Effect of UV-B radiations on mortality and enzymes level in fish larvae of Tor tor and Schizothorax richardsonii on laboratory scale

Depletion of stratospheric ozone layer is resulting into increase in solar UV-B on earth surface. Ultra violet radiation is well known to cause many detrimental effects in aquatic organisms. The present study was performed to study the effect of solar ultraviolet radiation on fish fingerlings of Tor tor and Schizothorax richardsonii as a model system on laboratory scale. The effect of different intensities of natural solar and artificial UV-B radiation on fish larvae of T. tor and S. richardsonii in a presence of retene was investigated. Solar ultraviolet intensity showed seasonal and altitudinal variations in Garhwal region. Solar UV radiation level was lower (0.390 mw/cm2) in the month of January- February at lower altitude and highest (1.192 mw/cm2) in the month of July-August 2018 at higher altitude. Fish larvae exposed to artificial UV-B (average wavelength 312 nm and intensity of 750 mw/cm2) with retene (50µg/l) showed increase in gills malandialdehyde level and caused larvae mortality as indicating that enhanced solar UV-B exposure could be lethal to fish fauna in aquatic ecosystem. Artificial UV-B had a stronger damaging effect on fish larvae than solar radiation exhibited highly toxic in presence of retene. The larvae of S. richardsonii was found more sensitive than T. tor as indicated by high mortality rate (30%) and high pigmented characteristics on dorsal side. The solar and ultraviolet radiation showed a positive effect on high pigmentation. These results suggest that on a short time scale, UV-B radiation causing developmental stress on fish larvae may contribute to assess the phototoxic behaviour of cold water fishes

Factors affecting the ecological habitat of Benthic macro-invertebrate assemblages in Asan wetland, Dehradun in Garhwal Himalaya

The Himalayan region has several freshwater resources, such as rivers, lakes, and wetlands. These freshwater resources have been adversely affected by environmental factors. Freshwater biological systems are defenseless against outcomes of environmental changes that might prompt the irreversible disintegration of these natural surroundings. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of biotic and abiotic factors on the Benthic macro-invertebrate assemblages of the Asan wetland, Dehradun in Garhwal Himalaya. A determination of the physico-chemical health status of the Asan wetland viz., electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and nutrients parameters like nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus were investigated during this study. Three sampling sites (Site 1, Site 2 and Site 3) of wetland were selected and the water samples were collected seasonally, i.e., summer, winter, and monsoon from April 2021-March 2022. Maximum values of EC(163.75 µS/cm), TDS (232.78 (mg/l),  alkalinity (141.20 mg/l)  and pH(7.8)  were recorded in the monsoon season (June-September) and minimum values of EC( 135.80µS/cm), TDS (196.80 (mg/l),  alkalinity (119.80mg/l)  and pH(7.2) were recorded in the winter season (November–February). An overall total of 18 macrobenthos genera belonging to four classes was identified. Maximum communities of macrobenthos were observed during the winter and minimum communities during the monsoon season. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to determine whether microbenthic genera and habitat ecological parameters and showed a positive or negative correlation. Thus, the present study contributed to the status of various factors and their impacts on the Benthic macro-invertebrate structure of the Asan wetland.        

Oil-Isolated Hydrogel Microstructures for Sensitive Bioassays On-Chip

Multiplexed, sensitive, and on-chip molecular diagnostic assays are essential in both clinical and research settings. In past work, running reactions in nanoliter- to femtoliter-sized volumes such as microwells or droplets has led to significant increases in detection sensitivities. At the same time, hydrogels have emerged as attractive scaffolds for bioassays due to their nonfouling, flexible, and aqueous properties. In this paper, we combine these concepts and develop a novel platform in which hydrogel compartments are used as individually confined reaction volumes within a fluorinated oil phase. We fabricate functional and versatile hydrogel microstructures in microfluidic channels that are physically isolated from each other using a surfactant-free fluorinated oil phase, generating picoliter- to nanoliter-sized immobilized aqueous reaction compartments that are readily functionalized with biomolecules. In doing so, we achieve monodisperse reaction volumes with an aqueous interior while exploiting the unique chemistry of a hydrogel, which provides a solid and porous binding scaffold for biomolecules and is impenetrable to oil. Furthermore, our lithographically defined reaction volumes are readily customized with respect to geometry and chemistry within the same channel, allowing rational tuning of the confined reaction volume on a post-to-post basis without needing to use surfactants to maintain stability. We design and implement a multiplexed signal amplification assay in which gel-bound enzymes turn over small molecule substrate into fluorescent product in the oil-confined gel compartment, providing significant signal enhancement. Using short (20 min) amplification times, the encapsulation scheme provides up to 2 orders of magnitude boost of signal in nucleic acid detection assays relative to direct labeling and does not suffer from any cross-talk between the posts. We ultimately demonstrate up to 57-fold increase in nucleic acid detection sensitivity compared to a direct labeling scheme.National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Center for Future Technologies in Cancer Care (U54-EB-015403-01)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Interdepartmental Biotechnology Training Grant T32 GM08334)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant CMMI-1120724

