Credibility of Various Indices of Sacrum in Identification of Sex of Sacrum

Background: Determination of sex from skeletal remains is of paramount importance for Forensic Experts for identification of the deceased. The task becomes more difficult when only a single bone is available. Though most bones exhibit clear cut sexual variation in morphology but to determine sex with 100% accuracy, one has to use metric measurements to study various indices. These indices exhibit significant variation in range according ethnicity & geographic location, hence is suggested to arrive at Demarking Point (D.P.) for these parameters which greatly help in sexing of a bone. Sacrum has been considered amongst ideal bones to determine sex of individual because of its functional morphological variation in both sexes by virtue of its contribution to pelvis. Numerous indices have been reported to determine sex of sacra but of it none have proved to effectively & singularly differentiate sex. Hence is advised to not rely on a single index but use maximum possible indices to determine sex of sacrum. Also to be taken in consideration is fact that values of these indices so is their D.P. varies according to geographical location. Hence studies such as this are carried out to calculate anthrometric data regarding various measurements & indices for a particular region. Method: 150 sacra of known sex from Tamil Nadu of South India were studied for metrical parameters for determination of sex. Efforts were made to find Demarking point for each parameter and then compared with similar studies. Results: It was evident from present study that sacral index is the most important parameter as far as the sex determination of sacrum is concerned as it could singularly identify 56% male and 78% female bones. Sacral index for population under study was observed to be 99.21 for males and 119.94 for females. Conclusion: The present study highlight importance of certain parameters like sacral index while also demonstrating insignificance other parameters, but basic fact remains that as far as the sex determination of sacrum is concerned no single parameter could identify sex in 100% of the bones and hence, it can be concluded that for sex determination of the sacrum with 100% accuracy is possible only when maximum number of parameters are taken into consideration

Effect of supplementary sugar feeding on colony growth of Asiatic hive bee, Apis cerana indica F.

Honey bees also known as "Angels of Agriculture" are arguably the most vital insects on the planet. Bee nutrition is an important aspect of colony management. Supplementary feeding is essential for maintaining the strength and health of honey bee colonies, especially during dearth periods. Experiments were conducted to evaluate a suitable, cheaper carbohydrate supplement and its effect on the colony growth of the Asiatic hive bee Apis cerana indica. Four different sugar syrup components, viz., sugar, water, milk and glucose, were combined to form  seven treatments : T1-Sugar: water (1:1), T2-Sugar: water (1:1) + Glucose (2%),T3- Sugar: water (1:1) + Desi cow’s milk (2%),T4- Sugar + water (2:1), T5- Sugar + water (2:1) + Glucose (2%) ,T6- Sugar + water (2:1) + Desi cow’s milk (2%) and T7-Control and evaluated to select honey bee colonies . Among the different sugar syrup feeding treatments, the colonies fed with T2 - Sugar: water (1:1) + Glucose (2%) had a profound effect within a month and the colonies recorded an increase in sealed brood area from 175.66 cm2 to 425.00 cm2, honey store area from 49.00 cm2 to 130.33 cm2, pollen store area from 47. 33 cm2 to 125.33 cm2, adult bee population from 4318.66 bees/colony to 4933.33 bees/colony. The work is new to A. cerana indica. Many of their bee colonies suffer from poor nutrition and absconding during the dearth period. The present study will help the beekeeping farmers maintain these Asiatic honey bee colonies during the starved period and will be useful in income generation.          

An explorative analysis of the labour market structure in the peri-urban area of Hyderabad metropolitan region

The study was undertaken during June-August, 2020 in the peri-urban areas of Hyderabad Metropolitan Region of Telangana under the department of Agricultural Economics, Professor Jayashanker Telangana State Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telengana state, India. The objective was to explore the nature of gender gap in the labour market since peri-urban spaces capture changes better. Based on the Census survey data, descriptive analysis was employed in the study. The study revealed that urban sprawl did not guarantee working environment to men and women equally and women were either pushed out of workforce or rendered with marginal works. A gendered society in developing world was clearly pictured and occupational segregation was also observed in the study locations. The results also revealed the existence of distress employment with a rise in the female marginal workers compared to their male counterparts. Women workers were more into agricultural labour than male workers in the peri-urban study locations confirming feminisation of agriculture whereas other worker category which needs specialized skills were dominated by male workers. A decline in female work participation rate was indeed observed but a detailed look identified it as a rural phenomenon. In a nut shell, the results reflected that the rapid developments in the peri-urban region did not provide a similar working environment to both genders and further, the benefits of urbanization is yet to reach the rural continuum

Tractography dissection variability: What happens when 42 groups dissect 14 white matter bundles on the same dataset?

