Biotechnology: A way to Control Environmental Pollution by Alternative Lubricants

Environmental concerns are gaining lot of interest due to increasing environmental pollution. Pollution is caused from various sources like fuel, lubricants, industrial waste, chemicals, noise etc. One of the major source of pollution is lubricant as it directly affect the environment when it is handled improperly, as lubricants from petroleum based oils have very poor biodegradability and also have high toxicity. Environmental pollution can be controlled by the use of biotechnology in the field of alternative lubricants from different available biomass. The current paper deals with the ways of reducing the environmental pollution by various alternative resources

Pregnancy outcome following spontaneous abortions

Background: The objective of the present study was to study pregnancy outcome in patients with history of previous spontaneous abortions.Methods: A prospective study included patients with history of previous spontaneous abortion admitted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, GR Medical College and Kamla Raja Hospital, Gwalior between September 2008 and February 2009. The patients were either booked (minimum 3 visits in antenatal outdoor clinic) or admitted for the first time as an emergency. The detailed history about previous abortions was taken and routine as well as investigations for possible etiologies of previous abortions were done. Cases with history of mid-trimester abortion were investigated for cervical incompetence. All the patients were observed for complications during present pregnancy like threatened abortion, preeclampsia, preterm labour, intrauterine death and final outcome.Results: A total of 70 patients with history of previous spontaneous abortion were admitted, out of which 40 (57.2%) patients were booked and 30 (42.8%) reported first time in emergency. Majority (57.1 %) of patients belong to the age group 21-29 years. Educational status of the patients showed 61.4% had no formal education or only up to primary level.  Anemia was found to be very severe in 4.3 %, severe in 10% and moderate in 30 % patients. Maximum patients (45.7%) were with history of previous one abortion followed by previous two abortions (38.6%). Incidence of abortions after one, two, three and four abortions was 9.4, 14.8, 20 and 100 percent respectively. The final outcomes were term live birth (74.3%), abortion (14.3%), preterm delivery (8.6%), and still birth (2.8%).  In the present study 10 (14.3%) pregnancies ended with abortion, out of which 4 were in booked and 6 in emergency patients. Live babies were of 90% booked mothers whereas 70% in emergency patients. Caesarian section was done in 23.3% patients for various indications.Conclusions: Previous history of spontaneous abortion is associated with adverse pregnancy outcome. There is increased risk of abortion, preterm delivery, need for caesarean sections and fetal loss in cases of previous spontaneous abortions. These complications and fetal loss can be reduced by booking the patients and giving due antenatal care

Analysis of relation between ultrasonic testing and microstructure: a step towards highly reliable fault detection

In conventional ultrasonic nondestructive condition monitoring, the testing personnel use their testing experience to interpret defects by analyzing the ultrasonic echo. Owing to the coarse material structure, the ultrasonic waves are more attenuated and from time to time they give a deceitful impression of defect and thus provide unreliable results. The conventional inspection method is too subjective to be used and highly relies on the effectiveness of testing personnel and consequently inspection reliability is very low. Therefore, to mitigate these limitations, a multi-interrogation ultrasonic technique and correlation of several parameters such as attenuation, acoustic velocity and grain size with material features are covered by this paper

Greening Modern Rice Farming Using Vermicompost and Its Impact on Productivity and Efficiency: An Empirical Analysis from Bangladesh

Greening modern rice farming while improving productivity and reducing chemical use is a desirable goal for sustainable agriculture. This paper analyzes the impact of vermicomposting on productivity and efficiency of modern rice farming using a random sample of 340 farmers from the southwestern region of Bangladesh by applying a stochastic production frontier approach. Results reveal that productivity is significantly higher and the use of chemicals is significantly lower for vermicompost users as expected. However, profitability gain is not significantly different mainly due to the high cost of vermicompost. Use of vermicompost significantly increases productivity along with other conventional inputs and its users are relatively more technically efficient. Policy implications include investments to raise farmers’ awareness of the benefits of vermicomposting and support entrepreneurs to expand commercial production of vermicompost, which will synergistically curb the use of chemicals in modern rice farming while improving productivity and efficiency.</jats:p

M2 pyruvate kinase provides a mechanism for nutrient sensing and regulation of cell proliferation

