Microstructure and Crystallographic Texture of Aluminium Composite

The objective of the present work is to study the hot deformation behaviour of Al alloy-SiC Composites and to analyze the microstructure and crystallographic texture. Dispersing finer size hard particles in Al alloys restricted the flow of grains and tends to alter the texture. Al composites were homogenized and subjected to compression test using universal testing machine at various strain rates and temperatures. The deformed microstructure was studied under microscope paying particular emphasis to understand the mechanism of material flow. The crystallographic texture of the deformed samples was found out using x-ray diffactometer. The results depict that Al composites can safely be deformed at 400 oC and at 0.01 /s strain rate and the microstructure shows dynamic recrystallization as the predominant mechanism of material flow.  It was also observed that at higher strain rate (10/s) of deformation, the interface decohesion between the metallic matrix and ceramic phase was observed.  Adiabatic shear bands (localized flow) were observed when the materials deformed at room temperature (30 oC) and at strain rate of 0.01/s.  The texture measurement of Al composites, at the safe region, shows the components of (011) [100], (001) [1-10], (010) [101].  This study indicated that Goss and cube texture are favorable for the easy deformation of Al composite

Molecular Characterization and SNP Detection of CD14 Gene of Crossbred Cattle

CD14 is an important molecule for innate immunity that can act against a wide range of pathogens. The present paper has characterized CD14 gene of crossbred (CB) cattle (Bos indicus×Bos taurus). Cloning and sequence analysis of CD14 cDNA revealed 1119 nucleotide long open reading frame encoding 373 amino acids protein and 20 amino acids signal peptide. CB cattle CD14 gene exhibited a high percentage of nucleotide identity (59.3–98.1%) with the corresponding mammalian homologs. Cattle and buffalo appear to have diverged from a common ancestor in phylogenetic analysis. 25 SNPs with 17 amino acid changes were newly reported and the site for mutational hot-spot was detected in CB cattle CD14 gene. Non-synonymous substitutions exceeding synonymous substitutions indicate the evolution of this protein through positive selection among domestic animals. Predicted protein structures obtained from deduced amino acid sequence indicated CB cattle CD14 molecule to be a receptor with horse shoe-shaped structure. The sites for LPS binding, LPS signalling, leucine-rich repeats, putative N-linked glycosylation, O-linked glycosylation, glycosyl phosphatidyl inositol anchor, disulphide bridges, alpha helix, beta strand, leucine rich nuclear export signal, leucine zipper and domain linker were predicted. Most of leucine and cysteine residues remain conserved across the species

Rare Disease Advocacy Groups and Their Significance in Diagnosis, Management, Treatment, and Prevention of Rare Diseases

Rare diseases are those diseases that are not seen frequently in a population. There are about 7000 rare diseases that have been identified worldwide, and 80% of them are caused by genetic changes. Since a small number of individuals are affected with rare diseases, most clinicians are not aware of such diseases, and thus, they remain undiagnosed and untreated. Awareness regarding such diseases is essential to train clinicians to diagnose individuals affected with these disorders and to develop National/International Registries, which will serve to give information about the disease prevalence, its natural course, treatment, and management options available, to the medical fraternity. Patient advocacy groups play a remarkable and unique role in forming the collective voice of individuals living with rare diseases. They help in the identification, diagnosis, management, treatment, and prevention of such diseases. Advocacy Groups form collaborative partnerships with scientists studying such rare diseases, clinicians managing these diseases, pharmaceutical companies developing drugs, and Government officials overseeing and policy makers implementing medical regulatory processes. Thus, advocacy groups play a key role in helping patients and families with rare diseases

A situation analysis of care and support for rape survivors at first point of contact in India and Bangladesh

A situation analysis of post-rape care services available at the first point of contact was conducted in three cities in India and four cities in Bangladesh. The aim of this investigation was to gather information that could be used in the development of a comprehensive care and support system for the rape survivor. Secondarily, the study field-tested sensitive and practical tools that could be used in the future for large-scale situation analyses of the rape survivor services. The results demonstrated that there is no uniform service provision protocol to follow for managing rape survivors at health facilities in India or Bangladesh. Despite small sample sizes, the study findings provide a good lead for a full-scale situation analysis of the police stations and health facilities that may potentially provide services to these women in need. The tools in this study were developed, revised, and tested, and in general, were found to be efficient and may be applicable for use in a number of diverse settings

