Statistical Model to Study the Effect of Agriculture Crop Residue Burning on Healthy Subjects

Pulmonary function test (PFT) values of 50 healthy subjects and levels of pollutants like suspended particulate matter (SPM), PM₁₀, PM_2.5 in ambient air were continually investigated from February 2007 to January 2010 at Patiala, Punjab (India). Significant decrease in PFTs were observed with increase in concentration levels of pollutants during wheat and rice crop residue burning in the fields. In the present paper a new statistical model on field crop residue burning and PFT has been proposed. The model is based on multiple ordinary least square regression method. It can predict values of PFTs as a function of some parameters of air pollutants. Monthly average values of different variables are used for the purpose of designing four different models. These models were tested by parameters like randomness of residual, relationship of residual with independent variables, etc. The final accepted models could predict up to 88 % variation in the values of force vital capacity and force expiratory volume and up to 77 % variation in peak expiratory flow and force expiratory flow with the corresponding changes in the SPM, PM₁₀, PM_2.5 and temperature respectively. This model can be used as a tool for measurement of risk assessment due to air pollution in future.     

Development of novel gastroretentive drug delivery system of gliclazide: hollow beads

Aim: The current communication deals with the development of hollow floating beads of gliclazide. The primary effect of this drug is to potentiate glucose-stimulated insulin release from pancreatic islet-β-cells by induction of a decrease in potassium efflux from these cells. Because of the poor aqueous solubility, its absorption is limited. Thus, an attempt was made to improve its release profile.

Methods: The hollow drug-loaded alginate beads in combination with low methoxyl pectin and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) were prepared by a simple ionotropic gelation method. The beads were evaluated for particle size and morphology using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Mucoadhesion test was done using goat stomach mucosal membrane. Release characteristics of the gliclazide-loaded hollow beads were studied in 0.1?N HCl (pH 1.2) and phosphate buffer (pH 5.8).

Results: The developed beads were spherical in shape with hollow internal structure and had a particle size in the range of 0.730?±?0.05 to 0.890?±?0.03?mm. The incorporation efficiency of alginate -pectin beads was higher than alginate -HPMC beads. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction analysis showed stable character of drug in the drug-loaded hollow beads and revealed the absence of any drug -polymer interactions. The beads remained buoyant for more than 12?h. The drug release from beads followed Fickian diffusion with swelling.

Conclusion: The preliminary results of this study suggest that the developed beads containing gliclazide could enhance drug entrapment efficiency, reduce the initial burst release and modulate the drug release.     

Fused Deposition Modeling of Polyolefins: Challenges and Opportunities

Polyolefins are the largest class of commercially available synthetic polymers that are extensively used in a variety of applications from commodities to engineering owing to their low cost of production, good physico-mechanical properties, light weight, good processability, and recyclability. Compared to conventional molding techniques, fused deposition modeling (FDM)-based 3D printing is a smart manufacturing technology for thermoplastics due to its low cost, ease of production of complex geometrical parts, rapid prototyping, and scalable customization. FDM 3D printing can be an ideal manufacturing technology for polyolefins to manufacture various complex parts. However, FDM 3D-printing of polyolefins is challenged bycritical printing problems like high warpage, dimensional inaccuracies, poor bed adhesion, and poor layer-to-layer adhesion. In this review, a fundamental understanding of polyolefins and their FDM 3D-printing process is established, and the recent progress of FDM 3D printing of polyolefins is summarized. Furthermore, strategies to overcome warpage and to improve mechanical strength of the 3D-printed polyolefins are provided. Finally, future prospectives of FDM 3D-printing of polyolefins are critically discussed to inspire prospective research in this field. It is believed that this review article can be tremendously useful for research work related to FDM of polyolefin-based materials.     

