Endometritis and sub-clinical endometritis are considered important factors for conception failure and repeat breeding conditions. Intra-uterine antibiotics infusion is generally recommended as the choice of treatment for endometritis. This work was performed to test the efficacy of ceftiofur sodium and marbofloxacin in the treatment of endometritis in cross-bred cows caused by Staphylococcus sp. One hundred cows found positive for Staphylococcus sp. from culture of uterine contents were grouped into two groups (CEF and MARB) of fifty cows each. Group CEF was treated with 1 g ceftiofur sodium (Xceft®, Alembic, India) intra-muscularly (IM) for five days and Group MARB was treated with 10% marbofloxacin (Marbomet®, Intas, India) at the dose rate of 2 mg/kg body weight IM once daily for 5 days. Animal from MARB and CEF groups were inseminated on next observed estrus after treatment and the conception rate was 52% and 32% compared to 60% in healthy control group, the difference being highly significant. The study reported antibiotic marbofloxacin as better alternative choice for the treatment of endometritis caused by Staphylococcus sp. in cross-bred cows.

The Bachaur is a mediumized draft purpose breed which has been recognized by ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) Karnal, India, and presently is on the verge of extinction. Since there are no data regarding the seminal parameters of this breed, this work was performed to evaluate seminal parameters of freshly ejaculated semen. A total of three healthy breeding Bachaur bulls aged 2.5-5 years were selected for the study which were maintained under identical managemental conditions. Semen parameters of these bulls were studied across 10 ejaculates. The average scrotal circumference and testicular weight of the three bulls were 27.78 +/- 1.2 cm and 400.67 +/- 26.6 g, respectively. The average overall volume (mL), pH, concentration (million/mL), liveability (%), abnormality (%), HOST (%) and acrosome integrity (%) were 2.20 +/- 0.19, 6.86 +/- 0.06, 1245.60 +/- 23.49, 85.09 +/- 0.91, 4.13 +/- 0.06, 81.16 +/- 1.18 and 83.54 +/- 1.32, respectively. The average overall mass motility of three Bachaur bulls was 3.57 +/- 0.06 in 0-5 scale and individual motility averaged 84.78 +/- 1.70 per cent. The volume of ejaculates in Bachaur bull seemed to be lower as compared to other exotic and Indian breeds. However, the semen parameters with regard to mass motility, liveability, abnormalities, hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST) and acrosomal integrity seemed similar to other exotic and Indian breeds.

