Showing papers by "Cochin University of Science and Technology published in 2010"
TL;DR: Safety training was identified as the most important safety management practice that predicts safety knowledge, safety motivation, safety compliance and safety participation and path analysis using AMOS-4 software showed that some of the safety management practices have direct and indirect relations with the safety performance components.
505 citations
TL;DR: The prospects of QDs for imaging and PDT of cancer, synthesis of visible and NIR QDs, targeting cancer cells withQDs, in vitro and in vivo cancer imaging, multimodality, preparation of QD-PS conjugates and their energy transfer, photosensitized production of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI), and the prospects and remaining issues are summarized.
219 citations
04 Feb 2010
TL;DR: In this article, the distance spectral radius and D-energy of D-equienergetic graphs of diameter 2 were obtained for graphs with p = 3t + 1 vertices.
Abstract: The D-eigenvalues of a graph G are the eigenvalues of its distance matrix D, and the D-energy ED(G) is the sum of the absolute values of its D-eigenvalues. Two graphs are said to be D-equienergetic if they have the same D-energy. In this note we obtain bounds for the distance spectral radius and D-energy of graphs of diameter 2. Pairs of equiregular D-equienergetic graphs of diameter 2, on p = 3t + 1 vertices are also constructed.
140 citations
TL;DR: The role of substrate temperature in determining the optoelectronic and structural properties of SnS thin films was established and concentration ratios of anionic and cationic precursor solutions were optimized as discussed by the authors.
131 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the dryer was loaded with 200kg of fresh pineapple slices 5mm thick, and the initial moisture content of 82% was reduced to the desired level (i.e.
120 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the complex dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability of flexible magnetic composite materials were measured at different microwave frequencies using the cavity perturbation technique and the model of single layer absorber backed with a perfect conductor.
120 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that screening of the natural micro£ora of cultured ¢sh and shell¢sh for putative probionts might yield probiotic strains of bacteria that could be utilized for an environment-friendly and organic mode of aquaculture.
Abstract: Eight hundred and eighty-¢ve strains of bacterial isolates from various samples associated with the natural habitat of Macrobrachium rosenbergii were screened for their probiotic potential. Two putative probionts namely Bacillus NL110 and Vibrio NE17 isolated from the larvae and egg samples, respectively, were selected for experimental studies and were introduced to the juveniles of M. rosenbergii (0.080 � 0.001g) through diierent modes such as through feed, water and both. The probiotic potential of the above bacteria in terms of improvements in water quality, growth, survival, speci¢c growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio and immune parameters was evaluated. The treatment groups showed a signi¢cant improvement in SGR and weight gain (Po0.001). Survival among diierent treatment groups was better than that in the control group. There were also signi¢cant improvements in the water quality parameters such as the concentration of nitrate and ammonia in the treatment groups (Po0.05). Improvements in immune parameters such as the total haemocyte count (Po0.05), phenoloxidase activity and respiratory burst were also signi¢cant (Po0.001). It is concluded that screening of the natural micro£ora of cultured ¢sh and shell¢sh for putative probionts might yield probiotic strains of bacteria that could be utilized for an environment-friendly and organic mode of aquaculture.
106 citations
TL;DR: Induction of antioxidant enzymes and LOX isoforms together with storage of putrescine and n − 6 PUFAs in cadmium exposed thallus in the present study reveal their potential role in Cd2+ induced oxidative stress in U. lactuca.
Abstract: This study describes various biochemical processes involved in the mitigation of cadmium toxicity in green alga Ulva lactuca. The plants when exposed to 0.4 mM CdCl2 for 4 days showed twofold increase in lipoperoxides and H2O2 content that collectively decreased the growth and photosynthetic pigments by almost 30% over the control. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) enhanced by twofold to threefold and that of catalase (CAT) diminished. Further, the isoforms of these enzymes, namely, Mn-SOD (~85 kDa), GR (~180 kDa) and GPX (~50 kDa) responded specifically to Cd2+ exposure. Moreover, the contents of reduced glutathione (3.01 fold) and ascorbate (1.85 fold) also increased substantially. Lipoxygenase (LOX) activity increased by two fold coupled with the induction of two new isoforms upon Cd2+ exposure. Among the polyunsaturated fatty acids, although n − 3 PUFAs and n − 6 PUFAs (18:3n − 6 and C18:2n − 6) showed relatively higher contents than control, the latter ones showed threefold increase indicating their prominence in controlling the cadmium stress. Both free and bound soluble putrescine increased noticeably without any change in spermidine. In contrast, spermine content reduced to half over control. Among the macronutrients analysed in exposed thalli, the decreased K content was accompanied by higher Na and Mn with no appreciable change in Ca, Mg, Fe and Zn. Induction of antioxidant enzymes and LOX isoforms together with storage of putrescine and n − 6 PUFAs in cadmium exposed thallus in the present study reveal their potential role in Cd2+ induced oxidative stress in U. lactuca.
102 citations
Centre national de la recherche scientifique1, French Institute of Health and Medical Research2, François Rabelais University3, Boston Children's Hospital4, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven5, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre6, Cochin University of Science and Technology7, Max Planck Society8, University of Adelaide9
TL;DR: It is shown that UPF3B is widely expressed in neurons and also presents in dendritic spines, which are essential structures for proper neurotransmission and thus learning and memory processes, and suggests a potential function in the regulation of the expression and degradation of various mRNAs present at the synapse.
Abstract: Mutations in the UPF3B gene, which encodes a protein involved in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, have recently been described in four families with specific (Lujan-Fryns and FG syndromes), nonspecific X-linked mental retardation (XLMR) and autism. To further elucidate the contribution of UPF3B to mental retardation (MR), we screened its coding sequence in 397 families collected by the EuroMRX consortium. We identified one nonsense mutation, c.1081C>T/p.Arg361(*), in a family with nonspecific MR (MRX62) and two amino-acid substitutions in two other, unrelated families with MR and/or autism (c.1136G>A/p.Arg379His and c.1103G>A/p.Arg368Gln). Functional studies using lymphoblastoid cell lines from affected patients revealed that c.1081C>T mutation resulted in UPF3B mRNA degradation and consequent absence of the UPF3B protein. We also studied the subcellular localization of the wild-type and mutated UPF3B proteins in mouse primary hippocampal neurons. We did not detect any obvious difference in the localization between the wild-type UPF3B and the proteins carrying the two missense changes identified. However, we show that UPF3B is widely expressed in neurons and also presents in dendritic spines, which are essential structures for proper neurotransmission and thus learning and memory processes. Our results demonstrate that in addition to Lujan-Fryns and FG syndromes, UPF3B protein truncation mutations can cause also nonspecific XLMR. We also identify comorbidity of MR and autism in another family with UPF3B mutation. The neuronal localization pattern of the UPF3B protein and its function in mRNA surveillance suggests a potential function in the regulation of the expression and degradation of various mRNAs present at the synapse.
99 citations
TL;DR: After cesarean delivery, continuous wound infusion over 48 hours with ropivacaine and ketoprofene through a multiholed wound catheter inserted below the fascia results in better analgesia when compared with administration above the fascIA.
93 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the intensity distribution of rainfall in different classes and their contribution to the total seasonal rainfall in Peninsular Malaysia was studied. But the authors focused on the spatial and diurnal variation of the rainfall in the study areas.
TL;DR: The estimation of the probability of release of chlorine from storage and filling facility of chlor-alkali industry using FTA and two-dimensional fuzzy fault tree analysis (TDFFTA) has been proposed for balancing the hesitation factor involved in expert elicitation.
TL;DR: In this article, a photothermal technique is used to measure the thermal effusivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat capacity of a few representative species of plant leaves and compared with the corresponding properties of two materials abundant in the environment.
