluded from this study that, L-DOPA possesses antioxidant activity which was supported by in-vitro antioxidant assays. This indicates that the antioxidant activity of the aqueous extracts of all the Mucuna sps. may be due to the presence of L-Dopa content in its seed

Cosmetovigilance: knowledge, attitude and practice study

Background: Adverse reactions due to cosmetics should be reported to avoid similar incidences and is highly required to evaluate the risks and benefits of ingredients used in cosmetics. Methods: This study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of cosmetovigilance among PGs, interns, and consumers of cosmetics. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire- based study conducted among 180 participants of SSMC Tumkur, Karnataka, in India for a period of 1 month. Results: The Results obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics.: About 46.1% of the participants were aware about the concept of cosmetovigilance. Only an average of about 5% of participants practiced this concept but the attitude towards this concept was satisfactory. Conclusions: Overall the participants had a less satisfactory overview of this concept and hence educational interventions can aid in serving the purpose especially among medical students

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici causal agent of vascular wilt disease of tomato: Biology to diversity– A review

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is one of the widely grown vegetables worldwide. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL) is the significant contributory pathogen of tomato vascular wilt. The initial symptoms of the disease appear in the lower leaves gradually, trail by wilting of the plants. It has been reported that FOL penetrates the tomato plant, colonizing and leaving the vascular tissue dark brown, and this discoloration extends to the apex, leading to the plants wilting, collapsing and dying. Therefore, it has been widely accepted that wilting caused by this fungus is the result of a combination of various physiological activities, including the accumulation of fungal mycelia in and around xylem, mycotoxin production, inactivation of host defense, and the production of tyloses; however, wilting symptoms are variable. Therefore, the selection of molecular markers may be a more effective means of screening tomato races. Several studies on the detection of FOL have been carried out and have suggested the potency of the technique for diagnosing FOL. This review focuses on biology and variability of FOL, understanding and presenting a holistic picture of the vascular wilt disease of tomato in relation to disease model, biology, virulence. We conclude that genomic and proteomic approachesare greater tools for identification of informative candidates involved in pathogenicity, which can be considered as one of the approaches in managing the disease

General anaesthetic and airway management practice for obstetric surgery in England: a prospective, multi-centre observational study

There are no current descriptions of general anaesthesia characteristics for obstetric surgery, despite recent changes to patient baseline characteristics and airway management guidelines. This analysis of data from the direct reporting of awareness in maternity patients' (DREAMY) study of accidental awareness during obstetric anaesthesia aimed to describe practice for obstetric general anaesthesia in England and compare with earlier surveys and best-practice recommendations. Consenting patients who received general anaesthesia for obstetric surgery in 72 hospitals from May 2017 to August 2018 were included. Baseline characteristics, airway management, anaesthetic techniques and major complications were collected. Descriptive analysis, binary logistic regression modelling and comparisons with earlier data were conducted. Data were collected from 3117 procedures, including 2554 (81.9%) caesarean deliveries. Thiopental was the induction drug in 1649 (52.9%) patients, compared with propofol in 1419 (45.5%). Suxamethonium was the neuromuscular blocking drug for tracheal intubation in 2631 (86.1%), compared with rocuronium in 367 (11.8%). Difficult tracheal intubation was reported in 1 in 19 (95%CI 1 in 16-22) and failed intubation in 1 in 312 (95%CI 1 in 169-667). Obese patients were over-represented compared with national baselines and associated with difficult, but not failed intubation. There was more evidence of change in practice for induction drugs (increased use of propofol) than neuromuscular blocking drugs (suxamethonium remains the most popular). There was evidence of improvement in practice, with increased monitoring and reversal of neuromuscular blockade (although this remains suboptimal). Despite a high risk of difficult intubation in this population, videolaryngoscopy was rarely used (1.9%)

On a new transformation formula for bilateral 6ψ6 series and applications

In this paper, we derive a new transformation formula for bilateral 6ψ6 series using Roger’s 6ϕ5 summation and then use it to deduce the well-known Bailey’s 6ψ6 summation formula. Also, we deduce some identities involving theta functions and new identities analogous to identities of Ramanujan. Further, we give formulas for finding the number of representations of an integer as sums of squares and sums of triangular numbers

On a new transformation formula for bilateral 6ψ6 series and applications

In this paper, we derive a new transformation formula for bilateral 6ψ6 series using Roger’s 6ϕ5 summation and then use it to deduce the well-known Bailey’s 6ψ6 summation formula. Also, we deduce some identities involving theta functions and new identities analogous to identities of Ramanujan. Further, we give formulas for finding the number of representations of an integer as sums of squares and sums of triangular numbers