#55 calibre l

[muckumsing-art]

As sad as it is that's UD is discontinuing I can't wait for 55 Calibre to come out! I'm glad you took that opportunity!

Thank you so much for the support! The UD AU was so much fun while it lasted and I'm always going to think of it fondly. I'm also glad that someone other than me is looking forward to 55 Calibre

[viktorviolettaenterprises]

Finnish Army WW2 Medium Tanks

Another Sequel of  Of Great Projects about Weapons  and Heavy Machinery That Used During Winter War (1939-1940) &  Continuation War (1941-1944). This Time Around Covering Medium Tanks that used by Finn.  Like A Previous Project Finnish Army During WW2 Relied  Captured Soviets Tanks, Obsolete WW1 Products  Or Licensed  Products From Allied Countries Like Germany Disclaimer:Due Heavy Censorship Regarding Swastika Usage in Western Society, The Details of The Tanks Are Replaced With  Roundel Instead of Finnish Hakaristi. Here We go

LINK

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung J The Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung J, also known as Gerät 550 or Sonderkraftfahrzeug 161/2, was the last variant of the famed Panzer IV. It was produced from January 1944 to the last days of April 1945 in the Nibelungenwerk (Ni-Werk) factory in Sankt Valentin, northern Austria.

This variant was characterized by many modifications made to the previous models in order to speed up production and save on valuable raw materials.

Sturmgeschütz III Ausführung G The Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) assault gun was Germany's most-produced fully tracked armoured fighting vehicle during World War II, and second-most produced German armored combat vehicle of any type after the Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track. It was built on a slightly modified Panzer III chassis, replacing the turret with an armored, fixed superstructure mounting a more powerful gun. Initially intended as a mobile assault gun for direct-fire support for infantry, the StuG III was continually modified, and much like the later Jagdpanzer vehicles, was employed as a tank destroyer. 

This particular model. the G variant of the StuG III tank destroyer comes with thicker armour of up to 80 mm on the front glacis and a 75 mm StuK 40 L/48 gun that gives the vehicle characteristics on par with a Panzer IV. With this cannon on a low-profile construction due to its casemate design, the StuG III G can prove to be a formidable vehicle in the ambush role.

Soviet T-34/85 

The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank from World War II. When introduced, its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was more powerful than its contemporaries,[8] and its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. The T-34 had a profound effect on the conflict on the Eastern Front, and had a long-lasting impact on tank design. The tank was praised by multiple German generals when encountered during Operation Barbarossa, although its armour and armament were surpassed later in the war. 

Replacing many light and medium tanks in Red Army service, it was the most-produced tank of the war, as well as the second most-produced tank of all time (after its successor, the T-54/T-55 series). With 44,900 lost during the war, it also suffered the most tank losses ever. Its development led directly to the T-44, then the T-54 and T-55 series of tanks, which in turn evolved into the later T-62, that form the armoured core of many modern armies. T-34 variants were widely exported after World War II, and as recently as 2010 more than 130 were still in service.

This Particular Model: The T-34-85 (German designation: T-34/85) was a major improvement with an 85 mm gun in a three-man turret. 

Soviet T-28 Model 1938 

The T-28 was a Soviet multi-turreted medium tank. The prototype was completed in 1931, and production began in late 1932. It was an infantry support tank intended to break through fortified defences. The T-28 was designed to complement the heavier T-35 (also multi-turreted), with which it shared turret designs. The type did not have great success in combat, but it played an important role as a development project for Soviet tank designers. A series of new ideas and solutions that were tried out on the T-28 were later incorporated in future models. 

This Particular Model is T-28 Model 1938 (T-28B) – version with the improved L-10 76.2 mm gun (from 16.5 to 26 calibres). Some older tanks were also backfitted with spare L-10 guns. The rod antenna replaced the horseshoe in early 1939.

[hmdigitalindia]

TDS-4TM: Aquarium TDS Meter with Digital Thermometer

The TDS-4TM handheld meter is ideal for testing TDS and salt levels of freshwater aquariums and ponds. It can also be used for testing water filtration and purification systems, such as RO and DI, to know when to change filters and membranes.

FEATURES

The pocket size makes it ideal for portability and storage

Hold Function

Auto-off Function (After 10 min.)

Factory calibrated with 342 ppm NaCl solution

SPECIFICATION

TDS Range: 0-9990 ppm (mg/L)

Temp. Range: 0-80 degrees Celsius

Resolution: 0-999: 1 ppm; 1000-9990: 10 ppm (indicated by a ‘x10’ icon)

Temperature Resolution: 0.1 degree Celsius (Celsius only)

Accuracy: +/- 2%

EC-to-TDS Conversion Factor: NaCl (avg. 0.5)

ATC: Built-in sensor for Automatic Temperature Compensation of 1 to 50 degrees Celsius (33 to 122 degrees Farenheit)

Power source: 2 x 1.5V button cell batteries (included) (LR44 or equivalent)

Battery life: 1000 hours of usage

Dimensions: 14 x 2.3 x 1.5 cm (5.5 x .9 x .55 inches)

Weight: 34g (1.2 oz)

UPC: 891144000199

 

HM Digital India

Address- Plot No. G1-375-376, RIICO Industrial Area, Khushkhera, Alwar, Rajasthan 301707, India

Phone- 6377716055, 6377716059, 6377716056

Visit - https://hmdigitalindia.com/

Click here- https://hmdigitalindia.com/collections/handhelds/products/tds-4tm

[adalabnics]

Calibration Instrument for Air sampler NCAS-200

Labnics Calibration Instrument for Air Samplers offers precise calibration with a flow range of 0 to 200 L/min and an accuracy of ± 2.5%. It provides high precision of ± 1%, quick measurements, and operates quietly under 55 dB with a built-in battery lasting over 4 hours.

[amazonmarco]

Soundcore by Anker, Space One, Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, 2X Stronger Voice Reduction, 40H ANC Playtime, App Control, LDAC Hi-Res Wireless Audio, Comfortable Fit, Clear Calls, Bluetooth 5.3

2X Stronger Voice Reduction: Stay focused during bustling journeys with our upgraded noise cancelling structure. Space One excels in blocking out mid to high-frequency sounds with 2X more* voice reduction. *Compared with soundcore Life Q30 headphones.

Reduce Noise By Up to 98%*: Adaptive noise cancelling detects external sounds and sound leakage, auto-calibrating to deliver optimal noise reduction. Escape unwanted distractions, whether you're on a noisy train, in a bustling café, or your headphones aren't sitting on your ears properly. *Tested by soundcore under laboratory conditions.

Journey with Hi-Res Audio: Space One's 40mm customized dynamic drivers support LDAC for Hi-Res Wireless audio, delivering 3X more detail than standard Bluetooth codecs for detail-rich listening without any tangled wires.

40 Hours of ANC Playtime: Embark on blissful journeys with 40 hours of playtime with ANC on. 55 hours of continuous music with ANC off ensures endless entertainment without battery concerns.

Crafted for Comfort and Style: Elegantly designed, 8° rotating ear cups effortlessly conform to the contours of any head, and a soft integrated headband evenly distributes pressure for natural prolonged wear.

[dualityandreality]

l o a d i n g...

l o a d i n g...

l o a d i n g...

data found. upload data?

[>yes<] [no]

very well. profile "QUEEN — makoto nijima" shall be uploaded.

"queen", otherwise known makoto nijima, is a female survivor at age 18. she uses she/her pronouns, and her class is decoder, with a container subclass. she is from the game persona 5: the royal. her reason for participating in the games is to be able to pay for university tuition costs without relying on her older sister.

external traits:

thief's bond [relying on each other so heavily; of course, she worries about them.] "queen" is affected by the statuses of her teammates. when a teammate is injured, downed, or placed on a rocket chair, her decoding speed and the speed at which she opens the exit gate are reduced by 30%. this can stack up to 3 times. however, she is confident in her healing abilities and heals others about 15-20% faster. the first decrease is 55% rather than 30%.(125%(0) -> 70%(1)->40%(2)->10%(3)) analyst's intuition [she could guess shadow's strengths and weaknesses with accuracy, this is child's play.] "queen" makes educated guesses and triggers calibrations less often than most survivors. she also decodes 25% faster when all her teammates are uninjured. endure [she doesn't hope to escape, she just has to buy them more time.] when downed, "queen" can continue for an extra 5 seconds to further buy time for her teammates. this does not apply to terror shocks. let loose [after holding back for so long, it's only right she let loose a little.] from her aikido training and time as a phantom thief, "queen" is fit. she also has spent many years repressing her temper, so she finds it freeing. she's used to being chased and vaults 10% faster. she also hits harder with pallets, slowing recovery speed by 5%.

makoto is a very interesting person. she's studious, quiet, and has a strong sense of justice. she's stubborn and tomboyish, and seems to care very little about fashion. she's trained in aikido, and even fights using brass knuckles as her weapon of choice. she enjoys action movies and often comes off as arrogant and uncaring to the problems of others, when this is not the case.

