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The study was conducted to illustrate the effect of Romosozumab in postmenopausal osteoporosis patients. Romosozumab decreased the incidence of vertebral, nonvertebral, and clinical fractures significantly. In addition, decreased incidence of falls and increased bone mineral density at lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck was observed. Romosozumab is a monoclonal antibody that acts against the sclerostin pathway leading to enhanced bone formation and reduced bone resorption in patients with osteoporosis. Electronic search was performed on Medline (via PubMed), The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and clinicaltrials.gov, till May 2020, for RCTs evaluating the effectiveness of Romosozumab in postmenopausal osteoporosis. RCTs evaluating the effect of Romosozumab on fractures and bone mineral density in postmenopausal osteoporosis patients. Meta-analysis was performed by Cochrane review manager 5 (RevMan) version 5.3. Cochrane risk of bias 2.0 tool and GRADE pro-GDT were applied for methodological quality and overall evidence quality, respectively. One hundred seventy-nine studies were screened, and 10 eligible studies were included in the analysis, with a total of 6137 patients in romosozumab group and 5732 patients in control group. Romosozumab significantly reduced the incidence of vertebral fractures [OR = 0.43 (95%CI = 0.35–0.52), High-quality evidence], nonvertebral fractures [OR = 0.78 (95%CI = 0.66–0.92), High quality], and clinical fractures [OR = 0.70 (95%CI = 0.60–0.82), High quality] at 24 months. Significant reduction in incidence risk of falls [OR = 0.87 (95%CI = 0.78–0.96), High quality] was observed with romosozumab. Bone mineral density was significantly increased in the romosozumab treated groups at lumbar spine [MD = 12.66 (95%CI = 12.66–12.67), High quality], total hip [MD = 5.69 (95%CI = 5.68 – 5.69), Moderate quality], and femoral neck [MD = 5.18 (95%CI = 5.18–5.19), Moderate quality] at 12 months. The total adverse events [RR = 0.98(95%CI = 0.96–1.01), Moderate quality] and serious adverse events [RR = 0.98(95%CI = 0.88–1.08), Moderate quality] with romosozumab were comparable to the control group. The current analysis with evidence on efficacy and safety of Romosozumab, authors opine to recommend the use of Romosozumab treatment for post-menopausal osteoporosis. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019112196

Low level radioactive liquid waste (LLW) is generated at different stages of operation of reprocessing as well as radioactive waste management. The LLW generated here is alkaline with high salt content. It contains different radioisotopes namely106Ru, 125Sb, 99Tc, 137Cs, 90Sr and traces of Pu. Presence of 99Tc in LLW is of great environmental concern due to its long half-life (T1/2: 2 × 105 years) and mobility. Hence it needs to be separated from LLW to maximum possible extent prior to discharge to environment. In this paper, study carried out for separation of 99Tc using the crown ether, Di-tert-Butyldibenzo-18-Crown-6 (DtBuDB18C6). The performance of the composite material was evaluated with respect to 99Tc uptake and the effect of various parameters like pH, salt concentration, time period and temperature on Kd value was studied.

Effect of pre-cooling, hot water treatment, fumigation, an antagonist (Bacillus subtilis) along with treatment of apple fruits with extract of Emblica officinalis (amla) and coating with neem oil was evaluated for their activity against the fungal growth of Alternaria alternata and Trichothecium roseum, the causal agents of mouldy core and pink mould rot, respectively. Impregnation of fruit trays with botanical formulations was also integrated with other treatments before placing the treated and untreated fruits in controlled atmosphere (CA) storage for four months. The integration of hydro cooling with ice water+CaCl2 (HIWC)+fruit skin coating with neem oil (1%)+placing treated fruits on botanical formulation (BF) impregnated fruit trays (treatment combination T7) prior to CA storage gave highest inhibition of the pathogenic tested fungi with rot incidence of 16.05, 20.46% and fruit rot of 9.05, 11.46%, respectively. The treatment combination T6 in which the antagonist B. subtilis was integrated with pre-cooling and BF-impregnated trays was the next effective treatment with rot incidence of 20.35, 23.07% and fruit rot of 13.34, 17.08%, respectively.

