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There are a variety of body aches that fall under the umbrella term of Musculoskeletal Discomforts (MSDs). These can be distinguished based on the level of pain suffered by the patient, ranging from mild and sporadic to serious, constant and fatal. It has been suggested that a link exists between MSDs and risk factors involving one’s occupational conditions and physicality. Examining the prevalence rate of musculoskeletal discomforts based on the severity among office workers was the main objective of this study. In order to achieve this objective, we had, in February 2015, selected from a population of 20 000 Malaysian office workers, 753 subjects within the age range of 20-50 years who have had a minimum of a year’s working experience. For this study, a form of structured questionnaire, known as the Cornell questionnaire, has been evaluated and put to use. Under the watch of the researchers, the subjects were instructed to complete the questionnaire in the morning before they begin their respective jobs. Based on their responses, the Cornell questionnaire has revealed that at least one case of severe pain in the neck, shoulder or lower back, respectively, is suffered by 69.7% of the subjects. In the case of neck-related aches, 15% low pain, whereas 51% involved mild pain and 33.9% were cases of severe pain. That being said, 19.3% low pain in the lower back, while 50.7% suffered from mild pain and 30% had severe pain in the same region. Percentages of 34.9% for high severity, 45.4% for mild severity and 19.7% for low severity were simultaneously reported in the shoulder section. In a nutshell, the study has revealed that, in comparison with body aches in the arms, knees, upper back, forearms, wrists, hands, hips and thighs, the subjects are more vulnerable to body aches in the neck, shoulders and lower back.

This study analysed the impact of riparian land use in structuring the larval ephemeropteran communities from 25 sites in streams and rivers of Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) of the southern end of the Western Ghats, India. A total of twenty-eight species belonging to twenty-four genera of six families were collected across all the sites. Baetidae and Leptophlebiidae were the most numerous and ubiquitous families, comprising eight genera in each family and eleven and nine species, respectively. The physico-chemical parameters and species richness and abundance of mayflies varied across streams and rivers with different riparian land-use types. Species distribution was influenced by the environmental gradients. Canonical Correspondence Analysis revealed a clear separation of the mayfly assemblages along water quality and riparian land-use gradients. The results of this study suggest that Ephemeroptera taxa can be potentially used as sensitive indicators of riparian land use in lotic ecosystems.

Millets have gained significant attention in recent days due to their potential as nutritious and bioactive-rich food sources. Beyond their macronutrient content such as carbohydrates, fats, protein and minerals, possess impressive array of bioactive compounds viz., polyphenols, flavonoids and antioxidants. Ferulic acid is predominantly found among all the millets followed by caffeic acid and soluble/bound fractions of whole grains contain flavonoids. Their prebiotic properties contribute to gut health by promoting growth of beneficial gut microbiota. Phenolic compounds contribute to their antioxidant, anticancer and antiviral properties. Millets are rich in dietary fibre (15–20%), which has water absorbing and bulking property thereby increases transit time of food in the gut and helps in reducing risk of inflammatory bowel disease and acts as detoxifying agent in the body. The bioavailability of minerals is however hindered by the antinutritional factors like tannins and phytates. This review focuses on the nutraceutical potential of millets by exploring its bioactive components and its enhancement through biofortification strategies which is essential for utilizing and harnessing their health-promoting properties for the benefit of global nutrition and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This present study has been designed to develop an Antifouling agent to minimize the attachment of fouling organisms on the submerged substratum. In order to analyze the leaf extracts of reputable species, such as Ipomoea pescaprae, (sand dune plants) and Sesuvium portulacastrum, Batis maritima (salt marsh), an attempt was undertaken. Methanolic extracts of three plants were screened for antifouling activity against six marine fouling bacteria (Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas sp., Vibrio sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli) using disc diffusion method where the methanolic extract of Ipomea pes caprae exhibited a maximum zone of inhibition (26mm) against Pseudomonas sp. Further, the minimum inhibitory concentration assay was performed to determine the lowest effective concentration to inhibit microbial growth. Hence, the result has suggested Ipomea pes-caprae has a maximum inhibitory percentage (51%) in a lower concentration (100µL) against E. coli. To detect the functional groups in three extracts, FTIR was carried out, where Amine, Secondary Alcohol, Alkane and Amine salt all are commonly present in these three samples. A field study has been designed to evaluate the antifouling efficiency of three samples, where the commercial paint was formulated using methanolic extracts from three different plants. Thus, resulted in Sample-1 (Ipomea pes-caprae) has good bioactivity towards fouling organisms and resulted in less percentage of fouling formation (Wood-10%, Aluminium-22% and Fiber sheet-26%) in this field study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel technique Gaussian-Embedded Clustering-based Piecewise Linear Convolutional Deep Belief Classifier (GEC-PLCDBC) is introduced for enhancing the accuracy of consumer behaviors pattern prediction with minimum time consumption. The proposed GEC-PLCDBC technique performs three