Flotation of Low Grade Copper ore from Kallur, Raichur District, Karnataka

Copper, an important non-ferrous metal, is in great demand in India, resulting in a continuous important of large quantities. The total copper ore reserves in India(Raghunandan et. al.1981) have been estimated to be 497 million tons of which an average of 2 million tons are being processed at present. In this c ontext the deve-lopment and exploitation of new reserves assumes impor-tance in order to meet the increasing demand from inter-nal production rather than through imports of the metal. Out of 19.4 million tons of reserves of the ore in Kar-nataka, 4.5 million tons are at present commercially exploited at Ingaldhal and Kalyadi. New ore reserves have been found at Tintini, Kailur, Machanur and Aladahalli and exploratory drilling for copper in these areas have been started by the Department of Mines and Geology. In this paper a detailed account of the beneficiation studies carried out on the low grade copper ore from Kallur, Raichur District, Karnataka are described for possible commercial exploitation in future

Integrated approaches for the recognition of small molecule inhibitors for Toll-like receptor 4

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are pattern recognition receptors present on the surface of cells playing a crucial role in innate immunity. One of the TLRs, TLR4, recognizes LPS (Lipopolysaccharide) as its ligand leading to the release of anti-inflammatory mediators as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines through signal transduction and domain recruitment. TLR4 homodimerizes at its intracellular TIR (Toll/interleukin-1 receptor) domain that helps in the recruitment of the TRAM/TICAM2 (TIR domain-containing adaptor molecule 2) molecule. TRAM also contains TIR domain which in turn, dimerizes and functions as an adapter protein to further recruit TRIF/TICAM1 (TIR domain-containing adaptor molecule 1) protein for mediating downstream signaling. Apart from LPS, TLR4 also recognizes endogenous ligands like fibrinogen, HMGB1, and hyaluronan in autoimmune conditions and sepsis. We employed computational approaches to target TRAM and recognize small molecule inhibitors from small molecules of natural origin, as contained in the Super Natural II database. Finally, cell reporter assays and NMR studies enabled the identification of promising lead compounds. Hence, this study aims to attenuate the signaling of the TLR4-TRAM-TRIF cascade in these auto-inflammatory conditions

Evaluation of adjustment methods used to determine prevalence of low birth-weight babies at a rural hospital in Andhra Pradesh, India

Accurate reporting of prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) is important for monitoring health of a population. LBW is often underestimated in developing countries due to heaping of the data at 2.5 kg. UNICEF uses an average adjustment factor of 25% to re-classify babies listed as exactly 2.5 kg into the LBW category. From October 2009 to February 2010, we weighed 859 consecutive live births at a rural hospital in Andhra Pradesh, India, using analog and digital scales to evaluate the relative validity of the adjustment factor. Significantly more babies weighed exactly 2.5 kg on analog (13.4%) versus digital (2.2%) scales, showing heaping. Percentage of LBW by digital method (29.5%) was significantly higher compared to the analog method (23%) and with adjustment factors (26.4%). Conventional methods of adjusting birth-weight data underestimate the prevalence of LBW. Sensitive digital weighing machines or better adjustment methods are needed to monitor LBW in developing countries

Increasing Full Child Immunization Rates by Government Using an Innovative Computerized Immunization Due List in Rural India

Increasing child vaccination coverage to 85% or more in rural India from the current level of 50% holds great promise for reducing infant and child mortality and improving health of children. We have tested a novel strategy called Rural Effective Affordable Comprehensive Health Care (REACH) in a rural population of more than 300 000 in Rajasthan and succeeded in achieving full immunization coverage of 88.7% among children aged 12 to 23 months in a short span of less than 2 years. The REACH strategy was first developed and successfully implemented in a demonstration project by SHARE INDIA in Medchal region of Andhra Pradesh, and was then replicated in Rajgarh block of Rajasthan in cooperation with Bhoruka Charitable Trust (private partners of Integrated Child Development Services and National Rural Health Mission health workers in Rajgarh). The success of the REACH strategy in both Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan suggests that it could be successfully adopted as a model to enhance vaccination coverage dramatically in other areas of rural India

Domino Knoevenagel-hetero-Diels-Alder reactions: a stereoselective synthesis of sugar-annulated furo[3,2-b] pyrano[4,3-d]pyran derivatives

The O-propargyl derivative of a sugar aldehyde derived from d-glucose undergoes smooth intramolecular domino Knoevenagel-hetero-Diels-Alder reactions with 1,3-diketones in the presence of CuI/Et<SUB>3</SUB>N system in refluxing methanol to afford a novel class of carbohydrate analogues, furopyranopyrans in good yields. 1-Aryl-pyrazol-5-ones also undergo smooth coupling with O-propargyl tethered sugar aldehyde under similar conditions to furnish pyrazole-annulated furopyranopyrans. The stereochemistry of the products was assigned by various NMR experiments

Occurrence, molecular diagnosis and suitable time of detection of citrus greening disease in sweet orange

Huanglongbing (HLB), previously known as citrus greening disease (CGD) is one of the most destructive disease of citrus and responsible for decline of citrus orchards in Andhra Pradesh (A. P) and other citrus growing areas in the country. A preliminary survey on prevalence of HLB associated with citrus was carried out in three major sweet orange growing districts of A. P and the results revealed that a high incidence of 14.5% was recorded in Prakasam district followed by Kadapa (13.18%) and Nellore (12.59%). The DNA extracted from different plant parts of acidlime, i.e. bark, midrib, vein and lamina by CTAB and SS Tris-EDTA methods were subjected to PCR amplification. An amplification product of 1150 bp was observed in bark, midrib and vein. However, no amplification was observed in leaf lamina. Between CTAB and SS Tris-EDTA method, DNA from SS Tris-EDTA method yielded bright band compared to CTAB method. Detection of HLB in sweet orange was done from December 2004 to April 2005 at fortnight interval. It was observed that an excellent amplification product of 1150 bp was observed from December 2004 to February 2005. From March onwards a mild amplification of 1150 bp was observed in both the methods. So it can be concluded that winter season will be the suitable period for detection of the pathogen. Between these two methods of DNA extraction CTAB method was useful for detection of HLB in midrib and veins while SS Tris-EDTA method was useful for detection in bark of sweet orange