Stability of Suspension Bridge Anchorage System

The lift side anchor system for a 151 m span suspension bridge over river Alaknanda in Himalayan region was unstable. The gravity type anchor block for the suspension bridge was constructed by cutting the toe of the natural slope. Walls were constructed to retaining the backfill and the anchor block. Slips along the natural slope were frequent. The site lies in an active seismic zone. The paper presents the details of analysis of anchor block, retaining walls and the natural slopes. The analysis is carried out both under static condition and also by taking seismic coefficients. The already constructed retaining walls which were unsafe have been strengthened by designing a composite retaining wall keeping in view the requirements of the client not to demolish any of the already constructed retaining wall

Geotechnical Investigations for Foundation Design for Multi-storeyed Building

Oil and Natural Gas Commission of India plans to construct a multi-storeyed building in Dehradun city at the foothills of Himalayas. The geotechnical investigations were carried out at site to determine soil parameters for foundation design. It was found that it was not possible to provide a raft foundation for the building and hence alternatively the pile foundation was suggested. The pile load capacity was predicted on the basis of soil parameters determined and a comparison was then made with the results obtained by carrying out load tests on constructed piles

Effectiveness And Safety Measures Of Benazepril Hydrochloride On Diabetic Nephropathy

One of the most common chronic microvascular consequences of diabetes, diabetic nephropathy (DN) affects a significant number of individuals globally. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) reports that there are 37 million diabetes people globally, with around 4.6 million of them passing away in 2011. The current review was based on the effectiveness and toxicity of Benazepril Hydrochloride on Diabetic Nephropathy. Benazepril is a prodrug that consists of an extremely low inhibitory action ethyl ester, a carboxylic acid group, and the benzepine nucleus with a phenyl-propyl side chain. The FDA has approved benazepril hydrochloride for the treatment of hypertension, either by itself or in conjunction with other antihypertensive medications. Anaphylactoid reactions and angioedema, which can include tongue edema and laryngeal angioedema, are examples of sensitivity reactions that have the potential to be lethal. Renal dysfunction and electrolyte imbalances are linked to hypotension. In the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, the use of medications that affect the renin-angiotensin system decreases fetal renal function and increases morbidity and mortality in the fetus and newborn. The most prevalent indicator of toxicity is low blood pressure. In additions, lack of energy, increased salivation, elevated heart rate, vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness, coughing, bronchospasms, and kidney malfunction are other indicators of toxicity. In conclusion, in the management of diabetic nephropathy combination therapy- benazepril with spironolactone or diuretic is recommended. It heals the nephrons which have been affected due to the toxicity of various drugs or infections.   &nbsp

SOIL TEST BASED FERTILIZATION RECOMMENDATIONS OF ECONOMICS AND NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF MUSTARD ON INCEPTISOL

During the winter (Rabi) season of 2019-20, the experiment was conducted in a farmer's field in the village of Loharapur, Varanasi, to investigate the impact of nutrient management technologies in alluvial soil with farmyard manure and various levels of inorganic fertilizers under mustard (Brassica juncea L.). Based on the STCR target yield idea, the use of plant nutrients has achieved mustard (18.0 q ha-1) and (22.0 q ha-1) outputs (soil test crop response technology). The test results indicated that the target yields were reached within + 5% of site modifications, confirming the validity of the formulae used to prescribe integrated mortar fertilizer dosages. For RDF, the highest production increases of 22 q ha-1 (37, 60%), followed by 18 q ha-1 were recorded (12.05 percent). The maximum cost-effectiveness and profit rate of 22.00 q ha-1 was the result. Organic carbon content is positive and significantly connected to the activity of the enzyme. As a consequence, the combination of NPK and FYM has been more successful in improving the productivity of rice aimed at 18 q ha-1, 22 q ha-1, and soil nutritional status than a single application of FYM or chemical fertilizer. Significant net benefits of mustard at the site (Rs 55,190.00 and Rs 38,583.00) in the treatment of plant nutrient levels in the soil test; (STCR treatment). Though fertilization enhanced mustard production above control, it was reported that using NPK and FYM together was more successful than using them alone in increasing mustard productivity

A Case Study of the Phenotypic Variations in Barilius Bendelisis (Hamilton) from a Perennial Stream and a Fish Pond of Garhwal Himalayan Region of Uttarakhand, India

A comparative study on the morphometric and meristic variables of Barilius bendelisis (Ham.) from two different water bodies, i.e., Khanda Gad, a perennial spring fed stream and fish pond in the Garhwal Himalayan region of Uttarakhand was made during the present study. A total of 100 specimens were analysed for 26 different morphometric variables and 14 meristic counts. The majority of morphometric variables showed linear relationship when expressed in relation to total length and head length, whereas meristic counts remained constant with increasing body length. Standard length was found to be the highly correlated character in samples from both sites. Principal Component Analysis of 10 significant morphometric variables yielded three components accounting for 73.38% of the total variation. Principal Component Analysis of 3 meristic variables yielded single component accounting for 62.3% of total variation. Discriminant Function Analysis for morphometric and meristic variables showed that 98% and 83% of individuals were allocated into their original populations respectively. The cluster analysis for morphometric characters showed of fish populations from both sites formed two major clades, thus significantly differentiating the two stocks of fish population

