Synthesis and characterization of Thiol functionalized Mesoporous Zirconia and its utilizisation for the removal of methyl blue from waste water

In this work, functionalized mesoporous zirconia have been synthesized by a simple chemical process, in the presence of pluronic F127, MPTMS and toluene. The microscopic assembly of the thiol functionalized material and the crystallinity of the pore walls were studied by using small X-ray powder diffractions. Batch adsorption study was conducted to investigate the removal of methyl blue from waste water by using thiol functionalized mesoporous zirconia. Adsorption experiments were conducted as a function of adsorbent dose, equilibrium pH, contact time, initial concentration, adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms. The characterization and mechanisms involved in adsorption of methyl blue on the material were studied by using instrumental technique like XRD, FTIR, SEM, BET and chemical methods. The adsorption kinetic studies indicated that the overall adsorption process was best described by pseudo-second-order kinetics. The adsorption data were fitted linearly transformed Langmuir isotherm with R2 (correlation coefficient) > 0.97. The results indicate that thiol functionalized mesoporous zirconia can be used as an effective and low cost adsorbent for the treatment of wastewater

Effect of thermal annealing on the structure and microstructure ofTiO2 thin films

Nanostructured TiO2 thin films have been prepared through chemical route using sol-gel and spin coating techniques. The deposited films were annealed in the temperature range 400–1000°C for 1 h. The structure and microstructure of the annealed films were characterized by GAXRD, micro-Raman spectroscopy and AFM. The as-deposited TiO2 thin films are found to be amorphous. Micro-Raman and GAXRD results confirm the presence of the anatase phase and absence of the rutile phase for films annealed up to 700°C. The diffraction pattern of the film annealed at 800 to 1000°C contains peaks of both anatase and rutile reflections. The intensity of all peaks in micro-Raman and GAXRD patterns increased and their width (FWHM) decreased with increasing annealing temperature, demonstrating the improvement in the crystallinity of the annealed films. Phase transformation at higher annealing temperature involves a competition among three events such as : grain growth of anatase phase, conversion of anatase to rutile and grain growth of rutile phase. AFM image of the as-deposited films and annealed films indicated exponential grain growth at higher temperature.Effect of thermal annealing on the structure and microstructure ofTiO2 thin films Haripriya Rath1*, S Anand2, M Mohapatra2, Priyadarshini Dash1, T Som3, U P Singh4 and N C Mishra1 1Department of Physics, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar-751 004, Orissa, India 2Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar-751 013, Orissa, India 3Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar-751 005, Orissa, India 4KIIT University, Bhubaneswar-751 024, Orissa, India E-mail : [email protected] of Physics, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar-751 004, Orissa, India 2Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar-751 013, Orissa, India 3Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar-751 005, Orissa, India 4KIIT University, Bhubaneswar-751 024, Orissa, India 1Department of Physics, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar-751 004, Orissa, India 2Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar-751 013, Orissa, India 3Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar-751 005, Orissa, India 4KIIT University, Bhubaneswar-751 024, Orissa, Indi

EFFECT OF PRESSING ON THE SHELF LIFE OF SUNDRIED WHITE SARDINE (ESCUALOSA THORACATA)

In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate and explore a method for preparation of salted and dried white sardine which would have organoleptically sound attributes viz., color, flavor, taste and texture. It could however be concluded from the results of present study that the sun dried pressed samples were in better condition than the unpressed sample

Assessment of Allelopathic Potential of an Obnoxious Weed-Hyptis Suaveolens (l.) Piot. on the Seed Germination of Crops-Triticum Aestivum L. and Eleusine Coracana Gaertn

