Sufficient conditions for generalized Sakaguchi type functions of order β

In this paper, we obtain some sufficient conditions for generalized Sakaguchi type function of order β, defined on the open unit disk. Many interesting outcomes of our results are also calculated.Publisher's Versio

Improved Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Pilot Scale Pretreated Rice Straw at High Total Solids Loading

Enzymatic hydrolysis at high solids loading has the potential to reduce both capital and operational expenditures. Here, pretreatment of rice straw (PRS) with dilute acid was carried out at a pilot scale (250 kg per day) at 162°C for 10 min and 0.35% acid concentration, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis at different total solids loadings. It showed that although the total sugar concentration increased from 48 to 132 g/l, glucan conversion reduced by 27% (84–66.2%) with increasing solids from 5 to 20% in batch mode. Therefore, two different fed-batch approaches were evaluated to improve the glucan conversion by the sequential addition of a substrate and/or enzyme. At 20% solid loadings and a 3 filter paper units/g enzyme dosage, the highest glucan conversion obtained was 66% after 30 h of hydrolysis in batch mode. However, in an optimized fed-batch approach, the glucan yield was improved to 70% by simply dividing the substrate feeding into three batches, that is, 50% at 0 h, 25% each after 4 h, and 8 h of hydrolysis reaction. The addition of surfactant (Ecosurf E6) further improved the conversion to 72% after 30 h. The role of critical factors, that is, inhibitors, enzyme–lignin binding, and viscosity, was investigated during the course of hydrolysis in the batch and fed-batch approaches. This study suggests a sustainable approach for improved hydrolysis at high solids loadings by fine-tuning a simple process

Synergistic Enzyme Cocktail to Enhance Hydrolysis of Steam Exploded Wheat Straw at Pilot Scale

Multiple enzymes are required for efficient hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass and no wild type organism is capable of producing all enzymes in desired levels. In this study, steam explosion of wheat straw was carried out at pilot scale and a synthetic enzyme mixture (EnzMix) was developed by partially replacing the cellulase with critical dosages of commercially available accessory enzymes (β-glucosidase, xylanase and laccase) through central composite design. Highest degree of synergism (DS) was observed with β-glucosidase (1.68) followed by xylanase (1.36). Finally, benchmarking of EnzMix (Celluclast, β-glucosidase and xylanase in a protein ratio of 20.40: 38.43: 41.16, respectively) and other leading commercial enzymes was carried out. Interestingly, hydrolysis improved by 75% at 6 h and 30% at 24 h, respectively in comparison of control. By this approach, 25% reduction in enzyme dosage was observed for obtaining the same hydrolysis yield with opitimized enzyme cocktail. Thus, development of enzyme cocktail is an effective and sustainable approach for high hydrolysis efficiency

