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Administrative tribunals are adjudicating bodies established to relieve the traditional courts from the ever mounting pressure of litigation. This paper makes an analysis of the powers and functions of the administrative tribunals as laid down by the judiciary. A series of case laws are examined at length which debate the nature of the functions of the tribunals and also elucidate the importance of tribunals in dispensation of justice.

Objective Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is characterized by one or more of the following features: intraluminal thrombus organization, fibrous stenosis, and complete obliteration of major pulmonary arteries, amenable to significant improvement by pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) or balloon pulmonary angioplasty, and medical treatments with vasodilators. Because treatment practices and outcomes differ in Europe versus Japan, we hypothesized that population-based characteristics of pulmonary vascular phenotypes may exist in Austria compared with Japan. The objectives of this study were to analyze clinical characteristics, hemodynamics, and PEA specimens in consecutive patients with CTEPH undergoing PEA in Austria and Japan. Methods Clinical features, hemodynamics, and PEA specimens were collected and analyzed in patients with CTEPH undergoing PEA, and clinical features and hemodynamics were collected and analyzed in patients with not-operated CTEPH and in patients with nonthromboembolic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Results Apart from key differences between Austrian and Japanese patients regarding body size, lung function vital capacity, cardiac output, and serum high-density lipoprotein levels, Austrian patients were more likely to be obese, have greater hematocrits and greater white blood cells counts, greater C-reactive protein levels, and significantly elevated serum myeloperoxidase levels compared with Japanese patients with CTEPH. Analysis of PEA specimens demonstrated more proximal thrombus and more fresh red thrombus components in Austrian patients. Conclusions This study documents an inflammatory thrombotic phenotype in Austrian compared with Japanese patients with CTEPH that may be a determinant of differential treatment outcomes.

Idiopathic aplastic anemia is a pancytopenia disorder that is a rare but life threatening for both mother and fetus during pregnancy. Association of aplastic anemia with pregnancy is unclear but considered to be interrelated. Bone marrow transplantation is the most effective treatment for adult aplastic anemia but is inadvisable to perform during pregnancy because of the teratogenic effect of immunosuppressive agents or radiation therapy to the growing fetus. Supportive care, withdrawal from offending drugs and involving erythrocytes and platelets transfusion is a promising way to save the life. Here author present a case report of 36-year-old lady with idiopathy aplastic anemia. In this case medical investigation revealed severe anemia of unknown origin. The patient was treated with hematinics, blood transfusion and glucocorticoids. A healthy baby was delivered without evidence of hemolysis at her eight month and one week of pregnancy, the patient recovered and discharged with normal incidence. Being a rare case, it becomes a necessity to report such life-threatening disorder and management. Moreover, to our knowledge this is the first case reported of its kind from Jammu and Kashmir Division of India.

'Crohn's disease' is an inflammatory granulomatous disease of the gastrointestinal tract with extra-intestinal manifestations. Oral lesions may precede the intestinal disease and serve as a source for histological diagnosis. We present a case of orofacial Crohn's disease where orofacial symptoms were present for about 13 years and occasional constipation was present, since 6 months. Oral examination plays an important role in early diagnosis of Crohn's disease.

The persistence and metabolism of imidacloprid in sugarcane leaves and juice were studied following application of imidacloprid @ 20 and 80 g a.i. ha−1. Samples of sugarcane leaves were collected at various time intervals (7, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 days after treatment), whereas those of juice were collected at the time of harvest. The residues of imidacloprid and its metabolites (6-chloronicotinic acid, nitrosimine, imidacloprid-NTG, olefin, urea and 5-hydroxy) were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatograph. In leaves, the total imidacloprid residues were mainly constituted by the parent compound followed by 6-chloronicotinic acid metabolite. Total residues of imidacloprid and its metabolites were found to be 4.97 and 12.99 mg kg−1 in sugarcane leaves collected 7 days after the application of imidacloprid @ 20 and 80 g a.i. ha−1 respectively. At both the doses, these residues declined to below the detectable limit in the leaves after 90 days of application with the half-life values of 9.68 and 8...

This paper summarizes initiative for news extraction when we are investigating a simple approach for visualization of a range of content. To find specific information easily a novel approach of 5W1H is easiest & best suitable. Here we are “Extracting Intelligence from various online news sources”. Intelligence here means “detecting &tracking, visualization”. So our objective is not only extracting the news events occurred but to visualize it as well. This paper presents relatively lightweight approach of mapping the extracted news events. We present results of our work in news event extraction ,relevancy visualization, news visualization of extracted events, to enhance user interaction in information access and exploitation tasks. Here our news event extraction is done by 5W1H approach for detecting & tracking news events & then using its output to visualizing those events by personalizing maps.

