Spatial and temporal variations in the occurrences of wet periods over major river basins in India

This study highlights the hydro-climatic features of the five wet periods contributing in different percentages to the annual rainfall total over major river basins in India. Spatial and temporal variations in the parameters such as starting date, duration and rainfall intensity of these wet periods throughout India have been discussed using daily gridded rainfall data for the period 1951-2007. An attempt is also made here, to assess the impact of global SSTs on the start and duration of the wet periods in Indian river basins. It is observed that, for almost all river basins in India, the 10 wet period occurs in the months of July/August with an average duration of 1-3 days and rainfall intensity varying from 44 to 89 mm/day. The duration of the wet period contributing 90 to the annual rainfall varies from 112 days in the central parts of India to 186 days in the northern parts of the country. Significant increase in the rainfall intensity has been observed in the case of some river basins of central India. The late start of 75 wet period along the West Coast and in peninsular river basins has been observed with increase in Nino 3.4 SSTs (MAM), while increase in the duration of the 75 wet period over the Krishna basin is associated with increase in Nino 3.4 SSTs (concurrent JJAS)

Long term temperature trends at major, medium, small cities and hill stations in India during the period 1901-2013

Industrialization and urbanization are the most dominant causal factors for long-term changes in surface air temperatures. To examine this fact, the long term changes in the surface-air temperatures have been evaluated by the linear trend for the different periods, i.e. 1901-2013, 1901-1970 and recent period 1971-2013 as rapid industrialization was observed during the recent four decades. In the present study, seasonal and annual mean, maximum and minimum temperature data of 36 stations for the period 1901-2013 have been used. These stations are classified into 4 groups, namely major, medium, small cities and hill stations. During the period 1901-1970, less than 50% stations from each group showed a significant increasing trend in annual mean temperature, whereas in the recent period 1971-2013, more than 80% stations from all the groups except small city group showed a significant increasing trend. The minimum temperature increased faster than that of the maximum temperature over major and medium cities, while maximum temperature increased faster than the minimum temperature over the small cities and hill stations. The annual mean temperature of all the coastal stations showed a significant increasing trend and positive correlation with Precipitable Water Vapour (PWV). The effect of PWV is more pronounced on minimum temperature than that of the maximum

Assessing Hydrological Response to Changing Climate in the Krishna Basin of India

Impact of climate change on water balance components in the Krishna river basin are investigated using a semidistributed hydrological model namely Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The model is calibrated and validated using the measured stream flow and meteorological data for the period (1970-1990) at a single guage outlet. The model has been used further for hydrologic parameter simulations. Daily climate simulations from regional climate model PRECIS (Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies) is used as input for running SWAT and monthly hydrologic parameters such as precipitation, surface flow, water yield, Evapotranspiration (ET) and Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) are generated under the assumption of no change in Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) pattern over time. Simulations at 23 sub-basins of the Krishna basin have been obtained for the control runs (1961-1990) and the for two time slices of future scenarios (2011-2040) and (2041-2070). Model projections indicate increase in the annual discharge, surface runoff and base flow in the basin in mid-century

Stigmatizing attitudes and low levels of knowledge but high willingness to participate in HIV management: A community-based survey of pharmacies in Pune, India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the role of pharmacists in low-income settings be expanded to address the increasing complexity of HIV antiretroviral (ARV) and co-infection drug regimens. However, in many such settings including in India, many pharmacists and pharmacy workers are often neither well trained nor aware of the intricacies of HIV treatment. The aims of our study were; to determine the availability of ARVs, provision of ARVs, knowledge about ARVs, attitudes towards HIV-infected persons and self-perceived need for training among community-based pharmacies in an urban area of India.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a survey of randomly selected, community-based pharmacies located in Pune, India, in 2004-2005 to determine the availability of ARVs at these pharmacies, how they were providing ARVs and their self-perceived need for training. We also assessed knowledge, attitudes and perceptions on HIV and ARVs and factors associated with stocking ARVs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 207 pharmacies included in the survey, 200 (96.6%) were single, private establishments. Seventy-three (35.3%) pharmacies stocked ARVs and 38 (18.4%) ordered ARVs upon request. The reported median number of ARV pills that patients bought at one time was 30, a two week supply of ARVs (range: 3-240 pills). Six (2.9%) pharmacy respondents reported selling non-allopathic medicines (i.e. Ayurvedic, homeopathy) for HIV. Ninety (44.2%) pharmacy respondents knew that ARVs cannot cure HIV, with those stocking ARVs being more likely to respond correctly (60.3% vs. 34.8%, p = 0.001). Respondents of pharmacies which stocked ARVs were also more likely to believe it was a professional obligation to provide medications to HIV-infected persons (91.8% vs. 78.8%, p = 0.007) but they were also more likely to believe that HIV-infected persons are unable to adhere to their medicines (79.5% vs. 40.9%, p < 0.01). Knowledge of the most common side effects of nevirapine, abnormal liver enzyme profile and skin rash, was reported correctly by 8 (3.9%) and 23 (11.1%) respondents, respectively. Seven (3.4%) respondents reported that they had received special training on HIV, 3 (1.5%) reported receipt of special training on ART and 167 (80.7%) reported that they believed that pharmacy staff should get special training on ART.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is a high willingness to participate in HIV management among community-based pharmacies but there is a tremendous need for training on HIV therapies. Furthermore, stigmatizing attitudes towards HIV-infected persons persist and interventions to reduce stigma are needed, particularly among those that stock ARVs.</p

Manganese(II) Complexes with Schiff Bases Immobilized on Nanosilica as Catalysts of the Reaction of Ozone Decomposition

In this article, we submit the description of synthesis and identification of manganese(II) complexes with pyrogenic nanosilica-immobilized (d av = 10 nm; S sp = 290 m2/g) hydroxyaldimine ligands (Mn(L)2/Si): salicilaldiminopropyl (L1); 5-bromosalicilaldiminopropyl (L2); 2-hydroxynaphtaldiminopropyl (L3); 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldiminopropyl (L4); 2-hydroxy-3,5-dichloroacetophenoniminopropyl (L5); and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldiminopropyl (L6). The ligands and complexes were characterized by UV-VIS and IR spectrometry. Nanocomposites consisting of complexes Mn(L)2/Si showed a high catalytic activity in low-temperature ozone decomposition in the range of concentrations between 2.1 × 10−6 and 8.4 × 10−6 mol/l. The number of catalytic cycles increased for isostructural pseudotetrahedral complexes Mn(L)2/Si (L1–L5) in the following order: Mn(L3)2 >> Mn(L4)2 > Mn(L1)2 > Mn(L2)2 > Mn(L5)2. In the case of pseudooctahedral complexes with L6, the change of coordination polyhedral does not influence the kinetics and stoichiometric parameters of the reaction

Evaluation of Mucociliary Clearance by Three Dimension Micro-CT-SPECT in Guinea Pig: Role of Bitter Taste Agonists

Different image techniques have been used to analyze mucociliary clearance (MCC) in humans, but current small animal MCC analysis using in vivo imaging has not been well defined. Bitter taste receptor (T2R) agonists increase ciliary beat frequency (CBF) and cause bronchodilation but their effects in vivo are not well understood. This work analyzes in vivo nasal and bronchial MCC in guinea pig animals using three dimension (3D) micro-CT-SPECT images and evaluates the effect of T2R agonists. Intranasal macroaggreggates of albumin-Technetium 99 metastable (MAA-Tc99m) and lung nebulized Tc99m albumin nanocolloids were used to analyze the effect of T2R agonists on nasal and bronchial MCC respectively, using 3D micro-CT-SPECT in guinea pig. MAA-Tc99m showed a nasal mucociliary transport rate of 0.36 mm/min that was increased in presence of T2R agonist to 0.66 mm/min. Tc99m albumin nanocolloids were homogeneously distributed in the lung of guinea pig and cleared with time-dependence through the bronchi and trachea of guinea pig. T2R agonist increased bronchial MCC of Tc99m albumin nanocolloids. T2R agonists increased CBF in human nasal ciliated cells in vitro and induced bronchodilation in human bronchi ex vivo. In summary, T2R agonists increase MCC in vivo as assessed by 3D micro-CT-SPECT analysis

Nanostructural and Transcriptomic Analyses of Human Saliva Derived Exosomes

Exosomes, derived from endocytic membrane vesicles are thought to participate in cell-cell communication and protein and RNA delivery. They are ubiquitous in most body fluids (breast milk, saliva, blood, urine, malignant ascites, amniotic, bronchoalveolar lavage, and synovial fluids). In particular, exosomes secreted in human saliva contain proteins and nucleic acids that could be exploited for diagnostic purposes. To investigate this potential use, we isolated exosomes from human saliva and characterized their structural and transcriptome contents.Exosomes were purified by differential ultracentrifugation and identified by immunoelectron microscopy (EM), flow cytometry, and Western blot with CD63 and Alix antibodies. We then described the morphology, shape, size distribution, and density using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Microarray analysis revealed that 509 mRNA core transcripts are relatively stable and present in the exosomes. Exosomal mRNA stability was determined by detergent lysis with RNase A treatment. In vitro, fluorescently labeled saliva exosomes could communicate with human keratinocytes, transferring their genetic information to human oral keratinocytes to alter gene expression at a new location.Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that exosomes shuttle RNA between cells and that the RNAs present in the exosomes may be a possible resource for disease diagnostics

Regulation of Heterochromatin Assembly on Unpaired Chromosomes during Caenorhabditis elegans Meiosis by Components of a Small RNA-Mediated Pathway

Many organisms have a mechanism for down regulating the expression of non-synapsed chromosomes and chromosomal regions during meiosis. This phenomenon is thought to function in genome defense. During early meiosis in Caenorhabditis elegans, unpaired chromosomes (e.g., the male X chromosome) become enriched for a modification associated with heterochromatin and transcriptional repression, dimethylation of histone H3 on lysine 9 (H3K9me2). This enrichment requires activity of the cellular RNA-directed RNA polymerase, EGO-1. Here we use genetic mutation, RNA interference, immunofluorescence microscopy, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and molecular cloning methods to identify and analyze three additional regulators of meiotic H3K9me2 distribution: CSR-1 (a Piwi/PAZ/Argonaute protein), EKL-1 (a Tudor domain protein), and DRH-3 (a DEAH/D-box helicase). In csr-1, ekl-1, and drh-3 mutant males, we observed a reduction in H3K9me2 accumulation on the unpaired X chromosome and an increase in H3K9me2 accumulation on paired autosomes relative to controls. We observed a similar shift in H3K9me2 pattern in hermaphrodites that carry unpaired chromosomes. Based on several assays, we conclude that ectopic H3K9me2 accumulates on paired and synapsed chromosomes in these mutants. We propose alternative models for how a small RNA-mediated pathway may regulate H3K9me2 accumulation during meiosis. We also describe the germline phenotypes of csr-1, ekl-1, and drh-3 mutants. Our genetic data suggest that these factors, together with EGO-1, participate in a regulatory network to promote diverse aspects of development

Transcription-replication conflicts: How they occur and how they are resolved

The frequent occurrence of transcription and DNA replication in cells results in many encounters, and thus conflicts, between the transcription and replication machineries. These conflicts constitute a major intrinsic source of genome instability, which is a hallmark of cancer cells. How the replication machinery progresses along a DNA molecule occupied by an RNA polymerase is an old question. Here we review recent data on the biological relevance of transcription-replication conflicts, and the factors and mechanisms that are involved in either preventing or resolving them, mainly in eukaryotes. On the basis of these data, we provide our current view of how transcription can generate obstacles to replication, including torsional stress and non-B DNA structures, and of the different cellular processes that have evolved to solve them