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Delhi and its surrounding region are among the important intraplate seismically active regions of India. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, it lies in seismic zone IV and is capable of generating small to moderate earthquakes. This region has also experienced moderate to large earthquakes in the past due to its proximity to the Himalayan arc and its own tectonics. There is an urgent need to assess the source characteristics of earthquakes and their scaling relationships for a reliable and accurate estimation of seismic hazard. Source parameters and their scaling relations have been estimated for this region using well-located small to moderate earthquakes (Mw 2.3–5.1) that occurred during the period from 2000 to 2020. For this purpose, we investigated three components of earthquake waveform data using the ω−2 source model. The outcomes show the occurrence of low static stress drop (0.5–52.87 ​bars) in the Delhi region indicating approximately 57% of the events exhibit a stress drop < 10 ​bars, 27 % of events fall in the range of 10–20 ​bars, and only 16 % events exhibit stress drop > 20 ​bars. This observation suggests that the shallow subsurface of the study region may have low-strength material characteristics and a heterogeneous nature. In addition, the Zuniga parameter (ε) is estimated less than 1.0 by analyzing static and apparent stress drops, which infers the partial stress drop model fits very well in the study region. The seismic moment varies from 1.02×1012 to 1.03×1016 ​N.m. for P-wave and 6.46×1011 Nm to 7.54×1015 Nm for S-wave. The average seismic source radius lies in the range of 0.1–3.05 ​km with a ratio {r(p)/r(s)} of 1.5 ​km in the study region. The estimated values of corner frequency are comparatively lower for the S-wave (1.5–18.2 ​Hz) than for the P-wave (1.88–19.3 ​Hz) suggesting the ‘shifting properties’ of the corner frequency corroborated with the theoretical agreement. The seismic energy (E) is estimated using both P- and S-wave separately and its average value varies from 4.28×106 to 6.22×1011 ​J. The estimated stress drop and seismic moment demonstrate no correlation with each other. Therefore small to moderate-size earthquakes inherently follow the self-similarity behavior. The obtained scaling relationship between Seismic Moment and Corner Frequency is Mo=7.94∗1015fc−2.97. The derived scaling relations and source parameters are expected to provide a priori information for the assessment of seismic hazards and are useful in the simulation of strong ground motion characteristics in the region.

The ultraviolet (UV) radiation triggers a pigmentation response in human skin, wherein, melanocytes rapidly activate divergent maturation and proliferation programs. Using single-cell sequencing, we demonstrate that these 2 programs are segregated in distinct subpopulations in melanocytes of human and zebrafish skin. The coexistence of these 2 cell states in cultured melanocytes suggests possible cell autonomy. Luria-Delbrück fluctuation test reveals that the initial establishment of these states is stochastic. Tracking of pigmenting cells ascertains that the stochastically acquired state is faithfully propagated in the progeny. A systemic approach combining single-cell multi-omics (RNA+ATAC) coupled to enhancer mapping with H3K27 acetylation successfully identified state-specific transcriptional networks. This comprehensive analysis led to the construction of a gene regulatory network (GRN) that under the influence of noise, establishes a bistable system of pigmentation and proliferation at the population level. This GRN recapitulates melanocyte behaviour in response to external cues that reinforce either of the states. Our work highlights that inherent stochasticity within melanocytes establishes dedicated states, and the mature state is sustained by selective enhancers mark through histone acetylation. While the initial cue triggers a proliferation response, the continued signal activates and maintains the pigmenting subpopulation via epigenetic imprinting. Thereby our study provides the basis of coexistence of distinct populations which ensures effective pigmentation response while preserving the self-renewal capacity.

