Efficient absolute aspect determination of a balloon borne far infrared telescope using a solid state optical photometer

The observational and operational efficiency of the TIFR 1 meter balloon borne far infrared telescope has been improved by incorporating a multielement solid state optical photometer (SSOP) at the Cassegrain focus of the telescope. The SSOP is based on a 1-D linear photo diode array (PDA). The online and offline processing schemes of the PDA signals which have been developed, lead to improvement in the determination of absolute telescope aspect ($\sim$ 0\farcm8), which is very crucial for carrying out the observations as well as offline analysis. The SSOP and its performance during a recent balloon flight are presented here.Comment: To appear in the February 2000 issue of the PAS

Genotoxic effect of manganese and nickel doped zinc ferrite (Mn0.3Ni0.3Zn0.4Fe2O4) nanoparticle in Swiss albino mouse Mus musculus

25-32Manganese and Nickel doped Zinc Ferrite (MNZF) nanoparticle Mn0.3Ni0.3Zn0.4Fe2O4 is used in fabrication of room temperature (25-30ºC) NH3 gas sensor in large scale industries. However, there are no studies available on its toxic effects. Hence, in the present study, we assessed the genotoxic effect of various doses (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) of the MNZF nanoparticle (NP) in Swiss albino mice Mus musculus employing the chromosomal aberration test, micronucleus test and single cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay). The NP was orally gavaged for 15 consecutive days. Dose-dependent study was conducted at 24 h after the last dose of gavage and time-dependent response was studied for 250 mg/kg at 24, 48 and 72 h of treatment. All the parameters employed showed a statistically significant dose-dependent increase of genetic damage indicating the genotoxic effect of this NP in Swiss albino mice. Proper precautions should be undertaken on handling this NP to avoid contact with it either through respiration or ingestion

Genotoxic effect of manganese and nickel doped zinc ferrite (Mn0.3Ni0.3Zn0.4Fe2O4) nanoparticle in Swiss albino mouse Mus musculus

Manganese and Nickel doped Zinc Ferrite (MNZF) nanoparticle Mn0.3Ni0.3Zn0.4Fe2O4 is used in fabrication of room temperature (25-30ºC) NH3 gas sensor in large scale industries. However, there are no studies available on its toxic effects. Hence, in the present study, we assessed the genotoxic effect of various doses (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) of the MNZF nanoparticle (NP) in Swiss albino mice Mus musculus employing the chromosomal aberration test, micronucleus test and single cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay). The NP was orally gavaged for 15 consecutive days. Dose-dependent study was conducted at 24 h after the last dose of gavage and time-dependent response was studied for 250 mg/kg at 24, 48 and 72 h of treatment. All the parameters employed showed a statistically significant dose-dependent increase of genetic damage indicating the genotoxic effect of this NP in Swiss albino mice. Proper precautions should be undertaken on handling this NP to avoid contact with it either through respiration or ingestion

Tertiary-Treated Municipal Wastewater is a Significant Point Source of Antibiotic Resistance Genes Into Duluth-Superior Harbor

In this study, the impact of tertiary-treated municipal wastewater on the quantity of several antibiotic resistance determinants in Duluth-Superior Harbor was investigated by collecting surface water and sediment samples from 13 locations in Duluth-Superior Harbor, the St. Louis River, and Lake Superior. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to target three different genes encoding resistance to tetracycline (tet(A), tet(X), and tet(W)), the gene encoding the integrase of class 1 integrons (intI1), and total bacterial abundance (16S rRNA genes) as well as total and human fecal contamination levels (16S rRNA genes specific to the genus Bacteroides). The quantities of tet(A), tet(X), tet(W), intI1, total Bacteroides, and human-specific Bacteroides were typically 20-fold higher in the tertiary-treated wastewater than in nearby surface water samples. In contrast, the quantities of these genes in the St. Louis River and Lake Superior were typically below detection. Analysis of sequences of tet(W) gene fragments from four different samples collected throughout the study site supported the conclusion that tertiary-treated municipal wastewater is a point source of resistance genes into Duluth-Superior Harbor. This study demonstrates that the discharge of exceptionally treated municipal wastewater can have a statistically significant effect on the quantities of antibiotic resistance genes in otherwise pristine surface waters

Carbapenem Resistance and Acinetobacter baumannii in Senegal: The Paradigm of a Common Phenomenon in Natural Reservoirs

Incidence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is rising in several parts of the world. In Africa, data concerning this species and its resistance to carbapenems are limited. The objective of the present study was to identify the presence of A. baumannii carbapenem-resistant encoding genes in natural reservoirs in Senegal, where antibiotic pressure is believed to be low. From October 2010 to January 2011, 354 human head lice, 717 human fecal samples and 118 animal fecal samples were screened for the presence of A. baumannii by real time PCR targeting blaOXA51-like gene. For all samples positive for A. baumannii, the carbapenemase-hydrolysing oxacillinases blaOXA23-like and blaOXA24-like were searched for and sequenced, and the isolates harbouring an oxacillinase were genotyped using PCR amplification and sequencing of recA gene. The presence of A. baumannii was detected in 4.0% of the head lice, in 5.4% of the human stool samples and in 5.1% of the animal stool samples tested. No blaOXA24 gene was detected but six fecal samples and three lice were positive for blaOXA23-like gene. The blaOXA23-like gene isolated in lice was likely a new oxacillinase sequence. Finally, the A. baumannii detected in stools were all of recA genotype 3 and those detected in lice, of recA genotype 4. This study shows for the first time a reservoir of blaOXA23-like-positive gene in human head lice and stool samples in Senegal

