Učinkovitost kalijeva permanganata i kurkume kao antimikrobnih tvari na broj bakterija i kvalitetu nerastovog sjemena pohranjenog na 15 °C

The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different natural antimicrobials agents (KMnO4 and Turmeric) in comparison with conventional antibiotics against the bacterial load and in relation to the quality of boar semen in Modena extender for up to 120 hours of preservation at 15 °C. A total of 56 ejaculates, 14 from each of four Hampshire crossbred boars maintained within the ICAR-AICRP on Pigs, in Guwahati, Assam, India, were utilized in the study. Thirty-two ejaculates, 8 from each of four boars were used to study the effect of antimicrobial agents on semen quality during preservation at 15 °C in Modena extender. A total of 9 different bacterial types were identified from 46 bacterial isolates, obtained from 24 fresh semen samples viz. Staphylococcus aureus (24%), E. coli (22%), Bacillus spp. (13%), Citrobacter spp. (9%), Pseudomonas spp. (9%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (9%), Klebsiella spp. (6%), Streptococcus spp. (6%) and Proteus spp. (2%). The overall sensitivity of the recovered isolates to Gentamicin, Ampicillin, Enrofloxacin, Cloxacillin, Streptomycin, Penicillin, Amoxycilln, Ofloxacin and Tetracyclin were 89, 39, 37, 48, 74, 52, 56, 76 and 63% respectively. The mean sperm motility, intact acrosome, HOST-reacted spermatozoa and bacterial load differed significantly (P˂0.01) between antimicrobial agents (Gentamicin, KMnO4 and Turmeric) and preservation periods (0, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours). Sperm quality based on Gentamicin was found to be best, followed by Turmeric and KMnO4 during preservation at 15 °C. The conception rate for the semen preserved for 0, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours of preservation was 83.33, 80.00, 75.00, 66.66, 66.66 and 50.00% respectively. In the present study, the preserved semen with ascending bacterial load containing Gentamicin did not affect the conception rate.Istraživanje je provedeno kako bi se procijenila učinkovitost različitih prirodnih antimikrobnih tvari (KMnO4 i kurkume) u odnosu na konvencionalne antibiotike na broj bakterija i kvalitetu nerastova sjemena, pohranjenog u ekstenderu Modena do 120 sati na 15 °C. Upotrijebljeno je ukupno 56 ejakulata, 14 od svakoga od četiri nerasta križane pasmine Hampshire, uzgajanih u centru za istraživanje svinja ICAR-AICRP, Guwahati, Assam, Indija. Trideset i dva ejakulata, po 8 od svakoga od 4 nerasta, upotrijebljena su kako bi se istražili učinci antimikrobnih tvari na kvalitetu sjemena za vrijeme njegove pohrane u ekstenderu Modena na 15 °C. Identificirano je ukupno 9 različitih bakterijskih tipova iz 46 bakterijskih izolata dobivenih od 24 uzorka svježeg sjemena, i to Staphylococcus aureus (24 %), E. coli (22 %), Bacillus spp. (13 %), Citrobacter spp. (9 %), Pseudomonas spp. (9 %), Staphylococcus epidermidis (9 %), Klebsiella spp. (6 %), Streptococcus spp. (6 %) i Proteus spp. (2 %). Ukupna osjetljivost dobivenih izolata bila je: 89 % na gentamicin, 39 % na ampicilin, 37 % na enrofloksacin, 48 % na kloksacilin, 74 % na streptomicin, 52 % na penicilin, 56 % na amoksicilin, 76 % na ofloksacin i 63 % tetraciklin. Prosječna pokretljivost spermija, intaktni akrosomi, reaktivnost sjemena na hipoosmotski test bubrenja (HOST) i broj bakterija znakovito su se razlikovali (P ˂ 0,01) među antimikrobnim tvarima (gentamicin, KMnO4 i kurkuma) i s obzirom na trajanje pohrane (0, 48, 72, 96 i 120 sata). Tijekom pohrane na 15 °C, najbolja je bila kvaliteta sperme tretirane gentamicinom a zatim ona tretirana kurkukom i KMnO4. Postotak koncepcije bio je 83,33 % za sjeme koje nije bilo pohranjeno, 80,00 % za sjeme pohranjeno 24 sata, 75,00 % za sjeme pohranjeno 48 sati, 66,66 % za sjeme pohranjeno 72 sata, 66,66 % za sjeme pohranjeno 96 sati i 50,00 % za sjeme pohranjeno 120 sati. U ovom istraživanju porast broja bakterija u pohranjenom sjemenu tretiranom gentamicinom nije utjecao na postotak koncepcije

