UBVRI CCD photometry of the OB associations Bochum 1 and Bochum 6

We report the first deep $UBVRI$ CCD photometry of 2460 stars in the field of two poorly studied OB associations Bochum 1 and Bochum 6. We selected 15 and 14 probable members in Bochum 1 and Bochum 6 respectively using photometric criteria and proper motion data of Tycho 2. Our analysis indicates variable reddening having mean value of $E(B-V)=$ 0.47$\pm$0.10 and 0.71$\pm$0.13 mag for Bochum 1 and Bochum 6 respectively. Using the zero-age main-sequence fitting method, we derive a distance of 2.8$\pm$0.4 and 2.5$\pm$0.4 Kpc for Bochum 1 and Bochum 6 respectively. We obtain an age of 10$\pm$5 Myrs for both the associations from isochrone fitting. In both associations high and low mass stars have probably formed together. Within the observational uncertainties, mass spectrum of the both associations appears to be similar to the Salpeter's one.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for Bull. Astr. Soc. Indi

Non-uniform extinction in young open star clusters

The extinction law and the variation of colour excess with position, luminosity as well as spectral class in young open star clusters NGC 663, NGC869, NGC 884, NGC 1502, NGC 1893, NGC 2244, NGC 2264, NGC 6611, Tr 14, Tr 15,Tr 16, Coll 228, Tr 37 and Be 86 have been studied. The difference in the minimum and maximum values of E(B-V) of cluster members has been considered as a measure of the presence of non-uniform gas and dust inside the clusters. Its value ranges from 0.22 to 1.03 mag in clusters under study, which indicates that non-uniform extinction is present in all the clusters. It has been noticed for the first time in NGC 1502 and Tr 37. It is also found that the differential colour excess in open clusters, which may be due to the presence of gas and dust, decreases systematically with the age of clusters indicating that matter is used either in star formation or blown away by hot stars or both. There is no uniformity in the variation of E(B-V) with either position or spectral class or luminosity.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables; accepted for publication in MNRAS, typos adde

High-spin triaxial strongly deformed structures and quasiparticle alignments in 168Hf

This dissertation research consists of two parts: (i) investigation of quasiparticle alignments at high-spins and (ii) identification of triaxial strongly deformed structures in 168Hf. A γ-ray spectroscopy study was carried out, as well as lifetime measurements using the Doppler-shift Attenuation Method (DSAM). The two data sets used for this research were obtained from experiments at Argonne National Laboratory employing the reaction 96Zr(76Ge, 4n). The decay γ-rays were measured with the Gammasphere Compton-suppressed Ge spectrometer array. A self-supporting 96Zr foil ( thin target ) was used in the first experiment, while in the second experiment the 96Zr target material was evaporated onto a thick Au backing ( backed target or thick target ) to stop the recoiling nuclei for lifetime measurements. All previously known rotational bands have been extended to higher spins. Seven new normal-deformed bands, of which three are high-K bands, have been discovered. Neutron alignments were observed in all bands, and the proton alignments observed in several bands at the highest spin region (rotational frequency 0.55 - 0.6 MeV). The results are interpreted within the framework of the cranked shell model (CSM). Intrinsic configurations for the new bands, up to six quasiparticles, are proposed. The co-existing coupling schemes, deformation and rotation alignment, involving identical orbitals at high spin are discussed for the high-K bands. Possible decay pathways associated with three previously proposed candidates for triaxial strongly deformed (TSD) structures in 168Hf have been investigated. The spin and excitation energy of the bandhead for the strongest band, TSD1, were determined approximately based on γ-ray coincidence relationships. Discrete links were established for the second band. The overall agreement between the observed properties of the bands and cranking calculations using the Ultimate Cranker code provides strong support for an interpretation where band TSD1 is associated with a TSD minimum, (ε2, γ) ~ (0.43, 20°), involving the π(i13/2)2 and the ν(j15/2) high-j orbitals. This constitutes the first identification of a TSD band in Hf isotopes, long-predicted by theoretical studies. The second band is understood as being associated with a near-prolate shape and a deformation enhanced with respect to the normal deformed bands. It is proposed to be built on the π(i13/2 h9/2)ν(i13/2)2 configuration. The Doppler-shift attenuation method was used to measure lifetimes of yrast states. The deformation extracted from this measurement fits well with predictions from theoretical calculations

