Anomalous fertilization in haploidy inducer lines in maize (Zea mays L)

A detailed investigation was carried out to study the exact cause and the sequence of events leading to the origin of high frequency of haploids in the high haploidy inducer lines (Stock 6 lines) in maize (Zea mays L). Microtome sections and isolated embryo sacs were observed to understand the fertilization process in maize. These studies helped in understanding the normal fertilization process and also in tracing out a few anomalous fertilization events in these ovules. The study indicated that, haploid embryos in these lines arise due to a failure in the fusion of the sperm nucleus and the egg cell, after the release of sperm nuclei from synergid into the embryo sac, with the egg cell being induced to develop parthenogenetically into a haploid embryo

Effective Bug Assortment Using Data Reduction Techniques

Software companies spend over 48% of their total cost to fix the bugs. An effective way to automatically fix the bugs to the correct developer is called Bug Triage or Bug Assortment. Data sets containing the bug reports are collected from two large open source projects like Mozilla and Firefox. These projects consist of open source bug repositories. Bug repositories are large repositories which stores all the details of bugs. The details are stored in the form of a bug report. These bug report are saved as a document and a related developer is mapped to the label of the document. Software companies spend most of their total cost in fixing these bugs. In bug repositories the two main challenges faced is the large quantity of the data set and the low quality. Noise and redundancy are the main cause for the low quality of the data set. However, irrespective of all these difficulties assigning a proper developer to fix the bug is not an easy task without knowing the actual class of the bug. In this paper we propose data reduction technique which reduces the high scale of the data but it retains the quality of the data set. We also propose domain wise bug solution

Drug utilization pattern in geriatric inpatients of medicine department in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Background: The objective of present study was to assess the drug utilization pattern among the geriatric patients.Methods: Totally, 150 prescriptions of patients’ ≥65 years admitted in the medicine inpatient department of MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital, Hoskote were noted from September 2013 to March 2014 and demographic profile, drug utilization pattern, commonly used drugs as per anatomical therapeutic chemical classification (ATC) and WHO core indicators were assessed after taking informed consent from the patients.Results: Out of 150 patients, average age of geriatric patients was 66.83 years with female preponderance (59%). Maximum number of patients were having respiratory disorders (66.67%) followed by diabetes mellitus (35.3%), and cardiovascular diseases (32.67%). 76% patients had co-morbid diseases like diabetes mellitus (n=53), hypertension (n=49), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n=41). A total of 849 drug formulations, containing 1050 active ingredients, were prescribed with average number of 7 (1050/150) drugs per prescription. Only 70 formulations were prescribed by their generic names, which is less than that prescribed by their brand names 779 and total of 146 (17.19%) drugs were prescribed as fixed dose combinations. Only 45.47% drugs were according to WHO Essential Medicines List. Drugs acting on respiratory system (n=189) were the most commonly used drugs in our study followed by drugs acting on the gastrointestinal system (n=130), antimicrobials (n=113), cardiovascular system (n=112), endocrine (n=83), and nutritional supplements (n=72). Polypharmacy was prevalent in 62% and about 22.67% of patients received <5 drugs. Pantoprazole was most frequently prescribed drug followed by aspirin 75 mg, adrenergic, and anticholinergic bronchodilators.Conclusion: Thus, irrational prescribing and polypharmacy were prevalent among elderly. Drug utilization data can help in assessing the quality of care given to the geriatric patients and promote rational use of medicines

Comparison of the wing polyphenic response of pea aphids (\u3ci\u3eAcyrthosiphon pisum\u3c/i\u3e) to crowding and predator cues

1. Pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris; Hemiptera: Aphididae) exhibit transgenerational wing polyphenism, in which unwinged females produce genetically identical winged offspring in response to environmental cues such as overcrowding and predation risk that indicate poor habitat quality. 2. Laboratory experiments were carried out to explore the intensity of the wing polyphenic response of pea aphids exposed to cues from ladybird predators and crowding, and their response was compared to pea aphids that were not exposed to any cues (control). 3. The study used cues from two different ladybird species: Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to investigate whether the wing polyphenic response of pea aphids to predator cues can be generalized 4. The intensity of the wing polyphenic response of pea aphids to crowding was found to be much stronger than their response to predator cues. There was no response to H. convergens cues and the response to C. septempunctata cues was mixed

Ultra-high Performance Liquid Chromatography in Steroid Analysis

The latest version of liquid chromatography is ultra-high performance (or pressure) chromatography (UHPLC). In the technique, short and narrow-bore columns with particle sizes below 3 µm are used. The extremely high pressure used results in very short analysis times, excellent separation, and good resolution. This makes UHPLC a good choice for steroidal analysis. Steroids are a highly interesting area of study; they can be recognized as biomarkers for several diseases and are a relevant topic in doping testing. In this thesis articles on the topic ‘steroid analysis with UHPLC’, published prior to April 2017, are reviewed. UHPLC is always combined with mass spectrometry (MS) for steroid analysis. The MS utilized is usually of multi-dimension: quadrupole time of flight (QTOF) or triple quadrupole (QqQ). The instrumentation is suitable for both untargeted and targeted analysis. In untargeted studies, the study of changes in the human metabolome has been especially interesting. The articles on targeted studies are usually focused on doping control and quantification of identified biomarkers. The analysis with UHPLC-MS/MS usually provide reliable results with fast analysis time, without complicated sample preparation. Typically, the sample preparation processes can include only protein precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction or solid-phase extraction. UHPLC is also a valuable tool in simple and routine analysis. The separation efficiency is increased by the small plate height and the analysis time can thus be reduced. In this thesis work the technique was utilized for the analysis of food additives. For validation of an UHPLC method the repeatability, trueness, bias, measurement uncertainty and other factors need to be assessed. The experimental part of the thesis is dedicated to describe the development and validation of a method for analysis of five food additives and caffeine. The developed method was partly validated, with the aim to fulfil the needs of the Finnish Customs Laboratory. The optimized method comprised of an injection volume of 2 µL and a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The buffer was a phosphate buffer at pH of 4.0 and the gradient elution program was from 6 % to 30 % of acetonitrile in 1.6 minutes, then 1.6-1.7 minutes with 6% acetonitrile. The total run time was only 1.7 minutes. The limit of detection values was between 0.02 µg/mL and 1.73 µg/mL. The limit of quantitation values was between 0.054 µg/mL to 5.78 µg/mL, which should be sufficient for the Customs needs in the sense of checking if a product is over a certain limit. Expanded measurement uncertainties were around 20 %

Prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with diabetes mellitus and lower respiratory tract infection

Background: Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) still remains a global public health problem. Diabetes Mellitus (DM), is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia. Diabetes along with poor glycaemic control leads to an immune compromised state. As prevalence of both TB and DM is increasing in India, this association of PTB and DM may prove a threat to TB control program. Aims and objectives of the study was to detect prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with DM and Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (LRTI).Methods: Sputum specimen from consecutive 250 known diabetic adult patients with type 2 diabetes and clinical evidence of LRTI were processed for microscopy, solid culture and Xpert MTB/RIF assay. Clinical findings, duration of DM, regularity of treatment and recent fasting blood glucose level were noted.Results: TB was detected in 31(12.8%) patients. Microscopy, culture and Xpert assay were positive in 14(5.6%), 29(11.6%) and 24(9.5%) cases respectively. Culture detected seven cases more than Xpert assay. Two additional cases were detected by Xpert assay than culture. Rifampicin resistance was detected in seven (29.17%) cases by Xpert assay. TB detection rate was higher in patients with more than two weeks of cough (14.38%), history of tuberculosis (15.9%), hyperglycemia (13.9%) and significantly higher in those with irregular anti-diabetic treatment (35.7%).Conclusions: Irregular anti-diabetic treatment, hyperglycaemia and history of tuberculosis were strongly associated with pulmonary TB. Xpert assay should be used as the initial diagnostic test for detection of tuberculosis as well as rifampicin resistance in diabetic patients by TB control programme

