Tharu community's perception on climate changes and their adaptive initiations to withstand its impacts in Western Terai of Nepal

This paper brings out perceptions and observations of Tharu communities (Rana and Chaudhary), inhabitants of Shakarpur VDC of Kanchanpur and Gadariya VDCs of Kailali on climate change and its impacts on their livelihood strategies over the years. In addition, the paper explores some initiatives taken by the local communities to minimize its effects and impacts. Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were organized to collect and analyze vulnerability contexts on climate change and its impact on various sectors like, agriculture, forest, livestock, biodiversity, infrastructure, human casualties and water sources. Similarly, information on available service providers and their contribution was garnered through secondary sources. Local communities are facing these changes over the time and adapting strategies as per their own traditional knowledge, skills and information. Most of these strategies are biodiversity friendly, economically viable and socially acceptable. However, these innovative steps should be shared for larger scale dissemination after validating with scientific review and justifications

Antimicrobial Properties of Ethanolic and Methanolic Extracts of Finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.) Varieties Cultivated in Sri Lanka

The emerging significance of natural antimicrobial agents creates an imperative need to identify novel plant sources with antimicrobial activities. The objective of the present study was to evaluate antibacterial, antifungal and β-lactamase enzyme inhibitory activities of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Ravi, Rawana and Oshadha finger millet varieties. Flours of whole grains of the finger millet varieties were extracted with absolute ethanol and methanol separately. Antibacterial activities against six antibiotic-sensitive and four antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacterial strains were evaluated using the resazurin reduction assay. Antifungal activities against six antimicrobial-sensitive pathogenic fungal strains were evaluated using the agar tube dilution method. β-Lactamase enzyme inhibitory activity was evaluated using a standard method. Both ethanolic and methanolic extracts of the three finger millet varieties showed dose-dependent inhibitory activities against the tested antibiotic-sensitive and antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains while exhibiting high inhibitions against Gram-positive antibiotic-sensitive bacterial strains when compared to Gram-negative antibiotic-sensitive bacterial strains. The findings revealed the antibacterial potential of both ethanolic and methanolic extracts of the three finger millet varieties against antibiotic-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC® 6538™) and Bacillus subtilis (ATCC® 23857™) strains and the minimum inhibitory concentrations of the extracts against S. aureus and B. subtilis were found to be 2.1 and 1.8 mg/ml, respectively. However, none of the extracts can be considered as significantly active against the tested antibiotic-sensitive and antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains when compared to the standard drugs. In addition, none of the extracts can be considered as active against the tested fungal strains at the tested concentrations. Nevertheless, all extracts showed more activities against the tested bacterial strains when compared to the tested fungal strains. Since all extracts showed less than 40% β-lactamase inhibitory activities even at 2 mg/ml concentration, they do not qualify as promising sources of β-lactamase inhibitors at the tested concentration.KEYWORDS: Antibacterial activity, Antifungal activity, Finger millet, β-Lactamase enzyme inhibitory activit

The impact of tensioning device mal-positioning on strand tension during Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In order to confer optimal strength and stiffness to the graft in Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction, the maintenance of equal strand tension prior to fixation, is desired; positioning of the tensioning device can significantly affect strand tension This study aimed to determine the effect of tensioning device mal-positioning on individual strand tension in simulated cadaveric ACL reconstructions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty cadaveric specimens, comprising bovine tibia and tendon harvested from sheep, were used to simulate ACL reconstruction with a looped four-strand tendon graft. A proprietary tensioning device was used to tension the graft during tibial component fixation with graft tension recorded using load cells. The effects of the tensioning device at extreme angles, and in various locking states, was evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Strand tension varied significantly when the tensioning device was held at extreme angles (p < 0.001) or in 'locked' configurations of the tensioning device (p < 0.046). Tendon position also produced significant effects (p < 0.016) on the resultant strand tension.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>An even distribution of tension among individual graft strands is obtained by maintaining the tensioning device in an unlocked state, aligned with the longitudinal axis of the tibial tunnel. If the maintenance of equal strand tension during tibial fixation of grafts is important, close attention must be paid to positioning of the tensioning device in order to optimize the resultant graft tension and, by implication, the strength and stiffness of the graft and ultimately, surgical outcome.</p

A case of adaptation through a mutation in a tandem duplication during experimental evolution in Escherichia coli

Background DNA duplications constitute important precursors for genome variation. Here we analyzed an unequal duplication harboring a beneficial mutation that may provide alternative evolutionary outcomes. Results We characterized this evolutionary event during experimental evolution for only 100 generations of an Escherichia coli strain under glucose limitation within chemostats. By combining Insertion Sequence based Restriction Length Polymorphism experiments, pulsed field gel electrophoresis and two independent genome re-sequencing experiments, we identified an evolved lineage carrying a 180 kb duplication of the 46? region of the E. coli chromosome. This evolved duplication revealed a heterozygous state, with one copy harboring a 2668 bp deletion that included part of the ogrK gene and both the yegR and yegS genes. By genetically manipulating ancestral and evolved strains, we showed that the single yegS inactivation was sufficient to confer a frequency dependent fitness increase under the chemostat selective conditions in both the ancestor and evolved genetic contexts, implying that the duplication itself was not a direct fitness contributor. Nonetheless, the heterozygous duplicated state was relatively stable in the conditions prevailing during evolution in chemostats, in striking contrast to non selective conditions in which the duplication resolved at high frequency into either its ancestral or deleted copy

