bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pathogenic LRRK2 control of primary cilia and Hedgehog signaling in neurons and astrocytes of mouse brain
Authors: Khan Shahzad S , Sobu Yuriko , Dhekne Herschel S , Tonelli Francesca , Berndsen Kerryn , Alessi Dario R , Pfeffer Suzanne R
Published: October 2021

Activating LRRK2 mutations cause Parkinson’s disease, and pathogenic LRRK2 kinase interferes with ciliogenesis. Previously, we showed that cholinergic interneurons of the dorsal striatum lose their cilia in R1441C LRRK2 mutant mice (Dhekne et al., 2018). Here, we show that cilia loss is seen as early as 10 weeks of age in these mice and also in two other mouse strains carrying the most common human G2019S LRRK2 mutation. Loss of the PPM1H phosphatase that is specific for LRRK2-phosphorylated Rab GTPases yields the same cilia loss phenotype seen in mice expressing pathogenic LRRK2 kinase, strongly supporting a connection between Rab GTPase phosphorylation and cilia loss. Moreover, astrocytes throughout the striatum show a ciliation defect in all LRRK2 and PPM1H mutant models examined. Hedgehog signaling requires cilia, and loss of cilia in LRRK2 mutant rodents correlates with dysregulation of Hedgehog signaling as monitored by in situ hybridization of Gli1 and Gdnf transcripts. Dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra secrete a Hedgehog signal that is sensed in the striatum to trigger neuroprotection; our data support a model in which LRRK2 and PPM1H mutant mice show altered responses to critical Hedgehog signals in the nigrostriatal pathway.
Collagen polarization promotes epithelial elongation by stimulating locoregional cell proliferation
Authors: Katsuno-Kambe Hiroko , Teo Jessica L , Ju Robert J , Hudson James , Stehbens Samantha J , Yap Alpha S
Published: October 2021

Epithelial networks are commonly generated by processes where multicellular aggregates elongate and branch. Here, we focus on understanding cellular mechanisms for elongation using an organotypic culture system as a model of mammary epithelial anlage. Isotropic cell aggregates broke symmetry and slowly elongated when transplanted into collagen 1 gels. The elongating regions of aggregates displayed enhanced cell proliferation that was necessary for elongation to occur. Strikingly, this locoregional increase in cell proliferation occurred where collagen 1 fibrils reorganized into bundles that were polarized with the elongating aggregates. Applying external stretch as a cell-independent way to reorganize the extracellular matrix, we found that collagen polarization stimulated regional cell proliferation to precipitate symmetry breaking and elongation. This required β1-integrin and ERK signaling. We propose that collagen polarization supports epithelial anlagen elongation by stimulating locoregional cell proliferation. This could provide a long-lasting structural memory of the initial axis that is generated when anlage break symmetry.
Neuronal sequences during theta rely on behavior-dependent spatial maps
Authors: Parra-Barrero Eloy , Diba Kamran , Cheng Sen
Published: October 2021

Navigation through space involves learning and representing relationships between past, current, and future locations. In mammals, this might rely on the hippocampal theta phase code, where in each cycle of the theta oscillation, spatial representations provided by neuronal sequences start behind the animal’s true location and then sweep forward. However, the exact relationship between theta phase, represented position and true location remains unclear and even paradoxical. Here, we formalize previous notions of ‘spatial’ or ‘temporal’ theta sweeps that have appeared in the literature. We analyze single-cell and population variables in unit recordings from rat CA1 place cells and compare them to model simulations based on each of these schemes. We show that neither spatial nor temporal sweeps quantitatively accounts for how all relevant variables change with running speed. To reconcile these schemes with our observations, we introduce ‘behavior-dependent’ sweeps, in which theta sweep length and place field properties, such as size and phase precession, vary across the environment depending on the running speed characteristic of each location. These behavior-dependent spatial maps provide a structured heterogeneity that is essential for understanding the hippocampal code.
Relationships between community composition, productivity and invasion resistance in semi-natural bacterial microcosms
Authors: Jones Matt Lloyd , Rivett Damian William , Pascual-García Alberto , Bell Thomas
Published: October 2021

Common garden experiments that inoculate a standardised growth medium with synthetic microbial communities (i.e. constructed from individual isolates or using dilution cultures) suggest that the ability of the community to resist invasions by additional microbial taxa can be predicted by the overall community productivity (broadly defined as cumulative cell density and/or growth rate). However, to the best of our knowledge, no common garden study has yet investigated the relationship between microbial community composition and invasion resistance in microcosms whose compositional differences reflect natural, rather than laboratory-designed, variation. We conducted experimental invasions of two bacterial strains (Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas putida) into laboratory microcosms inoculated with 680 different mixtures of bacteria derived from naturally occurring microbial communities collected in the field. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterise microcosm starting composition, and high-throughput assays of community phenotypes including productivity and invader survival, we determined that productivity is a key predictor of invasion resistance in natural microbial communities, substantially mediating the effect of composition on invasion resistance. The results suggest that similar general principles govern invasion in artificial and natural communities, and that factors affecting resident community productivity should be a focal point for future microbial invasion experiments.
Cell and circuit origins of fast network oscillations in the mammalian main olfactory bulb
Authors: Burton Shawn D , Urban Nathaniel N
Published: October 2021

