Draft Genome Sequence of an Alkaliphilic Exiguobacterium sp Strain HUD, Isolated from a Polymicrobial Consortia

An alkaliphilic microorganism from the genus Exiguobacterium, Exiguobacterium sp. strain HUD was isolated from a fermentative, methanogenic polymicrobial microcosm operating at pH 10. The draft genome shows the presence of genes encoding for the metabolism of a range of carbohydrates under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Effect of gender preference on fertility: cross-sectional study among women of Tharu community from rural area of eastern region of Nepal

BACKGROUND: Son preference is predominant in developing countries especially South Asian countries and its effect is most visible when the fertility is on transition. Nepal is a country in South Asia where the fertility has declined and son is valued highly. This study examines the parent’s gender preference for children and its effect on fertility and reproductive behaviors. METHODS: Study was conducted in Sonapur village development committee of Sunsari district among women of Tharu community of reproductive age (15–49) currently in union and having at least one child. Data was collected by house to house survey. Data was analyzed with IBM SPSS 20 version. Multinomial and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the relationship among variables. RESULTS: Three hundred women of reproductive age were included in the study. Current average age of the respondents was 31.97 years and mean age at marriage was 18.87 (SD +/-2.615). Child Sex ratio (male: female) of the respondents who didn’t want any more children was 1.41. The birth spacing following male baby was 3.09 years whereas the average birth spacing following female baby was 2.71 years. Age of the respondents and education status of the respondents were also significantly associated with contraceptive practice. Presence of only female children in family significantly increased the desire of other children (AOR = 10.153, 95% CI = 2.357-43.732). CONCLUSION: This study finds that the gender preference affects the fertility and reproductive behavior of the respondents and it is necessary to reduce son preference for the health and well being of children and women

PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF POLYMERIC NANOPARTICLES OF GLIBENCLAMIDE

Simple, reliable and reproducible method was used for the preparation of polymeric nanoparticles of Glibenclamide. The formulation was prepared by solvent evaporation method using magnetic stirrer with overnight stirring and the same was then evaluated for its particle size, drug content and in vitro dissolution studies. The above mentioned method showed similar particle size and exhibited an improvement in the drug entrapment efficiency. The ultraviolet spectrophotometric method was used to analyze Glibenclamide at 300 nm in different buffers. The study demonstrated the successful preparation of sustained release polymeric nanoparticles of Glibenclamide. Keywords: Glibenclamide, polymeric nanoparticles, solvent evaporatio

Low-cost implementation of IEC 61850 based Substation Automation System in conventional hard wired 132 KV class Power Substations

The operation, control and protection of EHV substations have benefited immensely from advancements in electronics, computers, information and communications technology. The use of IEC61850 compliant digital protection relays, digital energy meters, smart monitoring devices and other smart interactive IEDs are being extensively used in all EHV substations. The integration and convergence of developments in computer, communication, electronics technologies with power system control and protection have revolutionized the way substations are now being operated. Nowadays, 400 KV and above voltage class new EHV substations of Indian central and state utilities are invariably being designed with IEC61850 based SAS. However, new 132 KV class substations are still constructed without Substation Automation System owing to substantial cost implication SAS. Further, for the same reason a majority of old EHV substations in Indian power utilities could not be provided with SAS so far. This paper presents a case study on low-cost implementation of IEC 61850 based substation automation in old and smaller conventional hard wired 132 KV substations and thus converting them into smart substations. The paper begins with a brief description of a typical 132 KV class substation, followed by an introduction to Substation Automation system and IEC 61850 based SAS. Thereafter, the paper discusses design aspects of implementation of economically optimized SAS in conventional hard-wired Substations and discusses benefits of implementation of SAS in 132 KV class Substations. The paper concludes with a discussion of the benefits of adoption of IEC 61850 based substation automation system in conventional EHV substations.       &nbsp

Serum IGF-1, IGFBP-3 and their ratio: Potential biochemical growth maturity indicators

Abstract Background Determination of skeletal maturation and remaining growth potential is an essential part of treatment planning in orthodontics. The aim of our study was to determine the relationship between IGF-1 levels, IGFBP-3 levels with CVM staging to track the pre pubertal and pubertal growth spurts in female patients in North Indian population. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on ninety female subjects in the age group of 8-20 years. Blood samples were collected and centrifuged and serum samples were then analysed by Human IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits, specific for IGF-1 and IGFBP-3, respectively. CVM staging on lateral cephalometric radiograph was determined for all patients. Analysis of variance test followed by a post hoc test was used to compare mean IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 corresponding to six stages of cervical vertebrae maturation stages. Linear Pearson’s correlations were performed to determine the trends of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and its ratio relating to CVM stage. The kappa statistic was used to measure inter and intra examiner reliability. P value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results Mean serum IGF-1 levels were found to be highest (403.3 ± 12.3 ng/ml) at CVMI3 stage of CVMI. The post-hoc test revealed a significant difference in IGF-1 levels between all stages of CVMI, thereby indicating a specific range of IGF-1 levels for a specific skeletal stage. Mean serum IGFBP-3 levels were found to be highest (5186.8 ± 1384.2 ng/ml) at CVMI4 stage of CVMI. The mean serum IGFBP-3 levels at CVMI4 were found to be significantly higher than the levels at all other CVMI stages except CVMI3 stage. Conclusions IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 can serve as a potential biochemical indicator for assessment of skeletal maturity