major processes, namely, preprocessing, clustering, and behavior pattern analysis. First, preprocessing is carried out using Gaussian distributive neighbor embedding technique to remove the repeated, retweets, and duplicate tweets from the dataset. After preprocessing, the clustering process is said to be performed using Tversky qualitative Hartigan–Wong clustering for grouping similar tweets to minimize the time complexity of the behavior pattern analysis. Finally, the Piecewise Linear Regressive Convolutional Deep Belief Neural Classifier (PLRCDBNC) is used for behavioral pattern prediction such as positive, negative, or neutral based on the extracted words from the tweets. In this way, the GEC-PLCDBC technique improves behavioral pattern prediction while maintaining a low error rate. GEC-PLCDBC technique's experimental assessment is carried out with respect to clustering accuracy, behavior pattern prediction accuracy, behavior pattern prediction time, and error rate, with respect to different number of tweets. The quantitative results show that GEC-PLCDBC outperforms existing methods by 8% in clustering accuracy and 8% in prediction accuracy of behavior pattern prediction with 15% less time and 26% mean absolute error than the conventional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have shown in the past decade, for the first time in a bivalve mollusc, detection, isolation, and purification of β-1,3 glucan binding protein (β-GBP) in the plasma of the marine mussel Perna viridis and demonstrated its role in a nonself-induced activation of plasma prophenoloxidase system. In this study, we present evidence for its ability to function as an opsonin during phagocytosis of trypsinized yeast cells by the hemocytes of P. viridis. The in vitro pretreatment of target cells (trypsinized yeast cells) with β-GBP enhanced the phagocytic response of hemocytes. Such β-GBP-mediated enhanced phagocytic response appeared to be dose dependent. This opsono-phagocytic response could be inhibited by the presence of laminarin (a polymer of β-1,3 glucans), glucose, as well as polyclonal antibodies raised against β-GBP. These observations clearly indicate that the plasma β-GBP can possibly recognize and bind to β-1,3 glucans on the surface of targets and facilitate hemocyte recognition processes possibly by forming a bridge between the hemocytes and the target, consequently leading to opsono-phagocytosis. These observations together with our earlier annotations indicate the multifunctional potential of plasma β-GBP in the marine mussel P. viridis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, RAPD markers were used to evaluate five different accessions of Madhuca longifolia (Koen) Macbr that were gathered from the Pachamalai Hills in the Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu, India. The CTAB procedure was utilized in the isolation of DNA. Ten out of fifteen primers were determined to be informative during the screening process. These primers produced 275 amplification products, 261 of which were polymorphic (94.90%). All five accessions shared a polymorphism percentage that ranged from 88.23% to 100% of its total. Most of the investigated RAPD markers exhibited varying degrees of genetic variation. 275 RAPD bands were used to calculate Jaccard’s similarity coefficients and create a UPGMA dendrogram. According to the findings, M. longifoliahas genetic variation due to the many different ecological situations. This analysis obtained a better understanding of the genetic variance among the accessions. Breeders will also benefit from this information since it will provide crucial feedback that will be used in the determination of novel management techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Somaclonal variation in micropropagated plants improves crops. Genetic transformation research relies on micropropagated plant genetic integrity. Somaclonal variation frequently occurs in micropropagation, prompting an investigation of plant genetic stability. The high number of shoot buds was seen when Decalepis hamiltonii shooting tip explants were inoculated with reversed polarity in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 0.5 mg L-1 benzylaminopurine (BAP). The shoot buds increased in length on an MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg L-1 Benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.1 mg L-1 indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The lengthened shoots were established in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1 mg L-1 Indole-3-butyric Acid (IBA). Well-rooted plants underwent greenhouse hardening. Micropropagated and seedpropagated plants have similar physical features. Regenerated plant genetic stability was assessed using ten primers in a Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay. Eighty-five bands were identified. Monomorphic features and original-type clones were found in field-grown plants and bands. The regeneration approach might help study D. hamiltonii micropropagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical pyomyositis (TP) of the upper limb is uncommon, especially in forearm and hand. The incidence was around 2.2% of paediatric TP. Cases reported in the literature were from pre-school and school age children. We describe a case of an 11-month-old girl with concurrent dengue fever and Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia who presented with TP of flexor digitorum superficialis showing "pointing finger" sign of the hand. She was treated with surgical drainage and antibiotics and recovered well. This case describes a new clinical sign for tropical pyomyositis of the flexor muscles in the forearm in a young child and the challenges in making the clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The survey of Snake tongue ferns in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, India, revealed the presence of five species of the genus Ophioglossum. A detailed description, illustrations, SEM image of spores, and key to the species of the genus in Pudukkotai district are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]