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This article provides a numerical evaluation of a photonic crystal fiber (PCF)-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor for detecting different glucose levels in urine and blood. The biosensor is based on PCF and uses SPR. The evaluation is carried out using a simulation tool that employs the finite element method (FEM). The suggested sensor has exceptional performance characteristics and can detect analyte samples externally. The sensor is made from a fundamental square arrangement of PCF, which is then coated with a thin layer of gold. Six distinct glucose levels in urine and three distinct glucose levels in blood can be detected by the proposed sensor. It exhibits the maximum level of sensitivity to wavelength, with a value of 10909 nm/RIU specifically for detecting glucose concentration 20 gm/dL in urine, and 20000 nm/RIU for detecting glucose level of 342 mg/dL in blood. Other significant features of the suggested PCF biosensor include the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), detection limit (DL), sensor length (SL), Quality Factor, and detection accuracy (DA), which are also calculated and presented.

The corrosion of metals is enhanced by the presence of microbes on the surface; however, the mechanisms governing this impact are poorly understood. This study used a molecular modeling approach to understand microbial activity on a metal surface. As microbes can remove protons from the biofilm or consume electrons from the iron surface, this electron transfer activity is modeled in density functional theory as an external electric field. Three corrosion-causing components, (i) sulfur, (ii) hydrogen, and (iii) SO4, are studied over iron surfaces. It is observed that the adsorption energy of SO4, sulfur, and hydrogen on Fe (100), Fe (110), and Fe (310) surfaces increased with the applied electric field, irrespective of the direction (positive/negative) of the electric field. The Fe (110) surface is more stable than the Fe (100) and Fe (310) surfaces for the adsorption of sulfur and SO4, even at higher electric fields and concentrations of the components. This confirms the common understanding that Fe (110) is a higher corrosion resistive compared to Fe (100) and Fe (310). Further investigation is performed using population analysis, electronic density of states, and density difference. This analysis confirms Fe (110) microbial corrosion resistance characteristics.

We describe the creation of an affective film dataset for researchers interested in studying a spectrum of emotional experiences. We followed a two stage process. In the first stage, two hundred twenty-two audio-visual clips with 60-s long duration were rated in the lab by 407 participants. Based on the selection criteria, 69 audio-visual clips were selected for the second stage. These selected affective clips are then presented to 271 participants. Participants rated these clips on rating scales and categorized them into emotion categories. We clustered these emotional ratings into six categories, calculated the probability of eliciting emotion categories for each stimulus and compared the probability results with datasets created with the Western population. Given that part of the dataset consisting of videos from the west have been rated earlier, we compared ratings by Indian and Western participants on that subset. Even with some differences in methodology and analyses, we did not observe significant differences in ratings of different scales. Interestingly, the ratings to Indian stimuli by Indian participants tended to be significantly higher in arousal, dominance and familiarity than the ratings to western stimuli by Indian participants. The dataset we have created comprises film clips based on Indian and western content, making it flexible for use in Indian or western cultures.

The development of high wear/erosion resistance materials for defense application is found to be a challenging task among the researchers. The current study investigated the reinforcement effect of TiC and Rice husk ash (RHA) on Al6061 hybrid composites made using a two-step ultrasonic-assisted stir casting process. Four distinct Al6061 hybrid composites were created with varying TiC weight percentages (3, 6, 9, and 12 wt.%). RHA weight percentage was kept constant at 3%. The solid particle erosion test was carried out on each composite using a Taguchi L27 (33) orthogonal array. Experiments were conducted by varying the erodent particle impact angle, erodent velocity, and erodent discharge rate. The effect of each parameter on the erosion rate of the TiC/RHA Al6061 composite was discussed. The composite containing 12% TiC and 3% RHA showed improved erosion resistance. It was found that on increasing the TiC addition in the composite resulted in an increase in erosion resistance. SEM images were used to examine the surface failure on the composites caused by erodent impact.

This study attempts to investigate the relationship between inflation, call money rate, output gap, capital flows, seigniorage, fiscal deficit and supply shock in India after the reforms in the framework of Lucas' theory of price. In this study, CPI is used to represent inflation in India. CMR is used as a proxy for monetary policy instrument. Output gap and amount of rainfall are used to capture demand side and supply side factors. Capital flows represents external sector. The result suggests that ARDL bounds test confirms a long run relationship between inflation and its determining variables. Threshold co-integration tests such as Gregory-Hansen and Hatemi-J (2008) confirmed co-integration among the variables incorporating one and two structural breaks, respectively. The result indicated that monetary factors along with fiscal factors are responsible for inflationary situation in the country.

Structured packings in reactors and separation processes have an extensive trait for process intensification such as enhancement in mass and heat transport without having any substantial pressure drop and can now successfully be produced by using additive manufacturing methods such as 3D printing. Structured packings manufactured with triply periodical minimum surfaces (TPMS) have good mixing properties and enhanced thermal transport, but they do not have high surface areas. In this work, we report a new type of hybrid TPMS structure with high surface area while keeping good mixing properties. The new shapes are made by generating solids on the boundaries of a 2D tessellation of polygons over the TPMS surface. The new shapes have a higher surface area than a TPMS and at the same time, a higher porosity. We have evaluated the pressure drop and heat transfer properties of such structures for Reynolds numbers 1–200 in 10 different solids. The results indicate that pressure drop is dominated by porosity. Heat transfer properties however depend also on available surface area and thus are improved in the porous structures.

•DP-STC has been proposed with single V-shaped staggered baffles (SVSSBs) type turbulator.•DP-STC roughened with SVSSBs achieves maximum thermal efficiency 75.2% at optimal parameters.•DP-STC has the highest thermohydraulic performance parameter value of 3.67.•The Nusselt number (NuBP) and friction factor (fBP)correlations developedby regression analysis of experimental data.

