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Cyphos nitrate (Trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium nitrate: [P66614][NO3]) is a well-known ionic liquid which is strongly hydrophobic and sustainable for the recovery of metal ions from waste matrix. In the present study, the ionic liquid was explored for the selectively separation of plutonium(IV) from uranium(VI), zirconium(IV), americium(III) and europium(III) present in the nitric acid medium in conjunction with 1,3-diisopropyl benzene (DIPB) as the diluent. The extraction factors of Pu(IV) were evaluated as a function of various experimental parameters such as the concentration of feed acidity, the concentration of ionic liquid, equilibration time, temperature, type of ionic liquid ions, etc. Facile formation of the anionic nitrato complex of Pu(IV) in the ionic liquid phase was found to be the driving force for the preferential extraction of Pu(IV) over other metal ions. Effect of radiation dose suggested the stability of the proposed ionic liquid by acquiring the similar extraction factors like that in the unirradiated ionic liquid phase. Remarkable separation factors of Pu(IV) over the aforementioned metal ions were computed and presented in the paper. Various thermodynamic parameters accompanied by the extraction as well as the back extraction processes of Pu(IV) from the loaded ionic liquid phase have been presented in detail.

Selective separation of zirconium(IV), from the simulated high-level liquid waste solution containing uranium(VI) and trivalent lanthanides, during reprocessing of fast reactor metal fuel was studied by extraction chromatography using N,N-di-octyl-2-hydroxyacetamide (DOHyA) impregnated on to Amberlite XAD-7 resin. The extraction behavior of Zr(IV), Nd(III) and U(VI) with varying concentrations of nitric acid was explored using a solvent impregnated resin with different compositions of DOHyA in XAD-7 [10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 (w/w) %]. The resin exhibited faster kinetics with more than 99 % recovery of Zr(IV) and with an apparent Langmuir adsorption capacity of ∼54 mg.g−1of Zr(IV) on to the resin phase. Quantitative (> 99%) and selective extraction of Zr(IV) with minimum loading of other trivalents and uranium was observed during column chromatography. Results of the study showed that Zr(IV) can be selectively separated in presence of trivalent lanthanides and U(VI).

Aim: The present study was carried out at Institute Rabbit Farm of Southern Regional Research Centre, Mannavanur, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India having sub-temperate climate with winter temperature during night hours going below 0°C with an objective of finding the influence of different factors such as breed, year, season and parity on different reproductive traits of broiler rabbits in order to come out with the best strategies for improving the productivity. Materials and Methods: A total of 1793 records (946 White Giant and 847 Soviet Chinchilla) for weight at mating (WM), weight at kindling (WK), gestation length (GL), litter size at birth (LSB) and litter size at weaning (LSW), litter weight at birth (LWB), and litter weight at weaning (LWW) were collected in the period between 2000 and 2009 and the data was analyzed using general linear model option of SAS 9.2. Results: The overall mean GL, WM, WK, LSB, LSW, LWB, and LWW were 31.68±0.04 days, 3.65±0.01 kg, 3.84±0.01 kg, 6.91±0.08, 5.49±0.09, 387.62±4.07 g, and 4.66±0.07 kg, respectively. The breed has significantly influenced GL, WK, LSW, LWB, and LWW. The LSB, LSW, LWB, and LWW were 7.05±0.11, 5.76±0.13, 399.55±5.88 g, and 4.87±0.10 kg, respectively in White Giant and corresponding values for Soviet Chinchilla were 6.78±0.11, 5.22±0.12, 375.91±5.64 g, and 4.46±0.09 kg, respectively. The year of kindling had significantly affected all the reproductive traits under study and is varying over different years. The parity significantly influenced the WM, WK, and LWW. The LWW increased from first (4.16±0.21 kg) to second parity (4.86±0.19 kg) and remained in the same range from third parity onward. WM was significantly higher in spring season (3.72±0.02) than the animals in rainy (3.59±0.02) and winter season (3.65±0.02). Better reproductive performance in terms of higher LSB, LSW, LWB, and LWW as observed in the present study might be due to conducive environmental conditions prevailing in the region. Conclusion: The significant effects of the non-genetic factors like year of kindling on all reproductive traits, season, and parity on some of the traits in rabbit breeds are indications that any future production enhancement strategy must take into consideration the environment by providing additional care, feed supplementation and better shelter management to the rabbits, so that the full genetic potential can be realized.

