Correlation among QPO frequencies and Quiescence-state Duration in Black Hole Candidate GRS 1915+105

We discover a definite correlation between the frequency of the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO) in quiescence states and the duration of the quiescence state of the transient X-ray source GRS 1915+105. We find that while the QPO frequency can be explained with the oscillation of shocks in accretion flows, the switching of burst to quiescence states (and vice versa) and their duration can be explained by assuming an outflow from the post-shock region. The duration of the quiescence state is inversely related to the QPO-frequency. We derive this relation. We also find the correlation between the observed low ($\sim 0.001-0.01$Hz) and the intermediate (1-10Hz) QPO frequencies. Our analytical solutions are verified by analyzing several days of public-domain data from RXTE.Comment: Latex, 13 pages with 3 figures; Accepted for Publication in Astrophysical Journal Letter

Process intensification of anaerobically digested palm oil mill effluent (AAD-POME) treatment using combined chitosan coagulation, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and Fenton’s oxidation

The present study investigates the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) of anaerobically digested palm oil mill effluent in batch studies through the following 4 strategies: coagulation by chitosan, addition of ferrous sulphate (FeSO4), chitosan with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and chitosan with Fenton oxidation. The parameters tested were chitosan dosage (500–12,500 mg/L), FeSO4 dosage (500–12,500 mg/L), mixing time (15–60 min), sedimentation time (1–4 h) and initial pH (2–9) and H2O2 (500–7500 mg/L). Coagulation only by using chitosan (2500 mg/L) achieved the maximum COD and TSS removal of 70.22 ± 0.23 and 85.59 ± 0.13 %, respectively. An increase in the TSS removal (98.7 ± 0.06 %) but with a reduction in the COD removal (62.61 ± 2.41 %) was observed when FeSO4 (2500 mg/L) was added along with chitosan (2500 mg/L). Alternatively, an improvement in the COD (82.82 ± 1.71 %) and TSS (89.92 ± 0.48 %) removal efficiencies was observed when chitosan was coupled with H2O2 (500 mg/L). Finally, chitosan (2500 mg/L) integrated with Fenton oxidation (FeSO4 of 2500 mg/L and H2O2 of 500 mg/L) resulted in 100 % TSS and 73.08 ± 4.11 % COD removals. Overall chitosan with H2O2 proved to be the most promising alternative for POME treatment compared to chitosan with Fenton oxidation

Overexpression Analysis of emv2 gene coding for Late Embryogenesis Abundant Protein from Vigna radiata (Wilczek)

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are speculated to protect against water stress deficit in plants. An over expression system for mungbean late embryogenesis abundant protein, emv2 was constructed in a pET29a vector, designated pET-emv2 which is responsible for higher expression under the transcriptional/translational control of T7/lac promoter incorporated in the Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3).Induction protocol was optimized for pET recombinants harboring the target gene. Overexpressed EMV2 protein was purified to homogeneity and the protein profile monitored by SDS-PAGE

Tamoxifen-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier as a drug delivery system: characterization, stability assessment and cytotoxicity

Cancer nanotherapeutics is beginning to overwhelm the global research and viewed to be the revolutionary treatment regime in the medical field. This investigation describes the development of a stable nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) system as carrier for Tamoxifen (TAM). The TAM-loaded NLC (TAM-NLC) developed with 200 mg of TAM showed a spherical particle with the size of 46.6 nm, polydispersity index of 0.267, entrapment efficiency of 99.74% and with the zeta potential of -23.78 mV. Besides, the equivalent cytotoxicity of TAM and TAM-NLC to human (MCF-7) and mice (4T1) mammary breast cancer cell lines were observed. Incubating the formulation at the physiological pH resulted into reduced Ostwald ripening rate but without any significant change in the absorptivity. When coupled with the measurements of zeta potential and Ostwald ripening rate, the absorbance assay may be used to predict the long-term stability of drug-loaded nanoparticle formulations. The results of the study also suggest that TAM-NLC is a promising drug delivery system for breast cancer therapy. This is the first encouraging report on the in vitro effect of TAM-NLC against human and mouse mammary adenocarcinoma cell lines

Efficacy of curative applications of submicron chitosan dispersions on anthracnose intensity and vegetative growth of dragon fruit plants

The antifungal potential of submicron chitosan dispersions (SCD) and its effect on the vegetative growth of dragon fruit plants were studied under field conditions. There was a reduction in disease incidence (15.65%) with a severity score of 1.60 in plants treated with SCD of 600 nm droplet size of 1.0% chitosan compared to the control plants. Moreover, a significant increase was also observed among the treatments in terms of number of shoots per cutting, stem diameter and shoot length. However, the highest number of shoots (19), maximum stem diameter (0.23 m) and maximum stem length (2.80 m) were observed in plants treated with SCD of 600 nm droplet size of 1.0% chitosan. Similarly, chlorophyll content were also high in plants receiving SCD of 600 nm droplet size of 1.0% chitosan. Therefore, it can be concluded from the results that, instead of applying chitosan in the conventional form, it can be more effective as an antifungal agent as well as plant growth enhancer when applied in the form of submicron dispersions

Acceptance of technology by parent fraternity as a means of remote learning for children: An empirical study

The main purpose of this empirical study is to understand how acceptance of technology is prevailing among the parent fraternity that helps them to develop a positive attitude towards using technology as a tool to enhance their ward’s learning process. A survey among 6361 parents (Indian origin) of primary school students (Kindergarten and primary level) regarding their perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use regarding technology-assisted learning for their wards to understand how these factors influence their attitude towards technology for learning in the future was carried out through an online questionnaire.  The result showed that the more parents found the Usage of Technology towards the e-learning process of their wards, the higher they tend to adopt the technology by exhibiting a positive Attitude towards Technology while the perception of Ease of Use of Technology also significantly predicted the perception of Attitude towards Technology.  The favourable Attitude towards Technology is more visible among the parents of students who are of lower levels of study as compared to those who are at a slightly higher level of study.  It is found that the parents of the student from the rural area schools possessed positive Attitudes towards Technology as compared to their counterparts in the urban areas. The outcome of this study is of greater relevance to the schools especially in the lower level classes to help students to harness technology from a young age because the parent fraternity is already in favour of such initiative