Oxidative Stress and Changes in Antioxidant and Biochemical Constituents in Papaya (Carica papaya L.) under Salt Stress

Six papaya cultivars viz., Pusa Dwarf, Surya, Solo, CO5, Tainan and Red Lady were subjected to saline water salt stress continuously for a period of six months with saline water irrigation having an EC value of 0.6, 2.0 and 4 dsm-1. Among these, Red Lady was more sensitive while Tainan resisted salt stress. Under salt stress of 4 dsm-1, yield reduced by 10% in Tainan and by 24% in Red Lady compared to unstressed controls. T.S.S. measurement showed that quality of fruits was not affected by saline irrigation in both cvs. Malondialdehyde levels estimated after six months period of stress, as thiobarbituric acid reacting substances, did not increase in Tainan in contrast to substantial increase in Red Lady under stress conditions. There was substantial increase in levels of antioxidant compounds namely, carotenoids, phenols and flavonoids in Tainan compared to Red Lady. In Tainan there were significant increases in reducing and total sugars and sucrose under conditions of stress in contrast to sharp decreases in Red Lady. Under conditions of stress, there was considerable accumulation of total and reducing sugars and sucrose, across the varieties, possibly contributing to osmotic adjustment. Association of salt stress tolerance in Tainan with soluble sugar accumulation could be used as a breeding tool for selecting salt tolerant papaya genotypes

How Algorithmic Confounding in Recommendation Systems Increases Homogeneity and Decreases Utility

Recommendation systems are ubiquitous and impact many domains; they have the potential to influence product consumption, individuals' perceptions of the world, and life-altering decisions. These systems are often evaluated or trained with data from users already exposed to algorithmic recommendations; this creates a pernicious feedback loop. Using simulations, we demonstrate how using data confounded in this way homogenizes user behavior without increasing utility

Histomorphological Study of Thyroid Neoplasms With Special Reference to Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and its Neoplastic Histological Mimickers

Thyroid Neoplasms Constitute The Most Common Of All Endocrine Neoplasms And More Than 95 % Arise From Follicular Epithelial Cells. They Encompass A Wide Variety Of Benign And Malignant Tumours. The Most Common Malignant Tumour Is Papillary Carcinoma With A Frequency Of 70 To 85 % With Preponderance Among Young Females. Historically, The Identification Of Papillary Carcinoma Relied On The Presence Of Papillary Architecture. The Current Accepted Diagnosis Is Based On The Nuclear Features That Include Optical Clearing, Overlapping, Nuclear Grooves And Pseudoinclusions. However, Identification Of These Features Remains, At Times Controversial And The Distinction Of Papillary Carcinoma From Its Histological Mimickers Such As Follicular Adenoma And Follicular Carcinoma May Sometimes Be Difficult.1 Despite The Propensity For Lymphatic Dissemination To The Cervical Lymph Nodes, The Majority Of Patients With These Tumours, If Appropriately Treated, Have An Excellent Long Term Prognosis Compared To Nonpapillary Tumours. Hence It Becomes Mandatory To Diagnose Papillary Carcinoma Correctly For Therapeutic Purposes And For Assessing The Prognosis. Immunohistochemistry Helps In The Circumstances Where Cytological Features Do Not Suffice For Differential Diagnosis.2 The Present Study Aims At Histologically Classifying All Thyroid Neoplasms And To Study Its Histomorphological Characteristics And To Evaluate The Expression Of Immunohistochemical Markers Such As Cytokeratin 19 And Thyroglobulin In Cases Of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma And Its Histological Mimickers

Micro-agglomerate flotation for deep cleaning of coal. Quarterly progress report, July 1-September 30, 1996