The plant, Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit. commonly known as Wilayati tulsi belongs to the family Lamiaceae .The plant has been considered as an obnoxious weed, distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics. It is naturalized in India and is considered as a potent invader. Although it has several medicinal properties and used in folklore remedies but its spread is so fast that in due course of its establishment it disrupts the recruitment pattern in the nearby occupied. Not only it restricts the area for other species but it increases livestock pressure on the native species because of its unpalatable nature due to presence of essential oils. However, no information is available in the literature on the allelopathic activity of this obnoxious weed on the germination of the crop plants like Triticum aestivum L., (wheat) and Eleusine coracana Gaertn., (Ragi). The allelopathy of Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Piot., was studied by extracting the crude aqueous extracts- leachates from the leaves of this plant and 3 different concentrations – 0.01%, 0.25% and 1% of these extracts were assessed on the germination of test crops - Triticum aestivum L and Eleusine coracana Gaertn. The linear growth - Root length and Shoot length and the Fresh and Dry matter accumulation were recorded. The Growth equations- Percent Germination of seeds, Percentage Seed mortality, Relative Growth Ratio, Relative Elongation of Shoot, Relative Elongation of Roots, Relative Biomass Ratio and Seed Vigour index of seeds were calculated for the above test crops. The results show that the 1% leachate showed inhibition on all the above mentioned parameters analyzed in Wheat while the same 1% concentration in case of Ragi showed inhibitory effect on Percent Germination of seeds, Percentage Seed mortality, Relative Growth Ratio, Relative Elongation of Shoot and Relative Biomass Ratio While, the Relative Elongation of Roots and Seed Vigour index of seeds were promoted by the sam

Strain improvement for the production of antioxidant activity from Bacillus sp. by induced stress

In the present study, water samples were collected from different beaches in Chennai such as Marina beach, Elliott beach, VGP Golden beach and Kovalam beach to evaluate the best source for antioxidants. The bacteria were isolated on Starch Casein Agar media and screened for the antimicrobial activity. Among 11 isolates, 5 isolates showed antimicrobial potential which were further evaluated for the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging activity. Among 5 isolates, one sample showed significant DPPH scavenging activity with half minimal inhibitory concentration of (IC50)344.754µg/mL. The maximum antioxidant production was observed at pH 7 and at temperature of 37ºC with an IC50 of 188.66µg/mL and 293.76µg/mL respectively. The potent antioxidant producing strain was subjected for mutagenesis. In physical mutagenesis, the organism exposed for UV light for 25 minutes showed maximum antioxidant production with an IC50 of 133.55µg/mL. This mutant strain was then subjected for chemical mutagenesis with the addition of different concentrations of Ethidium bromide such as 10µL, 20µL, 30µL, 40µL and 50µL. The mutant strain obtained with the addition of 20µL Ethidium bromide (EtBr) showed significant antioxidant activity with an IC50 of 325.4µg/mL. The sample was purified by solvent extraction method and was evaluated for antioxidant production. The analyte was subjected to HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) analysis to avince the presence of antioxidants. The ethyl acetate extract showed the total phenolic content of 0.892 mg GAE/g of dry extract. It also showed the total flavonoid content of 0.522mg RE/g of dry extract

Ісламський фактор в міжнародних економічних відносинах: приклад ЄС і Турції

В роботі представлена спроба цілісного вивчення впливу культурних, соціальних, економічних і політичних факторів на процеси взаємовідносин Туреччини і ЄС, що дозволяє надати більш об'ємне й глибоке уявлення про соціально-політичні процеси в Туреччині і ЄС в контексті їх еволюції. Дана оцінка сучасного стану мусульманської діаспори в країнах ЄС з подальшою систематизацією даних. Зроблена авторська порівняльна характеристика процесів євроінтеграції України (у якої є свій «ісламський» фактор) і Туреччини і її систематизаці

Results from the centers for disease control and prevention's predict the 2013-2014 Influenza Season Challenge

Background: Early insights into the timing of the start, peak, and intensity of the influenza season could be useful in planning influenza prevention and control activities. To encourage development and innovation in influenza forecasting, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) organized a challenge to predict the 2013-14 Unites States influenza season. Methods: Challenge contestants were asked to forecast the start, peak, and intensity of the 2013-2014 influenza season at the national level and at any or all Health and Human Services (HHS) region level(s). The challenge ran from December 1, 2013-March 27, 2014; contestants were required to submit 9 biweekly forecasts at the national level to be eligible. The selection of the winner was based on expert evaluation of the methodology used to make the prediction and the accuracy of the prediction as judged against the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet). Results: Nine teams submitted 13 forecasts for all required milestones. The first forecast was due on December 2, 2013; 3/13 forecasts received correctly predicted the start of the influenza season within one week, 1/13 predicted the peak within 1 week, 3/13 predicted the peak ILINet percentage within 1 %, and 4/13 predicted the season duration within 1 week. For the prediction due on December 19, 2013, the number of forecasts that correctly forecasted the peak week increased to 2/13, the peak percentage to 6/13, and the duration of the season to 6/13. As the season progressed, the forecasts became more stable and were closer to the season milestones. Conclusion: Forecasting has become technically feasible, but further efforts are needed to improve forecast accuracy so that policy makers can reliably use these predictions. CDC and challenge contestants plan to build upon the methods developed during this contest to improve the accuracy of influenza forecasts. © 2016 The Author(s)

