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The present chapter deals initially with M/ (M+U)/1)2. By allowing one of the two servers to have a continuous uniform service time distribution, we make our model much realistic. We consider various strategies for a smart customer. Finally an interesting generalization of it in the form M/((H2+U) /2)2has been presented, where (H2+U) is a mixture of two distributions, one hyper-gamma and second uniform continuous so that the customer gets faster and better service.

The astonishing metabolic abilities of the microbes should be harnessed to obtain new breakthroughs in evolution of degradation pathways and development of newer strategies for bioremediation and biotransformation process. Trichoderma species are important biological control agents used in plant disease management. Other than biocontrol properties they share a very unique phenomenon of soil bioremediation. In this context, bioremediation of soil cover restoring of soil microbiota is of particular importance. Introduction of microorganisms to soil is one of the most promising current approaches to improving soil production both in agriculture and forestry. The co-culture use of different species/strains of Trichoderma has already been reported in higher and quicker ways of solid waste decomposition than the use of a single species/strain. By virtue of the ability of Trichoderma spp. to decompose organic matter, they are free-living in soil as saprophytes. However, these species also have the capability to live on other fungi, and the ability to colonize plant roots and rhizosphere. In this chapter, the role of different micro-organisms including fungi and bacteria in bioremediation has been discussed. Further, it has been elaborated that how biocontrol agent Trichoderma spp. can be utilized in bioremediation and how it plays significant role in this process of bioremediation.

Objective: Though the adverse effects of pesticides used in agriculture may not immediately be visible in the human population however its long term exposure may cause detrimental effects by biomagnifications and bioaccumulation. Nowadays bioinformatics serves as an in silico tool not only for homology alignment but also for prediction of quaternary structures of biochemicals. The present study was aimed to compare the potential toxicities of triazophos and chlorpyrifos (organophosphates; OPs) and cypermethrin and deltamethrin (pyrethroids) and their interactions with cytochrome P 450 functioning. Methods: The authors performed the BLAST for homology alignment for cytochrome P 450 of human and Zebra fish and further proceeded for docking analysis of all the pesticides with cytochrome P 450. Results: It was noted that 99% of query cover with 32% of homology in the sequences of cytochrome P 450 between human and Zebra fish. Upon docking, the pesticide deltamethrin showed the highest interaction with cytochrome P 450 with highest binding energy and least dissociation constant for Deltamethrin which was found to be 8.233 [kcal/mol] and 922849.687 [pM]. Conclusion: Our preliminary results thus encompass/indicate that the deltamethrin is not only having detrimental effect on enzyme kinetics in general but also such similar effects be apprehended for human also.

The present study was conducted to identify the technological and socio-economic impact of the climate resilient technologies demonstrated at National Innovation for Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) village at Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Total 100 beneficiary farmers were selected through random sampling. To assess the impact, the ex-postfacto research design, where before and after comparisons on different aspects of NICRA project were done. The difference was tested using t-test and found that it was statistically significant. Findings reveal that the average cultivable land area of NICRA farmers after the project interventions was significantly higher than that of before the implementation of the interventions all through in kharif, rabi and summer seasons. Findings of cropping intensity, employment days, annual savings, expenditure pattern and crop yield were significantly higher in comparison to before implementation of the intervention. Findings of the study exhibited an encouraging impact of the demonstrated technologies in various spheres of farmers life of NICRA village.

