Indian Institute of Technology Madras

About: Indian Institute of Technology Madras is a facility organization based out in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Heat transfer. The organization has 20118 authors who have published 36499 publications receiving 590447 citations.

Fluidized bed drying of solids

Abstract: A kinetic model is developed for the drying of solids in fluidized beds, assuming a falling rate period following a constant rate period. Experimental data obtained using batch and continuous single and spiral fluidized beds are satisfactorily matched with the assumed drying kinetics and the residence time distribution of solids appropriate for the type of dryer.

Cosmological models with constant deceleration parameter in Brans-Dicke theory

Abstract: A detailed study of cosmological models with constant deceleration parameterq is undertaken in the framework of Brans-Dicke theory. These models are divided into two categories: (i) singular models with expansion driven by big-bang impulse, (ii) non-singlar models with expansion driven by creation of matter particles. Prigogine's hypothesis of creation of matter out of gravitational energy is analysed and extended to BD cosmology. To accommodate the creation of new particles, the universe is regarded as an open thermodynamical system and the energy conservation equation is modified with the incorporation of a creation pressure termp c in the energy-momentum tensor $$\tilde T_{ab} $$ . The exact solutions of the field equations of BD theory with $$\tilde T_{ab} $$ are obtained using the power law relationΦ=KR α, which leads to models with constantq. The behaviour of the solutions is investigated for different range of values ofa. The role played by the BD scalar fieldΦ and creation of matter particles in the expansion of the universe is investigated. It is found that one particular model with constantq has exponential expansion.

Neurodegenerative Diseases - Is Metabolic Deficiency the Root Cause?

Abstract: Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer, Parkinson, Huntington, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are a prominent class of neurological diseases currently without a cure. They are characterized by an inexorable loss of a specific type of neurons. The selective vulnerability of specific neuronal clusters (typically a subcortical cluster) in the early stages, followed by the spread of the disease to higher cortical areas, is a typical pattern of disease progression. Neurodegenerative diseases share a range of molecular and cellular pathologies, including protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, glutamate toxicity, calcium load, proteolytic stress, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and aging, which contribute to neuronal death. Efforts to treat these diseases are often limited by the fact that they tend to address any one of the above pathological changes while ignoring others. Lack of clarity regarding a possible root cause that underlies all the above pathologies poses a significant challenge. In search of an integrative theory for neurodegenerative pathology, we hypothesize that metabolic deficiency in certain vulnerable neuronal clusters is the common underlying thread that links many dimensions of the disease. The current review aims to present an outline of such an integrative theory. We present a new perspective of neurodegenerative diseases as metabolic disorders at molecular, cellular, and systems levels. This helps to understand a common underlying mechanism of the many facets of the disease and may lead to more promising disease-modifying therapeutic interventions. Here, we briefly discuss the selective metabolic vulnerability of specific neuronal clusters and also the involvement of glia and vascular dysfunctions. Any failure in satisfaction of the metabolic demand by the neurons triggers a chain of events that precipitate various manifestations of neurodegenerative pathology.