272 research outputs found
Raspberry PI Based Artificial Vision Assisting System for Blind Persons
The main aim of this paper is to implement a system that will help blind person. This system is used by a RASPBERRY PI circuit to provide for the identification of the objects, the first level localization. It also incorporates additional components to provide more refined location and orientation information. The input process is to capture every object around 10m and it is convert into the output processing in voice command which is adopted in Bluetooth headset which is used by blind people using RASPBERRY PI component
The role of molecular chaperonins in warm ischemia and reperfusion injury in the steatotic liver: A proteomic study
BACKGROUND: The molecular basis of the increased susceptibility of steatotic livers to warm ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury during transplantation remains undefined. Animal model for warm I/R injury was induced in obese Zucker rats. Lean Zucker rats provided controls. Two dimensional differential gel electrophoresis was performed with liver protein extracts. Protein features with significant abundance ratios (p < 0.01) between the two cohorts were selected and analyzed with HPLC/MS. Proteins were identified by Uniprot database. Interactive protein networks were generated using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and GRANITE software. RESULTS: The relative abundance of 105 proteins was observed in warm I/R injury. Functional grouping revealed four categories of importance: molecular chaperones/endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, oxidative stress, metabolism, and cell structure. Hypoxia up-regulated 1, calcium binding protein 1, calreticulin, heat shock protein (HSP) 60, HSP-90, and protein disulfide isomerase 3 were chaperonins significantly (p < 0.01) down-regulated and only one chaperonin, HSP-1was significantly upregulated in steatotic liver following I/R. CONCLUSION: Down-regulation of the chaperones identified in this analysis may contribute to the increased ER stress and, consequently, apoptosis and necrosis. This study provides an initial platform for future investigation of the role of chaperones and therapeutic targets for increasing the viability of steatotic liver allografts
The microaerophilic microbiota of de-novo paediatric inflammatory bowel disease: the BISCUIT study
<p>Introduction: Children presenting for the first time with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) offer a unique opportunity to study aetiological agents before the confounders of treatment. Microaerophilic bacteria can exploit the ecological niche of the intestinal epithelium; Helicobacter and Campylobacter are previously implicated in IBD pathogenesis. We set out to study these and other microaerophilic bacteria in de-novo paediatric IBD.</p>
<p>Patients and Methods: 100 children undergoing colonoscopy were recruited including 44 treatment naïve de-novo IBD patients and 42 with normal colons. Colonic biopsies were subjected to microaerophilic culture with Gram-negative isolates then identified by sequencing. Biopsies were also PCR screened for the specific microaerophilic bacterial groups: Helicobacteraceae, Campylobacteraceae and Sutterella wadsworthensis.</p>
<p>Results: 129 Gram-negative microaerophilic bacterial isolates were identified from 10 genera. The most frequently cultured was S. wadsworthensis (32 distinct isolates). Unusual Campylobacter were isolated from 8 subjects (including 3 C. concisus, 1 C. curvus, 1 C. lari, 1 C. rectus, 3 C. showae). No Helicobacter were cultured. When comparing IBD vs. normal colon control by PCR the prevalence figures were not significantly different (Helicobacter 11% vs. 12%, p = 1.00; Campylobacter 75% vs. 76%, p = 1.00; S. wadsworthensis 82% vs. 71%, p = 0.312).</p>
<p>Conclusions: This study offers a comprehensive overview of the microaerophilic microbiota of the paediatric colon including at IBD onset. Campylobacter appear to be surprisingly common, are not more strongly associated with IBD and can be isolated from around 8% of paediatric colonic biopsies. S. wadsworthensis appears to be a common commensal. Helicobacter species are relatively rare in the paediatric colon.</p>
Pulse crops as effective living mulches: An eco-conscious weed management approach
The evolution of weed management strategies from basic cultural techniques to novel, integrated approaches reflects technological advancements that promise further improvements in weed management strategies, fostering more efficient and eco-friendly farming practices. Using legume crops as living mulches for weed suppression has gained considerable attention in agricultural systems. This method involves strategically planting leguminous cover crops as intercrops to inhibit weed growth and improve soil health, potentially boosting crop yields through reduced weed pressure and enhanced nutrient availability. The successful implementation of living mulches requires careful selection of crop species, optimal planting density, and appropriate management practices. Choosing compatible legumes, optimizing planting geometry and employing suitable termination methods are essential for maximizing the weed-suppressing and soil-enhancing benefits of living mulches. The efficacy of intercropping systems in controlling weeds largely depends on intercrop components' growth rate and duration. Weed management strategies rely on understanding plant interactions, including the competitive ability of main crops at various growth stages to inhibit weed expansion. While intercropping shows promise for enhancing crop dominance over weeds, weed control efficiency varies among different intercrops due to factors affecting the intercrop-weed relationship. Smallholder farmers find this practice appealing for improving labour productivity and land use through intensification and resource utilization for maximum yield. Research on developing genotypes suitable for weed suppression and studies on combined herbicide applications and optimal dosage determination for effective control of mixed weed flora is necessary. The shift towards integrating pulse crops as a cornerstone in weed management strategies presents a promising avenue for research and application. The comparative analysis underscored in this review showcases the capacity of legumes to offer a viable alternative to synthetic herbicides and mechanical controls, paving the way for their increased adoption in diverse farming systems
