One third of the world's population is infected with one or more of the most common soil-transmitted helminths (STH). Albendazole (ALB) is being administered with diethyl carbamazine (DEC) in ...filariasis endemic areas to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) and helminth infections. In this study, the cumulative impact of seven annual rounds of mass drug administrations (MDA) of DEC and ALB on STH infection in school children in selected villages in southern India was determined.
During 2001-2010, seven MDAs were implemented by the Tamil Nadu s0 tate h0 ealth d0 epartment, India. LF and STH infections were monitored in school children from 18 villages of the two treatment arms (viz, DEC alone and DEC+ALB). Kato-Katz cellophane quantitative thick smear technique was employed to estimate STH infections at three weeks, six months and one year post MDA.
Prior to treatment, an overall STH prevalence was 60 per cent. After each MDA, infection markedly reduced at three weeks post-treatment in both the arms. The prevalence increased at six months period, which was maintained up to one year. After seven rounds of MDA, the infection reduced from 60.44 to 12.48 per cent in DEC+ALB arm; while the reduction was negligible in DEC alone arm (58.77 to 52.70%).
Seven rounds of MDA with DEC+ALB reduced the infection load significantly, and further sustained low level of infection for 10 years. However, complete parasite elimination could not be achieved. To curtail STH infection in the community, MDA should be regularized and environmental sanitation measures need to be improved by effective community-based campaigns.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•Technical & financial feasibility study of designed systems for different zones.•Flow rate & solar radiation impact the charging/discharging of SHS liquid.•Daily efficiency improved by 19–29 & ...18–30% for clear & cloudy days respectively.•NPV, PP & LCSWH values are favorable for practical adoption of the system.
This paper offers an experimental evaluation of an SR-EVTC (serpentine evacuated tube collector) system embedded with a copper annular fin and sensible heat storage liquid (SR-EVTC/SS-AF). In this study developed system was compared with the control EVTC (SR-EVTC/CS) under the same meteorological conditions. In addition, the technical and financial feasibility of SR-EVTC/SS-AF and SR-EVTC/CS in different locations of India was also assessed for their practical implementation and commercial viability. To determine their thermal performance, the developed systems were investigated during sunny and cloudy days for three different water flow ranges, i.e. 0.008, 0.012, and 0.016 m3/h. During the experimental investigation on clear sunny days, both SR-EVTC/SS-AF and SR-EVTC/CS were found to have the highest daily average energy efficiency of 82.45 % and 63.88 %, respectively, when the flow rate was 0.016 m3/h. Whereas during cloudy days, the highest value of daily energy efficiency was achieved to be 87.78 % and 74.35 % respectively for EVTC/SS and EVTC/WSS, when the flow rate was 0.008 m3/h.
It has been noticed that on average, the same amount of solar radiation is incident at Location-I and Location-V. However, due to the lowest ambient temperature, the annual energy demand at Location-V is found to be the highest. For SR-EVTC/SS-AF, values of PBP and LCSWH are found to be lowest for Location-I due to the lowest ratio of annual energy requirement to average the annual solar irradiation incident, whereas the value of NPW is highest for Location-V due to the highest annual energy demand.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
In the past decades, wire electrochemical machining (Wire-ECM) has been extensively investigated for machining flat surfaces on varying engineering materials. In the present work, an attempt has been ...made to develop a novel technique (mask-less as well as through-mask) for generating macro as well as micro thread profiles on cylindrical rotating shafts using wire electrochemical turning process (Wire-ECTrg). Profiles with rounded edges like British Standard Whitworth (BSW) thread profile (Thread angle 55°) are fabricated using the mask-less method. Typical thread profiles are characterized and the impact of various input parameters on two key profile features, thread depth and thread angle are investigated. Generation of ball-full radius thread profile is very cumbersome to make through conventional turning process as it also requires a complex profiled tool. This type of thread profile is machined using the through-mask method. Three different engineering materials namely, copper, stainless steel 304 and a bio-compatible alloy of titanium Ti-6Al-4V are adapted for generating different thread profiles to show the versatility and applicability of the proposed technique. A ball-full radius thread of pitch 450 μm on stainless steel 304 is successfully fabricated using a single pass through-mask wire electrochemical turning process with an average percent error in groove radius of 2.42%.
Clusterbean (
L.), also known as guar, belongs to the family Leguminosae, and is an annual herbaceous legume. Guar is the main source of galactomannan for gas mining industries. In the present study, ...the draft chloroplast genome of clusterbean was generated and compared to some of the previously reported legume chloroplast genomes. The chloroplast genome of clusterbean is 152,530 bp in length, with a quadripartite structure consisting of large single copy (LSC) and small single copy (SSC) of 83,025 bp and 17,879 bp in size, respectively, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,790 bp in size. The chloroplast genome contains 114 unique genes, which includes 78 protein coding genes, 30 tRNAs, 4 rRNAs genes, and 2 pseudogenes. It also harbors a 50 kb inversion, typical of the Leguminosae family. The IR region of the clusterbean chloroplast genome has undergone an expansion, and hence, the whole
gene is included in the IR, as compared to other legume plastid genomes. A total of 220 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were detected in the clusterbean plastid genome. The analysis of the clusterbean plastid genome will provide useful insights for evolutionary, molecular and genetic engineering studies.