Abstract: It is known that the thermal properties of a material influence the temperature around it. Once heated, the rate at which a material transfers the absorbed heat into the surroundings is determined by the thermal effusivity (or thermal inertia) of the material, and it depends on the well-known thermal properties, thermal conductivity, and specific heat capacity. Since a direct measurement of these properties is rather difficult for thin biological specimens such as plant leaves, a photothermal technique is used to measure the thermal effusivity, thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity, and specific heat capacity for a few representative species of plant leaves. Measurements have been carried out on fresh as well as dry leaves to estimate the differences in their properties. Thermal properties of plant leaves are compared with the corresponding properties of two materials abundant in the environment and discussed. The influence of thermal properties, particularly the thermal effusivity and specific heat capacity, of plant leaves on controlling the temperature of the environment around them is discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the optical absorptive nonlinearity of the ZnO:PMMA composites was analyzed using an open aperture Z-scan technique which shows optical limiting type nonlinearities due to the two photon absorption in ZnOs.
TL;DR: The present review summarizes information concerning botany, chemistry and beneficial effect of Bacopa monnieri on epilepsy associated behavioral deficits.
TL;DR: The results show that the placental BDNF/TrkB system is modulated in rats and humans during pregnancies with fetal growth perturbations and is affected by the maternal energetic status.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed the use of permutation entropy (PE), a conceptually simple and computationally fast measurement to detect the onset of chatter from the time series using sound signal recorded with a unidirectional microphone.
Abstract: Machine tool chatter is an unfavorable phenomenon during metal cutting, which results in heavy vibration of cutting tool. With increase in depth of cut, the cutting regime changes from chatter-free cutting to one with chatter. In this paper, we propose the use of permutation entropy (PE), a conceptually simple and computationally fast measurement to detect the onset of chatter from the time series using sound signal recorded with a unidirectional microphone. PE can efficiently distinguish the regular and complex nature of any signal and extract information about the dynamics of the process by indicating sudden change in its value. Under situations where the data sets are huge and there is no time for preprocessing and fine-tuning, PE can effectively detect dynamical changes of the system. This makes PE an ideal choice for online detection of chatter, which is not possible with other conventional nonlinear methods. In the present study, the variation of PE under two cutting conditions is analyzed. Abrupt variation in the value of PE with increase in depth of cut indicates the onset of chatter vibrations. The results are verified using frequency spectra of the signals and the nonlinear measure, normalized coarse-grained information rate (NCIR).
TL;DR: Curcumin has a potential to regulate diabetes induced malfunctions of dopaminergic signalling, CREB and Phospholipase C expression in cerebral cortex and cerebellum and thereby improving the cognitive and emotional functions associated with these regions.
Abstract: Curcumin, an active principle component in rhizome of Curcuma longa, has proved its merit for diabetes through its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aims at evaluating the effect of curcumin in modulating the altered dopaminergic receptors, CREB and phospholipase C in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum of STZ induced diabetic rats. Radioreceptor binding assays and gene expression was done in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum of male Wistar rats using specific ligands and probes. Total dopaminergic receptor binding parameter, Bmax showed an increase in cerebral cortex and decrease in the cerebellum of diabetic rats. Gene expression studies using real time PCR showed an increased expression of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor in the cerebral cortex of diabetic rats. In cerebellum dopamine D1 receptor was down regulated and D2 receptor showed an up regulation. Transcription factor CREB and phospholipase C showed a significant down regulation in cerebral cortex and cerebellum of diabetic rats. We report that curcumin supplementation reduces diabetes induced alteration of dopamine D1, D2 receptors, transcription factor CREB and phospholipase C to near control. Our results indicate that curcumin has a potential to regulate diabetes induced malfunctions of dopaminergic signalling, CREB and Phospholipase C expression in cerebral cortex and cerebellum and thereby improving the cognitive and emotional functions associated with these regions. Furthermore, in line with these studies an interaction between curcumin and dopaminergic receptors, CREB and phospholipase C is suggested, which attenuates the cortical and cerebellar dysfunction in diabetes. These results suggest that curcumin holds promise as an agent to prevent or treat CNS complications in diabetes.
