Cochin University of Science and Technology

About: Cochin University of Science and Technology is a education organization based out in Kochi, Kerala, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Thin film & Natural rubber. The organization has 5382 authors who have published 7690 publications receiving 103827 citations. The organization is also known as: CUSAT & Cochin University.

Discrete wavelet transform de-noising in eukaryotic gene splicing

Abstract: Background: This paper compares the most common digital signal processing methods of exon prediction in eukaryotes, and also proposes a technique for noise suppression in exon prediction. The specimen used here which has relevance in medical research, has been taken from the public genomic database - GenBank. Methods: Here exon prediction has been done using the digital signal processing methods viz. binary method, EIIP (electron-ion interaction psuedopotential) method and filter methods. Under filter method two filter designs, and two approaches using these two designs have been tried. The discrete wavelet transform has been used for de-noising of the exon plots. Results: Results of exon prediction based on the methods mentioned above, which give values closest to the ones found in the NCBI database are given here. The exon plot de-noised using discrete wavelet transform is also given. Conclusion: Alterations to the proven methods as done by the authors, improves performance of exon prediction algorithms. Also it has been proven that the discrete wavelet transform is an effective tool for de-noising which can be used with exon prediction algorithms.

Unveiling the defect levels in SnS thin films for photovoltaic applications using photoluminescence technique

Abstract: Exploiting the potential of the material for the photovoltaic applications requires an extensive defect level analysis, mandatory. Photoluminescence (PL) technique was employed to probe the defect levels in p-SnS thin films deposited using chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) technique. Three PL emissions were recorded at 1.09, 0.76, and 0.75 eV. Systematic investigations performed, focusing the 1.09 eV emission, revealed that the shoulder at 1.093 eV gets completely quenched beyond 110 K. From this study, we could identify a bound exciton associated to a shallow donor level whose activation energy was calculated to be 20meV from Arrhenius plot. By studying the variation of PL intensity with excitation power, we could zero-in that the emission at 1.09 eV was a donor-acceptor pair (DAP) transition. Knowing the band gap to be 1.33 eV, we could identify a deep acceptor at 0.22 eV above valence band. The band structure deduced from the present analysis is depicted in the abstract figure.

Cause of Cambrian Explosion - Terrestrial or Cosmic?

Abstract: We review the salient evidence consistent with or predicted by the Hoyle-Wickramasinghe (H-W) thesis of Cometary (Cosmic) Biology. Much of this physical and biological evidence is multifactorial. One particular focus are the recent studies which date the emergence of the complex retroviruses of vertebrate lines at or just before the Cambrian Explosion of ∼500 Ma. Such viruses are known to be plausibly associated with major evolutionary genomic processes. We believe this coincidence is not fortuitous but is consistent with a key prediction of H-W theory whereby major extinction-diversification evolutionary boundaries coincide with virus-bearing cometary-bolide bombardment events. A second focus is the remarkable evolution of intelligent complexity (Cephalopods) culminating in the emergence of the Octopus. A third focus concerns the micro-organism fossil evidence contained within meteorites as well as the detection in the upper atmosphere of apparent incoming life-bearing particles from space. In our view the totality of the multifactorial data and critical analyses assembled by Fred Hoyle, Chandra Wickramasinghe and their many colleagues since the 1960s leads to a very plausible conclusion - life may have been seeded here on Earth by life-bearing comets as soon as conditions on Earth allowed it to flourish (about or just before 4.1 Billion years ago); and living organisms such as space-resistant and space-hardy bacteria, viruses, more complex eukaryotic cells, fertilised ova and seeds have been continuously delivered ever since to Earth so being one important driver of further terrestrial evolution which has resulted in considerable genetic diversity and which has led to the emergence of mankind.

Phase morphology, thermomechanical, and crystallization behavior of uncompatibilized and PP-g-MAH compatibilized polypropylene/polystyrene blends

Abstract: In this article, we discuss the phase morphology, thermal, mechanical, and crystallization properties of uncompatibilized and compatibilized polypropylene/polystyrene (PP/PS) blends. It is observed that the Young's modulus increases, but other mechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength, elongation at break, and impact strength decrease by blending PS to PP. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of PP/PS blends were compared with various theoretical models. The thermal stability, melting, and crystallization temperatures and percentage crystallinity of semicrystalline PP in the blends were marginally decreased by the addition of amorphous PS. The presence of maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (compatibilizer) increases the phase stability of 90/10 and 80/20 blends by preventing the coalescence. Hence, finer and more uniform droplets of PS dispersed phases are observed. The compatibilizer induced some improvement in impact strength for the blends with PP matrix phase, however fluctuations in modulus, strength and ductility were observed with respect to the uncompatibilized blend. The thermal stability was not much affected by the addition of the compatibilizer for the PP rich blends but shows some decrease in the thermal stability of the blends, where PS forms the matrix. On the other hand, the % crystallinity was increased by the addition of compatibilizer, irrespective of the blend concentration. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42100.