Satellite GPS is undoubtedly the most popular and widely used three dimensional positioning technology in the world today, but despite this, cannot provide the positioning requirement in many every day requirements in different environments, such as urban and indoor due to the very weak signals from satellites. Even with high sensitivity GPS receiver cannot be given guaranteed in all situations and accuracies are typically of the order of tens to hundreds of meter at best. Accurate indoor positioning is required for a variety of commercial applications, including warehouse automation, asset tracking, emergency first-responders, and others. In fact, the general expectation of users today is for “GPS-like” positioning performance anywhere they go. Terrestrial GPS positioning is a new positioning technology, developed to address the failure of current satellite technologies for reliable ubiquitous (outdoor and indoor) positioning. In this paper key aspects of the new technology „terrestrial GPS positioning system‟ are discussed. Particular emphasis is given on the components like PseudoLite, PseudoNet, Rover (Moving terminal) and TimeLoc and their functionality. The technique and mathematical model used in terrestrial GPS positioning system is described in detail. The Results of installed Terrestrial GPS Positioning Systems are demonstrated and compared with Satellite GPS Positioning System.

This paper evaluates the effects of a voluntary registration policy with government authorities on financial performance of urban microenterprises in the Indian manufacturing sector. Using data from the 2006 World Bank survey of Indian microenterprises and applying the semi-parametric propensity score matching technique, we find that being registered leads to significant gains in sales per employee and value added per employee. Large gains are also noted for male-owned firms, those operating with or without paid labor and those operating outside of the owner’s home.

We exploit the variation in admission cutoffs across colleges at a leading Indian university to estimate the causal effects of enrolling in a selective college on cognitive attainment, behavioral preferences, and Big Five personality traits. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that enrolling in a selective college improves university exam scores of the marginally admitted females, and makes them less overconfident and less risk averse, while males in selective colleges experience a decline in extraversion and conscientiousness. We find differences in peer quality and rank concerns to be driving our findings.

Design Patterns provide solutions to problems that are notably prevailing in software engineering. The paper targets the importance of design patterns, but also aims on how design patterns uncover and fortify good object oriented principles. A design pattern called Bout was discovered to maintain sessions for a specific period of time. The design is a generic solution to implementing web portals by storing session data of clients on the server. The Bout pattern comprises the design principle of Singleton and Prototype patterns, thus guaranteeing a more reusable design. The Bout pattern is documented in the Gang of Four pattern description template. The Bout pattern was tested with a Job Portal system with additional patterns, Factory Method, Decorator and Observer, with significant improvement in object oriented design metrics. Metrics which showed a significant enhancement were Depth of Inheritance Tree and McCabe Cyclomatic Complexity. The reusability of black box components was analyzed for the Job Portal system which shows a momentous rise in the metrics. The source code was analyzed for modularity traits such as size, complexity, cohesion and coupling, which in turn determines the class quality, package quality and hence the modularity index. These quality metrics showed a symbolic upswing with Bout pattern and supporting patterns. Thus software designers can enhance the quality of distributed systems with the exercising of Bout pattern.

The world population has been galloping upwards at an unprecedented rate during the last 50 years. So far, the modern agricultural technology has enabled us to largely keep pace with the increasing human population through increased productivity of major crops. But in addition to causing environmental deterioration, it has also resulted in increasing losses by pests, pathogens and weeds. There is however a paucity of reliable data on the extent of food losses caused by these biotic agents, especially in the developing countries. The limited data available indicate that arthropods may be destroying an estimated 18–20% of the annual crop production worldwide estimated at a value of more than US$470 billion. Further, the losses are considerably higher in the developing tropics of Asia and Africa, where most of the future increase in world population is expected during the next 50 years. There is an urgent need to precisely estimate the extent of food loss and waste at different stages from the agricultural fields to human consumption with emphasis on the developing countries. This is the necessary first step towards development of safe, economical and sustainable methods of pest management, as well as food security, for the future.

