Synthesis and characterizations of (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-CaTiO3ceramic system

Lead free (1-x)(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3–xCaTiO3 ceramics were prepared by solid state reaction route taking five different compositions with x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07 and 0.09. Perovskite-like single-phase compounds were confirmed from X-ray diffraction analysis. Also the X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that with the increase in the concentration of CT, the lattice parameter decreases. The Raman spectroscopy study confirmed that, the lattice parameters changed, which well aligned with XRD study. Surface morphology was successfully studied from SEM image which conformed that the grain size and shape changed with increasing CT concentration. Dielectric measurements conformed that, Tc increases, dielectric constant decreases and dielectric loss increases with increase in wt% of CT

Ultrasonic velocity and allied acoustical parameters of 2, 4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine based Schiff base in DMSO

1108-1112Novel 2, 4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine based Schiff bases (L1-L3) has been successfully synthesized and characterized. The ultrasonic velocity (C) and density (ρ) has been measured for the synthesized Schiff bases with DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide) solvents at 300 K. Using these experimental data ultrasonic Velocity, adiabatic compressibility, intermolecular free length and specific acoustic impedance have been evaluated. From the experimental data, it has been found that L1 ascribed higher ultrasonic velocity as compared to other molecular probes L2 and L3. The strength and nature of interaction between the molecular probes and DMSO solvents has been discussed. Scanning electron microscope studies of molecular probes are performed to discuss the microstructure and surface functionalities

Assessment of macrofilaricidal activity of leaf extracts of Terminalia sp. against bovine filarial parasite Setaria cervi

Antifilarial potential of three medicinal plants namely, Terminalia bellerica, Terminalia chebula and Terminalia catappa was explored using Setaria cervi, a bovine filarial parasite at concentrations of 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/ml. Amongst all the extracts, methanol extract of T. bellerica showed highest macrofilaricidal activity i.e. 84.63 ± 1.11 at 10 mg/ml in MTT reduction assay with IC50 value of 2.7 mg/ml. which was better than the standard DEC i.e. 79.22 ± 3.1% at 10 mg/ml with IC50 value 2.84 mg/ml. Other plant extracts showed mild in vitro macrofilaricidal activity. T. bellerica methanol extract exhibited significant GST activity of 18.86 ± 0.21 and 12.83 ± 0.03 μM/ml/min at 5 and 10 mg/ml with percentage inhibition value of 73.96% and 82.29% respectively. DEC showed GST activity value of 40.03 ± 4.14 and 21.48 ± 6.44 μM/ml/min with percentage inhibition value of 21.76% and 58.01% at 5 and 10 mg/ml respectively. Thus, methanol extract of leaves of T. bellerica exhibited highly significant antifilarial potential and needs detailed analysis. Keywords: Setaria cervi, DEC (diethylcarbamazine) macrofilaricidal, MTT reduction, GST (glutathione-S-transferase) inhibitio

Concept of primary eye care & school health in India

Primary eye care consists of promotive, preventive and curative actions by trained personnel or other interested people. Teachers are the best manpower to be trained for this purpose since they are more close to the students always. Poor visual function during early childhood may have several adverse outcomes. Through the school children, health messages can be propagated to their families, friends and peer groups. Training school teachers and empowering students and other staff of the school on simple and safe eye care practices through organized activities may come out as a cost effective way of improving general health and academic performance

Evaluation of antibiotic prescribing pattern in pediatrics in a tertiary care hospital

Background: The irrational use of antibiotics is a global issue and it can lead to morbidity, mortality, and increased health care costs. Hence, proper use of antibiotics is imperative and should be included in the pharmaceutical care plan. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the prescribing pattern of antibiotics for children using WHO core prescribing indicators. Materials and Methods: A prospective, observational study was carried for 6 months in the pediatric department at a tertiary care hospital, Pune. The WHO prescribing indicators were used to evaluate the prescriptions, and the ideal WHO range was considered as a determining factor for rational prescription. Results: A total of 302 patients were included in the study, with a mean patient age of 4.92 ± 4 years. The average number of drugs per encounter was 6.12 (WHO standard is less than 2). The percentage of antibiotics prescribed was 26.3% with an average of 1.63 antibiotics per prescription. Of the 493 antibiotics, 85.59% were injectable which is higher than the WHO standard of 13.4–24.1%. A near-optimal value of 99.59% antibiotics was prescribed from the hospital formulary which is similar to WHO standards, and the antibiotics prescribed with generic names were 25.76%. The most common class of antibiotics prescribed were cephalosporins and penicillins. Conclusion: Polypharmacy, high injectable use, and non-adherence to generic prescription were common in our tertiary care center. Continuous audits, training, and new treatment protocols are recommended

Effect of Thermo-Physical Properties of the Tool Materials on the Electro-Discharge Machining Performance of Ti-6Al-4V and SS316 Work Piece Materials

Electro-discharge machining (EDM) is a useful non-conventional machining operation frequently applied to make different complex geometries in any conducting material. The objectives of the present paper are to study the effect of a variation of thermo-physical properties (TPP) of three different tool materials on EDM performances. The different performances compared in this paper are: material removal rate (MRR), tool-wear rate (TWR), surface roughness (SR), radial overcut (ROC), surface-crack density (SCD) and surface hardness. Two of the most widely used work piece materials, such as corrosion-resistant austenitic stainless steel (SS316) and high strength corrosion-resistance titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V), are machined with the help of three different tools by varying input current and maintaining constant pulse-on time, pulse-off time and flushing pressure. Microstructural studies of the tool tip surface after machining have also been carried out. It is found that among these three tool materials, the copper tool showed the best machining performance with respect to material removal rate, radial overcut, surface finish and surface-crack density. This work will help industry personnel to choose a suitable tool for a specific work piece material

Assessment of thermal and antimicrobial properties of PAN/Zn-Al layered double hydroxide nanocomposites

<p>Polyacrylonitrile-based Zn–Al layered double hydroxide composites (PAN/LDH) have been synthesised with different LDH content by <i>in situ</i> polymerisation technique. The nanocomposites were systematically studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and antibacterial activity measurement. The successful formation of exfoliated nanocomposite was inferred from the XRD patterns and HRTEM images. The thermal decomposition of PAN was enhanced upon nanocomposite (PAN/LDH) formation. The antimicrobial activity of PAN/LDH nanocomposites is evaluated for antibacterial activity against some clinically important bacterial pathogens and the bacterial growth is monitored at different percentage of LDH. The PAN/LDH composites displayed considerable antibacterial activity, on the contrary the virgin PAN did not possess any antibacterial activity. The likely electrostatic interaction among LDH layers with charged surface of bacterial cell is assumed to be responsible for antimicrobial activity. The prepared nanocomposite has appreciable thermal stability in combination with antibacterial activities by which the material is suitable for packaging and fabrication in textile application.</p

Effect of cholesterol supplementation on cryosurvival of goat spermatozoa

Aim: Sperm membrane cholesterol influences cryodamage during cryopreservation. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of varying cholesterol levels in Tris based extenders on the freezability of sexually healthy Malabari buck semen. Materials and Methods: A total of 48 ejaculates from two adults healthy sexually healthy Malabari bucks were utilized for the study. The collected and pooled ejaculates were divided into four groups with Group I serving as Control - I, Group II and III were treated with 1 mg and 2 mg of cholesterol-loaded-cyclodextrin (CLC)/120 × 106 spermatozoa, respectively, and Group IV treated with 1 mg methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) served as Control - II. Manual freezing was carried out to cryopreserve the treated and control spermatozoa. Results: Treatment of semen samples with CLC resulted in improved maintenance of sperm motility at pre-freeze and post-thaw stages of cryopreservation without affecting hypo-osmotic swelling response. Treatment of semen with 1 mg of CLC/120 × 106 spermatozoa was observed to be better than treatment with 2 mg of CLC/120 × 106 spermatozoa. In general, MβCD treatment was found to result in significantly lower sperm characteristics than those of Control - I and CLC treatment at pre-feeze and post-thaw stages and when incubated up to 4 h. Conclusion: Cholesterol treatment of sexually healthy Malabari buck semen was found to hold promise for improving cryopreser-vability of spermatozoa