Achalasia cardia is a motility disorder where there is aperistalsis of the body of the esophagus and failure of lower esophageal sphincter relaxation. This manifests as a functional gastroesophageal junction obstruction. This disorder is rare and has a prevalence of 10 in 100,000 population. It has a peak incidence between 30-60 years of age. The incidence in the pediatric population is very low and is even rarer in infants. Here we present a case of achalasia cardia in a 9-month-old male infant weighing 3.1 kilograms. The child had complaints of regurgitation of milk, non-projectile vomiting, fever and cough for the past 3 months along with failure to thrive. He was treated for bronchopneumonia initially and then evaluated with a barium swallow. The barium swallow revealed a hold-up of contrast in the distal esophagus along with a typical bird-beak appearance. Definitive surgical intervention was being planned. However, the child aspirated and expired. Did we delay the procedure? Were we too late? These questions continue to make us self-introspect on the management of infantile achalasia cardia. The paucity of available publications and data is a major roadblock in management.

Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS) is a rare, autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by oculocutaneous albinism, recurrent bacterial infections, progressive neurologic abnormalities, coagulation defects and a high risk of developing hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis characterized by pancytopenia, high fever, and lymphohistiocytic infiltration of liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. Treatment of accelerated-phase CHS is difficult with poor prognosis. Here, we report a two-and-a-half-year-old male child who was diagnosed with Chediak-Higashi Syndrome based on silvery hair, pathognomonic hair microscopy and giant azurophilic granules in granulocytes. The patient was in advanced stage of HLH induced by an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and given etoposide, cyclosporine and dexamethasone according to hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)-2004 protocol but did not survive.

Background: Agriculture plays a significant role in economic and social development in India. With the rapid development of Information and Communication Technologies, information and data can be effectively generated, stored and used by farmers to improve agricultural productivity. For this, smart farming technologies using mobile applications (apps) that help reduce costs, maximize yields and increase profits are being employed. Here, we present an overview of several mobile apps available for traceability in agricultural sectors, discuss their features, functions and how they are lacking in some domains.Methods: In this study during Aug 2019-Sep 2019, several online databases were used for the survey according to the guidelines for Transparent Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. 73 agriculture mobile apps were selected based upon the hits using keywords like “mobile apps, agriculture mobile app, animal husbandry, etc. and with the inclusion criteria of a good review and proper up to date information. These apps were found to be used in different agriculture allied sectors in India.Result: Among these 73 mobile apps used by Indian farmers in various agricultural sectors viz. farm management, fisheries, poultry, livestock and animal husbandry, food traceability and pure agriculture sectors; the respective availability percentage of apps were 12, 14, 14, 23, 23 and 14%. These apps are discussed here in detail along with their gap analysis and a new traceability mechanism has been proposed as well.

The isolation of Am(III) ion from Ln(III) ions is very crucial for the safe disposal of nuclear wastes and thus, studies are being continuously pursued to accomplish this goal. In view of this, herein, a new conformationally rigid bitopic ligand, N,N,N′,N′-tetra(2-ethylhexyl)piperazine-di-methylenecarboxamide (PIPDA) has been synthesized and studied for the separation of Am(III) from Ln(III) ions. The effect of structural rigidification on the selectivity of Am(III) over Ln(III) was compared with an open chain flexible compound, namely, N,N,N′,N′-tetra(2-ethylhexyl)-3,6-(N′′,N′′′-dibutyl)diaza-octane-1,8-diamide (DADA). Two oxygen atoms of the diamide moiety seem to be responsible for controlling the metal ion extraction ability of PIPDA, whereas two nitrogen atoms of the piperazine moiety most probably dictate the separation factor between the Am(III) and Eu(III) ions in PIPDA. In addition, scalar relativistic density functional theory (DFT) in conjunction with Born–Haber thermodynamics was used herein to compliment the experimental selectivity. The experimentally observed preferential selectivity of PIPDA for Am(III) ion over the Ln(III) ion was corroborated by the computed extraction free energy, ΔGext. The covalent nature of bonding between the metal ions and the ligand was confirmed by analyzing the Mayer bond order and bond character analysis using the atom in molecule concept. Though the conformational rigidity of PIPDA gives stronger interaction than DADA, it does not offer a significant advantage over DADA in terms of the separation factor. The marginal increase in the separation factor for PIPDA over DADA might be attributed to the piperazine nitrogen and to the ligand architecture during complex formation.

This paper reports the result of process development studies on separation of Sr(II) from Eu(III) in 4 M nitric acid using supported liquid membrane (SLM). The process utilizes addition of 18-crown-6 for masking of Sr(II), followed by their transport across SLM with TEHDGA as carrier molecule. The optimized process shows complete transport of Eu(III) in about 60 min, leaving pure Sr(II) in the feed compartment. The Sr(II) and Eu(III), both in pure form are valuable in medical and industrial radiation technology applications.

The original article was published without an acknowledgment section. The complete acknowledgment section is given in this correction.

A process is described for separation and recovery of uranium from low grade sodium diuranate (SDU) obtained from processing of phosphatic uranium with D2EHPA-TBP solvent. SDU containing impurities of rare earths mostly heavier fraction (Y, Dy, Er, Yb) and Fe, Al, Cr, Mn, Ca, etc. was dissolved in nitric acid and contacted with N,N-dihexyl octanamide (DHOA)/n-dodecane solvent for selective separation of uranium from rest of the impurities. The average separation factor of uranium with respect to the heavy rare earths and base metals was obtained was 30 and 1000 respectively. Effect of different experimental parameters like aqueous nitric acid concentration, DHOA concentration, uranium concentration, phase ratio of extraction, scrubbing and stripping was optimized to obtain high purity uranium product solution. The extraction of uranium by DHOA follows solvation mechanism, at low uranium loading the combining ratio of U to DHOA determined by slope analysis method suggests complex formation as [UO2(NO3)2·2DHOA]. A 8-stage counter current extraction of 70 g/L uranium feed solution obtained on dissolving SDU in 3 M HNO3 with 1 M DHOA/n-dodecane solvent at O/A = 1 and scrubbing with 80 g/L pure uranium solution in 3 M HNO3 at O/A = 4:1 was found appropriate to obtain uranium of purity above 99.9%.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is the most common autosomal dominant neurocutaneous among humans. Epilepsy is more prevalent in NF1 patients than in the general population. NF1 vasculopathy is also a significant but underrecognized complication of the disease, affecting both arterial and venous blood vessels. Herein, we report a 2 year old female child with seizures and multiple cafe-au-lait spots on the body. The patient was diagnosed with NF1 based on clinical findings and family history. MRI Brain revealed middle cerebral artery dysplasia. Here we discuss diagnostic and treatment challenges and briefly reviews the existing literature.

