Impact of Guinea Grass, Congo Signal and \u3cem\u3eStylosanthes hamata\u3c/em\u3e on Soil Physico-Chemical Properties and Beneficial Micro Fauna in Mango and Sapota Plantations

Farming systems are considered to be most important upcoming enterprises to reduce soil erosion and land degradation besides provide timber, fruits, nutritious fodder for live stock population in the poor soil areas (Roy et.al., 2000). Horticulture based farming systems have been recommended as alternate land use systems for sustainable agriculture in semi arid ecosystem for efficient soil plant management and soil fertility management. Studies on micro flora and micro fauna under farming system are required to increase the farming system productivity. Higher species diversity of soil arthropods was observed in grassland system closely followed by the silvipasture systems when compared to areas having no vegetation in central India. Abundance, diversity and species richness decreased along the gradient, with the agricultural site presenting an impoverished community. Diversity descriptors were positively and significantly correlated with habitat diversity, measured on the basis of the proportion of the different soil-use types present at each land-use unit (Sousa et.al., 2004). The influence of three spatially hierarchical factors like local depth of the soil, ground cover type on the soil samples (bare ground, grass tufts, dead trees lying on the ground), dimensions of the grass tufts sampled (size and shape), significantly affected the morphospecies richness and/or density of the soil macrofauna. The type of ground cover had the strongest influence, affecting the total richness and density of the soil macro fauna and of almost all the groups represented. In the present study efforts were made to know the impact of guinea grass Panicum maximum, Congo signal grass Brachiaria ruziziensis and a legume Stylosanthes hamata on thephysico-chemical properties of mango and sapota based hortipasture systems

Farmer to Farmer Spread of Fodder Crops--An Analysis on Mango Orchards in South India

India ranks first among world mango (Mangifera indica L.) producing countries, accounting for about 50% of world production. Karnataka in southern India is one of the important mango producing provinces of the country. The total area under mango crops in Karnataka is 160,000 ha of which 90,000 ha is in prime fruit yielding stage. In the year 2011-12 alone the area under mango crops has gone up by 10,000 ha (DoH, 2013). The usual planting distance followed by most farmers for mango is 10 m by 10 m. Intercropping, mainly with small millet is practiced until the mango trees attain a suitable height and develop canopy (at 5-6 years of age). The space between the mango tree rows which is not cultivated is estimated to be 67,500 ha (75%) and this provides ample scope for introduction of improved fodder crops in mango orchards through non-competitive land use. Formal methods of diffusion of fodder technologies in India are not only few but are also inefficient. In such cases diffusion can be enhanced through participation of farmers (Kormawa et al., 2004). However farmer to farmer dissemination of technologies is a neglected area of research (Grisley, 1994). A study on diffusing fodder technologies in interspaces of mango orchards of farmers in a participatory mode was conducted in Karnataka. One objective was to develop a method to improve the fodder availability using mango orchards by encouraging farmers to be partners for better feeding of livestock in the region

FORMULATION OF FAST-DISSOLVING TABLETS OF DOXAZOSIN MESYLATE DRUG BY DIRECT COMPRESSION METHOD

Objective: The rationale of the current research work was to formulate and evaluate fast-dissolving tablets of doxazosin mesylate with minimum disintegration time and improved dissolution efficiency using solid dispersion method.Methods: Solid dispersions of doxazosin mesylate and polyethylene glycol 8000 in different ratios were prepared using the kneading method. The prepared solid dispersions were subjected to drug interaction and dissolution studies to select the effective solid dispersion for the formulation of fast-dissolving tablets. Fast dissolving tablets containing drug-polyethylene glycol 8000 solid dispersion (1:3) were prepared using various super-disintegrants such as crospovidone, croscarmellose sodium, mixture and coprocessed crospovidone and croscarmellose sodium in concentration range of 2% and 5% by direct compression technique. The prepared formulations (F1–F16) were evaluated for post compression parameters; hardness, thickness, friability, wetting time, disintegration time, and in–vitro drug release.Results: Drug doxazosin mesylate showed enhanced aqueous solubility of 13.3µg/ml in the presence of polyethylene glycol 8000. Differential scanning calorimetery and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies confirmed no interaction between drug and polyethylene glycol 8000and, drug-polyethylene glycol 8000 solid dispersion showed cumulative drug release of 44.48% in 60 min. Formulated FDT of drug-polyethylene glycol 8000 solid dispersion, containing coprocessed mixture of crospovidone and croscarmellose sodium (5%) exhibited disintegration time of 14.5s with percentage cumulative release of 92.46% in 60 min.Conclusion: The work reasonably concludes that for the formulated doxazosin mesylate-fast dissolving tablets, disintegration time was effectively reduced by the presence of coprocessed mixture of crospovidone and croscarmellose sodium and dissolution efficiency was improved by preparation of solid dispersion with polyethylene glycol 8000

