Strata Control for Mechanized Stopping Operation in Narrow and Weak Manganese Deposit of MOIL – A Case Study of Balaghat Mine

AbstractMOIL is producing annually around 1.13 million tones of manganese ore. It operates 7 underground and 3 opencast mines in the state of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The underground mines are operated at shallow to moderate depths. Asia's largest and oldest underground manganese mine is being operated by MOIL at Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh. Horizontal cut and fill mining with passive timber square set support has been replaced with advanced technique of pre-mining support by Cable bolting for reinforcement underground structures. The change in technology has enabled to transform the manual post filling of rock to hydraulic sand stowing operation in all the underground mines of the MOIL. With the available underground stopes, the panel working has been started with phased mechanization. The Side discharge loaders (SDL) has been introduced for mechanical handling of ROM in the stope and Load, haul and dump (LHD) machines for drivage development. These rapid mining operations have imposed the need for change in level interval for higher productivity. Presently below 12th level, level interval has been changed from exiting 30m to 45m at Balaghat Mine. Moreover, Single boomer electro hydrostatic crawler mounted drill jumbo has been introduced for drivage development at Balaghat Mine. The paper describes the phased rock mechanics investigations and its application in the underground mining for mechanized stoping operations at Balaghat mine of MOIL for better safety and productivity

Prevalence of extended spectrum β-lactamase, AmpC β-lactamase and metallo β-lactamase mediated resistance in Escherichia coli from diagnostic and tertiary healthcare centers in south Bangalore, India

Background: The increasing reports on multidrug resistant Escherichia coli has become a potential threat to global health. Here, we present a cross-sectional study to characterize extended spectrum β-lactamase, AmpC β-lactamase and metallo β-lactamase producing E. coli isolated from different human clinical samples.Methods: A total of 300 clinical Gram negative bacterial isolates were collected and re-characterized for the identification of E. coli following standard microbiological techniques. The antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli isolates was initially screened by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion and MIC methods. The resistant isolates were confirmed to be ESBL, AmpC and MBL producers by their respective phenotypic confirmatory tests of combined disc method.Results: We identified 203 (68%) E. coli and 97 (32%) Non-E. coli isolates. The highest recovery of E. coli was from urine samples 72 (35%). Combined disc method using ceftazidime/ceftazidime+clavulanic acid and cefotaxime/cefotaxime+clavulanic acid confirmed 156 (79%) and 144 (73%) E. coli as ESBL producers, respectively. Thirty-four (34%) and 16 (27%) resistant E. coli isolates were confirmed to be AmpC and MBL producers, likewise.Conclusions: Increased prevalence of ESBL, AmpC and MBL producing E. coli were observed. Beta-lactamase mediated resistance appears to be prime mechanism in the multidrug resistant E. coli. Thus, early detection of beta lactamase producing E. coli is necessary to avoid treatment failure and prevent the spread of MDR

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Haplotype Structure of FSHB, the Beta-Subunit Gene for Fertility-Associated Follicle-Stimulating Hormone: Possible Influence of Balancing Selection

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is essential for human reproduction. The unique functions of this hormone are provided by the FSH receptor-binding beta-subunit encoded by the FSHB gene. Resequencing and genotyping of FSHB in three European, two Asian and one African population, as well as in the great apes (chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan), revealed low diversity and significant excess of polymorphisms with intermediate frequency alleles. Statistical tests for FSHB showed deviations from neutrality in all populations suggesting a possible effect of balancing selection. Two core haplotypes were identified (carried by 76-96.6% of each population's sample), the sequences of which are clearly separated from each other. As fertility most directly affects an organism's fitness, the carriers of these haplotypes have apparently had more success in human history to contribute to the next generation. There is a preliminary observation suggesting that the second most frequent FSHB haplotype may be associated with rapid conception success in females. Interestingly, the same haplotype is related to an ancestral FSHB variant shared with the ancestor of the great apes. The determination of the functional consequence of the two core FSHB variants may have implications for understanding and regulating human fertility, as well as in assisting infertility treatments

Risk factors for Brucella spp. and Coxiella burnetii infection among small ruminants in Eastern India

