Development of low formaldehyde emitting particle board by nano particle reinforcement

Nanoscience and nanotechnology offer a plethora of possibilities for improving the qualities of wood composites. The present study aimed to use nanotechnology to develop low formaldehyde emitting particle board as ecologically acceptable composites. Conventional urea Formaldehyde resins were prepared by the percentage of second urea at 10%. Nano-wollastonite, silica and montomorillonite with the size range of 25-100 nm were applied at 0.5-2.0% based on the weight of resin. The nano-reinforced resins were admixed with suitable hardener and the panels were made. Formaldehyde emission reduction in wood panel products is critical and it can be partially controlled by using resin modification. The effectiveness of nanoparticle addition to reducing formaldehyde emission from wood particle board was examined by the perforator method as per IS 13745 (1993). Physical and Mechanical properties were evaluated according to IS 3087 (2005). The result indicated  distinctly lower water absorption and thickness swelling of panels produced with  1.5 %, 1.5 %  and 2.0 % nano silica, nano montomorillinite and nano wollastonite respectively. The results showed that static bending of the produced composite varied from 21.07 to 28.86 N/mm2 of MOR and from 2246 - 3353 N/mm2 of MOE; while internal bond strength (IB) varied from 0.35 to 0.58 N/mm2. As per IS 3087 (2005) requirements, 1.5 % nano silica and montomorillonite and 2.0 % nano wollastonite mechanically modified urea formaldehyde based agro composites gave the best results for grade II particle boards. The study concluded that nanoparticle addition reduces the formaldehyde content in the panel without affecting the strength properties

Keratinolysis of chicken feather and human hair by nondermatophytic keratinophilic fungi isolated from soil

Development in food industry increases consumption of chicken by people and it is estimated that tons of poultry feathers are produced by poultry farms. Hairs are other forms of keratinous waste which is generated in huge amounts by leather industries and parlours worldwide. Chicken feathers and hairs are waste contains high-quality protein, hard to degraded. Eleven nondermatophytic keratinophilic fungi were isolated from soil by hair baiting method and were used to deteriorate hairs and feathers. Pictographic authentication showed that the microbial incidence started with surface colonization of keratinous substrate, mechanical interference of substrate by penetrating hyphae and development of broad perforating organs. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of degraded and undegraded hair and the feather was made. In the sulphoxide region at 1073, the band corresponding to S-O was observed with low intensity and poorly visible in control feathers, while in degraded feather intensity of the band was high in case of Chrysosporium indicum and Chrysosporium tropicum. In Hairs, S-O band was more intense in C indicum as compared to C. tropicum while it was absent in undegraded human hair. The present work observed keratin degradation activity on human hair and chicken feather by FTIR spectra which are useful in the study of structure and mechanism of keratinolysis. Keratinous waste degradation has great potential to convert them into various byproducts such as enzymes, amino acids, biofertilizer and animal feed. 

Role of Gender in Contraceptive Use among Currently Married Women in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

In India there is noticeable regional variation in gender preference and contraceptive use. Preference for son is often assumed to be a significant barrier to fertility reduction. Thus in this context present study tries to explore the association between gender preference and contraceptive use among currently married women in states Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar of India using dataset of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-III), 2005-06 and Family Welfare Year Book 2001. The study reveals about 83 percent women having no sons have desire for more children in UP whereas this value goes up to 87 percent for Bihar. Study also reflects that only 18 and 6 percent women with no living son in UP and Bihar respectively are using any contraception indicating high preference for male child. Therefore it is concluded that the son preference have significant and strong impact on acceptance of any family planning method. Key words: Son preference, contraceptive use, family planning

Performance-Based Analysis of Blockchain Scalability Metric

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, are widely known applications of blockchain technology, have drawn much attention and are largely recognized in recent years. Initially Bitcoin and Ethereum processed 7 and 15 Transactions Per Second (TPS) respectively, whereas VISA and Paypal process 1700 and 193 TPS respectively. The biggest challenge to blockchain adoption is scalability, defined as the capacity to change the block size to handle the growing amount of load. This paper attempts to present the existing scalability solutions which are broadly classified into three layers: Layer 0 solutions focus on optimization of propagation protocol for transactions and blocks, Layer 1 solutions are based on the consensus algorithms and data structure, and Layer 2 solutions aims to decrease the load of the primary chain by implementing solutions outside the chain. We present a classification and comparison of existing blockchain scalability solutions based on performance along with their pros and cons

Engineered Wood Products as a Sustainable Construction Material: A Review

Engineered wood products are considered as best building materials due to environmentally friendly. Huge change to the way in which wood has been utilized in primary application of construction in the course of the most recent 25 years are in light of decreased admittance to high strength timber from growth forests, and the turn of events and creation of various new design of manufactured wood products. Engineered wood products are available in different variety of sizes and measurements like laminated veneer lumber, glued laminated timber, finger jointed lumber, oriental strand board etc. It is utilized for rooftop and floor sheathing, solid structure, beams and the hull of boats. This review objectively explores not only the environmental aspects of the use of different engineered wood composites as a building material, but also their economic aspects, to understand their effect on sustainability

First record of Grunting toadfish, Allenbatrachus grunniens (Linnaeus, 1758) (Batrachoidiformes: Batrachoididae) from Odisha Coast, India

99-101This paper reports Allenbatrachus grunniens (Linnaeus, 1758), a toadfish species for the first time from Odisha coast. The specimen was collected from the mangrove area of Mahanadi estuary at Paradeep. From Odisha coast only one species of fish from the Batrachoididae family, Austrobatrachus dussumieri (Valenciennes 1837), presently known as Colletteichthys dussumieri (Valenciennes, 1837) was reported. Here a systematic account of Allenbatrachus grunniens (Linnaeus, 1758) with its morphometry is reported for the first time as an additional record to the fish fauna of Odisha