Profile of cry from native Bacillus thuringiensis isolates and expression of cry1I

The characterization of 255 Bacillus thuringiensis isolates of Coorg, Sharavatti and BR hills, containing genes known to be active against coleopteran and lepidopteran insect species was done through PCR amplification using the specific and degenerate primers. The isolates were also tested for their insecticidal activity against Plutella xylostella. Among the coleopteran specific genes screened, the most predominant was cry1I gene which was present in 18 isolates at a frequency of 7.05%. cry1 gene was found to be most abundant (35.39%) among the lepidopteran specific genes. A variant of cry1I gene based on amplicon restriction fragment length polymorphism (ARFLP) was cloned into pTZ57R/T and subcloned in an expression vector pQE-30 after amplification of a 2169 bp DNA fragment of cry1I gene from B. thuringiensis DBT189, the sequence which showed 99% homology with known cry1Ia gene from B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki. There were six mismatches between the two amino acid sequences. The cry1I- type gene consisted of an open reading frame of 2124 bp that would encode for 720 amino acids. An expected band size of 81 kDa was observed after sodium dodecyl sulphate- polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis indicating the expression of cry1I gene.Keywords: Bacillus thuringiensis, Plutella xylostella, ARFLP, cloning, SDS-PAGEAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(22), pp. 3545-356

Design and Process control of Siemens polysilicon CVD reactor

The novelty in this paper is to develop a process control for the poly-silicon CVD reactor to achieve optimum productivity of Poly-silicon seed by controlling the process parameters. The production of ingot is done through Siemens process of decomposing Trichlorosilane by Chemical Vapor Deposition on slim tungsten rods. The hardware architecture proposed monitors and controls the systematic sequential stages furnishing dynamics of the plant at a high temperature around 1050°C-1100°C. The HMI communicates through NI's LabVIEW 8.6 package, alarming the user with Process mimic, Report generation, Data and Security management. The plant simulation is realized and verified with LabVIEW 8.6 Version and MATLab 7.5 software tools to obtain the effectiveness of proposed control technique. This GUI based SCADA handles likelihood of fault tolerance, ensuring risk controlled process with optimum productivity of poly-silicon by making system compliant to Industrial standards

Arginase from kiwifruit: properties and seasonal variation

The in vitro activity of arginase (EC 3.5.3.1) was investigated in youngest-mature leaves and roots (1-3 mm diameter) of kiwifruit vines (Actinidia deliciosa var. deliciosa) during an annual growth cycle, and enzyme from root material partially purified. No seasonal trend in the specific activity of arginase was observed in roots. Measurements in leaves, however, rose gradually during early growth and plateaued c. 17 weeks after budbreak. Changes in arginase activity were not correlated with changes in the concentration of arginine (substrate) or glutamine (likely end-product of arginine catabolism) in either tissue during the growth cycle. Purification was by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The kinetic properties of the enzyme, purified 60-fold over that in crude extracts, indicated a pH optimum of 8.8, and a Km (L-arginine) of 7.85 mM. Partially-purified enzyme was deactivated by dialysis against EDTA, and reactivated in the presence of Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺

Sea level changes along the Indian coast: Observations and projections

Sea level changes can be of two types: (i) changes in the mean sea level and (ii) changes in the extreme sea level. The former is a global phenomenon while the latter is a regional phenomenon. Estimates of mean sea level rise made from past tide gauge data at selected stations along the coast of India indicate a rise of slightly less than 1 mm/year; however these estimates need to be corrected by including the rates of vertical land movements, whose measurements are not available at present. Simulation results of a regional climate model, HadRM2, were analysed for the northern Indian Ocean to provide the future scenarios of the occurrence of tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal for the period 2041-60. This model simulations consist of a control run with concentration of CO2 kept constant at 1990 levels and a perturbed run with transient increase in the concentrations of CO2 (GHG) according to the IS92a scenario for the period 2041-2060. The simulation results show increase in frequencies of tropical cyclones in the Bay, particularly intense events during the postmonsoon period, for the increased GHG run. A storm surge model was used to compute the surges associated with the cyclones generated by the climate model. The storm surge model was forced by the wind field from HadRM2 over the model domain and tides prescribed along the open boundary from a global tidal model. The frequency of high surges is found to be higher in the model run forced by winds from increased GHG run than in the model run forced by winds from the control run

Blindness in Tuberous Sclerosis: A Case Report

Tuberous sclerosis (TS) is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait with variable penetrance characterised by glial cell tumor which arises from the cerebral and the retina. Blindness in association with Tuberous sclerosis (TS) is rare. When visual loss occurs it may be associated with hamartomas from retinal or optic nerve involvement or from intracranial (brain) tumours that affect either the part of the brain that processes visual information or from optic nerve damage following raised intracranial pressure. Very few cases of TS with blindness have been reported globally. Deterioration in academic performance might be the first pointer to the visual impairment. We report a case of a 13 year old girl who presented with increasing number of facial rash over an 11 years period, recurrent headache and deteriorating academic performance of 1 year and loss of vision of 6 months with a recent episode of convulsion. Similar skin rashes without other associated symptoms were noticed on the mother and one of the younger siblings. She was a Tanner stage one in development. She had facial angio fibromas, shagreen patches over the left hypochondria, back regions and face. Ophthalmic evaluation showed a visual acuity of being able to count fingers at not more than one meter from the face and only perception of light in the right and left eye respectively, both eyes had brisk pupillary activities, good mydriasis and clear media. The retinal and optic nerve head appeared normal in the right eye whereas in the left eye was a huge tuberous hamartoma of the optic disc and macular as well as generalised vascular occlusion and subretinal fluid. The Computerized tomography (CT) scan showed an Intraventricular tumour, with calcification within the tumours and subependymal. There was associated obstructive hydrocephalus. Patient was managed by a multi disciplinary team of ophthalmologists, neurosurgeons and radiologists, coordinated by a paediatrician.Conclusion: The diagnosis of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) was based on the lesions found on clinical examination, imaging, and pathologic studies. The blindness was multi-factorial in cause including intracranial, retinal and optic nerve tumours. Comprehensive medical history, detailed physical examinations and neuroimaging study are essential in making a diagnosis of TSC. Our patient was mis-diagnosed at various health facilities for many years. This delay in making appropriate diagnosis and instituting treatment could have contributed to the eventual outcome.Keywords: Tuberous Sclerosis, Blindness, Deteriorating Academic Performanc