Neural synchrony generates fast network oscillations throughout the brain, including the main olfactory bulb (MOB), the first processing station of the olfactory system. Identifying the mechanisms synchronizing neurons in the MOB will be key to understanding how network oscillations support the coding of a high-dimensional sensory space. Here, using paired recordings and optogenetic activation of glomerular sensory inputs in MOB slices, we uncovered profound differences in principal mitral cell (MC) vs. tufted cell (TC) spike-time synchrony: TCs robustly synchronized across fast- and slow-gamma frequencies, while MC synchrony was weaker and concentrated in slow-gamma frequencies. Synchrony among both cell types was enhanced by shared glomerular input but was independent of intraglomerular lateral excitation. Cell-type differences in synchrony could also not be traced to any difference in the synchronization of synaptic inhibition. Instead, greater TC than MC synchrony paralleled the more periodic firing among resonant TCs than MCs and emerged in patterns consistent with densely synchronous network oscillations. Collectively, our results thus reveal a mechanism for parallel processing of sensory information in the MOB via differential TC vs. MC synchrony, and further contrast mechanisms driving fast network oscillations in the MOB from those driving the sparse synchronization of irregularly firing principal cells throughout cortex.
Open Source Academic Publishing Suite (OS-APS)
Authors: Söllner Konstanze , Putnings Markus , Hoffmann Astrid , Berghaus-Sprengel Anke , Borchert Carsten , Eichler Frederik
Published: October 2021

The project “Open Source Academic Publishing Suite (OS-APS)” aims to enable small and university publishers to publish easily and media-neutrally in Open Access. The open source software includes a document importer (i.e. for Word documents) and an editor to edit structures and metadata. Using templates, which can either be selected from a pool of existing templates or be created with a template development kit, the design of the exported PDF can be automatically adapted according to the format requirements of the publisher. In addition, e-books in EPUB and HTML format are created quickly and reliably.
Analog Resources and Digital Limitations
Authors: Perabo Lyonel
Published: October 2021

Following the completion of a bachelor in History, started in France but completed in Tromsø as an exchange student, I started to  develop an interest for Scandinavian History and culture, which translated in me moving to Iceland to enroll in the Old Norse Religion MA program at the university of Iceland in 2013. After graduation, three years later, I began the life of an unaffiliated early-career scholar eager to make use of my newly-acquired knowledge. Since then, I have met with a number of obstacles related to access to scientific publications and source material, as well as discovered and developed ways around such problems.
Working largely outside the framework of a higher-education establishment, my academic experience has so far been characterized by the mixing of traditional research methods and resources with more informal approaches. Finding primary sources, always a capital task for researchers of older History, is the perfect example of how contemporary Old Norse scholars combine long-established resources such as scholarly editions and manuscript transcription with less well-established web-based material such as amateur translations and commentaries.
Online support and networking groups, largely operating via social media pages also do play an important role in facilitating collaboration between scholars, wanna-be scholars, and other enthusiasts, as well as making less-accessible resources more widely-distributed. One such example of collaborative internet-based academic project is the current Old Norse translation network I have been a part of since last year. Gathering individuals currently or formerly employed in academia, as well as enthusiastic amateurs and prospective academics, it makes for a relevant case study. This can be used to demonstrate how contemporary Old Norse scholars must operate in a hybrid field where the ever-growing amount of online resources must nevertheless be critically balanced with traditional published sources in order to conduct research.
Open Polar – a global open access portal to research on the polar regions
Authors: Longva Leif , Abu Alam Tamer , Aspaas Per Pippin , Dijkstra Noortje , Figenschou Lars , Odu Obiajulu
Published: October 2021

Research activities and research output, in general, have increased, and keep increasing vastly, and so too is research on the polar regions including Svalbard in the Arctic. Major commercial publishers have built subscription-based services which present research literature for a fee. As Open Science and open access to literature and data is gaining momentum, there is a distinct need for powerful discovery tools that can harvest and present research literature and datasets in open access form - free of charge. Moreover, sharing of underlying data in open access form is becoming the new norm. So, to integrate research papers and datasets in the same search, helps speed up the discovery processes as well as fostering the transparency of research, and minimize duplication of fieldwork and experiments.
Open Polar (https://openpolar.no/) is developed by UiT The Arctic University of Norway, and is a free to use discovery tool for open access publications and research data specifically targeting research output on the polar regions, across all subject areas, and irrespective of where the research originates. Through a carefully designed algorithm, Open Polar is extracting metadata (including URL to the landing page of the full text) from more than 4600 sources worldwide and making these accessible through a user-friendly search service - including an option to search via geolocations on a map, and with systematic search features. The algorithm used picks up relevant research located in the most remote content providers and sources. Thus, searching in Open Polar will result in records purely of relevance to the polar regions.
In this contribution, we will present the many advantageous features of Open Polar, and show how Open Polar is supporting Open Science and research integrity-enhancing procedures, by enabling search and access to research data as well as research papers.
Multilingualism in Scholarly Communication
Authors: Leão Delfim
Published: October 2021

