scholarly journals Nanoparticle characterization of HOMOEO AGROCARE (Agro Homeopathic Drug) by HRTEM and EDS analysis

Author(s):  
Rajendran Scaria Edacheril

Background: Use of Homeopathy as a therapeutic tool is still very nascent in plant science and agriculture. Therapies used for plant growth and diseases are not relevant for plants alone, but they also drastically influence the ecosystem of the organic world too. Use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers was a boon during the initial phase of green revolution around the world. Unfortunately, later they became the major reason of chronic illnesses like cancers and a cause for soil degradation all over. Current scenario demands the use of alternative models in agricultural practices in-order to prevent diseases and to maintain the health status of the population. This is also very important to get rid of the damages done to the soil. Aims: Present study aimed at analyzing the material content of the agro homeopathic drug, ‘Homeo agrocare’. Methdology: High resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and Energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS) was used to evaluate the material content of the drug. Results: (1) the drug solution contains plenty of nanoparticles (NPs). (2) the size of NPs ranges between 4.99nm - 120nm. (3) Twenty elements were identified in the fields studied. Conclusion: Study conclusively proved the presence of NPs of the original drug materials used in the ‘Homoeo agrocare’ drug solution. The presence of NPs of the original drug substances suggest that the drug action of ‘Homoeo agrocare’ in plants is due to the epigenetic modifications initiated by the NPs in the plant genetics.

Author(s):  
W. R. Duff ◽  
L. E. Thomas ◽  
R. M. Fisher ◽  
S. V. Radcliffe

Successful retrieval of the television camera and other components from the Surveyor III spacecraft by the Apollo 12 astronauts has provided a unique opportunity to study the effects of a known and relatively extensive exposure to the lunar environment. Microstructural effects including those produced by micro-meteorite impact, radiation damage (by both the solar wind and cosmic rays) and solar heating might be expected in the materials used to fabricate the spacecraft. Samples received were in the form of 1 cm2 of painted unpainted aluminum alloy sheet from the top of the camera visor (JPL Code 933) and the sides (935,936) and bottom (934) of the lower camera shroud. They were prepared for transmission electron microscopy by first hand-grinding with abrasive paper to a thickness of 0.006". The edges were lacquered and the sample electropolished in 10% perchloric methanol using the “window” method, to a thickness of ~0.001". Final thinning was accomplished by polishing 3 mm punched disks in an acetic-phosphoric-nitric acid solution.


As per Economic Survey of Punjab, (2019-20), Punjab alone contributed more than 1/4 and 1/3 of the central pool of rice and th rd wheat respectively in 2018-19 and accordingly named as bread-basket of India. However, such a huge contribution was due to the structural transformation of agriculture in Punjab under the Green Revolution. Such transformation leads to intensive use of natural resources with mono-culture of wheat-paddy till today, which put a big question mark on the sustainability issue of agriculture in Punjab. The present study was exclusively based on secondary data, covering the period of 1965-66 to 2018-2019, almost 55 years. Hirschman Herfindhal index and Simpson Diversity index were used to determine the extent of concentration and diversification in the cropping pattern of Punjab agriculture. The results highlight the facts that level of diversification was declining and the level of concentration was increasing. Moreover, Compound Growth Rate (CGR) of yield was either stagnating or declining over the years. Not only this, based on the index of agriculture production, the trend values were negative since the 21 century. Accordingly, st intensive agricultural practices should be stopped, and diversification should get priority in such a way that food security is not jeopardized.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1583
Author(s):  
Justyna Kasińska ◽  
Marek Matejka ◽  
Dana Bolibruchová ◽  
Michal Kuriš ◽  
Lukáš Širanec