In the present work, ethyl-4-[2-(thiocarbamoyl)hydrazinylidene]-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxylate (3) has been synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR, UV–Vis, FT-IR and Mass spectroscopy. The formation of the compound and its properties have also been evaluated by quantum chemical calculations using DFT, B3LYP functional and 6-31G(d,p) as basis set. The calculated thermodynamic parameters show that the formation of 3 is an exothermic and spontaneous reaction at room temperature. 1H NMR chemical shifts are calculated using gauge including atomic orbitals (GIAO) approach in DMSO-d6 as solvent. Time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) is used to calculate the energy (E), oscillator strength (f) and wavelength absorption maxima (λmax) of various electronic transitions and their nature within the molecule. NBO analysis is carried out to investigate the charge transfer or charge delocalization in various intra- and intermolecular interactions of molecular system. The vibrational analysis indicates the formation of dimer in the solid state by intermolecular heteronuclear hydrogen bonding (N H⋯O). Topological parameters at bond critical points (BCP) are calculated to analyze the strength and nature of various types of intra and intermolecular interactions in dimer by Bader’s ‘Atoms in molecules’ AIM theory in detail. The binding energy of intermolecular multiple interactions is calculated to be 15.54 kcal/mol, using AIM calculation. The local reactivity descriptors such as Fukui functions ( f k + , f k - ) , local softnesses ( s k + , s k - ) and electrophilicity indices ( ω k + , ω k - ) analyses are performed to determine the reactive sites within molecule.

A field experiment was conducted to study the weed dynamics, productivity and economics of pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] under intercropping and weed management practices under rainfed. Among intercropping systems, greengram and blackgram were planted in paired row (2: 2) system at 30/90 cm row spacing in main plots and six weed management treatments include pre-emergence herbicides (pendimethalin and oxiflourfen), post-emergence herbicide (imazethapyr) and their combinations in sub plots. Both the intercropping systems (pigeonpea + greengram or pigeonpea + blackgram) recorded higher Crop Equivalent Yield (CEY) (1.23 to 1.36 t/ha), Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) (1.6) and B: C ratio (2.5–2.7) than sole pigeonpea. Among herbicide treatments significantly higher weed controlling efficiency was recorded in pendimethalin + imazethapyr and oxyflourfen + imazethapyr (90.6–91.5%) as compared to pendimethalin or oxiflourfen or imazethapyr (72.1–84.6%).

Design of complex arithmetic logic circuits considering ground bounce noise, noise immunity, leakage current, active power and area is an important and challenging task in deep submicron circuits. In this paper, a comparative analysis of high performance stacking power gating schemes is done which minimizes the leakage power and provides a way to control the ground bounce noise. The innovative power gating schemes such as stacking power gating, diode based stacking power gating are analyzed which minimizes the peak of ground bounce noise in transition mode for deep submicron circuits. Further to evaluate the efficiency, the simulation has been done using such high performance power gating schemes. Leakage current comparison of NAND gate without power gating and with power gating scheme is done. Finally it is observed that the leakage current in standby mode is reduced by 87.14% over the conventional power gating. It is also found that in stacking power gating, the ground bounce noise has been reduced by 76.28% over the conventional power gating scheme. We have performed simulations using Cadence-Spectre in a 90nm standard CMOS technology at room temperature with supply voltage of 1V. Finally, a detailed comparative analysis has been carried out to measure the design efficiency of high performance power gating schemes. This analysis provides an effective roadmap for high performance digital circuit designers who are interested to work with low power application in deep submicron circuits.

The ability of fly ash to remove manganese from aqueous solutions by adsorption was investigated. The extent of removal was dependent on concentration, pH and temperature of the solution. The applicability of the Langmuir isotherm to the fly ash-manganese system was tested at 30°C and pH 8.0. These were the optimum conditions for maximum removal. The values of the adsorptive capacity Q0 and bonding constant b were found to be 0.20 mg g−1 and 1.25 mg−1 respectively under the above conditions. With an initial concentration of 1.0 mg l−1 and at 30°C and pH 8.0, the removal was found to be 80.0%. The time to reach equilibrium was 2 h. The process of uptake is governed by first-order rate kinetics and under optimum conditions the rate constant of the reaction was found to be 2.40·10−2 min−1. The pH dependence study revealed that at pH 8.0 the uptake was 80.0% but at pH 9.0, 99.0% removal was found. The higher uptake at pH 9.0 was attributed to adsorption coupled with hydrolysis followed by oxidation. The dibasic behaviour of fly ash also facilitated Mn(II) adsorption at higher pH owing to the low pH required for constant zeta potential.

