Biodegradation Study of Phenol by Burkholderia sp. PS3 and Bacillus pumilus OS1 Isolated from Contaminated Soil

Water pollution by phenols is a major environmental problem in present days. Phenol is a highly hazardous and toxic substance emitted to the environment by the effluent from various industries. Environmental Protection Agency has set the limits for concentration of phenol in wastewater discharge are 0.5 mg/l for surface waters and 1 mg/l for the sewerage system Therefore, industrial effluents containing phenol require proper treatment before being discharged into the environment. There are various methods available for removal of phenol from wastewater. Among these, Biological treatment of phenolic effluent is attractive than that of other alternatives as it is cost effective and produces non toxic end products. Biodegradation of phenol mainly depends on the efficiency of the microbe, concentration of media components and the physiological conditions. In the present study two different phenol contaminated soils (one with effluent from paper mill and the other with crude oil) has been chosen to isolate highly efficient microbes. Aerobic bacterial strains PS3 and OS1 have been isolated from the soil contaminated with paper mill effluent and crude oil respectively. Strain PS3 has been found to tolerate 1500 mg/l of phenol, while the strain OS1 tolerate up to 1250 mg/l of phenol. On the basis of morphological, biochemical and molecular characteristics, strain PS3 and strain OS1 have been identified as Burkholderia sp. PS3 and Bacillus pumilus OS1 respectively. Optimization studies on growth and degradation has been carried out by using Plackett-Burman Design and central composite design (CCD) to evaluate optimum values of medium components and physiological conditions. Most significant factors have been screened using Plackett-Burman design from nine important variables. Temperature, pH, phenol concentration and inoculum size have been found significant for Burkholderia sp. PS3 while pH, temperature, phenol concentration, inoculum size and (NH4)2SO4 concentration have been found significant for Bacillus pumilus OS1. These factors have been optimized by central composite design with correlation coefficient of 0.9679 and 0.9827 for strain PS3 and OS1 respectively. For Burkholderia sp. PS3, maximum phenol degradation of 99.96% has been predicted at pH - 7.18, temperature - 28.9○C, phenol - 297.9 mg/l and inoculum size - 5.04% (v/v). A maximum phenol degradation of 99.99% has been predicted for Bacillus pumilus OS1 at pH - 7.07, temperature - 29.3○C, phenol - 227.4 mg/l, inoculum size - 6.3% (v/v) and (NH4)2SO4 - 392.1 mg/l. The predicted xviii optimum degradations have been validated by experiments and the experimental degradation has been found to be 99.88% and 99.90% for Burkholderia sp. PS3 and Bacillus pumilus OS1 respectively

Remaining useful life (RUL) prediction of bearing by using regression model and principal component analysis (PCA) technique

A wind turbine works under variable load and environmental conditions because of which failure rate has been on the rise. Failure of a gearbox, an integral part of producing wind energy, contributes to 80 % of the total downtime for the wind turbine. For ensuring better utilization of the wind turbines, Fault prognosis and condition monitoring of bearings are of utmost importance as it helps to reduce the downtime by early detection of faults which further increases the power output. In this paper, vibration signals produced and machine learning approach to determine the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) for a degraded bearing is studied. The methodology includes statistical feature extraction analysis with regression models. Further the feature selection is done using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique which produces training and testing sets which acts as an input parameter for regression models such as Support Vector Regressor (SVR) and Random Forest (RF). Weibull Hazard Rate Function is used for calculating the RUL of the bearing. Results This study shows the potential application of regression model as an effective tool for degradation performance prediction of bearing

Additive friction stir deposition of AZ31B magnesium alloy

Article explores additive friction stir deposition of AZ31B magnesium alloy with the aid of MELD® technology

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Effectiveness of mindfulness meditation (Vipassana) in the management of chronic low back pain

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is challenging to treat with its significant psychological and cognitive behavioural element involved. Mindfulness meditation helps alter the behavioural response in chronic pain situations. Significant body of research in the filed of mindfulness meditation comes from the work of Dr Kabat-Zinn. The current evidence in the field, though not grade one, shows that there is a place for mindfulness meditation in managing chronic pain conditions including CLBP. Further research to test the usefulness of mindfulness in CLBP should involve good quality randomized controlled trials of pure mindfulness based technique in matched subjects

The COMPARISON OF TWO CITIES:MIRROR TOWN PLANNING

Town Planning is must for any structural point of view as it offers proper functioning and circulation. Urban planning is also referred to as urban and regional planning, regional planning, town planning, city planning, rural planning or some combination in various areas worldwide priority given for Town Planning plays vital role defining success of any city or town. So here is outlook and comparative analysis has been carried out on the basis of structural planning and survey of respective Places showing similar town planning originated from single point and goes in the way of radiated rays form i.e. in circular form

Assessment of bioavailability of gold bhasma in human participants – A pilot study

Bioavailability of the well-known Ayurvedic drug Swarnabhasma (gold bhasma or calcined gold) is unknown. It is orally administered either sublingually or directly with various Anupanas like black pepper powder (Piper nigrum Linn.) and cow ghee in the dose range of 15–240 mg by Ayurvedic physicians. Study of bioavailability of Swarnabhasma is necessary as this metal-derived drug is administered for long duration for rejuvenation. The pilot study was carried out in healthy human male participants to assess bioavailability of Swarnabhasma in three doses, viz. 30 mg plain sublingual, 30 mg oral dose mixed with black pepper powder (250 mg) and cow ghee (2.5 gm); and 240 mg oral dose mixed with black pepper powder (250 mg) and cow ghee (2.5 gm). Blood samples were withdrawn at 0, 1, 2 and 4 h after administration of dose. Estimation of gold levels in blood was carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results show that gold is absorbed in traces from single dose of Swarnabhasma. Maximum concentration of gold was bioavailable from 30 mg sublingual dose with Cmax 0.983 μg/L at 2 h (Tmax). Oral dose of 30 mg Swarnabhasma mixed with black pepper powder and ghee showed faster absorption with Tmax at 1 h and Cmax 0.867 μg/L, and 240 mg dose with black pepper and ghee showed Cmax 0.668 μg/L and Tmax at 2 h