TL;DR: In this article, the magnetocaloric properties of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were investigated to evaluate the potential of these materials as magnetic refrigerants, and the magnetic entropy change (ΔSm) calculated indirectly from magnetization isotherms in the temperature region 170-320 K was found to be negative.
Abstract: The magnetocaloric properties of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were investigated to evaluate the potential of these materials as magnetic refrigerants. Nanosized cobalt ferrites were synthesized by the method of sol–gel combustion. The nanoparticles were found to be spherical with an average crystallite size of 14 nm. The magnetic entropy change (ΔSm) calculated indirectly from magnetization isotherms in the temperature region 170–320 K was found to be negative, signifying an inverse magnetocaloric effect in the nanoparticles. The magnitudes of the ΔSm values were found to be larger when compared to the reported values in the literature for the corresponding ferrite materials in the nanoregime.
TL;DR: In this paper, the upwelling indices derived from both sea surface temperature and wind have shown that there is an increase in the intensity of up-welling during the period 1998 to 2004 than the previous decade.
Abstract: Increase in sea surface temperature with global warming has an impact on coastal upwelling. Past two decades (1988 to 2007) of satellite observed sea surface temperatures and space borne scatterometer measured winds have provided an insight into the dynamics of coastal upwelling in the southeastern Arabian Sea, in the global warming scenario. These high resolution data products have shown inconsistent variability with a rapid rise in sea surface temperature between 1992 and 1998 and again from 2004 to 2007. The upwelling indices derived from both sea surface temperature and wind have shown that there is an increase in the intensity of upwelling during the period 1998 to 2004 than the previous decade. These indices have been modulated by the extreme climatic events like El-Nino and Indian Ocean Dipole that happened during 1991–92 and 1997–98. A considerable drop in the intensity of upwelling was observed concurrent with these events. Apart from the impact of global warming on the upwelling, the present study also provides an insight into spatial variability of upwelling along the coast. Noticeable fact is that the intensity of offshore Ekman transport off 8°N during the winter monsoon is as high as that during the usual upwelling season in summer monsoon. A drop in the meridional wind speed during the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 has resulted in extreme decrease in upwelling though the zonal wind and the total wind magnitude are a notch higher than the previous years. This decrease in upwelling strength has resulted in reduced productivity too.
TL;DR: In this article, a dual beam mode-matched thermal lens method was employed to measure the heat diffusion in nanofluid of silver with various volumes of rhodamine 6G, both dispersed in water.
TL;DR: In this paper, Eu-doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal method and they were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction and it confirms the formation of nanoparticles having standard wurtzite structure.
Abstract: Eu-doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The Eu-dopant concentration has been varied by varying the amount of Eu-dopant concentration. These nanoparticles were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction and it confirms the formation of nanoparticles having standard wurtzite structure. Photoluminescence studies show that these nanoparticles exhibit a sharp red luminescence due to the intra-4f transitions of Eu3+ ions at an excitation of 397 nm and 466 nm. Luminescence quenching is observed in the nanoparticles as the Eu-dopant concentration increases. Incorporation of Eu in the nanoparticles was confirmed by the energy dispersive X-ray studies.
TL;DR: In this paper, the synoptical relations in spatial distributions with respect to environmental conditions such as pH, organic carbon, and sediment texture were inter-correlated, which reflected their similarity in distribution rather than anthropogenic enrichment.
Abstract: Surficial and core samples collected from the sedimentary microenvironments of Lakshadweep Archipelago were analysed for their trace metal contents. The synoptical relations in spatial distributions with respect to environmental conditions such as pH, organic carbon and sediment texture were inter-correlated. Some of the metals exhibited good correlations with Fe/Mn, which reflect their similarity in distribution rather than anthropogenic enrichment. Inter-relating the variations in metal—pH relationships with metal—organic carbon, in general, those which exhibited positive correlations with pH, displayed negative interactions with organic carbon content and vice versa. Comparatively, higher values of Fe in the mangrove area of one of the islands highlight the possibility of precipitation of Fe as iron sulphides, which are common in mangrove ecosystem. Based on the contamination factors for Pb, Zn and Cd, as well as the geo-accumulation index of Cd, it can be generalised that some of the islands remain polluted with respect to these elements. An evaluation based on pollution load index shows that none of the islands surveyed for this study posed a serious threat in trace metal pollution. Bray Curtis similarity index was computed to find out the similarity among metals/islands, using non-transformed data of metal concentrations. Group linkage clustering technique was used for drawing dendrograms to show the similarity among them.