Perception des risques sanitaires dans le maraîchage à Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Cette étude a été conduite pour évaluer le niveau de connaissance et de perception des risques sanitaires dans le secteur du maraîchage à Abidjan, à travers une enquête transversale. Le maraîchage est pratiqué à 77,98% par les hommes et à 22,02% par les femmes, qui sont pour la plupart des analphabètes (58,6%). Différents types de légumes sont produits à savoir les laitues (40,97%), laitues+autres légumes (32,12%) et autres légumes (26,9%). 73,4% des producteurs ne sont pas conscients des risques de contamination dus à leurs comportements contre 8,3% qui affirment reconnaître leur part de responsabilités dans la contamination des produits maraîchers. De manière préférentielle, 89,2% des exploitants agricoles utilisent des sacs en fil de coton pour le conditionnement des légumes frais qui sont transportés à 71% vers les points de vente au moyen de véhicules. En l’absence d’une éducation sanitaire fondée et des  interventions localement adaptées, les cultivateurs n’accordent pas une attention particulière à la prévention des risques sanitaires.© 2013 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Mots clés: Conception, fruits et légumes, contamination, maraîchage périurbain, comportement des maraîchers

Capturing the Occult Central Retinal Artery Occlusion Using Optical Coherence Tomography

AIMS: To report spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in cases of impending or occult central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) in which a diagnosis other than CRAO was made on initial presentation. METHODS: Retrospective, observational case series of patients diagnosed with CRAO for whom on initial presentation fundal examination and OCT findings were deemed unremarkable and/or a diagnosis other than CRAO was made. OCT images from the initial presentation were then reviewed for evidence of inner retinal ischaemia. RESULTS: In total, 214 cases of CRAO were identified. Eleven patients (5.14%) had been given an alternative initial diagnosis at their first presentation in casualty and were included. The age range was 20–84 years and 81% (9/11) were male. On review of initial OCT imaging performed in casualty, all cases had evidence of inner retinal ischaemia. Conclusions: CRAO is an ophthalmic emergency which leads to vision loss which is often irreversible. Examination of the fundus may be normal early in the course of the disease and therefore a timely diagnosis may be missed. This case series reports the OCT findings of inner retinal ischaemia in patients with occult or impending CRAO which may aid in the early diagnosis and referral to stroke services

In vivo Evaluation Of Antidiarrhoeal Activity Of Rhus semialata Fruit Extract In Rats

Rhus semialata Murr. (Anacardiaceae) is a deciduous tree of north eastern India. The fruit of this plant is traditionally used to control diarrhoea and dysentery. The Present study was undertaken to evaluate anti-diarrhoeal potency of methanol extract of fruits of Rhus semialata using Wister albino rats to substantiate folklore claims. The extract at graded doses (100, 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg body weight) was investigated for anti-diarrhoeal activity in term of reduction in the rate of defecation in castor oil induced diarrhoea. To understand the mechanism of its antidiarrhoeal activity, the gastrointestinal transit and PGE2-induced intestinal fluid accumulation (enteropooling) were further evaluated. At graded doses, the extract showed a remarkable anti-diarrhoeal activity evidenced by the reduction in the rate of defecation up to 80.70 % of control diarrhoeal animals at the dose of 600 mg/kg body weight. Results are comparable to that of standard drug diphenoxylate (50 mg/kg body weight). Extract produced profound decrease in intestinal transit (8.02 – 47.05 %) at selected doses comparable to that of single intraperitoneal injection of standard drug atropine sulphate at doses of 0.1 mg/kg body weight. It significantly inhibited PGE2 - induced enteropooling (21.98 – 56.03 %). The results indicated that the methanol extract of the fruits of R. semialata possesses significant anti-diarrhoeal effect and substantiated the use of this herbal remedy as a non-specific treatment for diarrhoea in folk medicine. Keywords: Atropin sulphate, Castor oil, Diarrhoea, Diphenoxylate, Rhus semialata. African Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine Vol. 5 (1) 2008: pp. 97-10

Increasing prevalence of advanced colonic polyps in young patients undergoing colonoscopy in a referral academic hospital in Hong Kong

Aim: To investigate the distribution and frequency of advanced polyps over eight years. Methods: 6424 colonoscopies were reviewed during the study period 1998 to 2005. The study period was subdivided into period I: 1998 to 2001 and period II: 2002-2005. Results: 1856 polyps (33% advanced polyps) and 328 CRCs were detected. The mean ages of the patients with advanced polyps and cancer were 69.2 ± 12.0 and 71.6 ± 13.8 years, respectively. Advanced polyps were mainly left sided (59.5%). Advanced polyps were found in patients ≤ 60 years from 17.7% in period I to 26.3% in period II (P 0.05). Conclusion: Advanced polyps increased significantly in the younger male group in the most recent period and there seems to be a shift towards a proximal location. © 2007 WJG. All rights reserved.published_or_final_versio