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Sample records for bengal gram cicer

  1. Potential of plant materials for the management of cowpea bruchid callosobruchus analis (coleoptera: bruchidae) in gram cicer arietinum during storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarwar, M.; Ahmad, N.; Tofique, M.

    2012-01-01

    Present research was carried out to identify alternatives to synthetic insecticides to control cowpea weevil Callosobruchus analis (F.) population in gram seed (Cicer arietinum L.), during storage. The efficacies of three plant materials such as Nicotiana tabacum, Citrullus colocythis and Aloe vera were assessed to determine their insecticidal activities against survival of bruchid C. analis on seeds of gram varieties viz., CM-98 and Jubiha-1. These plant materials tested reduced weevil infestation and emergence as compared with untreated control seeds. Seeds treatment with A. vera followed by N. tabacum reduced maximum pest damage over C. colocythis, which proved least effective to control C. analis population. Consequently, the tested plant materials should be given due consideration for effective gram protection as a component of integrated pest management approach in storage. (author)

  2. Bengal Gram Seed Husk as an adsorbent for the removal of dye from aqueous solutions – Batch studies

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    M.C. Somasekhara Reddy

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The feasibility of using Indian Seed Husk of Bengal Gram (Scientific Name: Cicer arietinum (SHBG, abundantly available in and around the Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, for the anionic dye (Congo red, CR adsorption from aqueous solution, has been investigated as a low cost and an eco-friendly adsorbent. Adsorption studies were conducted on a batch process, to study the effects of contact time, initial concentration of CR, de-sorption and pH. Maximum colour removal was observed at lower pH. The dye attained equilibrium approximately at 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 h for dye concentrations 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/l respectively. The present dye removal decreased from 89% to 74% as the dye concentration has been increased from 25 mg/l to 100 mg/l. A maximum removal of 92% is obtained at lower pH. Adsorption decreases with increase in pH. Maximum de-sorption of 26.4% is achieved in water medium at pH 11.95. The equilibrium data were analyzed by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The data fitted well with the Langmuir model, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 41.66 mg g−1. The pseudo-second-order kinetics was the best for the adsorption of CR, by SHBG with good correlation. The results suggest that SHBG is a potential low-cost adsorbent for the CR dye removal from synthetic dye wastewater.

  3. Cicer L., a monograph of the genus, with special reference to the chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), its ecology and cultivation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maesen, van der L.J.G.

    1972-01-01

    1. The history of the chickpea or gram, Cicer arietinum L., has been described from Homer's time and the earliest finds, 5450 B.C. in Hacilar, Turkey, up to the present day. The crop was first domesticated in Asia Minor and was introduced in India

  4. Effect of sodium fluoride and sodium nitroprouside on Cicer arietinum and Pisum sativum

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    Naba Kumar Mondal

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available In present study, the individual and combine effect of sodium fluoride (NaF and sodium nitroprouside (SNP on germination and biochemical parameters (pigments, sugar, protein, amino acid, and phenol of Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum and peas (Pisum sativum has been studied. After three days of NaF treatment, reductions were observed in percentage of seed germination, root and shoot length, and pigment content with increasing concentration of NaF (1 to 4 mg L-1. Seedlings treated with SNP, both alone and in combination of NaF, showed enhancement in seed germination as well as other growth parameters. NaF-treated seedlings were found to accumulate more soluble sugars and phenols, which were further increased by SNP treatment thereby indicating a synergistic effect of the possible reasons for the ameliorative effects of SNP in seedlings of Pisum sativum growing under NaF stress. Results also demonstrated that SNP application did not show any improvement in both morpho-physiologically and biochemically under sodium fluoride stress condition.

  5. Effect of Nano-ZnO Particle Suspension on Growth of Mung (Vigna radiata and Gram (Cicer arietinum Seedlings Using Plant Agar Method

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    Pramod Mahajan

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The present study demonstrates an effect of nano-ZnO particles on the growth of plant seedlings of mung (Vigna radiate and gram (Cicer arietinum. The study was carried out in plant agar media to prevent precipitation of water-insoluble nanoparticles in the test units. Various concentrations of nano-ZnO particles in suspension form were introduced to the agar media, and their effect on the root and shoot growth of the seedlings was examined. The main experimental approach, using correlative light and scanning electron microscopy provided evidence of adsorption of nanoparticles on the root surface. Absorption of nanoparticles by seedlings root was also detected by inductive coupled plasma/atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES. It was found that at certain optimum concentration, the seedlings displayed good growth over control, and beyond that, retardation in growth was observed.

  6. Mitigation of starch-induced postprandial glycemic spikes in rats by antioxidants-rich extract of Cicer arietinum Linn. seeds and sprouts

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    Ashok Kumar Tiwari

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Consumption of highly processed calories dense diet leads abrupt increase in postprandial blood glucose level, which in turn induces immediate oxidative stress. Postprandial hyperglycemia (PPHG and resultant oxidative stress is one of the earliest detectable abnormalities in diabetes prone individuals, independent risk factor for development of cardiovascular disorders (CVD, a major pathophysiological link between diabetes and CVD and an important contributing factor in atherogenesis even in non-diabetic individuals. Therefore, dietary supplements mitigating PPHG spikes along with potent antioxidant activities may help decrease development of PPHG and oxidative stress induced pathogenesis. Objectives: The study evaluated free radicals scavenging, antioxidant properties and intestinal α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in methanol extract of two varieties of Cicer arietinum Linn viz. Bengal gram and Kabuli chana and green gram (Vigna radiata Linn. Wilczek raw grains and their sprouts and studied their influence on starch-induced postprandial glycemic excursion in rats. Materials and Methods: Healthy grains were procured from local markets. Free radicals scavenging antioxidant and glucose-induced hemoglobin (Hb-glycation inhibition activities were analyzed using standard in vitro procedures. In vitro antihyperglycemic activity was evaluated by assessing rat intestinal α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Influence on starch-induced postprandial glycemic excursion in rats was studied by pre-treatment of rats with extracts. Results: Compared with raw seeds increase in total polyphenol and flavonoids concentration in green gram sprouts and Kabuli chana sprouts (KCs were observed. Total protein concentrations in sprouts did not differ from non-sprouted grains. 2,2′- Azinobis (3-ethyl benzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid cation scavenging activity was more than twice in Bengal gram sprouts of (BGs and KCs than their raw seeds. 2,2-diphenyl-1

  7. Integrated management of Fusarium wilt of chickpea (Cicer ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    2013-07-17

    Jul 17, 2013 ... Key words: Integrated management, Fusarium wilt, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris, chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), antagonists, botanicals, fungicides. INTRODUCTION. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a vital source of plant- derived edible protein in many countries. Chickpea also has advantages in the ...

  8. TDZ-induced plant regeneration in Astragalus cicer L. | Basalma ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    We developed a regeneration protocol using thidiazuron (TDZ) with a high frequency in vitro root induction in Astragalus cicer. High in vitro germination ratio (75%) for hard-seeds of A. cicer was also achieved. For this, hypocotyl and cotyledon explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with ...

  9. Detection of emerging antibiotic resistance in bacteria isolated from subclinical mastitis in cattle in West Bengal

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    Arnab Das

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The aim of this work was to detect antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria isolated from subclinical mastitis in cattle in West Bengal. Materials and Methods: The milk samples were collected from the cattle suffering with subclinical mastitis in West Bengal. The milk samples were inoculated into the nutrient broth and incubated at 37°C. On the next day, the growth was transferred into nutrient agar and MacConkey agar. All the pure cultures obtained from nutrient agar slant were subjected to Gram-staining and standard biochemical tests. All the bacterial isolates were tested in vitro for their sensitivity to different antibiotics commonly used in veterinary practices. All Gram-negative isolates including positive control were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR for detection of blaCTX-M, blaTEM, blaSHV, blaVIM, tetA, tetB, tetC, and tetM genes considered for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL, metallo-β-lactamase, and tetracycline resistance. Results: In total, 50 Gram-negative organisms (Escherichia coli, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, and Enterobacter were isolated from milk samples of subclinical mastitis infected cattle. Among these Gram-negative isolates, 48% (24/50 were found either ESBL producing or tetracycline resistant. Out of total 50 Gram-negative isolates, blaCTX-M was detected in 18 (36% isolates, and 6 (12% harbored blaTEM genes in PCR. None of the isolates carried blaSHV genes. Further, in this study, 5 (10% isolates harbored tet(A gene, and 8 (16% isolates carried tet(B gene. No tet(C gene was detected from the isolates. Conclusion: This study showed emerging trend of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria associated with subclinical mastitis in cattle in West Bengal, India.

  10. Modeling the effect of Rose Bengal on growth and decay patterns of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Akhras, M.-Ali H.; Shorman, Mohammad Al; Masadeh, Majed M.; Aljarrah, Khaled; Ababneh, Zaid

    2018-02-01

    Most infections caused by (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) are hospital and community acquired infections in patients. Bacterial growths incorporated with photosensitizing material (Rose Bengal) with and without light were investigated. The results demonstrated that the viable counts are increasing in absence of light (in dark) for all samples incorporated with Rose Bengal. Variation in growth phases were noticed as expected, but there is no significant change in decay phases. Convenient and adequate mathematical modeling is in very good agreement with the experimental results and showed to be a very good approach of characterization the growth behaviors of the bacteria. Bandwidths are independent of bacteria group (gram-positive or gram-negative) but it seems totally dependent on the oxygen requirements; an anaerobic bacterium takes broader bandwidths than aerobic bacteria. This concludes that the growth and lethal rates of anaerobic are much greater than aerobic.

  11. Analysis of genetic diversity in chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Genetic diversity of seven chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars of Pakistani origin ... effective method to determine the variations among the chickpea cultivars. ... to broaden the germplasm base in the future for chickpea breeding programs.

  12. Impacts of vehicle exhaust black soot on germination of gram seed (Cicer arietinum L.

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    Naba Kumar Mondal

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available An investigation was initiated to examine the effects of carbon soot collected from exhaust tube of 15 years old petrol and diesel operated vehicles on gram seed germination and biochemical changes of seedling. In view of the widespread cultivation of gram seed in India and long-term impact of black carbon is the warming of the atmosphere as per the recommendation of IPCC (2007. Black soot were separately treated with different doses and the effects of these treatment had on seed germination, seedling vigor, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, root and shoot growth, protein, sugar, phenol and proline estimation were studied. The treatment T6 significantly affected on seed germination (84% as well as seedling vigor and chlorophyll content. But other treatment promoted both seed germination and seedling vigor along with enhancement of other biochemical constituents. On the other hand micrograph study revealed that treatments T1 and T4 both showed negative effects on stomata rather than the ultra-structure of xylem and phloem.

  13. Effects of gamma irradiation on the shoot length of Cicer seeds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toker, Cengiz; Uzun, Bulent; Canci, Huseyin; Oncu Ceylan, F.

    2005-01-01

    The effects of radiation on the shoot and root lengths of germinated seedling of irradiated seeds of Cicer species, i.e. three kabuli types and four desi types of cultivated chickpea (Cicer arietinum Ladiz.) and 2 annual wild types (C. reticulatum Ladiz. and C. bijugum K.H. Rech.) were investigated. The seeds were irradiated with a 60 Co gamma source using 0, 200, 300 and 400 Gy doses at 1.66 kGy h -1 . At 200 Gy minor effects could be observed, but at 400 Gy an obvious depression of shoot length was observed. The kabuli types were more affected than the desi ones. The critical dose that prevented the shoot and root elongation varied among species and also ranged from genotypes to genotype within species

  14. Green-fuel-mediated synthesis of self-assembled NiO nano-sticks for dual applications—photocatalytic activity on Rose Bengal dye and antimicrobial action on bacterial strains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iyyappa Rajan, P.; Vijaya, J. Judith; Jesudoss, S. K.; Kaviyarasu, K.; Kennedy, L. John; Jothiramalingam, R.; Al-Lohedan, Hamad A.; Vaali-Mohammed, Mansoor-Ali

    2017-08-01

    With aim of promoting the employability of green fuels in the synthesis of nano-scaled materials with new kinds of morphologies for multiple applications, successful synthesis of self-assembled NiO nano-sticks was achieved through a 100% green-fuel-mediated hot-plate combustion reaction. The synthesized NiO nano-sticks show excellent photocatalytic activity on Rose Bengal dye and superior antibacterial potential towards both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

  15. Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling cold tolerance in chickpea recombinant RIL population (CRIL2) from Cicer arietinum L. x Cicer reticulatum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Published yields for chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) are higher when the crop is planted in the fall rather than in the spring seasons (Singh et al 1989, Singh et al 1997). Because of its lack of cold hardiness alleles to survive freezing temperatures, chickpea is planted in the spring in temperate re...

  16. Seroepidemiology of bluetongue in South Bengal

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    Arkendu Halder

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: With the aim of revealing the epidemiological intricacies of bluetongue (BT in the southern part of West Bengal state, the present study was undertaken to assess seroprevalence of BT along with identification of the vector of the disease, i.e., Culicoides midges available in the region in their breeding season with conducive environmental factors, if any. Materials and Methods: A total of 1509 (sheep-504, goat-1005 samples were collected from three different agroclimatic zones of South Bengal viz. new alluvial, red laterite and coastal saline. To detect anti-BT antibodies in the collected serum samples, indirect-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (i-ELISA was performed. Culicoides midges were collected from those agro-climatic zones of South Bengal for species identification. The meteorological parameters, viz. temperature (maximum and minimum, rainfall and relative humidity of three agro-climatic zones of South Bengal were analyzed for the months of July to December during 2010-2013. Results: The overall seropositivity was 33.13% and 30.24% in sheep and goat, respectively as assessed by i-ELISA. In South Bengal, the predominant species of Culicoides found were Culicoides schultzei, Culicoides palpifer and Culicoides definitus. Conclusion: Since virus transmitting species of Culicoides midges could be detected in South Bengal, besides high seropositivity in ruminants, the possibility of circulating BT virus in South Bengal is quite imminent.

  17. The rearing system of Black Bengal Goat and their farmers in West Bengal, India

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    Santanu Bera

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Bengal Goat is a precious germplasm of West Bengal. Mostly the women (91.3% of the farming families in West Bengal rear goat. Goat rearing is a subsidiary income source to rural poor along with agriculture. In majority of cases the flock size ranges from 1 to 4 (56%. Male female ratio in adult flock is observed as 1:8 in field condition. The animals are mostly housed along with residential housing (67.1%; houses are mostly kachha type (82.63% with earthen floor (86.47% and straw roof (91.33%. All most all the farmers used to graze their goats for feeding. Ponds water is the major source for drinking water (58.14% of goats. Black Bengal Goats have natural resistant power to many diseases but are vulnerable to cold, water logging situation, diarrhoea, ecto and entro parasitic infestation and respiratory diseases. Under field condition mortality rate is 9.63%. [Vet. World 2011; 4(6.000: 254-257

  18. An Efficient Composition for Bengal Lights.

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    Comet, M.; Schreyeck, L.; Fuzellier, H.

    2002-01-01

    Reports the discovery of an efficient base composition for making bengal lights that is obtained with potassium chlorate and thiourea. Combining this mixture with appropriate flame coloring can produce several impressive bengal lights. (DDR)

  19. Potassium iodide potentiates antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation mediated by Rose Bengal: in vitro and in vivo studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Xiang; Zhang, Xiaoshen; Szewczyk, Grzegorz; ElHussien, Ahmed; Huang, Ying-Ying; Sarna, Tadeusz; Hamblin, Michael R.

    2018-02-01

    Rose Bengal (RB) is a halogenated xanthene dye that has been used to mediate antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation. While highly active against Gram-positive bacteria, RB is largely inactive in killing Gram-negative bacteria. We have discovered that addition of the non-toxic salt potassium iodide (100mM) potentiates green light (540nm)-mediated killing by up to six extra logs with Gramnegative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Gram-positive methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and fungal yeast Candida albicans. The mechanism is proposed to be singlet oxygen addition to iodide anion to form peroxyiodide, which decomposes into radicals, finally forms hydrogen peroxide and molecular iodine. The effects of these different bactericidal species can be teased apart by comparing killing in three different scenarios: (1) cells+RB+KI are mixed together then illuminated with green light; (2) cells+RB are centrifuged then KI added then green light; (3) RB+KI+green light then cells added after light. We showed that KI could potentiate RBPDT in a mouse model of skin abrasions infected with bioluminescent P.aeruginosa.

  20. Study of agronomic characteristics and advantage indices in intercropping of additive series of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L.)

    OpenAIRE

    esmaeil rezaei-chiyaneh; Esmaeil Gholinezhad

    2015-01-01

    Study of agronomic characteristics and advantage indices in intercropping of additive series of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L.) Abstract In order to evaluate quantitive and qualitive yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L.) in intercropping of additive series, a field experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications in West Azerbaijan province- city Nagadeh, Iran during growing r...

  1. Effect of varing media on the susceptibility of rust red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) to gamma radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhatia, Parvathy; Sethi, G.R.

    1974-01-01

    Susceptibility of Tribolium castaneum adults reared on five food media viz., wheat, jowar, barley, maize and Bengal gram flour to gamma radiation was studied. The LD 50 values based on mortality observed 12 days after irradiation ranged from 4206 rads for beetles reared on Bengal gram to 9826 rads for those reared on jowar. On the basis of LD 50 values, the relative susceptibility of beetles reared on these foods was Bengal gram > barley> maize > wheat > jowar. Delayed response to irradiation (8000 rads) as indicated by LT 50 values also showed that insects reared on Bengal gram were more susceptible than those obtained from other media. On the basis of lower adult emergence and prolonged development period, Bengal gram was found to be much inferior food as compared to the rest. (author)

  2. First report of dodder (Cuscuta pentagona) on chickpea (Cicer arietinum) in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important rotational and an emerging specialty crop in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, in California, and in the Northern Great Plains of the USA and Canada. Dodders (Cuscuta spp.) are widespread parasitic weeds on many crops worldwide. Several Cusc...

  3. Screening and Isolation of Associated Bioactive Microorganisms from Fasciospongia cavernosa from of Visakhapatnam Coast, Bay of Bengal

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    P. Shamsher Kumar

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Nature, especially the marine environment, provides the most effective drugs used in human therapy. Among the metazoans, the marine sponges produce the most potent and highly selective bioactive secondary metabolites. These animals (or their associated symbiotic microorganisms synthesize secondary metabolites whose activity and selectivity has developed during their long evolutionary history. During the course of exploitation of these resources two marine sponges, Fasciospongia cavernosa doc var.brown (dark brown Fasciospongia cavernosa doc var.yellow (yellow collected from the visakhapatnam coast of Bay of Bengal were investigated in order to assess the potential of these microorganisms for the production of antimicrobial compounds. The aqueous and organic extracts of both the sponges showed broad spectrum antibiotic activity. In this study a total of 178 microorganisms were isolated from different parts of two sponges and most of them from middle part of the sponge. The isolates were investigated in order to assess the potential of these microorganisms for the production of antimicrobial compounds. Testing for antimicrobial activities were performed against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, fungi (Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger and 10 pathogenic organisms. Resulting mean diameter of inhibition zones revealed isolates B4 & B6 were the most potent of all the isolates. The present study has revealed the presence of high numbers of diverse culturable microorganisms associated with the marine sponges from Visakhapatnam Coast of Bay of Bengal as well as their potential to produce bioactive metabolites.

  4. Development of extruded Ready-To-Eat (RTE) snacks using corn, black gram, roots and tuber flour blends

    OpenAIRE

    Reddy, M. Kavya; Kuna, Aparna; Devi, N. Lakshmi; Krishnaiah, N.; Kaur, Charanjit; Nagamalleswari, Y.

    2014-01-01

    Extruded RTE snacks were prepared from flour blends made with corn flour, Bengal gram flour, roots and tuber flours in a proportion of 60–80: 20: 20 respectively and moisture was adjusted to 17–20 %. The roots and tubers flours were developed from potato (Solanum tuberosum), yam (Dioscorea spp.), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.), taro (Colocassia esculenta) and beet root (Beta vulgaris). Different formulations were extruded at 80 ± 5 °C (heater I) and 95–105 °C (heater II) temperature, 300–3...

  5. Indoor gamma radiation dose levels in West Bengal using passive dosimeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shetty, P.G.; Sahu, S.K.; Swarnkar, M.; Takale, R.A.; Pandit, G.G.

    2016-01-01

    Geography of West Bengal, a state in eastern India, is diverse, of high peaks of Himalaya in the northern extremes to coastal regions down south, with regions such as plateau and Ganges delta intervening in between. West Bengal is only state in India where Himalayas are in the north and Sea is at the south, with both plains and plateaus covering the remaining region. West Bengal is divided into three main divisions known as the Jalpaiguri division, Burdwan division and the Presidency division. It shows the district map of West Bengal. The result of preliminary indoor gamma radiation monitoring carried out in different districts of West Bengal is given in this paper

  6. Basic studies on the hepatobiliary scintigraphy with 123I-rose bengal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Narabayashi, Isamu; Ito, Yasuhiko; Otsuka, Nobuaki; Muranaka, Akira; Konno, Katsunobu.

    1979-01-01

    The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the values of 123 I-rose bengal. sup(99m)Tc-labels for the hepatobiliary radiopharmaceutical are not fully satisfied because of greater urinary excretion, especially in cases of hyperbilirubinemia. 123 I is a lower gamma ray energy emitter more suitable for imaging and has a short half life with 13 hours. Commercially obtained rose bengal was purified using Sephadex G-25 column on gelfiltration. 123 I-rose bengal was prepared using iodine exchange reaction between nonradioactive rose bengal and Na 123 I. Radiochemical purity of 123 I-rose bengal was examined by paper chromatography. Biological distribution of 123 I-rose bengal in rabbits at 1 hours after intravenous injection indicated that the tracer was cleared from the blood to the liver, thereafter excreted into the small intestine through the common bile duct. Hepatic uptake and excretion of activity has been measured for 60 minutes using a scintillation camera in conjunction with a VTR system. There existed no significant relative to those of 131 I-rose bengal. Serial scintigraphic images showed satisfactorily better images even in a rabbit with complete obstructive jaundice. (author)

  7. On watermass mixing ratios and regenerated silicon in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, D.P.; Sarma, V.V.; Rao, V.S.; Sudhakar, U.; Gupta, G.V.M.

    Regeneration of silicon on mixing in the Bay of Bengal have been computed from six water masses [Bay of Bengal low saline water (BBLS), Bay of Bengal subsurface water (BBSS), northern southeast high salinity water (NSEHS), north Indian intermediate...

  8. Development of ESTs from chickpea roots and their use in diversity analysis of the Cicer genus

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    Eshwar K

    2005-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chickpea is a major crop in many drier regions of the world where it is an important protein-rich food and an increasingly valuable traded commodity. The wild annual Cicer species are known to possess unique sources of resistance to pests and diseases, and tolerance to environmental stresses. However, there has been limited utilization of these wild species by chickpea breeding programs due to interspecific crossing barriers and deleterious linkage drag. Molecular genetic diversity analysis may help predict which accessions are most likely to produce fertile progeny when crossed with chickpea cultivars. While, trait-markers may provide an effective tool for breaking linkage drag. Although SSR markers are the assay of choice for marker-assisted selection of specific traits in conventional breeding populations, they may not provide reliable estimates of interspecific diversity, and may lose selective power in backcross programs based on interspecific introgressions. Thus, we have pursued the development of gene-based markers to resolve these problems and to provide candidate gene markers for QTL mapping of important agronomic traits. Results An EST library was constructed after subtractive suppressive hybridization (SSH of root tissue from two very closely related chickpea genotypes (Cicer arietinum. A total of 106 EST-based markers were designed from 477 sequences with functional annotations and these were tested on C. arietinum. Forty-four EST markers were polymorphic when screened across nine Cicer species (including the cultigen. Parsimony and PCoA analysis of the resultant EST-marker dataset indicated that most accessions cluster in accordance with the previously defined classification of primary (C. arietinum, C. echinospermum and C. reticulatum, secondary (C. pinnatifidum, C. bijugum and C. judaicum, and tertiary (C. yamashitae, C. chrossanicum and C. cuneatum gene-pools. A large proportion of EST alleles (45% were only

  9. Distribution of nutrients and antinutrients in milled fractions of chickpea and horse gram: seed coat phenolics and their distinct modes of enzyme inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sreerama, Yadahally N; Neelam, Dennis A; Sashikala, Vadakkoot B; Pratape, Vishwas M

    2010-04-14

    Milled fractions of chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) and horse gram ( Macrotyloma uniflorum L. Verdc.) were evaluated for their nutritional and antinutritional characteristics. Crude protein content of these fractions ranged from 22.6-23.8 g 100(-1) g in cotyledon to 7.3-9.1 g 100(-1) g in seed coat fractions. The fat content of chickpea fractions (1.6-7.8 g 100(-1) g) was higher than that of horse gram fractions (0.6-2.6 g 100(-1) g). Crude fiber content was higher in seed coat fractions of both legumes than embryonic axe and cotyledon fractions. Seed coat fractions had high dietary fiber content (28.2-36.4 g 100(-1) g), made up of mainly insoluble dietary fiber. Most of the phytic acid and oligosaccharides were located in the cotyledon fractions, whereas phenolic compounds in higher concentrations were found in seed coats. Significantly higher concentrations of proteinaceous and phenolic inhibitors of digestive enzymes were found in cotyledon and seed coat fractions, respectively. The kinetic studies, using Michaelis-Menten and Lineweaver-Burk derivations, revealed that seed coat phenolics inhibit alpha-amylase activity by mixed noncompetitive (chickpea) and noncompetitive (horse gram) inhibition mechanisms. In the case of trypsin, chickpea and horse gram seed coat phenolics showed noncompetitive and uncompetitive modes of inhibition, respectively. These results suggest the wide variability in the nutrient and antinutrient composition in different milled fractions of legumes and potential utility of these fractions as ingredients in functional food product development.

  10. Studies on the impact of fluoride toxicity on germination and seedling growth of gram seed (Cicer arietinum L. cv. Anuradha

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    Mondal N.K.

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The influence of 0, 0.1 mM, 0.5 mM, 1.0 mM, 4.0 mM, 8.0 mM fluoride (F concentration on seed germination, seedling growth of gram seeds (cv. Anuradha was studied under laboratory condition. At the end of 15 days of treatment, significant reduction in root length, shoot length, dry weight, fresh weight, % of germination, protein content, catalase activity, tolerance index, vigour index, germination rate, germination relative index, mean daily germination were observed at increasing fluoride concentration. Total soluble sugar content, proline content, peroxidase activity, ascorbic acid oxidase activity, % DFC, % phytotoxicity of root and shoot increased along with gradual increment of F concentration. 4.0 mM F concentration was found to be most sensitive for gram seeds. At 8.0 mM F concentration germination occurred but plants were totally dried after completion of treatment period.

  11. Available and unavailable carbohydrate content of black gram(Vigna Mungo) and chick-pea (Cicer Arietinum) as affected by soaking and cooking processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zia-ur-Rehman; Rashid, M.; Salariya, A.M.

    2003-01-01

    The effects of soaking (Tap water, sodium bicarbonate solution) and cooking in tap water were investigated on available and unavailable carbohydrate contents and starch digestibility of black grams and chick-peas. Available carbohydrates including total soluble sugars, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and starch contents of these two legumes decreased to various extents as a result of soaking and cooking. From 3.43 - 25.63% total soluble sugars and 4.26 - 22.70% starch contents were lost on soaking black grams and chick-peas in tap water and sodium bicarbonate solution. Maximum amounts of total soluble sugars (28.43 - 59.64%) and starch contents (29.93 - 67.40%) were lost on cooking the water and alkali soaked legumes. However, these losses were comparatively less in case of water soaking process. Soaking and cooking processes also brought about some changes in the profile of unavailable carbohydrates of black grams and chick-peas. Soaking in sodium bicarbonate solution led to an appreciable increase of hemicellulose (42.50 - 54.31%) and NDF (28.69 - 30.68%) but not in legumes soaked in tap water. However, cooking process caused reduction in NDF (19.25 - 41.04%), ADF (5.48 - 25.31%), cellulose (12.88 - 28.42%) and hemicellulose (31.86 - 59.37%). Lignin contents of these legumes increased to some extents on cooking whereas it remained unchanged as a result of soaking. Starch digestibility of black grams and chick peas was markedly improved after cooking. However, no appreciable improvement in starch digestibility was observed after soaking these legumes in tap water or alkaline solution.(author)

  12. 32P uptake and translocation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) inoculated with vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaturvedi, C.; Singh, Renu

    1990-01-01

    32 P uptake in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars L-550 and C-235 as affected by vesicualr-arbuscular mycorrhiza (G. caledonicum) and Rhizobium was investigated in P deficient soils. Test plants coinoculated with the above two symbionts exhibited higher 32 P uptake than inoculated with either symbiont alone. Uninoculated plants showed minimum level of 32 P uptake. (author). 1 tab., 7 refs

  13. Gram staining.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coico, Richard

    2005-10-01

    Named after Hans Christian Gram who developed the method in 1884, the Gram stain allows one to distinguish between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria on the basis of differential staining with a crystal violet-iodine complex and a safranin counterstain. The cell walls of Gram-positive organisms retain this complex after treatment with alcohol and appear purple, whereas gram-negative organisms decolorize following such treatment and appear pink. The method described here is useful for assessing bacterial contamination of tissue culture samples or for examining the Gram stain status and morphological features of bacteria isolated from mixed or isolated bacterial cultures.

  14. HELMINTHIASIS IN A BENGAL TIGER (PANTHERA TIGRIS TIGRIS - A CASE REPORT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shivaji Bhattacharya

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available During post mortem examination of a wild male adult Bengal Tiger of Pirkhali of Sundarban Tiger Reserve, West Bengal, India,Toxocara cati and Taenia hydatigena was observed in the stomach and intestine.

  15. Enrichment of pasta with different plant proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaur, Gurpreet; Sharma, Savita; Nagi, H P S; Ranote, P S

    2013-10-01

    Effects of supplementation of plant proteins from mushroom powder, Bengal gram flour and defatted soy flour at different levels were assessed on the nutritional quality of pasta. Supplementation of wheat semolina was done with mushroom powder (0-12%), Bengal gram flour (0-20%) and defatted soy flour (0-15%). Mushroom powder and defatted soy flour increased the cooking time of pasta whereas non significant variation was observed in cooking time of Bengal gram supplemented pasta. Significant correlation (r = 0.97, p ≤ 0.05) was observed between water absorption and volume expansion of pasta. Instantization of pasta by steaming improved the cooking quality. Steamed pasta absorbed less water and leached fewer solids during cooking. On the basis of cooking and sensory quality, pasta in combination with 8% mushroom powder, 15% Bengal gram flour and 9% defatted soy flour resulted in a better quality and nutritious pasta.

  16. BLOOD PROTEIN TRANSFERRIN POLYMOROPHISM IN BLACK BENGAL GOAT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rajesh Paul

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The present investigation was carried out with an aim to explore the polymorphism of a blood protein tranferrin using starch gel electrophoresis technique in a total of unrelated 199 Black Bengal goats available in four different districts of West Bengal, India. Banding patterns of transferrin in starch gel revealed six phenovariants TfAA, TfAB, TfBC, TfBB, TfAC and TfCC comprising of three allelomorphs, TfA, TfB and TfC. The genotype frequencies were found to be observed 0.211, 0.347, 0.136, 0.106, 0.136 and 0.065 for six genotypes and the allelic frequencies were 0.452, 0.347 and 0.201 for three alleles, respectively. Result of Chi-square test revealed that the population under study was in Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium. There were polymorphism in Transferrin protein and the presence of differences among the frequencies of the three alleles by categories could be a source of genetic variation in Black Bengal goat.

  17. An Intrathermocline Eddy and a tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal

    OpenAIRE

    Gordon, Arnold L.; Shroyer, Emily; Murty, V. S. N.

    2017-01-01

    The Bay of Bengal, subjected to monsoonal forcing and tropical cyclones, displays a complex field of ocean eddies. On 5 December 2013 a sub-surface vortex or Intrathermocline Eddy (ITE) composed of water characteristic of the Andaman Sea was observed within the thermocline of the western Bay of Bengal. We propose that the ITE was the product of Tropical Cyclone Lehar interaction on 27 November 2013 with a westward propagating surface eddy from the eastern Bay of Bengal. While Lehar?s interact...

  18. Ferromanganese micronodules from Bengal Fan

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Chauhan, O.S.; Gujar, A.R.; Rao, Ch.M.

    The occurrence of ferromanganese micronodules, hitherto unreported from any fan-valley system of the world, has been recorded from over 0.22 million km sup(2) area located in the middle fan region of the Bay of Bengal. Their abundance is higher...

  19. Production technology of 131I-rose bengal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hradilek, P.; Miklik, M.; Kopicka, K.; Kronrad, L.

    1983-01-01

    A detailed description is presented of the production equipment and production process used for Rose Bengal labelled with 131 I designed for use in nuclear medicine. The apparatus was installed in the semi-hot cell laboratory of the Nuclear Research Institute at Rez. The processed activity is around 20 GBq, the average yield of the ion exchange reaction between non-radioactive Rose Bengal and 131 I-labelled sodium iodide is 90%. The unreacted active sodium iodide is separated and the resulting product is diluted and processed into a drug presentation, sterilized and after random control is distributed in 14 days intervals to medical workplaces. (M.D.)

  20. Functionalized agarose as an effective and novel matrix for immobilizing Cicer arietinum β-galactosidase and its application in lactose hydrolysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rukhsana Satar

    Full Text Available Abstract The present study demonstrates the immobilization of β-galactosidase from Cicer arietinum on a simple and inexpensive matrix, glutaraldehyde functionalized agarose (GFA, to suggest its potential application in hydrolyzing whey lactose in biotechnology industries. The designed matrix provided large surface area for the immobilization of β-galactosidase, apart from exhibiting greater biocatalytic activity in terms of selectivity, loading and stability. GFA retained 83% enzyme activity as a result of immobilization. Soluble and GFA bound Cicer arietinum β-galactosidase showed the same pH and temperature-optima at pH 5.0 and at 50 °C, respectively. However, immobilized enzyme exhibited a greater fraction of activity at both acidic and basic pH, and at higher temperature ranges. GFA bound enzyme lost only 20 % enzyme in the presence of 3% galactose, and retained 70 % activity even after its sixth repeated use. Immobilized enzyme showed pronounced lactose hydrolysis from whey in batch processes at 55 °C as compared to enzyme in solution.

  1. Rose Bengal- and Riboflavin-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy to Inhibit Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Keratitis Isolates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halili, Francisco; Arboleda, Alejandro; Durkee, Heather; Taneja, Mukesh; Miller, Darlene; Alawa, Karam A; Aguilar, Mariela C; Amescua, Guillermo; Flynn, Harry W; Parel, Jean-Marie

    2016-06-01

    To evaluate the in vitro efficacy of rose bengal- and riboflavin-mediated photodynamic therapy for inhibition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates. Experimental study. Two different multidrug-resistant, clinical MRSA isolates were grown on nutrient agar, prepared in suspension, and adjusted to concentrations of 1.5 × 10(4) colony-forming units per milliliter. Bacterial suspensions were mixed with rose bengal, riboflavin, or water according to experimental group. Tested in triplicate, groups included: Group I, MRSA control; Group II, MRSA with 0.1% rose bengal; Group III, MRSA with 0.03% rose bengal; and Group IV, MRSA with 0.1% riboflavin. All experimental groups were exposed to 3 lighting conditions: dark, ambient room light for 30 minutes, and 5.4 J/cm(2) with either green light-emitting diode (LED) or ultraviolet-A (UV-A) irradiation. Plates were photographed at 72 hours and custom software measured bacterial growth inhibition. Complete growth inhibition of both MRSA strains was demonstrated (1) for both rose bengal concentrations under ambient and green LED irradiation, and (2) for the 0.1% rose bengal in the dark. The 0.03% rose bengal in dark conditions showed complete inhibition of strain 2 but incomplete inhibition of strain 1. Riboflavin showed almost complete inhibition with UV-A irradiation but demonstrated minimal inhibition for both strains in dark and ambient light conditions. Rose bengal- and riboflavin-mediated photodynamic therapy demonstrated complete growth inhibition in vitro of 2 multidrug-resistant MRSA strains. Rose bengal was also effective in dark and ambient conditions. These results may have implications for in vivo therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Cationic Phosphorus Dendrimer Enhances Photodynamic Activity of Rose Bengal against Basal Cell Carcinoma Cell Lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dabrzalska, Monika; Janaszewska, Anna; Zablocka, Maria; Mignani, Serge; Majoral, Jean Pierre; Klajnert-Maculewicz, Barbara

    2017-05-01

    In the last couple of decades, photodynamic therapy emerged as a useful tool in the treatment of basal cell carcinoma. However, it still meets limitations due to unfavorable properties of photosensitizers such as poor solubility or lack of selectivity. Dendrimers, polymers widely studied in biomedical field, may play a role as photosensitizer carriers and improve the efficacy of photodynamic treatment. Here, we describe the evaluation of an electrostatic complex of cationic phosphorus dendrimer and rose bengal in such aspects as singlet oxygen production, cellular uptake, and phototoxicity against three basal cell carcinoma cell lines. Rose bengal-cationic dendrimer complex in molar ratio 5:1 was compared to free rose bengal. Obtained results showed that the singlet oxygen production in aqueous medium was significantly higher for the complex than for free rose bengal. The cellular uptake of the complex was 2-7-fold higher compared to a free photosensitizer. Importantly, rose bengal, rose bengal-dendrimer complex, and dendrimer itself showed no dark toxicity against all three cell lines. Moreover, we observed that phototoxicity of the complex was remarkably enhanced presumably due to high cellular uptake. On the basis of the obtained results, we conclude that rose bengal-cationic dendrimer complex has a potential in photodynamic treatment of basal cell carcinoma.

  3. Comparative efficiency of chemical and radiation mutagens on two Cicer arietinum Rhizobial strains

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khare, A K; Shinde, D A; Nayak, M L [Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Indore (India)

    1982-03-01

    A comparison of efficacy due to chemical and radiation mutagens on morphology, nutritional totipotence and symbiotic character of two Cicer arietinum rhizobia has been made. The mutants produced as a result of radiations (gamma and UV rays) differed from parents in that, the mutant colony size was bigger and gelatinase activity was higher. The mutants were not deficient nutritionally, had wider host range and the size and number of nodules produced were higher. Radiation mutagenic effects were more pronounced than chemical mutagens. The mutants derived from chemicals were not as efficient as radiation mutants although they were better than parents in total nodulation.

  4. Literacy Rates and its Impact on Birth Rates in Nadia District, West Bengal, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahadeb Ghosh

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Equality in socio-economic component is essential for human development and social change. Educational inequality reduces economic growth and women's empowerment on the one hand and increases birth rate on the other. In population studies, it has been established that educational level is collinearly related with demographic behaviour. This study aims to investigate inequalities in literacy rates and its impact on birth rates in Nowpara-I Gram Panchayat (GP located in the Krishnagar II C.D. Block, Nadia District of West Bengal using a household survey conducted in 356 households among women aged 49 and above in triangulation with secondary data. The aim of this study is to explore the causes of the spatial inequalities in education and its effect on spatial variations in birth rates. The key finding suggest that in Nowpara-I, negative relationships exist between female education and birth rate because education has a positive impact on empowerment, late marriage, use of contraceptives and family size.

  5. Fast radioiodination of rose bengal at room temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verbruggen, R.F.

    1987-01-01

    Polyhalogenated dyes based on aromatic ring systems such as fluorosceins have been used for the evaluation of hepatobiliary function since 1909. In 1955 rose bengal was radioiodinated and a radiocontrastdye become a radiopharmaceutical. In the present study an improved method, based on the chloramine-T method, has been developed for labelling rose bengal. This method was chosen for its short reaction time, its mild conditions and its high yield. The optimum values of the reaction parameters have been determined, and resulted in a slightly higher yield, within a shorter time and without breakdown products being present

  6. Magnetic anomalies in Central Bengal fan

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, T.C.S.; Lakshminarayana, S.; Sarma, K.V.L.N.S.

    Total magnetic field anomalies recorded over the Central Bengal Fan are analysed and the depths to the magnetic basement are computed using the analytical signal and the Werner deconvolution methods. To the west and east of 85 degrees E...

  7. Rapid labelling of rose bengal and iothalamate with radioiodine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alvarez, J.

    1981-01-01

    Rapid and simple methods for tagging rose bengal and iothalamate with radioactive iodine are proposed. In both cases, the reaction takes place in a penicillintype vial. In the first method, Chloramine-T, was added to a vial containing rose bengal and radioiodide. Tagging iothalamate requires heating a mixture of iothalamate and radioactive iodine in the autoclave. A high radiochemical yield was obtained in the two procedures. This obviated the need of separating the small amount of free radioiodine present in the final product. (author)

  8. Development and testing of monoclonal antibody-based rapid immunodiagnostic test kits for direct detection of Vibrio cholerae O139 synonym Bengal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasan, J A; Huq, A; Nair, G B; Garg, S; Mukhopadhyay, A K; Loomis, L; Bernstein, D; Colwell, R R

    1995-11-01

    We report on the development and testing of two monoclonal antibody-based rapid immunodiagnostic test kits, BengalScreen, a coagglutination test, and Bengal DFA, a direct fluorescent-antibody test, for direct detection of Vibrio cholerae O139 synonym Bengal in clinical and environmental specimens. The BengalScreen test requires less than 5 min to complete and can be used in the field. Bengal DFA, being more sensitive than BengalScreen, requires only one reagent and less than 20 min for detection and enumeration of V. cholerae O139 synonym Bengal. In tests for specificity, all 40 strains of V. cholerae O139 reacted with both test kits, whereas 157 strains of heterologous species examined did not, yielding 100% specificity in this study. A field trial was conducted in with both BengalScreen and Bengal DFA, and the results were compared with those obtained by conventional culture methods. BengalScreen demonstrated a sensitivity of 95%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100%, and a negative predictive value of 94%. Results obtained by Bengal DFA, on the other hand, were 100% sensitive and 100% specific and yielded 100% positive and negative predictive values compared with culture methods. In a second evaluation, 93 stool specimens from Mexico that were negative for V. cholerae O139 by culture were also tested with both the BengalScreen and Bengal DFA kits. None of the 93 specimens were positive for V. cholerae O139 by both tests. A concentration method was optimized for screening of environmental water samples for V. cholerae O139 synonym Bengal with rapid test kits. BengalScreen results were unequivocally positive when water samples contained at least 2.0 x 10(3) CFU/ml, whereas Bengal DFA demonstrated an unequivocally positive reaction when the water sample contained at least 1.5 x 10(2) CFU/ml. When Bengal DFA was compared with conventional culture methods for enumeration of V. cholerae O139 synonym Bengal organisms, no difference was observed.

  9. Miocene denudation history of Himalaya deduced from IODP Exp. 354 Bengal Fan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohki, Y.; Cruz, J. W.; Osaki, A.; Manoj, M. C.; Hatano, N.; France-Lanord, C.; Spiess, V.; Klaus, A.

    2017-12-01

    The submarine Bengal Fan is the largest submarine fan on Earth and covers the whole Bay of Bengal. The sediments are fed by the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers reflecting India-Asia plate collision. The sediments recovered from IODP Expedition 354 Bengal Fan record the uplift history of the Himalayan orogenic system. We examined the chemical composition of detrital garnets in the Miocene deposits from Site U1451, where drilling reached to basal horizon of the fan deposits, in order to reveal the detailed denudation history of Himalayan metamorphic rocks. For this purpose, the comparison of chemical composition between detrital garnet in the Bengal Fan deposits and metamorphic garnet in Himalayan metamorphic rocks was carried out. The chemical composition of the metamorphic garnet from Higher Himalayan Crystalline (HHC) in Karnali and Kaligandaki areas, western Nepal, was examined for chemical reference to detrital garnets in Bengal Fan. The metamorphic garnets in "Formation I (Le Fort, 1975)" in HHC are characterized by almandine-rich garnet with high pyrope content. Also, the garnets in "Formation II" are remarked by two types of garnets, i.e., almandine-rich and grandite-rich garnets. Meanwhile, the composition of garnets in "Formation III" is almandine-rich garnet with low pyrope content. In the Bengal Fan deposits, the characteristic garnets, which show the similarity to the metamorphic garnet in HHC, is not found from the Lower Miocene (Burdigalian) deposits. In the Middle and Upper Miocene deposits, the almandine-rich garnets characteristic in Formation I, are normally included. At the basal part of the Middle Miocene (Langhian), almandine-rich garnets with low pyrope content, suggesting the derivation from Formation III, are remarkable. The grandite-rich garnets from Formation II are sporadically found In the Upper Miocene deposits (Tortonian-Messinian). Above chemical comparison between the detrital garnets in Bengal Fan and metamorphic garnets from HHC

  10. Primary Schooling in West Bengal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sen, Amartya

    2010-01-01

    With his Nobel Prize award money, Amartya Sen set up the Pratichi Trust which carries out research, advocacy and experimental projects in basic education, primary health care, and women's development in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Professor Sen himself took active interest in this work--helping set the agenda, looking at the evidence from…

  11. Oxygen-independent direct deoxyribonucleic acid backbone breakage caused by rose bengal and visible light

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peak, M J; Peak, J G; Foote, C S; Krinsky, N I

    1984-01-01

    An oxygen enhancement ratio of 10 for the induction of backbone single-strand breaks (SSBs) in purified deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by monochromatic 365 nm UV radiation was obtained. Similarly, a dose reduction factor of 10 was observed when the DNA was irradiated in the presence of 0.1 M diazabicyclo(2.2.2)octane (DABCO). To determine whether this breakage of DNA was due to the action of a reactive oxygen species such as singlet oxygen, we used the photosensitizing dye Rose Bengal and visible light as a system for generating singlet oxygen. Treatment of the DNA with Rose Bengal and 545 nm monochromatic light enhanced the rate of induction of SSBs six times, compared with the rate we obtained when the light was used alone. Elimination of oxygen or addition of 0.1 M DABCO during the 545 nm irradiation in the presence of Rose Bengal did not alter the enhancement of SSBs in the DNA caused by Rose Bengal and 545 nm radiation. The induction of SSBs in the DNA caused by irradiation of the DNA by 545 nm light in the presence of Rose Bengal was not enhanced by the use of D/sub 2/O instead of H/sub 2/O as a solvent. The results indicate that Rose Bengal plus visible light can cause biological damage without the intermediacy of reactive oxygen species, i.e. Rose Bengal and visible light can react directly with biological material, in reactions that appear to be type I photosensitized processes, independent of singlet oxygen as an intermediate.

  12. Viruses and Phytoparasitic Nematodes of Cicer arietinum L.: Biotechnological Approaches in Interaction Studies and for Sustainable Control

    OpenAIRE

    Paola Leonetti; Gian Paolo Accotto; Moemen S. Hanafy; Vitantonio Pantaleo

    2018-01-01

    Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea) is the world's fourth most widely grown pulse. Chickpea seeds are a primary source of dietary protein for humans, and chickpea cultivation contributes to biological nitrogen fixation in the soil, given its symbiotic relationship with rhizobia. Therefore, chickpea cultivation plays a pivotal role in innovative sustainable models of agro-ecosystems inserted in crop rotation in arid and semi-arid environments for soil improvement and the reduction of chemical inputs...

  13. Enhanced particle fluxes in Bay of Bengal inducEd. by injection of freshwater

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ittekkot, V.; Nair, R.R.; Honjo, S.; Ramaswamy, V.; Bartsch, M.; Manganini, S.J.; Desai, B.N.

    deployed three sediment-trap moorings (two traps in each mooring) in the northern, central and southern parts of the Bay of Bengal, respectively. The Bay of Bengal is suitable for such a study, because some of the world's largest rivers supply pulses...

  14. Procalcitonin levels in gram-positive, gram-negative, and fungal bloodstream infections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leli, Christian; Ferranti, Marta; Moretti, Amedeo; Al Dhahab, Zainab Salim; Cenci, Elio; Mencacci, Antonella

    2015-01-01

    Procalcitonin (PCT) can discriminate bacterial from viral systemic infections and true bacteremia from contaminated blood cultures. The aim of this study was to evaluate PCT diagnostic accuracy in discriminating Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and fungal bloodstream infections. A total of 1,949 samples from patients with suspected bloodstream infections were included in the study. Median PCT value in Gram-negative (13.8 ng/mL, interquartile range (IQR) 3.4-44.1) bacteremias was significantly higher than in Gram-positive (2.1 ng/mL, IQR 0.6-7.6) or fungal (0.5 ng/mL, IQR 0.4-1) infections (P Gram-negatives from Gram-positives at the best cut-off value of 10.8 ng/mL and an AUC of 0.944 (95% CI 0.919-0.969, P Gram-negatives from fungi at the best cut-off of 1.6 ng/mL. Additional results showed a significant difference in median PCT values between Enterobacteriaceae and nonfermentative Gram-negative bacteria (17.1 ng/mL, IQR 5.9-48.5 versus 3.5 ng/mL, IQR 0.8-21.5; P Gram-negative from Gram-positive and fungal bloodstream infections. Nevertheless, its utility to predict different microorganisms needs to be assessed in further studies.

  15. Genetic structure, diversity, and allelic richness in composite collection and reference set in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gowda Cholenahalli LL

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Plant genetic resources (PGR are the basic raw materials for future genetic progress and an insurance against unforeseen threats to agricultural production. An extensive characterization of PGR provides an opportunity to dissect structure, mine allelic variations, and identify diverse accessions for crop improvement. The Generation Challenge Program http://www.generationcp.org conceptualized the development of "composite collections" and extraction of "reference sets" from these for more efficient tapping of global crop-related genetic resources. In this study, we report the genetic structure, diversity and allelic richness in a composite collection of chickpea using SSR markers, and formation of a reference set of 300 accessions. Results The 48 SSR markers detected 1683 alleles in 2915 accessions, of which, 935 were considered rare, 720 common and 28 most frequent. The alleles per locus ranged from 14 to 67, averaged 35, and the polymorphic information content was from 0.467 to 0.974, averaged 0.854. Marker polymorphism varied between groups of accessions in the composite collection and reference set. A number of group-specific alleles were detected: 104 in Kabuli, 297 in desi, and 69 in wild Cicer; 114 each in Mediterranean and West Asia (WA, 117 in South and South East Asia (SSEA, and 10 in African region accessions. Desi and kabuli shared 436 alleles, while wild Cicer shared 17 and 16 alleles with desi and kabuli, respectively. The accessions from SSEA and WA shared 74 alleles, while those from Mediterranean 38 and 33 alleles with WA and SSEA, respectively. Desi chickpea contained a higher proportion of rare alleles (53% than kabuli (46%, while wild Cicer accessions were devoid of rare alleles. A genotype-based reference set captured 1315 (78% of the 1683 composite collection alleles of which 463 were rare, 826 common, and 26 the most frequent alleles. The neighbour-joining tree diagram of this reference set represents

  16. Electron Microscopic, Genetic and Protein Expression Analyses of Helicobacter acinonychis Strains from a Bengal Tiger

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tegtmeyer, Nicole; Rivas Traverso, Francisco; Rohde, Manfred; Oyarzabal, Omar A.; Lehn, Norbert; Schneider-Brachert, Wulf; Ferrero, Richard L.; Fox, James G.; Berg, Douglas E.; Backert, Steffen

    2013-01-01

    Colonization by Helicobacter species is commonly noted in many mammals. These infections often remain unrecognized, but can cause severe health complications or more subtle host immune perturbations. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize putative novel Helicobacter spp. from Bengal tigers in Thailand. Morphological investigation (Gram-staining and electron microscopy) and genetic studies (16SrRNA, 23SrRNA, flagellin, urease and prophage gene analyses, RAPD DNA fingerprinting and restriction fragment polymorphisms) as well as Western blotting were used to characterize the isolated Helicobacters. Electron microscopy revealed spiral-shaped bacteria, which varied in length (2.5–6 µm) and contained up to four monopolar sheathed flagella. The 16SrRNA, 23SrRNA, sequencing and protein expression analyses identified novel H. acinonychis isolates closely related to H. pylori. These Asian isolates are genetically very similar to H. acinonychis strains of other big cats (cheetahs, lions, lion-tiger hybrid and other tigers) from North America and Europe, which is remarkable in the context of the great genetic diversity among worldwide H. pylori strains. We also found by immunoblotting that the Bengal tiger isolates express UreaseA/B, flagellin, BabA adhesin, neutrophil-activating protein NapA, HtrA protease, γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase GGT, Slt lytic transglycosylase and two DNA transfer relaxase orthologs that were known from H. pylori, but not the cag pathogenicity island, nor CagA, VacA, SabA, DupA or OipA proteins. These results give fresh insights into H. acinonychis genetics and the expression of potential pathogenicity-associated factors and their possible pathophysiological relevance in related gastric infections. PMID:23940723

  17. Electron microscopic, genetic and protein expression analyses of Helicobacter acinonychis strains from a Bengal tiger.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicole Tegtmeyer

    Full Text Available Colonization by Helicobacter species is commonly noted in many mammals. These infections often remain unrecognized, but can cause severe health complications or more subtle host immune perturbations. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize putative novel Helicobacter spp. from Bengal tigers in Thailand. Morphological investigation (Gram-staining and electron microscopy and genetic studies (16SrRNA, 23SrRNA, flagellin, urease and prophage gene analyses, RAPD DNA fingerprinting and restriction fragment polymorphisms as well as Western blotting were used to characterize the isolated Helicobacters. Electron microscopy revealed spiral-shaped bacteria, which varied in length (2.5-6 µm and contained up to four monopolar sheathed flagella. The 16SrRNA, 23SrRNA, sequencing and protein expression analyses identified novel H. acinonychis isolates closely related to H. pylori. These Asian isolates are genetically very similar to H. acinonychis strains of other big cats (cheetahs, lions, lion-tiger hybrid and other tigers from North America and Europe, which is remarkable in the context of the great genetic diversity among worldwide H. pylori strains. We also found by immunoblotting that the Bengal tiger isolates express UreaseA/B, flagellin, BabA adhesin, neutrophil-activating protein NapA, HtrA protease, γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase GGT, Slt lytic transglycosylase and two DNA transfer relaxase orthologs that were known from H. pylori, but not the cag pathogenicity island, nor CagA, VacA, SabA, DupA or OipA proteins. These results give fresh insights into H. acinonychis genetics and the expression of potential pathogenicity-associated factors and their possible pathophysiological relevance in related gastric infections.

  18. Electron microscopic, genetic and protein expression analyses of Helicobacter acinonychis strains from a Bengal tiger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tegtmeyer, Nicole; Rivas Traverso, Francisco; Rohde, Manfred; Oyarzabal, Omar A; Lehn, Norbert; Schneider-Brachert, Wulf; Ferrero, Richard L; Fox, James G; Berg, Douglas E; Backert, Steffen

    2013-01-01

    Colonization by Helicobacter species is commonly noted in many mammals. These infections often remain unrecognized, but can cause severe health complications or more subtle host immune perturbations. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize putative novel Helicobacter spp. from Bengal tigers in Thailand. Morphological investigation (Gram-staining and electron microscopy) and genetic studies (16SrRNA, 23SrRNA, flagellin, urease and prophage gene analyses, RAPD DNA fingerprinting and restriction fragment polymorphisms) as well as Western blotting were used to characterize the isolated Helicobacters. Electron microscopy revealed spiral-shaped bacteria, which varied in length (2.5-6 µm) and contained up to four monopolar sheathed flagella. The 16SrRNA, 23SrRNA, sequencing and protein expression analyses identified novel H. acinonychis isolates closely related to H. pylori. These Asian isolates are genetically very similar to H. acinonychis strains of other big cats (cheetahs, lions, lion-tiger hybrid and other tigers) from North America and Europe, which is remarkable in the context of the great genetic diversity among worldwide H. pylori strains. We also found by immunoblotting that the Bengal tiger isolates express UreaseA/B, flagellin, BabA adhesin, neutrophil-activating protein NapA, HtrA protease, γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase GGT, Slt lytic transglycosylase and two DNA transfer relaxase orthologs that were known from H. pylori, but not the cag pathogenicity island, nor CagA, VacA, SabA, DupA or OipA proteins. These results give fresh insights into H. acinonychis genetics and the expression of potential pathogenicity-associated factors and their possible pathophysiological relevance in related gastric infections.