in reality, makoto cares. makoto cares a lot more than people think. she's just so used to keeping secrets that she hardly reveals what she actually thinks. she is the type to put other's wellbeing above her own. she's frustrated by her dependence on others and her own powerlessness. she's serious and straightforward, and a dependable person to boot.

however, from many years of being put on a pedestal and being used as a tool, she's sick of it all and has a terrifying temper. after all, "hell hath no fury like a woman wronged." this is most applicable to makoto, who has shown her temper to shadows of individuals who pissed her off the most. makoto also has a tendency to stew in her emotions, making her a ticking time bomb in some cases.

still, despite all of this, she's a selfless person. she puts her feelings third, coming after the needs of others, and then the pursuit of her own justice. still, despite her kindness, she can be bossy and a perfectionist, especially with people who don't take the tasks at hand seriously.

she does have a submissive nature, considering she's been overshadowed her entire life on top of being used. however, this seems to be a trigger for her to snap as well. when it's brought up, it can make her boil over and she does something surprisingly reckless.

because of her serious and smart attitude, it may come as a surprise that makoto has a fear of the dark and hearing ghost stories. she's usually above the antics of people her age, but not always.

all in all, makoto is a young woman who should have so much more confidence in who she is. she's scarily intelligent, kind, and a hard worker. she has a temper and loves her friends dearly, even when they drive her up a wall. she's logical and serious, and one day aims to be a police commissioner due to her sense of justice.

[the note on the person-sized package reads as this:]

"please handle with care." [inside is makoto nijima, asleep. she looks so peaceful for someone so stressed.]

penned by crow

[distributorhidroponik]

Distributor TDS-EC Hidroponik  di Malang

HP/WA: 0857.2546.5914 atau link wa : https://wa.me/message/XL7USDTCVIORF1

TDS-EC

Spesifikasi :

- TDS: 0-5000 PPM - EC: 0-9990 uS/cm - Temperatur: 0.1 - 80.0 C / 32.0 - 176.0 F - Akurasi: +/- 2 % - Baterai: 1 x 3V Lithium Cell Battery (Baterai Kancing) - Ukuran: 154 x 30 x 14 mm - Berat: 55 gr

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) meter digunakan untuk mengukur berat total semua padatan (mineral, garam atau logam) yang dilarutkan dalam sejumlah volume air, dinyatakan dalam miligram per liter (mg/L) atau part per million (PPM). Electrical Conductivity (EC) meter digunakan untuk mengukur konduktivitas listrik dalam larutan, dinyatakan dalam micro siemens per centimeter (uS/cm).

tds ec, cara menggunakan tds ec meter, cara membaca tds ec meter, ph tds ec meter, ph tds ec, how to calibrate tds ec meter, tds ec meter, tds ec adalah, tds ec temperature meter, tds ec meter hold

 Info pemesanan :

HP/WA : 0857.2546.5914 atau link wa : https://wa.me/message/XL7USDTCVIORF1

Alamat Kantor Madani Farm

Jl. Ikan Tombro No. 7 RT.04/RW.05, Kel. Tunjungsekar, Kec. Lowokwaru, Kota Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia (65142)

 #hidroponikcabe #hidroponikcirebon #hidroponikcasafarm #hidroponikcilegon #hidroponikcabai #hidroponikdft #hidroponikdenpasar #hidroponikdirumah #hidroponikdisurabaya #hidroponikdemak #hidroponikers #hidroponikessaka2020 #hidroponikemberbekas

[petnews2day]

Global assessment of spatiotemporal variability of wet, normal and dry conditions using multiscale entropy-based approach

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/small-pets/global-assessment-of-spatiotemporal-variability-of-wet-normal-and-dry-conditions-using-multiscale-entropy-based-approach/

Global assessment of spatiotemporal variability of wet, normal and dry conditions using multiscale entropy-based approach

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[dailytechnologynews]

GloFo 7nm: A Lost Hope

So as you may know GloFo 7nm was recently cancelled, in this article im going to analyze all of what this implies in a lot of levels but mostly on the technical one, both in short and long term

before beginning please have in mind:

1) im Spanish and my english writing might be poor, also this is by far the longest article ive ever wrote and it took me 2 and a half Hours to complete, there can be mistakes but don't be harsh pls

2) i currently own a bit of AMD stock, this means I focus on them more, but as you will see this doesn't affect my thinking

3) i link various articles in this one, i recommend you reading them for better comprehension

4) this article contains A LOT of estimates, they are based on public knowledge, if some of that knowledge turns out to be false or inaccurate the estimates based on it do the same, however they are the best that I can do, if I had more hard data I will use it. in particular, my estimates about TSMC 7nm are… weak and early, please don't complain about them, its the best I can do without more hard data

9001) WARNING: this article is LONG, the character count its literally OVER 9000!!!!

with that said lets begin

The first important question is WHY? Why did GloFo cancel their 7nm node? the answer is simple: MONEY, this quote from anandtech sums things up:

So, the key takeaway here is that while the 7LP platform was a bit behind TSMC’s CLN7FF when it comes to HVM – and GlobalFoundries has never been first to market with leading edge bulk manufacturing technologies anyway – there were no issues with the fabrication process itself. Rather there were deeper economic reasons behind the decision.

the full article is here: https://www.anandtech.com/show/13277/globalfoundries-stops-all-7nm-development

The second question is: how does GloFo 7nm compare to TSMC 7nm, because if glofo’s node was worse than TSMC's then the only loss here would be the competition, well this is absolutely not the case, GloFo 7nm was superior than TSMC 7nm, maybe by a wide margin, but this depends literally of thousands of factors, so the best that i can do is to approximate the final answer basing on all that we know first we have to know the specifics of GloFo 7nm, here is an excellent article containing them and more: https://fuse.wikichip.org/news/641/iedm-2017-globalfoundries-7nm-process-cobalt-euv/ if you read the article and understand most of it, you have my respect, but lets list the facts that we care about:

1) 55% power reduction at the same frequency

2) 40% frequency improvement at the same power

3) extremely tuned fin profiles

4) cobalt for some critical layers, improving interconnect speed and drastically reducing electromitigation, this is very important as the wall to reaching high clocks is interconnect speed

this looks extremely nice, but how does this translate into real world max clocks? Well if you assume the GloFo chart was linear then the results are very good, here is a calibration based in real data, done in the anandtech forums by /u/catmerc (thanks!): https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/next-gen-zen-2-3-starship-and-derivatives.2511914/page-3#post-39322122 you watched right: 4,6 GHz at the same power you would get 3,3 GHz on 14nm, WOW, this means that (again if the chart was linear) 5 GHz wouldn't be far fetched at all, this is probably too good and my estimations are that GloFo 7nm was a bit worse than what this chart implies, still I think 5 GHz would have been doable, but only for single core turbo, just in case: im referring to the SoC version, clocks on 7HPC would have been ludicrous

now we have to analyze how good TSMC 7nm is, this is harder to know and there is less data about this but lets do it anyway. first we have to get the advertised numbers, and those are 60% power reduction at the same frequency or 30% frequency improvement at the same power, source: https://www.anandtech.com/show/12677/TSMC-kicks-off-volume-production-of-7nm-chips, this is starting to look worse than GloFo from the first moment, however there is a big issue here: the bases are different, GloFo bases their 7nm numbers on their 14nm, and TSMC does it over their 16nm+ this makes comparison hard, I remember that TSMC 16nm clocked higher than Samsung 14nm which is the same as GloFo 14nm, but consumed a bit more and was less dense, I cant source those claims but if you look at the numbers they make sense, anyway this approach failed as a solid comparison point so lets move on, how about taking the words of their clients? Spoiler alert: worse than GloFo

Speed gains of 16% at 10 nm may dry up at 7 nm due to resistance in metal lines. Power savings will shrink from 30% at 10 nm to 10–25% at 7 nm, and area shrinks may decline from 37% at 10 nm to 20–30% at 7 nm, said Paul Penzes, a senior director of engineering on Qualcomm’s design technology team. source: https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333109

