Fluidised Bed Heat Treatment - A Flexible Heat Treating Technology

For heat treatment of metal parts wide variety of furnaces are employed. Protective atmosphere furnaces like sealed quench furnace, vaccum furnaces, pit type retort, rotary retort furnaces and salt bath furnaces are used for heat treatment processes. In recent years flui-dised bed furnaces are gaining popularity due to certain inherent advantages associated with them. Almost all the processes such as neutral hardening, carburising, carbon-itriding, annealing, nitriding nitrocarburising etc. can be carried out with a single fluidised bed furnace inst-allation. Added to this flexibility bed temperature uni-formity, quick change over of atmospheres, fast rate of heat transfer and bed buoyancy results in predictable and consistent results in properties and dimensions after heat treatment

PHARMACEUTICAL PRICING POLICY AND CONTROL– INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

ABSTRACTPharmaceutical sector is playing a vital role towards the wellness of the people and economic development of India. The innovation, development, production and marketing of medicines are accountable to pharmaceutical industry. Drugs and pharmaceuticals, healthcare delivery, medical devices among others come under the purview of healthcare sector. It is the duty of the Government to ensure the availability of the lifesaving drugs at reasonable prices by means of considering the interest of both the producers and the buyers. In order to safeguard the public health, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is the watchdog in India, which controls the prices of drugs.Keywords: Pharmaceutical sector, Price, Drugs, Regulator,NPPA,DPC

BIOREDUCTION OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES FROM AQUEOUS STEM EXTRACT OF CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS AND BACTERICIDAL EFFECTS.

Objective: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized using the stem extract of the Catharanthus roseus (L.) plant using the green method. Theextract from the stem of C. roseus plant was obtained using standard dry powder extraction method. The colorless silver nitrate solution was changedinto brown color after the addition of stem extract indicates the formation of AgNPs. The chemical compounds present in the stem extract wereacting as a reducing agent for the synthesis of AgNPs. Methods: The AgNPs were analyzed with the help of UV-visible spectrophotometer for initialconfirmation. Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR) confirmed the presence of various phytochemicals such as carbohydrate, phenoliccompounds, flavonoids, saponin. and alkaloids which were responsible for both reduction and stabilizing the action of the silver nanoparticles.Results: From the transmission electron microscopy analysis, it was confirmed that Ag-nanoparticles are in nanosize range between 40-50nm andare mono dispersed of particle distribution. Conclusion: From the zone of inhibition, it was confirmed that the synthesized Ag NP from the C. roseusstem was found to have a very high antimicrobial effect. From this study, it is clear that the AgNp can be used as a potential antimicrobial agent.Keywords: Catharanthus roseus, Silver nanoparticles, Anti-microbial activities

GREEN SYNTHESIS OF SUPERPARAMAGNETIC IRON OXIDE NANOPARTICLE FROM FICUS CARICA FRUIT EXTRACT, CHARACTERIZATION STUDIES AND ITS APPLICATION ON DYE DEGRADATION STUDIES

ABSTRACTObjective: The synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) has become a matter of great interest in recent times due to their various advantageous propertiesand applications in a variety of fields. Metal NPs are being increasingly used in many sectors, and there is growing interest in the biological andenvironmental safety of their production.Methods: In this study, iron oxide NPs (Fe3O4-NPs) were synthesized from fruits of Ficus carica using a rapid, single step and completely greenbiosynthetic method by reduction of ferrous sulfate solution with F. carica ethanolic extract. The prepared Fe3O4-NPs were investigated by X-raydiffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy.Results: The report emphasizes the effect of superparamagnetic Fe3O4-NPs on the degradation rate of hazardous dyes acid blue.Conclusion: To conclude, Fe3O4-NPs were prepared from fruits of F. carica using a rapid, single step and completely green biosynthetic method byreduction of ferrous sulfate solution with F. carica ethanolic extract.Keywords: Ficus carica, Ethanolic extract, Reduction, Ferrous sulfate, Superparamagnetic iron oxide nano particles, Dye degradation.Â

Aromatic ring cleavage of a β-biphenyl ether dimer catalyzed by lignin peroxidase of phanerochaete chrysosporium

