Morbidity profile of Street Sweepers and Scavengers of selected municipalities in Malappuram District : A Cross Sectional Study

Occupational health deals with all aspects of health and safety in the workplace and has a strong focus on primary prevention of hazards. Street sweeping is a lowly and filthy occupation. In developing countries street sweepers and scavengers play important role in solid waste management system. Street sweepers are unaware of the use of protective devices in most of the areas. Unhygienic environment cause acute health risk of respiratory system and eye, accidents, injuries, cuts and wounds, skin infections, and animal bites. The present study intends to assess the morbidity profile of the sweepers and scavengers of Malappuram district by conducting a survey through personal interview method. The design is descriptive cross sectional study with sample of both genders satisfying the inclusion criteria (selected by stratified random sampling technique). The number of sweepers in each municipality is different so proportion based calculation is used for the detection of sample size. The data collected by telephonic interview method using questionnaire of the study of occupational health analysis of conservancy workers analyzed using the chi square test. Among the participants 78% experienced musculoskeletal symptoms, 60% experienced dermatological symptoms and 41% experienced respiratory symptoms. Less than 5% of the participants experience Cough, Cold, Fever, Chickenpox, Leptospirosis, Typhoid, Pneumonia and Dengue. 31% of the workers had headache

Disruption of Phthorimaea operculella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) oviposition by the application of host plant volatiles

Phthorimaea operculella is a key pest of potato. The authors characterised the P. operculella olfactory system, selected the most bioactive host plant volatiles and evaluated their potential application in pest management. The electrophysiological responses of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) housed in long sensilla trichodea of P. operculella to plant volatiles and the two main sex pheromone components were evaluated by the single-cell recording (SCR) technique. The four most SCR-active volatiles were tested in a laboratory oviposition bioassay and under storage warehouse conditions. The sensitivity of sensilla trichodea to short-chained aldehydes and alcohols and the existence of ORNs tuned to pheromones in females were characterised. Male recordings revealed at least two types of ORN, each of which typically responded to one of the two pheromone components. Hexanal, octanal, nonanal and 1-octen-3-ol significantly disrupted the egg-laying behaviour in a dose-dependent manner. Octanal reduced the P. operculella infestation rate when used under storage conditions. This work provides new information on the perception of plant volatiles and sex pheromones by P. operculella. Laboratory and warehouse experiments show that the use of hexanal, octanal, nonanal and 1-octen-3-ol as host recognition disruptants and/or oviposition deterrents for P. operculella control appears to be a promising strategy

Emotional intelligence buffers the effect of physiological arousal on dishonesty

We studied the emotional processes that allow people to balance two competing desires: benefitting from dishonesty and keeping a positive self-image. We recorded physiological arousal (skin conductance and heart rate) during a computer card game in which participants could cheat and fail to report a certain card when presented on the screen to avoid losing their money. We found that higher skin conductance corresponded to lower cheating rates. Importantly, emotional intelligence regulated this effect; participants with high emotional intelligence were less affected by their physiological reactions than those with low emotional intelligence. As a result, they were more likely to profit from dishonesty. However, no interaction emerged between heart rate and emotional intelligence. We suggest that the ability to manage and control emotions can allow people to overcome the tension between doing right or wrong and license them to bend the rules

Modulation of gene-specific epigenetic states and transcription by non-coding RNAs

Emerging evidence points to a role for long non-coding RNAs in the modulation of epigenetic states and transcription in human cells. New insights, using various forms of small non-coding RNAs, suggest that a mechanism of action is operative in human cells, which utilizes non-coding RNAs to direct epigenetic marks to homology containing loci resulting ultimately in the epigenetic-based modulation of gene transcription. Importantly, insights into this mechanism of action have allowed for certain target sequences, which are either actively involved in RNA mediated epigenetic regulation or targets for non-coding RNA based epigenetic regulation, to be selected. As such, it is now feasible to utilize small antisense RNAs to either epigenetically silence a gene expression or remove epigenetic silencing of endogenous non-coding RNAs and essentially turn on a gene expression. Knowledge of this emerging RNA-based epigenetic regulatory network and our ability to cognitively control gene expression has deep implications in the development of an entirely new area of pharmacopeia

CAMP-BDI: A Pre-emptive Approach for Plan Execution Robustness in Multiagent Systems

Abstract. Belief-Desire-Intention agents in realistic environments may face un-predictable exogenous changes threatening intended plans and debilitative failure effects that threaten reactive recovery. In this paper we present the CAMP-BDI (Capability Aware, Maintaining Plans) approach, where BDI agents utilize intro-spective reasoning to modify intended plans in avoidance of anticipated failure. We also describe an extension of this approach to the distributed case, using a de-centralized process driven by structured messaging. Our results show significant improvements in goal achievement over a reactive failure recovery mechanism in a stochastic environment with debilitative failure effects, and suggest CAMP-BDI offers a valuable complementary approach towards agent robustness.

