Development of fabric smoothness tester

An instrument has been designed and developed to measure the smoothness behavior of finished cotton fabrics. The instrument is based on pendulum principle. The weight (hang on string) comprises a frictionless wheel movable along arc shaped platform. The platform acts as a sample holder. When the weight is subjected to push, it swings back and forth in the platform. The amplitude of the swing reduces due to friction of the fabric. The amplitude is inversely proportional to the friction or roughness of the fabric. Various types of finished cotton fabrics are tested on the developed instrument. The results are compared with Kawabata system to verify the working of instrument. These results are also compared with the bending length and crease recovery behavior of the particular fabric sample. It is found that the lesser the bending length the more will be the smoothness. If the crease recovery angle is high, the fabric will be smoother. One way analysis of variance has been applied to find out effect of different processes on fabric surface smoothness property

An apparatus for quantification of light and temperature cutting ability of curtains

An apparatus has been designed and developed to measure the light cutting/absorbing ability of curtains and to provide useful information on their temperature cutting ability. The apparatus is provided with various light sources with light, temperature and humidity detectors. The reproducibility of results, and effect of intensity of light (MBTL light source) on light and temperature cutting ability of six different fabric samples have been studied. The light and temperature cutting ability of the knitted fabric is found to be lower than that of woven and black out curtain fabric samples

Study on flame retardant properties of poly(lactic acid) fibre fabrics

Polylactic acid  and its blended yarns with various fibres have been converted in to woven fabrics. These fabric samples have been scoured and then tested for mechanical and flame retardant properties. The results indicate that the high alkaline scouring severely damages polylactic acid fibre. Therefore, mild alkaline scouring is done for further studies. The scoured fabric samples are tested for various flame retardant properties and compared with polyester blended fabrics. Results indicate that polylactic acid fibre is not suitable for upholstery, apparel and work wear in terms of flame retardant properties

Development of fabric smoothness tester

190-196An instrument has been designed and developed to measure the smoothness behavior of finished cotton fabrics. The instrument is based on pendulum principle. The weight (hang on string) comprises a frictionless wheel movable along arc shaped platform. The platform acts as a sample holder. When the weight is subjected to push, it swings back and forth in the platform. The amplitude of the swing reduces due to friction of the fabric. The amplitude is inversely proportional to the friction or roughness of the fabric. Various types of finished cotton fabrics are tested on the developed instrument. The results are compared with Kawabata system to verify the working of instrument. These results are also compared with the bending length and crease recovery behavior of the particular fabric sample. It is found that the lesser the bending length the more will be the smoothness. If the crease recovery angle is high, the fabric will be smoother. One way analysis of variance has been applied to find out effect of different processes on fabric surface smoothness property

A 3D Automated Classification Scheme for the TAUVEX data pipeline

In order to develop a pipeline for automated classification of stars to be observed by the TAUVEX ultraviolet space Telescope, we employ an artificial neural network (ANN) technique for classifying stars by using synthetic spectra in the UV region from 1250\AA to 3220\AA as the training set and International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) low resolution spectra as the test set. Both the data sets have been pre-processed to mimic the observations of the TAUVEX ultraviolet imager. We have successfully classified 229 stars from the IUE low resolution catalog to within 3-4 spectral sub-class using two different simulated training spectra, the TAUVEX spectra of 286 spectral types and UVBLUE spectra of 277 spectral types. Further, we have also been able to obtain the colour excess (i.e. E(B-V) in magnitude units) or the interstellar reddening for those IUE spectra which have known reddening to an accuracy of better than 0.1 magnitudes. It has been shown that even with the limitation of data from just photometric bands, ANNs have not only classified the stars, but also provided satisfactory estimates for interstellar extinction. The ANN based classification scheme has been successfully tested on the simulated TAUVEX data pipeline. It is expected that the same technique can be employed for data validation in the ultraviolet from the virtual observatories. Finally, the interstellar extinction estimated by applying the ANNs on the TAUVEX data base would provide an extensive extinction map for our galaxy and which could in turn be modeled for the dust distribution in the galaxy.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRAS; High resolution figures available from the authors on reques

Identification of genomic loci governing pericarp colour through GWAS in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Rice pericarp colour is one of the nutritional traits that is now gaining attention worldwide. In the present investigation, genome-wide association GWAS) was performed to identify loci governing pericarp colour in rice. A set of 1,349,269 SNPs and precise phenotyping across 325 diverse accessions of rice were used for the GWAS. The accessions belong to five rice isozyme classification groups viz., indica, japonica, aromatic, aus, and admix. The GWAS identified two significant loci gPC5-1and gPC7-1 on chromosomes, 5 and 7, respectively, associated with the pericarp colour in rice. The SNPs on chromosome 7 co-localized with the functionally characterized Os07g0211500 (Rc gene) known to control pericarp colour and Os07g0214900 which is similar to the Chalcone synthase 2(OsCHS2) gene involved in flavonoid synthesis pathway. Linkage disequilibrium analysis across 0.25 Mbp upstream and downstream of these markers suggested three strong linkage blocks on chromosome 7. More interestingly, the novel locus identified on chromosome 5 gPC5-1 does not harbor any homolog of previously reported genes. Therefore, the locus can serve as a basis for identifying a new gene for rice pericarp colour. The results presented here will be helpful to understand the genetic regulation of pericarp colour and for genomic-assisted breeding in rice

Alteration of metabolic biomarkers and oxidative stress indices in pashmina (Changthangi) goats under climate change