Batteries are considered the heart of an electric vehicle and they need proper maintenance and monitoring. Batteries while operating at a higher discharge rate elevate the battery module temperature drastically. The high temperature may destroy battery life and cycle. Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) plays a vital role in sustaining the battery at optimum temperature (25 °C to 40 °C). In this present work, liquid-based thermal management is adopted to extract heat from battery modules. The main novelty of this work is to reduce the weight density of the battery module by using aluminum for cooling channel fins. Aluminum is less dense (2.7 g/cm3) compared to copper (8.96 g/cm3), so the overall weight of the system is decreased to around 60 %. The additional advantage is that aluminum channels increase the thermal conductivity of about 239 W/m.K at 20 °C. Computational studies are conducted by varying the following parameters such as the flow rate of the coolant by 3 m/s, 4 m/s, and 5 m/s. To increase the cell contact area with the channel the height of the channel is increased to 80 %. Ethylene glycol and water are used as a base coolant and the results obtained are compared and analyzed. Numerical Simulation studies using ANSYS Fluent convey that a flow rate of 3 m/s shows good cooling performance. In the case of coolant, Ethylene glycol shows better cooling performance when compared with water. Further experimental testing is carried out for the above-considered parameters by fabricating the overall coolant flow channel and cell arrangements to verify the numerical result.

In global efforts to reduce carbon emissions from conventional IC-engine-powered vehicles, several countries have taken steps to adopt electric vehicles (EVs) as alternate transport options. Lithium-ion batteries are widely used as power sources and a battery thermal management system (BTMS) is needed to ensure that the battery operates within the optimal operating temperature. In this study, the battery module is designed to have a single inlet and outlet as well as provisions for supplying and removing coolants on the same side. This facilitates easier placement of systems considering the constraints of electric vehicles. The hybrid cooling system is proposed utilizing the effectiveness of the phase change material in addition to the active mode of liquid cooling for twenty-five 18650 Li-ion batteries arranged in 5S5P pack configuration with a resultant target capacity of 12500 mAh and 18 V. The hybrid battery cooling systems are designed in three configurations based on the number of water-circulating pipes embedded in a phase change material (PCM) container: 4V3H, 6V5H, and 8V7H where V and H represent vertical and horizontal pipes. Detailed procedures have been included for the structural design and realization of the hybrid cooling system. With the proposed hybrid cooling systems, the maximum battery pack temperature could be restricted below 43 °C when the battery packs were subjected to 4C discharge conditions at an ambient temperature of 35 °C for a 4C3H system. The maximum temperature non-uniformity was found less than 0.86 °C. A battery pack operating at a higher ambient temperature of 40 °C, the effective use of PCM and water circulating tubes keeps the maximum battery temperature below 45 °C and maximum temperature non-uniformity below 0.75 °C.

Oxazine analog is a vital class of heterocyclic compounds and has attracted synthetic interestowing to their wide range of biological activities. Oxazine analogs are valuable in medicinalorganic chemistry and exhibit different varieties of biological activities such as antimicrobial, anticancer,antimalarial, antitubercular, sedative, anticonvulsant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic,etc. Oxazine can be derived from benzene by appropriate substitution of carbon atoms of the ringby nitrogen and oxygen atoms. Nowadays, the development of drug resistance is a key problem, andto defeat this problem, it is crucial to synthesize novel compounds. So, novel oxazine analogs mayplay a crucial role to overcome these problems. Oxazine analogs are prepared by reaction of chalconederivatives with thiourea in the presence of alcohol and sodium hydroxide. The present aims ofthis review are to give an outline of some different synthetic methods and different types of biologicalactivities of oxazine analogs. We hope that this review will be motivating for researchers concernedwith oxazine analogs.

Background: The ethnopharmacological relevance suggests that the ethnic minorities of India use leaves of Cissampelos pareira L. as a traditional medicine for curing various psychopharmacological disorders. Objective: To evaluate anti-depressant, anxiolytic, and muscle relaxant activity of hydro-alcoholic extract of Cissampelos pareira. Methods: Leaves of Cissampelos pareira were extracted using a hydro-alcoholic solvent. The safety of hydro-alcoholic extract of Cissampelos pareira was assessed by acute oral toxicity (OECD 423). The anti-depressant activity was measured using open field test, locomotor test, despair swim test, tail suspension test. The anxiolytic activity was assessed using elevated plus maze and hole board test, and skeletal muscle relaxant activity was assessed using rotarod, grip strength, chimney, and inclined plane test. Results: No moribund status or mortality was observed in experimental mice up to 2000 mg/kg dose of Cissampelos pareira hydro-alcoholic extract (CPHE). In the open field and actophotometer tests, CPHE 200 and 400 mg/kg treated mice significantly abridged ambulation, number of central squares crossed, total locomotion, and depicted less coordinated movements, and in despair swim and tail suspension tests, CPHE 400 mg/kg treated mice significantly decreased duration of immobility and increased number of climbing, confirming its anti-depressant effect. In an elevated plus-maze test, CPHE 200 and 400 mg/kg increased the open arm exploration, while in the hole board test, CPHE 400 mg/kg treated rats augmented the number of head dips, depicting its anxiolytic effect. In rotarod, grip strength, and inclined plane test, CPHE 400 mg/kg treated mice decreased the fall-off time on a rotating rod, suspended wire, or inclined plane. Furthermore, in the chimney test, treatment with CPHE 400 depicted less coordinated movements in mice; the mice of this group took more time to leave the cylinder, depicting its skeletal muscle relaxant effect. Conclusion: Based on the results, of this study, it can be concluded that CPHE 400 mg/kg exhibits strong anti-depressant, anxiolytic, and muscle relaxant effects, justifying its traditional uses.

