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Our research addresses the pressing need to assess biodiversity in the face of increasing habitat destruction and species extinctions. Several researchers have modelled conventional measures to assess biodiversity. Every measure evaluates biodiversity by considering different properties. Among them Simpson and Shannon indices are widely used, they primarily focus on species richness and abundance, overlooking the importance of rare or unique species. This limitation makes it challenging to identify which species drive changes in biodiversity and hampers conservation efforts. Moreover, these measures are sensitive to sample size and biased towards dominant species, leading to inaccurate estimations. To overcome these challenges, we propose a novel mathematical model that provides a comprehensive assessment of biodiversity. Our model accounts for species dominance, addresses sample size sensitivity, and highlights the significance of rare species within a community. By applying our measure to real-time scenarios and comparing it with traditional methods using the same dataset, proposed measure demonstrated its efficacy in capturing biodiversity dynamics over time.

Polycrystalline spinel ferrites ZnxMg1−xFe2O4 (where x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25 and 0.3) were prepared by standard ceramic method and characterized by x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and vibrating sample magnetometer. Structural, electric and magnetic properties have been discussed in detail on the basis of Zn composition. The composition shows formation of a single-phase cubic spinel structure and the lattice constant ‘a’ increases with increasing Zn concentration. FTIR spectra show two prominent frequency bands in the wave number range 400-600 cm−1, which further confirms the cubic spinel structure and completion of chemical reaction. Magnetic studies revealed that the saturation magnetization increases with increasing the substitution of Zn. Cation distribution for the present system was estimated by comparing observed and calculated x-ray line intensities. From this it is observed that Zn2+ ions prefer to occupy A sites, and Mg2+ and Fe3+ ions distributed into both A and B sites. The observed variation in magnetization has been explained on the basis of distribution of cations among A and B sites of the spinel lattice. A significant influence of cation distribution is observed on DC electrical resistivity and activation energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data availability is an important requirement of distributed databases. Replication is a technique that has been proposed to meet this need. In the absence of failures, traditional replica control algorithms provide complete availability in the sense that any transaction can be executed. The worst case of data availability occurs when the system is totally partitioned (each operational site is isolated from every other site). In this paper, we present techniques to achieve high availability under combinations of site failures and partitions. Users are required to specify the database access requirements in the totally-partitioned environment. This information is represented by means of a Read Access Graph (RAG). When failures occur, the set of items that may be accessed by a transaction depends on the connectivity of the network and the RAG. The techniques ensure that as failures occur the loss of availability is gradual and graceful. Data availability improves with the level of normalcy in the system. Unless there is a complete failure, at least some predefined set of transactions can be executed. It is shown that these algorithms preserve the integrity of the database by ensuring that all executions are one-copy serializable. The algorithms compare favorably with other replica management schemes in terms of availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the above paper, authors have given a technique for the detection of mutual inconsistency among the copies of a file, in presence of network partitioning. This technique involves maintaining a "version vector" with each file in a partition. Here, we show that it is impossible to maintain the version vectors when arbitrary reconfigurations can occur after a network partitioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several toll-like receptors (TLRs) reside inside endosomes of specific immune cells-among them, aberrant activation of TLR7 and TLR9 is implicated in myriad contexts of autoimmune diseases, making them promising therapeutic targets. However, small-molecule TLR7 and TLR9 antagonists are not yet available for clinical use. We illustrate here the importance of C2, C6, and N9 substitutions in the purine scaffold for antagonism to TLR7 and TLR9 through structure-activity relationship studies using cellular reporter assays and functional studies on primary human immune cells. Further in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies identified an orally bioavailable lead compound 29 , with IC 50 values of 0.08 and 2.66 μM against TLR9 and TLR7, respectively. Isothermal titration calorimetry excluded direct TLR ligand-antagonist interactions. In vivo antagonism efficacy against mouse TLR9 and therapeutic efficacy in a preclinical murine model of psoriasis highlighted the potential of compound 29 as a therapeutic candidate in relevant autoimmune contexts.

Purpose: To report the anatomical and cosmetic outcome of transconjunctival dacryocystorhinostomy (TDCR) in an Asian Indian population., Methods: TDCR was initially performed in cadaver eyes followed by patients with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO). This was a prospective noncomparative case series of all consecutive TDCRs performed between April 2013 and June 2015. Outcome measures were anatomical patency, epiphora, presence of diplopia, aesthetic outcome, and health status., Results: A total of 17 (18 eyes) patients with a mean age 43.9 ± 11.8 years (range, 32-75) were included in the study. Eight were males, and one patient underwent TDCR in both eyes. TDCR was successfully performed in 15/18 (82%) eyes under local anesthesia. Procedure converted to transcutaneous external DCR in two and dacryocystectomy in one patient each. Mean duration of surgery was 52.6 (range, 29-110) min. Anatomical patency and relief from epiphora was achieved in all (15/15) eyes after TDCR at a median follow-up of 15.5 months. At final follow-up, objective assessment of the cosmetic outcome graded the surgical scar at the lateral canthus as invisible in all except one and conjunctival fornix as visible only after eyelid eversion in all patients. Disturbance of the medial fat pad was not seen in any patient. A questionnaire-based health status evaluation showed marked improvement in anxiety/depression before and after TDCR with an overall well-being score of 88 on a scale of 0-100 (worst-best) after TDCR., Conclusions: TDCR offers a promising aesthetic approach in patients with primary acquired NLDO and gives excellent functional and cosmetic outcome.

Panchayat Raj Engineering Department (PRED), Government of Andhra Pradesh installed package water treatment plants on a trial basis, in some villages in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. These plants with a design capacity of 6000-12000 lph were supplied and erected by a firm in Hyderabad. These plants consist of three stage treatment comprising of pulverized quartz filter bed, activated carbon bed and micro filter unit followed by disinfection. At the request of PRED, comprehensive studies were carried on individual plants which includes a detailed appraisal of the performance of the individual components of the plant, infrastructure at the village level for routine O&M of the plants as also views of the community regarding their acceptability of the system. This paper presents the findings and conclusions of the performance evaluation study.