Seismic Response of Reinforced Soil Retaining Walls with Block Facings

Reinforced soil walls have become very popular in seismic areas owing to their flexible nature and cost effectiveness when compared to the conventional retaining structures. Although the use of reinforced soil walls with modular block facings and gabion facings is growing world wide at a rapid rate, the seismic response of these walls is yet to be analyzed. This paper discusses the response of these walls in terms of lateral facing deflection, reinforcement tensile force and crest surface settlement when subjected to seismic loading simulated by means of a variable amplitude harmonic vibration using the finite element analysis package, PLAXIS V8. From the study, it was found that there is significant effect of seismic loading on the response of reinforced soil walls and the analyses and design of these walls are to be done only after considering the dynamic earthquake loading in seismic prone areas. The gabion faced reinforced soil walls were found to be more effective than the segmental walls in resisting the dynamic excitations due to earthquake loading. The study also confirmed that various reinforcement design parameters and backfill parameters play an important role in minimizing the facing deflection and the settlement of the wall subjected to dynamic earthquake excitation

Antimicrobial potential of leaf extract of normal and tissue cultured plants of Andrographis Paniculata nees

Various extracts of root, stem and leaf of normal and tissue cultured plants of Andrographis paniculata were tested against five pathogenic bacteria. Four months old field grown and tissue cultured plants raised on MS+BAP (8.86 ÎM) were used as source plants. Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus vulgaris were pathogenic bacteria tested by Agar well diffusion method. The effect of various extracts measured by zone of inhibition varies with pathogens and also the source. Comparatively, methanolic leaf extracts of tissue cultured plants showed better zone of inhibition than the normal plants against all pathogens. Enhanced antibacterial activity of extracts of tissue cultured plants is related to the better growth performance and high content of secondary metabolites than the normal plants

First report on incidence of inflorescence blight and pod rot (Choanephora infundibulifera) on dolichos bean (Dolichos lablab, L.) and yard long beanin (Vignaunguiculata sub sp. sesquipedalis) India

Inflorescence blight and pod rot caused by Choanephorasp. were recorded in two major vegetable crops viz.dolichos bean and yard long bean at a very high degree of severity. Usually, the disease occurs in mild proportions without causing economic loss during rainy season in Kerala (June to September) affecting vegetable crops like cowpea and bhendi. However, during the year 2016, the disease was noticed with a very high severity of more than 90 per cent on two crops grown at two different locations in Thrissur district of Kerala during October to January. None of the commonly used fungicides could control the disease. The pathogen was found to be luxuriantly growing on the inflorescences of dolichos bean and on the fruits of yard long bean. The first incidence of the disease was recorded during the last week of October, 2016. The disease spread was almost cent per cent on susceptible genotypes of dolichos bean and more than 90 per cent in variety ‘Vaijayanthi’ of yard long bean. A study was conducted exploring the pre disposing factors leading to the occurrence of the disease in epidemic proportions.Meteorological factors affecting the disease were studied and it was found that there is positive correlation of the disease severity with increasing atmospheric temperature and rainfall.Atmospheric temperature more than 30oC along with high humidity and rain fall during the preceding week are found to be the major pre disposing factors lead to the epidemic in both the crops. The pathogen was isolated and based on morphological characters, identified as Choanephora sp. Pathogenicity was proved by inoculation on healthy inflorescence stalks.Molecular characterization of the pathogen confirmed the identity as Choanephora infundibulifera. This is the first report of the pathogen on dolichos bean and yard long bean in India

A Study of Diabetes among Inmates of Old Age Homes in Mysore City

The human population is graying, and with it concerns about the aged have been growing. Even as birth rates fall steeply, improved healthcare systems have contributed to unprecedented longevity levels. The challenges of taking care of the elderly now increasingly face developing nations. The boundary of old age cannot be defined exactly because it does not have the same meaning in all societies. The United Nations International Assembly on Ageing has taken 60 years as the boundary to define old age.1 Globally, the number of older persons (aged 60 years or over) is expected to be more than double, from 841 million people in 2013 to more than 2 billion in 2050. Presently, about two-thirds of the world’s elderly live in developing countries. By 2050, nearly 8 in 10 of the world’s older population will live in the less developed regions.2 India, as the second most populous country, is witnessing an “aging revolution.” The major issues in India aging are: rapid growth of older segment; feminization of aging; poverty in old age; high growth of 80 + group and decline in family support base.

