Experimental Investigation of Lightweight Wall Panel Using Cenosphere Incorporated with Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag

The secondary form of waste is the major outcome of the various industries. Likewise, Cenosphere and Ground Granulateds Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) are the waste material obtained from thermal power plants and the steel industry. This waste requires a large land area for disposal. In such cases, these can be used in the construction field. This paper investigated the lightweight wall panel made with cenosphere and GGBS as a replacement for cementitious material. Cenosphere was replaced at 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% respectively by weight of cement and GGBS was at 15% constant replacement of cement. The properties of wall panels such as compressive strength, flexural strength, and water absorption have been studied. The flexural behavior was carried out by inhibition of fiber into the matrix. The samples were tested at 7, 14, and 28 days respectively. The SEM analysis of the cenosphere has been carried out. The results infer an increase in the percentage of cenosphere does not impart strength to the mix. Therefore, 15% of constant replacement of GGBS to the mass of cement stabilize the strength which was lost due to the addition of the cenosphere. On an overall view, it was recommended that the strength loss of mixture due to the addition of the cenosphere can be alleviated by GGBS and nevertheless a secure value of strength can be gained

Phytochemical profile and toxicity of thyme-derived (Thymus vulgaris) essential oil against the exotic rugose spiraling whitefly (Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin) infesting coconut

Microwave-assisted heat extraction of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) yielded 1.64 per cent w/v of yellow to amber coloured and less viscous oil with a peculiar aroma. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 20 compounds, out of which thymol (51.94%), p-cymene (14.5%), γ-terpinene (10.09%), linalool (3.48%), and endo-borneol (3.95%) were the major compounds. Eggs, second instar nymphs and pupae of rugose spiraling whitefly (RSW) were subjected to contact toxicity assessment by complete immersion (dip method) in various concentrations of thyme oil. The results showed that essential oils at 0.35 per cent concentration exhibited 100 per cent mortality in the second instar nymphs. Thyme oil (0.5%) inhibited egg hatching and adult emergence to the tune of 100 per cent when the eggs and pupal stages were treated. Probit analysis indicated that the median lethal concentration (LC50) of thyme oil to eggs, second instar nymph sand pupal stages were 0.19, 0.13 and 0.21 per cent, respectively. Thyme oil proved to be an excellent toxicant to different developmental life stages of RSW; hence it can be successfully incorporated into the integrated pest management (IPM) programme for whitefly management in the coconut ecosystem

Antisense oligonucleotides targeting angiogenic factors as potential cancer therapeutics

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and conventional cancer therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy do not address the underlying molecular pathologies, leading to inadequate treatment and tumour recurrence. Angiogenic factors, such as EGF, PDGF, bFGF, TGF-β, TGF-α, VEGF, Endoglin and Angiopoietins play important roles in regulating tumour development and metastasis, and serve as potential targets for developing cancer therapeutics. Nucleic acid-based therapeutic strategies have received significant attention in the last two decades, and antisense oligonucleotide-mediated intervention is a prominent therapeutic approach for targeted manipulation of gene expression. Clinical benefits of antisense oligonucleotides have been recognised by the US Food and Drug Administration, with full or conditional approval of Vitravene, Kynamro, Exondys51 and Spinraza. Herein, we review the scope of antisense oligonucleotides that target angiogenic factors towards tackling solid cancers