Health care equity in urban India

The report is based on the data drawn from detailed interactions with civil society organisations working on urban health in different cities and town across geographies including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Surat, Lucknow, Guwahati, Ranchi, Delhi etc., inputs from health officials in select cities, analysis of select data bases including NFHS, Census of India, government websites and secondary literature on urban health. The report focuses on a) understanding the health vulnerabilities of the urban poor b) the availability, accessibility, cost and quality of health care facilities and challenges therein c) and to propose possible pathways towards fixing the gaps in urban health care governance and provisioning. It also outlines the detailed provision and governance of health care in four different cities and towns including Bengaluru (Tier I), Thiruvananthapuram (Tier II), Raipur (Tier III) and Davanagere (Tier III)

Injecting drug users in India: Understanding sexual behaviours and sexual networks to design effective behaviour change strategies

The practice of injecting drug use has been spreading to different parts of India since the early 1980s and is associated with an increase in HIV prevalence rates. Injecting drug users (IDUs) engage in both risky injection and sexual practices that increase the risk for HIV transmission. While risky injection practices are well understood, there is limited understanding of IDUs’ sexual behaviors and social networks. The Population Council conducted a cross-sectional study to explore patterns of risky sexual behaviors, sexual network characteristics, and drivers of high-risk behaviors of IDUs in Delhi and Imphal. The contrasting settings were selected to allow for differences in social and behavioral characteristics that influence the HIV epidemic. Researchers conducted a study with current IDUs who had used nonprescription intravenous drugs in the past six months and were over 16 years of age. The study, conducted in one high- and one low-HIV-prevalence state, suggests that two different drug-use patterns are shaping the HIV epidemic. These differences, as noted in this brief, require a varied approach to addressing HIV prevention

STATUS OF SERUM MAGNESIUM, ZINC & COPPER IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM TYPE -2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Alterations in serum concentrations of several trace elements including copper, zinc, manganese, and the macroelement magnesium have been reported to occur in type-2 diabetes mellitus. This study is done to evaluate copper, zinc and magnesium status in diabetic and nondiabetic human subjects. In this comparative analysis, the serum concentration of copper, zinc and magnesium was estimated in 60 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without complication and 40 healthy non-diabetic subjects.  The data was analyzed by students’t’ test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient test.Mean serum concentration of copper was significantly elevated in diabetic patients compared to control subjects.  Serum zinc levels were significantly low (p < 0.001) in diabetic subjects compared to controls . There were no significant differences in serum magnesium between groups. Fasting plasma glucose level has significant positive correlation with serum level of copper (r = 0.567; p < 0.001), while zinc has negative correlation (r = -0.311; p < 0.047), but there is no significant correlation of plasma glucose level with serum magnesium level. Diabetic patients have signiï¬cantly lower mean serum zinc levels and significantly higher serum copper concentration compared with healthy controls respectively. Along with antidiabetic therapy, supplementation of zinc and magnesium and chelation of copper can red

Development of the SAFE Checklist Tool for Assessing Site-Level Threats to Child Protection: Use of Delphi Methods and Application to Two Sites in India

Background: The child protection community is increasingly focused on developing tools to assess threats to child protection and the basic security needs and rights of children and families living in adverse circumstances. Although tremendous advances have been made to improve measurement of individual child health status or household functioning for use in low-resource settings, little attention has been paid to a more diverse array of settings in which many children in adversity spend time and how context contributes to threats to child protection. The SAFE model posits that insecurity in any of the following fundamental domains threatens security in the others: Safety/freedom from harm; Access to basic physiological needs and healthcare; Family and connection to others; Education and economic security. Site-level tools are needed in order to monitor the conditions that can dramatically undermine or support healthy child growth, development and emotional and behavioral health. From refugee camps and orphanages to schools and housing complexes, site-level threats exist that are not well captured by commonly used measures of child health and well-being or assessments of single households (e.g., SDQ, HOME). Methods: The present study presents a methodology and the development of a scale for assessing site-level child protection threats in various settings of adversity. A modified Delphi panel process was enhanced with two stages of expert review in core content areas as well as review by experts in instrument development, and field pilot testing. Results: Field testing in two diverse sites in India—a construction site and a railway station—revealed that the resulting SAFE instrument was sensitive to the differences between the sites from the standpoint of core child protection issues