Empirical Evidence on Enhanced Mutation Rates of 19 RM-YSTRs for Differentiating Paternal Lineages.

Rapidly mutating Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (RM Y STRs) with mutation rates ≥ 10-2 per locus per generation are valuable for differentiating amongst male paternal relatives where standard Y STRs with mutation rates of ≤10-3 per locus per generation may not. Although the 13 RM Y STRs commonly found in commercial assays provide higher levels of paternal lineage differentiation than conventional Y STRs, there are many male paternal relatives that still cannot be differentiated. This can be improved by increasing the number of Y STRs or choosing those with high mutation rates. We present a RM Y STR multiplex comprising 19 loci with high mutation rates and its developmental validation (repeatability, sensitivity and male specificity). The multiplex was found to be robust, reproducible, specific and sensitive enough to generate DNA profiles from samples with inhibitors. It was also able to detect all contributor alleles of mixtures in ratios up to 9:1. We provide preliminary evidence for the ability of the multiplex to discriminate between male paternal relatives by analyzing large numbers of male relative pairs (536) separated by one to seven meioses. A total of 96 mutations were observed in 162 meioses of father-son pairs, and other closely related male pairs were able to be differentiated after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 meiosis in 44%, 69%, 68%, 85%, 0%, 100% and 100% of cases, respectively. The multiplex offers a noticeable enhancement in the ability to differentiate paternally related males compared with the 13 RM Y STR set. We envision the future application of our 19 RM Yplex in criminal cases for the exclusion of male relatives possessing matching standard Y STR profiles and in familial searching with unknown suspects. It represents a step towards the complete individualization of closely related males

Enzymes used in detergents: Lipases

Microbial lipases are an important group of biotechnologically valuable enzymes, because of the versatility of their applied properties and ease of mass production. Lipases of microbial origin are widely diversified in their enzymatic properties and substrate specificity, which make them very attractive for industrial applications. This review describes the applications of microbial lipases in detergents. Enzymes can reduce the environmental load of detergent products as the chemicals used in conventional detergents are reduced; they are biodegradable, non-toxic and leave no harmful residues. Besides lipases, other enzymes are widely used in household cleaning products, in laundering, medical, agriculture, etc. This article also reviews the use of enzymes, especially lipases as detergents and different types of lipase containing detergents available in the market.Key words: Detergents, enzymes, lipases

Psychrotrophic bacteria isolated from -20°C freezer

Three psychrotrophic bacteria, morpho-physiologically, identified as Bacillus subtilis MRLBA7, Bacillus licheniformis MRLBA8 and Bacillus megaterium MRLBA9 were isolated from -20°C freezer of the Microbiology Research Laboratory (MRL), Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. These strains were able to grow aerobically at 6°C but not at 40°C except MRLBA8 that could grow at 48°C. None of the isolates showed inhibition of growth in the presence of glycerol. Isolate MRLBA7, bearing central spore, grew in the presence of 30% glycerol at 0°C after 48 h of incubation and showed maximum growth without glycerol at 25°C after 24 h. Isolate MRLBA8 showed growth in the presence of 50% glycerol at 4°C after 72 h of incubation and maximum growth was observed at 20°C in the absence ofglycerol. Isolate MRLBA9 showed growth at 6°C in the presence of 40% glycerol after 48 h of incubation and maximum growth was observed at 25°C in the absence of glycerol. Isolates were susceptible to antibiotics except Bacillus subtilis MRLBA7 that exhibited antibiotic resistance against penicillin and fosphomycin, Bacillus licheniformis MRLBA8 against aztreonam and fosphomycin, and Bacillus megaterium MRLBA9 against vancomycin and penicillin. The growth profile and biochemical characteristics of all the isolates were rather similar to that of mesophilic counterparts except adaptation to low temperature. These strains could be used as model microbial strains for characterization of food contaminants in freezers, to understand the mechanism of antibiotic resistanceinduced at low temperature and as a source of psychrotrophic enzymes

A comparison of laboratory and in situ methods to determine soil thermal conductivity for energy foundations and other ground heat exchanger applications

Soil thermal conductivity is an important factor in the design of energy foundations and other ground heat exchanger systems. It can be determined by a field thermal response test, which is both costly and time consuming, but tests a large volume of soil. Alternatively, cheaper and quicker laboratory test methods may be applied to smaller soil samples. This paper investigates two different laboratory methods: the steady-state thermal cell and the transient needle probe. U100 soil samples were taken during the site investigation for a small diameter test pile, for which a thermal response test was later conducted. The thermal conductivities of the samples were measured using the two laboratory methods. The results from the thermal cell and needle probe were significantly different, with the thermal cell consistently giving higher values for thermal conductivity. The main difficulty with the thermal cell was determining the rate of heat flow, as the apparatus experiences significant heat losses. The needle probe was found to have fewer significant sources of error, but tests a smaller soil sample than the thermal cell. However, both laboratory methods gave much lower values of thermal conductivity compared to the in situ thermal response test. Possible reasons for these discrepancies are discussed, including sample size, orientation and disturbance

Output specifications for PPP projects : lessons from case studies

The 3rd International Postgraduate Conference on Infrastructure and Environment is organized by the Faculty of Construction & Land Use of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 11 and 12 July 2011 in Hong Kong.Author name used in this publication: Patrick T. I. LamVersion of RecordPublishe

Population genetic portrait of Pakistani Lahore-Christians based on 32 STR loci.