Arm claims that the latest 7-nm nodes will only deliver 2% to 3% more speed than the 16-nm node. “There hasn’t been much frequency benefit at all since 16 nm … wire speed hasn’t scaled for some time,” said Peter Greenhalgh, an Arm fellow and vice president of technology. source: https://www.eetasia.com/news/article/18060102-arm-announces-high-performance-laptop-cpu

so basically two clients of TSMC are saying that there are close to none clock gains on 7nm (compared to 10nm, this is important) and I know they mean TSMC and not GloFo because they both say the problem is interconnect speed which if you remember from above is one of the things GloFo 7nm improved a lot thanks to cobalt and other things, also GloFo is a much smaller fab, it was going to get into HVM later and most people were going to use TSMC anyway. So now we know TSMC 7nm isn't as good as GloFo 7nm was, but by how much? Well a little time ago I made a prediction of how Ryzen 3000 would clock on both nodes, I recently updated it to reflect that AMD will use the HPC variant: https://www.reddit.com/r/aceshardware/comments/923t76/ryzen_3000_clock_predictions/ so there is your answer, a not at all laughable 300 MHz loss, but I think you also want to know how did I get to that concussion, well… it is a bit tricky and fail prone also it has a 100mhz or higher margin of error, anyway here it goes: the base is Ryzen 7 1800X which turbos up to 4 GHz on GloFo 14LPP TSMC 16nm+ clocks higher than GloFo 14lpp but lower than 12LP, 4,2GHz is my best estimate, TSMC 10nm should give about 5% of a boost to max clocks (remember max clocks ALWAYS increase less than “performance” for high end CPUs) that gets us to >4,4 GHz, going from 10nm to 7nm should give a negligible boost of around 2% but this is just enough to put that number on 4,5 GHz, this is the number for the mobile variant, but as i discovered during the writing of this article, AMD is going to use the HPC variant which features a 7.5 track library instead of the 6 track one found in the mobile variant it also should use fater interconnects, finding how much will this variant boost clocks is again as there is EVEN LESS data on it, the only numbers that I could find are +13% perf over the mobile variant and up to 4,4 GHz speed for the sram(L* cache), cache usually is a bit slower than the CPU itself so this doesnt mean the limit is 4,4 GHz. with all of this my estimation for 7nm HPC is 4,7 GHz which is still lower than the GloFo 7nm SoC version, have in mind im being a bit cautious with this one 4,8 GHz is possible , just for laughs if we compared max clocks of GloFo 7nm HPC(IBM only) vs TSMC 7nm HPC the difference will be ~0,8GHz, LOL just LOL (the number is serious tough) as you can see this is tricky as is based on estimates over estimates, however there are some limits to how good or how bad it can clock, so while my number might (and possibly will) fail, it cant fail by much The third question is: who this affects and how does it? The answer is AMD, IBM, Intel, TSMC and maybe Samsung, so lets analyze how it affects everyone on that list

AMD: Negatively

after the previous paragraph you can see why: 300-200mhz loss its not good, but this is just the tip of the iceberg, even if GloFo continued with 7nm AMD might have chosen TSMC 7nm for ryzen 3000 because of time constraints, the really bad thing about this is that the clocks of TSMC nodes are expected to be flat until 3nm which will mean a tech change from finfet to gaafet, this means Intel has 3-4 years of wide and increasing clock leadership so the only way AMD can beat Intel’s performance in the desktop market is through big IPC increases, which are unlikely to be big enough,still AMD should be able to beat Intel in value (perf/price) by a very good margin, server and laptop market are a VERY different story and I expect AMD to do very well on those. another HUGE concern for AMD should be prices, with near zero competition TSMC can increase prices both on the short and the long term, similar to the DRAM market, this means either smaller margins for AMD or higher final product prices.

for those all reasons I did cut my personal stock price target for AMD by a BIG 20%, yes you heard right: the day before the announcement I thought AMD was going to reach a 25% (because percentages work that way) higher price than today, im not going to say what my exact price targets are but I believe AMD is going to go up from the current price, just much less than before

IBM: Negatively, VERY negatively

well.. this guys really take the worst part, basically they have no node suitable for their high-end CPUs for the foreseeable future, glofo spun off an ASIC group which is said to help port costumer designs to other nodes, the problem is that there is no high performance 7nm class node apart from intel 10nm (if they fix it)

Intel: Positively

a lot of what I said for AMD applies here in reverse, Intel basically has an assured performance lead in the desktop market over AMD, but still they will have to compete to a denser, cheaper to produce 7nm chip lineup with their 14nm one, their server market share is still posed to get lower maybe by a bog amount

TSMC: Positively, VERY positively

on the short term they get more volume and therefore revenue, and in a now 2-player game (3 if intel opens its fabs) they get the ability to increase or even pact prices

Samsung: Positively

Samsung on the short term will probably see no gains, but on the long term they might win some designs, however the big win for them is the lack of competency driving prices an therefore margins up

YOU, the consumer: Negatively

as per the points stated above you might get more expensive chips, and maybe even worse ones, cutting-edge node development is mindblowingly expensive and that maybe is an understatement, with less competition tsmc and samsung might opt to do less aggressive jumps to save a huge amount of money on RD, this remains to be seen, it may not happen, but the possibility is out there and I wont dismiss it

to end I would like to quote an excellent comment from /u/nagromo which summarizes perfectly some of my thoughts:

I was hopeful that IBM research working with them meant it would be more like "IBM 7nm, manufactured by GloFo", similar to how they've done well with Samsung 14nm. I still think there's a decent chance it really was on track, and they're telling the truth and just think they can be more profitable using their successful 12/14nm technologies instead of investing $10B+ into 7nm. I'm really disappointed to hear this. I thought it was a reasonable hope that the IBM research team would be able to achieve or approach their 40% performance, 55% power numbers. There's rumors about poor performance from TSMC 7nm. My hopes for Ryzen 3 aren't nearly as high as they were yesterday.

this article was originally wrote by me to /r/aceshardware

[overhoff-credentials]

Model 400AC-M

Features:

Portable tritium air monitor ruggedized for military use

Circuit self-test function tests the unit to ensure it is working correctly prior to operation

Water/Splash proof, with hinged gasketed cover to further protect front panel components

Designed to operate in extreme conditions (temperature, ruggedness, salt, fog, wind, rain)

Cruciform gamma compensation (400cc volume) with virtually no offset in fields up to 10 mR/h

Sensitivity: 2 µCi/m3, 0.1 MBq/m3

Range: 1 to 19,999 µCi/m3 or 0.1 to 1,999.9 MBq/m3 (DAC, MPCa, and µSv/h also available)

Audible and visual alarm indicators for low flow, low battery, and signal level

High voltage power supply malfunction alarm

Alpha pulse suppression, radon rejection

RS-232 Data Output

Offset potentiometer control included

CE Marked

Description:

The Model 400AC-M portable tritium in air monitor is based off the Model 400AC, but is tailored for military / rugged use. ��All front panel components are equipped with seals to prevent the entry of water, and a hinged, gasketed cover further protects the unit when not in use.  The 400AC-M was designed for reliable and stable operation even in extreme conditions, such as wide temperature ranges, wet weather, or functioning after an accidental drop.  Four 200cc ion chambers arranged in a cruciform geometry provide nearly perfect gamma compensation regardless of photon energy, flux gradient, or flux direction.  Two ion chambers are used for measurement (400cc total) and two for gamma compensation (400cc total).  A circuit self-test function tests the unit to ensure it is working correctly prior to operation.

Power is supplied by a pair of “D” size NiMH rechargeable batteries.  Onset of the battery depletion is signaled by illumination of an LED located next to the meter face.  This same LED will also signal red when there is a malfunction with the high voltage power supply.  A nine-position alarm level stepped attenuator, adjustable over partial scale (2 to 1,000 µCi/m3) is located on the front panel.  A steady tone is emitted by an acoustic signaler if the measurement exceeds the alarm set-point (illuminates red LED), or if the sample airflow has been interrupted and is too low (illuminates yellow LED).  The alarms are non-latching.

Zero adjustment is unnecessary, the electrometer is completely temperature stable and shows zero drift from 0° C to 50° C due to special design and careful selection of an ultra-high impedance semiconductor with low internal current leakage and long-term DC stability.  The 400AC-M can reliably measure currents as low as 10-16 amperes and the span calibration is permanently stable.  The ionization chamber polarizing voltage is supplied by an electronic low-noise regulated dual high-voltage power supply (±80VDC).  The 400AC-M includes proprietary radon recognition and elimination circuitry to provide accurate, fast, and drift-free measurement.