The goals of this research program are to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of a micro-agglomerate flotation process and to establish the essential criteria for reagent selection and system design and operation. We are investigating the use of a hybrid process - Micro-agglomerate flotation - which is a combination of oil-agglomeration and froth flotation. The basic concept is to use small quantities of oil to promote the formation of dense micro- agglomerates with minimal entrapment of water and mineral particles, and to use froth flotation to extract these micro-agglomerates from the water/dispersed-mineral phase. Since the floating units are agglomerates (about 30-50 mm in size) rather than individual coal particles (1-10 mm) the problems of froth overload and water/mineral carryover should be significantly alleviated

Micro-agglomerate flotation for deep cleaning of coal. Final report

The development of practical technologies for the deep cleaning of coal has been seriously hampered by the problems of carrying out efficient coal/mineral separations at the very fine sizes (often finer than 10 {micro}m) needed to achieve adequate liberation of the mineral matter from the coal matrix. In this investigation a hybrid process--Micro-agglomerate flotation--which is a combination of oil-agglomeration and froth flotation was studied. The basic concept is to use small quantities of oil to promote the formation of dense micro-agglomerates with minimal entrapment of water and mineral particles and to use froth flotation to separate these micro-agglomerates from the water/dispersed-mineral phase. Since the floating units will be relatively large agglomerates (30--50 {micro}m in size) rather than fine coal particles (1--10 {micro}m) the problems of froth overload and water/mineral carryover should be significantly alleviated. There are, however, complications. The process involves at least five phases: two or more solids (coal and mineral), two liquids (oil and water) and one gas (air). It is demonstrated in this study that the process is very sensitive to fluctuations in operating parameters. It is necessary to maintain precise control over the chemistry of the liquid phases as well as the agitation conditions in order to promote selectivity. Both kinetics as well as thermodynamic factors play a critical role in determining overall system response

NeuroWrite: Predictive Handwritten Digit Classification using Deep Neural Networks

The rapid evolution of deep neural networks has revolutionized the field of machine learning, enabling remarkable advancements in various domains. In this article, we introduce NeuroWrite, a unique method for predicting the categorization of handwritten digits using deep neural networks. Our model exhibits outstanding accuracy in identifying and categorising handwritten digits by utilising the strength of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and recurrent neural networks (RNNs).In this article, we give a thorough examination of the data preparation methods, network design, and training methods used in NeuroWrite. By implementing state-of-the-art techniques, we showcase how NeuroWrite can achieve high classification accuracy and robust generalization on handwritten digit datasets, such as MNIST. Furthermore, we explore the model's potential for real-world applications, including digit recognition in digitized documents, signature verification, and automated postal code recognition. NeuroWrite is a useful tool for computer vision and pattern recognition because of its performance and adaptability.The architecture, training procedure, and evaluation metrics of NeuroWrite are covered in detail in this study, illustrating how it can improve a number of applications that call for handwritten digit classification. The outcomes show that NeuroWrite is a promising method for raising the bar for deep neural network-based handwritten digit recognition.Comment: 6 pages, 10 figure

Preparations for future great earthquakes seen in levelling observations along two lines across the outer Himalaya

An important set of levelling observations across Central Nepal have been reported in the literature recently. We infer from these observations that recoverable elastic strains are accumulating in the upper crust of the region and will lead to a great earthquake in course of time. Limited levelling data from the Dehradun region in northwestern Himalaya show remarkable similarities to the Nepalese data and require a similar interpretation regarding preparation for the next great earthquake in the region

Clinicopathological observations on incidental appendicectomy in a tertiary care teaching hospital, Ranchi

