Phialophora Melinii (NFCCI 3617): A Newly Isolated Psychrotolerant Fungus That Produces Enhanced Laccase Under the Influence of Organic Solvents

A psychrotolerant fungus, isolated from decomposing pine needle debris, is investigated for laccase production under the influence of 5 organic solvents. The fungus was identified as Phialophora melinii and was able to grow between 4 to 35 °C (opt. 25 °C) and 2-14 pH (opt. 5-7). In quantitative estimations that were carried out at optimum growth temperature and pH, the fungal laccase was estimated to be 21.0 ± 4.0 U/L. Native PAGE study revealed 35 kDa molecular mass of the fungal laccase. Supplementation of organic solvents namely, methanol, ethanol, acetone, n-propanol and iso-propanol in varying concentrations (0.5%-2.0%, separately), significantly affected the production of fungal laccase. Out of 5 solvents used, n-propanol was found to be the most efficient enhancer of laccase production. n-Propanol (0.5%) resulted in maximum enhancement (7 folds) in laccase production at 18th day of incubation. Methanol, iso-propanol and ethanol were able to enhance laccase production up to 5-6 folds in comparison to control with respect to the varying concentration and incubation length. Age of the fungal culture (incubation days) was observed as an important factor for laccase production. Use of low molecular compounds in enhancing the fungal laccase production may be considered as an eco-friendly approach

Bacteriological profile of acute bacterial meningitis at a tertiary care hospital of North India

Background: Acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) is one of the most severe and potentially life-threatening infectious diseases. It is defined as an inflammation of the meanings, globally distributed as either sporadic or epidemic forms. ABM remains a major cause of mortality and long-term neurological sequel worldwide. Objective of the present study was undertaken to evaluate the bacteriological analysis in term of pathogens frequency and their sensitivity pattern in the cerebrospinal fluid of acute meningitis patients at a tertiary care hospital in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India.Methods: The study was carried out at a tertiary care hospital from June 2014 to November 2015 irrespective of age group. A total of 3803 samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from clinically suspected cases of meningitis were subjected for bacteriological analysis.Results: During the study period, a total of 3803 CSF samples were studied. Out of these, 343 were confirmed as bacterial meningitis based on Gram staining and or culture showing 9.01% incidence. ABM was more common in paediatric patients than adults. The most common organisms were Gram positive (66.18%) bacteria.Conclusions: Acute bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency and making an early diagnosis and providing early and accurate treatment, are lifesaving and to reduce morbidity. This study may play an important role in the diagnosis and more accurate treatment for the ABM patients

Plagiarism detection in software using efficient string matching

String matching refers to the problem of finding occurrence(s) of a pattern string within another string or body of a text. It plays a vital role in plagiarism detectionin software codes, where it is required to identify similar program in a large populations. String matching has been used as a tool in a software metrics, which is used to measure the quality of software development process. In the recent years, many algorithms exist for solving the string matching problem. Among them, Berry---Ravindran algorithm was found to be fairly efficient. Further refinement of this algorithm is made in TVSBS and SSABS algorithms. However, these algorithms do not give the best possible shift in the search phase. In this paper, we propose an algorithm which gives the best possible shift in the search phase and is faster than the previously known algorithms. This algorithm behaves like Berry-Ravindran in the worst case. Further extension of this algorithm has been made for parameterized string matching which is able to detect plagiarism in a software code

Assessment of leaf morphological, physiological, chemical and stoichiometry functional traits for understanding the functioning of Himalayan temperate forest ecosystem

Leaf functional traits support plant survival and growth in different stress and disturbed conditions and respond according to leaf habit. The present study examined 13 leaf traits (3 morphological, 3 chemical, 5 physiological, and 2 stoichiometry) of nine dominant forest tree species (3 coniferous, 3 deciduous broad-leaved, 3 evergreen broad-leafed) to understand the varied response of leaf habits. The hypothesis was to test if functional traits of the conifers, deciduous and evergreen differ significantly in the temperate forest and to determine the applicability of leaf economic theory i.e., conservative vs. acquisitive resource investment, in the temperate Himalayan region. The attributes of the functional traits i.e., leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf water content (LWC), stomatal conductance (Gs), and transpiration (E) followed the order deciduous > evergreen > coniferous. Leaf carbon and leaf C/N ratio showed the opposite pattern, coniferous > evergreen > deciduous. Chlorophyll (Chl) and photosynthetic rate (A) were highest for evergreen species, followed by deciduous and coniferous species. Also, structural equation modelling determined that morphological factors were negatively related to physiological and positively with chemical factors. Nevertheless, physiological and chemical factors were positively related to each other. The physiological traits were mainly regulated by stomatal conductance (Gs) however the morphological traits were determined by LDMC. Stoichiometry traits, such as leaf C/N, were found to be positively related to leaf carbon, and leaf N/P was found to be positively related to leaf nitrogen. The result of the leaf functional traits relationship would lead to precise prediction for the functionality of the temperate forest ecosystem at the regional scale

Feasibility of implementing public-private mix approach for tuberculosis case management in Pokhara Metropolitan City of western Nepal: a qualitative study

BackgroundThe Public-Private Mix (PPM) approach is a strategic initiative that involves engaging all private and public health care providers in the fight against tuberculosis using international health care standards. For tuberculosis control in Nepal, the PPM approach could be a milestone. This study aimed to explore the barriers to a public-private mix approach in the management of tuberculosis cases in Nepal.MethodsWe conducted key informant interviews with 20 participants, 14 of whom were from private clinics, polyclinics, and hospitals where the PPM approach was used, two from government hospitals, and four from policymakers. All data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. The transcripts of the interviews were manually organized, and themes were generated and categorized into 1. TB case detection, 2. patient-related barriers, and 3. health-system-related barriers.ResultsA total of 20 respondents participated in the study. Barriers to PPM were identified into following three themes: (1) Obstacles related to TB case detection, (2) Obstacles related to patients, and (3) Obstacles related to health-care system. PPM implementation was challenged by following sub-themes that included staff turnover, low private sector participation in workshops, a lack of trainings, poor recording and reporting, insufficient joint monitoring and supervision, poor financial benefit, lack of coordination and collaboration, and non-supportive TB-related policies and strategies.ConclusionGovernment stakeholders can significantly benefit by applying a proactive role working with the private in monitoring and supervision. The joint efforts with private sector can then enable all stakeholders to follow the government policy, practice and protocols in case finding, holding and other preventive approaches. Future research are essential in exploring how PPM could be optimized

The COVID‐19 Pandemic Not Only Poses Challenges, but Also Opens Opportunities for Sustainable Transformation

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted social, economic, and environmental systems worldwide, slowing down and reversing the progress made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs belong to the 2030 Agenda to transform our world by tackling humankind's challenges to ensure well-being, economic prosperity, and environmental protection. We explore the potential impacts of the pandemic on SDGs for Nepal. We followed a knowledge co-creation process with experts from various professional backgrounds, involving five steps: online survey, online workshop, assessment of expert's opinions, review and validation, and revision and synthesis. The pandemic has negatively impacted most SDGs in the short term. Particularly, the targets of SDG 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13 have and will continue to have weakly to moderately restricting impacts. However, a few targets of SDG 2, 3, 6, and 11 could also have weakly promoting impacts. The negative impacts have resulted from impeding factors linked to the pandemic. Many of the negative impacts may subside in the medium and long terms. The key five impeding factors are lockdowns, underemployment and unemployment, closure of institutions and facilities, diluted focus and funds for non-COVID-19-related issues, and anticipated reduction in support from development partners. The pandemic has also opened a window of opportunity for sustainable transformation, which is short-lived and narrow. These opportunities are lessons learned for planning and action, socio-economic recovery plan, use of information and communication technologies and the digital economy, reverse migration and “brain gain,” and local governments' exercising authorities

Microbial Ecology from the Himalayan Cryosphere Perspective

Cold-adapted microorganisms represent a large fraction of biomass on Earth because of the dominance of low-temperature environments. Extreme cold environments are mainly dependent on microbial activities because this climate restricts higher plants and animals. Himalaya is one of the most important cold environments on Earth as it shares climatic similarities with the polar regions. It includes a wide range of ecosystems, from temperate to extreme cold, distributed along the higher altitudes. These regions are characterized as stressful environments because of the heavy exposure to harmful rays, scarcity of nutrition, and freezing conditions. The microorganisms that colonize these regions are recognized as cold-tolerant (psychrotolerants) or/and cold-loving (psychrophiles) microorganisms. These microorganisms possess several structural and functional adaptations in order to perform normal life processes under the stressful low-temperature environments. Their biological activities maintain the nutrient flux in the environment and contribute to the global biogeochemical cycles. Limited culture-dependent and culture-independent studies have revealed their diversity in community structure and functional potential. Apart from the ecological importance, these microorganisms have been recognized as source of cold-active enzymes and novel bioactive compounds of industrial and biotechnological importance. Being an important part of the cryosphere, Himalaya needs to be explored at different dimensions related to the life of the inhabiting extremophiles. The present review discusses the distinct facts associated with microbial ecology from the Himalayan cryosphere perspective