High-frequency plant regeneration and histological analysis of callus in Cichorium intybus: An important medicinal plant

An efficient in vitro propagation and in vitro flowering protocols were developed for the medicinal plant Cichorium intybus (Asteraceae) using leaf disc explants. Media supplemented with the growth regulator naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (1.5 mg/l) + 6-benzyle adenine (0.25 mg/l) was used for the initial induction of the callus and further subcultured to the same media for the proliferation of the callus. Pale yellow and green calli were noticed, which depends on incorporation of the growth hormones and their varying concentrations. Murashige and Skoog medium in addition with 2 mg/l kinetin+ 0.5 mg/l indole-3-acetic acid (IBA) + 500 mg/l casein hydrolysate resulted in maximum regeneration. Media supplemented via IBA (0.5 mg/l) and NAA (0.5 mg/l) (98%) was found to beoptimum for rhizogenesis for in vitro regenerated plants. For acclimatization 5-6 weeks mature in vitro regenerated plants were transferred into the greenhouse for acclimatization. The histological study revealed the presence actively dividing meristematic cells in callus. The occurrence of the peripheral meristematic zone associated with callus was noticed in after 20 days, which formed the shoot meristems after 45 days of incubation. To our knowledge, this is the first report on high-frequency plant regeneration which was carried out indirectly from theleaf explants which was grown in controlled environment with varying concentration of the growth regulators and histology of callus of different stages from leaf explants of C. intybus

Ground and surface water quality assessment of Palladam Taluk using Geographical Information System and Modified National Sanitation Foundation -Water Quality Index

In this work, the assessment of surface and ground water quality of Palladam Taluk, Tiruppur, district, Tamil Nadu, India were carried out using Geographical Information System (GIS) and Modified National Sanitation Foundation -Water Quality Index (MNSF-WQI). Four samples from surface and twenty seven samples from ground water sources were taken from Palladam Taluk, Tiruppur District. In the current study, the surface and ground water samples were analysed for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), biological oxygen demand (BOD), turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), faecal coliforms (FC), total phosphate (TP), total nitrate (TN), chlorides (Cl-), sodium (Na+) and fluoride (F-) ions to investigate the suitability of surface and ground water for drinking and agricultural purposes through Geographic information system (GIS) and modified national sanitation foundation water quality index (MNSF-WQI) technique. The concentrations of TH, TDS, Cl- and Na+ were observed to be above the desirable limit of World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). whereas F-, BOD, DO, EC, TP, TN, FC and temperature were within the acceptable limits. The GIS-based WQI map analysis indicated that 45% of the study area having good water quality index and the remaining area showed medium quality water. Dyeing and textile industries in the study area are responsible for deteriorating the quality to medium quality of water which was not appropriate for direct utilization and needed prior treatment. There is no detailed report on assessment of the surface and ground water quality of Palladam Taluk in Tamil Nadu using GIS and MNSF-WQI techniques

Proteus Simulation Using Various Power Converters for a Photovoltaic System

The need for renewable energy sources is on the increasethanks to the acute energy crisis within the world these days. Solar powercould be aimportant untapped resource in an exceedingly tropical country like India. The main hindrance for the penetration and reach of solar photovoltaic [PV] systems is their low efficiency. The main objective is to use the buck, boost and buck-boost converter along with a maximum power point tracking [MPPT] control mechanism to increase the efficiency of a PV system. The MPPT is responsible for extracting the maximum possible power from the photovoltaic cell. The converters are used to supply a constant and required voltage magnitude to the loa

Trifurcated hepatic artery proper with unusual course and termination of right hepatic artery into fossa for gall bladder.

Variant vascular pattern affecting the hepatic artery is well documented. We here report a case of trifurcated hepatic artery proper associated with abnormal course, branching and termination of right hepatic artery. In the present case, hepatic artery proper trifurcated into right, middle and left branches about 2 cm before reaching porta hepatis. Left and middle braches entered the liver through the porta hepatis as normal but, the right hepatic artery took an unusual course towards the fossa for gall bladder and passed between portal vein behind and common hepatic duct, anteriorly. Just before its termination, it gave an additional hepatic branch to the liver and a cystic branch to the gall bladder. The rare course, branching pattern and abnormal termination of the right hepatic artery as reported here, are vulnerable to damage during intraoperative procedures if not carefully observed. Hence, prior knowledge of its variant anatomy is imperative during segmental resection of the liver and any intraoperative procedures performed in this region