Reactions of Nicotiana species to inoculation with monopartite and bipartite begomoviruses

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Some <it>Nicotiana </it>species are widely used as experimental hosts for plant viruses. <it>Nicotiana </it>species differ in ploidy levels, chromosome numbers and have diverse geographical origins. Thus, these species are useful model systems to investigate virus-host interactions, co-evolution of pathogens and hosts and the effects of ploidy level on virus resistance/susceptibility.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we have studied the responses of seven <it>Nicotiana </it>species to inoculation with <it>Cotton leaf curl Multan virus </it>(CLCuMV), a monopartite begomovirus, and <it>Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus </it>(ToLCNDV), a bipartite begomovirus, both from the Indian subcontinent. All <it>Nicotiana </it>species supported the replication of both begomoviruses in inoculated leaves. However, only three <it>Nicotiana </it>species, namely <it>N. benthamiana</it>, <it>N. tabacum </it>and <it>N. sylvestris </it>showed symptoms when inoculated with ToLCNDV, while <it>N. benthamiana </it>was the only species that developed leaf curl symptoms when inoculated with CLCuMV. CLCuMV accumulated to detectable levels in <it>N. tabacum</it>, but plants remained asymptomatic. A previously identified mutation of RNA dependent RNA polymerase 1 was shown to be present only in <it>N. benthamiana</it>. The finding is in line with earlier results showing that the susceptibility of this species to a diverse range of plant viruses correlates with a defective RNA silencing-mediated host defense.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results presented show that individual <it>Nicotiana </it>species respond differently to inoculation with begomoviruses. The inability of begomoviruses to systemically infect several <it>Nicotiana </it>species is likely due to inhibition of virus movement, rather than replication, and thus provides a novel model to study virus-host interactions in resistant/susceptible hosts.</p

Effectiveness of premedication at the time of separation from parent and mask induction in paediatric patients coming for congenital heart disease surgery

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of oral midazolam and chloral hydrate on anxiety and sedation at various stages of pre-operative period in congenital heart surgery patients. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional comparative study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Operating rooms of The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from October 2009 to December 2010. METHODOLOGY: Sixty-six patients between the ages of 6 months and 6 years received either chloral hydrate (Group C) or midazolam (Group M) pre-operatively. All congenital heart disease patients coming for cardiac surgeries were included while cases of emergency surgery and those patients in whom premedication was not given were excluded. Effect of premedication observed and documented by Anaesthesia Consultant. Documentation included demographics, level of anxiety and sedation at the time of separation from parent and at the time of mask application. RESULTS: Forty study subjects were male (61%) and 26 were females (39%). Eleven patients received oral midazolam while 55 received oral chloral hydrate. Sixteen patients were tearful and anxious (24%) while rests were calm and asleep. Thirty patients in group C (60%) were well sedated at the time of separation. Mask induction was satisfactory in 76% of chloral hydrate patients. Increase dose was suggested in 23 patients by anaesthetizing physician. Out of these 6 belonged to group M (54.5%) while 17 to low dose chloral hydrate group (30.9%) [\u3c 40 mg/kg]. CONCLUSION: Chloral hydrate provides comparable anxiolysis but superior sedation and mask acceptance scores when compared with midazolam. Higher doses of chloral hydrate (50 mg/kg) were required to keep these patients calm and peaceful at the time of mask application for inhalation induction

Nocardia Brain Abscess In A Patient With Advanced HIV-AIDS: Case Report

Nocardia is a gram-positive bacterium that causes localised and disseminated infections. A rare case of Nocardia infection in an immunocompromised individual is presented. Nocardiosis should be kept in mind as a diagnosis in immunocompromised patients with a solitary space occupying lesion in the brain

Synthesis, Characterization and DNA Cleavage of Copper(II) Complex with D,L-Dithiothreitol

Purpose: To study deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) shearing capability of copper(II) complex of dithiothreitol (DTT) and to fevaluate its potential application in cancer therapy.Methods: A parrot green complex was synthesized by grinding copper acetate monohydrate and DTT in 1:2 molar ratio in a mortar until no fumes of acetic acid were observed. The complex was characterized using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infra-red (ATR-FTIR), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Further information was also collected through Karl Fischer titration, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and (magnetic moment. Cleavage of DNA was determined by agarose gel electrophoresis. The gel was then stained, analyzed and photographed under ultraviolet (UV) light.Results: ATR-FTIR confirmed the formation of copper(II) complex with DTT by binding through thiol group based on the disappearance of the thiol (-SH) stretching peak at 2545 cm-1. The crystalline structure was elucidated by a sharp intense peak at 38.520 in XRD spectrum while the octahedral geometry of complex was inferred from a magnetic moment of 1.72 B.M. The results for water content obtained by Karl Fischer titration and TGA revealed that water molecules are not part of the coordination sphere of the complex. Cleavage study of DNA showed that the complex completely sheared the circular DNA compared to pure DTT.Conclusion: Solvent free synthesis of Copper(II)-DTT complex has been successfully achieved, and an anhydrous complex with octahedral geometry obtained. The complex has a greater potential to shear DNA molecule than pure DTT.Keywords: DNA shearing, Copper(II) complex, Dithiothreitol, Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infra-red, Karl Fischer titration, Magnetic momen

Cooperative Communications: A New Trend in the Wireless World

Abstract—This Wireless channel while offering independence of movement also introduces un-reliability in the messages received at the destination. Various strategies have been introduced so far to mitigate the effects of the channel on the message received. In this paper, we give an introductory overview of cooperative communications, a new trend in this field of wireless Communications where the transmitting users help each other to overcome the Effects of wireless channel on the message received at the destination. We compare the new idea of cooperative communications with traditional direct or noncooperative communications. In particular, we discuss the achievable rates and simulate the system to get the probability of outage performance of cooperative communications and compare it with direct or noncooperative communications