Behavior of dual ion beam sputtered MgZnO thin films for different oxygen partial pressure

Mg-doped ZnO (MgZnO) films were grown on p-Si (001) substrates by dual ion beam sputtering deposition system at a constant growth temperature of 600 °C for different oxygen partial pressure. The impact of oxygen partial pressure on the structural, electrical, elemental and morphological properties was thoroughly investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra revealed that the deposited MgZnO films were polycrystalline in nature with preferred (002) crystal orientation. The peak of MgZnO (101) plane was reduced significantly as oxygen partial pressure was increased and disappeared completely at 80 and 100 % O₂. The maximum electron concentration was evaluated to be 5.79 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3 with resistivity of 0.116 Ω cm and electron mobility of 9.306 cm²/V s at room temperature, for MgZnO film grown with 20 % O₂. Raman spectra shows a broad peak at 434 cm^?1 corresponded to E ₂ ^high phonons mode of MgZnO wurtzite structure. The peak at 560 cm^?1 corresponded to the E₁ (LO) mode and was associated with oxygen deficiency in MgZnO films. Raman intensity at 560 cm^?1 reduced, on increasing oxygen partial pressure. A correlation between structural, electrical, elemental and morphological properties with oxygen partial pressure was also established.     

Plant Nutrition: An Effective Way to Alleviate Abiotic Stress in Agricultural Crops

By the year 2050, the world’s population is predicted to have grown to around 9–10 billion people. The food demand in many countries continues to increase with population growth. Various abiotic stresses such as temperature, soil salinity and moisture all have an impact on plant growth and development at all levels of plant growth, including the overall plant, tissue cell, and even sub-cellular level. These abiotic stresses directly harm plants by causing protein denaturation and aggregation as well as increased fluidity of membrane lipids. In addition to direct effects, indirect damage also includes protein synthesis inhibition, protein breakdown, and membranous loss in chloroplasts and mitochondria. Abiotic stress during the reproductive stage results in flower drop, pollen sterility, pollen tube deformation, ovule abortion, and reduced yield. Plant nutrition is one of the most effective ways of reducing abiotic stress in agricultural crops. In this paper, we have discussed the effectiveness of different nutrients for alleviating abiotic stress. The roles of primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium), secondary nutrients (calcium, magnesium and sulphur), micronutrients (zinc, boron, iron and copper), and beneficial nutrients (cobalt, selenium and silicon) in alleviating abiotic stress in crop plants are discussed.     

Studies on sacrificial and carbon deoxidation of niobium

The nature and extent of oxygen removal from Nb–C–O alloys on heating to 2273 K under 2 mPa vacuum has been investigated. Correlations have been given relating the vapour pressure ratios of CO, NbO(v) and NbO₂(v) to the residual oxygen and carbon contents in niobium and the temperature of treatment. Experimental results of treating Nb pellets with initial oxygen content of 1.09 wt% and added carbon corresponding to C/O ratios of 0–1.10 in a thermogravimetry unit up to 2273 K under 2 mPa have been explained on the basis of the relevant vapour pressure ratios. The deoxidation of Nb–C–O begins at 1650 K and proceeds in three distinct steps consisting of both sacrificial deoxidation and carbon deoxidation. The first step is sacrificial deoxidation due to formation of NbO₂(v), the second step is carbon deoxidation, and the final step is sacrificial deoxidation by NbO(v) vaporization. The extent of deoxidation in each of these steps depends on C/O ratio of the charge.     

Charge symmetry breaking effects in nucleon-nucleon scattering derived from the quark model