  19. Assessment of Rose Bengal vs. Riboflavin Photodynamic Therapy for Inhibition of Fungal Keratitis Isolates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arboleda, Alejandro; Miller, Darlene; Cabot, Florence; Taneja, Mukesh; Aguilar, Mariela C.; Alawa, Karam; Amescua, Guillermo; Yoo, Sonia H.; Parel, Jean-Marie

    2014-01-01

    Purpose To compare the in vitro effect of rose bengal and riboflavin as photosensitizing agents for photodynamic therapy (PDT) on fungal isolates that are common causes of fungal keratitis Design Experimental study Methods Three isolates (Fusarium solani, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans) recovered from patients with confirmed fungal keratitis were used in the experiments. Isolates were grown on Sabouraud-Dextrose agar, swabbed and prepared in suspension, and one milliliter aliquots were inoculated onto test plates in triplicate. Test plates were separated into 5 groups: Group 1 - no treatment, Group 2 - 0.1% rose bengal alone, Group 3 - 518 nm irradiation alone, Group 4 - riboflavin PDT (riboflavin + 375 nm irradiation), and Group 5 - rose bengal PDT (rose bengal + 518 nm irradiation). Irradiation was performed over a circular area using either a green LED array (peak wavelength: 518 nm) or a UV-A LED array (peak wavelength: 375 nm). Test plates were irradiated with an energy density of 5.4 J/cm2. Later, plates were placed in a 30° C incubator and observed for growth. Results Rose bengal-mediated PDT successfully inhibited the growth of all three fungal isolates in the irradiated area. All other groups exhibited unrestricted growth throughout the plate. Conclusions Rose bengal-mediated PDT successfully inhibited the growth of three types of fungi. No other experimental groups, including riboflavin-mediated PDT, had any inhibitory effect on the isolates. The results might be useful for the treatment of patients suffering from corneal infection. PMID:24792103

  20. Extraction and characterization of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) albumin and globulin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, L H; Hung, T V; Bennett, L

    2008-06-01

    Albumin and globulin fractions of 1 Desi and 2 Kabuli varieties of chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) were extracted with water and salt solutions (K(2)SO(4) and NaCl). The extractable yields and particularly the albumin-globulin ratio varied greatly with the extraction medium and chickpea variety. Depending on the procedure employed, albumin could be extracted as a major fraction of chickpea proteins. Higher levels of essential amino acids and sulfur containing amino acids were found in albumins than in globulins of all chickpeas investigated. The common structural characteristics of both Kabuli and Desi chickpea albumins and globulins were clearly identified by densitometric profiles of their sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel patterns. Albumins contained subunits with higher molecular weights than those of globulins. The in vitro digestibility of the chickpea proteins by papain, pepsin, chymotrypsin, and trypsin indicated that globulins were more susceptible to proteolytic hydrolysis.

  1. Strong variability in bacterioplankton abundance and production in central and western Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Fernandes, V.; Ramaiah, N.; Paul, J.T.; Sardessai, S.; Jyothibabu, R.; Gauns, M.

    to low or no nutrient injections into the surface, primary production in Bay of Bengal is reportedly low. As a consequence, the Bay of Bengal is considered as a region of low biological productivity. Along with many biological parameters, bacterioplankton...

  2. The extraction behaviour of the Rose Bengal labelled with 131I in the presence of cationic surfactants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lengyel, J.; Krtil, J.; Kuban, V.

    1989-01-01

    The extraction behaviour of the Rose Bengal in the presence of not only Septonex, but also other cationic surfactants (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, cetylpyridinium bromide) was studied. The extraction constants of the ion associates of the Rose Bengal with cationic surfactants were determined radiometrically with the aid of Rose Bengal labelled with 131 I. (author) 8 refs.; 1 tab

  3. Procalcitonin Levels in Gram-Positive, Gram-Negative, and Fungal Bloodstream Infections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Leli

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Procalcitonin (PCT can discriminate bacterial from viral systemic infections and true bacteremia from contaminated blood cultures. The aim of this study was to evaluate PCT diagnostic accuracy in discriminating Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and fungal bloodstream infections. A total of 1,949 samples from patients with suspected bloodstream infections were included in the study. Median PCT value in Gram-negative (13.8 ng/mL, interquartile range (IQR 3.4–44.1 bacteremias was significantly higher than in Gram-positive (2.1 ng/mL, IQR 0.6–7.6 or fungal (0.5 ng/mL, IQR 0.4–1 infections (P<0.0001. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC for PCT of 0.765 (95% CI 0.725–0.805, P<0.0001 in discriminating Gram-negatives from Gram-positives at the best cut-off value of 10.8 ng/mL and an AUC of 0.944 (95% CI 0.919–0.969, P<0.0001 in discriminating Gram-negatives from fungi at the best cut-off of 1.6 ng/mL. Additional results showed a significant difference in median PCT values between Enterobacteriaceae and nonfermentative Gram-negative bacteria (17.1 ng/mL, IQR 5.9–48.5 versus 3.5 ng/mL, IQR 0.8–21.5; P<0.0001. This study suggests that PCT may be of value to distinguish Gram-negative from Gram-positive and fungal bloodstream infections. Nevertheless, its utility to predict different microorganisms needs to be assessed in further studies.

  4. A comparative study of vertical stabilities in the Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sastry, J.S.; Rao, D.P.

    Stabilities in the upper 300 m in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are computed and presented seasonwise. The water column in the Bay of Bengal is more strongly stratified than that in the Arabian Sea. These studies suggest that the vertical...

  5. Gram-negative, but not Gram-positive, bacteria elicit strong PGE2 production in human monocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hessle, Christina C; Andersson, Bengt; Wold, Agnes E

    2003-12-01

    Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria induce different cytokine patterns in human mononuclear cells. We have seen that Gram-positives preferentially induce IL-12 and TNF-alpha, whereas Gram-negatives induce more IL-10, IL-6, and IL-8. In this study, we compared the capacity of these two groups of bacteria to induce PGE2. Monocytes stimulated with Gram-negative bacterial species induced much more PGE2 than did Gram-positive bacteria (5600 +/- 330 vs. 1700 +/- 670 pg/mL, p Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We suggest that Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria may stimulate different innate effector functions; Gram-positive bacteria promoting cell-mediated effector functions whereas Gram-negative bacteria inducing mediators inhibiting the same.

  6. Morphological features in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sarma, K.V.L.N.S.; Ramana, M.V.; Subrahmanyam, V.; Krishna, K.S.; Ramprasad, T.; Desa, M.

    history of the Fan. After India's soft collision with the Eurasian plate, these events may have played a critical role in shaping various morphological features since late Eocene in the Bay of Bengal. The present 12 kHz Echo sounder data collected along...

  7. Bioremediation and reclamation of soil contaminated with petroleum oil hydrocarbons by exogenously seeded bacterial consortium: a pilot-scale study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukherjee, Ashis K; Bordoloi, Naba K

    2011-03-01

    Spillage of petroleum hydrocarbons causes significant environmental pollution. Bioremediation is an effective process to remediate petroleum oil contaminant from the ecosystem. The aim of the present study was to reclaim a petroleum oil-contaminated soil which was unsuitable for the cultivation of crop plants by using petroleum oil hydrocarbon-degrading microbial consortium. Bacterial consortium consisting of Bacillus subtilis DM-04 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa M and NM strains were seeded to 20% (v/w) petroleum oil-contaminated soil, and bioremediation experiment was carried out for 180 days under laboratory condition. The kinetics of hydrocarbon degradation was analyzed using biochemical and gas chromatographic (GC) techniques. The ecotoxicity of the elutriates obtained from petroleum oil-contaminated soil before and post-treatment with microbial consortium was tested on germination and growth of Bengal gram (Cicer aretinum) and green gram (Phaseolus mungo) seeds. Bacterial consortium showed a significant reduction in total petroleum hydrocarbon level in contaminated soil (76% degradation) as compared to the control soil (3.6% degradation) 180 days post-inoculation. The GC analysis confirmed that bacterial consortium was more effective in degrading the alkane fraction compared to aromatic fraction of crude petroleum oil hydrocarbons in soil. The nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen compounds fraction was least degraded. The reclaimed soil supported the germination and growth of crop plants (C. aretinum and P. mungo). In contrast, seeds could not be germinated in petroleum oil-contaminated soil. The present study reinforces the application of bacterial consortium rather than individual bacterium for the effective bioremediation and reclamation of soil contaminated with petroleum oil.

  8. De Divinatione de Cicerón en su contexto político y religioso

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diony González Rendón

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available En medio de la ya desgastada relación que se daba en Roma entre religión y política a mediados de la década de los años 40.a.C, Cicerón escribió un diálogo sobre la religión llamado De Divinatione, que en más de dos libros, presenta un argumento que se sustenta específicamente en el tema de la adivinación. En este diálogo el autor latino reprueba y ataca fuertemente al final del tratado las creencias supersticiosas que se practicaban en esta época. Los magistrados romanos ya no recurrían a los arúspices para consultar los signos divinos en beneficio del Estado, sino que los manipulan para alcanzar sus intereses políticos. Pero en medio de esta fuerte reprobación por parte de Cicerón, también hay un intento por preservar y propagar la religión verdadera y defender las costumbres de los antepasados que han sido consagradas por el tiempo, la mos maiorum.Amidst an already deteriorated relationship between religion and politics in Rome (40 BC, Cicero wrote a dialogue about religion called De Divinatione. The treatise is composed of two books in which Cicero addresses the subject of divination. At the end of this dialogue, he argues against the superstitious beliefs of his time, when the Roman magistrates, on behalf of the state, did not consult the auspices to read the divine signs anymore. Instead, they manipulated them to achieve their own political goals. Nevertheless, and despite of Cicero’s determined condemnation of divination, there was also an attempt to preserve and spread the true religion, and defend the immemorial ancestors’ customs, mos maiorum.

  9. Wind stress, curl and vertical velocity in the Bay of Bengal during southwest monsoon, 1984

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Babu, M.T.; Heblekar, A.K.; Murty, C.S.

    Wind distribution observed during southwest monsoon of 1984 has used to derive the mean wind stress for the season at every 1 degree square grid and curl over the Bay of Bengal. Two regions of maximum wind stress are present over the Bay of Bengal...

  10. Lithogenic fluxes in the Bay of Bengal measured by sediment traps

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ramaswamy, V.; VijayKumar, B.; Parthiban, G.; Ittekkot, V.; Nair, R.R.

    -Sea Research I, Vol. 44, No. 5, pp. 793410, 1997 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd PII: S0967-0637(96)00117-3 All tights reserved. Printed in Great Britain 09674x37/97 917.00+0.00 Lithogenic fluxes in the Bay of Bengal measured by sediment traps V. RAMASWAMY,* B... of amorphous silica in marine sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 50, 215-225. Emmel, F. J. and Curray, J. R. (1984) The Bengal submarine fan, northeastern Indian Ocean. Geo-Marine Letters, 3, 119-124. Goldberg, E. D. and Griffin, J. J. (1970...

  11. In vivo expression of a Cicer arietinum B-galactosidase in potato tubers leads to a reduction of the Galactan side-chains in cell wall pectin

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Martin, I.; Dopico, B.; Munoz, F.J.; Esteban, R.; Oomen, R.J.F.J.; Driouich, A.; Vincken, J.P.; Visser, R.G.F.; Labrador, E.

    2005-01-01

    We report the generation of Solanum tuberosum transformants expressing Cicer arietinum ßIII-Gal. ßIII-Gal is a ß-galactosidase able to degrade cell wall pectins during cell wall loosening that occurs prior to cell elongation. cDNA corresponding to the gene encoding this protein was identified among

  12. Variation in the protein profiles in the gamma-irradiated chick pea (Cicer arietinum L.) seeds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farook, S.A.F.; Nizam, Jafar

    1978-01-01

    Water soluble seed proteins from the control as well as gamma ray treated material from the M 2 generation of Chick pea (Cicer arietinum L.) were separated by disc electrophoresis using 7.5 percent poly acrylamide gels. Average Rf values and percentage of similarity values were calculated. The comparisons of number and Rf values of protein bands were made to elucidate the differences in the treated material. Differences obtained in the seed protein profiles of the treated material suggest the presence of the qualitative variation in the proteins. Attempts were made to correlate the variation in the protein bands with the morphological changes in the mutants. (author)

  13. Waves off Gopalpur, northern Bay of Bengal during cyclone Phailin.

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Amrutha, M.M.; SanilKumar, V.; Anoop, T.R.; Nair, T.M.B.; Nherakkol, A.; Jeyakumar, C.

    , 1073–1083, 2014 www.ann-geophys.net/32/1073/2014/ doi:10.5194/angeo-32-1073-2014 © Author(s) 2014. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Waves off Gopalpur, northern Bay of Bengal during Cyclone Phailin M. M. Amrutha1, V. Sanil Kumar1, T. R. Anoop1, T. M..., 1073–1083, 2014 www.ann-geophys.net/32/1073/2014/ M. M. Amrutha et al.: Waves off Gopalpur, northern Bay of Bengal during Cyclone Phailin 1075 Figure 1. Track of the Cyclone Phailin from 8 October 2013 03:00 UTC to 13 October 2013 06:00 UTC. S(f )= αg 2...

  14. Methods for Confirming the Gram Reaction of Gram-variable Bacillus Species Isolated from Tobacco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morin A

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Bacillus is a predominant genus of bacteria isolated from tobacco. The Gram stain is the most commonly used and most important of all diagnostic staining techniques in microbiology. In order to help confirm the Gram positivity of Bacillus isolates from tobacco, three methods using the chemical differences of the cell wall and membrane of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were investigated: the KOH (potassium hydroxide, the LANA (L-alanine-4-nitroanilide, and the vancomycin susceptibility tests. When colonies of Gram-negative bacteria are treated with 3% KOH solution, a slimy suspension is produced, probably due to destruction of the cell wall and liberation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA. Gram-positive cell walls resist KOH treatment. The LANA test reveals the presence of a cell wall aminopeptidase that hydrolyzes the L-alanine-4-nitroanilide in Gram-negative bacteria. This enzyme is absent in Gram-positive bacteria. Vancomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic inhibiting the cell wall peptido-glycan synthesis of Gram-positive microorganisms. Absence of lysis with KOH, absence of hydrolysis of LANA, and susceptibility to vancomycin were used with the Gram reaction to confirm the Gram positivity of various Bacillus species isolated from tobacco. B. laevolacticus excepted, all Bacillus species tested showed negative reactions to KOH and LANA tests, and all species were susceptible to vancomycin (5 and 30 µg.

  15. MEASUREMENT OF SURFACE SOLAR UV-B RADIATION AT TROPICAL COASTAL STATION BAKKHALI IN WEST BENGAL, INDIA

    OpenAIRE

    R. BHATTACHARYA; A. BHOUMICK

    2012-01-01

    Surface solar ultraviolet irradiance has been measured at Bakkhali (21.8ºN, 87.8ºE), a tropical rural station on the coast of Bay of Bengal, India in West Bengal. The measurements show a remarkable variation in UV-B load exists with a peak value at noon. The blockage of direct UV radiation in mangrove forest of costal site appears low when compared with UV load beneath the multiple trees of Mangifera indica in an inland site of Kalyani (22058' N, 88028' E), West Bengal. Mangrove forests have ...

  16. Forcing mechanisms of the Bay of Bengal circulation

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Vinayachandran, P.N.; Shetye, S.R.; Sengupta, D.; Gadgil, S.

    A state-of-the-art ocean general circulation model, set up for the North Indian Ocean and driven by climatological wind stress simulates most of the observed features of the near-surface circulation of the Bay of Bengal. The prominent features...

  17. Tiger, Bengal and Domestic Cat Embryos Produced by Homospecific and Interspecific Zona-Free Nuclear Transfer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moro, L N; Jarazo, J; Buemo, C; Hiriart, M I; Sestelo, A; Salamone, D F

    2015-10-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate three different cloning strategies in the domestic cat (Felis silvestris) and to use the most efficient to generate wild felid embryos by interspecific cloning (iSCNT) using Bengal (a hybrid formed by the cross of Felis silvestris and Prionailurus bengalensis) and tiger (Panthera tigris) donor cells. In experiment 1, zona-free (ZP-free) cloning resulted in higher fusion and expanded blastocyst rates with respect to zona included cloning techniques that involved fusion or injection of the donor cell. In experiment 2, ZP-free iSCNT and embryo aggregation (2X) were assessed. Division velocity and blastocyst rates were increased by embryo aggregation in the three species. Despite fewer tiger embryos than Bengal and cat embryos reached the blastocyst stage, Tiger 2X group increased the percentage of blastocysts with respect to Tiger 1X group (3.2% vs 12.1%, respectively). Moreover, blastocyst cell number was almost duplicated in aggregated embryos with respect to non-aggregated ones within Bengal and tiger groups (278.3 ± 61.9 vs 516.8 ± 103.6 for Bengal 1X and Bengal 2X groups, respectively; 41 vs 220 ± 60 for Tiger 1X and Tiger 2X groups, respectively). OCT4 analysis also revealed that tiger blastocysts had higher proportion of OCT4-positive cells with respect to Bengal blastocysts and cat intracytoplasmic sperm injection blastocysts. In conclusion, ZP-free cloning has improved the quality of cat embryos with respect to the other cloning techniques evaluated and was successfully applied in iSCNT complemented with embryo aggregation. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  18. An Intrathermocline Eddy and a tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, Arnold L.; Shroyer, Emily; Murty, V. S. N.

    2017-04-01

    The Bay of Bengal, subjected to monsoonal forcing and tropical cyclones, displays a complex field of ocean eddies. On 5 December 2013 a sub-surface vortex or Intrathermocline Eddy (ITE) composed of water characteristic of the Andaman Sea was observed within the thermocline of the western Bay of Bengal. We propose that the ITE was the product of Tropical Cyclone Lehar interaction on 27 November 2013 with a westward propagating surface eddy from the eastern Bay of Bengal. While Lehar’s interaction with the ocean initially removes heat from the upper layers of the eddy, air-sea flux is limited as the deeper portions of the eddy was subducted into the stratified thermocline, inhibiting further interaction with the atmosphere. The ITE core from 30 to 150 m is thus isolated from local air-sea fluxes by strong stratification at the mixed layer base, and its periphery is stable to shear instability, suggestive of longevity and the ability to carry water far distances with minimal modification.

  19. Magnetic basement in the central Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sarma, K.V.L.N.S.; Ramana, M.V.; Ramprasad, T.; Desa, M.; Subrahmanyam, V.; Krishna, K.S.; Rao, M.M.M.

    Analyses of about 6000 km of processed magnetic data in the central Bay of Bengal using Analytical Signal Processing and Werner Deconvolution techniques revealed that the depth to top of the magnetic basement varies between 5 and 12 km from the sea...

  20. Bay of Bengal Process Studies (BOBPS) Final Report

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    PrasannaKumar, S.; Sardessai, S.; Ramaiah, N.; Bhosle, N.B.; Ramaswamy, V.; Ramesh, R.; Sharada, M.K.; Sarin, M.M.; Sarupria, J.S.; Muraleedharan, U.

    E, and 4 were along western boundary - were covered. In all 35 parameters were measured. Several new insights are emerging out of the BOBPS data analysis. We now understand why Bay of Bengal is a biologically low productive basin. This is largely due...

  1. Acid-base, optical and extraction properties of Rose Bengal in the presence of surfactants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lengyel, J.; Krtil, J.; Kuban, V.

    1989-01-01

    Changes in the optical and acid-base characteristics of Rose Bengal in the presence of cationic (Septones - SPX, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide - CTMAB and hexadecylpyridinium bromide - CPB), anionic (sodium dodecylsuulfate - SDS) and nonionic (Triton X-100) surfactants in submicellar and micellar concentrations were studied spectrophotometrically. The conditional dissociation constants of Rose Bengal pK ai * depend on the kind and concentration of cationic surfactant. Changes in pK ai * values are described in terms of formation of ion associates of the dye with the surfactant of the composition QHB and Q 2 B. The extraction constants of the ion associates in chloroform were determined radiometrically with the aid of Rose Bengal labelled with 131 I. (author). 4 figs., 3 tabs., 22 refs

  2. Genetic mapping of ascochyta blight resistance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) using a simple sequence repeat linkage map.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tar'an, B; Warkentin, T D; Tullu, A; Vandenberg, A

    2007-01-01

    Ascochyta blight, caused by the fungus Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Lab., is one of the most devastating diseases of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) worldwide. Research was conducted to map genetic factors for resistance to ascochyta blight using a linkage map constructed with 144 simple sequence repeat markers and 1 morphological marker (fc, flower colour). Stem cutting was used to vegetatively propagate 186 F2 plants derived from a cross between Cicer arietinum L. 'ICCV96029' and 'CDC Frontier'. A total of 556 cutting-derived plants were evaluated for their reaction to ascochyta blight under controlled conditions. Disease reaction of the F1 and F2 plants demonstrated that the resistance was dominantly inherited. A Fain's test based on the means and variances of the ascochyta blight reaction of the F3 families showed that a few genes were segregating in the population. Composite interval mapping identified 3 genomic regions that were associated with the reaction to ascochyta blight. One quantitative trait locus (QTL) on each of LG3, LG4, and LG6 accounted for 13%, 29%, and 12%, respectively, of the total estimated phenotypic variation for the reaction to ascochyta blight. Together, these loci controlled 56% of the total estimated phenotypic variation. The QTL on LG4 and LG6 were in common with the previously reported QTL for ascochyta blight resistance, whereas the QTL on LG3 was unique to the current population.

  3. The Causes of Post-Operative Meningitis: The Comparison Of Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Pathogens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurtaran, Behice; Kuscu, Ferit; Ulu, Aslihan; Inal, Ayse Seza; Komur, Suheyla; Kibar, Filiz; Cetinalp, Nuri Eralp; Ozsoy, Kerem Mazhar; Arslan, Yusuf Kemal; Aksu, Hasan Salih; Tasova, Yesim

    2017-06-20

    In this study, we aim to determine the microbiological etiology in critically ill neurosurgical patients with nosocomial meningitis (NM) and show the impact of Gram-negative rods and differences of patient's characteristics, clinical and prognostic measures between Gram-negative and Gram-positive meningitis. In this prospective, one center study we reviewed all adult patients hospitalized during a 12-year period and identified pathogens isolated from post-neurosurgical cases of NM. Demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics were noted from the medical records. Of the 134 bacterial NM patients, 78 were male and 56 were female, with a mean age of 46±15.9 and median age of 50 (18-80) years. 141 strains isolated; 82 (58.2%) were Gram negative, 59 (41.8%) were Gram positive. Most common isolated microorganism was Acinetobacter baumannii (%34.8). In comparison of mortality data shows that the patients who have meningitis with Gram-negative pathogens have higher mortality than with Gram positives (p=0.034). The duration between surgery and meningitis was shorter in Gram negative meningitis cases compared to others (p=0.045) but the duration between the diagnosis and death was shorter in Gram-positive meningitis cases compared to Gram negatives (p= 0.017). CSF protein and lactate level were higher and glucose level was lower in cases of NM with Gram negatives (p value were respectively, 0.022, 0.039 and 0.049). As conclusions; in NM, Gram-negative pathogens were seen more frequently; A.baumanni was the predominant pathogen; and NM caused by Gram negatives had worse clinical and laboratory characteristic and prognostic outcome than Gram positives.

  4. Extraction method for the determination of inorganic iodides in Rose Bengal labelled with 131I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lengyel, J.; Krtil, J.; Vecernik, J.

    1982-01-01

    An extraction method for the determination of inorganic iodides in Rose Bengal preparations labelled with 131 I is described. The method is based on the quantitative extraction of Rose Bengal into chloroform from acidic medium while the inorganic iodides remain in the aqueous phase. The method is simple, rapid, and reproducible. (author)

  5. An intrathermocline eddy and a tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Gordon, A.L.; Shroyer, E.; Murty, V.S.N.

    RepoRts | 7:46218 | DOI: 10.1038/srep46218 www.nature.com/scientificreports An Intrathermocline Eddy and a tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal Arnold L. Gordon1, Emily Shroyer2 & V. S. N. Murty3 The Bay of Bengal, subjected to monsoonal forcing..., India. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to A.L.G. (email: agordon@ldeo.columbia.edu) Received: 17 October 2016 Accepted: 13 March 2017 Published: 12 April 2017 OPEN www.nature.com/scientificreports/ 2Scientific RepoRts | 7...

  6. Late Quaternary sedimentation in eastern Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Chauhan, O.S; Mascarenhas, A; Paropkari, A; Rao, Ch.M.

    This study presents variations in various size measures, calcium carbonate, organic carbon, clay mineralogy and major and trace elements in a core (5.40 m long, 2713 m depth) from the eastern Bay of Bengal. On a CM diagram, the sediments of the core...

  7. Future trends in urbanization and coastal water pollution in the Bay of Bengal: the lived experience

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zinia, N.J.; Kroeze, C.

    2015-01-01

    The Bay of Bengal includes coastal seas of several countries, including Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar. We present scenarios for future river export of eutrophying nutrients into the Bay of Bengal, and the role of urbanization therein. We used NEWS (Nutrient Export from WaterSheds) model to analyze

  8. A first note on Japanese encephalitis virus isolation from Culex quinquefasciatus Say in Northern West Bengal.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Thenmozhi

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Japanese encephalitis (JE is endemic in many parts of India including the state of West Bengal. In West Bengal, the first major outbreaks of JE occurred in the districts of Bankura and Burdwan in 1973. The Culex vishnui subgroup of mosquitoes has been implicated as major vectors of JE. However in India, JE virus (JEV has been isolated from 16 species of mosquitoes. During September 2011, JE cases were reported from four districts -Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Dinajpur and Cooch Behar of West Bengal (North. Adult mosquitoes were collected, identified, pooled and screened for JEV using antigen capture ELISA. Out of 279 mosquito pools tested, one pool of Cx. pseudovishnui and three pools of Cx. quinquefasciatus were found positive for JEV. The ELISA positive pools were further confirmed as JEV by insect bioassay (Toxo-IFA. Two pools of Cx. quinquefasciatus were confirmed as JEV. This represents the first report of JEV isolation from Cx. quinquefasciatus in West Bengal.

  9. Salt balance and mixing in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Varkey, M.J.

    Basic fields of temperature salinity, density and currents in the Bay of Bengal are investigated using data archieved at the National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) Washington, D.C. and the Indian National Oceanographic Data Centre (INODC...

  10. Nitrous oxide in the western Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Naqvi, S.W.A.; Jayakumar, D; Nair, M.; DileepKumar, M.; George, M.D

    Extensive observations on nitrous oxide (N@d2@@O) in the atmosphere and waters of the western Bay of Bengal during March-April 1991 yield surface saturations and atmospheric fluxes ranging from 89.3 to 213.9% (mean 125.2%), and from 0.10 to 10...

  11. Surface layer temperature inversion in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Pankajakshan, T.; Gopalakrishna, V.V.; Muraleedharan, P.M.; Reddy, G.V.; Araligidad, N.

    Hydrographic and XBT data archived in the Indian Oceanographic Data Centre (IODC) are used to understand the process of temperature inversions occurring in the Bay of Bengal. The following aspects of the inversions are addressed: i) annual...

  12. An optimized staining technique for the detection of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria within tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becerra, Sandra C; Roy, Daniel C; Sanchez, Carlos J; Christy, Robert J; Burmeister, David M

    2016-04-12

    Bacterial infections are a common clinical problem in both acute and chronic wounds. With growing concerns over antibiotic resistance, treatment of bacterial infections should only occur after positive diagnosis. Currently, diagnosis is delayed due to lengthy culturing methods which may also fail to identify the presence of bacteria. While newer costly bacterial identification methods are being explored, a simple and inexpensive diagnostic tool would aid in immediate and accurate treatments for bacterial infections. Histologically, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Gram stains have been employed, but are far from optimal when analyzing tissue samples due to non-specific staining. The goal of the current study was to develop a modification of the Gram stain that enhances the contrast between bacteria and host tissue. A modified Gram stain was developed and tested as an alternative to Gram stain that improves the contrast between Gram positive bacteria, Gram negative bacteria and host tissue. Initially, clinically relevant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were visualized in vitro and in biopsies of infected, porcine burns using routine Gram stain, and immunohistochemistry techniques involving bacterial strain-specific fluorescent antibodies as validation tools. H&E and Gram stain of serial biopsy sections were then compared to a modification of the Gram stain incorporating a counterstain that highlights collagen found in tissue. The modified Gram stain clearly identified both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, and when compared to H&E or Gram stain alone provided excellent contrast between bacteria and non-viable burn eschar. Moreover, when applied to surgical biopsies from patients that underwent burn debridement this technique was able to clearly detect bacterial morphology within host tissue. We describe a modification of the Gram stain that provides improved contrast of Gram positive and Gram negative microorganisms within host

  13. Surface layer temperature inversion in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Pankajakshan, T.; Gopalakrishna, V.V.; Muraleedharan, P.M.; Reddy, G.V.; Araligidad, N.; Shenoy, Shrikant

    Surface layer temperature inversion occurring in the Bay of Bengal has been addressed. Hydrographic data archived in the Indian Oceanographic Data Center are used to understand various aspects of the temperature inversion of surface layer in the Bay...

  14. n-Gram-Based Text Compression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duong, Hieu N.; Snasel, Vaclav

    2016-01-01

    We propose an efficient method for compressing Vietnamese text using n-gram dictionaries. It has a significant compression ratio in comparison with those of state-of-the-art methods on the same dataset. Given a text, first, the proposed method splits it into n-grams and then encodes them based on n-gram dictionaries. In the encoding phase, we use a sliding window with a size that ranges from bigram to five grams to obtain the best encoding stream. Each n-gram is encoded by two to four bytes accordingly based on its corresponding n-gram dictionary. We collected 2.5 GB text corpus from some Vietnamese news agencies to build n-gram dictionaries from unigram to five grams and achieve dictionaries with a size of 12 GB in total. In order to evaluate our method, we collected a testing set of 10 different text files with different sizes. The experimental results indicate that our method achieves compression ratio around 90% and outperforms state-of-the-art methods. PMID:27965708

  15. n-Gram-Based Text Compression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vu H. Nguyen

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available We propose an efficient method for compressing Vietnamese text using n-gram dictionaries. It has a significant compression ratio in comparison with those of state-of-the-art methods on the same dataset. Given a text, first, the proposed method splits it into n-grams and then encodes them based on n-gram dictionaries. In the encoding phase, we use a sliding window with a size that ranges from bigram to five grams to obtain the best encoding stream. Each n-gram is encoded by two to four bytes accordingly based on its corresponding n-gram dictionary. We collected 2.5 GB text corpus from some Vietnamese news agencies to build n-gram dictionaries from unigram to five grams and achieve dictionaries with a size of 12 GB in total. In order to evaluate our method, we collected a testing set of 10 different text files with different sizes. The experimental results indicate that our method achieves compression ratio around 90% and outperforms state-of-the-art methods.

  16. Circulation and geostrophic transport in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, D.P.; Murty, V.S.N.

    Utilising the hydrographic data collected during the early northeast monsoon of 1983 and southwest monsoon of 1984, the circulation of waters of the Bay of Bengal and the associated volume transport have been studied in the upper 1000 m...

  17. Draft genome sequence of Cicer reticulatum L., the wild progenitor of chickpea provides a resource for agronomic trait improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Sonal; Nawaz, Kashif; Parween, Sabiha; Roy, Riti; Sahu, Kamlesh; Kumar Pole, Anil; Khandal, Hitaishi; Srivastava, Rishi; Kumar Parida, Swarup; Chattopadhyay, Debasis

    2017-02-01

    Cicer reticulatum L. is the wild progenitor of the fourth most important legume crop chickpea (C. arietinum L.). We assembled short-read sequences into 416 Mb draft genome of C. reticulatum and anchored 78% (327 Mb) of this assembly to eight linkage groups. Genome annotation predicted 25,680 protein-coding genes covering more than 90% of predicted gene space. The genome assembly shared a substantial synteny and conservation of gene orders with the genome of the model legume Medicago truncatula. Resistance gene homologs of wild and domesticated chickpeas showed high sequence homology and conserved synteny. Comparison of gene sequences and nucleotide diversity using 66 wild and domesticated chickpea accessions suggested that the desi type chickpea was genetically closer to the wild species than the kabuli type. Comparative analyses predicted gene flow between the wild and the cultivated species during domestication. Molecular diversity and population genetic structure determination using 15,096 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms revealed an admixed domestication pattern among cultivated (desi and kabuli) and wild chickpea accessions belonging to three population groups reflecting significant influence of parentage or geographical origin for their cultivar-specific population classification. The assembly and the polymorphic sequence resources presented here would facilitate the study of chickpea domestication and targeted use of wild Cicer germplasms for agronomic trait improvement in chickpea. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Kazusa DNA Research Institute.

  18. Chronic arsenic toxicity in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India--a review and commentary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, M M; Chowdhury, U K; Mukherjee, S C; Mondal, B K; Paul, K; Lodh, D; Biswas, B K; Chanda, C R; Basu, G K; Saha, K C; Roy, S; Das, R; Palit, S K; Quamruzzaman, Q; Chakraborti, D

    2001-01-01

    Fifty districts of Bangladesh and 9 districts in West Bengal, India have arsenic levels in groundwater above the World Health Organization's maximum permissible limit of 50 microg/L. The area and population of 50 districts of Bangladesh and 9 districts in West Bengal are 118,849 km2 and 104.9 million and 38,865 km2 and 42.7 million, respectively. Our current data show arsenic levels above 50 microg/ L in 2000 villages, 178 police stations of 50 affected districts in Bangladesh and 2600 villages, 74 police stations/blocks of 9 affected districts in West Bengal. We have so far analyzed 34,000 and 101,934 hand tube-well water samples from Bangladesh and West Bengal respectively by FI-HG-AAS of which 56% and 52%, respectively, contained arsenic above 10 microg/L and 37% and 25% arsenic above 50 microg/L. In our preliminary study 18,000 persons in Bangladesh and 86,000 persons in West Bengal were clinically examined in arsenic-affected districts. Of them, 3695 (20.6% including 6.11% children) in Bangladesh and 8500 (9.8% including 1.7% children) in West Bengal had arsenical dermatological features. Symptoms of chronic arsenic toxicity developed insidiously after 6 months to 2 years or more of exposure. The time of onset depends on the concentration of arsenic in the drinking water, volume of intake, and the health and nutritional status of individuals. Major dermatological signs are diffuse or spotted melanosis, leucomelanosis, and keratosis. Chronic arsenicosis is a multisystem disorder. Apart from generalized weakness, appetite and weight loss, and anemia, our patients had symptoms relating to involvement of the lungs, gastrointestinal system, liver, spleen, genitourinary system, hemopoietic system, eyes, nervous system, and cardiovascular system. We found evidence of arsenic neuropathy in 37.3% (154 of 413 cases) in one group and 86.8% (33 of 38 cases) in another. Most of these cases had mild and predominantly sensory neuropathy. Central nervous system involvement

  19. Simultaneous /sup 99m/Tc-p-butyl-IDA and 131I-rose bengal scintigraphy in neonatal jaundice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collier, B.D.; Treves, S.; Davis, M.A.; Heyman, S.; Subramanian, G.; McAfee, J.G.

    1980-01-01

    Eight neonates with jaundice were studied simultaneously with /sup 99m/Tc-p-butyl-IDA and 131 I-rose bengal. Due to physical decay, /sup 99m/Tc-p-butyl-IDA failed to demonstrate delayed excretion through the patent extrahepatic biliary tract in 3 of 5 patients with concomitant hepatitis; 131 I-rose bengal showed small-bowel activity in all 5. Neither agent demonstrated small-bowel activity in 3 neonates with extrahepatic biliary atresia. Based on this clinical trial, 131 I-rose bengal remains the radiopharmaceutical of choice for distinguishing between hepatitis and biliary atresia in these patients

  20. DDT residues in sediments from the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sarkar, A.; SenGupta, R.

    in the sediments from the Bay of Bengal. Peterson grab and hydrographic winch was used to collect the sediment samples. Each sample was extracted and cleaned. Residues were detected by electron capture gas chromatography. A range variation in the concentration...

  1. Differential staining of bacteria: gram stain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moyes, Rita B; Reynolds, Jackie; Breakwell, Donald P

    2009-11-01

    In 1884, Hans Christian Gram, a Danish doctor, developed a differential staining technique that is still the cornerstone of bacterial identification and taxonomic division. This multistep, sequential staining protocol separates bacteria into four groups based on cell morphology and cell wall structure: Gram-positive cocci, Gram-negative cocci, Gram-positive rods, and Gram-negative rods. The Gram stain is useful for assessing bacterial contamination of tissue culture samples or for examining the Gram stain status and morphological features of bacteria isolated from mixed or isolated bacterial cultures. (c) 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  2. DETECTION OF CLASSICAL SWINE FEVER VIRUS BY RT-PCR IN WEST BENGAL, INDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sumit Chowdhury

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Classical swine fever is a deadly disease of swine, caused by a RNA virus. The present study has identified presence of the classical swine fever virus (CSFV in pigs of West Bengal by one step reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR performed using 5’ NTR specific primers. Internal organs from clinically affected pigs were examined from three districts of West Bengal. RT-PCT has identified presence of CSFV in all the tissues examined confirming presence of CSFV in different parts of the state.

  3. Intensification of Aila (May 2009) due to a warm core eddy in the north Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sadhuram, Y.; Maneesha, K.; Murty, T.V.R.

    A very severe cyclonic storm "Aila" hit West Bengal on 26 May 2009. The storm intensified when it encountered with a warm core (SST = 31 degrees C) anti-cyclonic eddy (ACE4) in the north Bay of Bengal. The storm intensity increased by 43 percent due...

  4. Crystal structure of a plant albumin from Cicer arietinum (chickpea) possessing hemopexin fold and hemagglutination activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Urvashi; Katre, Uma V; Suresh, C G

    2015-05-01

    Crystal structure of a reported PA2 albumin from Cicer arietinum shows that it belongs to hemopexin fold family, has four beta-propeller motifs and possesses hemagglutination activity, making it different from known legume lectins. A plant albumin (PA2) from Cicer arietinum, presumably a lectin (CAL) owing to its hemagglutination activity which is inhibited by complex sugars as well as glycoproteins such as fetuin, desialylated fetuin and fibrinogen. The three-dimensional structure of this homodimeric protein has been determined using X-ray crystallography at 2.2 Å in two crystal forms: orthorhombic (P21212) and trigonal (P3). The structure determined using molecular replacement method and refined in orthorhombic crystal form reached R-factors R free 22.6 % and R work 18.2 % and in trigonal form had 22.3 and 17.9 % in the resolution range of 20.0-2.2 and 35.3-2.2 Å, respectively. Interestingly, unlike the known legume lectin fold, the structure of this homodimeric hemagglutinin belonged to hemopexin fold that consisted of four-bladed β-propeller architecture. Each subunit has a central cavity forming a channel, inside of which is lined with hydrophobic residues. The channel also bears binding sites for ligands such as calcium, sodium and chloride ions, iodine atom in the case of iodine derivative and water molecules. However, none of these ligands seem important for the sugar recognition. No monosaccharide sugar specificity could be detected using hemagglutination inhibition. Chemical modification studies identified a potential sugar-binding site per subunit molecule. Comparison of C-alpha atom positions in subunit structures showed that the deviations between the two crystal forms were more with respect to blades I and IV. Differences also existed between subunits in two forms in terms of type and site of ligand binding.

  5. 28-Homobrassinolide protects chickpea (Cicer arietinum) from cadmium toxicity by stimulating antioxidants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasan, S.A.; Hayat, S.; Ali, B.; Ahmad, A.

    2008-01-01

    In the present experiment the seeds of Cicer arietinum (L.) cv. Uday were inoculated with specific Rhizobium grown in sandy loam soil and were allowed to grow for 15 days. At this stage, the seedlings were supplied with 0, 50, 100 or 150 μM of cadmium in the form of cadmium chloride and sprayed with 0.01 μM of 28-homobrassinolide (HBL) at 30-day stage. The data indicated that plant fresh and dry mass, number of nodules, their fresh and dry mass, leghemoglobin content, nitrogen and carbohydrate content in the nodules, leaf chlorophyll content, nitrate reductase and carbonic anhydrase activities decreased proportionately with the increasing concentrations of cadmium but the content of proline and the activities of catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase increased. The ill effect, generated by cadmium, was overcome if the stressed plants were sprayed with HBL. - The cadmium toxicity can be overcome by the foliar application of 28-homobrassinolide

  6. Primary production in the Bay of Bengal during August 1977

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Devassy, V.P.; Bhattathiri, P.M.A.; Radhakrishna, K.

    Primary production, chlorophyll @ia@@, phaeophytin, phytoplankton and particulate organic carbon (POC) were studied at 14 stations in the Bay of Bengal during August 1977. Column primary production, chlorophyll @ia@@, and phaeopigments varied from 0...

  7. Mid-infrared spectroscopic assessment of nanotoxicity in gram-negative vs. gram-positive bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heys, Kelly A; Riding, Matthew J; Strong, Rebecca J; Shore, Richard F; Pereira, M Glória; Jones, Kevin C; Semple, Kirk T; Martin, Francis L

    2014-03-07

    Nanoparticles appear to induce toxic effects through a variety of mechanisms including generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), physical contact with the cell membrane and indirect catalysis due to remnants from manufacture. The development and subsequent increasing usage of nanomaterials has highlighted a growing need to characterize and assess the toxicity of nanoparticles, particularly those that may have detrimental health effects such as carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs). Due to interactions of nanoparticles with some reagents, many traditional toxicity tests are unsuitable for use with CBNs. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a non-destructive, high throughput technique, which is unhindered by such problems. We explored the application of IR spectroscopy to investigate the effects of CBNs on Gram-negative (Pseudomonas fluorescens) and Gram-positive (Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1) bacteria. Two types of IR spectroscopy were compared: attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and synchrotron radiation-based FTIR (SR-FTIR) spectroscopy. This showed that Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria exhibit differing alterations when exposed to CBNs. Gram-positive bacteria appear more resistant to these agents and this may be due to the protection afforded by their more sturdy cell wall. Markers of exposure also vary according to Gram status; Amide II was consistently altered in Gram-negative bacteria and carbohydrate altered in Gram-positive bacteria. ATR-FTIR and SR-FTIR spectroscopy could both be applied to extract biochemical alterations induced by each CBN that were consistent across the two bacterial species; these may represent potential biomarkers of nanoparticle-induced alterations. Vibrational spectroscopy approaches may provide a novel means of fingerprinting the effects of CBNs in target cells.

  8. Distribution of multi-resistant Gram-negative versus Gram-positive bacteria in the hospital inanimate environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemmen, S W; Häfner, H; Zolldann, D; Stanzel, S; Lütticken, R

    2004-03-01

    We prospectively studied the difference in detection rates of multi-resistant Gram-positive and multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in the inanimate environment of patients harbouring these organisms. Up to 20 different locations around 190 patients were surveyed. Fifty-four patients were infected or colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and 136 with multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. The environmental detection rate for MRSA or VRE was 24.7% (174/705 samples) compared with 4.9% (89/1827 samples) for multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (PGram-positive bacteria were isolated more frequently than Gram-negatives from the hands of patients (PGram-positive and Gram-negative isolates. Our results suggest that the inanimate environment serves as a secondary source for MRSA and VRE, but less so for Gram-negative bacteria. Thus, strict contact isolation in a single room with complete barrier precautions is recommended for MRSA or VRE; however, for multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, contact isolation with barrier precautions for close contact but without a single room seems sufficient. This benefits not only the patients, but also the hospital by removing some of the strain placed on already over-stretched resources.

  9. Cyclic Voltammetric Study of Complexes of Fe (III) with Saponins Isolated from Cicer aritinum and Glycyrrhizin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, S.S.; Kazmi, S.A.; Anwar, H

    2013-01-01

    Cyclic voltammetric study was used to analyze three new saponins (isolated from the seeds of Cicer aritinum) along with a known saponin soyasaponin I and beta sitosterol glycoside isolated saponins as well as glycyrrhizin. These studies were carried out in aqueous medium at Glassy carbon (GCE) electrode vs. AgCl reference electrode. Results revealed that the voltammograms of Fe(III) with isolated saponins are irreversible while that of Fe(III)-glycyrrhizin complex is reversible. Even though precise Eo values of their Fe(III) complex could not be determined, it is clearly indicated that Fe(III) forms complexes with these saponins. The ability to form strong complexes with Fe(III) therefore reduces the availability of Fe(III) by saponins. (author)

  10. Local Sustainable Energy Assessment of Uttarakhand and West Bengal

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Jan; Lund, Søren

    The publication reports a sustainable energy assessment at the local project site of the HighARCS project in Nainital, Uttarakhand and Buxa, West Bengal, India. The assessment has been made as a contribution to the elaboration of biodiversity conservation and livelihoods improvement action plans...

  11. Rose bengal-sensitized nanocrystalline ceria photoanode for dye ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The bandgap of 2.93 eV is calculated using UV–visible ... Keywords. Wide bandgap; dye-sensitized solar cells; CeO2; rose bengal dye. 1. ... and renewable energy, its high-cost production and installa- tion excludes direct commercial use. It is an urgent require- .... surface leads to oxygen vacancies and defects, whose influ-.

  12. Canonical sound speed profile for the central Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Murty, T.V.R.; PrasannaKumar, S.; Somayajulu, Y.K.; Sastry, J.S.; De Figueiredo, R.J.P.

    Following Munk's canonical theory, an algorithm has been presented for computing sound channel parameters in the western and southern Bay of Bengal. The estimated canonical sound speed profile using these parameters has been compared with computed...

  13. Variability of resistance in Black Bengal goats naturally infected with Haemonchus contortus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Ratnesh; Ranjan, Sanjeev; Vishnu, P Guru; Negi, Mamta; Senapati, P K; Charita, V Gnani

    2015-03-01

    A total 290 Black Bengal goats (6 buck, 109 doe and 175 kids born from 11 sires) were studied to evaluate the variability of resistance in Black Bengal goats naturally infected with Haemonchus contortus. The variability of resistance in Black Bengal goat was studied for both genetic and non-genetic factors like village, sex, age dam, sire, dam resistance group and offspring resistance group. Male kids have slightly higher resistance than female kids although it was not significant. Resistance of kids was increased as age increases and kid population showed significantly different resistance status among the offspring resistant groups. The doe population showed significantly different LEPG as per the resistance group in all the collections. The present study found that the resistance of kids under sire were varied significantly and observed that the kids under sire 1, 6-8 were significantly more resistant than the kids of the sire 2, 5 and 11 in 3rd collection and it is also noticed that maternal genetic effect has a very little impact on resistance of kids. Males (buck) were most resistant and the kids were least resistant and the resistance of dam was in between the male and kids population.

  14. Extraction of Rose Bengal into chloroform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lengyel, J.; Vecernik, J.; Krtil, J.

    1982-01-01

    The paper describes the extraction of Rose Bengal (RB)into chloroform. A radiometric method with the aid of 131 Ilabelled RB was used. The efficiency of the extraction in dependence on pH and RB concentration was studied. For the interpretation of the extraction data the values of pK 1 and pK 2 of RB were determined spectrophotometrical-ly and potentiometrically. A mechanism for the RB extraction into chloroform on the basis of IR measurements is proposed. (author)

  15. River inputs and organic matter fluxes in the northern Bay of Bengal: Fatty acids

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Reemtsma, T.; Ittekkot, V.; Bartsch, M.; Nair, R.R

    ) 55-71 55 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam \\[RA\\] River inputs and organic matter fluxes in the northern Bay of Bengal: fatty acids T. Reemtsma a, V. Ittekkot a, M. Bartsch a and R.R. Nair b alnstitut fiir Biogeochemie und Meereschemie..., R.R., 1993. River inputs and organic matter fluxes in the northern Bay of Bengal: fatty acids. Chem. Geol., 103: 55-71. Total particulate matter flux and organic carbon and fatty acid fluxes associated with settling particles collected during...

  16. Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria differ in their sensitivity to cold plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mai-Prochnow, Anne; Clauson, Maryse; Hong, Jungmi; Murphy, Anthony B.

    2016-12-01

    Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma (CAP) is a relatively new method being investigated for antimicrobial activity. However, the exact mode of action is still being explored. Here we report that CAP efficacy is directly correlated to bacterial cell wall thickness in several species. Biofilms of Gram positive Bacillus subtilis, possessing a 55.4 nm cell wall, showed the highest resistance to CAP, with less than one log10 reduction after 10 min treatment. In contrast, biofilms of Gram negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa, possessing only a 2.4 nm cell wall, were almost completely eradicated using the same treatment conditions. Planktonic cultures of Gram negative Pseudomonas libanensis also had a higher log10 reduction than Gram positive Staphylococcus epidermidis. Mixed species biofilms of P. aeruginosa and S. epidermidis showed a similar trend of Gram positive bacteria being more resistant to CAP treatment. However, when grown in co-culture, Gram negative P. aeruginosa was more resistant to CAP overall than as a mono-species biofilm. Emission spectra indicated OH and O, capable of structural cell wall bond breakage, were present in the plasma. This study indicates that cell wall thickness correlates with CAP inactivation times of bacteria, but cell membranes and biofilm matrix are also likely to play a role.

  17. Preparation of Labelled I131 Rose-Bengal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mayani, Mbutyabo; Chabouri, Galaal.

    1978-01-01

    Rose bengal purified on a Sephadex G-25 column has been labelled with iodine-131. The exchange reaction has been undertaken in an ether - alcohol medium. The influence of different factors (iodine concentration, Psup(h), purity and chemical form of the substratum, reaction rate) on the labelling yield has been studied. Radiochemical yield of 90% have been obtained in some conditions instead of the normal 80% reported in the literature

  18. A radiometric method for the determination of cationic detergents with the aid of Rose Bengal labelled with 131I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lengyel, J.; Krtil, J.; Vecernik, J.

    1983-01-01

    A novel radiometric method for the determination of cationic detergents represented by carbetoxypentadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (Septonex) is described. The method is based on the extraction of an ion associate Septonex-Rose Bengal from an alkaline medium into chloroform. Rose Bengal labelled with 131 I ( 131 I-RB) was used as a radioreagent. The 131 I activity in the extract is proportional to the cationic detergent concentration in the solution to be analyzed. The optimum conditions for the determination of Septonex were found and the composition of the extractable complexes Rose Bengal-Septonex was determined. (author)

  19. The comparison of pyrosequencing molecular Gram stain, culture, and conventional Gram stain for diagnosing orthopaedic infections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobayashi, Naomi; Bauer, Thomas W; Tuohy, Marion J; Lieberman, Isador H; Krebs, Viktor; Togawa, Daisuke; Fujishiro, Takaaki; Procop, Gary W

    2006-08-01

    We have developed a combined real-time PCR and pyrosequencing assay that successfully differentiated the vast majority of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria when bacterial isolates were tested. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this assay on clinical specimens obtained from orthopedic surgeries, and to prospectively compare the results of "molecular Gram stain" with culture and conventional direct Gram stain. Forty-five surgical specimens were obtained from patients who underwent orthopedic surgery procedures. The DNA was extracted and a set of broad-range PCR primers that targeted a part of the 16S rDNA gene was used for pan-bacterial PCR. The amplicons were submitted for pyrosequencing and the resulting molecular Gram stain characteristics were recorded. Culture and direct Gram staining were performed using standard methods for all cases. Surgical specimens were reviewed histologically for all cases that had a discrepancy between culture and molecular results. There was an 86.7% (39/45) agreement between the traditional and molecular methods. In 12/14 (85.7%) culture-proven cases of bacterial infection, molecular Gram stain characteristics were in agreement with the culture results, while the conventional Gram stain result was in agreement only for five cases (35.7%). In the 31 culture negative cases, 27 cases were also PCR negative, whereas 4 were PCR positive. Three of these were characterized as gram negative and one as gram positive by this molecular method. Molecular determination of the Gram stain characteristics of bacteria that cause orthopedic infections may be achieved, in most instances, by this method. Further studies are necessary to understand the clinical importance of PCR-positive/culture-negative results.

  20. Physical oceanography of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Varkey, M.J.; Murty, V.S.N.; Suryanarayana, A.

    Physical oceanography of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea is reviewed for the first time. All available information for over 50 years is consolidated in this review. To begin with, information on peripheral or related aspects of climate...

  1. Measurement of inhomogeneous activity distribution in paper chromatography using 131I-labelled rose bengal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strietzel, M.

    1976-01-01

    The inhomogeneous activity distribution of 131 I-labelled rose bengal after paper chromatographic separation has been evaluated. Superposing autoradiograms obtained by different exposure times on the original strip, the fraction boundaries are transferred to the latter and cut out. The cuttings are measured in an automatic sample changer under constant geometrical conditions. The methodical error ranges from 5 to 10 per cent. This method was used to test the stability of 131 I-labelled rose bengal over a period of 4 to 5 half-lives

  2. High yielding rice mutants for West Bengal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Debnath, A.R.; Sen, S.

    1980-01-01

    Four high yielding mutants with specific genetic corrections of the simply inherited characters were developed from IR-8 through X-irradiation. Recurrent selections of the promising isolates were made under diverse agro-climatic conditions in Winter and Summer seasons of West Bengal. The isolates CNM 6 and CNM 25 belonging to early maturity group and CNM 20 and CNM 31, to mid-early maturity group were finally selected at X 5 generation on the basis of their resistance qualities, maturity period and grain yield. They were evaluated upto X 10 qeneration at multi-locations as Pre-release and Minikit Varieties at State level. They were also placed at the National Screening Nursery (NSN) for screening against multiple diseases and pests at the National level. CNM 6 is reported to be promising in IRTP nurseries. It is reported that CNM 25 (IET 5646) ranked 2nd on the basis of average grain yield, CNM 20 (IET 5937) and CNM 31 (IET 5936) were resistant to diseases and with yield comparable to Jaya. These four productive mutants of superior types are widely accepted. CNM 6 is recommended for cultivation in Bankura and Birbhum districts and CNM 25 and CNM 31 in the different agro-climatic zones of West Bengal. (author)

  3. The biology of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Gauns, M.

    This article focusses on the variability in physics and chemistry of the region and investigate its influence on the biology. This article is largely based on the recent observations made during the India JGOFS and BOBPS (Bay of Bengal Process Study...

  4. Influence of environmental settings on the prevalence of Trichodesmium spp. in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Hegde, S.; Anil, A.C.; Patil, J.S.; Mitbavkar, S.; Venkat, K.; Gopalakrishna, V.V.

    ) Influence of physical pro- cesses and freshwater discharge on the seasonality of phytoplankton regime in the Bay of Bengal. Cont Shelf Res 20:313–330 Gordon AL (2001) Interocean exchange. In: Sidler G, Church J, Gould J (eds) Ocean circulation and climate...: acanil@nio.org Influence of environmental settings on the prevalence of Trichodesmium spp. in the Bay of Bengal Sahana Hegde, Arga Chandrashekar Anil*, Jagadish S. Patil, Smita Mitbavkar, Venkat Krishnamurthy, Vissa V. Gopalakrishna National Institute...

  5. Upwelling features near Sri Lanka in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    ShreeRam, P.; Rao, L.V.G.

    , the southwest monsoon in summer and the northeast monsoon in winter. The wind stress associated with these winds cause mass drift of oceanic waters leading to upwelling and downwelling. The upwelling features in the Bay of Bengal with a special mention about...

  6. Prognostic factors and monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis: gram-positive versus gram-negative pathogens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsu Wei-Hsiu

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis is rapidly progressive and life-threatening. This study was undertaken to ascertain whether the clinical presentation and outcome for patients with this disease differ for those infected with a gram-positive as compared to gram-negative pathogen. Methods Forty-six patients with monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis were examined retrospectively from November 2002 to January 2008. All patients received adequate broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, aggressive resuscitation, prompt radical debridement and adjuvant hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Eleven patients were infected with a gram-positive pathogen (Group 1 and 35 patients with a gram-negative pathogen (Group 2. Results Group 2 was characterized by a higher incidence of hemorrhagic bullae and septic shock, higher APACHE II scores at 24 h post-admission, a higher rate of thrombocytopenia, and a higher prevalence of chronic liver dysfunction. Gouty arthritis was more prevalent in Group 1. For non-survivors, the incidences of chronic liver dysfunction, chronic renal failure and thrombocytopenia were higher in comparison with those for survivors. Lower level of serum albumin was also demonstrated in the non-survivors as compared to those in survivors. Conclusions Pre-existing chronic liver dysfunction, chronic renal failure, thrombocytopenia and hypoalbuminemia, and post-operative dependence on mechanical ventilation represent poor prognostic factors in monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis. Patients with gram-negative monobacterial necrotizing fasciitis present with more fulminant sepsis.

  7. Gram staining for the treatment of peritonsillar abscess.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takenaka, Yukinori; Takeda, Kazuya; Yoshii, Tadashi; Hashimoto, Michiko; Inohara, Hidenori

    2012-01-01

    Objective. To examine whether Gram staining can influence the choice of antibiotic for the treatment of peritonsillar abscess. Methods. Between 2005 and 2009, a total of 57 cases of peritonsillar abscess were analyzed with regard to cultured bacteria and Gram staining. Results. Only aerobes were cultured in 16% of cases, and only anaerobes were cultured in 51% of cases. Mixed growth of aerobes and anaerobes was observed in 21% of cases. The cultured bacteria were mainly aerobic Streptococcus, anaerobic Gram-positive cocci, and anaerobic Gram-negative rods. Phagocytosis of bacteria on Gram staining was observed in 9 cases. The bacteria cultured from these cases were aerobic Streptococcus, anaerobic Gram-positive cocci, and anaerobic Gram-negative rods. The sensitivity of Gram staining for the Gram-positive cocci and Gram-negative rods was 90% and 64%, respectively. The specificity of Gram staining for the Gram-positive cocci and Gram-negative rods was 62% and 76%, respectively. Most of the Gram-positive cocci were sensitive to penicillin, but some of anaerobic Gram-negative rods were resistant to penicillin. Conclusion. When Gram staining shows only Gram-positive cocci, penicillin is the treatment of choice. In other cases, antibiotics effective for the penicillin-resistant organisms should be used.

  8. Characterization of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) lectin for biological activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gautam, Ajay Kumar; Gupta, Neha; Narvekar, Dakshita T; Bhadkariya, Rajni; Bhagyawant, Sameer S

    2018-05-01

    Lectins are proteins that are subject of intense investigations. Information on lectin from chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) with respect to its biological activities are very limited. In this study, we purified lectin from the seeds of chickpea employing DEAE-cellulose and SP-Sephadex ion exchange chromatography and identified its molecular subunit mass as 35 kDa. The free radical scavenging activity of lectin measured by the DPPH assay has IC 50 of 0.88 µg/mL. Lectin exerted antifungal activity against Candida krusei , Fusarium oxysporium oxysporium , Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans , while antibacterial activity against E. coli , B. subtilis , S. marcescens and P. aeruginosa. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were 200, 240, 160 and 140 µg for C. krusei, F. oxysporium , S. cerevisiae and C. albicans respectively. Lectin was further examined for its antiproliferative potential against cancerous cell line. The cell viability assay indicated a high inhibition activity on Ishikawa, HepG2, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 with IC 50 value of 46.67, 44.20, 53.58 and 37.46 µg/mL respectively. These results can provide a background for future research into the benefits of chickpea lectin to pharmacological perspective.

