Myths and Misconceptions about Food

In today's world of science and technology, there is a lot of opportunity for people to get rare information easily. That in itself is dangerous. When there is an agreement and different opinions for an opinion, people get confused about what to accept. Ideas about food are also disseminated to people in this way. This information inculcates many modern myths in the minds of the people and is easily disseminated to many people. False myths about healthy foods lead people to miss out on their benefits. Doctor Arun Kumar is considered to be the one who explained such myths according to the studies of modern science. A research paper titled "Myths and Concepts of Food" is an illustration of the ancient food systems that are consistent with his opinion

A study in Tamil food culture

Finger Millets has it that it plays a major role in the food culture of Tamils. Millets are more nutritious than other grains. Food is the remedy for many diseases that may occur at the same time

Comparison studies on mechanical and wear behavior of Stir Cast Al-SiC-B4C metal matrix composites

This paper studies the surface tribology and mechanical properties of AA6061 graded aluminum alloy matrix composite, reinforcing Silicon Carbide and Boron Carbide. In this work, the AA6061 graded aluminum alloy is reinforced with 3%, 6%, 9% (By weight) of B4C with constant 5% (By weight) of SiC under stir casting and producing three test samples A, B and, C respectively. The Samples were subjected to wear test, tensile test, impact test, and hardness test calculating wear loss, wear rate, coefficient of friction, ultimate tensile strength, impact strength, and brinell hardness. From analyzing the results from the test conducted, it is inferred that maintaining the optimum B4C composition between 3% and 6% in Al-SiC produces better mechanical properties and wear resistance

Comparative study of the cytologic diagnosis, specimen adequacy, sensitivity, and cost effectiveness of liquid-based cytology with that of conventional PAP tests

Background: Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women in many developing countries constituting 20-30% of female cancers. In the developed western countries, it accounts for only 4-6% of female cancers. This difference largely reflects the impact of mass screening using cervical cytologic methods.Methods: Prospective observational study.300 patients were selected from the gynaecology OPD of Government RSRM lying In Hospital. A detailed history was taken and they were informed about the screening procedures and counselling given regarding the necessity for their participation in screening program. Both conventional pap and liquid-based cytology were performed in the same patient and results were analyzed.Results: Out of 300 patients screened for cancer cervix with conventional Pap and liquid-based cytology in the same patient, LBC detection rate of cervical abnormalities and HSIL was higher than that of CP. False -ve rate of LBC was only 2%. Sensitivity is 97% and false positive rate is 44%. The sensitivity is equal to that of the gold standard method. Infection detection rate increased with LBC. Specimen adequacy improved with LBC substantially. The collection sample device brush was found superior to the wooden Ayre’s spatula in both not injuring tissues and specimen collection. The adverse impact on a woman's quality of life caused by unnecessary repeat smears and possible investigations would reduce the cost with LBC. The economic evidence suggests that LBC screening every 3 years or longer may be cost-effective. LBC reduced the pressure on a skilled workforce.Conclusions: As stated in WHO press release, dated 11 October 2001 it can be concluded through the current study that we should aim to divert our resources to screening and treating the high-risk groups of women. The effort once or twice in their lifetime will reduce the incidence of cervical cancer by 50%

Efficient isolation and long-term storage of genomic Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from the leaves of some tropical trees

Analysis of the genetic diversity of tropical trees can contribute to forming active approaches for their conservation and future use. High-quality Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is required for many molecular applications used in the analysis of genetic diversity. The present study standardized efficient DNA isolation and long-term storage protocol using the 268 leaf samples from 8 tropical tree species such as Cullenia exarillata (Malvaceae), Dalbergia latifolia, Dalbergia sissoides, Kingiodendron pinnatum (Fabaceae), Dysoxylum malabaricum (Meliaceae), Mesua ferrea (Calophyllaceae), Myristica malabarica (Myristicaceae) and Tectona grandis (Lamiaceae). The high DNA quality resulted in the present method as Mean A260/280 = 1.90 ± 0.05.  The amount of extracted DNA ranged from 23.4 ng/µL (in the mature leaf of Myristica malabarica) to 1922.7 ng/µL (in the young leaf of Dalbergia sissoides), while the yield ranged from 4.7 to 384.5 µg per 100 mg leaf sample. The extracted DNA samples of 8 species stored with 70% ethanol in the pellet form showed less DNA degradation and a maximium storage life of up to one year than those stored with TE buffer and sterile water. The integrity of one year of DNA stored in 70% ethanol was suitable for PCR amplification with RAPD and ISSR markers. The present method also facilitated efficient molecular characterization and validation of tropical tree species.