Members of the Bcl-2 family are major regulators of apoptosis in mammalian cells, and hence infection-induced perturbations in their expression could result into elimination of the parasites or creation of a niche favoring survival. In this investigation, we uncover a novel role of host Bcl-2 in sustaining Leishmania donovani infection. A rapid twofold increase in Bcl-2 expression occurred in response to parasite challenge. Downregulation of post infection Bcl-2 increase using siRNA or functional inhibition using Bcl-2 small molecule inhibitors interfered with intracellular parasite survival confirming the necessity of elevated Bcl-2 during infection. An increased nitric oxide (NO) response and reduced parasitic burden was observed upon Bcl-2 inhibition, where restitution of the NO response accounted for parasite mortality. Mechanistic insights revealed a major role of elevated Th2 cytokine IL-13 in parasite-induced Bcl-2 expression via the transcription factor STAT-3, where blocking at the level of IL-13 receptor or downstream kinase JAK-2 dampened Bcl-2 induction. Increase in Bcl-2 was orchestrated through Toll like receptor (TLR)-2-MEK-ERK signaling, and changes in TLR-2 levels affected parasite uptake. In a mouse model of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), Bcl-2 inhibitors partially restored the antimicrobial NO response by at least a twofold increase that resulted in significantly reduced parasite burden. Interestingly, monocytes derived from the peripheral blood of six out of nine human VL subjects demonstrated Bcl-2 expression at significantly higher levels, and sera from these patients showed only marginally quantifiable nitrites. Collectively, our study for the first time reveals a pro-parasitic role of host Bcl-2 and the capacity of host-derived IL-13 to modulate NO levels during infection via Bcl-2. Here, we propose Bcl-2 inhibition as a possible therapeutic intervention for VL.

Leishmania donovani causes visceral leishmaniasis (VL), the second most deadly vector- borne parasitic disease. A recent epidemic in the Indian subcontinent (ISC) caused up to 80% of global VL and over 30,000 deaths per year. Resistance against antimonial drugs has probably been a contributing factor in the persistence of this epidemic. Here we use whole genome sequences from 204 clinical isolates to track the evolution and epidemiology of L. donovani from the ISC. We identify independent radiations that have emerged since a bottleneck coincident with 1960s DDT spraying campaigns. A genetically distinct population frequently resistant to antimonials has a two base-pair insertion in the aquaglyceroporin gene LdAQP1 that prevents the transport of trivalent antimonials. We find evidence of genetic exchange between ISC populations, and show that the mutation in LdAQP1 has spread by recombination. Our results reveal the complexity of L. donovani evolution in the ISC in response to drug treatment., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

California’s furniture flammability standard Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117) is believed to be a major driver of chemical flame retardant (FR) use in residential furniture in the United States. With the phase-out of the polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) FR mixture PentaBDE in 2005, alternative FRs are increasingly being used to meet TB 117; however, it was unclear which chemicals were being used and how frequently. To address this data gap, we collected and analyzed 102 samples of polyurethane foam from residential couches purchased in the United States from 1985 to 2010. Overall, we detected chemical flame retardants in 85% of the couches. In samples purchased prior to 2005 (n = 41) PBDEs associated with the PentaBDE mixture including BDEs 47, 99, and 100 (PentaBDE) were the most common FR detected (39%), followed by tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCPP; 24%), which is a suspected human carcinogen. In samples purchased in 2005 or later (n = 61) the most common FRs detected were TDCPP (52%) and components associated with the Firemaster550 (FM 550) mixture (18%). Since the 2005 phase-out of PentaBDE, the use of TDCPP increased significantly. In addition, a mixture of nonhalogenated organophosphate FRs that included triphenyl phosphate (TPP), tris(4-butylphenyl) phosphate (TBPP), and a mix of butylphenyl phosphate isomers were observed in 13% of the couch samples purchased in 2005 or later. Overall the prevalence of flame retardants (and PentaBDE) was higher in couches bought in California compared to elsewhere, although the difference was not quite significant (p = 0.054 for PentaBDE). The difference was greater before 2005 than after, suggesting that TB 117 is becoming a de facto standard across the U.S. We determined that the presence of a TB 117 label did predict the presence of a FR; however, lack of a label did not predict the absence of a flame retardant. Following the PentaBDE phase out, we also found an increased number of flame retardants on the market. Given these results, and the potential for human exposure to FRs, health studies should be conducted on the types of FRs identified here.

Dissipation of chlorantraniliprole residues on tomato and brinjal fruits and cropped soil is reported by high performance liquid chromatography and confirmed by liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer. The average initial deposits of chlorantraniliprole (18.5 SC) were 0.03 and 0.04 mg kg−1 in tomato which dissipated to below the maximum residue limit(0.03 mg kg−1) after 1 and 3 d after application of chlorantraniliprole @ 30 and 60 g a.i. ha−1 respectively. In case of brinjal crop, the initial deposits were 0.19 and 0.40 mg kg−1 after its application @ 40 and 80 g a.i. ha−1 respectively, which dissipated to below the limit of quantification (0.03 mg kg−1) after 7 d of spray. At 30 and 40 g a.i. ha−1 also, it proved effective in managing the damage caused by fruit borers in tomato and brinjal crops respectively.