THIGH MUSCLES ACTIVATION DURING SOCCER INSTEP KICK

The aim of the study was to compare Quadriceps group of muscles and Hamstring group of muscles during soccer Instep kick. Methodology: The investigator had selected Eight male soccer players of inter University/national level were selected as subjects for the study. Hence, purposive sampling was considered for selection of subjects. The age of subjects ranged from 18-25 years. All the subjects were selected from Banaras District. These players had represented inter University/national level and had no lower extremity injuries or any bone joint disparities in the past years. By reviewing the literature and in consultation with the expert, the research scholar carried out an intensive study and selected major muscles such as Rectus femories, Vastus lateralis and Vastus medialis from quadriceps group and Biceps femoris, Semimembranous and Semitendinous from hamstring group of muscles. The criterion measure adopted for this study was measured by Neuro track Myoplus 2/4 channel. After a brief warm-up, and electrode placement, participants performed the instep kick. Descriptive statistics and One way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the data. Results: Results of this study have shown that, mean value of Vastus Lateralis muscles have the highest activation with Mean (196.8) and insignificant difference found among the selected muscles i.e. Vastus Lateralis, Rectus femoris, Semimembranous, Biceps femoris, Vastus Medialis and Semitendinous during instep kick from penalty spot in soccer. Where calculated F (0.706) is less than Tabulated F (2.44). Conclusion: On the basis of result and finding it may be concluded that while Instep kicking in football Vastus Lateralis shows the highest activation. Comparison between all selected muscles contraction in lower limb of thigh muscles were found insignificant during the instep kick in soccer, this insignificant was found because the functioning of all the selected muscles are working together in reciprocal way.  Article visualizations

Bacteriological profile of pyogenic infections at a tertiary care centre of Nepal

Background: The pyogenic infections includes a wide range of abnormalities like superficial skin infections, eyes infections, wound infections, infection of burns, boils, furuncles,  peritonitis and abscesses .  Some of the infections are endogenous that occurs by the patient’s own normal flora.  Many infections are exogenous that occur by direct and indirect airborne routes. Boils and furuncles are caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Gramnegative infections rarely occur on healthy skin except moist area of skin and axilla. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to illustrate the bacteria responsible for pyogenic infection and to determine their antibiotic susceptibility. Methods: The pyogenic bacteria were isolated from the samples collected from the Clinical Departments of Chitwan Medical College. The isolates were identified and antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by standard protocols. Results: Gram negative bacteria were frequently isolated pathogens than the gram positive bacteria. Escherichia .coli was the predominant isolate among the 138 positive samples, 49 (35.5%) of them was only the E.coli, followed by Staphylococcus aureus (15.21%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (13.04%), Acinetobacter species (11.59%), MRSA (11.59%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.79%), Klebsiella oxytoca (3.62%), Enterobacter (2.17%), and Proteus mirabilis (1.44%) Gram negative bacteria were highly susceptible to Amikacin whereas most of the Gram-positive isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid.  Conclusion: The knowledge of the most prevalent type of bacterial isolates and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern is a must for the clinicians as it aids in the accurate selection of the therapeutic regimens

Uncovering the role of DICER and pericentric heterochromatin expression during spermatogenesis

