In recent years packaging materials made of biodegradable polymers received considerable attention. The packaging system containing antimicrobial agents was one of the new methods that have an ...advantage over the conventional system. This work aims to fabricate and characterize antibacterial films based on chitosan (CS) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) incorporated with white turmeric powder (WT) for food packaging applications. The active films of chitosan/cetrimide/white turmeric (CCW), poly(vinyl alcohol)/cetrimide/white turmeric (PCW) and PVA/CS/CT/WT (PCCW) with varied concentrations of WT were prepared by solvent casting method. The influence of WT on the physical and structural properties of the prepared films were studied using different analytical techniques. The results of SEM analysis indicated interactions of polymer matrix with WT contributed to homogeneous, compact and smooth surface morphology. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed hydrogen bond formation with a polymer matrix that improved the physical and thermal properties. The research findings revealed that there was an improvement in the tensile strength, moisture adsorption, solubility and hydrophobicity of CCW active films with an increase in WT content. At the same time, there was an improvement in inhibiting bacterial growth with increasing concentration of WT for all the fabricated films. The results showed better mechanical and antibacterial properties for PCCW films. All the films exhibited biodegradation under environmental conditions. All these results suggested WT incorporated CS and PVA based films can be used in the food packaging industry to enhance the safety and quality of the packaging material.
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•WT incorporated CS and PVA based films were prepared by a solvent casting method.•All the blend films exhibited antibacterial activities.•The prepared blend films showed biodegradation under the atmospheric condition.•The obtained films can be conveniently used as eco-friendly packaging materials.
Land use change models are tools to support the analysis of the causes and consequences of land use dynamics. Land use and land cover change (LUCC) has been recognized as an important driver of ...environmental change on all spatial and temporal scales. The primary objective of this paper is to predict and analyze the present and future growth of Muzaffarpur city and its surrounding, Bihar (India) using the Landsat satellite images of 1988 and 2010. These data are used for change prediction and for preparation of prediction map of year 2025 and 2035. IDRISI, Land Change Modeler (LCM) was used to analyze the land use and land cover changes between various classes during the period 1988-2008. Erdas Imagine software (ver-9.3) were also used to prepare land use/cover classification using image processing supervised classification method in a multi-temporal approach. The prediction of land use land cover change was done on neural network built-in module in the Selva version of IDRISI. The accuracy was obtained as 72.28% for all the conversion types.
•Ultrasonication improves moisture removal from Zeolite 13X compared to heat only.•Replacing 25% of heat with ultrasound results in 24% desorption energy savings.•Replacing 20% of heat with ...ultrasound results in 23% faster desorption.•Effect of ultrasonic radiation becomes more significant at lower frequencies.•Acoustic dissipation as a sole mechanism of ultrasound- assisted enhancement is rejected.
The use of ultrasound to enhance the regeneration of zeolite 13X for efficient utilization of thermal energy was investigated as a substitute to conventional heating methods. The effects of ultrasonic power and frequency on the desorption of water from zeolite 13X were analyzed to optimize the desorption efficiency. To determine and justify the effectiveness of incorporating ultrasound from an energy-savings point of view, an approach of constant overall input power of 20 or 25 W was adopted. To measure the extent of the effectiveness of using ultrasound, the ultrasonic-power-to-total power ratios of 0.2, 0.25, 0.4 and 0.5 were investigated and the results compared with those of no-ultrasound (heat only) at the same total power. To analyze the effect of ultrasonic frequency, identical experiments were performed at three nominal ultrasonic frequencies of ~28, 40 and 80 kHz. The experimental results showed that using ultrasound enhances the regeneration of zeolite 13X at all the aforementioned power ratios and frequencies without increasing the total input power. With regard to energy consumption, the highest energy-savings power ratio (0.25) resulted in a 24% reduction in required input energy and with an increase in ultrasonic power, i.e. an increase in acoustic-to-total power ratio, the effectiveness of applying ultrasound decreased drastically. At a power ratio of 0.2, the time required for regeneration was reduced by 23.8% compared to the heat-only process under the same experimental conditions. In terms of ultrasonic frequency, lower frequencies resulted in higher efficiency and energy savings, and it was concluded that the effect of ultrasonic radiation becomes more significant at lower ultrasonic frequencies. The observed inverse proportionality between the frequency and ultrasound-assisted desorption enhancement suggests that acoustic dissipation is not a significant mechanism to enhance mass transfer, but rather other mechanisms must be considered.
This research paper focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on Indian Stock Market and shares performance. In other words, the article analyses the market capitalization correlation between the ...performances of shares and the growth of the share market, using the stock market data of Pre and post COVID-19 status by comparing the data from Jan’20 to Jun’20. The variables have positive and statistically strong significance on the changes in the market’s performance and the value of its market capitalization.
Biodegradable and sustainable food preservation materials have gained immense global importance to mitigate plastic pollution and environmental impact. Biopolymers like cellulose offer significant ...advantages for food preservation, including biodegradability and the ability to extend shelf life. Therefore, the present study aims to prepare gallic acid (GA) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) incorporated methylcellulose (MC) composite films by employing a solvent casting technique. The homogeneous SEM micrographs and FTIR spectra evidenced high compatibility among MC and GA/ZnO NPs. The UV barrier capacity, mechanical properties and surface hydrophobicity are remarkably enhanced by GA/ZnO NPs. However, the water vapour permeability and oxygen permeability of MGZ films were reduced by 49.19 % and 57.75 % respectively. Moreover, the MGZ films demonstrated exceptional antioxidant efficacy (∼94.48 %) and inhibition against food-borne pathogens such as B. subtilis, S. aureus (Gram-positive), E. coli, P. aeruginosa (Gram-negative), and C. albicans fungi. Furthermore, the GA/ZnO NPs extended the shelf life of MGZ coated tomato samples up to 27 days and exhibited controlled microbial growth after the preservation study. These results support the application of MGZ films as suitable and effective coating materials for food packaging applications.
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•Methylcellulose based films embedded with gallic acid and ZnO NPs were prepared.•The variation in their properties with the incorporation of GA/ZnO NPs was studied.•The composite films demonstrated enhanced UV and water barrier properties.•GA/ZnONPs induced methylcellulose composites exhibited optimal functional properties.•The films extended the shelf life of tomatoes by inhibiting microbial growth on them.
Abstract
In this manuscript, we have investigated the peristaltic transport of Oldroyd-B fluid in an inclined channel. The channels are taken asymmetric into the account and subjected to rotation of ...the presence of a magnetic field and gravity field. The governing equations of Oldroyd-B fluid are derived and the constitute nonlinear equations are reduced under the consideration of large wave length and small Reynolds number approximation. The exact solution of the equations is derived. The consequences of pertinent aspects of axial velocity, pressure gradient, pressure rise and stream functions are discussed through the graphs.
Ocular manifestations in snake-bite injuries are quite rare. However, the unusual presentations, diagnosis and their management can pose challenges when they present to the ophthalmologist. Early ...detection of these treatable conditions can prevent visual loss in these patients who are systemically unstable and are unaware of their ocular condition. To address this, a study was conducted with the aim of identifying the various ocular manifestations of snake bite in a tertiary care center.
This is a one-year institute-based prospective study report of 12 snake bite victims admitted to a tertiary hospital with ocular manifestations between June 2013 to June 2014, which provides data about the demographic characteristics, clinical profiles, ocular manifestations, and their outcomes.
Twelve cases of snake bite with ocular manifestations were included of which six were viper bites, three were cobra bites and three were unknown bites. Six patients presented with bilateral acute angle closure glaucoma (50%), two patients had anterior uveitis (16.6%) of which one patient had concomitant optic neuritis. One patient had exudative retinal detachment (8.3%), one patient had thrombocytopenia with subconjunctival hemorrhage (8.3%) and two patients had external ophthalmoplegia (16.6%).
Bilateral angle closure glaucoma was the most common ocular manifestation followed by anterior uveitis and external ophthalmoplegia. Snake bite can result in significant ocular morbidity in a majority of patients but spontaneous recovery with anti-snake venom, steroids and conservative management results in good visual prognosis.
Food waste is an important wasted resource needs to be utilized for fuel production towards achieving circular economy. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), a fast and energy efficient method of ...transforming wet food waste to bio-oil whose yield depends on catalyst. In the present study hierarchical Fe-Co-ZSM-5 was synthesized by steam assisted crystallization, characterized and evaluated for the HTL of model food waste. Highest bio-oil yield of 41.8% was obtained at 250 °C, 80 bar using 1 g of hierarchical Fe-Co-ZSM-5 catalyst of crystallinity of 84% for 2 h. Hierarchical Fe-Co-ZSM-5 catalyst is less prone to deactivation compared to conventional microporous ZSM-5 catalyst.
Accurate and timely diagnosis is very critical for management, control and elimination of the malaria. Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have improved the diagnosis and management of malaria in ...remote areas, community and places where microscopy is not available for diagnosis. According to WHO report 2018, Plasmodium falciparum malaria constitutes more than 50% of malaria cases in India. Most of the RDTs used for diagnosis of falciparum malaria today employ HRP2 as a target antigen. However, low density parasitemia and deletion of hrp-2 gene in P. falciparum leads to false negative results and necessitates the development of alternative/ new or improved RDT for malaria diagnosis. We have analysed the genetic diversity and homology modelling of Pfgdh (glutamate dehydrogenase), ldh (lactate dehydrogenase) and aldolase genes in P. falciparum isolates from the eight endemic states of India to assess their potential as antigen for RDT development. We observed negligible sequence diversity in Pfgdh in comparison to the low level of diversity in ldh and aldolase gene. No structural or functional changes were observed in modelling studies and all three genes were under negative purifying selection pressure. The highly conserved nature of pfgdh gene suggests that GDH could be a potential target molecule for Pan/Pf diagnostic test for malaria.
Evidence from a number of countries in Europe and North America point towards the secular declining trend in menarcheal age with considerable spatial variations over the past two centuries. Similar ...trends were reported in several developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America. However, data corroborating any secular trend in the menarcheal age of the Indian population remained sparse and inadequately verified.
We examined secular trends, regional heterogeneity and association of socioeconomic, anthropometric and contextual factors with menarcheal age among ever-married women (15-49 years) in India. Using the pseudo cohort data approach, we fit multiple linear regression models to estimate secular trends in menarcheal age of 91394 ever-married women using the Indian Human Development Survey.
The mean age at menarche among Indian women was 13.76 years (95 % CI: 13.75, 13.77) in 2005. It declined by three months from 13.83 years (95% CI: 13.81, 13.85) among women born prior to 1955-1964, to nearly 13.62 years (95% CI: 13.58, 13.67) among women born during late 1985-1989. However, these aggregate national figures mask extensive spatial heterogeneity as mean age at menarche varied from 15.0 years in Himachal Pradesh during 1955-1964 (95% CI: 14.89-15.11) to about 12.1 years in Assam (95% CI: 11.63-12.56) during 1985-1989.
The regression analysis established a reduction of nearly one month per decade, suggesting a secular decline in age at menarche among Indian women. Notably, the menarcheal age was significantly associated with the area of residence, geographic region, linguistic groups, educational attainment, wealth status, caste and religious affiliations among Indian women.
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