Purpose: To report our experience of dosimetric comparison of IPSA and manual plans, with a focus on the use of help structures (HS) during optimization. Material and methods: 33 patients who underwent MR image-based HDR intracavitary-brachytherapy for cervix cancer based on GYN-ESTRO recommendations were selected for evaluation. Tandem/ovoid (T/O) and Vienna applicators were used. HS of diameter of 5 mm were drawn around the tandem/needles/ovoid and ring. Three plans were generated: manual optimized plan (MOPT), IPSA without help structures (IPSA_woHS) and IPSA with help structures (IPSA_wHS). Dose-volume parameters and the loading pattern were evaluated. Results: For T/O, the use of HS did not make significant impact in the dose-volume parameters and in the load ing of tandem and ovoids, however steep variation was found in the individual dwell time. In case of Vienna applicator, inclusion of HS in the optimization made a significant impact in loading of needles. The percentage ratio of total time of needles to the tandem (T N/T% ) was found to be 14 ± 2.5, 53 ± 9, 22 ± 6 for MOPT, IPSA _woHS and IPSA _wHS, respectively, which implies that in IPSA _woHS the dwell time in needles were half of the dwell time in the tandem, while in MOPT the needles were loaded only in 14%, and in IPSA _wHS it was 22% of the dwell time of tandem. Inclusion of HS in the optimization has reduced the contribution of dwell time of needle in IPSA _wHS. The individual variation of dwell time was also reduced in IPSA _wHS, however drawing of HS is a time consuming procedure and may not be practical for a routine practice. Conclusion: The role of HS was evaluated for IPSA for T/O and Vienna-applicator, the use of HS may be beneficial in case of combined intracavitary ‐ interstitial approach. J Contemp Brachyther 2011; 3, 3: 142-149 DOI: 10.5114/jcb.2011.24821

A series of 27 aryl/heteroaryl/aralkyl/aroyl piperazines were synthesized, and most of these compounds reduced prostate weight of mature rats by 15-47%. Three compounds, 10, 12, and 18, had better activity profile (reduced prostate weight by 47%, 43%, and 39%, respectively) than the standard drug flutamide (24% reduction). QSAR suggested structures with more cyclic and branched moieties, increased topological separation of O and N therein, and reduced solvation connectivity index for better activity. Pharmacokinetic study with compound 10 at an oral dose of 10.0 mg/kg indicated good absorption, negligible extrahepatic elimination, and rapid distribution to the target organ (prostate) but restricted entry through the blood-brain barrier. A 10-fold decrease in PSA and 15-fold increase in ER-β gene expressions of human prostate cancer cells (LNCaP) by compound 10 in vitro indicated AR and ER-β mediated actions. The findings may stimulate further explorations of identified lead for the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNA) that bind sequence specifically to DNA/RNA are of major interest in the field of molecular biology and could form the basis for gene-targeted drugs. Molecular dynamics simulations are aimed to characterize the structural and dynamical features to understand the effect of backbone modification on the structure and dynamics along with the stability of the resulting 10mer complexes of PNA with DNA/RNA. Twelve Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of duplexes and triplexes with and without cyclohexyl modification were carried out for 10ns each. The simulations indicate that the cyclohexyl modification with different stereoisomers has influenced all the PNA-DNA/RNA complexes. Modification has added rigidity to backbone by restricting beta to +60 in case of (1R,2S) cyclohexyl PNA and to -60 in case of (1S,2R) cyclohexyl PNA. The results of MD simulations were able to show the backbone rigidification and preference for RNA complexes over DNA due to presence of cyclohexyl ring in the PNA backbone.

Peptide nucleic acids (PNA) bind sequence specifically to DNA/RNA and are of major interest for all fields of molecular biology and could form the basis for gene-targeted drugs. Modifications are introduced in PNA to overcome problems associated with orientational selectivity in binding, to restrict conformational flexibility of backbone, and to discriminate binding for either DNA or RNA. The addition of geometrical isomers (1R,2S and 1S,2R) of cyclohexyl ring in the backbone of PNA could bring rigidification to PNA backbone and may impart specificity toward RNA. Therefore, quantum chemical studies are aimed to explore the conformational space, to find out preferred stable conformations of PNA and modified (1R,2S and 1S,2R) cyclohexyl PNA monomer. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009

