The polarimeter and the multispectral radiometer as remote probes of aerosols

Attempts made to establish the viability of the polarimeter as a ground based remote probe of atmospheric aerosols under varying meteorological conditions are reported. Extension radiometer data are also given and a comparison was made with polarimeter data to determine if one could complement/supplement the other. The analyses show that the two instruments are complementary devices and any information obtained from one will greatly facilitate the analysis of the other. Detailed results are given in graphical form

Fishing gear in freshwater reservoirs of India

Consequent on the great emphasis given to irrigation, power generation and flood control, several river valley reservoirs have been formed. The fact that these reservoirs support a fairly rich fishery potential needs no special mention. The total reservoir water area in the country is 6.4 lakh h.a. (16 lakh acres) and the yield is 5 to 8 kgm/h. a. in certain reservoirs, rising up to 40 kgm/h.a. in some of the highly productive ones

Trends in development in the prawn fishing technique in India: a review

The paper provides some background information about the developments in the prawn fishing technique. The important indigenous gear for prawns are the filtering type nets like the stake nets, boat seines and beach seines with bag. The only indigenous net, which can be compared in design with the modern bottom trawling gear, is the "Thuri Valai" of the Madras Coast. Prawns have also been reported from the catches of gill nets and cast nets. Dredges and beam trawls are simplest among the dragged gear. Even though several earlier attempts were made with the beam trawl, in 1959 season a detailed experiment was made to study the fishing features of this gear. The subsequent experiments conducted were for comparison with otter trawl, towing of 2 beam trawls one behind the other and the use of tickler chain. The initial experiments with otter trawls were mainly directed towards operational aspects. The experiments were to evaluate the effectiveness of fully mechanised and partially mechanised operation, the effect of extra buoyancy of floats and the use of tickler chain. Subsequent developments had been on the structure and design of prawn trawling gear. Effect of long wings and sweeps were tested. Catches of nylon and cotton nets were compared. The sizes of meshes of the cod-end have also been increased

Fishing gear research at the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology

The Craft and Gear Wing of the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology was established to develop the country's fishing boats and implements scientifically and systematically. The Wing was organized in the year 1957 as a part of the fisheries development schemes included under the Second Five Year Plan

Activation of tyrosine kinases by mutation of the gatekeeper threonine.

Protein kinases targeted by small-molecule inhibitors develop resistance through mutation of the gatekeeper threonine residue of the active site. Here we show that the gatekeeper mutation in the cellular forms of c-ABL, c-SRC, platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha and -beta, and epidermal growth factor receptor activates the kinase and promotes malignant transformation of BaF3 cells. Structural analysis reveals that a network of hydrophobic interactions-the hydrophobic spine-characteristic of the active kinase conformation is stabilized by the gatekeeper substitution. Substitution of glycine for the residues constituting the spine disrupts the hydrophobic connectivity and inactivates the kinase. Furthermore, a small-molecule inhibitor that maximizes complementarity with the dismantled spine (compound 14) inhibits the gatekeeper mutation of BCR-ABL-T315I. These results demonstrate that mutation of the gatekeeper threonine is a common mechanism of activation for tyrosine kinases and provide structural insights to guide the development of next-generation inhibitors