Over recent years, the scientific community has acknowledged the crucial role of certain microbial strains inhabiting the intestinal ecosystem in promoting human health, and participating in various beneficial functions for the host. These microorganisms are now referred to as next-generation probiotics and are currently considered as biotherapeutic products and food or nutraceutical supplements. However, the majority of next-generation probiotic candidates pose nutritional demands and exhibit high sensitivity towards aerobic conditions, leading to numerous technological hurdles in large-scale production. This underscores the need for the development of suitable delivery systems capable of enhancing the viability and functionality of these probiotic strains. Currently, potential candidates for next generation probiotics (NGP) are being sought among gut bacteria linked to health, which include strains from the genera Bacteroids, Faecalibacterium, Akkermansia and Clostridium. In contrast to Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp., NGP, particularly Bacteroids spp. and Clostridium spp., appear to exhibit greater ambiguity regarding their potential to induce infectious diseases. The present review provides a comprehensive overview of NGPs in terms of their health beneficial effects, regulation framework and risk assessment targeting relevant criteria for commercialization in food and pharmaceutical markets.

Biotic stress affects economically important crop species and leads to quality and yield losses. Plants exhibit the ability of responding to the pathogen attack by synthesizing compounds which leads to either the inhibition or reduction of disease incidence. Plants live in close association with microbial communities. Microbes and their metabolites impact the health of the plants by supplying mineral nutrients, hormonal modulation and protection from the pathogenic organisms. Induced systemic response is one of the major mechanisms employed by the microbes in biocontrol. Beneficial microbes release certain compounds as elicitors in the rhizospheric region which are perceived by the plant roots as signals that increase the defense and resistance of the plants against the phytopathogens. The phytohormones such as ethylene, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid are involved in regulation of the induced defense responses. The present review highlights the negative impact of the biotic stress on the plants and how induced systemic response is induced in the plants further discussing the role of the microbial elicitors in induced systemic response, their molecular mechanisms and hormonal regulation and draws the attention of the scientific community to explore new microbial elicitors as disease control alternatives.

Abstract Agriculture is the backbone of developing countries, which plays an essential role in primary drivers of economy. The increasing use of chemical fertilizers and toxic insecticides endangers the health of human, plant soils, and the environment. Microbial insecticides have been implemented in current scenario for crop protection. Biological agents for pest control have gained more attention in recent year as substitutes for management of pests and pathogens. It provides a sustainable approach to plant health management and assists to minimize the excessive applications of toxic substances. The antagonistic microbes belong to six different phyla including Bacillota, Actinomycetota, Pseudomonadota, Bacteroidota and Mucoromycota. Microbial pesticides have been developed through a number of processes, including extraction of pure culture and screening using effectiveness bioassays under controlled and natural conditions. Biological control agents (BCAs) are recognized to be the most sophisticated technology for environmentally friendly agriculture. The various beneficial BCAs have been reported for the management of plant health, but they required effective acceptance together with the standardization of bioformulation. The present review deals with the recent development of microbial control agents, mechanisms of actions, development of microbial pesticides and their potential applications for agricultural productivity.

The present study emphasizes the seismic characteristics of earthquake swarm activity of the Palghar region that occurred in the hard strata of Deccan traps of the Indian peninsula. This activity is well monitored by National Centre for Seismology (NCS) from December 2018 to October 2020. The related data inferred that initially before the swarm activation there was a barricade to stop the entry of fluids into the permeable zone. Later the fluids are injected into the fault zone at a feasible place may be near the surface at the time of swarm initiation. Further the associated fluids percolated through several channels in many directions forming a multi-dimensional system of cracks and fissures at the level of swarm progression through two distinctive clusters during the time of present study along normal fault orientations. During this process, the heterogeneous material within the subsurface layers might have experienced a decrease in the effective stress due to the increase in the pore pressure which is the resultant of the percolation of fluids within the permeable zone. The outcome of the results shows a comparable strategic increase in the seismicity after the soil saturation during and after the rainfall in the affected zone. Also, the study of the seismicity accompanying fluid injections indicates that the fluid triggering seismicity is demonstrated by the increased slope of the magnitude frequency distribution in the form of spatial b-value which has been found reliable for a catalogue for Palghar swarm activity. The coulomb stress change is also examined to find out the consistency of stress patterns with the earthquake occurrences in the Palghar region which gives the characteristics of swarm sequence. The study emphasized the fundamental and geo-mechanical behavior of fluid migration through multi-directional cracks and fissures as the cause for the evolution and further growth of the Palghar swarm activity.

The proximity of Delhi and the surrounding region to the active faults along with its geographical settings is a subject of discussion to comprehend the seismic resilience of the capital region of India. The region may be affected by the far-field earthquakes from the Himalayas as well as the near-field earthquakes associated with the local seismic activity. Considering the ordinary settings of this region, the present study is an insight to differentiate the damage potential of ground motion associated with near and far-field conditions to further see their consequences to understand the comprehensive seismic hazard of the region. The acceleration and velocity response analysis of recorded strong ground motions from far-field and near-field earthquakes exhibit a clear distinct behavior in the form of amplification and corresponding predominant period. The comparison of estimated normalized spectral accelerations with that of the seismic design code of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), shows that the current Indian building design code is within the structural limits proposed for the seismic forces of long periods, however, exceeded amplitude of the normalized Spectral Acceleration for far-field earthquakes may be attributed towards the damage potential for the high rise buildings in the capital region of India. On the other hand, near-field earthquakes do not meet the criteria with the design code of BIS at lower periods from 0.02s to 0.09s along with the amplified Spectral acceleration. It also suggests that the structural heterogeneities within the subsurface of Delhi and the surrounding region have a strong bearing in contributing to the impact of seismic waves from near-field earthquakes producing short-period waves that may be disastrous for low-rise buildings. Based on the results, the study region affected by the distinct seismicity patterns is important to understand the shaking behavior of the different kinds of infrastructures/buildings in case of near-field and far-field earthquakes to appropriately utilize the information for constructing new buildings and strengthening the existing infrastructures in Delhi and the surrounding region of India.

Abstract Groundwater withdrawal at very fast rate poses threat on existing groundwater resources in different parts of the world. This reduction in groundwater levels significantly disturbed the natural aquifer flow rate and thereby different hydrogeochemical processes, which may further impair the groundwater quality. The groundwater quality in rural area of Chhattisgarh State is degraded, and the problem of saline water poses health risk to people. In this research investigation, suitability of groundwater of Bemetara District, Chhattisgarh, India, has been evaluated for drinking purpose through water quality index (WQI) method and principal component analysis (PCA). Total 116 groundwater samples were collected during the pre-monsoon (June 2019) and post-monsoon season (December 2019) and analyzed for physicochemical parameters. Total dissolved solids ranged from 250 to 10,440 mg/L and 289 to 3583 mg/L during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon, respectively, and 55% of the total samples exceeded acceptable BIS limit in pre-monsoon, while about 66% samples exceeded in post-monsoon season. SO4 2− concentrations varied from 3 to 5734 mg/L during pre-monsoon and 4.5 to 2002 mg/L during post-monsoon, respectively. Total 28% samples in pre-monsoon and 18% samples in post-monsoon season exceeded the maximum permissible BIS limit (400 mg/L) of SO4 2− ion in the study area. On the basis of WQI, the quality of groundwater varies from “Excellent water” to “Good water” category. The groundwater of northeastern part of the district is not suitable for drinking, and therefore, it is recommended to treat this groundwater before human consumption with special reference to SO4 2− contamination. PCA inferred that four components are sufficient to explain the variance in chemistry of groundwater that is mainly governed by dissolution of gypsum mineral, other rock–water interaction and anthropogenic activities. Further, water quality was improved in the direction of groundwater flow in the study area, establishing a direct relationship between groundwater flow and water quality of the Bemetara District. This study provides very useful database to design sustainable groundwater management plan for the district.