  9. Particulate carbohydrate in the euphotic zone of the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Bhosle, N; De; Shirodkar, P.V.; Reddy, C.V.G.

    Particulate matter collected from the Bay of Bengal was analysed for carbohydrate and chlorophyll a. The distribution of chlorophyll a was different from that of carbohydrate. Chlorophyll a increased from north to south, whereas carbohydrate levels...

  10. Biochemical composition and caloric potential of zooplankton from Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sreepada, R.A.; Rivonker, C.U.; Parulekar, A.H.

    Proximate composition and variations in protein, lipid, carbohydrate, ash and organic carbon in zooplankton from 42 stations in the Bay of Bengal are reported. Average percentages of moisture, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, ash and carbon were 85...

  11. Is the biological productivity in the Bay of Bengal light limited?

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    PrasannaKumar, S.; Narvekar, J.; Nuncio, M.; Kumar, A.; Ramaiah, N.; Sardessai, S.; Gauns, M.; Fernandes, V.; Paul, J.

    Recent measurements of chlorophyll, primary productivity (PP) and nutrients along the central Bay of Bengal (BOB) during summer, fall and spring intermonsoons showed that the northern bay becomes less productive compared to the south in summer...

  12. Hydroclimatic mechanisms of cholera transmission in the Bengal Delta

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tretkoff, Ernie

    2011-07-01

    Cholera, a deadly waterborne disease, remains a major threat in many areas of the world, including the Bengal Delta region. In this region, cholera outbreaks have two annual peaks; the first occurs during the dry season in the spring, and the second occurs in the fall following the wet season. However, the large-scale hydroclimatic processes underlying the propagation of the disease have not been well understood. Akanda et al. show that cholera outbreaks in the Bengal Delta region propagate from the coast to inland and from spring to fall following two distinct transmission cycles. The first outbreak begins in the spring near the coast when northward movement of plankton-rich seawater and increasing salinity promote the growth of cholera-causing bacteria in rivers, which are used for irrigation, sanitation, and consumption. The second outbreak begins in the fall, after summer floods and monsoons affect sanitation conditions that aid in bacterial transmission by contaminating waters over much of Bangladesh. (Water Resources Research, doi:10.1029/ 2010WR009914, 2011)

  13. Effect of carbon tetrachloride and Liv-52 on the clearance rate of 131I-Rose bengal in rat liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dhawan, D.; Goel, A.; Karkara, K.

    1991-01-01

    131 I-Rose bengal clearance test has been immensely used for the clinical assessment of functional hepatic abnormalities. It has been observed that external collimated scintillation probe employing 131 I-Rose bengal is a rapid and less erroneous way of assessing polygonal cell function in liver. The present study demonstrates the protection of liver by Liv-52 from the deleterious effects of carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) by determining the biological half-life of 131 I-Rose bengal in male albino rats. An increase in the biological half-life of the radio-iodinated dye was observed following CCl 4 intoxication which was reversed by Liv-52 treatment. (author). 15 refs., 2 tabs

  14. Internal structure of the 85°E ridge, Bay of Bengal: Evidence for multiphase volcanism

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ismaiel, M.; Krishna, K.S.; Srinivas, K.; Mishra, J.; Saha, D.

    fragments 3 of Elan Bank and part of the present Kerguelen Plateau (Talwani et al., 2016). As a result, age of the oceanic floor in the Western Basin of the Bay of Bengal is older than the other parts. In southeastern quarter of the Bay of Bengal... interpreted as carbonate bank (Gopala Rao et al., 1997; Karuppuswamy, 2013), therefore, we too conjecture the lens shaped reflection free zone identified on our profiles as a carbonate bank, and this may have formed when the defunct volcanic structure...

  15. Marine magnetic studies in the northern Bay of Bengal, preliminary results

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ramana, M.V.; Subrahmanyam, V.; Krishna, K.S.; Chaubey, A.K.; Sarma, K.V.L.N.S.; Murty, G.P.S.; Murty, P.S.N.; Rao, D.G.; Mittal, G.S.; Drolia, R.K.

    The bathymetric and total magnetic intensity data collected along six E-W tracks were analysed and presented as stacked anomaly profiles. A first order basement configuration model was generated across the Bay of Bengal. The model studies indicate...

  16. Expression of a Chimeric Gene Encoding Insecticidal Crystal Protein Cry1Aabc of Bacillus thuringiensis in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Confers Resistance to Gram Pod Borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Alok; Datta, Subhojit; Thakur, Shallu; Shukla, Alok; Ansari, Jamal; Sujayanand, G K; Chaturvedi, Sushil K; Kumar, P A; Singh, N P

    2017-01-01

    Domain swapping and generation of chimeric insecticidal crystal protein is an emerging area of insect pest management. The lepidopteran insect pest, gram pod borer ( Helicoverpa armigera H.) wreaks havoc to chickpea crop affecting production. Lepidopteran insects were reported to be controlled by Bt ( cryI ) genes. We designed a plant codon optimized chimeric Bt gene ( cry1Aabc ) using three domains from three different cry1A genes (domains I, II, and III from cry1Aa , cry1Ab , and cry1Ac , respectively) and expressed it under the control of a constitutive promoter in chickpea ( cv . DCP92-3) to assess its effect on gram pod borer. A total of six transgenic chickpea shoots were established by grafting into mature fertile plants. The in vitro regenerated (organogenetic) shoots were selected based on antibiotic kanamycin monosulfate (100 mg/L) with transformation efficiency of 0.076%. Three transgenic events were extensively studied based on gene expression pattern and insect mortality across generations. Protein expression in pod walls, immature seeds and leaves (pre- and post-flowering) were estimated and expression in pre-flowering stage was found higher than that of post-flowering. Analysis for the stable integration, expression and insect mortality (detached leaf and whole plant bioassay) led to identification of efficacious transgenic chickpea lines. The chimeric cry1Aabc expressed in chickpea is effective against gram pod borer and generated events can be utilized in transgenic breeding program.

  17. Expression of a Chimeric Gene Encoding Insecticidal Crystal Protein Cry1Aabc of Bacillus thuringiensis in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. Confers Resistance to Gram Pod Borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alok Das

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Domain swapping and generation of chimeric insecticidal crystal protein is an emerging area of insect pest management. The lepidopteran insect pest, gram pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera H. wreaks havoc to chickpea crop affecting production. Lepidopteran insects were reported to be controlled by Bt (cryI genes. We designed a plant codon optimized chimeric Bt gene (cry1Aabc using three domains from three different cry1A genes (domains I, II, and III from cry1Aa, cry1Ab, and cry1Ac, respectively and expressed it under the control of a constitutive promoter in chickpea (cv. DCP92-3 to assess its effect on gram pod borer. A total of six transgenic chickpea shoots were established by grafting into mature fertile plants. The in vitro regenerated (organogenetic shoots were selected based on antibiotic kanamycin monosulfate (100 mg/L with transformation efficiency of 0.076%. Three transgenic events were extensively studied based on gene expression pattern and insect mortality across generations. Protein expression in pod walls, immature seeds and leaves (pre- and post-flowering were estimated and expression in pre-flowering stage was found higher than that of post-flowering. Analysis for the stable integration, expression and insect mortality (detached leaf and whole plant bioassay led to identification of efficacious transgenic chickpea lines. The chimeric cry1Aabc expressed in chickpea is effective against gram pod borer and generated events can be utilized in transgenic breeding program.

  18. Instantaneous radioiodination of rose bengal at room temperature and a cold-kit therefor. [DOE patent application

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, H. Jr.; Hupf, H.B.; Wanek, P.M.

    The disclosure relates to the radioiodination of rose bengal at room temperature and a cold-kit therefor. A purified rose bengal tablet is stirred into acidified ethanol at or near room temperature, until a suspension forms. Reductant-free /sup 125/I/sup -/ is added and the resulting mixture stands until the exchange label reaction occurs at room temperature. A solution of sterile isotonic phosphate buffer and sodium hydroxide is added and the final resulting mixture is sterilized by filtration.

  19. Filamentous fungal population and species diversity from the continental slope of Bay of Bengal, India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Surajit; Lyla, Parameswari Somasundharan; Khan, Syed Ajmal

    2009-03-01

    Filamentous fungal diversity from the sediments of the continental slope of Bay of Bengal was studied. Sediment samples were collected during two voyages in 2004 and 2005. Filamentous fungal population from both the cruises showed a range of 5.17-59.51 CFU/g and 3.47-29.68 CFU/g, respectively. Totally 16 fungal genera were recorded from both the cruises. Aspergillus was found to be the dominant genus and the overall percentage occurrence was as follows: Deuteromycotina 74%, Ascomycotina 17%, Basidiomycotina 4% and non-sporulating 5%. Diversity indices were calculated and during both the cruises species richness ( d) varied from 0.912 to 3.622 and 1.443 to 4.588; evenness ( J') varied from 0.9183 to 1.000 and 0.8322 to 1.000 and Shannon-Wiener index ( H' log 2) varied from 0.9183 to 1.000 and 1.000 to 3.690. The higher diversity was found in Divipoint transect (northern Bay of Bengal). 95% confidence interval and ellipse showed that the stations were well lying within the funnel. Cluster analysis and MDS grouped the northern transects which showed higher diversity. BVSTEP resulted in isolation of 23 species which were most influential in the marine filamentous fungal diversity of the continental slope of Bay of Bengal. Thus, a lower population range and higher diversity of marine filamentous marine fungi in the sediments of the continental slope of Bay of Bengal was recorded.

  20. Detection of Bay of Bengal eddies from TOPEX and insitu observations

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ali, M.M.; Sharma, R.; Gopalakrishna, V.V.

    Oceanic eddies are characterised by gradients in the sea surface height (SSH) and temperature both at the surface and the subsurface. However, since the Bay of Bengal waters are more stratified, the gradients in SST may not develop though...

  1. Comparative activity of ceftobiprole against Gram-positive and Gram-negative isolates from Europe and the Middle East: the CLASS study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossolini, Gian M; Dryden, Matthew S; Kozlov, Roman S; Quintana, Alvaro; Flamm, Robert K; Läuffer, Jörg M; Lee, Emma; Morrissey, Ian; CLASS Study Group

    2011-01-01

    to assess the in vitro activity of ceftobiprole and comparators against a recent collection of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens, in order to detect potential changes in susceptibility patterns, and to evaluate the Etest assay for ceftobiprole susceptibility testing. contemporary Gram-positive and Gram-negative isolates (excluding extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing isolates) from across Europe and the Middle East were collected, and their susceptibility to ceftobiprole, vancomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid, ceftazidime and cefepime was assessed using the Etest method. Quality testing [using Etest and broth microdilution (BMD)] was conducted at a central reference laboratory. some 5041 Gram-positive and 4026 Gram-negative isolates were included. Against Gram-positive isolates overall, ceftobiprole had the lowest MIC50 (0.5 mg/L), compared with 1 mg/L for its comparators (vancomycin, teicoplanin and linezolid). Against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, all four agents had a similar MIC90 (2 mg/L), but ceftobiprole had a 4-fold better MIC90 (0.5 mg/L) against methicillin-susceptible strains. Only 38 Gram-positive isolates were confirmed as ceftobiprole resistant. Among Gram-negative strains, 86.9%, 91.7% and 95.2% were susceptible to ceftobiprole, ceftazidime and cefepime, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was less susceptible to all three antimicrobials than any other Gram-negative pathogen. There was generally good agreement between local Etest results and those obtained at the reference laboratory (for ceftobiprole: 86.8% with Gram-negatives; and 94.7% with Gram-positives), as well as between results obtained by BMD and Etest methods (for ceftobiprole: 98.2% with Gram-negatives; and 98.4% with Gram-positives). ceftobiprole exhibits in vitro activity against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens, including multidrug-resistant strains. No changes in its known susceptibility profile were identified.

  2. INCREASING SALT TOLERANCE OF CHICKPEA (CICER ARIETINUM) PLANTS BY INTERACTION EFFECTS OF GAMMA IRRADIATION AND GIBBERELLIC ACID

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    The effect of gamma radiation on growth, photosynthetic pigments and some of the antioxidant enzymes of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seeds were investigated. After irradiation with different doses of gamma radiation (20 and 40 Gy), seeds were soaked for 24 hours in either GA 3 , NaCl solution or in a mixture of both. NaCl induced reduction in growth as well as decrease in photosynthetic pigment content of the produced seedlings. However, GA 3 caused amelioration in growth inhibition and an increase in the pigment contents. Irradiated chickpea seeds treated with GA 3 evolved defence antioxidant mechanisms to combat the danger of salt stress by increasing the superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX) activities while malonaldehyde (MDA) contents were decreased

  3. Protamine-induced permeabilization of cell envelopes of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Charlotte; Verheul, A.; Gram, Lone

    1997-01-01

    carboxyfluorescein and ATP after 2 to 5 min. Maximum antibacterial activity was reached at alkaline pH and in the absence of divalent cations. The efficient permeabilization of cell envelopes of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria suggests that protamine causes a general disruption of the cell envelope...

  4. Numerical model for wind-driven circulation in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Bahulayan, N.; Varadachari, V.V.R.

    Wind-driven circulation in the Bay of Bengal, generated by a southwest wind of constant speed (10 m.sec -1) and direction (225 degrees TN), is presented. A non-linear hydrodynamic model is used for the simulation of circulation. Numerical...

  5. Numerical Gram-Schmidt orthonormalization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Werneth, Charles M; Dhar, Mallika; Maung, Khin Maung; Sirola, Christopher; Norbury, John W

    2010-01-01

    A numerical Gram-Schmidt orthonormalization procedure is presented for constructing an orthonormal basis function set from a non-orthonormal set, when the number of basis functions is large. This method will provide a pedagogical illustration of the Gram-Schmidt procedure and can be presented in classes on numerical methods or computational physics.

  6. Probing interaction of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cells with ZnO nanorods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jain, Aanchal; Bhargava, Richa; Poddar, Pankaj, E-mail: p.poddar@ncl.res.in

    2013-04-01

    In the present work, the physiological effects of the ZnO nanorods on the Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Aerobacter aerogenes) bacterial cells have been studied. The analysis of bacterial growth curves for various concentrations of ZnO nanorods indicates that Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial cells show inhibition at concentrations of ∼ 64 and ∼ 256 μg/mL respectively. The marked difference in susceptibility towards nanorods was also validated by spread plate and disk diffusion methods. In addition, the scanning electron micrographs show a clear damage to the cells via changed morphology of the cells from rod to coccoid etc. The confocal optical microscopy images of these cells also demonstrate the reduction in live cell count in the presence of ZnO nanorods. These, results clearly indicate that the antibacterial activity of ZnO nanorods is higher towards Gram positive bacterium than Gram negative bacterium which indicates that the structure of the cell wall might play a major role in the interaction with nanostructured materials and shows high sensitivity to the particle concentration. Highlights: ► Effect of ZnO nanorods on the growth cycles of four bacterial strains. ► A relation has been established between growth rate of bacteria and concentration. ► Serious damage in the morphology of bacterial cells in the presence of ZnO nanorods. ► Microscopic studies to see the time dependent effect on bacterial cells.

  7. A first note on Japanese encephalitis virus isolation from Culex quinquefasciatus Say in Northern West Bengal.

    OpenAIRE

    V. Thenmozhi; T. Mariappan; R. Krishnamoorthy; R. Krishnamoorthi; T. Balaji; B. K. Tyagi; V. Thenmozhi

    2014-01-01

    Japanese encephalitis (JE) is endemic in many parts of India including the state of West Bengal. In West Bengal, the first major outbreaks of JE occurred in the districts of Bankura and Burdwan in 1973. The Culex vishnui subgroup of mosquitoes has been implicated as major vectors of JE. However in India, JE virus (JEV) has been isolated from 16 species of mosquitoes. During September 2011, JE cases were reported from four districts -Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Dinajpur and Cooch Behar of West Ben...

  8. Gram staining apparatus for space station applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molina, T. C.; Brown, H. D.; Irbe, R. M.; Pierson, D. L.

    1990-01-01

    A self-contained, portable Gram staining apparatus (GSA) has been developed for use in the microgravity environment on board the Space Station Freedom. Accuracy and reproducibility of this apparatus compared with the conventional Gram staining method were evaluated by using gram-negative and gram-positive controls and different species of bacteria grown in pure cultures. A subsequent study was designed to assess the performance of the GSA with actual specimens. A set of 60 human and environmental specimens was evaluated with the GSA and the conventional Gram staining procedure. Data obtained from these studies indicated that the GSA will provide the Gram staining capability needed for the microgravity environment of space.

  9. Incidence of Japanese Encephalitis among Acute Encephalitis Syndrome Cases in West Bengal, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bhaswati Bandyopadhyay

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objectives. Japanese encephalitis (JE is the most important cause of acute and epidemic viral encephalitis. Every year sporadic JE cases are reported from the various districts of West Bengal, indicating its endemicity in this state. JE vaccination programme has been undertaken by the State Health Department of West Bengal. This study was aimed at seeing the present scenario of JE among acute encephalitis syndrome (AES cases in West Bengal. Materials and Methods. Blood and/or CSF samples were referred from suspected AES cases to the referral virology laboratory of the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine from different hospitals of Kolkata. IgM antibody capture ELISA was performed on the CSF and serum samples by JE virus MAC ELISA kit supplied by the National Institute of Virology, Pune. Results. The present study reveals that 22.76% and 5% of the AES cases were positive for JE IgM in 2011 and 2012, respectively. JE is mainly prevalent in children and adolescents below 20 years of age with no gender predilection. Although the percentages of JE positive cases were high in 2011, it sharply decreased thereafter possibly due to better awareness programs, due to mass vaccination, or simply due to natural epidemiological niche periodicity due to herd immunity.

  10. Molecular analysis of an actin gene, CarACT1, from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Hui; Cheng, Huiying; Yu, Xingwang; Shi, Qinghua; Zhang, Hua; Li, Jiangui; Ma, Hao

    2010-02-01

    Actins are ubiquitous and highly conserved proteins that play key roles in cell formation and cellular activities. In this study, an actin gene was isolated from chickpea for the first time and designated as CarACT1 (for Cicer arietinum L. actin gene 1; Genbank accession no. EU529707). It encoded a putative protein with 377 amino acids and contained five exons and four introns within genomic DNA sequence. CarACT1 was localized in cytoplasm and showed high similarity to other well known actins from various species. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay proved that CarACT1 transcripts were ubiquitously accumulated in all major organs, such as seedling roots, stems, leaves, flowers, young pods, and seeds, as well as in diverse developmental stages, such as leaf senescence, seed development and germination. Our results suggested that CarACT1 is an actin gene with physiological functions and may be served as a potential reference gene for transcription level of interesting genes in chickpea.

  11. Observed seasonal variability of barrier layer in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Pankajakshan, T.; Muraleedharan, P.M.; Rao, R.R.; Somayajulu, Y.K.; Reddy, G.V.; Revichandran, C.

    The observed formation of Barrier Layer (BL) and the seasonal variability of BL thickness (BLT) in the Bay of Bengal are examined utilizing the most comprehensive data set. Thick BL (~50m) first appears in the coastal region of the northeastern bay...

  12. Lithosphere structure and upper mantle characteristics below the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, G.S.; Radhakrishna, M.; Sreejith, K.M.; Krishna, K.S.; Bull, J.M.

    The oceanic lithosphere in the Bay of Bengal (BOB) formed 80-120 Ma following the breakup of eastern Gondwanaland. Since its formation, it has been affected by the emplacement of two long N-S trending linear aseismic ridges (85°E and Ninetyeast...

  13. Antimicrobial Activity of Carbon Nanoparticles Isolated from Natural Sources against Pathogenic Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varghese, S.; Jose, S.; Varghese, S.; Kuriakose, S.; Jose, S.

    2013-01-01

    This paper describes the isolation of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) from kitchen soot, characterization of the CNPs by UV/visible spectroscopy, SEM and XRD, and their antimicrobial action. The antibacterial activity of the isolated carbon nanoparticles was tested against various pathogenic bacterial strains such as Gram-negative Proteus refrigere and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus haemolyticus. The inhibition zones were measured, and it was found that the carbon nanoparticles isolated from natural sources are active against these Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains

  14. New technique using [125I]labeled rose bengal for the quantification in blood samples of pipecuronium bromide, a muscle relaxant drug

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schopfer, C.; Benakis, A.; Pittet, J.-F.; Tassonyi, E.

    1991-01-01

    A new technique involving the use of [ 125 I]labeled rose bengal for the quantification of pipecuronium bromide (a muscle relaxant drug) is presented. This technique, which is based on the ability of rose bengal to react with pipecuronium and then form a complex which can be extracted into an organic solvent, involves two steps: the purification and labeling of rose bengal with 125 I, and the quantification of pipecuronium. The specific activity of the compound (106 μCi/mg) allows for the quantification of pipecuronium in biological samples at concentrations as low as 5 ng/ml. (author)

  15. Who's behind that mask and cape? The Asian leopard cat's Agouti (ASIP) allele likely affects coat colour phenotype in the Bengal cat breed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gershony, L C; Penedo, M C T; Davis, B W; Murphy, W J; Helps, C R; Lyons, L A

    2014-12-01

    Coat colours and patterns are highly variable in cats and are determined mainly by several genes with Mendelian inheritance. A 2-bp deletion in agouti signalling protein (ASIP) is associated with melanism in domestic cats. Bengal cats are hybrids between domestic cats and Asian leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), and the charcoal coat colouration/pattern in Bengals presents as a possible incomplete melanism. The complete coding region of ASIP was directly sequenced in Asian leopard, domestic and Bengal cats. Twenty-seven variants were identified between domestic and leopard cats and were investigated in Bengals and Savannahs, a hybrid with servals (Leptailurus serval). The leopard cat ASIP haplotype was distinguished from domestic cat by four synonymous and four non-synonymous exonic SNPs, as well as 19 intronic variants, including a 42-bp deletion in intron 4. Fifty-six of 64 reported charcoal cats were compound heterozygotes at ASIP, with leopard cat agouti (A(P) (be) ) and domestic cat non-agouti (a) haplotypes. Twenty-four Bengals had an additional unique haplotype (A2) for exon 2 that was not identified in leopard cats, servals or jungle cats (Felis chaus). The compound heterozygote state suggests the leopard cat allele, in combination with the recessive non-agouti allele, influences Bengal markings, producing a darker, yet not completely melanistic coat. This is the first validation of a leopard cat allele segregating in the Bengal breed and likely affecting their overall pelage phenotype. Genetic testing services need to be aware of the possible segregation of wild felid alleles in all assays performed on hybrid cats. © 2014 The Authors. Animal Genetics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

  16. Iodate in inshore and offshore waters of Central Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sarma, V.V.

    Biological stripping of iodate in the surface waters is noticed in the inshore and offshore waters of Bay of Bengal. A good correlation is observed between iodate and phosphate and nitrate and the molar ratios determined being NO3: PO4: IO3 = 88...

  17. Potential impact of rising atmospheric CO2 on quality of grains in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saha, Saurav; Chakraborty, Debashis; Sehgal, Vinay K; Pal, Madan

    2015-11-15

    Experiments were conducted in open-top chambers to assess the effect of atmospheric CO2 enrichment (E-CO2) on the quality of grains in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) crop. Physical attributes of the grains was not affected, but the hydration and swelling capacities of the flour increased. Increase in carbohydrates and reduction in protein made the grains more carbonaceous (higher C:N) under E-CO2. Among other mineral nutrients, K, Ca and Zn concentrations decreased, while P, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn and B concentrations did not change. The pH, bulk density and cooking time of chickpea flour remained unaffected, although the water absorption capacity of flour increased and oil absorption reduced. Results suggest that E-CO2 could affect the grain quality adversely and nutritional imbalance in grains of chickpea might occur. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  18. Organ accumulation and subcellular location of Cicer arietinum ST1 protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albornos, Lucía; Cabrera, Javier; Hernández-Nistal, Josefina; Martín, Ignacio; Labrador, Emilia; Dopico, Berta

    2014-07-01

    The ST (ShooT Specific) proteins are a new family of proteins characterized by a signal peptide, tandem repeats of 25/26 amino acids, and a domain of unknown function (DUF2775), whose presence is limited to a few families of dicotyledonous plants, mainly Fabaceae and Asteraceae. Their function remains unknown, although involvement in plant growth, fruit morphogenesis or in biotic and abiotic interactions have been suggested. This work is focused on ST1, a Cicer arietinum ST protein. We established the protein accumulation in different tissues and organs of chickpea seedlings and plants and its subcellular localization, which could indicate the possible function of ST1. The raising of specific antibodies against ST1 protein revealed that its accumulation in epicotyls and radicles was related to their elongation rate. Its pattern of tissue location in cotyledons during seed formation and early seed germination, as well as its localization in the perivascular fibres of epicotyls and radicles, indicated a possible involvement in seed germination and seedling growth. ST1 protein appears both inside the cell and in the cell wall. This double subcellular localization was found in every organ in which the ST1 protein was detected: seeds, cotyledons and seedling epicotyls and radicles. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Estimates of vertical velocities and eddy coefficients in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Varkey, M.J.; Sastry, J.S.

    Vertical velocities and eddy coefficients in the intermediate depths of the Bay of Bengal are calculated from mean hydrographic data for 300 miles-squares. The linear current density (sigma- O) versus log-depth plots show steady balance between...

  20. Geomorphology and geology of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, V.P.; Kessarkar, P.M.

    -slope region. The 'Bengal Fan' is a major physiographic feature. The Andaman Sea consists of several seamounts, valleys and fracture zones. Reefal structures occur around the Andaman Islands and on the outer shelf off Visakhapatnam. Lithogenic sediments (clayey...

  1. Distribution of calanoid copepods in the Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Stephen, R.

    The distribution of calanoid copepods from the northern Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal is discussed in relation to thermocline. The inshore offshore zonation of a neritic, shelf an oceanic communities was traced based on the species composition...

  2. VEGETABLE PEELS: A PROMISING FEED RESOURCE FOR LIVESTOCK

    OpenAIRE

    Md. Emran HOSSAIN; Syeda Ayesha SULTANA; Mohammad Hasanul KARIM; Md. Imran AHMED

    2016-01-01

    The study was undertaken to find out the chemical composition of different vegetable peels available in Rangunia, Chittagong, Bangladesh. Total 10 different vegetable peels i.e., Banana blossom (Musa sapientum), Bottle gourd peel (Lagenaria siceraria), Brinjal peel (Solanum melongena), Gram husk (Cicer arietinum), Green banana peel (Musa sapieutum), Green coconut peel (Cocos nucifera), Pea husk (Pisum sativum), Potato peel (Solanum tuberosum), Pumpkin peel (Cucurbita maxima), Ripe banana peel...

  3. Mesozooplankton production, grazing and respiration in the Bay of Bengal: Implications for net heterotrophy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandes, Veronica; Ramaiah, N.

    2016-03-01

    Mesozooplankton samples were collected from the mixed layer along a central (along 88°E) and a western transect in the Bay of Bengal during four seasons covered between 2001 and 2006 in order to investigate spatio-temporal variability in their biomass. At these stations, grazing and respiration rates were measured from live zooplankton hauled in from the surface during December 2005. Akin to the mesozooplankton "paradox" in the central and eastern Arabian Sea, biomass in the mixed layer was more or less invariant in the central and western Bay of Bengal, even as the chl a showed marginal temporal variation. By empirical equation, the mesozooplankton production rate calculated to be 70-246 mg C m- 2 d- 1 is on par with the Arabian Sea. Contrary to the conventional belief, mesozooplankton grazing impact was up to 83% on primary production (PP). Low PP coupled with very high zooplankton production (70% of PP) along with abundant bacterial production (50% of the PP; Ramaiah et al., 2009) is likely to render the Bay of Bengal net heterotrophic, especially during the spring intermonsoon. Greater estimates of fecal pellet-carbon egestion by mesozooplankton compared to the average particulate organic carbon flux in sediment traps, implies that much of the matter is recycled by heterotrophic communities in the mixed layer facilitating nutrient regeneration for phytoplankton growth. We also calculated that over a third of the primary production is channelized for basin-wide zooplankton respiration that accounts for 52 Mt C annually. In the current scenario of global warming, if low (primary) productive warm pools like the Bay of Bengal continue to be net heterotrophic, negative implications like enhanced emission of CO2 to the atmosphere, increased particulate flux to the deeper waters and greater utilization of dissolved oxygen resulting in expansion of the existing oxygen minimum zone are imminent.

  4. High new production in the Bay of Bengal: Possible causes and implications

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Kumar, S.; Ramesh, R.; Sardessai, S.; Sheshshayee, M.S.

    The first measurements of new production (sup(15) N tracer technique), the component of primary production that sustains on extraneous nutrient inputs to the euphotic zone, in the Bay of Bengal is reported. Experiments done in two different seasons...

  5. Sound speed structure in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    PrasannaKumar, S.; Navelkar, G.S.; Murty, T.V.R.; Somayajulu, Y.K.; Murty, C.S.

    Sound speed computed from annual mean temperature and salinity data of Levitus reveals that spatial variation in the Arabian Sea is greater than that in the Bay of Bengal. Maximum spatial variation of sound speed in the Arabian Sea noticed between...

  6. Sound field computations in the Bay of Bengal using parabolic equation method

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Navelkar, G.S.; Somayajulu, Y.K.; Murty, C.S.

    Effect of the cold core eddy in the Bay of Bengal on acoustic propagation was analysed by parabolic equation (PE) method. Source depth, frequency and propagation range considered respectively for the two numerical experiments are 150 m, 400 Hz, 650...

  7. Veillonella, Firmicutes: Microbes disguised as Gram negatives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vesth, Tammi Camilla; Ozen, Asli; Andersen, Sandra Christine

    2013-01-01

    Negativicutes, including the genus Veillonella, stain Gram negative. Veillonella are among the most abundant organisms of the oral and intestinal microflora of animals and humans, in spite of being strict anaerobes. In this work, the genomes of 24 Negativicutes, including eight Veillonella spp., are compared......, with the exception of a shared LPS biosynthesis pathway. The clade within the class Negativicutes to which the genus Veillonella belongs exhibits unique properties, most of which are in common with Gram-positives and some with Gram negatives. They are only distantly related to Clostridia, but are even less closely...... related to Gram-negative species. Though the Negativicutes stain Gram-negative and possess two membranes, the genome and proteome analysis presented here confirm their place within the (mainly) Gram positive phylum of the Firmicutes. Further studies are required to unveil the evolutionary history...

  8. The Political Economy of English Education in Muslim Bengal: 1871-1912.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahim, Aminur

    1992-01-01

    Examines explanations for lack of progress by Muslims in English education in East Bengal, colonial British India (now Bangladesh). Argues that urban-based, elitist English education failed to provide opportunities to rural Muslim farmers, and that, after the British formulated educational policies meeting Muslim needs, that community responded…

  9. Reconstructing Sea Surface Conditions in the Bay of Bengal during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lagos, A. D.; Dekens, P.; Reilly, B. T.; Selkin, P. A.; Meynadier, L.; Savian, J. F.

    2017-12-01

    During the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT, 0.8-1.2Ma) Earth's glacial cycles transitioned from responding primarily to 41kyr obliquity cycles to responding to 100kyr eccentricity cycles. In the tropics, sea surface temperature (SST) in the eastern tropical Pacific cooled through the MPT, suggesting a strengthening of the equatorial Pacific zonal temperature gradient (Medina-Elizalde & Lea, 2005). The strong SST gradient would have intensified Walker Cell convection during the MPT and built up latent heat in the western Pacific, which could cause cold SST anomalies in the northern Indian Ocean (Liu et al., 2015). Due to a scarcity of records, it is unclear how climate and oceanic conditions evolved in the Indian Ocean during the MPT. A set of recent IODP expeditions, including 353 and 354, cored sediment from the Bay of Bengal. Several sites recovered by expedition 353 will be ideal for reconstructing monsoon intensity through time, while the expedition 354 cores from a longitudinal transect at 8°N are in a region not directly impacted by changes in freshwater input due to direct precipitation or run off. The sites are influenced by the northeastern migration of equatorial Indian Ocean water via the Southwest Monsoon Current, which supplies significant moisture to the monsoon. Expedition 354's southern Bay of Bengal sites are well situated for better understanding the link between the tropical Indian Ocean and the northern Bay of Bengal. We reconstructed sea surface conditions at IODP site 1452 (8°N, 87°E, 3670m water depth) in the distal Bengal Fan. A 3 meter long section of the core has been identified as the MPT using the Bruhnes/Matuyama, Jaramillo, and Cobb Mountain paleomagnetic reversals (France-Lanord et al., 2016). This section of site 1452 was sampled every 2cm ( 2kyr resolution). Approximately 30 G. sacculifer, a surface dwelling planktonic foraminifera, were picked from the 355-425μm size fraction. We measured Mg/Ca and δ18O on splits of the same

  10. Role of salicylic acid in induction of plant defense system in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    War, Abdul Rashid; Paulraj, Michael Gabriel; War, Mohd Yousf; Ignacimuthu, Savarimuthu

    2011-11-01

    Salicylic acid (SA), a plant hormone plays an important role in induction of plant defense against a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses through morphological, physiological and biochemical mechanisms. A series of experiments were carried out to evaluate the biochemical response of the chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) plants to a range of SA concentrations (1, 1.5, and 2 mM). Water treated plants were maintained as control. Activities of peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) were evaluated and amounts of total phenols, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and proteins were calculated after 96 h of treatment. Plants responded very quickly to SA at 1.5 mM and showed higher induction of POD and PPO activities, besides the higher accumulation of phenols, H2O2 and proteins. Plants treated with SA at 2 mM showed phytotoxic symptoms. These results suggest that SA at 1.5 mM is safe to these plants and could be utilized for the induction of plant defense.

  11. Dustborne and airborne gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in high versus low ERMI homes

    Science.gov (United States)

    The study aimed at investigating Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in moldy and non-moldy homes, as defined by the home's Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) value. The ERMI values were determined from floor dust samples in 2010 and 2011 and homes were classified...

  12. Mixed layer variability and chlorophyll a biomass in the Bay of Bengal.

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Narvekar, J.; PrasannaKumar, S.

    , the chlorophyll biomass decreases rapidly due to reduction in sunlight by suspended sediment. In the south, advection of high salinity waters from the Arabian Sea and westward propagating Rossby waves from the eastern Bay of Bengal led to the formation of deep...

  13. Numerical modelling of tides and storm surges in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sindhu, B.

    were done. A storm surge model was developed to simulate total water levels and derived surges caused by low pressure systems identified during the past 27 years (1974-2000) in the Bay of Bengal. Study also estimated the return levels of extreme sea...

  14. Particle fluxes in the Bay of Bengal measurEd. by sediment traps

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ramaswamy, V.; Parthiban, G.

    Particle fluxes were measured between October, 1987 and March, 1988 using six automated time series sediment traps at three locations in the northern, central and southern Bay of Bengal. Particle fluxes varied between 16.8 and 345 mg m/2 day/1...

  15. Development and application of sequence-tagged microsatellite site (STMS) markers in chickpea (Cicer arietinum), banana (Musa spp.) and their major pathogens, Ascochyta rabiei and Mycosphaerella fijiensis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winter, P.; Kaemmer, D.; Paff, T.; Geistlinger, J.; Neu, C.; Kahl, G.

    2001-01-01

    DNA markers of various kinds have found widespread application in many facets of plant breeding and plant pathogen control. Yet another marker type, sequence-tagged microsatellite (STMS) markers, provides the markers of choice for nearly every crop because of their co-dominant nature, reliability, ease of application and high polymorphic information content. We report here on the development of a whole set of STMS markers and the respective, selected primer sequences for two important crops, chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and banana (Musa acuminata), and for their most devastating fungal pathogens, Ascochyta rabiei and Mycosphaerella fijiensis, respectively. These markers were generated either by direct screening of size-selected genomic libraries with microsatellite-complementary oligonucleotides, or by enrichment of DNA fragments containing microsatellite sequences. A total of 69 markers for chickpea, 15 markers for M. acuminata, 19 markers for A rabiei and 11 markers for M. fijiensis, selected on the basis of their high information content and ease of use are presented here. These can be applied for mapping of the respective genomes, for various population studies, and cultivar and isolate identification. We further demonstrate that several of these markers can potentially be applied across species boundaries and thus could increase the marker repertoire also for other species of the genus Cicer, Musa and for Ascochyta-type pathogens of bean, and potentially also of lentil and pea. (author)

  16. Diagnosing periprosthetic infection: false-positive intraoperative Gram stains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oethinger, Margret; Warner, Debra K; Schindler, Susan A; Kobayashi, Hideo; Bauer, Thomas W

    2011-04-01

    Intraoperative Gram stains have a reported low sensitivity but high specificity when used to help diagnose periprosthetic infections. In early 2008, we recognized an unexpectedly high frequency of apparent false-positive Gram stains from revision arthroplasties. The purpose of this report is to describe the cause of these false-positive test results. We calculated the sensitivity and specificity of all intraoperative Gram stains submitted from revision arthroplasty cases during a 3-month interval using microbiologic cultures of the same samples as the gold standard. Methods of specimen harvesting, handling, transport, distribution, specimen processing including tissue grinding/macerating, Gram staining, and interpretation were studied. After a test modification, results of specimens were prospectively collected for a second 3-month interval, and the sensitivity and specificity of intraoperative Gram stains were calculated. The retrospective review of 269 Gram stains submitted from revision arthroplasties indicated historic sensitivity and specificity values of 23% and 92%, respectively. Systematic analysis of all steps of the procedure identified Gram-stained but nonviable bacteria in commercial broth reagents used as diluents for maceration of periprosthetic membranes before Gram staining and culture. Polymerase chain reaction and sequencing showed mixed bacterial DNA. Evaluation of 390 specimens after initiating standardized Millipore filtering of diluent fluid revealed a reduced number of positive Gram stains, yielding 9% sensitivity and 99% specificity. Clusters of false-positive Gram stains have been reported in other clinical conditions. They are apparently rare related to diagnosing periprosthetic infections but have severe consequences if used to guide treatment. Even occasional false-positive Gram stains should prompt review of laboratory methods. Our observations implicate dead bacteria in microbiologic reagents as potential sources of false-positive Gram

  17. Natural radionuclides in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal: distribution and evaluation of particle scavenging processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarin, M.M.; Rengarajan, R.; Somayajulu, B.L.K.

    1994-01-01

    Vertical and temporal variations in the activities of 234 Th, 210 Po and 210 Pb have been measured, in both dissolved and particulate phases, at several stations in the eastern Arabian Sea and north-central Bay of Bengal. A comparative study allows us to make inferences about the particle associated scavenging processes in these two seas having distinct biogeochemical properties. A common feature of the 234 Th profiles, in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, is that the dissolved as well as total (dissolved + particulate) activity of 234 Th is deficient in the surface 200 m with respect of its parent, 238 U. This gross deficiency is attributed to the preferential removal of 234 Th by adsorption onto settling particles which account for its net loss from the surface waters. The scavenging rates of dissolved 234 Th are comparable in these two basins. The temporal variations in the 234 Th- 238 U disequilibrium are significantly pronounced both in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal indicating that the scavenging rates are more influenced by the increased abundance of particles rather than their chemical make-up. The Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea appear to be the regions of most intense particle moderated scavenging processes in the world oceans. This is evidenced by the gross disequilibria exhibited by the three isotope pairs used in this study. (author). 33 refs., 8 figs., 5 tabs

  18. Influence of El Niño and Indian Ocean Dipole on sea level variability in the Bay of Bengal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sreenivas, P.; Gnanaseelan, C.; Prasad, K. V. S. R.

    2012-01-01

    Zonally oscillating seasonal equatorial winds generate pairs of upwelling and downwelling Kelvin waves in the Equatorial Indian Ocean, which then advance in to the coastal Bay of Bengal. The first (second) equatorial upwelling Kelvin wave has its origin in the western (eastern) basin, whereas the downwelling Kelvin waves originate in the central basin. The observed interannual variability of these Kelvin waves is highly governed by the associated zonal wind changes in the central and eastern equatorial Indian Ocean during the anomalous years. The second downwelling (upwelling) Kelvin wave is absent (weak) during El Niño (La Niña) years, whereas the second upwelling Kelvin wave strengthened during El Niño years both in the equatorial Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. The large scale off equatorial Rossby waves occasionally feedback the equatorial Kelvin waves, which then strengthen the Bay of Bengal coastal Kelvin waves. The coastal Kelvin waves and the associated radiated Rossby waves from east play a dominant role in the mesoscale eddy generation in Bay of Bengal. The analysis of cyclogenesis characteristics in the bay over the past 65 years revealed that the active (suppressed) phases of cyclogenesis are coinciding with the downwelling (upwelling) planetary waves which influence the cyclone heat potential by altering the thermocline depth.

  19. Acoustic propagation within a surface duct in the western Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    PrasannaKumar, S.; Navelkar, G.S.; Murty, T.V.R.; Murty, C.S.

    Sound speed structure forms a surface duct in the upper 50 m layer in the western Bay of Bengal during late July. A range-dependent acoustic ray computation shows that some rays emanating from a source within the upper 30 m, get trapped within...

  20. Distribution of some biochemical compounds in the sediments of the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Bhosle, N.B.; Dhople, V.M.

    Surficial sediment samples collected from the continental shelf and slope of the Bay of Bengal were studied for the distribution of organic carbon and its constituent fractions such as carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids and lipids. Organic carbon...

  1. Seasonal cycle of physical forcing and biological response in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    PrasannaKumar, S.; Nuncio, M.; Narvekar, J.; Ramaiah, N.; Sardessai, S.; Gauns, M.; Fernandes, V.; Paul, J.T.; Jyothibabu, R.; Jayaraj, K.A.

    supported an efficient nutrient supply by cold core eddies. It resulted in the highest mean column integrated chlorophyll as well as primary productivity. Perennially low surface chlorophyll in the Bay of Bengal was largely controlled by the physical...

  2. Auto-correlation analysis of wave heights in the Bay of Bengal

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Time series observations of significant wave heights in the Bay of Bengal were subjected to auto- correlation analysis to determine temporal variability scale. The analysis indicates an exponen- tial fall of auto-correlation in the first few hours with a decorrelation time scale of about six hours. A similar figure was found earlier ...

  3. An advanced draft genome assembly of a desi type chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parween, Sabiha; Nawaz, Kashif; Roy, Riti; Pole, Anil K; Venkata Suresh, B; Misra, Gopal; Jain, Mukesh; Yadav, Gitanjali; Parida, Swarup K; Tyagi, Akhilesh K; Bhatia, Sabhyata; Chattopadhyay, Debasis

    2015-08-11

    Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important pulse legume crop. We previously reported a draft genome assembly of the desi chickpea cultivar ICC 4958. Here we report an advanced version of the ICC 4958 genome assembly (version 2.0) generated using additional sequence data and an improved genetic map. This resulted in 2.7-fold increase in the length of the pseudomolecules and substantial reduction of sequence gaps. The genome assembly covered more than 94% of the estimated gene space and predicted the presence of 30,257 protein-coding genes including 2230 and 133 genes encoding potential transcription factors (TF) and resistance gene homologs, respectively. Gene expression analysis identified several TF and chickpea-specific genes with tissue-specific expression and displayed functional diversification of the paralogous genes. Pairwise comparison of pseudomolecules in the desi (ICC 4958) and the earlier reported kabuli (CDC Frontier) chickpea assemblies showed an extensive local collinearity with incongruity in the placement of large sequence blocks along the linkage groups, apparently due to use of different genetic maps. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based mining of intra-specific polymorphism identified more than four thousand SNPs differentiating a desi group and a kabuli group of chickpea genotypes.

  4. Multicenter Assessment of Gram Stain Error Rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samuel, Linoj P; Balada-Llasat, Joan-Miquel; Harrington, Amanda; Cavagnolo, Robert

    2016-06-01

    Gram stains remain the cornerstone of diagnostic testing in the microbiology laboratory for the guidance of empirical treatment prior to availability of culture results. Incorrectly interpreted Gram stains may adversely impact patient care, and yet there are no comprehensive studies that have evaluated the reliability of the technique and there are no established standards for performance. In this study, clinical microbiology laboratories at four major tertiary medical care centers evaluated Gram stain error rates across all nonblood specimen types by using standardized criteria. The study focused on several factors that primarily contribute to errors in the process, including poor specimen quality, smear preparation, and interpretation of the smears. The number of specimens during the evaluation period ranged from 976 to 1,864 specimens per site, and there were a total of 6,115 specimens. Gram stain results were discrepant from culture for 5% of all specimens. Fifty-eight percent of discrepant results were specimens with no organisms reported on Gram stain but significant growth on culture, while 42% of discrepant results had reported organisms on Gram stain that were not recovered in culture. Upon review of available slides, 24% (63/263) of discrepant results were due to reader error, which varied significantly based on site (9% to 45%). The Gram stain error rate also varied between sites, ranging from 0.4% to 2.7%. The data demonstrate a significant variability between laboratories in Gram stain performance and affirm the need for ongoing quality assessment by laboratories. Standardized monitoring of Gram stains is an essential quality control tool for laboratories and is necessary for the establishment of a quality benchmark across laboratories. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  5. Surface layer conditions of the atmosphere over western Bay of Bengal during Monex

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Anto, A.F.; Rao, L.V.G.; Somayajulu, Y.K.

    Based on surface meteorological data and wave data collected from 2 stations in the western Bay of Bengal in July 1979, surface layer (SL) conditions of the atmosphere for different situations of surface circulations and the associated sea surface...

  6. How bacterial cell division might cheat turgor pressure - a unified mechanism of septal division in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erickson, Harold P

    2017-08-01

    An important question for bacterial cell division is how the invaginating septum can overcome the turgor force generated by the high osmolarity of the cytoplasm. I suggest that it may not need to. Several studies in Gram-negative bacteria have shown that the periplasm is isoosmolar with the cytoplasm. Indirect evidence suggests that this is also true for Gram-positive bacteria. In this case the invagination of the septum takes place within the uniformly high osmotic pressure environment, and does not have to fight turgor pressure. A related question is how the V-shaped constriction of Gram-negative bacteria relates to the plate-like septum of Gram-positive bacteria. I collected evidence that Gram-negative bacteria have a latent capability of forming plate-like septa, and present a model in which septal division is the basic mechanism in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. © 2017 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Application of alum and chickpea (cicer arietinum) in removing color from leachate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zin, N. S. M.; Awang, N. H.; Akbar, N. A.

    2018-04-01

    Dual coagulant has the potential to improve the coagulation process. In leachate treatment coagulation/flocculation can be used as a main treatment method or as a polishing/tertiary treatment step. Application of natural coagulant as coagulant aids able to increase the formation of floc and the removal ability of the coagulation process. This study was focusing on the ability of dual coagulants made from chemical coagulant (Alum) and natural coagulant (Cicer Arietinum (CA)) in removing colour from leachate. Jar test was carried out to investigate the effect of dose and pH on the removal ability of the dual coagulant. The optimum pH and dose for dual coagulant were obtained at pH 6.0 with dose of Alum at 4 g/L and dose of CA at 0.6 g/L with 94% removal of colour. While the optimum removal of colour for single Alum (4 g/L) and single CA (1.4 g/L) were recorded as 88% and 22%, respectively. The removals obtained using single natural and chemical coagulants were not as good as those obtained by dual coagulant. Thus, addition of CA as a coagulant aid for alum, able to increase the removal of color from leachate and has the potential to be applied as a treatment method for leachate.

  8. Curstal evolution and sedimentation history of the Bay of Bengal since the cretaceous

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, D.G.; Krishna, K.S.; Sar, D.

    on three latitudinal profiles) in the Bay of Bengal. The trend of the fracture zones, the locations of the magnetic chron 34, and the Cretaceous Magnetic Quiet Zone suggest that Greater India separated from Antarctica after a period of transform motion...

  9. Trace metal dynamics in zooplankton from the Bay of Bengal during summer monsoon

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rejomon, G.; DineshKumar, P.K.; Nair, M.; Muraleedharan, K.R.

    Trace metal (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) concentrations in zooplankton from the mixed layer were investigated at 8 coastal and 20 offshore stations in the western Bay of Bengal during the summer monsoon of 2003. The ecotoxicological importance...

  10. Recent foraminiferal assemblages from the continental shelf sediments of Madras, Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Setty, M.G.A.P.

    During the 15th cruise of INS Kistna, as part of the International Indian Ocean Expedition, several sub-surface samples were collected, (using LaFond-Dietz snapper), from the continental shelf region of the Bay of Bengal. Samples from two locations...

  11. Antibacterial Activity of Silver-Graphene Quantum Dots Nanocomposites Against Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habiba, Khaled (Inventor); Makarov, Vladimir (Inventor); Weiner, Brad R (Inventor); Morell, Gerardo (Inventor)

    2018-01-01

    The invention provides a composite of silver nanoparticles decorated with graphene quantum dots (Ag-GQDs) using pulsed laser synthesis. The nanocomposites were functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG). A concentration of 150 .mu.g/mL of Ag-GQDs, a non-toxic level for human cells, exhibits strong antibacterial activity against both Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria.

  12. The Sex Education Debates: Teaching "Life Style" in West Bengal, India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakravarti, Paromita

    2011-01-01

    This paper examines the recent controversies surrounding the decision to introduce sex education in secondary schools in India to combat the rapid spread of HIV and AIDS in the country. While 11 Indian states have banned it, the Left-ruled state of West Bengal has designed a teachers' manual to impart sex education. However, a close analysis of…

  13. Groundwater System of Sundarbans (Basanti), West Bengal, India

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kopmann, Moritz; Binning, Philip John; Bregnhøj, Henrik

    2018-01-01

    In Basanti, a rural block in the Sundarbans, West Bengal, the water availability is vital for its inhabitants. Groundwater levels are decreasing, and a proper understanding of key factors influencing the water resource is required. In the following, a social review of Basanti is given followed...... by a geologic and hydrostratigraphic analysis. The main hydrologic flows, a water balance, and the trend of salinity in the groundwater are presented. Finally, available long- and short-term drawdown data of South 24 Parganas and Basanti to determine groundwater level and annual recharge trends. The assessment...

  14. Seasonal wave characteristics of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Vijayarajan, P.K.; Varkey, M.J.; Joseph, M.X.

    of charts. The maxima of the average heights in both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal (3.2 m and 3.1 m) have been observed during the monsoon season even though the number of cyclone and depression days were maximum in May and November, respectively...

  15. Zooplankton biomass and composition in the western Bay of Bengal during late sw monsoon

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Achuthankutty, C.T.; Madhupratap, M.; Nair, V.R.; Nair, S.R.S.; Rao, T.S.S.

    and neritic regions of the southwestern Bay of Bengal. Other groups like chaetognaths, ostracods, amphipods, euphausiids, fish eggs, fish larvae, polychaetes, cladocerans, planktonic molluscs, etc. contributed to a lesser percentage of the general composition...

  16. Comparing Medline citations using modified N-grams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nawab, Rao Muhammad Adeel; Stevenson, Mark; Clough, Paul

    2014-01-01

    Objective We aim to identify duplicate pairs of Medline citations, particularly when the documents are not identical but contain similar information. Materials and methods Duplicate pairs of citations are identified by comparing word n-grams in pairs of documents. N-grams are modified using two approaches which take account of the fact that the document may have been altered. These are: (1) deletion, an item in the n-gram is removed; and (2) substitution, an item in the n-gram is substituted with a similar term obtained from the Unified Medical Language System  Metathesaurus. N-grams are also weighted using a score derived from a language model. Evaluation is carried out using a set of 520 Medline citation pairs, including a set of 260 manually verified duplicate pairs obtained from the Deja Vu database. Results The approach accurately detects duplicate Medline document pairs with an F1 measure score of 0.99. Allowing for word deletions and substitution improves performance. The best results are obtained by combining scores for n-grams of length 1–5 words. Discussion Results show that the detection of duplicate Medline citations can be improved by modifying n-grams and that high performance can also be obtained using only unigrams (F1=0.959), particularly when allowing for substitutions of alternative phrases. PMID:23715801

  17. Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria induce different patterns of cytokine production in human mononuclear cells irrespective of taxonomic relatedness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skovbjerg, Susann; Martner, Anna; Hynsjö, Lars; Hessle, Christina; Olsen, Ingar; Dewhirst, Floyd E; Tham, Wilhelm; Wold, Agnes E

    2010-01-01

    Upon bacterial stimulation, tissue macrophages produce a variety of cytokines that orchestrate the immune response that clears the infection. We have shown that Gram-positives induce higher levels of interleukin-12 (IL-12), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) than do Gram-negatives, which instead induce more of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10. Here, we study whether these patterns follows or crosses taxonomic borders. PBMCs from blood donors were incubated with UV-inactivated bacteria representing 37 species from five phyla. IL-12, TNF, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were measured in the supernatants after 24 h and IFN-gamma after 5 days. Irrespective of phylogenetic position, Gram-positive bacteria induced much more IL-12 (nine times more on average) and IFN-gamma (seven times), more TNF (three times), and slightly more IL-1beta (1.5 times) than did Gram-negatives, which instead induced more IL-6 (1.5 times), IL-8 (1.9 times), and IL-10 (3.3 times) than did Gram-positives. A notable exception was the Gram-positive Listeria monocytogenes, which induced very little IL-12, IFN-gamma, and TNF. The results confirm the fundamental difference in innate immune responses to Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, which crosses taxonomic borders and probably reflects differences in cell wall structure.

  18. Some physiological and biochemical responses to nickel in salicylic acid applied chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seedlings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canakci, Songül; Dursun, Bahar

    2011-09-01

    The present study examined the effects of salicylic acid pre-application on the responses of seven-day-old chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seedlings to nickel. For this purpose, the plants were treated with 1 mM salicylic acid solution for 6 and 10 hours and then treated with 0.75, 1.5 and 3 mM nickel solutions for 48 hours hydroponically. Following the treatment, changes in seedling length, seedling fresh weight and leaf dry weight (after 10 hours), as well as MDA, proline, protein and pigment contents (after 6 and 10 hours) were examined. Salicylic acid pre-application was found to significantly alleviate the typical harmful effects caused by nickel and 3 mM nickel concentration in particular, on the parameters associated with toxic stress. However, pre-application of salicylic acid for 6 and 10 hours without nickel treatment did not produce any stimulatory or inhibitory effect on the seedlings as compared to the controls.

  19. Drifting and meandering of Olive Ridley Sea turtles in the Bay of Bengal: Role of oceanic Rossby waves

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ram, P.S.; Rao, S.A.; Sadhuram, Y.

    in the direction of geostrophic currents. It is found that the locations of these thermal fronts in the Bay of Bengal are primarily determined by the Oceanic Rossby waves and local Ekman pumping. Key Words: Bay of Bengal, Circulation, Cyclonic and Anti... drawn with black dots shows the meandering path of the rest of the three turtles. Locations of the turtles at different times are also shown as white stars. A strong anti-cyclonic gyre (warm core eddy) centered at 17º N with SSHD above 30 cm...

  20. Primary completion rates across socio-religious communities in West Bengal

    OpenAIRE

    Husain, Zakir; Chatterjee, Amrita

    2009-01-01

    Primary completion rates of Muslims in West Bengal are substantially lower than that of upper caste communities as well as backward castes, scheduled castes and tribes. Further, analysis of age-specific pcr indicates that differences in pcr between Muslims and other communities may have actually increased in recent years. An econometric analysis reveals that age, gender, household size and expenditure levels, education and gender of decision-maker, etc, are importan...

  1. Transformation of gram positive bacteria by sonoporation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yunfeng; Li, Yongchao

    2014-03-11

    The present invention provides a sonoporation-based method that can be universally applied for delivery of compounds into Gram positive bacteria. Gram positive bacteria which can be transformed by sonoporation include, for example, Bacillus, Streptococcus, Acetobacterium, and Clostridium. Compounds which can be delivered into Gram positive bacteria via sonoporation include nucleic acids (DNA or RNA), proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, viruses, small organic and inorganic molecules, and nano-particles.

  2. Surface layer temperature inversion in the Bay of Bengal: Main characteristics and related mechanisms

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Pankajakshan, T.; Suresh, I.; Gautham, S.; PrasannaKumar, S.; Lengaigne, M.; Rao, R.R.; Neetu, S.; Hegde, A.

    Surface layer temperature inversion (SLTI), a warm layer sandwiched between surface and subsurface colder waters, has been reported to frequently occur in conjunction with barrier layers in the Bay of Bengal (BoB), with potentially commensurable...

  3. Bioengineered nisin A derivatives with enhanced activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative pathogens.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Des Field

    Full Text Available Nisin is a bacteriocin widely utilized in more than 50 countries as a safe and natural antibacterial food preservative. It is the most extensively studied bacteriocin, having undergone decades of bioengineering with a view to improving function and physicochemical properties. The discovery of novel nisin variants with enhanced activity against clinical and foodborne pathogens has recently been described. We screened a randomized bank of nisin A producers and identified a variant with a serine to glycine change at position 29 (S29G, with enhanced efficacy against S. aureus SA113. Using a site-saturation mutagenesis approach we generated three more derivatives (S29A, S29D and S29E with enhanced activity against a range of Gram positive drug resistant clinical, veterinary and food pathogens. In addition, a number of the nisin S29 derivatives displayed superior antimicrobial activity to nisin A when assessed against a range of Gram negative food-associated pathogens, including E. coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Cronobacter sakazakii. This is the first report of derivatives of nisin, or indeed any lantibiotic, with enhanced antimicrobial activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria.

