Color Zones Research Articles

Isolation and Characterization of L- Asparaginase Producing Endophytic Bacteria from <i>Simarouba Gluaca</i>

Cancer cells differentiate themselves from normal cells in diminished expression of L-asparaginase. It is the enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of L-Asparagine to L-aspartic and ammonia, because of these it is used as a medication and in food manufacturing. As a medication L-aspraginase is used to treat various types of leukemia such as, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloma leukemia and non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Hence they are not capable of producing L-asparaginase and mainly depend on the L-asparagine from circulating plasma pools. The clinical action of this enzyme is attributed to the reduction of L-asparaginase, since tumor cells unable to synthesis these amino acids are selectively killed by L-asparaginase depravation. This enzyme is widely distributed, being found in as it is widely distributed bacteria as well as found in animals, microbes and plant sources. In the present study L-asparaginase producing bacteria was isolated from Simarouba glauca. It was grown on the modified M9 medium in which L- asparagine was the major source of L- asparaginase production was detected by the formation of pink colored zones on the medium. After the partial purification of the L-Asparaginase enzyme, the enzyme activity was found to be 155.83 Units/ml and specific activity of 779.15. The optimum pH was to be found at pH 8 at a temperature of 37°C in the presence of 10mM Mg2+. The molecular identification was done by16S rDNA, PCR and sequence analysis by BLAST further confirmed that Bacillus cereus.

REHABILITATION POSSIBILITIES OF SOFT CONTACT CORRECTION IN POST-TRAUMATIC AND CONGENITAL PATHOLOGY OF CHILDREN

Objective. To analyze the results of the use of contact correction in the rehabilitation of children with post-traumatic and congenital abnormalities. Material and methods. 424 patients, aged between 3 months and 17 years, using soft contact lenses using traditional and special methods of examination. Results and discussion. It was established that in the overwhelming number of children who were assigned to wear, the post-traumatic pathology prevailed - 341 (79.1%) patients; congenital abnormality was 83 cases (20.9%). Contact lenses were made individually according to the developed technologies from a hydrogel material by turning using biocompatible paint, which allows combining several color zones of different diameters, while achieving optimal functional and cosmetic results. Proved a significant increase in visual acuity compared with spectacle correction and correction of transparent contact lenses in 86.4% of children. Thus, the use of soft contact lenses, performing corrective, diaphragmatic and cosmetic function is a method of preventing the development of amblyopia, strabismus, contributing to the full development of the visual analyzer in children.

Gemological characteristics and the quality of sapphire from Krong H’Nang - Dak Lak

Sapphires in Krong H'Nang area have been found mainly in deluvialor alluvial placers which related to Pliocene-lower Pleistocene basaltoid formations (βN2-Q1). Their main colors are dark green, yellow-green, yellow more rarely dark blue, yellow-blue-green. Sapphires in this area are transparency, translucency and opaqueness, most of them are opaque. The crystals are from 2–7 mm and sometimes their size can be up to 30–4 0mm. Besides the color zoning reduces color quality in dark blue sapphire, there are also many plagioclase or zircon, fingerprint and liquid-filled inclusions which reduce the clarity of the sapphires. Transparent sapphires with green, yellow-green, yellow are evaluated to be good quality and can be used in jewelry. For translucent and opaque sapphires with dark green, dark blue and transparent sapphires with color zoning, they can be used in jewelry but are not estimated well. Therefore, in order to improve the quality of the latter group, suitable methods such as heat treatment, beryllium diffusion and glass filling are needed.

BIOTRANSFORMATION OF GINSENOSIDE Rb1 BY BACTERIAL CRUDE ENZYME OF Paenibacillus spp. strain E3 ISOLATED FROM VIETNAMESE GINSENG SOIL

In ginseng, minor ginsenosides were more effective pharmacological properties than major ginsenosides. Therefore, finding bacteria that can convert major ginsenosides has been paying attention. Ginsenoside Rb1 is one of major ginsenosides of ginseng and its biotransformation produces pharmacologically active compounds such as compound K. In this study, the isolation of bacterial strains from Vietnamese ginseng cultivated soil was carried out with the objective of evaluating their hydrolytic capacity for use in biotransformation of ginsenosides Rb1. In the screening of β-glucosidase producing bacteria, seven isolates exhibited black color zones on R2A agar medium containing esculine. Among seven isolates, strain E3 showed the highest ability biotransformation of ginsenosides Rb1 in Luria-Bertani broth. Therefore, strain E3 was selected for further research. Biotransformation of Rb1 was observed by using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ginsenoside standards for comparison. We determined the optimal conditions for biotransformation of ginsenoside Rb1 into the compound K of crude enzymes of strain E3 were at 30°C, pH 7,0 and 3 days. Ginsenoside Rb1 was converted into compound K via ginsenoside Rd and F2. The analyses of 16S rRNA gene and phylogenetic tree indicated that strain E3 was closely related to Paenibacillus terrigena with 99,4% identity and formed a discrete cluster with type strain Paenibacillus terrigena A35T with high bootstrap support (99%), supporting strain E3 belonging to the species Paenibacillus terrigena. Physiological characteristics also supported strain E3 belonging to the genus Peanibacillus. This is the first report of biotransformation of ginsenosides using bacterial strains isolated from Vietnamese ginseng cultivated soil in Vietnam. Based on our the obtained results, strain E3 could be applied for the preparation of ginsenoside compound K for use in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Paleo-environmental constraints on uranium mineralization in the Ordos Basin: Evidence from the color zoning of U-bearing rock series

