Whole-genome shotgun sequencing of the first observation of Neisseria meningitidis sequence type 6928 in India

Neisseria meningitidis is one of the leading global causes of bacterial meningitis. Here, we discuss the draft genome sequences of two N. meningitidis strains, isolated from bloodstream infections in two pediatric patients at a tertiary care hospital in South India. The sequence data indicate that strains VB13856 and VB15548 encode genomes of ~2.09 Mb in size with no plasmids

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Not AvailableAdulteration of edible substances is a potent contemporary food safety issue. Perhaps the overt concern derives from the fact that adulterants pose serious ill effects on human health. Edible oils are one of the most adulterated food products. Perpetrators are adopting ways and means that effectively masks the presence of the adulterants from human organoleptic limits and traditional oil adulteration detection techniques. This review embodies a detailed account of chemical, biosensors, chromatography, spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, non-thermal plasma, dielectric spectroscopy research carried out in the area of falsification assessment of edible oils for the past three decades and a collection of patented oil adulteration detection techniques. The detection techniques reviewed have some advantages and certain limitations, chemical tests are simple; biosensors and nuclear magnetic resonance are rapid but have a low sensitivity; chromatography and spectroscopy are highly accurate with a deterring price tag; dielectric spectroscopy is rapid can be portable and has on-line compatibility; however, the results are susceptible to variation of electric current frequency and intrinsic factors (moisture, temperature, structural composition). This review paper can be useful for scientists or for knowledge seekers eager to be abreast with edible oil adulteration detection techniques.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableConservation biological control is an approach to enhance the efficacy of natural enemies by ensuring their availability in an agro-ecosystem on a long temporal scale. An increased survival often leads to better fecundity and improved behaviour of the natural enemies, which in turn ensures sustainable pest management. This paper, apart from being a concise review of conservation biological control, deals with selected India-specific case studies and field experiences on habitat manipulation and refugia. Results from a Bengaluru-based study during 2012–2015 on conservation biological control in an organic mango ecosystem are also presented. It also dwells briefly on conservation of insectivorous birds and touches upon conservation biocontrol with respect to entomopathogenic microorganisms and plant disease antagonists.Not Availabl

Robust pole assignment in singular control systems

AbstractNecessary conditions are given for the problem of pole assignment by state feedback in singular linear systems (descriptor systems) to have a solution which is regular and nondefective. For a robust solution, such that the assigned closed-loop poles are insensitive to perturbations in the system data, the same conditions must hold. It can be shown that these conditions are also sufficient for the existence of a feedback which assigns the maximum possible number of finite poles with regularity. These results provide the basis of a procedure for constructing closed-loop semistate systems with given poles, guaranteed regularity, and maximum robustness