Surgical Site Infections: Predisposing Factors, Prevention of SSIS in Clean and Clean Contaminated Surgeries by Comparing Efficacy of Prophylactic Antibiotics Versus Closed Suction Drainage of Subcutaneous Dead Space: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The study was conducted for a period of 1 year. All cases were randomly allocated into the 3 study groups. A large variety of Class I and II operations were included, the maximum being hernia repairs with the placement of synthetic meshes as reinforcement. According to the definition of SSI, if a prosthetic implant like a mesh is placed, the follow up period is extended to 1 year. However in this study the follow up of each patient was upto only 30 days hence this is a fallacy secondary to the limited period of this study. The trial is a hospital based trial hence during inclusion and randomization of subjects, it was not preceded by matching and hence the resultant increase in confounding factors. This fallacy could be avoided by a population based sample, subsequently matched and then randomized. The overall incidence of SSI was 31.94 % and the incidence in individual classes ( Class I - 22.22 % and Class II – 35.19 % ) paralleled previous Indian and international literature.[8, 9, 11-18] However this trials incidence percentages are grossly larger than international literature which probably reflects the lesser standard of peri-operative wound precautions, care and management. The type of SSIs encountered were mostly Superficial incisional type which is also the most common type according to literature.[4-5] Most SSIs developed between post op day 3 and 6, which parallels literature. Only 2 cases were noted beyond the first week and those too were in “hernia repair with meshes” subjects which parallels the need for extended period of follow up/surveillance in the definition of SSIs for surgeries with prosthetic implant placement. The effect of age on the chance of developing SSIs was studied and was not found to a statistically significant to be an independent factor to influence the incidence of SSIs. The risk factors predisposing to SSIs were studied.[19-20] As previously mentioned, since environmental and procedural factors were relatively constant, only the host related pre-existent co morbidities were analysed. Tobacco and alcohol consumption were also excluded and the final list was headed by diabetes mellitus. Others were hypertension, anaemia, old age, prolonged preoperative stay ( >14 days ), long duration surgery ( > 4 hours ) and different immunosuppressive states. Statistical testing of these factors against occurrence of SSIs was done – and found to be significant. Therefore the presence of even one or two co-existent illnesses could increase the risk of developing SSIs, as supported by previous literature. Whether the risk of developing SSIs was different in elective or emergency procedures was examined statistically and the tests revealed that the risk of development of SSIs was not determined by these 2 factors atleast when applied to class I and II wounds. The objective assessment of wounds after the development of SSIs was done and scored using the ASEPSIS scoring system. This was done to see if class of wound and intervention offered could influence the severity of the resultant infection. The data obtained was however not as expected – In class I wounds : Average ASEPSIS scores were least in the closed suction drainage group followed by the control and prophylactic antibiotic groups. Therefore class I wounds which develop SSIs are least extensive in the closed suction drainage group. In class II wounds : Average ASEPSIS scores were least in the prophylactic antibiotic group followed by the closed suction drainage and control groups. Therefore class II wounds which develop SSIs are least extensive in the prophylactic antibiotic group. Therefore the control group was found to have lesser severity when compared to antibiotics in class I wounds. The expected outcome was that either intervention should not only reduce the incidence but also the severity of infection, in either class of surgery. Also of interest is that the aforementioned apparent statistical advantage (in reducing the incidence of SSI) of the drain over the prophylactic antibiotic does not seem to also translate to a less severe infection (in drains compared to antibiotics) among Class II wounds. The expected increase in severity of infection, as evident by average respective class wise ASEPSIS scores in Class II ( 26.41% ) when compared to Class I (27.33% ) wounds was also not evident. These unexpected results could be due to early intervention of the wound and not allowing the wound to course through its natural history and influence maximum ASEPSIS score. However, the presence of either intervention should reduce the severity and extent of the SSI developing in a Class I and especially in Class II wound. All resultant wound exudates were swabbed and sent for microbiological analysis. Approximately 60.87 % was found to be positive for an organism. This reiterates the fact that culture positivity is not the gold standard for labelling a wound as being infected but an adjunct to the diagnosis which is primarily clinical. The resultant pattern of organisms and their culture patterns could influence clinicians on the choice of empirical antibiotics once infection is noted. These empirical antibiotics are subsequently altered based on swab culture sensitivity patterns. In this trial E.coli was the most prevalent inoculum with a predominant sensitivity to Amikacin. Finally the null hypothesis was put to the test. Prophylactic antibiotics were given using standard dosing and administration protocols ( as described in the Introduction – Antibiotic Prophylaxis section and the Methodology section ). Repeat intraoperative dosing was given in a few subjects due to prolongation of procedure time beyond 4 hours. Closed suction drainage was achieved with standard 12 - 14F gauge suction tubes connected to syringes or appropriate suction devices. The analysis of resultant incidence percentages revealed - that in both classes of operations ( I and II ) the use of either intervention would reduce the incidence of SSIs. The data also suggests that the use of closed suction drainage is superior to the use of prophylactic antibiotics in the prevention of SSIs in both Class I and II surgeries. However these findings need to be tested using appropriate statistical tests of significance. Based on comparing no intervention vs. Each intervention in each class of operation individually, the following conclusions were drawn – 1. In Class I wounds : neither intervention was found to reduce the SSI incidence when compared to no intervention at all 2. In Class II wounds : both interventions were found to have a statistically significant role in reduction of the occurrence of SSIs. The lower P value obtained with the closed drainage group compared with the prophylactic antibiotic group when individually tested against the control group would suggest a significant superiority of drainage to antibiotics in the prophylaxis Class II wounds. These conclusions prevent the indiscriminate use of antibiotic prophylaxis and its resultant adverse effects like development of resistance, increased costs, antibiotic side effects in both Class I and II wounds. Class I wounds could be managed without any prophylaxis. On comparison of the cost incurred during use of either intervention the cost of a simple suction catheter and syringe was found to lesser than even a single dose of the prophylactic antibiotic. Thus the most cost effective intervention for Class II wounds is the closed suction drainage of the subcutaneous space

Experiments on preservation and weathering of net twines

Koura (1963) reporting the results of the comparative studies on different preservation methods of cotton twines stated that "by the difference of rotting in the different waters, not ever one method may be the most economical one". The observations were simultaneously made at Alexandria in Egypt in the sub-tropical region and Cuxhaven in the estuary of the River Elbe in the temperate zone. The course of weathering and effect of immersion in water of man-made fibres have also been mentioned in this communication. Subsequently work on similar lines were extended to Cochin in the tropical region with Cuxhaven and Hamburg as the other places of observation and the results of these studies are presented in this paper

SAXS and the Working Protein

In this issue of Structure, Davies et al., 2005 present shape reconstructions for the molecular motor p97 using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and offer insights into how ATP consumption is coupled to cyclical domain motions. This work emphasizes the emerging potential of SAXS for visualizing the workings of biological machines in solution

Proceedings of the UCLA International Conference on Radiation and Remote Probing of the Atmosphere

Various articles are presented on multiple scattering problems and radiative transfer in the atmosphere. Particle size distribution and molecular absorption are also discussed