The development of a human cell culture assay for skin tumour promoters

A valid model of initiated epidermis requires that normal keratinocytes should suppress the growth of initiated keratinocytes and that this suppression should be overcome on exposure to tumour promoters. Subgenomic SV40 transformed human keratinocytes (HK-4), which display the initiated phenotype, were cultured within a confluent monolayer of normal human keratinocytes and exposed to various tumour promoters and anti-promoters. This system appeared to be successful in identifying both phorbol ester and non-phorbol ester type tumour promoters in a dose-dependent manner as determined by the size of the colonies of the HK-4 cells. The ranking of three phorbol ester-type tumour promoters matched the order of potency of these compounds as tumour promoters in mouse skin. In this model tumour promoters appear to induce the clonal expansion of HK-4 cells indirectly by selectively stimulating the differentiation of the normal cells. The anti-promoters retinoic acid and fluocinolone acetonide were unsuccessful in inhibiting TPA induced colonies in this human model. A major reason for the absence of anti-promoter activity in the co-culture has been attributed to the abnormal conditions of the cells (i.e grown on plastic and submerged in medium). The presence of a dermis and an air-liquid interface is important in cellular functions such as differentiation and proliferation. Cells grown as organotypic cultures better represent the in vivo situation compared with those in submerged cultures. Therefore the co-culture of HK-4 and normal human keratinocytes was incorporated within a skin equivalent at the air-liquid interface to produce a three dimensional model of initiated human epidermis. Mimicking the situation in vivo may give rise to a more accurate interpretation of tumour promotion in human skin. In addition, this system allows test samples to be added either topically (placed on the surface of the skin equivalent) or systemically (placed in the medium below the dermis)

Determination Of Micronutrient Deficiencies (Vitamin D, Vitamin B 12 And Iron Deficiency Anaemia) Among Maternal Aged Group Women Of Prayagraj District (U.P.)

Low birth weight (LBW) and other adverse birth outcomes, such as morbidity and mortality, are all significantly influenced by maternal undernutrition. The goal of the current study was to assess the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies (vitamin B12, vitamin D, and iron deficiency anaemia) in prayagraj which made adverse affects on the health of mother and child nutrition. On the basis of the severity, 250 pregnant and breastfeeding women were chosen from the Mahewa Prayagraj. Furthermore, 50 severe expectant and nursing women were chosen to estimate their clinical symptoms and anthropometric measurements and for the estimation of biochemical profile, from two villages in the Prayagraj district: Mahewa Purab patti and Mahewa Pashchim patti. Data was collected by developing a questionnaire which consist information related to general profile, anthropometric measurement, dietary habits. The biochemical evaluation revealed vitamin D, hemoglobin, and vitamin B12 deficiency in the selected responders. Controlling child and maternal health group malnutrition, however, continues to be a concern in underdeveloped nation

Heterosis study in Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] genotypes for pod yield attributes

A study was conducted at Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agriculture Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi during Spring-Summer and Rainy season of 2012 and 2013 using 12 diverse parental lines of okra and their 66 F1 hybrids (through diallel cross-excluding reciprocals) with the objective to measure the extent of heterosis over better parent and standard commercial check varieties for the purpose of judging the extent up to which heterosis can be exploited in commercial okra breeding. The extent of heterosis for five best crosses over better parent and check (48.32 % to 82.42 % and 7.13 % to 35.66 %, respectively) for yield per hectare suggested the great scope of realizing higher yield in okra through heterosis breeding. Other economic traits also recorded moderate to high level of heterosis over the better parents. The cross combination IC -282280×EC – 329380showed high heterosis over better parent and standard check for pod yield (82.42 % and 35.66 %), number of pods per plant (62.82 % and 48.54 %) and respectively. This particular cross combination eventually resulted the height magnitude of heterobeltiosis and standard heterosis for the most of the desirable growth parameters as well as yield attributing characters which may be taken for further breeding programme

Sustainable dyeing of wool fabric with Talaromyces purpurogenus

Natural dyes had been used by human being since ancient times for colouring of various materials including textiles. These were replaced completely by synthetic dyes, continuous use of which created the problem of pollution and environmental degradation. With the development of green technology and increased awareness of sustainability, the use of non-allergic, non-toxic and eco-friendly natural dyes on textiles has become a matter of significant importance. Among the natural sources of colourants, microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi have gained interest in the field of textile coloration.  In the present study, the pigment solution yielded from growth of Talaromyces purpurogenus sp. on organic waste was used for dyeing of wool fabric. Under the dyeing conditions i.e. 1:30 M:L ratio, pH 5, 80º C temperature and 45 minutes dyeing time, the percent absorption could reach 57 %, 32%, 36% and 49% respectively. The wool fabric samples dyed with the fungal dye exhibited very good to excellent washing and rubbing fastness properties. The colour pigment obtained from fungal thus offered an opportunity to reduce impact on plant resources for dye source exploration. So it can be concluded from the study that a natural fungal dye could help to sustain the environment and to minimize the over exploitation of natural resources

Wind Energy Conversion System With Permanent Magnetic Synchronous Generator

This paper presents a study on grid-connected WECS with PMSG. The application of non-conventional energy resources develops much rapidly to improve low carbon energy resources in India. Nowadays, we are going to depend on solar, wind for the fulfillment of energy demand. Wind energy applications develop much more rapidly than other renewable resources such as solar, geothermal, and so on in the 21st century. It becomes the third core energy resource following non-conventional fuels as oil and chemical. The electrical energy generated by wind power plants is the best developing and most promising renewable energy source. The wind is a clean, free, and limitless energy source. Wind Energy Generation Systems (WECS) are confronted with increasing demands for power quality and harmonic distortion control. With the advance in power electronics technology, the fast growth of variable speed WECS is now witnessed

Diagnostic utility of α-methylacyl CoA racemase (P504S) & HMWCK in morphologically difficult prostate cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To evaluate the diagnostic utility of alpha-methylacyl CoA racemase (P504S) & HMWCK (34beta E12) in morphologically difficult prostate cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 1034 cases were reviewed and divided into benign (585) malignant (399) and suspicious (50). Immunohistochemistry with HMWCK and AMACR was done on the 50 suspicious cases along with controls.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Forty nine suspicious cases were resolved by using both markers where as 1 case was resolved by further support with CD68. The original diagnosis was changed in 15 of 50 (30%) suspicious cases from benign to malignant, one case from benign to high grade PIN and in one case from malignant to benign. Change of diagnosis was seen in 17 of 50 (34%) suspicious cases with a significant p value of 0.002. The overall diagnosis was changed in 17 of 1034 cases (1.64%) of prostatic disease (p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A combination of HMWCK and AMACR is of great value in combating the morphologically suspicious cases and significantly increasing the diagnostic accuracy in prostate cancer. Although, in this study the sensitivity and specificity of HMWCK and AMACR were high, yet it should be used with caution, keeping in mind all their pitfalls and limitations.</p

NON-ORTHOGONAL SIGNAL-BASED OPTICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS USING FUZZY LEARNING FOR INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION

Non-orthogonal signal-based systems are a type of communication system that uses signals that are not mutually perpendicular (i.e., not orthogonal) to transmit information. These types of systems can increase the spectral efficiency of communication systems by allowing for more data to be transmitted in the same bandwidth. Groups of signals with non-orthogonal waveforms can increase spectral efficiency, but they also increase the potential for interference. Spectrally efficient frequency division multiplexing (SEFDM) is a well-studied waveform that was originally proposed for use in wireless systems but has since found application in millimeter wave communications at 60 GHz, optical access network architecture, and long-distance optical fiber transmission. However, non-orthogonal signal-based systems are also more susceptible to interference from other sources, which can degrade the quality of the transmitted signal. To address this problem, this paper suggests using fuzzy learning techniques to cancel out interference and improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Fuzzy learning is a type of machine learning that uses fuzzy logic (FL) to handle uncertainty and imprecision in data. By using FL techniques to cancel out interference, the non-orthogonal signal-based optical communication (OC) system could potentially achieve better performance in noisy environments. Overall, this research topic has the potential to contribute to the development of more efficient and reliable OC systems that can operate in challenging environments