Design and performance of subirrigation system in maize (Zea mays) in Kumulur farm, Trichy district, Tamil Nadu, India

Subirrigation system can furnish water to plants. The upward flux and the discharge rate must satisfy the plant’s lifesaving irrigation needs during summer. The experiment was laid out in  A-block of Eastern farm, Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Kumulur, Trichy, Tamil Nadu. Subirrigation system spacing was arrived using Moody's equation calculated as 10 m. The experiment was laid out in spilt plot design with three replications. Four drain spacing levels (7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15 m) were the main plot treatments and two levels of depth and diameter of drain pipes (75 cm, 60 cm & 75 mm, 63 mm) were the sub plot treatments. The highest volumetric water content was recorded in 7.5 m spacing + 45 cm soil depth + lower reach (S1T3T1). Capillary rise on water table management system under subirrigation mode was fixed as 33.5 cm and the average deep percolation loss was obtained in 0.3 cm/d at development stage of crop period. The highest maize yield (4.30 t/ha) was obtained in 7.5 m spacing + 60 cm drain depth + 75 mm diameter (S1D3). The highest water use efficiency of (0.86 kg/m3) was recorded in 7.5 m spacing + 60 cm drain depth + 75 mm drain diameter (S1D3). This subirrigation system could furnish water to plants due to upward flux and the same system also functioned efficiently under drainage modes and removed the waterlogging during wet periods.       

Process parameter optimization of abrasive water jet machining on monel k400 alloy

Nowadays it's difficult to use a metal with high corrosion resistant properties in required applications. Monel 400 is one nickel based alloy having required property to be applicable in such scenarios. It is used in highly corrosive environments such as marine, chemical and aerospace industries as it has the property of maintaining its toughness over a range of temperature, however machining of this Monel alloy is relatively tough due to its characteristic work hardening properties. To tackle the mentioned issues, Abrasive water jet machining is used which is a widely known nontraditional machining technique. The process parameters and the response variables were chosen depending on the machine specifications, and parameter combinations were made using Minitab statistical software. The parameters and their interactions like the cut quality on the alloy, nozzle diameters effects, and water pressure were also studied. Response surface model and various statistical algorithms such as S-N ratio, ANOVA and regression equations were utilized for formation of the design of experiment, optimization of process parameters for the machining process were done using Grey relations. Reduction of surface roughness, maximization of Material removal rate while simultaneously reducing the cycle time for the operation was the primary objective. The results thus obtained indicates that the quality of cut was the most influential factor in the machining process followed by water-jet pressure value

Experimental investigation of abrasive waterjet machining of Nickel based superalloys (Inconel 625)

This work explores abrasive waterjet machining (AWJM) process to improve the machining capabilities of conventional water jet machine by adding abrasive particles to the water jet. The addition of abrasive particles can turn the water jet into a modern machining tool for all materials. The experimental data of cutting parameters for hard-to-machine metal Inconel 625 is obtained. Inconel 625 is machined using an abrasive water jet and the effect of water pressure, abrasive flow rate, stand-off distance, surface quality has been studied and the response parameters are investigated. Experiments were conducted, based on Taguchi's L18 orthogonal array and the process parameters were optimized using Grey relational analysis. Further, the morphological study is made using scanning electron microscope (SEM) on the samples that were machined at optimized parameters. It is observed from the experiment that Stand-off distance is the most influencing parameter among the input parameters

Performance of water table management system for alleviating sodic soil reclamation at Kumulur farm, Trichy District, Tamil Nadu

Waterlogging and sodicity is common problem in many irrigation canal command areas. The water table management system is the next level of improving water management in irrigated agriculture. In the present study, the water table management system was designed to work effectively in the monsoon season as a controlled drainage system and sub-irrigation system during summer. The field evaluation of drain water quality analysis was carried out from the water table management system installed at A-block of Eastern Farm, Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Kumulur farm, Trichy, Tamil Nadu during 2015-2016. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications. Four levels of drain spacing of drain pipes (7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15m) were the main plot treatment and two levels of depth and diameter of drain pipes (75 cm, 60 cm & 75 mm, 63 mm) were the sub plot treatments. The results showed that the recommended quality of press mud 2 t ha-1 was a help to reduce the Exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) level of 33 to 28 percent when compared to other ameliorants. It was concluded that solubilization should be removed by providing drainage and brought to ESP level of less than 16 percent and 15 m drain spacing to adapt to reduce the ESP level below the critical.

Performance Characteristics of Electrochemical Micromachining on Pure Titanium using coated tool electrode

Owing to its hardenable nature and corrosive resistant, Titanium is mainly utilized in fabricating turbine blade applications. Since it is very tough to creating the complex shape on this material by using traditional machining process. Generally micro holes are produced over the turbine blades to reduce the heat using EDM and LBM process. These processes can produce a heat affected zone over the machining surface and higher operating cost. The target of this present study was to make a micro hole on titanium by using electro chemical micro machining process and also attempt to identify the performance of nickel coated copper electrode for embellishing the ECM process. Since the process involves with no tool wear and less heat affect zone, it is possible to improve the machinability of the material. Titanium specimens have been machined using ECM process with uncoated copper electrode and nickel coated electrode under different process parameters combinations. From the experimental results, the better MRR and surface finish were observed from the nickel coated copper electrode