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Despite the beneficial role of aquatic food, bioaccumulation of trace metals can increase health risk for consumers. We conducted a comprehensive study to understand the levels of various trace metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn and Mn) in fish (Nematalosa nasus, Gerres filamentosus, Arius arius, Gerres erythrourus, Sardinella fimbriata, Caranx ignobilis, Etroplus suratensis, Mugil cephalus, Sillago sihama, and Euryglossa orientalis) and crab (Portunus pelagicus and Scylla serrata) species collected from Netravathi-Gurupur estuary, India and evaluated the potential health risks to humans by measuring target health hazard (THQ), hazard index (HI), estimated daily (EDI) and weekly (EWI) intake and cancer risk (CR). The hierarchy of toxic metal content in studied species was Fe>Pb>Cr>Mn>Zn>Cu>Ni>Cd>Co. The concentration of heavy metals were distinctly lower than the threshold value as suggested by World Health Organization and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, except for Cr and Pb in few species. THQ values were below the acceptable limit. However, the estimated mean HI values were >1 for children, indicating they may be vulnerable to health risk due to continuous consumption of contaminated aquatic species from the study area. In contrast, the cancer risk for Cr, Cd, and Pb was below the acceptable range. Principal component analysis (PCA) discerned nearby petrochemical industry, electroplating industry, pesticides and fertilizer from agricultural runoff, as the potential sources of metal bioaccumulation in different tissues. Although the study reveals that metal contamination in aquatic species does not pose any immediate human health effect, continuous monitoring of the study area is recommended, as some metals have demonstrated their ability to accumulate in the tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality assessment of processed food products in terms of minor and trace elements is important as certain elements can cause serious health problems if consumed in excessive amount. A total of 20 elements including three toxic elements (Al, Br, Pb) in different varieties of ready to eat noodles, dry soup mixes, oats and cornflakes were determined by utilizing INAA, External PIGE and EDXRF methods. Estimated Average Daily Intake of minor and trace elements like Al, Ca, Co, Fe, K, Mn and Pb in the samples are found to be more than permissible oral reference dose of some particular nutrients compared to literature values of World Health Organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes an M 1 X , M 2 / G 1 , G 2 / 1 retrial queue with two-way communication under constant retrial policy. A server handles both inbound and outbound calls. The inbound calls arrive in batches according to a compound Poisson process. The server makes an outbound call that follows the Poisson process during its inactive period. The service duration of inbound and outbound calls follows two different arbitrary distributions, while retrial time follows an exponential distribution. Using the supplementary variable technique, the system of differential-difference equations is developed to directly compute the distribution of orbit length at random epoch. The execution of the waiting time distribution for an arbitrary call of an incoming batch constitutes the most challenging task in this study. We also conduct a comprehensive cost analysis to minimize the overall cost of system operation. Furthermore, a variety of performance metrics and numerical findings validate the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a continuous review (s,Q) inventory system with a service facility is examined. There is only one server and a limited number of customers waiting rooms in this facility. The demands arrive to the queueing-inventory system according to the Poisson process. Every customer needs a single product with a service period that is unpredictable and distributed arbitrarily. An external supplier replenishes the inventory, and the lead time for the reorder is predicated on an independent exponential distribution. Demands that arise during a stock out period must wait in the waiting area, and when the ordered items arrive, they are served using the first-come-first-serve queueing discipline. With the help of the imbedded Markov chain technique, we are able to compute the joint probability distribution of the number of customers in the system and the number of items in inventory at post-departure epoch. With the remaining service time of a customer in service as the supplementary variable, we are able to relate the system length distributions at post-departure and random epochs in order to determine the joint probability distribution at random epoch. The analysis of waiting time of an accepted customer in the queue is also examined. Several stationary system performance measures are computed and the total expected cost is determined under an appropriate cost structure to determine the optimal values for waiting space (N), reorder level (s), and order quantity (Q). In order to explain the important performance indicators of the system, some numerical findings are given for a variety of model parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study deals with the application of statistical and geostatistical modelling to analyse spatio-temporal variation in water quality of selected 466 km in the lower stretch of river Ganga (545 km). Six important physicochemical parameters, e.g. water temperature, transparency, pH, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity and specific conductivity, each of thirteen selected sites of monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons are observed for the year 2014. Statistical modelling such as factor analysis is used to identify significant variables for variation in water parameters, whereas geostatistical modelling, e.g. ordinary kriging (OK) is used for spatial distributions of the water parameters in the river. Result showed alkalinity and specific conductivity during monsoon season, while transparency, pH, dissolved oxygen and specific conductivity in pre-monsoon season correlated to maximum variation in water quality. Geostatistical modelling, ordinary kriging (OK)-based interpolation model for water parameters showed more than 85% correlation at validation sites. The generated thematic map of spatial distribution for alkalinity during monsoon season and specific conductivity in both pre-monsoon and monsoon season showed an increasing trend from northern part (upward stream) to southern part (downward stream) of the river stretch. Whereas, in case of transparency, pH and dissolved oxygen, a reverse trend was observed as they increased from southern part (downward stream) to northern part (upward stream) of the river in pre-monsoon season. This combined approach for spatio-temporal water quality assessment in River Ganga can provide useful information for researchers and policy-makers for sustainable management of lower stretch of the River Ganga. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water quality is a critical environmental issue, because all forms of life depend on water. The present study focused on the spatiotemporal trends of 22 physicochemical parameters of the water in the Chaliyar River, which originates from the Western Ghats, Kerala, in India, and drains into the Arabian Sea. Water samples were collected from eight stations located along the river in different seasons (pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon) during two annual cycles (2017 to 2019). Most of the water quality parameters showed significant seasonal variations with spatial heterogeneity. Water quality index (WQI) and comprehensive pollution index (CPI) were used to analyze the river water for its potability and pollution status, respectively. The WQI showed "good" to "unsuitable" category and the CPI showed "sub-clean" to "severely polluted" status at the various stations of the river. The nutrient enrichment of water, analyzed using the trophic state index, showed "mesotrophic" to "high eutrophic" state at various stations, indicating that the river is tending toward eutrophication particularly along the downstream stations. Pearson's correlation demonstrated the influence of natural sources on the riverine water composition. The results of factor analysis revealed that the highest factor loadings were on total hardness, Ca, Mg, chlorinity and salinity, suggesting that non-point inorganic pollution, largely due to river basin geology and salinity ingress, was responsible mainly for potable water quality deterioration. Based on the results, the eight stations along the river were grouped into three clusters of "less," "moderately" and "highly" polluted and recorded a decrease in water quality from upstream to downstream. The study also highlighted the importance of multivariate statistical techniques in identifying the pattern of variability of parameters, besides helping in developing management strategies to improve river water quality by identifying relatively significant parameters causing the maximum water quality degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes an infinite-buffer single-server bulk-service queueing system in which customers arrive according to a discrete-time renewal process. The customers are served under the discrete-time Markovian service process according to the general bulk-service rule. The matrix-geometric method is used to obtain the queue-length distribution at prearrival epoch. The queue-length distributions at other various time epochs are also derived based on prearrival epoch probabilities. A simple approach has been developed to compute the waiting-time distribution of an arriving customer. We also carried out closed-form analytical expression for the service batch size distribution of an arriving customer. Some numerical results are provided in the form of tables for a variety of interarrival-time distributions and model parameters to understand the system behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a single server queueing system with an infinite waiting space in which customers are arrived according to renewal process and are served in batches of random size under continuous-time batch Markovian service process. We first determine the vector probability generating function of the system-length distribution at pre-arrival epoch. The system-length distribution at pre-arrival epoch is extracted in terms of zeros of the related characteristic polynomial of the vector probability generating function. By the Markov renewal theory argument, we determine the system-length distribution at random epoch. We also derive the system-length distribution at post-departure epoch using the 'rate in = rate out' argument. Finally, some numerical results are exhibited for different inter-arrival time distribution to demonstrate the system performance measures and correctness of analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, firstly uniform boundedness principle (UBP) theorem is established in a generalized fuzzy normed space from which Banach–Steinhaus theorem in fuzzy settings is derived. An example of an incomplete fuzzy normed linear space is