Review on Process, Application and Performance of Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC)

Abstract- The rotating biological contactor is an attached growth biological treatment used in removal of biodegradable matter present in wastewater is popular due to its simplicity low energy requirement, low land requirement, stable in various shock loading and recirculation not required and low hydraulic retention time. This review paper focuses on various controlling parameter of RBC like organic loading, hydraulic retention time, speed of rotation, dissolve oxygen, staging, temperature, submergence etc. The paper also highlights on the performance studies of RBC for different types of wastewater. Index Terms- Rotating biological contactor, organic loading, speed of rotation, dissolves oxygen, staging and submergence. A I

Antioxidant Composition of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Beverage Blended with Black-Carrot Juice

An investigation was undertaken to study guava beverage blended with black-carrot juice, during 2011-2012. Enzyme-assisted processing of guava significantly improved the juice yield, total soluble solids, titratable acidity pH, ascorbic acid and sugars by using pectinase enzyme. The blending of guava beverage with black carrot juice significantly improved the functional properties of the guava RTS. Anthocyanin and ascorbic contents of blended guava RTS with black-carrot juice decreased with advancement of storage condition and period

Nutraceutical Composition of Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana Lamk.) Juice: Effect of Enzyme-Assisted Processing

An investigation was undertaken to study the effect of pre-press maceration treatment with cell-wall degrading enzyme, pectinase, on antioxidant composition of ber juice, during 2011-2012. Enzyme-assisted processing significantly (p<0.05) improved antioxidant composition of ber juice. Ber juice extracted using pectinase had richer nutraceutical composition than in the Control. There was an overall increase of 43% in juice yield, 30% in total phenolics and 37% in total flavonoids with use of pectinase. In vitro total antioxidant activity (AOX) in ber juice was 19.58μmol Trolox/ml in Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and 13.44μmol Trolox/ml in Cupric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (CUPRAC) assay. There was 41-65% increase in total AOX of ber juice extracted with the enzyme overstraight pressed juice. Results indicated that tailoring of the enzyme can yield antioxidant-rich juice products

Effect of Polyamines on Storability and Quality of Pomegranate Fruit (Punica granatum L.) Cv. Bhagwa

Pomegranate cv. Bhagawa fruits harvested at adequate stage of maturity were dipped in aqueous solutions containing various concentrations of the polyamines putrescine (1mM, 2mM and 3mM) and spermidine (0.5mM, 1mM and 1.5mM), along with Tween-20 as a surfactant, for 5 minutes. The fruits were then stored at 5°C and 8°C temperature with under 90-95% relative humidity. Polyamine-treated fruits showed reduced chilling-injury, weight loss and respiration rate during storage at these 5°C and 8°C temperatures. An increasing trend in total soluble solids (TSS) content, and a decreasing trend in acidity were found in polyamine-treated fruits during storage at 5°C and 8°C temperature. Maximum reduction in chilling-injury was obtained with putrescine (2mM) at both the storage temperatures. Control fruits stored at 5°C and 8°C temperature rapidly developed chilling-injury developed symptoms of brown discoloration of skin and weight-loss in pomegranate fruits

Identification of a repetitive sequence belonging to a PPE gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its use in diagnosis of tuberculosis

A repetitive sequence specific to Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated from a gt11 library of M. tuberculosis by DNA-DNA hybridization using genomic DNA of M. tuberculosis as probe followed by subtractive hybridization with a cocktail of other mycobacterial DNA. This led to identification of CD192, a 1291 bp fragment of M. tuberculosis containing repetitive sequences, which produced positive hybridization signals with M. tuberculosis DNA within 30 min. Nucleotide sequencing revealed the presence of several direct and inverted repeats within the 1291 bp fragment that belonged to a PPE family gene (Rv0355) of M. tuberculosis. The use of CD192 as a DNA probe for the identification of M. tuberculosis in culture and clinical samples was investigated. The 1291 bp sequence was present in M. tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis and M. bovis BCG, but was not present in many of the other mycobacterial strains tested, including M. tuberculosis H37Ra. More than 300 clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis were probed with CD192, and the presence of the 1291 bp sequence was observed in all the clinical strains, including those lacking IS6110. The sequence displayed RFLP among the clinical isolates. A PCR assay was developed which detected M. tuberculosis with 100 % specificity from specimens of sputum, cerebrospinal fluid and pleural effusion from clinically diagnosed cases of tuberculosis

