Solitary median maxillary central incisor (SMMCI) syndrome

Solitary median maxillary central incisor syndrome (SMMCI) is a complex disorder consisting of multiple, mainly midline defects of development resulting from unknown factor(s) operating in utero about the 35th–38th day(s) from conception. It is estimated to occur in 1:50,000 live births. Aetiology is uncertain. Missense mutation in the SHH gene (I111F) at 7q36 may be associated with SMMCI. The SMMCI tooth differs from the normal central incisor, in that the crown form is symmetric; it develops and erupts precisely in the midline of the maxillary dental arch in both primary and permanent dentitions. Congenital nasal malformation (choanal atresia, midnasal stenosis or congenital pyriform aperture stenosis) is positively associated with SMMCI. The presence of an SMMCI tooth can predict associated anomalies and in particular the serious anomaly holoprosencephaly. Common congenital anomalies associated with SMMCI are: severe to mild intellectual disability, congenital heart disease, cleft lip and/or palate and less frequently, microcephaly, hypopituitarism, hypotelorism, convergent strabismus, oesophageal and duodenal atresia, cervical hemivertebrae, cervical dermoid, hypothyroidism, scoliosis, absent kidney, micropenis and ambiguous genitalia. Short stature is present in half the children. Diagnosis should be made by eight months of age, but can be made at birth and even prenatally at 18–22 weeks from the routine mid-trimester ultrasound scan. Management depends upon the individual anomalies present. Choanal stenosis requires emergency surgical treatment. Short stature may require growth hormone therapy. SMMCI tooth itself is mainly an aesthetic problem, which is ideally managed by combined orthodontic, prosthodontic and oral surgical treatment; alternatively, it can be left untreated

A high reliability survey of discrete Epoch of Reionization foreground sources in the MWA EoR0 field

Detection of the epoch of reionization HI signal requires a precise understanding of the intervening galaxies and AGN, both for instrumental calibration and foreground removal. We present a catalogue of 7394 extragalactic sources at 182 MHz detected in the RA = 0 field of the Murchison Widefield Array Epoch of Reionization observation programme. Motivated by unprecedented requirements for precision and reliability we develop new methods for source finding and selection. We apply machine learning methods to self-consistently classify the relative reliability of 9490 source candidates. A subset of 7466 are selected based on reliability class and signal-to-noise ratio criteria. These are statistically cross-matched to four other radio surveys using both position and flux density information. We find 7369 sources to have confident matches, including 90 partially resolved sources that split into a total of 192 sub-components. An additional 25 unmatched sources are included as new radio detections. The catalogue sources have a median spectral index of -0.85. Spectral flattening is seen towards lower frequencies with a median of -0.71 predicted at 182 MHz. The astrometric error is 7 arcsec compared to a 2.3 arcmin beam FWHM. The resulting catalogue covers ~1400 deg2 and is complete to approximately 80 mJy within half beam power. This provides the most reliable discrete source sky model available to date in the MWA EoR0 field for precision foreground subtraction

First limits on the 21 cm power spectrum during the Epoch of X-ray heating

We present first results from radio observations with the Murchison Widefield Array seeking to constrain the power spectrum of 21 cm brightness temperature fluctuations between the redshifts of 11.6 and 17.9 (113 and 75 MHz). 3 h of observations were conducted over two nights with significantly different levels of ionospheric activity. We use these data to assess the impact of systematic errors at low frequency, including the ionosphere and radio-frequency interference, on a power spectrum measurement. We find that after the 1–3 h of integration presented here, our measurements at the Murchison Radio Observatory are not limited by RFI, even within the FM band, and that the ionosphere does not appear to affect the level of power in the modes that we expect to be sensitive to cosmology. Power spectrum detections, inconsistent with noise, due to fine spectral structure imprinted on the foregrounds by reflections in the signal-chain, occupy the spatial Fourier modes where we would otherwise be most sensitive to the cosmological signal. We are able to reduce this contamination using calibration solutions derived from autocorrelations so that we achieve an sensitivity of 104 mK on comoving scales k ~< 0.5 h Mpc−1. This represents the first upper limits on the 21 cm power spectrum fluctuations at redshifts 12~< z ~< 18 but is still limited by calibration systematics. While calibration improvements may allow us to further remove this contamination, our results emphasize that future experiments should consider carefully the existence of and their ability to calibrate out any spectral structure within the EoR window

