Mechanical Properties of Short-Isora-Fiber-Reinforced Natural Rubber Composites: Effects of Fiber Length, Orientation, and Loading; Alkali Treatment;and Bonding Agent

A series of short-isora-fiber-reinforced natural rubber composites were prepared by the incorporation of fibers of different lengths (6, 10, and 14 mm) at 15 phr loading and at different concentrations (10, 20, 30, and 40 phr) with a 10 mm fiber length. Mixes were also prepared with 10 mm long fibers treated with a 5% NaOH solution. The vulcanization parameters, processability, and stress-strain properties of these composites were analyzed. Properties such as tensile strength, tear strength, and tensile modulus were found to be at maximum for composites containing longitudinally oriented fibers 10 mm in length. Mixes containing fiber loadings of 30 phr with bonding agent (resorcinol-formaldehyde [RF] resin) showed mechanical properties superior to all other composites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies were carried out to investigate the fiber surface morphology, fiber pullout, and fiber-rubber interface. SEM studies showed that the bonding between the fiber and rubber was improved with treated fibers and with the use of bonding agent.

The Effect of Sales Promotion on Consumer Based Brand Equity

The study was an attempt to find out the effect of Sales Promotion,Price and Premium Promotion,on Consumer Based Brand Equity.The dimensions of consumer Based Brand Equity under study were Brand Awareness and Associations,Perceived Quality and Brand Loyalty.The Product categories under study were Convenience Products,shopping Products and Specialty Products and the product classes taken were Toothpastes,Colour Television and Athletic Shoes.The brands under study were Convenience Products-Anchor,Closeup,Colgate and Dabur:Shopping products-LG,Onida,Samsung and Sony and Specialty Products-Action,Adidas,Nike and Reebok.The primary objective of the study was to examine the effect of Sales Promotion,Price and Premium Promotion,on Consumer Based Brand Equity(CBBE)

Alkali insoluble glucan extracted from Acremonium diospyri is a more potent immunostimulant in the Indian White Shrimp, Fenneropenaeus indicus than alkali soluble glucan

E¡ect of an extraction method on the structure of glucan and its immunostimulatory response in Fenneropenaeus indicus was investigated. Here we extracted alkali insoluble glucan (AIG) and alkali soluble glucan (ASG) from a ¢lamentous fungi Acremonium diospyri following alkali^acid hydrolysis and the sodium hypochlorite oxidation and dimethyl sulphoxide extraction method respectively. Structural analysis showed that 85% of glucan in AIG was a (1 !3)-b-D-glucan and it increased the prophenoloxidase and reactive oxygen intermediate activity when administered to F. indicus. On the other hand, ASG, which contained 93% (1 !3)-a-glucan, did not induce signi¢cant immune response in shrimp. Here we report that the di¡erence in immunostimulatory potential between AIG and ASG is due to the di¡erence in the percentage of (1 !3)-b-D-glucans present in each preparation, which varies with the method of extraction employed. Also our observations suggest that glucan can be used as a potential immunostimulant to shrimp, provided it contains (1 !3)-b-D-glucan as the major fraction.

The Development and Promotion of ETDs in Kerala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) have become an important component of library service in all countries. Many Indian higher education institutions are actively engaged in the process of introducing ETDs. This study describes the development of ETD projects in Kerala. This paper examines the ETD project of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) and Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU)