198 research outputs found
Corrigendum to "Biosurfactant mediated synthesis of NiO nanorods" [Materials Letters, Volume 62, Issues 4–5, 2008, pp. 743–746]
No full text1. In the original publication Ashok M. Raichur was not listed as corresponding author.
2. The Acknowledgements (p. 746) of the paper should read as follows:
The authorswould like to acknowledge Mr. Karthik and Dr. Suresha, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India for the assistance in taking the TEM images. Comments and suggestions on nanorod synthesis by Dr. Suresh Babu and Dr. S. Patil, AMPAC, UCF are greatly acknowledged
Extra- cellular Pectinase Activity of Post-harvest Fungi from Papaya Fruits in Presence of Different Influencing Factors
Get PDFThe present paper deals with the study of pectinase enzyme activity of post-harvest fungi of papaya fruits under the influence of nutritional factors, antibiotics, vitamins and fungicides. It was found that carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC), sodium sulphate; ferrous sulphate, barium chloride, sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, zinc, ferrous, manganese, copper, barium, fungicides and ampicillin inhibits the pectinase action of all tested post-harvest fungi while other factors induces the same. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1Dept. of Botany, Shrikrishna Mahavidyalaya, Gunjoti, Dist Osmanabad, Aurangabad; 2Seed pathology and Fungal Biotechnology Laboratory, Dept. of Botany, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad- 431 004. (M.S.) India.* Corresponding Author, Email: [email protected] Please Cite This Article As: G.M. Rathod and Ashok M. Chavan. 2010. Extra- cellular Pectinase Activity of Post-harvest Fungi from Papaya Fruits in Presence of Different Influencing Factors. J. Exp. Sci. 1(2): 07-11
The Grouped Author-Topic Model for Unsupervised Entity Resolution
Get PDFThis paper describes a generative approach for tackling the problem of identity resolution in a completely unsupervised context with no fixed assumption regarding the true number of identities. The problem of entity resolution involves associating different references to authors (in a paper's author list, for example) with real underlying identities. The references may be written in differing forms or may have errors, and identical references may refer to different real identities. The approach taken here uses a generative model of both the abstract of a document and its list of authors to resolve identities in a corpus of documents. In the model, authors and topics are associated with latent groups. For each document, an abstract and an author list are generated conditioned on a given group. Results are presented on real-world datasets, and outperform the best performing unsupervised methods.</p
Investigation of corrosion inhibition of low carbon steel using expired drug Levocetirizine as a potential corrosion inhibitor in 0.5 M H2SO4 medium
No full textAbstract The inhibitory properties of low carbon steel (LCS) surface in 0.5 M H2SO4 medium were assessed using expired Levocetirizine (LCZN) drug through chemical and electrochemical methods. Gravimetric analysis demonstrated the drug's ability to inhibit corrosion on LCS surface with 95.16 percentage inhibition efficiency (%IE). Polarization results demonstrated that LCZN acted as a mixed-type inhibitor with IE. of 97.05%. Impedance analysis further substantiated the presence of LCZN adsorption on the LCS surface. The inhibition efficiency is interpreted through the adsorption phenomenon. Several investigations, such as FT-IR, (SEM)-EDS, and TEM analysis unveiled adsorption on the LCS surface. Further validations carried out using quantum chemical calculations
Voucher funds in transitional economies : the Czech and Slovak experience
Get PDFVoucher funds have arisen in the transitional economies of Eastern and Central Europe that have used voucher privatization. These funds collect vouchers from citizens and use them to buy shares in enterprises. In the Czech and Slovak Republics, voucher funds are typically organized as corporations owned by the citizens who contributed their vouchers. Recently, they have also been organized as unit trusts (either open-ended or closed). A management company manages the funds under a contract that specifies the management fee. The management company is typically owned by the initial sponsor of the fund - for example, a bank. Voucher funds can give owners a diversified and professionally managed portfolio. More important, the funds select who sits on an enterprise's governance boards (which oversee management and profitability). Although experience is limited, the funds in these two countries have probably stopped most fraud and self-serving by enterprise mangers and are beginning to encourage the restructuring needed for profitability. A few funds have replaced poorly performing or dishonest managers; more often, because qualified replacements are few, they encourage managers to improve performance. There have been complaints about funds'performance. Some have made unrealistic promises to voucher holders and have appointed poorly qualified members to management boards. There is concern about conflicts of interest in the bank-sponsored funds and excessive control of enterprises. Funds typically lack capital or expertise to undertake restructuring - but