Himalayan rivers are considered the most sensitive of all the ecosystems to the impact of climate change. In the present investigation, hydrochemical processes controlling the meltwater chemistry of the rivers Bhagirathi, Alaknanda and Ganga in the Upper Ganga Basin, India have been studied simultaneously creating a large database for the first time. For this purpose, an extensive water quality assessment in Upper Ganga Basin has been carried out by collecting water samples from all three rivers on monthly basis from September 2016 to May 2018 and analysing these samples for hydro-chemical parameters. Hydro-chemical characteristics revealed that sulphide oxidation and carbonation- the two proton producing reactions govern the chemical weathering processes pertaining in the rivers. One of the most peculiar findings of the study is the dominance of carbonate dissolution in the whole stretch of River Alaknanda, while the dominance of sulphide oxidation in River Bhagirathi upto Dabrani revealing the continuum of Gangotri glacial processes followed by carbonate dissolution upto Haridwar. The principal component analysis further supports this weathering process in the basin.

Objective Carbapenems are last resort antibiotics for multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. However, resistance to carbapenem is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide leading to major therapeutic failures and increased mortality rate. Early and effective detection of carbapenemase producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is therefore key to control dissemination of carbapenem resistance in nosocomial as well as community-acquired infection. The aim of present study was to evaluate efficacy of Modified strip Carba NP (CNP) test against Modified Hodge test (MHT) for early detection of carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE). Material and Methods Enterobacteriaceae isolated from various clinical samples were screened for carbapenem resistance. A total of 107 CRE were subjected to MHT and Modified strip CNP test for the detection of CPE. Statistical Analysis It was done on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, IBM India; version V26. Nonparametric test chi-square and Z-test were used to analyze the results within a 95% level of confidence. Results Out of 107 CRE, 94 (88%) were phenotypically confirmed as carbapenemase producer by Modified strip CNP test and 46 (43%) were confirmed by Modified Hodge Test (MHT). Thirty-eight (36%) isolates showed carbapenemase production by both MHT and CNP test, 56 isolates (52%) were CNP test positive but MHT negative, eight (7%) isolates were MHT positive but CNP test negative and five (5%) isolates were both MHT and CNP test negative. There is statistically significant difference in efficiency of Modified CNP test and MHT (p < 0.05). Conclusion Modified strip CNP test is simple and inexpensive test which is easy to perform and interpret and gives rapid results in less than 5 minutes. It has high degree of sensitivity and specificity. Modified strip CNP test shows significantly higher detection capacity for carbapenemase producers as compared with MHT.

Background Nepal has implemented the social health security program in certain health facilities to improve access to quality health services. The aim of the study is to understand the utilization pattern of social health security schemes and community’s perception of the social health security program. Method A descriptive cross-sectional mixed-method study was conducted among 300 households of Illam district who had enrolled in the social health security scheme. A multi-stage random sampling method was used. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data whereas focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted for qualitative data. Descriptive analysis, bivariate and multivariate analysis was done. FGDs were transcribed and thematic analysis was done. Findings The utilization rate of social health security scheme was 88.7%. Factors associated with the utilization of program included: presence of under-five children and chronic illness in households, sex and age group. Focus group discussion revealed that people were aware of social health insurance and pleased with program implemented by government. However, the hospitals under the social health insurance were not able to meet their expectations. Conclusion Although the utilization of social health security scheme was high, people were dissatisfied with the service provided by the hospital under the social health security scheme. Therefore, the social health insurance board should closely monitor the hospitals and develop a feedback mechanism from the users.

Abstract Background WHO addresses the infectious disease like Tuberculosis, and non- communicable disease like Diabetes among the top 10 causes of death worldwide, which collectively leads to increasing mortality and premature death especially in developing countries. Hence, the present study aims to assess the prevalence of diabetes and its associated risk factors among the tuberculosis patient of Morang, Eastern Nepal. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among the 320 respondents undergoing tuberculosis treatment of Morang district. Respondents from eight randomly selected DOTS centers were selected purposively. The Fasting Blood Sugar and 2-h Post-Prandial Blood Sugar were assessed in the laboratory of respective DOTS center by the glucose oxidase method. An interview for socio-demographic and other variables was conducted using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire based on WHO-STEP Instrument for chronic disease and excerpt from DASS-21 was used for the variable stress. Results The prevalence of diabetes, pre-diabetic and glucose intolerance among tuberculosis patient was 11.9, 17.2, and 17.8% respectively. Additionally, the univariate analysis reported, user of tobacco products, current alcohol consumers, family history of diabetes and stress level, to have positive association with diabetes, while the multivariate analysis reported, the current alcohol consumer as the significant predictor of diabetes among the tuberculosis patient. Conclusion A significant portion of the respondents were diabetic, impaired glucose tolerance and pre-diabetic, which supports the fact of diabetes being comorbid with tuberculosis. Hence, it shifts the focus on the bidirectional screening of tuberculosis and diabetes.

