Effect of Micro-Pitting on Gear Vibrations and Dynamic Excitation Source

This paper quantitatively investigates the effect of micro-pitting on Transmission Error (TE) of a pair of spur gears and its correlation with vibrations. Micro-pitting is a gear surface failure phenomenon. It changes the gear profile form. The measured profile form variation can be used to calculate Transmission Error. This paper describes the micro-pitting test rig and profile form variation measurement. Calculation method of Transmission Error from profile form error data has also been presented

Antibacterial activity of aqueous extract from selected macroalgae of southwest coast of India

Aqueous extract of seven species of marine macroalgae were screened for their antimicrobial potency against ten pathogenic bacterial strains. Ulva fasciata, Gracilaria corticata, Sargassum wightii and Padina tetrastromatica showed significantly higher activity against 70% of the tested bacterial isolates. The maximum zone of inhibition was noted for the red alga G.corticata against Proteus mirabilis (17mm) and brown alga P. tetrastromatica against the pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio harveyi (15mm). The general trend of inhibitory activity was higher towards Gram negative bacteria

Polymicrobial skin lesions in the red spot emperor, Lethrinus lentjan (Lacepede 1802) during mass incursion towards shore along Kanyakumari coast, south India

Mass incursion of fishes with polymicrobial skin lesions, fin erosions and scale loss was recorded in the red spot emperor Lethrinus lentjan (Lacepede 1802) along the Kanyakumari coast, south India during August 2009. An estimated 2.5 t of fish, mostly the red spot emperors were found to migrate in live condition to the shore areas in a stressful state. Microbiological analyses of tissue from sampled fishes revealed three distinct types of bacterial colonies forming 5.2 x 105 CFU g-1 of the infected tissues. The predominant bacterial colonies were characterized as Aeromonas sp. (70.0%) followed by Flavobacterium sp. (20%) and Vibrio sp. (10%). The Aeromonas isolate was highly susceptible to norfloxacin while the Flavobacterium and Vibrio isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol. The Aeromonas and Vibrio isolates exhibited protease and amylase enzyme activities in vitro, suggesting their possible role in the progression of skin lesions and scale loss. The possibilities of ambient unknown stressors weakening the fish and subsequent infections by these bacterial isolates are discussed

Revealing the History and Mystery of RNA-Seq

Advances in RNA-sequencing technologies have led to the development of intriguing experimental setups, a massive accumulation of data, and high demand for tools to analyze it. To answer this demand, computational scientists have developed a myriad of data analysis pipelines, but it is less often considered what the most appropriate one is. The RNA-sequencing data analysis pipeline can be divided into three major parts: data pre-processing, followed by the main and downstream analyses. Here, we present an overview of the tools used in both the bulk RNA-seq and at the single-cell level, with a particular focus on alternative splicing and active RNA synthesis analysis. A crucial part of data pre-processing is quality control, which defines the necessity of the next steps; adapter removal, trimming, and filtering. After pre-processing, the data are finally analyzed using a variety of tools: differential gene expression, alternative splicing, and assessment of active synthesis, the latter requiring dedicated sample preparation. In brief, we describe the commonly used tools in the sample preparation and analysis of RNA-seq data

NASAL CARRIAGE OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON METHICILLINRESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AMONG STUDENTS OF A SOUTH INDIAN MEDICAL COLLEGE - PREVALENCE AND ANTIBIOGRAM PATTERN

ABSTRACTObjective: There is paucity of information on carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin Resistant S.aureus from developing nations includingthe medical students who could be the potential transmitters. Present study was aimed at establishing the prevalence and antibiogram pattern ofS. aureus with special emphasis on MRSA among II year MBBS students of Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore.Methods: A total of 148 students were participated in this study. Swabs taken from both anterior nares were processed, and the growth of S. aureuswas confirmed by standard procedure. Further categorization of S. aureus into MRSA was done using cefoxitin disc diffusion method, along with theantibiogram to other common drugs.Results: The number of strains of S. aureus isolated from our 148 participants was 78 with a percentage rate of 52.7. Of the 78 isolates of S. aureus,9 (11.5%) were MRSA. The overall MRSA carriage rate was 6.1%.Conclusion: The S. aureus and MRSA carriage rates recorded in this study were significantly higher when compared with other reported studies. Itwas observed that risk factors like use of antibiotics in past 6 months and snoring were found to be statistically significant in nasal carriage status ofS. aureus. Out of nine MRSA carriers, six were found to be having the parents who were busy clinicians by occupation and the close contact with themcould be the prime factor in the acquisition of MRSA carriage status.Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, Nasal carriage, Medical students

Preliminary Screening of Antimicrobial Properties of Few Medicinal Plants

Crude extracts were prepared from the leaves of ten medicinal plants viz., Alpinia galanga, Artabotrys uncinatus, Commelina benghalensis, Costus igneus, Euphorbia cyathopora, Justicia gendarussa, Kalanchoe pinnata, Panicum antidotale, Sauropus androgynous and Hibiscus using methanol as solvent and screened for their antibacterial activity against ten bacterial pathogens. The tested gram positive bacterial strains were Bacillus cerus, Bacillus megaterium, Micrococcus leuteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus lactis, and gram negative strains were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhimurium. Among the ten plants tested, the methanol extracts of Alpinia galanga, Artabotrys uncinatus, Costus igneus and Yellow Hibiscus exhibited higher antibacterial activity when compared to the other plant extracts. These four plant extracts were further used for the phytochemical analysis. Results of the phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of alkaloids, phenolic compounds and flavanoids. The antibacterial activities of the leaves were due to the presence of various secondary metabolite

Assessing the reliability of an integrated device measuring tongue pressure and bite force among dentate individuals – An observational study

Tooth loss leading to complete edentulism negatively impacts quality of life and oral function. Reduced biting force capability affects normal oral function in those who have lost teeth. Decreased tongue pressure significantly affects total oromotor function, especially swallowing. While devices exist to measure biting force and tongue pressure independently, integrated evaluation tools are lacking. This emphasizes developing a reliable integrated tool for simultaneous evaluation.Purpose: To evaluate the reliability of an integrated device designed to measure tongue pressure and bite force simultaneously in dentate individuals.Study participants were 80 dentate individuals aged 21 to 55 years who were apparently normal. Participants with specific dental restorations, temporomandibular joint disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, or pacemakers were excluded. The MD30-60 force-sensitive sensors were employed to collect data on tongue pressure and bite force. Three recordings of the tongue pressure and bite force was done by three investigators at 1 minute time interval to prevent muscle fatigue. Statistical analysis utilized Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Lin’s Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC) to assess the reliability of measurements.The analysis of the Intraclass correlation and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient demonstrated excellent reliability for bite force measurements, with ICC values ranging from 0.882 to 0.906 and a mean bite force of approximately 510 N. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) values ranged from 0.795 to 0.827 indicating good consistency among investigators. Bland-Altman analysis confirmed minimal bias and strong agreement for both measurements across investigators.The novel integrated device demonstrated high reliability for measuring bite force and tongue pressure simultaneously