Background: Tracheal extubation is almost always associated with stress response, airway response, and arrhythmias. There are many ways to attenuate this stress response. We have compared verapamil and dexmedetomidine on attenuation of these responses. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients (American Society of Anaesthesiologists Grade I, II) scheduled for spinal surgeries under general anaesthesia were randomly divided into two groups. At the end of surgery, after return of spontaneous efforts (bispectral index >80), in “Group V” verapamil 0.1 mg/kg and in “Group D” dexmedetomidine 0.3 mcg/kg were administered as bolus intravenously over one minute. Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were recorded just before (T0) and 2 min after intravenous administration of study medications (TM), just after oral suction (TS), immediately after extubation (TE) and 1, 3, 5 and 10 min postextubation (E1, E3, E5, E10). Duration of emergence and extubation, quality of extubation, Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) score and time to reach modified Aldrete score ≥9 were compared. Results: HR, SBP, DBP, MAP were higher in Group V than Group D, but statistically insignificant (P > 0.05). Extubation quality scores was 1 for 20%, 2 for 60% and 3 for 20% patients in Group V, whereas 1 in 80%, 2 in 20% in Group D. There was occurrence of bradycardia within 2 min of administration of drug in one patient in Group D. RASS score was in the range of -1 to +1 in >90% patient in Group V, whereas -3 to -1 in 80% cases in Group D. Conclusion: Single dose of dexmedetomidine (0.3 mcg/kg) given before extubation produced significant attenuation of circulatory and airway responses during extubation as compared to verapamil (0.1 mg/kg).

A new bisglycolamide substituted calix-benzo-crown-6 (CBCBGA) ionophore has been synthesized and characterized by using 1H, 13C NMR, ESI-MS and elemental analysis. Detailed investigations on the effect of various parameters such as the aqueous phase acidity, ionophore concentration and nitrate ion concentration on extraction of cesium have been carried out. The new ionophore is found to be highly selective for Cs over other metal ions present in the simulated high level liquid waste solution. The complexing ability of this novel ionophore towards Cs+ and Na+ metal ions was further complimented by predicting the structure, extraction free energy and fraction of charge transfer using the B3LYP density functional employing a split-valence plus polarization (SVP) basis set in conjunction with the conductor like screening model. The unusually high selectivity of CBCBGA for Cs+ ion over Na+ ion was established by the calculated value of difference in the free energy, ΔΔG (ΔGext,Cs+ − ΔGext,Na+), −9.46 kcal mol−1, which is in good agreement with the experimentally determined value of −5.59 kcal mol−1. The calculated values of ρ and ∇2ρ at the bond critical point for the hydrated Na+ ion are found to be reduced during complexation with the CBCBGA, whereas for the hydrated Cs+ ion, though ρ remains same, the value of ∇2ρ is increased which seems to play a decisive role in the higher selectivity to Cs+ ion over Na+ ion of CBCBGA. The new CBCBGA ionophore shows promise for the selective removal of Cs+ ion over other metal ions present in the simulated high level liquid waste solution.

To study the mechanism of resistance developed in three different cultivars of apple viz; Starking Delicious, Tydeman’s Early Worcester and Granny Smith against Marssonina coronaria , after treatment with SAR inducing chemicals salicylic acid (SA), dipotassium phosphate (K2HPO4) and acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) contents of total phenol, reducing sugar, non -reducing sugar and activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and peroxidase (POD) were assayed at three sampling periods (48,72 and 96 hours). The results revealed that SA treated leaves of cultivar Granny Smith recorded highest amount of phenol (49,53.66,57.33 mg/g), reducing sugar (16,16.33,17.66 mg/g), non-reducing sugar (2.90,3.13,3.53 mg/g) content, peroxidase (30,29.33,36) and polyphenol (26,30,34) activity in all the sampling intervals followed ASM and K2HPO4 treated plants. When compared among the cultivars maximum production was observed highest in cultivar Granny Smith which was followed by cultivars Tydeman’s Early Worcester and Starking Delicious. The present study showed that application of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) chemical can induce resistance in apple plants against Marssonina blotch caused by M. coronaria showing strong correlation between the ability of elicitors to enhanced plant disease resistance and elicitation of defence related enzymes. Thus, using SAR chemicals to induce resistance to apple against Marssonina blotch caused by M. coronaria, may provide a practical supplement to an environmentally friendly disease management when it is combined with appropriate integrated disease management practices.

