Design and development of Propulsion System for Antitank Guided Missile

A Propulsion system is designed and developed for the third generation antitank guided missile (ATGM). It consists of a separate booster and sustainer. Booster is ahead of sustainer, having four nozzles canted to the missile axis. Sustainer discharges through a supersonic blast tube. Low smoke, high energy nitramine propellant for this propulsion system developed by the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune, has been successfully flight-tested. The booster grain is tube-in-tube configuration with end inhibition and the sustainer grain is of end burning configuration. High strength aluminium alloy, HE-15, is used for rocket motor components. Glass-phenolic composite ablative material is used for thermal protection of motors and high density graphite is used for nozzle throats. The design considerations and approach, including grain configuration, nozzle, and ignitersare briefly discussed. The propulsion system has been extensively tested in static tests and in flights, establishing the satisfactory performance of the system

Qualification of Indigenously Developed Special Coatings for Aero-Engine Components

The demand for higher performance and reliability of aero-engiaes necessitates its components to worksatisfactorily under severe operating conditions. The durability of various components in these environmentis often enhanced by applying suitable coatings. The development of new materials/processing methods andalso various coatings to protect the components have been driven by the ever-increasing severity of theaero-engine internal environment. While the selection of a coating is dictated by the operating conditionsand the nature of the environment and also on the substrate, the durability of the coating depends uponthe mode of degradation of the coating and substrate in service.Though certification of an aero-engine after developmt obviously includes: validation of the componentsand its coatings, indigenous substitution of an already-qualified component system requires a re-orientationof the qualification methodology. This paper describes an approach for qualification of indigenously developedspecial coatings processes for application on aero-engine components. This approach has been adoptedsuccesshlly in validating several indigenous coatingslpmcesses, viz, aluminium-silicon diffusion coating appliedby pack cementation for oxidationhot comsion resistance, cobalt-chromium carbide coating by electrodepositionfor wear resistance, chromium carbide-nickel chromium coating applied by detonation gun and yttria-stabilisedzirconia thermal barrier coating applied by plasma spray.The approaih consists of a series of validation tests configured to assess the coating-substrate system.The rationale in evolving the qualification tests based on the type of coating, coating process, operating conditionsfor the components, probable failure modes and coating-base metal interaction, are described. In addition,comparison of the test results obtained on the test specimens coated with indigenously developed coatingsand imported coatings is also enumerated to show that these coatings are comparable to the imported coatings.Documentation of satisfactory performance of the components coated with indigenously developed coatingsthrough successful engine tests and limited-service evaluation is also highlighted. In addition to the substitutionof the coatings recommended by the principal designers with those developed indigenously, a few coatings,such as polyimide coating for corrosion resistance and ceramic paint for thermal resistance solely appliedon various aero-engine components were successfully evaluated using above mentioned approach

PEG Conjugated PAMAM Dendrimers with a Anti- HIV Drug Stavudine for prolong release

The present investigation was aimed to design polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer having polyethylene glycol grafts as novel drug carrier. In this study we successfully synthesized and conjugated PEGylated PAMAM dendrimers with anti HIV drug stavudine. Hemolytic toxicity studies were carried out for PEGylated PAMAM dendrimers which showed that haemolysis of cell was very negligible in PEGylated PAMAM dendrimers. Moreover surface were characterization of PEGylated PAMAM dendrimers was carried out TEM micrographs. Further physiochemical and physiological parameter such as UV, DSC, drug entrapment and drug release were carried out for PEGylated and non PEGylated PAMAM dendrimers. Drug loading, drug release and toxicity are better for PEGylated PAMAM dendrimers

Isolation and characterization of lytic bacteriophages of Salmonella Typhimurium and their therapeutic application

Salmonella Typhimurium is an important bacterial pathogen of gastroenteritis revealing multidrug resistance and has zoonotic implication. In an approach towards alternatives to antibiotics, lytic bacteriophages were isolated against Salmonella Typhimurium from sewage effluent using double agar overlay method. The isolated bacteir ohages, viz. fST1, fST2, fST3, fST4 and fST5 were characterized microbiologically and revealed host range 85–92% individually and 100% collectively within the genus. Biophysical characterization revealed that the phages were stable at 16°, 37°, 42°C and pH 4, 7 and 9 for 3h, supporting their therapeutic application. Electron microscopic examination of the fST1 showed icosahedral head (52.5nm), contractile tail (220–250nm) belonging to the family Myoviridae and order Caudovirales. Further, molecular characterization of fST1 revealed 38kb nucleic acid and digested by restriction endonucleases i.e., EcoRI, Bam HI and Hae III. The therapeutic application of the isolated phage cocktail was ascertained in Swiss albino mice models by infecting the control and treatment groups with 3×108 cfu/ml of the organism intramuscularly and orally. Following challenge the treatment group administered with 3×109 pfu/ml of phage mixture showed significant decrease in number of colony forming units of bacteria in vivo

