PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND IN VITRO DPPH ASSAY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF MUCUNA PRURIENS SEED

Objective: To detect the bioactive phytoconstituents of Mucuna pruriens seed extract and to estimate invitro antioxidant activity. Methods: Preliminary phytochemical analysis were done to determine the active phytochemical constituents and DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay method was used for the estimation of In vitro antioxidant activity. Results: Preliminary phytochemical analysis of Mucuna pruriens seed extract showed the presence of chief bioactive components like phenols, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, triterpenes and phytosterols. In antioxidant assay, Mucuna pruriens seed extract exhibited a maximum DPPH radical scavenging activity of 72.95% against the standard control with a maximum activity of 93.24% for the same concentration (0.2 mg/ml). This is a clear indication of strong antioxidant property of the drug. Conclusion: Mucuna Pruriens seeds are abundant source of natural antioxidants, and important bioactive phytoconstituents

Potential of Vibration Studies in the Soil Characterization Around Power Plants – A Case Study

Propagation characteristics of waves generated by the various sources of vibration can be dependent on the type of the generated waves, which can be accessed by measuring particle motion in vertical, longitudinal and transverse direction. The monitoring of motion in three directions on the ground surface and in depth is important for the characterization of propagating waves. Vibrations of the machine foundations induce elastic waves in soil, which may affect surrounding buildings. Generally, the attenuation of vibrations on surface is composed of two factors namely geometric damping and material damping. The paper is an experimental investigation with regard to the ground vibrations and its attenuation during the operation of power plants. The study helps in characterizing the soil around a power plant. The investigation was carried out on two power plants, which runs at the same frequency, and soil characterization was done based on the study. Measurements were taken on the level ground for the harmonic waves generated from the diesel power plant. Study is found to be helpful in characterizing the soil based on the frequency independent material damping coefficients, low amplitude shear modulus etc. on the plant premises. The effect of these vibrations on adjoining areas can be well predicted based on the soil medium

A two dimensional model for ferromagnetic martensites

We consider a recently introduced 2-D square-to-rectangle martensite model that explains several unusual features of martensites to study ferromagnetic martensites. The strain order parameter is coupled to the magnetic order parameter through a 4-state clock model. Studies are carried out for several combinations of the ordering of the Curie temperatures of the austenite and martensite phases and, the martensite transformation temperature. We find that the orientation of the magnetic order which generally points along the short axis of the rectangular variant, changes as one crosses the twin or the martensite-austenite interface. The model shows the possibility of a subtle interplay between the growth of strain and magnetic order parameters as the temperature is decreased. In some cases, this leads to qualitatively different magnetization curves from those predicted by earlier mean field models. Further, we find that strain morphology can be substantially altered by the magnetic order. We have also studied the dynamic hysteresis behavior. The corresponding dissipation during the forward and reverse cycles has features similar to the Barkhausen's noise.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figure

Anthraquinones- A probe to enhance the photovoltaic properties of DSSCs

Natural dye sensitized solar cells are a promising class of photovoltaic cells with the capacity of generating green energy at low production cost since no expensive equipment is required in their fabrication. Photovoltaics are a precious technology in the hasty world where energy prices are goes on increasing within seconds. Researchers are focusing to facilitate for producing eco-friendly, low cost and more efficient dye sensitized solar cells. In the present work we discuss the comparative photovoltaic studies of Lawsone, a natural dye from henna plant and Alizarin, a natural dye from the root of madder for fabricating the Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The absorption spectrum of Lawsone and Alizarin is found to be shifted to the longer wavelength region after the complex formation. As a result there is a significant increase in short circuit current density and conversion efficiency. This result compares with the standard dye i.e. N719 dye

Low energy excitations in crystalline perovskite oxides: Evidence from noise experiments

In this paper we report measurements of 1/f noise in a crystalline metallic oxide with perovskite structure down to 4.2K. The results show existence of localized excitations with average activation energy $\approx$ 70-80 meV which produce peak in the noise at T $\approx$ 35-40K. In addition, it shows clear evidence of tunnelling type two-level-systems (as in glasses) which show up in noise measurements below 30K.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys Rev B, vol 58, 1st Dec issu

Optimization of admixture and three-layer particleboard made from oil palm empty fruit bunch and rubberwood clones