Variety AHB 1269Fe (MH 2185)

Pearl millet Varietal Identification Committee in its annual meet on 22nd-24th March, 2018, during the 53rd Annual Pearl Millet Workshop at ARS, Jodhpur, identified MH 2185 as “biofortified pearl millet hybrid AHB 1269Fe” for its high grain Fe combined with high grain and stover yield. MH 2185 is a cross between male-sterile line ICMA1 98222 (female parent) and restorer AUBI 1105 (male parent). The line ICMA1 98222 is based on A1 source of cytoplasmic malesterility developed at ICRISAT, Patancheru. Hybrid MH 2185 was tested in the All India Coordinated Pearl Millet Improvement Project (AICRP-PM) trials during 2015-2017 seasons at 36 locations (12 locations each in 2015, 13 locations in 2016 and 11 locations in 2017) together with 6 controls, 86M86, 86M01, MPMH 17, HHB-67 Improved, Pratap, and Dhanashakti. While the first five controls are commercially released highyielding hybrid cultivars, Dhanashakti is an improved version of open pollinated variety (OPV) ICTP8203 with high grain Fe (71 ppm). AHB 1269Fe hybrid was jointly developed and sponsored to AICRP-PM for evaluation by National Agriculture Research Project Aurangabad, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani and International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Aric Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India

Quantitative and Molecular Genetic Analyses of Mutations Increasing Drosophila Life Span

Understanding the genetic and environmental factors that affect variation in life span and senescence is of major interest for human health and evolutionary biology. Multiple mechanisms affect longevity, many of which are conserved across species, but the genetic networks underlying each mechanism and cross-talk between networks are unknown. We report the results of a screen for mutations affecting Drosophila life span. One third of the 1,332 homozygous P–element insertion lines assessed had quantitative effects on life span; mutations reducing life span were twice as common as mutations increasing life span. We confirmed 58 mutations with increased longevity, only one of which is in a gene previously associated with life span. The effects of the mutations increasing life span were highly sex-specific, with a trend towards opposite effects in males and females. Mutations in the same gene were associated with both increased and decreased life span, depending on the location and orientation of the P–element insertion, and genetic background. We observed substantial—and sex-specific—epistasis among a sample of ten mutations with increased life span. All mutations increasing life span had at least one deleterious pleiotropic effect on stress resistance or general health, with different patterns of pleiotropy for males and females. Whole-genome transcript profiles of seven of the mutant lines and the wild type revealed 4,488 differentially expressed transcripts, 553 of which were common to four or more of the mutant lines, which include genes previously associated with life span and novel genes implicated by this study. Therefore longevity has a large mutational target size; genes affecting life span have variable allelic effects; alleles affecting life span exhibit antagonistic pleiotropy and form epistatic networks; and sex-specific mutational effects are ubiquitous. Comparison of transcript profiles of long-lived mutations and the control line reveals a transcriptional signature of increased life span

A comparison of microbial contamination on sheep/goat carcasses in a modern Indian abattoir and traditional meat shops

The microbial load on sheep/goat carcasses was investigated in Deonar abattoir and traditional meat shops in Mumbai. A total of 96 swab samples from carcass sites were collected and analysed from the abattoir, while 144 swab samples from carcass sites were analysed from three meat shops. These samples were processed for total viable count (TVC) and differential counts. The average TVC after flaying, evisceration and washing in the abattoir was 5.51 ± 0.36, 6.06 ± 0.53 and 5.13 ± 0.58 CFU/cm2, respectively. Pooled average TVC in the shops after flaying, evisceration and washing was 5.83 ± 0.42, 6.48 ± 0.27 and 6.17 ± 0.41 log CFU/cm2, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed a highly significant difference (P < 0.01) among TVC counts after washing between abattoir and the shops. The highest prevalence of Micrococcus spp. and S. epidermidis was noticed during various operations in both the abattoir and the shops. Although Salmonella spp. could not be isolated from any of the carcass sites in the abattoir, in the shops it showed 16.4% prevalence at all the sites irrespective of operations. Overall study revealed that level of contamination in the traditional meat shops was significantly higher compared to the abattoir. However, the microbial contamination in the abattoir is also high if we compare these results to the reports from developed countries and do not conform to EU specifications. The findings of this study reflect the hygiene status of meat production in the developing world. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved