Synthesis and characterization of ZnO-CuO nanocomposites powder by modified perfume spray pyrolysis method and its antimicrobial investigation

Pure ZnO,ZnO-CuO nanocomposites can be synthesized by using a modified perfume spray pyrolysis method (MSP).The crystallite size of the nanoparticles (NPs) has been observed by X-ray diffraction pattern and is nearly 36 nm.Morphological studies have been analyzed by using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and its elemental analysis was reported by Elemental X-ray Analysis (EDX);these studies confirmed that ZnO and CuO have hexagonal structure and monoclinic structure respectively.Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra revealed that the presence of functional frequencies of ZnO and CuO were observed at 443 and 616 cm-1.The average bandgap value at 3.25 eV using UV-vis spectra for the entitled composite has described a blue shift that has been observed here.The antibacterial study against both gram positive and negative bacteria has been studied by the disc diffusion method.To the best of our knowledge,it is the first report on ZnO-CuO nanocomposite synthesized by a modified perfume spray pyrolysis method.     

Double emulsion‐encapsulated guggul exhibits improved in vivo hypocholesterolaemic action in rats

Guggul tree or Commiphora mukul is a small thorny herb having remarkable hypocholesterolaemic properties. Its therapeutic effects are because of its biocomponent guggulsterones, especially guggulsterone E and Z. In this research, double emulsion‐based spread was tried to improve the bioavailability of the herb guggul in in vivo rat model. The effect of the different diets with encapsulated and nonencapsulated guggul was evaluated and compared after 6 weeks, based on the final body weight and analysis of organs, serum and faeces of normal and hypercholesterolaemic (H) rats. It was evident from the results that double emulsion‐encapsulated guggul showed better control on weight of H rats (25.98% lower), inhibition of HMG CoA reductase (3.95 times less) activity and reduction in atherosclerotic index (47.2%), as compared to diet with unencapsulated guggul. Encapsulation of guggul also improved faecal excretion of bile acids, lipids and total cholesterol in H and normal rats.     

Role of substrate temperature on the structural,optoelectronic and morphological properties of (400) oriented indium tin oxide thin films deposited using RF sputtering technique

RF sputtering process has been used to deposit highly transparent and conducting films of tin-doped indium oxide onto quartz substrates keeping the RF power constant at 250 W. The electrical, optical and structural properties have been investigated as a function of substrate temperature. XRD has shown that deposited films are polycrystalline and have (400) preferred orientation. Indium tin oxide layers with low resistivity values and high transmittance in the visible region have been deposited. Detailed Analyses based on X-ray diffraction, optical and electrical results are attempted to gain more insight into the factors that are governed by the influence of varying substrate temperature in this investigation. AFM pictures showed uniform surface morphology with very low surface roughness values. It has been observed that ITO films deposited in this study, keeping the substrate temperature at 150 °C, can provide the required optimum electrical and optical properties rendering them useful for developing many optoelectronic devices at a moderate temperature.     

System dynamics modeling of engineering change management in a collaborative environment

Engineering changes to products aim to correct design faults, exploit new market opportunities, improve overall product performance, or reduce production costs. These changes are thus considered as opportunities to stay competitive in the market place and companies strive to implement them in their products at the lowest possible costs. Such engineering changes in a collaborative environment require the original equipment manufacturer to work together with suppliers for designing, manufacturing, and marketing a product profitably. Simulation of an engineering change management process provides an understanding of important factors affecting the engineering change management process and helps in identifying any critical components of the entire process. In this research, system dynamics models have been developed to study the complex interrelationships among various members in a collaborative supply chain to achieve effective and efficient engineering change management processes. To address the complexity of the models, several standard templates have been developed and used.     

A formal semantics for an active functional DBPL

We describe how the functional database programming language PFL is extended with an active component without compromising either its declarative semantics or its syntax. We give a formal specification of the active component using PFL itself, including event specification and detection, parameter-binding, reaction scheduling and abort handling. We describe how a user-specified function can be cast as a primitive event, and discuss the expressiveness of events and the optimisation of event detection.     

Bone grafts and bone induction substitutes

The use of bone grafts is the basis of all craniofacial surgery. Bone grafts are used to stabilize the open segments, expand the patient's structural boundaries, and fill defects created by trauma or congenital malformations. Bone grafts are harvested from local or distant sites as indicated. Biomaterial implants are used as bone substitutes when it is not possible to use bone grafts.     

Cost-effective reliable software engineering and development

In recent years the development of superfast computer systems with very high speeds and throughputs is growing rapidly with the tremendous advances in computer hardware technology. At the same time the software costs are becoming more dominant in the total system costs. Considering these aspects some of the most important considerations in the development and maintenance of computer software in cost-effective reliable software engineering and development are discussed. For the success of software managers, effective management and software engineering and development techniques have been presented to reduce the software life-cycle costs and to improve the efficiency of reliable software management in practice. An extensive survey of cost-effective reliable software engineering and development techniques, and the foundation upon which to establish the development and maintenance environment for future software systems are also provided.     

Opposing actions of BMP3 and TGF beta 1 in human bone marrow stromal cell growth and differentiation

BMP3 and TGF beta 1 were found to induce opposite effects on human bone marrow stromal cells both in cell proliferation and cell differentiation and on calcium deposition onto the extracellular matrix. Moreover, BMP3 may exert, in part, the inhibitory effect of TGF beta 1 through decreasing the affinity of TGF-beta for its receptors which are now identified in these human bone cells.