The results of the study and the survey conducted on behalf of the OPERAS-P project (Task “Innovative Models of Bibliodiversity in Scholarly Publications”) were concluded in June 2021 and sought to achieve the following objectives:

to prepare a theoretical background to discuss the use of multilingualism in scholarly communication;
to identify, analyse, and understand the innovative dynamics of working practices and knowledge-sharing within linguistically diverse scholarly contexts and research networks;
to identify and analyse the motivations behind these practices (questionnaires/focus groups – how tools may answer to needs);
to formulate recommendations/guidelines for OPERAS and other stakeholders regarding the future implementation of a service aimed at enhancing multilingualism;
to prepare the conceptual design of a platform prototype for a shared translation service at the scholarly communication level (involving publishers, translators, and researchers).

This presentation approaches the most important stages of the work done, as well as the main findings and the challenges they pose for future developments and their implementation.
Recommendation and implementation of good practice in researcher evaluation in Finland
Authors: Pölönen Janne
Published: October 2021

Finland is among the first countries to have developed national recommendation on responsible research assessment in 2020. Recommendation for the Responsible Evaluation of a Researcher in Finland provides a set of general principles (transparency, integrity, fairness, competence, and diversity), which apply throughout 13 recommended good practices to improve four aspects of researcher evaluation: A) Building the evaluation process; B) Evaluation of research; C) Diversity of activities; and D) Researcher’s role in the evaluation process. The national recommendation was produced by a broad-based working-group constituted by the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies, however the implementation needs to take place at institutions, which all have their diverse circumstances, challenges, needs and goals. The national recommendation has an implementation plan, which includes development of national level infrastructures and services to support more qualitative and diverse assessments policies and practices locally. The institutional uptake of the recommendation will be promoted by forthcoming National policy and executive plan for open scholarship, and tracked across all research performing organisations as a part of biannual Open Science monitoring exercise starting in 2022.
How should we share research data?
Authors: Heggland Ingrid , Aronsen Jan Magnus , Tronstad Stein , Pedersen Ole Petter
Published: October 2021

One of the central aspects of Open Science is to make research outputs accessible. From Open Access to scientific publications, the perspective has widened to also include other results, such as research data. Open Data is an important part of ensuring reproducible research, as well as enabling reuse of research data. When making research data publicly available, a licence should be applied, describing restrictions and permissions for reuse. But how do you decide what licence to use for research data, to ensure that it is “As open as possible, as closed as necessary”? Who has the rights to research data in publicly funded research? What data should be published, and what data needs to be kept confidential?
In 2020, the Ministry of Education and Research asked the Research Council of Norway and UNIT to set up a committee to examine issues related to rights and licensing of research data.
In this presentation, members of the committee will highlight and discuss some of the recommendations in the final report. To ensure Open and FAIR research data, the legal aspects must be clarified. In addition, the committee has highlighted several other aspects that need to be addressed in order to achieve more sharing and reuse of research data, including funding incentives, infrastructure and tools, as well as resources and competence.
Enabling smaller independent publishers to participate in Open Access transformative arrangements
Authors: Estelle Lorraine
Published: October 2021

See RECORDING. 
Independent Society Publishers and Academic Publishers would like to enable Open Access transformative agreements, but find it difficult to do this at scale, especially when each library consortia requires different licence agreements, data and workflows. This project is to create shared principles, a model licence, a data template and minimum workflows, so that small publishers, libraries and library consortia can then use them to more easily conclude Open Access agreements.
Open Access journals published by Norwegian institutions – status and prospects
Authors: Karlstrøm Henrik , Aspaas Per Pippin
Published: October 2021

More than 70 fully open-access, peer-reviewed journals are currently being published by government-funded service providers at eight Norwegian institutions. The service-providing staff is typically working within a research library, with the editor-in-chief affiliated to the same institution. In autumn 2020, Universities Norway (a cooperative body for accredited universities and university colleges in Norway), commissioned a report on this part of the national publishing landscape. The report was published in June 2021. As representatives of the committee writing the report, we present an overview of the Diamond Open Access publishing landscape in Norway and discuss our recommendations for strengthening the quality and robustness of the institutional service providers (ISPs). In brief, we suggest that the various ISPs merge and establish a board with an executive officer responsible for prioritizing technical upgrades and for establishing common standards and systems of quality assurance. Library staff at the various institutions should however still function as primary contacts for the editors and owners of the various journals, but operate according to clear guidelines and within a multi-institutional collegium.
Exploring Experimental Publishing
Authors: Adema Janneke
Published: October 2021