The present work was performed to study the histology of caput, corpus and cauda epididymis of sheep and to explain the variations in terms of spermatozoan maturation that takes place in these regions. Epididymis was collected after dissection of testis by open method. After ligating the proximal end of ductus deferens and cauda and distal to the caput epididymis, the epididymis was excised separately and fixed in Buin’s fixative. The tissue was prepared as per standard histological procedure and five micron thick sections were cut by microtome and stained by Haematoxylene and Van-Gieson’s stain. The lining epithelium of the entire epididymal tubule was found to be pseudostratified with tall columnar cells of two types i.e. principal cells and basal cells. The basal cells, located near the basement membrane of epididymal tubule, were lesser in caput than cauda. Steriocilia were longest in the caput and were less prominent in the other two regions. Decrease in epithelial thickness and increase of tubular diameter was observed from caput to cauda epididymis, Thus, this study indicates that the caput with longest stereocilia having secretary, phagocytic and absorptive function plays a vital role in spermatozoan maturation, whereas the cauda having the thinnest pseudostratified epithelium with abundant surrounding smooth muscle cells and wider lumen serves well as a storehouse of spermatozoa.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of serum albumin and cholesterol level on the conception rate with Ovsynch protocol in cross-bred cattle. Fifty cross-bred cows were selected and divided into two groups- low albumin cholesterol (LAC; <3 mg/dl albumin and 150 mg/dl cholesterol) and high albumin cholesterol group (HAC; > 3.5 mg/dl albumin and 220 mg/dl cholesterol). The conception rate of LAC and HAC was 10% and 38% respectively that differed significantly (P<0.05). Return to heat on or before day 22 was significantly higher in LAC (60.7%) compared to HAC (32.3%). Pregnant cows of LAC group (n=5) had significantly higher albumin and cholesterol level (3.4±0.04 mg/dl and 194.78±3.75 mg/dl respectively) than their non-pregnant counterpart (3.29±0.01 mg/dl and 146.99±1.44 mg/dl respectively; n=30). On days 12, 14, 16 and 18 the progesterone concentration of non-pregnant cows of LAC group (2.9±0.04 ng/ml, 2.1±0.03ng/ml, 1.8±0.03ng/ml, 0.7±0.01 ng/ml respectively) was significantly lower than day 65 pregnant cows of HAC group (5.2±0.08 ng/ml, 4.7±0.11ng/ml, 5.3±0.09 ng/ml, 5.7±0.07 ng/ml respectively).From the results it can be inferred that low cholesterol and albumin level directly decreases the blood progesterone level and initiates early luteolysis, both are instrumental in early embryonic death and low conception rate with Ovsynch protocol. Since blood cholesterol is the main precursor for the synthesis of progesterone by the corpus luteum and 90% of progesterone in blood is bound to albumin, their deficiency directly affects the blood progesterone level. Blood albumin and cholesterol should always be checked and corrected before the start of Ovsynch protocol.

Glioblastoma is a malignant brain tumor of the central nervous system that has median survival of 15-16 months. Radiation therapy is one of the major pillars of the current standard of care. However, radiation therapy may lead to serious sequelae such as endocrinopathies and cognitive impairment resulting from dose deposition in surrounding tissue. Ultra-high dose rate radiation therapy (FLASH) is a new method of radiation therapy that is thought to spare normal tissue while maintaining activity against tumor cells. We asked whether delivery of protons via FLASH would show comparable anti-tumor activity in a mouse model of glioma compared to standard dose rate proton therapy. We induced formation of primary glioblastomas of the proneural subtype by a retroviral vector carrying PDGFB and dominant negative p53 into the white matter of adult wildtype mice. This experiment (n = 7 mice per group) included two irradiation groups and a control. Both irradiation groups received a single fraction of 10Gy but at different dose rates – 1Gy/s (conventional) and 100Gy/s (FLASH). The whole brain irradiations were performed on the plateau region of a high energy proton Bragg peak (100Gy/s at 250MeV, 1Gy/s at 244MeV). We found that FLASH and conventional therapy both provided a statistically equivalent survival benefit in our endogenous glioblastoma model as compared to untreated animals. Following the initial tumor regression, we observed tumor relapse and re-growth for FLASH and conventional proton radiation based on MRI imaging. Dose escalation studies are ongoing to compare the curative potential of FLASH vs conventional irradiation in an endogenous glioma model. To understand the mechanisms by which tumors respond to FLASH vs conventional proton irradiation, we performed single-cell transcriptomic profiling on relapsed tumors treated with FLASH or conventional proton therapy and compared with untreated tumors. We found that proton radiation induced striking changes in the tumor microenvironment, specifically through an increase in myeloid derived suppressor cells. We have further characterized cell proliferation, apoptosis and tumor stem cell populations in relapsed tumors compared to untreated tumors and explored the differences in cellular responses with respect to FLASH or conventional proton irradiation. We will discuss transcriptomic profiling changes between pre- and post-proton treatment in the mouse glioma models. Our present work indicates that FLASH proton radiotherapy shows similar efficacy compared to conventional proton radiotherapy in an endogenous glioma model in immune-competent mice, and that tumor microenvironmental changes may contribute to tumor relapse.