A novel bioactive porous apatite-wollastonite/chitosan composite coating was prepared by electrophoretic deposition. The influence of synthesis parameters like pH of suspension and current density was studied and optimized. X-ray diffraction confirmed crystalline phase of apatite-wollastonite in powder as well as composite coating with coat crystallinity of 65%. Scanning electron microscope showed that the porosity had interconnections with good homogeneity between the phases. The addition of chitosan increased the adhesive strength of the composite coating. Young's modulus of the coating was found to be 9.23 GPa. One of our key findings was sheet-like apatite growth unlike ball-like growth found in bioceramics. Role of chitosan was studied in apatite growth mechanism in simulated body fluid. In presence of chitosan, dense negatively charged surface with homogenous nucleation was the primary factor for sheet-like evolution of apatite layer. The results suggest that incorporation of chitosan with apatite-wollastonite in composite coating could provide excellent in vitro bioactivity with enhanced mechanical properties.

Field constraints often necessitate choosing an elicitation task that is intuitive, easy to explain, and simple to implement. Given that subject behavior often differs dramatically across tasks when eliciting risk preferences, caution needs to be exercised in choosing one risk elicitation task over another in the face of field constraints. We compare behavior in the simple most investment game (Gneezy and Potters 1997) and the ordered lottery choice game (Eckel and Grossman 2002) to evaluate whether the simpler task allows us to elicit attitudes consistent with those elicited from the ordered lottery task. Using a sample of over 2000 Indian undergraduate students, we find risk attitudes to be fairly stable across the two tasks. Our results further indicate that the consistency of risk attitudes across the tasks depends on gender of the subject, quantitative skills, father’s education level, and dispositional factors such as locus of control and Big Five personality traits.

The persistent gap in economic outcomes between the upper and lower caste groups in India is typically explained through differences in endowments and the presence of discrimination. While there is sizable literature that examines caste gaps in physical and intellectual human capital, this paper contributes to a small literature that evaluates caste differentials in behavioural preferences and personality traits that are possibly associated with the persistent economic gap between these castes.Using data from experiments and surveys conducted among a large sample of Indian undergraduate students, we find significant caste differences in behaviour and personality such that Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes are less likely to be endowed with the behavioural preferences and personality traits that tend to affect educational attainment, labour market performance, and overall wellbeing positively. Our results have implications for revising the focus of current caste-based policy formulations.

We assess the effect of female bargaining power on the share of educational expenditures in the household budget in India. We augment the collective household model by endogenizing female bargaining power and use a three-stage least squares approach to simultaneously estimate female bargaining power, per capita household expenditure and budget share of education.Our key results are: (i) female bargaining power has a positive and significant effect on the household budget share of educational spending; (ii) this bargaining power is associated positively (negatively) with education spending in urban (rural) areas; (iii) female bargaining power has a uniformly positive effect on educational expenditure of girls in urban areas among all caste groups, but the observed negative association in rural areas appears to be driven by one of the lower caste groups; and (iv) a pro-male bias exists in educational spending for all age groups, with some differentiation by location and caste.

Traditionally, venous thrombosis has been seen as the consequence of a regulated cascade of proteolytic steps leading to the polymerization of fibrinogen and fibrin crosslinking that is facilitated by platelets. A new view of thrombosis is providing a more integrated concept, with components of the vascular wall contributing to the vascular remodeling of thrombosis. Angiogenesis and inflammation are two key mechanisms that safeguard venous thrombus resolution and restitution of vascular patency after thrombosis. Disturbance of these processes leads to thrombus persistence and has potentially severe consequences for affected patients. Examples for clinical conditions associated with recurrent or persisting venous thrombosis are post-thrombotic syndrome or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Recently, studies using animal models of venous thrombosis have contributed to a better understanding of thrombus non-resolution that will eventually lead to modification of current treatment concepts. For example, recent data suggest that innate immunity is involved in the modification of thrombosis.

Lesions and peripheral blood of cutaneous leishmaniasis patients have HLA-DR-expressing neutrophils with antigen presenting cell-like characteristics, which retain morphologic and functional characteristics of neutrophils.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Modifiable risk factors of CHD have been identified, including high levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and triglycerides (TGs). Attempts by various researchers have been made to alter them. Several approaches, both pharmacological and nonpharmacological, have been identified to deal with the soaring numbers of individuals with those high levels. Current CHD treatment includes dietary interventions and use of statins, fibrates, niacin, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, and bile acid sequestrants. Those formulations have limitations and can possess long-term, unwanted side effects, and, therefore, other cholesterol-lowering, dietary adjuncts need to be identified and supplemented. Prebiotics are indigestible, fermented food substrates that selectively stimulate the growth and increase the activity of 1 or a limited number of microbial genus species, thereby changing the composition of the gut microbiota to confer health benefits to the hosts. Prebiotics are also nondigestible carbohydrates with specific fermentative properties, stimulating specific microbial growth associated with health and well-being. Some animal and human studies have provided strong evidence that suggests that prebiotics, as functional foods, can positively alter an individual's serum lipid profile, thereby lowering his or her risk of developing CHD. Therefore, the current review focuses on evaluating the role of prebiotics as potential dietary adjuncts in lowering cholesterol levels, with the aim of reducing the risks of cardiovascular and CHD.

