Role of NGOs in irrigation development and management in Nepal: Proceedings of the National Workshop on the Role of NGOs in Irrigation Development and Management in Nepal, Nepal Administrative Staff College, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, Nepal, 29-30 September 1992

Agricultural manpower / Non-governmental organizations / Rural development / Irrigation management / Nepal

Effect of Dust Particles on Rotating Micropolar Fluid Heated From Below Saturating a Porous Medium

This paper deals with the theoretical investigation of the effect of dust particles on a layer of rotating micropolar fluid heated from below saturating a porous medium. A dispersion relation is obtained for a flat fluid layer contained between two free boundaries using a linear stability analysis theory and normal mode analysis. The principle of exchange of stabilities is found to hold true for the micropolar fluid saturating a porous medium heated from below in the absence of dust particles, rotation and micropolar heat conduction parameter. The oscillatory modes are introduced due to the presence of the dust particles and rotation, which were non-existence in their absence. The presence of micropolar heat conduction parameter may also introduce oscillatory modes. For the case of stationary convection, the effect of various parameters like medium permeability, rotation, dust particles, coupling parameter, micropolar coefficient (A) and micropolar heat conduction parameter has been analyzed. The thermal Rayleigh number for the onset of instability is also determined numerically and results are depicted graphically. In the present paper, an attempt is also made to obtain the sufficient conditions for the non-existence of overstability

Effect of Damping and Thermal Gradient on Vibrations of Orthotropic Rectangular Plate of Variable Thickness

In this present paper, damped vibrations of an orthotropic rectangular plate resting on elastic foundation with thermal gradient is modeled, considering variable thickness of plate. Following Le`vy approach, the governed equation of motion is solved numerically using quintic spline technique with clamped and simply supported edges. The effect of damping parameter and thermal gradient together with taper constant, density parameter and elastic foundation parameter on the natural frequencies of vibration for the first three modes of vibration are depicted through Tables and Figures, and mode shapes have been computed for fixed value of plate parameter. It has been observed that the rate of decrease of frequency parameter with damping parameter Dk for C-SS plate is higher than that for C-C plate keeping all other parameter fixed

A robust liposomal platform for direct colorimetric detection of sphingomyelinase enzyme and inhibitors

The enzyme sphingomyelinase (SMase) is an important biomarker for several diseases such as Niemann Pick’s, atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and HIV. We present a two-component colorimetric SMase activity assay that is more sensitive and much faster than currently available commercial assays. Herein, SMase-triggered release of cysteine from a sphingomyelin (SM)-based liposome formulation with 60 mol % cholesterol causes gold nanoparticle (AuNP) aggregation, enabling colorimetric detection of SMase activities as low as 0.02 mU/mL, corresponding to 1.4 pM concentration. While the lipid composition offers a stable, nonleaky liposome platform with minimal background signal, high specificity toward SMase avoids cross-reactivity of other similar phospholipases. Notably, use of an SM-based liposome formulation accurately mimics the natural in vivo substrate: the cell membrane. We studied the physical rearrangement process of the lipid membrane during SMase-mediated hydrolysis of SM to ceramide using small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering. A change in lipid phase from a liquid to gel state bilayer with increasing concentration of ceramide accounts for the observed increase in membrane permeability and consequent release of encapsulated cysteine. We further demonstrated the effectiveness of the sensor in colorimetric screening of small-molecule drug candidates, paving the way for the identification of novel SMase inhibitors in minutes. Taken together, the simplicity, speed, sensitivity, and naked-eye readout of this assay offer huge potential in point-of-care diagnostics and high-throughput drug screening

Coupled Phonons, Magnetic Excitations and Ferroelectricity in AlFeO3: Raman and First-principles Studies

We determine the nature of coupled phonons and magnetic excitations in AlFeO3 using inelastic light scattering from 5 K to 315 K covering a spectral range from 100-2200 cm-1 and complementary first-principles density functional theory-based calculations. A strong spin-phonon coupling and magnetic ordering induced phonon renormalization are evident in (a) anomalous temperature dependence of many modes with frequencies below 850 cm-1, particularly near the magnetic transition temperature Tc ~ 250 K, (b) distinct changes in band positions of high frequency Raman bands between 1100-1800 cm-1, in particular a broad mode near 1250 cm-1 appears only below Tc attributed to the two-magnon Raman scattering. We also observe weak anomalies in the mode frequencies at ~ 100 K, due to a magnetically driven ferroelectric phase transition. Understanding of these experimental observations has been possible on the basis of first-principles calculations of phonons spectrum and their coupling with spins

Non-linear electromagnetic response of graphene

It is shown that the massless energy spectrum of electrons and holes in graphene leads to the strongly non-linear electromagnetic response of this system. We predict that the graphene layer, irradiated by electromagnetic waves, emits radiation at higher frequency harmonics and can work as a frequency multiplier. The operating frequency of the graphene frequency multiplier can lie in a broad range from microwaves to the infrared.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

BIOMARKER OF CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT OF SUBCLINICAL MASTITIS IN COW

The timing of mastitis and sub-clinical mastitis outbreaks often gives important clues to the origin of herd problems. Infection rates are highest before calving, during early lactation, and near dry-off. The goal of every dairy farmer should be to minimize the number of organisms permitted to come into contact with the teats. To simplify the understanding of mastitis complexity, it is useful to detect the severity of the disease as well as diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. Serum amyloid A and haptoglobin are the two major acute-phase proteins and fibrinogen is a minor acute-phase protein in cattle. The therapeutic experiment was conducted by using four groups including Group A animals treated with only Bovimint, Group B animals with Bovimint + Mastotreet, and Group C with Bovimint + Mastotreet + Inj. Enrofloxacin, and Group D with Bovimint + Inj. Enrofloxacin. They are potentially useful as disease markers owing to their low concentration in normal animals, the rapid increase in their concentration during the acute phase of inflammation, and their rapid decrease with the resolution of the disease. To minimize economic losses due to high prevalence, its early detection with suitable tests and appropriate treatment regimen becomes most important. From the study, it was observed that treatment with Bovimint and Inj Enrofloxacin depicted the best recovery of the other treatment groups. Effective antimicrobial coverage along with local application on the udder would be a more suitable regimen of treatment against sub-clinical mastitis

Economic Impact of Moderate‐Vigorous Physical Activity Among Those With and Without Established Cardiovascular Disease: 2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

Background Physical activity (PA) has an established favorable impact on cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes and quality of life. In this study, we aimed to estimate the economic effect of moderate‐vigorous PA on medical expenditures and utilization from a nationally representative cohort with and without CVD. Methods and Results The 2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data were analyzed. Our study population was limited to noninstitutionalized US adults ≥18 years of age. Variables of interest included CVD (coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, dysrhythmias, or peripheral artery disease) and cardiovascular modifiable risk factors (CRFs; hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and/or obesity). Two‐part econometric models were utilized to study cost data; a generalized linear model with gamma distribution and link log was used to assess expenditures per capita. The final study sample included 26 239 surveyed individuals. Overall, 47% engaged in moderate‐vigorous PA ≥30 minutes, ≥5 days/week, translating to 111.5 million adults in the United States stratifying by CVD status; 32% reported moderate‐vigorous PA among those with CVD versus 49% without CVD. Generally, participants reporting moderate‐vigorous PA incurred significantly lower health care expenditures and resource utilization, displaying a step‐wise lower total annual health care expenditure as moving from CVD to non‐CVD (and each CRF category). Conclusions Moderate‐vigorous PA ≥30 minutes, ≥5 days/week is associated with significantly lower health care spending and resource utilization among individuals with and without established CVD