  4. Bioengineered Nisin A Derivatives with Enhanced Activity against Both Gram Positive and Gram Negative Pathogens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Field, Des; Begley, Maire; O’Connor, Paula M.; Daly, Karen M.; Hugenholtz, Floor; Cotter, Paul D.; Hill, Colin; Ross, R. Paul

    2012-01-01

    Nisin is a bacteriocin widely utilized in more than 50 countries as a safe and natural antibacterial food preservative. It is the most extensively studied bacteriocin, having undergone decades of bioengineering with a view to improving function and physicochemical properties. The discovery of novel nisin variants with enhanced activity against clinical and foodborne pathogens has recently been described. We screened a randomized bank of nisin A producers and identified a variant with a serine to glycine change at position 29 (S29G), with enhanced efficacy against S. aureus SA113. Using a site-saturation mutagenesis approach we generated three more derivatives (S29A, S29D and S29E) with enhanced activity against a range of Gram positive drug resistant clinical, veterinary and food pathogens. In addition, a number of the nisin S29 derivatives displayed superior antimicrobial activity to nisin A when assessed against a range of Gram negative food-associated pathogens, including E. coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Cronobacter sakazakii. This is the first report of derivatives of nisin, or indeed any lantibiotic, with enhanced antimicrobial activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. PMID:23056510

  5. Marco Tulio Cicerón y Domingo Faustino Sarmiento: Expresión de la "Utilitas" política

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nuria de la O Vidal Teruel

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available El presente trabajo trata de abordar las posibles similitudes existentes en el pensamiento político de dos personajes aparentemente inconexos y ciertamente significativos en sus respectivos contextos históricos: el romano Marco Tulio Cicerón (Siglo I a.C. y el argentino Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (Siglo XIX d.C.. A través del análisis de dos obras fundamentales dentro de la producción de cada uno de ello, De republica y Facundo o Civilización y Barbarie, respectivamente, es posible encontrar lazos que unen ambas realidades históricas en lo que respecta a su concepción sobre la filosofía de la política y su aplicación práctica (utilitas para la obtención del mejor sistema de gobierno posible.

  6. Diagnostic Significance of the Blood Disappearance Rate of 131I-Rose Bengal and of 198Au colloid in Hepatobiliary Diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chun, Young Kyoon; Hahn, Shim Suk; Koh, Chang Soon

    1971-01-01

    The liver function test was performed by means of two radioisotope tracer techniques in 20 normal subjects and in 63 patients with hepatobiliary diseases. The blood disappearance rates of 131 I-rose bengal and of 198 Au colloid were determined by external counting method. The hepatocellular function and the hepatic blood flow were estimated from the observed data and the results were compared with those of the conventional liver function tests. The results obtained were as follows: 1. The mean blood disappearance half time of 131 I-rose bengal was 6.6±0.63 minutes in normal control, 17.7±6.93 in cirrhosis of the liver, 16.6±4. 80 in acute hepatitis, and 14 7±3.46 in obstructive jaundice. It was markedly prolonged in the hepatobiliary diseases as compared with the normal control, but there was no significant difference among the hepatobiliary diseases. 2.The mean blood disappearance half time of 198 Au colloid was 4. 0±0. 66 minutes in normal control, 9.8±3.42 in cirrhosis of the liver, 4.4±0.82 in acute hepatitis, and 5.0±1.42 in obstructive jaundice. The difference between cirrhosis of the liver and normal control was statistically significant. However, there was no definite difference among acute hepatitis, obstructive jaundice, and normal control. The mean blood disappearance rate constant (K value) was 0.177±0.028/minute in normal control, In cirrhosis of the liver, it was markedly decreased which was suggestive of the reduced hepatic blood flow. 3. The ratio of 131 I-rose bengal blood disappearance half time to 198 Au colloid disappearance half time was 1.68±0.20 in normal control, 1.82±0.31 in cirrhosis of the liver, 3.80±0.82 in acute hepatitis, and 3.01±0.54 in obstructive jaundice. The ratios in acute hepatitis and obstructive jaundice were remarkably higher than those in normal control and cirrhosis of the liver. 4. There was a significant correlation between the blood disappearance half time of 131 I-rose bengal and that of 198 Au colloid in

  7. Study of agronomic characteristics and advantage indices in intercropping of additive series of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. and Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    esmaeil rezaei-chiyaneh

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Study of agronomic characteristics and advantage indices in intercropping of additive series of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. and Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L. Abstract In order to evaluate quantitive and qualitive yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. and Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L. in intercropping of additive series, a field experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications in West Azerbaijan province- city Nagadeh, Iran during growing reason of 2012-2013. Treatments included 100% Black Cumin + 10% Chickpea, 100% Black Cumin + 20% Chickpea, 100% Black Cumin + 30% Chickpea, 100% Black Cumin + 40% Chickpea and 100% Black Cumin + 50% Chickpea and sole cropping of Chickpea and Black Cumin. Different Planting Ratio had significant effect on studied traits of Chickpea and Black Cumin (exception Essential oil yield of Black Cumin. Yield and components yield in monoculture of each crop was more than other treatments. The highest grain yield and biological yield of chickpea were achieved in monoculture with 1105 and 14479 kg.ha-1, respectively. The results showed that the maximum seed yield and biological yield of Black Cumin were obtained at monoculture with 750 and 2310 kg.ha-1, respectively. The highest of percentage of grain protein (23% and essential oil percentage (1.47% were related to treatment 100% Black Cumin + 50% Chickpea, respectively. Based on this results, the highest land equivalent ratio (LER=1.74, actual yield loss (AYL=6.45 and intercropping advantage (IA=1.70 were obtained by treatment 100% Black Cumin + 10% Chickpea, respectively. Therefore, it seems that treatment 100% Black Cumin + 10% Chickpea is remarkably effective to increase the economic income and land use efficiency.

  8. Dissecting the Root Nodule Transcriptome of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kant, Chandra; Pradhan, Seema; Bhatia, Sabhyata

    2016-01-01

    A hallmark trait of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), like other legumes, is the capability to convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3) in symbiotic association with Mesorhizobium ciceri. However, the complexity of molecular networks associated with the dynamics of nodule development in chickpea need to be analyzed in depth. Hence, in order to gain insights into the chickpea nodule development, the transcriptomes of nodules at early, middle and late stages of development were sequenced using the Roche 454 platform. This generated 490.84 Mb sequence data comprising 1,360,251 reads which were assembled into 83,405 unigenes. Transcripts were annotated using Gene Ontology (GO), Cluster of Orthologous Groups (COG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathways analysis. Differential expression analysis revealed that a total of 3760 transcripts were differentially expressed in at least one of three stages, whereas 935, 117 and 2707 transcripts were found to be differentially expressed in the early, middle and late stages of nodule development respectively. MapMan analysis revealed enrichment of metabolic pathways such as transport, protein synthesis, signaling and carbohydrate metabolism during root nodulation. Transcription factors were predicted and analyzed for their differential expression during nodule development. Putative nodule specific transcripts were identified and enriched for GO categories using BiNGO which revealed many categories to be enriched during nodule development, including transcription regulators and transporters. Further, the assembled transcriptome was also used to mine for genic SSR markers. In conclusion, this study will help in enriching the transcriptomic resources implicated in understanding of root nodulation events in chickpea.

  9. Low-fat papadams from black gram-tapioca blends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annapure, U S; Michael, M; Singhal, R S; Kulkarni, P R

    1997-07-01

    Papadams, made from black gram (Phaseolus mungo) and largely manufactured on cottage scale are popular in the Indian dietary. Escalating prices of black gram coupled with abundant availability of tapioca flour at almost 1/8th the price of black gram prompted the study of papadam characteristics using blends of black gram and tapioca flour. Tapioca flour up to 25% substitution did not alter the sensory attributes. However, the expansibility of the product decreased on addition of tapioca flour; a fact which could be overcome by using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) at 3% level of black gram flour. This decreased the oil content to 19.7% and also increased the expansibility to 5.539%.

  10. Type I and Type II mechanisms of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy: an in vitro study on gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Liyi; Xuan, Yi; Koide, Yuichiro; Zhiyentayev, Timur; Tanaka, Masamitsu; Hamblin, Michael R

    2012-08-01

    Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (APDT) employs a non-toxic photosensitizer (PS) and visible light, which in the presence of oxygen produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as singlet oxygen ((1) O(2), produced via Type II mechanism) and hydroxyl radical (HO(.), produced via Type I mechanism). This study examined the relative contributions of (1) O(2) and HO(.) to APDT killing of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Fluorescence probes, 3'-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-fluorescein (HPF) and singlet oxygen sensor green reagent (SOSG) were used to determine HO(.) and (1) O(2) produced by illumination of two PS: tris-cationic-buckminsterfullerene (BB6) and a conjugate between polyethylenimine and chlorin(e6) (PEI-ce6). Dimethylthiourea is a HO(.) scavenger, while sodium azide (NaN(3)) is a quencher of (1) O(2). Both APDT and killing by Fenton reaction (chemical generation of HO(.)) were carried out on Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Conjugate PEI-ce6 mainly produced (1) O(2) (quenched by NaN(3)), while BB6 produced HO(.) in addition to (1) O(2) when NaN(3) potentiated probe activation. NaN(3) also potentiated HPF activation by Fenton reagent. All bacteria were killed by Fenton reagent but Gram-positive bacteria needed a higher concentration than Gram-negatives. NaN(3) potentiated Fenton-mediated killing of all bacteria. The ratio of APDT killing between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was 2 or 4:1 for BB6 and 25:1 for conjugate PEI-ce6. There was a NaN(3) dose-dependent inhibition of APDT killing using both PEI-ce6 and BB6 against Gram-negative bacteria while NaN(3) almost failed to inhibit killing of Gram-positive bacteria. Azidyl radicals may be formed from NaN(3) and HO(.). It may be that Gram-negative bacteria are more susceptible to HO(.) while Gram-positive bacteria are more susceptible to (1) O(2). The differences in Na

  11. Design of Rose Bengal/FTO optical thin film system as a novel nonlinear media for infrared blocking windows

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.M. El-Bashir

    Full Text Available Rose Bengal (RB is a new organic semiconductor with the highly stable layer, was deposited on highly cleaned conductive glass substrate known as (FTO glass with different thickness in the range from 80 to 292 nm. XRD showed an entirely amorphous structure of the studied film thicknesses. The observed peaks are the indexed peaks for FTO layer. Spectrophotometric data as transmittance, reflectance, and absorbance were used for the analysis the optical constant of RB/FTO optical thin film system. Refractive index was calculated using Fresnel’s equation with the aid of reflectance and absorption index. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss and dissipation factor were discussed and analyzed according to the applied optical theories. Nonlinear parameters such as third order nonlinear optical susceptibility and the nonlinear refractive index were calculated based on the linear refractive index of the applications of this material in nonlinear media. The results showed that Rose Bengal is a proving material for wide scale optoelectronic applications such as infrared blocking windows. Keywords: Rose Bengal, Dielectric parameters, Linear/nonlinear optics, Dye/FTO, IR blocking windows

  12. Increasing trend of Japanese encephalitis cases in West Bengal, India - a threat to paediatric population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debjani Taraphdar

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To detect the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV as the etiologic agent from the acute encephalitis syndrome (AES cases mainly amongst the children and young adults from vaccinated and non-vaccinated districts of West Bengal. Methods: For the detection of JEV, a total of 828 sera were referred from vaccinated and non vaccinated districts of West Bengal during 2005-2011. Japanese encephalitis (JE positive cases were confirmed by ELISA and RT-PCR method. Results: Out of 828 cases, 245 samples were positive by ELISA method and 46 samples were positive by RT-PCR method. Out of 291 total positive cases, 162 (55.6% were below 20 years of age. Initially in 2005, JE cases were highest amongst the children and young adults (0-20 years. After vaccination, although the JE cases declined gradually in the vaccinated districts, but again from 2010, JE cases from the said age group showed an increasing trend from those districts. JE cases were also reported from other endemic zones of this state, which were still non-vaccinated. Conclusions: In West Bengal, JE cases are still predominated among children and young adults till the year 2011. Mass scale vaccination programme and investigation on the circulating strains are essentially required to find out the reasons of increasing tendency of JE cases in this state.

  13. Gram-negative diabetic foot osteomyelitis: risk factors and clinical presentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aragón-Sánchez, Javier; Lipsky, Benjamin A; Lázaro-Martínez, Jose L

    2013-03-01

    Osteomyelitis frequently complicates infections in the feet of patients with diabetes. Gram-positive cocci, especially Staphylococcus aureus, are the most commonly isolated pathogens, but gram-negative bacteria also cause some cases of diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO). These gram-negatives require different antibiotic regimens than those commonly directed at gram-positives. There are, however, few data on factors related to their presence and how they influence the clinical picture. We conducted a retrospective study to determine the variables associated with the isolation of gram-negative bacteria from bone samples in cases of DFO and the clinical presentation of these infections. Among 341 cases of DFO, 150 had a gram-negative isolate (alone or combined with a gram-positive isolate) comprising 44.0% of all patients and 50.8% of those with a positive bone culture. Compared with gram-positive infections, wounds with gram-negative organisms more often had a fetid odor, necrotic tissue, signs of soft tissue infection accompanying osteomyelitis, and clinically severe infection. By multivariate analysis, the predictive variables related to an increased likelihood of isolating gram-negatives from bone samples were glycated hemoglobin gram-negatives had a statistically significantly higher prevalence of leukocytosis and higher white blood cell counts than those without gram-negatives. In conclusion, gram-negative organisms were isolated in nearly half of our cases of DFO and were associated with more severe infections, higher white blood cell counts, lower glycated hemoglobin levels, and wounds of traumatic etiology.

  14. Induced mutations in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) II. frequency and spectrum of chlorophyll mutations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kharkwal, M.C.

    1998-01-01

    A comparative study of frequency and spectrum of chlorophyll mutations induced by two physical (gamma rays, fast neutrons) and two chemical mutagens (NMU, EMS) in relation to the effects in M1 plants and induction of mutations in M2 was made in four chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties, two desi (G 130 & H 214) one Kabuli (C 104) and one green seeded (L 345). The treatments included three doses each of gamma rays (400, 500 & 600 Gy) and fast neutrons (5, 10 & 15 Gy) and two concentrations with two different durations of two chemical mutagens, NMU [0.01% (20h), & 0.02% (8h)] and EMS [0.1% (20h) & 0.2% (8h)]. The frequencies and spectrum of three different kinds of induced chlorophyll mutations in the order albina (43.5%), chlorina (27.3%) and xantha (24.2%) were recorded. Chemical mutagens were found to be efficient in inducing chlorophyll mutations in chickpea. Highest frequency of mutations was observed in green seeded var. L 345 (83% of M1 families and 19.9/1000 M2 plants). Kabuli var. C 104 was least responsive for chlorophyll mutations

  15. Glycosaminoglycans are involved in pathogen adherence to corneal epithelial cells differently for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beatriz García

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The epithelium of the cornea is continuously exposed to pathogens, and adhesion to epithelial cells is regarded as an essential first step in bacterial pathogenesis. In this article, the involvement of glycosaminoglycans in the adhesion of various pathogenic bacteria to corneal epithelial cells is analyzed. All microorganisms use glycosaminoglycans as receptors, but arranged in different patterns depending on the Gram-type of the bacterium. The heparan sulfate chains of syndecans are the main receptors, though other molecular species also seem to be involved, particularly in Gram-negative bacteria. Adherence is inhibited differentially by peptides, including heparin binding sequences, indicating the participation of various groups of Gram-positive and -negative adhesins. The length of the saccharides produces a major effect, and low molecular weight chains inhibit the binding of Gram-negative microorganisms but increase the adherence of Gram-positives. Pathogen adhesion appears to occur preferentially through sulfated domains, and is very dependent on N- and 6-O-sulfation of the glucosamine residue and, to a lesser extent, 2-O sulfation of uronic acid. These data show the differential use of corneal receptors, which could facilitate the development of new anti-infective strategies.

  16. A new technique for Gram staining paraffin-embedded tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engbaek, K; Johansen, K S; Jensen, M E

    1979-01-01

    Five techniques for Gram staining bacteria in paraffin sections were compared on serial sections of pulmonary tissues from eight bacteriological necropsies. Brown and Hopp's method was the most satisfactory for distinguishing Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, this method cannot be recommended as the preparations were frequently overstained, and the Gram-negative bacteria were stained indistinctly. A modification of Brown and Hopps' method was developed which stains larger numbers of Gram-negative bacteria and differentiates well between different cell types and connective tissue, and there is no risk of overstaining. PMID:86548

  17. Alternate gram staining technique using a fluorescent lectin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sizemore, R K; Caldwell, J J; Kendrick, A S

    1990-01-01

    Fluorescence-labeled wheat germ agglutinin binds specifically to N-acetylglucosamine in the outer peptidoglycan layer of gram-positive bacteria. The peptidoglycan layer of gram-negative bacteria is covered by a membrane and is not labeled by the lectin. By exploiting this phenomenon, an alternative Gram staining technique has been developed. Images PMID:1697149

  18. Nutritional quality and health benefits of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jukanti, A K; Gaur, P M; Gowda, C L L; Chibbar, R N

    2012-08-01

    Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important pulse crop grown and consumed all over the world, especially in the Afro-Asian countries. It is a good source of carbohydrates and protein, and protein quality is considered to be better than other pulses. Chickpea has significant amounts of all the essential amino acids except sulphur-containing amino acids, which can be complemented by adding cereals to the daily diet. Starch is the major storage carbohydrate followed by dietary fibre, oligosaccharides and simple sugars such as glucose and sucrose. Although lipids are present in low amounts, chickpea is rich in nutritionally important unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic and oleic acids. β-Sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol are important sterols present in chickpea oil. Ca, Mg, P and, especially, K are also present in chickpea seeds. Chickpea is a good source of important vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, folate and the vitamin A precursor β-carotene. As with other pulses, chickpea seeds also contain anti-nutritional factors which can be reduced or eliminated by different cooking techniques. Chickpea has several potential health benefits, and, in combination with other pulses and cereals, it could have beneficial effects on some of the important human diseases such as CVD, type 2 diabetes, digestive diseases and some cancers. Overall, chickpea is an important pulse crop with a diverse array of potential nutritional and health benefits.

  19. An experimental study of radiative fluxes in the south Bay of Bengal

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Time series measurements of radiative fluxes were made onboard INS Sagardhwani (SD) in the south Bay of Bengal near DS3 (13°N and 87°E) during the BOBMEX field experiment. An inter- comparison experiment conducted at DS3 showed that the radiative fluxes measured by Kipp and Zonen, Albedo meter and net ...

  20. Differences between easy- and difficult-to-mill chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes. Part I: broad chemical composition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Jennifer A; Knights, Edmund J; Campbell, Grant M; Choct, Mingan

    2014-05-01

    Ease of milling is an important quality trait for chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) and involves two separate processes: removal of the seed coat and splitting of cotyledons. Four chickpea genotypes (two desi types, one kabuli type and one interspecific hybrid with 'wild' C. echinospermum parentage) of differing ease of milling were examined to identify associated seed composition differences in the seed coat, cotyledons and their junctions (abaxial and adaxial). Several components in different fractions were associated with ease of milling chickpea seeds: primarily soluble and insoluble non-starch polysaccharides (including pectins) and protein at the seed coat and cotyledon junctions, and the lignin content of the seed coat. This study shows that the chemical composition of chickpea does vary with seed type (desi and kabuli) and within desi genotypes in ways that are consistent with physical explanations of how seed structure and properties relate to milling behaviour. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

  1. Veillonella, Firmicutes: Microbes disguised as Gram negatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vesth, Tammi; Ozen, Aslı; Andersen, Sandra C; Kaas, Rolf Sommer; Lukjancenko, Oksana; Bohlin, Jon; Nookaew, Intawat; Wassenaar, Trudy M; Ussery, David W

    2013-12-20

    The Firmicutes represent a major component of the intestinal microflora. The intestinal Firmicutes are a large, diverse group of organisms, many of which are poorly characterized due to their anaerobic growth requirements. Although most Firmicutes are Gram positive, members of the class Negativicutes, including the genus Veillonella, stain Gram negative. Veillonella are among the most abundant organisms of the oral and intestinal microflora of animals and humans, in spite of being strict anaerobes. In this work, the genomes of 24 Negativicutes, including eight Veillonella spp., are compared to 20 other Firmicutes genomes; a further 101 prokaryotic genomes were included, covering 26 phyla. Thus a total of 145 prokaryotic genomes were analyzed by various methods to investigate the apparent conflict of the Veillonella Gram stain and their taxonomic position within the Firmicutes. Comparison of the genome sequences confirms that the Negativicutes are distantly related to Clostridium spp., based on 16S rRNA, complete genomic DNA sequences, and a consensus tree based on conserved proteins. The genus Veillonella is relatively homogeneous: inter-genus pair-wise comparison identifies at least 1,350 shared proteins, although less than half of these are found in any given Clostridium genome. Only 27 proteins are found conserved in all analyzed prokaryote genomes. Veillonella has distinct metabolic properties, and significant similarities to genomes of Proteobacteria are not detected, with the exception of a shared LPS biosynthesis pathway. The clade within the class Negativicutes to which the genus Veillonella belongs exhibits unique properties, most of which are in common with Gram-positives and some with Gram negatives. They are only distantly related to Clostridia, but are even less closely related to Gram-negative species. Though the Negativicutes stain Gram-negative and possess two membranes, the genome and proteome analysis presented here confirm their place within the

  2. Evidences of climatic variations during Late Pleistocene- Holocene in the eastern Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Chauhan, O.S; Borole, D.V.; Gujar, A; Mascarenhas, A; Mislankar, P.G.; Rao, Ch.M.

    Based upon the variations of clay minerals, sediment texture, heavy mineral assemblage and sup(230)Th excess in the Late Pleistocene sediments of a hemipelagic core from the eastern Bay of Bengal (2713 m water depth), 35 cm and 73-78 cm levels...

  3. Diurnal variability of surface fluxes at an oceanic station in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sarma, Y.V.B.; Rao, D.P.

    Diurnal variability of the surface fluxes and ocean heat content was studied using the time-series data on marine surface meteorological parameters and upper ocean temperature collected at an oceanic station in the Bay of Bengal during 1st to 8th...

  4. Enhanced abundance of tintinnids under elevated CO2 level from coastal Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Biswas, H.; Gadi, S.D.; Venkataramana, V.; Bharathi, M.D.; Priyan, R.K.; Manjari, D.T.; DileepKumar, M.

    of marine plankton to increasing CO2 concentrations. Natural water samples from the coastal Bay of Bengal were incubated under the ambient condition and high CO2 levels (703-711 latm) for 5 days in May and June 2010. A significant negative correlation...

  5. Determinants of Rural Industrial Entrepreneurship of Farmers in West Bengal : A Structural Equations Approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Folmer, Henk; Dutta, Subrata; Oud, Han

    2010-01-01

    This article presents a structural equations model of rural industrial entrepreneurship (RIE) among farmers in the Bardhaman district, West Bengal, India. It identifies the determinants of RIE but also analyzes impacts of RIE on its endogenous determinants. Age, education, marital status, number of

  6. Determinants of rural industrial entrepreneurship of farmers in West Bengal: A structural equations approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Folmer, H.; Dutta, S.; Oud, J.H.L.

    2010-01-01

    This article presents a structural equations model of rural industrial entrepreneurship (RIE) among farmers in the Bardhaman district, West Bengal, India. It identifies the determinants of RIE but also analyzes impacts of RIE on its endogenous determinants. Age, education, marital status, number of

  7. Gram staining with an automatic machine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Felek, S; Arslan, A

    1999-01-01

    This study was undertaken to develop a new Gram-staining machine controlled by a micro-controller and to investigate the quality of slides that were stained in the machine. The machine was designed and produced by the authors. It uses standard 220 V AC. Staining, washing, and drying periods are controlled by a timer built in the micro-controller. A software was made that contains a certain algorithm and time intervals for the staining mode. One-hundred and forty smears were prepared from Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Neisseria sp., blood culture, trypticase soy broth, direct pus and sputum smears for comparison studies. Half of the slides in each group were stained with the machine, the other half by hand and then examined by four different microbiologists. Machine-stained slides had a higher clarity and less debris than the hand-stained slides (p stained slides, some Gram-positive organisms showed poor Gram-positive staining features (p Gram staining with the automatic machine increases the staining quality and helps to decrease the work load in a busy diagnostic laboratory.

  8. Eficiência de utilização da água pelo grão-de-bico (Cicer arietinum L.) regado em condições Mediterrânicas

    OpenAIRE

    Silva, Luis Leopoldo; Duarte, Isabel; Simões, Nuno; Lourenço, Ermelinda; Chaves, Maria Manuela

    2011-01-01

    O grão de bico (Cicer arietinum L.) é uma das culturas proteaginosas mais importantes do mundo. É cultivado numa grande variedade de climas, principalmente para consumo humano, proporcionando uma importante fonte de proteína, especialmente nos países em desenvolvimento. Nas regiões mediterrânicas, o grão de bico é tradicionalmente cultivado como uma cultura de sequeiro, semeada na Primavera, e por isso muito dependente da precipitação, geralmente escassa e muito variável. Nesta situação, a...

  9. STATE OF FAUNAL STATUS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BENGAL TIGER (Panthera tigris tigris IN SUNDARBAN DELTA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shivaji Bhattacharya

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The mangrove ecology of Sundarban delta is one of the global biodiversity hotspots. The ecology harbours the Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris besides other. The species is highly threatened as per Red Data Book. The ecology has suffered huge degradation over the years by many known and unknown forces of varying magnitude. Though various efforts are being made to conserve the ecology but yet the degradation could not be checked up to expectation. The effect of degradation is clearly reflected through the status of Panthera tigris tigris in its natural habitat. Hence the different aspects of faunal status with special reference to Bengal Tiger in Sundarban ecology during about last two decades has been searched and discussed briefly.

  10. Meso-scale atmospheric events promote phytoplankton blooms in the coastal Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Maneesha, K.; Sarma, V.V.S.S.; Reddy, N.P.C.; Sadhuram, Y.; Murty, T.V.R.; Sarma, V.V.; DileepKumar, M.

    mixing does not cool SST in the post monsoon north Bay of Bengal; Atmos. Sci. Letts. 9 1–6. Senjyu T and Watanabe T 1999 A sudden temperature decrease along the Sanin coast induced by a typhoon; Umi to Sora 75 1–8 (in Japanese with English abstract...

  11. Antimicrobial activity of metal oxide nanoparticles against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria: a comparative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azam A

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Ameer Azam,1,2 Arham S Ahmed,2 Mohammad Oves,3 Mohammad S Khan,3 Sami S Habib,1 Adnan Memic11Centre of Nanotechnology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2Centre of Excellence in Materials Science (Nanomaterials, 3Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, IndiaBackground: Nanomaterials have unique properties compared to their bulk counterparts. For this reason, nanotechnology has attracted a great deal of attention from the scientific community. Metal oxide nanomaterials like ZnO and CuO have been used industrially for several purposes, including cosmetics, paints, plastics, and textiles. A common feature that these nanoparticles exhibit is their antimicrobial behavior against pathogenic bacteria. In this report, we demonstrate the antimicrobial activity of ZnO, CuO, and Fe2O3 nanoparticles against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.Methods and results: Nanosized particles of three metal oxides (ZnO, CuO, and Fe2O3 were synthesized by a sol–gel combustion route and characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. X-ray diffraction results confirmed the single-phase formation of all three nanomaterials. The particle sizes were observed to be 18, 22, and 28 nm for ZnO, CuO, and Fe2O3, respectively. We used these nanomaterials to evaluate their antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis bacteria.Conclusion: Among the three metal oxide nanomaterials, ZnO showed greatest antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria used in this study. It was observed that ZnO nanoparticles have excellent bactericidal potential, while Fe2O3 nanoparticles exhibited the least bactericidal activity. The order of antibacterial activity was demonstrated to be the following: ZnO > CuO > Fe2O3

  12. Mechanistic antimicrobial approach of extracellularly synthesized silver nanoparticles against gram positive and gram negative bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamboli, Dhawal P.; Lee, Dae Sung, E-mail: daesung@knu.ac.kr

    2013-09-15

    Highlights: • Bacterial extracelluar enzymes stabilized the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). • AgNPs formation was characterized by analytical techniques such as UV–vis, TEM, and FTIR. • AgNPs showed obvious antimicrobial activity against both gram positive and gram negative microorganisms. • A mechanism of AgNPs’ antimicrobial activity was proposed. -- Abstract: The development of eco-friendly and reliable processes for the synthesis of nanoparticles has attracted considerable interest in nanotechnology. In this study, an extracellular enzyme system of a newly isolated microorganism, Exiguobacterium sp. KNU1, was used for the reduction of AgNO{sub 3} solutions to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The extracellularly biosynthesized AgNPs were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The AgNPs were approximately 30 nm (range 5–50 nm) in size, well-dispersed and spherical. The AgNPs were evaluated for their antimicrobial effects on different gram negative and gram positive bacteria using the minimum inhibitory concentration method. Reasonable antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was observed. The morphological changes occurred in all the microorganisms tested. In particular, E. coli exhibited DNA fragmentation after being treated with the AgNPs. Finally, the mechanism for their bactericidal activity was proposed according to the results of scanning electron microscopy and single cell gel electrophoresis.

  13. Mechanistic antimicrobial approach of extracellularly synthesized silver nanoparticles against gram positive and gram negative bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamboli, Dhawal P.; Lee, Dae Sung

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Bacterial extracelluar enzymes stabilized the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). • AgNPs formation was characterized by analytical techniques such as UV–vis, TEM, and FTIR. • AgNPs showed obvious antimicrobial activity against both gram positive and gram negative microorganisms. • A mechanism of AgNPs’ antimicrobial activity was proposed. -- Abstract: The development of eco-friendly and reliable processes for the synthesis of nanoparticles has attracted considerable interest in nanotechnology. In this study, an extracellular enzyme system of a newly isolated microorganism, Exiguobacterium sp. KNU1, was used for the reduction of AgNO 3 solutions to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The extracellularly biosynthesized AgNPs were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The AgNPs were approximately 30 nm (range 5–50 nm) in size, well-dispersed and spherical. The AgNPs were evaluated for their antimicrobial effects on different gram negative and gram positive bacteria using the minimum inhibitory concentration method. Reasonable antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was observed. The morphological changes occurred in all the microorganisms tested. In particular, E. coli exhibited DNA fragmentation after being treated with the AgNPs. Finally, the mechanism for their bactericidal activity was proposed according to the results of scanning electron microscopy and single cell gel electrophoresis

  14. Techniques for controlling variability in gram staining of obligate anaerobes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, M J; Thatcher, E; Cox, M E

    1995-01-01

    Identification of anaerobes recovered from clinical samples is complicated by the fact that certain gram-positive anaerobes routinely stain gram negative; Peptostreptococcus asaccharolyticus, Eubacterium plautii, Clostridium ramosum, Clostridium symbiosum, and Clostridium clostridiiforme are among the nonconformists with regard to conventional Gram-staining procedures. Accurate Gram staining of American Type Culture Collection strains of these anaerobic bacteria is possible by implementing fixing and staining techniques within a gloveless anaerobic chamber. Under anaerobic conditions, gram-positive staining occurred in all test organisms with "quick" fixing techniques with both absolute methanol and formalin. The results support the hypothesis that, when anaerobic bacteria are exposed to oxygen, a breakdown of the physical integrity of the cell wall occurs, introducing Gram stain variability in gram-positive anaerobes. PMID:7538512

  15. Suetônio, dos gramáticos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcos Martinho

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available O Dos gramáticos de Suetônio divide-se em duas partes: na primeira, o autor narra a introdução, desenvolvimento, florescimento e declínio da gramática em Roma (1-4; na segunda, expõe a biografia de vinte professores de gramática, que ensinaram na Cidade entre o início do séc.  I a.C. e meados do século seguinte (5-24. Quanto à primeira parte, procuro mostrar que Suetônio adota conceitos fisicistas ou naturalistas para narrar a história da gramática em Roma, de modo que aquela se possa comparar à vida de um ser vivo. Assim, a exposição de Suetônio revela-se, na verdade, antes biográfica que historicista. Quanto à segunda parte, procuro mostrar que o Biógrafo se interessa por gramáticos que não só escreveram sobre sua arte no ócio, mas a ensinaram por ofício, isto é, por professores de gramática. Daí, seleciono e comento os elementos narrativos relacionados à docência, a saber: os métodos de ensino, o lugar de ensino, o número e qualidade dos alunos, os preços e honorários dos professores. Por fim, apresento tradução anotada do texto de Suetônio.

  16. Studies on the planktonic Decapoda and Stomatopoda (Crustacea) from the western Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Paulinose, V.T.; Nair, V.R.; Goswami, S.C.

    Abundance and distribution of decapods and stomatopods were studied, based on 90 samples collected from the western Bay of Bengal (Lat. 09 degrees 58' and 20 degrees 50'N and long. 80 degrees 00'E) between 24 August and 2 October, 1976. The decapod...

  17. Verecundia, risa y decoro: Cicerón y el arte de insultar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mas, Salvador

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available One can speak about laughter in many ways; one can take, for example, a physiological approach, or a psychological one, or even a third sociological one, which the ancients did not completely disregard. Cicero, however, preferred to focus on the rhetorical possibilities of laughter and humor. The relevance of jest and jokes in order to get an audience’s favor or to ridicule an adversary is undeniable; but, despite their effectiveness and given their effectiveness, that jest and jokes can also exceed the limits of what is acceptable or advisable is also undeniable. An issue that is all the more serious since the orator can and should make joke of matters which, taken in themselves, are not funny. Cicero's rhetoric on laughter raises the issue of, and flows into, the ethics and the tactics that are attentive to the study and possible codification of the guiding principles in using such a powerful resource as humor. It is a resource that should be used in an advisable, appropriate, and dignified manner (for all these manners can be translated the Greek prepon and the latin decorum, which presupposes that it is not always so used, and, with respect to this at the following pages, presupposes that there is laughter that inappropriate, that is almost shameful, and that can result in difficulties for whoever causes the laughter and uses that humor, since it is always dangerous to laugh at the powerful. Undoubtedly, Cicero was an individual who very much insulted others, with wit, humor, and sometimes with extraordinary aggressiveness.Sobre la risa puede hablarse de muchas maneras; cabe, por ejemplo, una aproximación fisiológica, otra psicológica o una tercera sociológica, que los antiguos no desatendieron por completo, si bien Cicerón prefirió investigar sus posibilidades retóricas. A nadie se le oculta la relevancia de chanzas y chistes para disponer a la audiencia de manera favorable o para ridiculizar al adversario; tampoco que esta

  18. Dissecting the Root Nodule Transcriptome of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L..

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chandra Kant

    Full Text Available A hallmark trait of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L., like other legumes, is the capability to convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2 into ammonia (NH3 in symbiotic association with Mesorhizobium ciceri. However, the complexity of molecular networks associated with the dynamics of nodule development in chickpea need to be analyzed in depth. Hence, in order to gain insights into the chickpea nodule development, the transcriptomes of nodules at early, middle and late stages of development were sequenced using the Roche 454 platform. This generated 490.84 Mb sequence data comprising 1,360,251 reads which were assembled into 83,405 unigenes. Transcripts were annotated using Gene Ontology (GO, Cluster of Orthologous Groups (COG and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG metabolic pathways analysis. Differential expression analysis revealed that a total of 3760 transcripts were differentially expressed in at least one of three stages, whereas 935, 117 and 2707 transcripts were found to be differentially expressed in the early, middle and late stages of nodule development respectively. MapMan analysis revealed enrichment of metabolic pathways such as transport, protein synthesis, signaling and carbohydrate metabolism during root nodulation. Transcription factors were predicted and analyzed for their differential expression during nodule development. Putative nodule specific transcripts were identified and enriched for GO categories using BiNGO which revealed many categories to be enriched during nodule development, including transcription regulators and transporters. Further, the assembled transcriptome was also used to mine for genic SSR markers. In conclusion, this study will help in enriching the transcriptomic resources implicated in understanding of root nodulation events in chickpea.

  19. Gramática Hipertextual

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francilaine Munhoz Moraes

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available No meio digital, a construção da notícia se dá pelo hipertexto. Uma linguagem própria ao suporte consolida-se nas duas últimas décadas. Este artigo se dedica a discutir regularidades linguísticas do discurso jornalístico na web. Se há uma linguagem peculiar ao meio, existe também uma gramática correspondente: a gramática hipertextual. Nesse viés, levantamos traços linguísticos da estrutura sintático-semântica, com base na organização da informação em páginas noticiosas eletrônicas. 

  20. First report of Seuratascaris numidica Seurat, 1917 (Nematoda: Ascarididae) and other helminths from amphibians of West Bengal, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sou, Sujan K; Bursey, Charles R

    2017-03-01

    Studies on nematode parasites from anuran hosts from Eastern India, particularly West Bengal, are rare. To our knowledge, there is a report of larvae of Monhysterides sp. (a fish parasite) from cysts within the body cavity and musculature of Duttaphrynus melanostictus, Hoplobatrachus tigerinus and Euphlyctis hexadactylus as well as descriptions of Aplectana duttaphryni from D. melanostictus , Aplectana dubrajpuri from H. tigerinus , Cosmocerca microhylae from Microhyla rubra and Rhabdias bulbicauda from D. melanostictus . Here, we report mature individuals of typical anuran parasites, Diplodiscus amphichrus and Seuratascaris numidica , from H. tigerinus and larvae of Acuariidae (a bird parasite) from Fejervarya limnocharis collected in Kulti, West Bengal.

  1. Protein classification using modified n-grams and skip-grams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, S M Ashiqul; Heil, Benjamin J; Kearney, Christopher Michel; Baker, Erich J

    2018-05-01

    Classification by supervised machine learning greatly facilitates the annotation of protein characteristics from their primary sequence. However, the feature generation step in this process requires detailed knowledge of attributes used to classify the proteins. Lack of this knowledge risks the selection of irrelevant features, resulting in a faulty model. In this study, we introduce a supervised protein classification method with a novel means of automating the work-intensive feature generation step via a Natural Language Processing (NLP)-dependent model, using a modified combination of n-grams and skip-grams (m-NGSG). A meta-comparison of cross-validation accuracy with twelve training datasets from nine different published studies demonstrates a consistent increase in accuracy of m-NGSG when compared to contemporary classification and feature generation models. We expect this model to accelerate the classification of proteins from primary sequence data and increase the accessibility of protein characteristic prediction to a broader range of scientists. m-NGSG is freely available at Bitbucket: https://bitbucket.org/sm_islam/mngsg/src. A web server is available at watson.ecs.baylor.edu/ngsg. erich_baker@baylor.edu. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  2. Simultaneous fluorescent gram staining and activity assessment of activated sludge bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forster, Scott; Snape, Jason R; Lappin-Scott, Hilary M; Porter, Jonathan

    2002-10-01

    Wastewater treatment is one of the most important commercial biotechnological processes, and yet the component bacterial populations and their associated metabolic activities are poorly understood. The novel fluorescent dye hexidium iodide allows assessment of Gram status by differential absorption through bacterial cell walls. Differentiation between gram-positive and gram-negative wastewater bacteria was achieved after flow cytometric analysis. This study shows that the relative proportions of gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial cells identified by traditional microscopy and hexidium iodide staining were not significantly different. Dual staining of cells for Gram status and activity proved effective in analyzing mixtures of cultured bacteria and wastewater populations. Levels of highly active organisms at two wastewater treatment plants, both gram positive and gram negative, ranged from 1.5% in activated sludge flocs to 16% in the activated sludge fluid. Gram-positive organisms comprised Gram status and activity within activated sludge samples over a 4-day period showed significant differences over time. This method provides a rapid, quantitative measure of Gram status linked with in situ activity within wastewater systems.

  3. Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency of EMS, sodium azide and gamma radiation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barshile, J.D.; Apparao, B.J.

    2006-01-01

    Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency of Ethyl Methane Sulphonate (EMS), Sodium Azide (SA) and gamma radiation on two cultivars of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L), Vijay and Vishwas were evaluated by the biological damages caused by them in M 1 generation and on the basis of frequency of chlorophyll mutations produced in the M 2 generation. All mutagenic treatments of EMS, SA and gamma radiation decreased germination, seedling height, plant survival and pollen fertility in both the cultivars. The extent of effect was dose dependent. LD 50 values of mutagen were found to be helpful for planning experimental mutagenesis in chickpea. Frequency of chlorophyll mutations in M 2 generation was less in Vijay as compared to Vishwas. Mutagenic effectiveness is inversely proportional to the increasing concentrations/doses of mutagens in both the cultivars, except for gamma radiation treatments in the cultivar Vishwas. All three mutagens (except EMS in the Vijay and gamma radiation in the cultivar Vishwas) exhibited gradual decrease in mutagenic efficiency, with an increase in their concentration/dose. (author)

  4. Different Use of Cell Surface Glycosaminoglycans As Adherence Receptors to Corneal Cells by Gram Positive and Gram Negative Pathogens

    Science.gov (United States)

    García, Beatriz; Merayo-Lloves, Jesús; Rodríguez, David; Alcalde, Ignacio; García-Suárez, Olivia; Alfonso, José F.; Baamonde, Begoña; Fernández-Vega, Andrés; Vazquez, Fernando; Quirós, Luis M.

    2016-01-01

    The epithelium of the cornea is continuously exposed to pathogens, and adhesion to epithelial cells is regarded as an essential first step in bacterial pathogenesis. In this article, the involvement of glycosaminoglycans in the adhesion of various pathogenic bacteria to corneal epithelial cells is analyzed. All microorganisms use glycosaminoglycans as receptors, but arranged in different patterns depending on the Gram-type of the bacterium. The heparan sulfate chains of syndecans are the main receptors, though other molecular species also seem to be involved, particularly in Gram-negative bacteria. Adherence is inhibited differentially by peptides, including heparin binding sequences, indicating the participation of various groups of Gram-positive, and -negative adhesins. The length of the saccharides produces a major effect, and low molecular weight chains inhibit the binding of Gram-negative microorganisms but increase the adherence of Gram-positives. Pathogen adhesion appears to occur preferentially through sulfated domains, and is very dependent on N- and 6-O-sulfation of the glucosamine residue and, to a lesser extent, 2-O sulfation of uronic acid. These data show the differential use of corneal receptors, which could facilitate the development of new anti-infective strategies. PMID:27965938

  5. Observed changes in ocean acidity and carbon dioxide exchange in the coastal Bay of Bengal - a link to air pollution

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sarma, V.V.S.S.; Krishna, M.S.; Paul, Y.S.; Murty, V.S.N.

    acidity and carbon dioxide exchange in the coastal Bay of Bengal � a link to air pollution By V. V. S. S. SARMA*, M. S. KRISHNA, Y. S. PAUL and V. S. N. MURTY, CSIR�National Institute of Oceanography, 176 Lawsons Bay Colony, Visakhapatnam, India... atmosphere boundary layer over the Bay of Bengal (mean: 5.7 mg m�3) compared to fluxes in the Arabian Sea (mean: 2.9 mg m�3), indicating that the former receives more pollutants than the latter region during January to April when air flow from land to sea...

  6. A brief study on the imprints of seismo tectonic activities in the crust of central and southern Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sarma, K.V.L.N.S.; Subrahmanyam, A; Subrahmanyam, V.; Murty, G.P.S.; Rao, K.M.

    .Previousresults indicate that IT Imprintsof seismo tectonicactivities inthe crustof pans of Bay of Bengal --~ . i' . " " "'. ,. Fig.S. Sarellirederil'ed gral'iry allomaly data of Hm' of BellRalsho'A'i1ll!the imprillls of cru.\\.talstructure alld glm'in' lows (After Salld.... - April 2007. Vol. XXVIII '\\10.1& 2 pp 55 to 62 A BRIEF STUDY ON IMPRINTS OF SEISMO TECTONIC ,\\CTIVITIES IN THE CRUST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN BAY OF BENGAL K.V.L.N.S.Sarma,A.S. Subrahmanyam, V.Subrahmanyam, G.P.S. Murty and K. Mohana Rao Nationallll...

  7. Financial Inclusion in India: A case-study of West Bengal

    OpenAIRE

    Chattopadhyay, Sadhan Kumar

    2011-01-01

    The study observes that although there has been an improvement in outreach activity in the banking sector, the achievement in respect of financial inclusion is not significant in West Bengal. An index of financial inclusion (IFI) has been developed in the study using data on three dimensions of financial inclusion. It is revealed from the index that Kolkata district leads with the highest value of IFI, while rest of the districts show a very low level of financial inclusion. This implies that...

  8. Diagnostic Significance of the Blood Disappearance Rate of {sup 131}I-Rose Bengal and of {sup 198}Au colloid in Hepatobiliary Diseases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chun, Young Kyoon; Hahn, Shim Suk; Koh, Chang Soon [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1971-09-15

    The liver function test was performed by means of two radioisotope tracer techniques in 20 normal subjects and in 63 patients with hepatobiliary diseases. The blood disappearance rates of {sup 131}I-rose bengal and of {sup 198}Au colloid were determined by external counting method. The hepatocellular function and the hepatic blood flow were estimated from the observed data and the results were compared with those of the conventional liver function tests. The results obtained were as follows: 1. The mean blood disappearance half time of {sup 131}I-rose bengal was 6.6+-0.63 minutes in normal control, 17.7+-6.93 in cirrhosis of the liver, 16.6+-4. 80 in acute hepatitis, and 14 7+-3.46 in obstructive jaundice. It was markedly prolonged in the hepatobiliary diseases as compared with the normal control, but there was no significant difference among the hepatobiliary diseases. 2.The mean blood disappearance half time of {sup 198}Au colloid was 4. 0+-0. 66 minutes in normal control, 9.8+-3.42 in cirrhosis of the liver, 4.4+-0.82 in acute hepatitis, and 5.0+-1.42 in obstructive jaundice. The difference between cirrhosis of the liver and normal control was statistically significant. However, there was no definite difference among acute hepatitis, obstructive jaundice, and normal control. The mean blood disappearance rate constant (K value) was 0.177+-0.028/minute in normal control, In cirrhosis of the liver, it was markedly decreased which was suggestive of the reduced hepatic blood flow. 3. The ratio of {sup 131}I-rose bengal blood disappearance half time to {sup 198}Au colloid disappearance half time was 1.68+-0.20 in normal control, 1.82+-0.31 in cirrhosis of the liver, 3.80+-0.82 in acute hepatitis, and 3.01+-0.54 in obstructive jaundice. The ratios in acute hepatitis and obstructive jaundice were remarkably higher than those in normal control and cirrhosis of the liver. 4. There was a significant correlation between the blood disappearance half time of {sup 131}I

  9. Chronic natural arsenic exposure affecting histoarchitecture of gonads in Black Bengal goats (Capra aegagrushircus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md. Abdul Wares

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic is a major water pollutant that may cause serious health hazard (e.g., infertility in human and animal. We evaluated the changes in histoarchitecture of testes and ovaries of adult Black Bengal goats (n=10 reared in arsenic affected areas in Bangladesh. Grossly, we found insignificant variations among the testes and ovaries, but histological evaluation revealed an extensive alteration in morphology of both testes and ovaries in the arsenic affected goats. In testes, the thickening of tunica albugenia and trabeculae, widening of intertubular space between seminiferous tubules, and narrowing in diameter of seminiferous tubules were observed. In ovaries of arsenic affected goats, significant decrease in number of primary follicles and antral follicles were observed. The diameters of secondary and antral follicles were significantly reduced. The granulosa layer of antral follicles showed marked thickening. The findings indicate that chronic arsenic exposure alters the histoarchitecture of both male and female gonads in Black Bengal goat, and thereby may affect their reproductive performance.

  10. Chemical absorption of acoustic energy due to an eddy in the western Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    PrasannaKumar, S.; Navelkar, G.S.; Murty, T.V.R.; Somayajulu, Y.K.; Murty, C.S.

    Acoustic energy losses due to chemical absorption, within the western Bay of Bengal, in the presence of a subsurface meso-scale cold core eddy has been analysed. These estimates, for two different frequencies - 400 Hz and 10 kHz, find applications...

  11. Trace metal concentrations in zooplankton from the eastern Arabian Sea and western Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rejomon, G.; Balachandran, K.K.; Nair, M.; Joseph, T.; DineshKumar, P.K.; Achuthankutty, C.T.; Nair, K.K.C.; Pillai, N.G.K.

    Trace metal contents in zooplankton samples were estimated as a part of the Marine Research-Living Resource program at 24 stations in the Bay of Bengal (November, 2002) and 29 stations in the Arabian Sea (September-October, 2003) during the Cruises...

  12. Seasonal cyclogenesis and the role of near-surface stratified layer in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Murty, V.S.N.; Sarma, M.S.S.; Tilvi, V.

    The role of the near-surface stratified layer developed due to the spread of low salinity waters under the influence of freshwater influx on the cyclogenesis over the Bay of Bengal is addressed. The seasonal variation of the Effective Oceanic Layer...

  13. Pleural effusion adenosine deaminase: a candidate biomarker to discriminate between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial infections of the pleural space

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruolin Li

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: Delay in the treatment of pleural infection may contribute to its high mortality. In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pleural adenosine deaminase in discrimination between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial infections of the pleural space prior to selecting antibiotics. METHODS: A total of 76 patients were enrolled and grouped into subgroups according to Gram staining: 1 patients with Gram-negative bacterial infections, aged 53.2±18.6 years old, of whom 44.7% had empyemas and 2 patients with Gram-positive bacterial infections, aged 53.5±21.5 years old, of whom 63.1% had empyemas. The pleural effusion was sampled by thoracocentesis and then sent for adenosine deaminase testing, biochemical testing and microbiological culture. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to examine the differences in adenosine deaminase levels between the groups. Correlations between adenosine deaminase and specified variables were also quantified using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Moreover, receiver operator characteristic analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pleural effusion adenosine deaminase. RESULTS: Mean pleural adenosine deaminase levels differed significantly between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial infections of the pleural space (191.8±32.1 U/L vs 81.0±16.9 U/L, p<0.01. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.689 (95% confidence interval: 0.570, 0.792, p<0.01 at the cutoff value of 86 U/L. Additionally, pleural adenosine deaminase had a sensitivity of 63.2% (46.0-78.2%; a specificity of 73.7% (56.9-86.6%; positive and negative likelihood ratios of 2.18 and 0.50, respectively; and positive and negative predictive values of 70.6% and 66.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Pleural effusion adenosine deaminase is a helpful alternative biomarker for early and quick discrimination of Gram-negative from Gram-positive bacterial infections of the

  14. Transportation scenario of Black Bengal goats in Gabtoli and Sirajganj markets of Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Nazmus sakib

    2016-03-01

    Conclusion: From this study it is concluded that Black Bengal goats became physically unfit during long time transportation although majority of the farmers took proper management practices. Therefore, changes in behavioral responses might be alleviated through creating awareness to animal raiser as well transporter. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(1.000: 38-44

  15. Modeling Salinity Exchanges Between the Equatorial Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-06-01

    parameters such as shortwave and long- wave radiation, specific humidity, and air temperature were taken from TropFlux data ( Praveen Kumar et  al...Bengal. Journal of Geophysical Research 120:3,315–3,329, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010340. Praveen Kumar, B., J. Vialard, M. Lengaigne, V.S. Murty

  16. Orbit Classification of Qutrit via the Gram Matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tay, B. A.; Zainuddin, Hishamuddin

    2008-01-01

    We classify the orbits generated by unitary transformation on the density matrices of the three-state quantum systems (qutrits) via the Gram matrix. The Gram matrix is a real symmetric matrix formed from the Hilbert–Schmidt scalar products of the vectors lying in the tangent space to the orbits. The rank of the Gram matrix determines the dimensions of the orbits, which fall into three classes for qutrits. (general)

  17. [Usefulness of sputum Gram staining in community-acquired pneumonia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Tadashi; Aoshima, Masahiro; Ohmagari, Norio; Tada, Hiroshi; Chohnabayashi, Naohiko

    2002-07-01

    To evaluate the usefulness of sputum gram staining in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), we reviewed 144 cases requiring hospitalization in the last 4 years. The sensitivity was 75.5%, specificity 68.2%, positive predictive value 74.1%, negative predictive value 69.8%, positive likelihood ratio 2.37, negative likelihood ratio 0.36 and accuracy 72.2% in 97 cases. Both sputum gram staining and culture were performed. Concerning bacterial pneumonia (65 cases), we compared the Gram staining group (n = 33), which received initial antibiotic treatment, based on sputum gram staining with the Empiric group (n = 32) that received antibiotics empirically. The success rates of the initial antibiotic treatment were 87.9% vs. 78.1% (P = 0.473); mean hospitalization periods were 9.67 vs. 11.75 days (P = 0.053); and periods of intravenous therapy were 6.73 vs. 7.91 days (P = 0.044), respectively. As for initial treatment, penicillins were used in the Gram staining group more frequently (P gram staining is useful for the shortening of the treatment period and the appropriate selection of initial antibiotics in bacterial pneumonia. We believe, therefore, that sputum gram staining is indispensable as a diagnostic tool CAP.

  18. Neither Single nor a Combination of Routine Laboratory Parameters can Discriminate between Gram-positive and Gram-negative Bacteremia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratzinger, Franz; Dedeyan, Michel; Rammerstorfer, Matthias; Perkmann, Thomas; Burgmann, Heinz; Makristathis, Athanasios; Dorffner, Georg; Loetsch, Felix; Blacky, Alexander; Ramharter, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Adequate early empiric antibiotic therapy is pivotal for the outcome of patients with bloodstream infections. In clinical practice the use of surrogate laboratory parameters is frequently proposed to predict underlying bacterial pathogens; however there is no clear evidence for this assumption. In this study, we investigated the discriminatory capacity of predictive models consisting of routinely available laboratory parameters to predict the presence of Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteremia. Major machine learning algorithms were screened for their capacity to maximize the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) for discriminating between Gram-positive and Gram-negative cases. Data from 23,765 patients with clinically suspected bacteremia were screened and 1,180 bacteremic patients were included in the study. A relative predominance of Gram-negative bacteremia (54.0%), which was more pronounced in females (59.1%), was observed. The final model achieved 0.675 ROC-AUC resulting in 44.57% sensitivity and 79.75% specificity. Various parameters presented a significant difference between both genders. In gender-specific models, the discriminatory potency was slightly improved. The results of this study do not support the use of surrogate laboratory parameters for predicting classes of causative pathogens. In this patient cohort, gender-specific differences in various laboratory parameters were observed, indicating differences in the host response between genders. PMID:26522966

  19. Drug-resistant gram-negative uropathogens: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khoshnood, Saeed; Heidary, Mohsen; Mirnejad, Reza; Bahramian, Aghil; Sedighi, Mansour; Mirzaei, Habibollah

    2017-10-01

    Urinary tract infection(UTI) caused by Gram-negative bacteria is the second most common infectious presentation in community medical practice. Approximately 150 million people are diagnosed with UTI each year worldwide. Drug resistance in Gram-negative uropathogens is a major global concern which can lead to poor clinical outcomes including treatment failure, development of bacteremia, requirement for intravenous therapy, hospitalization, and extended length of hospital stay. The mechanisms of drug resistance in these bacteria are important due to they are often not identified by routine susceptibility tests and have an exceptional potential for outbreaks. Treatment of UTIs depends on the access to effective drugs, which is now threatened by antibiotic resistant Gram-negative uropathogens. Although several effective antibiotics with activity against highly resistant Gram-negatives are available, there is not a unique antibiotic with activity against the high variety of resistance. Therefore, antimicrobial susceptibility tests, correlation between clinicians and laboratories, development of more rapid diagnostic methods, and continuous monitoring of drug resistance are urgent priorities. In this review, we will discuss about the current global status of drug-resistant Gram-negative uropathogens and their mechanisms of drug resistance to provide new insights into their treatment options. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  20. Gram staining in the diagnosis of acute septic arthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faraj, A A; Omonbude, O D; Godwin, P

    2002-10-01

    This study aimed at determining the sensitivity and specificity of Gram staining of synovial fluid as a diagnostic tool in acute septic arthritis. A retrospective study was made of 22 patients who had arthroscopic lavage following a provisional diagnosis of acute septic arthritis of the knee joint. Gram stains and cultures of the knee aspirates were compared with the clinical and laboratory parameters, to evaluate their usefulness in diagnosing acute arthritis. All patients who had septic arthritis had pain, swelling and limitation of movement. CRP was elevated in 90% of patients. The incidence of elevated white blood cell count was higher in the group of patients with a positive Gram stain study (60%) as compared to patients with a negative Gram stain study (33%). Gram staining sensitivity was 45%. Its specificity was however 100%. Gram staining is an unreliable tool in early decision making in patients requiring urgent surgical drainage and washout.

  1. Lithological and mineralogical changes observed in a core from the western Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Reddy, N.P.C.; Rao, K.M.; Putra, S.V.S; Rao, Ch.M.

    Lithological and mineralogical studies were carried out on sediments from a 650 cm long core from the north western Bay of Bengal at a depth of 2700 m. These studies demarcate a boundary at 380 cm designated as unit 1 from 0-380 cm and unit 2 from...

