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Traditional knowledge system on paddy straw management in North-East India
Get PDFBurning of paddy straw in the field is a national issue nowadays. Many researches have been taken up for efficient utilization of paddy straw at national and international level. But the use of paddy straw for various applications is known since ancient days. The application of paddy straw varies from region to region. Therefore, an attempt has been made to collect information on the traditional uses of paddy straw and its management in the Northeastern states of India particularly Manipur. The information has been collected through review of literature and interaction with the villagers. The study revealed that the people of this region used paddy straw for different purposes such as thatching, wall construction, cattle feed, animal bedding, fuel, mulching, mushroom cultivation, handicraft products, extraction of substrate from straw ash and preparation of fermented beverages. This traditional knowledge on the utilization of paddy straw can provide an idea for scientific exploration for better and efficient uses in various fields.
Snails on the plate: Edible freshwater molluscs of Northeast India
Get PDFIn many parts of the world, freshwater molluscs are extensively harvested for food and medicine. Northeast India is one such region where freshwater molluscs are consumed by the tribal and economically impoverished communities. These molluscs are in high demand as they are a cheap source of protein and provide food security, livelihoods and medicine. Although there are studies that show the nutritional and mineral value of snails, data on the details of harvest, the number of species consumed, and traditional knowledge associated with them are lacking. This is the first comprehensive study documenting the diversity of freshwater molluscs sold, quantity, location of harvest, associated traditional knowledge and uses among different tribal communities of Northeast India. The information was gathered through market surveys and informal interaction with the vendors selling molluscs. Eighteen species of freshwater molluscs belonging to five families and six genera were recorded from our study. DNA barcode analysis using COI marker for the market collected specimens of Paludomus and Brotia show six species each from these genera. Most edible freshwater molluscs have incorrect taxonomic status and are Data Deficient or Least Concern. Therefore, it is essential to document for their conservation and management. We also advocate snail farming for their conservation and the nutritional and food security of the tribal communities, which will help in the sustainable use of natural resources.
Wild edibles supplementing the food security of Guji Oromo semi-pastoralists, SuroBarguda District, Oromia, Ethiopia
Get PDFIn rural livelihoods, wild foods are important assets for complementing main foods, safeguarding food safety, and providing nutritional variation. These plants are used as dietary supplements and as a means of survival during times of food shortages. The objectives of this study were to record, collect, classify, and analyze the native uses and management of wild edible plants by the local semi-pastoralist people in SuroBarguda District, west Guji Zone, Ethiopia. Ethnobotanical data collection was conducted on various groups of 10 kebeles (the smallest administrative units of Ethiopia) households within the district. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, guided field walks, field observations, and discussions. A total of 70 species of edible wild plants belonging to 50 genera and 36 angiosperm families were identified by local residents. Most (80%) of edible plants were consumed to compensate for regular food shortages during March- April (rainy season) when the stock of edible plants gradually decreased. The research region is endowed with a variety of wild edible plants that are used by the local people as food sources and for other reasons, helping them to address their problems with food insecurity. Unquestionably, the preservation of wild edible plants is important for ensuring household food security and dietary variety, both of which support the continued occurrence of biodiversity.
ADMET, Pharmacokinetic and Docking properties of the fungal drug 2- (2, 4-difluorophenyl)-1, 3-bis (1, 2, 4-triazol-1-yl) propan-2-ol by using Quantum computational methods
Get PDFThe current study contributes to a better knowledge of the FCZ's characteristics and bioactivity. The ADMET properties have been calculated and the results have been illustrated; as a result, it has become quite popular for virtual pharmaceutical analysis. This research aims to examine FCZ’s optimized structure and properties by analyzing various computational calculations. Bond length, Bond angle, Mulliken charges have been analyzed for the studies. The experimental geometrical parameters and theoretical data were compared with ADME parameters, biomarker properties, pH value, drug like nature, Marvin sketch, Swiss ADME to quantify molecular descriptors just as to survey atomic elements. ADMET properties introduce the influence of the drug levels and its kinetics with the tissues of the body. It also explains about the metabolism, toxicity of the drugs when introduced to the system. The analysis on pharmacokinetic properties has helped a lot in the drug development for further studies. The target prediction of FCZ has been studied along with the docking study. Docking study is an important program in order to study about the binding of the small ligand into a receptor like proteins. This method is very useful in drug discovery which provides insights into various studies. This will help in further development of the drugs which will finally help the society in large scale. FCZ helps pharmaceutical industry in developing the drugs to treat chronic disease when combined with other molecules. Hence the present study is really helpful in drug designing and in the development of new drugs
Assessment of YME1L and mitofusin2 as a possible diagnostic and/or therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma
Get PDFMitochondrial dynamics are a contraversal issue in hepatocellular carcinoma. The present study tries to illustrate the role of mitochondrial dynamics proteins (mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) and YME1L) in hepatocarcinogenesis. Five groups were used: the control group and three HCC groups (after 8, 16, and 24 weeks from DENA induction). The last group was treated with Sorafenib (SP) (10 mg/kg), via oral gavage for 4 weeks after cancer induction. This study revealed that Mfn-2 was downregulated and YME1l was overexpressed in different HCC groups. This dysregulation of mitochondrial dynamics proteins was associated with high hepatic levels of cyclin D1, MMP-9, and MDA and overexpression of ki67 as well as decreasing the hepatic expression of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (Timp-3) and Bax. To confirm the possible role of Mfn2 and YME1L in HCC, we assessed the effect of sorafenib on these parameters and its related HCC characteristics. Sorafenib corrected the level of Mfn2 and YME1L and decreased tumor cell proliferation as well. We also elucidated that mitochondrial dynamics proteins (Mfn2 and YME1L) could be a good therapeutic target for HCC