Color zoning of strata of Mesozoic continental basins in North China is closely correlated with the sedimentary environments of sandstone-type uranium deposits. Systematic research has been conducted on the colors of U-bearing rock series within the Ordos Basin by using data of several ten thousands of drill holes from coal and oil fields. Taking an ore cluster as the unit, well-tie sections of deposit areas were compiled to analyze the vertical and lateral spatial variations in different color zones of rocks. Taking the basin as the unit, two typical well-tie sections in the central-northern basin were compiled in order to summarize the rock color zoning laws of U-bearing rock series within ore clusters and the entire basin. Lithogeochemical characteristics of different color zones in deposit areas and ore barren areas were studied. Especially, variations in trace elements in different color zones and the paleo-sedimentary environments they reflect were discussed. Within the Ordos Basin, from the basin margin to the center and from the U ore clusters to the ore barren areas, colors of the Zhiluo Formation U-bearing rock series generally display vertical zoning (i.e., from up downwards, red–green–gray [grayish black]) and show no lateral zoning characteristics. U ore beds mostly occur in the lower part of the green zone and the upper part of the gray zone. This conclusion differs greatly from the understanding on rock color zoning related to classic interlayer-oxidation-zone metallogenic theory. Hence, a correct understanding on color zoning of U-bearing rock series within the Ordos Basin is of great significance not only to U mineralization exploration but also to research on sandstone-type U mineralization theory.

Patient Perceptions of a Heart Failure Action Plan: A Qualitative Study

Introduction Individuals with heart failure have difficulty evaluating their symptoms and understanding when to seek health care or to implement self-care activities. The purpose of this qualitative study is to inform the development of a Heart Failure Action Plan by individuals living with heart failure. Methods The proposed study used a prospective qualitative design using a grounded theory approach to understand the process of HF symptom management and the development of an action plan. Specifically, patients were interviewed regarding clinical indicators of self-reported symptoms, adherence to medication regimen, and physiologic changes to develop an individualized heart failure action plan. Demographic data of participants was collected including age, ethnicity, gender, medications, vital signs, heart failure history, and heart failure etiology. Results Participants reported that the color zones (red, yellow, green) of the action plan were helpful to “give you an idea of what you are supposed to do” with “weight, swelling, symptoms” and to evaluate “⋯target weight, keep tracking of medicine helps figure out symptom”. Participants suggested adding content for “more exercise, talk about what you eat, cough, chest tightness, dizziness, with swelling” and “more specifics, on a healthy diet, and encouragement, for, some form of activity, if only just walking” and “bigger letters, understandable,⋯contact someone to help you” and “I would like it to be small to be placed in a wallet.” Conclusions Participants provided their perceptions of the HF action plan and their feedback is instrumental in modifying the action plan for use in a broader HF patient population to assist patients in self-management of their condition, including the understanding of when to seek health care.

The efficiency of the NSHPZ-HMM: theoretical and practical study

In this paper, we propose a novel HMM-based 2-D recognition engine, namely the NSHPZ-HMM. Like the reference model (the NSHP-HMM), the proposed classifier brings the efficient training and decoding algorithms of 1-D HMM to the 2-D modeling of spatial data. Furthermore, in contrast to the reference model which suffers from the short 2-D context limitation, our model uses the NSHP Markov random field to describe the contextual information at a ’zone’ level rather than a ’pixel’ level; the goal is to extend the context in order to give a better modeling of the spatial property of an image. Therefore, the use of high-level features extracted directly on the gray-level or color zones is possible, unlike what is done in a recognition based on classical NSHP-HMM, where the model, mandatorily, operates at a pixel level on normalized binary images; consequently, the applicability of our model is more general compared to the classical NSHP-HMM. Throughout this paper, we demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach at two stages. Firstly, in the theoretical study, we show the advantage of our model over other HMM-based 2-D classifiers; this part constitutes by itself, to our knowledge, the first complete overview of 2-D recognition approaches. Secondly, the experimental evaluation performed on recognition of handwritten digits/words provides the effectiveness of the NSHPZ-HMM against all other HMM-based 2-D recognizers and shows a good potential for other image recognition applications.

Characterization of thermophilic fungi producing extracellular lignocellulolytic enzymes for lignocellulosic hydrolysis under solid-state fermentation

BackgroundThermotolerant lignocellulolytic enzymes have become a subject of interest in industrial processes due to their ability to degrade lignocellulosic polysaccharides. Development of cost-effective, large-scale screening for production of desirable enzymes by thermophilic fungi is a challenge. The present investigation focused on isolating, screening, and identifying industrially relevant thermophilic producers of lignocellulolytic enzymes from various locations in the Warangal district, Telangana, India.ResultsFifteen thermophilic fungi were isolated from soil on their ability to grow at 50 °C and were screened for their activity of cellulase, hemicellulase, and lignin degradation based on holo zone around colonies. The appearance of the black color zone of diffusion in esculin agar is a positive indication for the β-glucosidases activity test. Out of fifteen isolates, Aspergillus fumigatus JCM 10253 have shown as a potential producer of extracellular enzymes for lignocelluloses degradation showing higher activity for cellulase (EI 1.50) as well as β-glucosidase (4 mg/mL), simultaneously for xylanase (EI 1.18) by plate assay methods. A. fumigatus JCM 10253 was selected for extracellular hydrolytic enzymes production under solid-state fermentation. Maximum CMCase (26.2 IU/mL), FPase (18.2 IU/mL), β-glucosidase (0.87 IU/mL), and xylanase (2.6 IU/mL) activities were obtained after incubation time of 144 h at 50 °C. The thermostability of crude cellulase showed the optimum activity at 60 °C and for FPase, β-glucosidase, and xylanase at 50 °C which recommended that the enzymes have a potentially significant role in the biofuel industries.ConclusionThe high titer production of active enzymes that cleave different β-1,4-glycosidic bonds still remains a challenge and is the major bottleneck for the lignocellulosic conversion. In particular, the finding of thermostable enzymes which would allow the development of more robust processes is a major goal in this field.

Moving the Needle on our Med-Peds Residency Board Pass Rate

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. IntroductionThe national pass rates for the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Certification Exams (CE) has declined for combined internal medicine-pediatric (Med-Peds) residents. The lower board pass rate is especially evident in smaller institutions like our own.Methods We instituted a board preparation assistance program where each resident is stratified into a color zone according to their in-training exam (ITE) scores.ResultsThe ITE results of 67 residents from 12 classes were analyzed. 65.7% were graduates of medical schools within the United States (US) and 85.1% were allopathic graduates. Mean scores for USMLE step 1 and step 2 were 213 and 217 respectively. Mean ITE scores increased in each post-graduate year.Our first time ABIMCE board pass remained constant at 73% before the intervention and 75% after the intervention with 84% of residents ever passing the ABIMCE prior to the intervention and 81% after. Our first time ABPCE board pass rate is much improved from 46% to 75% and our overall pass rate improved from 57% to 93% (p=0.0121). On multivariate analyses there was no association between passing either the ABIMCE or ABPCE and any of our measured variables.ConclusionsIt is encouraging that our ITE scores and ABPCE and ABIMCE pass rates are improving although this seems to be due to factors other than our intervention. Other institutions that struggle with poor board pass rates may be interested in our approach.

Feasibility study on quality evaluation of Jadeite-jade color green based on GemDialogue color chip

The paper studied quality evaluation of Jadeite-jade color green through GemDialogue. There are five green-related color codes in GemDialogue, including G2Y, Y2G, G, B2G and G2B. After parametric analysis on three measured color masks with different combinations, we clarified the color change rules of different color codes and zones superimposed by different color masks. First of all, based on CIE 1976 L*a*b* uniform color space system, the color range of 728-piece Jadeite-jade color green was determined: L*∈(5.64, 64.17), h0∈(125.21, 171.10), and C*∈(10.53, 85.89), namely conforming the appearance characteristics of Jadeite-jade color green. Then, five green-related color codes in GemDialogue color chip system were selected to test the color changes of 50 color bands with combination of three color masks in different superposition forms. The changes of color hue, lightness and chroma between the color codes and zones before and after combination were considered as the indicators. The results show that changes of hue angle for standard green color codes is consistent with that of yellow color codes, but opposite to that of blue color codes. In the process changing from yellow to blue, the overall lightness moves from high to low values, in line with the sensory fact that naked eyes perceives higher lightness of yellow color than that of the blue. The overall color chroma of five color bands significantly reduces with fading yellow hue and increasing blue hue.