Effect of organic and inorganic nutrients on rice (Oryza sativa var. CO 51) productivity and soil fertility in the Western zone of Tamil Nadu, India
In sustainable agriculture, to ensure high-quality food production, a combination of organic and inorganic nutrient sources are required. During the winter season of 2020, a field experiment was undertaken in the western zone of Tamil Nadu to assess the effects of organics and inorganics on the growth, yield, and soil properties of rice, Oryza sativa var. CO 51. The experiment was framed in Random Block Design (RBD) comprising of 8 treatments viz., Recommended dose of fertilizer Soil Test Crop Response (STCR) approach (T1), RDF 75 % + Farm yard manure @ 12.5 t ha-1 (T2), T2 + Seed treatment with Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria + Soil application of AM fungi (T3), RDF 75 % + Vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 (T4), T4 + Seed treatment with Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria + Soil application of AM fungi (T5), FYM @ 12.5 t ha-1 + Seed treatment with Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria + Soil application of AM fungi (T6), Vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1+ Seed treatment with Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria + Soil application of AM fungi (T7) and absolute control (T8) , replicated thrice. Among the integrated nutrient management practices, T5 proved its superiority over other treatments with respect to growth and physiological parameters followed by T3. This would have been because of the solubilization of phosphorus in the soil by AM organisms which is made accessible for crop growth. Utilization of biofertilizer enhanced the N availability and solubilized the inaccessible phosphorus, which thus recorded higher N accessibility and better phosphorus uptake when applied along with a recommended dose of fertilizer for rice.
Chromatin loop anchors are associated with genome instability in cancer and recombination hotspots in the germline
Abstract Background Chromatin loops form a basic unit of interphase nuclear organization, with chromatin loop anchor points providing contacts between regulatory regions and promoters. However, the mutational landscape at these anchor points remains under-studied. Here, we describe the unusual patterns of somatic mutations and germline variation associated with loop anchor points and explore the underlying features influencing these patterns. Results Analyses of whole genome sequencing datasets reveal that anchor points are strongly depleted for single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in tumours. Despite low SNV rates in their genomic neighbourhood, anchor points emerge as sites of evolutionary innovation, showing enrichment for structural variant (SV) breakpoints and a peak of SNVs at focal CTCF sites within the anchor points. Both CTCF-bound and non-CTCF anchor points harbour an excess of SV breakpoints in multiple tumour types and are prone to double-strand breaks in cell lines. Common fragile sites, which are hotspots for genome instability, also show elevated numbers of intersecting loop anchor points. Recurrently disrupted anchor points are enriched for genes with functions in cell cycle transitions and regions associated with predisposition to cancer. We also discover a novel class of CTCF-bound anchor points which overlap meiotic recombination hotspots and are enriched for the core PRDM9 binding motif, suggesting that the anchor points have been foci for diversity generated during recent human evolution. Conclusions We suggest that the unusual chromatin environment at loop anchor points underlies the elevated rates of variation observed, marking them as sites of regulatory importance but also genomic fragility
An Algorithm to Find All Identical Motifs in Multiple Biological Sequences
Sequence motifs are of greater biological importance in nucleotide and protein sequences. The conserved occurrence of identical motifs represents the functional significance and helps to classify the biological sequences. In this paper, a new algorithm is proposed to find all identical motifs in multiple nucleotide or protein sequences. The proposed algorithm uses the concept of dynamic programming. The application of this algorithm includes the identification of (a) conserved identical sequence motifs and (b) identical or direct repeat sequence motifs across multiple biological sequences (nucleotide or protein sequences). Further, the proposed algorithm facilitates the analysis of comparative internal sequence repeats for the evolutionary studies which helps to derive the phylogenetic relationships from the distribution of repeats. © 2010 Springer-Verlag
Biocontrol activity of yeast and AM fungi against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Lycopersici
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, the causal agent of Fusarium wilt in tomato, posed a significant threat to tomato cultivation. This study investigated the biocontrol potential of yeast isolates and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) against this pathogen. Soil and phyllosphere samples were collected from tomato fields in Tamil Nadu, India, leading to the isolation of 120 yeast strains using serial dilution and leaf imprinting techniques. Morphological characterization grouped the isolates with 35 unique colonies were selected for further analysis. Molecular characterization identified three key yeast isolates: Rhodosporidium toruloides (Y2), Moesziomyces antarcticus (Y14) and Pichia kudriavzevii (Y16). Under pot culture conditions, the combined application of AMF and yeast isolates significantly reduced Fusarium wilt incidence. Treatment T5 (AMF liquid-based inoculum + soil yeast Y14) exhibited the highest root colonization (86.66 %), maximum spore load (10397 spores) and minimal disease incidence (11 %), with an 89 % disease reduction compared to the control. This treatment also enhanced tomato plant growth metrics, including height (121.00 cm), root length (61.10 cm) and antioxidant enzyme activity (peroxidase: 0.392 min/g, polyphenol oxidase: 0.791 min/g). Yield parameters were also improved, with maximum fruit weight (19.45 g) and fruit count (6.24) observed in T5-treated plants
- …
