A Comparative Study on Some Selected Motor Performance, Anthropometry and Body Composition Variables among Katthak Dancers, Athletes and Sedentary Femeaes

Games and sports are mainly used in physical education programs. In many countries dance has been included also as a physical education activity. In our county this is not yet done. Indian classical dances provide vigorous movements in addition to gracefulness and rhythm. By regular participating and practicing classical dances are aerobic activities some changes happens in some body composition variable. Among motor performance variables hand reaction time, foot reaction time and speed of movement and among anthropometry and body composition variables like Standing height, Body weight, Lean body mass, Body density and Percentage of body fat were taken into consideration for the present study. Present study was planned to study are analyze the selected anthropometry and body composition variables of female Katthak dancers and compare them with those of the athletes and sedentary females. Twenty-five Katthak dancers, twenty-five athletes and twenty-five sedentary females were selected as subjects for the present study. The subjects of all the groups were within the age ranged from 16 to 19 years. The mean heights of subjects were 154.77 cm for Dance group,163.95 cm for athlete group and 152.10 cm for sedentary group. Mean body weights of the subjects were 47.325 kg for dance group, 46.150 kg for athlete and 45.825 kg for sedentary group. According to the results of the study the athlete group was significantly better in standing height, lean body mass and percentage of body fat than the dance group and sedentary group. On the other hand the dance group was found little bit higher in body weight than athletic and sedentary group. In case of motor performance variables, dance group was better in hand and foot reaction time. So Indian classical dance –Katthak might be effective to reduce fat, for better concentration, reaction time and make someone fit

COAGULATION PROFILE IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM ACUTE BRUCELLOSIS

Objective: Although brucellosis has almost been eradicated from most of the developed countries, it still continues to be a major but somehow neglected disease in the developing and underdeveloped countries. In the past, hematological abnormalities like anemia, thrombocytopenia have been reported to be seen in brucellosis patients. The objective of the present study is to observe and study the coagulation profile of patients suffering from acute brucellosis.Methods: Blood samples were collected from brucellosis patients and healthy volunteers and were analyzed in automated blood coagulation analyzer and automated hematology analyzer to find out the values of prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and platelet count.Results: Statistical analysis revealed that there was marginal increase in the aPTT level and platelet count in brucellosis patients than that of the control patients.Conclusion: The study revealed that there might be a tendency of prolonged aPTT and increase in platelet levels in brucellosis patients.Keywords: Brucellosis, coagulation profile, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), platelet count

A Case of Multiple Myeloma Presenting with Diabetes Insipidus

Multiple myeloma (MM) can present with involvement of the central nervous system in the form of nerve palsy, plasma cell masses or, rarely, with endocrinological effects due to involvement of the pituitary gland. Usually, in such cases, the disease has a rapid progression and poor prognosis. We report a 52-year-old man who was admitted to the Kolkata Medical College, Kolkata, India, in 2016 with a prolonged low-grade fever and hypernatremia. Shortly afterwards, the patient began to complain of increased urinary frequency and drowsiness. The hypernatremia was treated with intranasal desmopressin and free water replacement. Serum protein electrophoresis and an immunofixation study revealed an immunoglobulin G-κ monoclonal band. Magnetic resonance imaging of the pituitary gland revealed the absence of a posterior bright spot and spotty infiltration of the pituitary fossa. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of cranial diabetes insipidus due to posterior pituitary MM infiltration

Nanostructured Intermetallic Nickel Silicide (Pre)Catalyst for Anodic Oxygen Evolution Reaction and Selective Dehydrogenation of Primary Amines

The development of novel earth-abundant metal-based catalysts to accelerate the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for the process of large-scale production of green hydrogen. To solve this bottleneck, herein, a simple one-pot colloidal approach is reported to yield crystalline intermetallic nickel silicide (Ni2Si), which results in a promising precatalyst for anodic OER. Subsequently, an anodic-coupled electrosynthesis for the selective oxidation of organic amines (as sacrificial proton donating agents) to value-added organocyanides is established to boost the cathodic reaction. A partial transformation of the Ni2Si intermetallic precatalyst generates a porous nickel(oxy)hydroxide phase modified with oxidic silicon species as unequivocally demonstrated by a combination of quasi in situ Raman and X-ray absorption spectroscopy as well as ex situ methods. The activated form of the catalyst generates a geometric current density of 100 mA cm−2 at an overpotential (η100) of 348 mV displaying long-term durability over a week and high efficiency in paired electrolysis

The role of methyl and benzyl substituted dithiocarbazate of 2-acetyl pyridine for the formation of bridged dimeric and unbridged monomeric copper(II) complexes and catecholase mimetic activity of the complexes