The flexural vibrations of homogeneous, transversely isotropic, generalized (non-Fourier) thermoelastic simply-supported thin beam resonators due to thermal and mechanical loads have been investigated under Euler–Bernoulli hypothesis. The model equation governing the transverse vibrations has been solved by using double Laplace transform technique (LTT) with respect to space and time. A mesh-less computational method, Adomian decomposition method (ADM), has also been employed to solve the model equation in the space domain for the comparison purpose. The inversion of the transformed solution has been carried out by using Durbin׳s technique in order to obtain the results in physical time domain. The natural frequencies and the corresponding mode shapes of the beam have been computed. The effects of thermal variations and other parameters on the deflection and temperature profiles of the thin beam have been studied. The effect of thermal relaxation time (second sound) on the vibration characteristics of beam has also been observed. The results computed by using LTT and ADM have been compared and are found to be in good agreement. It is noticed that ADM is an accurate, computer friendly and provides a unified, systematic powerful mathematical tool for solving the static and dynamic vibration problems for the considered beams.

In this paper, analytical solution has been obtained for a functionally graded, transversely isotropic, thermoelastic thick walled hollow cylinder (or disk) subjected to a thermal source. The linear theory of generalized thermoelasticity (Lord–Shulman model) has been employed to model the problem. The material stiffness and thermal conductivity have been assumed to vary as a simple power of the radial coordinate only. Keeping the inner and outer surfaces of the hollow cylinder traction free, a heat flux has been supplied on the inner surface to excite the body and outer surface is kept isothermal. The axisymmetry and plain strain (for cylinder) or plain stress (for disk) conditions have been considered here. The two coupled partial differential equations have been clubbed to obtain the general solution in Laplace domain. The residue calculus method has been employed to invert the transform to obtain the solution in physical domain. The solutions in case of classical coupled and uncoupled thermoelasticity; solid cylinder and infinite solid with cylindrical hole have been deduced as special cases of the present analysis. The results have also been validated with the existing one available in literature at various stages. The analytical results have been computed numerically and presented graphically for solid helium material. The effect of thermal relaxation time and grading parameter on the stresses, strains and temperature change produced in the FGM cylinder have been illustrated through the graphs. A comparative analysis has been done for homogeneous and functionally graded media for the distribution of radial stress, hoop stress, radial strain, hoop strain, radial displacement and temperature change with time, thermal relaxation time and thickness of the FGM cylinder.

The extraction behavior of rare earth (RE) elements from thiocyanate medium by N,N,N’,N’-tetra(2-ethylhexyl) diglycolamide (TEHDGA), a neutral extractant, has been investigated and the optimum conditions for their separations were determined. Isodecyl alcohol was used as phase modifier and a concentration of 5%(v/v) was found sufficient to mitigate third phase formation under our experimental conditions. The extraction mechanism of RE with TEHDGA was established by analyzing distribution data with slope analysis technique and showed the formation of a neutral species, RE(SCN)3.2TEHDGA, in the organic phase. The extraction of rare earth decreased with increase in temperature indicating exothermic nature and the enthalpy change (ΔH) obtained for Y(III) was −14.27 kJ/mol. Among various stripping agents studied, oxalic acid was found to be efficient in quantitative stripping of rare earths from TEHDGA. The extraction efficiency for all the rare earths by TEHDGA was also investigated. High separation factor of...

Pluronics are considered as potential materials for the removal of tributyl phosphate (TBP) from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. Recent studies showed that solubilization of TBP in aqueous solution of Pluronic L64 reduces its cloud point (CP) and in addition, induces a second CP at low temperature. In this manuscript we have attempted to understand the origin of this lower CP (LCP) by carrying out DLS, SANS, viscosity and fluorescence measurement studies on 10% aqueous L64 solutions containing 60 mM TBP. The studies show that on approaching both LCP (≈25 °C) and the conventional or upper CP (UCP ≈ 42.5 °C), the copolymer solution exhibits a large increase in light scattering intensity and apparent micellar radius. Detailed studies suggest that whereas the copolymer micelles undergo a progressive growth on heating to the UCP, they form a micellar cluster upon cooling down to the LCP due to the onset of an inter-micellar attractive interaction. Although such clusters are known to form in micellar solutions of non ionic surfactants on approaching the UCP, their formation upon cooling is the first of its kind for them. The observed unusual behavior has possibly been triggered by dehydration of micellar corona caused by relocation of TBP from micellar core to corona upon cooling down to the LCP.

