In-Vitro Evaluation of Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Fungal Activity of Vitex nigundo (Verbenaceae)

Vitex negundo belongs to the family Verbenaceae. It is a large aromatic shrub distributed throughout the greater part of India up to an altitude of 1500 m in the outer Himalayas. It is widely planted as a hedge plant along the roads and between the roads. Traditionally it is having the flok claims like useful in treatment of rheumatism, insecticidal, antimicrobial, anticancer, tranquillizer, tonic, febrifuge, expectorant and diuretic properties. In the present study an attempt had been made to evaluate comparative antibacterial and antifungal principles from Vitex nigundo with some therapeutically used antibiotics. Different extracts of Vitex negundo leaves were investigated for its anti microbial and antifungal activity on five bacterial species and three fungal species these are Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus subtilis, E.coli, Pseudomonas aerugenosa and Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavon, Candida albicans respectively. Among all extracts waterethanol (50:50) extract showed maximum anti microbial and water extract showed maximum antifungal activity against all tested species

Improving drought tolerance in rice: Ensuring food security through multi‐dimensional approaches

Drought has been highly prevalent around the world especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asian countries. Consistent climatic instabilities and unpredictable rainfall patterns are further worsening the situation. Rice is a C 3 staple cereal and an important food crop for the majority of the world's population and drought stress is one of the major growth retarding threats for rice that slashes down grain quality and yield. Drought deteriorates rice productivity and induces various acclimation responses that aids in stress mitigation. However, the complexity of traits associated with drought tolerance has made the understanding of drought stress-induced responses in rice a challenging process. An integrative understanding based on physi- ological adaptations, omics, transgenic and molecular breeding approaches succes- sively backed up to developing drought stress-tolerant rice. The review represents a step forward to develop drought-resilient rice plants by exploiting the knowledge that collaborates with omics-based developments with integrative efforts to ensure the compilation of all the possible strategies undertaken to develop drought stress- tolerant rice

Micro-manufacturing : research, technology outcomes and development issues

Besides continuing effort in developing MEMS-based manufacturing techniques, latest effort in Micro-manufacturing is also in Non-MEMS-based manufacturing. Research and technological development (RTD) in this field is encouraged by the increased demand on micro-components as well as promised development in the scaling down of the traditional macro-manufacturing processes for micro-length-scale manufacturing. This paper highlights some EU funded research activities in micro/nano-manufacturing, and gives examples of the latest development in micro-manufacturing methods/techniques, process chains, hybrid-processes, manufacturing equipment and supporting technologies/device, etc., which is followed by a summary of the achievements of the EU MASMICRO project. Finally, concluding remarks are given, which raise several issues concerning further development in micro-manufacturing

SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain displayed on HBsAg virus–like particles elicits protective immunity in macaques

Authorized vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 remain less available in low- and middle-income countries due to insufficient supply, high costs, and storage requirements. Global immunity could still benefit from new vaccines using widely available, safe adjuvants, such as alum and protein subunits, suited to low-cost production in existing manufacturing facilities. Here, a clinical-stage vaccine candidate comprising a SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain–hepatitis B surface antigen virus–like particle elicited protective immunity in cynomolgus macaques. Titers of neutralizing antibodies (>104) induced by this candidate were above the range of protection for other licensed vaccines in nonhuman primates. Including CpG 1018 did not significantly improve the immunological responses. Vaccinated animals challenged with SARS-CoV-2 showed reduced median viral loads in bronchoalveolar lavage (~3.4 log10) and nasal mucosa (~2.9 log10) versus sham controls. These data support the potential benefit of this design for a low-cost modular vaccine platform for SARS-CoV-2 and other variants of concern or betacoronaviruses

Data-dependent systems approach to solar energy simulation inputs

The paper proposes and illustrates an application of a recently developed methodology called Data Dependent Systems (DDS) to modeling and analysis of solar insolation data. Such an approach is shown to be capable of combining the advantages of deterministic as well as stochastic models. Major dynamic patterns are successfully reproduced by the models. The model characteristics reveal the relation of these patterns to direct and diffuse insolation as well as to constant and variable weather dynamics. The relation of the dynamic patterns with a physical model is developed to show that a more realistic estimate of the extinction coefficient is obtained from the DDS models. © 1983 by ASME

Crater geometry and volume from electro-discharge machined surface profiles by data dependent systems

This paper applies a recently developed methodology called Data Dependent Systems to model and analyse the process of Electro-Discharge Machined (EDM) surface generation. A first order stochastic differential equation is developed and physically interpreted from the EDM surface profile measurements under varying pulse duration and machining time. The impulse response function of this model is used to define a characteristic crater geometry. The depth and diameter to depth ratio of such a crater is determined and employed in deriving the radius of curvature and the volume. Experimental measurements are utilized to illustrate the development of regression equations and nomograms, useful in practice to obtain surfaces with desired geometry. It is shown that the depth diameter to depth ratio, and volume of the characteristic craters obtained from actual multiple discharge situation under operating conditions agree fairly well with the past single discharge physics investigations. © 1980 by ASME

A stochastic approach to thermal modeling applied to electro-discharge machining

The usual method of making some simplifying assumptions and formulating thermal models that yield results confirmed by experiments does not work in many cases where the problem is complex and random. Electro-Discharge Machining (EDM) is such a process that is not only complicated and random but also physically little understood. The paper illustrates thermal modeling of this process with the help of a recently developed stochastic methodology called Data Dependent Systems (DDS). An equation to the melting iosthermal curve is defined from the DDS (stochastic empirical) model obtained from readily measurable surface profiles of actual machined surfaces created by the random superposition of electrical discharges. This equation of the melting isothermal curve is then combined with the heat conduction equation, under rather realistic and intuitively obvious assumptions, to develop a transient temperature distribution. The form of this (hybrid) thermal model is mathematically much simpler and yet its predictions are much closer to the experimental results, compared to the complicated models proposed in the literature. © 1983 by ASME

Reducing Corrosion of Additive Manufactured Magnesium Alloys by Interlayer Ultrasonic Peening

Additive manufad (AM) magn alloys corrode rapidly due to tensile stress and coarse microstructures. Cyclically combining (hybridizing) additive manufacturing with interlayer ultrasonic peening was proposed as a solution to improve corrosion resistance of additive manufactured magnesium WE43 alloy through strengthening mechanisms and compressive residual stress. Applying interlayer peening work hardened discrete layers and formed a glocal integrity of regional grain refinement and subsurface compressive residual stress barriers. Tensile residual stress that typically accelerates corrosion decreased 90%. Results showed time-resolved control over corrosion was attainable by interlayer peening, and local corrosion within print cells decreased 57% with respect to as-printed WE43