This talk will provide an overview of the research on experimental publishing and reuse currently being conducted by the COPIM (Community-led Open Publication Infrastructures for Monographs) project, where we are exploring ways to more closely align existing software, tools and technologies, workflows and infrastructures for experimental publishing with the workflows of open access book publishers. Our research looks at experiments with the book that reimagine the relationalities that constitute academic writing, research, and publishing, and that speculate on what the future of the book and the humanities could look like beyond the printed codex-format as the standard publication choice. This talk will introduce the experimental book Pilot Projects we have co-initiated, and it will discuss our research on situating, and mapping experimental books and open source publishing tools and platforms for experimental book publishing. Finally, this talk will provide recommendations and guidelines to promote interaction around open access books.
Innovations in Accessible Scholarly Communication
Authors: Rosen Stephanie
Published: October 2021

What does it mean to make scholarly communications accessible to people with disabilities and those who face other specific barriers to access? This talk gives an overview of recent work to support equitable access across the lifecycle of scholarly communication, offering useful updates and strategies for scholars, editors, publishers, librarians, and other professionals. Participants will understand what accessibility means today and how they can reduce barriers in their work by following accessibility standards and best practices, and learning from leading examples in the field.
Identification and validation of a novel zinc finger protein-related gene-based prognostic model for breast cancer
Authors: Ye Min , Li Liang , Liu Donghua , Wang Qiuming , Zhang Yunuo , Zhang Jinfeng
Published: October 2021

Background

Breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA) is a commonly occurring malignant tumor. Zinc finger proteins (ZNFs) constitute the largest transcription factor family in the human genome and play a mechanistic role in many cancers’ development. The prognostic value of ZNFs has yet to be approached systematically for BRCA.

Methods

We analyzed the data of a training set from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and two validation cohort from GSE20685 and METABRIC datasets, composed of 3,231 BRCA patients. After screening the differentially expressed ZNFs, univariate Cox regression, LASSO, and multiple Cox regression analysis were performed to construct a risk-based predictive model. ESTIMATE algorithm, single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), and gene set enrichment analyses (GSEA) were utilized to assess the potential relations among the tumor immune microenvironment and ZNFs in BRCA.

Results

In this study, we profiled ZNF expression in TCGA based BRCA cohort and developed a novel prognostic model based on 14 genes with ZNF relations. This model was composed of high and low-score groups for BRCA classification. Based upon Kaplan-Meier survival curves, risk-status-based prognosis illustrated significant differences. We integrated the 14 ZNF-gene signature with patient clinicopathological data for nomogram construction with accurate 1-, 3-, and 5-overall survival predictive capabilities. We then accessed the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer database for therapeutic drug response prediction of signature-defined BRCA patient groupings for our selected TCGA population. The signature also predicts sensitivity to chemotherapeutic and molecular-targeted agents in high- and low-risk patients afflicted with BRCA. Functional analysis suggested JAK STAT, VEGF, MAPK, NOTCH TOLL-like receptor, NOD-like receptor signaling pathways, apoptosis, and cancer-based pathways could be key for ZNF-related BRCA development. Interestingly, based on the results of ESTIMATE, ssGSEA, and GSEA analysis, we elucidated that our ZNF-gene signature had pivotal regulatory effects on the tumor immune microenvironment for BRCA.

Conclusion

Our findings shed light on the potential contribution of ZNFs to the pathogenesis of BRCA and may inform clinical practice to guide individualized treatment.
An Economic Analysis on Production of Grapes in Theni District of Tamilnadu
Authors: Keerthana K. , Rohini A. , Murugananthi D. , Vasanthi R.
Published: October 2021

This study was mainly concentrated on grape production. The results of analysis would throw light on the extent of cost and returns of grape cultivation, constraints faced by farmers ranked using Garett’s ranking technique. The cost and return of the grape farm per acre were analyzed and the average total cost was worked out to Rs.73,815.45 per acre and the average gross return was Rs 1,20,290 per acre.The result of the study indicates that grape cultivation is highly profitable and the benefit cost ratio was more than one (1.6). The major constraints faced by the sample farmers in the cultivation of grapes were pest attack followed by weeds, water shortage, credit availability and lack of input availability. The results would help the policy makers in formulating suitable programs and devising strategy for increasing production of grapes in Tamil Nadu.
Exploring Impact of Fish Farming in Changing Livelihood Status of Fishermen in Bangladesh
Authors: Sheheli Shonia , Sarkar Mithun Md. Nur Alom , Jiaul Hoque Mohammad
Published: October 2021

