A study on malassezia micro flora in the skin of healthy individuals in North Kerala, India

Background: Malassezia spp are accounted for approximately 60-90% of the total cutaneous fungal micro biota. An enhanced understanding of the distribution of Malassezia spp in healthy individuals is necessary to gain insight to involvement of these species in human skin disorders particularly in pityriasis versicolor. The aim of this study was to assess the Malassezia micro flora of healthy individuals and to identify species variation with different body sites, gender and age groups.Methods: A total of 120 apparently healthy men and 120 women without any skin diseases or who were not treated for Malassezia associated skin diseases were selected for the study. The specimens consisted of scrapings collected from chest, back and neck from each control subject totaling 720 sites.Results: The recovery rate of Malassezia was positive in case of 452 (62.78%) of 720 sites sampled, while the remaining 268 (37.22%) were found to be negative. Recovery rate of Malassezia was highest in chest with 83.33% positive cases, followed by the back with 73.33% and the neck 31.67%. M. globosa was identified as the common species (46.46%) followed by M. furfur (25%) and M. restricta (22.56%). No significant difference was present (P > 0.05) in distribution of species with different body sites, gender and age groups.Conclusions: The overall colonization rate of Malassezia spp in normal healthy individuals found in this study was 62.78%. M. globosa was identified as the common species (46.46%)

Streptomyces consortia-mediated plant defense against Fusarium wilt and plant growth-promotion in chickpea

Three strains of Streptomyces griseus (CAI-24, CAI-121 and CAI-127) and one strain each of Streptomyces africanus (KAI-32) and Streptomyces coelicolor (KAI-90) were reported by us as biocontrol agents against Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri (FOC), and as plant growth-promoters (PGP) in chickpea. In the present study, the combined effect of these Streptomyces strains as a consortium were assessed for their biocontrol potential against Fusarium wilt and PGP in chickpea. Based on their compatibility, biocontrol ability and PGP performance, two consortia were assembled, consortium-1 having all the five strains of Streptomyces sp. and consortium-2 having the two promising strains (CAI-127 and KAI-32). Under greenhouse conditions, consortium- 1 and consortium-2 were found to reduce the Fusarium wilt disease incidence by 55% and 74%, while under field conditions, these were by 86% and 96% in year-1 and by 54% and 69% in year-2, respectively, when compared to the positive control (only FOC treated). Shoot samples treated with consortia + FOC contained significantly enhanced antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, glutathione reductase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, when compared to the positive control (only FOC treated) or the negative control samples (neither FOC nor consortia treated). When the consortia were evaluated for their PGP traits under field conditions in two chickpea cultivars, JG11 and ICCV2, and in two consecutive years, nodule number was found to enhance up to 25%, nodule weight up to 49%, leaf area up to 37%, leaf weight up to 43%, root weight up to 23%, shoot weight up to 35%, seed weight up to 30%, seed number up to 29%, total dry matter up to 22% and grain yield up to 22% over the un-inoculated control plants. This study had demonstrated that the selected consortium of Streptomyces spp. has a greater potential for biological control of Fusarium wilt disease and PGP in chickpea

A New Methodology For Distribution System Feeder Reconfiguration

Abstract-Distribution System Automation (DSA) is being carried out very seriously world over to enhance the reliability of the system and to minimize the huge losses that are occurring in the Distribution System. Feeder Reconfiguration (FR) is an important sub-problem of the overall distribution system automation process. Basic concept of feeder reconfiguration is to arrive at the best set of sectionalizing switches to be opened for a given set of tie switch such that the system performance is enhanced. In this paper a novel criterion is proposed based on the slope of the curve between the feeder losses verses receiving end voltage. Application of this criterion results in the most minimal loss configuration for any given loading condition. An existing switching indices criterion and switching algorithm criterion has been considered and the results are compared with that of the proposed slope criterion which results in the most minimal loss configuration. General MATLAB programs are developed to these criterions to obtain the best switching option

Amazing Plant Growth-Promoting Actinobacteria from Herbal Vermicompost

Biological degradation and conversion of agricultural or herbal wastes by earthworms and microorganisms, called vermicomposting, is becoming a favored method of recycling biodegradable wastes. Application of vermicompost prepared from the herbals not only benefits crop plants, as it contains beneficial microorganisms, that help the plants to mobilize and acquire nutrients, but also promotes plant growth and inhibits phytopathogens. The use of plant growth-promoting (PGP) microorganisms for sustainable agriculture has increased tremendously in many parts of the world as it is widely reported to enhance the plant growth and yield of agriculturally important crops. PGP microorganisms facilitate the plant growth either by direct means (such as nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, iron chelation and phytohormones production) or by indirect means such as inhibition of phytopathogens. Actinobacteria are gram positive filamentous bacteria that are known to produce antibiotics effective against fungal plant pathogens and possess PGP traits. This article gives an outline of how actinobacteria isolated from such herbal vermicompost at International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) were exploited for crop production and crop protection