Introduction: Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease infecting about one-third of the world's population, is caused by intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. It is a major health concern in immunocompromised individuals as in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. The aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection among HIV-infected antiretroviral therapy-naive individuals attending Integrated Counseling and Testing Center. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional observational study conducted at a tertiary care hospital between April 2015 and March 2016 on 400 HIV-positive patients and 100 HIV-negative healthy adults. Anti-toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies were detected using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Sociodemographic and associated risk factors for T. gondii infection were obtained and the data were analyzed using SPSS version 17.0. Results: Seroprevalence of anti-toxoplasma antibodies among 400 HIV-positive patients and 100 HIV-negative healthy adults was 19.75% and 11%, respectively. Majority of seropositive individuals were in the childbearing age groups. Out of 79 toxoplasma-seropositive cases, 10 were clinically confirmed cases of toxoplasma encephalitis (TE). The mean CD4+ T-lymphocyte count of HIV-positive patients was 255.32 ± 221.19 cells/cmm. Conclusion: The seroprevalence of toxoplasma infection is significantly higher in HIV-positive patients than in HIV-negative healthy individuals. It is important to test all HIV-positive patients for toxoplasma antibodies to prevent life-threatening complication and TE in these patients.

To understand the spread of SARS-CoV2, in August and September 2020, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (India) conducted a serosurvey across its constituent laboratories and centers across India. Of 10,427 volunteers, 1058 (10.14%) tested positive for SARS-CoV2 anti-nucleocapsid (anti-NC) antibodies, 95% of which had surrogate neutralization activity. Three-fourth of these recalled no symptoms. Repeat serology tests at 3 (n = 607) and 6 (n = 175) months showed stable anti-NC antibodies but declining neutralization activity. Local seropositivity was higher in densely populated cities and was inversely correlated with a 30-day change in regional test positivity rates (TPRs). Regional seropositivity above 10% was associated with declining TPR. Personal factors associated with higher odds of seropositivity were high-exposure work (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, p value: 2.23, 1.92–2.59,

INTRODUCTION: A comparison of precision of intraocular implant power calculation by computing keratometry values by two different methods, namely, the automated and manual keratometry (MK), was done. For checking this accuracy, the parameter taken into consideration was the absolute refractive error which was ascertained postoperatively. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences and PG Institute, Indore. At a tertiary eye care centre in Central India (Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore). Duration of the study was 18 months. Sample size was 66 individuals who were with cataract (nuclear sclerosis I to III). Although keratometry was done by both methods and implant power derived separately by computing both readings, decision of which power to be implanted in an eye would depend on the group, in which patient would fall. Group A were prospective candidates who would be implanted intraocular lens (IOL) of that power as assessed by computing MK value, whereas Group B were participants who would be implanted IOL of that power as assessed by computing value obtained by automated keratometry (AK). First patient fell in Group A and second in Group B, third again in Group A till 33 patients had been operated in each group. RESULTS: Bland–Altman plot thus obtained showed that the two keratometers are comparable. The postoperative refractive errors for the two Groups (A and B), showed that if an error of ±0.50 D or less is considered, then in Group A 81% of patients achieved this and 87% of patients required this as spectacle aid in Group B. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we compared the accuracy of AK with that of MK for calculation of implant power. It was concluded from this study that AK is a simple keratometric technique that appeared to be more accurate than MK.