PROTOTYPE SELF EMULSIFYING SYSTEM OF ETRAVIRINE: DESIGN, FORMULATION AND IN VITRO EVALUATION

Objective: Lipid-based formulations have gained much attention, particularly on self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS), to improve the oral bioavailability of lipophilic drugs. In the present study, an attempt was made to develop and evaluate prototype SEDDS of poorly soluble antiviral BCS class IV drug etravirine.Methods: Various oils, surfactants and co-surfactants were screened for their suitability in the formulation of SEDDS. Based on the screening, gelucire 44/14, as the oil, labrasol as a surfactant and transcutol HP as the co-surfactant were selected. SEDDS with drug etravirine was formulated and evaluated for emulsifying ability, dilution potential and microscopic properties. The emulsion area for each of the combination of oil and surfactant co-surfactant mixture (Smix) was determined by the construction of pseudo-ternary phase diagrams.Results: The optimized formulation with oil (gelucire 44/14) and Smix (labrasol: transcutol HP, 6:1) in a ratio of 2:8 exhibited a rapid emulsification rate and a good polydispersibility index of 0.103±0.012 indicating uniformity of the formed droplets. The size of the droplets was determined by zetasizer and was found to be in 200 nm range. The drug release from the final formulation after 2hr was found to be 41.15%±0.5 compared to 19.3%±3.8 of pure drug indicating enhanced dissolution profile of the drug.Conclusion: In vitro study illustrated enhanced dissolution rate of formulated prototype SEDDS of BCS class IV drug etravirine for oral delivery

Characterization and evaluation of morphological and yield traits of tamarind genotypes

The evaluation of morphological and yield traits of tamarind genotypes was carried out during 2017-18 at Forest Research Station, Govinkovi, Honnali taluk, Davangere district. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with 16 genotypes and three replications. Trees were 14-years-old and of grafted origin. All the morphological and yield traits showed significant difference among the selected genotypes indicating the presence of adequate variations. The genotypes recorded morphological variation in terms of tree shape (semi-circle to irregular shape), foliage arrangement (dense to sparse), flowering time (early, mid and late), stem colour (dark brown, brown and light brown), bud colour (greenish white, pink, dark pink), petal colour (yellow and pale yellow), pod colour (greyish brown, brown, light brown and dark brown), pulp colour (light brown, brown and reddish brown), pod shape (straight, slightly curved, curved and deeply curved) and pod size (very big, big, medium and small). The analysis of variance revealed significant difference with respect to tree height, stem girth, pod traits, pod yield per tree (K-9 : 12.80 kg), number of pods per tree (NTI-52 : 989.07) and pulp per cent (K-9 : 48.87). Among the 16 genotypes, the genotype K-9 was found superior with respect to pod size, pod weight, pulp weight and pod yield per tree. Genotype K-9 was found promising and due to perennial in nature further evaluation is required for stability

A novel amperometric catechol biosensor based on α-Fe2O3 nanocrystals-modified carbon paste electrode

In this work, we designed an amperometric catechol biosensor based on α-Fe2O3 nanocrystals (NCs) incorporated carbon-paste electrode. Laccase enzyme is then assembled onto the modified electrode surface to form a nanobiocomposite enhancing the electron transfer reactions at the enzyme’s active metal centers for catechol oxidation. The biosensor gave good sensitivity with a linear detection response in the range of 8–800 μM with limit of detection 4.28 μM. We successfully employed the sensor for real water sample analysis. The results illustrate that the metal oxide NCs have enormous potential in the construction of biosensors for sensitive determination of phenol derivatives

Energy Audit on a Secondary Distribution System and Measures to Improve its Performance- A Case Study

This paper presents the energy audit work carried out in low tension(LT) distribution network and various alternative proposals have been examined for the improvement of performance of the LT network. The network is simulated for a peak load using Mipower package to segregate technical and commercial losses. The various alternative proposals examined are relocating of DTC, addition of DTC, providing express line and reconductoring. The present worth analysis is also carried out for each alternative proposal

