Parasexual analysis in Trichoderma reesei using protoplast fusion

Protoplast fusion techniques were used to induce parasexuality in Trichoderma reesei and the products of fusion and segregation analyzed in order to get genetic data regarding the three cellulase markers, exoglucanase (exo), endoglucanase (endo) and beta-glucosidase ( beta- glu) and their location with respect to other auxotrophic markers. Five mutants derived from T. reesei QM 9414, a hypercellulase producer, were used in this study

Quick Semi-quantitative Test for Lead in Processed Foods

A simple, quick semi-quantitative test for the determination of lead metal in canned fruits,vegetables other than dehydrated onion, fish, and meat products, has been developed using theoptimised concentration of dithizone reagent under alkaline pH as the test solution, which onreaction with the sample solution gives green to blue to violet to red colour, depending on thelead concentration in the sample.  The quick test results were compared with atomic absorptionspectrophotometric analysis. A total of 80 samples were analysed and it was found that the leadcontent ranged from 0.001 ppm to 10.35 ppm in all the samples

Unification of Multimedia with Techniques of Art and Vedic Aphorisms for Development of Mathematical Skills: A Study of Indian and UK School Students

Multimedia programs having a number of elements like Texts, spoken words, sound & music, graphics, animations and still pictures provide different stimuli in their presentations. Art is the field of education that provides a platform for rigorous investigation, representation, expression, and reflection of both scholastic content and the art form itself. The integration of art with other subjects of school curriculum can open new pathways of learning for students, particularly for those who are at risk and have special needs. Vedic Mathematics is an approach to resolve the crisis in education especially in the field of mathematics. It is not simply a collection of new computational techniques; rather, it provides an entirely different approach to mathematical computation based on pattern recognition. It has been shown that the system is applicable to up-to-date aspects of mathematics both at an elementary level as well as in more sophisticated fields. The present paper deals with the development of multimedia packages using techniques of art and Vedic aphorisms on some selected common topics of curriculum of UK and Indian elementary mathematics and the effectiveness of multimedia packages for the development of mathematical skills. The study was conducted using quasi experimental design for research in both the countries. The quantitative analysis of data revealed that the multimedia packages developed by using techniques of art and Vedic Aphorisms have significantly improved the mathematical skills of UK elementary school students

Diversity of species assemblages of islands: predictions and their test using tree species composition of shola fragments

Based on all possible combinations of species that can theoretically exist on islands of different sizes, we estimated similarities among islands of equal size in their species compositions. We found that similarity coefficients among islands of equal sizes increases and the coefficients of variation for similarities decreases with increase in the size of islands. Accordingly, it can be predicted that the species compositions of small fragments shall be more diverse compared to large fragments. We tested this prediction using the tree species composition of the shola fragments at BR Hills, Western Ghats. Similarities among sholas were measured as coefficients of correlation between the frequencies of species in them and also as proportions of species shared among sholas. Small sholas were less similar and shared fewer species among themselves, compared to medium and large sholas. Also, small sholas showed higher coefficient of variation for the correlation coefficients and for proportion of species shared than medium or large sholas. In other words, species assemblage diversity among sholas was found to decrease with their size and large islands appeared to converge towards a common assemblage of species. Based on our results, we argue that small fragments add structural and functional heterogeneity to the ecosystem and hence are as important as are the large fragments in conserving biodiversity

Post-discharge follow-up of stroke patients at Groote Schuur Hospital - a prospective study

A survey of 59 stroke patients was undertaken between 3 and 6 months after the event to determine whether a weekly stroke round would improve the rate of referral for rehabilitation. Comparison with a previous survey at Groote Schuur Hospital showed a marked improvement (40% for physiotherapy and 10% for occupational therapy v. 76% and 50% respectively). A comparison of referral rates between younger « 65 years old) and older patients (> 65 years old) revealed a significantly higher rate of referral among the younger patients. Attendance for both groups was low (approx. 7 sessions per 3 months). Social work was an important requirement and 60% of all patients expressed a need for more help. Social needs of older and younger patients differ. Despite the improved referral rate the rehabilitation of stroke patients is unsatisfactory, mainly because of transport difficulties. Methods should be investigated to establish rehabilitation centres in the community to overcome this impasse

Efficacy and safety of tadalafil in ureteric stent related symptoms: a double blind, prospective, randomised study