  2. Nutritional value and acceptability of irradiated legumes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marathe, S.A.; Rao, V.S.; Thomas, Paul

    1998-01-01

    Disinfestation of prepacked cereal products, legumes and pulses by low dose gamma irradiation is well documented. This study showed that irradiation of prepacked green gram (Mung), Bengal gram (Chick pea or Chole) and horse bean (Val) at 0.25 and 0.75 kGy dose did not alter the contents of macronutrients, functional qualities and sensory attributes of these legumes, compared to non-irradiated legumes. (author)

  3. Physico-chemical, sensory and microbial quality of chicken meat chips

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Devalakshmi

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Chicken meat chips with different extenders (Bengal gram flour, Black gram flour and cooked mashed potato each at 15% level and control were prepared and stored up to 8 weeks both at ambient (37+2°C and refrigerated (7+ 1°C temperature. The samples were analyzed for physical, chemical, microbiological and sensory quality characteristics. [Vet World 2010; 3(4.000: 182-184

  4. Sighting of Elymnias panthera (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae in West Bengal, eastern India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.B. Roy

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The Tawny Palmfly butterfly, Elymnias panthera (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae, is a Malayan species that is also known from the Nicobar Islands. Here we report sighting of E. panthera from the Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal, eastern India. This is the first sighting of the species from mainland India, and is a possible range extension of the species into northeastern India.

  5. Raman Spectroscopy of Xylitol Uptake and Metabolism in Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palchaudhuri, Sunil; Rehse, Steven J.; Hamasha, Khozima; Syed, Talha; Kurtovic, Eldar; Kurtovic, Emir; Stenger, James

    2011-01-01

    Visible-wavelength Raman spectroscopy was used to investigate the uptake and metabolism of the five-carbon sugar alcohol xylitol by Gram-positive viridans group streptococcus and the two extensively used strains of Gram-negative Escherichia coli, E. coli C and E. coli K-12. E. coli C, but not E. coli K-12, contains a complete xylitol operon, and the viridans group streptococcus contains an incomplete xylitol operon used to metabolize the xylitol. Raman spectra from xylitol-exposed viridans group streptococcus exhibited significant changes that persisted even in progeny grown from the xylitol-exposed mother cells in a xylitol-free medium for 24 h. This behavior was not observed in the E. coli K-12. In both viridans group streptococcus and the E. coli C derivative HF4714, the metabolic intermediates are stably formed to create an anomaly in bacterial normal survival. The uptake of xylitol by Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens occurs even in the presence of other high-calorie sugars, and its stable integration within the bacterial cell wall may discontinue bacterial multiplication. This could be a contributing factor for the known efficacy of xylitol when taken as a prophylactic measure to prevent or reduce occurrences of persistent infection. Specifically, these bacteria are causative agents for several important diseases of children such as pneumonia, otitis media, meningitis, and dental caries. If properly explored, such an inexpensive and harmless sugar-alcohol, alone or used in conjunction with fluoride, would pave the way to an alternative preventive therapy for these childhood diseases when the causative pathogens have become resistant to modern medicines such as antibiotics and vaccine immunotherapy. PMID:21037297

  6. Circulation and distribution of some hydrographical properties during the late winter in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, D.P.; Sastry, J.S.

    Charts showing dynamic topography, mass distribution, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and inorganic phosphate in the upper layers of the Bay of Bengal for the late winter period were analysed and presented. The near surface circulation has...

  7. Colorectal Cancer: A Study of Risk Factors in a Tertiary Care Hospital of North Bengal

    OpenAIRE

    Bhattacharya, Sumanta; Bhattacharya, Saikat; Basu, Rivu; Bera, Pranati; Halder, Aniket

    2014-01-01

    Aim: Age, sex, living place (urban or rural), smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary pattern, obesity are considered as risk factors for Colorectal cancer. Our study was done to evaluate the association between these risk factors and colorectal cancer in the population of North Bengal.

  8. The movement and implications of the Ganges-Bramhaputra runoff on entering the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Shetye, S.R.

    The Ganges-Brahmaputra rivers discharge annually approximately 10 sup(2) m sup(3) of freshwater into the Bay of Bengal at its northern end. We propose that the spread of this water, accompaniEd. by mixing with the ambient waters, occurs in three...

  9. Distribution and seasonal abundance of carangid larvae in the Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Peter, K.J.; Balachandran, T.

    Carangid larvae were recorded from 8.8% of the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) stations in the Arabian Sea and 13.2% in the Bay of Bengal. Their total contribution was 1.1% of the total larvae collected. The highest number of larvae...

  10. Dynamic Study on the Hepatobiliary Diseases with Combination of 131I-Rose bengal and 198Au-Colloid Scintiphotography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rhee, Yong Kok

    1971-01-01

    The radioactive 131 I-Rose bengal serial scintiphotography was performed in 62 patients with the hepatobiliary diseases and in 20 normal subjects. This approach permitted visualization of the hepatic uptake of 131 I-Rose bengal from the circulation and its excretion into the biliary trees and the intestines. In some of these patients, gallbladder function was examined, using eggs as a gallbladder constrictor. The time of maximum hepatic uptake was well correlated to the conventional biochemical liver function tests. In addition to 131 I-Rose bengal scintiphotography, 198 Au-colloid scintiphotography was also performed to make comparison of these two tests. The results obtained were as follows: 1) In normal subjects, the maximum hepatic uptake of 131 I-Rose bengal occurred at 23±2.9 minutes, the initial hepatic excretion at 34±5.1 minutes, the visualization of the gallbladder at 29±5.7 minutes and the intestinal visualization at 54±25.8 minutes. The radioactivity in the gallbladder decreased to 10.7±5.0% one hour after the ingestion of eggs. 2) In the patients with cirrhosis of the liver, there was a delayed and decreased hepatic uptake. The maximum hepatic uptake occurred at 43±12.9 minutes. The differences in the results of uptake between the cirrhotic and the normal group were statistically significant. The initial hepatic excretion occurred at 60±18.5 minutes and had tendency of delaying compared with the normal controls. The gallbladder was visualized in 13 of 16 cases (81%) and its visualization occurred at 49±14.6 minutes with a tendency to be delayed compared with the normal controls. The intestinal visualization occurred at 63±15.8 minutes and its delaying tendency was somewhat more prominent. 3) In patients with hepatitis, the maximum hepatic uptake occurred at 59±21.4 minutes and was significantly delayed. The initial hepatic excretion occurred at 82±34.3 minutes and the results revealed a delaying tendency. The gallbladder was visualized in 15

  11. Marker-trait association study for protein content in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jadhav, A A; Rayate, S J; Mhase, L B; Thudi, M; Chitikineni, A; Harer, P N; Jadhav, A S; Varshney, R K; Kulwal, P L

    2015-06-01

    Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the second most important cool season food legume cultivated in arid and semiarid regions of the world. The objective of the present study was to study variation for protein content in chickpea germplasm, and to find markers associated with it. A set of 187 genotypes comprising both international and exotic collections, and representing both desi and kabuli types with protein content ranging from 13.25% to 26.77% was used. Twenty-three SSR markers representing all eight linkage groups (LG) amplifying 153 loci were used for the analysis. Population structure analysis identified three subpopulations, and corresponding Q values of principal components were used to take care of population structure in the analysis which was performed using general linear and mixed linear models. Marker-trait association (MTA) analysis identified nine significant associations representing four QTLs in the entire population. Subpopulation analyses identified ten significant MTAs representing five QTLs, four of which were common with that of the entire population. Two most significant QTLs linked with markers TR26.205 and CaM1068.195 were present on LG3 and LG5. Gene ontology search identified 29 candidate genes in the region of significant MTAs on LG3. The present study will be helpful in concentrating on LG3 and LG5 for identification of closely linked markers for protein content in chickpea and for their use in molecular breeding programme for nutritional quality improvement.

  12. Stool Gram stain

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... stool sample. The Gram stain method is sometimes used to quickly diagnose bacterial infections. How the Test is Performed You will need to collect a stool sample. There are many ways to collect the sample. You can catch the stool on plastic wrap that is loosely placed over the toilet bowl ...

  13. Sanctified madness: the God-intoxicated saints of Bengal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morinis, A

    1985-01-01

    The saintly madman is a familiar character in South Asia. To outer appearances he is no different from a lunatic, but the mad saint comes to be revered because his idiocy is popularly believed to arise from a different cause than ordinary madness. The common psychopath neglects social conventions because his consciousness is dimmed by incapacity; the saintly madman also breaches convention, but does so because his heightened consciousness has liberated him from the bonds of convention that entrap ordinary people. In the terms of Hinduism, he has tasted the divine nectar of God-realization and has returned to the human realm intoxicated by the experience. In this paper two popular God intoxicated saints of Bengal are discussed. The question is posed whether 'God intoxication' can be considered a culture-bound syndrome of Bengal. The concept of 'culture bound syndrome' is found to be too narrow to encompass the most significant issues to arise from reflection on the characteristics of the God intoxicated. These larger issues have to do with the relationship between cultural practices and models and mental states (whether deviant, as implied by the term 'syndrome' although deviance does not always carry the negative connotation implicit in 'syndrome', or normal). It is suggested that all cultures culture a limited range of mental states and thus the questions posed by the notion of culture bound syndromes are subsumed by larger questions about the relationship of all mind-states to the socio-cultural environment which conditions them. The conclusion is that God intoxication is indeed a uniquely Bengali mental condition, with variants throughout South Asia and kinship to other mystical states, but that the concept of 'syndrome' is not useful.

  14. AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) to Estimate the Pattern and Correlates of Alcohol Consumption among the Adult Population of West Bengal, India: A Community Based Cross-sectional Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sau, Arkaprabha

    2017-04-01

    Pattern of alcohol consumption substantially changed in India with in last 20 to 25 years. Excessive alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for various morbidity and mortality. So, scientific study to identify alcohol consumption patterns and its correlates will be helpful to formulate preventive strategies. To estimate the pattern of alcohol consumption and to determine its correlates, among the adult population of the state of West Bengal in India. A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among the adult population of the state of West Bengal at Gram Panchayat (GP) level. Ninety-nine (n=99) adult (≥ 18 years) men and women of Guchati GP at Paschim Medinipur district, was selected using Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) technique. The study participants were interviewed using a pre-designed and pre-tested schedule. It was estimated that the prevalence of low risk drinking or abstinence (Zone I) was 65.5% (95% CI 55.5% to 75.5%) and the prevalence of alcohol use in excess of low-risk (Zone II) was 17.6% (95% CI 7.6% to 27.6%), and the prevalence of harmful and hazardous drinking (Zone III) was 8.5% (95% CI 0% to 18.5%) and the prevalence alcohol dependence (Zone-IV) was 8.4% (0% to 18.4%). Logistic regression model shows that "gender" (p = 0.00) and "employment status" (p = 0.01) added significantly to the model with adjusted odds ratio of 82.27 (95% CI 18.17-372.58) and 0.13 (0.03-0.66). There is a need for comprehensive screening and treatment programme to deal with the problems of Alcohol Use Disorders among adults to achieve good health and well being for sustainable development.

  15. Proteomics approach to identify dehydration responsive nuclear proteins from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandey, Aarti; Chakraborty, Subhra; Datta, Asis; Chakraborty, Niranjan

    2008-01-01

    Dehydration or water-deficit is one of the most important environmental stress factors that greatly influences plant growth and development and limits crop productivity. Plants respond and adapt to such stress by altering their cellular metabolism and activating various defense machineries. Mechanisms that operate signal perception, transduction, and downstream regulatory events provide valuable information about the underlying pathways involved in environmental stress responses. The nuclear proteins constitute a highly organized, complex network that plays diverse roles during cellular development and other physiological processes. To gain a better understanding of dehydration response in plants, we have developed a comparative nuclear proteome in a food legume, chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Three-week-old chickpea seedlings were subjected to progressive dehydration by withdrawing water and the changes in the nuclear proteome were examined using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Approximately 205 protein spots were found to be differentially regulated under dehydration. Mass spectrometry analysis allowed the identification of 147 differentially expressed proteins, presumably involved in a variety of functions including gene transcription and replication, molecular chaperones, cell signaling, and chromatin remodeling. The dehydration responsive nuclear proteome of chickpea revealed a coordinated response, which involves both the regulatory as well as the functional proteins. This study, for the first time, provides an insight into the complex metabolic network operating in the nucleus during dehydration.

  16. Development of extruded Ready-To-Eat (RTE) snacks using corn, black gram, roots and tuber flour blends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddy, M Kavya; Kuna, Aparna; Devi, N Lakshmi; Krishnaiah, N; Kaur, Charanjit; Nagamalleswari, Y

    2014-09-01

    Extruded RTE snacks were prepared from flour blends made with corn flour, Bengal gram flour, roots and tuber flours in a proportion of 60-80: 20: 20 respectively and moisture was adjusted to 17-20 %. The roots and tubers flours were developed from potato (Solanum tuberosum), yam (Dioscorea spp.), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.), taro (Colocassia esculenta) and beet root (Beta vulgaris). Different formulations were extruded at 80 ± 5 °C (heater I) and 95-105 °C (heater II) temperature, 300-350 rpm screw speed, 100 ± 10 °C die temperature and 15 ± 2 kg/h feed rate. The exit diameter of the circular die was 3 mm. Sensory acceptability, physical parameters and nutrient analysis along with storage stability of the products was conducted. The fiber and energy content of the RTE extruded snack improved in experimental samples prepared using root and tuber flours. A serving of 100 g of the snack can provide more than 400 Kcal and 10 g of protein. The overall acceptability of RTE extruded products made with potato and taro were highly acceptable compared to yam and sweet potato. The study demonstrates utilization of roots and tuber flours as potential and diverse ingredients to enhance the appearance and nutritional properties in RTE extruded snack.

  17. Prediction of lipoprotein signal peptides in Gram-negative bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juncker, Agnieszka S; Willenbrock, Hanni; Von Heijne, Gunnar; Brunak, Søren; Nielsen, Henrik; Krogh, Anders

    2003-08-01

    A method to predict lipoprotein signal peptides in Gram-negative Eubacteria, LipoP, has been developed. The hidden Markov model (HMM) was able to distinguish between lipoproteins (SPaseII-cleaved proteins), SPaseI-cleaved proteins, cytoplasmic proteins, and transmembrane proteins. This predictor was able to predict 96.8% of the lipoproteins correctly with only 0.3% false positives in a set of SPaseI-cleaved, cytoplasmic, and transmembrane proteins. The results obtained were significantly better than those of previously developed methods. Even though Gram-positive lipoprotein signal peptides differ from Gram-negatives, the HMM was able to identify 92.9% of the lipoproteins included in a Gram-positive test set. A genome search was carried out for 12 Gram-negative genomes and one Gram-positive genome. The results for Escherichia coli K12 were compared with new experimental data, and the predictions by the HMM agree well with the experimentally verified lipoproteins. A neural network-based predictor was developed for comparison, and it gave very similar results. LipoP is available as a Web server at www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/LipoP/.

  18. Energy and generating mechanism of a subsurface, cold core eddy in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    PrasannaKumar, S.; Babu, M.T.; Rao, D.P.

    Computation of available potential energy (APE) of a recently observed cold core, subsurface eddy (centered at 17 degrees 40'N and 85 degrees 19'E) in the Bay of Bengal revealed that the energy maxima associated with the eddy was of the order of 1...

  19. Selective bowel decontamination results in gram-positive translocation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, R J; Smith, S D; Rowe, M I

    1990-05-01

    Colonization by enteric gram-negative bacteria with subsequent translocation is believed to be a major mechanism for infection in the critically ill patient. Selective bowel decontamination (SBD) has been used to control gram-negative infections by eliminating these potentially pathogenic bacteria while preserving anaerobic and other less pathogenic organisms. Infection with gram-positive organisms and anaerobes in two multivisceral transplant patients during SBD led us to investigate the effect of SBD on gut colonization and translocation. Twenty-four rats received enteral polymixin E, tobramycin, amphotericin B, and parenteral cefotaxime for 7 days (PTA + CEF); 23 received parenteral cefotaxime alone (CEF), 19 received the enteral antibiotics alone (PTA), 21 controls received no antibiotics. Cecal homogenates, mesenteric lymph node (MLN), liver, and spleen were cultured. Only 8% of the PTA + CEF group had gram-negative bacteria in cecal culture vs 52% CEF, 84% PTA, and 100% in controls. Log Enterococcal colony counts were higher in the PTA + CEF group (8.0 + 0.9) vs controls (5.4 + 0.4) P less than 0.01. Translocation of Enterococcus to the MLN was significantly increased in the PTA + CEF group (67%) vs controls (0%) P less than 0.01. SBD effectively eliminates gram-negative organisms from the gut in the rat model. Overgrowth and translocation of Enterococcus suggests that infection with gram-positive organisms may be a limitation of SBD.

  20. Uso de tratamento hidrotérmico e ácido clorídrico na qualidade de lichia 'Bengal' Use of hydrothermal and acid treatment in the quality of litchi 'Bengal'

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ellen Toews Doll Hojo

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Um dos maiores problemas na pós-colheita da lichia é o escurecimento do pericarpo, cuja cor vermelha se torna totalmente escurecida em 48 horas, sob 25 ºC. Tecnologias que possam controlar o escurecimento do pericarpo são valiosas, e é o foco principal da pesquisa na área de pós-colheita. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a vida útil de lichias 'Bengal', armazenadas a 20 ºC e 82 %UR após o tratamento hidrotérmico e/ou imersão em solução de HCl. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 4 x 7, com 3 repetições, onde o primeiro fator correspondeu aos tratamentos: testemunha; imersão em HCl a 1%, por 6 minutos; tratamento hidrotérmico, com imersão em água a 52 ºC por 1 minuto, seguido de resfriamento em água a 10 ºC, por 6 minutos; e tratamento hidrotérmico, seguido de resfriamento em HCl a 1%, a 10 ºC, por 6 minutos. O segundo fator foram os períodos de armazenamento: 0; 1; 2; 3;6; 9 e 12 dias. A combinação entre tratamento hidrotérmico (52 ºC por 1 minuto e resfriamento em HCl a 1% permite conservar a coloração das lichias 'Bengal' por até dois dias. Mesmo assim há escurecimento em 25% da superfície.One of the biggest problems in postharvest litchi pericarp browning is, the color red becomes totally dark in 48 hours at 25 º C. Technologies that can control the browning of the pericarp are valuable, and is the main focus of research in post-harvest. The aim of this study was to evaluate the shelf life of lychee 'Bengal', stored at 20 ° C and 82% RH after the hydrothermal treatment and/or immersion in HCl solution. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 4 x 7, with three replications, where the first factor was the treatment: control, immersion in HCl 1%, for 6 minutes; hydrothermal treatment, soaking in water at 52 ° C for 1 minutes, followed by immersion in water at 10 º C for 6 minutes, and hydrothermal treatment and subsequent cooling in 1% HCl, 10

  1. Dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons along the oil tanker route in the southern Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Topgi, R; Noronha, R; Fondekar, S.P.; SenGupta, R

    Concentrations of dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons during 3 cruises (Nos. 51, 66 and 68) of R V Gaveshani, along the oil tanker route, in the southern Bay of Bengal at 0, 10 and 20 m were 19.95 + or - 3.38, 16.78 + or - 2.53 and 13.45 + or - 2.17 mu...

  2. Allogenic and Autogenic Signals in the Detrital Zircon U-Pb Record of the Deep-Sea Bengal Fan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blum, M. D.; Rogers, K. G.; Gleason, J. D.; Najman, Y.

    2017-12-01

    The Himalayan-sourced Ganges-Brahmaputra river system and the deep-sea Bengal Fan represent Earth's largest sediment-dispersal system. This presentation summarizes a new detrital zircon U-Pb (DZ) provenance record from the Bengal Fan from cores collected during IODP Expedition 354, with coring sites located 1350 km downdip from the shelf margin. Each of our 15 samples were collected from medium- to fine-grained turbidite sand and, based on shipboard biostratigraphic analyses, our samples are late Miocene to late Pleistocene in age. Each sample was analyzed by LA-ICPMS at the Arizona Laserchron facility, with an average of n=270 concordant U-Pb ages per sample. Our goals are to use these data to evaluate the influence of allogenic controls vs. autogenic processes on signal propagation from source-to-sink. At the first order, large-scale sediment transfer to the Bengal Fan clearly records the strong tectonic and climatic forcing associated with the Himalayas and Ganges-Brahmaputra system: after up to 2500 km of river transport, and 1350 km of transport in turbidity currents, the DZ record faithfully represents Himalayan source terrains. The sand-rich turbidite part of the record is nevertheless biased towards glacial periods when rivers extended across the shelf in response to climate-forced sea-level fall, and discharged directly to slope canyons. However, only part of the Bengal Fan DZ record represents either the Ganges or the Brahmaputra, with most samples representing varying degrees of mixing of sediments from the two systems: this mixing, or the lack thereof, represents the signal of autogenic avulsions on the delta plain that result in the two river systems delivering sediment separately to the shelf margin, or together as they do today. Within the allogenic framework established by tectonic processes, the climatic system, and global climate-forced sea-level change, the DZ U-Pb record of sediment mixing or the lack thereof provides a fingerprint of autogenic

  3. The tectonic origin of the Bay of Bengal and Bangladesh

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Talwani, M.; Desa, M.; Ismaiel, M.; Krishna, K.S.

    direction for the Indian plate.  4. The 85°E Ridge was initially evolved as a fracture zone, and subsequently associated with volcanism.   5. The oceanic crust of the Western Basin of the Bay of Bengal is older than the crust of the Eastern Basin and Bangla... it a northern extension of the 86°E fracture zone, while Sar et al. [2009] suggested it could have a continental origin. Gibbons et al. [2013] inferred that the 85°E Ridge and the Kerguelen Fracture Zone formed as conjugate flanks of a 'leaky...

  4. Geo-environmental changes and agricultural land development in Bengal Delta

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyamoto, Shinji; Uchida, Haruo; Ando, Kazuo; Salim, Muhammad

    2010-01-01

    We analyzed changes in the relationship between geo-environment and agricultural land development around the central Jamuna (Brahmaputra) River, central Bangladesh. Based on sedimentary facies analysis and AMS radiocarbon dating, some conclusions are as follows: (1) Natural levees along the Jamuna River formed until ca. 12 to 11 k cal yrs BP; (2) Homesteads (bari-bhiti) were repaired by public works (mati-kata) following some flood events; (3) Paddy fields and homesteads were created since ca. 1.3 k cal yrs BP around central Bangladesh (central Bengal Delta). (author)

  5. Visible lights induced polymerization reactions: interactions between rose bengal and iron aren complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burget, D.; Grotzinger, C.; Jacques, P.; Fouassier, J.P.

    1999-01-01

    The present paper is devoted to an investigation of the interactions between Rose Bengal (RB) and an Iron aren (Irg(+)) complex that are usable in visible light induced polymerization reactions. Steady state and flash photolysis experiments were performed in order to elucidate the nature of the intermediates formed after light excitation. A complete scheme of evolution of the excited states is discussed

  6. Lack of seasonality in phytoplankton standing stock (chlorophyll a) and production in the western Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Madhu, N.V.; Jyothibabu, R.; Maheswaran, P.A.; Gerson, V.J.; Gopalakrishnan, T.C.; Nair, K.K.C.

    The investigations in the western Bay of Bengal (BoB) during summer, winter and spring intermonsoon periods evidenced lack of pronounced seasonal variation in phytoplankton standing stock (chlorophyll a) and primary production. The supply...

  7. Storm surge in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea: The problem and its prediction

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Dube, S.K.; Rao, A.D.; Sinha, P.C.; Murty, T.S.; Bahulayan, N.

    to annual economic losses in these countries. Thus, the real time monitoring and warning of storm surge is of great concern for this region. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of major aspects of the storm surge problem in the Bay of Bengal...

  8. Inter- and intra-annual variations in the population of Tripos from the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Chitari, R.R.; Anil, A.C.; Kulkarni, V.V.; Narale, D.D.; Patil, J.S.

    -K transect. In the C-P transect high numbers of T. furca can be attributed to mesoscale eddies, whereas in the P-K transect, it can be attributed to riverine discharge. The results point that, Tripos persists throughout the year in the Bay of Bengal and tend...

  9. Long-chain alkaenone unsaturation index as sea surface temperature proxy in southwest Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sarma, N.S.; Pasha, S.K.G.; SriRamKrishna, M.; Shirodkar, P.V.; Yadava, M.G.; Rao, K.M.

    As a proxy of the sea surface temperature (SST), C sub(37) long-chain alkenones (LCAs) preserved in sediments of the southwestern Bay of Bengal and dating back to the last glacial period, were identified in SIM GC-EI MS spectra run at m/z 530...

  10. Changing sedimentary environment during the late Quaternary: Sedimentological and isotopic evidence from the distal Bengal Fan

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Kessarkar, P.M.; Rao, V.P.; Ahmad, S.M.; Patil, S.K.; AnilKumar, A.; AnilBabu, G.; Chakraborty, S.; SounderRajan, R

    The sediments recovered from two gravity cores of the lower and distal Bengal Fan were investigated for sedimentological properties and Sr -Nd isotopes.Each core exhibits two distinct units, the lower unit 2 and upper unit 1 sediments. The unit 2...

  11. A modeling study of the processes of surface salinity seasonal cycle in the Bay of Bengal.

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Akhil, V.P.; Durand, F.; Lengaigne, M.; Vialard, J.; Keerthi, M.G.; Gopalakrishna, V.V.; Deltel, C.; Papa, F.; Montegut, C.deB.

    of Science, Bangalore, India, 5LOS, IFREMER, Plouzan�e, France Abstract In response to the Indian Monsoon freshwater forcing, the Bay of Bengal exhibits a very strong seasonal cycle in sea surface salinity (SSS), especially near the mouths of the Ganges...

  12. Organo-Selenium Coatings Inhibit Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacterial Attachment to Ophthalmic Scleral Buckle Material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Phat; Arnett, Avery; Jarvis, Courtney; Mosley, Thomas; Tran, Khien; Hanes, Rob; Webster, Dan; Mitchell, Kelly; Dominguez, Leo; Hamood, Abdul; Reid, Ted W

    2017-09-01

    Biofilm formation is a problem for solid and sponge-type scleral buckles. This can lead to complications that require removal of the buckle, and result in vision loss due to related ocular morbidity, primarily infection, or recurrent retinal detachment. We investigate the ability of a covalent organo-selenium coating to inhibit biofilm formation on a scleral buckle. Sponge and solid Labtican brand scleral buckles were coated with organo-selenium coupled to a silyation reagent. Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation was monitored by a standard colony-forming unit assay and the confocal laser scanning microscopy, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Stability studies were done, by soaking in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) at room temperature for 2 months. Toxicity against human corneal epithelial cell was examined by growing the cells in the presence of organo-selenium-coated scleral buckles. The organo-selenium coating inhibited biofilm formation by gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. The buckle coatings also were shown to be fully active after soaking in PBS for 2 months. The organo-selenium coatings had no effect on the viability of human corneal epithelial cells. Organo-selenium can be used to covalently coat a scleral buckle, which is stable and inhibits biofilm formation for gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. The organo-selenium buckle coating was stable and nontoxic to cell culture. This technology provides a means to inhibit bacterial attachment to devices attached to the eye, without damage to ocular cells.

  13. Silver enhances antibiotic activity against gram-negative bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morones-Ramirez, J Ruben; Winkler, Jonathan A; Spina, Catherine S; Collins, James J

    2013-06-19

    A declining pipeline of clinically useful antibiotics has made it imperative to develop more effective antimicrobial therapies, particularly against difficult-to-treat Gram-negative pathogens. Silver has been used as an antimicrobial since antiquity, yet its mechanism of action remains unclear. We show that silver disrupts multiple bacterial cellular processes, including disulfide bond formation, metabolism, and iron homeostasis. These changes lead to increased production of reactive oxygen species and increased membrane permeability of Gram-negative bacteria that can potentiate the activity of a broad range of antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria in different metabolic states, as well as restore antibiotic susceptibility to a resistant bacterial strain. We show both in vitro and in a mouse model of urinary tract infection that the ability of silver to induce oxidative stress can be harnessed to potentiate antibiotic activity. Additionally, we demonstrate in vitro and in two different mouse models of peritonitis that silver sensitizes Gram-negative bacteria to the Gram-positive-specific antibiotic vancomycin, thereby expanding the antibacterial spectrum of this drug. Finally, we used silver and antibiotic combinations in vitro to eradicate bacterial persister cells, and show both in vitro and in a mouse biofilm infection model that silver can enhance antibacterial action against bacteria that produce biofilms. This work shows that silver can be used to enhance the action of existing antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria, thus strengthening the antibiotic arsenal for fighting bacterial infections.

  14. Intra-District Disparities in Primary Education: A Case Study of Bankura District, West Bengal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krishnendu Maji

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The level of education and its response to different educational opportunities vary from one spatial unit to another depending on various factors like social, economic, cultural, and institutional. It is understood that certain regions acquire relative advancements over others in terms of human resource development and human capital formation. The key purpose of this research is to examine the intra-district disparities in primary education in Bankura District one of the districts of West Bengal. It ranks 11thamong the 19 districts of West Bengal (Human Development Report, 2007.  Overall literacy rate of the district stands at 70.26% but the district scores low in terms of female literacy rates, which is 60.05%,whereas the male literacy rate is 80.05%, which is a huge gender literacy gap of 20%. There are also regional inequalities existing at block level. Kotulpur ranks first with a literacy rate of 78.01% while Saltora occupies the bottom position with literacy rate of just 61.45% (Census of India, 2011. The level of educational development is dependent on several factors—enrolment ratio, dropout and repetition rates, pupil-teacher ratio, habitations covered by educational institutions, space-student ratio, drinking water and sanitation facilities in school, etc. In this context, the present study aims at examining the issues of intra-district disparities in educational attainment with regard to various educational amenities of Bankura district, West Bengal. Ten attributes have been selected to examine the level of development in primary education. It is clear from the study that the level of development in eastern part of the district is relatively better in comparison to other regions. Economic backwardness and physical bottlenecks continue to be major issues in western blocks.

  15. Role of biology in the air–sea carbon flux in the Bay of Bengal

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. A physical-biological-chemical model (PBCM)is used for investigating the seasonal cycle of air –sea carbon flux and for assessing the effect of the biological processes on seasonal time scale in the Arabian Sea (AS)and Bay of Bengal (BoB),where the surface waters are subjected to contrasting physical conditions.

  16. Physico-Chemical-Managed Killing of Penicillin-Resistant Static and Growing Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Vegetative Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richmond, Robert Chaffee (Inventor); Schramm, Jr., Harry F. (Inventor); Defalco, Francis G. (Inventor); Farris, III, Alex F. (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    Systems and methods for the use of compounds from the Hofmeister series coupled with specific pH and temperature to provide rapid physico-chemical-managed killing of penicillin-resistant static and growing Gram-positive and Gram-negative vegetative bacteria. The systems and methods represent the more general physico-chemical enhancement of susceptibility for a wide range of pathological macromolecular targets to clinical management by establishing the reactivity of those targets to topically applied drugs or anti-toxins.

  17. Utility of Gram staining for diagnosis of Malassezia folliculitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tu, Wei-Ting; Chin, Szu-Ying; Chou, Chia-Lun; Hsu, Che-Yuan; Chen, Yu-Tsung; Liu, Donald; Lee, Woan-Ruoh; Shih, Yi-Hsien

    2018-02-01

    Malassezia folliculitis (MalF) mimics acne vulgaris and bacterial folliculitis in clinical presentations. The role of Gram staining in rapid diagnosis of MalF has not been well studied. In our study, 32 patients were included to investigate the utility of Gram staining for MalF diagnosis. The final diagnoses of MalF were determined according to clinical presentation, pathological result and treatment response to antifungal agents. Our results show that the sensitivity and specificity of Gram staining are 84.6% and 100%, respectively. In conclusion, Gram staining is a rapid, non-invasive, sensitive and specific method for MalF diagnosis. © 2017 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  18. Spectral Wave Characteristics in the Nearshore Waters of Northwestern Bay of Bengal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anjali Nair, M.; Sanil Kumar, V.; Amrutha, M. M.

    2018-03-01

    The spectral wave characteristics in the nearshore waters of northwestern Bay of Bengal are presented based on the buoy-measured data from February 2013 to December 2015 off Gopalpur at 15-m water depth. The mean seasonal significant wave height and mean wave period indicate that the occurrence of higher wave heights and wave periods is during the southwest monsoon period (June-September). 74% of the sea surface height variance in a year is a result of waves from 138 to 228° and 16% are from 48 to 138°. Strong inter-annual variability is observed in the monthly average wave parameters due to the occurrence of tropical cyclones. Due to the influence of the tropical cyclone Phailin, maximum significant wave height of 6.7 m is observed on 12 October 2013 and that due to tropical cyclone Hudhud whose track is 250 southwest of the study location is 5.84 m on 12 October 2014. Analysis revealed that a single tropical cyclone influenced the annual maximum significant wave height and not the annual average value which is almost same ( 1 m) in 2014 and 2015. The waves in the northwestern Bay of Bengal are influenced by the southwest and northeast monsoons, southern ocean swells and cyclones.

  19. The Significance Of Experience Of West Bengal For Poverty Alleviation In Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Nemova

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The article analyzes socio-economic problems and ways of eliminating poverty in Bangladesh. The focal point of the research is poverty among rural population which is the most vulnerable one. The author’s assumption is that the main reason for rural poverty is historical inequality of land property distribution in Bangladesh. The existing measures of poverty alleviation in Bangladesh (micro crediting among others have made the country a role model for development. However, due to the limited potential of micro crediting a broader program of socio-economic reforms is required for any country striving to provide inclusive development. Using comparative-historical method the article compares the experience of Bangladesh and Indian state of West Bengal in implementing agricultural reforms aimed at improving life of the poor. West Bengal under the CPM rule is considered as a state with strong government whereas Bangladesh is considered as a state with weak government but rather strong non-governmental actors (NGOs. The article makes a conclusion that a weak institutional power of Bangladesh is one of the main reasons why agricultural reforms have not been adopted in this country and that poverty elimination there requires structural reforms to redistribute land property and to guarantee rural population legal and economic equality.

  20. Molecular analysis of microbial community in arsenic-rich groundwater of Kolsor, West Bengal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarkar, Angana; Paul, Dhiraj; Kazy, Sufia K; Sar, Pinaki

    2016-01-01

    Bacterial community composition within the highly arsenic (As) contaminated groundwater from Kolsur, West Bengal was analyzed over a period of 3 years using 16S rRNA gene clone library and Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE). Molecular phylogenetic study revealed abundance of α-Proteobacteria (56%) and Firmicutes (29%) along with members of β-Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and Sphingobacteria as relatively minor groups. Along with consistent physicochemical environment, a stable microbial community structure comprising of bacterial genera Agrobacterium-Rhizobium, Ochrobactrum, Pseudomonas, Anoxybacillus and Penibacillus was recorded over the three years study period. Presence of cytosolic arsenate reductase (arsC) gene was observed within the microbial community. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that all the arsC sequences were closely related to the same gene from γ-proteobacterial members while the community was consisted of mainly α-proteobacterial groups. Such phylogenetic incongruence between 16S rRNA and arsC genes possibly indicated horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of the ars genes within the groundwater community. Overall, the study reported a nearly stable geomicrobial environment and genetic determinant related to As homeostasis gene, and provided a better insight on biogeochemistry of As contaminated aquifer of West Bengal.

  1. Silanimonas mangrovi sp. nov., a member of the family Xanthomonadaceae isolated from mangrove sediment, and emended description of the genus Silanimonas

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Srinivas, T.N.R.; Kailash, T.B.; AnilKumar, P.

    A novel Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile bacterium, designated strain AK13 sup(T), was isolated from a sediment sample collected from mangrove of Namkhana, Sunderbans, West Bengal, India. Strain AK13 sup(T) was positive for oxidase, DNase...

  2. Ichthyofaunal Diversity and Water Quality in the Kangsabati Reservoir, West Bengal, India

    OpenAIRE

    Amalesh Bera; Manojit Bhattacharya; Bidhan Chandra Patra; Utpal Kumar Sar

    2014-01-01

    The ichthyofauna in relation to water quality was studied on monthly basis from March, 2010 to February, 2011 in the Kangsabati Reservoir, West Bengal. The study revealed that physicochemical parameters of Kangsabati Reservoir were congenial for 39 fish species of commercial importance, belonging to 7 orders, 15 families, and 26 genera. The Cypriniformes were dominant with 17 species, followed by Siluriformes and Perciformes, with 7 species each, Channiformes with 3 species, Osteoglossifor...

  3. Application of individual foraminifera Mg/Ca and δ18O analyses for paleoceanographic reconstructions in the Bay of Bengal and other active depositional environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fritz-Endres, T.; Dekens, P.; Fehrenbacher, J. S.; Spero, H. J.; Stine, A.

    2017-12-01

    Paleoceanographic research traditionally focuses on regions where sediment deposition is minimally affected by transport. However, sediment fans near tectonically active regions provide an opportunity to link oceanographic climate to terrestrial processes. Sediment cores recovered during IODP Expedition 354 in the Bay of Bengal include hemipelagic sections that record the history of tectonic uplift and the development of the Indian Monsoon through the last 10 Ma. Although these cores provide a unique opportunity to link marine and terrestrial climate, the complex depositional environment requires that the source of foraminifera is carefully considered before using these proxies to reconstruct oceanographic conditions. Foraminifera in Bengal Fan sediments may have been transported via turbidity currents from the northern Bay of Bengal, where the seasonal variability of SST and SSS is larger compared to the southern Bay of Bengal. We measured single Globigerinoides sacculifer Mg/Ca and δ18O from mudline samples of IODP Site U1454 (8.4°N, 85.5°E, 3721 m water depth) near the modern active channel and Site U1449 (8.4°N, 88.7°E, 3653 m water depth) far from channel activity. We compare these sites to single G. sacculifer from the core-top sample of Site 342KL (20.6°N, 90.1°E, 1256 m water depth) located on the continental shelf. Each foraminifera lives 2-4 weeks and the distribution of 60 to 80 data points reflects the seasonal range of SST and SSS at the location where the foraminifera calcified. Measurements in foraminifera from Site U1449 (away from active channel) are statistically different from the site in the northern Bay of Bengal and more consistent with local conditions. Conversely, foraminifera from the site near the active channel reflect a combined signal of local conditions recorded from the site far from channel activity and those recorded from the continental shelf. This suggests a portion of foraminifera from the active channel site have been

  4. Defining a role for Hfq in Gram-positive bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Jesper Sejrup; Lei, Lisbeth Kristensen; Ebersbach, Tine

    2010-01-01

    Small trans-encoded RNAs (sRNAs) modulate the translation and decay of mRNAs in bacteria. In Gram-negative species, antisense regulation by trans-encoded sRNAs relies on the Sm-like protein Hfq. In contrast to this, Hfq is dispensable for sRNA-mediated riboregulation in the Gram-positive species......-dependent and -independent mechanisms, thus adding another layer of complexity to sRNA-mediated riboregulation in Gram-positive species....

  5. In vitro activity of XF-73, a novel antibacterial agent, against antibiotic-sensitive and -resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farrell, David J; Robbins, Marion; Rhys-Williams, William; Love, William G

    2010-06-01

    The antibacterial activity of XF-73, a dicationic porphyrin drug, was investigated against a range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with known antibiotic resistance profiles, including resistance to cell wall synthesis, protein synthesis, and DNA and RNA synthesis inhibitors as well as cell membrane-active antibiotics. Antibiotic-sensitive strains for each of the bacterial species tested were also included for comparison purposes. XF-73 was active [minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) 0.25-4 mg/L] against all of the Gram-positive bacteria tested, irrespective of the antibiotic resistance profile of the isolates, suggesting that the mechanism of action of XF-73 is unique compared with the major antibiotic classes. Gram-negative activity was lower (MIC 1 mg/L to > 64 mg/L). Minimum bactericidal concentration data confirmed that the activity of XF-73 was bactericidal. Time-kill kinetics against healthcare-associated and community-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates demonstrated that XF-73 was rapidly bactericidal, with > 5 log(10) kill obtained after 15 min at 2 x MIC, the earliest time point sampled. The post-antibiotic effect (PAE) for XF-73 under conditions where the PAE for vancomycin was 5.4 h. XF-73 represents a novel broad-spectrum Gram-positive antibacterial drug with potentially beneficial characteristics for the treatment and prevention of Gram-positive bacterial infections. 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. A Synthetic Dual Drug Sideromycin Induces Gram-Negative Bacteria To Commit Suicide with a Gram-Positive Antibiotic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Rui; Miller, Patricia A; Vakulenko, Sergei B; Stewart, Nichole K; Boggess, William C; Miller, Marvin J

    2018-05-10

    Many antibiotics lack activity against Gram-negative bacteria because they cannot permeate the outer membrane or suffer from efflux and, in the case of β-lactams, are degraded by β-lactamases. Herein, we describe the synthesis and studies of a dual drug conjugate (1) of a siderophore linked to a cephalosporin with an attached oxazolidinone. The cephalosporin component of 1 is rapidly hydrolyzed by purified ADC-1 β-lactamase to release the oxazolidinone. Conjugate 1 is active against clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii as well as strains producing large amounts of ADC-1 β-lactamase. Overall, the results are consistent with siderophore-mediated active uptake, inherent activity of the delivered dual drug, and in the presence of β-lactamases, intracellular release of the oxazolidinone upon cleavage of the cephalosporin to allow the freed oxazolidinone to inactivate its target. The ultimate result demonstrates that Gram-positive oxazolidinone antibiotics can be made to be effective against Gram-negative bacteria by β-lactamase triggered release.

  7. Antimicrobial Activities of Leaf Extracts of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) on Two Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biswas, Bipul; Rogers, Kimberly; McLaughlin, Fredrick; Yadav, Anand

    2013-01-01

    Aim. To determine the antimicrobial potential of guava (Psidium guajava) leaf extracts against two gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis) and two gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus) which are some of foodborne and spoilage bacteria. The guava leaves were extracted in four different solvents of increasing polarities (hexane, methanol, ethanol, and water). The efficacy of these extracts was tested against those bacteria through a well-diffusion method employing 50 μL leaf-extract solution per well. According to the findings of the antibacterial assay, the methanol and ethanol extracts of the guava leaves showed inhibitory activity against gram-positive bacteria, whereas the gram-negative bacteria were resistant to all the solvent extracts. The methanol extract had an antibacterial activity with mean zones of inhibition of 8.27 and 12.3 mm, and the ethanol extract had a mean zone of inhibition of 6.11 and 11.0 mm against B. cereus and S. aureus, respectively. On the basis of the present finding, guava leaf-extract might be a good candidate in the search for a natural antimicrobial agent. This study provides scientific understanding to further determine the antimicrobial values and investigate other pharmacological properties. PMID:24223039

  8. Antimicrobial Activities of Leaf Extracts of Guava (Psidium guajava L. on Two Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bipul Biswas

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To determine the antimicrobial potential of guava (Psidium guajava leaf extracts against two gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis and two gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus which are some of foodborne and spoilage bacteria. The guava leaves were extracted in four different solvents of increasing polarities (hexane, methanol, ethanol, and water. The efficacy of these extracts was tested against those bacteria through a well-diffusion method employing 50 μL leaf-extract solution per well. According to the findings of the antibacterial assay, the methanol and ethanol extracts of the guava leaves showed inhibitory activity against gram-positive bacteria, whereas the gram-negative bacteria were resistant to all the solvent extracts. The methanol extract had an antibacterial activity with mean zones of inhibition of 8.27 and 12.3 mm, and the ethanol extract had a mean zone of inhibition of 6.11 and 11.0 mm against B. cereus and S. aureus, respectively. On the basis of the present finding, guava leaf-extract might be a good candidate in the search for a natural antimicrobial agent. This study provides scientific understanding to further determine the antimicrobial values and investigate other pharmacological properties.

  9. Reconstructing the sedimentation history of the Bengal Delta Plain by means of geochemical and stable isotopic data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neidhardt, Harald; Biswas, Ashis; Freikowski, Dominik; Majumder, Santanu; Chatterjee, Debashis; Berner, Zsolt A.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the sedimentation history of the central floodplain area of the Bengal Delta Plain in West Bengal, India. Sediments from two boreholes were analyzed regarding lithology, geochemistry and the stable isotopic composition of embedded organic matter. Different lithofacies were distinguished that reflect frequent changes in the prevailing sedimentary depositional environment of the study area. The lowest facies comprises poorly sorted fluvial sediments composed of fine gravel to clay pointing at high transport energy and intense relocation processes. This facies is considered to belong to an early Holocene lowstand systems tract that followed the last glacial maximum. Fine to medium sands above it mark a gradual change towards a transgressive systems tract. Upwards increasing proportions of silt and the stable isotopic composition of embedded organic matter both indicate a gradual change from fluvial channel infill sediments towards more estuarine and marine influenced deposits. Youngest sediments are composed of clayey and silty overbank deposits of the Hooghly River that have formed a vast low-relief delta-floodplain. Close to the surface, small concretions of secondary Mn-oxides and Fe-(oxyhydr)oxides occur and mark the fluctuation range of the unsaturated zone. These concretions are accompanied by relatively high contents of trace elements such as Zn, Ni, Cu, and As. To sum up, the outcomes of this study provide new insights into the complex sedimentation history of the barely investigated central floodplain area of West Bengal

  10. Upper ocean variability in the Bay of Bengal during the tropical cyclones Nargis and Laila

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Maneesha, K.; Murty, V.S.N.; Ravichandran, M.; Lee, T.; Yu, W.; McPhaden, M.J.

    -monsoon north Bay of Bengal, Atmos. Sci. Let. Doi:10.1002/asl.162. Shay, L.K., G.J.Goni and P.G. Black (2000) , Effects of warm oceanic features on hurricane opal, Mon.Wea.Rev., 128, 1366-1383 Subrahmanyam, B., V.S.N. Murty, Ryan J. Sharp and James J...

  11. Some cogent observations on amoebic hepatopathies using radioactive rose bengal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sharma, B N; Jha, B K

    1975-08-01

    Amoebic hepatopathies in this paper refers to three clinical syndromes described as hepatic amoebiasis, liver abscess and amoebic hepatitis. Forty-six patients with clinical symptomatology suggestive of amoebic hepatopathy were investigated with /sup 131/I rose bengal. Size, shape, position and parenchymal functions of their livers were estimated by assessing rose bengal blood clearance rate and scanning procedures. It was observed that there was true hepatomegaly and hepatic dysfunction in cases of hepatic abscess but not in amoebic hepatitis patients. Furthermore, hepatic abscess cases always had a ''cold'' area in their liver scans even at very early stage. On the other hand, amoebic hepatitis patients had normal size, shape and function of the liver--which was further confirmed by liver biopsy in five of them. These livers were palpable because of their low anatomical position (Ptosis). All the cases of hepatic abscess (except two) were treated by antiamoebic drugs without resorting to aspiration and serial scans showed complete resolution. Hence it is seen that aspiration in managing these cases (irrespective of the size) in early stages is not indicated at all. Thirty per cent of these patients developed jaundice and again size of the abscess was not critical. Surprisingly, amoebic hepatitis cases also showed improvement to oral anti-amoebic drugs. Liver, if at all involved in these cases, was due to chronic bowel disorders and treatment of bowel gives them symptomatic relief. However, no direct evidence could be brought out to prove existence of amoebic hepatitis by these techniques.

  12. Flavobacterium nitratireducens sp. nov., an amylolytic bacterium of the family Flavobacteriaceae isolated from coastal surface seawater

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Nupur; Bhumika, V.; Srinivas, T.N.R.; AnilKumar, P.

    A novel Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile bacterium, designated strain N1 sup(T), was isolated from a marine water sample collected from the sea shore, Bay of Bengal, Visakhapatnam, India. The strain was positive for starch hydrolysis, nitrate...

  13. Aliidiomarina haloalkalitolerans sp. nov., a marine bacterium isolated from coastal surface seawater

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Srinivas, T.N.R.; Nupur; AnilKumar, P.

    A novel Gram-negative, rod shaped, motile, non-sporing strictly aerobic bacterium, designated strain AK5 sup(T), was isolated from a sea water sample collected near Visakhapatnam coast, Bay of Bengal, India. Colonies on marine agar were circular, 3...

  14. N2 production rates limited by nitrite availability in the Bay of Bengal oxygen minimum zone

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bristow, Laura A.; Callbeck, C. M.; Larsen, M

    2017-01-01

    with isotopically labelled nitrogen compounds and analyse geochemical signatures of these processes in the water column. We find that the Bay of Bengal supports denitrifier and anammox microbial populations, mediating low, but significant N loss. Yet, unlike other oxygen minimum zones, our measurements using...

  15. Phosphoproteomic dynamics of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) reveals shared and distinct components of dehydration response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subba, Pratigya; Barua, Pragya; Kumar, Rajiv; Datta, Asis; Soni, Kamlesh Kumar; Chakraborty, Subhra; Chakraborty, Niranjan

    2013-11-01

    Reversible protein phosphorylation is a ubiquitous regulatory mechanism that plays critical roles in transducing stress signals to bring about coordinated intracellular responses. To gain better understanding of dehydration response in plants, we have developed a differential phosphoproteome in a food legume, chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Three-week-old chickpea seedlings were subjected to progressive dehydration by withdrawing water, and the changes in the phosphorylation status of a large repertoire of proteins were monitored. The proteins were resolved by 2-DE and stained with phosphospecific fluorescent Pro-Q Diamond dye. Mass spectrometric analysis led to the identification of 91 putative phosphoproteins, presumably involved in a variety of functions including cell defense and rescue, photosynthesis and photorespiration, molecular chaperones, and ion transport, among others. Multiple sites of phosphorylation were predicted on several key elements, which include both the regulatory as well as the functional proteins. A critical survey of the phosphorylome revealed a DREPP (developmentally regulated plasma membrane protein) plasma membrane polypeptide family protein, henceforth designated CaDREPP1. The transcripts of CaDREPP1 were found to be differentially regulated under dehydration stress, further corroborating the proteomic results. This work provides new insights into the possible phosphorylation events triggered by the conditions of progressive water-deficit in plants.

  16. A flow-cytometric gram-staining technique for milk-associated bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holm, Claus; Jespersen, Lene

    2003-05-01

    A Gram-staining technique combining staining with two fluorescent stains, Oregon Green-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and hexidium iodide (HI) followed by flow-cytometric detection is described. WGA stains gram-positive bacteria while HI binds to the DNA of all bacteria after permeabilization by EDTA and incubation at 50 degrees C for 15 min. For WGA to bind to gram-positive bacteria, a 3 M potassium chloride solution was found to give the highest fluorescence intensity. A total of 12 strains representing some of the predominant bacterial species in bulk tank milk and mixtures of these were stained and analyzed by flow cytometry. Overall, the staining method showed a clear differentiation between gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial populations. For stationary-stage cultures of seven gram-positive bacteria and five gram-negative bacteria, an average of 99% of the cells were correctly interpreted. The method was only slightly influenced by the growth phase of the bacteria or conditions such as freezing at -18 degrees C for 24 h. For any of these conditions, an average of at least 95% of the cells were correctly interpreted. When stationary-stage cultures were stored at 5 degrees C for 14 days, an average of 86% of the cells were correctly interpreted. The Gram-staining technique was applied to the flow cytometry analysis of bulk tank milk inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. These results demonstrate that the technique is suitable for analyzing milk samples without precultivation.

  17. The Tsunami Geology of the Bay of Bengal Shores and the Predecessors of the 2004 Indian Ocean Event

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajendran, C.; Rajendran, K.; Seshachalam, S.; Andrade, V.

    2010-12-01

    The 2004 Aceh-Andaman earthquake exceeded the known Indian Ocean precedents by its 1,300-km long fault rupture and the height and reach of its tsunami. Literature of the ancient Chola dynasty (AD 9-11 centuries) of south India and the archeological excavations allude to a sea flood that crippled the historic port at Kaveripattinam, a trading hub for Southeast Asia. Here, we combine a variety of data from the rupture zone as well as the distant shores to build a tsunami history of the Bay of Bengal. A compelling set of geological proxies of possible tsunami inundation include boulder beds of Car Nicobar Island in the south and the East Island in the northernmost Andaman, a subsided fossil mangrove forest near Port Blair and a washover sedimentation identified in the Kaveripattinam coast of Tamil Nadu, south India. We have developed an extensive chronology for these geological proxies, and we analyze them in conjunction with the historical information culled from different sources for major sea surges along the Bay of Bengal shores. The age data and the depositional characteristics of these geological proxies suggest four major tsunamis in the last 2000 years in the Bay of Bengal, including the 1881 Car Nicobar tsunami. Among these, the evidence for the event of 800-1200 cal yr BP is fairly well represented on both sides of the Bay of Bengal shores. Thus, we surmise that the 800-1000-year old tsunami mimics the transoceanic reach of the 2004 Indian Ocean and the age constraints also agree with the sea surge during the Chola period. We also obtained clues for a possible medieval tsunami from the islands occurred probably a few hundred years after the Chola tsunami, but its size cannot constrained, nor its source. The convergence of ages and the multiplicity of sites would suggest at least one full size predecessor of the 2004 event 1000-800 years ago.

  18. Methods for targetted mutagenesis in gram-positive bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yunfeng

    2014-05-27

    The present invention provides a method of targeted mutagenesis in Gram-positive bacteria. In particular, the present invention provides a method that effectively integrates a suicide integrative vector into a target gene in the chromosome of a Gram-positive bacterium, resulting in inactivation of the target gene.

  19. The hepatic excretion of 131I-rose bengal and sup(99m)Tc-IDA derivatives in Rotor's syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galli, G.; Focacci, C.; Maini, C.L.; Salvatori, M.; Troncone, L.; Fedeli, G.L.; Rapaccini, G.L.

    1982-01-01

    Bilirubin kinetics and hepatobiliary excretion of some exogenous anions (BSP, 131 I-rose bengal, diethyl and parabutyl-IDA labeled with sup(99m)Tc) were studied in three patients presenting with Rotor's syndrome. Two were brothers; a noja undiced fraternal twin of one of them was also evaluated. The hepatic clearance of the radiopharmaceuticals was imparired in the affected patients but the degree of impairment was different among the tested anions, i.e., maximal for 99 Tc-diethyl-IDA and minimal for 131 I-rose bengal. Parabutyl-IDA was cleared better than the diethyl derivative. The metabolic derangement seems to be the level of transfer from plasma to liver and of the hepatic storage, rather than at the level of hepatocyte excretory pathways, as in the case of Dubin-Johnson syndrome. (orig.)

  20. Revisiting the Gram-negative lipoprotein paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LoVullo, Eric D; Wright, Lori F; Isabella, Vincent; Huntley, Jason F; Pavelka, Martin S

    2015-05-01

    The processing of lipoproteins (Lpps) in Gram-negative bacteria is generally considered an essential pathway. Mature lipoproteins in these bacteria are triacylated, with the final fatty acid addition performed by Lnt, an apolipoprotein N-acyltransferase. The mature lipoproteins are then sorted by the Lol system, with most Lpps inserted into the outer membrane (OM). We demonstrate here that the lnt gene is not essential to the Gram-negative pathogen Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis strain Schu or to the live vaccine strain LVS. An LVS Δlnt mutant has a small-colony phenotype on sucrose medium and increased susceptibility to globomycin and rifampin. We provide data indicating that the OM lipoprotein Tul4A (LpnA) is diacylated but that it, and its paralog Tul4B (LpnB), still sort to the OM in the Δlnt mutant. We present a model in which the Lol sorting pathway of Francisella has a modified ABC transporter system that is capable of recognizing and sorting both triacylated and diacylated lipoproteins, and we show that this modified system is present in many other Gram-negative bacteria. We examined this model using Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which has the same Lol architecture as that of Francisella, and found that the lnt gene is not essential in this organism. This work suggests that Gram-negative bacteria fall into two groups, one in which full lipoprotein processing is essential and one in which the final acylation step is not essential, potentially due to the ability of the Lol sorting pathway in these bacteria to sort immature apolipoproteins to the OM. This paper describes the novel finding that the final stage in lipoprotein processing (normally considered an essential process) is not required by Francisella tularensis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The paper provides a potential reason for this and shows that it may be widespread in other Gram-negative bacteria. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  1. The effect of semi-permanent eddies on the distribution of mesozooplankton in the central Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Fernandes, V.

    Five locations in the central Bay of Bengal (BoB) along a longitudinal transect at 88E were sampled during the Fall Intermonsoon, 2002 for mesozooplankton biomass, abundance, groups and copepod species composition. Stations at 9N and 18N had...

  2. Preponderance of a few diatom species among the highly diverse microphytoplankton assemblages in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Paul, J.T.; Ramaiah, N.; Gauns, M.; Fernandes, V.

    The microphytoplankton assemblages were studied from water samples collected at eight discrete depths in the top 120 m at five central [open ocean] and four western [shelf/slope region] locations in the Bay of Bengal. The Bay is a low...