We use a first-hand linked employer-employee dataset representing the formal sector of Bangladesh to explain gender wage gaps by the inclusion of measures of cognitive skills and personality traits. Our results show that while cognitive skills are important in determining mean wages, personality traits have little explanatory power. However, quantile regressions indicate that personality traits do matter in certain parts of the conditional wage distribution, especially for wages of females. Cognitive skills as measured by reading and numeracy also confer different benefits across the wage distribution to females and males respectively. Quantile decompositions indicate that these skills and traits reduce the unexplained gender gap, mainly in the upper parts of the wage distribution. Finally, results suggest that employers place greater consideration on observables such as academic background and prior work experience, and may also make assumptions about the existence of sex-specific skills of their workers, which could then widen the within-firm gender wage gap.

Effect of rise in minimum temperature (4 & 5°C) and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration (400 & 500 ppm) was studied on food consumption and nutritional indices of Spodoptera litura on cabbage. The food consumption, consumption index (CI) and approximate digestibility (AD) showed a respective increase of 20, 8.9 and 4.7 per cent with elevated CO2 concentrations while efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI), efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD), relative consumption rate (RCR), larval weight gain and pupal weight decreased by 8.50, 27, 26.6, 24.59 and 20.97 per cent respectively. Food consumption, CI, AD, ECI and pupal weight values increased by 43.23, 50.83, 22, 19.66 and 11.93 per cent with increase in minimum temperature by 5°C whereas ECD, RCR and larval weight gain decreased by 20.28, 35.89 and 25.16 per cent. Present studies indicated that under elevated temperature and CO2 regimes, the damage caused by S. litura on crops would increase.

Ligand-based and structure-based methods were applied in combination to exploit the physicochemical properties of 2,3-dideoxy hex-2-enopyranosid-4-uloses against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Statistically valid 3D-QSAR models with good correlation and predictive power were obtained with CoMFA steric and electrostatic fields ( r 2 = 0.797, q 2 = 0.589) and CoMSIA with combined steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic and hydrogen bond acceptor fields ( r 2 = 0.867, q 2 = 0.570) based on training set of 33 molecules with predictive r 2 of 0.808 and 0.890 for CoMFA and CoMSIA respectively. The results illustrate the requirement of optimal alkyl chain length at C-1 position and acceptor groups along hydroxy methyl substituent of C-6 to enhance the anti-tubercular activity of the 2,3-dideoxy hex-2-enopyranosid-4-uloses while any substitution at C-3 position exert diminishing effect on anti-tubercular activity of these enulosides. Further, homology modeling of M. tuberculosis alpha-mannosidase followed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations on co-complexed models were performed to gain insight into the rationale for binding affinity of selected inhibitors with the target of interest. The comprehensive information obtained from this study will help to better understand the structural basis of biological activity of this class of molecules and guide further design of more potent analogues as anti-tubercular agents.

An analytical method to quantify imidacloprid and its metabolites in sugarcane leaves and soil using HPLC has been developed. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile + water (80 + 20, v/v), soil samples partitioned with dichloromethane, and leaf samples with hexane + ethyl acetate (9 + 1, v/v) and dichloromethane. Further, the extracts were dried, filtered, and concentrated under vacuum into HPLC-grade acetonitrile. Residues were estimated using an HPLC equipped with a photodiode array detector system, C18 column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile + water (40 + 60, v/v) at 0.3 mL/min to separate imidacloprid and its six metabolites in single run of 20 min. The mean percent recoveries of imidacloprid and its metabolites ranged from 80.45 to 99.80 from sugarcane leaves and 80.20 to 99.70 from sugarcane soils. The analytical method was validated in terms of selectivity, linearity, reproducibility, repeatability, and accuracy. The repeatability values ranged from 0.24 to 3.15% and 1.69 to 4.94%, along with 2.73 to 3.82% and 1.12 to 4.96%, for imidacloprid and its metabolites in leaves and soil, respectively. The reproducibility of imidacloprid and its metabolites in leaves and soil ranged from 2.20 to 4.27% and 2.53 to 4.08%, respectively, and all measurements were within 15% at all concentration levels.