Burden of disease scenarios for 204 countries and territories, 2022–2050: a forecasting analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Future trends in disease burden and drivers of health are of great interest to policy makers and the public at large. This information can be used for policy and long-term health investment, planning, and prioritisation. We have expanded and improved upon previous forecasts produced as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) and provide a reference forecast (the most likely future), and alternative scenarios assessing disease burden trajectories if selected sets of risk factors were eliminated from current levels by 2050. Methods: Using forecasts of major drivers of health such as the Socio-demographic Index (SDI; a composite measure of lag-distributed income per capita, mean years of education, and total fertility under 25 years of age) and the full set of risk factor exposures captured by GBD, we provide cause-specific forecasts of mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by age and sex from 2022 to 2050 for 204 countries and territories, 21 GBD regions, seven super-regions, and the world. All analyses were done at the cause-specific level so that only risk factors deemed causal by the GBD comparative risk assessment influenced future trajectories of mortality for each disease. Cause-specific mortality was modelled using mixed-effects models with SDI and time as the main covariates, and the combined impact of causal risk factors as an offset in the model. At the all-cause mortality level, we captured unexplained variation by modelling residuals with an autoregressive integrated moving average model with drift attenuation. These all-cause forecasts constrained the cause-specific forecasts at successively deeper levels of the GBD cause hierarchy using cascading mortality models, thus ensuring a robust estimate of cause-specific mortality. For non-fatal measures (eg, low back pain), incidence and prevalence were forecasted from mixed-effects models with SDI as the main covariate, and YLDs were computed from the resulting prevalence forecasts and average disability weights from GBD. Alternative future scenarios were constructed by replacing appropriate reference trajectories for risk factors with hypothetical trajectories of gradual elimination of risk factor exposure from current levels to 2050. The scenarios were constructed from various sets of risk factors: environmental risks (Safer Environment scenario), risks associated with communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNs; Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination scenario), risks associated with major non-communicable diseases (NCDs; Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario), and the combined effects of these three scenarios. Using the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways climate scenarios SSP2-4.5 as reference and SSP1-1.9 as an optimistic alternative in the Safer Environment scenario, we accounted for climate change impact on health by using the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change temperature forecasts and published trajectories of ambient air pollution for the same two scenarios. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy were computed using standard methods. The forecasting framework includes computing the age-sex-specific future population for each location and separately for each scenario. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for each individual future estimate were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of distributions generated from propagating 500 draws through the multistage computational pipeline. Findings: In the reference scenario forecast, global and super-regional life expectancy increased from 2022 to 2050, but improvement was at a slower pace than in the three decades preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (beginning in 2020). Gains in future life expectancy were forecasted to be greatest in super-regions with comparatively low life expectancies (such as sub-Saharan Africa) compared with super-regions with higher life expectancies (such as the high-income super-region), leading to a trend towards convergence in life expectancy across locations between now and 2050. At the super-region level, forecasted healthy life expectancy patterns were similar to those of life expectancies. Forecasts for the reference scenario found that health will improve in the coming decades, with all-cause age-standardised DALY rates decreasing in every GBD super-region. The total DALY burden measured in counts, however, will increase in every super-region, largely a function of population ageing and growth. We also forecasted that both DALY counts and age-standardised DALY rates will continue to shift from CMNNs to NCDs, with the most pronounced shifts occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (60·1% [95% UI 56·8–63·1] of DALYs were from CMNNs in 2022 compared with 35·8% [31·0–45·0] in 2050) and south Asia (31·7% [29·2–34·1] to 15·5% [13·7–17·5]). This shift is reflected in the leading global causes of DALYs, with the top four causes in 2050 being ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared with 2022, with ischaemic heart disease, neonatal disorders, stroke, and lower respiratory infections at the top. The global proportion of DALYs due to YLDs likewise increased from 33·8% (27·4–40·3) to 41·1% (33·9–48·1) from 2022 to 2050, demonstrating an important shift in overall disease burden towards morbidity and away from premature death. The largest shift of this kind was forecasted for sub-Saharan Africa, from 20·1% (15·6–25·3) of DALYs due to YLDs in 2022 to 35·6% (26·5–43·0) in 2050. In the assessment of alternative future scenarios, the combined effects of the scenarios (Safer Environment, Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination, and Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenarios) demonstrated an important decrease in the global burden of DALYs in 2050 of 15·4% (13·5–17·5) compared with the reference scenario, with decreases across super-regions ranging from 10·4% (9·7–11·3) in the high-income super-region to 23·9% (20·7–27·3) in north Africa and the Middle East. The Safer Environment scenario had its largest decrease in sub-Saharan Africa (5·2% [3·5–6·8]), the Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario in north Africa and the Middle East (23·2% [20·2–26·5]), and the Improved Nutrition and Vaccination scenario in sub-Saharan Africa (2·0% [–0·6 to 3·6]). Interpretation: Globally, life expectancy and age-standardised disease burden were forecasted to improve between 2022 and 2050, with the majority of the burden continuing to shift from CMNNs to NCDs. That said, continued progress on reducing the CMNN disease burden will be dependent on maintaining investment in and policy emphasis on CMNN disease prevention and treatment. Mostly due to growth and ageing of populations, the number of deaths and DALYs due to all causes combined will generally increase. By constructing alternative future scenarios wherein certain risk exposures are eliminated by 2050, we have shown that opportunities exist to substantially improve health outcomes in the future through concerted efforts to prevent exposure to well established risk factors and to expand access to key health interventions

Oxidation of substituted alkynes catalyzed by a non-heme iron(III) bis benzimidazole diamide complex as catalyst under ambient conditions