Scope, Nutritional Importance and Value Addition in Palmyrah (<em>Borassus flabellifer L.</em>): An Under Exploited Crop

Palmyrah palm has great economic potential and every part of the palm is useful in one way or the other is considered as ‘kalpaga tharu’. The palm is found growing widely in southern states of India. As the value addition in palmyrah is not standardized, the palmyrah products viz. tender fruit endosperm (nungu), neera, jaggery and tuber flour are not commercialized so far. Even though palmyrah is an economically important palm for its nutritional aspects, it has not received proper attention from the agricultural research workers, probably on account of the fact that it is very slow growing palm and mostly found in the wild state. In this context, knowing the physico-chemical properties and development of value added products and popularizing the same is essential

Relationship of APOA5, PPARγ and HL gene variants with serial changes in childhood body mass index and coronary artery disease risk factors in young adulthood

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Triglycerides is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and is especially important in Indians because of high prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia in this population. Both genetic and environmental factors determine triglyceride levels. In a birth cohort from India, hypertriglyceridemia was found in 41% of men and 11% of women. Subjects who had high triglycerides had more rapid body mass index (BMI) or weight gain than rest of the cohort throughout infancy, childhood and adolescence. We analysed polymorphisms in <it>APOA5</it>, hepatic lipase and <it>PPARγ</it> genes and investigated their association with birth weight and serial changes in BMI.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Polymorphisms in <it>APOA5</it> (-1131T > C, S19W), <it>PPARγ</it> (Pro12Ala) and hepatic lipase (-514C > T) were studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction digestion in 1492 subjects from the New Delhi Birth Cohort (NDBC). We assessed whether these polymorphisms influence lipid and other variables and serial changes in BMI, both individually and together.</p> <p>The risk allele of <it>APOA5</it> (-1131C) resulted in 23.6 mg/dl higher triglycerides as compared to normal allele (P < 0.001). Risk allele of HL (-514T) was associated with significantly higher HDL2 levels (P = 0.002). Except for the marginal association of <it>PPARγ</it> Pro12Ala variation with a lower conditional weight at 6 months, (P = 0.020) and A<it>POA5</it> S19W with a higher conditional BMI at 11 yrs of age (P = 0.030), none of the other associations between the gene polymorphisms and serial changes in body mass index from birth to young adulthood were significant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The promoter polymorphism in <it>APOA5</it> was associated with raised serum triglycerides and that of HL with raised HDL2 levels. None of the polymorphisms had any significant relationship with birth weight or serial changes in anthropometry from birth to adulthood in this cohort.</p

TCF7L2 gene polymorphisms do not predict susceptibility to diabetes in tropical calcific pancreatitis but may interact with SPINK1 and CTSB mutations in predicting diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tropical calcific pancreatitis (TCP) is a type of chronic pancreatitis unique to developing countries in tropical regions and one of its important features is invariable progression to diabetes, a condition called fibro-calculous pancreatic diabetes (FCPD), but the nature of diabetes in TCP is controversial. We analysed the recently reported type 2 diabetes (T2D) associated polymorphisms in the <it>TCF7L2 </it>gene using a case-control approach, under the hypothesis that <it>TCF7L2 </it>variants should show similar association if diabetes in FCPD is similar to T2D. We also investigated the interaction between the <it>TCF7L2 </it>variants and N34S <it>SPINK1 </it>and L26V <it>CTSB </it>mutations, since they are strong predictors of risk for TCP.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two polymorphisms rs7903146 and rs12255372 in the <it>TCF7L2 </it>gene were analyzed by direct sequencing in 478 well-characterized TCP patients and 661 healthy controls of Dravidian and Indo-European ethnicities. Their association with TCP with diabetes (FCPD) and without diabetes was tested in both populations independently using chi-square test. Finally, a meta analysis was performed on all the cases and controls for assessing the overall significance irrespective of ethnicity. We dichotomized the whole cohort based on the presence or absence of N34S <it>SPINK1 </it>and L26V <it>CTSB </it>mutations and further subdivided them into TCP and FCPD patients and compared the distribution of <it>TCF7L2 </it>variants between them.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The allelic and genotypic frequencies for both <it>TCF7L2 </it>polymorphisms, did not differ significantly between TCP patients and controls belonging to either of the ethnic groups or taken together. No statistically significant association of the SNPs was observed with TCP or FCPD or between carriers and non-carriers of N34S <it>SPINK1 </it>and L26V <it>CTSB </it>mutations. The minor allele frequency for rs7903146 was different between TCP and FCPD patients carrying the N34S <it>SPINK1 </it>variant but did not reach statistical significance (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 0.93–2.70, P = 0.09), while, <it>TCF7L2</it><it/>variant showed a statistically significant association between TCP and FCPD patients carrying the 26V allele (OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.11–2.56, P = 0.013).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Type 2 diabetes associated <it>TCF7L2 </it>variants are not associated with diabetes in TCP. Since, <it>TCF7L2 </it>is a major susceptibility gene for T2D, it may be hypothesized that the diabetes in TCP patients may not be similar to T2D. Our data also suggests that co-existence of <it>TCF7L2 </it>variants and the <it>SPINK1 </it>and <it>CTSB </it>mutations, that predict susceptibility to exocrine damage, may interact to determine the onset of diabetes in TCP patients.</p

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio