Universal to nonuniversal transition of the statistics of rare events during the spread of random walks

Through numerous experiments that analyzed rare event statistics in heterogeneous media, it was discovered that in many cases the probability density function for particle position, P(X,t), exhibits a slower decay rate than the Gaussian function. Typically, the decay behavior is exponential, referred to as Laplace tails. However, many systems exhibit an even slower decay rate, such as power-law, log-normal, or stretched exponential. In this study, we utilize the continuous-time random walk method to investigate the rare events in particle hopping dynamics and find that the properties of the hop size distribution induce a critical transition between the Laplace universality of rare events and a more specific, slower decay of P(X,t). Specifically, when the hop size distribution decays slower than exponential, such as e^{-|x|^{β}} (β>1), the Laplace universality no longer applies, and the decay is specific, influenced by a few large events, rather than by the accumulation of many smaller events that give rise to Laplace tails.

Automated bidirectional coupling of multiscale models of aerosol dosimetry: validation with subject-specific deposition data

Assessing the toxicity of airborne particulate matter or the efficacy of inhaled drug depends upon accurate estimates of deposited fraction of inhaled materials. In silico approaches can provide important insights into site- or airway-specific deposition of inhaled aerosols in the respiratory system. In this study, we improved on our recently developed 3D/1D model that simulate aerosol transport and deposition in the whole lung over multiple breath cycles (J. Aerosol Sci 151:105647). A subject-specific multiscale lung model of a healthy male subject using computational fluid-particle dynamics (CFPD) in a 3D model of the oral cavity through the large bronchial airways entering each lobe was bidirectionally coupled with a recently improved Multiple Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD) model to predict aerosol deposition over the entire respiratory tract over multiple breaths for four conditions matching experimental aerosol exposures in the same subject from which the model was developed. These include two particle sizes (1 and 2.9 μm) and two subject-specific breathing rates of ~300 ml/s (slow breathing) and ~750 ml/s (fast breathing) at a target tidal volume of 1 L. In silico predictions of retained fraction were 0.31 and 0.29 for 1 μm and 0.66 and 0.62 for 2.9 μm during slow and fast breathing, respectively, and compared well with experimental data (1 μm: 0.31±0.01 (slow) and 0.27±0.01 (fast), 2.9 μm: 0.63±0.03 (slow) and 0.68±0.02 (fast)). These results provide a great deal of confidence in the validity and reliability of our approach.

Bernoulli trial under restarts: A comparative study of resetting transitions

A Bernoulli trial describing the escape behavior of a lamb to a safe haven in pursuit by a lion is studied under restarts. The process ends in two ways: either the lamb makes it to the safe haven (success) or is captured by the lion (failure). We study the first passage properties of this Bernoulli trial and find that only mean first passage time exists. Considering Poisson and sharp resetting, we find that the success probability is a monotonically decreasing function of the restart rate. The mean time, however, exhibits a nonmonotonic dependence on the restart rate taking a minimal value at an optimal restart rate. Furthermore, for sharp restart, the mean time possesses a local and a global minima. As a result, the optimal restart rate exhibits a continuous transition for Poisson resetting while it exhibits a discontinuous transition for sharp resetting as a function of the relative separation of the lion and the lamb. We also find that the distribution of first passage times under sharp resetting exhibits a periodic behavior.

Activation cross section for the (n,2n) and (n,p) reactions on 103Rh, 48Ti and 52Cr from reaction threshold up to 25 MeV energy region

Activation and off-line γ-ray spectrometric methods were used to measure the ground and isomeric state (n,2n) reaction cross section for 103Rh at two different neutron energies. The standard 27Al (n,α)24Na reference reaction was used to normalise neutron flux. The proton beam from the 14UD BARC-TIFR Pelletron facility in Mumbai, India, was utilised to create high-energy quasi-monoenergetic neutrons via the 7Li (p,n) reaction. Statistical model calculations including the level density, pre-equilibrium and optical potential model were performed using the TALYS (ver. 1.95) and EMPIRE (ver. 3.2.3) reaction codes. In addition, because of considerable discrepancies in measured data, the literature (n,p) reaction cross section of 52Cr and 48Ti targets were examined theoretically in the present work. The measured cross sections are discussed and compared with the latest evaluated data of the FENDL-3.2b, CENDL-3.2, TENDL-2019, JENDL-5.0, and ENDF/B-VIII.0 libraries, and experimental data based on the EXFOR compilation. The theoretical investigation of the (n,2n) reaction cross section was performed for the ground and isomeric state for the first time from reaction threshold to 25 MeV energies. The experimental data corresponding to the ground, isomeric state and isomeric ratio were reproduced consistently by the theoretical calculations. The present experimental results are good with certain literature data and theoretical values.

Glucometrics in the first week of critical illness and its association with mortality

OBJECTIVE

Evaluation of glucometrics in the first week of ICU stay and its association with outcomes.

DESIGN

Prospective observational study.

SETTING

Mixed ICU of teaching hospital.

PATIENTS

Adults initiated on insulin infusion for 2 consecutive blood glucose (BG) readings ≥180mg/dL.

MAIN VARIABLES OF INTEREST

Glucometrics calculated from the BG of first week of admission: hyperglycemia (BG>180mg/dL) and hypoglycemia (BG<70mg/dL) episodes; median, standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) of BG, glycemic lability index (GLI), time in target BG range (TIR). Factors influencing glucometrics and the association of glucometrics to patient outcomes analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 5762 BG measurements in 100 patients of median age 55 years included. Glucometrics: hyperglycemia: 2253 (39%), hypoglycemia: 28 (0.48%), median BG: 169mg/dL (162-178.75), SD 31mg/dL (26-38.75), CV 18.6% (17.1-22.5), GLI: 718.5 [(mg/dL)²/h]/week (540.5-1131.5) and TIR 57% (50-67). Diabetes and higher APACHE II score were associated with higher SD and CV, and lower TIR. On multivariate regression, diabetes (p=0.009) and APACHE II score (p=0.016) were independently associated with higher SD. Higher SD and CV were associated with less vasopressor-free days; lower TIR with more blood-stream infections (BSI). Patients with higher SD, CV and GLI had a higher 28-day mortality. On multivariate analysis, GLI alone was associated with a higher mortality (OR 2.99, p=0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Glycemic lability in the first week in ICU patients receiving insulin infusion is associated with higher mortality. Lower TIR is associated with more blood stream infections.

Knowledge and Information Resources about Child Abuse among Government and Private Dental Practitioner in Uttar Pradesh, India

Background and Aim

To evaluate knowledge, attitude, and information sources about child abuse and neglect (CAN) among dentists in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh state, India.

Subjects and Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was carried out of dentist working in government and private hospitals in the Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh State, India (n = 674). The structured questionnaire was sent through electronic mail that contained the consent form, instructions for filling, and returning the questionnaire. The data obtained were systematically compiled and the Chi-square test was applied to test the association. The significance level of P ≤ 0.05 was applied.

Results

A maximum number of dental practitioners from the government (81.97%) and private sector (85.98%) were aware of the child protection law. A significant number of government and private dental practitioners were satisfied with their knowledge (p = 0.0092); however, 83.79% suggested that the continuing education programs/courses were important tool to update their knowledge. The girl child was maximum sufferer (p = 0.0056) of CAN. Only 14.08% of practitioners acted on the suspected cases, and a statistical significant relation was observed between the government and private dental practitioners for not taking any action on child abuse and neglect (p = 0.0010).

Conclusions

Data from this study may provide a useful contribution to the current limited knowledge about the familiarity of dental practitioners with child maltreatment and their skills to recognize and manage CAN cases in their practice. The majority of dental practitioners knew about the child protection law in India, but they were reluctant to report such cases due to the fear of anger from the parents and family of the child. Continuing education programs/courses were the most preferred method for increasing the knowledge regarding CAN. They should report the CAN cases to local legislators and health authorities so to prevent child abuse and neglect from ever occurring.

Adverse Events Following Immunization Among Children Under Two Years of Age: A Prospective Observational Study From North India

BACKGROUND

Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective child survival health interventions. A single serious adverse event following immunization (AEFI) or a cluster of events may lead to a loss of public confidence in the program and a major setback to immunization coverage. This study was conducted to assess the incidence of AEFIs in children less than two years of age.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A prospective community-based observational study was conducted in the North Indian state of Uttarakhand from October 2017 to February 2018. A total of 255 children who attended the selected sub-centres for immunization were finally included in the study. Follow-up home visits on the 8th and 30th day of vaccination were carried out to identify any occurrences of AEFIs.

RESULTS

Among 255 children, 212 AEFIs from 152 vaccinated subjects were reported. The majority of the AEFIs were reported in the age group 0-1 years. The incidence of AEFIs was 33.0 per 100 doses of vaccines administered. The most common AEFI reported was fever (101, 47.6%), followed by swelling (53, 25.0%). Among the vaccines, Pentavalent + oral polio vaccine (OPV) (48.8 per 100 doses) was majorly responsible for AEFIs, followed by diphtheria pertussis tetanus (DPT) + measles and rubella (MR) + OPV (46.6 per 100 doses).

CONCLUSION

Our findings revealed that although the incidence of AEFI reported was high, all of them were minor and no serious AEFIs were identified. The awareness among health professionals and the public regarding the reporting of AEFIs should be continued to increase the safety profile of vaccines.

Genomic characterization of Lumpy Skin Disease virus (LSDV) from India: Circulation of Kenyan-like LSDV strains with unique kelch-like proteins

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an economically important poxviral disease endemic to Asia, Europe, and Africa. Recently, LSD has spread to naïve countries, including India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand. Here, we describe the complete genomic characterization of LSDV from India, LSDV-WB/IND/19 isolated from an LSD affected calf in 2019 determined by Illumina next-generation sequencing (NGS). The LSDV-WB/IND/19 has a genome size of 150,969 bp encoding 156 putative ORFs. Phylogenetic analysis based on complete genome sequence suggested that LSDV-WB/IND/19 is closely related to Kenyan LSDV strains with 10-12 variants with non-synonymous changes confined to LSD_019, LSD_049, LSD_089, LSD_094, LSD_096, LSD_140, and LSD_144 genes. In contrast to complete kelch-like proteins in Kenyan LSDV strains, LSDV-WB/IND/19 LSD_019 and LSD_144 genes were found to encode truncated versions (019a, 019b, and 144a, 144b). LSD_019a and LSD_019b proteins of LSDV-WB/IND/19 resemble that of wild-type LSDV strains based on SNPs and the C-terminal part of LSD_019b except for deletion at K229, whereas the LSD_144a and LSD_144b proteins resemble that of Kenyan LSDV strains based on SNPs, however, C-terminal part of LSD_144a resembles that of vaccine-associated LSDV strains due to premature truncation. The NGS findings were confirmed by Sanger sequencing of these genes in Vero cell isolate as well as in the original skin scab along with similar findings in another Indian LSDV from scab specimen. LSD_019 and LSD_144 genes are thought to modulate virulence and host range in capripoxviruses. This study demonstrates the circulation of unique LSDV strains in India and highlights the importance of constant monitoring of the molecular evolution of LSDV and associated factors in the region in light of the emergence of recombinant LSDV strains.

Is mucormycosis the end? A comprehensive management of orbit in COVID associated rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis: preserving the salvageable

BACKGROUND

Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucor mycosis (ROCM) is a relatively rare opportunistic infection caused by the Mucorales species. While ROCM suggests involvement of the paranasal sinuses, orbit and brain ROM (rhino-orbital-Mucormycosis) stands for the fungal invasion in sinuses and orbit sans cerebral involvement. In India with the outbreak of the second COVID wave and the delta variant of the virus, there has been a steep increase in this opportunistic fulminant fungal infection, named COVID-associated Mucor mycosis (CAM). The most critical question in orbital management is when to go ahead with an exenteration. Our study aims to design a pertinent minimal invasive surgical protocol for surgeons to manage such cases based on our surgical experience and mitigate the need for exenteration and save the eyes wherever possible.

METHODS

The study is a retrospective analysis of patients of ROM with and without brain involvement, who underwent minimal surgical management between March 2021 to March 2022 along with their follow-up.

RESULTS

There were 184 eyes of 148 patients diagnosed with CAM. The mean age was 51.7 years with a male predominance of 103 (70%). All patients developed ROM following the COVID-19 infection and the duration between diagnosis of COVID-19 and ROM was 36 ± 23 days. 18 cases (12%) were bilateral. 76 eyes (41%) had no vision at the presentation. Imaging revealed paranasal sinus involvement (100%), orbital apex involvement (61%), cavernous sinus involvement (53%), and central nervous system (CNS) involvement (47%). All the patients (100%) were treated with systemic Liposomal amphotericin-B and sinus debridement. Endoscopic debridement of the orbital disease was performed in 45 (30.4%) cases, 15(8.1%) eyes underwent exenteration and were later rehabilitated with a customized ocular prosthesis, 103 (56%) eyes underwent transcutaneous retrobulbar amphotericin-B. At a mean follow-up of 13.1 months; the complete resolution was seen in 25 (17%) cases, the residual stable lesion was seen in 77(52%) of the cases and new lesions were developed in 13(9%) of the cases. Mortality was seen in 33 (22%) patients and all of them had CNS involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

Systemic and protocol-based management can save the life and salvage the eyes.

Capture of a diffusing lamb by a diffusing lion when both return home

A diffusing lion pursues a diffusing lamb when both of them are allowed to get back to their homes intermittently. Identifying the system with a pair of vicious random walkers, we study their dynamics under Poissonian and sharp resetting. In the absence of any resets, the location of intersection of the two walkers follows a Cauchy distribution. In the presence of resetting, the distribution of the location of annihilation is composed of two parts: one in which the trajectories cross without being reset (center) and the other where trajectories are reset at least once before they cross each other (tails). We find that the tail part decays exponentially for both the resetting protocols. The central part of the distribution, on the other hand, depends on the nature of the restart protocol, with Cauchy for Poisson resetting and Gaussian for sharp resetting. We find good agreement of the analytical results with numerical calculations.

Efficacy of Platysma myocutaneous Flap in Oral Defects

Introduction

Clinicians are baffling for reconstruction of small- to medium-sized defects of the oral cavity since time immemorial, each and every flap has its own limitations, ideal flap should be pliable, easily transferrable that can result in a better restoration of form and function of oral mucosa, we have platysma for the same purpose.

Aims

We aim to provide surgical technique of the superiorly-based platysma myocutaneous flap with a single neck incision in this study, as well as the flap design, results, and complications associated with age, gender, the recipient site, and the size of the defect.

Materials and methods

Study included 20 patients with oral potentially malignant disorders operated under local anaesthesia with wide local excision and reconstruction with platysma myocutaneous flap at a single tertiary care centre.

Statistical Analysis

The association between the variables was calculated using Chi-square tests and paired t tests. P < .05 was considered significant.

Results

Five cases of dehiscence were found at varied sites and flap viability was significantly influenced by location of skin paddle. In between anterior jugular vein and posterior external jugular vein it was 100% viable while on and posterior to the vein, had skin paddle loss. Significant improvement in mouth opening was also seen in Oral Sub-mucous Fibrosis patients.

Conclusion

The platysma flap is a technique sensitive, and its results are promising for the reconstruction of oral defects.

Development of High Yielding Fusarium Wilt Resistant Cultivar by Pyramiding of “Genes” Through Marker-Assisted Backcrossing in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Pusa 391, a mega desi chickpea variety with medium maturity duration is extensively cultivated in the Central Zone of India. Of late, this variety has become susceptible to Fusarium wilt (FW), which has drastic impact on its yield. Presence of variability in the wilt causing pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri (foc) across geographical locations necessitates the role of pyramiding for FW resistance for different races (foc 1,2,3,4 and 5). Subsequently, the introgression lines developed in Pusa 391 genetic background were subjected to foreground selection using three SSR markers (GA16, TA 27 and TA 96) while 48 SSR markers uniformly distributed on all chromosomes, were used for background selection to observe the recovery of recurrent parent genome (RPG). BC1F1 lines with 75–85% RPG recovery were used to generate BC2F1. The plants that showed more than 90% RPG recovery in BC2F1 were used for generating BC3F1. The plants that showed more than 96% RPG recovery were selected and selfed to generate BC3F3. Multi-location evaluation of advanced introgression lines (BC2F3) in six locations for grain yield (kg/ha), days to fifty percent flowering, days to maturity, 100 seed weight and disease incidence was done. In case of disease incidence, the genotype IL1 (BGM 20211) was highly resistant to FW in Junagarh, Indore, New Delhi, Badnapur and moderately resistant at Sehore and Nandyal. GGE biplot analysis revealed that IL1(BGM20211) was the most stable genotype at Junagadh, Sehore and Nandyal. GGE biplot analysis revealed that IL1(BGM 20211) and IL4(BGM 20212) were the top performers in yield and highly stable across six environments and were nominated for Advanced Varietal Trials (AVT) of AICRP (All India Coordinated Research Project on Chickpea) in 2018–19. BGM20211 and BGM 20212 recorded 29 and 28.5% average yield gain over the recurrent parent Pusa 391, in the AVT-1 and AVT-2 over five environments. Thus, BGM20211 was identified for release and notified as Pusa Manav/Pusa Chickpea 20211 for Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, Southern Rajasthan, Bundhelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh states by the Central Sub-Committees on Crop Standards, Notification and Release of Varieties of Agricultural Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, for commercial cultivation in India (Gazette notification number S.O.500 (E) dt. 29-1-2021).Such pyramided lines give resilience to multiple races of fusarium wilt with added yield advantage.

General approach to stochastic resetting

We address the effect of stochastic resetting on diffusion and subdiffusion process. For diffusion we find that mean square displacement relaxes to a constant only when the distribution of reset times possess finite mean and variance. In this case, the leading order contribution to the probability density function (PDF) of a Gaussian propagator under resetting exhibits a cusp independent of the specific details of the reset time distribution. For subdiffusion we derive the PDF in Laplace space for arbitrary resetting protocol. Resetting at constant rate allows evaluation of the PDF in terms of H function. We analyze the steady state and derive the rate function governing the relaxation behavior. For a subdiffusive process the steady state could exist even if the distribution of reset times possesses only finite mean.

Genome wide association study of MAGIC population reveals a novel QTL for salinity and sodicity tolerance in rice

The present study was conducted to identify the novel QTLs controlling salinity and sodicity tolerance using indica MAGIC rice population. Phenotyping was carried out in salinity (EC ~ 10 dS/m) and sodicity (pH ~ 9.8) at the seedling stage. Among 391 lines, 43 and 98 lines were found tolerant and moderately tolerant to salinity. For sodicity condition, 2 and 45 lines were showed tolerance and moderately tolerance at seedling stage. MAGIC population was genotyped with the help of genotyping by sequencing (GBS) and filtered 27041SNPs were used for genome wide marker trait association studies. With respect to salinity tolerance, 25 SNPs were distributed on chromosomes 1, 5, 11 and 12, whereas 18 SNPs were mapped on chromosomes 6, 4 and 11 with LOD value of > 3.25 to sodicity tolerance in rice. The candidate gene analysis detected twelve causal genes including SKC1 gene at Saltol region for salinity and six associated genes for sodic stress tolerance. The significant haplotypes responsible for core histone protein coding gene (LOC_Os12g25120) and three uncharacterized protein coding genes (LOC_Os01g20710, LOC_Os01g20870 and LOC_Os12g22020) were identified under saline stress. Likewise, five significant haplotypes coding for ribose 5-phosphate isomerise (LOC_Os04g24140), aspartyl protease (LOC_Os06g15760), aluminum-activated malate transporter (LOC_Os06g15779), OsFBX421-Fbox domain containing protein (LOC_Os11g32940) and one uncharacterized protein (LOC_Os11g32930) were detected for sodic stress tolerance. The identified novel SNPs could be the potential candidates for functional characterization. These candidate genes aid to further understanding of genetic mechanism on salinity and sodicity stress tolerance in rice. The tolerant line could be used in future breeding programme to enhance the salinity and sodicity tolerance in rice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-022-01174-8.

Comparative Evaluation of Modified Tragus Edge Approach and Retromandibular Approach to Mid- or Low-Level Mandibular Condylar Fractures

Objectives

To compare and evaluate the modified tragus edge approach (MTEA) with retromandibular approach for surgical access to mid-level or low-level mandibular condylar fractures.

Materials and Methods

This study comprised of 22 patients with mid-level or low-level condylar fracture. Patients with clinical and radiological evidence of mid-level or low-level condylar fracture are included only in this study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: group A includes 11 patients, in which modified tragus edge approach was used, and group B includes 11 patients treated with retromandibular approach. Patients were evaluated clinically after first week, second week, fourth week, third month, and sixth month radiographically.

Results

The mean age of the study subjects in group A was 32.45 ± 8.98 years, while in group B, the mean age was 26.91 ± 5.79 years. Post-operatively, no significant difference was seen in relation to pain, occlusal relationship, mouth opening, and deviation of jaw during opening and closing movements. In terms of post-operative complication, only significant difference found between two groups is post-operative scar visibility, which is higher in retromandibular incision group as compared to MTEA.

Conclusion

Thus, we can conclude that MTEA provides ease of operation as a good exposure of mandibular mid- or low-level condylar fracture as retromandibular approach but with less visibility of post-operative scar as compared to retromandibular approach.

The complete genome sequence of Indian sheeppox vaccine virus and comparative analysis with other capripoxviruses

Sheeppox virus (SPPV) is responsible for a significant economic loss to sheep husbandry in enzootic regions of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia including the Indian subcontinent. In this study, we present the complete genome sequence of SPPV vaccine strain SPPV-Srin38/00 from India determined by next-generation sequencing (NGS) using Illumina technology. The attenuated Srinagar vaccine strain of SPPV (SPPV-Srin38/00) was developed by serial passaging the virus initially in lamb testes (LT) cells followed by Vero cell line. The SPPV-Srin38/00 virus has a genome size of 150, 103 bp, which encodes for 147 functional putative genes and consists of a central coding region flanked by two identical 2353 bp inverted terminal repeats (ITRs). Comparative phylogenetic analysis based on complete genome sequences of Capripoxviruses formed three distinct groups each for SPPV, GTPV, and LSDV with clustering of SPPV-Srin38/00 strain with SPPV-A strain. Nine ORFs of SPPV-Srin38/00 namely SPPV-Srin_002/SPPV-Srin_155, SPPV-Srin_004/SPPV-Srin_153, SPPV-Srin_009, SPPV-Srin_013, SPPV-Srin_026, SPPV-Srin_132, and SPPV-Srin_136 were found to be fragmented as compared to LSDV, whereas only one ORF (such as SPPV-Srin_136) was found to be fragmented as compared to GTPV. SPPV genomes, including the SPPV-Srin38/00 strain, shared 99.78-99.98% intraspecies nucleotide identity, indicating that SPPV strains have extremely low genetic diversity. The strain shared 96.80-97.08% and 97.11-97.61% nt identity with GTPV and LSDV strains, respectively. Its ORFs 016, 021, 022, 130 and 138 are the least identical ORFs among three species of the genus Capripoxvirus with 72.5-93% aa identity to GTPV and LSDV strains and may be potentially used for differentiation of CaPV species. This study may contribute to a better understanding of the epidemiology and evolution of capripoxviruses as well as the development of specific detection methods, better expression vectors, and vaccines with improved safety and efficacy.

Isolation and genetic characterization of canine adenovirus type 2 from a domestic dog showing neurological symptoms

Canine adenoviruses (CAVs) are of two types: canine adenovirus type 1 (CAV-1), which causes infectious canine hepatitis, and canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), which is mainly associated with the respiratory type of disease in dogs. Due to the widespread use of modified live vaccines to control canine adenoviral infections and subsequently reduced disease incidence, CAVs are often neglected by clinicians. Although a number of studies are available about CAV-1 prevalence in India, only meagre information is available about CAV-2. This study reports the CAV-2 infection in a vaccinated dog with neurological and respiratory symptoms which was found negative for other canine pathogens like canine distemper virus and canine parvovirus. The virus was successfully isolated from rectal swab in MDCK cells and characterized by immunofluorescence assay and virus neutralization test. On phylogenetic analysis of partial E3 region, the Indian CAV-2 grouped in a separate clade different from established subgroups. An insertion of "G" nucleotide was reported at nucleotide (nt.) position 1077 in the E3 gene of Indian CAV-2 isolates which led to a frameshift in the coding region of E3 gene thereby imparting additional eleven amino acids to its C-terminal end in comparison to isolates from other parts of the world. This may have an implication on the functional role of E3 protein inside the cell. This study reinforces the unique signature insertion in the E3 gene of Indian CAV-2 and is the second study in the world to report the association of CAV-2 with neurological disease in dogs.

Proteome Modulation in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Peste des Petits Ruminants Vaccinated Goats and Sheep

In the present study, healthy goats and sheep (n = 5) that were confirmed negative for peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) antibodies by monoclonal antibody-based competitive ELISA and by serum neutralization test and for PPRV antigen by s-ELISA were vaccinated with Sungri/96. A quantitative study was carried out to compare the proteome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of vaccinated goat and sheep [5 days post-vaccination (dpv) and 14 dpv] vs. unvaccinated (0 day) to divulge the alteration in protein expression following vaccination. A total of 232 and 915 proteins were differentially expressed at 5 and 14 dpv, respectively, in goats. Similarly, 167 and 207 proteins were differentially expressed at 5 and 14 dpv, respectively, in sheep. Network generated by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was “infectious diseases, antimicrobial response, and inflammatory response,” which includes the highest number of focus molecules. The bio functions, cell-mediated immune response, and humoral immune response were highly enriched in goats at 5 dpv and at 14 dpv. At the molecular level, the immune response produced by the PPRV vaccine virus in goats is effectively coordinated and stronger than that in sheep, though the vaccine provides protection from virulent virus challenge in both. The altered expression of certain PBMC proteins especially ISG15 and IRF7 induces marked changes in cellular signaling pathways to coordinate host immune responses.

Genome-wide detection of copy number variations in Tharparkar cattle

Copy number variations (CNVs) are major forms of genetic variation with an increasing importance in animal genomics. This study used the Illumina BovineSNP 50 K BeadChip to detect the genome-wide CNVs in the Tharparkar cattle. With the aid of PennCNV software, we noticed a total of 447 copy number variation regions (CNVRs) across the autosomal genome, occupying nearly 2.17% of the bovine genome. The average size of detected CNVRs was found to be 122.2 kb, the smallest CNVR being 50.02 kb in size, to the largest being 1,232.87 Kb. Enrichment analyses of the genes in these CNVRs gave significant associations with molecular adaptation-related Gene Ontology (GO) terms. Most CNVR genes were significantly enriched for specific biological functions; signaling pathways, sensory responses to stimuli, and various cellular processes. In addition, QTL analysis of CNVRs described them to be linked with economically essential traits in cattle. The findings here provide crucial information for constructing a more comprehensive CNVR map for the indigenous cattle genome.

Fugitive dust emission control study for a developed smart dry fog system

Air pollution due to dust emission is continuously increasing day by day in mining and allied industrial areas. Mining operations contribute a substantial amount of dust emission at the crushing, screening, and bulk material handling in loading areas. The ambient suspended dust particles create a severe nuisance to workers and local dwellers. For effective controlling of positive dust emission, an innovative automated dry fog dust suppression system (DFDSS) has been developed using hybrid nozzles, sensors, actuators, controllers, screw compressors, air receivers, pumps, motors, and water arrangement with filtration facility. The DFDSS was installed in a crushing and screening plant of an iron ore mine in India. Performance study indicted fugitive dust emission concentration values ranged from 354 to 7040 μg m^-3, which was reduced to 91-300 μg m^-3 after installation of DFDSS. The reduced values were within the permissible limit of 1200 μg m^-3 at a distance of 25 ± 2 m in the predominant downwind direction. The installed DFDSS added a meager addition of moisture content of 0.032% in the handling iron ore material, which was below the acceptable limit of 0.1%. The DFDSS precisely regulated fugitive dust emission from various mining activities without affecting the minerals processing performance. Thus, the DFDSS can be implemented effectively in different mining and allied industries where there is a dust emission problem.

Helmet shielding effect in mandibular fractures during road traffic accident

Objective:

The objectives of this study are to evaluate the proportion of helmeted and nonhelmeted patients sustaining mandibular fractures.

Materials and Methods:

A retrospective study was conducted on 200 patients reporting to oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) unit, trauma center, and department of OMFS. A predesigned questionnaire was used to collect the necessary data. Patients were evaluated for age, gender, mode of transport (2/4 wheeler), presence of safety measure at the time of accident (helmet/seatbelt), maxillofacial injury in two wheeler (with helmet and without helmet), type of impact, and its association to maxillofacial fractures, particularly site of maxillofacial fractures. The association between mode of injury, presence of safety measures, impact type, and site of maxillofacial injuries was assessed using the Chi-square test. P < 0.5 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

The mean age of patients was 30 years, and approximately 92.5% of accidents patients were male. In this study, 35% nonhelmeted riders were reported head injury and 5% of the helmeted rider reported head injury. 54.5% of the patients suffered frontal impact, 28% collision, and 17.5% lateral slide collision. Head injuries are the main cause of death among the riders of all two wheelers. Lateral sliding collision injuries (17.5%) resulted 60.6% of the fractures mandible, 24.2% midface injury, and associated injury (15.15%).

Conclusion:

The use of helmet is strongly recommended to prevent head injuries and facial injuries. In the nonhelmeted riders in motorcycle accidents, the incidence of mandible fractures increases proportionally.

Genomic scans for selection signatures revealed candidate genes for adaptation and production traits in a variety of cattle breeds

Domestication and selection are the major driving forces responsible for the determinative genetic variability in livestock. These selection patterns create unique genetic signatures within the genome. BovineSNP50 chip data from 236 animals (seven indicine and five taurine cattle breeds) were analyzed in the present study. We implemented three complementary approaches viz. iHS (Integrated haplotype score), ROH (Runs of homozygosity), and F_ST, to detect selection signatures. A total of 179, 56, and 231 regions revealed 518, 277, and 267 candidate genes identified by iHS, ROH, and F_ST methods, respectively. We found several candidate genes (e.g., NCR3, ARID5A, HIST1H2BN, DEFB4, DEFB7, HSPA1L, HSPA1B, and DNAJB4) related to production traits and the adaptation of indigenous breeds to local environmental constraints such as heat stress and disease susceptibility. However, further studies are warranted to refine the findings using a larger sample size, whole-genome sequencing, and/or high density genotyping.

SNPs with intermediate minor allele frequencies facilitate accurate breed assignment of Indian Tharparkar cattle

Tharparkar cattle breed is widely known for its superior milch quality and hardiness attributes. This study aimed to develop an ultra-low density breed-specific single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype panel to accurately quantify Tharparkar populations in biological samples. In this study, we selected and genotyped 72 Tharparkar animals randomly from Cattle & Buffalo Farm of IVRI, India. This Bovine SNP50 BeadChip genotypic datum was merged with the online data from six indigenous cattle breeds and five taurine breeds. Here, we used a combination of pre-selection statistics and the MAF-LD method developed in our laboratory to analyze the genotypic data obtained from 317 individuals of 12 distinct breeds to identify breed-informative SNPs for the selection of Tharparkar cattle. This methodology identified 63 unique Tharparkar-specific SNPs near intermediate gene frequencies. We report several informative SNPs in genes/QTL regions affecting phenotypes or production traits that might differentiate the Tharparkar breed.

Efficient bi-directional coupling of 3D Computational Fluid-Particle Dynamics and 1D Multiple Path Particle Dosimetry lung models for multiscale modeling of aerosol dosimetry

The development of predictive aerosol dosimetry models has been a major focus of environmental toxicology and pharmaceutical health research for decades. One-dimensional (1D) models successfully predict overall deposition averages but fail to accurately predict local deposition. Computational fluid-particle dynamics (CFPD) models provide site-specific predictions but at a computational cost that prohibits whole lung predictions. Thus, there is a need for developing multiscale strategies to provide a realistic subject-specific picture of the fate of inhaled aerosol in the lungs. CT-based 3D/CFPD models of the large airways were bidirectionally coupled with individualized 1D Navier-Stokes airflow and particle transport based upon the widely used Multiple Path Particle Dosimetry Model (MPPD). Distribution of airflows among lobes was adjusted by measured lobar volume changes observed in CT images between FRC and FRC + 1.5 L. As a test of the effectiveness of the coupling procedures, deposition modeling of previous 1 μm aerosol exposure studies was performed. The complete coupled model was run for 3 breaths, with the computation-intense portion being the 3D CFPD Lagrangian particle tracking calculation. The average deposition per breath was 11% in the combined multiscale model with site-specific doses available in the CFPD portion of the model and airway- or region-specific deposition available for the MPPD portion. In conclusion, the key methods developed in this study enable predictions of ventilation heterogeneities and aerosol deposition across the lungs that are not captured by 3D or 1D models alone. These methods can be used as the foundation for multi-scale modeling of the full respiratory system.

Effect of duloxetine in temporomandibular joint disorders: A comparison with arthrocentesis

Purpose

This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthrocentesis, duloxetine therapy alone, and duloxetine in combination with TMJ arthrocentesis in the treatment of painful TMJ.

Materials and Methods

Thirty patients with TMJ pain were included in the study who were divided into three groups with ten patients in each group. Group A included patients having only TMJ arthrocentesis; in Group B, only duloxetine therapy (30 mg) was given twice a day orally for 3 months; and in Group C, a combination of TMJ arthrocentesis with duloxetine therapy (30 mg) was given twice a day orally for 3 months. Patients were followed at regular interval of the 1^st day, 5^th day, 7^th day, 4^th week, 6^th week, and 12^th week and assessed in terms of pain, maximum mouth opening (mm), clicking, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Rating Scale and estimation of interleukin-6 (IL-6). The data collected were compiled and statistically analyzed.

Results

The pain was found to be significantly lower in Group C than other groups at weeks 4, 6, and 12. In Group C, mouth opening increased significantly than Groups A and B on subsequent follow-ups. On biochemical analysis of IL-6 levels in lavage fluid, a significant decrease was observed in levels of IL-6 in lavage fluid in Groups A and C postoperatively.

Conclusion

The present study states that pain was observed to be much less after arthrocentesis along with duloxetine therapy. This combination therapy leads to much better and faster outcome, but still, long-term follow-ups with larger number of patients are required.

A Case Report of Pycnodysostosis Associated with Multiple Pituitary Hormone Deficiencies and Response to Treatment

Pycnodysostosis is a rare autosomal recessive osteosclerotic bone disorder associated with short stature and multiple bony abnormalities. Growth hormone (GH) deficiency may contribute to short stature in about 50% of patients. Available literature has rarely reported other pituitary hormone deficiencies in pyknodysostosis. Though the management remains conservative, recombinant human GH (rhGH) has been tried in selected patients. Here we present a case of pycnodysostosis which was evaluated for associated co-morbidities and found to have multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies. A 7-year-old girl was referred to our centre for evaluation of short stature. On examination, she had frontal and occipital bossing, limited mouth opening, hyperdontia with multiple carries, short and stubby digits and short stature. Investigation revealed dense sclerotic bones with frontal and occipital bossing, non-fusion of sutures with obtuse mandibular angle, non-pneumatised sinuses, small ‘J’ shaped sella turcica, acro-osteolysis of digits and absent medullary cavities. Cathepsin-K gene mutation analysis confirmed the diagnosis of pycnodysostosis. She was screened for associated co-morbidities and was found to have concomitant GH deficiency. Treatment with rhGH brought about an increase of 1 standard deviation score in height over 2 years and also unmasked central hypothyroidism at three months necessitating thyroxine replacement.

Emergence of Primary Teeth in Children of Sunsari District of Eastern Nepal

ABSTRACT: This study assessed the timing and eruption sequence of primary teeth in children of Sunsari district of Eastern Nepal and compared the eruption pattern of males & females between various, ethnic groups. Method: This cross-sectional study, included 501 subjects, aged 3 months to 60 months selected by simple random sampling method. The determinant variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, and eruption of teeth were recorded. Results: This study provides a model data on emergence of primary teeth and number of deciduous teeth in these children. This is a first study of its kind in Nepal. The findings of this study will help as a reference data for optimal use in clinical, academic, and research activities, especially for children of Eastern Nepal.

Physicochemical, functional and rheological properties of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) flour as influenced by particle size

Different properties of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) flour passed through 60, 72, 85, 100, 150 and 200 mesh sieves and in the size range of 249-74 μm were studied. The protein content reduced while fat content improved significantly with diminution in particle size. Flowability, capacities to absorb water and form foam as well as stability of foam decreased while increase in swelling capacity, swelling index, oil absorption capacity was observed with decrease in flour particle size. Bimodal curve patterns were obtained for coarse flour samples of 249 μm and 211 μm using light scattering analysis. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that starch granules were of variable shape embedded in protein and fibre matrix. The flour with fine particle size exhibited greater values for peak, final, break down and set back viscosities and the dough from fine particles showed highest values for storage modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″),|G^∗| and |η^∗|.

Water-soluble chlorophyll-binding proteins from Brassica oleracea allow for stable photobiocatalytic oxidation of cellulose by a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase

BACKGROUND

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are indispensable redox enzymes used in industry for the saccharification of plant biomass. LPMO-driven cellulose oxidation can be enhanced considerably through photobiocatalysis using chlorophyll derivatives and light. Water soluble chlorophyll binding proteins (WSCPs) make it is possible to stabilize and solubilize chlorophyll in aqueous solution, allowing for in vitro studies on photostability and ROS production. Here we aim to apply WSCP-Chl a as a photosensitizing complex for photobiocatalysis with the LPMO, TtAA9.

RESULTS

We have in this study demonstrated how WSCP reconstituted with chlorophyll a (WSCP-Chl a) can create a stable photosensitizing complex which produces controlled amounts of H2O2 in the presence of ascorbic acid and light. WSCP-Chl a is highly reactive and allows for tightly controlled formation of H2O2 by regulating light intensity. TtAA9 together with WSCP-Chl a shows increased cellulose oxidation under low light conditions, and the WSCP-Chl a complex remains stable after 24 h of light exposure. Additionally, the WSCP-Chl a complex demonstrates stability over a range of temperatures and pH conditions relevant for enzyme activity in industrial settings.

CONCLUSION

With WSCP-Chl a as the photosensitizer, the need to replenish Chl is greatly reduced, enhancing the catalytic lifetime of light-driven LPMOs and increasing the efficiency of cellulose depolymerization. WSCP-Chl a allows for stable photobiocatalysis providing a sustainable solution for biomass processing.

A case series of unusual presentations of Burkitt's lymphoma

Context

Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) is one of the fastest growing malignancies. It is the most common subtype of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in childhood. It has three major subtypes - endemic, sporadic, and immunodeficiency-associated types.

Aims

This study aims to study the clinicomorphologic features of this disease entity and to find optimal imaging technique for such cases.

Setting and Design

A retrospective observational study in a tertiary care center of academic and research potential.

Subjects and Methods

We are presenting three unusual cases of sporadic type of BL who presented initially as localized right iliac fossa mass mimicking as acute appendicitis. Initially, localized presentation progressed to diffuse abdominal mass lesions causing intestinal obstruction.