« Revêtir ma meilleure panoplie de normalité » : camouflage social chez les adultes présentant une condition du spectre autistique = "Putting on My Best Normal": Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions

Camouflaging of autistic characteristics in social situations is hypothesised as a common social coping strategy for adults with an autism spectrum condition (ASC). Camouflaging may impact diagnosis, quality of life, and long-term outcomes, but little is known about it. This qualitative study examined camouflaging experiences in 92 adults with ASC, with questions focusing on the nature, motivations, and consequences of camouflaging. Thematic analysis was used to identify key elements of camouflaging, which informed development of a three-stage model of the camou-flaging process. First, motivations for camouflaging included fitting in and increasing connections with others. Second, camouflaging itself comprised a combination of masking and compensation techniques. Third, short- and long-term consequences of camouflaging included exhaustion, chal-lenging stereotypes, and threats to self-perception

Structure and evolutionary origin of Ca2+-dependent herring type II antifreeze protein

10.1371/journal.pone.0000548PLoS ONE26

Population Dynamics of the Rubber Plantation Litter Beetle Luprops tristis, in Relation to Annual Cycle of Foliage Phenology of Its Host, the Para Rubber Tree, Hevea brasiliensis

The population dynamics of the rubber plantation litter beetle, Luprops tristis Fabricius 1801 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) was assessed in relation to the phenology of leaf shedding and defoliation pattern of para rubber trees, Hevea brasiliensis Müll. Arg (Malpighiales: Euphorbiaceae), during a two year study period. The abundance of adults, larvae and pupae per 1m2 of litter sample was recorded. Post dormancy beetles appeared in leaf litter following annual leaf shedding, whereas larvae, pupae and teneral adults were present after leaf flush. No stages were recorded from plantations following the summer rains until the annual litter fall in the next season. Parental adults peaked at the time of leaf sprouting and tender leaf fall. Larvae and teneral adults peaked at the time of premature fall of green leaves and flowers. Teneral adults of six age classes were recorded and all entered dormancy irrespective of the feeding time available to each age class. Females outnumbered males in the parent generation, while the sex ratio of new generation adults was not biased towards either sex. The phenological stages of rubber trees included leaf fall in late December and early January, leaf sprouting and new leaf production in January and flowering in February. All feeding stages of L. tristis peaked in abundance when premature leaves are most abundant in the leaf litter. Prediction of the timing of appearance of various developmental stages of L. tristis in plantations, invasion into buildings and intensity of population build up in rubber belts is possible by tracking the phenology of leaf fall in rubber plantations, time of return of post dormancy adults and the onset of summer rainfall. Perfect synchrony was recorded between the field return of parental adults with annual leaf shedding, the oviposition phase of parental adults with tender leaf fall at the time of leaf sprouting, and larval and teneral adult stages with premature fall of leaves. Premature leaf availability is suggested as contributing to the reproductive efficiency of parental adults, the survival of early developmental stages and of new generation adults during dormancy

The relationship between the systemic inflammatory response, tumour proliferative activity, T-lymphocytic and macrophage infiltration, microvessel density and survival in patients with primary operable breast cancer

The significance of the inter-relationship between tumour and host local/systemic inflammatory responses in primary operable invasive breast cancer is limited. The inter-relationship between the systemic inflammatory response (pre-operative white cell count, C-reactive protein and albumin concentrations), standard clinicopathological factors, tumour T-lymphocytic (CD4+ and CD8+) and macrophage (CD68+) infiltration, proliferative (Ki-67) index and microvessel density (CD34+) was examined using immunohistochemistry and slide-counting techniques, and their prognostic values were examined in 168 patients with potentially curative resection of early-stage invasive breast cancer. Increased tumour grade and proliferative activity were associated with greater tumour T-lymphocyte (P<0.05) and macrophage (P<0.05) infiltration and microvessel density (P<0.01). The median follow-up of survivors was 72 months. During this period, 31 patients died; 18 died of their cancer. On univariate analysis, increased lymph-node involvement (P<0.01), negative hormonal receptor (P<0.10), lower albumin concentrations (P<0.01), increased tumour proliferation (P<0.05), increased tumour microvessel density (P<0.05), the extent of locoregional control (P<0.0001) and limited systemic treatment (Pless than or equal to0.01) were associated with cancer-specific survival. On multivariate analysis of these significant covariates, albumin (HR 4.77, 95% CI 1.35–16.85, P=0.015), locoregional treatment (HR 3.64, 95% CI 1.04–12.72, P=0.043) and systemic treatment (HR 2.29, 95% CI 1.23–4.27, P=0.009) were significant independent predictors of cancer-specific survival. Among tumour-based inflammatory factors, only tumour microvessel density (P<0.05) was independently associated with poorer cancer-specific survival. The host inflammatory responses are closely associated with poor tumour differentiation, proliferation and malignant disease progression in breast cancer