The current study was piloted in Muktagachha sub-district, Mymensingh District, Bangladesh to explore the impact of fish farming in changing livelihood status of the fishermen. Data was collected from 100 fishermen (10% of total population) by using a well-structured interview schedule. Sixteen of socio-economic characteristics of fishermen were selected as livelihood status features. Correlation coefficient (r) was employed to analyze the collected data. The findings exposed that majority of the respondents (58.3%) moderately altered their livelihood status as a result of fish farming, while 31.7% touched higher level and just 10% lowered their livelihood status. Out of sixteen livelihood status aspects, four (level of education, farm size, knowledge on fish farming, and annual income) were positively and significantly correlated with their livelihood status changes through fish farming. The study provides approvals for the planners to address the above-mentioned influential issues of the fishermen to improve their livelihood status in the study area. Moreover, non-formal educational programmes, proper training to enhance knowledge and skill on fish farming, appropriate extension services etc. could play an important role in increasing the livelihood status of the fishermen.
Assessing the Performance Analysis of OSPFV3 and EIGRP in Applications in IPV6 Analysis for Articles Published in Scopus between 2016 and 2021
Authors: Essah Richard , Atta Senior Isaac Ampofo , Anand Darpan
Published: October 2021

The Analysis of common conceptual frameworks associated with Performance analysis of OSPFV3 and EIGRP in applications in IPV6 for analysis of articles published in Scopus between 2016 and 2021 by applying the Corresponding method analysis. The number of times an article is downloaded is also being considered as a measurement instrument or method of analysis. The Corresponding analysis method has analysis 117 articles from 2016 to 2021. All the articles are based on performance analysis of OSPFV3 AND IPV6.IPv6 has gained legitimacy and inevitability as a result of the internet's expansion, which has resulted in IPv4 address space exhaustion. An internet next-generation protocol that will replace eventually IPv4 is IPv6. Using Riverbed Modeler Academic Edition, 2state link protocols’ performance for IPv6, IS–IS and OSPFv3 was compared and tested for the greatest commonly utilized applications enterprise for example remote login, database query, file transfer, web surfing, and email. The major characteristics used to assess performance include IPv6 packets dropped, network convergence time, link utilization, throughput, remote login response time, file upload/download response times, http page response times, email, and database query response time,. The primary goal of this dissertation is to compare, simulate, and assess both routing protocols’ performance in order to decide which one is best for routing IPv6 network traffic. Based on the parameters utilized, the protocol that performed better than the others would be suggested for routing network traffic in IPv6. The study was separated into two scenarios to achieve this goal: the IS–IS and OSPFv3 scenario. After the simulation for the IS–IS scenario was completed, the data from both scenarios were compared and examined using the provided parameters to see which protocol worked better. Based on the majority of the simulation parameters employed, the simulation results showed that OSPFv3 was performed as compared toIS–IS.
Technology Obtaining Composites for Processing of Metals on the Base of Local Raw Materials
Authors: Abdulhaev A. B. , Doliev G. A. , Umaraliev J. F. , Abdullaev O. G. , Mamajonov S. B. , E. Sultonov Bokhodir
Published: October 2021

Obtaining cheap and high-quality dry lubricant compositions based on local raw materials for stretching wires in the technology of obtaining small-sized wires from large-diameter wires. Dry lubricant obtained on the basis of local cheese is used for processing and drawing metals prepared from the following components: sodium soap, natriy sulphate Na2SO4 - 5.0-20.0; bura Na2B4O7·10H2O - 0.1-5.0 and talc. At present, the pilot-test work was carried out at a private company "DAVR METALL" in Namangan.
Evaluation of the Variability of Drinking Water Quality within Bamenda Metropolis, North West Region, Cameroon
Authors: Ndah Anyang Gordin Bah , Ngwabie Ngwa Martin , Ayonghe Samuel Ndonwi
Published: October 2021

Aims: The quality of drinking water within Bamenda metropolis was evaluated for it variability and suitability.

Place and Duration of Study: Twenty-two (22) samples were collected (11 in the dry season and 11 in the wet season) from 4 main drinking water network in Bamenda (public, community, non-distributed and private network).

Methodology: The samples were tested for physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and Norme Française (NF) were the methods used to determine the organoleptic, natural structure, undesirable, toxic and bacteriological parameters of the different samples. Water Quality Index (WQI), Na/Cl ratio and hydrochemical facies were deduced from the physiochemical parameters.

Results: The findings indicate that water quality in Bamenda varies with seasons, location and sources. The pH of the study area was acidic with a higher dry season mean percentage of 52.6% against 47.4% for wet season. Turbidity showed amean percentage of 75: 25% for wet and dry season respectively. Wet season cations, showed abundance Ca2+ and Mg2+ while dry season showed Ca2+ and Na+. Bicarbonate and Chloride were the most abundant anions in both seasons but varied with seasonal concentrations. Bacteriological analysis identified faecal coliform in 3 dry season samples. Hydrochemical facies showed dominant of magnesium and bicarbonate for wet season samples while Sodium and Chlorine were dominant for dry season samples. Water Quality Index (WQI) ranged from 72 to 94 for the wet season and 84 to 100 for dry season.