The use of proton therapy over photons for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been increasingly favored in recent years. Previous work suggests that there may be a relationship between dose rate and treatment efficacy. The purpose of the current study was to compare the efficacy of 18 Gy proton radiation delivered at different dose rates on the eradication of NSCLC in a syngeneic, orthotopic mouse model. We hypothesized that ultra-high dose rate proton FLASH therapy improves treatment efficacy and decreases tumor sizes compared to conventional proton therapy. Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) cells were inoculated into the left lung of C57Bl/6J mice. Both male and female mice were used. Two weeks after tumor cells inoculation, CT scan was performed to measure the pre-radiation size of lung tumors. Mice were randomly assigned to four different groups: untreated control, conventional, FLASH and Pulsed-FLASH groups. The whole lungs of tumor-bearing mice were irradiated with a dose of 18 Gy using a clinical pencil beam scanning proton system at different dose-rate modes of conventional (.5 nA beam current), FLASH (40 Gy/s), and Pulsed-FLASH (40 Gy/s with a 10% duty cycle). The delivered dose was monitored and verified using different ionization chambers, as well as gafchromic EBT2 film. One week after proton treatment, the tumor sizes were measured using CT scan. Ten days after proton treatment, mice were sacrificed and tumor sizes were measured using caliper. Lung tumors and tissues were harvested for histological and molecular analysis. Immunofluorescent staining was performed on tumor sections using antibodies for CD3, CD4, and CD8. Tumor cells were visualized with mCherry antibodies. Mice treated with FLASH or Pulsed-FLASH dose-rate modes had significantly smaller lung tumors than mice treated with proton radiation delivered at conventional dose-rate. The results of CT scan analysis for tumor sizes were consistent with the tumor measurements at tissue harvest. Compared to conventional proton radiation, Pulsed-FLASH and FLASH radiation increased recruitment of CD3+ T lymphocytes from the peripheral tumor edge into the tumor core. Among CD3+ cells, both CD4+ and CD8+ cells were increased in the tumor core. These data indicate that improved lung tumor control by ultra-high dose rate FLASH proton radiation can be the result of improved recruitment of CD3+ cells into the tumor. Ultra-high dose rate proton FLASH induced more efficient lung-tumor eradication compared to conventional proton and improved recruitment of T lymphocytes into the tumor microenvironment. Thus, ultra-high dose rate proton FLASH represents a promising new alternative to conventional proton treatment.

In the present work, a novel technique for detection and classification of transient phenomenon occurring in power systems is proposed based on high order statistical moments using empirical mode decomposition (EMD). Occurrence of transient disturbances in power systems are very common and require advanced detection techniques for their proper monitoring. In this study, transient electrical disturbances representing oscillatory transient, impulsive transient and notch are at first analyzed using EMD to extract different IMFs. Then, from each set of decomposed IMFs, higher order statistical moments have been extracted to serve as input features to the classifier. Statistical analysis of the selected features have been done using ANOVA test. Finally, using a k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN) classifier, classification of different power system transient disturbances are done based on the selected feature sets with high discriminative capability. It is observed that the proposed method using higher order statistical moments based on EMD and kNN classifier yields 100% accuracy in recognition of different types of transient disturbances.

Forces and motions on an advancing ship are studied using an approximate nonlinear 3D panel method, formulated based on transient free surface Green's function. Nonlinearities arising from the large-amplitude incident waves are considered in the computations of Froude–Krylov and hydrostatic restoring forces for which a suitable algorithm is developed that can find the exact wetted surface under the incident wave profile. As regards the perturbation potential consisting of the diffraction and radiation effects, although the numerical solution is based on linearized free-surface constraints and discretization of the mean wetted hull under the mean free-surface, a modified form of the body-kinematic condition is applied. Noting that the incident wave-kinematics are largest at the exact free-surface, the adopted procedure is expected to incorporate some of the nonlinearities in the diffraction part of the perturbation potential, albeit partially. Influence of nonlinearities on motions and loads are presented for a Wigley hull and S175 hull in head waves. For the S175 hull, bending moment results are also included. These latter results are particularly important for Class Societies interested in structural loads, and it is found that incorporation of the nonlinearities even within the adopted approximations can result in significantly different pressures and structural loads.