Capture into Rydberg states and momentum distributions of ionized electrons

The yield of neutral excited atoms and low-energy photoelectrons generated by the electron dynamics in the combined Coulomb and laser field after tunneling is investigated. We present results of Monte-Carlo simulations built on the two-step semiclassical model, as well as analytic estimates and scaling relations for the population trapping into the Rydberg states. It is shown that mainly those electrons are captured into bound states of the neutral atom that due to their initial conditions (i) have moderate drift momentum imparted by the laser field and (ii) avoid strong interaction ("hard" collision) with the ion. In addition, it is demonstrated that the channel of capture, when accounted for in semiclassical calculations, has a pronounced effect on the momentum distribution of electrons with small positive energy. For the parameters that we investigated its presence leads to a dip at zero momentum in the longitudinal momentum distribution of the ionized electrons.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures in one zip-archiv

Enhancement of Ethanol Production in Electrochemical Cell by Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CDBT2) and Wickerhamomyces anomalus (CDBT7)

Bioethanol (a renewable resource), blended with gasoline, is used as liquid transportation fuel worldwide and produced from either starch or lignocellulose. Local production and use of bioethanol supports local economies, decreases country's carbon footprint and promotes self-sufficiency. The latter is especially important for bio-resource-rich land-locked countries like Nepal that are seeking alternative transportation fuels and technologies to produce them. In that regard, in the present study, we have used two highly efficient ethanol producing yeast strains, viz., Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CDBT2) and Wickerhamomyces anomalous (CDBT7), in an electrochemical cell to enhance ethanol production. Ethanol production by CDBT2 (anodic chamber) and CDBT7 (cathodic chamber) control cultures, using 5% glucose as substrate, were 12.6 ± 0.42 and 10.1 ± 0.17 mg·mL−1 respectively. These cultures in the electrochemical cell, when externally supplied with 4V, the ethanol production was enhanced by 19.8 ± 0.50% and 23.7 ± 0.51%, respectively, as compared to the control cultures. On the other hand, co-culturing of those two yeast strains in both electrode compartments resulted only 3.96 ± 0.83% enhancement in ethanol production. Immobilization of CDBT7 in the graphite cathode resulted in lower enhancement of ethanol production (5.30 ± 0.82%), less than free cell culture of CDBT7. CDBT2 and CDBT7 when cultured in platinum nano particle coated platinum anode and neutral red-coated graphite cathode, respectively, ethanol production was substantially enhanced (52.8 ± 0.44%). The above experiments when repeated using lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate (reducing sugar content was 3.3%) as substrate, resulted in even better enhancement in ethanol production (61.5 ± 0.12%) as compared to glucose. The results concluded that CDBT2 and CDBT7 yeast strains produced ethanol efficiently from both glucose and lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate. Ethanol production was enhanced in the presence of low levels of externally applied voltage. Ethanol production was further enhanced with the better electron transport provision i.e., when neutral red was deposited on cathode and fine platinum nanoparticles were coated on the platinum anode

Prevalence of Arsenicosis in Terai, Nepal

This paper summarizes the findings of surveys on arsenicosis cases conducted during 2001-2004 in terai, Nepal, by governmental and non-governmental organizations in their respective project areas and by some national and international institutes. Studies were conducted in six arsenic-contaminated districts of terai, namely Nawalparasi, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Rupandehi, and Kapilvastu. In these districts, arsenic contamination in tubewells varied from 2.1% to 25.7%. The prevalence of arsenicosis was, on average, 2.2% and varied from 0.7% in Kapilavastu district to 3.6% in Nawalparasi district. In the community-based study, the highest prevalence (18.6%) of arsenicosis was found in Patkhouli village of Nawalparasi, where 95.8% of tubewells were contaminated with arsenic. The prevalence of arsenicosis was higher in older age-groups (&gt;50 years) of both the sexes. Males suffered more from arsenicosis than females (odds ratio: 2.50, 95% confidence interval 1.80-3.47). Skin manifestations, such as melanosis and keratosis, were the common symptoms of arsenicosis. Most patients were identified in the early or mild stage of the disease. They are expected to recover if further exposure to arsenic could be avoided by providing arsenic-safe drinking-water through intervention measures

The effects of citrate dialysate in hemodialysis on polymorphonuclear elastase interaction with tissue factor and its inhibitor

Background: This study aimed to investigate whether hemodialysis (HD) affects tissue factor (TF), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), and polymorphonuclear elastase (PMNE) in endstage renal disease (ESRD) patients when eliminating the effects of heparin. Also, to explore the interaction of TF, TFPI, and PMNE throughout a single HD session. Methods: We enrolled 57 ESRD patients who had undergone hemodialysis for &gt;3 months as an experimental group. Plasma levels of TF, TFPI and PMNE were measured by ELISA in 24 ERSD patients on intermittent HD using low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) as anticoagulation (LMWH group) and 33 ESRD patients using citrate as anticoagulation (citrate group) at the start and at 1, 2 and 5 h of the HD session. Meanwhile,28 ESRD patients not on dialysis were enrolled as a control group and fasting venous blood samples were taken in the morning. Results: Compared with the control group, the plasma TFPI levels of the LMWH group and the citrate group were significantly higher (P=0.000, P=0.002, respectively) under baseline conditions as well as the plasma PMNE levels (P=0.001, P=0.02, respectively), whereas TF showed no difference (P=0.186). During HD with citrate, plasma TFPI decreased slightly (P=0.012) and PMNE increased significantly (P=0.008) at 1 h. The plasma TFPI levels of the citrate group correlate with PMNE at 2 and 5 h (P=0.001, P=0.008, respectively). Conclusions: ESRD patients on HD have significantly higher TFPI and PMNE levels compared to patients not on HD under baseline conditions, while TF levels were similar between the three groups. TFPI and PMNE are differently regulated, but the plasma levels correlated during HD in the citrate group. It might be possible that PMNE plays a role in anticoagulative activity through TFPI