EVALUATION OF POLYHERBAL UNANI SHAMPOO USED IN DANDRUFF

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the laboratory parameters of polyherbal Unani formulation with simple shampoo base used in seborrheic dermatitis (Huzaz) of scalp. Methods: Evaluation of test drug formulation with shampoo base was done for its appearance, pH, % of solid contents, wetting time, density, viscosity, dirt dispersion test, froth test, and skin irritation test. Results: Polyherbal formulation along with simple shampoo base was dark brown in color, thin in consistency, and with pungent aroma. pH of poly herbal formulation was 8.27 which will have positive effect on greasy and thin hairs. Solid contents were moderately easy to wash. Wetting time was 200 s, density was 1.17 g, and viscosity was 2.33 moderately good. Froth test showed froth >8 cm. Skin sensitivity on albino rats showed no allergic reaction. Conclusion: Polyherbal Unani formulation can be a promising drug with least side-effects and cost-effective in treating dandruff which relapses every now and then

Fe-P and Fe-P-Pt co-deposits as hydrogen electrodes in alkaline solution

Fe-P and Fe-P-Pt alloys for use as electrodes for alkaline water electrolysis are prepared by an electroplating technique which employs an acidic complex bath solution. After heat treatment, the plated alloys act as effective electrocatalytic materials by lowering the hydrogen overpotential sufficiently. The improved electrocatalytic activity is due to an increase in effective surface area, a change in surface features upon heat treatment, and the presence of traces of platinum. Electrodes of the plated alloys are stable even in a highly corrosive electrolytic medium (6 M KOH). © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Susceptibility of optimal train schedules to stochastic disturbances of process times

This work focuses on the stochastic evaluation of train schedules computed by a microscopic scheduler of railway operations based on deterministic information. The research question is to assess the degree of sensitivity of various rescheduling algorithms to variations in process times (running and dwell times). In fact, the objective of railway traffic management is to reduce delay propagation and to increase disturbance robustness of train schedules at a network scale. We present a quantitative study of traffic disturbances and their effects on the schedules computed by simple and advanced rescheduling algorithms. Computational results are based on a complex and densely occupied Dutch railway area; train delays are computed based on accepted statistical distributions, and dwell and running times of trains are subject to additional stochastic variations. From the results obtained on a real case study, an advanced branch and bound algorithm, on average, outperforms a First In First Out scheduling rule both in deterministic and stochastic traffic scenarios. However, the characteristic of the stochastic processes and the way a stochastic instance is handled turn out to have a serious impact on the scheduler performance

Genetic diversity of pran (Allium cepa var. prolliferum) in Kashmir

Ten pran genotypes were evaluated using RAPD markers to determine the genetic relationships among genotypes showing morphological variations. Fourty three decamer primers were used in this study. Genetic diversity in the genotypes studied was analyzed using several variability parameters. Genotypes were grouped into two main clusters based on jaccard similarity coefficient. A dendrogram based on UPGMA analysis grouped the ten genotypes into two main clusters. Genotypes representing cluster-I are superior over genotypes in cluster-II with respect to yield attributes. Some genotypes did not show any similarity with either cluster, depicting their diverse nature. The grouping that was obtained with the RAPD analysis was at par with the morphological grouping based on yield attributes. The results of Principal Co-ordinate (PCO) analysis were comparable to the cluster analysis. Finally, the investigation of the genetic variation of pran with RAPD indicated that this marker is a suitable tool for assessing polymorphism and estimating the genetic similarity. &nbsp

The In Vivo Role of the RP-Mdm2-p53 Pathway in Signaling Oncogenic Stress Induced by pRb Inactivation and Ras Overexpression

The Mdm2-p53 tumor suppression pathway plays a vital role in regulating cellular homeostasis by integrating a variety of stressors and eliciting effects on cell growth and proliferation. Recent studies have demonstrated an in vivo signaling pathway mediated by ribosomal protein (RP)-Mdm2 interaction that responds to ribosome biogenesis stress and evokes a protective p53 reaction. It has been shown that mice harboring a Cys-to-Phe mutation in the zinc finger of Mdm2 that specifically disrupts RP L11-Mdm2 binding are prone to accelerated lymphomagenesis in an oncogenic c-Myc driven mouse model of Burkitt's lymphoma. Because most oncogenes when upregulated simultaneously promote both cellular growth and proliferation, it therefore stands to reason that the RP-Mdm2-p53 pathway might also be essential in response to oncogenes other than c-Myc. Using genetically engineered mice, we now show that disruption of the RP-Mdm2-p53 pathway by an Mdm2C305F mutation does not accelerate prostatic tumorigenesis induced by inactivation of the pRb family proteins (pRb/p107/p130). In contrast, loss of p19Arf greatly accelerates the progression of prostate cancer induced by inhibition of pRb family proteins. Moreover, using ectopically expressed oncogenic H-Ras we demonstrate that p53 response remains intact in the Mdm2C305F mutant MEF cells. Thus, unlike the p19Arf-Mdm2-p53 pathway, which is considered a general oncogenic response pathway, the RP-Mdm2-p53 pathway appears to specifically suppress tumorigenesis induced by oncogenic c-Myc

Methanol oxidative fuel cell: Electrochemical synthesis and characterization of low-priced WO3-Pt anode material

Electroplating of WO3-Pt has been carried out using a suitable plating bath solution and optimum working conditions. X-ray and SEM studies of the deposit reveal a smooth and uniform distribution of microparticles on the surface. New phases of the plated material appear on heat treatment. The electrocatalytic activity of the WO3-Pt co-deposit is considerably higher than for platinum alone. WO3 in the WO3-Pt co-deposit reduces the retardation effect of methanol oxidation by the reaction intermediate observed in the case of Pt alone. WO3-Pt co-deposits exhibit low overpotential for methanol oxidation in both acidic and alkaline media at low temperature and have good corrosion resistance in electrolytic media. The electrochemical parameters for methanol oxidation of these co-deposits depend on trace amounts of the platinum, heat treatment and the microstructure of the coating. © Springer-Verlag 2004

Electroless deposition of Fe-P, Fe-P-Pt alloys

213-215Fe-P and Fe-P-Pt alloys have been developed by electroless plating technique using suitable acidic bath solution and plating conditions. The alloys are characterised to be used as cathode materials for hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline solution. The alloys exhibited an overpotential of 332 (Fe-P-Pt) and 412 mVs (Fe-P) for about 70 h of continuous electrolysis in 30% KOH at a current density of 100 mA/cm2 and temperature 323 K. The electrocatalytic activity depends on the alloying elements and the composition of the alloy. Electrokinetic parameters for hydrogen evolution reaction are evaluated