In this paper we are proposing a proficient approach of using flat files or synthetic files as database. Realizing that there are much of disadvantages of using text file as a database, in this literature we are striving to reduce some specific hindrances with the help of regular expressions (regex). Regular expression is therefore an unbelievable powerful language which is no longer just for the programmers rather it is showing up in all sorts of places today. In this paper, we are using regex to recommend a productive method of data or text manipulation in the flat files. Hence an improved data manipulation procedure in the text file can lay a huge impact in the path of upgradation of the flat file system.

Factor VIII (FVIII) mutations cause haemophilia A (HA), an X-linked recessive coagulation disorder. Over 1000 missense mutations in FVIII are known and they lead to variable clinical phenotypes (severe, moderate and mild). The exact molecular basis of this phenotypic heterogeneity by FVIII missense mutations is elusive to date. In this study, we aimed to identify the severity determinants that cause phenotypic heterogeneity of HA. We compiled and curated a data set of 766 missense mutations from the repertoire of missense mutations in FVIII. We analysed these mutations by computational programs (e.g. Swiss-PdbViewer) and different mutation analysis servers (e.g. SIFT, PROVEAN, CUPSAT, PolyPhen2, MutPred); and various sequence- and structure-based parameters were assessed for any significant distribution bias among different HA phenotypes. Our analyses suggest that 'mutations in evolutionary conserved residues', 'mutations in buried residues', mutation-induced 'steric clash' and 'surface electrostatic potential alteration' act as risk factors towards severe HA. We have developed a grading system for FVIII mutations combining the severity determinants, and the grading pattern correlates with HA phenotype. This study will help to correctly associate the HA phenotype with a mutation and aid early characterization of novel variants.

In the present paper, a linear 3D time domain panel method is modified in order to estimate the non linear effect on the body boundary condition. Though the scattered potentials are computed in the mean wetted surface, however; in the body boundary condition, exact non linear kinematics is used considering the fact that wave particle kinematics has an exponential decay with depth. The proposed method is then applied to a Wigley Hull in order to verify how this change influences the scattered potential. Initially the results are obtained to calculate the diffraction force and then the total hydrodynamic force ( radiation + diffraction) is calculated and compared with linear results. From the results, it can be concluded that by modifying the body boundary condition, a significant change is occurs for large wave amplitude and motion results are improved in comparison to the linear results.

The present investigation was carried out to study the blood-biochemical profile during retention of placenta in crossbred cattle. Serum glucose and cholesterol level were significantly higher whereas there was non significant higher protein level was observed in non ROP, as compared to ROP cows

Aim: The present study was carried out to investigate the relationship between blood serum concentrations of macro and micro minerals and development of retention of placenta (ROP) in crossbred cattle. Materials and Methods: The present study was carried out at Instructional Livestock Farm, Bihar Veterinary College and local Khatals in and around Patna. A total of 20 crossbred cattle (n=10 with normal expulsion of the placenta as control and n=10 with ROP) were selected in the present study. Blood samples were collected from these animals and serum was separated and stored in the deep freezer at −20°C till further analysis. The estimation of serum macro-minerals (Ca, P, Ca/P ratio) was done by Span diagnostic Kits (Surat, India) and trace minerals or micro-minerals (Zn, Cu, and Fe) were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer AAS 220). Mean values were compared between both the groups at 0 h (at parturition) and 12 h after parturition. Results: The mean values of serum calcium and zinc were found significantly lower in cattle having ROP than control at both 0 h and 12 h after parturition. The mean values of serum Ca and P ratio obtained at 0 hour were significantly lower in ROP groups as compared to control groups and non-significant at 12 h. The mean values of serum inorganic phosphorus, copper and iron was found non-significantly lower in ROP cases as compared to control. Conclusions: Macro and micro mineral deficiency such as calcium, iron, zinc and copper in blood serum may be predisposing factor for the occurrence of retention of placenta in crossbred cattle.

