Digitalisation and Transformations of Women’s Labour in Sanitation Work

The waste management sector has attracted the private sector in India. Taking the case study of a start-up in waste sorting and recycling, the essayexamines how technologies used in such spaces affect women's work. It finds that there is a shift in the perceptions of who engages in this work and how thework itself is experienced and seen. But it also cautions against the perpetuation of the gendered division of labour in sanitation work, particularly in roles thatdemand technical (often digital) literacy/competence

Retardation of inflorescence development in Calendula officinalis by a morphactin and its application

The morphactin - chlorflurenol at 1, 5, 25, 125 and 625 μg/plant either caused total damage of the shoot apices or allowed a few inflorescences to develop with few or no flowers. The inflorescences arising in the lateral branches showed suppressed bracts and modified flowers. With time the treated plants recovered and showed a significant increase in the growth of laterals and the number of inflorescences. Thus morphactin can be used for prolonging the growth period and for obtaining more wholesome plants

Survey of VLSI Test Data Compression Methods

It has been seen that the test data compression has been an emerging need of VLSI field and hence the hot topic of research for last decade. Still there is a great need and scope for further reduction in test data volume. This reduction may be lossy for output side test data but must be lossless for input side test data. This paper summarizes the different methods applied for lossless compression of the input side test data, starting with simple code based methods to combined/hybrid methods. The basic goal here is to prepare survey on current methodologies applied for test data compression and prepare a platform for further development in this avenue

Susceptibility of Multi-Drug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs), Isolated from Cases of Urinary Tract Infection to Fosfomycin (The New Antibiotic) vis-a-vis Other Antimicrobial Agents

Introduction: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the commonest infections encountered in the hospital. Most of the hospital UTIs are caused by MDROs. There is scarcity of available drugs to treat MDR infections. In this scenario, reevaluation of the old antimicrobial agents is being done. Fosfomycin is one such old molecule. The studies suggest that Fosfomycin may provide a useful option for the treatment of patients with the MDR/XDR difficult-to-treat infections.Materials and Methods: Urine samples (including catheter samples) were collected in sterile containers; cultured on CHROME agar, using calibrated loop; colony count was done in positive cultures; identification and antimicrobial susceptibility of the organism was done by VITEK2 compact system. Susceptibility pattern of antimicrobial agents used for treatment of UTI including Fosfomycin was analyzed.Results: Of the 502 urinary MDRO isolates, 74.9% were ESBLs and 29.49% were CROs. MDRO susceptibility was 88% to Fosfomycin, 70.52% to Ertapenem, 53.98% to Nitrofurantoin, 37.05% to Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole, 22.31% to Norfloxacin, 20.91% to Ciprofloxacin, and 10.96% to Ampicillin respectively.Discussion: Gupta et al.10 reported 52.6% E. coli urinary isolates to be ESBLs and all were susceptible to Fosfomycin. In the present study, 76.8% Escherichia coli isolates were ESBLs and 98.5% only were susceptible to Fosfomycin

Combining Microarray Technology and Molecular Epidemiology to Identify Genes Associated with Invasive Group B Streptococcus

Many bacterial species function as both commensals and pathogens; we used this dual nature to develop a high-throughput molecular epidemiological approach to identifying bacterial virulence genes. We applied our approach to Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Three representative commensal and one invasive GBS isolates were selected as tester strains from a population-based collection. We used microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization to identify open reading frames (ORFs) present in two sequenced invasive strains, but absent or divergent in tester strains. We screened 23 variable ORFs against 949 GBS isolates using a GBS Library on a Slide (LOS) microarray platform. Four ORFs occurred more frequently in invasive than commensal isolates, and one appeared more frequently in commensal isolates. Comparative hybridization using an oligonucleotide microarray, combined with epidemiologic screening using the LOS microarray platform, enabled rapid identification of bacterial genes potentially associated with pathogenicity

Phosphatidic acid phospholipase A1 mediates ER-Golgi transit of a family of G protein-coupled receptors

The coat protein II (COPII)-coated vesicular system transports newly synthesized secretory and membrane proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi complex. Recruitment of cargo into COPII vesicles requires an interaction of COPII proteins either with the cargo molecules directly or with cargo receptors for anterograde trafficking. We show that cytosolic phosphatidic acid phospholipase A1 (PAPLA1) interacts with COPII protein family members and is required for the transport of Rh1 (rhodopsin 1), an N-glycosylated G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), from the ER to the Golgi complex. In papla1 mutants, in the absence of transport to the Golgi, Rh1 is aberrantly glycosylated and is mislocalized. These defects lead to decreased levels of the protein and decreased sensitivity of the photoreceptors to light. Several GPCRs, including other rhodopsins and Bride of sevenless, are similarly affected. Our findings show that a cytosolic protein is necessary for transit of selective transmembrane receptor cargo by the COPII coat for anterograde trafficking

Use of thiopurines in inflammatory bowel disease : an update

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), once considered a disease of the Western hemisphere, has emerged as a global disease. As the disease prevalence is on a steady rise, management of IBD has come under the spotlight. 5-Aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents and biologics are the backbone of treatment of IBD. With the advent of biologics and small molecules, the need for surgery and hospitalization has decreased. However, economic viability and acceptability is an important determinant of local prescription patterns. Nearly one-third of the patients in West receive biologics as the first/initial therapy. The scenario is different in developing countries where biologics are used only in a small proportion of patients with IBD. Increased risk of reactivation of tuberculosis and high cost of the therapy are limitations to their use. Thiopurines hence become critical for optimal management of patients with IBD in these regions. However, approximately one-third of patients are intolerant or develop adverse effects with their use. This has led to suboptimal use of thiopurines in clinical practice. This review article discusses the clinical aspects of thiopurine use in patients with IBD with the aim of optimizing their use to full therapeutic potential.Peer reviewe