Background: Is tadalafil effective and safe in ureteric stent related symptoms? The objective of this trial is to study the efficacy and safety of tadalafil and compare it with tamsulosin in relieving ureteric stent related symptoms by using ureteral stent symptom questionnaire.Methods: Total 144 patients with dj stent symptoms were randomized into two groups with 72 patients in each. Group A patients were given tadalafil 5mg and Group B, tamsulosin 0.4mg for 2 weeks. Ureteral stent symptom questionnaire was filled on 7th day and on 21st day after stent insertion. Statistically significant difference between groups was determined by the t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Pearson Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Comparison between quantitative time related variables was done by Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. All the statistical tests were two-sided and were performed at a significance level of α=.05.Results: Tamsulosin was found more effective then tadalafil in decreasing mean urinary index (p=0.004). Tadalafil caused significant decrease in body pain (p=0.006) and improvement in general health index score, work performance and sex score (P value= 0.041, <0.001 and <0.015 respectively) as compared to tamsulosin. Additional problems score improvement and analgesic use were found comparable in 2 groups (p value =0.193, 0.070 respectively). Adverse effect with both the drugs were minimal, mild to moderate and self-limiting.Conclusions: Tadalafil found more effective then Tamsulosin in relieving body pain, sexual symptoms and improving general health and work performance but less effective in improvement of urinary symptoms

Characterization of partially purified β-galactosidase from Bacillus Sp MTCC-864

β-Galactosidase is an important enzyme for the hydrolysis of lactose in milk and other by-products of dairy industry such as whey and for the synthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides known for their prebiotic properties. In the present study we report the extraction, partial purification and characterization of intracellular β-galactosidase from Bacillus sp MTCC-864. The media containing tryptone, yeast extract and lactose was used for growth and enzyme production. The enzyme was extracted through ammonium sulphate fractionation and gel permeation chromatography technique using Sephacryl-200. Optimum enzyme activity was found at 50oC and pH 7.0. Further enzyme activity was enhanced in the presence of divalent metal ions such as Mg++ and Mn++, while it was inhibited by EDTA. The enzyme was thermostable and retained 70% of its original activity after 30min of incubation at 60oC. These properties of enzyme indicate its potential use for hydrolysis of lactose in milk and whey from the dairy industry

Pulsed electric field and combination processing of mango nectar: effect on volatile compounds and HMF formation

Mango nectar is a commercially familiar and preferred product. The traditional processing of mango nectar has been by thermal processing which resulted in the alteration of the flavour of the product due to the effect of high temperature. The thermal processing of the nectar also resulted in the production of byproducts of non-enzymatic browning such as 5- hydroxy methyl furfural (HMF). These process induced effects, affect both the nutritive and sensory attributes of the fruit product, making it less preferable. With the growing interest and awareness about the benefits of alternative non-thermal technologies, such as pulsed electric field (PEF), the present work was proposed to use PEF to minimize the loss of volatiles and formation of HMF. The study involves thermal (96 ºC for 300 s and 600 s), PEF (24 µs, 120 Hz and 38 kV/cm) and combination processing (PEF + Thermal (96 ºC for 90 s)) of mango nectar. The effect of these treatments on the volatile composition of mango nectar has been analysed using GC-MS technique. The reduction in the volatile compounds was significant (p 0.05) different from unprocessed sample, proving the fresh-like character of the product

Availability and Utilization of Emergency Obstetric Care Services in Three Communities in Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria

Maternal mortality ratios often reflect on the quality and availability of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) services. Ten health facilities in Kaduna State were assessed to determine their capacity to provide EmOC. Each community had the recommended number of both primary and secondary health facilities per population. All secondary health facilities had 24-hour services staffed by at least one doctor and one nurse/midwife per shift, and were able to perform most signal functions of EmOC in the three months preceding the survey. However, no primary health centres (PHC) were open 24 hours, and their performance of EmOC in the three months preceding the survey was near zero. Thus the presence of functional secondary hospitals is not enough to reduce maternal mortality in communities where women have to overcome numerous barriers to reach a hospital. If shortages of personnel, equipment and supplies in PHCs were resolved, 24-hour services could lead to a sharp reduction in maternal and infant mortality among rural women in northern Nigeria (Afr. J. Reprod. Health 2010; 14[3]: 83-88).Key words: Emergency obstetric care, primary health care, maternal mortality, rural communities, northern Nigeria

In-Network Outlier Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

To address the problem of unsupervised outlier detection in wireless sensor networks, we develop an approach that (1) is flexible with respect to the outlier definition, (2) computes the result in-network to reduce both bandwidth and energy usage,(3) only uses single hop communication thus permitting very simple node failure detection and message reliability assurance mechanisms (e.g., carrier-sense), and (4) seamlessly accommodates dynamic updates to data. We examine performance using simulation with real sensor data streams. Our results demonstrate that our approach is accurate and imposes a reasonable communication load and level of power consumption.Comment: Extended version of a paper appearing in the Int'l Conference on Distributed Computing Systems 200