The biological activity of interferons (IFNs) is presumed to be mediated through the induction of a number of IFN-inducible genes. IFN-mediated gene induction was examined in two human breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and BT-20. Both these cell lines were remarkably responsive to IFNs as a number of IFN inducible genes were rapidly induced. We examined the sensitivity of these genes towards 2-aminopurine (2-AP), a known inhibitor of double-stranded (ds) RNA dependent protein kinase. 2-AP has also been reported to inhibit the induction of IFN-beta 1 in response to dsRNA and the genes c-myc and c-fos in fibroblasts. In both MCF-7 and BT-20 cell lines, 2-AP selectively inhibited the IFN-induced gene responses. 2-AP did not affect levels of the oncogene, HER-2/neu. Tamoxifen (TAM), an antiestrogenic drug, which is known to inhibit the activity of protein kinase C at high concentrations, did not affect IFN-mediated gene induction. Our data is consistent with the concept that the 2-AP sensitive kinase is primarily associated with the IFN-induced gene systems and that positive and negative growth regulating stimuli in breast cancer may require the participation of distinct kinases.

High voltage transformers use Kraft paper to insulate the electrical windings present in the core, which is then subsequently immersed in oil. In service, the temperature of the windings will increase to typically 80degC. If the transformer is loaded to beyond its design ratings, the temperature can exceed 100degC causing the cellulose chains in the paper to cleave at an accelerated rate, resulting in the degradation of mechanical strength and performance of the insulation. If unchecked, this can lead to catastrophic failure of the transformer and accompanying disruption to electricity supply and large economic losses to the operating utility. Furfuraldehyde (FFA) is a chemical by-product, which is released into the oil by the thermal degradation of the paper winding. The concentration of FFA within the oil has been directly related to the condition of the paper insulation. Therefore, efforts are made to find the degradation of paper by evaluating the furfural compounds under accelerated thermal and electrical stress and results are correlated with degree of polymerization and tensile strength of paper. The samples are tested at 120degC, 140degC and 160degC and at electric stress 2.5 kV for 360, 720, 1080 and 1440 hours. It was observed that the Furan analysis was the best method for assessing the condition of paper insulation, as this method required the transformer oil to be sampled out and not the paper from the transformer during on-line operation of the transformer

Total and differential haemocyte counts following starvation and feeding resumption, ventral nerve cord transection, and brain implantation followed by methoprene application and 20-hydroxyecdysone injection were studied in Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus) larvae. The results revealed that initial starvation and transection of the ventral nerve cord before the fifth abdominal ganglion in fifth instars of D. chrysippus led to a reduced total haemocyte count, on the one hand, and to a higher variation in percentage of different haemocyte types, on the other. While feeding resumption, brain implantation and 20-hydroxyecdysone treatments reversed the effect of starvation and nerve cord transection, methoprene application produced a decline in total number of haemolymph cells.

The present experiment was carried out in a village of district Uttarkashi to assess the effect of supplementary inorganic mineral mixture on the growth performance of male goats. Fifteen non-descript local male goat (7–8 months, 9.38±0.93 kg body weight) were randomly distributed in three groups viz. T1 (control), T2 and T3 consisting of five goats each. All fifteen goats were treated with anthelmintics before the start of study and repeated at two months interval. All goats were provided ad lib basal diet. A quantity of 10 and 15 g mineral mixture was supplemented/goat/day for 120 d in T2 and T3, respectively. Body weight of each goat was measured fortnightly. Higher body weight (kg) and average daily wt. gain (g) were recorded in T3 (4.9 kg and 41.0±1.4 g) followed by T2 (4.8 kg and 39.7±1.4 g) and T1 (4.3 kg and 35.5±1.5 g). The higher daily wt. gain was observed during the period between 30 to 75 days in T3 (45.3 g/d) followed by T2 (42.4g/d). The higher body weight gain in T3 and T2 might be due to supplementing effect of mineral mixture. The results of present study indicated superior daily gains in male goat with supplementation of 15 g mineral mixture/goat/day with basal diet.