Harnessing the potential of ligninolytic enzymes for lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment

Abundant lignocellulosic biomass from various industries provides a great potential feedstock for the production of value-added products such as biofuel, animal feed, and paper pulping. However, low yield of sugar obtained from lignocellulosic hydrolysate is usually due to the presence of lignin that acts as a protective barrier for cellulose and thus restricts the accessibility of the enzyme to work on the cellulosic component. This review focuses on the significance of biological pretreatment specifically using ligninolytic enzymes as an alternative method apart from the conventional physical and chemical pretreatment. Different modes of biological pretreatment are discussed in this paper which is based on (i) fungal pretreatment where fungi mycelia colonise and directly attack the substrate by releasing ligninolytic enzymes and (ii) enzymatic pretreatment using ligninolytic enzymes to counter the drawbacks of fungal pretreatment. This review also discusses the important factors of biological pretreatment using ligninolytic enzymes such as nature of the lignocellulosic biomass, pH, temperature, presence of mediator, oxygen, and surfactant during the biodelignification process

The murchison widefield array 21 cm power spectrum analysis methodology

We present the 21 cm power spectrum analysis approach of the Murchison Widefield Array Epoch of Reionization project. In this paper, we compare the outputs of multiple pipelines for the purpose of validating statistical limits cosmological hydrogen at redshifts between 6 and 12. Multiple independent data calibration and reduction pipelines are used to make power spectrum limits on a fiducial night of data. Comparing the outputs of imaging and power spectrum stages highlights differences in calibration, foreground subtraction, and power spectrum calculation. The power spectra found using these different methods span a space defined by the various tradeoffs between speed, accuracy, and systematic control. Lessons learned from comparing the pipelines range from the algorithmic to the prosaically mundane; all demonstrate the many pitfalls of neglecting reproducibility. We briefly discuss the way these different methods attempt to handle the question of evaluating a significant detection in the presence of foregrounds

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Not AvailableAim: To isolate a thermotolerant yeast strain with fermentation potential at elevated temperatures. Study Design: Lab experimental design was used in the study.Methodology: Yeasts were isolated from over-ripened fruits and naturally fermenting sugarcane juice. Four isolates showing relatively higher fermentation ability were screened for their fermentation potential. The selected strain was tested for its thermotolerance, osmotolence as well as to work at varied pH. Results: Isolate Y-4 produced relatively higher ethanol than the other isolates from 15 gl-1 glucose. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) of isolate Y-4 showed oval to spherical cells with diameter ranging from 4.5 to 6.2 μm. On the basis of the SEM images and 28s rRNA gene sequencing isolate Y-4 was identified as Pichia kudriavzevii and designated as P. kudriavzevii SK1. P.kudriavzevii SK1 metabolized glucose, galactose, mannose, maltose and fructose. It showed the potential to grow at a glucose concentration of 300 gl-1 and ferment at 45°C, though the best results were obtained from 15-20 gl-1 glucose at 35°C. Reference strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTCC 11815 produced low concentrations of ethanol under similar conditions. With 200 gl-1 initial glucose concentration 86.1 and 87.9 gl-1 ethanol was obtained in shake flasks and laboratory batch fermenter experiments, respectively at pH 5 at 35°C . This study revealed that P. kudriavzevii SK1 could be utilized for pilot scale fermentation for high gravity fermentations.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableThis study reports purification and characterization of two catalytically distinct endoglucanases (EGI and EGII) from a thermotolerant fungus Aspergillus nidulans. The endoglucanases (EGI and EGII) exhibited molecular masses of 56 and 31 kDa and pIs of 3.6 and 3.8, respectively. EGI was putatively classified as GH7 family member catalyzed carboxymethyl cellulose, xyloglucan, barley β-glucan as well as pNP-β-D-lactopyranoside and pNP-cellobioside, and was optimally active at 50°C and pH 4.0. Whereas, EGII lacking CBD preferentially recognized barley β-glucan when compared substrate CMC, xyloglucan and lichenan and was putatively classified as GH12 member. Interestingly, EGII was characterized to be thermoacidophilic exhibiting 96% its activity at pH 2.0 and at 60 °C. Hydrolysis of barley β-glucan and CMC by EGI and EGII liberated cellobiose as a major product. HPLC analysis showed that barley β-glucan hydrolysate obtained by action of EGI showed high levels of glucose in addition to cellobiose indicating towards an exo type action of this enzyme.Not Availabl

Validation of PCR based detection system for aflatoxin producing molds

472-476<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">Aflatoxins are polyketide secondary metabolites that are produced by certain fungal species in the Aspergillus section Flavi, particularly Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus which contaminate human food as well as animal feed. These are among the most carcinogenic substances known. Due to the toxic and carcinogenic properties of aflatoxins, there is a need to develop reliable methods to detect the presence of aflatoxigenic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Aspergilli in contaminated food and feed. Not all Aspergillus strains are able to produce aflatoxins. It requires a detection methodology which can specifically distinguish between the aflatoxin producing and non-producing strains of Aspergillus. Present communication reports validation of a PCR based detection system based on three genes viz., nor-1, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">apa-2 and omt-1 involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis, that can specifically distinguish the two aflatoxin producing species viz. Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus from non-producers i.e., <span style="font-size: 11.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"arial="" unicode="" ms";="" mso-bidi-font-family:mangal;background:white;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;="" mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:hi"="" lang="EN-GB">A. niger, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A. fumigates and A. oryzae.</span

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Not AvailableThe present study was aimed at preparation of rice wine using Pichia kudriavzeii by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) and separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF). Two varieties of rice PUSA 1121 and PR116 were used to produce ethanol by SSF and SHF. Ethanol concentration of 7.64% (w/v) and 6.82% (w/v) (72 hrs) from PUSA 1121 and PR116, respectively was obtained by SHF giving fermentation efficiency of approx. 87% in both the cases. SSF showed decrease in ethanol production 5.88% (w/v) ethanol from parmal rice (PR116) in 72 h with fermentation efficiency of 82.08% and from basmati rice (PUSA 1121), 6.82% (w/v) ethanol was produced with fermentation efficiency of 72% only in 72 h. Hence, SHF proved to be advantageous in rice saccharification and subsequent ethanol production.Not Availabl

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Not AvailablePurpose The study was conducted to improve the productivity of the multi-component cellulolytic enzymes using thermophilicAspergilus terreus strain and sweet sorghum bagasse as substrate. One of the major objectives was to study the interactions between different operating parameters and appraise the potential of the optimized process for validation studies. Methods Response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD) was used to optimize the process parameters for cellulase production by thermophilic Aspergillus terreus via a solid-state fermentation (SSF) process. A set of 50 experiments in triplicate with five factors (moisture content, inoculum level, pH, temperature and incubation period), three levels with six axial points (α ± 1.68) and five replications at the central point were conducted in this study with filter paper (FP) cellulase and β-glucosidase as output parameters. Results Micrographs and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of A. terreus RWY revealed a chain of conidia in a columnar arrangement with an average size of conidium being 2.12 μ. Statistical process optimization suggested temperature of 45 °C,pH of 5.8, incubation time of 72 h, inoculum concentration of 10% and initial moisture content of 80% (w/w) as optimum for conducting validation studies. Validation studies showed comparable FP and β-glucosidase activities as predicted by the model equations. In addition to FP and β-glucosidase, A. terreus RWY also produced endoglucanase (EG), β-xylosidase,α-l-arabinofuranosidase, CBHI, xylanase and xylan esterase of 149.54, 26.94, 183.16, 17.52, 1264.47 and 1106.46 U/gds, respectively during the validation process. Response surface optimization also led to a nearly two-fold increase in FP and β-glucosidase activities. Conclusion Coupled with the use of thermophilic strains which confer specific benefits during industrial applications, statistical process optimization holds potential for scale-up studies for cellulase production using the optimized parameters, SSB as substrate and thermophilic A. terreus RWY.Not Availabl