The continuous increase in global temperature and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) causes profound impacts on the growth and physiology of photosynthetic microorganisms. The hot-spring cyanobacteria have ...a wide range of mitigation mechanisms to cope up against current unsustainable environmental conditions. In the present investigation, we have explored the indispensable mitigation strategies of an isolated hot-spring cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. strain VKB02 under simulated ultraviolet (UV-A, UV-B) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). The adaptive morphological changes were more significantly observed under PAB (PAR, UV-A, and UV-B) exposure as compared to P and PA (PAR and UV-A) irradiations. PAB exposure also exhibited a marked decline in pigment composition and photosynthetic efficiency by multi-fold increment of free radicals. To counteract the oxidative stress, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants defense were significantly enhanced many folds under PAB exposure as compared to the control. In addition, the cyanobacterium has also produced shinorine as a strong free radicals scavenger and excellent UV absorber for effective photoprotection against UV radiation. Therefore, the hot-spring cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. strain VKB02 has unique defense strategies for survival under prolonged lethal UVR conditions. This study will help in the understanding of environment-induced defense strategies and production of highly value-added green photo-protectants for commercial applications.
Phycocyanin (PC) and phycoerythrin (PE) are the main phycobiliproteins (PBPs) with application as colorants in food industries. In the present study, the thermokinetic stability of PBPs extracted and ...purified from a hot spring cyanobacterium, Nostoc sp. strain HKAR-2, was investigated. The individual components of PC and PE were isolated with a high purity ratio of 3.18 (A ₆₁₅/A ₂₈₀) and 7.2 (A ₅₆₃/A ₂₈₀), respectively. The thermokinetic stability of purified PC and PE was studied in the presence of edible preservatives such as benzoic acid, citric acid, sucrose, ascorbic acid, and calcium chloride over 30 days of incubation at 4, 25, and 40 °C. The rate of degradation (k value) of PC/PE was increased in the control (without preservative), while it declined in the presence of preservatives. The k value (day⁻¹) was found to be the lowest for benzoic acid-treated PC/PE in comparison to the control at 4 °C. The rate of degradation also declined in benzoic acid-treated PC (0.008 day⁻¹) and PE (0.012 day⁻¹) at 40 °C in comparison with the control. Citric acid and sucrose were also found to maintain the stability of both PC and PE at the same temperature. Calcium chloride and ascorbic acid were shown to be the preservatives that support the least stability of PC and PE in comparison to the other preservatives studied. Overall, benzoic acid was found to be the best preservative for both PC and PE at 4 °C.
Silver-catalyzed interrupted Feist-Bénary reaction is described for the efficient enantioselective synthesis of dihydrofuran heterocycles. A new method has been developed for the silver(I)-(R)-BINAP ...complex mediated aldol-cycloisomerization cascade reaction between ynones and 1,3-diketones to provide functionalized dihydrofurans with moderate to good yields (up to 95%) and good to excellent enantiomeric excess (up to 98%). The presence of an exocyclic double bond and hydroxy group in the dihydrofuran products provides wide scope for further structural manipulation.
Understanding the burden and pattern of mental disorders as well as mapping the existing resources for delivery of mental health services in India, has been a felt need over decades. Recognizing this ...necessity, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, commissioned the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) in the year 2014-15. The NMHS aimed to estimate the prevalence and burden of mental health disorders in India and identify current treatment gaps, existing patterns of health-care seeking, service utilization patterns, along with an understanding of the impact and disability due to these disorders. This paper describes the design, steps and the methodology adopted for phase 1 of the NMHS conducted in India. The NMHS phase 1 covered a representative population of 39,532 from 12 states across 6 regions of India, namely, the states of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh (North); Tamil Nadu and Kerala (South); Jharkhand and West Bengal (East); Rajasthan and Gujarat (West); Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (Central) and Assam and Manipur (North East). The NMHS of India (2015-16) is a unique representative survey which adopted a uniform and standardized methodology which sought to overcome limitations of previous surveys. It employed a multi-stage, stratified, random cluster sampling technique, with random selection of clusters based on Probability Proportionate to Size. It was expected that the findings from the NMHS 2015-16 would reveal the burden of mental disorders, the magnitude of the treatment gap, existing challenges and prevailing barriers in the mental-health delivery systems in the country at a single point in time. It is hoped that the results of NMHS will provide the evidence to strengthen and implement mental health policies and programs in the near future and provide the rationale to enhance investment in mental health care in India. It is also hoped that the NMHS will provide a framework for conducting similar population based surveys on mental health and other public health problems in low and middle-income countries.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A series of imidazole based compounds were synthesized by reacting simple imidazoles with alkyl halides or alkyl halocarboxylate in presence of tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB). The compounds ...bearing carbethoxy group undergo amidation with different amines in the presence of DBU to give respective carboxamides. The synthesized compounds were screened against
Mycobacterium tuberculosis where compound
17 exhibited very good in vitro antitubercular activity and may serve as a lead for further optimization.
