Damage and Remedial Measures for Buildings on Hill Slopes

The paper deals with details of geotechnical investigations carried out for evaluating the reasons of damage to the buildings resting on hill slopes in northern region of India and also to evaluate the soil parameters for designing retaining walls and other remedial measures for preventing further damage to structures. Three causes of failure were identified namely (i) instability of slopes, (ii) improper design of retaining walls and (iii) differential settlement of structures. Shear strength parameters of the soil mass required for the analysis of slope stability and stability of retaining wall sections have been chosen based on three methods of investigations viz. large scale direct in-situ shear tests, plate load tests and the back analysis method. The stability analysis of various sections of slopes have been carried out and measures for strengthening of slopes have been suggested

Three-year monitoring of a sample of flat-spectrum radio sources at 327 MHz

Results of a 3-year monitoring programme at 327 MHz with the Ooty Synthesis Radio Telescope are presented. The majority of the sample consists of BL Lac objects, high-optical polarization quasars (HPQ) and low-optical polarization quasars (LPQ). In addition, a few known variable sources, GHz-peaked spectrum sources and compact doubles were also added. Including an additional set of 36 control and calibrator sources, a total of 82 sources were observed at roughly 3-month intervals for about 3 years. We find 19 variable and 6 possibly-variable sources. However, the observed variability in the BL Lac-HPQ-LPQ subsamples does not seem to be influenced by their optical properties

A prospective, open label, randomized-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Herbovir syrup in mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients

Background: COVID-19 patients experience cytokine storm which cause pulmonary and extra-pulmonary complications. Effective antiviral and immune boosters are need of hour to treat COVID-19 as well as post COVID complications.Methods: In this study involving mild COVID-19 we randomized 40 patients to receive a Herbovir syrup along with standard of care (SOC) or SOC alone in 1:1 ratio. We evaluated the benefits of Herbovir syrup by assessing clinical outcomes and improvement in immune markers (LDH, CRP, D-dimer).Results: At the end of the study the immune markers in Herbovir group improved significant compared to control group. In patients who received Herbovir, LDH decreased from 334 U/l at baseline to 254 U/l at the end of treatment (p value 75% patients in Herbovir treated group.Conclusions: Herbovir accelerated recovery of COVID-19 patients by early improvement in clinical symptoms and immune markers in this study and results clearly indicates that Herbovir syrup has antiviral, immune booster activity and has definitive role in the management of mild COVID-19 patients along with standard of care. (Funded by Venkat pharma. CTRI no. CTRI/2020/08/027041)

Genetic diversity among three Indian populations of black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon Fabricious, 1798) using microsatellite DNA markers

Genetic variation is an essential factor while selecting superior stocks for breeding programs. Eight microsatellite loci (TUZX pm2.27, TUZX pm2.28, TUZX pm2.36, TUZX pm2.69, TUZX pm4.84, TUZX pm4.87, TUZX pm6.1 and TUZX pm4.9) were used for molecular characterisation of Penaeus monodon collected from three different locations in India, viz., Kakinada and Chennai on the east coast and Mumbai on the west coast and all the loci were found to be highly polymorphic. The number of alleles and genotypes across the loci ranged from 5 to 23 and 42 to 98, respectively. The observed heterozygosity among the populations across the loci ranged from 0 to 0.1678. The overall FST value was found to be 0.021 (<0.05), which implies a low degree of population differentiation in the species. On the basis of pair-wise allelic differentiation and UPGMA dendrogram, the investigated samples from three locations were allocated in to two distinct populations composed of east coast and west coast populations

Morphological diversity in sorghum germplasm from India

Of the 5000 sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Monench) germplasm accessions assembled at ICRISAT Asia Center (IAC), over 4000 accessions from 11 major sorghum growing states in India were evaluated for morphological and agronomical characters at IAC during rainy and postrainy seasons. Considerable diversity was observed for all the characters studied. Diversity was more among states than within states. Variation among the seasons was also considerable. Days to flowering ranged from 42 to 129 days during postrainy and 33 to 180 days during the rainy season indicating their day length sensitivity. Plant height ranged from 65 to 330 cm during postrainy and 75 to 655 cm during rainy season. Panicle length ranged from 5 cm to 52 cm and panicle width from 1 to 51 cm. Erect and compact panicles are more frequent although all possible panicle shapes and compactness were found. In general, sorghums from India produce medium to large, lustrous grains in which the subcoat (testa) is absent. All the 5 basic and 10 intermediate sorghum races were found in India though durra or half-durra predominate. Racial diversity is maximal in the state of Andhra Pradesh followed by Maharashatra state. In the world collection a majority of the sources of resistance to shoot fly, stem borer, and striga are from India. Based on diversity for morphological and agronomical characters, India could be considered as the secondary center of diversity. Sorghum germplasm from India is useful for good quality large grai

