Development of sunlight-driven eutectic phase change material nanocomposite for applications in solar water heating

Organic phase change materials (PCMs) have been utilized as latent heat energy storage medium for effective thermal management. In this work, a PCM nanocomposite, consisting of a mixture of two organic PCMs (referred to as eutectic gel PCM) and minimal amount (0.5 wt%) of nanographite (NG) as a supporting material, was prepared. Differential scanning calorimeter was used to determine the melting temperature and latent heat of pristine PCM, paraffin (61.5 °C and 161.5 J/g), eutectic gel PCM (54 °C and 158 J/g) and eutectic gel PCM nanocomposite (53.5 °C and 155 J/g). The prepared PCM nanocomposites exhibited enhanced thermal conductivity and ultrafast thermal charging characteristics. The nanocomposites were employed for two different applications: (i) providing hot water using an indigenously fabricated solar water heating (SWH) system and (ii) solar rechargeable glove that can be rapidly warmed and used. Experimental results on SWH system show that the use of PCM nanocomposites helps to increase the charging rate of PCM while reducing the discharging rate of heat by PCM to water, thus enhancing the maximum utilization of solar energy and hence improving the efficiency of the SWH system. The experimental results on solar rechargeable glove revealed that the glove has the ability to retain the temperature up to 3 hours

Seaweeds – a potential source of food, feed and fertiliser

Many communities in the world consume naturally growing and cultivated/ farmed seaweeds as food. Currently, commercial cultivation/farming produces more than 96% of seaweeds in the world and only around 3-4% is obtained from wild harvest (noncultivated). Naturally occurring and cultivated seaweeds are categorized into green, brown and red seaweeds, based on their pigmentation. More than 200 species of seaweeds are of commercial value, but only around 10 species of seaweeds are popularly cultivated. China, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea and the Philippines are the leading producers of cultured/ farmed species (viz. Eucheuma, Japanese kelp, Gracilaria, Unndaria pinnatifid); and Chile, China and Norway for wild species (mainly brown and red) and Chilean kelp. Seaweeds are rich in dietary fiber (polysaccharides), essential amino acids, major and micronutrients (minerals), vitamins etc. It has been reported that some species are a good source of plant growth regulators. Mainly, the people in China, Japan and Korea relish the soups, stews, flakes, coatings, snacks, etc., made from seaweeds. The use of seaweeds as human food in India is not very common. The second major use of seaweeds after food is the extraction of three important hydrocolloids (Agar, Alginate and Carrageenan). These are used as food additives and in many other industrial applications. A small portion of seaweed is used as an ingredient as livestock feed and fish feed. Seaweed meal and liquid extract of seaweed have been tried in conjunction with inorganic fertilizers with beneficial effects on crop yield, quality produce and soil health. Seaweed is an important marine resource and the coastline in India can be utilized to commercially cultivate seaweed species beneficial for human health and plants. Research is required in developing functional foods, health foods and nutraceuticals from seaweeds to improve the health and nutritional status of the human population. This paper briefly describes the status of production and utilization of seaweeds in different parts of the world

ICT, SOCIAL CAPITAL AND DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF A MOUNTAIN REGION IN NEPAL

While the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in fostering socioeconomic development is generally accepted, the process through which this may happen remain unclear. In this paper, we take a social capital perspective and propose that ICT helps to create or strengthen social capital of communities which in turn leads to development. To illustrate our proposition, we conducted a qualitative case study in the Myagdi district in the mountain region of Nepal. We studied the Nepal Wireless Networking Project (NWNP) and examined its role in building social capital, and the consequences of extended social capital on socio-economic development process. Our findings indicate that the project is enabling the villagers to create, maintain, and extend their bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. Subsequently, this social capital assists them in developing and improving their education, healthcare, communication, and generating economic activities. We also identified several challenges such as, over dependency on single actor, high illiteracy rate, poor physical infrastructure, language, and lack of participation that may impede the social capital building process

Social Capital in enabling quality healthcare: The case of a telemedicine project in Nepal

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can play a crucial role in meeting multifaceted developmental challenges such as providing access to quality healthcare in developing countries. Initiatives such as telemedicine have been vital in bringing healthcare to marginalized groups in remote areas of such countries. While the implementation and effects of telemedicine projects have been studied in the literature, the actual mechanisms and conditions that facilitate the process has seldom been addressed. In this paper, we present an interpretive case study of a telemedicine project in a remote mountainous region of Nepal. Our findings indicate that it was the action of a group of focal actors who leveraged a supportive social capital that resulted in successfully bringing in quality healthcare to marginalized groups in these remote villages. Our findings reveal social capital as a facilitating condition through which ICT can play a crucial role in meeting developmental challenges such as quality health care