Results

These cases had emphasized the importance of accurate diagnosis by the ultrasonography (USG) or computed tomography (CT) scan for early diagnosis so as to manage such cases simply by early appropriate medical treatment.

Conclusion

In this article, we will discuss the clinical and imaging features of BL with the role of USG, CT scan and positron emission tomography/CT in the abdominopelvic imaging of pediatric patients.

From injectable to 3D printed hydrogels in maxillofacial tissue engineering: A review

Introduction

This review aims at describing different types of hydrogels in context to their composition, fabrication techniques and other specific features along with an insight into the latest advancements including smart hydrogels, 3D printed, programmable, shape memory and self-healing hydrogels for their applicability as scaffold in maxillofacial bone and cartilage tissue regeneration.

Methods

Electronic database searches were undertaken on PubMed, Ovid, Medline, Embase, ProQuest and science direct for English language literature, published for application of hydrogels in maxillofacial bone and cartilage tissue engineering. The search items used in this article were hydrogel, bone and cartilage tissue engineering, maxillofacial, clinical trials. Reviews and in vitro studies were excluded.

Results

Search for injectable hydrogel showed 4955 articles, when restricted to bone tissue engineering results were reduced to 463 and for cartilage engineering to 335; when we limited it to maxillofacial bone and cartilage tissue engineering, search results showed 49 articles to which 9 additional articles were included from references, after exclusion of in-vitro studies and duplicates 16 articles were obtained for our study. Similarly, for 3D printed hydrogels, result showed 1126 articles, which got restricted to 19 when searched for maxillofacial bone and cartilage engineering, then 2 additional articles were included directly from references, and finally after exclusion of the invitro studies and duplicates, a total of 5 articles were obtained.

Conclusion

Modifications in hydrogel can improve the mechanical properties, biocompatibility and unique chemistries for its use in bone and cartilage tissue engineering for future research.

Detection of recent infection of Japanese encephalitis virus in swine population using IgM ELISA: A suitable sentinel to predict infection in humans

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne flaviviral zoonotic disease and is one of the major causes of encephalitis in children. Swine, being an amplifier host of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), play an important role in its epidemiology. Therefore, early detection of either JEV or antibodies against JEV in swine is a feasible alternative for initiating necessary measures to prevent the spread of infection to humans. Since IgM antibodies appear early in swine sera, recombinant NS1 protein based indirect IgM ELISA was developed in the present study with the objective to know the recent infection of swine population with JEV. The relative diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the developed ELISA was 95.34% and 98.6%, respectively. The developed ELISA was found to have excellent reproducibility on inter-laboratory and inter-institutional validation studies. A total of 3,027 field swine sera samples were screened using the developed ELISA and 488 samples were found positive for IgM against JEV with an overall sero-positivity of 16.12% in swine population of India. The highest sero-positivity was observed in swine population of Eastern zone of India which coincided with the maximum number of human JE cases reported from this zone during the same period. Further, antibody kinetics study revealed that the IgM antibodies against NS1 protein of JEV started appearing in swine sera at day 5 and disappeared completely by day 40. The IgG antibodies started appearing at day 7, and remained for more than 365 days indicating the suitability of IgM ELISA to know the recent infection of JEV. The developed IgM ELISA can be readily incorporated into surveillance programs for detection of JEV activity in swine population so that outbreaks in humans can be prevented by taking suitable preventive measures.

Genome-wide assessment of genetic diversity, linkage disequilibrium and haplotype block structure in Tharparkar cattle breed of India

Knowledge about genetic diversity is very essential for the management and sustainable utilization of livestock genetic resources. In this study, we presented a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of genetic diversity, ROH, inbreeding, linkage disequilibrium, effective population size and haplotype block structure in Tharparkar cattle of India. A total of 24 Tharparkar animals used in this study were genotyped with Illumina BovineSNP50 array. After quality control, 22,825 biallelic SNPs were retained, which were in HWE, MAF > 0.05 and genotyping rate >90%. The overall mean observed (H_O) and expected heterozygosity (H_E) were 0.339 ± 0.156 and 0.325 ± 0.129, respectively. The average minor allele frequency was 0.234 with a standard deviation of ± 0.131. We identified a total of 1832 ROH segments and the highest autosomal coverage of 13.87% was observed on chromosome 23. The genomic inbreeding coefficients estimates by F_ROH, F_HOM, F_GRM and F_UNI were 0.0589, 0.0215, 0.0532 and 0.0160 respectively. The overall mean linkage disequilibrium (LD) for a total of 133,532 pairwise SNPs measured by D' and r² was 0.6452 and 0.1339, respectively. In addition, we observed a gradual decline in effective population size over the past generations.

Roles of Re-entrant cluster glass state and spin-lattice coupling in magneto-dielectric behavior of giant dielectric double perovskite La1.8Pr0.2CoFeO6

La based Co-Fe combined double perovskite (La1.8Pr0.2CoFeO6) was synthesized and the dielectric (zero-field and in-field), magnetic, x-ray absorption and Raman spectroscopy measurements have been investigated for La1.8Pr0.2CoFeO6 double perovskite. The existence of re-entrant cluster glass state is observed. The magneto-dielectric (MD) is found in two temperature regions (25-80 K and 125-275 K). It has been demonstrated that the observed MD at low and high temperatures are respectively due to the spin freezing and the spin-lattice coupling. Furthermore, the very large dielectric constant and the low loss suggest that La1.8Pr0.2CoFeO6 is very important from the application point of view.

Transport and tumbling of polymers in viscoelastic shear flow

Polymers in shear flow are ubiquitous and we study their motion in a viscoelastic fluid under shear. Employing Hookean dumbbells as representative, we find that the center-of-mass motion follows: 〈x_{c}^{2}(t)〉∼γ[over ̇]^{2}t^{α+2}, generalizing the earlier result: 〈x_{c}^{2}(t)〉∼γ[over ̇]^{2}t^{3}(α=1). Here 0<α<1 is the coefficient defining the power-law decay of noise correlations in the viscoelastic media. Motion of the relative coordinate, on the other hand, is quite intriguing in that 〈x_{r}^{2}(t)〉∼t^{β} with β=2(1-α), for small α. This implies nonexistence of the steady state, making it inappropriate for addressing tumbling dynamics. We remedy this pathology by introducing a nonlinear spring with FENE-LJ interaction and study tumbling dynamics of the dumbbell. We find that the tumbling frequency exhibits a nonmonotonic behavior as a function of shear rate for various degrees of subdiffusion. We also find that this result is robust against variations in the extension of the spring. We briefly discuss the case of polymers.

Sex estimation from the femur using discriminant function analysis in a Central Indian population

Sexual dimorphism is one of the major factors responsible for apparent variations in human skeletal anatomy. Establishing the biological profile of the deceased is essential for personal identification in forensic and archaeological casework. To develop a reliable biological profile, sex allocation is an integral step required to determine age, race/ancestry and stature, given observable differences in aging and growth patterns and variations in morphological traits relating to ancestry. Sex estimation from long bones by visual examination is very difficult. However, metric observations are more objective and effective. This osteometric analysis focused on sex estimation from the femur using discriminant function analysis. Fourteen measurements were taken directly on 175 dry femora (117 males and 58 females), aged 20–60 years, from the Chhattisgarh region of Central India. Student’s t-test was applied to assess significant sex and size differences. Direct and stepwise discriminant function analyses were applied to derive discriminant function models for sex estimation. The three parameters that were selected for the discriminant function analysis included: transverse head diameter, bi-trochanteric distance and maximum shaft diameter. Males were more accurately classified than females. An overall accuracy of 80.6% was reported with direct discriminant function analysis and 76% with stepwise discriminant function analysis upon cross-validation. The transverse head diameter emerged to be the best predictor of sex. This study provides a database and standards for sex estimation from skeletal remains of an unknown nature based on discriminant function equations. This is one of the few studies conducted in India on dry bones, and we anticipate that it will guide forensic specialists in the identification of unknown skeletons from this region.

Identification of Co-Changed Classes in Software Applications Using Software Quality Attributes

When changes are made to software applications often, defects can occur in software applications, and eventually leads to expensive operational faults. Comprehensive testing is not feasible with the limited time and resources available. There is a need for test case selection and prioritization so that testing can be completed with maximum confidence in a minimum time. Advance knowledge of co-changed classes in software applications can be very useful during the software maintenance phase. In this article, the authors have proposed a co-change prediction model based upon the combination of structural code measures and dynamic revision history from change repository. Univariate analysis is applied to identify the useful measures in co-change identification. The proposed model is validated using eight open source software applications. The results are promising and indicate that they can be very beneficial in maintenance of software applications.

Non-Gaussian subdiffusion of single-molecule tracers in a hydrated polymer network

Single molecule tracking experiments inside a hydrated polymer network have shown that the tracer motion is subdiffusive due to the viscoelastic environment inside the gel-like network. This property can be related to the negative autocorrelation of the instantaneous displacements at short times. Although the displacements of the individual tracers exhibit Gaussian statistics, the displacement distribution of all the trajectories combined from different spatial locations of the polymer network exhibits a non-Gaussian distribution. Here, we analyze many individual tracer trajectories to show that the central portion of the non-Gaussian distribution can be well approximated by an exponential distribution that spreads sublinearly with time. We explain all these features seen in the experiment by a generalized Langevin model for an overdamped particle with algebraically decaying correlations. We show that the degree of non-Gaussianity can change with the extent of heterogeneity, which is controlled in our model by the experimentally observed distributions of the motion parameters.

Signature of genome wide gene expression in classical swine fever virus infected macrophages and PBMCs of indigenous vis-a-vis crossbred pigs

The genetic basis of differential host immune response vis-à-vis transcriptome profile was explored in PBMCs of indigenous (Ghurrah) and crossbred pigs after classical swine fever vaccination and in monocyte derived macrophages (MDMs) challenged with virulent classical swine fever (CSF) virus. The humoral immune response (E2 antibody) was higher (74.87%) in crossbred than indigenous pigs (58.20%) at 21st days post vaccination (21dpv). The rate of reduction of ratio of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ was higher in crossbred pigs than indigenous pigs at 7th days post vaccination (7dpv). The immune genes IFIT1, IFIT5, RELA, NFKB2, TNF and LAT2 were up regulated at 7dpv in RNA seq data set and was in concordance during qRT-PCR validation. The Laminin Subunit Beta 1 (LAMB1) was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) down-regulated in MDMs of indigenous pigs and consequently a significantly (p ≤ 0.01) higher copy number of virulent CSF virus was evidenced in macrophages of crossbred pigs than indigenous pigs. Activation of LXR:RXR pathway at 60 h post infection (60hpi) in MDMs of indigenous versus crossbred pigs inhibited nuclear translocation of NF-κB, resulted into transrepression of proinflammatory genes. But it helped in maintenance of HDL level by lowering down cholesterol/LDL level in MDMs of indigenous pigs. The key immune genes (TLR2, TLR4, IL10, IL8, CD86, CD54, CASP1) of TREM1 signaling pathway were upregulated at 7dpv in PBMCs but those genes were downregulated at 60hpi in MDMs indigenous pigs. Using qRT-PCR, the validation of differentially expressed, immunologically important genes (LAMB1, OAS1, TLR 4, TLR8 and CD86) in MDMs revealed that expression of these genes were in concordance with RNA-seq data.

A simple enzymatic assay for the quantification of C1-specific cellulose oxidation by lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases

OBJECTIVE

The development of an enzymatic assay for the specific quantification of the C1-oxidation product, i.e. gluconic acid of cellulose active lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs).

RESULTS

In combination with a β-glucosidase, the spectrophotometrical assay can reliably quantify the specific C1- oxidation product of LPMOs acting on cellulose. It is applicable for a pure cellulose model substrate as well as lignocellulosic biomass. The enzymatic assay compares well with the quantification performed by HPAEC-PAD. In addition, we show that simple boiling is not sufficient to inactivate LPMOs and we suggest to apply a metal chelator in addition to boiling or to drastically increase pH for proper inactivation.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that the versatility of this simple enzymatic assay makes it useful in a wide range of experiments in basic and applied LPMO research and without the need for expensive instrumentation, e.g. HPAEC-PAD.

Identification and genotypic characterization of porcine teschovirus from selected pig populations in India

Porcine teschovirus (PTV) previously classified as porcine enteroviruses in the family Picornaviridae are associated with a wide range of illnesses in swine ranging from asymptomatic infection to acute fatal encephalomyelitis, diarrhea, and pneumonia. This study was planned to investigate whether porcine teschovirus is prevalent among pigs in India and to characterize the PTV identified in the study population. The study conducted in certain farms of North India revealed that 13 of 190 (6.84%) fecal samples were PTV positive by RT-PCR. Three viruses were successfully isolated from fecal samples using IB-RS-2 cell lines which were confirmed by RT-PCR and sequencing. Molecular characterization based on the VP1 region of the viral genome identified the isolated viruses as serotype 5 and serotype 8 of PTV. A new variant of teschovirus was also identified which showed significant nucleotide diversity from the known serotypes of the teschoviruses. This is the first report of isolation, identification, and characterization of porcine teschoviruses in India.