Abstract The incorporation of Industry 4.0 technologies into the seafood processing sector presents a transformative potential for improving efficiency, sustainability, and transparency throughout the supply chain. This study aims to examine the impact of such technological advancements, including automation, robotics, blockchain, computer vision, AI, and IoT, on the seafood industry's operations, ranging from sorting, cleaning, and packing to quality assessment and product preservation. Conducted through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of Web of Science-indexed papers, this research assesses the synergy between innovation and business 4.0 technologies in seafood processing. Our findings suggest that these technologies not only promise enhanced operational efficiency and product quality but also offer sustainable practices through energy-efficient methods, waste management techniques, and innovative packaging solutions. Additionally, the study addresses the workforce implications, underscoring the shift in job roles towards more specialized and value-added positions rather than outright displacement. The primary data collected and analyzed herein underscores the critical role of Industry 4.0 in promoting sustainable resource management, optimizing processes, and ensuring ecological responsibility within the seafood sector, thereby contributing to the broader goals of food security and environmental sustainability.

The present study reports the prevalence of Whitespot syndrome virus (WSSV), Monodon baculovirus (MBV) and Hepatopancreatic parvovirus (HPV) in the Penaeus monodon post larvae in Tamil Nadu, Southeast coast of India. The PCR diagnosis of postlarvae revealed that 9.2% of the samples were infected with WSSV as they were positive either in one step or nested PCR. The PCR diagnosis of samples also showed that 9.6 and 6.4% of the samples screened were positive for MBV and HPV, respectively. Dual infection with MBV and HPV was observed by PCR in 2.6% of the samples screened. Multiple infection with WSSV, MBV and HPV was observed at 1.6% of the samples by PCR. Wet mount squash preparation from the hepatopancreas of postlarvae revealed that 5.5, 5.2 and 1.8% of the samples tested were positive for MBV, HPV and dual infection with MBV and HPV, respectively.

ABSTRACT While the basic mechanisms of flavivirus entry and fusion are understood, little is known about the postfusion events that precede RNA replication, such as nucleocapsid disassembly. We describe here a sensitive, conditionally replication-defective yellow fever virus (YFV) entry reporter, YFVΔSK/Nluc, to quantitively monitor the translation of incoming, virus particle-delivered genomes. We validated that YFVΔSK/Nluc gene expression can be neutralized by YFV-specific antisera and requires known flavivirus entry pathways and cellular factors, including clathrin- and dynamin-mediated endocytosis, endosomal acidification, YFV E glycoprotein-mediated fusion, and cellular LY6E and RPLP1 expression. The initial round of YFV translation was shown to require cellular ubiquitylation, consistent with recent findings that dengue virus capsid protein must be ubiquitylated in order for nucleocapsid uncoating to occur. Importantly, translation of incoming YFV genomes also required valosin-containing protein (VCP)/p97, a cellular ATPase that unfolds and extracts ubiquitylated client proteins from large complexes. RNA transfection and washout experiments showed that VCP/p97 functions at a postfusion, pretranslation step in YFV entry. Finally, VCP/p97 activity was required by other flaviviruses in mammalian cells and by YFV in mosquito cells. Together, these data support a critical role for VCP/p97 in the disassembly of incoming flavivirus nucleocapsids during a postfusion step in virus entry. IMPORTANCE Flaviviruses are an important group of RNA viruses that cause significant human disease. The mechanisms by which flavivirus nucleocapsids are disassembled during virus entry remain unclear. Here, we used a yellow fever virus entry reporter, which expresses a sensitive reporter enzyme but does not replicate, to show that nucleocapsid disassembly requires the cellular protein-disaggregating enzyme valosin-containing protein, also known as p97.