A series of imidazole based compounds were synthesized by reacting simple imidazoles with alkyl halides or alkyl halocarboxylate in the presence of tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB). The compounds bearing carbethoxy group undergo amidation with different amines in the presence of DBU to give respective carboxamides. The synthesized compounds were screened against
Mycobacterium tuberculosis where compound
17 exhibited very good in vitro antitubercular activity and may serve as a lead for further optimization.
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Aluminum is an undesirable water pollutant released by water treatment plants and metal processing industries that exhibit enormous toxic effects on water bodies. In the present study, we have ...investigated the effects of aluminum toxicity on the physiological and biochemical behavior of a hot-spring cyanobacterium
Nostoc
sp. strain HKAR-2. The growth of cyanobacterium was declined up to 33% by increasing aluminum concentration from 0.2 to 0.6 mM at pH 7.5 as compared to control (non-treated). However, the growth had further declined up to 87 and 92% by decreasing the pH to 6.0 and 5.0, respectively, as compared to control (pH 7.5) after 12 days of treatment. The amount of protein, chlorophyll, mycosporine-like amino acids, phycobiliproteins, extracellular and intracellular macronutrients such as phosphate and nitrate contents, and nitrate reductase activity was also declined at pH 7.5 as compared to non-treated control. In addition, aluminum also altered the sodium and potassium ions in both extracellular and intracellular environments. There was an increase in the activity of antioxidative enzymes such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbic peroxidase (APX) ranging from 58, 79, and 40%, respectively, at 0.6 mM aluminum. The increase in intracellular concentration of aluminum was directly proportional to the inhibition of cyanobacterial growth at pH 7.5. In conclusion, aluminum showed acute toxicity on the hot-spring cyanobacterium
Nostoc
sp. strain HKAR-2, which indicates that aluminum may adversely affect the microbiota of hot-spring habitats.
Salmonella species are Gram-negative bacteria with more than 2600 serovars. Among these serovars, many are associated with various diseases in livestock and humans. White Kauffman Le-Minor (WKL) ...serotyping scheme applies specific serum to determine the serovars of Salmonella. Recent studies have applied molecular methods for serovar predictions. These methods include PCR, hybridization and sequence data to detect/predict serovar-specific genetic elements. Among these, PCR is a robust method if the unique genetic element is already known. Within this context, also involving novel primers, two multiplex PCR assays were standardized to detect six important Salmonella serovars viz. Typhimurium, Enteritidis, Kentucky, Infantis, Virchow and Gallinarum associated with poultry in India. The developed PCR assays showed targeted serovar specificity. Serial dilution experiments of both kit-based and crude lysate DNA preparations indicated similar applicability of both methods for testing from pure cultures. Further the developed assays were validated with 25 recent field isolates to confirm the applicability in routine diagnosis. The PCR assay could predict all the targeted serovars (17/25) with 100% specificity (CI-95%; 0.63–1). Molecular serotyping can reduce the number of serum used in comparison to the conventional serotyping which involves more random application of serum.
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•Two multiplex PCR assays were developed to detect six important Salmonella serovars associated with poultry in India.•Developed molecular serotyping PCR assays showed high specificity for the targeted Salmonella serovars.•Detection limits were comparable for both kit-based and crude lysate DNA preparations during multiplexing.•PCR assays could detect targeted serovars when applied to recent field strains indicating applicability in routine diagnosis.