White matter bundle segmentation using diffusion MRI fiber tractography has become the method of choice to identify white matter fiber pathways in vivo in human brains. However, like other analyses of complex data, there is considerable variability in segmentation protocols and techniques. This can result in different reconstructions of the same intended white matter pathways, which directly affects tractography results, quantification, and interpretation. In this study, we aim to evaluate and quantify the variability that arises from different protocols for bundle segmentation. Through an open call to users of fiber tractography, including anatomists, clinicians, and algorithm developers, 42 independent teams were given processed sets of human whole-brain streamlines and asked to segment 14 white matter fascicles on six subjects. In total, we received 57 different bundle segmentation protocols, which enabled detailed volume-based and streamline-based analyses of agreement and disagreement among protocols for each fiber pathway. Results show that even when given the exact same sets of underlying streamlines, the variability across protocols for bundle segmentation is greater than all other sources of variability in the virtual dissection process, including variability within protocols and variability across subjects. In order to foster the use of tractography bundle dissection in routine clinical settings, and as a fundamental analytical tool, future endeavors must aim to resolve and reduce this heterogeneity. Although external validation is needed to verify the anatomical accuracy of bundle dissections, reducing heterogeneity is a step towards reproducible research and may be achieved through the use of standard nomenclature and definitions of white matter bundles and well-chosen constraints and decisions in the dissection process

Diverse definitions of the early course of schizophrenia - a targeted literature review

Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric disorder and patients experience significant comorbidity, especially cognitive and psychosocial deficits, already at the onset of disease. Previous research suggests that treatment during the earlier stages of disease reduces disease burden, and that a longer time of untreated psychosis has a negative impact on treatment outcomes. A targeted literature review was conducted to gain insight into the definitions currently used to describe patients with a recent diagnosis of schizophrenia in the early course of disease ('early' schizophrenia). A total of 483 relevant English-language publications of clinical guidelines and studies were identified for inclusion after searches of MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process, relevant clinical trial databases and Google for records published between January 2005 and October 2015. The extracted data revealed a wide variety of terminology and definitions used to describe patients with 'early' or 'recent-onset' schizophrenia, with no apparent consensus. The most commonly used criteria to define patients with early schizophrenia included experience of their first episode of schizophrenia or disease duration of less than 1, 2 or 5 years. These varied definitions likely result in substantial disparities of patient populations between studies and variable population heterogeneity. Better agreement on the definition of early schizophrenia could aid interpretation and comparison of studies in this patient population and consensus on definitions should allow for better identification and management of schizophrenia patients in the early course of their disease

Novel poly (methyl methacrylate) grafted guar gum/mineral substituted apatite nanocomposites for orthopedics applications: In vitro physicochemical and biochemical studies

A poly (methyl methacrylate) grafted guar gum/mineral substituted hydroxyapatite (PMMA-GG/M-HA) nanocomposite is reported to show enhanced physico-chemical and bio-chemical properties. This nanocomposite offers a possible bone cell integration around it with augmenting fresh bone development, thus declining the risk of cartilages' structural collapse. In this study, the as-fabricated nanocomposite was characterized by using physicochemical strategies. The cell-material boundary of the nanocomposite was observed in vitro with human osteoblast cells, and the cell replication was tested. The nanocomposite promoted the bone cell adhesion and proliferation, improved the mechanical strength and repressed the growth of bacterial cells. Keywords: Nanocomposite, Bacterial activity, Guar gum, Poly (methyl methacrylate), Osteoblast cell adhesio

Investigation on the Electrical Properties of Polymer metal Nanocomposites for Physiological Sensing Applications

AbstractCopper nanoparticles were prepared by Polyol Method and the prepared metal nanoparticles were characterized by various techniques like AFM, SEM, FTIR Spectrum and XRD. The prepared metal nanoparticles are used to improve the electrical conductivity of dielectric polymers like PMMA. Polymer Metal Nanocomposite was prepared by in-situ oxidative polymerization of Methylmethacrylate monomer in the presence of different concentration of prepared metal nanoparticles. The formation of the polymer metal nanocomposites was characterized by UV-Vis Spectroscopy, SEM and AFM. The electrical conductivity was investigated using Four-Point Probe Techniques and the conductivity value of the PMMA/Cu nanocomposite was in the range of mS/cm. The conductivity of the dielectric polymer was found to be increased with the increasing metal concentration. The prepared nanocomposite can be used to convert the insulating foam into conductive one which can be used to fabricate wearable sensors for physiological (Breath Rate, Limb Movement, etc.,) monitoring

Chemical reactivity, solvent effects, spectroscopic (FTIR, Raman, SERS, UV–Visible), Hirshfeld analyses and antimalarial investigation of 3-Acetylbenzoic acid

The antimalarial compound 3-AcetylBenzoic acid (3ABA) was characterized by spectroscopic and UV–Visible spectral techniques. The most stable structure of 3ABA molecule was studied for PES analysis. The geometrical optimization, spectral investigations (Infrared and Raman were performed), electronic transitions and the energy gap between Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) and Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO) and chemical nature of the title molecule were described (gas and solvation phase) for UV–Visible investigations. The adsorption energy is almost the same for Au and Ag, causing the nmCs to form stable clusters with Au and Ag. In all complexes with 3ABA, Raman spectra reveal an improvement. The donor acceptor's interaction and stabilization energy were analysed by Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analyses. The chemical reactivity of the title molecule is illustrated using Molecular Electrostatic Potential (MEP), Electron Localized Function (ELF), Localized Orbital Locator (LOL), and Hirshfeld analyses. The antimalarial and antibacterial activities were investigated for Enogl acyl carrier proteins (1NHG, 4M89) using molecular docking analysis