It has been reported that the water fruit extract of Calabash (Crescentia cujete) have many traditional claims for herbal medicine. However the safety of its use during pregnancy has not been fully investigated. The ethanolic fruit extract (25%, 75%, and 100%) was given to Sprague Dawley rats on days 6 to 19 of gestation, that is, organogenetic period. Maternal organ and fetal weight were recorded, the morphometric indices such as Crown rump length (CRL), Forelimb length (FLL), Head lip length (HdLL), and Hind limb length (HLL) of the fetuses were carried out. The Control group had the heaviest fetal weight, followed by 75%, 25% and 100% concentration. The Control Group ranged from 3.5 to 6.3g (mean = 5.07 ± 0.86). The 75% concentration group ranged 3 to 5.2 g (mean = 3.89 ± 0.55). The 25% concentration group ranged from 2.6 to 4.9 g (mean = 3.78 ± 0.49). The 100% concentration group ranged from 3 to 4.3 g (mean = 3.53 ± 0.36). No remarkable abnormality in the external morphology of fetus was observed other than the significantly reduced fetal weight. Blood samples were also collected and were analyzed for complete blood profile (CBP). red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), platelet, hematocrit and hemoglobin. The blood count shows that the control group is within every expected range (with the exception of the 25% group in the WBC count, which exceeds the expected range of 5.0 to 10.0 x10^9/L). Continuous consumption of higher concentrations of the extract during gestation can alter the growth and development of the fetus and maternal organs and the maternal blood count. Utmost caution should be done by humans in using this extract during pregnancy.
2. DIVERSITY OF MACROBENTHIC INVERTEBRATES IN THE INTERTIDAL ZONE OF BRGY. TAGPANGAHOY, TUBAY, AGUSAN DEL NORTE, PHILIPPINES
Macrobenthic invertebrates in the intertidal zone of Barangay Tagpangahoy, Tubay, Agusan del Norte, a mining identified area, were assessed. One sampling was done during low tide on May 5 to 6, 2009. Transect quadrat method was used in an approximately 75,000 m2 study area. Three hundred twenty six individuals belonging to 39 species were found in the area. These samples belong to three phyla namely. Mollusca, Echinodermata, and Arthropoda. The top three most abundant species found were mollusks. These are Planaxis sp., Nerita sp., and Isognomonisognomon with the relative abundance value of 18.71%, 12.27%, and 8.90% respectively. Most of the macrobenthic fauna were arranged in a clumped distribution pattern, while the rest were dispersed uniformly. About 69.93% of the total numbers of individual present in the area were found in rocky substrate. Meanwhile, about 13.80% were found in the sandy rocky substrate, 10.43% were found in the sandy substrate, and only about 5.83% were found in the sandy muddy rocky substrate. The species diversity of the area is 3.00, which is relatively higher compared to reports from other related studies. The values of pH, salinity and temperature taken were within the normal range of these characteristics of marine water.
3. LOW COST DUST COLLECTOR FOR SMALL SCALE TEXTILE INDUSTRY (SSTI)
In India there are many small scale textile industries. Cotton dust in the work place is major problem in SSTI. This problem is more severe in spinning section. Dust consists of small and microscopic particles of various substances which are present as suspended particles in air. These particles are harmful to human health. Because of this various diseases are occurred like shortness of breath, cough, and lungs cancer.Various aspects of health hazards in textile industries have been discussed. To reduce this health hazards, there a need of dust collector. If we developed a low cost dust collector for SSTI.
4. ENERGY AUDIT OF COMBINED CYCLE POWER PLANT: A CASE STUDY
This study involves the complete energy audit of the combined cycle 450 MW power plant. It includes a detailed energy balance and performance analysis of different cycle components that includes Gas Turbine, Steam Turbine and HRSG Unit. Firstly, Gas Turbine has been analysed as a single independent unit. Various parameters that affect its performance include the fuel GCV, compressor performance, and ambient air conditions etc. In this study, all such factors are examined for their effect on the overall plant performance. Secondly, Steam Turbines section has been examined which also includes the condenser and the entire feed water circuit. Lastly, HRSG unit is considered where an indirect method of energy balance has been employed, where prime focus would be at the various losses occurring during the run time. Heat losses have also been addressed which might occur due to insufficient or improper insulation of the entire instalment. In short, the prime purpose of this study is to evaluate the plant performance and pin point areas which require improvement
5. SOLAR POWERED MAGNET MOTOR
Ms S G Shirsikar, Ms Prachi G. Shirsikar, Ms S P Patil
It is commonly accepted that the earth’s fossil energy resources are limited, and the global oil, gas and coal production will be depleted in time to come, causing prices to escalate. The purpose of this project is to design and develop a switch magnetic field generator/motor. Research was conducted on various designs of existing generator topologies and electromagnetism methods. The final design was selected based on complexity and cost. Throughout the semesters, a demo prototype has been re-designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the system. Using the theory of attraction and repulsion forces between the electromagnets, a rotational force is induced to create a driving motion for the prototype. The magnetic field strength of the electromagnets does not solely depend on the core material itself, but also on the amount of induced current and number of turns of coiled wire around the magnet. At the end of this project, we will evaluate my current prototype and give practical recommendations to improve the design. Harnessing free energy would be a continuous pursuit of the world and by going green in today’s context would greatly reduce the stress caused on nature.