Background and Aims: Awake fibre-optic intubation (AFOI) is an integral part of anaesthetic management of difficult airways. Conscious sedation is essential to assist AFOI. This study compared two different doses of dexmedetomidine in combination with topical spray and airway blocks for awake orotracheal fibre-optic intubation in patients undergoing elective cervical spine surgery with rigid cervical collar in situ. Methods: A randomized, prospective, comparative study design was conducted in sixty patients divided into two groups: Group (L) (n = 30) patients received low dose of dexmedetomidine (0.5 μg/kg) along with airway blocks and Group (H) (n = 30) patients received standard dose of dexmedetomidine (1 μg/kg) along with airway blocks. Both the groups received dexmedetomidine infusion over 10 min followed by airway block. Quantitative data were analysed by applying Student's t-test whereas qualitative data were analysed with Chi-square test. The objectives were to compare patients' Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation scale (OAA/S) as primary outcome and other variables such as endoscopy, intubation condition, tolerance and haemodynamic stability among low and standard doses of dexmedetomidine. Results: Group H had more favourable OAA/S score than that of Group L, but endoscopy and intubation time, patient tolerance, vocal cord and limb movement and satisfaction score did not differ significantly between the groups. There were no significant haemodynamic differences between the two groups. Conclusion: The 0.5 μg/kg dose of dexmedetomidine was found optimal and effective in combination with topical spray and airway blocks for awake orotracheal fibre-optic intubation for patients undergoing elective cervical spine surgery.

Background: Neonatal seizures are a major risk factor for neonatal mortality and subsequent neurological disability. The incidence of seizure varies from 1.5-3.7/1000 live birth; while in NICU it can be up to 5/1000 live birth.Methods: This Descriptive type of observational study aimed to study clinical profile, aetiology in neonatal seizures and short term outcome was done in all Neonatal units attached to paediatric Department of SMS Medical College, Jaipur.Results: In the 100 cases Majority of neonates had onset of seizure 3 days (>72 hours). Most common type of neonatal seizure was subtle(75%), other types were tonic seizure (17.3%), clonic seizure (5.1%) and least common type was myoclonic (2.5%). Most common cause of neonates seizure noted was birth asphyxia (73%) second common cause is pyomeningitis and third common cause is hypoglycaemia. Most common cause of neonatal seizure both in full term (71.17%) and preterm (25%) is birth asphyxia. Second most common cause of neonatal seizure in full term is pyomeningitis (8.70%) and in preterm is pyomeningitis and hypoglycaemia (25%). Most common cause of neonatal seizure both in onset of seizure 3 days (>72 hours).Conclusions: Out of total 100 cases, neonates with normal birth weight 92% and low birth weight 8%. Majority of neonates had onset of seizure 3 days (>72 hours). Majority of neonates with seizure delivered by vaginal route (86%) and remaining 14% neonates were delivered by LSCS.

In this paper, the transverse vibrations in a homogenous, transversely isotropic, thermoelastic thin beams due to time varying patch loads have been investigated. The governing equations of motion for classical elasticity and heat conduction for non-Fourier (non-classical) process have been integrated to model the transverse vibrations in a homogenous, transversely isotropic thin beam in closed form by employing Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. The axial ends of the beam are assumed to be at either clamped–clamped or clamped-free/cantilever conditions. The model equation governing transverse vibrations in a thermoelastic thin beam has been solved analytically by employing Laplace transform technique with respect to space and time variables. In order to obtain deflection and other quantities in the physical domain, the inversion of Laplace transform in the time domain has been performed by using the calculus of residues. The variational iteration method along with Durbin technique has also been employed to solve the model equation for comparison and validation purpose. The expressions for deflection and response ratio in the physical domain have been computed numerically with the help of MATLAB software for a silicon carbide micro-beam. The computed results have been presented graphically. The obtained analytic results are envisioned to be easy to implement for engineering analysis and designs of resonators (sensors), modulators, actuators and radio frequency filters.