A headspace-gas chromatography method for isopropanol determination in warfarin sodium products as a measure of drug crystallinity

Coumadin® and several generic products of warfarin sodium (WS) contain the crystalline form (clathrate) in which WS and isopropanol (IPA) are associated in a 2:1 molar ratio. IPA is critical in maintaining the WS crystalline structure. Physicochemical properties of the drug and drug product may change when the crystalline drug transforms to amorphous form. A headspace-gas chromatography (HS-GC) method was developed and validated for IPA determination in the WS drug product. n-propanol (NPA) was used as internal standard and the method was validated for specificity, system suitability, linearity, accuracy, precision, range, limits of detection and quantification, and robustness. The method was specific, with good resolution between IPA and NPA peaks. Chromatographic parameters (retention time, IPA/NPA area ratio, tailing factor, theoretical plates, USP symmetry, capacity factor, selectivity and resolution) were consistent over three days of validation. The analytical method was linear from 2–200 µg mL–1 (0.1–10 % IPA present in the drug product). LOD and LOQ were 0.1 and 2 µg mL–1, respectively. Accuracy at low (2 µg mL–1) and high (200 µg mL–1) IPA concentrations of the calibration curve was 103.3–113.3 and 98.9–102.2 % of the nominal value, resp. The validated method was precise, as indicated by the RSD value of less than 2 % at three concentration levels of the calibration curve. The method reported here was utilized to determine accurately and precisely the IPA content in in-house formulations and commercial products. In summary, IPA determination by HS-GC provides an indirect measure of WS crystallinity in the drug product. Nevertheless, it should be confirmed by another analytical method since IPA from the drug substance is not distinguishable from IPA that may be present outside the drug crystals in a dosage form when prepared by wet granulation with IPA

An Algorithm for Autonomous Aerial Navigation using MATLAB® Mapping Tool Box

In the present era of aviation technology, autonomous navigation and control have emerged as a prime area of active research. Owing to the tremendous developments in the field, autonomous controls have led today’s engineers to claim that future of aerospace vehicle is unmanned. Development of guidance and navigation algorithms for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an extremely challenging task, which requires efforts to meet strict, and at times, conflicting goals of guidance and control. In this paper, aircraft altitude and heading controllers and an efficient algorithm for self-governing navigation using MATLAB® mapping toolbox is presented which also enables loitering of a fixed wing UAV over a specified area. For this purpose, a nonlinear mathematical model of a UAV is used. The nonlinear model is linearized around a stable trim point and decoupled for controller design. The linear controllers are tested on the nonlinear aircraft model and navigation algorithm is subsequently developed for for autonomous flight of the UAV. The results are presented for trajectory controllers and waypoint based navigation. Our investigation reveals that MATLAB® mapping toolbox can be exploited to successfully deliver an efficient algorithm for autonomous aerial navigation for a UAV

Mid aortic syndrome correction: anaesthetic considerations and management

A twelve years old female patient presented with headache off and on and disparity between upper and lower limb pressures. On the basis of history, physical examination and magnetic resonance angiography, the patient was diagnosed as mid aortic syndrome and planned for elective aorto aortic bypass graft surgery through left thoracotomy. Double lumen endotracheal tube was placed for lung isolation and episodes of hypertension during proximal and distal cross clamp were controlled with sodium nitropruside infusion (SNP). Extra pleural catheter was put in at the end of surgery before chest wall closure for postoperative pain control. Both upper and lower limb pressures were monitored in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) and over a period of twenty four hours, gradient gradually reduced to 10 mm Hg

Grown up congenital heart disease patient presenting for non cardiac surgery: anaesthetic implications

Congenital heart disease patients surviving to adulthood have increased over the years due to various reasons. These patients are admitted in the hospital for non cardiac surgeries and other procedures more often than normal adult population. Management of grown up congenital heart disease patient presents a challenge during perioperative period for cardiologists, surgeons, intensivists and particularly for the anaesthetist. Management issues include psychological and physiological impact on the patient, complexity of defects, presence of previous palliative procedure, impact of anaesthetic agents on shunting and myocardium, endocarditis prophylaxis and associated extra cardiac anamolies

Mechanical Properties of Amorphous Silica Filled RSS1

Rice husk contains about twenty percent silica contents. Uncontrolled burning of rice husk in the commercial incinerators leads to the crystals formation of silica which cannot be used as fillers in rubber composites. Also incomplete combustion leads to high quantity carbon black in the rice husk ash. In the current study, rice husk ash was prepared by the controlled combustion of dilute HCl treated rice husk .Controlled burning was carried out in the Rice Husk Combustor.&nbsp; Rice husk ash contained high percentage of white amorphous silica. Amorphous silica was mixed in RSS1 in lab scale internal mixer in various percentages. Multifunctional additives were also added in a fixed ratio to facilitate mixing and curing of RSSI. Blends were converted into uniform thickness sheets, cut into dog bone and trouser shape and were subjected to mechanical testing. TIRAtest 2810 E6 universal testing machine was used for investigation of tear and tensile characteristics .Measurement of tensile features was done &nbsp;by going through ASTM D412 and tear properties were investigated according to ASTM D624.Shore A type hardness meter was used to measure the hardness of Ribbed smoke sheet (RSSI) blend. It was observed that by adding amorphous silica up to 25 percent in RSSI, tensile properties and tear properties were enhanced .Only there was a decrease in tear properties after filler loading greater than 25%. Hardness was improved by addition of various percentages of amorphous silica