Characterization of Aspergillus species associated with commercially stored triphala powder

About 82 triphala powder samples were analyzed for the association of different fungi. Results reveal the predominance of Aspergillus as the major genera with six predominant species namely, A. niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. terreus, A. nidulans and A. amstelodami. Therefore, these six isolated Aspergillus species were characterized morphologically, microscopically and molecularly. In addition, an attempt was made to characterize the frequently occurring aflatoxigenic and non toxic Aspergillus species at molecular level along with their identification. Morphological variability was detected among isolates in regard to colony morphology, conidia colouration, exudates and reverse, colony texture and growth rate. Microscopic characteristics for the identification were conidial heads, stipe, colour and length of vesicles, shape and seriation, metulae covering, conidia size and shape. For molecular characterization, internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-4, a universal fungal primer was utilized. Differences in band patterns and number of bands obtained after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification clearly differentiates between the Aspergillus species. Results also reveal that only A. flavus showed amplification with all the three aflatoxigenic primers apa-2, ver-1 and omt-1, which means that only A. flavus was identified as aflatoxigenic and other Aspergillus species as non-toxigenic after PCR analysis. Hence, morphological, microscopic and molecular methods are important for the complete identification of important Aspergillus species and other fungi isolated from stored commodities.Key words: Aspergillus, triphala, identification, macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, molecular methods

Comparative study of potato cultivation through micropropagation and conventional farming methods

A trial was carried out to evaluate the productivity of Solanum tuberosum L. cultivated through conventional farming and micropropagation method. Survival rate, biomass and tuber yield of both micropropagated and tuber propagated potatoes was evaluated. Survival percentages of potatoes were 90% for conventional propagation and 85% for micropropagation. The survival rate of micropropagated plants were maximum of 79% in vermicompost and minimum of 50% in the soil. The average shoot length, number of leaves and leaf area was greater in tuber propagated plants compared to the micropropagated plants. Tuber propagated plants yielded 1.360 kg/plant which was 0.370 kg/plant more than micropropagated plant.Keywords: Conventional farming, micropropagation, potatoes, tuber propagatio

Portable, scalable, per-core power estimation for intelligent resource management

Performance, power, and temperature are now all first-order design constraints. Balancing power efficiency, thermal constraints, and performance requires some means to convey data about real-time power consumption and temperature to intelligent resource managers. Resource managers can use this information to meet performance goals, maintain power budgets, and obey thermal constraints. Unfortunately, obtaining the required machine introspection is challenging. Most current chips provide no support for per-core power monitoring, and when support exists, it is not exposed to software. We present a methodology for deriving per-core power models using sampled performance counter values and temperature sensor readings. We develop application-independent models for four different (four- to eight-core) platforms, validate their accuracy, and show how they can be used to guide scheduling decisions in power-aware resource managers. Model overhead is negligible, and estimations exhibit 1.1%-5.2% per-suite median error on the NAS, SPEC OMP, and SPEC 2006 benchmarks (and 1.2%-4.4% overall)

Clinico-etiological pattern of lower gastrointestinal bleeding in children (5-18 years age group) at a tertiary care center in central India

Background: Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB), defined as bleeding occurring distal to the ligament of Treitz, is a common presenting symptom in pediatric patients. Objective: To understand the clinico-etiological pattern of LGIB in children in the age group 5-18 years. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was carried out at a tertiary health-care center in central India between January 2011 and August 2012. We consecutively enrolled all patients in the age group 5-18 years who came to our center with gross LGIB or two consecutive positive occult blood tests with at least 1-week interval between tests. All patients underwent colonoscopy (small, flexible Olympus PCF-20 colonoscope) and the findings were recorded. The procedure was done only after proper informed consent from the parents. Results: Total 38 patients were included in the study with above-mentioned inclusion and exclusion criteria, during the study period. Male to female ratio in LGIB was 2.16:1. LGIB was most common in children aged 5-10 years (63.1%), followed by 10-14 years (26.3%). Hematochezia was the most common presenting symptom (78.9%) followed by melena (21.1%). The most common causes of LGIB were colitis and colorectal polyp (31.6% each) followed by anal fissures (21.1%). Anemia was present in 68.4% patients at the time of presentation. Recurrence of LGIB was noted in 18 (47.4%) patients. Conclusion: We conclude that LGIB is most common in 5-10 years of children (school age) with hematochezia as the most common presenting symptom. Causes of LGIB in children in developing countries are same as developed countries (polyps and colitis being most common, followed by anal fissure), but further studies are required to determine the significant correlation between findings