Flaviviruses are enveloped, arthropod-borne, positive-strand RNA viruses that cause significant human disease. While the basic mechanisms of flavivirus entry and fusion are understood, little is known about the postfusion events that precede RNA replication, such as nucleocapsid disassembly. We recently developed a sensitive, conditionally replication-defective yellow fever virus (YFV) entry reporter to quantitively monitor the translation of incoming virus particle-delivered genomes. We validated that viral gene expression can be neutralized by YFV-specific antisera and requires known pathways of flavivirus entry; however, as expected, gene expression from the defective reporter virus was insensitive to a small molecule inhibitor of YFV RNA replication. The initial round of viral gene expression was also shown to require: (i) cellular ubiquitylation, consistent with recent findings that dengue virus capsid protein must be ubiquitylated in order for nucleocapsid uncoating to occur, and (ii) valosin-containing protein (VCP)/p97, a cellular ATPase that unfolds and extracts ubiquitylated client proteins from large macromolecular complexes. RNA transfection and washout experiments showed that VCP/p97 functions at a postfusion, pretranslation step in YFV entry. Together, these data support a critical role for VCP/p97 in the disassembly of incoming flavivirus nucleocapsids during a postfusion step in virus entry.

This paper is an attempt to examine the total productivity growth of foreign banks for the period 2002-2003 to 2013-2014. Data of ten major foreign sector banks for twelve years were used for the analysis and interpretation. Malmquist Productivity Index and Input oriented CRS data envelopment analysis are being used to measure the productivity of these banks over the years. Along with the productivity of foreign sector banks, their performances were also determined through ratios. The results show that the foreign sector banks has obtained an excellent mean TFP of 1.06 and nine foreign sector banks has obtained an eligible score of one which depicts that foreign sector banks are doing well in the country. The excellent performance of foreign sector banks in the banking industry is further substantiated with the ratios. The study has revealed that by enlarging the scope of foreign banks will obviously bring growth, development and technological advancement in the Indian banking Sector. The Kelaniya Journal of Management, Vol. 4(1); 2015: 50-64

Many positive-strand RNA viruses encode genes that can function in trans, whereas other genes are required in cis for genome replication. The mechanisms underlying trans- and cis-preferences are not fully understood. Here, we evaluate this concept for hepatitis C virus (HCV), an important cause of chronic liver disease and member of the Flaviviridae family. HCV encodes five nonstructural (NS) genes that are required for RNA replication. To date, only two of these genes, NS4B and NS5A, have been trans-complemented, leading to suggestions that other replicase genes work only in cis. We describe a new quantitative system to measure the cis- and trans-requirements for HCV NS gene function in RNA replication and identify several lethal mutations in the NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A, and NS5B genes that can be complemented in trans, alone or in combination, by expressing the NS3-5B polyprotein from a synthetic mRNA. Although NS5B RNA binding and polymerase activities can be supplied in trans, NS5B protein expression was required in cis, indicating that NS5B has a cis-acting role in replicase assembly distinct from its known enzymatic activity. Furthermore, the RNA binding and NTPase activities of the NS3 helicase domain were required in cis, suggesting that these activities play an essential role in RNA template selection. A comprehensive complementation group analysis revealed functional linkages between NS3-4A and NS4B and between NS5B and the upstream NS3-5A genes. Finally, NS5B polymerase activity segregated with a daclatasvir-sensitive NS5A activity, which could explain the synergy of this antiviral compound with nucleoside analogs in patients. Together, these studies define several new aspects of HCV replicase structure-function, help to explain the potency of HCV-specific combination therapies, and provide an experimental framework for the study of cis- and trans-acting activities in positive-strand RNA virus replication more generally.