6. A MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR UNIVERSITY COURSE SCHEDULING: A CASE STUDY
University timetabling problem is to determine which course is assigned to which lecturer and is held on which day and time slot in order to satisfy a specific objective. It is a time consuming and complex task as it includes a large number of educational rules. On the other hand, the existence of numerous courses and lecturers makes the problem much more complicated. Because of the complexity of the problem, an efficient timetable is achieved when a mathematical model is used. In this paper, a new binary model is used to develop a timetable for an Iranian university. One of the main novelties of the paper is considering multi offered courses, courses that are offered more than once in a term due to large number of students who wish to take them. The objective function of the model is maximizing education quality. In fact, the model assigns each course to the most eligible lecturer. The model is developed based on the real constraints of the case and is solved using GAMS software.
7. RELAY SELECTION FOR AF BASED COOPERATIVE NETWORKS
In this paper, a performance analysis of amplify and forward (AF) relaying cooperative diversity system with relay selection is given when all terminals are moving. We have derived analytical expressions for probability density function (PDF), cumulative distribution function (CDF) and moment generating function (MGF) of end to end signal to noise ratio (SNR) for the considered system. Then, the symbol error rate performance (SER) of the system is calculated for MPSK modulation assuming the all links have double Rayleigh distribution.
8. A STUDY ON DESIGN OPTIMIZATION OF COMPTON SUPPRESSION DETECTOR FOR IN SITU MEASUREMENT OF SITE USING MONTE CARLO TECHNIQUES
Compton suppression system was established to accurately and precisely measure low level radiation during in situ measurement of sites. HPGe detector was selected as the main detector and plastics scintillation detector was selected as the guard detector. Using 137Cs source, while changing the height(h) and width(w) about plastic scintillation detector the gamma spectrum was simulated using the Monte Carlo method. Also each was performance evaluated using reduction factor (RF). As a result the optimum result of height(h) 10cm x width(W) 10cm, 1cm forward disposition of plastic detector size was derived. The reduction factor (RF) according to optimum design condition was 2.97, and a maximum of 5.0 suppression effect was obtained near to the 420keV.
9. Study of Alluvial Gold Bearing Sediments of River Kabul, District Nowshera (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan).
Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Mansoor Khan, Fawad Ul Hassan
Shaidu area situated in Peshawar Basin lies in district Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This area is investigated for the occurrence of placer gold and also to develop an economical, feasible and environmentally safe method. Mineralogical and chemical studies of the shaking table samples showed the occurrence of placer gold particles in concentrate, middling and tailing. These particles vary in size and morphology. Most of the particles are greater than 70μm, thus amalgamation is very effective for recovery of gold particles larger than 60-70μmwhilecyanidation method is used for the recovery of finer particles. A pilot study is suggested in order to increase the knowledge of the proposed plant and resources.
10. HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER FOR SORET, DUFOURS AND MAGNETCI EFFECTS IN TRANSIENT FLOW OF CONDUCTING FLUID OVER A STRETCHING SHEET EMBEDDED IN A POROUS MEDIUM WITH CHEMICALLY REACTIVE SPICES
An investigation is made to carry out to study the thermal diffusion and diffusion thermo effects in hydro magnetic transient flow by a mixed convection boundary layer past an impermeable vertical stretching sheet embedded in a conducting fluid saturated porous medium in the presence of a chemical reaction effect. The velocity of stretching surface, the surface temperature and the concentration are directly proportional to the distance along the surface. The flow is impulsively set into motion rest, and both the temperature and concentration at the surface are also suddenly changed from that of the ambient fluid. An external magnetic field of strength is applied perpendicular to the stretching sheet. Introducing non dimensional parameters, the governing set of partial differential equation are transformed into the self similar unsteady boundary layer equations. These equations are solved by Runge kutta integration scheme with shooting method for the whole transient flow from initial state to final steady state flow. Numerical results for the velocity, temperature, and Concentration profiles are presented graphically for different existing flow parameter. A special case of our results is in good agreement with an earlier published work.