Effect of chemical softening of coconut fibres on structure and properties of its blended yarn with jute

Coconut fibres were subjected to chemical treatment to obtain softer and finer fibres, suitable to blend with other finer fibre like jute. The chemical softening recipe was optimized using Box-Behnken design of experiments as 40 % Na₂S, 10 % NaOH and 6 % Na₂CO₃, which notably reduced the fineness (33 %) and flexural rigidity (74 %) and improved tensile property of coconut fibre. Effect of softening of coconut fibre on its process performance was studied in high speed mechanized spinning system at different blend ratios with jute. Blending with jute assists in spinning of coconut fibre to produce yarn of 520 tex at production rate of 5-6 kg/h, as compared to 15 kg/day for hand spun 5300 tex raw coconut fibre yarn in manual system. Analysis of blended yarn structure in terms of packing density, radial distribution of fiber components (SEM) and mass irregularity were investigated. SEM shows yarns made from softened coconut fibre -jute blends are more compact than raw coconut fibre -jute blend yarns. Coconut fibres were preferentially migrated to core of the yarn. Major yarn properties viz., tensile strength, and flexural rigidity of raw and chemically softened blended yarns were compared against their finest possible 100 % coconut fibre yarn properties. Yarn made up to 50:50 chemically softened coconut fibre-jute blend showed much better spinning performance, and having superior property in terms of reduced diameter, higher compactness, strength, initial modulus and less flexural rigidity than 100 % raw, 100 % chemically softened coconut fibre rope, and raw coconut fibre-jute blend yarns.     

Synchrony and causal relations between permian-triassic boundary crises and siberian flood volcanism

The Permian-Triassic boundary records the most severe mass extinctions in Earth's history. Siberian flood volcanism, the most profuse known such subaerial event, produced 2 million to 3 million cubic kilometers of volcanic ejecta in approximately 1 million years or less. Analysis of (40)Ar/(39)Ar data from two tuffs in southern China yielded a date of 250.0 +/- 0.2 million years ago for the Permian-Triassic boundary, which is comparable to the inception of main stage Siberian flood volcanism at 250.0 +/- 0.3 million years ago. Volcanogenic sulfate aerosols and the dynamic effects of the Siberian plume likely contributed to environmental extrema that led to the mass extinctions.     

Middle tertiary volcanism during ridge-trench interactions in Western california

Bimodal volcanism in the Santa Maria Province of west-central California occurred when segments of the East Pacific Rise interacted with a subduction zone along the California margin during the Early Miocene (about 17 million years ago). Isotopic compositions of neodymium and strontium as well as trace-element data indicate that these volcanic rocks were derived from a depleted-mantle (mid-ocean ridge basalt) source. After ridge-trench interactions, the depleted-mantle reservoir was juxtaposed beneath the continental margin and was erupted to form basalts. It also assimilated and partially melted local Jurassic-Cretaceous sedimentary and metasedimentary basement rocks to form rhyolites and dacites.     

Evidence for genetic linkage of Alzheimer's disease to chromosome 10q

Recent studies suggest that insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) in neurons and microglia degrades Abeta, the principal component of beta-amyloid and one of the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We performed parametric and nonparametric linkage analyses of seven genetic markers on chromosome 10q, six of which map near the IDE gene, in 435 multiplex AD families. These analyses revealed significant evidence of linkage for adjacent markers (D10S1671, D10S583, D10S1710, and D10S566), which was most pronounced in late-onset families. Furthermore, we found evidence for allele-specific association between the putative disease locus and marker D10S583, which has recently been located within 195 kilobases of the IDE gene.     

Intensive observations on the effect of some insecticides on Nephotettix virescens (Distant), a vector of virus and MLO diseases,with special reference to its transmission ability

The effects of some insecticides on Nephotettix virescens (Distant), a leafhopper vector of virus and MLO diseases, were studied with particular reference to their efficacy in affecting vector behaviour and transmission of rice tungro virus (RTV). When 10- and 15-day old seedlings from carbofuran-treated seeds were exposed to viruliferous vectors in cages, the percentages of transmission were 40 and 50, respectively against cent per cent in the control. Spraying of EC formulations of dimethoate, phosphamidon and methamidophos was not effective but decemethrin showed spectacular knockdown effect and gave absolute protection against RTV transmission upto 7 days. Since the transmission threshold of RTV is considerably shorter than of mycoplasmal diseases, the treatments affecting RTV transmission may reasonably be expected to be quite effective against MLO diseases like rice yellow dwarf and sandal spike, transmitted by N. virescens.     

Clinical and endocrine responses to embryonic and fetal death induced by manual rupture of the amniotic vesicle during early pregnancy in cows

Pregnancy was terminated in 4 cows by manual rupture of the amniotic vesicle on day 41 (n = 1) and day 46 (n = 3) after insemination. Each cow was necropsied 36 days after vesicle rupture, by which time only one cow had come into estrus. Luteal activity, monitored daily by plasma progesterone assay, was still evident in 2 cows 35 days after fetal death; in the remaining 2 cows, regression of the corpus luteum (CL) was achieved at 28 and 32 days, respectively. Uterine release of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha), measured as the 15-keto metabolite (PGFM) PGF2 alpha, was monitored by a plasma sampling schedule; specimens were obtained every 4 hours. There were no appreciable releases of PGF2 alpha associated with fetal death. The first appreciable PGF2 alpha release in episodic form was seen only in conjunction with CL regression. In all cows, a palpable membrane slip was evident for 18 days after rupture of the amniotic vesicle, although at that time, uterine resilience was diminished in the 2 cows in which the CL subsequently regressed. After 18 days, the uterus was noticeably edematous and fluid-filled in all cows; in 1 of the cows with a regressed CL, the uterus had returned to prepregnancy size and tone by day 33.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)