Topics

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Faculty Sections / Anti-Malarial Mosquitoes

« on: May 15, 2014, 04:14:33 PM »

Artificially induced bacterial infections in mosquitoes could reduce the spread of malaria-causing parasites.

Creating a stable, heritable infection of Wolbachia (parasites or endosymbionts to many insect species) bacteria in Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes diminishes the insects’ chances of transmitting the human malaria-causing parasite (G. Bian et al). The results suggest that such modified mosquitoes could contribute to malaria prevention strategies

For more details, please visit
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/35502/title/Anti-Malarial-Mosquitoes-/
Ref: G. Bian et al., “Wolbachia invades Anopheles stephensi populations and induces refractoriness to Plasmodium infection,” Science, 340: 748-751, 2013.

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Faculty Sections / Papaya leaf extract- the best natural remedy to increase low platelet level

« on: May 11, 2014, 05:14:28 PM »

Platelets are tiny blood cells that have a very important job in our body. Platelets are produced in the bone marrow and play a critical role in blood clotting. Whenever people get a cut or a bruise, platelets rush to the area, club together and form a clot that stops bleeding from the damaged blood vessel. A normal platelet count in a healthy individual is between 150000 to 450000 per micro liter. Low count of platelet count causes excessive bleeding. Normal counts of platelets are only a temporary solution to stop bleeding.

Thrombocytopenia or a reduced platelet count can decrease the body’s ability to clot blood in case of an injury and can lead to excessive bleeding. Certain viral infections, dengue, vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiencies and chemotherapy can cause a dip in platelets. Some painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicines can also affect platelet production. A platelet count of less than 150,000 platelets per microlitre of blood is considered lower than normal.

There are numerous ways to increase platelet counts. Among them, Papaya leaf extracts (juice) is the best natural remedy to increase platelet level within 2-3 days. Papaya leaf extract has recently become the subject of several studies owing to its therapeutic value and scientists are intrigued by its potential benefit in supporting blood platelet count.

 Make papaya juice with lemon juice and use it 5-6 times in a day. Or wash the leaves and remove the stems before use. Then blend the leaves without adding water or other liquids.  Filter the mixture to obtain a pure extract of papaya leaves.
Then use 1-2 tablespoon daily 4-5 times in a day which might be very effective for low platelet level.

Source: http://www.besthealthandbeautytips.com/2013/04/platelet-level.html; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3757281/

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Teaching & Research Forum / Ultra Ever Dry- Amazing new nano polymer repels almost any substance

« on: May 08, 2014, 01:01:39 PM »

Ultra Ever Dry-a "coating" that will repel almost any liquid by creating a barrier of air on the surface. Please watch the video by  the following link.

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Textile Engineering / Carbene dye- a recently developed dye to color multiple substrates

« on: May 04, 2014, 04:21:06 PM »

Carbene dye is a reactive dye based on carbene chemistry. A carbene is a molecule containing a neutral carbon atom with a valence of two and two unshared valence electrons which make it more reactive.

How it works?
A benzophenone is functionalized with a reactive group that can be easily converted to a chromophore at a later stage. The functionalized benzophenone is reacted with hydrazine hydrate and subsequently treatment with mercury oxide. The resulting diazo compound is stable at room temperature. On heating, nitrogen gas is released and the carbene generated. The generated carbene reacts rapidly with substrates such as nylon, cotton, glass and polyethylene.

The highly reactive carbene group removes the need for different functional groups depending on the substrate to be dyed. For example a dye that can color cotton would usually not be appropriate for dyeing polyethylene, but by using a carbene, the same dye can be used for both.