Feasibility Study on IPMC Actuated Contractile Water Jet Thruster Body Contraction

This research was conducted to investigate the feasibility of Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC) as the actuator for Contractile Water Jet Thruster (CWJT). The thrust that generated from the accelerated volume of ejected fluid depends on the IPMC actuator contraction performance. During this investigation, the variation of contraction frequency and nozzle aperture influence on the body deformation was carried out. The results of the experiments exhibit that the body contraction decreased tremendously from 0.05 Hz to 0.15 Hz. The body contraction has no apparent decrement for more than 0.15 Hz of contraction frequency. Besides, larger nozzle aperture has relatively more body contraction than smaller nozzle aperture. These results show that the fixed actuation force and the contraction frequency have a significant influence on the CWJT body contraction

Effect of Different Media Combination on Growth and Biomass Production of Oil Palm (Elaeis. guineensis) Seedlings

The study evaluates the effect of different media on growth and vegetative traits of oil palm seedlings. The treatments were T1 Control, T2 100% coco peat, T3 20% soil + 80% coco peat, T4 40% soil + 60% coco peat, T5 60% soil + 40% coco peat. Oxisol soil used for plantation crops was designated as a control evaluation. The new media were filled in polybag size 38cm x 57cm before transplanting the seedlings. The seedlings used were from Calix 600 series (D x P oil palm seeds). The newly produced growth media combination had the equal potential as standard media for oil palm nursery. The treatment (T4) which contained 60% coco peat and soil noticeably, enhanced growth of the seedling like plant height. Root dry weight (g) of seedlings grown in this planting medium greatly impacted plant root. This could have been due to the presence of silica content in the coco-peat which provided good aeration in the medium and indirectly stimulated root expansion. Increased in shoot dry weight of the seedlings grown in T4 was recorded compared to the plants grown in other media. The results obtained generally indicated that compost- based planting medium has the potential to influence seedling as an alternative growth medium

Spesies Lalat Buah Yang Menyerang Sayuran Solanaceae Dan Cucurbitaceae Di Sumatera Selatan

. Herlinda, S., Zuroaidah, Y. Pujiastuti, S. Samad, and T. Adam. 2008. Species of Fruitfly Attacking Solanaceous and Cucurbitaceous Vegetables in South Sumatera. The research was aimed to identify the species of fruitfly infesting Solanaceous and Cucurbitaceous vegetables at the center of vegetable production in South Sumatera. Survey had been conducted in central areas of Solanaceous vegetable (Lycopersicum esculentum Miller, Solanum melongena L., Lycopersicum pimpinellifolium L., and Capsicum annuum L.), and cucurbitaceous vegetable (Cucumis sativus L., Luffa acutangula L., Momordica charantia Linn., and Sechium edule Jack). There were 4 fruitfly species found in South Sumatera, i.e. Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), Bactroceratau (Walker), and Bactrocera umbrosus Fabricius. Among them, B. cucurbitae was found on fruits of C. sativus, L. acutangulata, M. charantia, and S. edule; Bactrocera tau was found on fruits of C. sativus; B. dorsalis was found on fruits of C. annuum, L. esculentum, L. pimpinellifolium, and S. melongena. Three species of fruitfly were trapped by methyl eugenol, namely B. dorsalis, B. cucurbitaceae, and B. umbrosus

Effect of Somatic Cell Types and Culture Medium on in vitro Maturation, Fertilization and Early Development Capability of Buffalo Oocytes

This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of different somatic cell types and media in supporting in vitro maturation (IVM), in vitro fertilization (IVF) and early embryonic development competence of buffalo follicular oocytes. Cumulus oocyte complexes were collected for maturation from follicles (>6mm) of buffalo ovaries collected at the local abattoir. Oocytes were co-cultured in tissue culture medium (TCM-199) with either granulosa cells, cumulus cells, or buffalo oviductal epithelial cells (BOEC) @ 3x106 cells/ml or in TCM-199 without helper cells (control) at 39°C and 5%CO2 in humidified air. Fresh semen was prepared in modified Ca++ free Tyrode medium. Fertilization was carried out in four types of media: i) Tyrode lactate albumin pyruvate (TALP), ii) TALP+BOEC, iii) modified Ca++ free Tyrode and iv) modified Ca++ free Tyrode+BOEC. Fertilized oocytes were cultured for early embryonic development in TCM-199 with and without BOEC. Higher maturation rates were observed in the granulosa (84.24%) and cumulus cells (83.44%) than BOEC co culture system (73.37%). Highest fertilization rate was obtained in modified Ca++ free Tyrode with BOEC co culture (70.42%), followed by modified Ca++ free Tyrode alone (63.77%), TALP with BOEC (36.92%) and TALP alone (10.94%). Development of early embryos (8-cell stage) improved in TCM-199 with BOEC co culture than TCM-199 alone. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that addition of somatic cells (granulosa cells, cumulus cells) results in higher maturation rates of buffalo follicular oocytes than BOEC co culture system, while fertilization rate improved in modified Ca++ free Tyrode with and without BOEC. Addition of BOEC to TCM-199 improved the developmental capacity of early embryo

Focus Measure In A Liquid-filled Diaphragm (LFD) Lens Using Passive Auto-focus Method.

Auto-focusing in imaging systems depends on the determination of the correct image focus criterion

Alcoholysis of palm oil mid-fraction by lipase from Rhizopus rhizopodiformis

A mycelial lipase from Rhizopus rhizopodiformis was prepared in fragment form. The lipase was examined to catalyze the alcoholysis of palm oil mid-fraction (PMF) in organic solvents. High percentage conversions of PMF to alkyl esters were achieved when methanol or propanol was used as acyl acceptor. Of the two most prevalent fatty acids in PMF, palmitic acid seemed to be preferred over oleic acid in the formation of methyl and propyl esters. The optimal ratio of oil to methanol in the alcoholysis reaction is 1 to 2 moles. The lipase exhibited high alcoholysis activities in nonpolar solvents (log P>2), such as hexane, benzene, toluene, and heptane. The enzyme showed exceptionally high thermostability

Silver Spot Plating Technique.

Electroplating play an important roles in semiconductor manufacturing industries. A layer of silver or gold was selectively plated on the surface of lead frame by using electroplating technology. The purpose of depositing a layer of gold or silver on the surface of lead frame is to improve the bondability during die attach and wire bonding process

Novel roles of the chemorepellent axon guidance molecule RGMa in cell migration and adhesion

The repulsive guidance molecule A (RGMa) is a contact-mediated axon guidance molecule that has significant roles in central nervous system (CNS) development. Here we have examined whether RGMa has novel roles in cell migration and cell adhesion outside the nervous system. RGMa was found to stimulate cell migration from Xenopus animal cap explants in a neogenin-dependent and BMP-independent manner. RGMa also stimulated the adhesion of Xenopus animal cap cells, and this adhesion was dependent on neogenin and independent of calcium. To begin to functionally characterize the role of specific domains in RGMa, we assessed the migratory and adhesive activities of deletion mutants. RGMa lacking the partial von Willebrand factor type D (vWF) domain preferentially perturbed cell adhesion, while mutants lacking the RGD motif affected cell migration. We also revealed that manipulating the levels of RGMa in vivo caused major migration defects during Xenopus gastrulation. We have revealed here novel roles of RGMa in cell migration and adhesion and demonstrated that perturbations to the homeostasis of RGMa expression can severely disrupt major morphogenetic events. These results have implications for understanding the role of RGMa in both health and disease

Patients’ experiences on accessing health care services for management of hypertension in rural Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka: A qualitative study

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and leading cause of premature death globally. In 2008, approximately 40% of adults were diagnosed with hypertension, with more than 1.5 billion people estimated to be affected globally by 2025. Hypertensiondisproportionally affects low- and middle-income countries, where the prevalence is higher and where the health systems are more fragile. This qualitative study explored patients\u27 experiences on the management and control of hypertension in rural Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. We conducted sixty semi-structured interviews, with 20 participants in each country. Hypertensive individuals were recruited based on age, gender and hypertensive status. Overall, patients\u27 reported symptoms across the three countries were quite similar, although perceptions of hypertension were mixed. The majority of patients reported low knowledge on how to prevent or treat hypertension. The main barriers to accessing health services, as reported by participants, were inadequate services and poor quality of existing facilities, shortage of medicine supplies, busyness of doctors due to high patient load, long travel distance to facilities, and long waiting times once facilities were reached. Patients also mentioned that cost was a barrier to accessing services and adhering to medication. Many patients, when asked for areas of improvement, reported on the importance of the provider-patient relationship and mentioned valuing doctors who spent time with them, provided advice, and could be trusted. However, most patients reported that, especially at primary health care level and in government hospitals, the experience with their doctor did not meet their expectations. Patients in the three countries reported desire for good quality local medical services, the need for access to doctors, medicine and diagnostics and decreased cost for medication and medical services. Patients also described welcoming health care outreach activities near their homes. Areas of improvement could focus on reorienting community health workers\u27 activities; involving family members in comprehensive counseling for medication adherence; providing appropriate training for health care staff to deliver effective information and services for controlling hypertension to patients; enhancing primary health care and specialist services; improving supplies of hypertensive medication in public facilities; taking into account patients\u27 cultural and social background when providing services; and facilitating access and treatment to those who are most vulnerable

Fundamentals Studies Of Electro-Silver Plating Process.

The growth of electronic industry as a whole, and the demand to support the expansion of its underlying infrastructure will continue to drive the improvements in electroplating process. In order to improve existing electroplating process, the study of fundamentals aspects for electroplating process has become important