Prolonged Drug Delivery System of PEGylated PAMAM Dendrimers with a Anti-HIV Drug

Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers is a new non viral drug carrier. However their high surface toxicity limits PAMAM dendrimers application in drug delivery. The purpose of present work was aimed to developing and exploring PEGylated G4 and G5 PAMAM dendrimers for anti HIV drug lamivudine. In this study we successfully prepared G4 and G5 PAMAM dendrimers with ethylene diamine core and PEGylated with MPEG for surface modifications. Further physiochemical and physiological parameter such as UV, IR, TEM, DSC, drug entrapment, drug release and hemolytic toxicity of both PEGylated and non PEGylated PAMAM dendrimers were determined and compared. Here the PEGylation of PAMAM dendrimers reduce the surface toxicity and increase the drug loading capacity of PAMAM dendrimers. Moreover PEGylated PAMAM dendrimers had released then drug in controlled and prolonged time. Hence the PEGylated PAMAM dendrimers were found as suitable drug delivery carrier for anti HIV drug lamivudine

Prostate specific antigen: a new means as diagnostic and prognostic factor for breast cancer

ABSTRACT Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a serine protease expressed at high levels in prostate epithelium and elevated PSA in serum is a well established marker, and also helps in management of prostate cancer. In recent times it has become widely accepted that PSA is also present in many non prostatic sources, creating doubts about the specificity of its tissue expression. Numerous studies have suggested that the molecular forms of PSA imply to signify a potential tool for the risk assessment of breast cancer. Studies have suggested new biological role of PSA in breast physiopathology. Additional studies are essential to enrol PSA indisputably as an additional means as diagnostic and prognostic tool for breast cancer. Here is the summary of how PSA has a potential to become a new diagnostic and prognostic tool

Critical exponents and equation of state of the three-dimensional Heisenberg universality class

We improve the theoretical estimates of the critical exponents for the three-dimensional Heisenberg universality class. We find gamma=1.3960(9), nu=0.7112(5), eta=0.0375(5), alpha=-0.1336(15), beta=0.3689(3), and delta=4.783(3). We consider an improved lattice phi^4 Hamiltonian with suppressed leading scaling corrections. Our results are obtained by combining Monte Carlo simulations based on finite-size scaling methods and high-temperature expansions. The critical exponents are computed from high-temperature expansions specialized to the phi^4 improved model. By the same technique we determine the coefficients of the small-magnetization expansion of the equation of state. This expansion is extended analytically by means of approximate parametric representations, obtaining the equation of state in the whole critical region. We also determine a number of universal amplitude ratios.Comment: 40 pages, final version. In publication in Phys. Rev.

Increasing Trends of Leptospirosis in Northern India: A Clinico-Epidemiological Study

Leptospirosis is often not suspected by physicians in patients with acute febrile illnesses reporting from supposedly “non-endemic areas,” including north India. Clinical manifestations are protean, and complications can affect most organ systems, including liver, kidneys, lungs, and the central nervous system. Timely diagnosis and specific therapy can reduce severity of illness and, in turn, mortality. In this study conducted at a tertiary care center in north India, we find how a much-neglected disease entity has emerged as a major cause of acute febrile illness in a so called “non-endemic area.” Incidence is increasing yearly. The majority of patients were from a rural background, and were farmers or farm labourers. Poor hygiene, contact with animals, rat infestation of houses, and contact with stagnant dirty water are the major determinants of disease. Apart from the usual symptoms of intermittent fever with chill and rigor, hepatosplenomegaly, renal decompensation, muscle pain and tenderness, and conjunctival suffusion, signs and symptoms indicating involvement of the respiratory and central nervous systems were also commonly observed. Severe complications resulting in mortality do occur and is especially due to late suspicion among primary level physicians, and the resulting inappropriate therapy

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Not AvailableThe export performance and competitiveness of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) have been studied in this paper. Revealed comparative advantage (RCA) and Revealed symmetric comparative advantage (RSCA) have been worked out for safflower seed and safflower oil for India, Mexico and United States of America (USA) for the period 1992-2009. The results have indicated that India has fluctuating trends in its competitiveness in the export of safflower seed while it has no competitive advantage in the export of safflower oil except in the year 1997. It is also observed that USA has very strong comparative advantage for the export of safflower oil as well as safflower seed export while Mexico has weak comparative advantage for export of safflower seed and strong comparative advantage for export of safflower oil. The study also revealed that support prices do not have high impact on increasing or decreasing in safflower production in India.Not Availabl

New coumarin diol from the plant, <i>Chloroxylon swietenia</i> DC

1041-1044 A new coumarin diol has been isolated along with three known coumarin compounds, 6,8-diprenylumbelliferone, bergapten and isopimpinellin from the chloroform fraction of the leaves of the plant, Chloroxylon swietenia DC. The structure of new compound has been established as 6-(2′,3′-dihydroxy-3-methylbutyl)-8-prenylumbelliferone based on the spectral (UV, IR, 1H, 13C and 2D NMR and mass) data. </smarttagtype