Study on magnetic and structural properties of Fe65Co35 soft magnetic alloy prepared by arc melting and subsequent annealing

Fe65Co35 based soft magnetic alloys (SMAs) have been gaining attention for their superior magnetic features and playing significant roles in composite permanent magnets, magnetic storage and automotive electrification technologies. In the present work, the Fe65Co35 alloy were produced by arc melting with subsequent annealing. The effects of arc melting and annealing upon the structural and magnetic properties of the soft magnetic phase of the alloy Fe65Co35 have been investigated. The variation in magnetic and microstructural characteristics with melting and annealing have been observed using the X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The XRD patterns verified the existence of the Fe65Co35 alloy. After melting and annealing, the alloy surface morphologies were examined using SEM. In this approach, the Fe65Co35 alloy was annealed at 600 °C for 4 h in an argon environment which resulted in the highest saturation magnetization of 237 emu/g and the lowest coercivity of 31 Oe. The rise in saturation magnetization was attributed to the removal of impurities, during the melting and annealing process

Seasonal and spatial distribution of heterotrophic bacteria in relation to physico-chemical properties along Ennore coastal waters

587-597Water samples were examined for total viable count and pollution indicator bacteria (total coliform, fecal coliform, Escherichia coli and Streptococcus faecalis). Salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, nutrients and Chlorophyll-a were examined to assess the physico-chemical condition of water. Statistically, insignificant seasonal variation was found in bacterial populations. Average abundances (CFU/ml) of the different heterotrophic bacteria of surface waters were: total viable count (2.1×106), total coliforms (1.3×105), fecal coliforms (1.5×104), Escherichia coli (1.1×104) and Streptococcus faecalis (0.4×104).  Spatially, the higher bacterial population was recorded in creek and shore regions with high concentration of nutrients. Significant positive correlation (p 0.05) was observed between bacterial population and the nutrient concentration which suggest that elevated nutrient load favors the bacterial growth. However, bacterial populations showed positive correlations with biological oxygen demand, and negative relationship (p 0.05) with salinity, indicating the dominating influence of anthropogenic activities in the coastal area

Structural and magnetic properties of cobalt-doped iron oxide nanoparticles prepared by solution combustion method for biomedical applications

Kaliyamoorthy Venkatesan,1 Dhanakotti Rajan Babu,1 Mane Prabhu Kavya Bai,2 Ravi Supriya,2 Radhakrishnan Vidya,2 Saminathan Madeswaran,1 Pandurangan Anandan,3 Mukannan Arivanandhan,3 Yasuhiro Hayakawa3 1School of Advanced Sciences, 2School of Bio Sciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India; 3Research Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu, Japan Abstract: Cobalt-doped iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared by solution combustion technique. The structural and magnetic properties of the prepared samples were also investigated. The average crystallite size of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) magnetic nanoparticle was calculated using Scherrer equation, and it was found to be 16±5 nm. The particle size was measured by transmission electron microscope. This value was found to match with the crystallite size calculated by Scherrer equation corresponding to the prominent intensity peak (311) of X-ray diffraction. The high-resolution transmission electron microscope image shows clear lattice fringes and high crystallinity of cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles. The synthesized magnetic nanoparticles exhibited the saturation magnetization value of 47 emu/g and coercivity of 947 Oe. The anti-microbial activity of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles showed better results as an anti-bacterial agent. The affinity constant was determined for the nanoparticles, and the cytotoxicity studies were conducted for the cobalt ferrite nanoparticles at different concentrations and the results are discussed. Keywords: cytotoxicity, HR-TEM, magnetic nanoparticles, VSM&nbsp

Fine-scale assessment of changes in zonations of species for the management of imperiled mangroves, Pichavaram, India

International audienceEach mangrove region has a specific history which needs to be understood as it is a central component for adapting current conservation plans to changing coastal conditions induced by increasing natural or human pressures. As these latter impact the functioning, physiognomy and extent of mangroves, it is urgent to design and implement monitoring programs able to monitor changes in zonations of mangrove species (ZMS). Recent studies highlighted the combined potential of very high spatial resolution (VHSR) satellite images and robust field data to map such mangrove areas dominated by a few species.Here we examined the Pichavaram mangroves, southeast coast of India. The 1100-ha mangrove wetland area was, in 1987, declared to be a Forest Reserve by the Forest Department, Government of Tamil Nadu. Disturbances generated by the 2004-tsunami, decreasing freshwater, and increasing pollutants inflow, combine to modify the geochemistry of the whole region with a potential influence on the zonation of mangrove species. Afforestation programmes have been carried out since the 1980s using the fishbone canal-bank technique.We inventoried species and measured trunk diameters (DBH), tree heights within forest plots representative of a large range of planted and natural ZMS. Based on this ground expertise, we performed a spectral and textural analysis of five VHSR multispectral images acquired between 2003 and 2018 to generate ZMS maps on a scale of 1:2000. Our results indicate that mangrove cover is increasing while species richness decreases in favour of salt-tolerant species. Our analysis also highlights a shrunk in average tree crown size, suggesting alterations in species succession and plant growth capability. We thank the Tamil Nadu Forest Department for allowing us to undertake this study