SpecificationsOptionsDocuments

Technical Specifications

MEASUREMENT RANGE1 – 19,999 µCi/m3 Other available measurement ranges:   0.1 to 1,999.9 MBq/m3 or DAC   1 to 19,999 µSv/hSENSITIVITY2 µCi/m3 (0.1 MBq/m3)DISPLAY0 – 19,999 digits, LCD panel meterACCURACY, SPAN±10 % of reading, ±2 µCi /m3, whichever is greaterNOISE LEVEL± 1μCi/m3, 1 S.D. (10 second electronic time constant)ZERO STABILITYafter 30 seconds (or less) warm up, zero drift less than ± 1μCi/m3GAMMA COMPENSATIONchambers in a side by side pattern reduce errors due to external gamma radiation.ALPHA PULSE SUPPRESSIONa circuit provides recognition and cancellation of undesirable noise spikes attributed to airborne radonRESPONSE RATE30 seconds to reach 90% of final readingALARM (ACOUSTIC)1. Ten position stepped attenuator set point for signal alarm 2 – 1,000 µCi/m3, steady tone. OFF position is included. 2. Low flow produces an intermittent tone 3. Mute switch silences audible toneALARM (VISUAL)signal level: red LED low flow: yellow LED, flashing low battery: red LED high voltage power supply: red LED illuminates to indicate a malfunction with HVPSEXTERNAL CONNECTIONSRS232 serial data output for tritium measurement, level alarm status and calibrationIONIZATION CHAMBER VOLUMEeffective volume: 400 cm3 port to port volume: 440 cm3DUST FILTERexternal in-line disposable cartridge typePUMPinternal rotary vane pump, nominal 1.5 – 2 LPM flow rateENVIRONMENTAL-10° C to +55° C, 20 – 95 % relative humidity non-condensing, water/splash proofBATTERIEStwo “D” size NiMH batteries external jack for supplementary power input and chargingPOWER CONVERTER100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, .25 A to 3.3 Vdc @ 1.2 A 5.5 mm O.D. x 2.1 mm I.D. Plug, center pin is positiveSIZE AND WEIGHT7.6″ [193mm] L x 5.2″ [132mm] W x 6.9″ [175mm] H excluding handle, 6.5 lbs (3 kg)CALIBRATIONAutomatic Calibration using pc-based software (included) Manual Calibration by adjusting a calibration potentiometerAccessories Include:• 2 “D” Size NiMH Batteries • Sniffer Hose • Dust Filter • AC Power Converter • 2.3 meter long cable for RS-232 serial data • Optional– Carrying Case

https://overhoff.com/

[blogueericdescarries]

La Mustang GT cabriolet 2020

Le 23 septembre 2020

Il y a un peu plus de 55 ans de cela, le constructeur américain Ford lançait une voiture très abordable aux allures sportives sur notre marché, la Mustang. À ses débuts, cette auto proposée en coupé et en cabriolet reposait sur la plateforme de la «vulgaire» Falcon, l’auto la plus petite et la plus économique que Ford offrait alors à sa clientèle. Il n’en fallait pas plus pour que les amateurs de sensations au volant acceptent la Mustang comme une véritable sportive, au même titre que les «véritables» sportives européennes et surtout en la préférant aux tellement coûteuses Chevrolet Corvette. Rapidement, les préparateurs tant britanniques, européens qu’américains se rendirent compte que modifier une Mustang (qui, éventuellement allait aussi être proposée en coupé à toit profilé) étant d’une grande simplicité et ainsi ils en créèrent une véritable auto de compétition tant en circuit routier local ou international, voire même en stock car, en accélération et autres. Avec le temps, la Mustang s’est acquise toute une réputation autour du globe et l’auto est passée de petite sportive abordable à voiture de grand tourisme de calibre international.

L’emblème actuel à l’intérieur des Mustang. (Photo Éric Descarries)

Si vous avez un peu de connaissances techniques et que vous comparez une Mustang des années soixante au cabriolet GT dont il est question dans ce reportage, vous constaterez une incroyable évolution. Il n’est plus question de la simplicité des éléments mécaniques de base de la Falcon (petit V8, boîte manuelle à quatre rapports ou auto à trois rapports, pont arrière rigide). Dans mon cas, j’ai été «élevé» dans ce type de mécanique que je pouvais entretenir, réparer ou modifier alors qu’aujourd’hui, je ne m’y reconnais plus! Évidemment, alors qu’une Mustang de l’époque se vendait à un prix presque équivalent à celui d’une berline conventionnelle, celles d’aujourd’hui affichent un prix qui dépasse…tout entendement. Par exemple, que diriez-vous d’un cabrio à plus de 65 000 $!

Le cabriolet Mustang GT qui me fut prêté par Ford devant une des dernières images de l’été à mon endroit de photos préféré. (Photo Éric Descarries)

La GT qui m’a été confiée par Ford n’a, pour ainsi dire, rien de spécial à proposer pour l’année 2020. Elle est presque identique à celle de 2019. Toutefois, sachez qu’au cours des prochains mois, elle deviendra la seule automobile (au sens propre du mot) au catalogue de Ford (les autres produits de Ford en Amérique seront des VUS et des VUM). Et on en attend aussi une variante VUM à moteur électrique…

Le cabrio GT vu de l’arrière au légendaire Commodore Yacht Club de Laval. (Photo Éric Descarries)

Revenons à nos moutons. Bien entendu, la Mustang n’est plus une auto «ordinaire». Il n’est plus question d’une simple «compacte» transformée en sportive. L’actuelle Mustang repose sur sa propre plateforme qui conserve la propulsion mais qui se distingue par des éléments de suspension indépendante qui lui permettent de rivaliser avec ce qui se fait de mieux un peu partout dans le monde. Ceci n’est pas une opinion mais un fait qui est prouvé par les nombreuses victoires des Mustang presque de production en compétition semant ainsi des voitures européennes et asiatiques de grande renommée.  

La Mustang GT est mue par un «traditionnel» V8 de 5,0 litres qui n’a plus besoin de présentation. Il est désormais une référence dans le domaine de la performance. Dans sa version de 2020, ce moteur développe pas moins de 460 chevaux et cela, sans turbocompresseur ou compresseur mécanique. Notons que la Mustang de «base» est livrée avec un moteur EcoBoost à quatre cylindres de 2,3 litres qui est encore plus puissant (à 330 chevaux) que dans le passé mais celui-ci n’est livrable qu’avec le coupé. La Mustang cabrio a le droit au quatre cylindres mais celui de 310 chevaux. La GT vient avec le V8. Deux boîtes de vitesses sont au catalogue, la manuelle à six vitesses (que, personnellement, je préfère) et l’automatique à 10 rapports. Cette dernière s’est toutefois avérée plus rapide aux mains de pilotes professionnels surtout que ses passages peuvent être faits par les palettes au volant! Il est possible de manier les rapports autant en passant les vitesses qu’en rétrogradant mais la majorité des utilisateurs préfèrent laisser la boîte auto faire son travail. Il faut dire qu’à un prix dépassant les 50 000 $, la plupart des propriétaires ne sont plus des jeunes! Le pont arrière est désormais indépendant (depuis l’arrivée de la dernière génération) ce qui confère à cette imposante auto une tenue de route respectable (surtout qu’elle est appuyée de pneus Pirelli P255/40R19 ultra performants). Le puissant freinage est à disques tout le tour alors que la direction avec assistance électrique peut être «modulée» selon le choix de mode de conduite choisi par le conducteur. Car le cabriolet GT que vous voyez ici en photos comportait une commande qui permettait au conducteur de choisir son mode de conduite qu’il fut Normal, Sport, Track, Accélération ou Neige/Glace. De plus, il y avait aussi une commande qui permettait de rendre la direction plus ferme pour plus de précision. Décrire toutes les innovations techniques qui peuvent permettre au conducteur de faire de sa GT un véritable bolide de course exigerait des pages d’explication…

Le seul V8 disponible dans la GT, le Coyote de 5,0 litres qui fait rien de moins que 460 chevaux. Le compartiment moteur est nettement plus occupé aujourd’hui qu’il pouvait ne l’être à l’époque des 289 des débuts de la marque… (Photo Éric Descarries)

Outre sa ligne facilement reconnaissable et une silhouette devenue presque légendaire, la Mustang propose un intérieur au design remarquable qui, avouons-le, est plus accueillant que celui de sa rivale du passé, la Chevrolet Camaro. C’est d’ailleurs ce qui aura le plus nui à cette autre auto de performance du même segment. On est bien dans une Mustang, aussi bien que dans la très spacieuse Dodge Challenger (qui, malheureusement, n’est pas disponible en cabriolet). Le tableau de bord (dont l’instrumentation «vidéo» variera selon le mode de conduite ou de «pilotage» choisi) reproduit le thème de celui des anciennes Mustang. Les sièges d’avant sont très confortables et, curieusement, ceux d’arrière ne sont pas si mal non plus. Mais ce qui plaît le plus aux amateurs de voitures de ce gabarit, c’est la visibilité que procurent les grandes glaces de la Mustang contrairement à celles de la Camaro, voire même de la Challenger. Autre point positif, le coffre de la Mustang, même dans sa version cabriolet, est très utilisable. Il n’est pas aussi logeable que celui de la Challenger mais nettement supérieur à celui de la Camaro.

Un des choix de base d’instrumentation de la Mustang GT. (Photo Éric Descarries)

Un second choix pour la piste…(Photo Éric Descarries)

Et celui des pistes d’accélération. (Photo Éric Descarries)

Les places avant de la Mustang GT sont toujours invitantes. (Photo Éric Descarries)

À l’arrière, c’est un peu plus serré mais, pour un cabriolet, c’est pas si mal, surtout pour des enfants qui verront quand même bien à l’extérieur grâce à la position élevés des coussins. (Photo Éric Descarries)

Le coffre est quand même utile mais si vous optez pour la sonorisation optionnelle, le haut-parleur des graves viendra y voler un espace essentiel. (Photo Éric Descarries)

 Sur la route

Très souvent, à ce temps-ci de l’année, j’aime bien voyager dans le Maine (la température est très souvent des plus agréables dans cet état de la Nouvelle-Angleterre en septembre) et le cabriolet Mustang est le véhicule tout indiqué pour ce genre de «road trip». Mais vous aurez compris qu’avec la situation actuelle, ce ne fut pas possible. Je me suis donc «promené» dans la région montréalaise abaissant la capote aussi souvent que possible (un peu de chauffage aidant…). Abaisser le toit est un jeu d’enfant. Il ne suffisait que de tourner la poignée centrale au-dessus du pare-brise et de presser la commande électrique. Il faut noter ici que cette capote est nettement supérieure à celle des Mustang du passé avec une toile plus épaisse encore plus isolée du bruit et des éléments extérieurs. Évidemment, la lunette arrière est de verre.

La Mustang GT peut être conduite comme une voiture urbaine très docile mais lorsqu’on veut en exploiter la puissance, il n’y a qu’à presser l’accélérateur. Passer du point mort à 100 km/h peut demander moins de six secondes selon l’adresse du conducteur. L’antipatinage est un des atouts de cette voiture (il est très utile en hiver si vous tenez à conduire une GT dans la neige, ce que j’ai fait sans trop de peine grâce à mon expérience passée!) et il sert aux vives accélérations même en mode Accélération (si vous rêvez de courir sur une «drag strip» les weekends!). Mais les reprises sont vraiment rassurantes alors que l’instrumentation peut montrer au conducteur en quel rapport la boîte de vitesse opère!). La tenue de route est remarquable pour une voiture de presque 4000 livres et, si la route est bonne, il n’y a qu’à choisir le mode de conduite Sport ou Sport + pour l’améliorer avec plus de fermeté. À ce moment-là, les échappements laisseront passer plus de son du V8 ce qui sera toujours plus plaisant aux oreilles de l’amateur de telles autos. Inutile de vous dire quelle serait la vitesse maximale que cette auto pourrait atteindre et essayer de l’atteindre ne serait un bon conseil. Mais que ce serait grisant! Qu’importe, la Mustang GT demeure une des autos les plus excitantes à conduire sur le marché.

Lorsqu’il est question du V8, le premier commentaire que l’on entend des critiques et des observateurs, c’est que le véhicule doit être «gourmand». En fait, durant ma semaine au volant de cet icône de l’industrie automobile américaine, j’ai obtenu une moyenne de 14,5 l./100 km en situation surtout urbaine avec quelques pointes…d’exagération au volant.  Ce qui a encore une fois dénoncé le trop petit réservoir de carburant de l’auto. Celui-ci pourrait être suffisant sur autoroute (comme j’ai pu le vivre dans le passé) mais c’est un peu agaçant en ville.

Si les premières Mustang d’il y a cinquante-cinq ans étaient plutôt abordables (ce qui a permis à Ford d’en vendre autour de 400 000 lors de sa première année de production alors qu’aujourd’hui, on en est à environ le quart), celles d’aujourd’hui peuvent s’avérer assez coûteuses. Un coupé de base à moteur EcoBoost demeure abordable à un peu plus de 31 000 $ mais aussitôt que l’on choisit un cabriolet GT Premium, ce prix passe à 53 805 $. Il fallait ajouter à ma voiture de base les 100 $ de la taxe d’accise fédérale pour le climatiseur, 500 $ pour la peinture rouge, 2100 $ pour l’équipement du Groupe 401A incluant le système de navigation et les avertisseurs de circulation latérale, les 1600 $ du groupe d’apparence noire dont les jantes de 19 pouces, les 1500 $ du régulateur de vitesse adaptatif, les 1750 $ de la boîte automatique optionnelle à 10 rapports, les 500 $ pour le pont arrière à glissement limité avec rapport 3,55 :1, 1000 $ pour le modulateur de son des échappements, les 200 $ du mini pneu de secours et les 1000 $ pour la radio avec sonorisation Bang & Olufsen (incluant un haut-parleur de graves qui prend de la place dans le coffre). Ajoutons à cela les 1750 $ de frais de transport et livraison et on en arrive à un grand total de 65 805 $...plus taxes.

Le prix peut sembler élevé mais c’est ce qu’il faut payer pour mettre la main sur un véhicule qui est de plus en plus considéré comme exceptionnel. Et, si je me fie à la quantité d’observateurs qui se sont retournés à son passage et aux multiples remarques positives des gens que j’ai rencontré, c’est vraiment une voiture exceptionnelle. On est loin des petits cabrios des années soixante, croyez-moi!

[bimoutsourcing]

Penetration value refers to the vertical distance traversed or infiltrated by the point of a standard needle into the bituminous material under particular conditions of load, time and temperature. This distance is calculated in one tenths of a millimeter.

The purpose of penetration test is to assess the conformity of bitumen. It is not recommended to be applied in connection with the testing of road tar due to the high surface tension exposed by these materials.

Penetration test on bitumen is undertaken for the following purposes:

1. Reliability of bituminous material 2. Applicability of bitumen for being utilized under various atmospheric conditions and types of construction.

Equipments for Penetration Test for defining the penetration value of bitumen

Container: It is a flat bottomed cylindrical metallic dish having necessary diameter 55 mm and depth 35 mm. If the penetration is of the order of 225 or more, dish of 70mm diameter and 45mm depth is essential.

Needle: It belongs to a straight, extremely polished, cylindrical and hard steel rod.

Water bath: Water bath remains at 25° ± 0.1 °C that comprises of not less than 10 litres of water, the sample is submerged to a depth not below 100mm from top and rested on perforated shelf not under 50mm from bottom of the bath.

Transfer dish or tray: It provides support to the container & should not rock it. It should contain the ability to submerge container entirely throughout test.

Penetration apparatus: It facilitates needle to infiltrate devoid of much friction & is perfectly calibrated to produce results in one tenth of a millimeter.

Thermometer: Range 0- 44 °C and in readable upto 0.20 C.

Time measuring device: It brings exactness of l second.

Safeguards recommended throughout Penetration Test

No movement of the container is allowed when needle enters into sample. There should be no extraneous matter in the sample. The needle should be cleansed with benzene and dehydrated prior to penetration.

For more information, go through the following article dssekamatte.blogspot.in

[watchfacts-blog1]

TOP 5 MOST ELEGANT WATCHES FOR MEN: THE RENAISSANCE MAN

The Time to Spare team at WatchFacts has made dressing up that much easier (and costlier) with our list of the top 10 elegant dress watches. In life, we usually avoid complications, in a dress watch as well, the less the better, a simple uncluttered dial is one of the timeless qualities that a dress watch should fulfill. The focus should ideally be on the essence of a watch. The time in hours and minutes, and little if anything more. Some of the best examples even avoid seconds hands.

A good men's dress watch also needs to be discreet enough to not distract from your attire - and preferably, sometimes on a leather strap that matches your belt and shoes. Slenderness (thickness of the case) is another virtue in a classic dress watch, being of a diminutive height so that it slides easily under a shirt cuff and gives a subtle wrist presence.

While a dress watch that uses stainless steel is fine, wearing one gives you a good opportunity to have some precious metal on your wrist and to add a further touch of class, a fine mechanical movement is a good choice, especially since this will also add value to a style of watch that is typically an heirloom.

Cartier Tank

  Created in 1917 and first offered for sale in 1922, the Cartier Tank is an iconic dress watch that since its inception, has been endlessly imitated.

Legend has it that the design of the Tank was inspired by aerial photographs of Renault FT-17 tanks when Louis Cartier saw them in his daily newspaper and the first model produced was a gift for General John J. Pershing as a token of France’s appreciation for his help in ending World War I.

Before the Cartier Tank, most wristwatches were little more than modified pocket watches for the wrist, the Tank was the first to really be conceived with comfort and style in mind.

One the most enduringly popular watch designs, its popularity is in no small part due to its distinctly refined Art deco aesthetic, something which has been present in all of its 250 plus model variations.

Over time, this classic watch has graced many a famous wrist including actors, politicians and royalty. Notably John F. Kennedy wore his Tank throughout most of his term in office and that Cary Grant, an actor noted for his sartorial elegance, chose the Tank, also says something for its design.

Currently, it's offered in five models: the Francaise, Americaine, Anglaise, Solo and Louis Cartier. The ultra-thin Louis Cartier model offers their greatest display of craftsmanship. Originally released in 1922, it is now offered with quartz, automatic or manual movements. Prices start from as little as $2,000 for Quartz versions. cartier.com

Chopard L.U.C XP

The L.U.C XP model from Chopard won the top prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve in the category of ‘ultra-thin watches’ when it was launched in 2006. Being a very slender 6.8mm thick, it is powered by a just over 3mm thick Chopard L.U.C. automatic movement.

The LUC XP movement is the completely in-house calibre L.U.C 96.17-L, exhibiting a handsome blend of Cotes de Genève and circular graining. The movement benefits from Chopard’s Twin Technology, where two stacked mainspring barrels result in a power reserve of 65 hours - about 50% more than what is common, and even more noteworthy when you consider the thinness of the movement.

A handsome, timeless design, the XP has a black dial with a slight sheen to it, adding a greater sense of opacity and richness and the well proportioned Arabic numbers in white gold are nicely complimented by the dauphine hands. At 39.5mm wide, the XP is a modern sized dress watch with a versatile contemporary look suiting both formal and less formal occasions. Priced at $15,350. chopard.com

Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945

Girard-Perregaux is one of the least publicly known Swiss watch manufacturers. However, their history reveals some interesting models such as the first with a high-frequency movement in 1957. It is precisely their past that is the basis for the Vintage 1945 model launched in 1995 as a tribute to the original Art deco model and now one of the icons of the brand.

Taking the original design as its inspiration, the updated model shares many of its design features including the Art deco lugs and ergonomically curved case, but now in a larger more modern size, making the watch a nice blend of the classical and contemporary. The profile of the case was also redesigned in 2009 to give it a spherical form and to discreetly integrate the crown into the case. The dial features dual curves and is embellished by elegant Dauphine-style hands and a subsidiary seconds dial.

Available in pink gold and steel, the Vintage 1945 is a nice example of an Art deco style dress watch that captures the characteristic style and looks of the era and simultaneously presents a vision of the past while still being contemporary.The pink gold version pictured retails for about $20,000. girard-perregaux.ch

Grand Seiko

The high-end watch line Grand Seiko was for decades only available in Japan. But, in 2010 they started to ship certain models overseas for the first time. Built to exacting standards by Seiko’s most skilled watchmakers, this line has a a rich history of excellence.

Seiko has had for a long time, a preoccupation with accuracy in their watches, being pioneers in quartz, atomic and Spring Drive movements and having in-house testing even more stringent than Swiss COSC Chronometer certification. This model uses a Hi-Beat movement and accuracy is the focal point of this dress watch rather than slenderness.

Releasing their first Hi-Beat movement in 1968, Seiko has had plenty of time to perfect this type of movement, one that few brands attempt due to the difficulty involved. This model SBGH022 features a movement beating at 36,000bph and a high level of accuracy as a result. The embodiment of great Japanese craftsmanship and engineering virtuosity, this Grand Seiko dress watch has a superior level of detailing and polishing combined with performance and discretion. This is a watch you don't wear to get noticed - except by serious watch aficionados-  but a dress watch you wear for your own satisfaction. It's presented in a 40.2mm diameter, 13mm thick rose gold case and has a 37 jewel movement with a power reserve of 55 hours. This model SBGH022 retails for around $22,000 in gold. grand-seiko.com

[juniperpublishersjcmah]

Phytochemical Analysis and Toxicity Evaluation of Acetone, Aqueous and Methanolic Leaf Extracts of Agapanthus praecox Willd- Juniper Publishers

Abstract

Agapanthus praecox Willd of the family Amaryllidaceae is widely used in South African traditional medicine to treat heart disease, paralysis, coughs, colds, chest pains and diarrhea. The decoction is used to prevent pregnancy complications and argument labor. The study aims at determining the phytochemical constituents and investigating the potential toxicity of the solvent extracts of A. praecox. Quantitative phytochemical analysis was done using standard procedures and spectrophotometric techniques while the toxicity assessment was carried out with brine shrimp toxicity bioassay. The data were subjected to two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey’s test. Methanol had the highest percentage yield of extract (16.2 %) while water (9.3 %) was the least. The quantities of tannins (335.23mg/g-1), phenols (91.11mg g-1), proanthocyanidins (139.47mg/g-1), flavonoids (46.53mg/g-1) and flavanols (74.02mg/g-1) in acetone extract were significantly higher (p>0.05) than in aqueous and methanolic extracts. Highest hatching success was recorded in aqueous extract (50.33%) and the lowest hatching success (p<0.05) was recorded in the positive control (amoxicillin). The LC50 of all the solvent extracts was greater than 1mg/mL (LC50>1mg/mL) while the positive control (amoxicillin) had a lesser LC50 (0.76mg/mL). Organic solvents of fresh leaves of A. praecox contained significant phytochemicals that were not toxic according to Meyer’s index of toxicity, which states that any substance with LC50>1mg/mL were considered non-toxic. Further toxicological evaluation assays are recommended to confirm the toxicity of A. praecox.

Keywords: Agapanthus praecox; Plant extracts; Phytochemicals; Toxicity; Brine shrimp; Hatchability; Lethality

Introduction

The ever-increasing interest in the use of medicinal plants to treat different ailments and diseases necessitates the investigation of their potential toxicities. Most people in developing countries rely on medicinal plants for their primary health care. Diversity, flexibility, easy accessibility, relative low cost, low levels of technological input and relative low side effects are some of the positive features of traditional medicine [1]. All medicinal plants contain active principles such as saponins, tannins, alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, glycosides etc. which are responsible for their biological activities [2]. These active principles have been reported to possess therapeutic as well as toxicological properties [3]. The toxicity of the medicinal plants has been attributed to the quantities and strength of their active principles [4]. As the global interest in the use of medicinal plants is increasing, public health issues and concerns surrounding their safety are also increasingly recognized. The ethno pharmacological significance of Agapanthus praecox in South African folkloric medicine made it suitable for the current study.

Agapanthus praecox locally called “Isicakathi” (Isixhosa) is a rhizomatous herb of the family Amaryllidaceae. This species occurs in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It usually grows to between 0.8 and 1 metre tall and has 10-11 leathery leaves. The blue to purple or white flowers are clustered in a large globular flower head. The fruit is a greenish capsule. It possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-oedema, antitussive, immunoregulatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and antitumour properties [5]. It is used in folkloric medicine to treat chest pains, coughs and colds [6]. Duncan et al. reported its inhibition of angiotensin converting enzyme in vitro hence, used to treat high blood pressure and related disorders [7]. The leaves with Dianthus sp. are used to treat gastrointestinal tract trouble and abdominal pains [8]. The leaves are used to hold dressings in place and wound around wrists to bring down fevers [9]. Koduru et al. also reported the anticancer potential of the root infusion [10].

Agapanthus praecox has been considered a plant of fertility and pregnancy; it has aphrodisiac property and is used as a medicine for impotency and barrenness [5]. It has been reported that the decoction can induce labour and ensure smooth expulsion of the placenta [11-12]. Pooley stated that “bathing the new born baby with the decoction of A. praecox makes them strong, keep them free from bowel problems and prevents crusts on the head” [13]. The anti- depressant property was reported by Nielsen et al. [14]. It was listed among the plant species traditionally used in Southern Africa for the treatment of various central nervous system-related ailments [15]. Despite, the wide usage of A. praecox in indigenous medicine system, its phytochemical constituents and potential toxicity remain unknown. Though, Notten [6] suspected its haemolytic poisoning in humans but this has not been proven. To furnish the general public including the traditional medicine practitioners with adequate information to facilitate better understanding of the risks associated with the use of this plant; this study aims at estimating the phytochemical constituents as well as evaluating the potential toxicity of Agapanthus praecox using brine shrimp toxicity testing as a preliminary test to ascertain its level of toxicity.

Materials and Methods

Plant collection

Fresh leaves of Agapanthus praecox were collected from the University of Fort Hare, Alice Campus, South Africa in June 2016. The plant was identified by Dr. OJ Sharaibi and a voucher specimen (SHAMed 2016/07) was deposited in the Giffen’s herbarium of the University.

Sample preparation and extraction

The fresh leaves were rinsed, air dried and pulverized before extraction. One hundred gram each of the powdered materials was soaked in 1000mL of distilled water, acetone and methanol respectively. The aqueous extract was filtered through Whatman no.1 paper and the filtrate was freeze-dried for 48 h using a freeze dryer (Vir Tis benchtop K, Vir Tis Co., Gardiner, NY). The acetone and methanolic extracts were concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure at 40℃ using a rotary evaporator (Strike 202 Steroglass, Italy). The resulting extracts were reconstituted in their respective solvents to give the desired concentrations used in the study.

Phytochemical Analysis

Determination of total phenol contents

A volume of 0.5mL of the extract (1mg/mL) was mixed with 5mL Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (previously diluted with water 1:9 v/v) and 4mL (75g/L) of sodium carbonate. The tubes were vortexed for 15 s and allowed to stand for 30 min at 40 ℃ Absorbance was measured at 765nm using AJI-C03 UV-VIS spectrophotometer. The results were expressed as mg/g tannic acid equivalent using the equation based on the calibration curve:

Y=0.1216x,R=0.9365

Where x is the absorbance and Y was the tannic acid equivalent.