Differential expression of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates on leukemic blasts: a potential tool for long-term monitoring of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Earlier studies have demonstrated overexpression of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates (9-O-AcSGs) on lymphoblasts, concomitant with high titers of anti-9-O-AcSG antibodies in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Our aim was to evaluate the correlation between expression of different 9-O-AcSGs during chemotherapeutic treatment. Accordingly, expression of 9-O-AcSGs on lymphoblasts of ALL patients (n = 70) were longitudinally monitored for 6 years (1997-2002), using Achatinin-H, a 9-O-acetylated sialic acid (9-O-AcSA) binding lectin with preferential affinity for 9-O-AcSGs with terminal 9-O-AcSAα2→6GalNAc. Western blot analysis of patients (n = 30) showed that 3 ALL-specific 9-O-AcSGs (90, 120 and 135 kDa) were induced at presentation; all these bands disappeared after treatment in patients (n = 22) who had disease-free survival. The 90 kDa band persisted in 8 patients who subsequently relapsed with reexpression of the 120 kDa band. FACS analysis revealed that at presentation (n = 70) 90.1 ± 5.0% cells expressed 9-O-AcSGs, which decreased progressively with chemotherapy, remained <5% during clinical remission and reappeared in relapse (80 ± 10%, n = 18). Early clearance of 9-O-AcSG+ cells, during 4-8 weeks of treatment showed a good correlation with low risk of relapse. Sensitivity of detection of 9-O-AcSG+ cells was 0.1%. Numbers of both high- and low-affinity binding sites were maximum at presentation, decreased with treatment and increased again in clinical relapse. We propose that close monitoring of 90 and 120 kDa 9-O-AcSGs may serve as a reliable index for long-term management of childhood ALL and merits therapeutic consideration

Uncovering Vulnerabilities in Smartphone Cryptography: A Timing Analysis of the Bouncy Castle RSA Implementation

Modern day smart phones are used for performing several sensitive operations, including online payments. Hence, the underlying cryptographic libraries are expected to adhere to proper security measures to ensure that there are no exploitable leakages. In particular, the implementations should be constant time to prevent subsequent timing based side channel analysis which can leak secret keys. Unfortunately, we unearth in this paper a glaring timing variation present in the Bouncy-Castle implementation of RSA like ciphers which is based on the BigInteger Java library to support large number theoretic computations. We follow up the investigation with a step-by-step procedure to exploit the timing variations to retrieve the complete secret of windowed RSA-2048 implementation. The entire analysis is possible with a single set of timing observation, implying that the timing observation can be done at the onset, followed by some post processing which does not need access to the phone. We have validated our analysis on Android Marshmallow 6.0, Nougat 7.0 and Oreo 8.0 versions. Interestingly, we note that for newer phones the timing measurement is more accurate leading to faster key retrievals

Development that works, March 31, 2011

This repository item contains a single issue of the Pardee Conference Series, On March 31, 2011, more than 100 people participated in a conference titled “Development That Works,” sponsored by Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future in collaboration with the BU Global Development program. In the pages that follow, four essays written by Boston University graduate students capture the salient points and overarching themes from the four sessions, each of which featured presentations by outstanding scholars and practitioners working in the field of development. The conference agenda and speakers’ biographies are included following the essays.The theme and the title of the conference—”Development That Works”—stemmed from the conference organizers’ desire to explore, from a groundlevel perspective, what programs, policies, and practices have been shown—or appear to have the potential—to achieve sustained, long-term advances in development in various parts of the world. The intent was not to simply showcase “success stories,” but rather to explore the larger concepts and opportunities that have resulted in development that is meaningful and sustainable over time. The presentations and discussions focused on critical assessments of why and how some programs take hold, and what can be learned from them. From the influence of global economic structures to innovative private sector programs and the need to evaluate development programs at the “granular” level, the expert panelists provided well-informed and often provocative perspectives on what is and isn’t working in development programs today, and what could work better in the future

Pillared-bilayer porous coordination polymers of Zn(II): enhanced hydrophobicity of pore surface by changing the pillar functionality

Two new isostructural porous coordination polymers of Zn(II) {[Zn2(NH2- bdc)2(4-bpdb)]·(H2O)4}n (1) and {[Zn2(NH2-bdc)2(4-bpdh)]·(H2O)4}n (2) [4-bpdb = 1,4-bis-(4-pyridyl)-2,3-diaza-1,3-butadiene, 4-bpdh = 2,5-bis-(4-pyridyl)-3,4-diaza-2,4-hexadiene and NH2-bdc = 5-amino-1,3-benzenedicarboxylate] have been synthesized using a mixed ligand system by solvent diffusion and structurally characterized through single crystal X-ray diffraction, variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. Both the coordination polymers are constructed using linear Schiff base linkers of similar length having [double bond, length as m-dash]N–N[double bond, length as m-dash] base functionalities but the only difference is the presence of methyl groups in adjacent carbon atoms of the [double bond, length as m-dash]N–N[double bond, length as m-dash] group in the 4-bpdh ligand. Single-crystal structure analysis revealed that both compounds 1 and 2 have two-dimensional (2D) pillared-bilayer framework structures containing 1D channels (8.3 × 3.8Å2 for 1 and 8.0 × 1.6 Å2 for 2) filled with lattice water molecules. Channel dimensions in 2 decrease due to the presence of methyl groups. The desolvated frameworks of 1 and 2 are rigid which is evidenced by variable temperature PXRD. Both the compounds show type-I CO2 uptake profiles and the differences in CO2 adsorption uptakes have been corroborated to their void space (27.1% for 1 and 17.1% for 2). Desolvated forms of compound 1 exhibit remarkably high water adsorption capacity even at low vapor pressure whereas desolvated forms of compound 2 show very low water vapor uptake, which could be ascribed to the hydrophobic nature of the pore surface of 2