Advocating for a patient‐ and family centered care approach to management of short bowel syndrome

Patient‐ and family centered care (PFCC) is a model of providing healthcare that incorporates the preferences, needs, and values of the patient and their family and is built on a solid partnership between the healthcare team and patient/family. This partnership is critical in short bowel syndrome (SBS) management since the condition is rare, chronic, involves a heterogenous population, and calls for a personalized approach to care. Institutions can facilitate the practice of PFCC by supporting a teamwork approach to care, which, in the case of SBS, ideally involves a comprehensive intestinal rehabilitation program consisting of qualified healthcare practitioners who are supported with the necessary resources and budget. Clinicians can engage in a range of processes to center patients and families in the management of SBS, including fostering whole‐person care, building partnerships with patients and families, cultivating communication, and providing information effectively. Empowering patients to self‐manage important aspects of their condition is an important component of PFCC and can enhance coping to chronic disease. Therapy nonadherence represents a breakdown in the PFCC approach to care, especially when nonadherence is sustained, and the healthcare provider is intentionally misled. An individualized approach to care that incorporates patient/family priorities should ultimately enhance therapy adherence. Lastly, patients/families should play a central role in determining meaningful outcomes as it relates to PFCC and shaping the research that affects them. This review highlights needs and priorities of patients with SBS and their families and suggests ways to address gaps in existing care to improve outcomes

Changes in biological productivity associated with Ningaloo Niño / Niña events in the southern subtropical Indian Ocean in recent decades

Using observations and long term simulations of an ocean-biogeochemical coupled model, we investigate the biological response in the southern subtropical Indian Ocean (SIO) associated with Ningaloo Niño and Niña events. Ningaloo events have large impact on sea surface temperature (SST) with positive SST anomalies (SSTA) seen off the west coast of Australia in southern SIO during Ningaloo Niño and negative anomalies during Niña events. Our results indicate that during the developing period of Ningaloo Niño, low chlorophyll anomaly appears near the southwest Australian coast concurrently with high SSTA and vice-versa during Niña, which alter the seasonal cycle of biological productivity. The difference in the spatiotemporal response of chlorophyll is due to the southward advection of Leeuwin current during these events. Increased frequency of Ningaloo Niño events associated with cold phase of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) resulted in anomalous decrease in productivity during Austral summer in the SIO in the recent decades

Advocating for a patient‐ and family centered care approach to management of short bowel syndrome

Patient‐ and family centered care (PFCC) is a model of providing healthcare that incorporates the preferences, needs, and values of the patient and their family and is built on a solid partnership between the healthcare team and patient/family. This partnership is critical in short bowel syndrome (SBS) management since the condition is rare, chronic, involves a heterogenous population, and calls for a personalized approach to care. Institutions can facilitate the practice of PFCC by supporting a teamwork approach to care, which, in the case of SBS, ideally involves a comprehensive intestinal rehabilitation program consisting of qualified healthcare practitioners who are supported with the necessary resources and budget. Clinicians can engage in a range of processes to center patients and families in the management of SBS, including fostering whole‐person care, building partnerships with patients and families, cultivating communication, and providing information effectively. Empowering patients to self‐manage important aspects of their condition is an important component of PFCC and can enhance coping to chronic disease. Therapy nonadherence represents a breakdown in the PFCC approach to care, especially when nonadherence is sustained, and the healthcare provider is intentionally misled. An individualized approach to care that incorporates patient/family priorities should ultimately enhance therapy adherence. Lastly, patients/families should play a central role in determining meaningful outcomes as it relates to PFCC and shaping the research that affects them. This review highlights needs and priorities of patients with SBS and their families and suggests ways to address gaps in existing care to improve outcomes