  3. Multi-location gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial protein subcellular localization using gene ontology and multi-label classifier ensemble.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiao; Zhang, Jun; Li, Guo-Zheng

    2015-01-01

    It has become a very important and full of challenge task to predict bacterial protein subcellular locations using computational methods. Although there exist a lot of prediction methods for bacterial proteins, the majority of these methods can only deal with single-location proteins. But unfortunately many multi-location proteins are located in the bacterial cells. Moreover, multi-location proteins have special biological functions capable of helping the development of new drugs. So it is necessary to develop new computational methods for accurately predicting subcellular locations of multi-location bacterial proteins. In this article, two efficient multi-label predictors, Gpos-ECC-mPLoc and Gneg-ECC-mPLoc, are developed to predict the subcellular locations of multi-label gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial proteins respectively. The two multi-label predictors construct the GO vectors by using the GO terms of homologous proteins of query proteins and then adopt a powerful multi-label ensemble classifier to make the final multi-label prediction. The two multi-label predictors have the following advantages: (1) they improve the prediction performance of multi-label proteins by taking the correlations among different labels into account; (2) they ensemble multiple CC classifiers and further generate better prediction results by ensemble learning; and (3) they construct the GO vectors by using the frequency of occurrences of GO terms in the typical homologous set instead of using 0/1 values. Experimental results show that Gpos-ECC-mPLoc and Gneg-ECC-mPLoc can efficiently predict the subcellular locations of multi-label gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial proteins respectively. Gpos-ECC-mPLoc and Gneg-ECC-mPLoc can efficiently improve prediction accuracy of subcellular localization of multi-location gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial proteins respectively. The online web servers for Gpos-ECC-mPLoc and Gneg-ECC-mPLoc predictors are freely accessible

  4. Box-Behnken design for extraction optimization, characterization and in vitro antioxidant activity of Cicer arietinum L. hull polysaccharides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Zipeng; Wang, Wei; Yuan, Qingxia; Ye, Hong; Sun, Yi; Zhang, Hongcheng; Zeng, Xiaoxiong

    2016-08-20

    The optimal extraction conditions with a yield of 5.37±0.15% for extraction of polysaccharides from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) hull (CHPS) were determined as extraction temperature 99°C, extraction time 2.8h and ratio of water to raw material 24mL/g. Three fractions of CHPS-1, CHPS-2 and CHPS-3, with average molecular weight of 3.1×10(6), 1.5×10(6) and 7.8×10(5)Da, respectively, were obtained from crude CHPS by chromatography of DEAE Fast Flow and Sephadex G-100. CHPS-1 was composed of mannose, rhamnose, galactose, galacturonic acid, glucose and arabinose, CHPS-2 was composed of mannose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, galactose, xylose and arabinose, CHPS-3 was composed of galacturonic acid, galactose and rhamnose. CHPS-3 showed the strongest reducing power and protective effect on H2O2-induced oxidative injury in PC12 cells and highest scavenging activities against DPPH and ABTS radicals, while CHPS-2 showed the highest scavenging activity against superoxide anion radical. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Total petroleum hydrocarbon in the tissues of some commercially important fishes of the Bay of Bengal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ansari, Zakir A; Desilva, Classy; Badesab, Shahin

    2012-11-01

    The present study reports the level of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) in 27 commercially important fish, crustaceans and cephalopods from Orissa coast, Bay of Bengal to provide the baseline data for oil contamination in marine biota. The results showed significant differences in the TPH concentration in different species. Of all fish, Carangoides malabaricus showed the maximum TPH level (av. 13.70 μg g(-1)). In cephalopods, Loligo recorded the maximum TPH (av. 14.87 μg g(-1)) while Metapenaeus dobsoni recorded the maximum TPH (av. 13.18 μg g(-1)) among crustaceans. The concentration of TPH recorded in the present study were higher than the reported values from other studies in Bay of Bengal but were comparable with those of other Indian coast and Gulf water. The species recording maximum concentration and giving significant correlation coefficient may be of interest in oil pollution monitoring and can be used as indicator of hydrocarbon pollution in the region. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Detection and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Biofilm Producing Gram Positive and Gram Negative Bacteria Isolated From a Tertiary Care Hospital of Pakistan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iqbal, M.

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Microorganisms adhere to non-living material or living tissue, and form biofilms made up of extracellular polymers/slime. Biofilm-associated microorganisms behave differently from free-floating bacteria with respect to growth rates and ability to resist antimicrobial treatments and therefore pose a public health problem. The objective of this study is to detect the prevalence of biofilm producers among Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria isolated from clinical specimens, and to study their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern. The study was carried out from October 2009 to March 2010, at the Department of Microbiology, Army Medical College/ National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Clinical specimens were received from various wards of a tertiary care hospital. These were dealt by standard microbiological procedures. Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria isolated were subjected to biofilm detection by congo red agar method (CRA. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of those isolates, which showed positive results (slime production, was done according to the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique. A total of 150 isolates were tested for the production of biofilm/slime. Among them, 81 isolates showed positive results. From these 81, 51 were Gram positive and 30 were Gram negative. All the 81(54% slime producers showed reduced susceptibility to majority of antibiotics. Bacterial biofilms are an important virulence factor associated with chronic nosocomial infection. Detection of biofilm forming organisms can help in appropriate antibiotic choice.

  7. Dynamic Study on the Hepatobiliary Diseases with Combination of {sup 131}I-Rose bengal and {sup 198}Au-Colloid Scintiphotography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rhee, Yong Kok [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1971-03-15

    The radioactive {sup 131}I-Rose bengal serial scintiphotography was performed in 62 patients with the hepatobiliary diseases and in 20 normal subjects. This approach permitted visualization of the hepatic uptake of {sup 131}I-Rose bengal from the circulation and its excretion into the biliary trees and the intestines. In some of these patients, gallbladder function was examined, using eggs as a gallbladder constrictor. The time of maximum hepatic uptake was well correlated to the conventional biochemical liver function tests. In addition to {sup 131}I-Rose bengal scintiphotography, {sup 198}Au-colloid scintiphotography was also performed to make comparison of these two tests. The results obtained were as follows: 1) In normal subjects, the maximum hepatic uptake of {sup 131}I-Rose bengal occurred at 23+-2.9 minutes, the initial hepatic excretion at 34+-5.1 minutes, the visualization of the gallbladder at 29+-5.7 minutes and the intestinal visualization at 54+-25.8 minutes. The radioactivity in the gallbladder decreased to 10.7+-5.0% one hour after the ingestion of eggs. 2) In the patients with cirrhosis of the liver, there was a delayed and decreased hepatic uptake. The maximum hepatic uptake occurred at 43+-12.9 minutes. The differences in the results of uptake between the cirrhotic and the normal group were statistically significant. The initial hepatic excretion occurred at 60+-18.5 minutes and had tendency of delaying compared with the normal controls. The gallbladder was visualized in 13 of 16 cases (81%) and its visualization occurred at 49+-14.6 minutes with a tendency to be delayed compared with the normal controls. The intestinal visualization occurred at 63+-15.8 minutes and its delaying tendency was somewhat more prominent. 3) In patients with hepatitis, the maximum hepatic uptake occurred at 59+-21.4 minutes and was significantly delayed. The initial hepatic excretion occurred at 82+-34.3 minutes and the results revealed a delaying tendency. The

  8. Observations of barrier layer formation in the Bay of Bengal during summer monsoon

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Vinayachandran, P.N.; Murty, V.S.N.; RameshBabu, V.

    monsoon, J. Geophys. Res., 107(C12), 8018, doi:10.1029/2001JC000831, 2002. 1. Introduction [2] Several monsoon lows and depressions, that contrib- ute substantially to the summer monsoon rainfall of the Indian subcontinent, form over the Bay of Bengal... August–September, 1990,Murtyetal.[1996]foundthatthemixedlayerbasedon a temperature criterion is deeper than that using density. The regionwithrelativelyfreshwaterwithhighSSTappearstobe an excellent breeding ground for the formation of monsoon depressions...

  9. Sedimentology and arsenic pollution in the Bengal Basin: insight into arsenic occurrence and subsurface geology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hills, Andrew; McArthur, John

    2014-05-01

    The Bengal delta system is a geologically recent feature overlying a deeply incised palaeo-surface formed during the Last Glacial Maximum. This surface is a series of terraces and valleys created by river incision (Goodbred & Kuehl 2003). The terraces were weathered, forming a thin, indurated laterite deposit (Goodbred & Kuehl 2000) at depths greater than 50 m. McArthur et al. (2008) define this as a palaeosol and have identified it at depths greater than 30 m though out Bangladesh and West Bengal. It has been observed that arsenic concentrations at these sites are lower than the rest of the delta. It has been assumed that the surface morphology at sites where there is a palaeosol are similar and can therefore be characterised by remote sensing, in the form of Google Earth images. Sites were selected in Bangladesh and West Bengal, from work by McArthur et al. (2011); Hoque et al. (2012), where groundwater chemistry and sedimentology data are available making it possible to determine if the subsurface is a palaeo-channel or palaeo-interfluve. Arsenic concentration data have been inputted into Google Earth and the palaeo-channels marked where the arsenic concentration is greater than 10 µg/L, and palaeo-interfluves where arsenic concentration is less than 10 µg/L. The surface morphologies in these domains have been examined for similarities, and it was shown that avulsion scars and abandoned river channels are found where arsenic concentrations are greater than 10 µg/L. Conversely the surrounding areas that are devoid of channel scars have arsenic concentrations less than 10 µg/L. Using the correlation between avulsion features being representative of palaeo-channels and high arsenic concentrations, sites were selected that had a similar surface morphology to the type localities. A comparison of these images and arsenic concentrations showed that the postulate is valid for over 80 percent of cases. Where this is not valid, this could indicate that the subsurface

  10. Placental passage of rose bengal 131I, its accumulation in the fetus and its distribution in the organs of the female mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sudarwati, S.; Sutasurya, L.A.

    1977-01-01

    Female mice of various gestation periods were injected intraperitoneally with 0.25-0.5O ml of rose bengal 131 I with the activity between 225-250 μCi. A group was administered with Lugol's solution one day before treatment. Accumulation of radio-rose bengal in the fetuses started at the eleventh day and great increase occured at the seventeenth day of gestation till birth. Acculmulations in both fetal and female mice's thyroids could be prevented by administering Lugol's solution before treatment, and the second target of the labelled compound after the thyroid gland was liver. (author)

  11. Should gram stains have a role in diagnosing hip arthroplasty infections?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Aaron J; Zywiel, Michael G; Stroh, D Alex; Marker, David R; Mont, Michael A

    2010-09-01

    The utility of Gram stains in diagnosing periprosthetic infections following total hip arthroplasty has recently been questioned. Several studies report low sensitivity of the test, and its poor ability to either confirm or rule out infection in patients undergoing revision total hip arthroplasty. Despite this, many institutions including that of the senior author continue to perform Gram stains during revision total hip arthroplasty. We assessed the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values of Gram stains from surgical-site samplings taken from procedures on patients with both infected and aseptic revision total hip arthroplasties. A review was performed on patients who underwent revision total hip arthroplasty between 2000 and 2007. Eighty-two Gram stains were performed on patients who had infected total hip arthroplasties and underwent revision procedures. Additionally, of the 410 revision total hip arthroplasties performed on patients who were confirmed infection-free, 120 Gram stains were performed. Patients were diagnosed as infected using multiple criteria at the time of surgery. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy were calculated from these Gram stain results. The Gram stain demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 9.8% and 100%, respectively. In this series, the Gram stain had a negative predictive value of 62%, a positive predictive value of 100%, and an accuracy of 63%. Gram stains obtained from surgical-site samples had poor sensitivity and poor negative predictive value. Based on these findings, as well as those of other authors, we believe that Gram stains should no longer be considered for diagnosing infections in revision total hip arthroplasty. Level III, diagnostic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

  12. Doomed to drown? Sediment dynamics in the human-controlled floodplains of the active Bengal Delta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kimberly G. Rogers

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (Bengal Delta in Bangladesh has been described as a delta in peril of catastrophic coastal flooding because sediment deposition on delta plain surfaces is insufficient to offset rates of subsidence and sea level rise. Widespread armoring of the delta by coastal embankments meant to protect crops from flooding has limited natural floodplain deposition, and in the tidally dominated delta, dikes lead to rapid compaction and lowered land surface levels. This renders the deltaic floodplains susceptible to flooding by sea level rise and storm surges capable of breaching poorly maintained embankments. However, natural physical processes are spatially variable across the delta front and therefore the impact of dikes on sediment dispersal and morphology should reflect these variations. We present the first ever reported sedimentation rates from the densely populated and human-controlled floodplains of the central lower Bengal Delta. We combine direct sedimentation measurements and short-lived radionuclides to show that transport processes and lateral sedimentation are highly variable across the delta. Overall aggradation rates average 2.3 ± 9 cm y–1, which is more than double the estimated average rate of local sea level rise; 83% of sampled sites contained sediment tagged with detectable 7 Be, indicating flood-pulse sourced sediments are widely delivered to the delta plain, including embanked areas. A numerical model is then used to demonstrate lateral accretion patterns arising from 50 years of sedimentation delivered through smaller order channels. Dominant modes of transport are reflected in the sediment routing and aggradation across the lower delta plain, though embankments are major controls on sediment dynamics throughout the delta. This challenges the assumption that the Bengal Delta is doomed to drown; rather it signifies that effective preparation for climate change requires consideration of how infrastructure

  13. Observing storm surges in the Bay of Bengal from satellite altimetry

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Antony, C.; Testut, L.; Unnikrishnan, A.S.

    with the large tidal ranges give rise to extreme sea level in the head bay and surrounding regions. Moreover, low-lying nature of the coast and the dense population in the region make the coasts of the northern Bay of Bengal highly vulnerable to storm surges...-gauge data during the passage of the hurricane Igor that crossed Newfoundland in 2010. For this event, St. John’s tide gauge recorded a maximum surge of 94 cm and Jason-2 (the track located 89 km away from the tide-gauge station) showed positive sea-level...

  14. Shore protection for the coast of Mousuni Island in West Bengal, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V Sundar

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The Mousuni Island in West Bengal, India is wide-open to Bay of Bengal. This island by virtue of its location is exposed to river flow as well as wave action. It is thus subjected to severe erosion along its south-western coastal stretch and also significantly affecting agriculture due to seawater inundation. This is due to the lower level of bund crest elevation combined with high water levels during coastal flooding. The most suitable method to arrest the shore erosion and salt water intrusion is to divert the flow gradually toward the deeper section of the channel. To meet this requirement, after carrying out a comprehensive profiling of the existing bund, bank connected series of spurs with locally available construction materials and unskilled labor are proposed. In order to design these spurs, the magnitude and direction of sediment movement along the stretch is estimated. The layout of protection measures is proposed based on a detailed analysis of site conditions and the environmental conditions. The tranquility inside the proposed coastal protecting structure is substantiated with a two-dimensional horizontal flow model. Furthermore, the behavior of the shorelines has been studied numerically with the proposed coastal protection measure. The detailed analysis of the results from the numerical model and the protection measure are discussed in this article.

  15. Controls on groundwater flow in the Bengal Basin of India and Bangladesh: regional modeling analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michael, Holly A.; Voss, Clifford I.

    2009-11-01

    Groundwater for domestic and irrigation purposes is produced primarily from shallow parts of the Bengal Basin aquifer system (India and Bangladesh), which contains high concentrations of dissolved arsenic (exceeding worldwide drinking water standards), though deeper groundwater is generally low in arsenic. An essential first step for determining sustainable management of the deep groundwater resource is identification of hydrogeologic controls on flow and quantification of basin-scale groundwater flow patterns. Results from groundwater modeling, in which the Bengal Basin aquifer system is represented as a single aquifer with higher horizontal than vertical hydraulic conductivity, indicate that this anisotropy is the primary hydrogeologic control on the natural flowpath lengths. Despite extremely low hydraulic gradients due to minimal topographic relief, anisotropy implies large-scale (tens to hundreds of kilometers) flow at depth. Other hydrogeologic factors, including lateral and vertical changes in hydraulic conductivity, have minor effects on overall flow patterns. However, because natural hydraulic gradients are low, the impact of pumping on groundwater flow is overwhelming; modeling indicates that pumping has substantially changed the shallow groundwater budget and flowpaths from predevelopment conditions.

  16. Identification of interspecific hybrids between loquat (eriobotrya japonica lindl.) and bengal loquat (e. bengalensis hook.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Y.; Deng, Q.; Zeng, J.; Zhang, J.

    2017-01-01

    Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) is an important subtropical fruit; however, loquat fruitlets are vulnerable to cold injury in winter, which significantly decreases loquat yield in most production regions. In the present study, two loquat cultivars ('Dawuxing' and '4-1-5') and one wild loquat (E. bengalensis Hook., Bengal loquat), were used for interspecific hybridization to produce hybrids with characteristics of spring blooming to avoid cold injury of fruitlets. Hybrid seedlings were derived from direct cross (loquat as female parent and Bengal loquat as male parent) and reciprocal cross. The authenticity of 47 hybrid seedlings was confirmed using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) molecular markers; and leaf morphological characteristics of the hybrid offspring and parents were preliminarily studied and compared. The results suggested that 23 true direct cross hybrids and 12 true reciprocal cross hybrids were obtained, with hybrid authenticity rates of 100 and 50.0%, respectively. Thus, a novel method of distant hybridization for loquat breeding was developed, and with their various genetic and morphological characteristics these hybrids could be valuable germplasms for horticultural use. (author)

  17. Controls on groundwater flow in the Bengal Basin of India and Bangladesh: Regional modeling analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michael, H.A.; Voss, C.I.

    2009-01-01

    Groundwater for domestic and irrigation purposes is produced primarily from shallow parts of the Bengal Basin aquifer system (India and Bangladesh), which contains high concentrations of dissolved arsenic (exceeding worldwide drinking water standards), though deeper groundwater is generally low in arsenic. An essential first step for determining sustainable management of the deep groundwater resource is identification of hydrogeologic controls on flow and quantification of basin-scale groundwater flow patterns. Results from groundwater modeling, in which the Bengal Basin aquifer system is represented as a single aquifer with higher horizontal than vertical hydraulic conductivity, indicate that this anisotropy is the primary hydrogeologic control on the natural flowpath lengths. Despite extremely low hydraulic gradients due to minimal topographic relief, anisotropy implies large-scale (tens to hundreds of kilometers) flow at depth. Other hydrogeologic factors, including lateral and vertical changes in hydraulic conductivity, have minor effects on overall flow patterns. However, because natural hydraulic gradients are low, the impact of pumping on groundwater flow is overwhelming; modeling indicates that pumping has substantially changed the shallow groundwater budget and flowpaths from predevelopment conditions. ?? Springer-Verlag 2009.

  18. Upper ocean stratification and circulation in the northern Bay of Bengal during southwest monsoon of 1991

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Gopalakrishna, V.V.; Murty, V.S.N.; Sengupta, D.; Shenoy, Shrikant; Araligidad, N.

    and the role of near-surface stratified layer in the Bay of Bengal. Proceedings of PORSEC 2000, Vol. I, pp. 453–457. Pond, S., Pickard, G.L., 1983. Introductory Dynamic Oceano- graphy, Pergamon Press, New York, 241pp. Sengupta,D.,Senan,R.,Goswamy,B.N.,2001...

  19. Glass bead transformation method for gram-positive bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    Rattanachaikunsopon, Pongsak; Phumkhachorn, Parichat

    2009-01-01

    A simple, inexpensive and reproducible transformation method was developed for Gram-positive bacteria. It was based on agitation of bacterial protoplasts with glass beads in the presence of DNA and polyethylene glycol. By using this method, introduction of pGK12 into protoplasts of several strains of Gram-positive bacteria was achieved.

  20. A BAC/BIBAC-based physical map of chickpea, Cicer arietinum L

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abbo Shahal

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. is the third most important pulse crop worldwide. Despite its importance, relatively little is known about its genome. The availability of a genome-wide physical map allows rapid fine mapping of QTL, development of high-density genome maps, and sequencing of the entire genome. However, no such a physical map has been developed in chickpea. Results We present a genome-wide, BAC/BIBAC-based physical map of chickpea developed by fingerprint analysis. Four chickpea BAC and BIBAC libraries, two of which were constructed in this study, were used. A total of 67,584 clones were fingerprinted, and 64,211 (~11.7 × of the fingerprints validated and used in the physical map assembly. The physical map consists of 1,945 BAC/BIBAC contigs, with each containing an average of 28.3 clones and having an average physical length of 559 kb. The contigs collectively span approximately 1,088 Mb. By using the physical map, we identified the BAC/BIBAC contigs containing or closely linked to QTL4.1 for resistance to Didymella rabiei (RDR and QTL8 for days to first flower (DTF, thus further verifying the physical map and confirming its utility in fine mapping and cloning of QTL. Conclusion The physical map represents the first genome-wide, BAC/BIBAC-based physical map of chickpea. This map, along with other genomic resources previously developed in the species and the genome sequences of related species (soybean, Medicago and Lotus, will provide a foundation necessary for many areas of advanced genomics research in chickpea and other legume species. The inclusion of transformation-ready BIBACs in the map greatly facilitates its utility in functional analysis of the legume genomes.

  1. A pathway closely related to the (D)-tagatose pathway of gram-negative enterobacteria identified in the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus licheniformis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Heiden, Edwige; Delmarcelle, Michaël; Lebrun, Sarah; Freichels, Régine; Brans, Alain; Vastenavond, Christian M; Galleni, Moreno; Joris, Bernard

    2013-06-01

    We report the first identification of a gene cluster involved in d-tagatose catabolism in Bacillus licheniformis. The pathway is closely related to the d-tagatose pathway of the Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca, in contrast to the d-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway described in the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.

  2. A Pathway Closely Related to the d-Tagatose Pathway of Gram-Negative Enterobacteria Identified in the Gram-Positive Bacterium Bacillus licheniformis

    OpenAIRE

    Van der Heiden, Edwige; Delmarcelle, Michaël; Lebrun, Sarah; Freichels, Régine; Brans, Alain; Vastenavond, Christian M.; Galleni, Moreno; Joris, Bernard

    2013-01-01

    We report the first identification of a gene cluster involved in d-tagatose catabolism in Bacillus licheniformis. The pathway is closely related to the d-tagatose pathway of the Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca, in contrast to the d-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway described in the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.

  3. The threat from sea and land. Regional report 2: the Bay of Bengal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-01-01

    This article reports on the environmental threat caused by the Bay of Bengal on the economic situation in Bangladesh and India. More than four-fifths of Bangladesh amount to an extended delta at the confluence of one of the largest river systems in the world, comprising the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna. In the Brahmaputra watershed, the rate of deforestation caused soil erosion in the Himalayas is five times as much as in the geological past. This sediment loading is often considered to be a prime factor in downstream flooding. Because of this, Bangladesh agriculture products were damaged, which led to economic instability. Furthermore, as a result of the combined impacts of population growth, poverty, no land, and inadequate food supplies, many migrated into the neighboring Indian areas. Moreover, the susceptibility of the Bay of Bengal to cyclones has caused a great number of deaths leaving millions of people homeless. Cyclone episodes are expected to be more frequent as global warming continues. Furthermore, Bangladesh was estimated to be only 5 meters above sea level, which is considered vulnerable to sea level rise. On top of these problems, trouble from the other side of Bangladesh was also predicted with the combined outflow of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna leading to more national damage.

  4. The development of mental hospitals in West Bengal: A brief history and changing trends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattacharyya, Ranjan

    2018-02-01

    The communication between G. S Bose and Sigmund Freud is a well-documented fact, and philosophical blend of rich cultural experiences is unique to modification of traditional psychoanalysis in the context of development of psychiatry in West Bengal. The Calcutta lunatic asylum was established at Bhowanipore, and first general hospital psychiatric unit was formed at R. G. Kar Medical College, Calcutta. Prof. Ajita Chakraborty was a pioneer to describe her struggling days in the early career and shared her views with experiences in her autobiography. The volume and quality of research work, especially in the field of epidemiology led by Dr. D. N. Nandi is worth mentioning. A jail had been converted to mental hospital which is the largest in terms of bed strength ( n = 350) at Berhampore, Murshidabad district where Kazi Nazrul Islam and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had spent some period as prisoner during British rules. Bankura was the first district in West Bengal to start District Mental Health program. The various nongovernmental organizations are working together in public-private partnership model or indigenous ways in tandem over years for the betterment of mental health services both at institutional and community level.

  5. Metering of agricultural power supply in West Bengal, India: Who gains and who loses?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukherji, A.; Das, B.; Majumdar, N.; Nayak, N.C.; Sethi, R.R.; Sharma, B.R.

    2009-01-01

    As a part of the ongoing power sector reforms in India, the state of West Bengal is in the process of metering agricultural electricity supply. This paper presents a first cut assessment of this initiative. Results suggest that the majority of the pump owners benefit from the reforms in two ways: first by having to pay a lower electricity bill for same usage and second through increased profit margins by selling water. This is because in response to the changed incentive structure, water prices rose sharply by 30-50% immediately after metering. In contrast, water buyers have lost out by having to pay higher water charges and face adverse terms of contract. Impact of metering on operation of groundwater markets and volume of groundwater extracted is less clear; they may expand, contract or remain unchanged, though water use efficiency is likely to go up. At current tariff rates, the electricity utilities are likely to earn less revenue than before. These findings are context specific and hold good for West Bengal where high flat tariff had fostered competitive groundwater markets and hence cannot be generalised for other Indian states.

  6. Marked bengal pink. A dynamic test using marking doses; its value in jaundice diagnosis; Rose bengale marque. Epreuve dynamique a doses tracantes; sa valeur dans le diagnostic des icteres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kellershohn, C; Desgrez, A [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Service Frederic Joliot, Service de Biologie, Saclay (France).Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires; Caroli, J [Hopital Saint Antoine, 75 - Paris (France); Delaloye, B [Lausanne (Switzerland)

    1961-07-01

    The authors do a historic calling back of the differential study of jaundices thanks to the semi logarithmic gradients of expurgation of bromine sulphone-phthalein and thanks to the time of appearance of this material in the bile collected by duodenal tubing. They sum up likewise the foreign works which lead to take the place of this test, the outside count at the level of the head, the liver, and the abdomen after intravenous injection of a running dose of marked Rose Bengal. They specify the technical conditions of this test and report an experience which corroborate its value, its accuracy and the interest of its using in the different types of jaundices (hepatitis and obstructive types). (author) [French] Les auteurs font un rappel historique de l'etude differentielle des icteres grace aux pentes semi-logarithmiques d'epuration de la bromesulfonephtaleine et grace au temps d'apparition de cette substance dans la bile recueillie par tubage duodenal. Ils resument egalement les travaux etrangers qui tendent a substituer a cette epreuve le comptage externe au niveau de la tete, du foie et de l'abdomen, apres injection intraveineuse d'une dose tracante de rose bengale marque. Ils precisent les conditions techniques de cette epreuve et rapportent une experience qui confirme sa valeur, son exactitude et l'interet de son utilisation dans les differentes categories d'icteres par hepatite et par obstruction. (auteur)

  7. A Pathway Closely Related to the d-Tagatose Pathway of Gram-Negative Enterobacteria Identified in the Gram-Positive Bacterium Bacillus licheniformis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Heiden, Edwige; Lebrun, Sarah; Freichels, Régine; Brans, Alain; Vastenavond, Christian M.; Galleni, Moreno; Joris, Bernard

    2013-01-01

    We report the first identification of a gene cluster involved in d-tagatose catabolism in Bacillus licheniformis. The pathway is closely related to the d-tagatose pathway of the Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca, in contrast to the d-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway described in the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. PMID:23524682

  8. Salt sensitivity in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): ions in reproductive tissues and yield components in contrasting genotypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotula, Lukasz; Khan, Hammad A; Quealy, John; Turner, Neil C; Vadez, Vincent; Siddique, Kadambot H M; Clode, Peta L; Colmer, Timothy D

    2015-08-01

    The reproductive phase in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is affected by salinity, but little is known about the underlying cause. We investigated whether high concentrations of Na(+) and Cl(-) in the reproductive structures influence reproductive processes. Chickpea genotypes contrasting in tolerance were subjected to 0, 35 or 50 mm NaCl applied to soil in pots. Flower production and abortion, pod number, percentage of empty pods, seed number and size were evaluated. The concentrations of Na(+) , K(+) and Cl(-) were measured in various plant tissues and, using X-ray microanalysis, in specific cells of developing reproductive structures. Genotypic variation in reproductive success measured as seed yield in saline conditions was associated with better maintenance of flower production and higher numbers of filled pods (and thus seed number), whereas seed size decreased in all genotypes. Despite the variation in reproductive success, the accumulation of Na(+) and Cl(-) in the early reproductive tissues of developing pods did not differ between a tolerant (Genesis836) and a sensitive (Rupali) genotype. Similarly, salinity tolerance was not associated with the accumulation of salt ions in leaves at the time of reproduction or in seeds at maturity. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Decreased mortality associated with prompt Gram staining of blood cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barenfanger, Joan; Graham, Donald R; Kolluri, Lavanya; Sangwan, Gaurav; Lawhorn, Jerry; Drake, Cheryl A; Verhulst, Steven J; Peterson, Ryan; Moja, Lauren B; Ertmoed, Matthew M; Moja, Ashley B; Shevlin, Douglas W; Vautrain, Robert; Callahan, Charles D

    2008-12-01

    Gram stains of positive blood cultures are the most important factor influencing appropriate therapy. The sooner appropriate therapy is initiated, the better. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that the sooner Gram stains are performed, the better. To determine the value of timely Gram stains and whether improvement in Gram stain turnaround time (TAT) is feasible, we compared data for matched pairs of patients with cultures processed promptly ( or =1 hour TAT) and then monitored TAT by control charting.In 99 matched pairs, average difference in time to detection of positive blood cultures within a pair of patients was less than 0.1 hour. For the less than 1 hour TAT group, the average TAT and crude mortality were 0.1 hour and 10.1%, respectively; for the 1 hour or longer TAT group, they were 3.3 hours and 19.2%, respectively (P Gram stains.

  10. Source of marine turbidites on the Andaman-Nicobar Islands: Nicobar Fan, Bengal Fan or paleo-Irrawaddy?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, A.

    2017-12-01

    Marine turbidites from an axially fed submarine fan are intermittently exposed across the entire chain of the Andaman-Nicobar Islands. Known as the Andaman Flysch (AF) and loosely assigned to the Paleogene, it has been proposed that these rocks are sourced from the Himalaya and thus provide a unique window into early stages of orogenesis. Where the turbidites came from has been subject to debate; they are either Bengal Fan or forearc deposits cut off from the Bengal Fan and possibly sourced from the Irrawaddy delta. Following recent IODP drilling in the eastern Indian Ocean (Expeditions 354 and 362) it is now possible resolve this by comparing the provenance of AF turbidites with the Bengal and Nicobar Fans. The Andaman Flysch can be traced as detached outcrops all along the western side of the main islands of Andaman over a strike length of more than 200 km. Exposures along the east coast are confined to South Andaman Island. Petrographic and geochemical data show a common continental crust signal with minor contributions from arc material. But, there are also differences whereby west coast sandstones show significantly higher quartz content and less feldspars and rock fragments. Staurolite is also present in all samples from the western side, but is absent from east coast samples. Both detrital zircon U-Pb and Bulk rock Nd data record the presence of arc material likely from Myanmar. Detrital zircon data from the Nicobar Fan match the Andaman turbidites and indicate sources from the Greater and Tethyan Himalaya mixed with sediment from the Burmese arc. Transfer of Irrawaddy derived sediment to the Nicobar Fan is ruled out as sediment transfer across the fore-arc to the west was restricted by the then exposed Yadana and M8 highs in the north and the Sewell and Alcock Rises to the south. Sediment isopachs of the Martaban back arc basin, the main north-south-oriented depocentre in the Andaman Sea related to the development of the Thanlwin -Irrawaddy delta system

  11. A simple chemical free arsenic removal method for community water supply - A case study from West Bengal, India

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sen Gupta, B.; Chatterjee, S.; Rott, U.; Kauffman, H.; Bandopadhyay, A.; DeGroot, W.; Nag, N.K.; Carbonell-Barrachina, A.A.; Mukherjee, S.

    2009-01-01

    This report describes a simple chemical free method that was successfully used by a team of European and Indian scientists ( (www.qub.ac.uk/tipot)) to remove arsenic (As) from groundwater in a village in West Bengal, India. Six such plants are now in operation and are being used to supply water to the local population ( (www.insituarsenic.org)). The study was conducted in Kasimpore, a village in North 24 Parganas District, approximately 25 km from Kolkata. In all cases, total As in treated water was less than the WHO guideline value of 10 μg L -1 . The plant produces no sludge and the operation cost is 1.0 US$ per day for producing 2000 L of potable water. - This work presents the chemical free arsenic removal method from groundwater and its successful implementation in West Bengal for community water supply.

  12. Embedded Lattice and Properties of Gram Matrix

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Futa Yuichi

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available In this article, we formalize in Mizar [14] the definition of embedding of lattice and its properties. We formally define an inner product on an embedded module. We also formalize properties of Gram matrix. We formally prove that an inverse of Gram matrix for a rational lattice exists. Lattice of Z-module is necessary for lattice problems, LLL (Lenstra, Lenstra and Lov´asz base reduction algorithm [16] and cryptographic systems with lattice [17].

  13. Concentration-modulated absorption spectroscopy and the triplet state: Photoinduced absorption/bleaching in erythrosin B, rose bengal and eosin y

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, W. Jeremy; Grofcsik, Andras; Kubinyi, Miklos; Thomas, Daniel

    2006-07-01

    The pump and probe method concentration-modulated absorption spectroscopy has been applied for studying the triplet characteristics of dyes erythrosin B, rose bengal and eosin y in ethanol solutions. Using the 514.5 and 488 nm lines of an argon ion laser for pump and probe beams, respectively, photoinduced bleaching for erythrosin B and eosin y and photoinduced absorption for rose bengal have been observed. The theory developed for describing the interactions of dye molecules of strong triplet forming ability with continuous wave pump and probe beams of Gaussian beam profiles has been tested by analysing the probe power gain or loss at different positions along the optical path of the focused collinear beams. From the gain-modulation frequency curves triplet absorption cross sections and the lifetimes of the triplet states have been determined.

  14. Past 20,000-year history of Himalayan aridity: Evidence from oxygen isotope records in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Chauhan, O.S.

    Late Quaternary climate history of the Himalayas is inferred from sea surface salinity (SSS) changes determined from the oxygen isotope in planktonic foraminifers, in a turbidity-free, 14C-dated core from the Bay of Bengal. The heaviest d18O...

  15. Cathodic protection of mild steel and copper in deep waters of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sawant, S.S.; Venkat, K.; Wagh, A.B.

    Performance of cathodic protection system to mild steel and copper in deep (> 1000 m) oceanic waters of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal has been assessed using aluminium and mild steel sacrificial anodes. The corrosion rates of unprotected metals...

  16. Gram-positive bacteria persisting in the food production environment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knøchel, Susanne; Harmsen, Morten; Knudsen, Bettina

    2008-01-01

    Many gram-positive bacteria are able to form aggregates or biofilms and resist external stress factors and some gram-positive pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus may persist in the food production environment for extended periods. Most research has focussed...

  17. Spatial variations of DMS, DMSP and phytoplankton in the Bay of Bengal during the summer monsoon 2001

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Shenoy, D.M.; Paul, J.T.; Gauns, M.; Ramaiah, N.; DileepKumar, M.

    in the radiation balance of the earth. During the summer monsoon of 2001 measurements were made for DMS and DMSPt (total DMSP) together with related biological parameters in the Bay of Bengal. Both DMS and DMSPt were restricted to the upper 40 m of the water column...

  18. Pulmonary infiltrates during community acquired Gram-negative bacteremia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fjeldsøe-Nielsen, Hans; Gjeraa, Kirsten; Berthelsen, Birgitte G

    2013-01-01

    The primary aim of this study was to describe the frequency of pulmonary infiltrates on chest X-ray (CXR) during community acquired Gram-negative bacteremia at a single centre in Denmark.......The primary aim of this study was to describe the frequency of pulmonary infiltrates on chest X-ray (CXR) during community acquired Gram-negative bacteremia at a single centre in Denmark....

  19. Influence des transformations minéralogiques sur la mobilité de l'arsenic dans les milieux anoxiques - Application au cas des eaux souterraines du delta du Bengale

    OpenAIRE

    Burnol , André

    2009-01-01

    Natural wide-scale poisoning is today affecting the populations that rely on drinking water from aquifers of the Bengal delta. The aim of this thesis is therefore to obtain a better understanding of arsenic mobility within these aquifers by describing, based on the study site at Chakdaha in West Bengal (India), interactions between the mineralogical transformations and the microbial processes. The interactions between iron-reducing or sulfate-reducing bacteria and As-doped ferrihydrite were s...

  20. Biostimulation of soil polluted by 40000 ppm of waste motor oil and phytoremediation with Cicer arietinum and Burkholderia cepacia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meza-Ramírez Janitzi Yunuén

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Soil polluted by 40000 ppm of waste residual oil (WRO, is a relative high hydrocarbons mix concentration according to Mexican regulation related with as the well know NOM-138-SEMARNAT/SSA1-2003 (NOM-138. Due to cause lost soil´s fertility, inhibiting microbial life and reducing vegetal production. To NOM-138 the highest limit of hydrocarbons mix allowed in soil is equal to 4400 ppm/kg. Aims of this research were: i Biostimulation of soil polluted by 40000 ppm of WRO by vermicompost and/or bovine compost, ii Phytoremediation by Cicer arietinum and Burkholderia cepacia to reduce WRO at below value compared to highest according to NOM-138. Results showed that biostimulation of soil with bovine compost eliminated WRO at 24000 ppm in 49 days. Then phytoremediation by C. arietinum and B. cepacia decreased WRO at 2760 ppm value below to compare to highest concentration allowed to NOM-138. It´s concluded that biore-mediation of soil impacted by relatively high concentration of WRO, the best strategy was to apply both biostimulation/phytoremediation that separate.

  1. Globalisation and the Cultural Politics of Educational Change: The Controversy over Teaching of English in West Bengal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scrase, Timothy J.

    2002-09-01

    (Globalisation and the Cultural Politics of Educational Change: The Controversy over the Teaching of English in West Bengal) - This article deals with the articulation of educational policy, cultural politics, and social class in the era of globalization. It analyses the policy of the Government of West Bengal to remove the teaching of English from the primary school syllabus in the state in the early 1980s and its subsequent reintroduction from the beginning of the school year in 2000. The author argues that English is a crucial component of the middle classes' cultural capital and is essential to their future employment success, especially in a globalising work environment. This is supported by interviews conducted during 1998/1999 with middle-class Bengalis. For governments of postcolonial, developing societies, this dispute highlights an essential dichotomy between, on the one hand, the ideal of broad-based educational policies and, on the other hand, the need to prepare children for employment at home and abroad in the context of globalisation.

  2. Gram-positive rods prevailing in teeth with apical periodontitis undergoing root canal treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chávez de Paz, L E; Molander, A; Dahlén, G

    2004-09-01

    To identify Gram-positive rods from root canals of teeth with apical periodontitis and to examine their associations with other species. Consecutive root canal samples (RCSs) from 139 teeth undergoing root canal treatment were analyzed prospectively for cultivable microbes. Gram-positive rods in the first RCS submitted after chemo-mechanical preparation were categorised to genus level by selective media and gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), and identified to species level by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Associations between organisms were measured by odds ratios (OR). In the first samples submitted a total of 158 Gram-positive rods, 115 Gram-positive cocci, 26 Gram-negative rods and 9 Gram-negative cocci, were identified. At genus levels Gram-positive rods were classified into: Lactobacillus spp. (38%), Olsenella spp. (18%), Propionibacterium spp. (13%), Actinomyces spp. (12%), Bifidobacterium spp. (13%) and Eubacterium spp. (6%). The most frequent species were Olsenella uli, Lactobacillus paracasei and Propionibacterium propionicum. In subsequent samples taken during treatment, Gram-positive rods were also identified, although the number of strains was considerably reduced. Positive associations were observed between members of the genus lactobacilli and Gram-positive cocci (OR>2). Olsenella uli and Lactobacillus spp. predominated over other Gram-positive rods. A possible association exists between Lactobacillus spp. and Gram-positive cocci in root canals of teeth with apical periodontitis receiving treatment.

  3. Is the gram stain useful in the microbiologic diagnosis of VAP? A meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Horo, John C; Thompson, Deb; Safdar, Nasia

    2012-08-01

    In a meta-analysis examining respiratory specimen Gram stain for diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia, absence of bacteria on Gram stain had a high negative predictive value, but a positive Gram stain correlated poorly with organisms recovered in culture. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a major challenge and no generally accepted gold standard exists for VAP diagnosis. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the role of respiratory specimen Gram stain to diagnose VAP, and the correlation with final culture results. In 21 studies, pooled sensitivity of Gram stain for VAP was 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI], .77-0.81; P Gram stain for a VAP prevalence of 20%-30% was 91%, suggesting that VAP is unlikely with a negative Gram stain but the positive predictive value of Gram stain was only 40%. Pooled kappa was 0.42 for gram-positive organisms and 0.34 for gram-negative organisms, suggesting fair concordance between organisms on Gram stain and recovery by culture. Therefore, a positive Gram stain should not be used to narrow anti-infective therapy until culture results become available.

  4. Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids enriched polyunsaturated fatty acids from the coastal marine fish of Bay of Bengal and their therapeutic value.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bera, Rabindranath; Dhara, Tushar K; Bhadra, Ranjan; Majumder, Gopal C; Sen, Parimal C

    2010-12-01

    Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) enriched polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) significantly present in marine fish oil emerge as preventive agents for combating many health problems specially in chronic or metabolic disorders. The fish in the coastal area of Bay of Bengal has remained unexplored with respect to EPA/DHA enriched PUFA content in its oils, although it may be a potential source in harnessing the health benefit. In this study, seven varieties of the coastal fish were analysed for the content of EPA/DHA. The one locally known as lotte, (Harpadon nehereus) though has low content of total lipids, was found to have high EPA/DHA in its oil. The phospholipids rich fraction was extracted from the total fish oil. The EPA/DHA enriched PUFA was isolated to investigate the potential use for health benefits. EPA/DHA is found to act as protective agent against mercury poisoning studied in cell culture as well as in animal mode. It is found to be highly preventive in diabetes. The lotte is available in the coastal area of Bay of Bengal adjoining West Bengal, India in large scale and it is the first report showing EPA/DHA enriched PUFA in these fish oil that can be availed to harness in important health benefits.

  5. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) proteins induce allergic responses in nasobronchial allergic patients and BALB/c mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Alok Kumar; Kumar, Sandeep; Tripathi, Anurag; Chaudhari, Bhushan P; Das, Mukul; Dwivedi, Premendra D

    2012-04-05

    Allergy to chickpea or Garbanzo bean (Cicer arietinum) has been reported in the Indian population. Little information is found regarding allergenic events involved in the chickpea allergy; therefore, chickpea allergenicity assessment was undertaken. In vivo and ex vivo studies were carried out using BALB/c mice. Chickpea skin prick test positive patients have been used to extend this study in humans. Identification of allergens was carried out by simulated gastric fluids assay for pepsin resistant polypeptides and validated by IgE western blotting using chickpea sensitive humans and sensitized mice sera. Our data have shown the occurrence of a systemic anaphylactic reaction resulting in reduced body temperature after challenge along with significantly increased levels of IgE, IgG1, MMCP-1, CCL-2 as well as histamine. Further, increased Th1/Th2 (mixed) cytokine response was observed in spleen cell culture supernatants. Jejunum, lungs and spleen showed prominent histopathological changes specific for allergic inflammation. Immunoblotting with pooled sera of either sensitized mice or human sera recognized seven similar IgE binding polypeptides that may be responsible for chickpea induced hypersensitivity reactions. This study has addressed the allergenic manifestations associated with chickpea consumption and identifies the proteins responsible for allergenicity which may prove useful in diagnosis and management of allergenicity of legumes especially chickpea. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Amplifiable DNA from Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria by a low strength pulsed electric field method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vitzthum, Frank; Geiger, Georg; Bisswanger, Hans; Elkine, Bentsian; Brunner, Herwig; Bernhagen, Jürgen

    2000-01-01

    An efficient electric field-based procedure for cell disruption and DNA isolation is described. Isoosmotic suspensions of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria were treated with pulsed electric fields of Pulses had an exponential decay waveform with a time constant of 3.4 µs. DNA yield was linearly dependent on time or pulse number, with several thousand pulses needed. Electrochemical side-effects and electrophoresis were minimal. The lysates contained non-fragmented DNA which was readily amplifiable by PCR. As the method was not limited to samples of high specific resistance, it should be applicable to physiological fluids and be useful for genomic and DNA diagnostic applications. PMID:10734214

  7. Potential strategies for the eradication of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huwaitat, Rawan; McCloskey, Alice P; Gilmore, Brendan F; Laverty, Garry

    2016-07-01

    Antimicrobial resistance is one of the leading threats to society. The increasing burden of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infection is particularly concerning as such bacteria are demonstrating resistance to nearly all currently licensed therapies. Various strategies have been hypothesized to treat multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections including: targeting the Gram-negative outer membrane; neutralization of lipopolysaccharide; inhibition of bacterial efflux pumps and prevention of protein folding. Silver and silver nanoparticles, fusogenic liposomes and nanotubes are potential strategies for extending the activity of licensed, Gram-positive selective, antibiotics to Gram-negatives. This may serve as a strategy to fill the current void in pharmaceutical development in the short term. This review outlines the most promising strategies that could be implemented to solve the threat of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections.

  8. Differential response of winter cooling on biological production in the northeastern Arabian Sea and northwestern Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Jyothibabu, R.; Maheswaran, P.A; Madhu, N.V.; Asharaf, T.T.M.; Gerson, V.J.; Haridas, P.; Venugopal, P.; Revichandran, C.; Nair, K.K.C.; Gopalakrishnan, T.C.

    The northern parts of the twin seas bordering the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian Sea (AS) and Bay of Bengal (BOB), were studied during the winter monsoon. Higher biological production was observed in the AS (chlorophyll a 47.5 mg m sup(-2...

  9. Salinity maxima associated with some sub-surface water masses in the upper layers of the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Varadachari, V.V.R.; Murty, C.S.; Reddy, C.V.G.

    The distribution of some sub-surface water masses in the western bay of Bengal during the south-west monsoon period is presented. Based on the salinity maxima and sigma t values the existence of waters of Persian Gulf and Red Sea origin could...

  10. Hydrographical features of the southern and central Bay of Bengal during the transition period between winter and summer

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, L.V.G.; Jayaraman, R.

    During Feb.-Mar. 1963, INS KISTNA has carried out its 6th and 7th oceanographic cruises in the southern and central parts of Bay of Bengal under the Indian Programme of IIOE. With the physical oceanographic data collected in these cruises...

  11. Anicteric dilatation of the biliary tree demonstrated by ultrasound 131I rose bengal liver scan and PTC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kapoor, R.; Saha, M.M.; Gupta, A.K.

    1991-01-01

    An uncommon case of gross dilatation of biliary tract, without clinical or biochemical evidence of jaundice, is presented. Dilatation of bile ducts was initially demonstrated on ultrasound and it was subsequently confirmed by 131 I rose bengal liver can, PTC and at surgery. (author). 6 refs., 3 figs

  12. Comparative activity of tigecycline and tetracycline on Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria revealed by a multicentre study in four North European countries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nilsson, Lennart E; Frimodt-Møller, Niels; Vaara, Martti

    2011-01-01

    This study involves a multicentre surveillance of tigecycline and tetracycline activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria from primary care centres (PCCs), general hospital wards (GHWs) and intensive care units (ICUs) in Denmark (n = 9), Finland (n = 10), Norway (n = 7) and Sweden (n...

  13. Characterization of aqueous rose bengal dye solution for the measurement of low doses of gamma radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasan Mahmood Khan; Khan, A.A.

    2010-01-01

    Aqueous solution of rose bengal dye has been studied spectrophotometrically as a gamma-ray dosimeter for the measurement of low doses of radiation. The useful dose range was found to be from 50 to 1000 Gy when the measurements were made at 549 nm. The effects of temperature and light conditions on the stability of response during post-irradiation storage were also investigated. When stored in dark at room temperature, the dosimetric solutions showed a stable response up to 22 days. The storage of irradiated solutions in diffused sunlight showed a stable response only up to 6 days. When exposed to direct sunlight, very prominent and fast bleaching of dye solution occurred. At low storage temperature (ca. 11 deg C), dosimetric response was found to be stable up to 22 days while at higher temperature (ca. 30 deg C), the response of dosimetric solution was stable only up to 6 days. The rose bengal aqueous solution showed promising characteristics as a low dose radiation dosimeter when stored at lower temperatures (<25 deg C) in dark. (author)

  14. The dynamics of arsenic in four paddy fields in the Bengal delta

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stroud, Jacqueline L.; Norton, Gareth J.; Islam, M. Rafiqul; Dasgupta, Tapash; White, Rodger P.; Price, Adam H.; Meharg, Andrew A.; McGrath, Steve P.; Zhao Fangjie

    2011-01-01

    Irrigation with arsenic contaminated groundwater in the Bengal Delta may lead to As accumulation in the soil and rice grain. The dynamics of As concentration and speciation in paddy fields during dry season (boro) rice cultivation were investigated at 4 sites in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. Three sites which were irrigated with high As groundwater had elevated As concentrations in the soils, showing a significant gradient from the irrigation inlet across the field. Arsenic concentration and speciation in soil pore water varied temporally and spatially; higher As concentrations were associated with an increasing percentage of arsenite, indicating a reductive mobilization. Concentrations of As in rice grain varied by 2-7 fold within individual fields and were poorly related with the soil As concentration. A field site employing alternating flooded-dry irrigation produced the lowest range of grain As concentration, suggesting a lower soil As availability caused by periodic aerobic conditions. - Research highlights: → Irrigation with As-contaminated groundwater resulted in a gradient of As concentration in the soil. → Arsenic concentration in paddy standing water decreased as arsenite was oxidised to arsenate. → Soil pore water As increased with the %arsenite, suggesting reductive mobilisation. → Alternative flooded-dry conditions led to lowest range of As concentration in rice grain. - Spatial variations of arsenic concentrations in paddy soil and waters do not correlate to within-field variations of arsenic concentrations in rice grain.

  15. Relative Sea Level Trends Along the Coast of the Bay of Bengal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, M.; Calmant, S.; Papa, F.; Delebecque, C.; Islam, A. S.; Shum, C. K.

    2016-12-01

    In the coastal belt of the Bay of Bengal, the sea level rise is one of a major threat, linked to climate change, which drastically affects the livelihoods of millions of people. A comprehensive understanding of sea level trends and its variability in this region is therefore crucial and should help to anticipate the impacts of climate change and implement adaptation strategies. This region is bordered mostly by Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. Here, we revisit the sea level changes in the Bay of Bengal region from tide gauges and satellite altimetry over the period 1993-2014. The 23 monthly mean tide gauge records, used in this study, are retrieved from PSMSL (15 records) and supplemented with Bangladeshi observations (8 records). We show that, over the satellite altimetry era, the sea level interannual/decadal variability is mainly due to ocean thermal expansion variability driven by IOD/ENSO events and their low frequency modulation. We focus on relative sea level rise at major coastal cities and try to separate the climatic signal (long term trend plus interannual/decadal variability) from local effects, in particular vertical land movements. Results from GPS are analysed where available. When no such data exist, vertical land movements are deduced from the combined use of tide gauge and altimetry data. While the analysis is performed over the whole region, a particular attention is given to the low-lyingBangladesh's coastal area.

  16. Sistema de tareas para la enseñanza combinada de la gramática comunicativa y la gramática tradicional de lengua inglesa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nancy del Carmen Jiménez Figueredo

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Se realizó el diseño de un sistema de tareas para la enseñanza combinada de la gramática comunicativa y la gramática tradicional de lengua inglesa, con metodología cuali-cuantitativa, en la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas “Zoilo Marinello Vidaurreta” de la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Las Tunas, durante el período comprendido entre septiembre de 2011 y julio de 2014. El objetivo estuvo direccionado a perfeccionar la corrección lingüística en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje del idioma Inglés. La realización del diseño contó con: una revisión bibliográfica de los principales enfoques utilizados en la enseñanza-aprendizaje del Inglés; la revisión documental, que permitió determinar las insuficiencias lingüísticas y la necesidad de combinar la gramática comunicativa con la gramática tradicional, en los estudiantes del cuarto año de la carrera de Estomatología; el intercambio con profesionales con más de quince años de experiencia, para obtener información acerca del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la gramática; y la aplicación de una valoración equivalente al juicio de expertos, método de agregados individuales, para valorar la propuesta. Los principales resultados fueron: la caracterización de las insuficiencias provocadas por la absolutización del enfoque comunicativo en la enseñanza de la gramática de la lengua inglesa y el diseño de un sistema de tareas para el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la gramática inglesa en estos estudiantes

  17. Antiadhesion agents against Gram-positive pathogens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cascioferro, Stella; Cusimano, Maria Grazia; Schillaci, Domenico

    2014-01-01

    A fundamental step of Gram-positive pathogenesis is the bacterial adhesion to the host tissue involving interaction between bacterial surface molecules and host ligands. This review is focused on antivirulence compounds that target Gram-positive adhesins and on their potential development as therapeutic agents alternative or complementary to conventional antibiotics in the contrast of pathogens. In particular, compounds that target the sortase A, wall theicoic acid inhibitors, carbohydrates able to bind bacterial proteins and proteins capable of influencing the bacterial adhesion, were described. We further discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy in the development of novel antimicrobials and the future perspective of this research field still at its first steps.

  18. Marked bengal pink. A dynamic test using marking doses; its value in jaundice diagnosis; Rose bengale marque. Epreuve dynamique a doses tracantes; sa valeur dans le diagnostic des icteres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kellershohn, C.; Desgrez, A. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Service Frederic Joliot, Service de Biologie, Saclay (France).Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires; Caroli, J. [Hopital Saint Antoine, 75 - Paris (France); Delaloye, B. [Lausanne (Switzerland)

    1961-07-01

    The authors do a historic calling back of the differential study of jaundices thanks to the semi logarithmic gradients of expurgation of bromine sulphone-phthalein and thanks to the time of appearance of this material in the bile collected by duodenal tubing. They sum up likewise the foreign works which lead to take the place of this test, the outside count at the level of the head, the liver, and the abdomen after intravenous injection of a running dose of marked Rose Bengal. They specify the technical conditions of this test and report an experience which corroborate its value, its accuracy and the interest of its using in the different types of jaundices (hepatitis and obstructive types). (author) [French] Les auteurs font un rappel historique de l'etude differentielle des icteres grace aux pentes semi-logarithmiques d'epuration de la bromesulfonephtaleine et grace au temps d'apparition de cette substance dans la bile recueillie par tubage duodenal. Ils resument egalement les travaux etrangers qui tendent a substituer a cette epreuve le comptage externe au niveau de la tete, du foie et de l'abdomen, apres injection intraveineuse d'une dose tracante de rose bengale marque. Ils precisent les conditions techniques de cette epreuve et rapportent une experience qui confirme sa valeur, son exactitude et l'interet de son utilisation dans les differentes categories d'icteres par hepatite et par obstruction. (auteur)

  19. A study on association of smoking and gastric carcinoma in the residents of West Bengal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashis Kumar Saha, Goutam Chatterjee, Subhas Chandra Hazra

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of the study is to know the association of tobacco intake in the form of smoking and chewing with gastric carcinoma in West Bengal. Materials and methods: Total 28860 patients (smokers and tobacco chewer 17240, nonsmokers 11620 were interrogated before performing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Among the smokers and tobacco chewers, isolated bidi and cigarette smokers were 5067, 9323 and 2850 respectively. Among 542 gastric cancer cases, smokers were 301 (165 cigarette and 136 bidi smokers and tobacco chewers 82 respectively. Then comparisons were done: 1. to know the incidence of smokers and nonsmokers in total number of patients, the influence of bidi and cigarette smoking on gastric carcinoma, 3] Effects of the early starters and number of cigarettes/bidi per day on gastric carcinogenesis. Again, comparisons were done to know influence of bidi and cigarettes on the sites of gastric carcinoma. Results: Bidi smokers, earlier starters of smoking and significantly (P<0.0001 suffered from gastric carcinoma. Heavy drinkers were mostly affected (P<0.0001. Conclusions: Bidi smokers, young heavy smokers were mostly affected. So there were strong associations between bidi smoking and gastric carcinoma in the residents of West Bengal.

  20. Serum Chemistry Variables of Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris Kept in Various Forms of Captivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    U. Farooq*, S. Sajjad1, M. Anwar1 and B.N. Khan2

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available There is a dearth of published literature regarding the effect of captivity on serum chemistry variables of tigers kept in the zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. The present study was hence conducted to determine and compare serum chemistry values in tigers of Bengal origin (Panthera tigris tigris kept in captivity at Lahore zoo (LZ (n=4 and in semi natural environment of Lahore Wildlife Park (LWP (n=6, Pakistan. The tigers kept at LZ had significantly (P<0.05 higher mean concentrations of Cl- (108.6±0.57 versus 105.6±0.49 mmol/l and a significantly lower creatinine (1.78±0.06 versus 3.04±0.35mg/dl and AST values (41.66±0.77 versus 54.88±4.22 U/l than tigers kept at LWP. No other significant differences in serum chemistry were observed for both forms of captivity. Results would be useful for the evaluation of physiological and pathological alterations in wild and captive tiger individuals and populations not only in Pakistan but also for other countries harboring the Bengal tigers.

  1. Post-tsunami oceanographic conditions in southern Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    AnilKumar, N.; Sarma, Y.V.B.; Babu, K.N.; Sudhakar, M.; Pandey, P.C.

    m depth. This high - salinity water mass was earlier ident i fied as Arabian Sea High Salinity Water mass ( ASHSW), which forms in the northern Arabian Sea du r- ing winter 12 . A pool of low - s a linity waters occupies the upper 50 m around... of t he Bay of Bengal du r ing the southwest monsoon season flows southward along the coast by the coastal currents during winter period 9 . The relatively high s a line waters (33.7 psu) are seen north of Nagapattinam, separating two low - salinity...

  2. Traditional Practicing with Arsenic Rich Water in Fish Industries Leads to Health Hazards in West Bengal and North-Eastern States of India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kashyap, C. A.