When phagocyte CR3 binds to iC3b on bacteria or yeast, phagocytosis and degranulation are triggered because of simultaneous recognition of iC3b via a CD11b I-domain binding site and specific microbial polysaccharides via a lectin site located COOH-terminal to the I-domain. By contrast, when phagocyte or natural killer (NK) cell CR3 adheres to iC3b on erythrocytes or tumor cells that lack CR3-binding membrane polysaccharides, neither lysis nor cytotoxicity are stimulated. This investigation showed that soluble CR3-specific polysaccharides such as beta-glucan induced a primed state of CR3 that could trigger killing of iC3b-target cells that were otherwise resistant to cytotoxicity. Anti-CR3 added before sugars prevented priming, whereas anti-CR3 added after sugars blocked primed CR3 attachment to iC3b-targets. Polysaccharide priming required tyrosine kinase(s) and a magnesium-dependent conformational change of the I-domain that exposed the CBRM1/5 activation epitope. Unlike LPS or cytokines, polysaccharides did not up-regulate neutrophil CR3 expression nor expose the mAb 24 reporter epitope representing the high affinity ICAM-1-binding state. The current data apparently explain the mechanism of tumoricidal beta-glucans used for immunotherapy. These polysaccharides function through binding to phagocyte or NK cell CR3, priming the receptor for cytotoxicity of neoplastic tissues that are frequently targeted with iC3b and sparing normal tissues that lack iC3b.     

Attenuation of 4-hydroxynonenal-induced cataractogenesis in rat lens by butylated hydroxytoluene

PURPOSE: We have previously shown that 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) causes opacification of cultured rat lenses and that a novel group of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) exhibit high specific activity towards 4-HNE. Previous studies have shown that t-butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) induced GSTs in cultured rat lens. Therefore, the purpose of the present studies was to investigate if the opacification of rat lenses exposed to 4-HNE is ameliorated by pre-culturing the lenses in media containing BHT. METHODS: Rat lenses were divided into four groups. Group I and II were controls and groups III and IV were cultured in the presence of 100 microM 4-HNE. Groups II and IV were pre-cultured in the media containing 10 microM BHT for 24 hrs which was designated as 0 time point. Lenses were withdrawn at 24 and 72 h and evaluated for opacification by digital image analysis. Induction of the specific GST isozyme (gammaGST8-8) was studied in the lens epithelium by immunohistochemical studies. Results. Digital image analysis revealed amelioration in opacification induced by 4-HNE, when the lenses were precultured with BHT. Immunohistochemical studies show that BHT induced GST8-8 several folds in the epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: These studies indicate that pretreatment with BHT would increase the lens capacity to detoxify 4-HNE by conjugating it with GSH, thus assigning an important detoxication role to this specific GST isozyme in oxidative cataract.     

K-value predictions for the methane-ethane-propane system

Vapour-liquid equilibrium distribution coefficients at widely ranging pressures, temperatures, and compositions are essential data for process engineering calculations in the natural gas separation and petroleum processing industries. Computational methods for the accurate prediction of these data using only pure component properties are presented in this paper. The validity of the method has been tested for the system methane-ethane-propane at low temperatures and high pressures. The agreement between the predicted values and the corresponding experimental data taken from the literature illustrates the accuracy of the prediction method and justifies its applicability to working separation systems.     

Mechanisms of anticarcinogenic properties of curcumin: the effect of curcumin on glutathione linked detoxification enzymes in rat liver

Clinicians lack a practical method for measuring CBF rapidly, repeatedly, and noninvasively at the bedside. A new noninvasive technique for estimation of cerebral hemodynamics by use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and an intravenously infused tracer dye is proposed. Kinetics of the infrared tracer indocyanine green were monitored on the intact skull in pigs. According to an algorithm derived from fluorescein flowmetry, a relative blood flow index (BFI) was calculated. Data obtained were compared with cerebral and galeal blood flow values assessed by radioactive microspheres under baseline conditions and during hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation. Blood flow index correlated significantly (rs = 0.814, P < 0.001) with cortical blood flow but not with galeal blood flow (rs = 0.258). However, limits of agreement between BFI and CBF are rather wide (+/- 38.2 +/- 6.4 mL 100 g-1 min-1) and require further studies. Data presented demonstrate that detection of tracer kinetics in the cerebrovasculature by NIRS may serve as valuable tool for the noninvasive estimation of regional CBF. Indocyanine green dilution curves monitored noninvasively on the intact skull by NIRS reflect dye passage through the cerebral, not extracerebral, circulation.