Ultrafast optical generation of coherent phonons in CdTe1-xSex quantum dots

We report on the impulsive generation of coherent optical phonons in CdTe0.68Se0.32 nanocrystallites embedded in a glass matrix. Pump probe experiments using femtosecond laser pulses were performed by tuning the laser central energy to resonate with the absorption edge of the nanocrystals. We identify two longitudinal optical phonons, one longitudinal acoustic phonon and a fourth mode of a mixed longitudinal-transverse nature. The amplitude of the optical phonons as a function of the laser central energy exhibits a resonance that is well described by a model based on impulsive stimulated Raman scattering. The phases of the coherent phonons reveal coupling between different modes. At low power density excitations, the frequency of the optical coherent phonons deviates from values obtained from spontaneous Raman scattering. This behavior is ascribed to the presence of electronic impurity states which modify the nanocrystal dielectric function and, thereby, the frequency of the infrared-active phonons

India’s initiatives on Improving Energy Efficiency in Aluminium Industries

India is an important player in the aluminium, especially because of its abundant bauxite reserves and low-cost skilled manpower. The sector has a significant importance in the growth of Indian economy since the aluminium consumption follows GDP growth curve. Indian aluminium sector is observed as one of the energy intensive sectors with ample scope for improvements in energy efficiency as compared to world standards. The aluminium industries are upgrading themselves by adapting state-of-art technologies, which are more energy-efficient and sustainable in a highly competitive market. These initiatives are further accelerated and motivated by an innovative incentivization scheme (called Perform, Achieve and Trade) of Govt. of India. Currently, the first phase (2012-15) is under implementation, and an unexpected movement towards energy efficiency is envisaged as a result that will ultimately lead towards production of low carbon aluminium for the society. &nbsp

Effect of Educational Video on Maternal Nutrition, Hygiene and Sanitation Among Maternal Age Group Women: A Prospective Interventional Study from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India

Introduction: Interventions that try to alter behaviour in order to promote health and disease management are typically time and resource-consuming. At the moment, boosting maternal and child nutrition is the main focus of nutrition programs in India. This paper discusses the most effective methods to change eating habits, hygiene, and sanitisation particularly the significance of contemporary Information Technology (IT) in health education. Aim: To determine the pre education knowledge level and create awareness regarding maternal nutrition, hygiene and sanitation through the developed education video on personal hygiene and sanitation among maternal-aged group women. Materials and Methods: The community-based prospective interventional study was conducted from October 2019 to April 2021 by using the prospective intervention study design. Based on the Socio-demographic profile, anthropometric measurement, and clinical assessment, specific questions regarding dietary knowledge and personal hygiene were recorded by using the questionnaire. By using the recorded data through a questionnaire, 100 respondents were selected through stratified random sampling and divided into the control group (n=50) and experimental group (n=50) involved in the intervention study. The experimental group which consisted of 50 respondents was grouped into two groups E1 (n=25) and E2 (n=25) and educated separately (due to COVID-19 restriction on mass gatherings) three times a month at 15 days intervals. The nutrition education intervention was given through an educational video in the Hindi language. The effects of the intervention were studied among the participants of the experimental group. The control group did not receive any nutritional awareness sessions. Knowledge level before and after the education intervention was recorded by using the self-structured questionnaire consisting of 15 multiple questions. The data was analysed by using Analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique. Results: Analysis was done for the complete data collected from 100 participants (15-35 years of age, 50 in each control and experimental group) included in the present study. The mean age of maternal age group women was 22 years. No significant difference was found between the knowledge of the control and experimental group at baseline (p-value >0.05). However, the post-intervention, there was significant gain in knowledge in the experimental group (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: It was found that providing the nutrition education through the developed information and communication technology proved effective by increasing knowledge level among the maternal aged group women