    2014-12-01

    The supply of good quality food is main necessity for economic and social health of urban and rural population throughout the globe. This study comes to know the severity of As in the west Bengal and north-eastern states of the India. Over the 75% large population of India lives in villages and associated with farming and its related work. West Bengal is the densest populated area of India, fish and rice is the staple food as well as in north-eastern states. For the fulfil demand of fish large population the area are used fisheries as the business. Arsenic contamination in ground water is major growing threat to worldwide drinking water resources. High As contamination in water have been reported in many parts of the world Chandrasekharam et al., 2001; Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002; Farooq et al., 2010). In context to West Bengal and north-east states of India arsenic is main problem in the food chain. These areas are very rich in arsenic many fold higher concentrations of Arsenic than their respective WHO permissible limits have been reported in the water. Over the 36 million people in Bengal delta are at risk due to drinking of As contaminated water (Nordstrom, 2002). The highest concentration of arsenic (535 μg/L Chandrashekhar et al. 2012) was registered from Ngangkha Lawai Mamang Leikai area of Bishnupur district which is fifty fold of the WHO limit for arsenic and tenfold of Indian permissible limit. With the continuous traditional practicing (As rich water pond) and untreated arsenic rich water in fish industries leads to health hazards. A sustainable development in aquaculture should comprise of various fields including environmental, social, cultural and economic aspects. A scientific study has to be needed for the overcome on this problem and rain harvested water may be used for reduce the arsenic problems in fisheries.

  3. Potential of recycling gamma-irradiated sewage sludge for use as a fertilizer: a study on chickpea (Cicer arietinum)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pandya, G.A.; Sachidanand, S.; Modi, V.V.

    1989-01-01

    The effects of gamma-irradiated sludge on the growth and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) in pot cultures have been studied. Compared to plants grown only in soil, root length, fresh weight and dry weight of plants grown in soil supplemented with unirradiated sludge were found to be significantly reduced. This inhibition in growth was found to be nullified when plants were grown in soil supplemented with gamma-irradiated sludge, suggesting that gamma radiation induced inactivation of toxic substance(s) in sludge. The protein content of plants grown in soil supplemented with irradiated sludge was also found to be significantly increased compared to those grown with unirradiated or no sludge, after 45 days. There was no significant effect of gamma irradiated sludge on shoot length, total soluble sugars, starch content and yield of chickpea plants. The results obtained suggest that the sludge tested, and obtained from the digester of a conventional domestic sewage treatment plant, is inhibitory to several growth parameters. Gamma irradiation of sewage resulted in removal of this inhibition. This suggests a possibility of beneficial and safe recycling of gamma-irradiated sludge for agricultural uses. (author)

  4. Cytokine profile in severe gram-positive and gram-negative abdominal sepsis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surbatovic, Maja; Popovic, Nada; Vojvodic, Danilo; Milosevic, Ivan; Acimovic, Gordana; Stojicic, Milan; Veljovic, Milic; Jevdjic, Jasna; Djordjevic, Dragan; Radakovic, Sonja

    2015-01-01

    Sepsis is a principal cause of death in critical care units worldwide and consumes considerable healthcare resources. The aim of our study was to determine whether the early cytokine profile can discriminate between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteraemia (GPB and GNB, respectively) and to assess the prognostic value regarding outcome in critically ill patients with severe abdominal sepsis. The outcome measure was hospital mortality. Blood samples were obtained from 165 adult patients with confirmed severe abdominal sepsis. Levels of the proinflammatory mediators TNF-α, IL-8, IL-12 and IFN-γ and the anti-inflammatory mediators IL-1ra, IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-β1 were determined and correlated with the nature of the bacteria isolated from the blood culture and outcome. The cytokine profile in our study indicated that the TNF-α levels were 2-fold, IL-8 were 3.3-fold, IFN-γ were 13-fold, IL-1ra were 1.05-fold, IL-4 were 1.4-fold and IL-10 were 1.83-fold higher in the GNB group compared with the GPB group. The TNF-α levels were 4.7-fold, IL-8 were 4.6-fold, IL-1ra were 1.5-fold and IL-10 were 3.3-fold higher in the non-survivors compared with the survivors. PMID:26079127

  5. Sediment pathways and emergence of Himalayan source material in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Krishna, K.S.; Ismaiel, M.; Srinivas, K.; Gopala Rao, D.; Mishra, J.; Saha, D.

    . R., Emmel, F. J. and Moore, D. G., The Bengal Fan: geometry, stratigraphy, history and processes. Mar. Petrol. Geol., 2003, 19, 1191–1223. 26. Bull, J. M. and Scrutton, R. A., Seismic reflection images of intraplate deformation, central Indian... information on the linkage among Himalayan tectonics, Asian climate and erosional history of the Himalaya. There is a general belief that the sediment dis- charge from the Himalaya to the BoB had begun around the Eocene (~40 Ma)9...

  6. Determination of inorganic radioiodine in 131I- Rose Bengal and 131I- bromosulphthalein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toledo e Souza, I.T. de; Pereira, N.P.S. de; Silva, C.P.G. da.

    1985-01-01

    A rapid miniaturized chromatographic system was developed for fast determination of the proportion of inorganic radioactive iodide from radiopharmaceuticals 131 I-Rose Bengal and 131 I-Bromosulphthalein. Using 33% W/V aqueous solution of ammonium sulphate pH 7,5 as a solvent Rf values for radiopharmaceuticals, iodide, iodate to Rf 0,0 0,5 0,9 respectively. The chromatographic quality control procedures are easy to use, rapid and can be incorporated in a routine quality control program. (Author) [pt

  7. Hydrocarbons in the Bay of Bengal and Central Indian Basin bottom sediments: Indicators of geochemical processes in the lithosphere

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Chernova, T.G.; Paropkari, A.L.; Pikovskii, Yu.I.; Alekseeva, T.A.

    A study on the bulk distributions and molecular structures of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in organic matter of the sediments from the Bay of Bengal and the Eastern and Central Indian Basins was underdaken. The former two...

  8. Simulation of barotropic wind-driven circulation in tbe Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea during premonsoon and postmonsoon seasons

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Unnikrishnan, A.S.; Bahulayan, N.

    Two-dimensional vertically integrated model has been used to simulate depth-mean wind-driven circulation during premonsoon and postmonsoon seasons in the upper layers of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. The model is integrated for 365 d, forcEd...

  9. Analysis of multi-channel seismic reflection and magnetic data along 13 degrees N latitude across the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, D.G.; Bhattacharya, G.C.; Ramana, M.V.; Subrahmanyam, V.; Ramprasad, T.; Krishna, K.S.; Chaubey, A.K.; Murty, G.P.S.; Srinivas, K.; Desa, M.; Reddy, S.I.; Ashalata, B.; Subrahmanyam, C.; Mital, G.S.; Drolia, R.K.; rai, S.N.; Ghosh, S.K.; Singh, R.N.; Majumdar, M.

    Analysis of the multi-channel seismic reflection, magnetic and bathymetric data collected along a transect, 1110 km long parallel to 13 degrees N lat. across the Bay of Bengal was made. The transect is from the continental shelf off Madras...

  10. Will new antimicrobials overcome resistance among Gram-negatives?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bassetti, Matteo; Ginocchio, Francesca; Mikulska, Małgorzata; Taramasso, Lucia; Giacobbe, Daniele Roberto

    2011-10-01

    The spread of resistance among Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria represents a growing challenge for the development of new antimicrobials. The pace of antibiotic drug development has slowed during the last decade and, especially for Gram-negatives, clinicians are facing a dramatic shortage in the availability of therapeutic options to face the emergency of the resistance problem throughout the world. In this alarming scenario, although there is a shortage of compounds reaching the market in the near future, antibiotic discovery remains one of the keys to successfully stem and maybe overcome the tide of resistance. Analogs of already known compounds and new agents belonging to completely new classes of antimicrobials are in early stages of development. Novel and promising anti-Gram-negative antimicrobials belong both to old (cephalosporins, carbapenems, β-lactamase inhibitors, monobactams, aminoglycosides, polymyxin analogues and tetracycline) and completely new antibacterial classes (boron-containing antibacterial protein synthesis inhibitors, bis-indoles, outer membrane synthesis inhibitors, antibiotics targeting novel sites of the 50S ribosomal subunit and antimicrobial peptides). However, all of these compounds are still far from being introduced into clinical practice. Therefore, infection control policies and optimization in the use of already existing molecules are still the most effective approaches to reduce the spread of resistance and preserve the activity of antimicrobials.

  11. Lateral variation in crustal and mantle structure in Bay of Bengal based on surface wave data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Amit; Mukhopadhyay, Sagarika; Kumar, Naresh; Baidya, P. R.

    2018-01-01

    Surface waves generated by earthquakes that occurred near Sumatra, Andaman-Nicobar Island chain and Sunda arc are used to estimate crustal and upper mantle S wave velocity structure of Bay of Bengal. Records of these seismic events at various stations located along the eastern coast of India and a few stations in the north eastern part of India are selected for such analysis. These stations lie within regional distance of the selected earthquakes. The selected events are shallow focused with magnitude greater than 5.5. Data of 65, 37, 36, 53 and 36 events recorded at Shillong, Bokaro, Visakhapatnam, Chennai and Trivandrum stations respectively are used for this purpose. The ray paths from the earthquake source to the recording stations cover different parts of the Bay of Bengal. Multiple Filtering Technique (MFT) is applied to compute the group velocities of surface waves from the available data. The dispersion curves thus obtained for this data set are within the period range of 15-120 s. Joint inversion of Rayleigh and Love wave group velocity is carried out to obtain the subsurface information in terms of variation of S wave velocity with depth. The estimated S wave velocity at a given depth and layer thickness can be considered to be an average value for the entire path covered by the corresponding ray paths. However, we observe variation in the value of S wave velocity and layer thickness from data recorded at different stations, indicating lateral variation in these two parameters. Thick deposition of sediments is observed along the paths followed by surface waves to Shillong and Bokaro stations. Sediment thickness keeps on decreasing as the surface wave paths move further south. Based on velocity variation the sedimentary layer is further divided in to three parts; on top lay unconsolidated sediment, underlain by consolidated sediment. Below this lies a layer which we consider as meta-sediments. The thickness and velocity of these layers decrease from north

  12. Outcomes of single organism peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis: gram negatives versus gram positives in the Network 9 Peritonitis Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunke, C M; Brier, M E; Golper, T A

    1997-08-01

    The use of the "peritonitis rate" in the management of patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis is assuming importance in comparing the prowess of facilities, care givers and new innovations. For this to be a meaningful outcome measure, the type of infection (causative pathogen) must have less clinical significance than the number of infections during a time interval. The natural history of Staphylococcus aureus, pseudomonas, and fungal peritonitis would not support that the outcome of an episode of peritonitis is independent of the causative pathogen. Could this concern be extended to other more frequently occurring pathogens? To address this, the Network 9 Peritonitis Study identified 530 episodes of single organism peritonitis caused by a gram positive organism and 136 episodes caused by a single non-pseudomonal gram negative (NPGN) pathogen. Coincidental soft tissue infections (exit site or tunnel) occurred equally in both groups. Outcomes of peritonitis were analyzed by organism classification and by presence or absence of a soft tissue infection. NPGN peritonitis was associated with significantly more frequent catheter loss, hospitalization, and technique failure and was less likely to resolve regardless of the presence or absence of a soft tissue infection. Hospitalization and death tended to occur more frequently with enterococcal peritonitis than with other gram positive peritonitis. The outcomes in the NPGN peritonitis group were significantly worse (resolution, catheter loss, hospitalization, technique failure) compared to coagulase negative staphylococcal or S. aureus peritonitis, regardless of the presence or absence of a coincidental soft tissue infection. Furthermore, for the first time, the poor outcomes of gram negative peritonitis are shown to be independent of pseudomonas or polymicrobial involvement or soft tissue infections. The gram negative organism appears to be the important factor. In addition, the outcome of peritonitis caused by S. aureus

  13. I-131 rose bengal excretion test is not dead

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antico, V.F.; Denhartog, P.; Ash, J.M.; Gilday, D.L.; Houle, S.

    1985-01-01

    One hundred and thirty I-131 Rose Bengal Excretion Studies (RBI) were performed on 84 patients over nine years. In 90% (56/60) of cases with biliary atresia, the 72-hour RBI was less than or equal to 7%. In only 12.5% (3/24) of cases with neonatal hepatitis was the 72-hour RBI less than or equal to 7%. The accuracy of the test was 91% with a specificity of 88%. Thirty patients later were studied following a Kasai procedure. The RBI test reliably predicted the patency of the anastomosis. The authors conclude that the 72-hour RBI is a reliable test in the diagnosis of biliary atresia and in the documentation of biliary patency following surgery, provided adequate care is taken in stool collection and measurement

  14. Towards Ladyland: Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain and the Movement for Women's Education in Bengal, "c." 1900-"c." 1932

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagchi, Barnita

    2009-01-01

    This paper analyses the work of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932), urban Bengali Muslim educator and writer, placing her in the wider context of women organising themselves in associations to create social change through education for women, in the province of undivided Bengal in colonial India, from "c." 1900 to "c." 1932. A…

  15. Writing Indigenous women's lives in the Bay of Bengal: cultures of empire in the Andaman Islands, 1789-1906.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Clare

    2011-01-01

    This article explores the lives of two Andamanese women, both of whom the British called “Tospy.” The first part of the article takes an indigenous and gendered perspective on early British colonization of the Andamans in the 1860s, and through the experiences of a woman called Topsy stresses the sexual violence that underpinned colonial settlement as well as the British reliance on women as cultural interlocutors. Second, the article discusses colonial naming practices, and the employment of Andamanese women and men as nursemaids and household servants during the 1890s–1910s. Using an extraordinary murder case in which a woman known as Topsy-ayah was a central witness, it argues that both reveal something of the enduring associations and legacies of slavery, as well as the cultural influence of the Atlantic in the Bay of Bengal. In sum, these women's lives present a kaleidoscope view of colonization, gender, networks of Empire, labor, and domesticity in the Bay of Bengal.

  16. New Spectrophotometric and Conductometric Methods for Macrolide Antibiotics Determination in Pure and Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms Using Rose Bengal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rania A. Sayed

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Two Simple, accurate, precise, and rapid spectrophotometric and conductometric methods were developed for the estimation of erythromycin thiocyanate (I, clarithromycin (II, and azithromycin dihydrate (III in both pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms. The spectrophotometric procedure depends on the reaction of rose bengal and copper with the cited drugs to form stable ternary complexes which are extractable with methylene chloride, and the absorbances were measured at 558, 557, and 560 nm for (I, (II, and (III, respectively. The conductometric method depends on the formation of an ion-pair complex between the studied drug and rose bengal. For the spectrophotometric method, Beer's law was obeyed. The correlation coefficient ( for the studied drugs was found to be 0.9999. The molar absorptivity (, Sandell’s sensitivity, limit of detection (LOD, and limit of quantification (LOQ were also calculated. The proposed methods were successfully applied for the determination of certain pharmaceutical dosage forms containing the studied drugs

  17. Description of temperature dependence of phosphorescence attenuation kinetics of rose Bengal dye at presence of anthracene on the silica heterogeneous surface by the exponential regression method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karstina, S.G.; Markova, M.P.

    2002-01-01

    In the work rose Bengal dye (triplet energy donor) and aromatic hydrocarbon anthracene (triplet energy acceptor) were selected in the capacity of examined substances. The substances were sorption on the SiO 2 porous surface. Measurement have been conducted on the laser device allowing to register of examined composition phosphorescence with time resolution 300 ns at wave length 710 nm. In the result of attenuation kinetic analysis for rose Bengal phosphorescence the empiric formula allowing describing processes of luminescence damping on the heterogeneous surfaces with fractal structure was derived

  18. The fauna of brackish ponds at Port Canning, Lower Bengal Part 1 - Introduction and Preliminary Account of the Fauna

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Annandale, N.

    A general survey the fauna of brackishwater ponds at Port Canning, Lower Bengal, India, was carried out The Port Canning is situated on the Matla river having numerous creeks which runup into the delta of the Ganges about sixty miles from the open...

  19. Distribution of clay minerals in marine sediments off Chennai, Bay of Bengal, India: Indicators of sediment sources and transport processes .

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Veerasingam, S.; Venkatachalapathy, R.; Ramkumar, T.

    Clay mineralogy, texture size and statistical analyses were carried out on surface sediments from the continental shelf of Chennai, Bay of Bengal, India. The purpose of this study is to characterize the clay mineral distribution and its relation...

  20. Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy to Kill Gram-negative Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sperandio, Felipe F; Huang, Ying-Ying; Hamblin, Michael R

    2013-01-01

    Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) or photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a new promising strategy to eradicate pathogenic microorganisms such as Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts and fungi. The search for new approaches that can kill bacteria but do not induce the appearance of undesired drug-resistant strains suggests that PDT may have advantages over traditional antibiotic therapy. PDT is a non-thermal photochemical reaction that involves the simultaneous presence of visible light, oxygen and a dye or photosensitizer (PS). Several PS have been studied for their ability to bind to bacteria and efficiently generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon photostimulation. ROS are formed through type I or II mechanisms and may inactivate several classes of microbial cells including Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which are typically characterized by an impermeable outer cell membrane that contains endotoxins and blocks antibiotics, dyes, and detergents, protecting the sensitive inner membrane and cell wall. This review covers significant peer-reviewed articles together with US and World patents that were filed within the past few years and that relate to the eradication of Gram-negative bacteria via PDI or PDT. It is organized mainly according to the nature of the PS involved and includes natural or synthetic food dyes; cationic dyes such as methylene blue and toluidine blue; tetrapyrrole derivatives such as phthalocyanines, chlorins, porphyrins, chlorophyll and bacteriochlorophyll derivatives; functionalized fullerenes; nanoparticles combined with different PS; other formulations designed to target PS to bacteria; photoactive materials and surfaces; conjugates between PS and polycationic polymers or antibodies; and permeabilizing agents such as EDTA, PMNP and CaCl2. The present review also covers the different laboratory animal models normally used to treat Gram-negative bacterial infections with antimicrobial PDT. PMID

  1. Trichodesmium blooms and warm-core ocean surface features in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jyothibabu, R; Karnan, C; Jagadeesan, L; Arunpandi, N; Pandiarajan, R S; Muraleedharan, K R; Balachandran, K K

    2017-08-15

    Trichodesmium is a bloom-forming, diazotrophic, non-heterocystous cyanobacteria widely distributed in the warmer oceans, and their bloom is considered a 'biological indication' of stratification and nitrogen limitation in the ocean surface layer. In the first part of this paper, based on the retrospective analyses of the ocean surface mesoscale features associated with 59 Trichodesmium bloom incidences recorded in the past, 32 from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and 27 from the rest of the world, we have showed that warm-core features have an inducing effect on bloom formation. In the second part, we have considered the environmental preferences of Trichodesmium bloom based on laboratory and field studies across the globe, and proposed a view about how warm-core features could provide an inducing pre-requisite condition for the bloom formation in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Proposed that the subsurface waters of warm-core features maintain more likely chances for the conducive nutrient and light conditions required for the triggering of the blooms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Measurement of duodenogastric reflux: standardization of a new technique using Rose Bengal 131I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pires, P.W.A.; Camargo, E.E.; Mittelstaedt, W.E.M.; Speranzini, M.B.; Oliveira, M.R. de

    1988-01-01

    A nasogastric tube was introduced under radioscopic control into the stomach of 20 normal persons. After fixing the tube, Rose Bengal I 131 was injected intravenously. The individuals were then subdivided in two groups: a and B. group A: gastric fluid samples were aspirated for two hours in the ten cases in this group. Group B: A standard liquid diet was introduced via the nasogastric tube. Samples were also collected for two hours. (M.A.C.) [pt

  3. Subcellular localization for Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial proteins using linear interpolation smoothing model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saini, Harsh; Raicar, Gaurav; Dehzangi, Abdollah; Lal, Sunil; Sharma, Alok

    2015-12-07

    Protein subcellular localization is an important topic in proteomics since it is related to a protein׳s overall function, helps in the understanding of metabolic pathways, and in drug design and discovery. In this paper, a basic approximation technique from natural language processing called the linear interpolation smoothing model is applied for predicting protein subcellular localizations. The proposed approach extracts features from syntactical information in protein sequences to build probabilistic profiles using dependency models, which are used in linear interpolation to determine how likely is a sequence to belong to a particular subcellular location. This technique builds a statistical model based on maximum likelihood. It is able to deal effectively with high dimensionality that hinders other traditional classifiers such as Support Vector Machines or k-Nearest Neighbours without sacrificing performance. This approach has been evaluated by predicting subcellular localizations of Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial proteins. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Thermohaline structure and circulation in the upper layers of the southern Bay of Bengal during BOBMEX-Pilot (October-November 1998)

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    RameshBabu, V.; Murty, V.S.N.; Rao, L.V.G.; Prabhu, C.V.; Tilvi, V.

    Hydrographic data collected on board ORV Sagar Kanya in the southern Bay of Bengal during the BOBMEX-Pilot programme (October -- November 1998) have been used to describe the thermohaline structure and circulation in the upper 200m water column...

  5. Why is mean sea level along the Indian coast higher in the Bay of Bengal than in the Arabian Sea?

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Shankar, D.; Shetye, S.R.

    Levelling observations conducted during the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India (1858-1909) and subsequent observations showed that mean sea level along the coast of India is higher in the Bay of Bengal than in the Arabian Sea, the difference...

  6. Investigation of XBT and XCTD biases in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal with implications for climate studies

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Boyer, T.; Gopalakrishna, V.V.; Reseghetti, F.; Naik, A.; Suneel, V.; Ravichandran, M.; Ali, N.P.M.; Rafeeq, M.M.M.; Chico, R.A.

    XCTD, basin-specific FREs are possible for the Bay of Bengal, but not for the Arabian Sea. The XCTD FRE velocity coefficients are significantly higher than the XCTD manufacturers’ FRE coefficient or those from previous tests, possibly resulting from...

  7. Acoustic propagations in the presence of a subsurface cold core eddy in the Bay of Bengal - A case study

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    PrasannaKumar, S.; Navelkar, G.S.; Murty, T.V.R.; Murty, C.S.

    Acoustic characteristics of a cold core eddy, observed in the Bay of Bengal during southwest monsoon period is studied using CTD data along the western boundary. The presence of eddy brings about a reduction in the ambient sound speEd. by 10 m.s sup...

  8. Thermal response of upper layers of Bay of Bengal to forcing of a severe cyclonic storm: A case study

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Gopalakrishna, V.V.; Murty, V.S.N.; Sarma, M.S.S.; Sastry, J.S.

    Upper ocean response to forcing of a severe cyclonic storm during May 1990 in the western Bay of Bengal was studied using the XBT data sets collected (4 d after passage of storm) under Indian TOGA programme. A maximum lowering in the sea surface...

  9. Geochemical characterization of the Krishna–Godavari and Mahanadi offshore basin (Bay of Bengal) sediments: A comparative study of provenance

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Mazumdar, A.; Kocherla, M.; Carvalho, M.A.; Peketi, A.; Joshi, R.K.; Mahalaxmi, P.; Joao, H.M.; Jisha, R.

    and further extends offshore into the Bay of Bengal (Fig. 1).  It is a passive pericratonic basin covering an area of 260,000 km2 with water depth exceeding 3000 m (including deep offshore) (Singh, 2008). The Mahanadi offshore area represents a pull...

  10. Purification and characterization of a novel trypsin-like protease from green-seeded chickpea (Cicer arientum).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shamsi, Tooba Naz; Parveen, Romana; Sen, Priyankar; Fatima, Sadaf

    2017-05-28

    The present study describes the purification and physicochemical and biochemical characterization of trypsin-like protease from green-seeded chickpea (Cicer arientum). The crude extract of chickpea trypsin (CpT) was obtained by homogenization followed by differential ammonium sulfate precipitation. The CpT was purified by ion-exchange chromatography on diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) column, pre-equilibrated with 20 mM tris-CaCl 2 buffer (pH 8.2) with a flow rate of 0.5 mL min -1 . The molecular weight and purity of ∼23 kDa of CpT were determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Activity of protease was determined using Nα-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide as chromogenic substrate and CpT purified showed a specific inhibitor activity of 26978.7697 U mg -1 , fold purity of 9.8, and the yield of 70.2%. The characterization was performed for thermal stability, pH profile, and effect of various inhibitors on enzymatic activity. The protein isolated showed stability in the neutral to mild alkaline pH range and thermostability up to 50°C. CpT confirmed its serine nature as it was appreciably inhibited by serine protease inhibitors (maximum 6%), whereas metalloprotease inhibitors barely affected the activity of the enzyme (85%). To the best of our knowledge, it is first reported on purification of protease with trypsin-like properties, from this source.

  11. [Obtaining a fermented chickpea extract (Cicer arietinum L.) and its use as a milk extensor].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morales de León, J; Cassís Nosthas, M L; Cecin Salomón, P

    2000-06-01

    Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) is cultivated in the North part of México and it is considered a good source of vegetal protein of low cost (20% average), nevertheless, the 80% used for the exportation and only the 20% less was used for animal feeding. The main objective in this study is to obtain a fermented chickpea extract for using in dairy extensor. Chickpea water absorbtion kinetics were carried out in e temperature conditions:while the conditions were established, chickpea was grounded and fermented in different amounts with its natural flora, L. casei, L. plantarum and a mixture culture of both microorganism in logarithmic phase. The results showed that the presence of microorganism of chickpea natural flora interferes during the fermentation, so before the inoculation it was necessary treat the chickpea extract (CE) terminally in a dilution 1:4 during 20 min at 7.7 kg/cm2 of pressure. The use of a mixture culture of 5% of L. casei and 5% L. plantarum inoculated in MRS broth was used to decrease fermentation time. Its addition in logarithmic phase to the sterile chickpea extract increased the lactic acid production and decreased the pH value in 6 h which was less time that one obtained with each of lactobacillus. The fermented extract obtained finally, presented similar sensory characteristics to the ones of dairy products. Therefore, chickpea is a good alternative as a extensor for this kind of products.

  12. Is Ramadan Fasting Cardio-protective? A Study in a Village of West Bengal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aparajita Dasgupta

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Islam is the second largest religion of the World (23% and Muslims are the second largest majority of Indian Republic (14.3%. Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month(Hijra of the 12-month Islamic calendar during which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk each day maintaining certain rules (consuming food/drink once, avoiding smoking and sexual activity, as well as impure thoughts, words and immoral behavior. It is observed by Muslims as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Qur'an to Muhammad. Aims & Objectives: To evaluate the effect of Ramadan on cardio-metabolic profile among adult Muslims residing in rural West Bengal. Methods and Materials: The present study was a longitudinal community based study done among 43 Muslims residing in a village of West Bengal during 6thJune to 7th July 2016. Cardio-metabolic profile (physical activity, diet, BMI, blood pressure, blood lipids and glucose were assessed before, during and after Ramadan. Results: There was a significant reduction in VLDL and TG level while significant elevation in HDL level along with the reduction in Framingham risk score after fasting. All the anthropometric measurements along with blood pressure reduced significantly after Ramadan with significant reduction in intake of all micro-nutrients during Ramadan. However physical activity also reduced significantly during Ramadan. Conclusion: Our study had found no detrimental effects of Ramadan fasting on the contrary has an overall beneficial effect on cardiovascular profile was observed.

  13. RNases and Helicases in Gram-Positive Bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durand, Sylvain; Condon, Ciaran

    2018-04-01

    RNases are key enzymes involved in RNA maturation and degradation. Although they play a crucial role in all domains of life, bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes have evolved with their own sets of RNases and proteins modulating their activities. In bacteria, these enzymes allow modulation of gene expression to adapt to rapidly changing environments. Today, >20 RNases have been identified in both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis , the paradigms of the Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively. However, only a handful of these enzymes are common to these two organisms and some of them are essential to only one. Moreover, although sets of RNases can be very similar in closely related bacteria such as the Firmicutes Staphylococcus aureus and B. subtilis , the relative importance of individual enzymes in posttranscriptional regulation in these organisms varies. In this review, we detail the role of the main RNases involved in RNA maturation and degradation in Gram-positive bacteria, with an emphasis on the roles of RNase J1, RNase III, and RNase Y. We also discuss how other proteins such as helicases can modulate the RNA-degradation activities of these enzymes.

  14. Selenoproteins in Archaea and Gram-positive bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stock, Tilmann; Rother, Michael

    2009-11-01

    Selenium is an essential trace element for many organisms by serving important catalytic roles in the form of the 21st co-translationally inserted amino acid selenocysteine. It is mostly found in redox-active proteins in members of all three domains of life and analysis of the ever-increasing number of genome sequences has facilitated identification of the encoded selenoproteins. Available data from biochemical, sequence, and structure analyses indicate that Gram-positive bacteria synthesize and incorporate selenocysteine via the same pathway as enterobacteria. However, recent in vivo studies indicate that selenocysteine-decoding is much less stringent in Gram-positive bacteria than in Escherichia coli. For years, knowledge about the pathway of selenocysteine synthesis in Archaea and Eukarya was only fragmentary, but genetic and biochemical studies guided by analysis of genome sequences of Sec-encoding archaea has not only led to the characterization of the pathways but has also shown that they are principally identical. This review summarizes current knowledge about the metabolic pathways of Archaea and Gram-positive bacteria where selenium is involved, about the known selenoproteins, and about the respective pathways employed in selenoprotein synthesis.

  15. EFFECT OF SILICATE ON GRAM STAINING AND VIABILITY OF PNEUMOCOCCI AND OTHER BACTERIA

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacLeod, Colin M.; Roe, Amy S.

    1956-01-01

    Application of silicate solutions to living or heat-killed pneumococci and to certain "viridans" streptococci causes their conversion from a Gram-positive to a Gram-negative state. The original staining properties can be restored by suspending the silicate-treated bacteria in alkaline solutions of various salts but not by simple washing in water. Living pneumococci and the strains of streptococci whose staining properties are similarly affected are killed when suspended in silicate solutions. In other Gram-positive species silicate causes conversion to Gram negativity but restoration to positivity occurs upon washing in water. In a third group of Gram-positive organisms silicate has no effect on the Gram reaction. The viability of organisms in these two groups is unaffected by silicate under the conditions employed. No effect on staining or viability of Gram-negative bacteria has been observed. The effects of silicate on staining and viability are inhibited by nutrient broth or whole serum but not by purified serum albumin. Lecithin, choline, and other substituted ammonium compounds also inhibit the effects of silicate on pneumococci. PMID:13306854

  16. Use of magnetic beads for Gram staining of bacteria in aqueous suspension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yazdankhah, S P; Sørum, H; Larsen, H J; Gogstad, G

    2001-12-01

    A Gram staining technique was developed using monodisperse magnetic beads in concentrating bacteria in suspension for downstream application. The technique does not require heat fixation of organisms, electrical power, or a microscope. Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria were identified macroscopically based on the colour of the suspension. The bacteria concentrated on magnetic beads may also be identified microscopically.

  17. Space Efficient Data Structures for N-gram Retrieval

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fotios Kounelis

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A significant problem in computer science is the management of large data strings and a great number of works dealing with the specific problem has been published in the scientific literature. In this article, we use a technique to store efficiently biological sequences, making use of data structures like suffix trees and inverted files and also employing techniques like n-grams, in order to improve previous constructions. In our attempt, we drastically reduce the space needed to store the inverted indexes, by representing the substrings that appear more frequently in a more compact inverted index. Our technique is based on n-gram indexing, providing us the extra advantage of indexing sequences that cannot be separated in words. Moreover, our technique combines classical one level with two-level n-gram inverted file indexing. Our results suggest that the new proposed algorithm can compress the data more efficiently than previous attempts.

  18. Horse gram- an underutilized nutraceutical pulse crop: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasad, Saroj Kumar; Singh, Manoj Kumar

    2015-05-01

    Horse gram is an underutilized pulse crop grown in wide range of adverse climatic conditions. It occupies an important place in human nutrition and has rich source of protein, minerals, and vitamins. Besides nutritional importance, it has been linked to reduced risk of various diseases due to presence of non-nutritive bioactive substances. These bioactive substances such as phytic acid, phenolic acid, fiber, enzymatic/proteinase inhibitors have significant metabolic and/or physiological effects. The importance of horse gram was well recognized by the folk/alternative/traditional medicine as a potential therapeutic agent to treat kidney stones, urinary diseases, piles, common cold, throat infection, fever etc. The inception of nutraceutical concept and increasing health consciousness the demand of nutraceutical and functional food is increased. In recent years, isolation and utilization of potential antioxidants from legumes including horse gram are increased as it decreases the risk of intestinal diseases, diabetes, coronary heart disease, prevention of dental caries etc. Keeping in view the increasing demand of food having nutraceutical values, the present review ascribed with recent scientific knowledge towards the possibilities of exploring the horse gram, as a source of food and nutraceuticals compounds.

  19. Rose Bengal Photothrombosis by Confocal Optical Imaging In Vivo: A Model of Single Vessel Stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talley Watts, Lora; Zheng, Wei; Garling, R Justin; Frohlich, Victoria C; Lechleiter, James Donald

    2015-06-23

    In vivo imaging techniques have increased in utilization due to recent advances in imaging dyes and optical technologies, allowing for the ability to image cellular events in an intact animal. Additionally, the ability to induce physiological disease states such as stroke in vivo increases its utility. The technique described herein allows for physiological assessment of cellular responses within the CNS following a stroke and can be adapted for other pathological conditions being studied. The technique presented uses laser excitation of the photosensitive dye Rose Bengal in vivo to induce a focal ischemic event in a single blood vessel. The video protocol demonstrates the preparation of a thin-skulled cranial window over the somatosensory cortex in a mouse for the induction of a Rose Bengal photothrombotic event keeping injury to the underlying dura matter and brain at a minimum. Surgical preparation is initially performed under a dissecting microscope with a custom-made surgical/imaging platform, which is then transferred to a confocal microscope equipped with an inverted objective adaptor. Representative images acquired utilizing this protocol are presented as well as time-lapse sequences of stroke induction. This technique is powerful in that the same area can be imaged repeatedly on subsequent days facilitating longitudinal in vivo studies of pathological processes following stroke.

  20. Genetic diversity in green gram accessions as revealed by STMS ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Molecular characterization of green gram (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) germplasm is essential for scientific assessment of variability and diversity for its better utilization in breeding programs. In this study, 120 accessions of green gram were analysed for 27 Sequence Tagged Microsatellites (STMS) loci. For data analysis ...

  1. Gram-typing of mastitis bacteria in milk samples using flow cytometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Langerhuus, Sine Nygaard; Ingvartsen, Klaus Lønne; Bennedsgaard, Torben Werner

    2013-01-01

    Fast identification of pathogenic bacteria in milk samples from cows with clinical mastitis is central to proper treatment. In Denmark, time to bacterial diagnosis is typically 24 to 48 h when using traditional culturing methods. The PCR technique provides a faster and highly sensitive identifica......Fast identification of pathogenic bacteria in milk samples from cows with clinical mastitis is central to proper treatment. In Denmark, time to bacterial diagnosis is typically 24 to 48 h when using traditional culturing methods. The PCR technique provides a faster and highly sensitive...... cytometry-based method, which can detect and distinguish gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria in mastitis milk samples. The differentiation was based on bacterial fluorescence intensities upon labeling with biotin-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin and acridine orange. Initially 19 in-house bacterial...... characteristic curves for the 19 bacterial cultures. The method was then tested on 53 selected mastitis cases obtained from the department biobank (milk samples from 6 gram-negative and 47 gram-positive mastitis cases). Gram-negative bacteria in milk samples were detected with a sensitivity of 1...

  2. Rapid and reliable identification of Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive cocci by deposition of bacteria harvested from blood cultures onto the MALDI-TOF plate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnini, Simona; Ghelardi, Emilia; Brucculeri, Veronica; Morici, Paola; Lupetti, Antonella

    2015-06-18

    Rapid identification of the causative agent(s) of bloodstream infections using the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) methodology can lead to increased empirical antimicrobial therapy appropriateness. Herein, we aimed at establishing an easier and simpler method, further referred to as the direct method, using bacteria harvested by serum separator tubes from positive blood cultures and placed onto the polished steel target plate for rapid identification by MALDI-TOF. The results by the direct method were compared with those obtained by MALDI-TOF on bacteria isolated on solid media. Identification of Gram-negative bacilli was 100 % concordant using the direct method or MALDI-TOF on isolated bacteria (96 % with score > 2.0). These two methods were 90 % concordant on Gram-positive cocci (32 % with score > 2.0). Identification by the SepsiTyper method of Gram-positive cocci gave concordant results with MALDI-TOF on isolated bacteria in 87 % of cases (37 % with score > 2.0). The direct method herein developed allows rapid identification (within 30 min) of Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive cocci from positive blood cultures and can be used to rapidly report reliable and accurate results, without requiring skilled personnel or the use of expensive kits.

  3. Some heat and moisture budgets over Bay of Bengal during MONSOON 17 experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhaskar Rao, D.V.

    1985-12-01

    Heat and moisture budgets have been estimated for the period 13-18 August 1977 over Bay of Bengal using data collected from USSR ships during MONSOON 77 experiment. The divergence, relative vorticity and vertical p-velocity fields are derived. The apparent heat source and moisture sink are obtained for the period. The vertical-time sections of the derived fields are presented and the distributions are compared for undisturbed conditions during the period of study. The results show strong convective motions during the disturbed period indicating the importance of convection in the monsoon depressions. (author)

  4. Coupling between suboxic condition in sediments of the western Bay of Bengal and southwest monsoon intensification: A geochemical study

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Pattan, J.N; Mir, I.A.; Parthiban, G.; Karapurkar, S.G.; Matta, V.M.; Naidu, P.D.; Naqvi, S.W.A.

    Reconstruction of paleo-redox conditions in a radiocarbon (14C) dated sediment core (SK-218/1), covering the past 45 ka (thousand calendar years), collected from the western Bay of Bengal (Lat: 14 degrees 02′N; Long: 82 degrees 00′E) at a water...

  5. Experimental studies on the scintigraphy of the pancreas in rats and dogs by using isotope labelled dye

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bando, A

    1976-06-01

    Tetraiodo-dye solutions such as eight percent erythrosine B solution, /sup 131/I-erythrosine B solution and /sup 131/I-rose bengal solution were administered to dogs and rats by the intravenous, intraperitoneal, or intramuscular routes. /sup 131/I-rose bengal, when injected by intraperitoneal route, was found to be accumulated more actively in the pancreas, showing a peak concentration per gram of tissue some fifteen times higher than that of the liver, and also significant intrapancreatic deposit of the dye was long sustained, and yielded pancreatic concentrations approximately four to six times of those usually produced by the conventional intravenous injection of /sup 75/Se-selenomethionine.

  6. Present scenario of hemoglobinopathies in West Bengal, India: An analysis of a large population

    OpenAIRE

    Prakas Kumar Mandal; Suman Kumar Maji; Tuphan Kanti Dolai

    2014-01-01

    Background: To find out the prevalence of hemoglobinopathies by screening large population in West Bengal from Eastern India. Materials and Methods: A total of 50,487 subjects are screened for hemoglobinopathies from June 2010 to August 2013. A 2.5 ml of venous blood samples were collected in the tri-potassium EDTA vacuum container from each subject and tested with automated blood cell counter (Sysmex KX21) for red cell indices. Diagnosis of hemoglobinopathies was done by VARIANT TM (Bio-Rad ...

  7. A prospective study of the diagnostic utility of sputum Gram stain in pneumonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anevlavis, Stavros; Petroglou, Niki; Tzavaras, Athanasios; Maltezos, Efstratios; Pneumatikos, Ioannis; Froudarakis, Marios; Anevlavis, Eleftherios; Bouros, Demosthenes

    2009-08-01

    Sputum Gram stain and culture have been said to be unreliable indicators of the microbiological diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia. The etiological diagnosis of pneumonia is surrounded by great degree of uncertainty. This uncertainty should be and can be calculated and incorporated in the diagnosis and treatment. To determine the diagnostic accuracy and diagnostic value of sputum Gram stain in etiological diagnosis and initial selection of antimicrobial therapy of bacterial community acquired pneumonia (CAP). DESIGN-METHOD: Prospective study of 1390 patients with CAP admitted January 2002-June 2008, to our institutions. Of the 1390 patients, 178 (12.8%) fulfilled the criteria for inclusion into this study (good-quality sputa and presence of the same microorganism in blood and sputum cultures which was used as gold standard for assessing the diagnostic accuracy and diagnostic value of sputum Gram stain). The sensitivity of sputum Gram stain was 0.82 for Pneumococcal pneumonia, 0.76 for Staphylococcal pneumonia, 0.79 for Haemophilus influenzae pneumonia and 0.78 for Gram-negative bacilli pneumonia. The specificity of sputum Gram stain was 0.93 for Pneumococcal pneumonia, 0.96 for Staphylococcal pneumonia, 0.96 for H. influenzae pneumonia and 0.95 for Gram-negative bacilli pneumonia. The positive likelihood ratio (LR+) was 11.58 for Pneumococcal pneumonia, 19.38 for Staphylococcal pneumonia, 16.84 for H. influenzae pneumonia, 14.26 for Gram-negative bacilli pneumonia. The negative likelihood ratio (LR-) was 0.20 for Pneumococcal pneumonia, 0.25 for Staphylococcal pneumonia, 0.22 for H. influenzae pneumonia, and 0.23 for Gram-negative bacilli pneumonia. Sputum Gram stain is a dependable diagnostic test for the early etiological diagnosis of bacterial CAP that helps in choosing orthological and appropriate initial antimicrobial therapy.

  8. Clinical management of maggot wounds in Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anup Kumar Talukder

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Objecitve: Maggot wound is common in domestic and pet animals but report on maggot wound treatment in wildlife species is scanty. The study reported here the surgical and conservative management of maggot wounds including anesthetic protocol and postoperative care in two Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris. Materials and methods: One female and one male tiger were presented with maggot wounds for treatment at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park, Gazipur, Bangladesh. Tigers were anesthetized with combined injection of xylazine (dosed at 1.0 mg/kg bwt, IM and ketamine hydrochloride (dosed at 3.5 mg/kg bwt, IM. Superficial maggots were removed from wounds using sterile tissue forceps. Gauze soaked in oil of turpentine was allowed to remain in each wound pocket for 5 min for the removal of deep-seated maggots. Finally, wounds were dressed with tincture iodine to clean out the dead tissue debris and to induce inflammation for rapid healing. A single subcutaneous injection of ivermectin (dosed at 200 µg/kg bwt, IM was given in each tiger. In addition, long acting oxytetracycline (dosed at 10 mg/kg bwt, IM on 48 h interval for six days, chlorpheniramine maleate (dosed at 1 mg/kg bwt, IM once daily for three days, and ascorbic acid (dosed at 250 mg/tiger, IM once daily for seven days were administered in both tigers. Results: The tigers were recovered successfully without any complications in two weeks following treatment. Conclusion: Surgical management using oil of turpentine and tincture iodine along with parenteral administration of ivermectin, long acting oxytetracycline and chlorpheniramine maleate are effective for successful management of maggot wounds in Bengal tigers. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2017; 4(1.000: 104-109

  9. Corrosion of metals and alloys in the coastal and deep waters of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sawant, S.S.; Venkat, K.; Wagh, A.B.

    Corrosion rate of mild steel (MS), stainless steel (SS), copper, brass and cupro-nickel has been determinEd. by exposing metallic coupons in coastal and oceanic waters of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. Amongst the metals and alloys under study...

  10. Intrusion of the Bay of Bengal water into the Arabian Sea during winter monsoon and associated chemical and biological response

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    PrasannaKumar, S.; Narvekar, J.; Kumar, A.; Shaji, C.; Anand, P.; Sabu, P.; Rijomon, G.; Josia, J.; Jayaraj, K.A.; Radhika, A.; Nair, K.K.C.

    off. The hydrological imbalance thus created on an annual scale will have to be balanced by the inter-basin exchange. In winter this happens through the intrusion of Bay of Bengal waters into the Arabian Sea, when the southward flowing East India...

  11. Brevibacterium siliguriense sp nov., a facultatively oligotrophic bacterium isolated from river water

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kumar, A.; Ince, I.A.; Kati, A.; Chakraborty, R.

    2013-01-01

    A Gram-positive-staining, rod-shaped, facultatively oligotrophic bacterial strain, designated MB18(T), was isolated from a water sample collected from the River Mahananda at Siliguri (26 degrees 44' 23.20' N, 88 degrees 25' 22.89' a West-Bengal, India. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence

  12. Hydrography and biogeochemistry of the north western Bay of Bengal and the north eastern Arabian Sea during winter monsoon

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Balachandran, K.K.; Laluraj, C.M.; Jyothibabu, R.; Madhu, N.V.; Muraleedharan, K.R.; Vijay, J.G.; Maheswaran, P.A.; Ashraf, T.T.M.; Nair, K.K.C.; Achuthankutty, C.T.

    in the Arabian Sea is driven by net heat loss from the ocean, whereas the Bay of Bengal does not contribute to such large heat loss to the atmosphere. It appears that the subduction of high saline Arabian Sea water mass is the mechanism behind the formation of a...

  13. Higher order structure in the 3'-minor domain of small subunit ribosomal RNAs from a gram negative bacterium, a gram positive bacterium and a eukaryote

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Douthwaite, S; Christensen, A; Garrett, R A

    1983-01-01

    of additional higher order structure in the renatured free RNA. It can be concluded that a high level of conservation of higher order structure has occurred during the evolution of the gram negative and gram positive eubacteria and the eukaryote in both the double helical regions and the "unstructured" regions...

  14. Bio sorption of some Rare Earth Elements and Yttrium by Gram Positive and Gram Negative Bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ibrahim, H.A.

    2012-01-01

    The separate bio sorption of the REEs La, Sm, Eu and Dy together with yttrium upon the Gram positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis (B.subtilis) and Bacillus Licheniformis (B. Licheniformis),the Gram negative bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli ) and Saccharomyces cervisiae (Yeast) was studied. The revelant factors of ph 1-6, contact time (30-180 min), the initial rare earth concentration (50-200 mg/l) have been studied. The amount of the accumulated element was strongly affected by its concentration.In addition, bio sorptive fractionation of Y and the studied REEs from a solution containing a mixture of these elements was also studied. From the obtained data, it was found that Langmuir isotherm model for both B.licheniformis and E.coli gives a best fit for the studied elements over the working range of concentration (50-200 mg/I). Transmission electron microscopy exhibited accumulation throughout the bacterial cell with some granular deposits in both the cell periphery and cytoplasm

  15. Rhizobium pusense sp. nov., isolated from the rhizosphere of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panday, Digvijay; Schumann, Peter; Das, Subrata K

    2011-11-01

    A novel bacterial strain, designated NRCPB10(T), was isolated from rhizosphere soil of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in Pusa, New Delhi, India. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain NRCPB10(T) showed highest similarity (98.9 %) to that of Rhizobium radiobacter NCPPB 2437(T), followed by Rhizobium larrymoorei AF3-10(T) (97.7 %) and Rhizobium rubi IFO 13261(T) (97.4 %). Phylogenetic analysis of strain NRCPB10(T) based on the housekeeping genes recA and atpD confirmed its position as distinct from recognized Rhizobium species. Levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain NRCPB10(T) and R. radiobacter ICMP 5785(T), R. larrymoorei LMG 21410(T) and R. rubi ICMP 6428(T) were 51.0, 32.6 and 27.3 %, respectively. Cellular fatty acids of strain NRCPB10(T) were C(18 : 1)ω7c (58.9 %), C(16 : 0) (15.5 %), C(19 : 0) cyclo ω8c (11.5 %), iso-C(16 : 1) (5.8 %), C(16 : 0) 3-OH (4.5 %), C(16 : 1)ω7c (2.1 %) and C(18 : 0) (1.3 %). The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain NRCPB10(T) was 59.0 mol%. Strain NRCPB10(T) did not nodulate chickpea plants or induce tumours in tobacco plants. Phenotypic and physiological properties along with SDS-PAGE of whole-cell soluble proteins differentiated strain NRCPB10(T) from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. On the basis of data from the present polyphasic taxonomic study, strain NRCPB10(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Rhizobium, for which the name Rhizobium pusense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NRCPB10(T) ( = LMG 25623(T) = JCM 16209(T) = NCIMB 14639(T)).

  16. Evaluation of the sustainability of deep groundwater as an arsenic-safe resource in the Bengal Basin

    OpenAIRE

    Michael, Holly A.; Voss, Clifford I.

    2008-01-01

    Tens of millions of people in the Bengal Basin region of Bangladesh and India drink groundwater containing unsafe concentrations of arsenic. This high-arsenic groundwater is produced from shallow (150 m where groundwater arsenic concentrations are nearly uniformly low, and many more wells are needed, however, the sustainability of deep, arsenic-safe groundwater has not been previously assessed. Deeper pumping could induce downward migration of dissolved arsenic, permanently destroying the dee...

  17. PARTIAL PURIFICATION AND IMMUNE-BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF ROYAL BENGAL TIGER ( PANTHERA TIGRIS TIGRIS SERUM IMMUNOGLOBULIN G

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ekantika Mandal

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available In the present study Immunoglobulin G was purified from serum of Royal Bengal Tiger by gel filtration chromatography on Sephacryl S-200. SDS-PAGE analysis showed the molecular weight of purified tiger IgG was 170.52 kDa. The purified Immunoglobulin has been found to be immunereactive by DID test and Western Blot analysis when treated against hyperimmune sera which was raised in rabbit.

  18. Clinical utility of an automated instrument for gram staining single slides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baron, Ellen Jo; Mix, Samantha; Moradi, Wais

    2010-06-01

    Gram stains of 87 different clinical samples were prepared by the laboratory's conventional methods (automated or manual) and by a new single-slide-type automated staining instrument, GG&B AGS-1000. Gram stains from either heat- or methanol-fixed slides stained with the new instrument were easy to interpret, and results were essentially the same as those from the methanol-fixed slides prepared as a part of the routine workflow. This instrument is well suited to a rapid-response laboratory where Gram stain requests are commonly received on a stat basis.

  19. Mining for constructions in texts using N-gram and network analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shibuya, Yoshikata; Jensen, Kim Ebensgaard

    2015-01-01

    N-gram analysis to Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Mark Twain's novelThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and extrapolate a number of likely constructional phenomena from recurring N-gram patterns in the two texts. In addition to simple N-gram analysis, the following....... The main premise is that, if constructions are functional units, then configurations of words that tend to recur together in discourse are likely to have some sort of function that speakers utilize in discourse. Writers of fiction, for instance, may use constructions in characterizations, mind-styles, text...

  20. Impact of period and timescale of FDDA analysis nudging on the numerical simulation of tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal

    KAUST Repository

    Viswanadhapalli, Yesubabu; Srinivas, C. V.; Ramakrishna, S. S V S; Hari Prasad, K. B R R

    2014-01-01

    In this study, the impact of four-dimensional data assimilation (FDDA) analysis nudging is examined on the prediction of tropical cyclones (TC) in the Bay of Bengal to determine the optimum period and timescale of nudging. Six TCs (SIDR: November 13

  1. Sources and sinks of CO2 in the west coast of Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sarma, V.V.S.S.; Krishna, M.S.; Rao, V.D.; Viswanadham, R.; Kumar, N.A.; Kumari, T.R.; Gawade, L.; Ghatkar, S.; Tari, A.

    inthewestcoastof BayofBengal By V. V. S. S. SARMA 1 *, M. S. KRISHNA 1 ,V.D.RAO 1 , R. VISWANADHAM 1 , N. A. KUMAR 1 ,T.R.KUMARI 2 , L. GAWADE 1 ,S.GHATKAR 1 ANDA.TARI 1 1 NationalInstituteofOceanography,CouncilofScientificandIndustrialResearch(CSIR),176Lawsons... Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided...

  2. Efficient n-gram, Skipgram and Flexgram Modelling with Colibri Core

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maarten van Gompel

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Counting n-grams lies at the core of any frequentist corpus analysis and is often considered a trivial matter. Going beyond consecutive n-grams to patterns such as skipgrams and flexgrams increases the demand for efficient solutions. The need to operate on big corpus data does so even more. Lossless compression and non-trivial algorithms are needed to lower the memory demands, yet retain good speed. Colibri Core is software for the efficient computation and querying of n-grams, skipgrams and flexgrams from corpus data. The resulting pattern models can be analysed and compared in various ways. The software offers a programming library for C++ and Python, as well as command-line tools.

  3. Revisiting the gram-negative lipoprotein paradigm

    Science.gov (United States)

    The processing of lipoproteins (lpps) in Gram-negative bacteria is generally considered to be an essential pathway. Mature lipoproteins in these bacteria are triacylated, with the final fatty acid addition performed by Lnt, an apolipoprotein n-acyltransferase. The mature lipoproteins are then sorted...

  4. Cloning and characterization of a novel NAC family gene CarNAC1 from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Hui; Yu, Xingwang; Cheng, Huiying; Shi, Qinghua; Zhang, Hua; Li, Jiangui; Ma, Hao

    2010-01-01

    The plant-specific NAC (for NAM, ATAF1,2 and CUC2) proteins have been found to play important roles in plant development and stress responses. In this study, a NAC gene CarNAC1 (for Cicer arietinum L. NAC gene 1) was isolated from a cDNA library constructed with chickpea seedling leaves treated by polyethylene glycol. CarNAC1 encoded a putative protein with 239 amino acids and contained 3 exons and 2 introns within genomic DNA sequence. CarNAC1 had a conserved NAC domain in the N-terminus and the CarNAC1:GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusion protein was localized in the nucleus of onion epidermal cells. Additionally, CarNAC1 exhibited the trans-activation activity which was mapped to the C-terminus. The CarNAC1 transcript was detected in many chickpea organs including seedling leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and young pods, but less accumulated in young seeds. CarNAC1 was induced by leaf age and showed changes in expression during seed development and germination. Furthermore, the expression of CarNAC1 was strongly induced by drought, salt, cold, wounding, H(2)O(2), ethephon, salicylic acid, indole-3-acetic acid, and gibberellin. Our results suggest that CarNAC1 encodes a novel NAC-domain protein and may be a transcriptional activator involved in plant development and various stress responses.

  5. The Toll pathway underlies host sexual dimorphism in resistance to both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria in mated Drosophila.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duneau, David F; Kondolf, Hannah C; Im, Joo Hyun; Ortiz, Gerardo A; Chow, Christopher; Fox, Michael A; Eugénio, Ana T; Revah, J; Buchon, Nicolas; Lazzaro, Brian P

    2017-12-21

    Host sexual dimorphism is being increasingly recognized to generate strong differences in the outcome of infectious disease, but the mechanisms underlying immunological differences between males and females remain poorly characterized. Here, we used Drosophila melanogaster to assess and dissect sexual dimorphism in the innate response to systemic bacterial infection. We demonstrated sexual dimorphism in susceptibility to infection by a broad spectrum of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We found that both virgin and mated females are more susceptible than mated males to most, but not all, infections. We investigated in more detail the lower resistance of females to infection with Providencia rettgeri, a Gram-negative bacterium that naturally infects D. melanogaster. We found that females have a higher number of phagocytes than males and that ablation of hemocytes does not eliminate the dimorphism in resistance to P. rettgeri, so the observed dimorphism does not stem from differences in the cellular response. The Imd pathway is critical for the production of antimicrobial peptides in response to Gram-negative bacteria, but mutants for Imd signaling continued to exhibit dimorphism even though both sexes showed strongly reduced resistance. Instead, we found that the Toll pathway is responsible for the dimorphism in resistance. The Toll pathway is dimorphic in genome-wide constitutive gene expression and in induced response to infection. Toll signaling is dimorphic in both constitutive signaling and in induced activation in response to P. rettgeri infection. The dimorphism in pathway activation can be specifically attributed to Persephone-mediated immune stimulation, by which the Toll pathway is triggered in response to pathogen-derived virulence factors. We additionally found that, in absence of Toll signaling, males become more susceptible than females to the Gram-positive Enterococcus faecalis. This reversal in susceptibility between male and female Toll

  6. Is Ramadan Fasting Cardio-protective? A Study in a Village of West Bengal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aparajita Dasgupta

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Islam is the second largest religion of the World (23% and Muslims are the second largest majority of Indian Republic (14.3%. Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month(Hijra of the 12-month Islamic calendar during which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk each day maintaining certain rules (consuming food/drink once, avoiding smoking and sexual activity, as well as impure thoughts, words and immoral behavior. It is observed by Muslims as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Qur'an to Muhammad. Aims & Objectives: To evaluate the effect of Ramadan on cardio-metabolic profile among adult Muslims residing in rural West Bengal. Methods and Materials: The present study was a longitudinal community based study done among 43 Muslims residing in a village of West Bengal during 6thJune to 7th July 2016. Cardio-metabolic profile (physical activity, diet, BMI, blood pressure, blood lipids and glucose were assessed before, during and after Ramadan. Results: There was a significant reduction in VLDL and TG level while significant elevation in HDL level along with the reduction in Framingham risk score after fasting. All the anthropometric measurements along with blood pressure reduced significantly after Ramadan with significant reduction in intake of all micro-nutrients during Ramadan. However physical activity also reduced significantly during Ramadan. Conclusion: Our study had found no detrimental effects of Ramadan fasting on the contrary has an overall beneficial effect on cardiovascular profile was observed.

  7. Seasonal variation of sea surface temperature in the Bay of Bengal during 1992 as derived from NOAA-AVHRR SST data

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Murty, V.S.N.; Subrahmanyam, B.; Rao, L.V.G.; Reddy, G.V.

    . The spatial variation of Standard Deviation of SST bias was particularly high (less than 0.7) in the western Bay when compared to other parts of the Bay of Bengal. The monthly maps of AVHRR SST clearly depicted the seasonal cycle of SST showing the well known...

