Customs House Agents Perspective on Effectiveness of Container Freight Stations, Chennai

A key factor in determining the trade volume is the efficiency of the cargo handling capacity of the ports. Container Freight Stations forms a major infrastructural component which primarily contributes to the decongestion of ports at the terminals. It is considered as an extension of department of customs. As India has improved its trade environment, development of ports, the volume of trade has increased over the years. The containerization of cargo has increased the role of CFS in India. CFS are the integral part of the EXIM supply chain. Custom House Agents and importers have some grievances such as the delay in the movement of cargo which would in turn increase the demurrage incurred on the importers, lack of infrastructure facilities, modern container handling equipment. Indias EXIM trade is fast growing and for managing and sustaining the growth, it is very essential to enhance the infrastructure facilities, modern cargo handling equipment. The purpose of the study is to analyse the important criteria in the selection of a CFS, the association of problems and satisfaction of the Customs house agents. SPSS 21 is used to perform the MANOVA, ANOVA and Correlation analysis. The results revealed that there is a significant effect of number of shipping bills on location, safety and quick clearance, difference of opinion on satisfaction between importers and exporters and a negative association between the problems in the CFS and satisfaction. The study also identified that quick clearance, modern cargo handling equipments and location are the major criteria in the selection of the CFS. Keywords: Container Freight Stations, Customs House Agent, EXIM, CHA, LOGISTICS FIRMS

AUDIOMETRY IN TYPE 2 DIABETIC AND NON-DIABETIC PATIENTS OF THE AGE GROUP 45 TO 65 YEARS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

ABSTRACTObjective: To compare the relationship between Type 2 diabetic patients and hearing loss in patients of age Group 45-65 years.Methods: The study was conducted on two groups of people: Diabetic and non-diabetic patients (n=25). The results of the pure-tone audiometry werecollected from the center and analyzed for statistical differences.Results: Statistically significant results were obtained. It indicated that diabetic patients had less hearing sensitivity compared to non-diabeticpatients.Conclusion: It was concluded that patients with longer duration of diabetics had less hearing sensitivity.Keywords: Diabetic, Pure tone audiometry, Frequency

EFFECT OF VARIOUS IRRIGANTS ON DENTAL BIOFILM: A REVIEW

ABSTRACTObjective: The objective of the article is to describe in brief the various endodontic irrigants on dental biofilm.Method: Articles based on various endodontic irrigants and dental biofilm were searched in an iterative manner from journals,books and sites suchas PubMed.Result: It was found out that sodium hypochlorite is more effective on dental biofilms than chlorhexidine, MTAD, EDTA, herbal irrigants and newirrigants such as Qmix and tetraclean.Conclusion: Disinfection of root canal system is done using mechanical instrumentation,chemical irrigation along with medication.Sodiumhypochlorite an excellent antibacterial agent,is the most commonly used and is more effective than other irrigants on dental biofilm.Keywords: Irrigants, Dental biofilm, Antimicrobial resistance, Sodium hypochlorite, Chlorhexidine, Tetraclean, Herbal irrigants

Awareness On Recent Trends of Global Climate Change

Climate change is defined as a change in the statistical properties of meteorological variables, which are considered over a long period of time, regardless of the cause. Modern climate change is mainly dominated by human influences, which is now large enough to exceed the bounds of natural variability. The main sources of global climate change are human induced changes in the atmospheric composition. Changes to the climate system is observed at a global scale through measurement of temperature at the surface in the middle of the atmosphere, increased sea level, increased sea surface temperature, increased ocean heat content and water vapour in the atmosphere. The decrease in polar ice sheet, decreased global sea ice content, and the net decrease in glacier volumes were all observed. The aim of the study is to assess the recent trends of global climate change & create awareness among the public based on the topic. A questionnaire comprising 15 questions was circulated among 100 participants with the aid of an online survey platform. The data collection was performed using Google forms. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS software. When inquired about the awareness of the risks of global warming, 99% of the participants responded positively. It was observed that, according to the participants’ opinion, global climate change is too late to be prevented or reduced. 80% of the participants believe that a technological breakthrough would influence climate change and global warming rates. The participants of the survey were questioned whether global warming was linked to extreme weather events like hurricanes et cetera, and 96% of the participants responded positively. When they were questioned about their awareness and impacts of global climate change on the future, the majority responded that it would result in rise in sea levels, as well as a rise in global temperature. The recent trends of global climate change was studied, surveyed and demonstrated that this climate change has a vast impact on the future. It must be reduced to maximum to avoid complex circumstances in the future

