Experimental studies on the pathogenicity of Vibrio mimicus strains isolated in Bangladesh

Vibrio mimicus, a newly described species of the genus Vibrio has been isolated from stools of 14 patients with diarrhoea. Live cells of all the 14 strains tested caused accumulation of fluid in rabbit gut loops and diarrhoea in infant rabbits. Culture filtrates of all the strains caused increased capillary permeability in rabbit skin; however, five of the filtrates resembled cholera toxin in that they gave positive reactions in rabbit loops, chinese hamster ovarian and mouse adrenal cell monolayers and GM1 ELISA tests and were neutralized by cholera antitoxin. None of the strains produced heat-stable toxin or possessed invasive capability as determined by Sereny's test. Thus, V. mimicus strains were divided into a group which produced a toxin immunobiologically similar to cholera toxin and the rest producing a heat-labile toxin unrelated to that of V. cholerae

Resource Management of Mobile Communication System

To ensure good traffic handling, channel allocation is one of the important mobile communication resources for quality of service. Usually, three types of channel allocations are widely used: fixed channel allocation, borrowing radio channels from surrounding calls and dynamic channel allocations. In this paper instead conventional channel allocation schemes, we used call admission control (CAC) scheme to combat forced termination (FT). The analytical model of traffic handling in mobile cellular network is implemented by Markov chain; hence the profile of call blocking probability of newly originating call and FT is shown against the call arrival rate and the number of channels. Finally the impact of fading parameters of wireless channel on FT is also analyzed under Rayleigh fading case

Comparative study of green and synthetic polymers for enhanced oil recovery

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Several publications by authors in the field of petrochemical engineering have examined the use of chemically enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) technology, with a specific interest in polymer flooding. Most observations thus far in this field have been based on the application of certain chemicals and/or physical properties within this technique regarding the production of 50–60% trapped (residual) oil in a reservoir. However, there is limited information within the literature about the combined effects of this process on whole properties (physical and chemical). Accordingly, in this work, we present a clear distinction between the use of xanthan gum (XG) and hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) as a polymer flood, serving as a background for future studies. XG and HPAM have been chosen for this study because of their wide acceptance in relation to EOR processes. To this degree, the combined effect of a polymer’s rheological properties, retention, inaccessible pore volume (PV), permeability reduction, polymer mobility, the effects of salinity and temperature, and costs are all investigated in this study. Further, the generic screening and design criteria for a polymer flood with emphasis on XG and HPAM are explained. Finally, a comparative study on the conditions for laboratory (experimental), pilot-scale, and field-scale application is presented

Leishmanial Hepatitis with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection Treated Successfully with Liquid Form of Liposomal Amphotericin B - A Case Report

Hepatic involvement either due to leishmaniasis or due to coexisting viral infection sometime poses a problem for the clinicians. Atypical presentation is also challenging for them. We present a case of visceral leishmaniasis (Kala-azar) from a non endemic zone, co infection with hepatitis B virus simulating chronic viral hepatitis successfully treated with liquid form of liposomal amphotericin B.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bsmmuj.v5i1.11018 BSMMU J 2012; 5(1):55-56

Non-secretory multiple myeloma with extramedulary plasmocytoma

Non-secretory multiple myeloma (NSMM) is an uncommon variation of the classic form of multiple myeloma (MM) that has au analogous clinical and radiologic presentation except for the absence of the M-protein in sernm and/or urine. NSMM may have or not detectable monoclonal free light chain in urine/serum. We describe here a case of a 46-year-old woman who presented with back pain and lower limb weakness. A tumour lesion at DI level and multiple osteolytic bone lesions were found. This woman had no other symptoms and her basic blood biochemistry were nonnal. She had normal serum and urine protein electrophoresis. Biopsy from the D1 vertebra showed plasmocytoma. In the bone marrow, 20% atypical plasma cell fow1d, all were being CD38+ and CD 138+ in flowcytometry, confirming the diagnosis of myeloma presenting as NSMM. A high index of suspicion is needed to diagnose cases like this, as the biology ofNSMM is not completely understood

Construction of copy number variation landscape and characterization of associated genes in a Bangladeshi cohort of neurodevelopmental disorders

Introduction: Copy number variations (CNVs) play a critical role in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) among children. In this study, we aim to identify clinically relevant CNVs, genes and their phenotypic characteristics in an ethnically underrepresented homogenous population of Bangladesh. Methods: We have conducted chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) for 212 NDD patients with male to female ratio of 2.2:1.0 to identify rare CNVs. To identify candidate genes within the rare CNVs, gene constraint metrics [i.e., “Critical-Exon Genes (CEGs)”] were applied to the population data. Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2) was followed in a subset of 95 NDD patients to assess the severity of autism and all statistical tests were performed using the R package. Results: Of all the samples assayed, 12.26% (26/212) and 57.08% (121/212) patients carried pathogenic and variant of uncertain significance (VOUS) CNVs, respectively. While 2.83% (6/212) patients’ pathogenic CNVs were found to be located in the subtelomeric regions. Further burden test identified females are significant carriers of pathogenic CNVs compared to males (OR = 4.2; p = 0.0007). We have observed an increased number of Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) within cases with 23.85% (26/109) consanguineous parents. Our analyses on imprinting genes show, 36 LOH variants disrupting 69 unique imprinted genes and classified these variants as VOUS. ADOS-2 subset shows severe social communication deficit (p = 0.014) and overall ASD symptoms severity (p = 0.026) among the patients carrying duplication CNV compared to the CNV negative group. Candidate gene analysis identified 153 unique CEGs in pathogenic CNVs and 31 in VOUS. Of the unique genes, 18 genes were found to be in smaller (<1 MB) focal CNVs in our NDD cohort and we identified PSMC3 gene as a strong candidate gene for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Moreover, we hypothesized that KMT2B gene duplication might be associated with intellectual disability. Conclusion: Our results show the utility of CMA for precise genetic diagnosis and its integration into the diagnosis, therapy and management of NDD patients

