Caste Rejection Thoughts in Siddhar Songs

Siddhar literature is still a unique literature in Tamil literature. The Siddhas have formulated their principles and doctrines in grammar. The word community means not only people living together but also living together based on an order in a society. The set of thoughts formed about what should and should not be done by a human being in a society is called morality or ethics. Based on this virtue, various virtues including the virtue of life have been said. Through the Vedas and the Puranas, the Vaidikas, the Brahmins, portrayed themselves as superior and treated other caste people as slaves. Many were considered as untouchables and unfit based on caste hierarchies. The Siddhars have raised a revolt against the Vedics, their principles and doctrines. Caste and religion are inextricably intertwined in Indian society. They are inextricably intertwined. The Siddhars are foremost in denouncing the caste system which is the main reason for the division in the society. Siddhars who saw the inequalities that existed between them in their time, stood bravely and opposed the caste system. Caste oppression is one of the most prevalent things in Indian society.  One of its inputs is the untouchability and is created as a result of a dominant mindset that does not treat fellow human beings as equals. If you touch the untouchables you will be defiled. Seeing this cruelty, the Siddhars raised their voices against untouchability. The Siddhars have also sung against untouchability as a part of caste oppression. The Siddhars condemned the Vedas for citing grass-eating as the main reason for untouchability

Classification of EEG signals on standing, walking and running dataset using LSTM-RNN

Undoubtedly one of the most important strands of the brain-computer interface (BCI) method is an alternate communication method via brain signals. BCI converts electroencephalogram (EEG) signals from a perception of activity in the brain into user action utilising software and hardware. BCI has piqued the interest of researchers in a wide range of disciplines, such as cognitive science, deep learning, pattern matching, drug treatment medicine, etc. Patients suffering from neuro and cognitive disorders can be assisted through BCI, potentially enabling communication via gestures or just mental imagination. In this paper, a novel combination of Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) for extracting the best features and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) based Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) is adopted for classifying the EEG signals acquired during standing, walking and running on a treadmill. The dataset used is freely downloaded from Open Science Framework repository. The proposed DWT-LSTMRNN method delivers 96.7% accuracy while classifying four different signals, and thus has the potential to be investigated further on BCI competition datasets that will pave way for a real-time application

Production and characterization of antimicrobials from isolate Pantoea agglomerans of Medicago sativa plant rhizosphere soil

Due to rise in drug resistance among pathogens, there is always an urge to look for new drug alternatives. So in this study we aimed to identify the unexplored rhizosphere microflora of alfalfa plant for new antimicrobials. With initial screening for isolates from rhizosphere region for antibacterial activity against selected bacterial pathogens, the isolate AL10 had better activity selected for this study. The isolate mass was cultured and secondary metabolites were extracted using ethyl acetate and subjected to FTIR and GC-MS analysis. Based on functional diversity analysis, the isolate subjected to anti-bacterial activity revealed significant activity against Streptococcus pneumonia, Klebsiella, S. aureus with zone of inhibition in the range of18-20 mm. Based on GC-MS analysis report ten compounds were identified and 1-Octadecane and 1-nonadecanol were found to be responsible for bio-activity. FT-IR results showed that N-H stretching functional group was dominantly present in the extract. Molecular identification of the isolate by 16S rRNA sequencing showed the isolate as Pantoea agglomerans. The results showed that the isolate P.agglomerans, gram negative bacteria had wide antibacterial activity due to 1-Octadecane and 1-nonadecanol. Though Alfalfa plant has been described for various biological activities, this is a first report on rhizosphere region of plant reporting for antibacterial potential microbes

Assessing the safety and efficacy of dinoprostone vaginal insert in pregnancy

Background: Induction of labor (IOL) is a procedure used to achieve vaginal birth when the hazards of extending the pregnancy for either the mother or the infant outweigh the dangers of delivery. It is often used in high-risk pregnancies, although it can also be useful in low-risk groups, as demonstrated by A Randomized Trial of Induction Versus Expectant Management (ARRIVE) study. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted among 414 patients at Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology tertiary care hospital. The study was conducted for one-year duration in pregnant women with maternal age >18 years, gestational week >37 weeks, and Bishop score <7 was included in the study with no signs of labor. Demographic details such as age, pregnancy history, and mode of delivery were recorded for comparison. Patients with no induction of labor were administered misoprostol and/or dinoprostone based on clinical conditions with further evaluation of maternal complications, delivery time, birthweight of the fetus, and fetal heart rate. Data were analyzed based on percentages and a chi-square test was used (p-value <0.05). Results: The mode of delivery did not significantly affect delivery outcomes (p=0.354), with assisted delivery being the most common (35.41%). Indication for induction was found to be significant (p=0.034), with non-progress of labor being the most common indication (55.2%). Maternal complications were not significantly associated with delivery outcomes (p=0.390), with 60 (14.49%) patients experiencing complications. The use of misoprostol reported a significant difference between modes of delivery with 74.93% of vaginal delivery, 19.47% with lower segment cesarean section (LSCS), and 5.60% with assisted delivery (p value <0.03). Conclusions: In low-risk pregnant women, the dinoprostone or misoprostol vaginal inserts are both safe and effective for inducing labor. Nulliparous individuals and those who did not get epidural analgesia during labor had a higher chance of caesarean section

GC-MS analysis of yellow pigmented Macrococcus equipercicus isolated from alfalfa rhizosphere soil fields of Coimbatore

The rhizosphere of plant possesses important microflora, which secretes wide chemical compounds including secondary metabolites necessary for plant growth and development. The microbial flora of alfalfa plant rhizosphere soil region was explored for functional activity and we found upto ten different pigmented colonies. Due to good functional diversity, this yellow pigmented colony was taken for further studies. Thus, the culture was molecularly characterized and identified for potent bioactive components responsible for antimicrobial activity. The selected culture mass was cultured and secondary metabolites were produced and extracted using ethyl acetate and subjected to GC-MS analysis. The antimicrobial study revealed selective activity against Streptococcus pneumonia, and Proteus sp with zone of inhibition to be 18 and 20 mm respectively.  Molecular identification of the isolate by 16S rRNA sequencing showed the isolate as Macrococcus equipercicus with 100 % similarity. Based on GC-MS analysis report 25bioactive compounds were identified and 13-docosenamide, hexadecanoic acid esters and quercetin were found in ethyl acetate extract. Conclusion: Thus the yellow pigmented gram positive cocci M.equipercicus isolated from Medicago sativa possessed wide antibacterial activity due to presence of quercetin. Through the studies, we were able to identify potent antibacterial compound producing bacteria from M. sativa plant rhizosphere soil

Dialysis-associated peritonitis in children

Peritonitis remains a frequent complication of peritoneal dialysis in children and is the most common reason for technique failure. The microbiology is characterized by a predominance of Gram-positive organisms, with fungi responsible for less than 5% of episodes. Data collected by the International Pediatric Peritonitis Registry have revealed a worldwide variation in the bacterial etiology of peritonitis, as well as in the rate of culture-negative peritonitis. Risk factors for infection include young age, the absence of prophylactic antibiotics at catheter placement, spiking of dialysis bags, and the presence of a catheter exit-site or tunnel infection. Clinical symptoms at presentation are somewhat organism specific and can be objectively assessed with a Disease Severity Score. Whereas recommendations for empiric antibiotic therapy in children have been published by the International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis, epidemiologic data and antibiotic susceptibility data suggest that it may be desirable to take the patient- and center-specific history of microorganisms and their sensitivity patterns into account when prescribing initial therapy. The vast majority of patients are treated successfully and continue peritoneal dialysis, with the poorest outcome noted in patients with peritonitis secondary to Gram-negative organisms or fungi and in those with a relapsing infection

Evaluation of spent coffee obtained from the most common coffeemakers as a source of hydrophilic bioactive compounds

The main hydrophilic antioxidant compounds (3-, 4-, and 5-monocaffeoylquinic and 3,4-, 3,5-, and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acids, caffeine, and browned compounds, including melanoidins) and the antioxidant capacity (Folin-Ciocalteu, ABTS, DPPH, Fremy's salt, and TEMPO) were evaluated in Arabica and Robusta spent coffee obtained from the preparation of coffee brews with the most common coffeemakers (filter, espresso, plunger, and mocha). All spent coffee grounds, with the exception of those from the mocha coffeemaker, had relevant amounts of total caffeoylquinic acids (6.22-13.24 mg/g of spent coffee), mainly dicaffeoylquinic acids (3.31-5.79 mg/g of spent coffee), which were 4-7-fold higher than in their respective coffee brews. Caffeine ranged from 3.59 to 8.09 mg/g of spent coffee. The antioxidant capacities of the aqueous spent coffee extracts were 46.0-102.3% (filter), 59.2-85.6% (espresso), and <42% (plunger) in comparison to their respective coffee brews. This study obtained spent coffee extracts with antioxidant properties that can be used as a good source of hydrophilic bioactive compounds

Cloning of partial cry1Ac gene from an indigenous isolate of Bacillus thuringiensis

The discoveries of novel cry genes of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) with higher toxicity are important for the development of new products. The cry1 family genes are more toxic to the lepidopteran insects ­­­­­­according to the previous reports. In the present study, nine indigenous isolates of Bt were used for screening of cry1 genes by PCR using degenerate primers specific to cry1 family genes. Two of the nine new isolates of Bt showed amplification with cry1 family primers. Partial cry1gene(s) was cloned from one of the cry1 positive isolate of Bt, T133. Nucleotide sequence data generated for partial cry1 gene of T133 showed 98% homology with 1420 bp of the partial cry1Ac1 gene. Deduced amino acid sequence of the partial cry1Ac of Bt strain, T133 showed two per cent variation in comparison to Cry1Ac1 by differing at 5 positions; one deletion at 442th position and five substitutions at the following positions, 296, 367, 440 and 563.Keywords: Bacillus thuringiensis, cry1 genes, degenerate primer, cloningAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(18), 1845-184

Bacterial Profile and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern in Pregnant Women with Urinary Tract Infection Attending the Department of OBG in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Urinary tract infections(UTI) are the most common bacterial infections among women in both pregnant and non pregnant states, among which asymptomatic bacteriuria is the commonest .Symptomatic bacteriuria includes cystitis and pyelonephritis .UTI is a disease of multiple etiology and is known for its recurrence despite the treatment. Every woman has a 20% life time risk of developing UTI. A sincere effort has been put to understand the local epidemiology of the organism and its susceptibility pattern so as to initiate an effective treatment. 1.To study the bacterial isolates of Urinary tract infection in pregnant women. 2.To study the antibiogram of the bacterial isolates. The study was conducted among 100 pregnant women who attended Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBG) outpatient department at a tertiary care centre, Bangalore, India, over a period of six months. For isolating the bacteria, standard conventional method of isolation and identification was followed. Antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates were determined using Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. The data was analyzed using standard statistical package. Majority of the isolates were Escherichia coli (33.98%) followed by Klebsiella species (19.41%), Coagulase negative staphylococcus (16.50%) and Enterococcus fecalis(13.59%), Acinetobacter species(7.76%), Staphylococcus aureus (3.88%), Pseudomonas and Enterobacter species were 1.9% each. Proteus being the least(0.97%). The isolates were sensitive to Aminoglycosides (97.08%) and Nitrofurantoin (97.08%). The study suggests that the common etiological agent for UTI in pregnant women was Escherichia coli and was sensitive to Aminoglycosides and Nitrofurantoin