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Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) presents a sporadic yet significant threat to livestock and wildlife. A comprehensive investigation in Karnataka, India into the prevalence and transmission patterns of sheep-associated MCF (SA-MCF) was conducted. A total of 507 sheep peripheral blood leukocyte samples from 13 districts along with 27 cows and 10 buffalo samples from various regions in Karnataka were tested for SA-MCF infection i.e. Ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) using heminested PCR. Furthermore, serum samples collected from 73 cows and 15 buffalo suspected of MCF were tested using a commercially available ELISA kit. Additionally, histopathological examinations of affected tissues and phylogenetic analysis of viral tegument protein sequences were conducted. Our findings indicated a 20.11%, 33.33% and 20% positivity for OvHV-2 in sheep, cows and buffalo respectively by PCR. Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between the age of sheep and the detection of OvHV-2. Seven cows and one buffalo serum samples tested positive for ELISA. Clinical findings in bovids were consistent with typical MCF signs, and histopathological results revealed multi-organ involvement characterised by necrotising vasculitis and lymphoid hyperplasia. The nucleotide pairwise identity matrix revealed 99.5% identity between the sequences obtained in the study with sequences from other states. The phylogenetic analysis of partial tegument protein sequences from bovid and sheep samples suggested a close genetic relationship between the local OvHV-2 strains and those from various global regions. Crucially, this study underscores the widespread presence of SA-MCF in Karnataka, with significant implications for both livestock management and wildlife conservation.

The present study was undertaken on epidemiology and diagnosis of babesiosis in sheep and goats in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts of Karnataka state from November 2017 to May 2018. Out of 343 (225 sheep and 118 goats) blood smears examined by Giemsa and acridine orange (AO) fluorescent dye staining methods, 3.55 and 4.0 per cent of sheep and 0.84 and 1.69 per cent of goat samples were found positive for Babesia organisms, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity was found to be higher in AO fluorescent dye staining method. In agewise susceptibility, the percent positivity was found to be higher in animals > 6 months old. In genderwise susceptibility, the percent positivity was found to be higher in females than males. Hence, AO fluorescent dye staining method is found to be very rapid and cost effective diagnostic method for treatment and control of babesiosis.

A retrospective study on the epidemiology of foot and- mouth disease (FMD) in Karnataka, India between the years 1977 and 2012-13 based on the data collected through passive and active surveillance was undertaken. A total of 11,159 outbreaks with 0.271 million cases of FMD were recorded from 30 different revenue districts of Karnataka. There was a significant difference between the years for the annual incidence of FMD (P = <0.001, F = 19.10) and also between the months (P = <0.001, F = 4.22). Cattle and buffaloes were the predominant species affected being involved in all of the outbreaks reported. A significant correlation was observed between livestock density and the number of outbreaks reported (r = 0.70, p < 0.02), and number of cases (r = 0.76, p < 0.01) for all the agro-climatic zones. The Central dry zone (n = 2257, 19.89 %) reported the highest number of outbreaks followed by the Northern dry zone (n = 1881, 16.58 %) and the Southern transition zone (n = 1761, 15.52 %), and attack rates were concentrated in the North/Northeastern/Central dry and transition zones. A large majority of the outbreaks were caused by serotype O (64.04 %), followed by Asia 1 (19.87 %) and A (12.27 %). Serotype C was not reported since 1993 in the state. In recent years, serotype O has dominated (82.59 %), with the rest of the outbreaks being almost equally caused by A (9.01 %) and Asia 1 (8.40 %). The study highlights the significance of the O serotype and cattle as the main indicator species in the epidemiology of FMD in Karnataka, India. The findings from this study can be used as baseline epidemiological data for further research to identify endemic and epidemic areas for the development of a sustainable programme for the progressive control of FMD in the state of Karnataka as well as other endemic settings.

The rapid expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has highlighted the shortcomings of traditional centralized identity management systems, which often suffer from single points of failure, high latency, and limited scalability. These challenges are particularly significant in IoT environments with limited resources, where secure and efficient identity management is crucial for real-time data processing and decision-making. This paper introduces a consortium blockchain-based IoT identity management system enhanced by fog computing. By utilizing blockchain's decentralized and tamper-resistant features, the system secures identity management, while fog computing minimizes latency by processing data closer to its source. Our system is designed to scale effectively, even in densely populated IoT deployments, while maintaining low energy consumption and high throughput. Simulation results show notable reductions in latency and improvements in throughput, with the system achieving an average latency of 175.15 ms for registration operations with a 0.35 MB payload. The system's robustness is further demonstrated by its resilience to common IoT security threats, such as man-in-the-middle attacks and node compromise. Key contributions include the innovative integration of blockchain and fog computing, enhanced scalability and efficiency, improved security through decentralized identity management, and adaptability to emerging technologies like quantum-resistant cryptography.

