Improvement of Thermal Insulation and Crack Resistance of Plaster of Paris Composites at High Temperature

344–347In the present work, silica gel is extracted from raw rice husk, incorporated in Plaster of Paris formulations and casted into sheets of varying thicknesses. The sheets were tested for thermal insulation at 60, 100, 150 & 200 °C and compared with blank formulations. Plaster of Paris composites with silica gel have shown remarkable increase in thermal insulation properties and crack resistance. Thermally insulated Plaster of Paris composites with excellent crack resistance have been developed which can be used competently for prolonged times even at high temperatures offering better serviceability and safety to the buildings

Novel dual peptisers and curing agents derived from PET waste as N-alkyl benzene dicarboxamides for EDPM waste

149-152Ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) is widely used in the manufacturing of various components in rubber industries and hence recycling of scrap rubber is a major problem. In the present study, EPDM rubber waste powder has been recycled successfully by using N-alkyl benzene dicarboxamides, derived from PET wasteand other additives. Three aminolysed end products namely 1,4-benzene dicarboxamide, 1,4-benzene dicarbohydrazide and N,N′‐diaminoethyl 1,4‐benzene dicarboxamidewere used as peptisers and curing agents in the EPDM waste formulations. EPDM rubber waste sheets have been prepared at comparatively low temperature using two roll mill and compression moulding machine. Tensile strength, % elongation and hardness have been found in the range 12.23-20.19 kg/cm2, 107-145 % and 46-61, respectively. It has been expected that the developed reclaimed process described in this paper will promisingly support the protection of environment and conservation of resources with favors to rubber waste generated throughout the world

Interplay of fission modes in mass distribution of light actinide nuclei 225,227Pa

Fission-fragment mass distributions were measured for 225,227Pa nuclei formed in fusion reactions of 19F + 206, 208Pb around fusion barrier energies. Mass-angle correlations do not indicate any quasi-fission like events in this bombarding energy range. Mass distributions were fitted by Gaussian distribution and mass variance extracted. At below-barrier energies, the mass variance was found to increase with decrease in energy for both nuclei. Results from present work were compared with existing data for induced fission of 224, 226Th and 228U around barrier energies. Enhancement in mass variance of 225, 227Pa nuclei at below-barrier energies shows evidence for presence of asymmetric fission events mixed with symmetric fission events. This is in agreement with the results of mass distributions of nearby nuclei 224, 226Th and 228U where two-mode fission process was observed. Two-mode feature of fission arises due to the shell effects changing the landscape of the potential energy surfaces at low excitation energies. The excitation-energy dependence of the mass variance gives strong evidence for survival of microscopic shell effects in fission of light actinide nuclei 225, 227Pa with initial excitation energy ~30 - 50 MeV

Improvement of Thermal Insulation and Crack Resistance of Plaster of Paris Composites at High Temperature

In the present work, silica gel is extracted from raw rice husk, incorporated in Plaster of Paris formulations and casted into sheets of varying thicknesses. The sheets were tested for thermal insulation at 60, 100, 150 & 200 °C and compared with blank formulations. Plaster of Paris composites with silica gel have shown remarkable increase in thermal insulation properties and crack resistance. Thermally insulated Plaster of Paris composites with excellent crack resistance have been developed which can be used competently for prolonged times even at high temperatures offering better serviceability and safety to the buildings

Flame Profile Measurement of Cu (II) based Salen Complex Filled Thermally Stabilized PVC Sheets by Cone Calorimeter

582-585This study deals with evaluation of Cu-based salen complexes as fire retardants in thermally stabilized PVC sheets. The complexes were prepared using salicylaldehyde/5-bromosalicylaldehyde, ethylenediamine and copper (II) acetate monohydrate are used in casting of PVC sheets. PVC sheets were subjected to cone calorimetric experiments and mechanical analysis. Copper based salen complexes filled PVC sheets have shown a decrease of 15.41 MJ/m2 and 10.42 MJ/m2 in total heat release in comparison to control sample. The complexes also enhanced tensile strength of the PVC sheets. A comparative account of PVC sheets for heat release rate, oxygen concentration and concentration of smoke is also presented

Analysis of phytochemical constituents and antibacterial activity of Wrightia tinctoria: traditional medicinal plant of India for application on wound dressing materials

48-54Wrightia tinctoria, an important traditional medicinal plant is exploited for treating several diseases. The study intends to reveal the presence of phytochemicals and test the antibacterial activity of W. tinctoria leaf extracts on nonwoven fabrics to find its suitability for wound dressings. The methodology includes identification and collection of W. tinctoria leaves, preparation of leaf powder, determination of physicochemical analysis, extraction using different solvents, preliminary phytochemical screening, quantitative estimation of phytoconstituents, yield of the extracts and determination of antibacterial activity on plant extract treated fabrics. Results revealed the presence of more active metabolites in the ethanol plant extract of W. tinctoria leaves which may be the reason for the promising antibacterial potential against the bacterial strains. As a promising ethnomedicinal plant, W. tinctoria may serve as a major source of useful drugs finding its suitability for developing wound dressings

Combination of vatalanib and a 20-HETE synthesis inhibitor results in decreased tumor growth in an animal model of human glioma