MCF-10F is a spontaneously immortalized nontransformed human breast epithelial cell line which does not grow in soft agar or form tumors in nude mice. Though the presence of estrogen receptors has not been found in these cells, they can metabolize estradiol very efficiently. The present study describes the endocrine characteristics of this cell line with respect to growth response to estradiol and its metabolites, estradiol metabolism and aromatase activity. MCF-10F cells were growth stimulated by 16α-hydroxyestrone and estriol, whereas, estradiol and other estradiol metabolites did not affect cell proliferation. The constitutive level of 16α-hydroxyestrone, a metabolite of estradiol biotransformation that has been associated with enhanced carcinogenesis in several animal, cell and tissue culture models, was a hundredfold higher in the non-transformed MCF-10F cells than in the transformed MCF-7 cells. Treatment with the carcinogen, dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA), however, did not upregulate 16α-hydroxylation as was observed in transformed MCF-7 cells. MCF-10F cells also had no detectable aromatase activity though the level of 17-oxidation was unusually high as compared with MCF-7 cells. Our results using the non-transformed MCF-10F cells as a model system suggests that the presence of high level of 16α-hydroxyestrone, a metabolite previously shown to be associated with malignant phenotype, may not be sufficient for breast cancer transformation.

The cytotoxic effect of a combination of interferons (type I and II) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), with an antiestrogenic drug, tamoxifen (TAM), was investigated in the estrogen receptor positive human breast carcinoma cell line, MCF-7. Cytotoxicity was measured by the MTT assay. In an attempt to define the molecular basis for the interaction between the interferons (IFNs) and TNF or any one of the cytokines with TAM, the induction characteristics of a number of IFN-induced mRNAs in response to IFNs, TNF, and TAM were studied. We observed an augmentation of the cytotoxic effect of TNF when it was combined with TAM. There appears to be an overlap in signalling mechanisms of IFNs and TNF as two of the IFN-inducible genes, 1-8 and 6-16 are also induced by TNF. mRNA 1-8 was induced by both IFN-alpha (type I) and IFN-gamma (type II). We conclude that TNF potentiates the cytotoxic effects of TAM in MCF-7 cells and that the three cytokines IFN-alpha, IFN-gamma, and TNF share some pathways that lead to specific induction of some cytokine responsive genes.

The kinetics of alkylation of benzene and toluene with propene, butene-1 and butene-2, in the presence of sulfuric acid as a catalyst, was studied in a

A new spectral analysis (known as Walsh spectral analysis) of the oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13C) isotopic variations during the Pleistocene (the past 1.7 m.y.) reveals periodicities in Milankovitch frequency bands. Besides three main spectral cycles (eccentricity, obliquity and precession), the Walsh spectra also reveals additional periodicity in a range of 57,000–60,000 years, in case of oxygen isotopic variations only, that remarkably corresponds to combined effect of obliquity and precession as suggested by Berger. Walsh spectra of both records also exhibits significant power in a range of 29,000–34,000 years throughout the Pleistocene. This periodicity is also similar to the one predicted in orbital variations (29,000–31,000 years) and lies in obliquity bands. Precessional signal during the early part of the Pleistocene (0.85–1.7 m.y.) seems to be weak. However, eccentricity and obliquity signals dominate throughout the Pleistocene. Walsh spectra of both phenomena exhibits a general similarity in their spectral structures suggesting a common link. In view of appearance of some unusual periodicities in Walsh spectra and their striking resemblance with orbital cycles, the present result further lends support to the astronomical theory of climatic change.

Mice were fed semipurified diets differing in polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio to provide two diet fats, either high or low in linoleic acid. The levels of linoleic acid and other major fatty acid constituents present in B and T cell membrane phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine fractions were determined. To determine the rate at which membrane phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanol-amine fatty acid composition of B and T cell changes in response to diet treatment, young animals at 6 weeks of age were fed for 1, 4 or 6 week periods. To examine the degree to which response to diet differed between young and old mice of different strains and between B and T cells, membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition for mice was compared at 98 weeks of age with young individuals fed the diets for the same treatment period. Lower levels of linoleic acid in T cell membranes of older animals were observed when compared with membranes of young animals fed diet treatments for the same period. Change in 18:2(6) content of T cell phosphatidylcholine as a result of feeding both diets for periods of 1, 4 or 6 weeks was observed and appeared to be maximal by 4 to 6 weeks of feeding. The degree of change in membrane 18:2(6) content was greatest in young animals. Strain specific differences between membrane composition of B and T cells were observed, with effect of diet being most pronounced on the content of 16:0 and 20:4(6) in phosphatidylcholine and on the content of 18:0, 18:2(6) and 20:4(6) in phosphatidylethanolamine. Results suggest that aging alters the controls over incorporation of diet fatty acids into T and B cell membranes and the endogenous metabolism of essential fatty acids in a manner that may be peculiar to specific sub-populations of cells.