constructed by applying the UBP theorem. Finally relation between our result and the existing UBP theorem of Bag and Samanta is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity of finfish in river Narmada and its tributaries in central and western India has been reviewed. We could compile a total of 196 species from both freshwater and brackish water habitats, under 14 orders, 51 families, and 126 genera. The order Cypriniformes represented the highest diversity with 78 species (i.e., 39.8%) followed by Perciformes (47 species), Siluriformes (32 species), Clupeiformes (15 species), etc. As per the IUCN Red List category, the maximum number of species are under Least Concern (129), followed by Not Evaluated (36), Near Threatened (14), Data Deficient (11), Vulnerable (4), and Endangered (2). The species Tor khudree and Tor putitora were found Endangered in the system. Out of 196 finfish species, 77 are food fishes, 33 having both ornamental and food fish value, 21 are truly ornamental value, and 31 as sports fishes. Habitat wise distribution of the fishes indicates that 79 species are truly freshwater and 3 species are truly marine, while 58 species range between freshwater and brackish water habitats, 21 between brackish water and marine habitats and 35 species range from freshwater to marine habitats. This review presents up-to-date information on finfish biodiversity of river Narmada. It will help in making appropriate conservation and management planning of fisheries in this river. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study includes the application of graft copolymer (polyacrylamide-grafted polyvinyl pyrrolidone—PVP-g-PAM) as wound healing agent. It is hypothesized that the branches of the graft copolymer adsorb at various colloidal components of blood plasma—thus assisting in formation of a networked structure, i.e. 'blood clot'. Further, the adhesive property of graft copolymer supports in wound closure and immobilization of pathogens. Wound healing efficiency of PVP-g-PAM has been investigated 'in vivo' by excision and incision wound model. The 100% wound contraction has been shown by PVP-g-PAM after 13 days. This is superior to both in cases of standard drug and ungrafted polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), which fails to achieve complete wound closure even after 21 days. Additionally, the graft copolymer-treated mice's skin exhibited higher tensile strength than that of standard drug, PVP and stitched model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An external particle induced gamma-ray emission (in air) PIGE facility has been set up for the first time at FOTIA, BARC for rapid and non-destructive quantification of low Z elements. Proton beam of energy of 3.5 MeV was obtained on the target using a 25 μm Tantalum window and Ta collimator of 5 mm diameter. The in situ current normalized PIGE method was validated by quantifying low Z elements in a mixed synthetic standard and in two (certified / standard) reference materials namely USGS CRM G2 and NIST SRM 620. The external PIGE method was applied to lithium-based ceramics, boron carbide and soda-lime and borosilicate glass samples for quantification of low Z elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Prompt Gamma-ray Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) facility was set up using a thermal neutron beam at Dhruva research reactor. It was utilized for non-destructive quantification of total boron in refractory neutron absorbers and 10B atom% in B4C ceramics having natural and enriched 10B composition by measuring the 478 keV prompt gamma-ray from 10B(n,αγ)*7Li. Self-shielding correction was carried out for higher boron concentration samples using chlorine as an internal standard. As a part of quality assurance, the results of PGNAA were compared with those obtained by in situ current normalized Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission (PIGE) method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, quadripartitioned neutrosophic numbers (QNNs) are introduced, operations over them have been defined and some of their properties have been studied. QNNs have been implemented in defining the quadripartitioned neutrosophic weighted arithmetic averaging operator and the quadripartitioned neutrosophic weighted geometric averaging operator for ranking the final scores of the alternatives and choosing the most suitable alternative among them. The concept of interval-valued possibility quadripartitioned single-valued neutrosophic soft sets has been utilized to propose an algorithm for a multi-criteria group decision making problem. In this approach, entropy-based weights are allocated to the elements of the universe of discourse under consideration. Finally, the obtained results are compared with existing ones by means of comparative studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear analytical methods namely in situ current normalised Particle Induced Gamma Ray Emission (PIGE) and conventional Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) were utilized for determining major, minor and trace concentrations of eighteen elements in five soda-lime (automobile) glass samples. Concentration of four major elements (Si, Na, Mg and Al) by PIGE and fourteen elements including ten trace elements by INAA were determined. For forensic application, major elements were used for confirming the class of glass samples, whereas concentration results of trace elements like transition and rare earth elements were utilized for finding similarity or differences among the glass samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a simple