Organogenesis induction in rice callus by cyanobacterial extracellular product

Cyanobacteria or blue green algae are prokaryotic photosynthetic microorganism that produces a wide array of substances, including plant growth regulators. In the case of growth regulators, gibberellin, auxin, cytokinin, ethylene, abscisic acid and jasmonic acid have been detected in cyanobacteria. Many substances have been added to plant tissue culture media in order to promote plant regeneration. The present research communication gives a report of the study of the effect of extracellular products of Plectonema sp., isolated from paddy fields on regeneration of rice. The endosperm of three rice varieties, IR 50, ASD 16 and ADT 36, were used as explants. IR 50 showed earlier and good callus induction response in MS medium. For root induction, cyanobaterial extracellular product was added instead of 2,4-D. The result showed that the number of days taken for root initiation and root growth was quicker by adding the extracellular products. Interestingly, more proliferation of roots in cyanobaterial extracellular product treatments was also observed compared to 2,4-D which might due to the production of growth regulators like auxin(s). Tremendous growth of root length and volume in short period indicate that MS with cyanobaterial extracellular product may also be used for screening of rice genotypes for water stress condition.Keywords: Callus induction, cyanobacterial extracellular products, Plectonema sp., rice, root inductio

Antisense oligonucleotide-mediated splice switching: Potential therapeutic approach for cancer mitigation

Splicing is an essential process wherein precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) is reshaped into mature mRNA. In alternative splicing, exons of any pre-mRNA get rearranged to form mRNA variants and subsequently protein isoforms, which are distinct both by structure and function. On the other hand, aberrant splicing is the cause of many disorders, including cancer. In the past few decades, developments in the understanding of the underlying biological basis for cancer progression and therapeutic resistance have identified many oncogenes as well as carcinogenic splice variants of essential genes. These transcripts are involved in various cellular processes, such as apoptosis, cell signaling and proliferation. Strategies to inhibit these carcinogenic isoforms at the mRNA level are promising. Antisense oligonucleotides (AOs) have been developed to inhibit the production of alternatively spliced carcinogenic isoforms through splice modulation or mRNA degradation. AOs can also be used to induce splice switching, where the expression of an oncogenic protein can be inhibited by the induction of a premature stop codon. In general, AOs are modified chemically to increase their stability and binding affinity. One of the major concerns with AOs is efficient delivery. Strategies for the delivery of AOs are constantly being evolved to facilitate the entry of AOs into cells. In this review, the different chemical modifications employed and delivery strategies applied are discussed. In addition to that various AOs in clinical trials and their efficacy are discussed herein with a focus on six distinct studies that use AO-mediated exon skipping as a therapeutic strategy to combat cancer

Modeling of wind induced ambient noise vertical directionality and its variation due to bottom characteristics in shallow Arabian Sea

135-139<span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:hi"="" lang="EN-US">In underwater acoustics, knowledge regarding vertical structure of ambient noise has got lot of interest since it improves the design and performance of sonar systems. In this work the influence of ocean environment on wind induced vertical directionality of ambient noise has been analyzed using a model based on ray theory. Shallow water site off the Cochin coast at 30 m depth in Arabian Sea was chosen for studying the characteristics of vertical directionality. Variation of vertical directionality with respect to frequency, Sound speed profile and sediment properties were analyzed and the result clearly shows the importance of those environmental factors on directionality. Vertical directionality of summer and winter sound speed profiles was almost similar except for the broadside, where the effect of noise notch is prominent. Based on the difference in bottom reflectivity significant variation in intensity was observed for different sediment compositions. Variation of directionality with frequency clearly indicates the limitation of ray theory at low frequency. Finally the simulated directionality at different frequencies were compared with field measurements and the model results fits relatively well with the field data.</span

A remote delivery tube with an integral Joule-Thompson valve for the helium liquefier

Remote delivery tubes (RDTs) in Collins and similar types of helium liquefiers interconnect the liquefier with the storage dewar. In these liquefiers the Joule-Thompson (J-T) valve is separately situated in the liquefier cryostat. Therefore there is a regime of J-T heating during the initial cool down of the liquefier, since there is a time lag in reaching the inversion temperature for the J-T valve. The note describes the design, fabrication, and testing of a RDT with an integral J-T valve. A demountable copper cold seal working at a pressure of 15 bar was successfully tested. The J-T valve seat made of Cu-Cr-Zr alloy provided excellent sealing with the stainless-steel valve tip at liquid-helium temperatures. The testing of this RDT with integral J-T showed substantial reduction in cool down time for the liquefier as well as better control of the dewar pressures