Background: Incidental appendectomy is defined as the removal of a clinically normal appendix during non-appendiceal surgery.  This study was conducted at RIMS, Ranchi to document effects of incidental appendicectomy on overall morbidity and mortality while performing the intra-abdominal operation and also to study the frequency of pathological findings in incidentally removed appendices and the correlation between the pathology in the appendix with known aetiological factors for acute appendicitis. Materials & Methods: The diagnosis of the primary intra-abdominal pathology was made on the basis of a detailed history through clinical examination, supported by laboratory investigations and confirmed during operation besides, the patients. The clinical setting-emergency or elective laparotomy in which the appendix was removed was noted. Laparotomy incision used was noted with regard to the case with which the appendix could be approached. The naked eye examination of the appendix was noted. A piece of appendix was collected for histopathological examination. Results: About 42% of patients were below 30 years of age. Approximately 68% of female patients were below 40 years of age. Diseases of the extra-hepatic biliary tree were the most frequent indications for operation in female patients (91%).  Contaminated operations formed 88% of abdominal operations. Appendix could be easily approached and removed in 90% of the laparotomies. Operative time (length of anaesthesia) was increased by an average of 7.7 minutes. Retrocaecal position was the commonest site of appendix (68%). Length of appendices varied between 2.5-15 cms, majority being about 5-10 cms in length. Fibrotic changes with luminal obliteration were observed in 15% of appendices. Faecoliths alone or with bands, kings, adhesions or thickening of wall of appendix were present in 12% cases. Evidence of focal or catarrhal appendicitis was evident in 3% cases. Post-operative hospital stay was 12 days or less in the majority of patients (93%). Conclusion: An incidental appendicectoy should be performed when operating in abdomen for the surgical treatment of some other diseases, where no contraindication exists. The added procedure does not increase either intra-operative risk or post-operative complications and spares the patient from the possible subsequent development of acute appendicitis

Clinical management and outcome of extreme preterm infant with respiratory distress syndrome, early onset sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis stage 1: a case report

Respiratory distress syndrome, although it is common in extreme preterm infants, early and effective management will aid in better outcome. Preterm also comes with multiple co- morbidities which has to be considered and stepwise treatment is utmost important in tackling them. Here, we report a case of an extreme preterm baby who experienced respiratory distress syndrome with early onset sepsis along with necrotizing enterocolitis. Early diagnosis and management helped in the discharge of the infant in stable condition

Assessment of selenium levels and risk factors for stroke and other cardiovascular disease: a cross sectional study in a seleniferous area of Punjab, India

Background and aims: Rural areas of Punjab in India have been found to have soil rich in selenium (Se); about 2160 hectare area is seleniferous and is populated by about 10,000 inhabitants. Selenium concentrations in these villages were reported to be as high as 65 times over non-seleniferous areas. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate selenium levels in blood, hair and nails in a group of subjects living in this area, and to evaluate the correlation between selenium exposure levels and a relevant cardiovascular risk factor and blood pressure. Methods: In a random sample of rural residents in three districts of a seleniferous area of Punjab, we determined selenium concentration in hair, nail clippings and serum samples. Analyses were carried out using atomic absorption spectrophotometry at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, India. Data analysis was performed using the STATA 15.0 software (STATA Corp. TX). Results: A total of 680 human subjects were recruited in this study, with a male/female ratio of 0.65 and a median age of 43 (IQR 32-52). Medium selenium levels in blood, hair and nail were 86.7 µg/l (IQR 55.9-200.3), 20.7 µg/g (IQR 12.6-40.3) and 56.9 µg/g (IQR 42.8-83.9), respectively, with lower levels in women in all three kind of samples. Concerning systolic blood pressure, Pearson’s correlation coefficients were 0.102 (95 % CI -0.025 to 0.226, p=0.116); 0.076 (95% CI -0.010 to 0.160, p=0.085); 0.072 (95% CI -0.015 to 0.157, p=0.104) with blood, hair and nail, respectively. For diastolic blood pressure, Pearson’s correlation coefficients are 0.106 (95% CI -0.022 to 0.230, p=0.104), 0.036 (95% CI -0.050 to 0.122, p=0.409), 0.049 (95% CI -0.038 to 0.135, p=0.272), respectively. Conclusions: Our findings indicate a positive correlation between selenium content in blood, hair and nails and increasing systolic and diastolic pressure levels, in line with previous epidemiologic findings, indicating a possible health concern for this highly exposed population. The possible relation between selenium over-exposure and onset of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases deserves further investigation