Producing software of high quality is challenging in view of the large volume, size, and complexity of the developed software. Checking the software for faults in the early phases helps to bring down testing resources. This empirical study explores the performance of different machine learning model, fuzzy logic algorithms against the problem of predicting software fault proneness. The work experiments on the public domain KC1 NASA data set. Performance of different methods of fault prediction is evaluated using parameters such as receiver characteristics (ROC) analysis and RMS (root mean squared), etc. Comparison is made among different algorithms/models using such results which are presented in this paper.

The guarded hot plate method is widely used to measure the thermal conductivity and thermal resistance of materials having low thermal conductivity. An experimental set-up was designed and fabricated in-house to measure these properties. The set-up was built in accordance with ASTM D5470 standards. A novel insulating material waste tire rubber/polypropylene has been developed from the solid blend of waste tire rubber powder (425–300 µm) mixed with virgin polypropylene granules in a 2.5:1 ratio. The thermal conductivity of the newly developed insulating material in cylindrical solid form has been estimated. Further, thermal conductivity of a conducting material i.e., H-13 tool steel has been found out by using the present experimental set-up. In addition, the thermal contact conductance of a well-known thermal paste i.e., silicon grease has also been estimated for a range of temperatures and pressure using the present set-up. In the present study, the procedure for measuring thermal conductivity has been demonstrated along with the strengths and weaknesses of the experimental set-up and the suitability of the method for different materials. The experimental results reveal that the test method is equally suitable for the analysis of thermal interface material, and for measuring the thermal conductivity of solid specimens giving reliable results.

This study proposes using date palm biomass to remove emerging industrial contaminants, such as 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) from water, promoting sustainable waste utilization and a more cost-effective technology. To investigate the potential of using raw date palm fiber and Triethylamine-modified date palm fibers (RDPF and TEA–MDPF) for 2,4,6-TCP removal in batch adsorption experiments. The residual concentration of 2,4,6-TCP in the effluents was examined using UV-visible spectroscopy. The structural and chemical composition of the raw and modified biomass materials was determined using various techniques, including BET, FTIR, Elemental analyzer (CHN), Particle size analysis, FESEM-EDX, and TGA analysis. The optimal pH for the highest 2,4,6-TCP uptake capacity in batch equilibrium adsorption studies was found to be 2.0 for RDPF and 6.0 for TEA-MDPF biomass. The sorption kinetics of 2,4,6-TCP onto both adsorbents was excellent, designated by the pseudo-second-order (R2= 0.93–0.99) and Elovich models (R2= 0.86–0.97). This indicates that adsorption was regulated by chemisorption. The results of the experiment exhibited a good correlation (R2) between the PSO and the maximum (qm) uptake capacities of the Langmuir isotherm model for the remediation of 2,4,6-TCP from aqueous media, which was 115.50mg/g and 191.75mg/g for RDPF and TEA-MDPF, respectively. TEA-MDPF biomass exhibits superior adsorption capacity compared to RDPF, making it a promising candidate for the remediation of 2,4,6-TCP from aqueous contaminated wastewater.

Adsorption isotherm relates the gas storage capacity as a function of pressure at constant temperature. In this paper, adsorption isotherm of two dry borehole samples was constructed in the laboratory using the manometric method. Isotherm was measured for two gases, i.e., CH4and CO2to pressure up to 8.4 MPa. Before the construction of sorption isotherm, coal was characterized by proximate, ultimate and petrographic analysis. Coalbed gas content of these two samples was found 2.29 m3/t and 2.75 m3/t. SEM images were obtained for the pore size distribution of coal using pore image analysis. Prediction of coalbed methane recovery from CH4adsorption isotherm showed that these coalbeds are under saturated. CO2isotherm was constructed to estimate enhanced coalbed methane (ECBM) recovery. Volume wise CO2/CH4sorption ratio was found 2.09 times to 2.75 times respectively. This paper presents the interpretation of isotherm data to find the recovery factor of methane production from Jharia coalfield.

Engineering nonstoichiometric metal ions in the binary metal oxides is gaining importance in electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices. Zinc cobaltite (ZnCo2O4), a p-type spinel structure, has been stringently applied in these fields. In this work, the chemometric ratios of metal ions (Zn and Co) are varied, and the impact of this nonstoichiometry on the electronic structure-modified ZnCo2O4and its effect on the electrochemical properties are studied in detail. The experiment uses the microwave-assisted hydrothermal method to vary the metal precursor to get the desired nonstoichiometry between Zn and Co in the ZnCo2O4binary metal oxides. A set of four different samples is prepared by varying the Zn–Co precursor stoichiometric concentrations as 0.5–4, 1.0–4, 1.5–4, and 2.0–4, respectively. These four ZCO samples are first confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, followed by refining the structures to determine the nonstoichiometries of the elements and supported by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Density functional theory is applied to determine the electronic structure of ZnCo2O4with fully stoichiometric (bulk or no vacancy), three different, single-atom (Zn–, O−)- and dual atom (Zn– and O−)-deficient ZnCo2O4and compared. Among four samples, ZCO-1.5–4 and ZCO-2.0–4 are constructed in a hybrid supercapacitor device for practical application. The optimum ZCO-1.5–4 with Zn- and O-deficiency electrodes has shown better specific capacity (312.5 C g–1at 1 A g–1), energy density (49.4 W h kg–1), and power density (10.168 kW kg–1) than other electrodes. Therefore, the work will provide a database for constructing various chemometric ratios of binary metal oxides for achieving optimized nonstoichiometry for the enhanced electrochemical performance of the practical device.

