Improved gossip protocol for blockchain applications

Cluster Computing - Blockchain is a distributed digital ledger consisting of sequence of blocks. These blocks are groups of transactions that make up a sequence where each block contains the...     

Understanding women’s burdens: preliminary findings on psychosocial health among datoga and iraqw women of northern tanzania

This preliminary, community-based study examines major stressors identified by Iraqw and Datoga women of Mbulu District, Tanzania, and describes steps in creating a culturally specific questionnaire to assess mental health burdens. This area of Tanzania is remote, with limited access to goods and services, and is undergoing dramatic social and economic changes. Iraqw and Datoga reside in close proximity and often intermarry but have different cultural and subsistence responses to this rapid social change. Data were collected from May to October 2002, with 49 Datoga women and 64 Iraqw women interviewed. In-home interviews were conducted to have women (1) free-list their primary concerns and (2) answer questions from a translated (in Datoga and Iraqw) and modified standardized mental health questionnaire. Both groups of women identified hunger, the lack of animals, particularly cattle, and health/illnesses as the most common major stressors. Other frequently cited stressors included crop failure, general fears of violence, paying taxes, and no money for basic needs. Additional refinements are required for the mental health questionnaire, with strengths and limitations discussed. Such data, while preliminary, augment efforts to analyze the emotional burdens associated with dramatic social change.     

Biodegradation of Reactive Blue 59 by isolated bacterial consortium PMB11

Morphologically different, three bacterial strains, capable of decolorizing Reactive Blue 59 were isolated from dye effluent contaminated soil sample, collected from Ichalkaranji, India. The individual bacterial strains viz. Bacillus odysseyi SUK3, Morganella morganii SUK5 and Proteus sp. SUK7 decolorized Reactive Blue 59 (50 mg l(-1)) completely within 60, 30, 24 h, respectively, while the bacterial consortium PMB11 of these strains required 3 h for the complete decolorization. The decolorization was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Further, the biodegradation of Reactive Blue 59 in to different metabolites was confirmed by High performance liquid chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Significant increase in the activity of aminopyrine N-demethylase (AND) in the individual as well consortium cells, obtained after decolorization showed involvement of AND in the decolorization process. Phytotoxicity studies, revealed the nontoxic nature of the degraded metabolites of Reactive Blue 59 indicating effectiveness of bacterial consortium PMB11 for the treatment of textile effluent containing Reactive Blue 59.     

InlA Promotes Dissemination of Listeria monocytogenes to the Mesenteric Lymph Nodes during Food Borne Infection of Mice

Intestinal Listeria monocytogenes infection is not efficient in mice and this has been attributed to a low affinity interaction between the bacterial surface protein InlA and E-cadherin on murine intestinal epithelial cells. Previous studies using either transgenic mice expressing human E-cadherin or mouse-adapted L. monocytogenes expressing a modified InlA protein (InlA^m) with high affinity for murine E-cadherin showed increased efficiency of intragastric infection. However, the large inocula used in these studies disseminated to the spleen and liver rapidly, resulting in a lethal systemic infection that made it difficult to define the natural course of intestinal infection. We describe here a novel mouse model of oral listeriosis that closely mimics all phases of human disease: (1) ingestion of contaminated food, (2) a distinct period of time during which L. monocytogenes colonize only the intestines, (3) varying degrees of systemic spread in susceptible vs. resistant mice, and (4) late stage spread to the brain. Using this natural feeding model, we showed that the type of food, the time of day when feeding occurred, and mouse gender each affected susceptibility to L. monocytogenes infection. Co-infection studies using L. monocytogenes strains that expressed either a high affinity ligand for E-cadherin (InlA^m), a low affinity ligand (wild type InlA from Lm EGDe), or no InlA (ΔinlA) showed that InlA was not required to establish intestinal infection in mice. However, expression of InlA^m significantly increased bacterial persistence in the underlying lamina propria and greatly enhanced dissemination to the mesenteric lymph nodes. Thus, these studies revealed a previously uncharacterized role for InlA in facilitating systemic spread via the lymphatic system after invasion of the gut mucosa.     

Identification and determination of flavonoids in buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench,Polygonaceae) by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry and photodiode array ultraviolet detection

An analytical method for flavonoids present in the seed extract of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench, Polygonaceae), using HPLC and a photodiode array detector and interfaced to an electrospray ionisation mass spectrometer, has been developed. Structural information about the flavonols was obtained from the retention time characteristics, the UV-visible spectra and the mass spectra without the need to isolate the individual compounds. The methanol extract of buckwheat contained principally four flavonol glycosides: rutin, quercetin, kaempferol-3-rutinoside and a trace quantity of a flavonol triglycoside.     

Substituent activity relationship studies on new azolo benzoxazepinyl oxazolidinones

In an effort to discover potent antibacterials based on the entropically favored 'bioactive conformation' approach, a series of novel tricyclic molecules mimicking the conformationally constrained structure of Linezolid is reported. Based on the initial tricyclic molecule 1, the benzazepine derivative 2 was designed where the tricyclic structure had more flexibility around C-N bond compared to 1. While, the molecule 2 was less active, the molecule 3 showed promising antibacterial activity presumably after having obtained rigidity due to pyrrole ring. The syntheses, SAR studies, and evaluation of 3 as a lead compound are reported.     

Prevalence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">H. influenzae</Emphasis> type b &; f among unvaccinated patients with respiratory tract infection and meningitis

Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis has been reported predominantly among infants who have not completed the primary immunization series, whereas infection by capsular f has been reported mostly in patients with significant underlying diseases. The present study analyses H. influenzae type b & f infection among 25 unvaccinated patients with respiratory tract infections and symptoms of meningitis by PCR. 5/7 isolates from CSF sample were capsular type b; whereas capsular type f was detected in 2/10 and 5/8 isolates from throat swab and sputum samples, respectively. Rest 13 strains were negative for both the capsular types. To conclude, in India where H. influenzae type b conjugate vaccine is not included in national immunization program, individuals with respiratory tract infections and meningitis are at a greater risk of developing infection with H. influenzae type b strains along with other capsular types and non-capsular types.