Mass Drug Administration Coverage Evaluation Survey for Lymphatic Filariasis: An Experience from Paschim Bardhaman District, West Bengal

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to assess the coverage and compliance of mass drug administration (MDA) to identify the factors for non-compliance, to find out the side effects experienced by the consumers and to ascertain the constraints/problems in implementing MDA by the functionariesin Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal after the last round of MDA (Dec 2017).Methods: In this cross-sectional coverage evaluation survey, one urban and three rural clusters were selected, using multistage cluster sampling. At least 30 households and 150 eligible subjects were included from each cluster (village/ward). Participants were interviewed using pre-designed and pretested schedule. A qualitative assessment was also done in the form of in-depth interview of different program implementers and participants.Results: Among the 660 eligible populations interviewed, distribution coverage for DEC and both the drugs were 76.4% and 74.8% respectively. For DEC, effective coverage was found to be 64.1%, which was 63.3% for both the drugs. Overall supervised consumption rate was very low (32% for DEC and 30.3% for both the drugs). Insufficient and delayed availability of drugs and IEC materials, budgetary constraints in undertaking IEC activities, poor community mobilization, and negligible supervised administration of drugs by the drug distributers were found to be the key qualitative issues.Conclusions: Supervised consumption of drugs in the presence of drug distributors was found to be grossly neglected in this district. Proper availability of medicines and logistics should be ensured and coordinated, and community awareness should be strengthened for successful implementation of this activity

Mossbauer, EPR, magnetic properties and thermally induced stereochemical studies on some double complex salts of cyclic ligand containing cationic copper(II) complexes and hexacyanoferrate(III) anion in the solid state

1604-1608Novel cyanide-bridged double complex salts of cationic copper(II) salts with cyclic ligand, viz., morpholine (Morph), N-methyl morpholine (Me-Morph) and homopiperazine (Hpz) and hexacyanoferrate(III) ion have been synthesized and characterized. Mossbauer spectra of the complexes have been recorded at 80 K and 300 K to investigate the metal-metal charge transfer and the impact of cyclic ligand present in the cationic part of the double complex salt on the Mossbauer spectra of hexacyanoferrate(III) ion. Metal-metal charge transfer transition has been supported by electronic spectra and magnetic susceptibility values. Variable temperature EPR spectra have been recorded to study the distortion of crystal systems. Activation energy and inception temperature for the thermochemical reactions show that the order of stability of the double complex salts follows the trend, Hpz>Me-Morph>Morph

Over-expressed IgG2 antibodies against O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates incapable of proper effector functioning in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Earlier studies have demonstrated an over-expression of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates (9-OAcSGs) on lymphoblasts, concomitant with high titers of anti-9-OAcSGs in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The present study was aimed to evaluate whether this high induction of anti-9-OAcSGs at disease presentation contributes toward immune surveillance. Accordingly, anti- 9-OAcSGs were affinity purified from sera of ALL patients and normal individuals, and their specificity toward the glycotope having terminal 9-O-acetylated sialic acid-linked subterminal N-acetyl galactosamine (GalNAc) in a2–6 manner (9-OAcSAa2–6GalNAc) was established by hemagglutination assay, flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Subclass distribution of anti-9-OAcSGs revealed a predominance of IgG2 in ALL. Analysis of glycosylation of anti-9-OAcSGs purified from sera of ALL patients (IgGALL) and normal individuals (IgGN) by digoxigenin glycan enzyme assay, fluorimetric estimation, gas–liquid chromatography and lectin-binding assays demonstrated that disease-specific antibodies differ in content and nature as compared with normal controls. Enhanced amount of 9-OAcSA-specific IgG2 induced in ALL was unable to trigger activation of FccR, the complement cascade and cell-mediated cytotoxicity, although its glycotope-binding ability remains unaffected. Interestingly, only IgG1N emerged as the potent mediator of cell-mediated cytotoxicity, complement fixation and activator of effector cells through FccR. In ALL, the observed subclass switching of anti-9-OAcSGs to IgG2, alteration in their glycosylation profile along with impairment of a few Fc-glycosylation-sensitive effector functions hints toward a disbalanced homeostasis, thereby evading the host defense. These findings justify further evaluation of the mechanism for functional unresponsiveness of antibodies and production of 9-OAcSA-specific chimeric antibodies with normal Fc domain for therapeutic application