Conclusion: Though the results for WQI were within the acceptable standard for drinking water, pH for 21 samples and turbidity of 6 samples were not within the Cameroon nor World Health Organisation (WHO) Standard for drinking water. It is important that drinking water be tested seasonally to ascertain the quality being consumed.
Serological and Molecular Screening of Camels for Brucellosis in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
Authors: Saxena Neharika , Joshi Rajni , Qureshi Salauddin
Published: October 2021

Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease affecting domestic animals and humans worldwide. The present study was undertaken on camels in and around Bikaner city of Rajasthan state of India to assess the extent of prevalence of Brucellosis in camels in this region. Since Rose Bengal Plate test (RBPT) is a serological screening method for diagnosis of Brucellosis approved by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), RBPT was employed for detecting antibodies against Brucella organisms in camels. Polymerase Chain Reaction is widely followed for molecular diagnosis of several infectious diseases. DNA from whole blood of camels was analyzed by PCR for detection of Brucella organisms in the blood of camels. Blood samples from 177 camels (108 males and 69 females) from Bikaner and nearby villages were analyzed for Brucellosis by RBPT. Fifteen camels [7 (46.66%) males and 8 (53.33%) females] were found positive. However, none of the DNA samples from whole blood (RBPT positive or negative) from 25 camels tested was Brucella positive by PCR. The serological results indicate that Brucellosis is prevalent in camels and is of public health significance in Bikaner and nearby villages in Rajasthan state of India. However, detection of DNA of Brucella organisms in blood by PCR may not be advised for regular screening for Brucellosis since there is intermittent bacteremia in Brucellosis and Brucella DNA may not be detectable in blood continuously throughout the course of the disease. This reminds us that the OIE has approved RBPT, but not PCR for screening of Brucellosis.
Effect of Organic and Inorganic Sources of Nitrogen on Yield, Microbial Load and Soil Nutrient Status of Pearl Millet
Authors: Bhargavi Tharapureddi , Mosha K. , Luther M. Martin , Subbaiah P. Venkata , Swetha N.
Published: October 2021

Soil microbial population and soil nutrient status are important criteria for improving the yields. So this study is conducted with an objective to know the impact of organic and inorganic sources of nitrogen on yield, soil microbial load and nutrient status of the soil in pearl millet. A field experiment was conducted during kharif, 2019 at Agricultural College Farm, Bapatla on sandy soils with eight treatments consisting combined organic and inorganic nitrogen sources. The highest grain yield (2955 kg ha-1), straw (5867 kg ha-1) yield and soil nitrogen status (164.10 kg ha -1) were recorded with 75% Soil Test Based Nitrogen (STBN) + 25% vermicompost + Azospirillum @ 5 kg ha-1 and was followed by statistically similar treatment 100% STBN + Azospirillum @ 5 kg ha-1. Significantly higher microbial load (Bacteria, Fungi and Actinomycetes), P and K status in soil recorded with the treatments where 50% of STBN applied through FYM (50% STBN + 50% FYM + Azospirillum @ 5 kg ha-1), whereas lowest was recorded with chemical fertilizer alone. The combined sources of nitrogen both organic and inorganic fertilizers would be able to improve soil fertility and soil microbial load and finally improve the yields.
Evaluation of Crop and Soil Dynamics under Various Moisture Regimes and Moisture Conservation Techniques in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Authors: Kumar Deepak , Singh Adesh , Vivek . , Kumar Mukesh , Shahi U. P. , Singh Ramji
Published: October 2021

Aim: The present investigation was conducted to validate the various moisture regimes in transplanted rice and to study the effect of different moisture conservation techniques on performance of rice and soil after harvest of crop.

Study Design: Experiment was laid out in split plot design (SPD).

Place and duration of Study: The present investigation was conducted during the kharif season of 2018 and 2019 at the Crop Research Centre of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut (U.P.), India.

Methodology: The main factor consists of the moisture regimes viz. irrigation as CF (I1), at FC (I2) and at 25%DASM (I3), the sub factors consist of six moisture conservation techniques viz. control, application of wheat residues @ 5t/ha, Pusa hydrogel @7.5 kg/ha, seed treatment with PF-6, PF-2 and IRRI-1 @ 4g/kg seed. Observation on plant growth attributes viz., plant height and leaf area index were recorded at 30, 60 DAT and at harvest stage of the crop, while chlorophyll content was recorded at 30 and 60 DAT. The harvest index was calculated on the net plot area basis. Observation on soil dynamics viz., available NPK and OC were recorded both before and after harvesting of crop.