A new process for selective separation of cesium from acidic nuclear waste solution has been described using 1,3-dioctyloxycalix[4]arene-crown-6 (CC6)/ n -dodecane modified with isodecyl alcohol. The process solvent was optimized as 0.03 M CC6 + 30% isodecyl alcohol/ n -dodecane for efficient recovery of cesium. The solvent has shown strong extraction ability for cesium between 1 and 6.0 M nitric acid. Stoichiometry of the extracted complex determined by slope analysis method reveals 1:1:1 molar ratio for Cs + , CC6 and HNO 3 . Extraction of cesium was found to be independent of nitrate ion concentration, possibly due to formation of solvated free ions CsCC6 + ·HNO 3 and NO 3 − in the organic medium. Extracted cesium from organic phase was readily stripped with deionized water. Radiolysis of the process solvent up to an absorbed dose of 0.6 MGy produces essentially no deterioration in its performance. Counter-current mixer–settler experiments with four extraction, two scrubbing and four stripping stages gave about 99% recovery of cesium with very high selectivity from simulated high level waste solution. The results demonstrated the effective use of CC6 + isodecyl alcohol/ n -dodecane for separation of cesium from acidic high level waste solution.

This article deals with the transverse vibrations in a homogeneous isotropic, thermoelastic-diffusive thin beam based on the Euler–Bernoulli theory under clamped–clamped boundary conditions. The analytical expressions for deflection, thermal moment, mass moment, frequency shift, and damping due to thermoelastic-diffusion in the beam has been derived. The effects of mass diffusion, thermomechanical coupling, surface conditions, and beam dimensions on energy dissipation and other field quantities induced by thermoelastic-diffusion have been investigated. The analytical results have been numerically analyzed with the help of MATLAB software. The numerically computed results for deflection, temperature change, thermal moment, mass moment, damping factor, and frequency shift have been presented graphically. The computed values of effective flexural rigidity have been given in tabular form. The study may find applications in medical science, engineering, accelerometers, sensors, resonators, etc.

The flexural vibrations in a homogenous isotropic, thermoelastic-diffusive thin cantilever beam have been analyzed in closed form based on the Euler–Bernoulli theory. The analytical expressions for deflection, thermal moment, mass moment, frequency shift and thermoelastic-diffusive damping (inverse quality factor) have been obtained for clamped-free (cantilever) beam. It is found that the thermoelastic-diffusive damping and frequency shift of beam vibrations significantly depend on diffusive properties. The analytical results have been analyzed numerically with the help of MATLAB software. The values of effective flexural rigidity have also been computed and presented in tabular form. The numerical computed results have been presented graphically. This study may be useful in the design and construction of sensors, gyrometers, charge detectors, radio frequency filters, communicators and energy harvesters etc due to mass concentration change in the materials.