Determination of flavonoids contents

A volume of 0.5mL of 2% AlCl3 ethanol solution was added to 0.5mL of the sample solution. After 1 h at room temperature, the absorbance was measured at 420nm. Extract samples were evaluated at a final concentration of 0.1mg/mL. The results were calculated as quercetin equivalent (mg/g) using the equation based on the calibration curve: Y = 0.0255x , R2 = 0.981

Where x was the absorbance and Y was the quercetin equivalent

Determination of total flavanols contents

The reacting mixture of 2mL each of the extracts with 2mL of AlCl3 in ethanol solution and 3 mL of 50g/L sodium acetate solution was allowed to stay for 2.5 h at 20 oC in a water bath. The absorbance was measured at 440nm. The flavanols contents were calculated thus: Y = 0.0255x , R2 = 0.9812

where x was the absorbance and Y is the quercetin equivalent in mg/g.

Determination of proanthocyanidins contents

A volume of 0.5mL each of the plant extracts was added to 3mL of vanillin- methanol (4 % v/v). 1.5mL of hydrochloric acid was added to the reacting mixture and vortexed. The mixture was allowed to stand for 15 min at room temperature. Absorbance was measured at 500nm. Proanthocyanidins content was expressed as:

Y = 0.5825x , R2 = 0.9277

where x was the absorbance and Y was the cathecin equivalent in mg/g.

Determination of tannin contents

The extracts weighing 0.20g was added to 20mL of 50 % methanol, vortexed vigorously and later incubated at 80 oC in a water bath for 1h. The filtrate was mixed with 20mL of distilled water, 2.5mL of Folin-Dennis reagent and 10 mL of 17 % aqueous Na2CO3. The mixture was made up to 100mL with distilled water, mixed and allowed to stand for 20min. The absorbance of the tannic acid standard solutions and the sample was measured at 706nm. Results were expressed as mg/g of tannic acid equivalent using the calibration curve:

Y = 0.0763x , R2 = 0.9644

where x was the absorbance and Y was the tannic acid equivalent

Determination of alkaloids contents

A volume of 200mL of 10 % acetic acid prepared in ethanol was added to 5g each of the extracts. This was covered and allowed to stand for 4h. The mixture was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated to one-fourth of the original volume in a water bath. Concentrated ammonium hydroxide was added drop-wisely to the extract, pending the completion of the precipitation. The solution was allowed to settle and re-filtered after washing with dilute ammonium hydroxide. The residue obtained was dried, weighed and the percentage composition was determined using the formula:

% Alkaloid= Final weight of the sample / Initial weight of the extract x100 .

Determination of saponins content

The extracts weighing 20g was added to 100mL of 20% aqueous ethanol and kept in a shaker for 30 min. The mixture was heated over the water bath for 4 h at 55 ℃ and then filtered to collect the residue which was later re-extracted with 200mL of 2 % aqueous ethanol. The filtrate was concentrated over the water bath at 90 ℃ to approximately 40mL. The concentrate was transferred into a 250mL separatory funnel and extracted twice with 20mL diethyl ether. The ether layer was discarded while the aqueous layer was retained and to which 60ml n- butanol was added. The mixture was washed twice with 10mL of 5 % aqueous sodium chloride. After evaporation, the samples were dried in the oven at 40 ℃ to a constant weight. The saponins content was calculated using the formula:

% Saponins= Final weight of residue/ Initial weight of the sample x100.

Brine Shrimp Toxicity Bioassay

Preparation of the assay system

The assay system was prepared according to Ohikhena, et al. [16]. Five Petri dishes containing 30ml of the plant extracts dissolved in filtered seawater were prepared in a two-fold dilution to yield a series of concentrations (1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125 and 0.0625mg/mL) of the plant extracts. Amoxicillin dissolved in seawater (30μl/ml) served as a positive control while Petri dishes containing sea water served as the negative controls. The experimental setup was allowed to stand in open air for 30min for the solvents to evaporate.

Brine shrimp hatchability assay

Artemia salina (Brine shrimp) cysts were stocked at a density of 10 individuals per Petri dish. Each Petri dish contained 30ml of the incubation medium at varying concentrations (1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125 and 0.0625 mg/mL). They were partly covered, incubated at 28 ℃ and allowed to stand for 72h under constant illumination. The number of free nauplii in each Petri dish was counted after every 12h. The percentage of hatchability was assessed by comparing the number of hatched nauplii with the total number of cysts stocked. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined as the minimum concentration of the plant extracts (or control drug) that inhibited hatching of the cysts.

Brine shrimp lethality assay

The lethality of A. praecox extracts against brine shrimp nauplii was evaluated by pipetting an aliquot (0.1 ml) containing 10 nauplii into each Petri dish of extract solutions and controls. The setup was allowed to remain for 72 h under constant illumination; dead larvae in each Petri dish were counted after every 12 h.

The percentage mortality (M %) was calculated as:

Mortality(%)= Total nauplii- Alive nauplii × 100/Total nauplii

Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 5 statistical package (GraphPad Software, San Diego MA, USA). The data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey test. All the results were expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 3) and were considered statistically significant when p < 0.05.

Results and Discussion

Dry extract yield

Dry extract yield

Phytochemical constituents

The quantities of tannins (335.2mg/g-1), phenols (91.1mg/g- 1), proanthocyanidins (139.5mg/g-1), flavonoids (46.5mg/g-1) and flavanols (74.0. mg/g-1) in acetone extract were significantly higher (p>0.05) than in aqueous and methanolic extracts. The amount of saponins in all the extracts was considerably while all the extracts contained little amounts of alkaloids. .

Values are the mean of the three replicates (n=3).

The extracts of A. praecox contained a considerable amount of phytochemicals that have significant therapeutic and exhibit biological activities in humans. The presence of these phytochemicals may be responsible for the diverse uses of this plant in traditional medicine. The amount of tannins, phenols and proanthocyanidins in all the extracts were considerably high. According to Ben Mohamed et al. [19], polyphenols levels are considerably affected by genetic factors like plant species, plant organ, phenological stage, and environmental factors like climatic conditions, biotic and abiotic stresses occurring during plant growth. Basma, et al. [20] and Chew, et al. [21] also identified higher amounts of polyphenols in leaves than the remaining plant organs. The phenolics have been reported to have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities [22]. Proanthocyanidins have a putative role as antioxidants, they affect the inflammatory process and protect against H2O2-induced lipid peroxidation [23]. Yamakoshi, et al. [24] investigated the tox of proanthocyanidins from grape seed extracts and reported lack of toxicity in both acute and sub-acute toxicity studies and supported the use of proanthocyanidins as food supplements. The quantities of saponins in A. praecox leaves in all the extracts were very high; acetone extract (142%), methanolic extract (132%) and aqueous extract (123%). Ezeabara, et al. [25] also reported higher levels of saponins in the leaves of Citrus sinensis and peel of Citrus aurantifolia. Liu and Henkel [26] considered saponins and polyphenols as key ingredients in traditional Chinese medicines which are responsible for most of the observed biological activities. The saponins in A. praecox leaves may also possess anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity which may justify its usage in the traditional medicine for the treatment of wounds. The amount of alkaloids in the leaves of A. praecox was very small (0.296%). The alkaloids present in the leaves of A. praecox may be responsible for its antimicrobial activity reported in the literatures; since it plays role in the defence of systems against pathogens [27].

Brine shrimp hatchability assay

The percentage hatching success of A. salina in different solvent extracts and the controls were represented in (Figure 1a & 1b).

Highest hatching success was recorded in the aqueous extract (50.33%) compared with methanol extract (40.45%) and acetone extract (40.35%). The positive control, amoxicillin produced the least hatching success (24%). The order of percentage hatchability of A. salina cysts was aqueous extract> methanol extract>acetone extract> amoxicillin. This suggested that aqueous extract had low inhibitory activity against the A. salina cysts and this may justify the use of water in herbal preparations. Similar hatching success recorded in acetone extract (40.35%) and methanolic extract (40.45%) may be due to the strength and the quantity of the phytochemicals present in these extracts. According to Tulay [3], the toxicity of the medicinal plants can be attributed to the strength and quantity of their secondary metabolites.

The hatchability increased with decrease in concentrations of all the solvent extracts with highest hatching success observed in 0.0625mg/mL. This may be due to tolerance of A. salina being at resistant cyst stage to a wide range of salinity and until the dormancy is broken, hatching will not occur. It may also mean that all the extracts at 1mg/mL had inhibitory effects and therefore prevented the cysts from hatching. The increase in the rate of hatchability with time suggests the nutritive potential of the extract that the cysts thrived on as incubation progresses. The highest hatching rate of the cysts for all the extracts was observed after 72h of incubation. This contradicted Ohikhena et al. [16], who reported highest hatching success after 36h of incubation in various solvent extracts of Phragmanthera capitata. The difference in significant hatching time may be due to difference in plant species as reported by Tulay [3].