TL;DR: The primary hemocyte culture could serve as a model for WSSV titration and viral and cellular immune related gene expression and also for investigations on cytotoxicity of aquaculture drugs and chemicals.
TL;DR: A simple and cost effective technique for obtaining highly stable carbon coated nickel nanostructures at relatively low reaction temperatures is reported in this paper, where the powder X-ray diffraction pattern reveals peaks corresponding to face centered cubic nickel.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of both in-situ and ex-Situ doping was analyzed on tin-doped indium sulfide films prepared using Chemical Spray Pyrolysis (CSP) technique.
TL;DR: In this article, a comprehensive understanding of the direct and indirect interactions of the nomologically proximate concepts of switching costs, service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty has not yet been accomplished.
Abstract: It is a common wisdom in the cellular service industry that high switching costs increase customer loyalty to a service provider and vice versa. Academic studies, too, have shown this to be true. However, a comprehensive understanding of the direct and indirect interactions of the nomologically proximate concepts of switching costs, service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty has not yet been accomplished; in the present study, we attempt to do the same. In particular, the interaction effects of switching costs upon the service quality-perceived value link and the satisfaction-loyalty link are explored, and in both cases the effects are shown to be significant. To test these relationships, an empirical study among the mobile phone service users in India was carried out. Implications of the study for marketing theory and practice are discussed.
TL;DR: Eight new transition metal complexes of benzaldehyde-N(4)-phenylsemicarbazone have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductance, electronic and infrared spectral studies, and the metal ligand bonding parameters evaluated showed strong in-plane sigma bonding and in- plane pi bonding.
TL;DR: The Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT) as discussed by the authors is composed of high-grade granulite domain occurring to the south of Dharwar Craton (DC) and the structural units of SGT show a marked change in the structural trend from the dominant north-south in DC to east-west trend in SGT and primarily consist of different crustal blocks divided by major shear zones.
TL;DR: In this paper, the frequency and intensity of meteorological droughts over the Indo-Gangetic Region (IGR) of India pertaining to the rice crop during kharif season (June to July to October to November) and the wheat crop during rabi season (November to December to March) were assessed using the standardized precipitation index (SPI).
Abstract: The frequency and intensity of meteorological droughts over the Indo-Gangetic Region (IGR) of India pertaining to the rice crop during kharif season (June to July to October to November) and the wheat crop during the rabi season (November to December to March) were assessed using the standardized precipitation index (SPI). The monthly distribution of rainfall is more crucial than the cumulative seasonal rainfall on rice–wheat (RW) productivity. Consequently, an attempt was made to measure the effectiveness of using monthly SPI from June to September to assess drought on RW productivity over five major RW growing states of IGR in India. An attempt is also made to test the use of monthly SPI for the early kharif rice and rabi wheat forecasts for these states. The long-term (1906–2005) mean annual rainfall of IGR is 1099.1 mm with a standard deviation of 115.7 mm and a coefficient of variation of 10.5%. It was observed that the kharif rice productivity index and monthly SPI from June to September have a significant (R2 = 0.44) multiple regression at 0.001 level over IGR. It was also observed that in the Indo-Gangetic Region, the wheat productivity index and monthly SPI (June to September) have an insignificant (R2 = 0.21) multiple regression. It indicated that the monthly distribution of monsoon rainfall in terms of the SPI accounted for 44% yield variability in rice and 21% yield variability in wheat. Thus, these indices may be used for forecasting the productivity of the RW system over IGR states in India. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society