Empty fruit bunch (EFB) is a biomass that is widely available and has the potential to be used as industrial raw material especially in wood-based industries. This study focuses on producing a particleboard by incorporating EFB with two different rubberwood clones: Prang Besar (PB) 260 and RRIM 2002, respectively. PB 260 is a commercially planted clone and wood from matured (>25 year-old) trees are used by wood-based panel manufacturers. RRIM 2002 is a new clone planted at the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) research trial plots and consists of only 4-year-old trees. Two types of particleboards (admixture and three-layer) with different ratios were produced. The Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS-5908 2003 particleboard) was used to evaluate mechanical and dimensional stability properties of the particleboards. From the study, it was found that admixture particleboards showed superior properties compared to three-layer particleboards. Layering EFB and rubberwood significantly decreased board performance for all properties (except internal bonding). The optimum ratios of EFB and both rubberwood clones are found to be 1:1 (50% EFB: 50% rubberwood). Meanwhile, increasing the rubberwood clones ratio to 70% lowered board performance especially for EFB (30%):RRIM 2002 clone (70%) boards which showed the lowest values for all properties for both admixture and three-layer board

Adaptive Mobile Health Intervention for Adolescents with Asthma: Iterative User-Centered Development

Background: Adolescents diagnosed with persistent asthma commonly take less than 50% of their prescribed inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), placing them at risk for asthma-related morbidity. Adolescents’ difficulties with adherence occur in the context of normative developmental changes (eg, increased responsibility for disease management) and rely upon still developing self-regulation and problem-solving skills that are integral for asthma self-management. We developed an adaptive mobile health system, Responsive Asthma Care for Teens (ReACT), that facilitates self-regulation and problem-solving skills during times when adolescents’ objectively measured ICS adherence data indicate suboptimal rates of medication use. Objective: The current paper describes our user-centered and evidence-based design process in developing ReACT. We explain how we leveraged a combination of individual interviews, national crowdsourced feedback, and an advisory board comprised of target users to develop the intervention content. Methods: We developed ReACT over a 15-month period using one-on-one interviews with target ReACT users (n=20), national crowdsourcing (n=257), and an advisory board (n=4) to refine content. Participants included 13-17–year-olds with asthma and their caregivers. A total of 280 adolescents and their caregivers participated in at least one stage of ReACT development. Results: Consistent with self-regulation theory, adolescents identified a variety of salient intrapersonal (eg, forgetfulness, mood) and external (eg, changes in routine) barriers to ICS use during individual interviews. Adolescents viewed the majority of ReACT intervention content (514/555 messages, 93%) favorably during the crowdsourcing phase, and the advisory board helped to refine the content that did not receive favorable feedback during crowdsourcing. Additionally, the advisory board provided suggestions for improving additional components of ReACT (eg, videos, message flow). Conclusions: ReACT involved stakeholders via qualitative approaches and crowdsourcing throughout the creation and refinement of intervention content. The feedback we received from participants largely supported ReACT’s emphasis on providing adaptive and personalized intervention content to facilitate self-regulation and problem-solving skills, and the research team successfully completed the recommended refinements to the intervention content during the iterative development process

Responsive Asthma Care for Teens (ReACT): Development protocol for an adaptive mobile health intervention for adolescents with asthma

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.Introduction Asthma is a leading cause of youth morbidity in the USA, affecting >8% of youth. Adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) can prevent asthma-related morbidity; however, the typical adolescent with asthma takes fewer than 50% of their prescribed doses. Adolescents are uniquely vulnerable to suboptimal asthma self-management due to still-developing executive functioning capabilities that may impede consistent self-regulation and weaken attempts to use problem solving to overcome barriers to ICS adherence. Methods and analysis The aims of this project are to improve adherence to ICS as an important step towards better self-management among adolescents aged 13–17 years diagnosed with asthma by merging the efficacious behaviour change strategies found in behavioural health interventions with scalable, adaptive mobile health (mHealth) technologies to create the Responsive Asthma Care for Teens programme (ReACT). ReACT intervention content will be developed through an iterative user-centred design process that includes conducting (1) one-on-one interviews with 20 teens with asthma; (2) crowdsourced feedback from a nationally representative panel of 100 adolescents with asthma and (3) an advisory board of youth with asthma, a paediatric pulmonologist and a behavioural health expert. In tandem, we will work with an existing technology vendor to programme ReACT algorithms to allow for tailored intervention delivery. We will conduct usability testing of an alpha version of ReACT with a sample of 20 target users to assess acceptability and usability of our mHealth intervention. Participants will complete a 4-week run-in period to monitor their adherence with all ReACT features turned off. Subsequently, participants will complete a 4-week intervention period with all ReACT features activated. The study started in October 2018 and is scheduled to conclude in late 2019. Ethics and dissemination Institutional review board approval was obtained at the University of Kansas and the University of Florida. We will submit study findings for presentation at national research conferences that are well attended by a mix of psychologists, allied health professionals and physicians. We will publish study findings in peer-reviewed journals read by members of the psychology, nursing and pulmonary communities