Characterization of Asphalt Binders Exposed to Extreme Temperatures through Simple and Effective Test Methods

DTRT13-G-UTC36In the Arkansas State University (ASU) study, Superpave and Multiple Stress Creep and Recovery (MSCR) tests were performed to evaluate viscoelastic properties of selected asphalt binders approved in Arkansas and Texas. A total of 65 binder samples were tested in the laboratory. Of these, eight were unmodified binders, 24 were polymer-modified binders (PMBs), 27 were warm mix asphalt (WMA)-additive modified, and 6 were reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) modified binders. The non-recoverable compliance and MSCR percent recovery data of the tested binders were analyzed for grading and establishing the MSCR percent recovery criteria for local service temperature and traffic conditions. The developed guidelines are expected to be helpful for transportation agencies in Arkansas and Texas to adopt the MSCR test method in their quality control process. In the University of Oklahoma (OU) study, the polymer-modified binders were found to meet the Superpave\uae specifications and exhibited satisfactory rutting and fatigue resistance. The high- and low-temperature performance grade (PG) grades of the RAP binder blends were observed to increase with an increase in the RAP binder content. From the MSCR test results, the minimum %Recovery requirement based on the Jnr criteria suggested in American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) TP 70 was found to be appropriate for differentiating polymer-modified binders from non-polymer modified binders. Also, the addition of a higher stress level, such as 10 kPa to the MSCR test method, was found to help understand the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of the polymer-modified binders. Furthermore, the Jnr value decreased and MSCR grades increased with an increase in the amount of RAP binder, which indicated an improved resistance to rutting for the RAP binder blends. The rutting and moisture susceptibilities of the asphalt mixes with high RAP content were found to be satisfactory from Hamburg Wheel Tracking (HWT) tests. A comparison of the Superpave\uae, MSCR and HWT test results is also presented in this report. In the Louisiana Tech University (LTU) study, the extensional deformation behavior of PG binders 58-28, PG 64-22, and PG 76-22 and its parameters including geometry and temperature were investigated through an extensional rheological approach using a Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR)-based Sentmanat Extensional Rheometer (SER). A test method and a sample preparation procedure for asphalt binders were developed as a replacement to the conventional force ductility test. With a more reproducible, significantly less material and time consuming, and with a more mechanistic approach, the developed novel test method can help improve the durability of modified asphalt pavements

Search for Branons at LEP

We search, in the context of extra-dimension scenarios, for the possible existence of brane fluctuations, called branons. Events with a single photon or a single Z-boson and missing energy and momentum collected with the L3 detector in e^+ e^- collisions at centre-of-mass energies sqrt{s}=189-209$ GeV are analysed. No excess over the Standard Model expectations is found and a lower limit at 95% confidence level of 103 GeV is derived for the mass of branons, for a scenario with small brane tensions. Alternatively, under the assumption of a light branon, brane tensions below 180 GeV are excluded

Allelopathic potential in rice - a biochemical tool for plant defence against weeds

Rice is a key crop for meeting the global food demand and ensuring food security. However, the crop has been facing great problems to combat the weed problem. Synthetic herbicides pose a severe threat to the long-term viability of agricultural output, agroecosystems, and human health. Allelochemicals, secondary metabolites of allelopathic plants, are a powerful tool for biological and eco-friendly weed management. The dynamics of weed species in various situations are determined by crop allelopathy. Phenolics and momilactones are the most common allelochemicals responsible for herbicidal effects in rice. The dispersion of allelochemicals is influenced not only by crop variety but also by climatic conditions. The most volatile chemicals, such as terpenoids, are usually emitted by crop plants in drought-stricken areas whereas the plants in humid zones release phytotoxins that are hydrophilic in nature, including phenolics, flavonoids, and alkaloids. The allelochemicals can disrupt the biochemical and physiological processes in weeds causing them to die finally. This study insight into the concepts of allelopathy and allelochemicals, types of allelochemicals, techniques of investigating allelopathic potential in rice, modes of action of allelochemicals, pathways of allelochemical production in plants, biosynthesis of allelochemicals in rice, factors influencing the production of allelochemicals in plants, genetical manipulation through breeding to develop allelopathic traits in rice, the significance of rice allelopathy in sustainable agriculture, etc. Understanding these biological phenomena may thus aid in the development of new and novel weed-control tactics while allowing farmers to manage weeds in an environmentally friendly manner

Coulomb dissociation of N 20,21

Neutron-rich light nuclei and their reactions play an important role in the creation of chemical elements. Here, data from a Coulomb dissociation experiment on N20,21 are reported. Relativistic N20,21 ions impinged on a lead target and the Coulomb dissociation cross section was determined in a kinematically complete experiment. Using the detailed balance theorem, the N19(n,γ)N20 and N20(n,γ)N21 excitation functions and thermonuclear reaction rates have been determined. The N19(n,γ)N20 rate is up to a factor of 5 higher at