Male germ cell differentiation is a complex process that includes mitotic proliferation, meiosis and haploid differentiation phase, during which the cell undergoes dramatic morphological changes to produce mature spermatozoa. Male germ cells have unusually diverse transcriptomes that include a broad variety of protein-coding mRNAs and their isoforms, but also a considerable number of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). This research focuses on a specific type of ncRNAs, major satellite repeat (MSR) transcripts that originate from the pericentric heterochromatin regions of the chromosomes and their interplay with the endonuclease DICER during mouse spermatogenesis. Using a germ cell-specific Dicer1 knockout mouse model, I showed that DICER is essential for spermatogenesis and male fertility. The deletion of Dicer1 mainly affected haploid male germ cell differentiation and resulted in defective chromatin condensation and nuclear shaping of spermatids, leading to severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia and infertility. I revealed that MSRs are transcribed during normal spermatogenesis, particularly in meiotic spermatocytes. Interestingly, MSR transcripts were shown to be aberrantly induced in DICER-null spermatocytes. Only those transcripts that originate from the forward strand of MSR DNA were misregulated in the absence of DICER, suggesting a strand-specific function for DICER in vivo. The forward MSR transcripts and DICER were localized to both the cytoplasm and the nucleus, where nuclear DICER was specifically associated with pericentric heterochromatin regions of chromosomes. Moreover, I showed that MSR transcripts are found in complexes with DICER in the testis, and their processing into small RNAs is compromised in Dicer1 knockout mice leading to an elevated level of forward MSR transcripts in meiotic cells. I also provided evidence of epigenetic imbalance of the pericentric heterochromatin and meiotic chromosome missegregation in Dicer1 knockout testes. These results clearly illustrate that DICER is essential for male fertility, and it contributes to the regulation of pericentric heterochromatin during spermatogenesis by direct targeting MSR transcripts. Furthermore, these studies strongly suggest that the expression of pericentric heterochromatin may have a functional role in the regulation of male germ cell differentiation and fertility.DICER ja perisentromeerisen heterokromatiinin ilmentyminen spermatogeneesin aikana Spermatogeneesissä sukusolut jakautuvat meioottisesti ja erilaistuvat haploideiksi hedelmöityskykyisiksi siittiöiksi. Tämän prosessin aikana ne ilmentävät genomiaan laajasti, ja proteiineja koodaavien RNA:iden lisäksi niiden transkriptomi koostuu myös huomattavasta määrästä ei-koodaavia RNA:ita. Tässä tutkimuksessa keskityttiin tiettyihin ei-koodaaviin RNA-molekyyleihin, jotka ovat peräisin kromosomien perisentromeerisella heterokromatiinialueella sijaitsevista satelliittitoistojaksoista (major satellite repeats, MSR). Erityisesti tutkimuksessa selvitettiin DICERendonukleaasin toimintaa MSR-RNA:iden säätelyssä hiiren spermatogeneesin aikana. Käyttämällä poistogeenistä Dicer1-hiirimallia osoitin, että sukusolujen DICER-proteiinilla on keskeinen merkitys hedelmällisyyden ylläpidossa, sillä Dicer1-geenin poistaminen esti normaalin siittiötuotannon. Varsinkin haploidi erilaistumisvaihe häiriintyi, mikä johti rakenteeltaan epänormaalien siittiöiden muodostukseen. Tutkimukseni paljasti, että MSR-RNA:ita tuotetaan spermatogeneesin aikana etenkin meioottisissa sukusoluissa, ja että Dicer1-poistogeenisen hiiren sukusoluissa MSR-RNA:iden määrä oli huomattavasti kohonnut. Tulosteni mukaan MSR-RNA:t ja DICER sijaitsivat sekä solulimassa että tumassa, ja näytin DICER-proteiinin sitoutuvan perisentromeerisille heterokromatiinialueelle. Lisäksi osoitin, että kiveksessä DICER ja MSR-RNA-molekyylit löytyvät samoista komplekseista, ja että Dicer1-poistogeenisessä hiiressä MSR-RNA:iden prosessointi oli häiriintynyt. Tämä viittaa siihen, että DICER säätelee MSR-RNA-molekyylejä osallistumalla niiden prosessointiin. Lopuksi osoitin, että Dicer1-geenin poistaminen sai aikaan muutoksia sukusolujen heterokromatiinin epigeneettisessä tilassa. Lisäksi Dicer1-geenin poistaminen oli yhteydessä meioottisten jakautumisten häiriöihin ja aneuploidiaan, mikä mahdollisesti johtuu häiriöistä perisentromeerisen heterokromatiinin toiminnassa. Kaiken kaikkiaan tutkimukseni tulokset osoittavat, että DICER-proteiinilla on keskeinen rooli miesten sukusolujen erilaistumisessa ja MSR-RNA:iden säätelyssä. Tulokset myös viittaavat siihen, että perisentromeerinen heterokromatiini on toiminnallisesti tärkeää normaalin siittiötuotannon ja hedelmällisyyden kannalt

High-spin triaxial strongly deformed structures and quasiparticle alignments in 168Hf