Mining from Landfills as a Remediation Strategy Regarding Open Dumpsites using Artificial Intelligence Hybrid Models

Due to the subsequent environmental effects of volatility, precise data on waste properties and their seasonal change are essential for sustainable waste management planning. As traditional waste characterization methods are time consuming and costly in most developing countries, it is necessary to approach the problem from a modelling perspective. Objective of this study was to identify the most efficient combinations of network architecture, activation function and formation strategy to reliably estimate the proportion of physical waste streams using meteorological parameters. The city of Gwalior is also affected by this global issue. The goal of this case study was to look at the potential and issues related to solid waste in Gwalior. Extensive investigations on the collection, transportation, treatment, storage, destruction, and disposal of solid waste generated in the city of Gwalior were done. Through interactions with people and website visits, GDS-related data is gathered. This study demonstrates that the city lacks a suitable system to deal with the solid waste generated, resulting in waste being dumped into vacant space, creating a number of issues for the local population as well as the environment. The three regions that make up the city of Gwalior are the city of Gwalior, Morar and Laskhar regions

A review on analytical method development, optimization and validation of combination of Azithromycin and benzoyl peroxide by RP-HPLC using design of experiment as per ICH guideline

Pharmaceutical analysis is one of the most challenging fields of analytical chemistry. Pharmaceutical analysts carry out the qualitative and quantitative control of APIs and drug products and also develop and validate appropriate methods. One of my main goals was to develop modern, rapid, precise and reproducible, but also cost-effective HPLC assay methods which are generally available and applicable for most users. The aim of this work was to develop LC methods for both compounds. The assay of erythromycin by LC offers several advantages, such as high specificity, the possibility of determining and quantifying impurities and degradation products, and improved accuracy. The developed methods were validated. My whole work containing following plan of work as Selection of drug, Review Literature, FITR of both drugs and Mixture, Preparation of standard solutions, Preparation of sample of pure drug in Standard solution, Method development by HPLC (as Selection of solvents to be used as diluents and mobile phase, Selection of wavelength, Selection of mobile phase and Selection of chromatographic conditions) Preparation of Mobile phase, Preparation of standard calibration curve combination of drug, Optimization of HPLC condition using box behnken design. Validation of analytical method following parameters as per ICH guidelines. (i). System suitability (ii). Linearity and range (iii). Specificity (iv).Accuracy and precision (v). Limits of detection (LOD) and Quantitation (LOQ). (vi). Selectivity and (vii).Robustness

Note: Fiber optic transport probe for Hall measurements under light and magnetic field at low temperatures: Case study of a two dimensional electron gas

A fiber optic based probe is designed and developed for electrical transport measurements in presence of quasi-monochromatic (360-800 nm) light, varying temperature (T = 1.8-300 K), and magnetic field (B = 0-7 T). The probe is tested for the resistivity and Hall measurements performed on a LaAlO3-SrTiO3 heterointerface system with a conducting two dimensional electron gas

Note: Fiber optic transport probe for Hall measurements under light and magnetic field at low temperatures: Case study of a two dimensional electron gas

A fiber optic based probe is designed and developed for electrical transport measurements in presence of quasi-monochromatic (360-800 nm) light, varying temperature (T = 1.8-300 K), and magnetic field (B = 0-7 T). The probe is tested for the resistivity and Hall measurements performed on a LaAlO3-SrTiO3 heterointerface system with a conducting two dimensional electron gas

Nonlinear thermal instability in a horizontal porous layer with an internal heat source and mass flow

© 2016, Springer-Verlag Wien. Linear and nonlinear stability analyses of Hadley–Prats flow in a horizontal fluid-saturated porous medium with a heat source are performed. The results indicate that, in the linear case, an increase in the horizontal thermal Rayleigh number is stabilizing for both positive and negative values of mass flow. In the nonlinear case, a destabilizing effect is identified at higher mass flow rates. An increase in the heat source has a destabilizing effect. Qualitative changes appear in Rz as the mass flow moves from negative to positive for different internal heat sources