Exploring plant growth-promoting Streptomyces spp. for yield and nutrition traits in pearl millet hybrids

The present study aimed to demonstrate the use of two strains of Streptomyces albus (CAI-24 and KAI-27) and one strain of S. griseus (MMA-32) for plant growth-promotion (PGP) and improving pearl millet yield and nutrient content under greenhouse and field conditions. Two hybrids, a low-Fe (PA-9444; non-biofortified hybrid) and high-Fe (ICMH-1201; biofortified hybrid), treated with selected Streptomyces strains, significantly enhanced a range of traits including grain yield in the glasshouse (13–23%) and field (9–12%) over the control. In the greenhouse experiments an enhanced stover and grain nutrient concentrations were observed in ICMH-1201 (Fe 53% and 40%; Zn 15% and 10%; Ca 11% and 29%) over the control, while such nutrition augmentations were not found in PA-9444. The field harvested stover and grain nutrient concentrations were also increased over the control in both hybrids. A higher stover nutrient concentration was found in ICMH-1201 while PA-9444 had an increase in grain nutrient concentration indicating the significance of these Streptomyces strains' PGP role in the non-biofortified hybrid. Based on this study, strains KAI-27 and MMA-32 significantly improved shoot weight, root weight and grain yield while CAI-24 and MMA-32 improved nutrient concentrations including Fe contents (up to 49%) in grain as well as in stover. Further, the stover samples of pearl millet contained a higher Fe concentration (150–200%) compared to grain samples. This study confirms that the selected Streptomyces strains have the potential for enhancing PGP and stover and grain nutrient concentrations in pearl millet and can complement the existing conventional biofortification strategies

Deciphering the antagonistic effect of Streptomyces spp. and host-plant resistance induction against charcoal rot of sorghum

Two strains each of Streptomyces albus (CAI-17 and KAI-27) and Streptomyces griseus (KAI-26 and MMA-32) and one strain of Streptomyces cavourensis (SAI-13) previously reported to have plant growth-promotion activity in chickpea, rice and sorghum were evaluated for their antagonistic potential against Macrophomina phaseolina, which causes charcoal rot in sorghum. The antagonistic potential of these strains against M. phaseolina was assessed through dual culture assay, metabolite production assay, blotter paper assay in greenhouse and field disease screens. In both dual culture and metabolite production assays, the selected strains significantly inhibited the growth of M. phaseolina (63–74%). In the blotter paper assay, all the five strains of Streptomyces spp. inhibited the pathogen (80–90%). When these five strains were tested for their antagonistic potential under the greenhouse (two times) and field (two seasons) conditions by toothpick method of inoculation, significant differences were observed for charcoal rot severity. Principal component analysis capturing 91.3% phenotypic variations, revealed that the shoot samples treated with both Streptomyces and the pathogen exhibited significantly enhanced antioxidant parameters including superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, glutathione reductase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, polyphenol oxidase, and total phenolic contents when compared to shoot samples treated with only M. phaseolina. Scanning electron microscope analysis revealed that the phloem and xylem tissues of the Streptomyces treated stem samples were intact compared to that of pathogen inoculated plants. This study indicated that the selected strains of Streptomyces spp. have the potential for biological control of charcoal rot disease in sorghum

Cranial nerve outcomes in regionally recurrent head & neck melanoma after sentinel lymph node biopsy

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156007/1/lary28243.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156007/2/lary28243_am.pd

Identification and Characterization of a Streptomyces albus Strain and Its Secondary Metabolite Organophosphate against Charcoal Rot of Sorghum