A comparative computational approach on the most deleterious missense variant in Connexin 43 protein and its potent inhibitor analysis
Get PDFIntercellular communication between the cell plays an essential role in cell growth and cell formation, including migration, metabolism, and cell differentiation. Cell function and tissue homeostasis are maintained through gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC), thus regulating connexin hemichannels. Mis regulation of such connexin, especially connexin (Cx) 43, affects a comprehensive process, including cell differentiation, inflammation, and cell death. Mis regulation may be due to the missense variant in Cx43. Thus, we screened the complete set of mutations from public mutational databases and obtained 219 missense variants, which were then classified based on their pathogenicity, functional impact, stability, conservation, and physiochemical properties. Variant L214P was scrutinized to have the most deleterious, which was then modelled using the I-TASSER server and performed molecular docking analysis to screen potent inhibitors. The compound Kanamycin, Ginsenoside, and Astragaloside IV have better interactions with Cx43 mutant with a maximum of 5 hydrogen bonds. Ginsenoside is a compound that follows a Lipinski rule of five. Thus, the result obtained from this study suggests that Ginsenoside would be a better potent inhibitor for native and mutant Cx43
Experimental and Finite Element Studies of Stretch Forming Process for ASS 316L at Elevated Temperature
Get PDFAustenitic stainless steel 316 L grade is a material having extraordinary mechanical properties, low cost and easily available. This is the reason it was used in various industrial and nuclear applications. In the present work, ASS 316L nakazima specimens are stretched under hot forming conditions (750°C, 825°C and 900°C) at a constant strain rate (0.1s-1) along with three different orientations. These six types of nakazima specimens were used to know the formability behaviour of the material with the help of forming limit diagrams (FLD) obtained by the stretch forming process. A smaller change in Punch load and an increase in displacement were observed, which indicates the formability improvement of ASS 316L sheet metal with the increase in temperature. In addition, ABAQUS 6.13 computer code was applied for the prediction of formability from 750°C to 900°C.To improve the accuracy of the simulation, a number of integration points were accrued within the thickness direction, limiting dome height (LDH).The ductile fracture was observed from SEM images for all the temperatures. A close agreement was found between experimental and simulated results
Techno-economic Study by Teaching Learning-based Optimization Algorithm for Optimal Placement of DG Units in Distribution Systems
Get PDFA significant improvement in system performance can be achieved by placing Distributed Generator (DG) units of the optimal size in optimum network of radial distribution locations. In order to maximize the economic and technological benefits, it is necessary to reduce yearly economic losses. These losses include expenditures associated with installation and operation of the buses as well as power loss and voltage difference between buses. In view of these multi-objective frameworks, the current problem is assessed and the best compromise solution also referred as the Pareto-optimal solution is provided. In the framework of the multi-objective optimization problem, specific equality as well as inequality constraints is investigated. It is shown in this study that a Multi-Objective Teaching-Learning Based Optimization (MOTLBO) algorithm has been proposed to solve the multi-objective problem. For the purpose of evaluating its performance, the proposed method is being deployed on IEEE-33 and IEEE-69 System of radial bus distribution. A comparison with other recent multi-objective algorithms such as OCDE, KHA and LSFSA is also included in this study. It has been revealed that the algorithm proposed can offer superior outcomes concerning power loss, annual economic loss mitigation and voltage profile enhancement
Design of Rectangular Patch Antenna on the Hilbert Fractal-shaped High Impedance Surface
Get PDFThe high Impedance Technique has emerged as a modern approach for high-gain microstrip antennas. A high impedance surface minimizes surface waves and provides increased gain. Instead of, a typical mushroom to design High Impedance Surface (HIS), fractal geometry can be used. Hilbert curve-based Fractal geometry minimizes physical length and keeps electrical length the same. In this work, three iterations of Hilbert curve-shaped HIS geometry are studied with emphasis on HIS application. Fractal facilitates multi-frequency operation from GSM 1800 MHz to 6 GHz Wireless applications. The antennas have a peak gain of 5.3 dbi. The simulation is conducted in HFSS, and the analysis is performed using reports like reflection coefficients, radiation patterns, and gain plot
Health Care Automation in Compliance to Industry 4.0 Standards: A Case Study of Liver Disease Prediction
Get PDFThe industrial internet contributes to the standards of Industry 4.0, which involve handling large volumes of data using advanced soft-computing techniques. Machine Learning (ML) is an advanced soft-computing technique that plays a critical role in predicting and detecting serial chronic diseases, thereby automating the diagnosis. The process constitutes and uses several data mining algorithms and methods for efficient medical data analysis. Recent studies on several chronic diseases, liver disorders and diseases associated with the organ have been fatal. In this paper, the liver patient dataset from India is considered and investigated for developing a classification model. Liver disease is a dangerous, life-threatening disease often diagnosed false positive. Mild liver enlargement, improper or ambiguous functionality over a brief period, is prominent even in healthy people, which has become the main reason for ignoring the same at the early stage. It is essential to predict liver disease through the parameters and their values from the liver functionality test sensing the behavior of similar patients who were ignored in the initial stage. In this paper, the machine learning technique is demonstrated to predict liver disease using the liver function test data of the 580 patients as training data. The model has been developed with an accuracy of approximately 75%. The simulation-based experiment is based on the publicly available dataset and can be extended to any native set to predict the patients' health quickly. The Random Forest Algorithm is used to develop the model in Matlab, and the analysis is carried out using parameters like total bilirubin, alkaline phosphotase, alamine aminotransferase, total proteins, and A/G ratio