We show that the M2 isoform of pyruvate kinase (M2PYK) exists in equilibrium between monomers and tetramers regulated by allosteric binding of naturally occurring small-molecule metabolites. Phenylalanine stabilizes an inactive T-state tetrameric conformer and inhibits M2PYK with an IC(50) value of 0.24 mM, whereas thyroid hormone (triiodo-l-thyronine, T3) stabilizes an inactive monomeric form of M2PYK with an IC(50) of 78 nM. The allosteric activator fructose-1,6-bisphosphate [F16BP, AC(50) (concentration that gives 50% activation) of 7 μM] shifts the equilibrium to the tetrameric active R-state, which has a similar activity to that of the constitutively fully active isoform M1PYK. Proliferation assays using HCT-116 cells showed that addition of inhibitors phenylalanine and T3 both increased cell proliferation, whereas addition of the activator F16BP reduced proliferation. F16BP abrogates the inhibitory effect of both phenylalanine and T3, highlighting a dominant role of M2PYK allosteric activation in the regulation of cancer proliferation. X-ray structures show constitutively fully active M1PYK and F16BP-bound M2PYK in an R-state conformation with a lysine at the dimer-interface acting as a peg in a hole, locking the active tetramer conformation. Binding of phenylalanine in an allosteric pocket induces a 13° rotation of the protomers, destroying the peg-in-hole R-state interface. This distinct T-state tetramer is stabilized by flipped out Trp/Arg side chains that stack across the dimer interface. X-ray structures and biophysical binding data of M2PYK complexes explain how, at a molecular level, fluctuations in concentrations of amino acids, thyroid hormone, and glucose metabolites switch M2PYK on and off to provide the cell with a nutrient sensing and growth signaling mechanism

Engineering design of vertical test stand cryostat

Under Indian Institutions and Fermilab collaboration, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory are jointly developing 2K Vertical Test Stand (VTS) cryostats for testing SCRF cavities at 2K. The VTS cryostat has been designed for a large testing aperture of 86.36 cm for testing of 325 MHz Spoke resonators, 650 MHz and 1.3 GHz multi-cell SCRF cavities for Fermilab's Project-X. Units will be installed at Fermilab and RRCAT and used to test cavities for Project-X. A VTS cryostat comprises of liquid helium (LHe) vessel with internal magnetic shield, top insert plate equipped with cavity support stand and radiation shield, liquid nitrogen (LN{sub 2}) shield and vacuum vessel with external magnetic shield. The engineering design and analysis of VTS cryostat has been carried out using ASME B&amp;PV Code and Finite Element Analysis. Design of internal and external magnetic shields was performed to limit the magnetic field inside LHe vessel at the cavity surface &lt;1 {micro}T. Thermal analysis for LN{sub 2} shield has been performed to check the effectiveness of LN{sub 2} cooling and for compliance with ASME piping code allowable stresses

Gestational Diabetes Is Characterized by Reduced Mitochondrial Protein Expression and Altered Calcium Signaling Proteins in Skeletal Muscle

The rising prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects up to 18% of pregnant women with immediate and long-term metabolic consequences for both mother and infant. Abnormal glucose uptake and lipid oxidation are hallmark features of GDM prompting us to use an exploratory proteomics approach to investigate the cellular mechanisms underlying differences in skeletal muscle metabolism between obese pregnant women with GDM (OGDM) and obese pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (ONGT). Functional validation was performed in a second cohort of obese OGDM and ONGT pregnant women. Quantitative proteomic analysis in rectus abdominus skeletal muscle tissue collected at delivery revealed reduced protein content of mitochondrial complex I (C-I) subunits (NDUFS3, NDUFV2) and altered content of proteins involved in calcium homeostasis/signaling (calcineurin A, α1-syntrophin, annexin A4) in OGDM (n = 6) vs. ONGT (n = 6). Follow-up analyses showed reduced enzymatic activity of mitochondrial complexes C-I, C-III, and C-IV (−60–75%) in the OGDM (n = 8) compared with ONGT (n = 10) subjects, though no differences were observed for mitochondrial complex protein content. Upstream regulators of mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation were not different between groups. However, AMPK phosphorylation was dramatically reduced by 75% in the OGDM women. These data suggest that GDM is associated with reduced skeletal muscle oxidative phosphorylation and disordered calcium homeostasis. These relationships deserve further attention as they may represent novel risk factors for development of GDM and may have implications on the effectiveness of physical activity interventions on both treatment strategies for GDM and for prevention of type 2 diabetes postpartum