few other potential owners are likely to be better qualified. The author examines 27 regulations that have been proposed for funds. Regulations in transitional economies, unlike regulations in most western countries, should encourage funds to play a strong role in corporate governance, he contends, as few potential owners have this ability. Most important, regulations should require that funds disclose information about their operations so their owners can monitor and control fund managers. The regulatory regime, the author says, should discourage monopolies and anticompetitive behavior; create incentives for fund managers to improve fund performance; discourage self-serving or fraudulent behavior by fund managers, and conflicts of interest; and eliminate high-risk investments unacceptable to fund owners. Because there is so little experience with these funds, the regulatory regime should not be unduly restrictive. As problems arise, regulations to deal with them can be added.International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Economic Adjustment and Lending,Economic Theory&Research,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Payment Systems&Infrastructure
Expired Lircetam drug as a corrosion inhibitor for low-carbon steel in 1 M HCl: Experimental, theoretical, and quantum chemical insights
No full textLircetam (LRTM) is a drug used for the treatment of epilepsy. The disposal of expired LRTM poses environmental risks, yet it retains active components that can be repurposed. This research investigates the application of expired LRTM as a corrosion inhibitor for low-carbon steel (LCS) in a 1 M HCl solution. Electrochemical methods, including Tafel polarization (PDP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), alongside weight loss measurements, were employed to evaluate the efficacy of LRTM in protecting LCS against corrosion. The highest inhibition efficiencies was reported 98.16%, at 60 ppm optimal concentration. The adsorption behavior of LRTM molecules follows the Langmuir isotherm model. Surface analysis through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that the LCS surface remained largely unaffected by the acid solution in the presence of LRTM. Contact angle (CA) measurements revealed that the adsorption of LRTM molecules increased the hydrophobicity of the LCS surface. LRTM acts as a mixed-type inhibitor, impeding both anodic and cathodic reactions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provided further insight into the chemical interactions between LRTM and the LCS surface. This research introduces the novel application of expired lircetam, highlighting its non-toxic nature and cost-effectiveness, making it a promising alternative for corrosion prevention in industrial applications. This study investigates the dual role of Lircetum in addressing expired pharmaceutical waste and developing an efficient corrosion inhibitor for LCS in acidic environments. Repurposing expired Lircetum provides a sustainable solution to environmental hazards while demonstrating high corrosion inhibition efficiency
Impatiens salimii K. M. P. Kumar & A. Reshma 2023, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Impatiens salimii</i> K.M.P. Kumar & A. Reshma <i>sp. nov.</i> (Fig. 1) <p> <b>Type</b>:— India. Kerala: Wayanad, Meppadi, Kalladi, Thollayiram forest, ± 1500 m, 21 September 2013, <i>K. M</i> <i>. Prabhukumar & P. M.</i> <i>Binu Prakash 8478</i> (holotype, LWG: isotype, CMPR, MH, CATH).</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis:</b> The new species, <i>Impatiens salimii</i> shows morphological similarities with <i>I. dasysperma</i> Wight (1837: 7) by means of its small sepals, alternately arranged leaves, flowers without peduncle and brown seeds but distinct in many attributes <i>viz</i>. glabrous stem (vs. puberulose or densely hairy at growing points), pubescent lower sepal (vs. glabrous or puberulent), absence of spur (vs. present, 1.5–1.8 cm long), obcordate standard petal with mucronate apex (vs. obovate or obcordate petal with cuneate apex), basal lobe and distal lobe wide from each other, distal lobe spathulate (vs. basal lobe and distal lobe close to each other, distal lobe with acute tip), absence of dorsal auricle (vs. present) and pubescent capsule (vs. glabrous), Table 1.</p> <p>Terrestrial, erect annual herb, 20–35 cm tall; stem quadrangular, branched; internodes 4–5 cm long, green, sparsely pubescent on young shoots and glabrous on mature; nodes purple. Leaves simple, alternate, petiolate; lamina 4–8 × 2–4 cm, elliptic, cuneate at base, margins crenate with spines at each crenation, apex acuminate, whitish green at abaxial side and green at adaxial side, veins are pubescent at lower surface and pubescent throughout on upper surface; petiole 1.5–2.5 cm long, channelled, 2 or 3 pairs of glands at base, green, sparsely pubescent. Flowers axillary, usually solitary, rarely in pair or three, pedicellate; pedicel 2.5–3.5 cm long, canaliculate, green with a purple tinge, pubescent. Lateral sepals 2, 1–3 × 1–3 mm, ovate, acute, pale green with purple tip, pubescent; lower sepal 3–5 × 3–5 mm, boat-shaped, apex acuminate, base broad, 3-nerved, white, pubescent; spur absent. Standard petal 5–8 × 4–5 mm, obcordate, apex mucronate, base truncate to obtuse, pink, inside white, keeled; keel tip elongated, green; wing petals bi-lobed, basal lobe and distal lobe wide from each other; distal lobe short, 6–8 × 2–3 mm, spathulate, pink, glabrous; basal lobe 7–9 × 4–6 mm, apex notched, ovate, pink, base slightly protruding; dorsal auricle absent. Stamens 5, 4–5 × 2–3 mm, cohering, yellow; filaments short, upper 2 light purple, lower 3 white. Ovary 3–4 × 4–5 mm, ellipsoid, apex acuminate, 5-celled, green, glabrous; stigma hairy. Capsule ellipsoid, 13–18 × 5–8 mm, apex acuminate, green, pubescent; fruiting pedicel 2.5–3.5 cm, pubescent. Seeds many, 20–25, c. 10 × c. 10 mm, globose with oblique tip, thick short hairs throughout, creamy yellow.</p> <p> <b>Phenology:—</b> July to November.</p> <p> <b>Etymology:—</b> The species is named to honour Mr. Pichan M. Salim, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Kalpatta, Wayanad, Kerala, India, for his contribution to plant taxonomy and conservation. The author, PKM found this new species for the first time in the <i>ex-situ</i> conservatory of P.M. Salim, labelled as ‘ <i>Impatiens dasysperma’</i> and the next day PKM found the same plants from the type locality.</p> <p> <b>Distribution and Ecology:—</b> The new taxon has been collected from Thollayiram forest in Meppadi range of Wayanad district. Generally occurring on margins of evergreen forests as undergrowth at an elevation range of 1450– 1600 m asl.</p>Published as part of <i>Prabhukumar, K. M., Ashok, Reshma, Prakash, P. M. Binu & Balachandhran, Indira, 2023, A new spurless species of Impatiens sect. Microsepalae (Balsaminaceae) from south India, pp. 107-112 in Phytotaxa 616 (1)</i> on page 109, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.616.1.9, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/8389480">http://zenodo.org/record/8389480</a>
Investigating the Employment Impacts of Renewable Energy in South Africa
No full textThis dissertation aims to contribute towards the research on just transitions by providing insight into the extent of the employment impacts caused by a potential energy transition in South Africa. South Africa is in the process of transforming its electricity mix. The majority of electricity is currently sourced from coal-fired power plants. The transition maybe towards an electricity mix that includes more renewable sources of electricity generation, particularly from wind and solar technologies. The degree to which this transition will create and displace jobs is presently unclear. Furthermore, the extent to which these new jobs will be demanded locally or abroad and the implications that this transition will have on decent work is uncertain.The main research question posed at the outset of this dissertation was: What are the possible net employment effects of South Africa’s transition from coal to wind and solar forms of electricity generation? A quantitative method was employed to address this question: an Input-Output Analysis. The I-JEDI input-output model was used, updated with more recent data for South Africa that has more industrial detail. Additionally, a coal displacement vector was created to calculate the jobs displaced due to lack of demand for coal-fired power plants. Hence, the net employment effects were calculated. This quantitative method was supplemented with findings from a series of semi-structured interviews and a workshop with union members to ground the results in some of the realities of South Africa’s socio-political landscape. Two exploratory scenarios were createdthat were simulated in the model, each with their own narrative about South Africa’s future electricity prospects: Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019 scenario and the Ambitious Solar and Wind (ASW) scenario. The IRP 2019 scenario was aligned with the recent government plans to transform the electricity mix. The ASW scenario included higher levels of local manufacturing of solar and wind technologies than currently employed. The results of this research are exploratory, aiming to provide insight into the boundary of what is possible. The main findings suggest that solar and wind may employ significantly more people than currently employed in the coal-fired power plant supply chain considering both operations and maintenance (O&M) and construction activities. O&M jobs numbers for coal-fired power plants are larger than wind and solar under the IRP2019 scenario but are comparable for the ASW scenario. While the results from the model showed promising prospects for employment, it was revealed through the stakeholder interactions and literature that there are several challenges to achieving a just energy transition. In particular, there is the challenge of garnering the support of labour unions and ensuring decent work. It was found that the overall skill levels in terms of education for the different sources of electricity were similar, but there are many other skill considerations required for people to change vocation from the old jobs in coal to new jobs in solar and wind.Engineering and Policy Analysi
Isolation and Biochemical Characterisation of Fibrinolytic Enzymes Producing Bacillus Species from Food Sources and Enzyme Activity Assay in the Culture Supernatent.
No full textThis Dissertation / Report is the outcome of investigation carried out by the creator(s) / author(s) at the department/division of Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore mentioned below in this page
- …
