EQL: the language and its implementation

EqL, a general-purpose language that combines the capabilities of functional and logic programming languages, is described. A program in EqL consists of a collection of conditional, pattern-directed rules, where the conditions are expressed as a conjunction of equations, and the patterns are terms built up of data-constructors and basic values. The computational paradigm in EqL is equation solving. Examples illustrating the major features of the language, nondeterminism, deferred evaluation of primitives, and logical variables are presented. The aspects of a sequential implementation for EqL, such as compile-time flattening of equations, run-time equation-delaying, and last-equation optimization, are also described     

VOID FRACTION PROFILES IN PLANE-POISEUILLE FLOW OF VISCOELASTIC FOAMS

This investigation focuses on slow, isothermal, two-phase flow of gas bubble suspensions in Separan solutions, prepared with the help of a sodium borohydride blowing agent at room temperature. The total residence time in these experiments is much smaller than characteristic times for growth or rise of bubbles. The variation of bubble volume fraction across a narrow gap between two planes, is recorded at two locations along the flow direction. This is done with a Cesium gamma-radiation source focused on a region of area.012 cm² in the flow plane, and a Sodium iodide detector across the channel yielding a resolution of.01 over the range of void fractions investigated from.02 to.08. This measurement allows us to identify conditions under which the two-phase flow may be described by a two fluid model with a uniform bubbly core and a bubble free wall layer. With this two phase flow structure, a relative viscosity equation for the suspension is used to compute an apparent viscosity. Such calculations indicate that the observed reduction in apparent viscosity for the two phase flow may be attributed to a bubbly core which is more shear thinning than the medium. The additional shear thinning factor for the suspension is related to the elasticity of the medium.     

High levels of spontaneous and parasite antigen-driven interleukin-10 production are associated with antigen-specific hyporesponsiveness in human lymphatic filariasis

To determine whether counterregulation by interleukin (IL)-10 plays a role in the generation or maintenance of the antigen-specific hyporesponsiveness seen in asymptomatic microfilaremic (MF) patients, parasite antigen (PAg)- and nonparasite antigen (NPAg)-driven IL-10 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was studied in 10 MF patients and in ll patients with chronic lymphatic pathology (CP). PBMC from MF patients spontaneously secreted 10-fold more IL-10 than did PBMC from patients with CP. PAg also induced significantly more IL-10 production by PBMC from CP patients. There was a negative correlation between PAg driven IL-10 production by PBMC and PAg-specific T cell proliferation in the MF group. IL-10 secretion by plastic adherent cells from MF persons was higher in response to PAg than NPAg, whereas IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha secretion were equivalent for PAg and NPAg, suggesting that PAg preferentially induces IL-10 secretion in these cells. Thus, PAg-induced IL-10 likely plays an important role in down-regulating antigen-specific proliferative responses in MF patients.     

Adsorptive studies of hazardous dye Tropaeoline 000 from an aqueous phase on to coconut-husk

This contribution presents result pertaining to the adsorptive removal of water-soluble hazardous dye Tropaeoline 000, on to a low cost adsorbent-coconut-husk and its efficiency in the dye colour sorption was compared with activated carbon (AC). The results obtained from the batch experiments revealed the ability of the coconut-husk to remove the Tropaeoline 000 dye. The adsorption of dye was carried out at different pH, temperatures, amount of adsorbent, contact time, concentration of adsorbate (initial dye concentration) and particle size. The adsorption studies revealed that the ongoing adsorption validates both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm at temperatures 30, 40 and 50 degrees C. The adsorption isotherm data was also employed to calculate thermodynamic parameters like DeltaG degrees , DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees . The negative values of DeltaG degrees indicate that the dye adsorption process is a spontaneous in nature. The positive value of DeltaH degrees shows the endothermic nature of AC/coconut-husk system whereas negative value of DeltaH degrees indicates that the exothermic nature of AC/coconut-husk. The adsorption was found to undergo via a pseudo-second order adsorption kinetics and the results revealed that coconut-husk, an agricultural waste, proved to be an excellent low cost adsorbent.     

Improvement of tea leaves fermentation with Aspergillus spp. pectinase

The pectinase enzymes isolated from Aspergillus spp., A. indicus, A. flavus and A. niveus were used for fermentation of tea leaves. The enzymes were purified and characterized. The effect of both crude enzyme preparation and purified pectinase enzymes on the improvement of tea leaf fermentation were determined in terms of theaflavin, thearubigin, high polymerized substances, total liquor colour, dry matter content and total soluble solids of the tea produced. The crude enzyme preparations obtained from ethanol precipitation were found to be more effective in improving tea leaf fermentation than the purified pectinase enzymes.