procedure to evaluate the actual waiting-time distributions for the first- and an arbitrary-customer of an arrival batch in the D-BMAP/G / 1 queueing system. The analysis is based on the remaining service time as the supplementary variable and the roots of the associated characteristic equation of the vector-generating function of the actual waiting-time distribution. Numerical aspects have been tested for a variety of service-time distribution and a sample of numerical outputs is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A zero-cost multichannel analyser (MCA) system based on the digital signal (pulse) processing (DSP) convenient for γ -ray spectroscopy with conventional detectors such as scintillators and high-purity germanium (HPGe) has been implemented. The in-built high-performance analog-to-digital converter (ADC) in the sound card, an integral component of the present day personal computers, was used to digitise the signals from the radiation detectors. These pulses were then shaped using the established digital signal processing recursive algorithms. The filtered data were then displayed as histograms which then could be subjected to the traditional analysis to obtain peak parameters and the associated quantities were deduced. The developed system combines the performance of the sound card hardware with the flexibility allowed by the DSP to achieve a versatile MCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we introduce the concept of mentor in the task of remote state preparation of a three-qubit quantum state. The role of the mentor is to initiate the process and to fix the protocol which is then followed by the other parties. We use a five-qubit cluster state as the quantum resource. The efficiency of the protocol is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of current work is to improve the existing inverse methodology of void-detection based on a target impedance curve, leading to quick-prediction of the parameters of single circular void. In this work, mode-shape dependent shifting phenomenon of peaks of impedance curve with change in void location has been analyzed. A number of initial guesses followed by an iterative optimization algorithm based on univariate method has been used to solve the problem. In each iteration starting from each initial guess, the difference between the computationally obtained impedance curve and the target impedance curve has been reduced. This methodology has been extended to detect single circular metallic inclusion in 2D piezoelectric cantilever beam. A good accuracy level was observed for detection of flaw radius and flaw-location along beam-length, but not the precise location along beam-width. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to derive some analytic results concerning GI/D-MSP/1/∞ queueing model in which customers arrive according to a discrete-time renewal process. We assume that the service process is correlated and its configuration is designed through discrete-time Markovian service process under different service phase initiations to start a busy period. The system-length distributions at various time epochs have been obtained by employing the matrix-geometric approach. An explicit closed form expression for the waiting-time distribution in the queue measured in slots has also been derived. Computational experiences with a variety of numerical results are discussed to show the effect of system parameters on the performance measures. This queueing model has potential applications in the domain of computer networks, telecommunication systems, and wireless local communication networks for evaluating the various system performances. An application of this type of queueing model in the domain of network coding in wireless communications is also discussed. This provides relevant information to the system analysts, researchers, and industry people who are interested to investigate congestion problems using queueing theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iodine nutritional status of 128 lactating mothers and their breast-fed infants (1-3 months) from iodine-replete villages during post-salt iodization period was evaluated. Mothers' urine, blood, and breast milk (BM) and infants' urine and blood were collected and analyzed for iodine and serum FT4 and TSH estimation. Mothers' and infants' age, parity, occupation, education, and household income were recorded. Median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of infants was 250 μg/L, indicating their iodine intake was more than adequate. Mothers' median UIC was 185 μg/L, indicating adequate iodine nutrition; however, 13.28% had mild to severe deficiency. Median breast milk iodine concentration (BMIC) was 230 μg/L, which was more than their median UIC 185 μg/L. In iodine-deficient mothers, positive correlation was found between mothers' and infants' serum FT4 and TSH levels, and negative correlation was found between mothers' and infants' serum FT4 and TSH levels in excessive iodine nutrition group.Conclusion: Iodine intake of breast-fed infants was at the limit of above requirement, and they are possibly at the risk of excess iodine intake. In iodine deficient and excessive iodine intake mothers, their infants' serum FT4 and TSH are independent on their iodine nutritional status but dependent on thyroid hormone profile of their mothers but differently. What is Known: • A median urinary iodine of 100 μg/L is used to define adequate iodine intake of lactating mothers and children < 2 years. However, adequate iodine intake in terms of urinary iodine of infants of age 1-3 months is not known. What is New: • Iodine intake of