The synergistic extraction of uranium from phosphoric acid solutions with di-nonyl phenyl phosphoric acid (DNPPA) and bidentate n -octyl (phenyl)- N , N -di-isobutyl carbamoyl methyl phosphine oxide (CMPO) in n -dodecane has been investigated and effect of varying concentrations of phosphoric acid, phosphate ions, DNPPA and CMPO on the extraction of uranium were determined. The results demonstrated that synergistic combination of DNPPA with bidentate CMPO significantly enhances the extraction efficiency when compared to monodentate extractant TOPO (tri- n -octyl phosphine oxide). Stoichiometry of complex obtained by slope analysis method indicated the formation of neutral species of the type [UO 2 (HA 2 ) 2 · CMPO], where (HA) 2 is the dimer form of DNPPA. Extraction reaction was found to be exothermic with enthalpy change (ΔH) of 43.3 kJ/mol. A mole ratio of DNPPA/CMPO = 2 was found to be suitable for effective extraction of uranium. Under comparable condition, the extraction of uranium from phosphoric acid with various synergistic reagents followed the order: DNPPA/CMPO > DNPPA/TOPO > DIDPA (di-isodecyl phosphoric acid)/CMPO > DIDPA/TOPO > D2EHPA (di-2-ethyl hexyl phosphoric acid)/CMPO > D2EHPA/TOPO. The loading capacity of DNPPA/CMPO was found to be greater than DNPPA/TOPO for both WPPA (wet process phosphoric acid) and MGA (merchant grade phosphoric acid). Stripping of uranium with various reagents was in the order: Na 2 CO 3 > H 3 PO 4 + Fe > H 3 PO 3 > HCOOH. DNPPA and CMPO solvent mixture was found to be stable even after 20 cycles of repeated extraction and stripping operations.

Selective and efficient separation of 90Sr from high level waste solution of high salt content will pave the way to manage a problematic waste and also for utilization of recovered 90Sr for societal purpose. In the present work, a process for selective separation of 90Sr is described using 4,4′(5′)-[di-tert-butyldicyclohexano]-18-crown-6 (DtBuCH18C6) dissolved in an industrial diluent system: isodecyl alcohol + n-dodecane. The process solvent is optimized as 0.1 M DtBuCH18C6 + 50% isodecyl alcohol/n-dodecane for satisfactory extraction of strontium at higher nitric acid concentrations (D4-8 M HNO3 = 5–14). Stoichiometry determination by slope analysis method showed 1:1:1 M ratio for Sr2+, DtBuCH18C6 and HNO3 in the extracted complex. Among the inert and active constituents of the waste, extraction of plutonium (IV) (DPu = 0.3) and barium (DBa = 0.7) was observed to some extent, extraction of calcium was almost negligible (DCa = 0.01) while no extraction of americium, cesium, ruthenium, niobium, zirconium and lanthanides was observed. Stripping of the loaded organic was achieved by deionized water, three consecutive contacts each with fresh deionized water results in complete stripping of strontium.

The 25,27-di(octyloxy)calix[4]arenebenzocrown-6 (CBC) in 1,3-alternate conformation was synthesized indigenously starting from its intermediates in good yield and purity. The extraction studies of CBC were carried out by using two different phase modifiers namely isodecyl alcohol and ortho-nitrophenyl hexyl ether. Detailed investigations on the effect of various parameters like, concentration of phase modifiers, aqueous phase acidity, ligand concentration, nitrate ion concentration and effect of temperature on extraction of cesium have been carried out. The concentration of phase modifiers was optimized to be 30 % in n-dodecane to ensure optimum extraction of cesium. Stoichiometry of the extracted complex determined by slope analysis method reveals 1:1:1 molar ratio for CsNO3:CBC:HNO3. The extraction process was found to be exothermic as determined from the plot of log K ex versus 1/T. The solvent system with a composition 0.01 M CBC/30 % phase modifier/n-dodecane was found to be effective for selective separation of cesium from simulated high level liquid waste solution.

The present study focuses on the analysis of free vibrations of axisymmetric functionally graded hollow spheres. The material is assumed to be graded in radial direction with a simple power law. Matrix Frobenious method of extended power series is employed to derive the analytical solutions for displacement, temperature, and stresses. The dispersion relations for the existence of various types of possible modes of vibrations in the considered hollowsphere are derived in a compact form. In order to explore the characteristics of vibrations, the secular equations are further solved by using fixed point iteration numerical technique with the help of MATLAB software. The numerical results have been presented graphically for polymethyl methecrylate materials in respect of natural frequencies, frequency shift, inverse quality factor, displacement, temperature change, and radial stress. Open image in new window