Nanopowders of TiO2 has been prepared using a microwave irradiation-assisted route, starting from a metalorganic precursor, bis(ethyl-3-oxo-butanoato)oxotitanium (IV), [TiO(etob)2]2. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used as a capping agent. The as-prepared amorphous powders crystallize into anatase phase, when calcined. At higher calcination temperature, the rutile phase is observed to form in increasing quantities as the calcination temperature is raised. The structural and physicochemical properties were measured using XRD, FT–IR, SEM, TEM and thermal analyses. The mechanisms of formation of nano-TiO2 from the metal–organic precursor and the irreversible phase transformation of nano TiO2 from anatase to rutile structure at higher temperatures have been discussed. It is suggested that a unique step of initiation of transformation takes place in Ti1/2O layers in anatase which propagates. This mechanism rationalizes several key observations associated with the anatase–rutile transformation.

Background: Uvaria narum (UN) is known to have antipyretic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antimalarial properties. The antidiabetic properties of UN remains unexplored. The current study has been aimed at understanding the antidiabetic property of UN extract on an in vitro model using 3T3-L1 cell line. Methods: Methanolic extract of UN was prepared, and its cytotoxic effect on 3T3-L1 cells was assessed. Glucose uptake and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) translocation in 3T3-L1 cell line on treatment with the extract was evaluated against a standard drug, metformin. α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition activities of the extract were also assayed with acarbose as the standard drug. Results: Treatment with UN extract had no cytotoxic effect on the cells. UN extract showed a good percentage inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities. UN extract showed 71.31% inhibition and the control drug Acarbose exhibited 88.54% inhibition in α-amylase activity. Furthermore, the extract showed 79.11% inhibition when Acarbose exhibited 87.35% inhibition in α-glucosidase activity. IC50values were also determined. Further, on treatment with the extract, 75.49% of 3T3-L1 cells took up glucose and 70.67% had GLUT4 expression. Conclusion: UN extract enhances glucose uptake and GLUT4 expression, inhibits α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities, thereby demonstrating the antidiabetic properties in vitro.

The 56Fe(n, p)56Mn reaction cross-section at neutron energies of 5.9 ± 0.6, 9.85 ± 0.38, 14.8 ± 0.1 and 15.5 ± 0.7 MeV from the 7Li(p, n) as well as 3H(d, n) reactions has been experimentally measured using activation and off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique. The experimentally determined 56Fe(n, p)56Mn reaction cross-sections from the present work were compared with the latest available evaluated nuclear data libraries of ENDF/B-VII.1, JENDL-4.0 and JEFF-3.1/A. The present data along with the literature data in a wide range of neutron energies were interpreted in terms of competition between different reaction channels. The measured cross-sections were also estimated theoretically using TALYS-1.4 and EMPIRE-2.19 computer codes over neutron energies from near threshold to 20 MeV to compare with the experimental data.

The 238U(n, γ)239U reaction cross-section at average neutron energy of 3.7 ± 0.3 MeV from the 7Li(p, n)7Be reaction has been determined using activation and off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique. The 238U(n, γ)239U and 238U(n, 2n)237U reaction cross-sections at average neutron energy of 9.85 ± 0.38 MeV from the same 7Li(p, n)7Be reaction have been also determined using the above technique. The experimentally determined 238U(n, γ)239U and 238U(n, 2n)237U reaction cross-sections were compared with the evaluated data of ENDF/B-VII, JENDL-4.0, JEFF-3.1 and CENDL-3.1. The experimental values were found to be in general agreement with the evaluated value based on ENDF/B-VII, and JENDL-4.0 but not with the JEFF-3.1 and CENDL-3.1. The present data along with literature data in a wide range of neutron energies were interpreted in terms of competition between different reaction channels including fission. The 238U(n, γ)239U and 238U(n, 2n)237U reaction cross-sections were also calculated theoretically using the TALYS 1.2 computer code and were also found to be in agreement experimental data.

The reaction cross-sections for 64Ni(n, γ) 65Ni at En = 0.025 eV and 58Ni (n, p) 58Co at En = 3.7 MeV have been experimentally determined using activation and off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique. The thermal neutron flux used is from the thermal Column of the reactor APSARA at BARC, Mumbai, whereas the neutron energy of 3.7 MeV is from the 7Li(p, n) reaction at Pelletron facility, TIFR, Mumbai. The 64Ni(n, γ) 65Ni and 58Ni(n, p) 58Co reactions cross-sections from present work are compared with the available literature data and found to be in good agreement. The 58Ni(n, p) 58Co reaction as a function of neutron energy is also calculated theoretically using TALYS computer code version 1.2 and found to be higher than the experimental data.