Multimetric indices based on fish and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages are commonly used to assess the biological integrity of aquatic ecosystems. However, their response to specific stressors is rarely known. We quantified the response of a fish-based index (Mid-Atlantic Highlands Index of Biotic Integrity, MAH-IBI) and a benthic invertebrate-based index (West Virginia Stream Condition In...

This paper introduces the concept of local referential integrity according to which an object may only reference objects belonging to the same composite object. For example, in production planning an employee of some department may only be scheduled to work on machines belonging to the same department. Usually, such a constraint must be stated explicitly by a predicate as \add on" to a database...

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Over the past decade the relatively new Fast Micromethod for detecting DNA damage (strand breaks, alkali-labile sites and incomplete excision repair) and related DNA integrity in cell suspensions or tissue homogenates in single microplates has been developed. The technique is based on the ability of the specific fluorophore PicoG...

Background: Emvolio is a non-medical device, indigenously developed portable refrigeration for maintaining the internal temperature 2–8˚C. The Indian Patent Office has granted patent applications such as preservation and transport of medicines, vaccines, food, beverages, dairy etc. Further, use can be utilized in store biologicals to preserve their biochemical cellul...

The assessment of RNA integrity is a critical first step in obtaining meaningful gene expression data. Working with low-quality RNA may strongly compromise the experimental results of downstream applications which are often labour-intensive, time-consuming, and highly expensive. Using intact RNA is a key element for the successful application of modern molecular biological methods, like qRT-PCR...

As engineers, a confliction readily appears in regards to cost efficiency against quality. Civil Engineer A of Peace Corps was assigned the task of the design and building of a desalination though electrodialysis plant in rural Uttar Pradesh, India. Desalination is the process of removing high salt contents from groundwater in order to render it drinkable. Of the total volume of water on Earth,...

Urban population has been increasing at an unprecedented rate accommodating more than half of the world population in cities. Massive human intervention in the tropical region contributes to loss of environmental integrity amplifying challenges like air pollution, deforestation, water scarcity, local extinction, and destruction of natural landscapes. To shape the international community’s attit...

PECAM-1 (CD31) is a cellular adhesion and signaling receptor that is highly expressed at endothelial cell-cell junctions in confluent vascular beds. Previous studies have implicated PECAM-1 in the maintenance of vascular barrier integrity; however, the mechanisms behind PECAM-1-mediated barrier protection are still poorly understood. The goal of the present study, therefore, was to examine the ...