Utjecaj prinosa mlijeka na funkcionalnu aktivnost neutrofila u krava križanki Karan Fries (Holstein Friesian X Tharparkar) tijekom peripartusnog razdoblja.

To study the immunological activities of neutrophils, blood samples were collected from 6 high yielding (HY) and 6 low yielding (LY) Karan Fries (KF) cows on -15,-7, -5, -3, -2, -1 days prepartum, at calving and on 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 15 days postpartum. Plasma cortisol levels, phagocytic activity (PA), enzyme (Elastase, Collagenase and Cathepsin G) levels and expression of TLR-2, TLR-4 and IL-8 were also studied. Both HY KF and LY KF cows were found to have increased blood Total leukocyte counts (TLC) and neutrophil percent at calving, but HY KF cows had significantly (P<0.05) higher levels than LY KF cows. The number of band neutrophils were also significantly (P<0.05) higher in HY cows. Significant (P<0.05) immunosuppression in relation to PA was found for HY as compared to LY KF cows throughout the peripartum period, with the lowest immunosuppression at calving in both groups of cows. Cortisol levels were significantly (P<0.01) higher during calving and negatively correlated with neutrophilic functions. The difference between the two groups also remained significant (P<0.05) as higher level of cortisol were found in HY KF cows. Elastase, collagenase and cathepsin were significantly (P<0.05) decreased during parturition. Elastase was reduced approximately 2.5 times on the day of calving in LY KF cows, but no such major reduction was observed for HY KF cows. Collagenase and cathepsin levels were significantly (P<0.05) higher in LY cows. Expression of the TLR-2 gene was significantly (P<0.05) lower in HY cows during the whole peripartum period than in LY cows. Expression of the TLR-4 gene was significantly (P<0.05) lower on days 15 pre- and post-calving in HY cows. IL-8 differed significantly (P<0.05) only during the prepartum days. Lower neutrophilic function in cross bred cows with high production potential, provides lower disease resistance and makes the cows more susceptible to peripartum infection.S ciljem istraživanja imunološke aktivnosti neutrofila, od šest visokoproizvodnih (VP) i šest niskoproizvodnih (NP) Karan Fries (KF) krava prikupljeni su uzorci krvi -15, -7, -5, -3, -2, -1 dana prije partusa, zatim tijekom partusa, te 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 i 15 dana nakon partusa. Analizirana je razina kortizola u plazmi, aktivnost fagocita (AF), razine enzima (elastaze, kolagenaze, katepsina G) te ekspresija TLR-2, TLR-4 i IL-8. Kod obje skupine krava, VP KF i NP KF, utvrđeno je povećanje ukupnog broja leukocita (UBL) i postotka neutrofila pri teljenju, ali razine su kod VP KF krava bile signifikantno više (P<0,05) nego kod NP KF krava. Broj nesegmentiranih neutrofila bio je također signifikantno (P<0,05) viši kod VP krava. Signifikantna (P<0,05) imunosupresija u odnosu na AF utvrđena je kod VP u usporedbi sa NP KF kravama tijekom peripartusnog razdoblja, s najnižom razinom imunosupresije pri teljenju obje skupine krava. Razine kortizola bile su signifikantno (P<0,01) više tijekom teljenja i negativno povezane s funkcijom neutrofila. Razlike između skupina također su ostale signifikantne (P<0,05) i u slučaju više razine kortizola utvrđene kod VP KF krava. Elastaza, kolagenaza i katepsin signifikantno su (P<0,05) opadali tijekom teljenja. Elastaza je smanjena za približno 2,5 puta na dan teljenja NP KF krava dok kod VP KF krava takvo jako smanjenje nije opaženo. Razine kolagenaze i katepsina bile su signifikantno (P<0,05) više kod NP krava. U odnosu na NP krave, ekspresije TLR-2 gena kod VP krava bile su signifikantno (P<0,05) niže tijekom cijelog peripartusnog razdoblja. Ekspresija TLR-4 gena bila je signifikantno (P<0,05) niža 15. dan prije i poslije teljenja VP krava. IL-8 je bio signifikantno različit (P<0,05) samo tijekom prepartusnog razdoblja. Snižena funkcija neutrofila kod krava križanki s visokim proizvodnim potencijalom doprinosi njihovoj manjoj otpornosti na bolesti i čini ihosjetljivijima na infekcije tijekom peripartusnog razdoblja

Ferroelectric ceramic dispersion to enhance the beta phase of polymer for improving dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the composites

Ferroelectric ceramic-polymer composites consisting of Poly Vinyledine Fluoride-Hexa Fluoro Propylene (PVDF-HFP) as polymer host and 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O-3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3(BZT-BCT) ceramics as filler were prepared using solution casting technique. These composites are characterized for structural, microstructural, vibrational, optical, dielectric and ferroelectric properties at various experimental conditions. The electroactive beta phase fraction (observed from XRD and FTIR analysis) increases as the filler concentration increases up to 20 wt% of BZT-BCT and above that its value decreases. FTIR results were analyzed to understand the mechanism of enhancement of beta phase by the interaction between negatively surface charged ions of filler with the CH(2)dipole of polymer matrix. UV-visible spectroscopy also employed to confirm polymer-ceramic filler interaction. Variation of the dielectric constant with different filler concentrations is explained using the percolation theory. Finally, the interplay between the functional properties and the beta phase is discussed in detail

Functional and Probiotic Attributes of an Indigenous Isolate of Lactobacillus plantarum

BACKGROUND:Probiotic microorganisms favorably alter the intestinal microflora balance, promote intestinal integrity and mobility, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and increase resistance to infection. Probiotics are increasingly used in nutraceuticals, functional foods or in microbial interference treatment. However, the effectiveness of probiotic organism is considered to be population-specific due to variation in gut microflora, food habits and specific host-microbial interactions. Most of the probiotic strains available in the market are of western or European origin, and a strong need for exploring new indigenous probiotic organisms is felt. METHODS AND FINDINGS:An indigenous isolate Lp9 identified as Lactobacillus plantarum by molecular-typing methods was studied extensively for its functional and probiotic attributes, viz., acid and bile salt tolerance, cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and Caco-2 cell-binding as well as antibacterial and antioxidative activities. Lp9 isolate could survive 2 h incubation at pH 1.5-2.0 and toxicity of 1.5-2.0% oxgall bile. Lp9 could deconjugate major bile salts like glycocholate and deoxytaurocholate, indicating its potential to cause hypocholesterolemia. The isolate exhibited cell-surface hydrophobicity of approximately 37% and autoaggregation of approximately 31%. Presence of putative probiotic marker genes like mucus-binding protein (mub), fibronectin-binding protein (fbp) and bile salt hydrolase (bsh) were confirmed by PCR. Presence of these genes suggested the possibility of specific interaction and colonization potential of Lp9 isolate in the gut, which was also suggested by a good adhesion ratio of 7.4+/-1.3% with Caco-2 cell line. The isolate demonstrated higher free radical scavenging activity than standard probiotics L. johnsonii LA1 and L. acidophilus LA7. Lp9 also exhibited antibacterial activity against E. coli, L. monocytogenes, S. typhi, S. aureus and B. cereus. CONCLUSION:The indigenous Lactobacillus plantarum Lp9 exhibited high resistance against low pH and bile and possessed antibacterial, antioxidative and cholesterol lowering properties with a potential for exploitation in the development of indigenous functional food or nutraceuticals

Proficiency Testfor Proximate Analysis of Coal: Determination of Moisture, Ash, Volatile Matter and Total Sulfur

Proficiency test (PT) is an important way of meeting the requirements of NABL accreditation (ISO/IEC 17025) in the areas of chemical testing. It provides laboratories with an objective means of assessing and demonstrating the reliability of data they produce. In this study, 18 laboratories interested in the ultimate analysis of coal participated in a proficiency test conducted by CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur in collaboration with CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi in 2011-12. The participating Iaboratories used classical and instrumental methods of analysis to determine moisture, ash, volatile matter and total sulfur in a homogenized coal sample. This paper reports the analytical results and statistical evaluation of the results using z-score

Surface expression of CD11b, CD62L, CD44 receptors on blood and milk neutrophils during subclinical and clinical mastitis in Sahiwal cows

Surface expression of cell adhering molecules and CD44 was studied in Sahiwal (SW) cows suffering naturally from subclinical (SCM) and clinical mastitis (CM). Cows were divided into groups, viz. healthy (12), SCM (12) and CM (12) groups on the basis of CMT scoring, bacteriological culture, gross morphological changes in the milk and by counting milk SCC after screening of 136 SW cows. Bacteriological culture indicated infection of Staphylococcus aureus as the causative agent of SCM and CM. Healthy cows showed significantly higher CD62L expression as compared to the SCM and CM group of animals in both blood and milk neutrophils but no significant difference was found between blood and milk neutrophils. The results revealed a significant upregulation of CD11b positive cells in the CM group of cows. Significantly higher expression of CD44 was found in the neutrophils of both blood and milk of SCM group as compared to CM group. From the study, it was evident that neutrophils exhibit dynamic interplay between the integrins (CD11b) and selectins (CD62L) along with CD44 during SCM and CM Staphylococcal mastitis to offer host protection against the foreign invaders

Physics Potential of the ICAL detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)

The upcoming 50 kt magnetized iron calorimeter (ICAL) detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is designed to study the atmospheric neutrinos and antineutrinos separately over a wide range of energies and path lengths. The primary focus of this experiment is to explore the Earth matter effects by observing the energy and zenith angle dependence of the atmospheric neutrinos in the multi-GeV range. This study will be crucial to address some of the outstanding issues in neutrino oscillation physics, including the fundamental issue of neutrino mass hierarchy. In this document, we present the physics potential of the detector as obtained from realistic detector simulations. We describe the simulation framework, the neutrino interactions in the detector, and the expected response of the detector to particles traversing it. The ICAL detector can determine the energy and direction of the muons to a high precision, and in addition, its sensitivity to multi-GeV hadrons increases its physics reach substantially. Its charge identification capability, and hence its ability to distinguish neutrinos from antineutrinos, makes it an efficient detector for determining the neutrino mass hierarchy. In this report, we outline the analyses carried out for the determination of neutrino mass hierarchy and precision measurements of atmospheric neutrino mixing parameters at ICAL, and give the expected physics reach of the detector with 10 years of runtime. We also explore the potential of ICAL for probing new physics scenarios like CPT violation and the presence of magnetic monopoles.Comment: 139 pages, Physics White Paper of the ICAL (INO) Collaboration, Contents identical with the version published in Pramana - J. Physic

Constraints on Astro-unparticle Physics from SN 1987A

SN 1987A observations have been used to place constraints on the interactions between standard model particles and unparticles. In this study we calculate the energy loss from the supernovae core through scalar, pseudo scalar, vector, pseudo vector unparticle emission from nuclear bremsstrahlung for degenerate nuclear matter interacting through one pion exchange. In order to examine the constraints on $d_{\cal U}=1$ we considered the emission of scalar, pseudo scalar, vector, pseudo vector and tensor through the pair annihilation process $e^+e^-\to {\cal U} \gamma$. In addition we have re-examined other pair annihilation processes. The most stringent bounds on the dimensionless coupling constants for $d_{\cal U} =1$ and $\Lambda_{\cal U}= m_Z$ are obtained from nuclear bremsstrahlung process for the pseudo scalar and pseudo-vector couplings $\bigl|\lambda^{\cal P}_{0,1}\bigr|\leq 4\times 10^{-11}$ and for tensor interaction, the best limit on dimensionless coupling is obtained from $e^+ e^-\to {\cal U} \gamma$ and we get $\bigl|\lambda^{\cal T}\bigr| \leq 6\times 10^{-6}$.Comment: 12 pages, 2 postscript figure

Measurements of branching fraction ratios and CP-asymmetries in suppressed B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)K^- and B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)pi^- decays

We report the first reconstruction in hadron collisions of the suppressed decays B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)K^- and B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)pi^-, sensitive to the CKM phase gamma, using data from 7 fb^-1 of integrated luminosity collected by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider. We reconstruct a signal for the B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)K^- suppressed mode with a significance of 3.2 standard deviations, and measure the ratios of the suppressed to favored branching fractions R(K) = [22.0 \pm 8.6(stat)\pm 2.6(syst)]\times 10^-3, R^+(K) = [42.6\pm 13.7(stat)\pm 2.8(syst)]\times 10^-3, R^-(K)= [3.8\pm 10.3(stat)\pm 2.7(syst]\times 10^-3, as well as the direct CP-violating asymmetry A(K) = -0.82\pm 0.44(stat)\pm 0.09(syst) of this mode. Corresponding quantities for B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)pi^- decay are also reported.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, accepted by Phys.Rev.D Rapid Communications for Publicatio