Monomeric [Cu(L1)Cl] (1) and dimeric [Cu(L2)Cl]2 (2) copper(II) complexes, where HL1 = methyl-2-(1-(pyridine-2-yl)ethylidene)-hydrazine-1-carbodithioate and HL2 = benzyl-2-(1-(pyridine-2-yl)ethylidene)hydrazine-1-carbodithioate, have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography, TGA and spectral methods. Complex 1 crystallizes in a space group P21/n and adopts a square planar environment surrounding the Cu ion, and complex 2 is a triclinic crystal system with space group Pī. Complex 2 is a centrosymmetric dimer where each copper atom forms two chloro bridges and completes five coordination with the tridentate NNS donor. Density functional calculations demonstrate that chloro-unbridged structure of 1 is favored by London dispersion between its layers. It is noticed that the layers are usually packed closely in the solid phase, such attractive interactions are sterically hindered between the layers of 2. Due to the presence of large phenyl group that extend from one layer to the other, the layers cannot slide on top of each other. This leads to the chloro-bridged structure of 2 stabilized by electrostatic interactions between Cu and Cl atoms located at different layers. Both complexes exhibit prominent catecholase activity in methanol following the oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butyl catechol (DTBC) to the corresponding quinone. Based on the observed turn over frequency of 1 (25.19 h−1) and 2 (10.76 h−1), the monomeric complex demonstrates more catechol mimetic oxidation than the dimer. A plausible mechanism of catecholase activity has been discussed.publishe

In Situ Detection of Iron in Oxidation States ≥ IV in Cobalt‐Iron Oxyhydroxide Reconstructed during Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Cobalt‐iron oxyhydroxides (CoFeOOHx) are among the most active catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, their redox behavior and the electronic and chemical structure of their active sites are still ambiguous. To shed more light on this, the complete and rapid reconstruction of four helical cobalt‐iron borophosphates with different Co:Fe ratios into disordered cobalt‐iron oxyhydroxides can be achieved, which are electrolyte‐penetrable and thus most transition metal sites can potentially participate in the OER. To track the redox behavior and to identify the active structure, quasi in situ X‐ray absorption spectroscopy is applied. Iron in high oxidation states ≥ IV (Fe4+) and its substantial redox behavior with an average oxidation state of around 2.8 to above 3.2 is detected. Furthermore, a 6% contraction of the Fe‐O bond length compared to Fe3+OOH references is observed during OER and a strong distortion of the [MO6] octahedra is identified. It is hypothesized that this bond contraction is caused by the presence of oxyl radicals and that di‐µ‐oxyl radical bridged cobalt‐iron centers are the active sites. It is anticipated that the detailed electronic and structural description can substantially contribute to the debate on the nature of the active site in bimetallic iron‐containing OER catalysts

Outcome of Post-Operative Mastoid Cavity Obliteration with Autologous Adipose Tissue

Introduction Mastoid operations have been in practice for over four centuries for suppurative conditions of the ear. Intact canal wall mastoidectomy has the advantage of better functional results while canal wall down mastoidectomy offers excellent exposure for disease eradication and post operative monitoring but is associated with significant cavity problems. In order to overcome the problems associated with canal wall down procedure while retaining its advantages the concept of mastoid cavity obliteration was introduced. This study analysed the outcomes of mastoid cavity obliteration and to assess the outcomes of mastoid cavity obliteration with autologous adipose tissue. Materials and Methods A prospective, experimental, randomized study was conducted over a period of 18 months among patients presenting with active squamous variety of Chronic Otitis Media. The patients were randomly allocated to two groups, A and B. Both groups underwent canal wall down Mastoidectomy followed by obliteration with autologous adipose tissue in Group B . Results In group A, the mean duration required for complete epithelialization was 10.8 weeks. In group B, the average time taken for complete epithelialization was 5.6 weeks. All cases had their graft intact at the end of 12 weeks. Debris was present in group A for a mean duration of 9.47 weeks. In group B, debris was found for a mean duration of 3.33 weeks. Patients from group A complained of discharge from their ears for a mean duration of 7.47 weeks. In group B the same symptom persisted over 3.33 weeks. Conclusion Cavity problems encountered is considerably less in the group obliterated with adipose tissue

Synthesizing habitat connectivity analyses of a globally important human-dominated tiger-conservation landscape