This paper presents a rigorous kinetic investigation of the magnetic field enhancement of self-focusing of laser beams in a degenerate non-parabolic semiconductor, e.g. InSb. The treatment is valid beyond the perturbation limit. The carrier relaxation time has been assumed to be energy dependent. The non-linearity in the dielectric constant responsible for self-focusing arises due to non-uniform heating and consequent redistribution of carriers. The nonparabolicity of the energy band in InSb arises due to the narrow band gap. As the band gap decreases, the enhanced interaction of the conduction and valence bands causes an energy dependence of the electron mass. The results show that the self-focusing of extraordinary waves is enhanced, while that of ordinary waves is reduced with increasing magnetic field. The present investigation can be used directly to study the effect of electromagnetic heating on various kinetic effects in semiconductors, and may thus provide new means for obtaining information about semiconductor parameters.

An algebraic technique is proposed to obtain a simplified reliability expression of a general system. A success expression which directly gives the reliability expression, is formed and simplified by the procedure. The technique is equally efficient for simple and complex systems; yields computationally efficient reliability expressions; is routine (no decision making); yields an expression having a minimum number of product terms; and is easier than many existing techniques.

In the design of a Computer Communication Network (CCN), the reliability between any pair of nodes and the maximum permissible installation cost are of great importance. These characteristics are largely dependant upon the topological layout of the links, their costs and reliabilities. Having the knowledge of the topological layout of the various computer centres (nodes) and maximum permissible cost of installing the various links at their pre-assigned positions; in this paper an algorithm for obtaining an optimal network topology which gives the maximum s−t reliability is presented. The developed method is general and is computerized. The proposed method has an additional advantage that the system is not to be redesigned, if at a later stage the permissible cost is enhanced by budgetary provisions. An example illustrates the algorithm.

A histological study of the retrocerebral endocrine-aortal complex of Sphaerodema annulatum , employing conventional neurosecretory stains, reveals the presence of three qualitatively different secretory factors—one present in the corpora cardiaca (CC) and the other two distributed in the corpora allata (CA), aorta wall and nerves going to the pericardial cells. For reasons discussed in the paper, the factor present in the CC is regarded as an indigenous secretion produced by their own intrinsic secretory cells, and the remaining two as cerebral in origin, produced by two tinctorially different neurosecretory cell types.

When previously irradiated halide crystals are dissolved into a solvent like water, the radiative recombination of hydrated electrons with the holes on the surface of the crystallites, gives rise to the light emission. The intensity of lyoluminescence (LL) emission depends on different parameters and it can be expressed as I = ηβγαn F N 0 (β − α) { exp (−αt) − exp (−βt)} , where η is the probability of radiative recombination, β the rate constant for the recombination of hydrated electrons with holes, γ the factor correlating the number of hydrated electrons and the number of dissolved F-centres, α the rate of dissolution of solute in the solvent, nF the density of F-centres, N0 the initial number of the molecules of solute, and t the time of dissolution. The equation shows that the LL intensity should initially increase with time, attain an optimum value and then it should decrease exponentially with time. As α increases with temperature, an increase in the value of I with temperature is expected. However, at higher temperature thermal bleaching takes place, and consequently the LL intensity should be maximum at a particular temperature. The LL intensity initially increases and then tends to attain a saturation value for higher mass of the solute added into the solvent. A good qualitative correlation is found between the experimental and theoretical results.