AbstractUnder aerobic conditions homogeneous lignin peroxidase catalyzed the oxidation of 1-(4'-methoxyphenyl)-2-(2″,5′-dimethoxy-4″-phenylphenoxy)-1,3-dihydroxypropane (I) to yield four products: 1-(4'-methoxy-phenyl)-1,2,3-trihydroxypropane (X), 4-[α-hydroxy-α-(4'-methoxyphenyl)-methyl]-1,3-dioxolane-2-one (V), 4-(4'-methoxyphenyl)-5-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxolane-2-one (VI) and 5-hydroxy-5-carbomethoxy-4-phenyl-oxol-3-en-2-one (VIII). V, VI and VIII are all products of ring opening reactions. When the reaction was conducted under anaerobic conditions, the substrate was oxidized but no ring-cleaved products were detected. During the oxidation of I, 4 atoms of 18O from 18O2 were incorporated into the lactol product VIII

AN ECO-FRIENDLY APPROACH FOR SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES USING Ipomoea Pes-Caprae ROOT EXTRACT AND THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES

objective: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were obtained through green synthesis using Ipomoea pes-caprae root extract for the first time. The activebiomolecules present in the roots of I. pes-caprae, are ergoline alkaloids, indolizidine alkaloids, benzenoids and phenolic compounds act as both thereduction and stabilization of AgNPs.Methods: The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using UV-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, transmissionelectron microscope (TEM).Results: A peak at 400 nm was obtained in UV-Visible spectroscopy confirmed the formation of AgNPs. TEM microgram confirms that AgNPs were inthe nano range and spherical in nature, the size was observed to be 50 nm.Conclusion: A higher zone of inhibition was observed in the AgNPs synthesized from the root extract of I. pes-caprae because of the active biomoleculescapped on the AgNPs that has greater efficacy against bacteria.Keywords: Ipomoea pes-caprae, Silver nanoparticles, Antimicrobial activity

Application of Soft Landings in the Design Management process of a non-residential building

A study into the design processes involved in Soft Landings is an important aspect to realising energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in buildings. Previous Soft Landings papers have focused mainly on post occupancy evaluations and aftercare. No comprehensive study has been attempted with respect to Soft Landings at the design stage. In response to this gap, this paper investigates the application of Soft Landings during the design stage of a central government building in London. It provides an insight into the working processes of a Soft Landings design team and its interaction with other team members and end users. Information from interviews with the design team, minutes of meetings, walk-through in the designed spaces were used to explore how design decisions were reached. It highlights the role the Soft Landings Champion played to ensure that the environmental sustainability objectives of the project were carried from design to construction. The paper also explains the fundamentals of Soft Landings and its potential as a client-driven management tool. The paper concludes by highlighting the implications of the result to designers, contractors and clients

Gene effects and heterosis for grain Fe and Zn content in barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea (Roxb.) link)

Barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea) is an unexplored nutri-rich crop that thrives well in harsh environments and supports many small farmers in Southern and Eastern Asia. Although it has rich sources of micronutrients, the genetic studies are very limited which further impedes in its genetic improvement. Therefore, we attempted to assess the genetic diversity for Fe and Zn content in 40 barnyard millet germplasm and to evaluate the combining ability and heterosis in sixteen F1 cross combinations through line × tester model. The Mahalanobis D2 analysis grouped the 40 genotypes into nine different clusters. Cluster III and I were the largest groups containing 22 and 6 genotypes, respectively and the rest of seven clusters were the lowest group containing one or two genotypes. Positive correlation was observed between Fe and Zn content though both had a non-significant association with grain yield. This indicate that there would not be any compromise on increase or decrease of grain yield while breeding for varieties high in micronutrient content. Combining ability analysis revealed that lines, testers, and their interaction components are significant. The predictability ratio indicated the predominance of additive variance for Fe and Zn content and non-additive variance in the inheritance of yield components. Genotypes, ACM 331, ACM 333, ACM 335 and MA 10 exhibited positive gca effects for Fe and Zn content and grain yield. Two cross combinations, ACM 331 × ACM 335 and ACM 331 × MA 10 involved one or both the parents with good gca effects exhibited, high mean, positive mid-parent heterosis and sca effects for Fe, Zn content and yield components. Thus, the present investigation provided a significant understanding of the gene action and the possibility of utilizing the selected parents and cross combination for exploiting micronutrient traits in barnyard millet crop