The discretised harmonic oscillator: Mathieu functions and a new class of generalised Hermite polynomials

We present a general, asymptotical solution for the discretised harmonic oscillator. The corresponding Schr\"odinger equation is canonically conjugate to the Mathieu differential equation, the Schr\"odinger equation of the quantum pendulum. Thus, in addition to giving an explicit solution for the Hamiltonian of an isolated Josephon junction or a superconducting single-electron transistor (SSET), we obtain an asymptotical representation of Mathieu functions. We solve the discretised harmonic oscillator by transforming the infinite-dimensional matrix-eigenvalue problem into an infinite set of algebraic equations which are later shown to be satisfied by the obtained solution. The proposed ansatz defines a new class of generalised Hermite polynomials which are explicit functions of the coupling parameter and tend to ordinary Hermite polynomials in the limit of vanishing coupling constant. The polynomials become orthogonal as parts of the eigenvectors of a Hermitian matrix and, consequently, the exponential part of the solution can not be excluded. We have conjectured the general structure of the solution, both with respect to the quantum number and the order of the expansion. An explicit proof is given for the three leading orders of the asymptotical solution and we sketch a proof for the asymptotical convergence of eigenvectors with respect to norm. From a more practical point of view, we can estimate the required effort for improving the known solution and the accuracy of the eigenvectors. The applied method can be generalised in order to accommodate several variables.Comment: 18 pages, ReVTeX, the final version with rather general expression

Effects of residual stresses on interlaminar radial strength of Glass-Epoxy L-bend composite laminates

The built-in heterogeneity of the composite laminates has been exploited to tailor the stiffness and strength requirements of modern structures to meet the specific functional demands. However, the non-homogeneity in these composites is the root cause for most of their failures. One of the undesirable consequences of the inherited heterogeneity is the development of cure-induced stresses during composite manufacturing. This work aims to investigate the influence of process-induced stresses on interlaminar radial strength in curved composite laminates. Glass-Epoxy (GE) laminates of two different thicknesses were prepared by hand lamination technique using V-shaped tooling and cured under room temperature. The state of residual stresses in GE laminates is varied by post-curing these laminates at different temperatures. Curved bending strength (CBS) and corresponding interlaminar radial stress for delamination of L-bend laminates were evaluated experimentally using four points bending test. The residual stress profile in each GE laminate is experimentally characterized by employing the Slitting method. The results indicate that the residual stresses have a negligible effect on the critical stress for initial delamination in GE laminates. But, the critical stress for delamination was found to be independent of the laminate thickness and increased with higher curing temperatures. The delaminated surfaces of L-bend laminates were studied using a scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The enhancement in the critical stress due to post-curing can be attributed to the improved fiber-matrix interfacial bonding with higher curing temperature

Fabrication, Mechanical and Wear Properties of Aluminum (Al6061)-Silicon Carbide-Graphite Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites

In recent times, the use of aluminum alloy-based Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites (HMMCs) is being increased in aerospace and automotive applications. HMMCs compensate for the low desirable properties of each filler used. However, the mechanical properties of HMMCs are not well understood. In particular, microstructural investigations and wear optimization studies of HMMCs are not clear. Therefore, further studies are required. The present study is aimed at fabricating and mechanical and wear characterizing and microstructure investigating of Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Graphite (Gr) added in Aluminum (Al) alloy Al6061 HMMCs. The addition of SiC particles was in the range from 0 to 9 weight percentage (wt.%) in steps of 3, along with the addition of 1 wt.% Gr in powder form. The presence of alloying elements in the Al6061 alloy was identified using the Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX). The dispersion of SiC and Gr particles in the alloy was investigated using metallurgical microscope and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The gain in strength can be attributed to the growth in dislocation density. The nature of fracture was quasi-cleavage. The microstructure examination reveals the uniform dispersion of the reinforcement. Density, hardness, and Ultimate Tensile Strength values observed to be increased with increased contents of SiC reinforcement. Besides, wear studies were performed in dry sliding conditions. Optimization studies were performed to investigate the effect of parameters that affecting the wear. The sliding wear resistance was noticed to be improved concerning higher amounts of reinforcement leading to a decrease in delamination and adhesive wear. The predicted values for the wear rate have also been compared with the experimental results and good correlation is obtained