Biobleaching of wheat straw-rich-soda pulp by the application of alkalophilic and thermophilic mannanase from Streptomyces sp. PG-08-3

An alkalophilic and thermophilic mannanase from Streptomyces sp. PG-08-3 was applied to wheat straw-rich-soda pulp to check its bleaching potential. Optimum conditions for bio-bleaching of pulp were as follows: Mannanase 5 Ug-1 of pulp at pH 8.5 with temperature 55ºC that enhanced the brightness by 7.3% and reduced the kappa number by 24.6% within 4 h of incubation. Tear index (20%) and burst index (11.2%) were also improved by mannanase-treated pulp as compared to the untreated pulp. Treatment of chemically (CEH1H2) bleached pulp with enzyme showed significant effect on release of chromophores, hydrophobic and reducing compounds. Mannanase-prebleaching of raw pulp reduced the use of hypochlorite by 16% to achieve brightness of resultant hand sheets similar to the fully chemically bleached pulp. Scanning electron microscopy of wheat straw rich soda-pulp after treatment with denatured and active mannanase was performed. There was appearance of micro-fibers on the surface of pulp that was treated with active mannanase.Key words: Biobleaching, mannanase, wheat straw-rich-soda pulp

A rare case of unruptured rudimentary horn pregnancy

Mullerian anomalies are a rare disorder and pregnancy in a rudimentary horn is one of the rarest forms of an ectopic pregnancy. This rarity proves to be an obstacle in the timely diagnosis and management of such cases. Thereby, it often culminates in catastrophic events such as rupture of the rudimentary horn which can claim the life of the mother. In this case report, we study the presentation of a 27-year-old primigravida who was presented at 16 weeks gestation, with an intrauterine fetal demise and failed induction of labor. This case report highlights how the diagnosis of a rudimentary horn pregnancy is often missed and the pregnancy was prolonged. We also aim to emphasize the importance of keeping the possibility of a rudimentary horn pregnancy in mind while dealing with the failure of second-trimester pregnancy termination

Factors affecting Osseointegration: A Literature Review

The purpose of this literature review is to collect the published data concerning factors affecting osseointegration. Popularity and large demand of dental implant makes this study essential because success of dental implant is directly related to the principle of osseointegration, a process of implant-bone interaction that finally leads to bone-implant anchorage.To identify relevant literature an electronic search was performed using term osseointegration and dental implant on PubMed central. Titles and abstracts were screened andarticles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected for full text reading. Review of selected articles enabled us to enlist various factors which have significant effects on osseointegration either by enhancing or inhibiting it. Based on the review literature, it is concluded that there are factors which when considered may increase osseointegrationwhich in turn will increase success of dental implant and some factors play an inhibiting role for bone-implant contact

Parasites and epilepsy: Understanding the determinants of epileptogenesis

There is a large body of evidence suggesting that parasites could be a major preventable risk factor for epilepsy in low- and middle-income countries. We review potentially important substrates for epileptogenesis in parasitic diseases. Taenia solium is the most widely known parasite associated with epilepsy, and the risk seems determined mainly by the extent of cortical involvement and the evolution of the primary cortical lesion to gliosis or to a calcified granuloma. For most parasites, however, epileptogenesis is more complex, and other favorable host genetic factors and parasite-specific characteristics may be critical. In situations where cortical involvement by the parasite is either absent or minimal, parasite-induced epileptogenesis through an autoimmune process seems plausible. Further research to identify important markers of epileptogenesis in parasitic diseases will have huge implications for the development of trials to halt or delay onset of epilepsy

Evaluation and utilization of Aegilops germplasm for biofortification of wheat for high grain iron and zinc content

Contains fulltext : 135415.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)24 p

Assessment of spatio-temporal variations in surface water quality of Ghaggar River (North-Western, India) utilized for drinking and agricultural purposes

In the present study, statistical analyses (descriptive and principal component analysis) were applied to Ghaggar River surface water data set monitored in the month of June 2006 and 2007 to check spatio-temporal variations in water quality. From these, two summer observations were taken into consideration because in summer season, high concentrations are observed for different water constituents. The various physico-chemical constituents like pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), temperature, Cl-, HCO3-, CO32-, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, F-, SO42- and PO43- were analyzed. Statistical results revealed that water quality variables were totally different during the two summer observations.Keywords: Principal component analysis, spatio-temporal variations, water quality, summer season

In vitro flowering in embryogenic cultures of Kinnow mandarin (Citrus nobilis Lour ´ C. deliciosa Tenora)

Embryogenic cultures of Kinnow mandarin (C. nobilis Lour × C. deliciosa Tenora) were raised from unfertilized ovules dissected from unopened flower buds of this plant inoculated on MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/L kinetin (KN). In vitro flowering was induced in these cultures by usingdifferent concentrations of KN and sucrose as well as subjecting these cultures to different photoperiods. Maximum percentage (31.94%) of cultures producing flowers and maximum number (5.58) of flowers per culture was observed on MS medium supplemented with KN (2 mg/L) and sucrose40 g/L at 12-h photoperiod

Giant Anharmonic Phonon Scattering in PbTe

Understanding the microscopic processes affecting the bulk thermal conductivity is crucial to develop more efficient thermoelectric materials. PbTe is currently one of the leading thermoelectric materials, largely thanks to its low thermal conductivity. However, the origin of this low thermal conductivity in a simple rocksalt structure has so far been elusive. Using a combination of inelastic neutron scattering measurements and first-principles computations of the phonons, we identify a strong anharmonic coupling between the ferroelectric transverse optic (TO) mode and the longitudinal acoustic (LA) modes in PbTe. This interaction extends over a large portion of reciprocal space, and directly affects the heat-carrying LA phonons. The LA-TO anharmonic coupling is likely to play a central role in explaining the low thermal conductivity of PbTe. The present results provide a microscopic picture of why many good thermoelectric materials are found near a lattice instability of the ferroelectric type