Insights into the relationship between inherent materials properties of PZT and photochemistry for the development of nanostructured silver.

Recently there has been great interest in using patterned ferroelectric materials for the photochemical growth of metal nanostructures. Variations in surface and sub-surface structure influence the photochemical processes. Here we show that crystallography, and hence remnant polarization, of the ferroelectric affects photo-deposition. The ratio of metal growth on c– and c+ domains varies from 1 : 2 for [100] to 1 : 100 for [111]. This is shown to be dependent on the variations in the band structu

Sports Retailinf in India: Opportunities, Constraints and Way Forward

Sports retail is a small but fast growing segment of modern retail in India. Recently, thecountry has been hosting many international sports and this has given a boost to thissector. Many foreign and domestic corporate retailers have entered sports retail. Sportsgoods manufacturing is a focus area in the Foreign Trade Policy (2009-2014) and thegovernment is taking a fresh look at the current foreign direct investment policy inretail.In the above context, this paper provides an overview of the sports retail sector in India.Specifically, it presents the different retail formats, consumer profile, retailers’ supplychain and sourcing. It also examines the retail and sports policies and their implicationsfor this segment of retail, analyses the barriers faced by this sector and suggests policyreforms.The study found that the policy of allowing 51 per cent FDI in the single-brand formathas not benefited this sector. The FDI ban on multi-brand retail is not an entry barriersince foreign retailers can establish their presence in India through other routes. Thestudy found that since this is a niche segment of retail, FDI would not have an adverseimpact on traditional retailers. It concludes that government should allow 51 per centFDI in multi-brand sports retail. This will increase sourcing from India, lead todiffusion of technology, proliferation of brands, investment in sports and sportspromotion, among others.Retail, Sports, Government Policy, Trade, Consumer Survey

In silico design of potent agonists for human PPAR γ

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR γ) acts as a key regulator on adipocyte differentiation and glucose homeostasis. PPAR γ has been implicated in the pathology of type 2 diabetes. As human PPAR γ activity is considered important in improving insulin sensitivity, in silico screening was carried out to find potent agonists for human PPAR γ protein. The co-crystal structure of PPAR γ, solved through X-Ray diffraction method was retrieved from the protein data bank. Four PPAR γ agonists selected from literature were submitted to subsequent 2D searching protocol using Ligand.Info, which yielded 1699 structural analogs. The PPAR γ co-crystal structure and ligand dataset were preprocessed using protein preparation wizard and LigPrep, respectively. Further, docking was performed by using three phased docking protocol of Maestro v9.2 that implements Glide v5.7. The obtained thirteen leads through docking were compared with the existing inhibitors and seven leads with good binding affinity with PPAR γ were proposed. The binding orientations of the seven leads were coinciding well with the native co-crystal structure of human PPAR γ. Thus, the proposed seven leads can be suggested as potential agonists for improving insulin sensitivity in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus if synthesized and validated in animal model

Aerometric monitoring system for pollution control

Air quality monitoring and analysis is needed in order to provide decision makers with reliable information about the pollution situation so that they can take appropriate measures to mitigate or prevent negative impacts whenever there is need. World Health Organization (WHO) has recently announced that air pollution is carcinogenic to humans. The results from the reviewed studies point in the same direction: the risk of developing lung cancer hss significantly increased in people exposed to air pollution. This finding elevates the urgency to create awareness among common people about the air, both outdoors and indoors. In our project "Aerometric Monitoring System for Pollution Control”, we use a device that consists of a cluster of sensors that are used to sense atmospheric characteristics continuously. Atmospheric characteristics include Temperature, Humidity, Gas index indicating presence of poisonous gases etc. Several such devices can be deployed in places where we need to estimate air pollution. This covers public domains like bus stands, railway stations, junctions etc. and private domains like households, small scale industries and so on. The aggregated data collected by these devices are uploaded to the Internet using IoT platform by establishing a connection. The data is then displayed on the IoT platform along with various graphical representations. This enables the public to access the data anywhere, any time

Bull trawl operation banned along Karnataka coast to reduce indiscriminate exploitation of juvenile fishes

Mangalore Fisheries Harbour is one of the major marine fish landing centres of Karnataka, contributing more than 40 % of the total marine fish landed in the state. Bull trawling or pair trawling is done along the coastal districts of Karnataka with peak operations during the post-monsoon (September to November) period. The pair trawls target pelagic and semi-pelagic schooling fishes, like carangids, scombroids, clupeids, pomfrets, squids, etc. and the catch mainly consist of juveniles, including those of high value fishes

Isolation, purification, characterization and applications of serine protease from Bacillus megaterium

Bacillus megaterium isolated from poultry farm soil was identified by standard biochemical tests and screened for the production of serine protease. Production of serine protease was done using 5 different medias by varying the type of amino acid added. The purification was done by salt precipitation, dialysis and DEAEcellulose ion exchange chromatography. The proline containing media obtained the highest fold purification out of the five different medias (leucine, lysine, proline, tryptophan and methionine cotaining media). The enzyme showedan optimal activity at the temperature 37°C and the pH 6 which are known as its optimum temperature and pH respectively. The enzyme was proved as a Mn2+ dependent serine protease as it was activated by Mn2+ ions and inhibited by PMSF. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined by SDS-PAGE technique as around 30kDa. It showed an excellent detergent activity on the blood stains and a very good stability in presence of locally available detrgents. The enzyme acted on the keratin protein of the chicken feather and showed a degrading capacity on the protein. So it was proved that the recently studied serine protease has a keratinase activity also. From these datas I conclude that the protease isolated from Bacillus megaterium is a Mn2+ dependent serine protease which has both keratinase and detergent activity