BACKGROUND: Due to the hypervascular nature of glioblastoma (GBM), antiangiogenic treatments, such as vatalanib, have been added as an adjuvant to control angiogenesis and tumor growth. However, evidence of progressive tumor growth and resistance to antiangiogenic treatment has been observed. To counter the unwanted effect of vatalanib on GBM growth, we have added a new agent known as N-hydroxy-N\u27-(4-butyl-2 methylphenyl)formamidine (HET0016), which is a selective inhibitor of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) synthesis. The aims of the studies were to determine 1) whether the addition of HET0016 can attenuate the unwanted effect of vatalanib on tumor growth and 2) whether the treatment schedule would have a crucial impact on controlling GBM. METHODS: U251 human glioma cells (4×10(5)) were implanted orthotopically. Two different treatment schedules were investigated. Treatment starting on day 8 (8-21 days treatment) of the tumor implantation was to mimic treatment following detection of tumor, where tumor would have hypoxic microenvironment and well-developed neovascularization. Drug treatment starting on the same day of tumor implantation (0-21 days treatment) was to mimic cases following radiation therapy or surgery. There were four different treatment groups: vehicle, vatalanib (oral treatment 50 mg/kg/d), HET0016 (intraperitoneal treatment 10 mg/kg/d), and combined (vatalanib and HET0016). Following scheduled treatments, all animals underwent magnetic resonance imaging on day 22, followed by euthanasia. Brain specimens were equally divided for immunohistochemistry and protein array analysis. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated a trend that HET0016, alone or in combination with vatalanib, is capable of controlling the tumor growth compared with that of vatalanib alone, indicating attenuation of the unwanted effect of vatalanib. When both vatalanib and HET0016 were administered together on the day of the tumor implantation (0-21 days treatment), tumor volume, tumor blood volume, permeability, extravascular and extracellular space volume, tumor cell proliferation, and cell migration were decreased compared with that of the vehicle-treated group. CONCLUSION: HET0016 is capable of controlling tumor growth and migration, but these effects are dependent on the timing of drug administration. The addition of HET0016 to vatalanib may attenuate the unwanted effect of vatalanib

Plants derived therapeutic strategies targeting chronic respiratory diseases: Chemical and immunological perspective

The apparent predicament of the representative chemotherapy for managing respiratory distress calls for an obligatory deliberation for identifying the pharmaceuticals that effectively counter the contemporary intricacies associated with target disease. Multiple, complex regulatory pathways manifest chronic pulmonary disorders, which require chemotherapeutics that produce composite inhibitory effect. The cost effective natural product based molecules hold a high fervor to meet the prospects posed by current respiratory-distress therapy by sparing the tedious drug design and development archetypes, present a robust standing for the possible replacement of the fading practice of poly-pharmacology, and ensure the subversion of a potential disease relapse. This study summarizes the experimental evidences on natural products moieties and their components that illustrates therapeutic efficacy on respiratory disorders

Intravenous Formulation of HET0016 Decreased Human Glioblastoma Growth and Implicated Survival Benefit in Rat Xenograft Models

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a hypervascular primary brain tumor with poor prognosis. HET0016 is a selective CYP450 inhibitor, which has been shown to inhibit angiogenesis and tumor growth. Therefore, to explore novel treatments, we have generated an improved intravenous (IV) formulation of HET0016 with HPßCD and tested in animal models of human and syngeneic GBM. Administration of a single IV dose resulted in 7-fold higher levels of HET0016 in plasma and 3.6-fold higher levels in tumor at 60 min than that in IP route. IV treatment with HPßCD-HET0016 decreased tumor growth, and altered vascular kinetics in early and late treatment groups (p \u3c 0.05). Similar growth inhibition was observed in syngeneic GL261 GBM (p \u3c 0.05). Survival studies using patient derived xenografts of GBM811, showed prolonged survival to 26 weeks in animals treated with focal radiation, in combination with HET0016 and TMZ (p \u3c 0.05). We observed reduced expression of markers of cell proliferation (Ki-67), decreased neovascularization (laminin and αSMA), in addition to inflammation and angiogenesis markers in the treatment group (p \u3c 0.05). Our results indicate that HPßCD-HET0016 is effective in inhibiting tumor growth through decreasing proliferation, and neovascularization. Furthermore, HPßCD-HET0016 significantly prolonged survival in PDX GBM811 model

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Psl polysaccharide reduces neutrophil phagocytosis and the oxidative response by limiting complement-mediated opsonization: Psl and the innate immune response towards P. aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes chronic lung infections in the airways of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Psl is an extracellular polysaccharide expressed by non-mucoid P. aeruginosa strains, which are believed to be initial colonizers. We hypothesized that Psl protects P. aeruginosa from host defences within the CF lung prior to their conversion to the mucoid phenotype. We discovered that serum opsonization significantly increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by neutrophils exposed to a psl-deficient mutant, compared with wild-type (WT) and Psl overexpressing strains (Psl++). Psl-deficient P. aeruginosa were internalized and killed by neutrophils and macrophages more efficiently than WT and Psl++ variants. Deposition of complement components C3, C5 and C7 was significantly higher on psl-deficient strains compared with WT and Psl++ bacteria. In an in vivo pulmonary competition assay, there was a 4.5-fold fitness advantage for WT over psl-deficient P. aeruginosa. Together, these data show that Psl inhibits efficient opsonization, resulting in reduced neutrophil ROS production, and decreased killing by phagocytes. This provides a survival advantage in vivo. Since phagocytes are critical in early recognition and control of infection, therapies aimed at Psl could improve the quality of life for patients colonized with P. aeruginosa