  8. Menstruation and menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls of West Bengal, India: A school based comparative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrija Datta

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Adolescents are often less informed, less experienced, and less comfortable accessing reproductive health information and services than adults. In many developing countries, a culture of silence surrounds the topic of menstruation and related issues; as a result many young girls lack appropriate and sufficient information regarding menstrual hygiene. This may result in incorrect and unhealthy behaviour during their menstrual period. Objectives: To assess and compare knowledge, belief, ideas, source of knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene between school-going adolescents in an urban and a rural school of West Bengal, India. Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among adolescent female students of Howrah district of West Bengal, India in the year 2011. Data was collected by pre-designed, pre-tested semi-structured self administered questionnaire. Results: The mean age at menarche was 12.1 years among urban and 12.2 years among the rural participants. More than 80% participants had some restrictions imposed during menstruation. Significantly higher number of urban girls had pre-menarchal knowledge on menstruation and used sanitary napkins. Conclusions: Menstrual hygiene is a vital aspect of health education for adolescent girls. For improvement of menstrual hygiene, sanitary napkins should be made universally available and affordable.

  9. Menstruation and menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls of West Bengal, India: A school based comparative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrija Datta

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Adolescents are often less informed, less experienced, and less comfortable accessing reproductive health information and services than adults. In many developing countries, a culture of silence surrounds the topic of menstruation and related issues; as a result many young girls lack appropriate and sufficient information regarding menstrual hygiene. This may result in incorrect and unhealthy behaviour during their menstrual period. Objectives: To assess and compare knowledge, belief, ideas, source of knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene between school-going adolescents in an urban and a rural school of West Bengal, India. Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among adolescent female students of Howrah district of West Bengal, India in the year 2011. Data was collected by pre-designed, pre-tested semi-structured self administered questionnaire. Results: The mean age at menarche was 12.1 years among urban and 12.2 years among the rural participants. More than 80% participants had some restrictions imposed during menstruation. Significantly higher number of urban girls had pre-menarchal knowledge on menstruation and used sanitary napkins. Conclusions: Menstrual hygiene is a vital aspect of health education for adolescent girls. For improvement of menstrual hygiene, sanitary napkins should be made universally available and affordable.

  10. Influence of water deficit on transpiration and radiation use efficiency of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, P.; Sri Rama, Y.V.

    1989-01-01

    Information on the relationship between biomass production, radiation use and water use of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is essential to estimate biomass production in different water regimes. Experiments were conducted during three post-rainy seasons on a Vertisol (a typic pallustert) to study the effect of water deficits on radiation use, radiation use efficiency (RUE), transpiration and transpiration efficiency (TE) of chickpea. Different levels of soil water availability were created, either by having irrigated and non-irrigated plots or using a line source. Biomass production was linearly related to both cumulative intercepted solar radiation and transpiration in both well watered and water deficit treatments. Soil water availability did not affect RUE (total dry matter produced per unit of solar radiation interception) when at least 30% of extractable soil water (ESW) was present in the rooting zone, but below 30% ESW, RUE decreased linearly with the decrease in soil water content. RUE was also significantly correlated (R 2 = 0.61, P < 0.01) with the ratio of actual to potential transpiration (T/Tp) and it declined curvilinearly with the decrease in T/Tp. TE decreased with the increase in saturation deficit (SD) of air. Normalization of TE with SD gave a conservative value of 4.8 g kPa kg −1 . To estimate biomass production of chickpea in different environments, we need to account for the effect of plant water deficits on RUE in a radiation-based model and the effect of SD on TE in a transpiration-based model. (author)

  11. Climate induced changes in the circulation and dispersal patterns of the fluvial sources during late Quaternary in the middle Bengal Fan

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Chauhan, O.S.; Vogelsang, E.

    From a transact along 15˚N latitude in the middle Bengal Fan, temporal and spatial variations in the granulometric parameters and clay minerals in 14C dated box cores from the eastern, the central and the western regions were studied to determine...

  12. Seasonal and spatial distribution of particulate organic matter in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Fernandes, L.; Bhosle, N.B.; Matondkar, S.G.P.; Bhushan, R.

    spatial differences were observed for the offshore stations in SPIM (Table 1). 3.4. POC and % POC In the Bay of Bengal, the surface POC concentrations ranged from 4.3 to 11.1 µMC, 3.1 to 10.9 µMC, and 4.3 to 9.0 µMC in the SWM, FIM, and SPIM.... This is NIO contribution no. 4435. 10 References Bale, A., Morris, A., 1998. Organic carbon in suspended particulate material in the North Sea: effect of mixing resuspended and background particles. Cont. Shelf Res. 18, 1333 –1345. Bates, N. R., Dennis, A...

  13. HAEMATOLOGICAL IMPACT OF NATURALLY OCCURING TICK BORNE HAEMOPARASITIC INFECTIONS IN CATTLE OF WEST BENGAL, INDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Apurba Debbarma

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Haemoparasites reduces productivity and may lead to high mortality among animals. The present study was carried out to evaluate the heamotological change in cattle of different districts in West Bengal, India affected with naturally occurring tick- borne haemoparasitic diseases (TBHD. A total of 310 cattle blood samples were screened for the presence of haemoparasites from July, 2015 to June, 2016. The blood samples were examined for haemoparasites by making thin blood smear and staining with Giemsa’s stain. The result showed that108 (34.84% cattle were found positive with TBHD, out of which 22.9% were Theileria sp, 5.8% were Babesia sp., 11.93% Anaplasma sp., and 5.8% were having mixed infection, respectively. The positive samples were subjected to estimations of haematological parameters i. e. Haemoglobin concentration (Hb, packed cell volume (PCV, total erythrocyte count (TEC and Total leucocytes count (TLC using standard protocol. The haematological analysis showed statistically a significant (p<0.01 decreased levels of Hb, PCV, TEC and TLC in infected groups of cattle compared to infection free group cattle. This is probably the first systematic report in West Bengal, India. The result showed the haemoparasites have a negative impact on haematological parameters. This study may be useful in disease epidemiological map preparation, parasitic control policy preparation of the study areas.

  14. On the circulation in the Bay of Bengal during northern spring inter-monsoon (March-April 1987)

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Babu, M.T.; Sarma, Y.V.B.; Murty, V.S.N.; Vethamony, P.

    ) indicated an anticyclonic circulation with a northeastward flow in the western bay duringMarch–April ( La Fond and La Fond 1968; Duing, 1970; Wyrtki, 1971). The temperature field obtained from satellite- based advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR.... Pergamon. New York, pp. 451–475. Duing,W.,1970.Themonsoonregimeofcurrentsin theIndian Ocean. University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA, 68pp. Eigenheer,A.,Quadfasel,D.,2000.SeasonalvariabilityoftheBay of Bengal circulation inferred from TOPEX...

  15. Vertically aligned ZnO nanowire arrays in Rose Bengal-based dye-sensitized solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pradhan, Basudev; Batabyal, Sudip K.; Pal, Amlan J. [Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Department of Solid State Physics, Kolkata 700032 (India)

    2007-05-23

    We fabricate dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) using vertically oriented, high density, and crystalline array of ZnO nanowires, which can be a suitable alternative to titanium dioxide nanoparticle films. The vertical nanowires provide fast routes or channels for electron transport to the substrate electrode. As an alternative to conventional ruthenium complex, we introduce Rose Bengal dye, which acts as a photosensitizer in the dye-sensitized solar cells. The dye energetically matches the ZnO with usual KI-I{sub 2} redox couple for dye-sensitized solar cell applications. (author)

  16. Visible-light photoredox catalyzed synthesis of pyrroloisoquinolines via organocatalytic oxidation/[3 + 2] cycloaddition/oxidative aromatization reaction cascade with Rose Bengal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Vila

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline alkaloids have been prepared via a visible light photoredox catalyzed oxidation/[3 + 2] cycloaddition/oxidative aromatization cascade using Rose Bengal as an organo-photocatalyst. A variety of pyrroloisoquinolines have been obtained in good yields under mild and metal-free reaction conditions.

  17. Incidence of carbapenem-resistant gram negatives in Italian transplant recipients: a nationwide surveillance study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lanini, Simone; Costa, Alessandro Nanni; Puro, Vincenzo; Procaccio, Francesco; Grossi, Paolo Antonio; Vespasiano, Francesca; Ricci, Andrea; Vesconi, Sergio; Ison, Michael G; Carmeli, Yehuda; Ippolito, Giuseppe

    2015-01-01

    Bacterial infections remain a challenge to solid organ transplantation. Due to the alarming spread of carbapenem-resistant gram negative bacteria, these organisms have been frequently recognized as cause of severe infections in solid organ transplant recipients. Between 15 May and 30 September 2012 we enrolled 887 solid organ transplant recipients in Italy with the aim to describe the epidemiology of gram negative bacteria spreading, to explore potential risk factors and to assess the effect of early isolation of gram negative bacteria on recipients' mortality during the first 90 days after transplantation. During the study period 185 clinical isolates of gram negative bacteria were reported, for an incidence of 2.39 per 1000 recipient-days. Positive cultures for gram negative bacteria occurred early after transplantation (median time 26 days; incidence rate 4.33, 1.67 and 1.14 per 1,000 recipient-days in the first, second and third month after SOT, respectively). Forty-nine of these clinical isolates were due to carbapenem-resistant gram negative bacteria (26.5%; incidence 0.63 per 1000 recipient-days). Carbapenems resistance was particularly frequent among Klebsiella spp. isolates (49.1%). Recipients with longer hospital stay and those who received either heart or lung graft were at the highest risk of testing positive for any gram negative bacteria. Moreover recipients with longer hospital stay, lung recipients and those admitted to hospital for more than 48h before transplantation had the highest probability to have culture(s) positive for carbapenem-resistant gram negative bacteria. Forty-four organ recipients died (0.57 per 1000 recipient-days) during the study period. Recipients with at least one positive culture for carbapenem-resistant gram negative bacteria had a 10.23-fold higher mortality rate than those who did not. The isolation of gram-negative bacteria is most frequent among recipient with hospital stays >48 hours prior to transplant and in those

  18. Incidence of carbapenem-resistant gram negatives in Italian transplant recipients: a nationwide surveillance study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simone Lanini

    Full Text Available Bacterial infections remain a challenge to solid organ transplantation. Due to the alarming spread of carbapenem-resistant gram negative bacteria, these organisms have been frequently recognized as cause of severe infections in solid organ transplant recipients.Between 15 May and 30 September 2012 we enrolled 887 solid organ transplant recipients in Italy with the aim to describe the epidemiology of gram negative bacteria spreading, to explore potential risk factors and to assess the effect of early isolation of gram negative bacteria on recipients' mortality during the first 90 days after transplantation. During the study period 185 clinical isolates of gram negative bacteria were reported, for an incidence of 2.39 per 1000 recipient-days. Positive cultures for gram negative bacteria occurred early after transplantation (median time 26 days; incidence rate 4.33, 1.67 and 1.14 per 1,000 recipient-days in the first, second and third month after SOT, respectively. Forty-nine of these clinical isolates were due to carbapenem-resistant gram negative bacteria (26.5%; incidence 0.63 per 1000 recipient-days. Carbapenems resistance was particularly frequent among Klebsiella spp. isolates (49.1%. Recipients with longer hospital stay and those who received either heart or lung graft were at the highest risk of testing positive for any gram negative bacteria. Moreover recipients with longer hospital stay, lung recipients and those admitted to hospital for more than 48h before transplantation had the highest probability to have culture(s positive for carbapenem-resistant gram negative bacteria. Forty-four organ recipients died (0.57 per 1000 recipient-days during the study period. Recipients with at least one positive culture for carbapenem-resistant gram negative bacteria had a 10.23-fold higher mortality rate than those who did not.The isolation of gram-negative bacteria is most frequent among recipient with hospital stays >48 hours prior to transplant

  19. Gram negative wound infection in hospitalised adult burn patients--systematic review and metanalysis-.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azzopardi, Ernest A; Azzopardi, Elayne; Camilleri, Liberato; Villapalos, Jorge; Boyce, Dean E; Dziewulski, Peter; Dickson, William A; Whitaker, Iain S

    2014-01-01

    Gram negative infection is a major determinant of morbidity and survival. Traditional teaching suggests that burn wound infections in different centres are caused by differing sets of causative organisms. This study established whether Gram-negative burn wound isolates associated to clinical wound infection differ between burn centres. Studies investigating adult hospitalised patients (2000-2010) were critically appraised and qualified to a levels of evidence hierarchy. The contribution of bacterial pathogen type, and burn centre to the variance in standardised incidence of Gram-negative burn wound infection was analysed using two-way analysis of variance. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanni, Enterobacter spp., Proteus spp. and Escherichia coli emerged as the commonest Gram-negative burn wound pathogens. Individual pathogens' incidence did not differ significantly between burn centres (F (4, 20) = 1.1, p = 0.3797; r2 = 9.84). Gram-negative infections predominate in burn surgery. This study is the first to establish that burn wound infections do not differ significantly between burn centres. It is the first study to report the pathogens responsible for the majority of Gram-negative infections in these patients. Whilst burn wound infection is not exclusive to these bacteria, it is hoped that reporting the presence of this group of common Gram-negative "target organisms" facilitate clinical practice and target research towards a defined clinical demand.

  20. Utility of gram staining for evaluation of the quality of cystic fibrosis sputum samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nair, Bindu; Stapp, Jenny; Stapp, Lynn; Bugni, Linda; Van Dalfsen, Jill; Burns, Jane L

    2002-08-01

    The microscopic examination of Gram-stained sputum specimens is very helpful in the evaluation of patients with community-acquired pneumonia and has also been recommended for use in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. This study was undertaken to evaluate that recommendation. One hundred one sputum samples from CF patients were cultured for gram-negative bacilli and examined by Gram staining for both sputum adequacy (using the quality [Q] score) and bacterial morphology. Subjective evaluation of adequacy was also performed and categorized. Based on Q score evaluation, 41% of the samples would have been rejected despite a subjective appearance of purulence. Only three of these rejected samples were culture negative for gram-negative CF pathogens. Correlation between culture results and quantitative Gram stain examination was also poor. These data suggest that subjective evaluation combined with comprehensive bacteriology is superior to Gram staining in identifying pathogens in CF sputum.

  1. UTILIZATION OF VERMIWASH POTENTIAL ON CERTAIN SUMMER VEGETABLE CROPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    GORAKH NATH

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The study was carried out to evaluate the impact of vermiwash on the growth, flowering and productivity of okra (Abelmoschus esculantus, lobia (Vigna unguiculata and radish (Raphnus sativus. Vermiwash was extracted from different vermicompost which was composted from different animal agro and kitchen wastes through earthworm Eisenia foetida. It was observed that treatment of vermiwash shows significantly increased in growth and productivity and decreased flowering period. The maximum significant growth was observed in 30 mg/m2 concentration of combination of buffalo dung with rice bran 38.0±1.3 cm. in case of okra, 30 mg/m2 concentration of combination of buffalo dung with gram bran (seed of Cicer arientinum 215.5±5.2 cm., in lobia crops and 30 mg/m2 concentration of buffalo dung with gram bran 20.4±1.4 cm. The significant early starting of flowering and increased in productivity was found in all treated groups with respect to control.

  2. Two new gonad-infecting species of Philometra (Nematoda: Philometridae) parasitic in Lutjanus spp. (Osteichthyes: Lutjanidae) in the Bay of Bengal, India

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Moravec, František; Manoharan, J.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 113, č. 9 (2014), s. 3299-3307 ISSN 0932-0113 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP505/12/G112 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Bay of Bengal * Lutjanus * parasite * Philometra Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 2.098, year: 2014

  3. Improving Gram stain proficiency in hospital and satellite laboratories that do not have microbiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guarner, Jeannette; Street, Cassandra; Matlock, Margaret; Cole, Lisa; Brierre, Francoise

    2017-03-01

    Consolidation of laboratories has left many hospitals and satellite laboratories with minimal microbiologic testing. In many hospitals and satellite laboratories, Gram stains on primary specimens are still performed despite difficultly in maintaining proficiency. To maintain Gram stain proficiency at a community 450-bed hospital with an active emergency room we designed bimonthly challenges that require reporting Gram staining and morphology of different organisms. The challenges consist of five specimens prepared by the reference microbiology laboratory from cultures and primary specimens. Twenty to 23 medical laboratory scientists participate reading the challenges. Results from the challenges are discussed with each medical laboratory scientists. In addition, printed images from the challenges are presented at huddle to add microbiology knowledge. On the first three challenges, Gram staining was read correctly in 71%-77% of the time while morphology 53%-66%. In the last six challenges correct answers for Gram stain were 77%-99% while morphology 73%-96%. We observed statistically significant improvement when reading Gram stains by providing frequent challenges to medical laboratory scientists. The clinical importance of Gram stain results is emphasized during huddle presentations increasing knowledge and motivation to perform the test for patients.

  4. A Comparison of Heat versus Methanol Fixation for Gram Staining Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minnerath, Jeanne M.; Roland, Jenna M.; Rossi, Lucas C.; Weishalla, Steven R.; Wolf, Melissa M.

    2009-01-01

    Gram staining bacteria is a fundamental technique introduced in general biology and microbiology laboratory courses. Two common problems students encounter when Gram staining bacteria are (1) having a difficult time locating bacterial cells on the microscope slide and (2) over-decolorizing bacterial cells during the staining procedure such that…

  5. Keywords in Context (Using n-grams with Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William J. Turkel

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Like in Output Data as HTML File, this lesson takes the frequency pairs collected in Counting Frequencies and outputs them in HTML. This time the focus is on keywords in context (KWIC which creates n-grams from the original document content – in this case a trial transcript from the Old Bailey Online. You can use your program to select a keyword and the computer will output all instances of that keyword, along with the words to the left and right of it, making it easy to see at a glance how the keyword is used. Once the KWICs have been created, they are then wrapped in HTML and sent to the browser where they can be viewed. This reinforces what was learned in Output Data as HTML File, opting for a slightly different output. At the end of this lesson, you will be able to extract all possible n-grams from the text. In the next lesson, you will be learn how to output all of the n-grams of a given keyword in a document downloaded from the Internet, and display them clearly in your browser window.

  6. Wind Atlas of Bay of Bengal with Satellite Wind Measurement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nadi, Navila Rahman

    footstep towards offshore wind energy analysis for this region. Generally, it is difficult to find offshore wind data relative to the wind turbine hub heights, therefore a starting point is necessary to identify the possible wind power density of the region. In such scenario, Synthetic aperture radars (SAR......The objective of this study is to obtain appropriate offshore location in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh for further development of wind energy. Through analyzing the previous published works, no offshore wind energy estimation has been found here. That is why, this study can be claimed as the first......) have proven useful. In this study, SAR based dataset- ENVISAT ASAR has been used for Wind Atlas generation. Furthermore, a comparative study has been performed with Global Wind Atlas (GWA) to determine a potential offshore wind farm. Additionally, the annual energy production of that offshore windfarm...

  7. Lessons Learned From Developing a Sustainable Arsenic-Safe Water Program in West Bengal, India Over a Period of Eight Years

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, M. M.; Liaw, J.; Hira, A.; Guha, P.; Pal, S. S.; Hore, T.; Smith, A. H.

    2010-12-01

    Arsenic is a carcinogen, and causes many cancers and noncancer diseases. Recent findings have shown that exposure to arsenic in drinking water as a child or before birth can cause illness and death even as an adult. In the West Bengal region of India, more than six million people are drinking crystal clear but arsenic-contaminated water from tubewells. Project Well, a non-profit organization based in California, has provided safe drinking water to villages in West Bengal since 2001 through modern modified dugwells, currently numbering 163. Along the way, Project Well has faced the challenge of persuading people to stop consuming good-tasting, arsenic-laced water and instead drink chlorinated water, which is safe but may have the smell of chlorine. Additionally, West Bengal receives abundant annual rainfall, and hence it is difficult to convince people to pay for treated water. From its inception, the Project Well program was set up with a tracking system to assess the efficacy of the modern dugwells, which has helped identify where technical improvements were needed. Continuous interaction with community-based user groups has also helped overcome many constraints and make the program sustainable. Project Well monitoring records from August 2010 show that out of 163 modern dugwells, 48 percent were being used, providing water for 2948 villagers; 23 percent were closed; 6 percent were dry (11 districts of West Bengal were in a drought); 6 percent required maintenance; and 7 percent were not used. Arsenic concentrations in the modern dugwells were measured every year during peak season when the water table was low and the median arsenic concentration of operational dugwells over the eight years between 2002 and 2010 was 15 ppb (the permissible limit in India is 50 ppb). Each year, about 6 to 10 percent of the dugwells have arsenic levels above 50 ppb during the summer season, when the water level is low. Bacterial counts, i.e., total coliform and fecal coliform, are

  8. Genetic and environmental factors contribute to variation in cell wall composition in mature desi chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cotyledons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Jennifer A; Tan, Hwei-Ting; Collins, Helen M; Yap, Kuok; Khor, Shi Fang; Lim, Wai Li; Xing, Xiaohui; Bulone, Vincent; Burton, Rachel A; Fincher, Geoffrey B; Tucker, Matthew R

    2018-03-13

    Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important nutritionally rich legume crop that is consumed worldwide. Prior to cooking, desi chickpea seeds are most often dehulled and cleaved to release the split cotyledons, referred to as dhal. Compositional variation between desi genotypes has a significant impact on nutritional quality and downstream processing, and this has been investigated mainly in terms of starch and protein content. Studies in pulses such as bean and lupin have also implicated cell wall polysaccharides in cooking time variation, but the underlying relationship between desi chickpea cotyledon composition and cooking performance remains unclear. Here, we utilized a variety of chemical and immunohistological assays to examine details of polysaccharide composition, structure, abundance, and location within the desi chickpea cotyledon. Pectic polysaccharides were the most abundant cell wall components, and differences in monosaccharide and glycosidic linkage content suggest both environmental and genetic factors contribute to cotyledon composition. Genotype-specific differences were identified in arabinan structure, pectin methylesterification, and calcium-mediated pectin dimerization. These differences were replicated in distinct field sites and suggest a potentially important role for cell wall polysaccharides and their underlying regulatory machinery in the control of cooking time in chickpea. © 2018 The Authors. Plant, Cell & Environment Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Molecular cloning and characterization of an F-box family gene CarF-box1 from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Yuying; Gu, Hanyan; Wang, Xiansheng; Chen, Quanjia; Shi, Shubing; Zhang, Jusong; Ma, Lin; Zhang, Hua; Ma, Hao

    2012-03-01

    F-box protein family has been found to play important roles in plant development and abiotic stress responses via the ubiquitin pathway. In this study, an F-box gene CarF-box1 (for Cicer arietinum F-box gene 1, Genbank accession no. GU247510) was isolated based on a cDNA library constructed with chickpea seedling leaves treated by polyethylene glycol. CarF-box1 encoded a putative protein with 345 amino acids and contained no intron within genomic DNA sequence. CarF-box1 is a KFB-type F-box protein, having a conserved F-box domain in the N-terminus and a Kelch repeat domain in the C-terminus. CarF-box1 was localized in the nucleus. CarF-box1 exhibited organ-specific expression and showed different expression patterns during seed development and germination processes, especially strongly expressed in the blooming flowers. In the leaves, CarF-box1 could be significantly induced by drought stress and slightly induced by IAA treatment, while in the roots, CarF-box1 could be strongly induced by drought, salinity and methyl jasmonate stresses. Our results suggest that CarF-box1 encodes an F-box protein and may be involved in various plant developmental processes and abiotic stress responses.

  10. Risk factors for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infection in burn patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vickers, Mark L; Dulhunty, Joel M; Ballard, Emma; Chapman, Paul; Muller, Michael; Roberts, Jason A; Cotta, Menino O

    2018-05-01

    Infection with multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative organisms leads to poorer outcomes in the critically ill burn patient. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for MDR Gram-negative pathogen infection in critically ill burn patients admitted to a major tertiary referral intensive care unit (ICU) in Australia. A retrospective case-control study of all adult burn patients admitted over a 7-year period was conducted. Twenty-one cases that cultured an MDR Gram-negative organism were matched with 21 controls of similar age, gender, burn size and ICU stay. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to individually assess risk factors after adjusting for Acute Burn Severity Index. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were reported. P-values negative infection included superficial partial thickness burn size (OR: 1.08; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.16; P-value: 0.034), prior meropenem exposure (OR: 10.39; 95% CI: 0.96-112.00; P-value: 0.054), Gram-negative colonization on admission (OR: 9.23; 95% CI: 0.65-130.15; P-value: 0.10) and escharotomy (OR: 2.66; 95% CI: 0.52-13.65; P-value: 0.24). For cases, mean age was 41 (SD: 13) years, mean total body surface area burned was 47% (SD: 18) and mean days in ICU until MDR specimen collection was 17 (SD: 10) days. Prior meropenem exposure, Gram-negative colonization on admission, escharotomy and superficial partial thickness burn size may be potentially important factors for increasing the risk of MDR Gram-negative infection in the critically ill burn patient. © 2017 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

  11. Corneal Crosslinking With Rose Bengal and Green Light: Efficacy and Safety Evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Hong; Alt, Clemens; Webb, Robert H; Melki, Samir; Kochevar, Irene E

    2016-09-01

    To evaluate crosslinking of cornea in vivo using green light activation of Rose Bengal (RGX) and assess potential damaging effects of the green light on retina and iris. Corneas of Dutch belted rabbits were de-epithelialized, then stained with Rose Bengal and exposed to green light, or not further treated. Corneal stiffness was measured by uniaxial tensiometry. Re-epithelialization was assessed by fluorescein fluorescence. Keratocytes were counted on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained sections, and iris cell damage was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase staining. Thermal effects on the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) were assessed by fluorescein angiography and those on photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and choriocapillaris by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. RGX (10-min irradiation; 150 J/cm) increased corneal stiffness 1.9-fold on day 1 (1.25 ± 0.21 vs. 2.38 ± 0.59 N/mm; P = 0.036) and 2.8-fold compared with controls on day 28 (1.70 ± 0.74 vs. 4.95 ± 1.86 N/mm; P = 0.003). Keratocytes decreased only in the anterior stroma on day 1 (24.0 ± 3.0 vs. 3.67 ± 4.73, P = 0.003) and recovered by day 28 (37.7 ± 8.9 vs. 34.5 ± 2.4, P = 0.51). Iris cells were not thermally damaged. No evidence of BRB breakdown was detected on days 1 or 28. Retina from RGX-treated eyes seemed normal with RPE cells showing intact nuclei shielded apically by melanosomes, morphologically intact photoreceptor outer segments, normal outer nuclear layer thickness, and choriocapillaris containing intact erythrocytes. The substantial corneal stiffening produced by RGX together with the lack of significant effects on keratocytes and no evidence for retina or iris damage suggest that RGX-initiated corneal crosslinking may be a safe, rapid, and effective treatment.

  12. Silver-doped manganese dioxide and trioxide nanoparticles inhibit both gram positive and gram negative pathogenic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunkalekar, R K; Prabhu, M S; Naik, M M; Salker, A V

    2014-01-01

    Palladium, ruthenium and silver-doped MnO2 and silver doped Mn2O3 nanoparticles were synthesized by simple co-precipitation technique. SEM-TEM analysis revealed the nano-size of these synthesized samples. XPS data illustrates that Mn is present in 4+ and 3+ oxidation states in MnO2 and Mn2O3 respectively. Thermal analysis gave significant evidence for the phase changes with increasing temperature. Antibacterial activity of these synthesized nanoparticles on three Gram positive bacterial cultures (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Streptococcus epidermis ATCC 12228, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633) and three Gram negative cultures (Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Salmonella abony NCTC 6017 and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 1003) was investigated using a disc diffusion method and live/dead assay. Only Ag-doped MnO2 and Ag-doped Mn2O3 nanoparticles showed antibacterial property against all six-test bacteria but Ag-doped MnO2 was found to be more effective than Ag-doped Mn2O3. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Nanoparticle targeting of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria for magnetic-based separations of bacterial pathogens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Hoang D.; Yang, Shirley S.; Wilson, Brian K.; McManus, Simon A.; Chen, Christopher V. H.-H.; Prud'homme, Robert K.

    2017-04-01

    Antimicrobial resistance is a healthcare problem of increasing significance, and there is increasing interest in developing new tools to address bacterial infections. Bacteria-targeting nanoparticles hold promise to improve drug efficacy, compliance, and safety. In addition, nanoparticles can also be used for novel applications, such as bacterial imaging or bioseperations. We here present the use of a scalable block-copolymer-directed self-assembly process, Flash NanoPrecipitation, to form zinc(II)-bis(dipicolylamine) modified nanoparticles that bind to both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with specificity. Particles have tunable surface ligand densities that change particle avidity and binding efficacy. A variety of materials can be encapsulated into the core of the particles, such as optical dyes or iron oxide colloids, to produce imageable and magnetically active bacterial targeting constructs. As a proof-of-concept, these particles are used to bind and separate bacteria from solution in a magnetic column. Magnetic manipulation and separation would translate to a platform for pathogen identification or removal. These magnetic and targeted nanoparticles enable new methods to address bacterial infections.

  14. Cystic neutrophilic granulomatous mastitis: an underappreciated pattern strongly associated with gram-positive bacilli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renshaw, Andrew A; Derhagopian, Robert P; Gould, Edwin W

    2011-09-01

    Although granulomatous lobular mastitis is associated with gram-positive bacilli such as Corynebacterium, this association is not well known. We report 3 cases of mastitis caused by gram-positive bacilli. All 3 abscesses were suppurative with distinct enlarged cystic spaces in which rare gram-positive bacilli were identified. Two cases were also granulomatous. Cultures in all 3 cases were negative. All 3 patients recovered after biopsy and tetracycline-based therapy. Infection in the breast by gram-positive bacilli is associated with a distinct histologic pattern, including cystic spaces in the setting of neutrophilic/granulomatous inflammation that can be recognized and should prompt careful search for the organism within enlarged vacuoles.

  15. Source parameters of the Bay of Bengal earthquake of 21 May 2014 and related seismotectonics of 85°E and 90°E ridges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prakash, Rajesh; Prajapati, Sanjay Kumar; Srivastava, Hari Narain

    2018-01-01

    Source parameters of the Bay of Bengal earthquake of 21 May 2014 have been studied using full waveform inversion. Its source mechanism thus determined the orientation of the strike slip faulting as NW-SE/NE-SW. The occurrence of past earthquakes along the NE-SW nodal plane suggested its preference as the main fault which could result from the transmission of stresses from the Indian plate boundary. High stress drop of this earthquake (216 bar) is attributed to its location in the intraplate region, strike slip faulting and focus in the colder upper mantle. Comparison of the stress drop of deeper focus Hindukush earthquakes with that of the Bay of Bengal earthquake showed a smaller felt radius due to fractured lithosphere in the Himalayas vis-a-vis more efficient propagation of seismic waves in the peninsular region from the source region of this recent earthquake. The seismological evidence presented for the 85°E and 90°E ridges shows the predominance of strike slip faulting with thrusting on both the ridges. Integrating their source mechanism with that of the May 2014 earthquake, it could be inferred that the Bay of Bengal region (excluding Andaman Sumatra subduction zone) is characterised predominantly by strike slip faulting in the region north of latitude 20°N and strike slip with thrusting in the remaining portion.

  16. Nucleotide sequence alignment of hdcA from Gram-positive bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diaz, Maria; Ladero, Victor; Redruello, Begoña; Sanchez-Llana, Esther; Del Rio, Beatriz; Fernandez, Maria; Martin, Maria Cruz; Alvarez, Miguel A

    2016-03-01

    The decarboxylation of histidine -carried out mainly by some gram-positive bacteria- yields the toxic dietary biogenic amine histamine (Ladero et al. 2010 〈10.2174/157340110791233256〉 [1], Linares et al. 2016 〈http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.11.013〉〉 [2]). The reaction is catalyzed by a pyruvoyl-dependent histidine decarboxylase (Linares et al. 2011 〈10.1080/10408398.2011.582813〉 [3]), which is encoded by the gene hdcA. In order to locate conserved regions in the hdcA gene of Gram-positive bacteria, this article provides a nucleotide sequence alignment of all the hdcA sequences from Gram-positive bacteria present in databases. For further utility and discussion, see 〈http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.11.035〉〉 [4].

  17. Extruded black gram flour: Partial substitute for improving quality characteristics of Indian traditional snack

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laxmi Ananthanarayan

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: During extrusion of black gram flour, formation of amylose-lipid complexes lowers down the gelatinization enthalpy of extrudates, and the partially gelatinized black gram starch leads to lowering down the water-holding capacity and alters functional properties resulting in changing quality attributes of the end product on frying/microwaving/roasting. Methods: Attempts have been made to improve the quality of an Indian traditional snack (e.g., papad by incorporating extruded black gram flour as partial substitute for raw (unextruded black gram flour. In present work, overall quality improvement was achieved by analyzing prefrying and postfrying characteristics (diameter, moisture content, expansion ratio, oil uptake, texture, and color of papad and physical properties (color and viscosity of fried oil. Results: Four different papad samples were prepared (control papads without addition of papadkhar, papads with use of 3% papadkhar, papads with incorporation of extruded black gram flour at 25% concentration, papads with incorporation of extruded black gram flour at 50% concentration along with 1% papadkhar and analyzed along standard market sample. Incorporation of extruded black gram flour in papad resulted in greater expansion with less oil uptake in fried papad. Further addition of extruded black gram flour permitted the use of lower concentration of papadkhar. After frying, the quality of oil was characterized after numerous frying cycles. Conclusion: Oil used for frying of papads containing highest concentration of papadkhar was effective only up to two frying cycles, after which color and viscosity increased significantly, adversely affecting the quality of fried oil. Keywords: Black gram flour, Extrusion, Prefrying and postfrying characteristics of papad, Quality of fried oil

  18. Gram stains: a resource for retrospective analysis of bacterial pathogens in clinical studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srinivasan, Usha; Ponnaluri, Sreelatha; Villareal, Lisa; Gillespie, Brenda; Wen, Ai; Miles, Arianna; Bucholz, Brigette; Marrs, Carl F; Iyer, Ram K; Misra, Dawn; Foxman, Betsy

    2012-01-01

    We demonstrate the feasibility of using qPCR on DNA extracted from vaginal Gram stain slides to estimate the presence and relative abundance of specific bacterial pathogens. We first tested Gram stained slides spiked with a mix of 10(8) cfu/ml of Escherichia coli and 10(5) cfu/ml of Lactobacillus acidophilus. Primers were designed for amplification of total and species-specific bacterial DNA based on 16S ribosomal gene regions. Sample DNA was pre-amplified with nearly full length 16S rDNA ribosomal gene fragment, followed by quantitative PCR with genera and species-specific 16S rDNA primers. Pre-amplification PCR increased the bacterial amounts; relative proportions of Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus recovered from spiked slides remained unchanged. We applied this method to forty two archived Gram stained slides available from a clinical trial of cerclage in pregnant women at high risk of preterm birth. We found a high correlation between Nugent scores based on bacterial morphology of Lactobacillus, Gardenerella and Mobiluncus and amounts of quantitative PCR estimated genus specific DNA (rrn copies) from Gram stained slides. Testing of a convenience sample of eight paired vaginal swabs and Gram stains freshly collected from healthy women found similar qPCR generated estimates of Lactobacillus proportions from Gram stained slides and vaginal swabs. Archived Gram stained slides collected from large scale epidemiologic and clinical studies represent a valuable, untapped resource for research on the composition of bacterial communities that colonize human mucosal surfaces.

  19. Gram negative wound infection in hospitalised adult burn patients--systematic review and metanalysis-.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ernest A Azzopardi

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Gram negative infection is a major determinant of morbidity and survival. Traditional teaching suggests that burn wound infections in different centres are caused by differing sets of causative organisms. This study established whether Gram-negative burn wound isolates associated to clinical wound infection differ between burn centres. METHODS: Studies investigating adult hospitalised patients (2000-2010 were critically appraised and qualified to a levels of evidence hierarchy. The contribution of bacterial pathogen type, and burn centre to the variance in standardised incidence of Gram-negative burn wound infection was analysed using two-way analysis of variance. PRIMARY FINDINGS: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanni, Enterobacter spp., Proteus spp. and Escherichia coli emerged as the commonest Gram-negative burn wound pathogens. Individual pathogens' incidence did not differ significantly between burn centres (F (4, 20 = 1.1, p = 0.3797; r2 = 9.84. INTERPRETATION: Gram-negative infections predominate in burn surgery. This study is the first to establish that burn wound infections do not differ significantly between burn centres. It is the first study to report the pathogens responsible for the majority of Gram-negative infections in these patients. Whilst burn wound infection is not exclusive to these bacteria, it is hoped that reporting the presence of this group of common Gram-negative "target organisms" facilitate clinical practice and target research towards a defined clinical demand.

  20. Assessment of seasonal and year-to-year surface salinity signals retrieved from SMOS and Aquarius missions in the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Akhil, V.P.; Lengaigne, M.; Durand, F.; Vialard, J.; Chaitanya, A.V.S.; Keerthi, M.G.; Gopalakrishna, V.V.; Boutin, J.; de Boyer, M.C.

    , Sorbonne Universités (UPMC, Univ Paris 06)-CNRS-IRD-MNHN, Paris, France; dNIO, Goa, India; eLOS, IFREMER, Plouzané, France ABSTRACT The Bay of Bengal (BoB) exhibits a wide range of sea surface salinity (SSS), with very fresh water induced by heavy monsoonal...

  1. Effect of vertical stability and circulation on the depth of the chlorophyll maximum in the Bay of Bengal during May-June, 1996

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Murty, V.S.N.; Gupta, G.V.M.; Sarma, V.V.; Rao, B.P.; Jyothi, D.; Shastri, P.N.M.; Supraveena, Y.

    A two-gyre circulation system consisting of an anticyclonic gyre (ACG) in the northwestern Bay of Bengal and a cyclonic gyre (CG) west of the Andaman Islands is shown by the hydrographic data collected during May-June, prior to the southwest monsoon...

  2. Hydrochemistry of the Bay of Bengal: Possible reasons for a different water-column cycling of carbon and nitrogen from the Arabian Sea

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, C.K.; Naqvi, S.W.A.; DileepKumar, M.; Varaprasad, S.J.D.; Jayakumar, D.A.; George, M.D.; Singbal, S.Y.S.

    of the Arabian Sea, firmly indicating that the Bay of Bengal is not an active denitrification site. The absence of denitrification in the Bay appears to be incompatible with a slower renewal of intermediate waters and a higher sinking flux of particulate organic...

  3. Study of high-resolution satellite geoid and gravity anomaly data over the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Majumdar, T. J.; Krishna, K.S.; Chatterjee, S.; Bhattacharya, R.; Michael, L.

    research vessels. Solid line shows location of the profile along which interpreted seismic results and var i- ous products of satellite gravity data are shown in Fi gure 4. RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 90, NO. 2 , 25 JANUARY 2006... depth le v els. Location o f the profile is shown with solid line in Figure 3. of the Bay of Bengal can be reasonably co n sidered in mapping the structural features of the region. Thereby the results can be used to study the tectonics...

  4. Past and present status of the Indian Tiger in northern West Bengal, India: an overview

    OpenAIRE

    J.K. Mallick

    2010-01-01

    Changes in the distribution range and the estimates of Tiger (Panthera tigris) populations in northern West Bengal from the late 19th century to 2009 were examined in detail. According to a 2004 census there were 70 tigers in the region, while a 2008 estimate put the number at 8-12. The tiger survives only in protected areas of terai and duars extending over about 1000km2 of Buxa, Jaldapara, Neora Valley and Mahananda, the Panighat and Bamanpokhri Ranges of Kurseong Division and the Chilapata...

  5. Bengal Bay clone ST772-MRSA-V outbreak: conserved clone causes investigation challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blomfeldt, A; Larssen, K W; Moghen, A; Haugum, K; Steen, T W; Jørgensen, S B; Aamot, H V

    2017-03-01

    The Bengal Bay clone, ST772-MRSA-V, associated with multi-drug resistance, Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and skin and soft tissue infections, is emerging worldwide. In Norway, a country with low prevalence of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), increased occurrence of ST772-MRSA-V has also caused hospital outbreaks. The conserved nature of this clone challenged the outbreak investigations. To evaluate the usefulness of S. aureus protein A (spa) typing, multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat fingerprinting/analysis (MLVF/MLVA) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) when investigating outbreaks with a conserved MRSA clone. A panel of 25 MRSA isolates collected in 2004-2014, consisting of six hospital outbreak isolates and 19 sporadic isolates, were analysed using spa typing, polymerase chain reaction detection of genes encoding PVL, MLVF/MLVA and PFGE. All isolates were ST772-MRSA-V-t657 and resistant to erythromycin, gentamicin and norfloxacin, and 88% were PVL positive. PFGE could not discriminate between the isolates (≥85% similarity). MLVF resolved five types [Simpson's index of diversity (SID)=0.56], MLVA resolved six types (SID=0.66), and both methods separated the hospital isolates into two defined outbreaks. MLVF/MLVA could not discriminate all epidemiologically unlinked cases and identical genotypes originated from a timespan of 10 years. MLVA was regarded as most suitable due to its higher discriminatory power and ability to provide unambiguous profiles. However, the Bengal Bay clone may require higher resolution methods for exact demarcation of outbreaks due to low diversity among isolates. Copyright © 2016 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Microbiology of liver abscesses and the predictive value of abscess gram stain and associated blood cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chemaly, Roy F; Hall, Gerri S; Keys, Thomas F; Procop, Gary W

    2003-08-01

    Although rare, pyogenic liver abscesses are potentially fatal. We evaluated the predictive value of Gram stain of liver abscess aspirates and temporally associated blood cultures. Gram stains detected bacteria in 79% of the liver abscesses tested. The sensitivity and specificity of Gram stain of the liver abscesses were 90% and 100% for Gram-positive cocci (GPC) and 52% and 94% for Gram-negative bacilli (GNB). The sensitivities of the blood cultures for any GPC and GNB present in the liver abscess were 30% and 39%, respectively. Although, Gram stains and blood cultures offer incomplete detection of the microbial contents of pyogenic liver abscesses, both tests should always accompany liver abscess cultures.

  7. Effect of fermented, hardened, and dehulled of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) meals in digestibility and antinutrients in diets for tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valdez-González, F.J.; Gutiérrez-Dorado, R.; García-Ulloa, M.; Cuevas-Rodríguez, B.; Rodríguez-González, H.

    2018-01-01

    Among the most typical feed sources for tilapia, plants represent a low-cost source in substituting for traditional high-cost feed ingredients. Fermentation, hardening and dehulling are common grains processing techniques to make plant nutrients available and more digestible to fish. Apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of dry matter and protein, and antinutrients (phytic acid and tannins) in fermented, hardened and dehulled chickpea (Cicer arietinum) meals were determined for juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The highest ADC was obtained with processed (fermented, hardened and dehulled) chickpea meals compared with non-processed. Results indicated that fermentation increased the protein content by 13.1%, decreased the content of ash and phytic acid (47.5 and 45%, respectively), and increased the ingredient apparent digestibility of dry matter (ADM) by 23.2%, and the ingredient apparent digestibility of protein (ADP) by 41.9%. Dehulling meal increased the protein (5.7%) and lipid (6.4%) content of chickpea grains; decreased fiber, ash and tannin content (75.3%, 19.1%, and 84.5%, respectively); and increased ADM by 12.8%, and ADP by 10.4%. We conclude that fermented, hardened and dehulled chickpea meals represent a potential alternative in diets for juvenile O. niloticus.

  8. Increased protein content of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria under water deficit conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliveira, Rui S; Carvalho, Patrícia; Marques, Guilhermina; Ferreira, Luís; Nunes, Mafalda; Rocha, Inês; Ma, Ying; Carvalho, Maria F; Vosátka, Miroslav; Freitas, Helena

    2017-10-01

    Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a widely cropped pulse and an important source of proteins for humans. In Mediterranean regions it is predicted that drought will reduce soil moisture and become a major issue in agricultural practice. Nitrogen (N)-fixing bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have the potential to improve plant growth and drought tolerance. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of N-fixing bacteria and AM fungi on the growth, grain yield and protein content of chickpea under water deficit. Plants inoculated with Mesorhizobium mediterraneum or Rhizophagus irregularis without water deficit and inoculated with M. mediterraneum under moderate water deficit had significant increases in biomass. Inoculation with microbial symbionts brought no benefits to chickpea under severe water deficit. However, under moderate water deficit grain crude protein was increased by 13%, 17% and 22% in plants inoculated with M. mediterraneum, R. irregularis and M. mediterraneum + R. irregularis, respectively. Inoculation with N-fixing bacteria and AM fungi has the potential to benefit agricultural production of chickpea under water deficit conditions and to contribute to increased grain protein content. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  9. Clinical Utility of an Automated Instrument for Gram Staining Single Slides ▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baron, Ellen Jo; Mix, Samantha; Moradi, Wais

    2010-01-01

    Gram stains of 87 different clinical samples were prepared by the laboratory's conventional methods (automated or manual) and by a new single-slide-type automated staining instrument, GG&B AGS-1000. Gram stains from either heat- or methanol-fixed slides stained with the new instrument were easy to interpret, and results were essentially the same as those from the methanol-fixed slides prepared as a part of the routine workflow. This instrument is well suited to a rapid-response laboratory where Gram stain requests are commonly received on a stat basis. PMID:20410348

  10. One Small Step for the Gram Stain, One Giant Leap for Clinical Microbiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomson, Richard B

    2016-06-01

    The Gram stain is one of the most commonly performed tests in the clinical microbiology laboratory, yet it is poorly controlled and lacks standardization. It was once the best rapid test in microbiology, but it is no longer trusted by many clinicians. The publication by Samuel et al. (J. Clin. Microbiol. 54:1442-1447, 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JCM.03066-15) is a start for those who want to evaluate and improve Gram stain performance. In an age of emerging rapid molecular results, is the Gram stain still relevant? How should clinical microbiologists respond to the call to reduce Gram stain error rates? Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  11. Combating multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Ze-Qi; Flavin, Michael T; Flavin, John

    2014-02-01

    Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections, especially those caused by Gram-negative pathogens, have emerged as one of the world's greatest health threats. The development of novel antibiotics to treat MDR Gram-negative bacteria has, however, stagnated over the last half century. This review provides an overview of recent R&D activities in the search for novel antibiotics against MDR Gram-negatives. It provides emphasis in three key areas. First, the article looks at new analogs of existing antibiotic molecules such as β-lactams, tetracyclines, and aminoglycoside as well as agents against novel bacterial targets such as aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and peptide deformylase. Second, it also examines alternative strategies to conventional approaches including cationic antimicrobial peptides, siderophores, efflux pump inhibitors, therapeutic antibodies, and renewed interest in abandoned treatments or those with limited indications. Third, the authors aim to provide an update on the current clinical development status for each drug candidate. The traditional analog approach is insufficient to meet the formidable challenge brought forth by MDR superbugs. With the disappointing results of the genomics approach for delivering novel targets and drug candidates, alternative strategies to permeate the bacterial cell membrane, enhance influx, disrupt efflux, and target specific pathogens via therapeutic antibodies are attractive and promising. Coupled with incentivized business models, governmental policies, and a clarified regulatory pathway, it is hoped that the antibiotic pipeline will be filled with an effective armamentarium to safeguard global health.

  12. Compound-Specific Radiocarbon Dating Reveals the Age Distribution of Plant-Wax Biomarkers Exported to the Bengal Fan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galy, V.; French, K. L.; Hein, C. J.; Haghipour, N.; Wacker, L.; Kudrass, H.; Eglinton, T. I.

    2017-12-01

    The stable isotope composition of leaf-wax compounds preserved in lacustrine and marine sediments has been widely used to reconstruct terrestrial paleo-environments. However, the timescales of plant-wax storage in continental reservoirs before riverine export are not well known, representing a key uncertainty in paleo-environment studies. We couple numerical models with bulk and leaf-wax fatty acid organic 13C and 14C signatures hosted in a high-deposition-rate sediment core from the Bengal shelf canyon in order to estimate storage timescales within the Ganges-Brahmaputra catchment area. The fatty acid 14C record reveals a muted nuclear weapons bomb spike, requiring that the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system exports a mixture of young and old (pre-aged) leaf-wax compounds. According to numerical simulations, 79-83% of the leaf-wax fatty acids in this core are sourced from continental reservoirs that store organic carbon on an average of 1000-1200 calendar years, while the remainder has an average age of 15 years. These results demonstrate that a majority of the leaf-wax compounds produced in the Ganges-Brahmaputra river basin was stored in soils, floodplains, and wetlands prior to its export to the Bengal Fan. We will discuss the implications of these findings for plant-wax based paleoenvironmental records.

  13. CCN concentrations and BC warming influenced by maritime ship emitted aerosol plumes over southern Bay of Bengal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramana, M V; Devi, Archana

    2016-08-02

    Significant quantities of carbon soot aerosols are emitted into pristine parts of the atmosphere by marine shipping. Soot impacts the radiative balance of the Earth-atmosphere system by absorbing solar-terrestrial radiation and modifies the microphysical properties of clouds. Here we examined the impact of black carbon (BC) on net warming during monsoon season over southern Bay-of-Bengal, using surface and satellite measurements of aerosol plumes from shipping. Shipping plumes had enhanced the BC concentrations by a factor of four around the shipping lane and exerted a strong positive influence on net warming. Compiling all the data, we show that BC atmospheric heating rates for relatively-clean and polluted-shipping corridor locations to be 0.06 and 0.16 K/day respectively within the surface layer. Emissions from maritime ships had directly heated the lower troposphere by two-and-half times and created a gradient of around 0.1 K/day on either side of the shipping corridor. Furthermore, we show that ship emitted aerosol plumes were responsible for increase in the concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) by an order of magnitude that of clean air. The effects seen here may have significant impact on the monsoonal activity over Bay-of-Bengal and implications for climate change mitigation strategies.

  14. Cold stress alters transcription in meiotic anthers of cold tolerant chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Kamal Dev; Nayyar, Harsh

    2014-10-11

    Cold stress at reproductive phase in susceptible chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) leads to pollen sterility induced flower abortion. The tolerant genotypes, on the other hand, produce viable pollen and set seed under cold stress. Genomic information on pollen development in cold-tolerant chickpea under cold stress is currently unavailable. DDRT-PCR analysis was carried out to identify anther genes involved in cold tolerance in chickpea genotype ICC16349 (cold-tolerant). A total of 9205 EST bands were analyzed. Cold stress altered expression of 127 ESTs (90 up-regulated, 37 down-regulated) in anthers, more than two third (92) of which were novel with unknown protein identity and function. Remaining about one third (35) belonged to several functional categories such as pollen development, signal transduction, ion transport, transcription, carbohydrate metabolism, translation, energy and cell division. The categories with more number of transcripts were carbohydrate/triacylglycerol metabolism, signal transduction, pollen development and transport. All but two transcripts in these categories were up-regulated under cold stress. To identify time of regulation after stress and organ specificity, expression levels of 25 differentially regulated transcripts were also studied in anthers at six time points and in four organs (anthers, gynoecium, leaves and roots) at four time points. Limited number of genes were involved in regulating cold tolerance in chickpea anthers. Moreover, the cold tolerance was manifested by up-regulation of majority of the differentially expressed transcripts. The anthers appeared to employ dual cold tolerance mechanism based on their protection from cold by enhancing triacylglycerol and carbohydrate metabolism; and maintenance of normal pollen development by regulating pollen development genes. Functional characterization of about two third of the novel genes is needed to have precise understanding of the cold tolerance mechanisms in chickpea anthers.

  15. LexGram - a practical categorial grammar formalism -

    OpenAIRE

    Koenig, Esther

    1995-01-01

    We present the LexGram system, an amalgam of (Lambek) categorial grammar and Head Driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG), and show that the grammar formalism it implements is a well-structured and useful tool for actual grammar development.

  16. Volatile metabolites from some gram-negative bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schöller, Charlotte; Molin, Søren; Wilkins, Ken

    1997-01-01

    A survey of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) excreted from various Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas spp., Serratia spp. and Enterobacter spp.) was carried out. Compounds were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. VOCs identified included dimethyl disulphide, dimethyl trisulphide...

  17. Multiplex identification of sepsis-causing Gram-negative pathogens from the plasma of infected blood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Boram; Park, Chulmin; Cho, Sung-Yeon; Shin, Juyoun; Shin, Sun; Yim, Seon-Hee; Lee, Dong-Gun; Chung, Yeun-Jung

    2018-02-01

    Early and accurate detection of bacterial pathogens in the blood is the most crucial step for sepsis management. Gram-negative bacteria are the most common organisms causing severe sepsis and responsible for high morbidity and mortality. We aimed to develop a method for rapid multiplex identification of clinically important Gram-negative pathogens and also validated whether our system can identify Gram-negative pathogens with the cell-free plasm DNA from infected blood. We designed five MLPA probe sets targeting the genes specific to major Gram-negative pathogens (uidA and lacY for E. coli, ompA for A. baumannii, phoE for K. pneumoniae, and ecfX for P. aeruginosa) and one set targeting the CTX-M group 1 to identify the ESBL producing Gram-negative pathogens. All six target-specific peaks were clearly separated without any non-specific peaks in a multiplex reaction condition. The minimum detection limit was 100 fg of pathogen DNA. When we tested 28 Gram-negative clinical isolates, all of them were successfully identified without any non-specific peaks. To evaluate the clinical applicability, we tested seven blood samples from febrile patients. Three blood culture positive cases showed E. coli specific peaks, while no peak was detected in the other four culture negative samples. This technology can be useful for detection of major sepsis-causing, drug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens and also the major ESBL producing Gram-negatives from the blood of sepsis patients in a clinical setting. This system can help early initiation of effective antimicrobial treatment against Gram-negative pathogens for sepsis patients, which is very crucial for better treatment outcomes. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Desenvolvimento do fruto da lichieira (Litchi chinensis Sonn. 'Bengal' Fruit development in 'Bengal' litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Carlos Chamhum Salomão

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available Estudou-se o desenvolvimento do fruto da lichieira (Litchi chinensis Sonn. 'Bengal'. Realizaram-se amostragens semanais, com início aos 35 dias após a antese e término no início da senescência dos frutos. A partir do 77º dia após a antese, os frutos foram decompostos em pericarpo, semente e arilo. A antese ocorreu na primeira semana de setembro. Foram ajustados modelos sigmoidais simples para acúmulo de matéria seca, comprimento e diâmetro. Para o acúmulo de matéria seca, uma fase inicial, de crescimento lento, prolongou-se até o 63º dia após a antese e coincidiu com um período de intensa queda natural de frutos. Do 63º ao 98º dia após a antese, houve uma fase de rápido acúmulo de matéria seca. Até o 77º dia, pericarpo e semente foram os principais responsáveis pelo acúmulo de matéria seca. Oitenta e oito por cento do comprimento e 65% do diâmetro máximos foram atingidos nesse período. Do 84º ao 98º dia após a antese, o desenvolvimento do fruto foi determinado basicamente pelo arilo. As dimensões e a matéria seca do fruto estabilizaram-se a partir do 98º dia após a antese. O ponto de colheita comercial dos frutos, caracterizado pela coloração avermelhada do pericarpo, ocorreu a partir do 112º dia após a antese. Verificou-se um quadro senescente nos frutos a partir do 119º dia após a antese.It was studied the fruit development in 'Bengal' litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.. The samples were taken weekly 35 days after anthesis until the beginning of fruit senescence. From the 77th day after anthesis, fruits were decomposed in pericarp, aril and seed. Anthesis occurred in the first week of September. The fruit dry matter, length and diameter followed a single-sigmoid pattern. For dry matter accumulation, an initial phase, of slow growth, ended the 63rd day after anthesis and was coincident with a period of intense fruit drop. The next phase occurred from the 63rd to the 98th day and showed a rapid dry matter

  19. [Antimicrobial therapy in severe infections with multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterias].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duszyńska, Wiesława

    2010-01-01

    Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria pose a serious and rapidly emerging threat to patients in healthcare settings, and are especially prevalent and problematic in intensive therapy units. Recently, the emergence of pandrug-resistance in Gram-negative bacteria poses additional concerns. This review examines the clinical impact and epidemiology of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria as a cause of increased morbidity and mortality among ITU patients. Beta-lactamases, cephalosporinases and carbapenemases play the most important role in resistance to antibiotics. Despite the tendency to increased resistance, carbapenems administered by continuous infusion remain the most effective drugs in severe sepsis. Drug concentration monitoring, albeit rarely used in practice, is necessary to ensure an effective therapeutic effect.

  20. Lack of clinical utility of urine gram stain for suspected urinary tract infection in pediatric patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cantey, Joseph B; Gaviria-Agudelo, Claudia; McElvania TeKippe, Erin; Doern, Christopher D

    2015-04-01

    Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infections in children. Urine culture remains the gold standard for diagnosis, but the utility of urine Gram stain relative to urinalysis (UA) is unclear. We reviewed 312 pediatric patients with suspected UTI who had urine culture, UA, and urine Gram stain performed from a single urine specimen. UA was considered positive if ≥10 leukocytes per oil immersion field were seen or if either nitrates or leukocyte esterase testing was positive. Urine Gram stain was considered positive if any organisms were seen. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated using urine culture as the gold standard. Thirty-seven (12%) patients had a culture-proven UTI. Compared to urine Gram stain, UA had equal sensitivity (97.3% versus 97.5%) and higher specificity (85% versus 74%). Empirical therapy was prescribed before the Gram stain result was known in 40 (49%) patients and after in 42 (51%) patients. The antibiotics chosen did not differ between the two groups (P=0.81), nor did they differ for patients with Gram-negative rods on urine Gram stain compared to those with Gram-positive cocci (P=0.67). From these data, we conclude that UA has excellent negative predictive value that is not enhanced by urine Gram stain and that antibiotic selection did not vary based on the urine Gram stain result. In conclusion, the clinical utility of urine Gram stain does not warrant the time or cost it requires. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.