Phylogenetic relationship and the population structure of 500 individuals from the Christian community of Lahore, Pakistan, were examined based on 15 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) using the AmpFℓSTR Identifiler Plus PCR Amplification Kit and our previously published Y-filer kit data (17 Y-STRs) of same samples. A total of 147 alleles were observed in 15 loci and allele 11 at the TPOX locus was the most frequent with frequency value (0.464). The data revealed that the Christian population has unique genetic characteristics with respect to a few unusual alleles and their frequencies relative to the other Pakistani population. Significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found at two loci (D13S317, D18S51) after Boneferroni's correction (p ≤ 0.003). The combined power of discrimination, combined power of exclusion and cumulative probability of matching were 0.999999999999999978430815060354, 0.999995039393942 and 2.15692 × 10-17, respectively. On the bases of genetic distances, PCA, phylogenetic and structure analysis Lahore-Christians appeared genetically more associated to south Asian particularly Indian populations like Tamil, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh than rest of global populations

Integrating value management into sustainable construction projects in Hong Kong

Purpose: Integrating sustainability into the value management (VM) process can provide a strategic platform for promoting and incorporating sustainable design and development during the lifespans of construction projects. The aim of this study was to investigate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) for integrating sustainability into the VM process in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach: Following an extensive literature review, attributes were identified and grouped into Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat elements. A questionnaire survey based on these groupings was supported by a semi-structured interviews with public sector clients, value managers and VM facilitators. They shared their experience and views on how to integrate sustainability into the VM exercises. Findings: The triangulated results of the survey and interviews are presented in this paper. The ranking of the SWOT analysis results indicate that VM does provide opportunities for multidisciplinary professionals and stakeholders to focus on issues relating to society and the environment, which is considered a main strength. The major weakness of integration is the lack of well-trained staff and low levels of VM participant expertise in relation to the sustainable construction issue. Practical implications: There are immense opportunities for integrating sustainability into the VM process, including encouragement of the reduction, reuse and recycling of construction and demolition waste. However, threats presented by integration include the additional time and costs required for achieving sustainability targets. Originality/value: Findings and recommendations provided in this paper should be helpful to decision makers including clients and VM facilitators for the successful integration of the sustainability concept into the VM process

Characterization of PRLR and PPARGC1A genes in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

More than 40 million households in India depend at least partially on livestock production. Buffaloes are one of the major milk producers in India. The prolactin receptor (PRLR) gene and peroxisome proliferators activated receptor-γ coactivator 1-alpha (PPARGC1A) gene are reportedly associated with milk protein and milk fat yields in Bos taurus. In this study, we sequenced the PRLR and PPARGC1A genes in the water buffalo Bubalus bubalis. The PRLR and PPARGC1A genes coded for 581 and 819 amino acids, respectively. The B. bubalis PRLR gene differed from the corresponding Bos taurus at 21 positions and four differences with an additional arginine at position 620 in the PPARGC1A gene were found in the amino acid sequence. All of the changes were confirmed by cDNA sequencing. Twelve buffalo-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in both genes, with five of them being non-synonymous

Primary headache disorders in the adult general population of Pakistan – a cross sectional nationwide prevalence survey

Back Ground: The large geographical gaps in our knowledge of the prevalence and burden of headache disorders include almost all of Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). We report a nationwide population-based study in Pakistan, an EMR country with the sixth largest population in the world, conducted as a project within the Global Campaign against Headache. Methods: We surveyed six locations from the four provinces of Pakistan: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan. We randomly selected and visited rural and urban households in each. One adult member (18-65 years) of each household, also randomly selected, was interviewed by a trained non-medical interviewer from the same location using a previously-validated structured questionnaire translated into Urdu, the national language. We estimated 1-year prevalences of the headache disorders of public-health importance and examined their associations with demographic variables using multivariate analysis. Results: There were 4223 participants (mean age 34.4 ± 11.0 years; male 1957 [46.3%], female 2266 [53.7%]; urban 1443 [34.2%], rural 2780 [65.8%]). Participation proportion was 89.5%. Headache in the previous year was reported by 3233 (76.6% [95% CI: 75.3-77.8%]). The age- and gender-adjusted 1-year prevalence of migraine was 22.5% [21.2-23.8%] (male 18.0% [16.8-19.2%], female 26.9% [25.6-28.2%]), of tension-type headache (TTH) 44.6% [43.1-46.1%] (male 51.2% [49.7-52.7%], female 37.9% [36.4-39.4%]), of probable medication-overuse headache 0.7% [0.5-1.0%] (male 0.7% [0.5-1.0%], female 0.8% [0.5-1.1%]) and of other headache on ≥15 days/month 7.4% [6.6-8.2%] (male 4.4% [3.8-5.0%], female 10.4% [9.5-11.3%]). Migraine was more prevalent in females by a factor of 3:2 although this association barely survived (P = 0.039) after correcting for other factors. TTH was more prevalent in males by about 4:3 (P = 0.026). All headache and migraine were age-related, peaking in the age group 40-49 years; TTH peaked a decade earlier. Higher education (P = 0.004) and income (P = 0.001) were negatively associated with prevalence of migraine. Conclusion: With three quarters of its population affected, headache disorders must be on the public-health agenda of Pakistan. Worldwide, these disorders are the third leading cause of disability; information from specific enquiry into the burden attributable to headachedisorders in this country is needed to inform health policy and priority-setting, and will be reported soon

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112