Post-harvest management – a strategy for climate resilient agriculture

Agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries depend largely on the climate of the region. Global warming, changes in rain patterns, droughts, floods, cyclones, storms, etc., have become a challenge for the food production systems. Various strategies being explored to counter negative impact of climate change on agriculture and allied activities. Promising crop genotypes and livestock breeds tolerant to climatic stress are looked into through strategic research. Also it is important to develop infrastructure and train the manpower to reduce post-harvest losses. Post-harvest losses among selected fruits and vegetables were observed to be in the range of 6.70 - 15.88% during the year 2014. Post-harvest losses among cereals, pulses and oilseeds were also observed to be in the range of 3.08 – 9.96%. Post-harvest management of agricultural produce and setting-up of custom hiring centres in rural areas have the potential to reduce post-harvest losses, create rural employment opportunities, enhance farmers income and counter the negative impact of climate change. This paper describes the post-harvest losses of selected commodities along the value chain in India and the strategies to reduce post-harvest losses

IN VIVO RADIOPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF WHEATGRASS (TRITICUM AESTIVUM) EXTRACT AGAINST X-IRRADAITION-INDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS AND APOPTOSIS IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES IN RATS

 Objectives: The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible protective potential of wheatgrass extract against radiation-induced toxicity in peripheral lymphocytes of rats exposed to a fractionated dose of X-rays.Methods: Effects of the X-irradiation with and without wheatgrass were studied on various parameters in peripheral lymphocytes including antioxidant defense system and apoptosis. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four different groups: Normal control group, X-ray-irradiated group (21 Gy over a span of 7 days), wheatgrass-treated group (80 mg/100 g bodyweight for 2 weeks), and X-rays-irradiated + wheatgrass-treated group. All the biochemical indices which included lipid peroxidation (LPO), reduced glutathione, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and activities of antioxidant enzymes were investigated in lymphocytes. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling assay was carried out to assess the apoptosis in lymphocytes following whole-body X-irradiation.Results: Whole-body X-irradiation to rats resulted in significant increase in LPO with concomitant depression of antioxidant enzymes activities, namely, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidise (GPx) in lymphocytes. Further, the present study witnessed a significant increase in the number of apoptotic lymphocytes in the X-irradiated animals. However, wheatgrass supplementation lowered the LPO levels, restored cellular antioxidant status, and provided significant protection against radiation-induced apoptosis.Conclusions: Based on these observations, the present study suggests that wheatgrass extract has the potential to be used as an effective radioprotectant against radiation-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in peripheral lymphocytes of whole-body X-ray-exposed rats

Epidemiology and risk factors of chronic kidney disease in India – results from the SEEK (Screening and Early Evaluation of Kidney Disease) study

Background: There is a rising incidence of chronic kidney disease that is likely to pose major problems for both healthcare and the economy in future years. In India, it has been recently estimated that the age-adjusted incidence rate of ESRD to be 229 per million population (pmp), and >100,000 new patients enter renal replacement programs annually. Methods: We cross-sectionally screened 6120 Indian subjects from 13 academic and private medical centers all over India. We obtained personal and medical history data through a specifically designed questionnaire. Blood and urine samples were collected. Results: The total cohort included in this analysis is 5588 subjects. The mean ± SD age of all participants was 45.22 ± 15.2 years (range 18–98 years) and 55.1% of them were males and 44.9% were females. The overall prevalence of CKD in the SEEK-India cohort was 17.2% with a mean eGFR of 84.27 ± 76.46 versus 116.94 ± 44.65 mL/min/1.73 m2 in non-CKD group while 79.5% in the CKD group had proteinuria. Prevalence of CKD stages 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 was 7%, 4.3%, 4.3%, 0.8% and 0.8%, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of CKD was observed to be 17.2% with ~6% have CKD stage 3 or worse. CKD risk factors were similar to those reported in earlier studies. It should be stressed to all primary care physicians taking care of hypertensive and diabetic patients to screen for early kidney damage. Early intervention may retard the progression of kidney disease. Planning for the preventive health policies and allocation of more resources for the treatment of CKD/ESRD patients are imperative in India

Systemic acquired resistance in soybean is regulated by two proteins, Orthologous to Arabidopsis NPR1

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is induced in non-inoculated leaves following infection with certain pathogenic strains. SAR is effective against many pathogens. Salicylic acid (SA) is a signaling molecule of the SAR pathway. The development of SAR is associated with the induction of pathogenesis related (<it>PR</it>) genes. Arabidopsis <it>non-expressor </it>of <it>PR1 </it>(<it>NPR1</it>) is a regulatory gene of the SA signal pathway <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B1">1</abbr><abbr bid="B2">2</abbr><abbr bid="B3">3</abbr></abbrgrp>. SAR in soybean was first reported following infection with <it>Colletotrichum trancatum </it>that causes anthracnose disease. We investigated if SAR in soybean is regulated by a pathway, similar to the one characterized in Arabidopsis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Pathogenesis-related gene <it>GmPR1 </it>is induced following treatment of soybean plants with the SAR inducer, 2,6-dichloroisonicotinic acid (INA) or infection with the oomycete pathogen, <it>Phytophthora sojae</it>. In <it>P. sojae</it>-infected plants, SAR was induced against the bacterial pathogen, <it>Pseudomonas syringae </it>pv. glycinea. Soybean <it>GmNPR1-1 </it>and <it>GmNPR1-2 </it>genes showed high identities to Arabidopsis <it>NPR1</it>. They showed similar expression patterns among the organs, studied in this investigation. <it>GmNPR1-1 </it>and <it>GmNPR1-2 </it>are the only soybean homologues of <it>NPR1</it>and are located in homoeologous regions. In <it>GmNPR1-1 </it>and <it>GmNPR1-2 </it>transformed Arabidopsis <it>npr1-1 </it>mutant plants, SAR markers: (i) <it>PR-1 </it>was induced following INA treatment and (ii) <it>BGL2 </it>following infection with <it>Pseudomonas syringae </it>pv. tomato (<it>Pst</it>), and SAR was induced following <it>Pst </it>infection. Of the five cysteine residues, Cys⁸², Cys¹⁵⁰, Cys¹⁵⁵, Cys¹⁶⁰, and Cys²¹⁶involved in oligomer-monomer transition in NPR1, Cys²¹⁶ in GmNPR1-1 and GmNPR1-2 proteins was substituted to Ser and Leu, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Complementation analyses in Arabidopsis <it>npr1-1 </it>mutants revealed that homoeologous <it>GmNPR1-1 </it>and <it>GmNPR1-2 </it>genes are orthologous to Arabidopsis <it>NPR1</it>. Therefore, SAR pathway in soybean is most likely regulated by <it>GmNPR1 </it>genes. Substitution of Cys²¹⁶residue, essential for oligomer-monomer transition of Arabidopsis NPR1, with Ser and Leu residues in GmNPR1-1 and GmNPR1-2, respectively, suggested that there may be differences between the regulatory mechanisms of GmNPR1 and Arabidopsis NPR proteins.</p

Effect of reflective practices on student learning in higher education—a real life approach

Validation of ideas are of paramount importance in STEM fields. Learning and converting ideas into practical application is the main purpose of technical education. Aviation is a highly safety sensitive field where confusion and mistakes are not acceptable. This brings serious challenges for academia that provides higher education in this field. A yearlong observation of the reflective practices was done at an Australian university while teaching aviation students to analyse outcomes of reflection on teaching and learning. Reflection provides a powerful opportunity to a teacher in improving teaching qualities and to identify training needs for enhancing teaching capabilities

Potential of Some Fungal and Bacterial Species in Bioremediation of Heavy Metals

Microorganisms including fungi and bacteria have been reported to extract heavy metals from wastewater through bioaccumulation and biosorption. An attempt was, therefore, made to isolate bacteria and fungi from sites contaminated with heavy metals for higher tolerance and removal from wastewater. Bacterial and fungal isolates were obtained from the samples collected from Karnal, Ambala and Yamunanagar districts of Haryana using enrichment culture technique. Bacterial and fungal isolates with tolerant up to 100 ppm concentration of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr) were tested for their removal from liquid media containing 50 ppm concentration of Pb, Cd and Cr each. Five fungi (Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspegillus nidulans, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus arrhizus, Trichoderma viride) were also included in this study. Fungi Aspergillus nidulans, Rhizopus arrhizus and Trichoderma viride showed maximum uptake capacity of 25.67 mg/g for Pb, 13.15 mg/g for Cd and 2.55 mg/g of Cr, respectively. The maximum uptake capacity of tolerant bacterial isolates - BPb12 and BPb16, BCd5 and BCr14 were observed to be ~ 45 mg/g for Pb, 2.12 mg/g for Cd and 3.29 mg/g for Cr, respectively. This indicated the potential of these identified fungi and bacteria as biosorbent for removal of high concentration metals from wastewater and industrial effluents