PURPOSE: Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes a wide spectrum of infections including bacteremia, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, etc., Metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) producing P. aeruginosa is an emerging threat and cause of concern as they have emerged as one of the most feared resistance mechanisms. This study was designed to know the prevalence of MBL production in P. aeruginosa and to evaluate the four phenotypic tests for detection of MBL production in imipenem-resistant clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa. METHODS: Totally, 800 isolates of P. aeruginosa isolated from various clinical samples were evaluated for carbapenem resistance and MBL production. All imipenem-resistant strains were tested for carabapenemase production by modified Hodge test. Screening for MBL production was done by double-disc synergy test and combined disc test (CDT). Confirmation of MBL production was done by the E-test (Ab BioDisk, Solna, Sweden). RESULTS: Out of the 800 isolates of P. aeruginosa, 250 isolates were found resistant to imipenem. Based on the results of E-test, 147 (18.37%) isolates of P. aeruginosa were positive for MBL production. The CDT has the highest sensitivity and specificity for the detection of MBL production as compared to other tests. CONCLUSION: The results of this study are indicative that MBL production is an important mechanism of carbapenem resistance among P. aeruginosa. Use of simple screening test like CDT will be crucial step toward large-scale monitoring of these emerging resistant determinants. Phenotypic test for MBL production has to be standardized, and all the isolates should be routinely screened for MBL production.

Background: In India about 0.1 million children are living with HIV and most of these infections are acquired by perinatal transmission. The prevention of parent-to-child transmission (PPTCT) program aims to prevent the perinatal transmission by interruption of transmission at different levels. This study was conducted to see the trend of HIV seropositivity among children after the implementation of the PPTCT program. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the magnitude of pediatric HIV seropositivity and its time trend in last 11 years at a tertiary care hospital in Rajasthan. Materials and Methods: Children of aged less than 14 years attending the Integrated Counseling and Testing Centre (ICTC) were screened for HIV antibodies. A detailed history about age, sex, HIV serostatus of the parents, and history of blood transfusion was recorded. Statistical Analysis: The level of significance was recorded using P value. Results: Out of the 17,612 subjects, a total of 887 (5.03%) children were positive for HIV infection. Out of these 887 subjects, 567 were male children (m:f = 1.77:1) and most of them (59.9%) were of age less than 5 years. Perinatal transmission was the commonest mode of transmission. A decreasing trend of HIV seropositivity is observed among children of age less than 14 years after year 2005 (x 2 for trend = 503.445, P< 0.001). Conclusion: Despite all this, combined efforts are still needed to prevent new HIV infection, to keep their mothers healthy and alive, and to improve the diagnosis and treatment of HIV for children.

Introduction: In neonates, septicaemia is one of leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, timely diagnosis is important to prevent fatal outcome. C-reactive protein is an important biomarker that aids in the timely diagnosis of neonatal septicaemia. Aim: The present study was carried out to determine the accuracy of CRP in the diagnosis of neonatal septicaemia and to compare it with blood culture. Materials and Methods: One hundred neonates suspected of neonatal sepsis were included in the study over a period of one year. Blood culture and qualitative assessment of CRP was done for all the patients. CRP quantification was done for the patients who were CRP positive. Results: Of the 100 neonates studied, 47 were blood culture positive while 70 were CRP positive. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and diagnostic accuracy of CRP were 85.11%, 43.40%, 57.14%, 76.67% and 63% respectively. Conclusion: CRP estimation is a rapid test with good sensitivity and aids in rapid diagnosis of neonatal septicaemia.

