Women Empowerment in Tamil Nadu Emerging Trends and State Initiatives

Women have had a long history in asserting their rights It is a commonly accepted view that the male-dominated patriarchal society and power structure would usually keep the position of women low This powerless situation of women has itself made them to look for a way out and liberation Reformation thinking feminist movements freedom struggle have all contributed in awakening their consciousness Women empowerment refers to strengthening women s position in social economic and political power structure of the society It also implies capacity building with the leading role plagued by the State and non-state organization

SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERISATION AND APPLICATION OF PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE RESIN BLENDED WITH SULPHONATED PHYLLANTHUS EMBLICA, LINN., CARBON

Phenol – Formaldehyde Resin (PFR) is blended with Sulphonated Phyllanthus emblica, Linn., Carbon (SPEC) in various proportions by weight percentage (0-50%w/w). A few composite cation-exchangers were prepared by varying the amount of SPEC (a source of cheap and renevable plant material) in the blends from 10 to 50% (w/w). Reaction conditions for the preparation of blends were optimised. IR spectra, TGA traces, and SEM photos were taken for the characterization of  resins. Physico-chemical, properties of the composite resins have been determined. The composites are insoluble in various solvents and reagents and stable towards heat.   Cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the composite resins, decreased with the increasing percentage of SPEC in the blend. Thermodynamic equilibrium constants (lnK) are calculated for H+ - Zn2+ exchanges on the resins having a different amount of SPEC. Thermodynamic parameters are also calculated and suitable explanations are given. The composites up to 20% (w/w) blending retains all the essential properties of the original PFR, since the Phyllanthus emblica, Linn., is the low cost, freely available plant material. Therefore, the composites could be used as low cost ion-exchangers, when SPEC partly replaces the original PFR up to 20% (w/w) blending without affecting the properties of PFR

Soil Structure Interaction of Framed Structure Supported on Non- Homogeneity of Soil Condition

Soil often exhibits non – homogeneity, due to this non – homogeneity, different settlement occurs. This cause changes in the moments and forces in the members of superstructure frames. The order of magnitude of these changes is not known. In this paper, plane frames with differential configuration have been analysed taking into account soil- structure interaction using Finite Element Method. For the present study soil having different stiffnesses in the right and left half below the structure is considered and the effect of this  non – homogeneity on superstructure forces having presented, for plane frames with number of bays varying from 3,5,7 and number of storeys 1to 6. The young’s modulus ratio of soil for right and left half has been varied from 1 to 7.5. To non – homogeneity of soil increases the forces in peripheral columns and beams, which were found to be already critical even for homogeneity soil condition. Hence, in general, it is concluded at non – homogeneity of soil increases the effect of soil interaction on the super structure forces

Tracking neonicotinoids following their use as cotton seed treatments

Neonicotinoids are a leading class of insecticides on the global market, accounting for nearly 25%. They are widely used in both agricultural and residential settings. Causing neuron failure by irreversibly binding to the insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, neonicotinoids offer broad spectrum efficacy against a variety of pests. However, because they are non-selective with regard to insect species, there has been some concern with neonicotinoid use over threats to pollinators such as honeybees, and potential indirect effects to migratory waterfowl as a result of invertebrate prey population depletion. In order to study occurrence and fate of neonicotinoids (thiamethoxam and imidacloprid), we analyzed cotton leaves on plants grown from neonicotinoid-treated seeds and corresponding soil samples between cotton rows. Neonicotinoid concentration data from cotton leaves appears to be consistent with the claim that seed treatments protect plants for 3–4 weeks; by 30 days post-planting, neonicotinoid concentrations fell, in general, to 200 ng/g or lower. This represents about a 10-fold decrease from plant concentrations at approximately 2 weeks post-planting. It was found that neonicotinoids used as seed treatments remained present in the soil for months post planting and could be available for runoff. To that end, 21 playa wetlands were sampled; 10 had at least one quantifiable neonicotinoid present, three of which were classified as grassland or rangeland playas, two were urban, and the remaining five were cropland playas. In several instances, neonicotinoid concentrations in playas exceeded EPA chronic benchmarks for aquatic invertebrates

Insulin Resistance and Body Fat Distribution in South Asian Men Compared to Caucasian Men

South Asians are susceptible to insulin resistance even without obesity. We examined the characteristics of body fat content, distribution and function in South Asian men and their relationships to insulin resistance compared to Caucasians.Twenty-nine South Asian and 18 Caucasian non-diabetic men (age 27+/-3 and 27+/-3 years, respectively) underwent euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp for insulin sensitivity, underwater weighing for total body fat, MRI of entire abdomen for intraperitoneal (IP) and subcutaneous abdominal (SA) fat and biopsy of SA fat for adipocyte size.Compared to Caucasians, in spite of similar BMI, South Asians had higher total body fat (22+/-6 and 15+/-4% of body weight; p-value<0.0001), higher SA fat (3.5+/-1.9 and 2.2+/-1.3 kg, respectively; p-value = 0.004), but no differences in IP fat (1.0+/-0.5 and 1.0+/-0.7 kg, respectively; p-value = 0.4). SA adipocyte cell size was significantly higher in South Asians (3491+/-1393 and 1648+/-864 microm2; p-value = 0.0001) and was inversely correlated with both glucose disposal rate (r-value = -0.57; p-value = 0.0008) and plasma adiponectin concentrations (r-value = -0.71; p-value<0.0001). Adipocyte size differences persisted even when SA was matched between South Asians and Caucasians.Insulin resistance in young South Asian men can be observed even without increase in IP fat mass and is related to large SA adipocytes size. Hence ethnic excess in insulin resistance in South Asians appears to be related more to excess truncal fat and dysfunctional adipose tissue than to excess visceral fat

In vitro antibacterial activity of some plant essential oils

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the antibacterial activity of 21 plant essential oils against six bacterial species. METHODS: The selected essential oils were screened against four gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris) and two gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus at four different concentrations (1:1, 1:5, 1:10 and 1:20) using disc diffusion method. The MIC of the active essential oils were tested using two fold agar dilution method at concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 25.6 mg/ml. RESULTS: Out of 21 essential oils tested, 19 oils showed antibacterial activity against one or more strains. Cinnamon, clove, geranium, lemon, lime, orange and rosemary oils exhibited significant inhibitory effect. Cinnamon oil showed promising inhibitory activity even at low concentration, whereas aniseed, eucalyptus and camphor oils were least active against the tested bacteria. In general, B. subtilis was the most susceptible. On the other hand, K. pneumoniae exhibited low degree of sensitivity. CONCLUSION: Majority of the oils showed antibacterial activity against the tested strains. However Cinnamon, clove and lime oils were found to be inhibiting both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Cinnamon oil can be a good source of antibacterial agents