Myoglobin (Mb) uses strong electrostatic interaction in its distal heme pocket to regulate ligand binding. The mechanism of regulation of ligand binding in soybean leghemoglobin a (Lba) has been enigmatic and more so due to the absence of gaseous ligand bound atomic resolution three-dimensional structure of the plant globin. While the 20-fold higher oxygen affinity of Lba compared with Mb is required for its dual physiological function, the mechanism by which this high affinity is achieved is only emerging. Extensive mutational analysis combined with kinetic and CO-FT-IR spectroscopic investigation led to the hypothesis that Lba depended on weakened electrostatic interaction between distal HisE7 and bound ligand achieved by invoking B10Tyr, which itself hydrogen bonds with HisE7 thus restricting it in a single conformation detrimental to Mb-like strong electrostatic interaction. Such theory has been re-assessed here using CO-Lba in silico model and molecular dynamics simulation. The investigation supports the presence of at least two major conformations of HisE7 in Lba brought about by imidazole ring flip, one of which makes hydrogen bonds effectively with B10Tyr affecting the former's ability to stabilize bound ligand, while the other does not. However, HisE7 in Lba has limited conformational freedom unlike high frequency of imidazole ring flips observed in Mb and in TyrB10Leu mutant of Lba. Thus, it appears that TyrB10 limits the conformational freedom of distal His in Lba, tuning down ligand dissociation rate constant by reducing the strength of hydrogen bonding to bound ligand, which the freedom of distal His of Mb allows.

A promising modified sugar molecule was identified which was active against multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis , suggesting involvement of a new target. The compound was demonstrated to be bactericidal, inhibited the growth of M. tuberculosis in mice, and targeted alpha-mannosidase as a competitive inhibitor with a K i value of 353.9 μM.

Using the India Human Development Survey data for 2004-05, we employ two methodologies to estimate the earnings structure of household nonfarm businesses owned by Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SCSTs) and non-SCSTs: OLS estimation of mean earnings, and quantile regressions. Correspondingly, we use two decomposition methods: the conventional Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition and Melly’s (2006) refinement of the Machado and Mata (2005) decomposition of quantile gaps. We find clear differences in characteristics between SCST-owned and non-SCST owned businesses. The Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition reveals that depending on the specification of explanatory variables, as much as 70 percent of the earnings gap could be attributed to the "unexplained" or the discriminatory component. Quantile regressions reveal that gaps are higher at lower deciles than the higher ones (both raw gaps, as well as after controlling for characteristics), and the decompositions show that the unexplained component is higher at the lower deciles than higher, suggesting that SCST-owned businesses at the lower end of the conditional distribution face greater discrimination, as compared to those at the higher end. Thus, we find strong evidence of a "sticky floor", a phenomenon observed for gender wage gaps in developing countries (in contrast to a "glass ceiling" in developed countries).

Promastigote miltefosine (MIL) susceptibility was performed on Leishmania donovani isolates from Indian patients with visceral leishmaniasis treated with MIL. Isolates that were obtained before the onset of MIL treatment, after completion of treatment (29th day), or at the time of treatment failure, were screened using in vitro promastigote assay. The MIL susceptibility of the pre-treatment isolates (N = 24, mean IC50 +/- SEM = 3.74 +/- 0.38 mu M) was significantly higher than that of the post-treatment group (N = 26, mean IC50 +/- SEM = 6.15 +/- 0.52 mu M; P = 0.0006) but was similar in the cured patients (N = 22, mean IC50 +/- SEM = 5.58 +/- 0.56 mu M) and those who failed treatment (N = 28, mean IC50 +/- SEM = 4.53 +/- 0.47 mu M). The pre/post-treatment results thus showed a 2-fold difference, whereas isolated from cured versus failed patients showed a similar susceptibility, suggesting that this higher tolerance is not responsible for MIL-treatment failure. Our work highlights the need for careful monitoring of MIL susceptibility for implementation in national VL elimination programs.

