Arrhenius kinetics driven nonlinear mixed convection flow of Casson liquid over a stretching surface in a Darcian porous medium.

The non-linear mixed convective heat and mass transfer features of a non-Newtonian Casson liquid flow over a stretching surface are investigated numerically. The stretching surface is embedded in a Darcian porous medium with heat generation/absorption impacts. The fluid flow is assumed to be driven by both buoyancy and Arrhenius kinetics. The governing equations are modelled with the help of Boussinesq and Rosseland approximations. The similarity solutions of the non-dimensional equations are obtained using two numerical approaches, namely fourth fifth Runge - Kutta Fehlberg method and the shooting approach. The velocity, temperature and concentration profiles are discussed for important physical parameters through various graphical illustrations. The skin friction, the non-dimensional wall temperature, and the concentration expressions were derived and analysed. The results indicate that the increasing values of linear and nonlinear convection due to temperature, nonlinear convection due to concentration, and heat of reaction increase the dimensionless wall temperature. The dimensionless wall concentration rises with the increasing values of heat of reaction, linear and nonlinear convection due to temperature, and nonlinear convection due to concentration parameters.

Antifungal Metabolites of Streptomyces chrestomyceticus STR-2 Inhibits Magnaporthe oryzae, the Incitant of Rice Blast.

Rice, a staple food crop worldwide, suffers devastating yield losses as a result of blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae Cav. The adverse effects of chemicals on the environment are rising concerns for sustainable and eco-friendly approaches. The use of antagonistic microbes for the management of rice blast appears to be a sustainable solution to this challenge. Herein, we isolated 20 Streptomyces strains from rice rhizosphere, among which the isolate STR-2 exhibited maximum inhibition of mycelial growth of M. oryzae accounting for 50% reduction over control. The isolate STR-2 was identified as S. chrestomyceticus through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In vitro tests demonstrated its ability to produce antifungal and bioactive compounds and also synthesize siderophore, IAA, and phosphate-solubilizing agents, thereby promoting plant growth upon inoculation on rice seeds. GC-MS analysis showed the presence of volatiles, antifungal, antimicrobial, and antioxidant compounds with different retention times. The crude antibiotic extract of 0.5% of S. chrestomyceticus STR-2 reduced the mycelial growth of M. oryzae over the control. Application of talc-based formulation of Streptomyces chrestomyceticus STR-2 resulted in the least disease incidence (15.89%) with the highest disease reduction of 65.26% over untreated control under field condition. These findings indicate the potential of S. chrestomyceticus as a potential bio-inoculant against rice blast disease.

Analysis of natural convection for a Casson-based multiwall carbon nanotube nanofluid in a partially heated wavy enclosure with a circular obstacle in the presence of thermal radiation.

INTRODUCTION: Nanofluids are considered a better alternative to conventional fluids in many industrial situations and unfolding new opportunities for various applications owing to the optical and thermal properties of additive nanosized materials. OBJECTIVES: In this study, the thermal and hydraulic characteristics of a Casson-based (sodium alginate) multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanofluid were computationally investigated inside a wavy square enclosure containing a circular-shaped obstacle. The square enclosure comprised two cooled vertical walls and a wavy adiabatic top wall. The central part of the bottom wall comprised a heated wavy structure, and the remaining parts exhibited a flat and adiabatic structure. METHODS: The Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations and boundary conditions were established using the non-Newtonian Casson fluid model and Rosseland thermal radiation. The present problem was numerically simulated using the Galerkin finite element method for three types of obstacles, namely, adiabatic, hot, and cold. The impacts of Casson parameter (0.001 ≤ ß ≤ 0.1), Rayleigh number (103 ≤ Ra ≤ 106), nanoparticle volume fraction (0.01 ≤ φ ≤ 0.1) and radiation parameter (1 ≤ Rd ≤ 4) are analysed. A numerical code validation was performed using the available benchmark results. RESULTS: The characteristics of the convective radiation heat transport were clearly analyzed through the stream function and isotherm plots. For all types of obstacles, the mean Nusselt number along the heated wavy wall increased with the Casson parameter, MWCNT volume fraction, Rayleigh number, and radiation parameter. CONCLUSION: The heat and flow characteristics of a Casson-based MWCNT nanofluid inside a wavy square enclosure were investigated. The mean Nusselt number was higher (lower) in the presence of cold (hot) obstacles.

Effect of a tropical cyclone on the distribution of heavy metals in the marine sediments off Kameswaram, Southeast coast of India.

Cyclones and heavy rainfalls are the main reasons for incessant environmental aggravation in the coastal regions and the distribution of pollutants from the contaminated terrestrial areas to the offshore regions. Twenty-five surface sediment samples were collected off Kameswaram, SE coast of India, and assessed for their geochemical and sedimentological characteristics post Cyclone Gaja. Sediment texture and various geochemical analyses were carried out to assess the metal distribution in the study area. Environmental impacts caused by heavy metal contamination in the marine sediments were assessed using different sediment pollution indices and it was found that metals such as Cu, Zn, Ni, and Co were moderately contaminated. Fe and Cr were uncontaminated to moderately contaminated, and Mn fall under the uncontaminated category. Multivariate statistical analyses revealed that the enrichment of organic-rich mud helps in entrapping the heavy metals, thus polluting the environment. Moreover, these metals were mainly derived from anthropogenic activities.

Crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface and frontier mol-ecular orbital analysis of 10-benzyl-9-(3-eth-oxy-4-hy-droxy-phen-yl)-3,3,6,6-tetra-methyl-3,4,6,7,9,10-hexa-hydro-acridine-1,8(2H,5H)-dione.

In the fused ring system of the title compound, C32H37NO4, the central di-hydro-pyridine ring adopts a flattened boat conformation, the mean and maximum deviations of the di-hydro-pyridine ring being 0.1429 (2) and 0.2621 (2) Å, respectively. The two cyclo-hexenone rings adopt envelope conformations with the tetra-substituted C atoms as flap atoms. The benzene and phenyl rings form dihedral angles of 85.81 (2) and 88.90 (2)°, respectively, with the mean plane of the di-hydro-pyridine ring. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked via an O-H⋯O hydrogen bond, forming a helical chain along the b-axis direction. A Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions to the crystal packing are from H⋯H (65.2%), O⋯H/H⋯O (18.8%) and C⋯H/H⋯C (13.9%) contacts. Quantum chemical calculations for the frontier mol-ecular orbitals were undertake to determine the chemical reactivity of the title compound.

Numerical study of heat generating γ Al 2 O 3 - H 2 O nanofluid inside a square cavity with multiple obstacles of different shapes.

A numerical research on uniformly heat generating γ Al 2 O 3 -H 2 O nanofluid filled square cavity with multiple obstacles of different shapes is carried out. The cavity is assumed to be heated at bottom and cooled by vertical walls with linearly varying temperature. An adiabatic condition is assumed at the top of the cavity. Circular, square and triangular shaped obstacles are considered. The mathematical model has been solved using Galerkin finite element method. Results are presented for streamlines, isotherms, local and mean Nusselt numbers. Multiple rotating cells are observed in the streamlines. It is found that the local and mean Nusselt numbers increase with nanoparticle volume fraction and higher heat transfer is achieved in the cavity with triangular obstacles.

Geochemical assessment of heavy metals pollution in surface sediments of Vellar and Coleroon estuaries, southeast coast of India.

Surface sediments were collected from Vellar and Coleroon estuaries for determine sediment texture, calcium carbonate, organic matter and heavy metals. Pollution indices such as pollution load index (PLI), contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) were done for this study to know the level of heavy metals pollution in the estuarine ecosystem. Pearson correlation matrix and factor were used to assess the relationship and source of heavy metals in the estuarine sediments. The results of PLI values reveal that the study area was polluted by all the heavy metals. The calculated values of CF and Igeo followed the decreasing order Cu>Ni>Pb>Co>Cr>Zn>Mn>Fe and illustrate that Cu, Ni and Pb are contaminated due to anthropogenic sources in both estuaries. Correlation and factor analysis suggest that FeMn oxyhydroxides, organic matter and fine particles are responsible for high concentration of heavy metals.