Black Cotton Soil Modification by the Application of Waste Materials

The black cotton soil is a type of problematic expansive soil which causes many problems in the construction of structures founded on them. It is having a swelling and impervious nature with poor geotechnical subgrade characteristics. In this research an approach is made towards the way of improvement in the various geotechnical properties of black cotton soil such as index properties, swelling characteristics, consolidation characteristics, hydraulic conductivity characteristics and strength characteristics by blending it with waste materials such as river sand, fly ash and marble dust. Hence, from these approaches, the impacting effect of waste materials on the environment reduced due to optimum utilization of these waste materials in the improvement in various properties of black cotton soil

Analysis of pollen in honey samples in the district of Prayagraj, India

The analysis of pollen grains found in honey, known as melissopalynology, reveals pertinent details about the pollen and nectar sources in a location where bees produce honey, allowing researchers to identify the honey’s geographical and botanical origins. To determine the significant source plants in the area, the present analysis is conducted on five samples of winter honey that were collected from Prayagraj’s urban localities (Dahi, Baksi, Sirsa, Soraon, and Phoolpur). The methodology recommended by the International Commission of Bee Botany (ICBB) was followed in this study. Analysis of 5 honey samples recorded a diversity of 31 pollen types and one fungal spore type. The majority of pollen grains recovered from honey samples belong to entomophilous taxa (66%), 25% of the pollen is from anemophilous taxa, and 9% from amphiphilous taxa. Four honey samples (S1, S2, S3, and S5) were found to be unifloral while the remaining samples (S4) were multi-floral. The field mustard i.e. Brassica campestris L. was the predominant pollen type. The secondary frequency class contained three different pollen types, while the minor and significant minor frequency classes contained 14 and 30, respectively. With respect to the frequency of occurrence of pollen types in honey samples, field mustard was found to be a very common pollen type as they were recovered from more than 50% of the collected honey samples. The various type of pollen and spores were also observed in collected honey samples

Critical analysis of disaster management plan in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Disaster in hospital is when the resources of the hospitals (infrastructure, trained manpower and organization) are over-whelmed beyond its normal capacity and additional contingency measures are required to control the event. The calculation of hospital treatment capacity provides a baseline for Hospital Administration to plan accordingly. Critical anaylsis of the disaster management strategies as per the hospital emergency response checklist – an all hazards tool for hospital administrators and emergency managers helps in identifying the gaps and strengthening the disaster management plan.Methods: The study is a retrospective analysis of the response of a tertiary care hospital vis a vis hospital emergency response checklist.Results: The disaster preparedness was analyzed according to the hospital emergency response checklist and gaps were identified.Conclusions: The need for a comprehensive and easily deployable disaster management plan cannot be emphasized enough. The tools of continuous quality improvement can be used and analysis may be used to further strengthen the plan.

OPTIMIZATION OF GROWTH CONDITIONS AND PURIFICATION OF QUORUM SENSING SIGNAL MOLECULES PRODUCED BY

Expression of virulence factors and biofilm formation in P.aeruginosa is associated with production of quorum sensing signal molecules (QSSMs) belonging to the class of acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). Besides regulating virulence factors, these molecules also interact with eukaryotic cells and can modulate immune response. In most of the studies, synthetic QSSMs have been employed as therapeutic agents. Although 98-99 % homology exist between synthetic and natural AHLs but the biological response against either may in fact be different in natural host. In the present study, under optimized growth conditions there is increase in the production of natural AHLs. Extracted AHLs were detected using C18 reverse phase analytical thin layer chromatography (RP TLC) by employing Agrobacterium tumefaciens as biosensor strain. Preparative TLC assay was successfully performed to purify the 3oxo-C12-HSL and 3-oxo-C10-HSL. This study provides easy and simple method for purification of natural AHLs under optimized conditions, hence these molecules can be employed for future research involving control of infections associated with P.aeruginosa