Present study describes the statistical properties of aftershock sequences related with two major Nepal earthquakes (April 25, 2015, MW 7.8, and May 12, 2015, MW 7.2) and their correlations with the tectonics of Nepal Himalaya. The established empirical scaling laws such as the Gutenberg–Richter (GR) relation, the modified Omori law, and the fractal dimension for both the aftershock sequences of Nepal earthquakes have been investigated to assess the spatio-temporal characteristics of these sequences. For this purpose, the homogenized earthquake catalog in moment magnitude, MW is compiled from International Seismological Center (ISC) and Global Centroid Moment Tensor (GCMT) databases during the period from April 25 to October 31, 2015. The magnitude of completeness, MC, a and b-values of Gutenberg–Richter relationship for the first aftershock sequence are found to be 3.0, 4.74, 0.75 (±0.03) respectively whereas the MC, a and b-values of the same relationship for the second aftershock sequence are calculated to be 3.3, 5.46, 0.90 (±0.04) respectively. The observed low b-values for both the sequences, as compared to the global mean of 1.0 indicate the presence of high differential stress accumulations within the fractured rock mass of Nepal Himalaya. The calculated p-values of 1.01 ± 0.05 and 0.95 ± 0.04 respectively for both the aftershock sequences also imply that the aftershock sequence of first main-shock exhibits relatively faster temporal decay pattern than the aftershock sequence of second main-shock. The fractal dimensions, DC values of 1.84 ± 0.05 and 1.91 ± 0.05 respectively for both the aftershock sequences of Nepal earthquakes also reveal the clustering pattern of earthquakes and signifies that the aftershocks are scattered all around the two dimensional space of fractured fault systems of the Nepal region. The low b-value and low DC observed in the temporal variations of b-value and DC before the investigated earthquake (MW 7.2) suggest the presence of high-stress concentrations in the thrusting regimes of the Nepal region before the failure of faults. Moreover, the decrease of b-value with the corresponding decrease of DC observed in their temporal variations can primarily act as an indicator for possible prediction of major earthquakes in the study region.

Introduction: Fungal respiratory infections are important cause of mortality and morbidity among HIV positive individuals. They account for up to 70% of illness in Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease Syndrome cases (AIDS). The range of illness varies from asymptomatic mucosal candidiasis to overwhelming disseminated infections. In these patients dissemination of fungus leads to very serious outcomes hence, it is important to have the knowledge of prevailing profile of fungus causing infections, so that it can be treated at the onset. Low CD4+ T lymphocyte count is an excellent indicator of decreased immunity and can also be helpful to predict opportunistic fungal respiratory infections and other complications. Aim: To define the fungal aetiology of lower respiratory tract infections in HIV positive patients and to correlate the occurrence of different fungi with CD4+ T lymphocyte count. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted between May 2014 to April 2015, on 180 treatment naive HIV seropositive patients with lower respiratory tract infections attending the Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre, SMS Medical College, Jaipur, Rajasthan. Early morning expectorated and induced sputum samples were collected and processed for isolation and identification of fungal species. CD4+ T lymphocyte count estimation was done by BD FACS Calibur. Results: Fungal species were isolated from 155 (86.1%) patients. The most common isolate was Candida albicans (31.7%), followed by Aspergillus niger (17.7%) and Aspergillus flavus (10%). The fungal species were most commonly isolated from patients with CD4+ T lymphocyte cell less than 200 cells/ μl. Conclusion: Fungal infections were seen in 86.1% of HIV positive patients with lower respiratory tract infections hence, high level of clinical suspicion for fungal aetiology of respiratory infections in HIV positive patients should be kept in mind.

Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) as well as Non-tubercular mycobacterium (NTM) with similar clinical presentation. Infections due to NTM are reported to have increased in the past few years. Growth of M.tb is inhibited by p-Nitrobenzoic acid (PNB), whereas, NTM are resistant. One hundred and nine isolates from various clinical samples were identified up to species level by their growth rate, pigmentation, and a battery of biochemical tests, including niacin accumulation, nitrate reduction, and heat-stable catalase (68°C) reactions. Para-nitrobenzoic acid (PNB) inhibition test was performed to differentiate between M.tb and NTM. PNB was added to the Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium and BACTECTM MIGIT (Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube)960 medium to a final concentration of 500 μg/ml. All the M.tb isolates, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (standard strain), were inhibited by PNB on both LJ and MGIT 960. Of the NTM isolates, all were resistant to PNB on MGIT 960 and on LJ PNB, except one isolate of Mycobacterium marinum that was resistant to MGIT 960 PNB, but was susceptible to LJ PNB. The reporting time for M.tb ranged from 4–11 days (median 5.9 days) by MGIT 960 and for NTM it was 2–10 days with an average of 4.5 days. This study was carried out to establish the accuracy and efficiency of MGIT 960 PNB and to differentiate between M.tb and NTM.