Small ruminants are the main reservoirs for brucellosis and coxiellosis, two zoonotic diseases affecting livestock production, and posing a public health threat in India. Understanding disease prevalence and risk factors associated with small ruminant infection can help mitigate disease transmission. We report a cross-sectional survey in the states of Assam and Odisha in Eastern India. We interviewed 244 farmers to assess knowledge, attitude and practices relevant to brucellosis and coxiellosis infection. Serum samples from 411 goats and 21 sheep were analysed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Rose-Bengal Brucella agglutination plate test. Higher Brucella and Coxiella burnetii seroprevalence were found in Odisha (22% and 11.5%, respectively) than Assam (9.8% and 1.6%, respectively), and certain districts in Odisha were at higher risk. No association was found between seropositive animals and clinical signs, a challenge when attempting to identify seropositive animals in the herd. None of the farmers interviewed were aware of brucellosis, its aetiology, clinical form, or zoonotic risk. This study acts as a first indication of the extent of these diseases among small ruminants in these Indian states, highlighting how farming practices are associated with increased risk of infection. More research is urgently needed to mitigate zoonoses transmission in this region

Seismic Reliability Assessment of Aging Highway Bridge Networks with Field Instrumentation Data and Correlated Failures. II: Application

The Bridge Reliability in Networks (BRAN) methodology introduced in the companion paper is applied to evaluate the reliability of part of the highway bridge network in South Carolina, USA, under a selected seismic scenario. The case study demonstrates Bayesian updating of deterioration parameters across bridges after spatial interpolation of data acquired from limited instrumented bridges. The updated deterioration parameters inform aging bridge seismic fragility curves through multidimensional integration of parameterized fragility models, which are utilized to derive bridge failure probabilities. The paper establishes the correlation structure among bridge failures from three information sources to generate realizations of bridge failures for network level reliability assessment by Monte Carlo analysis. Positive correlations improve the reliability of the case study network, also predicted from the network topology. The benefits of the BRAN methodology are highlighted in its applicability to large networks while addressing some of the existing gaps in bridge network reliability studies

Renal cell carcinoma metastasis to the ciliary body responds to proton beam radiotherapy: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>We report an unexpected presentation of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) to the ciliary body and an interesting response to proton beam radiotherapy.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We encountered a case of angle-closure glaucoma as the initial presentation of ocular metastasis to the ciliary body in a 65-year-old Caucasian man who had undergone right radical nephrectomy for RCC 15 years earlier. He underwent YAG (yttrium aluminium garnet) laser peripheral iridotomy while further metastatic workup took place. His condition was eventually diagnosed as stage IV metastatic RCC of the clear cell type and involved multiple sites, including the ciliary body, brain, lungs, liver, and pancreas. The progression of RCC metastasis to the ciliary body was studied for 16 months. The ciliary body mass continued to grow despite systemic treatment with temsirolimus and interleukin-2 and intravitreal injections of bevacizumab. The tumor size peaked at 6.11 × 6.06 mm before the start of proton therapy, which reduced the tumor size to 5.07 × 4.39 mm.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>RCC can produce metastases involving unusual sites many years after resection of the primary tumor. Proton therapy was found to be effective in treating RCC metastasis to the ciliary body in settings in which other treatment modalities failed.</p

The Vissannapeta eucrite

A wholly encrusted single stone that fell in Vissannapeta, Andhra Pradesh, India has been identified as a cumulate eucrite based on its primary texture and mineral composition: anorthite (An92.4-94.6), orthopyroxene (En49.1-51.8Fs44.2-49.7Wo1.2-4.0), and clinopyroxene (En38.8-46.8Fs14.8-33.6Wo19.6-46.4). The stone is pyramidal in shape, and the crust shows rib-like flow features indicating that it had an oriented passage through the atmosphere towards the terminal stage of its flight. Conditions of its fall, mineralogical characteristics, and results of measurements of cosmogenic radioactivity (26Al, 22Na, and 54Mn) and track density are described. Aluminum-26 and 22Na in Vissannapeta are &#8764; 75% of the expected values and also lower by a similar factor compared to the activities measured in Piplia Kalan, another eucrite, which fell &#8764; 18 months before Vissannapeta. Because higher activity of 22Na and 54Mn would be expected from solar cycle modulation of galactic cosmic rays, these results, as well as the track density gradient, indicate that Vissannapeta was a small body (&#8804; 120 kg) in the interplanetary space wherein the nuclear cascade due to galactic cosmic rays did not develop fully. Tracks, surface morphology, and crustal features indicate at least two fragmentation events in the atmosphere