Streptomycesalbus strain CAI-21 has been previously reported to have plant growth-promotion abilities in chickpea, pigeonpea, rice, and sorghum. The strain CAI-21 and its secondary metabolite were evaluated for their biocontrol potential against charcoal rot disease in sorghum caused by Macrophomina phaseolina. Results exhibited that CAI-21 significantly inhibited the growth of the pathogen, M. phaseolina, in dual-culture (15 mm; zone of inhibition), metabolite production (74% inhibition), and blotter paper (90% inhibition) assays. When CAI-21 was tested for its biocontrol potential under greenhouse and field conditions following inoculation of M. phaseolina by toothpick method, it significantly reduced the number of internodes infected (75% and 45% less, respectively) and length of infection (75% and 51% less, respectively) over the positive control (only M. phaseolina inoculated) plants. Under greenhouse conditions, scanning electron microscopic analysis showed that the phloem and xylem tissues of the CAI-21-treated shoot samples were intact compared to those of the diseased stem samples. The culture filtrate of the CAI-21 was purified by various chromatographic techniques, and the active compound was identified as “organophosphate” by NMR and MS. The e�cacy of organophosphate was found to inhibit the growth of M. phaseolina in the poisoned food technique. This study indicates that S. albus CAI-21 and its active metabolite organophosphate have the potential to control charcoal rot in sorghum

Commonly available CT characteristics and prediction of outcome in traumatic brain injury patients

Background: Acute Computerized Tomography (CT) characteristics are used widely and most accepted for prediction of outcome among Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The commonly available and simple combinations of existing and unexplored CT parameters may be more useful in prediction of outcome. The present study explores commonly available CT characteristics by possible combinations based on anatomical basics.Methods: Abnormal CT sign was considered with any cranial lesion. Based on anatomical locations of cortical lobes, nine possibilities were made that include individual and combinations of mentioned lobes. The laterality was either right or left or bilateral. The outcome was favourable or unfavourable based on discharge Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Binary logistic regression was used to predict outcome.Results: 452 patients were recruited in the present study. There was significant risk of unfavourable outcome among patients with location of Sub Dural Haemorrhage (SDH) in Parietal + Temporal region (OR=10,p<0.001); Cerebral Contusion in Temporal region (OR=3,p=0.03), Frontal + Temporal region(OR=16,P=0.001), Frontal + Parietal + Temporal region (OR=18.7,p<0.001). Patients with four abnormal CT signs had worst outcome. Presence of SDH on right side (OR=4.5,p<0.001) and bilateral Cerebral Contusion (OR=4.5,p=0.003) was at the risk of unfavourable outcome.Conclusion: The present study based on anatomical classification has shown that location and laterality of lesion can significantly predict TBI outcome

Dihexyl-Substituted Poly(3,4-Propylenedioxythiophene) as a Dual Ionic and Electronic Conductive Cathode Binder for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The polymer binders used in most lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) serve only a structural role, but there are exciting opportunities to increase performance by using polymers with combined electronic and ionic conductivity. To this end, here we examine dihexyl-substituted poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) (PProDOT-Hx₂) as an electrochemically stable π-conjugated polymer that becomes electrically conductive (up to 0.1 S cm⁻¹) upon electrochemical doping in the potential range of 3.2 to 4.5 V (vs Li/Li⁺). Because this family of polymers is easy to functionalize, can be effectively fabricated into electrodes, and shows mixed electronic and ionic conductivity, PProDOT-Hx₂ shows promise for replacing the insulating polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) commonly used in commercial LIBs. A combined experimental and theoretical study is presented here to establish the fundamental mixed ionic and electronic conductivity of PProDOT-Hx₂. Electrochemical kinetics and electron spin resonance are first used to verify that the polymer can be readily electrochemically doped and is chemically stable in a potential range of interest for most cathode materials. A novel impedance method is then used to directly follow the evolution of both the electronic and ionic conductivity as a function of potential. Both values increase with electrochemical doping and stay high across the potential range of interest. A combination of optical ellipsometry and grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering is used to characterize both solvent swelling and structural changes that occur during electrochemical doping. These experimental results are used to calibrate molecular dynamics simulations, which show improved ionic conductivity upon solvent swelling. Simulations further attribute the improved ionic conductivity of PProDOT-Hx₂ to its open morphology and the increased solvation is possible because of the oxygen-containing propylenedioxythiophene backbone. Finally, the performance of PProDOT-Hx₂ as a conductive binder for the well-known cathode LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.15)Al_(0.05)O₂ relative to PVDF is presented. PProDOT-Hx₂-based cells display a fivefold increase in capacity at high rates of discharge compared to PVDF-based electrodes at high rates and also show improved long-term cycling stability. The increased rate capability and cycling stability demonstrate the benefits of using binders such as PProDOT-Hx₂, which show good electronic and ionic conductivity, combined with electrochemical stability over the potential range for standard cathode operation