Shoulder joints were replaced due to trauma or chronic arthritis and other disease processes, osteoarthritis and or other disease processes. Usually the available prostheses generally use some standard ball diameters and stem length of the humeral component. Many varieties are available including modular type with replaceable ball diameter Therefore there is a mismatch in the ball size and actual bony cavity and the prosthesis that will be inserted leading to excess bone loss during insertion in the bone which sometimes calls for an early revision surgery.So patient specific hemi-shoulder prosthesis was designed from the CT-scan data obtained from a specific patient. The materials used were medical grade stainless steel (316L), Ti6Al4V, Co-Cr-Mo alloy respectively. This type of prosthesis will be manufactured using computer aided manufacturing technique.

Bone loss around the femoral stems during the insertion of a standard prosthesis is a major problem in hip arthroplasty. Moreover, long periods of use of the standard metallic prosthesis often lead to revision surgery because of disuse osteoporosis (stress shielding). The main factor behind this problem is the material-stiffness mismatch of the bone and implant, with the latter consisting of metals such as stainless steel, Co-Cr-Mo alloy, or Ti6Al4V alloy. Our study aimed to decrease the factor of geometric mismatch by designing and making customized hip prostheses from computed tomography scan data and finite element analysis. Therefore, the inner medullar cavity of the femur would match exactly with the prosthesis. Our results showed that the desired stress-strain values were close to the physiological level. We observed that the maximum Von Mises stresses for the bone and implant were 41.8 MPa and 197 MPa, respectively. An optimization analysis of the taper angle of the prosthesis hip ball for fixation with the stem has also been performed, in which the angle was found to be approximately 2 deg. The taper angle plays an important role in load transfer and safe levels of stress-strain using various ball materials.

Jute plants produce lignocellulosic fibre wherein lignin is a polymeric constituent of the plant cell wall. The progeny of 55 crosses (without reciprocals) were advanced through modified bulk method of selection (F-2 and F-3 generations) followed by single plant selection (174 onwards) for isolation of quality fibre with high yield. Three genotypes viz., JRO-3670, TAN/SM/040C, and NPL/YPY/026C were the highest combiners for fibre yield. Plant selection among advanced generations was confined to transgrassive segregants which showed low lignin content and better fibre quality coupled with high fibre yield. The quality of jute fibre is usually judged by its suitability for production of various types of yams and its behavior in the manufacturing process of end products. KEN/DS/053C x NPLIYPY/026C, TAN/X/112C x JRO-3352, JRO-524 x JRO-3352, KEN/DS/053C x JRO-3352, KEN/DS/060C x TAN/X/112C, THA/YA/064C x KEN/DS/053C, JRO-524 x JRO-3670, and KEN/SW024C x KEN/DS/053C were selected in advanced generation. Thus far, two population from crosses JRO-524 x JRO-3352 and KEN/DS/053C x NPLIYPY/026C have outyielded JRO 524 by more than 13%. Because of lowest lignin and peoxidase activity with highest cellulose content, the KEN/SM/024C x KEN/DS/053C line is recommended to textile industries for blending its low lignin fibre with cotton and other synthetics.

Occurrence of yellow vein mosaic disease of mesta (Hibiscus cannabinus L. and H. sabdariffa L.) was found to be endemic in parts of India. For rapid and sensitive diagnosis of the Begomovirus associated with this disease, a radiolabelled diagnostic method has been developed. Southern hybridization and nucleic acid spot hybridization using radiolabelled probes to the coat protein (CP) gene of DNA A and DNA beta of the virus were able to detect the virus both in plants and in viruliferous whiteflies. These probes detected the presence of the same virus in experimentally infected Vigna plants showing only leaf crumpling symptoms. These probes were also able to detect infection in other crops, ornamentals and weed plants showing characteristic symptoms of whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses. Polymerase chain reaction amplification through primers specific to the CP gene, full-length DNA A and full-length DNA beta molecules using DNA isolated from all infected plants and viruliferous whiteflies detected presence of same virus in them.