This dissertation research consists of two parts: (i) investigation of quasiparticle alignments at high-spins and (ii) identification of triaxial strongly deformed structures in 168Hf. A γ-ray spectroscopy study was carried out, as well as lifetime measurements using the Doppler-shift Attenuation Method (DSAM). The two data sets used for this research were obtained from experiments at Argonne National Laboratory employing the reaction 96Zr(76Ge, 4n). The decay γ-rays were measured with the Gammasphere Compton-suppressed Ge spectrometer array. A self-supporting 96Zr foil ( thin target ) was used in the first experiment, while in the second experiment the 96Zr target material was evaporated onto a thick Au backing ( backed target or thick target ) to stop the recoiling nuclei for lifetime measurements. All previously known rotational bands have been extended to higher spins. Seven new normal-deformed bands, of which three are high-K bands, have been discovered. Neutron alignments were observed in all bands, and the proton alignments observed in several bands at the highest spin region (rotational frequency 0.55 - 0.6 MeV). The results are interpreted within the framework of the cranked shell model (CSM). Intrinsic configurations for the new bands, up to six quasiparticles, are proposed. The co-existing coupling schemes, deformation and rotation alignment, involving identical orbitals at high spin are discussed for the high-K bands. Possible decay pathways associated with three previously proposed candidates for triaxial strongly deformed (TSD) structures in 168Hf have been investigated. The spin and excitation energy of the bandhead for the strongest band, TSD1, were determined approximately based on γ-ray coincidence relationships. Discrete links were established for the second band. The overall agreement between the observed properties of the bands and cranking calculations using the Ultimate Cranker code provides strong support for an interpretation where band TSD1 is associated with a TSD minimum, (ε2, γ) ~ (0.43, 20°), involving the π(i13/2)2 and the ν(j15/2) high-j orbitals. This constitutes the first identification of a TSD band in Hf isotopes, long-predicted by theoretical studies. The second band is understood as being associated with a near-prolate shape and a deformation enhanced with respect to the normal deformed bands. It is proposed to be built on the π(i13/2 h9/2)ν(i13/2)2 configuration. The Doppler-shift attenuation method was used to measure lifetimes of yrast states. The deformation extracted from this measurement fits well with predictions from theoretical calculations

Ubiquitous adulterants in the microbiological investigations of tertiary care centre in mid-Nepal

Aim:The bacterial agents can be isolated even from the aerosol, hands, cloths,and floors of the laboratory .So, the microbiological agents isolated from these areas can act as contaminant in the microbiology laboratory and may be an obstacle in the routine processing and culture of the specimen. This leads to the false positive results and false negative results. As a consequence of which, inaccurate therapeutic regimens are prescribed to the patients, this causes unusual serious effects in the other unaffected parts of the body.The purpose of this study was to illustrate the bacterial agents that are responsible to act as a contaminant in the laboratory.Methods:The samples were collected from the floors,working surface and aerosol of the laboratory whereas the samples were also obtained from the hands and cloths of the laboratory staffs of Chitwan Medical College and Teaching Hospital. The isolates were identified bythe standard microbiological protocols applied routinely in the lab.Results:Out of 180 samples, growth was observed in 38 of them. Among 38 positive samples, Micrococcusspp. was isolated in 14(36.8%) followed by Bacillus subtilis in 7 (18.4%). Diphtheroids were observed in 4 samples (10.5%). Staphylococcus epidermidis was found in 6 (15.8%) samples whereas Staphylococus aureus were isolated in 5(13.1%)samples.Conclusion:Hence, the bacteriological agents can be isolated from various areas of laboratory and may act as a contaminant which might degrade the quality or the accuracy of the reporting of the results

Asymptomatic UTI in pregnancy attending at tertiary care of Nepal

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTI) during pregnancy issued by improper laboratory investigations situate women at risk of several detrimental complications. Untreated asymptomatic UTI (AUTI) may lead to pyelonephritis preterm birth, low birth weight, etc. Urine culture is used to confirm the diagnosis of UTI. Aim of this research was to carry out to find the prevalence of asymptomatic UTI and to establish antimicrobial drug susceptibility of the pathogens resulting asymptomatic UTI in pregnant women attending at tertiary care, Nepal.Methods: The urine samples were collected by mid-stream clean catch method from 600 pregnant women of age 15-45 years (mean age – 28.84 years) visiting for antenatal check up in the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Chitwan Medical College (CMC), a tertiary care of Nepal. All the urine samples were subjected to bio-physical, biochemical, microscopic, and microbiological analysis. The prevalence of UTI in three trimesters and in different age groups was obtained together with antimicrobial drug susceptibility tests.Results: On overall l51.83% of urine samples revealed with significant bacteriuria considered as the AUTI. On One- way ANOVA test, there was significant (P< 0.045) prevalence of AUTI when compared among different trimesters, though higher prevalence being in the first (40%) and second (45.33%) trimesters. The prevalence of AUTI was significant (P<0.004) among different age groups of the pregnancy. However, the most affectecd age groups were between 21-29 years. Escherichia coli were the most implicated organism (67.8%) followed by Klebsiella pneumonia (21.6%). The gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, K. pneumonia, and K. oxytoca) were more sensitive against Amikacin, Gentamycin, Meropenem, and Nitrofurantointhan. Other drugs whereas; gram positive bacteria (E. feacalis) had high susceptibility with Vancomycin.Conclusions: There was high incidence of AUTI among the pregnant ladies in the study region; therefore, microbial screening of urine of all pregnant women are must and should be included in the routine antenatal checkups to detect the AUTI to cut down and prevent the maternal and obstetric detrimental complications in them