The persistence and metabolism of imidacloprid in soil under sugarcane were studied following application of imidacloprid at 20 and 80 g active ingredient (a.i.) ha−1. Soil samples were collected at different time intervals (7, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 days after application), and the residues of imidacloprid and its metabolites (6-chloronicotinic acid, nitrosimine, imidacloprid-NTG, olefin, urea and 5-hydroxy) were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. In soil, the total imidacloprid residues were mainly constituted by the parent compound followed by 6-chloronicotinic acid, nitrosimine and imidacloprid-NTG metabolites. Maximum residues of imidacloprid and its metabolites were 4.29 and 7.81 mg kg−1 in soil samples collected 7 days after the application of imidacloprid at 20 and 80 g a.i. ha−1, respectively. At both doses, these residues declined to below the detectable limit in soil after 90 days of application. Olefin, urea and 5-hydroxy metabolites were not detected in soil. Dissipation of total imidacloprid residues did not follow the first-order kinetics with a coefficient of determination value of 0.883 and 0.838 for the recommended dose and four times the recommended dose, respectively. The half-life (T 1/2) value of total imidacloprid was observed to be 10.64 and 10.10 days for the recommended dose and four times the recommended dose, respectively.

Background: An increasing number of people all around the world are turning to the nature by using the natural herbal products in both prophylaxis and treatment of different diseases. Green tea with active chemical ingredients possesses diverse pharmacological properties that include anti-inflammatory, anticariogenic, antioxidant, and antibacterial effects. The aim of this study is to assess the protective properties of green tea on periodontal health and also to know whether any side effect of green tea prevails in terms of staining of teeth. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective randomized clinical intervention study. Three dependent variables: probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and bleeding on probing (BOP) were measured to reflect periodontal diseases. Results: The three dependent variables, namely, PD, CAL, and BOP showed statistically significant reductions following introduction of green tea as a conjunct oral hygiene measure in study group as compared to control group. Conclusion: Green tea has shown the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticollagenase activities on periodontal health.

Aphis craccivora Koch, an economically important aphid pest of groundnut and cowpea, was studied to bring out the influence of six temperature regimes ranging from 10 to 35±1oC with increments of 5oC on the survival and development. The duration (d) of development was observed decreasing with the increase in temperature, and it was maximum of 25.1 days at 10oC and minimum of 4.2 days at 30oC; thereafter slight increase to 4.7 days at 35oC was observed. The lowest in the developmental threshold (T0) was at 7.5oC, while the thermal requirement for development (K) at this temperature was calculated as 114.9 degree-days. The survival of A. craccivora nymphs was lower at both the extremes of temperature. The highest survival of 100% was recorded at 25oC.

World health organization has called for academic research and development of new chemotherapeutic strategies to overcome the emerging resistance and side effects exhibited by the drugs currently used against leishmaniasis. Diospyrin, a bis-naphthoquinone isolated from Diospyros montana Roxb., and its semi-synthetic derivatives, were reported for inhibitory activity against protozoan parasites including Leishmania. Presently, we have investigated the antileishmanial effect of a di-epoxide derivative of diospyrin (D17), both in vitro and in vivo. Further, the safety profile of D17 was established by testing its toxicity against normal macrophage cells (IC₅₀∼20.7 μM), and also against normal BALB/c mice in vivo. The compound showed enhanced activity (IC₅₀∼7.2 μM) as compared to diospyrin (IC₅₀∼12.6 μM) against Leishmania donovani promastigotes. Again, D17 was tested on L. donovani BHU1216 isolated from a sodium stibogluconate-unresponsive patient, and exhibited selective inhibition of the intracellular amastigotes (IC₅₀∼0.18 μM). Also, treatment of infected BALB/c mice with D17 at 2mg/kg/day reduced the hepatic parasite load by about 38%. Subsequently, computational docking studies were undertaken on selected enzymes of trypanothione metabolism, viz. trypanothione reductase (TryR) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), followed by the enzyme kinetics, where D17 demonstrated non-competitive inhibition of the L. donovani ODC, but could not inhibit TryR.

The corporate governance plays a major role in the integrity of businesses and markets and helps in maintaining vitality, growth and stability and leads to increase in economic efficiency. In India SEBI under its listing agreement clause 49 has laid down rules and regulations for effective corporate governance and lot of research has been carried out to evaluate the corporate governance practices of the Indian corporate. At global level Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has also framed principles of corporate governance which are non-binding and intended to assist member and non-member government to evaluate and improve the legal, institutional and regulatory framework of corporate governance. The principles of corporate governance as laid down by OECD can lead to examine the level of disclosure practices to corporate governance at global level of the Indian corporate. Hence, in this study an attempt has been made to examine and evaluate the level of the fulfillment towards the various principles of 30 BSE Sensex companies for the year 2010-11.The analysis reveals that the disclosure practice made by Indian company as per Clause – 49 are to a certain extent capable of meeting the various principles of OECD on Corporate Governance. The Study depicts that the principle on Role of Stakeholders in Corporate Governance has attained greater significance. The principle on Board Responsibilities and Disclosure and Transparency needs to be more emphasised by Indian companies for effective Corporate Governance practice at global level.