Expression of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH 1) and CD144 in Non-habit associated Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells are tumour cells that have the capacity of self-renewal, the potential to develop into any cell in the overall tumour population and the proliferative ability to drive continued expansion of the population of malignant cells. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) is a cell surface marker for cancer stem cells. ALDH1 is involved in the conversion of retinol to retinoic acid and catalyses the oxidation of intercellular aldehyde metabolites into carboxylic acid. Vascular Endothelial-Cadherin (VE-Cadherin; CD144) is an adhesion molecule that promotes cell-to-cell interaction. CD144 also controls the cohesion and organization of the intercellular junctions. Overexpression level of VE-Cadherin enhances the cancer neovascularization, growth, and progression. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the expression of ALDH 1 and CD144 in patients with non-habit associated OralSquamous Cell Carcinoma by Immunohistochemistry(IHC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical detection of ALDH1 was done using polyclonal antibody and Poly Excel HRP/DABTMchromogen detection system on 37formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue samples, which included non-habit associated Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma(OSCC; n=20) and the expression was compared with that of normal mucosa(n=17). Immunohistochemical detection of CD144 was done using polyclonal antibody and Poly ExcelHRP/DAB chromogen detection system on 37formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue samples,which included non-habit associated Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma(OSCC; n=20) and the expression was compared with that of normal mucosa(n=17). RESULTS: The positivity of CD144 expression was higher in OSCC when compared with normal mucosa. The connective tissue also showed positively stained vascular channels, cells around the vascular channels and keratin pearls. ALDH1 positivity was expressed more in normal mucosa when compared to OSCC. The connective tissue showed ALDH1 positively stained blood vessels, keratin pearls and muscle. CONCLUSION: When comparing the expression of CD144 and ALDH1 between the two groups, CD144 was increased in OSCC (Group I) and decreased in normal mucosa (Group II). ALDH1 was increased in normal mucosa and decreased in OSCC. The decreased expression of ALDH1 in OSCC can be due to the lower levels of acetaldehyde during alcohol metabolism in non-alcoholics and the biological behaviour difference between smokers and alcoholics when compared to non-smokers and non-alcoholics

Phylogenetic diversity of culturable bacteria in Chaetoceros gracilis mass culture system of a marine finfish hatchery

Microalgae, a major live feed in aquaculture always coexist with associated bacteria. Hence a better understanding of algal-bacterial interaction is essential for maintaining a stable environment in intensive larval rearing tanks. Therefore, herein we attempted to determine the phylogenetic diversity of culturable bacteria associated with microalgal production system of a marine finfish hatchery with special reference to Chaetoceros gracilis mass culture. The sequencing of 16S rDNA of representative from each phylotypes revealed that the associated microflora belong to the classes Gammaproteo bacteria, Alphaproteo bacteria, and Bacilli. In particular, members of Marinobacter genus showed higher degree of association followed by Leisingera, Alteromonas, Nautella, Halomonas and Ruegeria. The association of bacterial groups belonging to the genera Idiomarina, Albidovulum and Staphylococcus were also detected. The variation of bacterial diversity in microalgal habitat with changes in environmental conditions was also discussed in the present work. In overall, the present study gives a greater insight to the algal microhabitat which would be vital for improving stability, productivity, sustainability and reliability of large scale microalgal cultivation and their feeding to the target aquaculture species