658-663Bis-benzimidazole diamide ligand, N,N′- bis(2-methylbenzimidazolyl) hexanediamide [GBHA = L], and its Fe(III) complexes have been synthesized. The Fe(III) complexes have been analyzed for the composition [Fe(L)X3].nH2O where X is an exogenous anionic ligand (X=Cl¯, NO3­¯) and characterized by IR, UV-visible, cyclic voltammetry and EPR spectroscopy. Low temperature EPR spectra have been obtained for the complexes that indicate rhombic geometry environment in solution state. Oxidation of substituted alkynes has been investigated using these Fe(III) complexes as catalyst with TBHP and H2O2 as an alternate source of oxygen. The isolated products have been characterized by GC-MS

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the vulva – a rare occurrence

Vulval tumours are rare, representing merely 4% of all gynaecological neoplasms. 98% of vulvar lesions are benign, and only 2% are malignant. Of all vulvar malignancies, while squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignancy, leiomyosarcomas of the vulva are extremely rare. Usually these tumours have nonspecific clinical manifestations, often leading to misdiagnoses of Bartholin cysts or abscesses. We describe a case of a 47-year-old woman who presented with a nonspecific painless swelling in the left vulva for 2 months which was diagnosed as leiomyosarcoma of the vulva on biopsy as well as resection

Tumor lysis syndrome developing intraoperatively

Tumor lysis syndrome is a potentially life threatening condition which is most commonly encountered in patients being treated with chemotherapy. We report a case of spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome that developed intraoperatively in a patient with undiagnosed Burkitt's lymphoma. Characteristic electrolyte disturbances and white emulsion like urine following laparotomy and tumor handling intraoperatively suggested the diagnosis. This is a rare perioperative complication and the report emphasizes the importance of being vigilant in recognizing the same

Intramolecularly H-bonded bis-benzimidazole diamide ligand and its Mn(II) complexes: Synthesis, spectral and electrochemical studies

159-166New manganese(II) complexes with a diamide ligand N,N'-bis(benzimidazolyl-2yl)(methyl)pentane diamide have been synthesized with the general composition [Mn(GBGA)2X2] where X = Cl-, CH3COO-, SCN-, ClO4-. The ligand has been structurally characterized and has been found to adopt a helical structure stabilized by strong intramolecular and intermolecular H-bonding. The ligand crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with unit cell dimensions: a = 14.180(5) Å, b = 8.454(5) Å, c = 19.353(5) Å, = 90.000°, β=108.232(5)°, = 90.000° and Z=2. X-band solid state EPR spectra for the Mn(II) complexes have been obtained indicating weakly distorted octahedral complexes with D ranging between 0.05-0.14 cm-1. Cyclic votammograms display a quasi-reversible redox wave. The E1/2 values follow the order: SCN- 3COO- - ~ ClO4-. Quenching of superoxide anion is studied by cyclic voltammetry. From the plot of total peak current versus concentration of the added Mn(II) catalysts, the break points and turnover of catalyst have been evaluated

Bacteriological evaluation of packaged bottled water sold at Jaipur city and its public health significance

Aim: The study was carried out to investigate the microbiological quality of packaged drinking water marketed in Jaipur city. Material and Methods: In the present study 'twenty' drinking water samples (15 water bottles and 5 sachets) of different brands purchased randomly, were evaluated to access the water quality on the basis of different bacteriological parameters. Result: Out of twenty, 50% samples were found unsatisfactory in standard plate count. Psychrophillic, coliforms, E. coli and staphylococcal counts revealed that 25%, 45%, 20%, and 5% samples respectively were found unfit for human consumption as per Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) of drinking water. On the basis of results of overall microbiological assessment 55% of samples proved to be unfit for consumption. All brands of water sachet (100%) had high coliforms count which indicates faecal contamination. Amongst those sachets two brands (40%) had presence of E. coli and all the sachet water brands fell below drinking water standards while out of fifteen brands of bottled water 6 samples contained higher microbiological value hence unfit for human consumption. Conclusion: Local brands of packaged drinking water were found unfit for human condumption. So it is suggested that government should intensify the efforts in the monitoring of activities in this rapidly expanding industry with a view to supply potable and wholesome water to the public. [Vet World 2013; 6(1.000): 27-30