The primary focus of this study is to examine the long-term and short-term impact of fiscal deficit (FD) on the current account deficit (CAD) in India over the period of 1980 to 2021 in the presence of inflation and exchange rate. For the estimation of data series, the study employed autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) co-integration test and Gregory Hansen (GH) co-integration test with endogenous structural break. The empirical results from ARDL bounds tests fail to provide a long-run relationship for the variables. The threshold co-integration test (GH) estimation suggests a strong evidence of a co-integration relationship for the variables and the break year is found in 2005. Thus, the findings validate the twin deficit hypothesis in the long-run as the FD has a positive significant effect on a CAD in India. Similarly, the long-run estimates of inflation have a positive significant effect on the CAD. It implies that an increase in rate of inflation distorts the CAD in the long-run. Consequently, the government of India should control the price hike and make macroeconomic situations favourable for domestic tradable sectors. The results from the Granger causality technique show bidirectional causality between FD and CAD implies the twin deficit in India. Based on the empirical findings, it may be argued that the Central Bank of India should try to reduce the prolonged CADs and retain stability in the domestic currency.

Resistance to wheat spike blast (WSB), caused by the Magnaporthe oryzae triticumpathotype (MoT), has relied upon a single major source: the 2NvS translocation introgressed from the wild relative Aegilops ventricosaTausch. However, this resistance is partial and recently partially overcome by newer MoT races. To characterize potential novel loci conferring resistance to WSB, we conducted a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) using a diverse panel of 384 wheat genotypes phenotyped under three controlled‐environment conditions using MoT isolates T‐25 (301 genotypes), B‐71 (87 genotypes), and 008 (49 genotypes). Genotyping‐by‐sequencing identified 13,175 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) after filtering. Principal components analysis (PCA) identified two clusters based on the presence or absence of the 2NvS translocation, and the first three PCAs explained 13% of the genetic variation. Three individual analyses were performed (full [all genotypes combined], 2NvS genotypes only, and non‐2NvS genotypes only) using a linear mixed model and a threshold of significance of false discovery rate at 5%. Association analysis detected 25 significant SNPs for the full GWAS with isolate T‐25, in which 21 were mapped on chromosome 2A in the same physical position as the 2NvS translocation. Highly significant linkage disequilibrium among these SNPs suggested they might tag the same quantitative trait locus (QTL). No significant associations were identified with isolates B‐71 and 008, likely due to the small sample size. A QTL pyramiding analysis showed that the combination of multiple QTL was not statistically different from the individual effect of the 2A QTL. Further validation of these genomic regions can aid breeding for broad spectrum and durable WSB resistance.

AbstractTwo series of 6-phenyl-4,5-dihydropyridazinone derivatives containing 2-substituted amin-1-yl-methyl (4a-g) and 2-substituted amin-1-yl-ethyl (5a-g) were synthesized and tested as antitubercular and anticonvulsant agents. and in vivoanticonvulsant activities were tested against maximum electroshock (MES) and Isoniazid (INH) induced convulsion methods in male Swiss albino mice. All the compounds (4a- g& 5a-g) were exhibited significant anticonvulsant activities against both MES and INH induced convulsions and compared with phenytoin sodium (25 mg/kg) and sodium vaproate (50 mg/kg) as reference drugs. The compounds (4a-gand 5a-g) were also exhibited anti-tubercular activity, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of compound 4a(3.12 μg/ml), 4g(6.25 μg/ml) and 4e(0. 2 μg/ml) which were found higher or equal MIC value than reference drugs streptomycin (6.25 μg/ml), pyrizinamide (3.125 μg/ml) and Isoniazid (3.125μg/ml). Other remaining compounds were also exhibited less antitubercular activity than reference drugs. All the compounds (4a-g& 5a-g) were exhibited significant anticonvulsant activities against both MES and INH induced convulsions and also exhibited significant antitubercular activity.

Sixty coal samples from different Indian coal fields were collected and characterised to analyse the gas content, petrography and composition. The gas content of coal samples was directly determined using a canister desorption test and statistically correlated with various parameters using regression analyses. The newly developed correlations are based on Langmuir, Ryan, and Kim correlations and modified to fit the data best. The gas content was observed to be a strong function of the proximate parameters i.e. fixed carbon, volatile matter, moisture content, and ash content as resulted from regression analyses. Vitrinite reflectance was also found to affect the gas content of the coal seams. To check the significance of calculated results, a paired-samples t-tests have been performed for 42 coal samples. Results confirmed the validity of the New Langmuir and New Ryan correlations with good confidence, i.e., t = –2.1, p < .05. [Received: April 26, 2018; Accepted: December 24, 2018]

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the stability of demand for money in India using ARDL cointegration framework. The study of stability of money demand plays an important role in deciding the appropriate instruments of monetary policy. The present study examines the demand for money by using annual data over the period 1991-2015. The ARDL model bound test procedure has confirmed that a stable, long relationship exists between M1 and its determinants such as income, interest rates, exchange rates and inflation. Through results we conclude that income elasticity coefficient is positive and significant while the coefficient of inflation and interest rate is negative. Based on the Bahmoni-Oskooee and Pourhedrian (1990) argument, exchange rates negatively affect the demand for money. This study also examines the cointegration in the presence of structural break by using Gregory-Hansen single structural break approach. The study does not find any cointegration in presence of single structural break. Our result also reveals that M1 is stable between the sample period when we incorporated the CUSUM and CUSUMSQ tests.

