Antibakterijski učinak ekstrakta lista biljke Plectranthus amboinicus Benth u uzorcima voća, povrća i pilećeg mesa

The ability of acetone and ethyl acetate extracts of the leaves of a traditional Indian medicinal plant, Indian borage (Plectranthus amboinicus Benth) to prevent spoilage of artificially inoculated model food systems (cabbage and papaya) and natural microflora of chicken meat was evaluated. These extracts were able to reduce the bacterial counts in all food systems; however, the effective concentration varied with the complexity of the system (in descending order: cabbage, papaya and chicken). A probable mode of action of extracts was investigated by analyzing the changes they cause in bacterial cell wall and leakage of nucleic acid from bacterial cells. Both acetone and ethyl acetate extracts at their respective minimum inhibitory concentrations resulted in leakage of cell constituents to an extent of 40 to 80 and 60 to 95 %, respectively, compared to the control, and finally leading to disintegration of cell walls. These findings indicate the potential use of ethyl acetate and acetone extracts of Indian borage leaves in food preservation.U radu je ispitan učinak ekstrakata lišća drevne indijske ljekovite biljke Plectranthus amboinicus Benth, izoliranih pomoću acetona i etilnog acetata, na sprečavanje rasta bakterija uzročnika kvarenja inokuliranih u uzorke svježeg kupusa i papaje, te na prirodnu mikrofloru pilećeg mesa. Dobiveni su ekstrakti uspješno smanjili broj bakterija u svim uzorcima hrane, no njihova je učinkovitost ovisila o složenosti sastava uzorka, pa je najveća bila u kupusu, zatim u papaji, a najmanja u mesu. Ispitan je utjecaj ekstrakata na razgradnju stanične stijenke bakterija i otpuštanje nukleinskih kiselina u međustanični prostor. Ekstrakt lišća dobiven pomoću acetona je pri minimalnoj inhibicijskoj koncentraciji uzrokovao otpuštanje 40 do 80 % staničnog sadržaja, a ekstrakt dobiven pomoću etilnog acetata 60 do 95 % staničnog sadržaja bakterija u usporedbi s kontrolnim uzorkom, što je naposljetku uzrokovalo potpunu razgradnju stanične stijenke. Rezultati pokazuju da se ekstrakti lišća indijske biljke Plectranthus amboinicus Benth, dobiveni pomoću etilnog acetata ili acetona, mogu upotrijebiti za konzerviranje hrane

Energetics and GHG Emission Mitigation Potential Estimation of Solar Water Heating System in India

The aim of this study is focused on “energetics” or energy analysis and evaluation of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential of solar water heating system (SWHS) having 100 litre per day (lpd) capacity in 28 states of India. Different types of collectors are used in solar water heating system, which may affect on the feasibility of the system. So to analyze this factor, the present approach focused on three types of glazed flat plate collectors. In addition to this, the feasibility of the system also does depend upon the end user applications. So to incorporate more feasible analysis, three different scenarios were considered. For the analysis of environmental impact of the system, GHG emission mitigation potential has also been evaluated by assuming the replacement of the system with frequently used fuels, viz., natural gas, coal, diesel, etc. This was done for both seasonal and annual use of this renewable energy thermal device. The result of this study shows that energy payback period (EPBP) and energy yield ratio (EYR) values for selected locations are in the adoption level. In case of coal, the GHG-emission reduction was found to have a maximum value of 22.4 tCO2 for the state of Rajasthan and a minimum value of 13.4 tCO2, for Jammu & Kashmir, for 20 years of useful lifetime of the system

FILLER LOADING IN THE LUMEN OR/AND CELL WALL OF FIBERS – A LITERATURE REVIEW

A review of the literature reveals potential advantages that papermakers can achieve by placing minerals in the lumens or cell walls of fibers before the pulp is formed into paper. Loading of filler into the fiber lumen by mechanical deposition or within the cell wall by in-situ precipitation has been reported to generally result in a moderate reduction in light scattering coefficient and increased strength properties of laboratory handsheets, as well as in paper manufactured with pilot plant equipment, when compared to conventional addition of filler. However, there are some exceptions to this general observation, where the fiber loading is reported to decrease the tensile strength of paper. Some related effects can be achieved by either precipitating mineral onto fiber surfaces or co-flocculating mineral particles with cellulosic fines. Challenges remain with respect to the implementation of fiber-loading concepts at a commercial scale. Also, there is a need for further research aimed at establishing high-end applications in which it may be an advantage to load cellulosic fiber cell walls or lumens with minerals or other substances

Transcending Grids: Point Clouds and Surface Representations Powering Neurological Processing

In healthcare, accurately classifying medical images is vital, but conventional methods often hinge on medical data with a consistent grid structure, which may restrict their overall performance. Recent medical research has been focused on tweaking the architectures to attain better performance without giving due consideration to the representation of data. In this paper, we present a novel approach for transforming grid based data into its higher dimensional representations, leveraging unstructured point cloud data structures. We first generate a sparse point cloud from an image by integrating pixel color information as spatial coordinates. Next, we construct a hypersurface composed of points based on the image dimensions, with each smooth section within this hypersurface symbolizing a specific pixel location. Polygonal face construction is achieved using an adjacency tensor. Finally, a dense point cloud is generated by densely sampling the constructed hypersurface, with a focus on regions of higher detail. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated on a publicly accessible brain tumor dataset, achieving significant improvements over existing classification techniques. This methodology allows the extraction of intricate details from the original image, opening up new possibilities for advanced image analysis and processing tasks

Yoga-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation After Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Given the shortage of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs in India and poor uptake worldwide, there is an urgent need to find alternative models of CR that are inexpensive and may offer choice to subgroups with poor uptake (e.g., women and elderly). OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the effects of yoga-based CR (Yoga-CaRe) on major cardiovascular events and self-rated health in a multicenter randomized controlled trial. METHODS: The trial was conducted in 24 medical centers across India. This study recruited 3,959 patients with acute myocardial infarction with a median and minimum follow-up of 22 and 6 months. Patients were individually randomized to receive either a Yoga-CaRe program (n = 1,970) or enhanced standard care involving educational advice (n = 1,989). The co-primary outcomes were: 1) first occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, or emergency cardiovascular hospitalization); and 2) self-rated health on the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions-5 Level visual analogue scale at 12 weeks. RESULTS: MACE occurred in 131 (6.7%) patients in the Yoga-CaRe group and 146 (7.4%) patients in the enhanced standard care group (hazard ratio with Yoga-CaRe: 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71 to 1.15; p = 0.41). Self-rated health was 77 in Yoga-CaRe and 75.7 in the enhanced standard care group (baseline-adjusted mean difference in favor of Yoga-CaRe: 1.5; 95% CI: 0.5 to 2.5; p = 0.002). The Yoga-CaRe group had greater return to pre-infarct activities, but there was no difference in tobacco cessation or medication adherence between the treatment groups (secondary outcomes). CONCLUSIONS: Yoga-CaRe improved self-rated health and return to pre-infarct activities after acute myocardial infarction, but the trial lacked statistical power to show a difference in MACE. Yoga-CaRe may be an option when conventional CR is unavailable or unacceptable to individuals. (A study on effectiveness of YOGA based cardiac rehabilitation programme in India and United Kingdom; CTRI/2012/02/002408)

OFFSET PRINTING BEHAVIOR OF BAGASSE AND HARDWOOD PAPER SHEETS LOADED BY IN-SITU PRECIPITATION

Standard handsheets of bleached bagasse and hardwood pulps were prepared with calcium carbonate filler loading by conventional method and by in-situ precipitation. The handsheets were printed with an IGT printability tester. The effect of filler loading by in-situ precipitation on ink transfer, print density, and print-through was studied. For a given amount of ink on the printing disk or on the paper, the print density was greater and the print-through was less for in-situ precipitation of filler when compared with the conventional filler loading

Phytochemical composition, <i>in vitro</i> antioxidant activity and antibacterial mechanisms of <i>Neolamarckia cadamba</i> fruits extracts

<p>Aqueous extracts of <i>Neolamarckia cadamba</i> fruits prepared at different maturity stages were used for the analysis of various phytochemicals, and their antioxidant and antibacterial activities were determined. Ripe fruit extract had highest phenolics (3.14 mM GAE/ g fruit extract) with caffeic acid, tannic acid, syringic acid and quercetin as major phenolic compounds. The ripe fruit extract showed lowest IC₅₀ values in DPPH radical scavenging assay (231.33 μg fruit extract/ mL), and highest ABTS radical scavenging activity (111.18 μM TEAC/g). Immature fruit extract showed lowest minimum inhibitory concentration against tested bacteria, and the antibacterial activity was probably due to membrane permeation, as was evident by leakage of genetic material and reduction in propidium iodide uptake by bacterium; and by inhibition of sugar and amino acid uptake. The appreciable amount of phenolic compounds and biological activities in the aqueous extracts of <i>N. cadamba</i> fruits suggests it's potential application as natural preservative.</p

Validation of SYBR green I based closed tube loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay and simplified direct-blood-lysis (DBL)-LAMP assay for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL).

BackgroundThe World Health Organization has targeted elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent (ISC) by 2020. Despite distinctive decline seen in the number of VL cases in ISC, there is still a quest for development of a diagnostic test which has the utility for detection of active infection and relapse cases and as a test of cure. The present study validated the sensitivity and specificity of SYBR Green I based closed tube LAMP assay reported by us for diagnosis of VL.MethodologyThe validation study was carried out at two endemic sites in India, located at Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Patna and Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi. Standard operating protocols were provided at the two sites for applying LAMP assay on confirmed VL cases. The diagnostic accuracy of LAMP assay was evaluated by Receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis. Furthermore, a simplified LAMP assay based on direct blood lysis, DBL-LAMP, was developed and verified for its diagnostic accuracy.Principal findingsA total of 267 eligible participants were included in the study which comprised of 179 VL cases and 88 controls. Sensitivity and specificity of the LAMP assay were 98.32% (95% C.I- 95.2-99.7%) and 96.59% (95% C.I.-90.4-99.3%), respectively. ROC curve analysis depicted no significant difference between area under curve (AUCROC) for LAMP assay and rK39 RDT, indicative of LAMP as an excellent diagnostic test. DBL-LAMP assay, performed on 67 VL and 100 control samples, yielded a sensitivity of 93.05% (95% C.I- 84.75-97%) and specificity of 100% (95% C.I.- 96.30-100%).Conclusions/significanceThe validated closed tube LAMP for diagnosis of VL will provide impetus to the ongoing VL elimination programme in ISC. The assay based on direct blood lysis promotes its scope for application in field settings by further reducing time and cost