Metabolite profiling and bioactivity assessment of diverse endophytic fungi from the endangered plant, Nilgirianthus ciliatus

Endophytic fungi are potential sources of bioactive compounds with therapeutic properties. This study investigated the fungal endophytes associated with Nilgirianthus ciliatus, an endangered medicinal plant, to discover its secondary metabolites and bioactivities. Molecular analysis revealed the prominent species to be Aspergillus niger, Didymella sp., Trichoderma viride, Bipolaris zeicola and Nigrospora sphaerica. Alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, terpenes and saponins were detected in ethyl acetate extracts employing phytochemical screening. Didymella sp. has showed the highest level of antioxidant activity, demonstrating strong DPPH radical scavenging and reduction capability. T. viride had strong antibacterial action against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, meanwhile Didymella sp. and N. sphaerica were most effective against E. coli. GC-MS analysis uncovered many bioactive chemicals, including trans-farnesol and pentadecanoic acid, which are renowned for their antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These findings highlight the presence of the rich variety of diverse endophytic fungi harboring such medicinal plants, which offer promising applications in medicine, biotechnology and agriculture as sources of novel bioactive compounds. Further exploration and characterization of these strains could unlock valuable sustainable resources for various industries

Habituation based synaptic plasticity and organismic learning in a quantum perovskite

A central characteristic of living beings is the ability to learn from and respond to their environment leading to habit formation and decision making. This behavior, known as habituation, is universal among all forms of life with a central nervous system, and is also observed in single-cell organisms that do not possess a brain. Here, we report the discovery of habituation-based plasticity utilizing a perovskite quantum system by dynamical modulation of electron localization. Microscopic mechanisms and pathways that enable this organismic collective charge-lattice interaction are elucidated by first-principles theory, synchrotron investigations, ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, and in situ environmental breathing studies. We implement a learning algorithm inspired by the conductance relaxation behavior of perovskites that naturally incorporates habituation, and demonstrate learning to forget: A key feature of animal and human brains. Incorporating this elementary skill in learning boosts the capability of neural computing in a sequential, dynamic environment.United States. Army Research Office (Grant W911NF-16-1-0289)United States. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Grant FA9550-16-1-0159)United States. Army Research Office (Grant W911NF-16-1-0042

Standardization and quality evaluation of value-added pasta from underutilized vegetable stuffs

Pasta is one of the most trending processed items preferred by all age groups nowadays. Due to its low nutrient profile, there is a need to enhance its nutritional value by adding the underutilized nutritious vegetable stuff which is rich in protein, fibre and micronutrients. The present study was undertaken to develop pasta by incorporating underutilized vegetable stuffs i.e. tender jackfruit powder (TJP), jackfruit seed powder (JSP) and pumpkin leaf powder (PLP) with refined wheat flour (RWF). TJ1 (90% RWF+10% TJP), JS2 (85% RWF+15% JSP) and PL1 (90% RWF+10% PLF) pastas were having higher overall acceptability than all the formulated pasta and control (100% RWF) pasta. The sensory parameters were evaluated through a nine-point hedonic rating scale. The nutrient compositions were analysed using standard AOAC methods. The moisture, ash, protein, fat, fibre, carbohydrate, calcium and phosphorous content of TJ1 were 14.49%, 1.35%, 10.46%, 1.41%, 1.75%, 70.54%, 19.90 mg% and 106.24 mg%, respectively. JS2 contained moisture (10.73%), ash (1.34%), protein (11.24%), fat (1.42%), fibre (1.64%) and carbohydrate (73.63%), calcium (25.41mg) and phosphorus (116.08 mg). PL1 had moisture (8.64%), ash (3.31%), protein (7.91%), fat (1.34%), fibre (1.29%), carbohydrate (77.52%), calcium (54.93 mg) and phosphorus (116.13 mg). There were significant changes in proximate composition and microbial load during the storage period of 2 months. The pasta can be value added in terms of protein, fat, fiber and total ash content by using tender jackfruit, jackfruit seed and pumpkin leaf powder up to 10% without affecting the sensory qualities