Results: Among different moisture regimes, the highest plant height, LAI and chlorophyll content was found under CF (I1) followed by FC (I2) during both the years. Among MCTs, the highest values of growth attributes and harvest index of rice were found with application of wheat residue @ 5 t/ha followed by Pusa hydrogel @ 7.5 kg/ha during both the years. Maximum value of harvest index was recorded under CF during first year, while it was highest under FC during 2019. Slight improvement in available nutrients were observed at 25% DASM treatment of moisture regimes and wheat residues @ 5 t/ha treatment of moisture conservation techniques over their other counterparts during both the years of experimentation.

Conclusion: On the basis of study, it may be concluded that irrigation should be scheduled at FC (2-3 days after disappearance of water on surface) in transplanted rice and application of wheat residues @ 5 t/ha in rice is an appropriate moisture conservation technique for improving the physiological growth and productivity, besides enhancing the soil fertility.
Screening of Agricultural Wastes for Substrates in Oxalic Acid Production Using Aspergillus niger
Authors: Chioma Dennis M. , Abu Gideon O. , Agwa Obioma K.
Published: October 2021

The disposal and attendant problems associated with agro-wastes have remained a challenge to the environment. Three agricultural wastes (cassava whey, banana peels and groundnut shells) were collected from the Choba and Yam zone markets in Rivers State, Nigeria and screened for their potential as substrates in the formulation of fermentation media to produce oxalic acid. The inoculum for the study was isolated from the banana peels and identified using the megablast search for highly similar sequences from the NCBI non-redundant nucleotide database. The microbial load and proximate composition of the substrates were determined, and the fermentation media formulated. The organism used for the study was identified as Aspergillus niger MW188538. The results showed a total bacterial count of 9.5x104 cfu/ml, 1.87 x 105 cfu/ml, and 4.0 x 104 cfu/g for cassava whey, banana peels and groundnut shell respectively. The carbohydrates of the cassava whey, banana peels and groundnut shells were 67.74 %w/v, 53.24%w/v and 38.8% w/v respectively. After 12 days of fermentation, the substrates from cassava whey, banana peels, groundnut shells accumulated 2.5 ppm, 1.8 ppm and 1.3 ppm of oxalic acid respectively. The study hypothetically indicates that agro-wastes could be utilized as media components for production of industrial organics.
Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Eastern Kenya: Identified and Measured Indicators of the Sustainability of the C.A Practices
Authors: Chepkemboi Waswa Sharon , Mulyungi Lenah Mutindi
Published: October 2021

Conservation agriculture (CA) is fronted as the solution to sub Saharan Africa food insecurity problems in light of climate change. Sustainability of agricultural landscapes has become a primary issue for policy-makers and land managers at different hierarchical levels including farmers, advisors, policy-makers, and scientists as reflected in many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs focus on ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity for all, as part of the new sustainable development agenda initiated in 2015 to precede the Millennium development goals. With the recognition that Sustainability assessment needs to move from global and regional scale to local scales to enable people measure their progress towards sustainability, a conceptual model guides the sustainability assessment approach adopted for this study. The AESIS framework is adopted for indicator selection and representation. This study sought to evaluate the agro-environmental and socio economic sustainability of Conservation Agriculture as practiced in Kenya. Results show that 8 out of 24 indicators performances are rated as best, 5 indicators performances are rated as good, 4 indicators performances are rated as moderate while 7 indicators performances are rated as either unacceptable or limited forming a basis for the points of improvement in agro-ecosystems under conservation agriculture.
Global Perspective of Paediatric Pharmacovigilance and its Importance: Where Have We Reached?
Authors: Narmada S. , Gowrav M. P. , Akki Akhilesh , Motupalli Vishakharaju , Balamuralidhara V. , Venkatesh M. P.
Published: October 2021

Pharmacovigilance is a tool proposed during the post-marketing process of the pharmaceutical product lifecycle to monitor drug safety in everyday life and to identify adverse drug reactions. The identification of adverse reactions, however, is a significant cause of concern and a challenge to pharmacovigilance structures. Regulators use three basic principles in determining the risk-benefit balance to decide whether to approve a drug or a biological product and to maintain it on the market: safety, quality and effectiveness. In particular, paediatric patients, especially new-borns and infants, are at risk of drug-related adverse reactions. Drugs are also prescribed in an unlicensed and/or off-label manner to new-borns, infants and teenagers, leading paediatric patients to a higher risk of experiencing adverse drug reactions (ADRs). ADRs in children < 2 years of age are often reported and can often be alarming. The practise of paediatric pharmacovigilance needs to be strengthened by stimulating spontaneous paediatric reporting and successful post-marketing surveillance. The current study highlights the importance of paediatric pharmacovigilance and the role of different stakeholders like healthcare providers, regulators, and consumers in increasing the ADR reporting rate. Also, it discusses the pharmacovigilance tools and various initiatives that are taken by various regulatory authorities like the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and India.
Clinicopathological Study of Benign Neoplastic Lesions of the Oral Cavity
Authors: Handal Ashwini , Kulkarni Ganesh
Published: October 2021