The main aim of this study was to evaluate climate change induced variation of metabolic biomarkers and oxidative stress indices in different age groups of pashmina goats. Adult animals in comparison to young and old animals had significantly higher levels of glucose, glycated haemoglobin (GHb), fructosamine and total protein during summer and significantly higher levels of glucose, fructosamine and haemoglobin (Hb) during winter. Significantly reduced levels of these biochemicals were noted in winter than summer in all age groups except for glucose in young and old, GHb in young and Hb in adult animals. Urea and acetoacetate levels were significantly higher in young animals than adults during winter. Higher betahydroxybutyrate and lower propionate levels were noted during winter than summer in all age groups. Significantly higher levels of insulin, T3, T4 and lower levels of TSH and cortisol in adult animals were noted in both seasons. Significant rise of insulin in adult, T3 and T4 in young and old, cortisol in young and TSH in all animals occurred during winter. Level of GSH in summer, CAT and SOD in winter were significantly higher in adult animals whereas, that of LPO were in young animals. Decrease in levels of antioxidants and increase of oxidants during winter was significant in all age groups. Hence, young and old age groups of pashmina goats are more vulnerable to metabolic alterations under climatic stress than the adult group

Safeguarding a national asset: A review on problems faced by Pashmina farmers in Changthang and their amelioration

Pashmina is our national asset. It is one of the finest natural fibers of the world found in our country. This valuable commodity belongs to few far flung and remote areas of Changthang region of Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir). It is the main source of livelihood of the people of Changthang rearing Pashmina goats. But because of the prevailing circumstances of fodder scarcity and nutrient deficiency, death due to harsh climate (snowfall) and diseases, lack of knowledge and facilities, overcrowding and poor yield, people especially youth are losing interest in this traditional and valuable venture and are joining other fields like Government jobs, business, tourism etc. To preserve this natural fiber and to save our national asset besides making Pashmina rearing a productive industry, the cause of concern should be addressed with special focus on fodder production and conservation on local basis, health and housing management of Pashmina goats and nutrient supplementation. This will also help in improving socio-economic status of Pashmina farmers of Changthang region. This review is based on our field survey in the Changthang region and the review of the researches of other research scholars related to this area

Metal coordinated macrocyclic complexes in different chemical transformations

Macrocyclic ligand chemistry is seen by a growing number of scientists as a tool for designing new molecules with inherently selective properties. Metal coordinated macrocyclic rings are featured with exceptionally stable π-conjugated cyclic systems containing the metal ion in the central cavity. The cyclic tetra dentate framework of the four central nitrogen atoms makes these macrocyclic rings system unique chelating agents, in addition, these conjugated double bonds impart a vital effect in electrons transportation. Because of inimitable characteristics, these metal coordinated macrocyclic compounds have been effectively applied as catalysts in various important organic transformations. Hence, this review portrays the overview of metal coordinated macrocyclic molecules, classifications, and their catalytic application in redox reactions. This comprehensive and up-to-date review is particularly aligned toward the catalytic applications of four types of metal-coordinated macrocyclic rings, i.e., porphyrin, porphyrazine, corrole, and corrolazines, in different organic transformations. The different synthetic approaches for the preparation of metal coordinated macrocyclic rings and their UV spectrums are also outlined in this review

Multiparent-Derived, Marker-Assisted Introgression Lines of the Elite Indian Rice Cultivar, ‘Krishna Hamsa’ Show Resistance against Bacterial Blight and Blast and Tolerance to Drought

Major biotic stresses viz., bacterial blight (BB) and blast and brown plant hopper (BPH) coupled with abiotic stresses like drought stress, significantly affect rice yields. To address this, marker-assisted intercross (IC) breeding involving multiple donors was used to combine three BB resistance genes—xa5, xa13 and Xa21, two blast resistance genes—Pi9 and Pi54, two BPH resistance genes—Bph20 and Bph21, and four drought tolerant quantitative trait loci (QTL)—qDTY1.1, qDTY2.1, qDTY3.1 and qDTY12.1—in the genetic background of the elite Indian rice cultivar ‘Krishna Hamsa’. Three cycles of selective intercrossing followed by selfing coupled with foreground selection and phenotyping for the target traits resulted in the development of 196 introgression lines (ILs) with a myriad of gene/QTL combinations. Based on the phenotypic reaction, the ILs were classified into seven phenotypic classes of resistance/tolerance to the following: (1) BB, blast and drought—5 ILs; (2) BB and blast—10 ILs; (3) BB and drought—9 ILs; (4) blast and drought—42 ILs; (5) BB—3 ILs; (6) blast—84 ILs; and (7) drought—43 ILs; none of the ILs were resistant to BPH. Positive phenotypic response (resistance) was observed to both BB and blast in 2 ILs, BB in 9 ILs and blast in 64 ILs despite the absence of corresponding R genes. Inheritance of resistance to BB and/or blast in such ILs could be due to the unknown genes from other parents used in the breeding scheme. Negative phenotypic response (susceptibility) was observed in 67 ILs possessing BB-R genes, 9 ILs with blast-R genes and 9 ILs harboring QTLs for drought tolerance. Complex genic interactions and recombination events due to the involvement of multiple donors explain susceptibility in some of the marker positive ILs. The present investigation successfully demonstrates the possibility of rapid development of multiple stress-tolerant/resistant ILs in the elite cultivar background involving multiple donors through selective intercrossing and stringent phenotyping. The 196 ILs in seven phenotypic classes with myriad of gene/QTL combinations will serve as a useful genetic resource in combining multiple biotic and abiotic stress resistance in future breeding programs