Herbicide resistance in crops has extended the scope of herbicide applications to control weeds. The introduction of herbicide resistant crops resulted in a major shift in the way that herbicides are used in many crops, but not necessarily increased the prevalence of herbicide use, especially in wheat. Wheat is one of the most widely grown crops in the world and currently only two major herbicide-resistant wheat groups have been commercialized to manage weeds in a cost-effective manner. However, sustainable wheat production is threatened by the expanding occurrence of herbicide-resistant weed populations with limited efforts to discover new herbicide molecules. Selective control of certain problematic weeds in wheat was impossible until development and introduction of the technologies, Clearfield and CoAXium Production Systems. However, the current limitations of reliance on specific herbicides and evolution of resistant weeds mandate precautions and considerations when using these systems to prevent the loss of existing herbicide resources and continue sustainable wheat production. The focus of this review is to provide an overview of natural pre-existing herbicide resistance and development of herbicide-resistant technologies in wheat. The mechanisms of resistance to herbicides in wheat as well as the weed populations in wheat cropping systems, and implications for weed management are discussed.

Biodiesel is a promising energy substitute of fossil fuels since it is produced from renewable and biodegradable sources. In the present work, reactive distillation (RD) process is designed and simulated using Aspen Plus process simulator to produce biodiesel of high purity through esterification reaction. The simultaneous reaction and separation in same unit enhances the biodiesel yield and composition in RD process. Two flowsheets are proposed in present work. In the first flowsheet, the unreacted methanol is recycled back to reactive distillation column. Biodiesel with 99.5 mol% purity is obtained in product stream while the byproduct stream comprises 95.2 mol% water, which has to be treated further. In the second flowsheet, a part of methanol recycle is split and purged. In this case, the biodiesel composition in product stream is 99.7 mol% whereas water composition is 99.9 mol% in byproduct stream, which can be reused for other process without treatment.

Levosimendan is a pyridazinone-dinitrile derivative, emerged as a potent cardiotonic agent with dual inotropic and vasodilator activities in higher animals. This is a calcium (Ca2+) sensitizing cardiotonic agent, which has been shown to exert positive inotropic effects without increasing intracellular Ca2+ transient. This avoids Ca2+ overload that leads to arrhythmias and myocyte injuries, and do not increase the energy consumption for handling Ca2+ and has shown good activity against congestive heart failure (CHF), due to its increased myocardial contractility by stabilizing the calcium bound conformation of troponin C. Levosimendan also acts as a pulmonary and systemic vasodilator. The combination of positive inotropic and vasodilator activity has been beneficial in increasing cardiac output and decreasing left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, pulmonary wedge pressure, right atrial pressure, and systemic vascular resistance in CHF patients. The cardiac target protein of levosimendan and troponin C, is Ca2+-binding protein. This raises the possibility that levosimendan may interact with smooth muscle proteins, such as, calmodulin, and regulatory myosin light chains. Levosimendan relaxes coronary arteries and lowers Ca2+. The lowering of Ca2+ by levosimendan is consistent with opening of K+ channels and causes relaxation that is independent of Ca2+. However, most of the Ca2+ sensitizers may impair cardiac diastolic function as a result of increased Ca2+ sensitivity of the myofilaments. Levosimendan has not only improved the cardiac systolic function but also the diastolic relaxation in CHF.

Nitrogen atom containing heterocycles showed diverse biological properties are important structural feature of many physiologically active compounds. Pyridazines and phthalazines hold considerable interest relative to the preparation of physiologically active compounds. The pyridazine compounds also show antifeeedant, insecticidal, herbicidal, molluscicidal, plant growth regulatory and other agrochemical activities. The various pyridazine drugs are selective PDE-III inhibitors possessed positive inotropic effect combined with vasodilation. These agents are effective in different cardiovascular diseases like acute and chronic heart failure, myocardial infarction, angina, arrhythmia, and hypertension. Pyridazines and phthalazines further focus our attention because of their easy functionalization at various ring positions, which makes them attractive synthetic compounds for designing and development of the novel pyridazines and phthalazines drugs in future. Various substituted pyridazine derivatives were also reported to show antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. We considered some compounds bearing pyridazine in their molecular framework.

In the present study, role of various physicochemical parameters influencing the production of antimicrobial pigment prodigiosin from Serratia nematodiphilaRL2 was determined and optimized. The pigment-producing strain was isolated and based on molecular characterization (16S rRNA sequencing), was identified as S. nematodiphilaRL2. The pigment produced by S. nematodiphilaRL2 was characterized by thin layer chromatography (Rf0.94), spectrophotometrically (λmax535 nm) and identified as prodigiosin. Optimization of production parameters of prodigiosin revealed, nutrient broth medium supplemented with lactose and yeast extract at 1% concentration each, have a positive effect on the bacterial growth (10.25–4.6 mg/ml DCW) as well as pigment production (0.46–0.6 mg/ml). Prodigiosin production (0.64 mg/ml) increases optimally after 46–48 h of incubation, at 35 °C at pH between 6 and 7 with addition of metal ions such as Uranyl acetate. An increase of 65% in prodigiosin production (0.46–0.76 mg/ml) was observed after optimizing the various production parameters than unoptimized conditions. Antimicrobial activity of the prodigiosin was also evaluated and found to be effective antimicrobial agent against bacterial pathogens including Listeriasp., Pseudomonassp., Yersiniasp. and Shigellasp. Present study indicate that S. nematodiphilaRL2 is a potent source of pigment prodigiosin which can be further explored for production of prodigiosin.

The use of hollow catalytic support improves the utilization of the catalytic material because of the absence of the pellet core, and moreover ensures low reactor pressure drop owing to enhanced bed voidage. In this study, the expressions for the efficient computation of the effectiveness factor are derived for a ring-shaped catalyst pellet undergoing first-order irreversible reaction. The methodology consists of using solutions of one-dimensional problems to remove non-homogeneous boundary conditions. The expressions obtained exhibit significantly faster convergence behavior than those reported in literature. The shape parameters, namely, the height-to-diameter ratio and the inner-to-outer radii ratio, significantly affect the catalyst utilization, such that several-fold improvement in the effectiveness factor is achievable.