Process Information Model for Sheet Metal Operations

International audienceThe paper extracts the process parameters from a sheet metal part model (B-Rep). These process parameters can be used in sheet metal manufacturing to control the manufacturing operations. By extracting these process parameters required for manufacturing, CAM program can be generated automatically using the part model and resource information. A Product model is generated in modeling software and converted into STEP file which is used for extracting B-Rep which interned is used to classify and extract feature by using sheet metal feature recognition module. The feature edges are classified as CEEs, IEEs, CIEs and IIEs based on topological properties. Database is created for material properties of the sheet metal and machine tools required to manufacture features in a part model. The extracted feature, feature's edge information and resource information are then used to compute process parameters and values required to control manufacturing operations. The extracted feature, feature's edge information, resource information and process parameters are the integral components of the proposed process information model for sheet metal operations

Studies of Process Parameters on Scale up of Nd:YAG Nanopowder Synthesis by Sol-gel Process

Scale up of process from 6 g to 200 g batch for preparation of phase pure Neodymium doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) nanopowder by sol-gel process using nitrate-citrate route was carried out. Optimisation of process parameters was done to resolve problems associated with large batch such as evolution of large amount of acidic fumes, increased gelation and drying time and incomplete calcination. The problem of exhaust of excess acidic fumes with size scale up was handled by passing ammonia and optimized pH of the sol. Process of drying the sol was optimised for large batch size. On scaling up from 6 g to 200 g batch incomplete crystallization was observed  on calcination under conditions optimized for 6 g batch. The causes of incomplete calcination with size scale up was identified and resolved to achieve completely crystalline particles in the range of ~25 nm to 50 nm.Defence Science Journal, 2012, 62(1), pp.199-202, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.62.83

Sol-gel Synthesis and Characterisation of NanocrystallineYttrium Aluminum Garnet Nanopowder

The synthesis of  yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) (Y3 Al5O12) nanopowder was carried outby sol-gel method. Y(NO3)3.6H2O, Al(NO3)3.9H2O in the presence of citric acid as complexing agent were used as starting materials. YAG nanopowder was characterised by FTIR, TGA, andXRD. To get phase-pure nanocrystalline YAG powder at relatively lower temperature, calcinationat various temperatures was studied and calcination temperature was optimised. Particle size,estimated by XRD using Scherrer's equation, was found to be 28Œ35 nm which was further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The particle morphology was studied by SEM.Defence Science Journal, 2008, 58(4), pp.545-549, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.58.167

Application of nano-curcumin as a natural antimicrobial agent against Gram-positive pathogens

Gram-positive bacteria cause various diseases from the superficial skin to deep tissue infections. The capability of causing numerous diseases is due to the production of virulence factors which are tightly regulated by the virulence genes. Various Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria e.g. Staphylococcus, Mycobacterium, and Listeria are capable of causing lethal infections in humans and animals. Conventional antibiotics, targeted antibiotics, and combinatorial drugs are used as therapeutic agents against Gram-positive pathogens. Due to intricate virulence pathway bacteria readily adopt resistance to available drugs. Therefore, there is need to develop some alternative approaches to combat these infections. Various natural extracts are effective against pathogenic bacteria with or without the available drugs. Curcumin is a natural extract of Curcuma longas rhizome, known as turmeric. Curcumin shows various biological activities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It also shows strong antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and few Gram-negative bacteria. Besides all these beneficial applications, major drawbacks of curcumin are poor aqueous solubility and less bioavailability. However, drug delivery approaches including nanoformulation are developed to increase its stability in vitro and in vivo settings. The present review article focused on the translation of potential applications of curcumin in various diseases specifically caused by Gram-positive pathogens. Various methods used for the formulations of curcumin nanoparticles, combinatorial strategies with curcumin nanoparticles and their application in the prevention of infections have been discussed. The present article also discusses the future aspects of curcumin-nanoparticles and its use as an alternative therapeutic approach against pathogens