The ability to store high latent heat energy makes polyethylene glycol (PEG) one of the most promising materials in the organic phase change material (PCM) family. Nevertheless, the poor heat ...conductivity limits its potential to a large extent in the real time applications. In this study, polyethylene glycol (PEG2000) was incorporated with nano aluminium oxide (Al
2
O
3
) and copper oxide (CuO) composites to develop a hybrid nanomaterials based PCM with higher thermal conductivity. To accomplish the objectives of the study, six (06) samples were prepared. It was ensured that the total mass of both the nano particles remains 3% of the total mass of the sample. For characterization of the samples, FTIR, TGA, DSC, XRD techniques were used to test the thermal and chemical stability of the materials. The results show that the prepared composite has higher thermal conductivity than pure PCM and they are also chemically and thermally stable. Also, the interaction between PCM and nanoparticles is purely physical. The DSC findings showed that the developed nano enhanced PCM possess significantly high latent heat. The developed composites have the potential of being used as thermal energy storage materials for electronic board and various solar based applications.
'Manually Curated Database of Rice Proteins' (MCDRP) available at http://www.genomeindia.org/biocuration is a unique curated database based on published experimental data. Semantic integration of ...scientific data is essential to gain a higher level of understanding of biological systems. Since the majority of scientific data is available as published literature, text mining is an essential step before the data can be integrated and made available for computer-based search in various databases. However, text mining is a tedious exercise and thus, there is a large gap in the data available in curated databases and published literature. Moreover, data in an experiment can be perceived from several perspectives, which may not reflect in the text-based curation. In order to address such issues, we have demonstrated the feasibility of digitizing the experimental data itself by creating a database on rice proteins based on in-house developed data curation models. Using these models data of individual experiments have been digitized with the help of universal ontologies. Currently, the database has data for over 1800 rice proteins curated from >4000 different experiments of over 400 research articles. Since every aspect of the experiment such as gene name, plant type, tissue and developmental stage has been digitized, experimental data can be rapidly accessed and integrated.
Phosphorus (P) deficiency limits the growth, development, and productivity of rice. To better understand the underlying mechanisms in P-deficiency tolerance and the role of Pup1 QTL in enhancing P ...use efficiency (PUE) for the development of P-efficient rice cultivars, a pair of contrasting rice genotypes (Pusa-44 and NIL-23) was applied to investigate the morpho-physio-biochemical and proteomic variation under P-starvation stress. The rice genotypes were grown hydroponically in a PusaRich medium with adequate P (16 mg/kg, +P) or without P (0 mg/kg, -P) for 30 d. P-starvation manifested a significant reductions in root and shoot biomass, shoot length, leaf area, total chlorophyll, and P, nitrogen and starch contents, as well as protein kinase activity. The stress increased root-to-shoot biomass ratio, root length, sucrose content, and acid phosphatase activity, particularly in the P-tolerant genotype (NIL-23). Comparative proteome analysis revealed several P metabolism-associated proteins (including OsCDPKs, OsMAPKs, OsCPKs, OsLecRK2, and OsSAPks) to be expressed in the shoot of NIL-23, indicating that multiple protein kinases were involved in P-starvation/deficiency tolerance. Moreover, the up-regulated expression of OsrbcL, OsABCG32, OsSUS5, OsPolI-like B, and ClpC2 proteins in the shoot, and OsACA9, OsACA8, OsSPS2F, OsPP2C15, and OsBiP3 in the root of NIL-23, indicated their role in P-starvation stress control through the Pup1 QTL. Thus, our findings indicated that -P stress-responsive proteins, in conjunction with morpho-physio-biochemical modulations, improved PUE and made NIL-23 a P-deficiency tolerant genotype due to the introgression of the Pup1 QTL in the Pusa-44 background.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•This is the first-ever Indian expert panel recommendations for THA use offering:•Algorithms for THA selection in different bleeding sites and situations during neuro-spine procedures.•The survey ...revealed a preference for specific THAs with:•Flowable gelatin + thrombin being favored for difficult-to-access and problematic bleeding situations during tumor removal, transsphenoidal hypophysectomy, and skull-based procedures.•Oxidized regenerated cellulose/Fibrillar was recommended for continuous oozing, and ORC/Fibrillar preferred for arteriovenous and cavernous malformations.
Intraoperative bleeding poses a substantial challenge, particularly in neuro-spine surgeries leading to complications such as hematomas, infections, and hemodynamic instability. Despite their proven efficacy, use of topical hemostatic agents (THAs) lacks comprehensive published literature and guidelines particularly in the Indian setting. The present study provides the first-ever Indian expert panel recommendations for effective adjunct THA use in different intraoperative bleeding sites and situations in neuro-spine surgeries. A comprehensive approach, encompassing a literature review, followed by experience sharing in a meeting using a survey helped integrate expert opinions in the form of practical algorithms to guide THA selection. Our survey results revealed a strong inclination towards specific THAs, flowable gelatin + thrombin being choice of THA for difficult to access and problematic bleeding situations during tumor removal/resection, transsphenoidal hypophysectomy and skull-based procedures. Both oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC)/Fibrillar and flowable gelatin + thrombin were recommended for continuous oozing. ORC/Fibrillar was preferred for arteriovenous and cavernous malformations. This expert-panel guidance on THA use aims to optimize hemostat use practices and improve surgical outcomes in neuro-spine surgery.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Abstract The National Programme for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis is underway in the endemic districts of Tamil Nadu State, South India, since 2001. Annual mass drug administration (MDA) ...was carried out by the state health department to all eligible individuals. The impact of MDAs on transmission parameters was evaluated in 2 revenue blocks, viz, one with DEC alone and the other with a combination of albendazole. After 10 years with 6 annual MDAs, the transmission indices reached low levels in both treatment arms, but still persisted. However, the DEC alone arm showed higher transmission rates, compared to the DEC + ALB arm. Few villages which demonstrated persistent transmission need to be targeted with an additional control measure viz, vector control, to achieve LF elimination. It is evident from the 10 year period of the study that inclusion of albendazole along with DEC has significantly reduced the transmission indices to almost nil level, as compared to DEC alone.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
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