Oral benign tumors are common in the Indian subcontinent. These benign neoplastic lesions may mimic other tumors like lesions or malignant tumors of the oral cavity. Aim: The current study's goal is to investigate the demographical distribution of benign tumors of the oral cavity and to study their histopathological and site-wise distribution. Materials and method: It's a retrograde observational study of 30 patients. In the Indian subcontinent, benign tumors and tumor-like lesions are prevalent. Data is collected from the otorhinolaryngology department of a referral center and medical college in the Maharashtra state of India. Data was collected from previous histopathological reports of excision biopsies done in the Otorhinolaryngology Department. Result: papilloma is the most common benign tumor found in the present study is a retrospective observational study. This research was carried out at tertiary care referring facility and health college in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Data were collected from 30 patients from the department of otorhinolaryngology and histopathology reports of benign neoplastic lesions.
Effectiveness of Reminiscence Therapy on Self-health Perception and Self-esteem among Elderly Residing at Selected Old Age Homes
Authors: Rajan N. M. Reshma , Imran Syed
Published: October 2021

Purpose: To assess the level of self-health perception and self-esteem among elderly residing at old age homes and to determine the effect of reminiscence therapy on the level of self-health perception and self-esteem.

Methods: Quasi-experimental pre-test post-test control group design was carried out on 80 elderly residing at old age homes selected by non-probability convenient sampling technique to test effectiveness of reminiscence therapy. The data was collected by using self-health perception scale consist 32 items and Rosenberg self-esteem scale consist 10 items.

Results: The result showed thatthere was a significant difference in self-esteem in the intervention group after the intervention (p=0.03<0.05) and there was no significant difference in self-esteem of the control group (p=0.83>0.05), whereas in self-health perception there was no significant difference in both intervention and control group (p=0.18 & 0.95>0.05). Between the groups there was no significant difference (p>0.05) found in the protest score of self-esteem and self-health perception between intervention and control group, while there is a significant difference found in post-test of self-esteem (p=0.002) and self-health perception score (p=0.004) between the groups. The obtained p values of chi-square and likelihood ratio test were >0.05. Only a few associations were found between both self-health perception and self-esteem with demographic variables that are sex and previous occupation/job in the control group.

Conclusion: Reminiscence therapy proved to be effective in improving self-esteem among elderly residing in selected old age homes at Mangaluru, whereas not shown effectiveness in improving self-health perception.
Comparison of Effects of Mouthwash Containing Chlorhexidine and Chlorine Dioxide on Salivary Bacteria-A Randomized Control Study
Authors: Vedula Chiranjeevi , Sunkireddy Harikrishna Reddy , Bathula Hanusha , Chinta Chandrika , Akula Manasa , Paleti Gayathri
Published: October 2021

Aims: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Chlorhexidine (CHX) and Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) mouthwashes in reducing the microbial load in saliva.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Periodontics, Government Dental College and Hospital, Afzalgunj, Hyderabad, between January and March 2020.

Methods and Materials: 60 Patients with gingivitis were included in the study. Ultrasonic scaling was done and saliva samples of the participants were collected and transferred onto blood agar plates. These plates were sent for the microbial count. Later they were given the mouthwash (Chlorhexidine or Chlorine dioxide or Distilled water by random selection) which they used for four weeks. Each group of participants was instructed to rinse

10 ml of 0.2% CHX for one minute twice per day. (Group A)

10 ml of ClO2 (Freshclor) for one minute twice per day. (Group B)

10 ml of Distilled water for one minute twice per day. (Group C)

After four weeks of usage of prescribed mouthwashes, the participants were recalled and salivary samples were again collected and sent for the microbial count.

Results: The intergroup comparison of CFU between the groups after four weeks showed significant reduction of CFU Groups A and B when compared to Group C. When compared to Group A (CHX), Group B (ClO2) witnessed statistically significant reduction of CFU in with a mean difference of 0.26±0.09 (p<0.001).

Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that ClO2 mouth rinse was effective in reducing microbial load after four weeks of usage than CHX.
Emergency Gynecological Care during the Spread of Coronavirus Infection
Authors: Aslakhanova Zhanetta Shamuyevna , Dakhkilgova Pyatimat Timurovna , Arkhipova Natalia Valeryevna , Rybakov Sergey Vladimirovich , Checheneshkina Maria Radislavovna , Bezuglov Sergey Vyacheslavovich
Published: October 2021

The article examines the features of providing emergency gynecological care during the spread of coronavirus infection. The author comes to the conclusion that the majority of urgent gynecological cases are complex, and a significant part of them requires urgent surgical care. Also, an important role in this process is played by the organization of environmental safety and disinfection, competent management of medical waste. All of the above will optimize the process of diagnosis and treatment of emergency gynecological patients and reduce the risk of exposure to infectious pathogens on medical personnel as part of the application of planned measures for the prevention and control of COVID-19.