Martian M2 peak behaviour in the dayside near-terminator ionosphere during ICMEs

The interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) can pose significant impacts on the Martian ionosphere, resulting in plasma depletion, variability, and escape to space. However, the connections between the ICMEs and the associated responses of the dayside near-terminator Martian ionospheric M2 peak are not well understood. The present study primarily investigates the behaviour of the ionospheric peak density (Nm) and height (hm) during the passage of ICMEs using observations from the Radio Occultation Science Experiment (ROSE) aboard MAVEN spacecraft. We have selected 8 such ICMEs (during 2017-2022) at Mars from the existing catalogs and studied the ROSE electron density profiles during quiet and disturbed time (ICMEs) for identical solar zenith angle range. We observed the elevation of the M2 peak (hm ~4-16 km) during disturbed time (ICMEs) with a decrease in Nm (0.41-2.8 * 10^10 m-3) in comparison to the quiet time. The present study, for the first time, addressed the influence of ICMEs on the M2 peak parameters (Nm and hm). We have proposed that the development of large vertical pressure gradient and electron temperature enhancement are plausible causes for ionospheric variability. Therefore, the present study provides new insights to understand the peak plasma behaviour in the dayside near-terminator ionosphere during ICMEs

A rare case of spinal hydatid cyst (echinococcosis) presenting with paraparesis

Spinal hydatid cysts, although rare, can lead to debilitating neurological deficits if not promptly diagnosed and managed. We present an intriguing case of a 60-year-old male who presented with sudden-onset paraplegia, an unusual manifestation of spinal hydatid disease. The clinical complexity of paraplegia prompted a comprehensive diagnostic journey involving clinical, and radiological evaluations. Imaging studies unveiled a large hydatid cyst within the spinal canal, with epidural extension compressing the spinal cord. Surgical intervention was undertaken, and the cyst was successfully excised, leading to partial neurological recovery. This case serves as a reminder of the diverse clinical presentations of hydatid cysts and highlights the significance of maintaining a high index of suspicion in endemic regions. Early diagnosis, tailored management, and heightened awareness are pivotal in averting irreversible neurological damage and enhancing patient outcomes in such challenging cases

Prospects of III-Vs for Logic Applications

The increasing challenges for further scaling down of Si CMOS require the study of alternative channel materials. This paper highlights the significance of III-V compound semiconductor materials in order to face the looming fate of Si CMOS technology. The potential advantages of using III-Vs as channel materials for future III-V CMOS is its outstanding transport properties that have been widely accepted in high frequency RF applications. However, many significant challenges in front of III-V digital technology needs to be overcome before III-V CMOS becomes feasible for next generation high speed and low power logic applications. But it may be that this situation is changing given recent progress in the fabrication of high-mobility III-Vs based heterostructure electronic devices for logic applications to fulfill the needs towards the everyday evolving III-V CMOS technology. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/2778

Study to assess the effect of mini-dose Succinylcholine for ease of laryngeal mask airway insertion

Background: Propofol as sole induction agent is often insufficient for the laryngeal mask airway insertion and higher doses are at times required. The present study proposes to assess the effectiveness of 0.25mg/kg mini dose succinylcholine towards facilitation of laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion.Methods: In a single blinded randomized controlled trial, 68 patients posted for elective general and orthopaedic surgery were equally assigned to two groups during LMA insertion: Group S (Study group)- patients received a bolus of succinylcholine 0.25mg/kg diluted in 2 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride. Group C (Control group)-patients received a bolus dose of 2 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride. The number of attempts required and ease of LMA insertion, hemodynamic parameters and adverse responses were noted and compared between the groups.Results: The LMA was inserted in first attempt in 32 (94.11%) patients in group S and in 24 (70.58%) patients in group C. The control group had 67.62% grade 1, 32.38% grade 2 and 0% grade 3, while succinylcholine group had 73.53% grade 1, 26.47% grade 2 and 0% grade 3. Hemodynamic parameters didn’t differ significantly between the two groups at any point, but significant difference was observed between occurrence of fasciculation, head and limb movements, sore throat and coughing.Conclusions: Succinylcholine does seem to help in insertion of the laryngeal mask airway but the results could not gain the level of statistical significance, partly attributed to small sample size