In order to improve the encapsulation process, a newly supercritical antisolvent process was developed to encapsulate fish oil using hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose as a polymer. Three factors, namely, temperature, pressure, and feed emulsion rate were optimized using response surface methodology. The suitability of the model for predicting the optimum response value was evaluated at the conditions of temperature at 60°C, pressure at 150 bar, and feed rate at 1.36 mL/min. At the optimum conditions, particle size of 58.35 μm was obtained. The surface morphology of the micronized fish oil was also evaluated using field emission scanning electron microscopy where it showed that particles formed spherical structures with no internal voids. Moreover, in vitrorelease of oil showed that there are significant differences of release percentage of oil between the formulations and the results proved that there was a significant decrease in the in vitrorelease of oil from the powder when the polymer concentration was high.

Experimental and theoretical analyses with empirical correlations were framed for diffusion of gas species CH4and CO2in coal samples from Jharia coal fields, India, considering the intrinsic pore parameters. Coefficient of diffusion (D) and diffusivity (Deff) for a single and binary component coal–gas system were estimated by adopting unipore gas kinetic models for gas flow on the integration of Fick’s law and Langmuir relation. The rigorous study was carried out in estimating crossover pressure, which is dominant in distinguishing the flow regime for two primary types of diffusion: Knudsen and molecular as well as the transition between two regimes. Investigation reveals that experimental values of coefficients of diffusion of CH4and CO2in random homogeneous isotropic sphere packing of coal samples are in good agreement with the results of theoretical calculations. For the pressure range investigated, variation of coefficient of diffusion was found to follow a dual nature with a stable trend at pressures above 3500 kPa and an increasing trend for lower pressures. The practical implication of the investigation for the pressures that are characteristically encountered in the Jharia coalfields is a positive finding for the concomitant recovery of coalbed methane with CO2sequestration. Additionally, the dynamic relation between sorption–diffusion reveals that the coefficient of diffusion significantly depends on the pore structure and pore size distribution, exhibiting a negative relationship with pressure variation.

The cost-effectiveness of reactive distillation (RD) processes makes them highly attractive for industrial applications. However, their preliminary design and subsequent scale-up and operation are challenging. Specifically, the response of RD system during fluctuations in process parameters is of paramount importance to ensure the stability of the whole process. As a result of carrying out simulations using Aspen Plus, it is shown that the RD process for isoamyl acetate production was much more economical than conventional reactor distillation configuration under optimized process conditions due to lower utilities consumption, higher conversion and smaller sizes of condenser and reboiler. Rigorous dynamic modeling of RD system was performed to evaluate its sensitivity to disturbances in critical process parameters; the product flow was quite sensitive to disturbances. Even more sensitive was product composition when the disturbance in heat duties of condenser or reboiler led to a temperature decrease. However, positive disturbance in alcohol feed is of particular concern, which clearly made the system unstable.

The increasing use of pharmaceuticals is causing serious environmental pollution because of their improper disposal, leading to water contamination. Of particular concern are benzodiazepines (BDZs) given their low removal efficiencies by conventional treatment processes. This concern warrants the development of alternative or complementary treatment technologies with high removal efficiencies. Toward this end, we have developed a facile one-step hydrothermal method to synthesize a nanohybrid of manganese sulfide (MnS2) and reduced graphene oxide for the efficient adsorptive removal of the most commonly detected BDZ, that is, alprazolam (ALP). The as-prepared samples were thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Removal of ALP from aqueous solutions was investigated at different temperatures, pH values, and adsorbent dosages. Both high pH and temperature favored ALP removal. The experimental equilibrium data could be accurately described by the Langmuir isotherm model, whereas the adsorption kinetic data were well-represented by the pseudo-second-order model. Relevant thermodynamic parameters, such as Gibbs free energy (∆G°), enthalpy change (∆H°), and entropy change (∆S°), were also calculated from the experimental equilibrium data. The positive value of ∆H° and the negative value of ∆G° indicated the endothermic and spontaneous nature of ALP adsorption by the synthesized adsorbent. Multiple adsorption–desorption cycles indicated that the present adsorbent can be efficiently regenerated several times without significant degradation in its performance.

Cutinases are hydrolytic enzymes which catalyzes esterification and trans-esterification reactions that make them highly potential industrial biocatalyst. In the present investigation microorganisms showing cutinase activity were isolated from plant samples. The strain showing maximum cutinase activity was identified by 18S rDNA sequencing as Aspergillussp. RL2Ct and was selected for further studies. To achieve maximum enzyme production, the medium components affecting cutinase production were screened by Plackett–Burman followed by central composite design. The results obtained suggested that cutin, temperature and CaCl2have influenced the cutinase production significantly with very high confidence levels. Cutinase production was maximum (663 U/mg protein) when using cutin prepared from orange peel as sole source of carbon. An overall 4.33-fold increase in the production of cutinase was observed after optimization of culture conditions (including 2.5-fold increase using RSM) during 24 h of incubation. The production time of Aspergillussp. RL2Ct cutinase is significantly lower than the most of the earlier reported cutinase-producing fungus.

Money demand stability attracts the attention of policy makers while deciding the right policy instrument for the monetary policy. The present study estimates the money demand function by using a time spam of 1980-2014 for the GCC countries. For this purpose, it uses the ARDL cointegration technique to find long-run relationships. The cointegration test has confirmed the long-run relationships in money demand functions for all GCC countries. In the long-run analysis, a positive income elasticity of money demand has been found in all GCC countries. Negative and significant semi-interest rate elasticity has been found in UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. Positive and significant exchange rate elasticity has been found in UAE and KSA and it has found negative in Qatar and Kuwait. Positive and significant inflation rate elasticity has been found in Kuwait and Bahrain and it has found negative in UAE, Oman and KSA. Short-run analysis also reveals some significant elasticities. Further, money demand function proofs stable in KSA and Oman and it remains unstable for the rest of GCC countries.