As ecological data and associated analyses become more widely available, synthesizing results for effective communication with stakeholders is essential. In the case of wildlife corridors, managers in human-dominated landscapes need to identify both the locations of corridors and multiple stakeholders for effective oversight. We synthesized five independent studies of tiger (Panthera tigris) connectivity in central India, a global priority landscape for tiger conservation, to quantify agreement on landscape permeability for tiger movement and potential movement pathways. We used the latter analysis to identify connectivity areas on which studies agreed and stakeholders associated with these areas to determine relevant participants in corridor management. Three or more of the five studies’ resistance layers agreed in 63% of the study area. Areas in which all studies agree on resistance were of primarily low (66%, e.g., forest) and high (24%, e.g., urban) resistance. Agreement was lower in intermediate resistance areas (e.g., agriculture). Despite these differences, the studies largely agreed on areas with high levels of potential movement: >40% of high average (top 20%) current-flow pixels were also in the top 20% of current-flow agreement pixels (measured by low variation), indicating consensus connectivity areas (CCAs) as conservation priorities. Roughly 70% of the CCAs fell within village administrative boundaries, and 100% overlapped forest department management boundaries, suggesting that people live and use forests within these priority areas. Over 16% of total CCAs’ area was within 1 km of linear infrastructure (437 road, 170 railway, 179 transmission line, and 339 canal crossings; 105 mines within 1 km of CCAs). In 2019, 78% of forest land diversions for infrastructure and mining in Madhya Pradesh (which comprises most of the study region) took place in districts with CCAs. Acute competition for land in this landscape with globally important wildlife corridors calls for an effective comanagement strategy involving local communities, forest departments, and infrastructure planners

Impact of IRS: Four-years of entomological surveillance of the Indian Visceral Leishmaniases elimination programme

BACKGROUND In 2005, Bangladesh, India and Nepal agreed to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis (VL) as a public health problem. The approach to this was through improved case detection and treatment, and controlling transmission by the sand fly vector Phlebotomus argentipes, with indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticide. Initially, India applied DDT with stirrup pumps for IRS, however, this did not reduce transmission. After 2015 onwards, the pyrethroid alpha-cypermethrin was applied with compression pumps, and entomological surveillance was initiated in 2016. METHODS Eight sentinel sites were established in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. IRS coverage was monitored by household survey, quality of insecticide application was measured by HPLC, presence and abundance of the VL vector was monitored by CDC light traps, insecticide resistance was measured with WHO diagnostic assays and case incidence was determined from the VL case register KAMIS. RESULTS Complete treatment of houses with IRS increased across all sites from 57% in 2016 to 70% of houses in 2019, rising to >80% if partial house IRS coverage is included (except West Bengal). The quality of insecticide application has improved compared to previous studies, average doses of insecticide on filters papers ranged from 1.52 times the target dose of 25mg/m2 alpha-cypermethrin in 2019 to 1.67 times in 2018. Resistance to DDT has continued to increase, but the vector was not resistant to carbamates, organophosphates or pyrethroids. The annual and seasonal abundance of P. argentipes declined between 2016 to 2019 with an overall infection rate of 0.03%. This was associated with a decline in VL incidence for the blocks represented by the sentinel sites from 1.16 per 10,000 population in 2016 to 0.51 per 10,000 in 2019. CONCLUSION Through effective case detection and management reducing the infection reservoirs for P. argentipes in the human population combined with IRS keeping P. argentipes abundance and infectivity low has reduced VL transmission. This combination of effective case management and vector control has now brought India within reach of the VL elimination targets

Noble metal free naphthylbisimide/TiO2/graphene: an efficient H2 evolution photocatalyst

Current photocatalytic systems must meet numerous very demanding features such as being non-noble, high-performance, cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Herein, an active and cheap photocatalyst was constructed by combining graphene with a naphthylbisimide-core based organic photosensitizer on TiO2. This synergistic photocatalyst displayed enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen generation by splitting water in the presence of methanol as the electron donor. A one-step soft template directed solvothermal synthesis process has been developed to prepare the crystalline mesoporous TiO2 materials. Electrochemical characterization of the sensitizer showed that naphthyl core has the ability to act as an electron acceptor, which has been further supported by the density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The as-prepared photocatalysts were thoroughly characterized by FESEM, TEM, AFM, XPS, UV-vis DRS, Raman and FTIR spectroscopic techniques. Graphene sheets, with desirable electronic properties, acted as good support for TiO2 to enhance the photocatalytic activity. Surface adsorption of the sensitizer on TiO2 extended the light absorption over the visible region (400–510 nm). High surface area (76.66 m2 g−1) and morphological changes in the as-synthesized TiO2 and graphene reinforcement play a vital role in the enhancement of photocatalytic activity. Hydrogen generation reached up to TON 4790 with the rate of 10 mmol g−1 h−1 after 6 h irradiation with a light intensity of ∼0.2 W cm−2 under the conditions of 10% v/v CH3OH, sensitizer concentration of 2.5 × 10−5 mol g−1, 5 wt% graphene and pH 7.0. The photocatalyst showed remarkable long term stability and reproducibility of H2 evolution without any appreciable deactivation. This study provides an inexpensive means of harnessing solar energy to achieve highly efficient H2 evolution without noble metals