Marine Fish Calendar. 8. Veraval

The coastline of Gujarat, spread around 1,660 km is well known for its bombay duck and pomfret fisheries. Veraval located in the Saurashtra region forms one of the major fish landing centres. The average annual landing is around 50,000 t, forming about 20% of the catch of the Gujarat State. The peak landing period is from October to January by the trawlers. In Veraval it is observed that due to poor handling and storage facilities about 40% of the catch goes as trash fish and is used for manure and fish meal purpose

Propagation of pure fetal and maternal mesenchymal stromal cells from terminal chorionic villi of human term placenta

Long term propagation of human fetal Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSC) in vitro has proven elusive due to limited availability of fetal tissue sources and lack of appropriate methodologies. Here, we have demonstrated the presence of fetal and maternal cells within the tips of Terminal Chorionic Villi (TCV) of normal human term placenta and we have exploited inherent differences in the adhesive and migratory properties of maternal vs. fetal cells, to establish pure MSC cultures of both cell types. The origin and purity of each culture was confirmed by X-Y chromosome-specific Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) and Short Tandem Repeat (STR) genotyping. This is the first demonstration of fetal and maternal cells in the TCV of human term placenta and also of deriving pure fetal MSC cultures from them. The concomitant availability of pure cultures of adult and fetal MSC from one tissue provides a good system to compare genetic and epigenetic differences between adult and fetal MSCs and also to generate new models of cell based therapies in regenerative medicine

Specific heat study of single crystalline Pr0.63_{0.63} Ca0.37_{0.37} MnO3_{3} in presence of a magnetic field

We present the results of a study of specific heat on a single crystal of Pr$_{0.63}$Ca$_{0.37}$MnO$_3$ performed over a temperature range 3K-300K in presence of 0 and 8T magnetic fields. An estimate of the entropy and latent heat in a magnetic field at the first order charge ordering (CO) transition is presented. The total entropy change at the CO transition which is $\approx$ 1.8 J/mol K at 0T, decreases to $\sim$ 1.5 J/mol K in presence of 8T magnetic field. Our measurements enable us to estimate the latent heat $L_{CO}$ $\approx$ 235 J/mol involved in the CO transition. Since the entropy of the ferromagnetic metallic (FMM) state is comparable to that of the charge-ordered insulating (COI) state, a subtle change in entropy stabilises either of these two states. Our low temperature specific heat measurements reveal that the linear term is absent in 0T and surprisingly not seen even in the metallic FMM state.Comment: 8 pages (in RevTEX format), 12 figures (in postscript format) Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Usage of Glimepiride/Metformin Fixed-dose Combination in Young Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: The Indian Experience

Background: The prevalence of diabetes has been rising among the younger population and is a cause for concern. The present case-based questionnaire survey evaluated the treatment pattern and clinical experience of healthcare professionals (HCPs) in prescribing glimepiride/metformin fixed-dose combination (FDC) to young diabetes patients (up to 40 years of age) in the Indian setting. Material and methods: A retrospective, multicenter, observational, questionnaire-based survey was conducted in Indian healthcare centers using medical records of patients having type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), who were prescribed different strengths of glimepiride/metformin FDCs. Data was collected from the patients’ medical records and were analyzed using statistical tests. Results: A total of 2,715 patients aged between 18 and 40 years were included in the study. Mean diabetes duration among the young patients was 2.76 ± 1.97 years. Among the young T2DM patients, 83.2% patients received glimepiride/metformin FDC as first-line therapy, and 16.8% received it as second-line therapy. Hypoglycemia at 6 months was noted in only 2.47% of the young patients. Mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) before and after treatment was 8.7% ± 3.4% and 7.3% ± 3.9%, respectively. Mean fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was 171.8 ± 80.1 mg/dL in patients prior to treatment initiation and came down to 122.8 ± 41.8 mg/dL after treatment with glimepiride/metformin FDC. Mean postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) prior to combination therapy use was 248.7 ± 64.0 mg/dL and dropped to 177.2 ± 39.9 mg/dL after treatment. Good to excellent efficacy and tolerability were reported for 86% and 86.6% patients, respectively. Conclusion: This case-based questionnaire survey demonstrates the usage pattern of various strengths of glimepiride/metformin FDCs and the HCPs’ practice approach regarding the use of this combination in young T2DM patients in the Indian setting. The combination is commonly prescribed to young diabetes patients in India and is associated with beneficial effects on glycemic parameters

Helical Jet in the Gravitationally Lensed Blazar PKS1830-211

Recent radio VLBI observations of the complex gravitationally lensed system PKS1830-211 have thrown up some questions with regard to the processes occuring at the heart of the blazar source at a redshift of 2.51, which is viewed almost straight down the jet axis. This work links, by a model of a helical jet tracked by ballistically ejected plasmons from a precessing nozzle, observations on the scale of tens of microarcseconds to those on the scale of milliarcseconds. An observed jet precession period of 1.08 years is inferred from the model, translating to an intrinsic period of 30.8 years for a source at redshift 2.51 and an assumed jet bulk velocity of 0.99 c. This fits well with the picture of an active galactic nucleus hosting a binary black hole system at its centre, with the jet emitted by one member of the system, and the precession as being due to its orbital motion around its companion.Comment: Accepted for publication in the MNRA