Two series of 6-(4-Cl-Phenyl)-4-arylidene-4,5-dihydropyridazin-3(2H)-one (3a-e) and 6- (4-CH3-Phenyl)-4-arylidene-4,5-dihydropyridazin-3(2H)-one derivatives (3f-j) were synthesized and evaluated as antitubercular agents against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain by using Microplate Alamar Blue Assay (MABA) method. These compounds (3a-e & 3f-j) were synthesized from 6-(4-Cl-Phenyl)-4,5-dihydropyridazin-3(2H)-one (2a) and 6-(4-CH3-Phenyl)-4,5-dihydropyridazin- 3(2H)-one (2b) compounds by reacting with appropriate aldehydes respectively. All title compounds (3a-e & 3f-j) were characterized on the basis of IR, 1HNMR, mass spectral and elemental analysis data. All title compounds (3a-e & 3f-j) were used at 0.2µg/mL to 100µg/mL dose levels for antitubercular activity. Result showed that all the title compounds (3a-e & 3f-j) exhibited less antitubercular activity as compared to the reference drugs streptomycin (MIC value of 6.25µg/mL) and pyrizinamide (MIC value of 3.125µg/mL), except compound 3e, which was equally effective as streptomycin but less effective than pyrazinamide.

Pyridazinone derivatives and their related analoges were introduced for gastric antiulcer and antisecretory activities. Selected compounds were applied to ulcer models and showed their antiulcer and anti secretary activities. Some pyridazinone compounds are recently reported as H3R antagonists. Some amine analogs of pyridazinones, pyridazinone- phenethylamines and 4,5-fused pyridazinones showed histamine H3R antagonist activity with significant affinity for rat and human H3R. These pyridazinone analogs also showed excellent selectivity and metabolic stability, with adequate pharmacokinetics.

Some 6-Phenyl/Biphenyl-4-yl-2-[2-(pyridin-2-ylamino)-ethyl]/-2-(2N-subtituted amin-1-yl)-ethyl-4,5- dihydropyridazin-3(2H)-one (4a-h) were synthesized by reacting 6-phenyl/biphenyl-4,5-dihydropyridazin-3(2H)-one with bromoethyl derivatives of cyclic secondary amines and 2-aminopyridine. All the compounds, 4a-h, were evaluated as anticonvulsant by using maximum electro shock (MES) and isoniazid (INH) induced convulsion methods at 50mg/kg dose level, and as antitubercular by Microplate Almar Blue Assay (MABA) method. In anticonvulsant activity, phenytoin (25mg/kg) and sodium vaproate (50mg/kg) were used as reference drugs. All compounds (4a-h) showed significant anticonvulsant activities against both MES and INH methods, and compound g showed highest activity against MES method. In antitubercular activity, compounds 4c-4h showed 25 &microg/ml MIC value, and compounds 4a-4b exhibited 50 µg/ml MIC value when compared with reference drugs [isoniazid (3.125 µg/ml), pyrizinamide (3.125micro;g/ml)] and (streptomycin 6.25µg/ml) MIC values, and found less potent than the reference drugs.

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The pyridazine moiety is an important and frequent antifeeedant, insecticidal, herbicidal, molluscicidal, plant growth regulatory activity and other agrochemical structural feature of many biologically active compounds. Recently, much attention has been focused on pyridazinone derivatives for their broad-spectrum activities. Substituted pyridazine derivatives were also reported to show antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, properties. Promoted by the above observations, the combination of two or more heterocyclic and non-heterocyclic systems enhances the biological profile many-fold than its parent nuclei. We considered some compounds bearing pyridazinone in a molecular framework.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has use in certain parts of the world and has gained increasing interest. People with epilepsy (PWE) take natural products or other forms of CAM mainly to enhance general health, but also to prevent seizures or to alleviate symptoms of co-morbidities or side effects of antiepileptic medications. The well developed medical systems, such as traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Unani and Ayurveda are often the basis for treating PWE. Based on reports of efficacy in PWE, natural products from these traditions are increasingly being studied in animal models of epilepsy and for further clinical development have been identified. It is likely, therefore, that natural products will be further evaluated for safety, tolerability and efficacy in PWE with drug-resistant seizures.

The needs of newly developed antitubercular agents are required for the control of tuberculosis in the present time. In the discovery of new antitubercular drugs, the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has encouraged the researchers to intensify the efforts to discover novel antitubercular drugs. These novel drugs will predominantly target the persistent state of mycobacterium strains, which are resistant to conventional drugs including non resistant mycobacterium strains. In the last three to four decades no new effective drug has been developed for the treatment of resistant tuberculosis. However, in recent years, the research and development programs for the control of TB, there is a lot works is going on to enhancement of the anti- TB activity of new drugs particularly against resistant mycobacterium strains. Simultaneously, practical usefulness of some new targets is being identified and validated for the treatment of TB. Some compounds are presently in clinical trials, while others are being investigated in an attempt to explore new compounds for the target based treatment. The present review provides an overview of the new anti-TB agents with different molecular structures that are being clinically used and advanced stages of preclinical as well as clinical stages and also attempted to highlight the efforts that are being made in the development of new drug molecules as lead anti-TB agents.

Abstract: Tuberculosis is one of most pervasive, respiratory transmitted diseases and has spread to every corner of the globe. According World Health Organization report, as much as one-third of the world’s population is currently infected by tuberculosis. There has been considerable interest in the currently used antimycotubercular compounds to inhibit or prevent mycobacterium species. These mycobacterium species have developed resistant against currently used drugs and produced toxic effect on long duration of therapy. These agents have different structure and almost all compounds having heterocyclic ring having one and more than one heteroatoms. These observations have been guiding for the currently used and newly developed antitubercular agents that possess potent antimicrobial activity and their side effects, activity against multi drug resistance MDR, XDR mycobacterium, and also in patient co-infected with HIV/AIDS.

Wear study of metal matrix composites used as friction material is one of the most important parameter for determining the brake performance. The present investigations relates to the development of Aluminum powder based brake pads; where the back plates are also made of Aluminum based powders respectively. Thus it is aimed to fabricate net-shape Aluminium powder based brake pads in a single forming operation with better characteristics (low wear, low temperature rise, stable coefficient of friction) employing a newly developed technology namely “Hot Powder Preform Forging” technique. Three Aluminum based friction composites which are designated as ALM 01, ALM 02 & ALM 03 were formulated. The dry wear test is carried out using a pin-on-disc tribo-tester at constant sliding speed of 9 ms-1 under a load of 50 N. The counter face disc is made of heat treated grey cast iron. During the test, the cumulative wear (gm), Coefficient of friction, temperature rise (oC) and noise level (dB) were recorded. The effect of load at constant speed on sliding wear, frictional characteristic of aluminum based MMC (rotor / drum) in dry condition is studied. On the basis of initial laboratory tests like density, Hardness, wear test, the samples were qualified for sub-scale dynamometer test at Rejected Take Off condition. Optical microscope was used to investigate the microstructure of metal matrix friction composites surfaces. The results revealed that coefficient of friction was more stable. The Cumulative wear (gm) was low with rise in temperature. It was also observed that distribution of ingredients in matrix was fine and homogeneous.

Abstract: Perilla frutescens seeds are a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The seeds of perilla are small end globular weight about 4 g/1000, contained approximately 35–45% oil. However the leaves are a very poor source of oil, since they contain only 0.2%. In addition, only the seed oil contains the omega 3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). In comparing to other plant oils, perilla seed oil consistently contains the one of the highest proportion of omega-3 (ALA) fatty acids, at 54–64%. The omega-6 (linoleic acid) component is usually around 14% and omega-9 (Oleic acid) is also present in perilla oil. These polyunsaturated fatty acids are most beneficial to human health and in prevention of different diseases like cardiovascular disorders, cancer, inflammatory, rheumatoid arthritis etc.

A detailed experimental characterization of the flow dynamics of a closely sized sample of cylindrical particles is reported here. Issues relevant to the design of reacting and nonreacting fluid‐solid contacting devices, e.g., pressure drop behavior, fluidization behavior and settling behavior, both in Stokes law as well as the intermediate region, were investigated. The common approach of extending correlations meant for predicting the fluid dynamic parameters of spherical particles to nonspherical particles, with the help of the sphericity shape factor, such that particle diameter is the product of the equivalent volume diameter and the sphericity of the nonspherical particle, was examined here. Notwithstanding the simplicity of this approach, caution must be exercised as far as fluid dynamic parameters thus obtained are concerned. Significant error was observed here in all cases. However, improved predictions were obtained using available correlations whose parameters were optimized using a database of nonspherical particles.

In this study, the development of highly flexible polymer nanocomposite sheets using multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) in a poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) matrix has been presented. Solution processing technique was employed, and MWCNTs were dispersed in n-hexane, and PDMS is resulting in a homogenous dispersion (between 2 wt% and 10 wt%). Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) images show the distribution of MWCNTs within PDMS matrix, which form continuous conductive networks resulting in percolation threshold even at 2 wt% filler concentrations. The electrical conductivity of the fabricated nanocomposite sheets was found to be about 1.3–158.2 S/m. Samples with 2 wt% and 4 wt% filler concentrations exhibit excellent temporal stability both in ambient and vacuum conditions, with near-zero temperature coefficient of resistance. The nanocomposite sheets used for mechanical studies were made as per ASTM D-412-C standards. For an optimal filler concentration of 5.58 wt% can be observed with stiffness of 0.486 MPa, the tensile strength of 0.422 MPa, the electrical conductivity of about 39.5 S/m, and elongation up to 120%. Therefore, this filler concentration is most suited for fabricating flexible strain sensors with good conductivity and temporal stability.

The dynamics of a gas‐solid fluidized bed containing Geldart Group D particles mixed with a small proportion of Geldart Group B particles are investigated using pressure fluctuations data. Time series analysis, using a variety of nonlinear dynamics tools, shows that the slugging present with Group D particles can be suppressed by the addition of a small proportion of Group B particles. The power spectra and the auto‐correlation function are used for a preliminary evaluation of dominant slug frequencies. It is shown that the bed fluidized with the mixture of Group D and B particles behaves in a less periodic manner and is dominated by more random bubble motion. On the other hand, the correlation integral is used to analyze the chaotic behaviour of the flow, through evaluation of the fractal structure of the reconstructed attractors. It is shown that the bed fluidized with Group D particles is characterized by a combination of steady slug motion and irregular particles motion. The behaviour of the fluidized bed of Group D/B particles mixture is characterized by a single correlation dimension for a wide range of fluidization velocities.

The present study reports new experimental data on the expansion as well as the layer-inversion behavior of liquid-fluidized beds containing two particle species with almost 10-fold difference in the size and a significant difference in the density. The packing models, which are generally used for predicting the porosity of the packing of particle mixtures, are used here to describe the expansion and the phenomenon of the layer-inversion. Predictions of different averaging models, including the property-averaging model, the serial model, and various packing models, are compared with the present data as well as the layer-inversion data reported in the literature. The overall predictive capability of packing models is found to be superior.