Metastasis-inducing proteins are widely expressed in human brain metastases and associated with intracranial progression and radiation response

Background:Understanding the factors that drive recurrence and radiosensitivity in brain metastases would improve prediction of outcomes, treatment planning and development of therapeutics. We investigated the expression of known metastasis-inducing proteins in human brain metastases.Methods:Immunohistochemistry on metastases removed at neurosurgery from 138 patients to determine the degree and pattern of expression of the proteins S100A4, S100P, AGR2, osteopontin (OPN) and the DNA repair marker FANCD2. Validation of significant findings in a separate prospective series with the investigation of intra-tumoral heterogeneity using image-guided sampling. Assessment of S100A4 expression in brain metastatic and non-metastatic primary breast carcinomas.Results:There was widespread staining for OPN, S100A4, S100P and AGR2 in human brain metastases. Positive staining for S100A4 was independently associated with a shorter time to intracranial progression after resection in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio for negative over positive staining=0.17, 95% CI: 0.04-0.74, P=0.018). S100A4 was expressed at the leading edge of brain metastases in image guided sampling and overexpressed in brain metastatic vs non-brain metastatic primary breast carcinomas. Staining for OPN was associated with a significant increase in survival time after post-operative whole-brain radiotherapy in retrospective (OPN negative 3.43 months, 95% CI: 1.36-5.51 vs OPN positive, 11.20 months 95% CI: 7.68-14.72, Log rank test, P<0.001) and validation populations.Conclusions:Proteins known to be involved in cellular adhesion and migration in vitro, and metastasis in vivo are significantly expressed in human brain metastases and may be useful biomarkers of intracranial progression and radiosensitivity

Diet Self-efficacy and Physical Self-concept of College Students at Risk for Eating Disorders

Background: Both eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction affect a high proportion of college students. Self-esteem and self-efficacy may be protective factors for eating disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate diet self-efficacy, the confidence to maintain or lose weight, and its association with physical selfconcept using data from an online survey of health literacy, body image, and eating disorders. Study Population and Methods: This cross-sectional study collected online survey data from college students within the United States. The inclusion criteria allowed for 1612 college students, ages 17-35 years (597 males, 1015 females) belonging to the following racial/ethnic categories: Black (187); White, non-Hispanic (244), Hispanic (1035), and other (146). Specifically, the study aimed to examine (a) whether and to what degree diet self-efficacy and physical self-concept were associated with risk of eating disorders; (b) the interaction of gender by ethnicity on diet self-efficacy, physical self-concept and risk of eating disorders; and, (c) the relationship of diet self-efficacy with physical self-description and body mass index (BMI) in college students. Results:Low diet self-efficacy was associated with a lower score on physical self-concept (B = −0.52 [−0.90, −0.15], P = 0.007). Males had a higher physical self-concept as compared to females (B = 14.0 [8.2, 19.8], P Conclusion: College students in this study who had a poor body image were less confident with diet control. Poorer body image and low diet selfefficacy were associated with higher BMI. These findings suggest lifestyle management interventions may be of value to improve physical self-concept and lower risk of eating disorders for college students

Genetics of earliness in fenugreek under powdery mildew inoculated and natural environments

Inheritance of days to flower and maturity in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) was studied using six generations (P1, P2, FI, F2, B1 and B2) of a cross between HM 350 (early) and HM65 (late) in two different environments ie. inoculated with conidia of powdery mildew disease (E1) and normal (E2). Partial dominance was observed for both the traits under both the environments. The variances of F2 and backcross generations revealed the predominance of non-additive gene action. Genetic analysis suggested that generally all types of epistatic effects were significant for both the traits studied in one environment or another. Intermating of selects in early generations has been suggested for further improvement in these traits. &nbsp