Increased waterborne blaNDM-1 resistance gene abundances associated with seasonal human pilgrimages to the Upper Ganges River

Antibiotic resistance (AR) is often rooted in inappropriate antibiotic use, but poor water quality and inadequate sanitation exacerbate the problem, especially in emerging countries. An example is increasing multi-AR due to mobile carbapenemases, such as NDM-1 protein (coded by blaNDM-1 genes), which can produce extreme drug-resistant phenotypes. In 2010, NDM-1 positive isolates and blaNDM-1 genes were detected in surface waters across Delhi and have since been detected across the urban world. However, little is known about blaNDM-1 levels in more pristine locations, such as the headwaters of the Upper Ganges River. This area is of particular interest because it receives massive numbers of visitors during seasonal pilgrimages in May/June, including visitors from urban India. Here we quantified blaNDM-1 abundances, other AR genes (ARG) and coliform bacteria in sediments and water column samples from seven sites in the Rishikesh-Haridwar region of the Upper Ganges and five sites on the Yamuna River in Delhi to contrast blaNDM-1 levels and water quality conditions between season and region. Water quality in the Yamuna was very poor (e.g., anoxia at all sites), and blaNDM-1 abundances were high across sites in water (5.4 ± 0.4 log(blaNDM-1·mL-1); 95% confidence interval) and sediment (6.3 ± 0.7 log(blaNDM-1·mg-1)) samples from both seasons. In contrast, water column blaNDM-1 abundances were very low across all sites (2.1 ± 0.6 log(blaNDM-1·mL-1)) in February in the Upper Ganges and water quality was good (e.g., near saturation oxygen). However, per capita blaNDM-1 levels were 20 times greater in June in the Ganges water column relative to February and blaNDM-1 levels significantly correlated with fecal coliform levels (r=0.61; p=0.007). Given waste management infrastructure is limited in Rishikesh-Haridwar; data imply blaNDM-1 levels are higher in visitor's wastes than local residents, which results in seasonally higher blaNDM-1 levels in the river. Pilgrimage areas without adequate waste treatment are possible "hot spots" for AR transmission, and waste treatment must be improved to reduce broader AR dissemination via exposed returning visitors

The state of play: securities of childhood - insecurities of children

This article is broadly concerned with the positioning of children, both within and outside the subject area of International Relations. It considers the costs of an adult- 5 centric standpoint in security studies and contrasts this with investments made seemingly on behalf of children and their security. It begins by looking at how children and childhoods are constructed and contained - yet also defy categorization - at some cost to their protection. The many competing children and childhoods that are invoked in security discourses and partially sustain their victimcy are then illustrated. It is 10 argued that at their entry point into academia they are essentialized and sentimentalized. Power relations which subvert, yet also rely on children and childhoods can only be disrupted through a reconfiguration of politics and agency which includes an engagement with political literacy on a societal level and acknowledgement of the ubiquitous presence of war in all our live

The SDGs and the empowerment of Bangladeshi women

This chapter describes Bangladesh’s successes with advancing gender equality in the period of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), locating their origins in elite commitment to including women in the development process, and in the partnerships and aid that built the state and NGO capacity to reach them. The chapter reflects on the lessons of Bangladesh’s innovative and unexpected advances in the light of the new challenges posed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably those of early marriage and the achievement of decent work. The chapter asks whether contemporary conditions suggest that the elite commitment and state capacity that drove progress on the MDGs are up to meeting the more contentious and complex goals of the SDGs

Characterization of different FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenases for possible use in glucose-based biosensors and biofuel cells

In this study, different flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent glucose dehydrogenases (FADGDHs) were characterized electrochemically after “wiring” them with an osmium redox polymer [Os(4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine)2(PVI)10Cl]+ on graphite electrodes. One tested FADGDH was that recently discovered in Glomerella cingulata (GcGDH), another was the recombinant form expressed in Pichia pastoris (rGcGDH), and the third was a commercially available glycosylated enzyme from Aspergillus sp. (AspGDH). The performance of the Os-polymer “wired” GDHs on graphite electrodes was tested with glucose as the substrate. Optimal operational conditions and analytical characteristics like sensitivity, linear ranges and current density of the different FADGDHs were determined. The performance of all three types of FADGDHs was studied at physiological conditions (pH 7.4). The current densities measured at a 20 mM glucose concentration were 494 ± 17, 370 ± 24, and 389 ± 19 μA cm−2 for GcGDH, rGcGDH, and AspGDH, respectively. The sensitivities towards glucose were 2.16, 1.90, and 1.42 μA mM−1 for GcGDH, rGcGDH, and AspGDH, respectively. Additionally, deglycosylated rGcGDH (dgrGcGDH) was investigated to see whether the reduced glycosylation would have an effect, e.g., a higher current density, which was indeed found. GcGDH/Os-polymer modified electrodes were also used and investigated for their selectivity for a number of different sugars