Aligarh Muslim University

About: Aligarh Muslim University is a education organization based out in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Adsorption. The organization has 8218 authors who have published 16416 publications receiving 289068 citations. The organization is also known as: AMU.

Emergency treatment of a snake bite: Pearls from literature.

Abstract: Snake bite is a well-known occupational hazard amongst farmers, plantation workers, and other outdoor workers and results in much morbidity and mortality throughout the world. This occupational hazard is no more an issue restricted to a particular part of the world; it has become a global issue. Accurate statistics of the incidence of snakebite and its morbidity and mortality throughout the world does not exist; however, it is certain to be higher than what is reported. This is because even today most of the victims initially approach traditional healers for treatment and many are not even registered in the hospital. Hence, registering such patients is an important goal if we are to have accurate statistics and reduce the morbidity and mortality due to snakebite. World Health Organization/South East Asian Region Organisation (WHO/SEARO) has published guidelines, specific for the South East Asian region, for the clinical management of snakebites. The same guidelines may be applied for managing snakebite patients in other parts of the world also, since no other professional body has come up with any other evidence-based guidelines. In this article we highlight the incidence and clinical features of different types of snakebite and the management guidelines as per the WHO/SEARO recommendation.

An experimental study of sexual function improving effect of Myristica fragrans Houtt. (nutmeg).

Abstract: Myristica fragrans Houtt. (nutmeg) has been mentioned in Unani medicine to be of value in the management of male sexual disorders. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the aphrodisiac effect of 50% ethanolic extract of nutmeg along with its likely adverse effects and acute toxicity using various animal models. The suspension of the extract was administered (100, 250 and 500 mg/kg, p.o.) to different groups of male rats daily for seven days. The female rats involved in mating were made receptive by hormonal treatment. The general mating behaviour, libido and potency were studied and compared with the standard reference drug sildenafil citrate. Likely adverse effects and acute toxicity of the extract were also evaluated. Oral administration of the extract at the dose of 500 mg/kg, produced significant augmentation of sexual activity in male rats. It significantly increased the Mounting Frequency, Intromission Frequency, Intromission Latency and caused significant reduction in the Mounting Latency and Post Ejaculatory Interval. It also significantly increased Mounting Frequency with penile anaesthetisation as well as Erections, Quick Flips, Long Flips and the aggregate of penile reflexes with penile stimulation. The extract was also observed to be devoid of any adverse effects and acute toxicity. The resultant significant and sustained increase in the sexual activity of normal male rats without any conspicuous adverse effects indicates that the 50% ethanolic extract of nutmeg possesses aphrodisiac activity, increasing both libido and potency, which might be attributed to its nervous stimulating property. The present study thus provides a scientific rationale for the traditional use of nutmeg in the management of male sexual disorders.

The importance of impurity analysis in pharmaceutical products: an integrated approach

Abstract: To purify a material and remove the excess impurities one should first recognize that whether they are actually present and what their nature is. In the past, this was not always done. But presently drug analysis and pharmaceutical impurities are the subjects of constant review in the public interest. The International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines achieved a great deal in harmonizing the definitions of the impurities in new drug substances. It is necessary to perform all the investigations on appropriate reference standards of drug and impurities to get meaningful specifications. In order to meet the challenges to ensure high degree of purity of drug substances and drug products, a scheme is proposed for profiling drug impurity. Finally, analytical methods based on analytical instrumentation must be employed to quantitate drug substance and its impurities. Important aspects and suggestions related to drug analysis and pharmaceutical impurities are discussed.

A Comprehensive review on electric vehicles charging infrastructures and their impacts on power-quality of the utility grid

Abstract: The large penetration of electric vehicles (EV) charging stations in existing utility grid is bringing up many power-quality problems which highly affect the load performances at the large and small consumer ends. This trend seems to grow at more pronounced rate as nowadays there is a shift from using internal combustion (IC) engine based vehicles to EV due to their superiorities. EV chargers convert the ac power to dc power for charging of EV batteries. During this conversion of power by power electronics high frequency switching converters, harmonics are injected into the grid which degrades the power-quality of line current in the grid. Such injection of harmonics causes electrical and thermal overloading of distribution transformers thus affecting their life expectancy. Other problems include drawing of excess current from the grid, unbalancing between demand and supply in utility grid, voltage deviation in the grid, etc. Thus, it is required to maintain the IEEE-519 power quality standards during charging of EV. This paper presents a survey of the fast charging stations for EV and their impacts on the exiting utility grid along with the solution to overcome these issues.

A review of the feedstocks, catalysts, and intensification techniques for sustainable biodiesel production

Abstract: Due to the dwindling crude oil resources and the detrimental environmental effects of toxic emissions from conventional diesel, biodiesel has gained importance over the last few years as a clean, sustainable, and renewable energy resource. As projected by the Energy Outlook review, a blend of 30 % biodiesel with petro-diesel (B30), is expected to be promoted as an alternative to petro-diesel by the year 2030. From the global perception, biodiesel is estimated to form 70 % of transport fuel which will be in demand by the year 2040. Since biodiesel is produced exclusively by vegetable oil, animal fat, microbial oil, and waste oil, it is renewable and biodegradable. Even though it has various benefits over conventional diesel fuel, yet numerous technical challenges need to be resolved. Among them are the cost of oil, selection of appropriate catalysts, and the development of a suitable technique for economical and efficient synthesis of biodiesel fuel from the vast range of available feedstocks. As 60–80 % cost of biodiesel is due to its feedstock, selection of low cost and sustainable feedstock from the vast varieties of available sources is the most challenging task to be achieved. In this article, the literature of the last twenty years was thoroughly studied and reviewed to examine the status of biodiesel. The present paper discusses the availability of different biodiesel feedstocks and summarises how their characteristics affect biodiesel properties along with the criteria of their selection for sustainable and low-cost production of biodiesel. The transesterification route is considered the most appropriate way for processing triglycerides of lipids into biodiesel which can take place with or without a catalyst. Different catalysts can homogeneously or heterogeneously catalyze the transesterification reaction depending on their solubility in the reaction mixture. The paper reviews the research on biodiesel production with different types of catalysts (alkaline, acidic, and enzymatic), their properties, preferred operating conditions, their suitability, and limitations. Work done on some of the latest intensification techniques for biodiesel production that are capable of managing the mass transfer restrictions of oil and alcohol phases namely, microwave irradiation, ultrasonication, and the co-solvent method are also reviewed. Some other intensification techniques that reduce biodiesel production cost by efficient separation, mixing, purification, and reaction like membrane reactor, motionless mixer, reactive distillation, and in-situ method have also been discussed along with their scope for commercialization in the context of the research work done till date. The review concludes with future perspectives and suggestions regarding the selection criteria of feedstocks, catalysts, and production techniques to make the production of biodiesel cost-effective, fast, energy-efficient, more cleaner, less complex, and sustainable.