In this study, we have processed the spectral bands of airborne hyperspectral data of Advanced Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) data for delineating the surface ...signatures associated with the base metal mineralization in the Pur-Banera area in the Bhilwara district, Rajasthan, India.The primaryhost rocks of the Cu, Pb, Zn mineralization in the area are Banded Magnetite Quartzite (BMQ), unclassified calcareous silicates, and quartzite. We used ratio images derived from the scale and root mean squares (RMS) error imagesusing the multi-range spectral feature fitting (MRSFF) methodto delineate host rocks from the AVIRIS-NG image. The False Color Composites (FCCs) of different relative band depth images, derived from AVIRIS-NG spectral bands, were also used for delineating few minerals. These minerals areeither associated with the surface alteration resulting from the ore-bearing fluid migration orassociated with the redox-controlled supergene enrichments of the ore deposit.The results show that the AVIRIS-NG image products derived in this study can delineate surface signatures of mineralization in 1:10000 to 1:15000 scales to narrow down the targets for detailed exploration.This study alsoidentified the possible structural control over the knownsurface distribution of alteration and lithocap minerals of base metal mineralizationusing the ground-based residual magnetic anomaly map. This observationstrengthens the importance of the identified surface proxiesas an indicator of mineralization. X-ray fluorescence analysis of samples collectedfromselected locations within the study area confirms the Cu-Pb-Zn enrichment. The sulfide minerals were also identified in the microphotographs of polished sections of rock samples collected from the places where surface proxies of mineralization were observed in the field. This study justified the investigation to utilize surface signatures of mineralization identified using AVIRIS-NG dataand validated using field observations, geophysical, geochemical, and petrographical data.
Context: Dissociation is understood as maladaptive coping and is common in children and adolescents. Treatment outcome studies show improvement in comorbid conditions suggesting the need to implement ...programs that target dissociative pathology.
Aim: To study the effect of practicing mindfulness among adolescents diagnosed with dissociative disorders.
Settings and Design: It was a hospital-based repeated measures design.
Materials and Methods: 7 adolescents participated in a mindfulness-based therapeutic program for 6 weeks.
Statistical Analysis: Scores were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Friedman test was used to assess significance of the difference in scores at various assessment phases. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for post hoc analysis.
Results: Participants were mostly female adolescents from rural, Eastern India. There was a significant reduction in dissociative experiences and significant improvement in mindfulness.
Conclusions: Incorporating mindfulness in clinical practice may prove effective in reducing dissociation and promoting adaptive functioning.
The effects of diurnal variation of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR; 400–700 nm) and ultraviolet-B (UV-B; 280–315 nm) radiation on phycobiliproteins (PBPs) and photosynthetic pigments (PP) ...have been studied in the hot-spring cyanobacterium
Nostoc
sp. strain HKAR-2. The variations in PBPs and PP were monitored by alternating light and dark under PAR, UV-B, and PAR + UV-B radiations over a period of 25 h. There was a decline in the amount of Chl
a
and PBPs during light periods of UV-B and PAR + UV-B and an increase during dark periods showing a circadian rhythm by destruction and resynthesis of pigment-protein complex. However, a marked induction in carotenoids was recorded during light periods of the same radiations. Moreover, the ratio of Chl
a
/PE and Chl
a
/PC was increased in dark periods showing the resynthesis of bleached Chl
a
. The wavelength shift in emission fluorescence of PBPs toward shorter wavelengths further indicated the bleaching and destruction of PBPs during light periods. Oxidative damage upon exposure to PAR, UV-B, and PAR + UV-B was alleviated by induction of antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). The studied cyanobacterium exhibits a significant increase in the activities of SOD, CAT, and APX upon exposure to UV-B and PAR + UV-B radiations. The results indicate that pigment-protein composition of
Nostoc
sp. stain HKAR-2 was significantly altered during diurnal variation of light/radiation, which might play an important role in optimization for their productivity in a particular cyanobacterium.
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