Brine shrimp lethality assay

The results of the percentage lethality of A. salina cysts in different solvent extracts of Agapanthus praecox, amoxicillin and sea water were shown in (Figures 2a & 2b).

Among the extracts studied, the highest percentage lethality was observed in methanol extract (78.53%) compared with acetone extract (50.22 %) and aqueous extract (42.35 %). Ogugu, et al. [28] stated that the type of solvent for the extraction process is vital for the toxicity testing, because different solvents show different extracting potential. The highest mortality rate observed in methanol extract can be due to the quantity and the type of phytochemicals present in the extract; since, methanol had the highest yield of extract during the extraction process of this study.

The highest mortality rate of A. salina cysts was observed in 1mg/mL of all the solvent extracts tested. This means increase in concentration increased the mortality rate and that the LC50 of all the extracts studied were greater than one (>1), hence the extracts were not toxic. According to Meyer’s toxicity index, extracts with LC50 < 1000μg/ml are considered as toxic, while extracts with LC50 >1000μg/ml are considered as non-toxic [29].

The rate of mortality increased with increase in time hence, the highest mortality rate was observed after 72 h of incubation of A. salina cysts in all the extracts. The longer the nauplii were exposed to the plant extracts, the higher the mortality. Significant mortality observed in all the plant extracts after 72h of incubation suggests that the plant extracts have some nutrients on which the nauplii fed on and that the toxic effects of the plant extracts on the nauplii were delayed but later manifested after a long time of exposure. This agreed with the reports of Ohikhena et al. [16] and Otang et al. [30]. According to Ahmed, et al. [31], the toxicity of plant samples was determined by comparing their LC50 values with highly toxic substances suitable to be used as positive controls for this test. In Figure 2b, amoxicillin had the highest percentage lethality (78.05%) in 1 mg/mL than all the plant extracts and this showed that amoxicillin used as positive control in this study was more toxic than all the plant extracts (Table 2).

Conclusion

The different phytochemicals present in the leaf extracts of A. praecox are of significant biological activities; their presence may justify the diverse uses of A. praecox in South African traditional medicine. It was discovered from this study that, all the solvent extracts of Agapanthus praecox were not toxic (LC50>1mg/mL) in brine shrimp toxicity bioassay. It was confirmed from this study that water is the best solvent for preparation of A. praecox as it poses less risk to the users. Caution should be taken when using this plant and continuous use should be discouraged. Further investigation is necessary to determine the toxicity of the methanol extract of this plant as methanol extract exhibited the highest toxicity when compared with aqueous and acetone extracts.

Acknowledgment

The authors thank Govan Mbeki Research and Development Centre, University of Fort Hare, South Africa; for the financial support given to this study.

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Creating a Different World, Literally with Multimedia Courses in Australia

Today, multimedia, as the term implies, is a combination of several media of communication that caters to the different sense organs primarily hearing and seeing. I say primarily because there are innovations that allow you to smell and taste and experience also. These include the written texts, still and moving images, graphic images, and audio components that are accessed, oftentimes interactively, via electronic means.

In the 90s Multimedia were focused as a platform of communication for entertainment and educational purposes. These days, multimedia creations are used in journalism, education, medicine, engineering, architecture, business, and even international relations among many fields. But more than that, multimedia has evolved from audio-visual presentations to highly advanced innovations that create a different reality with Multimedia Courses in Australia.

They tell better stories; they drive home the truth more effectively and efficiently. Multimedia as platforms of communication have come a long way from the lights and sounds display that was referred to by singer in 1966 as a publicity gimmick for his production.

Multimedia Courses

Most of today's Multimedia Courses in Australia are designed to hone highly specialized skills that capture the imagination of contemporary viewers. Let us look at a few of them.

1. Augmented Reality - As the term implies, multimedia innovations capture real, physical, or actual reality and uses computer technology to enhance sensory experience. These include lot of things like sounds, graphics, video, interactive components, and GPS feeds. For example, consider the US Open Ladies Finals 2013. While you were watching real-time battle between eventual champion Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka, you were also informed of match statistics, historical perspectives, crowd point-of-views, etc. Thus, reality is not replaced or substituted (like virtual reality) but simply enhanced or augmented. When Serena Williams scored an ace, you were also informed that she has the best serve in the history of tennis.

2. Electro-Holographic Display - The Presidential Election Coverage 2008 is arguably its world debut, but Electro-Holographic Display has been imagined or talked about as early as the first Star Wars Trilogy.  Some of award-winning actress in the movie Simone was created by this technology. Electro-Holography uses a rare combination of technical wizardry, virtual gadgetry and aesthetic supremacy to record, reconstruct and release 3D objects that represents the real one, say, Anderson Cooper reporting live you can learn in Multimedia Courses in Australia.

3. Audio scope - Music and noise are a part of the reality of the new generation. But new innovations allow them to not just listen but experience music using products with audio capacity. These include clothes, furniture, books, etc. Fashion designers are now also enrolling in multimedia courses to incorporate these innovations.

These and more are signs that multimedia is creating a different world. And those who want to participate find it useful to sign up for Multimedia Courses in Australia that offer basic and advanced skills to become a major player in the industry.

Opportunities in the World of Animation with  Multimedia Courses in Australia

Nowadays it is not uncommon for children to talk about l stories of cartoon movies culture ,This reintroduction into the fast-fading Indian culture is due to the intriguing cartoons that restored the good old to our younger generation. And who can forget the famous characters of Tom & Jerry, Mowgli, Stuart Little, Popeye and many other animators? In the attractive world of animation lifeless images are brought to life through various tools and techniques.

With the growing media world, the demand for animators is growing. Whether films, television, cartoons, advertising, media or games - good animators determine the neighbourhood. In the world of Animation, reality meets imagination and the impossible becomes possible. Unimaginable graphics, special effects and state-of-the-art technologies together create a world that captivates you. This emerging industry has opened up new opportunities. Many creators choose multimedia and animation as a full-time career and earn a living by learning Multimedia Courses in Australia.

Multimedia means combining text, graphics, animation, video, sound and interactivity to deliver a message in an engaging way. That's why it's not enough to be creative. You also must be technically healthy. Although you must have a good drawing hand to become a good multimedia expert. So if you are endowed with immense creativity and imagination, there is no shortage of employment opportunities. the different areas of television, cinema, video production, advertising agencies, publishing, web design, CD-ROM preparation, fashion design, textile design, interior decoration, etc., in this  you can find a good full-time or freelance job with Multimedia Courses in Australia.

In terms of training, there are many Multimedia training centres offering multimedia and animation training. It is good to check the facilities and faculty of the institute before joining an institute. You can register immediately for the 12th Standard for a Visual Communication and Design Course. However, if you already have a Fine Arts degree with drawing skills, you can do an internship in a production house or studio.

The Multimedia Courses in Australia offers a course on animated film design. In private institutes Multimedia offers basic and advanced courses. Even they has developed a special program called Maxi Media to help learners acquire the necessary skills for this market. Then there is the Academy of Advanced Cinematics, which offers Multimedia Courses in Australia and animation.

Professional training is essential for animation and multimedia software such as 3D Studio Max, Maya for 3D Animation, Animo and American Animation for 2D animation, and the knowledge acquired in Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, and more. All of the above institutes offer training in these areas, and there are advanced specialization courses.

To make a career in this segment, you can choose from the following courses:

The Multimedia Courses in Australia courses provide an introduction to the fascinating world of multimedia, its tools and techniques. Courses for digital printing and publishing provide training in the design of publishing products. Digital Web Authoring trains you in creating websites. Digital movie animation is about creating professional animators. The interactive digital multimedia course introduces students to new media such as mobile phones, the Internet, and more. A higher diploma in digital visual communication and animation provides hands-on experience in this field, preparing them for careers in animation, multimedia, special effects, games and more.

It is understood that not all courses offered have the same calibre. Before attending an institute or course, you must establish contact with these institutes, discuss them in detail with the faculty, and understand their respective strengths. It's also a good idea to meet people from the industry and ask questions. Try to find out if the institute offers practical experience with real time work experience. Also, find out if they can help you find a job after the course.

After completing an appropriate Multimedia Courses in Australia and acquiring the appropriate skills, you can immerse yourself on various levels: as a graphic designer, visual artist, supervisor, digital movie animator, master animator, web designer, or web author. Lately, this industry is very unpaid

For getting more information visit here VIT -  Victorian Institute of Technology.

14/123 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

1300 17 17 55 (or) support@vit.edu.au