Recent Advances in the Technology of Aluminium- Magnesium Alloys

ALLOYS of aluminium with copper. to which smallamounts of manganese. magnesium and silicon are added, belong to the well known group of alloys termed "'Duralumin ', and were amongst the earliest of aluminium alloys to be used commercially on account of their age-hardening characteristics. Alloys of aluminium with magnesium as the principal alloying element, first attracted the interest of investigators as early as 1900, and since then, cast alloys containing as much as 10% magnesium have been used for specified purpose

The Effect of Misch Metal Additions on the Structure and Workability of Al-Mg (7-100/.) Alloys

ON the alloying elements used in aluminium alloys, copper was one of' the earliest employed commercially and for many years it has been the principal one. Aluminium-copper alloys to which manganese, magnesium or silicon has been added, belong to the important group generally known as "Duralumin". The binary alloys of aluminium with magnesium attra- cted the interest of investigators as early as 1900. There have been numerous attempts to utilise for general purposes alloys containing as Much as 10% magnesium ; alloys containing up to 30% magnesium have been used for special purposes

Synthesis & Characterisation of Bis-dithiocarbamato Complexes of Bis-p-biphenyltin (IV)

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Clinical Research Environment in India: Challenges and Proposed Solutions.

India has compelling need and keen aspirations for indigenous clinical research. Notwithstanding this need and previously reported growth the expected expansion of Indian clinical research has not materialized. We reviewed the scientific literature, lay press reports, and ClinicalTrials.gov data for information and commentary on projections, progress, and impediments associated with clinical trials in India. We also propose targeted solutions to identified challenges. The Indian clinical trial sector grew by (+) 20.3% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) between 2005 and 2010 and contracted by (-) 14.6% CAGR between 2010 and 2013. Phase-1 trials grew by (+) 43.5% CAGR from 2005-2013, phase-2 trials grew by (+) 19.8% CAGR from 2005-2009 and contracted by (-) 12.6% CAGR from 2009-2013, and phase-3 trials grew by (+) 13.0% CAGR from 2005-2010 and contracted by (-) 28.8% CAGR from 2010-2013. This was associated with a slowing of the regulatory approval process, increased media coverage and activist engagement, and accelerated development of regulatory guidelines and recuperative initiatives. We propose the following as potential targets for restorative interventions: Regulatory overhaul (leadership and enforcement of regulations, resolution of ambiguity in regulations, staffing, training, guidelines, and ethical principles [e.g., compensation]).Education and training of research professionals, clinicians, and regulators.Public awareness and empowerment. After a peak in 2009-2010, the clinical research sector in India appears to be experiencing a contraction. There are indications of challenges in regulatory enforcement of guidelines; training of clinical research professionals; and awareness, participation, partnership, and the general image amongst the non-professional media and public. Preventative and corrective principles and interventions are outlined with the goal of realizing the clinical research potential in India

Uncommon acquired Gerbode defect following extensive bicuspid aortic valve endocarditis

Gerbode defect is a rare type of left ventricle to right atrium shunt. It is usually congenital in origin, but acquired cases are also described, mainly following infective endocarditis, valve replacement, trauma or acute myocardial infarction. We report a case of a 50-year-old man who suffered an extensive and complex infective endocarditis involving a bicuspid aortic valve, the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa and the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve. After dual valve replacement and annular reconstruction, a shunt between the left ventricle and the right atrium - Gerbode defect, and a severe leak of the mitral prosthesis were detected. Reintervention was performed with successful shunt closure with an autologous pericardial patch and paravalvular leak correction. No major complications occurred denying the immediate post-surgery period and the follow-up at the first year was uneventful

Methodology to map spatial variability of available nutrients in area of intensively growing potato (Solanum tuberosum) using remote sensing and GIS

A methodology is developed for mapping spatial variability of available nutrients of soils of a pocket growing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) crop using GIS. For this purpose potato growing pockets of the Jalandhar district were demarcated based on the available information, ground truth and classification of the IRS P6 AWiFS image. The classified potato area in the image was taken as background to generate the sampling site map and representative soil samples of potato fields from these sites were collected along with geographical coordinates using GPS receiver(ETREX-VISTA, Garmin). Values of different parameters (like pH, OC, available P and K and micronutrients) were tagged with corresponding points and interpolation maps for each individual parameters were prepared using suitable semivariogram and kriging in remote sensing GIS software. These prepared maps were further classified giving suitable ranges of different soil parameters

Expression of paramyxovirus V proteins promotes replication and spread of hepatitis C virus in cultures of primary human fetal liver cells

Here we demonstrate that primary cultures of human fetal liver cells (HFLC) reliably support infection with laboratory strains of hepatitis C virus (HCV), although levels of virus replication vary significantly between different donor cell preparations and frequently decline in a manner suggestive of active viral clearance. To investigate possible contributions of the interferon (IFN) system to control HCV infection in HFLC, we exploited the well-characterized ability of paramyxovirus (PMV) V proteins to counteract both IFN induction and antiviral signaling. The V proteins of measles virus (MV) and parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5) were introduced into HFLC using lentiviral vectors encoding a fluorescent reporter for visualization of HCV-infected cells. V protein-transduced HFLC supported enhanced (10 to 100-fold) levels of HCV infection relative to untransduced or control vector-transduced HFLC. Infection was assessed by measurement of virus-driven luciferase, by assays for infectious HCV and viral RNA, and by direct visualization of HCV-infected hepatocytes. Live cell imaging between 48 and 119 hours postinfection demonstrated little or no spread of infection in the absence of PMV V protein expression. In contrast, V protein-transduced HFLC showed numerous HCV infection events. V protein expression efficiently antagonized the HCV-inhibitory effects of added IFNs in HFLC. In addition, induction of the type III IFN, IL29, following acute HCV infection was inhibited in V protein-transduced cultures. Conclusion: These studies suggest that the cellular IFN response plays a significant role in limiting the spread of HCV infection in primary hepatocyte cultures. Strategies aimed at dampening this response may be key to further development of robust HCV culture systems, enabling studies of virus pathogenicity and the mechanisms by which HCV spreads in its natural host cell population.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH Roadmap for Medical Research Grant 1 R01 DK085713-01)Greenberg Institute for Medical ResearchStarr Foundatio