The objective of this study was to test the efficacy of induction of estrus, synchronization of ovulation and timed artificial insemination in anestrous yaks using the Heatsynch protocol. In Experiment 1, 10 anestrous yaks were administered an analogue of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) followed by prostaglandin (PG)F2α 7 days later and then estradiol cyponate (ECP) 24h after that. Ovulation was detected by rectal palpation at 2h intervals beginning at the initial signs of estrus. Blood samples were collected at 2h intervals beginning at the time of ECP injection up to 2h after the occurrence of ovulation for the determination of LH and progesterone. All the animals responded to the Heatsynch protocol with expression of estrus and synchronization of ovulation. The mean time interval from the ECP injection to ovulation was 59.4±2.62h (range 50–72h). The interval from the LH peak to ovulation was 30.2±2.3h. The high degree of synchrony in ovulation could be attributed to the synchrony in the timing of LH peaks. In Experiment 2, 10 anestrous yaks were treated with the Heatsynch protocol (as in Experiment 1) and TAI was performed at 48 and 60h after the ECP treatment. Concurrently, 16 cycling yaks were inseminated approximately 12h after detection of spontaneous estrus. Pregnancy rates were similar in both groups, 40% for TAI and 43.75% for yaks inseminated following spontaneous estrus (p>0.05). From this study, two conclusions can be drawn. First, the Heatsynch protocol can be successfully used to induce and synchronize estrus in anestrous yaks and, second, ovulation following the Heatsynch protocol is synchronized adequately to permit the use of fixed time AI in this species.

Coal combustion in thermal power plants contributes to more than 70% of the e1ectricity generated in India. Combustion of coal generates huge amounts of wastes which are disposed off in nearby ponds. The ash generated from the coal combustion process contains a lot of toxic elements which are leached out by the percolating rain water and subsurface runoff from the ash ponds. These toxics cause sufficient amount of groundwater contamination. DC resistivity studies are very helpful in determining the subsurface lithology and in delineating the zones of groundwater contamination. The present study was conducted in and around the ash disposal sites of Kolaghat Thermal Power Plant in West Bengal. Six Schlumberger soundings were conducted in the four ash ponds of the thermal power plant. The quantitative interpretation of the VES curves has been done by a very fast simulated annealing computer program developed for this purpose. The subsurface lithology as determined from the VES curves shows alternate layers of clay and sand upto a depth of 6Om. All the sounding locations show a general thin top layer of ash of high resistivity mixed with coarse sand or clay followed by a 29-50m thick layer of wet clay of very low resistivity. The lowermost layer is sandy clay to clayey sand in all the cases. Groundwater samples have also been collected from the tube wells located near the ash ponds and analysed for pH, TDS and trace elements. Results of the chemical analysis show high values of TDS and high concentration of the toxics. Earlier studies on the geochemistry of the pond ash have shown that the ashes are characterized by hlgh concentration of As, Pb, Cu, Ni, Fe, Zn, Cr, CO, Mn all of which exceed the crustal abundance by a factor of 3-5. The high concentration of the toxics (As, Al, Li, As, Zn, Ag, Sb, Si, Mo, Ba, Rb, Se, Pb) in the water samples implies significant input from the ash pile due to leaching. This increases the TDS values of the water. The low resistivity values of the intermediate clayey layer along with the high values of TDS and high concentration of the toxics imply that the contaminant zone lies at a shallow depth of 29-50m thick. It is formed due to leaching of the toxics from the top sandy layer and adsorption in the clayey layer.