The attenuation properties of Delhi & surrounding region have been investigated using 62 local earthquakes recorded at nine stations. The frequency dependent quality factors Qa (using P-waves) and Qb (using S-waves) have been determined using the coda normalization method. Quality factor of coda-waves (Qc) has been estimated using the single backscattering model in the frequency range from 1.5 Hz to 9 Hz. Wennerberg formulation has been used to estimate Qi (intrinsic attenuation parameter) and Qs (scattering attenuation parameter) for the region. The values Qa, Qb, Qc, Qi and Qs estimated are frequency dependent in the range of 1.5Hz-9Hz. Frequency dependent relations are estimated as Qa=52f1.03, Qb=98f1.07 and Qc=158f0.97. Qc estimates lie in between the values of Qi and Qs but closer to Qi at all central frequencies. Comparison between Qi and Qs shows that intrinsic absorption is predominant over scattering for Delhi and surrounding region.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) infections are among the most frequent infections in HIV/AIDS patients. The intestinal opportunistic parasitic infections in HIV-infected subjects present most commonly as diarrhoea. A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of enteric parasitic infections in HIV infected patients with diarrhoea, with different levels of immunity. Methods: This study was carried out at the HIV Lab of the Microbiology Department of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, between June–October 2009 among consecutively enrolled 75 HIV infected patients who presented with diarrhoea. Stool samples were collected and examined for enteric parasites by using microscopy and special staining methods. The CD4 + cell counts were estimated by using the FACS count system. Results: Intestinal parasitic pathogens were detected in 38.66% patients, Cryptosporidium species was the most common enteric opportunistic parasite which accounted for 37.93 % of the total parasites, followed by Isospora belli 31.03 %. In the HIV infected patients with CD4 + counts of < 200 cells/µl, parasites were identified in 56.25 % patients and in HIV patients with CD4 + counts between 200-499 cells /µl, parasites could be identified in 27.5 % of the patients . No parasite was detected in the patients with CD4 + counts of >500 cells/ µl. Conclusion: Parasitic infections were detected in 38.66% HIV infected patients with diarrhoea and a low CD4 + count was significantly associated with opportunistic infections. Identification of the aetiological agent of diarrhoea in an HIV patient is very important, as it can help in the institution of the appropriate therapy and the reduction of the morbidity and the mortality in these patients.

This paper deals with the study of pollution trend in Hindon river between Meerut and Greater Noida stretch along with change in their population density, types of industries and l iving standards. It was observed that heavy metal pollution increases when we move from Meerut to Mohan Nagar and decreases when we further move towards Greater Noida. Organic pollution and BOD level increased many folds then the permissible limits in Meerut and Greater Noida. Concentration of inorganic ions gradually increases from Meerut to Greater Noida. Where population density is high, organic pollution dominates and where industries are more, heavy metal and inorganic ions load is more. With increase in pollution level, risk of exposure to diseases also increased so, we should emphasize on pollution treatment and control.

Desharnais, Gupta, Jagadeesan and Panangaden introduced a family of behavioural pseudometrics for probabilistic transition systems. These pseudometrics are a quantitative analogue of probabilistic bisimilarity. Distance zero captures probabilistic bisimilarity. Each pseudometric has a discount factor, a real number in the interval (0, 1]. The smaller the discount factor, the more the future is discounted. If the discount factor is one, then the future is not discounted at all. Desharnais et al. showed that the behavioural distances can be calculated up to any desired degree of accuracy if the discount factor is smaller than one. In this paper, we show that the distances can also be approximated if the future is not discounted. A key ingredient of our algorithm is Tarski's decision procedure for the first order theory over real closed fields. By exploiting the Kantorovich-Rubinstein duality theorem we can restrict to the existential fragment for which more efficient decision procedures exist.