absolutely breast-fed infants (1-3 months) was more than adequate, though their mother's intake was adequate as breast milk contains more iodine than urine. The infants of iodine deficient and excessive iodine intake mothers, infants' hormonal profile is independent of their iodine nutritional status but dependent on their mothers thyroid hormone profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five trace metals, viz. copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn), in three organs (muscle, gills and liver) of four selected fish species ( Mugil cephalus, Eleutheronema tetradactylum, Etroplus suratensis and Daysciaena albida) from Chilika lagoon were studied monthly to assess the concentration level and human health risk via consumption. The average and range of metal concentrations (μg g) in flesh of the fish species were found to be: Cu (4.15, 3.47-5.03), Cr (0.25, 0.04-0.63), Fe (19.72, 14.51-27.30), Hg (0.07, 0.05-0.08) and Zn (8.09, 4.41-11.36). The metal concentrations measured in the edible muscles of all fish species were found lower as compared to the contents in liver and gill. Analysis of variance revealed a significant difference in trace metal accumulation among the organs ( p < 0.001), but the difference among the seasons and fish species was insignificant ( p > 0.05), with the exception of Zn accumulation ( p < 0.05). The estimated daily intake (EDI) of the trace metals through the consumption of fish as a dietary component varied widely from 0.48 to 21.33% with respect to the corresponding permissible tolerable daily intake (PTDI). The target hazard quotients (THQs) calculated considering these EDIs for individual metals indicated that the Cr and Cu metals dominantly contributed (avg. THQ = 0.198) to represent the hazard index (HI) than other metals (avg. THQ = 0.029). The average HI determined for all the species was <1 (0.484, ranged 0.255-0.605), indicating that these fish species of Chilika are safe for human consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we study a finite buffer single server variable batch service queue where customers arrive according to a batch Markovian arrival process. The server serves the customers with a variable batch size at the starting point of services. When all the customers are served in the system exhaustively, the server leaves for a vacation. Single as well as multiple vacation policies are analyzed. We derive the queue length distributions at different epochs. Some important performance measures such as blocking probabilities, mean queue lengths, mean waiting time have been obtained. A variety of computational results are presented for practitioners and others who would like to check their results with those of ours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated geoelectric, geological and geochemical investigations are carried out in Budge Budge and Dum Dum areas of south and north 24 Parganas district for ascertaining the prevailing hydrological condition and aquifer characteristic with chemical qualities of groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes. The proposed areas are constituted of alluvium and marine sediments of Quaternary age being a part of Gangetic delta. Vertical electrical soundings (VES) of Budge Budge have delineated four to six layers consisting of top soils, the brackish water zone, clay layer, first fresh water zone, another clay layer and the bottom-most(sixth layer) second fresh water bearing zone. The first fresh water zone is located at a depth of 128 m with thickness of 43 m having resistivity range of 32 ohm.m to 37 ohm.m for VES locations BB2 and BB3. The resistivity of the deeper second fresh water bearing zone is varying from 47 ohm.m to 51 ohm.m. The interpreted VES results significantly correspond with the borehole litholog of Budge Budge area. Similar VES results are also obtained for Dum Dum area showing promising potential aquifer zone especially for VES locations DD3 and DD4. A litho-resistivity relation is also determined for the area. Total TDS content of Budge Budge ground water samples are ranging from 720 mg/l to 4400 mg/l and same is ranging from 1012 mg/l to 1930mg/l for Dum Dum ground water samples. According to IS standard, the value of major cations and anions are near to the permissible limit for Dum Dum but same is not observed in Budge Budge for drinking and irrigation purpose excepting location G7. According to Piper trilinear diagram, the ground water in Budge Budge area is sulphate rich type and in Dum Dum it is fresh in nature. Chemically, the groundwater samples from Dum Dum and Budge Budge is classified as (Ca+Mg+Cl+SO) facies. The geochemical parameters like total hardness (TH), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), soluble sodium percentage (SSP), Kelly's ratio (KR), magnesium ratio (MR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), corrosivity ratio (CR), Gibb's ratio-I&II (GR-I & GR-II), chloro alkaline indices (CAI-I & CAI-II), permeability index (PI), sea water contamination (SWC) are also determined for better understanding of the quality of groundwater in the above areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis for the B M A P/ M S P/1 queueing system is based on roots of the associated characteristic equation of the vector-generating function of system-length distribution at random epoch. We obtain the steady-state system-length distributions at various epochs as well as of the actual sojourn-time distribution of an arbitrary customer in an arriving batch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation deals with the development of multiphase steels combining spheroidal carbides and bainite in a ductile ferrite matrix. An attempt is made to get a promising combination of high strength and ductility through changes of microstructure by heat treatment. A high-carbon (0.61 wt.%) and high-silicon (1.71 wt.%) spring steel (EN45) was annealed to obtain an initial ferrite pearlite microstructure. The samples were given 10% cold working followed by holding at a temperature just below Ac1 for 180 min. Then the samples were held at intercritical temperatures of 770 and 800 °C for different durations varying from 10 to 30 min for partial re-austenitization followed by quenching in a salt bath kept at 350 °C and holding there for 10 min for bainite transformation. The samples were finally water quenched. The heat-treated samples were characterized by optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The effects of intercritical temperature and holding time on the microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. With more bainitic transformation, the strength values went up considerably with a compromised elongation. The best combination of tensile strength (~805 MPa) with high elongation (~28%) was obtained. Finally, structure property correlation was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In women with osteoporosis treated with alendronate for >12 months and oral bisphosphonates for >3 of the last 4 years, switching to MK-5442, a calcium receptor antagonist, stimulated endogenous parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion and increased bone turnover marker levels, but produced a decline in bone mineral density (BMD) at all sites. Introduction: This study assessed the effects of switching from long-term oral bisphosphonate therapy to the calcium-sensing receptor antagonist MK-5442 on BMD and bone turnover markers (BTMs) in post-menopausal women with osteoporosis. Methods: This randomized, active and placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study enrolled 526 postmenopausal women, who had taken alendronate (ALN) for ≥12 months preceding the trial and any oral bisphosphonate for ≥3 of the preceding 4 years and had spine or hip BMD T-scores ≤−2.5 or ≤−1.5 with ≥1 prior fragility fracture. Women were randomized to continue ALN 70 mg weekly or switch to MK-5442 (5, 7.5, 10, or 15 mg daily) or placebo. Results: Switching from ALN to MK-5442 produced a dose-dependent parathyroid hormone (PTH) pulse of threefold to sixfold above baseline at 1 h, with PTH levels that remained twofold to threefold above baseline at 4 h and returned to baseline by 24 h. Switching to MK-5442 or placebo increased BTM levels compared to baseline within 3 months and MK-5442 10 mg increased BTM levels compared to placebo by 6 months. With all MK-5442 doses and placebo, spine and hip BMD declined from baseline, and at 12 months, BMD levels were below those who continued ALN (all groups P < 0.05 vs ALN). There was also a dose-dependent increase in the incidence of hypercalcemia with MK-5442. Conclusion: Switching from ALN to MK-5442 resulted in a pulsatile increase in PTH and increases in BTMs, but a decline in BMD compared with continued ALN. MK-5442 is not a viable option for the treatment of osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to develop a multiphase steel combining spheroidal cementite and bainite in ductile ferrite matrix possessing an optimal balance of reasonably high strength and excellent ductility. A high carbon (0.61 wt.%) high silicon (1.71 wt.%) EN45 spring steel was annealed to obtain ferrite pearlite microstructure. The samples were given 5 and 10% cold rolling followed by holding at temperature below Ac1 for about 3 h. The samples were then held in intercritical range at 770 °C temperature for different durations ranging from 5 to 20 min for partial re-austenitization followed by quenching in a salt bath maintained at 350 °C and holding for 10 min to get bainite. The samples were finally water quenched. Characterizations of the samples with the help of optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy were carried out. Optimal heat-treatment conditions were found out after correlating with tensile properties. The best combination of high tensile strength (~800 MPa) with very high elongation (~29%) was obtained. Effects of cold-rolled strain and holding time in the intercritical region on the mechanical properties and microstructural changes were studied. Finally, structural property correlation is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxocara canis is an important gastrointestinal nematode of dogs and also a causative agent of visceral larva migrans in humans. Arginine kinase (AK) gene is one of the important biomolecule of phosphagen kinase of T. canis which is emerging as an exciting novel diagnostic target in toxocarosis. The present study was carried out to clone and characterize AK gene of T. canis for future utilization as a diagnostic molecule. Total RNA was extracted from intact adult worms and reverse transcription was done with oligo dT primers to obtain complementary DNA (cDNA). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out using cDNA as template with specific primers which amplified a product of 1,202 bp. The amplicon was cloned into pDrive cloning vector and clone was confirmed by colony PCR and restriction endonuclease analysis. Sequence analysis of the gene showed 99.8 and 77.9 % homology with the published AK gene of T. canis (EF015466.1) and Ascaris suum respectively. Structural analysis shown that the mature AK protein consist of 400 amino acids with a molecular wt of 45360.73 Da. Further expression studies are required for producing the recombinant protein for its evaluation in the diagnosis of T. canis infection in humans as well as in adult dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxocara canis is one of the most common helminth worm of dogs which continues to stimulate both public health concern alongside the higher scientific interest. It may cause visceral and ocular damage in humans especially in children. The identification of specific antigens of T. canis is important so as to develop better diagnostic techniques. Excretory-secretory (ES) antigens were prepared by culturing the adult T. canis worms in RPMI 1640 medium without serum supplementation followed by ammonium sulphate precipitation. These antigens were separated using sodium dodecyl sulphate-electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE ). Recovered proteins ranged from 30 to 384 kDa. The specific reactivity of the T. canis excretory-secretory (TC-ES) proteins was checked by western blotting. The immuno-reactivity of the naturally infected dog sera with the TC-ES antigens showed five bands at 43, 57,105, 139 and 175 kDa. The immuno-reactivity of the hyper immune serum raised in rabbits against TC-ES antigens was observed with ten polypeptides of 21, 25, 30, 37, 45, 50, 57, 69, 77 and 105 kDa. Common antigens band were observed at 57 and 105 KDa. These antigens merit further evaluation as candidate for use in diagnosis of toxocariasis in humans and adult dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication of a nanojunction by making a nano- hole on PMMA layer deposited in between Au and YBaCuO (YBCO) films is reported. We have measured the current-voltage characteristics across Au/YBCO nanojunction at different temperatures and studied Andreev Reflection (AR) phenomena. The presence of Zero Bias Conductance Peak (ZBCP) due to AR, which is considered to be the well-known feature of d-wave superconductors, has been noticed at temperatures below and above the transition temperature ( T∼87 K) up to 130 K. The result obtained indicates the possible- existence of the phase-incoherent Cooper pairs above T for Au/YBCO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxocara canis is one of the most common parasitic helminth worm of dogs and also a causative agent of zoonotic disease in humans. This pilot study was conducted to determine the presence of T. canis infection in dog population in and around Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India. A total of 558 faecal samples both from stray and owned dogs were screened and overall 24.3 % dogs were found positive for T. canis. A comparison between owned and stray dogs suggests that the higher prevalence was observed in the latter group. The age of the dogs had a considerable influence on prevalence, with a much higher proportion of younger dogs being infected. Among the stray dogs, the infection rate is much higher (62.79 %) in pups, as compared to 7.8 % in adult. Similarly, of the owned dogs screened 41.74 % pups were infected while the infection rate in adults was only 3.38 %. The higher rate of prevalence of this parasite in dogs could be the source of soil contamination for transmission of Toxocariasis which is of public health importance in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diel vertical migration is a behavioral antipredator defense that is shaped by a trade-off between higher predation risk in surface waters and reduced growth in deeper waters. The strength of migration of zooplankton increases with a rise in the abundance of predators and their exudates (kairomone). Recent studies span multiple trophic levels, which lead to the concept of coupled vertical migration. The migrations that occur at one trophic level can affect the vertical migration of the next lower trophic level, and so on, throughout the food chain. This is called cascading migration. In this paper, we introduce cascading migration in a well-known model (Hastings and Powell, Ecology 73:896-903, ). We represent the dynamics of the system as proposed by Hastings and Powell as a phytoplankton-zooplankton-fish (prey-middle predator-top predator) model where fish affect the migrations of zooplankton, which in turn affect the migrations of motile phytoplankton. The system under cascading migration enhances system stability and population coexistence. It is also observed that for a higher rate of cascading migration, the system shows chaotic behavior. We conclude that the observations of Hastings and Powell remain true if the cascading migration rate is high enough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The k nearest neighbor-molecular field analysis ( kNN-MFA) is used to study the correlation between the molecular properties and biological activities of the recently reported 2,5-disubstituted imidazo[4,5- c]pyridines as anti-HCV agents. The most predictive kNN-MFA model derived from the superposition of docked conformations, has good cross-validated q (0.96) and satisfied predictive ability $$ r_{\text{pred}}^{2} $$ (0.88). It could rationalize the HCV inhibitory activity profile of many compounds used in the present study as well as the important structural features responsible for activity. Furthermore, the effects of various structural modifications on biological activity are investigated, and biological activities of novel structures are estimated using the developed 3D QSAR model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triplet sensitized photoisomerization of several stilbenes included within a water-soluble organic capsule has been investigated. In this study octa acid that self assembles in the presence of hydrophobic guest molecules to form a host–guest complex is utilized to solubilize hydrophobic stilbenes and triplet sensitizers in water, and to provide confinement during the geometric isomerization of included olefins. By monitoring the steady state and time resolved room temperature phosphorescence from 4,4′-dimethylbenzil in the presence of acceptor stilbenes and their nitrogen analogues (stilbazole and bispyridyl ethylene) we have been able to establish that triplet-triplet energy transfer occurs between encapsulated donors and encapsulated (or free) acceptors. The mechanism of the energy transfer process is yet to be fully understood although a similar phenomenon has been reported earlier in the literature with Cram's hemicarcerand as the host. The photostationary state composition of cis and trans isomers within the OA capsule is dependent on the relative binding strength of the two isomers with the OA capsule. Further investigation is needed to fully exploit the interesting observations made here to steer the photoisomerization towards a single isomer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) mRNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3) is emerging as a useful indicator of the progression and outcome of several cancers. IMP3 expression is associated with triple-negative breast carcinomas (TNBCs), which are aggressive tumors associated with poor outcome. In this study, we addressed the hypothesis that signaling pathways, which are characteristic of TNBCs, impact the expression of IMP3 and that IMP3 contributes to the function of TNBCs. The data obtained reveal that IMP3 expression is repressed specifically by estrogen receptor β (ERβ) and its ligand 3βA-diol but not by ERα. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling and consequent activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway induce IMP3 transcription and expression. Interestingly, we discovered that the EGFR promoter contains an imperfect estrogen response element and that ERβ represses EGFR transcription. These data support a mechanism in which ERβ inhibits IMP3 expression indirectly by repressing the EGFR. This mechanism relates to the biology of TNBC, which is characterized by diminished ERβ and increased EGFR expression. We also demonstrate that IMP3 contributes to the migration and invasion of breast carcinoma cells. Given that IMP3 is an mRNA-binding protein, we determined that it binds several key mRNAs that could contribute to migration and invasion, including CD164 (endolyn) and MMP9. Moreover, expression of these mRNAs is repressed by ERβ and enhanced by EGFR signaling, consistent with our proposed mechanism for the regulation of IMP3 expression in breast cancer cells. Our findings show that IMP3 is an effector of EGFR-mediated migration and invasion and they provide the first indication of how this important mRNA-binding protein is regulated in cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fasciola gigantica, causative agent of tropical fasciolosis , inflicts substantial economic losses on the livestock industry, affecting severely buffalo productivity in the tropical countries. Very few vaccination trials with different target antigens against F. gigantica infection have been conducted in this host. Present study describes a vaccination trial in buffaloes with F. gigantica recombinant glutathione S-transferase and fatty acid binding protein. The two recombinant proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and evaluated for their immunoprophylactic potential in buffalo calves, using montanide 70 M-VG, a mineral oil-based adjuvant, for delivering the antigens. Buffalo calves were distributed in three groups, with group I, II and III calves immunized with recombinant glutathione S-transferase, fatty acid binding protein and a cocktail of these two antigens, respectively. Immunization of the calves evoked a mixed IgG1 and IgG2 antibody response. Present vaccination trial in these animals achieved a maximum protection level of 35%, when the two antigens were used in combination. Eosinophils were measured in both immunized and non-immunized challenge control animals, which showed a steady increase in their count in response to immunization with both the antigens and infection with F. gigantica, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of new therapies to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection effectively is currently an intensive area of research. To achieve this objective quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) study was carried as it provides the rationale for the changes in the structure to have more potent analogs. In this article, we report 3D QSAR studies for the set of 50 HCV NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitors using k-Nearest Neighbor Molecular Field Analysis (kNN-MFA) method combined with various selection procedures. By using kNN-MFA approach, various 3D QSAR models were generated to study the effect of steric and electrostatic descriptors on anti-HCV activity. The model with good external and internal predictivity for the training and test set has shown cross validation ( q) and external validation (pred_ r) values of 0.85 and 0.75, respectively. The steric descriptors at the grid points S_430, S_1065, and S_1165 play an important role in the design of new molecule. It also suggests the importance of aromatic or large bulky ring substituent at R to increase the HCV inhibitory activity as well as large bulky substituent at R reduces activity. This model was found to yield reliable clues for further optimization of thiouracil derivatives in the data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]