The main reason for the use of returnable material, or recycled alloys, is a cost reduction while maintaining the final properties of the casting. The casting resulting quality is directly related to the correct ratio of commercial grade alloy and alloy made by remelting the returnable material in the batch. The casting quality is also affected by the purity of the secondary raw materials used, the shape complexity and the use of the casting itself. The presented article focuses on the effect of increasing the returnable material content in the batch on the hot tearing susceptibility of AlSi9Cu3 alloy. Hot tears are a complex phenomenon that combines metallurgical and thermo-mechanical interactions of the cast metal. Hot tearing susceptibility was evaluated on the basis of quantitative (HTS — hot tearing susceptibility index) and qualitative evaluation. The negative effect of returnable material in the batch was already manifested at a 20% content in the batch. The critical proportion of the returnable alloy in the batch can be stated as 50%. The alloy with a 50% returnable material content manifested insufficient results of the HTS index and qualitative evaluation, which means increased sensitivity to tearing. The negative effect of returnable material and the increased sensitivity were also confirmed in the evaluation of the fracture surface and hot tear profile. The microstructure of alloys with 50% and higher proportion of returnable material was characterized by a higher amount of iron phases (mainly Al5FeSi), whose sharp ends acted as critical regions of hot tearing and subsequent hot tear propagation, which had a major impact on the increase in hot tearing susceptibility.


2020 ◽  
Vol 979 ◽  
pp. 84-88
Author(s):  
A. Arun ◽  
Lakshmanan Poovazhgan

Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB) is one among the techniques in Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) which is used to produce ultrafine grains and nanocrystalline structure in the materials used. Tensile test, micro hardness test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and bending tests are the various tests carried out to understand the grain refinement of ARB materials. ARB is carried out in homogenous and heterogeneous materials to bring out the useful applications of ultrafine grained materials. ARB process mainly carried out in room, warm and hot temperature. The variations in the structure of the material are obtained by changing the load applied on the roller and by increasing the number of passes. This review paper brings out how the mechanical properties of the materials are improved by ARB process


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepti Mittal ◽  
Gurjeet Kaur ◽  
Parul Singh ◽  
Karmveer Yadav ◽  
Syed Azmal Ali

In the current scenario, it is an urgent requirement to satisfy the nutritional demands of the rapidly growing global population. Using conventional farming, nearly one third of crops get damaged, mainly due to pest infestation, microbial attacks, natural disasters, poor soil quality, and lesser nutrient availability. More innovative technologies are immediately required to overcome these issues. In this regard, nanotechnology has contributed to the agrotechnological revolution that has imminent potential to reform the resilient agricultural system while promising food security. Therefore, nanoparticles are becoming a new-age material to transform modern agricultural practices. The variety of nanoparticle-based formulations, including nano-sized pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, and sensors, have been widely investigated for plant health management and soil improvement. In-depth understanding of plant and nanomaterial interactions opens new avenues toward improving crop practices through increased properties such as disease resistance, crop yield, and nutrient utilization. In this review, we highlight the critical points to address current nanotechnology-based agricultural research that could benefit productivity and food security in future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 492-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Lorenzo Quibod ◽  
Genelou Atieza-Grande ◽  
Eula Gems Oreiro ◽  
Denice Palmos ◽  
Marian Hanna Nguyen ◽  
...  

Abstract The impact of modern agriculture on the evolutionary trajectory of plant pathogens is a central question for crop sustainability. The Green Revolution replaced traditional rice landraces with high-yielding varieties, creating a uniform selection pressure that allows measuring the effect of such intervention. In this study, we analyzed a unique historical pathogen record to assess the impact of a major resistance gene, Xa4, in the population structure of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) collected in the Philippines in a span of 40 years. After the deployment of Xa4 in the early 1960s, the emergence of virulent pathogen groups was associated with the increasing adoption of rice varieties carrying Xa4, which reached 80% of the total planted area. Whole genomes analysis of a representative sample suggested six major pathogen groups with distinctive signatures of selection in genes related to secretion system, cell-wall degradation, lipopolysaccharide production, and detoxification of host defense components. Association genetics also suggested that each population might evolve different mechanisms to adapt to Xa4. Interestingly, we found evidence of strong selective sweep affecting several populations in the mid-1980s, suggesting a major bottleneck that coincides with the peak of Xa4 deployment in the archipelago. Our study highlights how modern agricultural practices facilitate the adaptation of pathogens to overcome the effects of standard crop improvement efforts.


Author(s):  
Chang Che ◽  
Xiang Liu ◽  
Youqiao Huang ◽  
Qingchuan Pan ◽  
Gong Qian

Abstract Grade 91 steel has high creep strength and has been used as the material of piping in 600°C USC power plants in China. The Grade 91 materials used in actual power plants are useful in estimating the changes of material properties caused by long-term aging and damage at low stress conditions. An understanding of the long-term microstructural evolution under actually used conditions is a key for the improvement of these heat resistant steels. In this article, microstructural evolution of Grade 91 steel under different service conditions in Chinese power plants was studied using optical microscope (OM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. The results show, M23C6, MX (V-rich particles; Nb-rich particles), and Laves phases were found to precipitate. A quantitative characterisation of microstructure evolution was evaluated during long-term exposure, focusing on the size of precipitates (M23C6 carbides, Laves phase, MX phase) for the Grade 91 steel after long-term service.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
FN Jahan ◽  
MA Rahim ◽  
SM Bokhtiar ◽  
AK Samanta

Good Health and Well-being is one of the important goals in the current decade of twenty first century. The people of current generation prefer the consumption of plant sourced bioactive molecules over the modern medicines because the former has no side effects and residue free. In order to mitigate the food requirement of growing global population during the previous century, the green revolution technologies focused on fewer crops leading to negligence of several important crops; popularly known as underutilized or neglected crops. In the list of underutilized crops, Dioscorea spp. occupies significant niche as it is rich in several phytochemicals and could be grown under multiple stress conditions faced by the modern agricultural practices. Besides, it has been known as prominent member under age old practices of “traditional health care system” to treat several malaises of human being during the early date of civilization. The tubers and bulbils of the Dioscorea spp. are rich in saponins, tannin, flavonoids, sterols, polyphenols, and glycosides in addition to its higher contents of basic essential nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals etc. Further, its tubers are staple food for indigenous people of several Asian and African countries. Therefore, the Dioscorea spp. signifies as an important crop both to the next generation population as well as underprivileged class of people in the coming decade for good health wellbeing and food security. SAARC J. Agri., 17(2): 1-13 (2019)


1987 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. T. Wetzel ◽  
D. A. Danner

ABSTRACTCross-sectional samples for Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) have been made without the use of mechanical polishing and ion beam milling. Instead of traditional methods, we have used a combination of electron beam (e-beam) lithography for metal lift-off and reactive ion etching (RIE) to produce TEM samples of selected areas. The sample integrity for handling, dropping and ease of use is excellent, and the large amount of transparent area available for study is nearly 2 orders of magnitude larger than that given by traditional methods. The thickness of the samples is somewhat extreme, on the order of 0.50–1.0μm, but efforts are being made to reduce this dimension in order to make the method applicable to the whole range of materials used in silicon technology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19(34) (1) ◽  
pp. 88-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Piwowar

The activity and efficiency of agricultural biogas plants are important issues in the field of low-emission development in rural areas and in agribusiness. The essence of the problems concerns mainly sustainable waste management in agricultural production. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the volume of agricultural biogas production in Poland and the structure of consumption of raw materials used for production of agricultural biogas. The analyses were carried out in the period of 2011–2017. The paper also presents results of empirical research on the agricultural practices as part of the subject area of the development of the agricultural biogas market in Poland. The aim of the questionnaire surveys of agricultural holdings was to obtain information on the use of the biomass from field crops and grasslands for energy purposes and the interest in the development of agricultural production towards the cultivation of energy crops. The results of the analyses were presented in the spatial arrangement of research.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document