Determination of Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activities of Polar Solvent Extracts of Daedaleopsis confragosa (Bolton) J. Schröt

Daedaleopsis confragosa belongs to the family of Polyporaceae, which is a highly variable species, presence maze-like pores, commonly whitish to brownish cap with a zone of color and its pore surface to bruise reddish, which is found in hardwood and stumps. The flesh is very tough nature, not consumed by the human. Although the recent research revealed that it is having the prominent sources of antioxidants and other pharma bio-active component. So, therefore, the present study performed to in vitro evaluation of antioxidant and antidiabetic efficieny. In the present studies, using a various polar solvent for extracts preparation. The experimentations were recorded that the hot water solvent had shown a maximum yield of extracts 50.00 (g/weight of defatted dried mushroom). The significant results were recorded for antioxidant and antidiabetic capacity in different measuring methods. The methanolic extracts (CME) showed the strongest DPPH radical scavenging activity (94.39±0.01), the water extract gave a highest reducing power (84.12±0.00) and maximum hydrogen peroxide inhibitory found for hot water extracts (CHE) (99.32±0.03 at 100 µg/mL. The observed values were expressed in decrease dose-dependently with increasing order of concentration of the extracts with IC50. The studies are suggested that the D. confragosa is having enormous therapeutic and nutritive values, which will be used for various human ailments and also provide alternative sources for the pharmaceutical valued.

High-performance thin-layer chromatographic methods in the evaluation of the antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic activity of Myrmecodia platytyrea as a promising opportunity in diabetes treatment

The steady increase of diabetes is becoming a major burden on health care systems. As diabetic complications arise from oxidative stress, an antioxidant therapy along with anti-diabetic drugs is recommended. Myrmecodia or ant plant is highly valued as a traditional medicine in West Papua. It is used as an alternative treatment for diabetes, as the substances produced by ants can reduce blood sugar levels. The aim of this study was to develop and establish high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC)-bioautographic methods to measure the antioxidant and hypoglycemic effects in different extracts from Myrmecodia platytyrea and to compare them with sterol content. Antioxidant activity in methanol, ethanol, dichloromethane (DCM) and ethyl acetate (EA) extracts were measured with a direct HPTLC-2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) assay, while hypoglycemic effects were assessed using a newly developed α-amylase inhibitory activity assay. Stigmasterol is observed, after derivatization with anisaldehyde, as purple colored zones under visible light at hRF values of 0.66. The highest antioxidant activity was observed in the ethanol extract which is rich in polyphenols and flavonoids, while the DCM extract did not show antioxidant activity, but had significant α-amylase inhibitory activity. The highest α-amylase inhibitory activity was observed in the EA and DCM extracts and was related to their stigmasterol content.

368 Sonographic Measurements of the Inferior Vena Cava and Aorta Diameters in Healthy, Normovolemic Children Aged Four Months to Eight Years of Age Presenting to the Pediatric Emergency Department

Dehydration in children is a common diagnosis in US emergency departments (ED) with 179 million cases of acute gastroenteritis occurring annually, resulting in some 600,000 hospitalizations and an estimated 5,000 deaths. Current methods for identifying hypovolemia in children all have poor sensitivity and specificity. In adults, point-of-care Ultrasonography (POCUS) has emerged as an objective, noninvasive, rapid, inexpensive and validated tool to assess a patient’s intravascular volume status. However, in pediatrics there is mixed support of POCUS to assess intravascular volume. The primary objective of this study was to assess collapsibility index (CI) as measured by respiratory variation to establish reference values for the inferior vena cava (IVC) and aorta (IVC/Ao Ratio) in longitudinal and transverse views by age, weight, height and Broselow-Luten color groups. A secondary objective was to determine which method of sonographic measurement was more reliable. This was a single-center, prospective, convenience study of patients who presented to the ED between January - December 2016 for complaints other than dehydration. Patients 4 months to 8 years of age, whose parent/legal guardian provided informed consent, were enrolled. Patients were recruited based on their color grouping on the Broselow-Luten tape, with a goal of at least 28 patients per group. Ultrasound examinations measured the IVC diameter in both a long and transverse axis during one respiratory cycle and the transverse aorta was measured at its maximal diameter. There were 255 patients enrolled with fifteen excluded for inadequate data, leaving 240 for analysis. Fifty percent were female, most were African American (AA, 86%) followed by White (W, 7%), which was higher than our ED population of (AA, 65%; W, 30%), mean age was 2.67 years. Distribution over the color zones: (14) Pink, (28) Red, (33) Purple, (35) Yellow, (42) White, (31) Blue, (34), Orange, (23) Green. Goals for enrollment were met or exceeded in all groups, expect pink and green. Summary statistics of sonographic measurement as per age, height and weight were done and the bi-variate correlations between IVC long min-max, IVC Cross min-max, and aorta min-max with the set of variables age, height, weight and color zone, were all moderate or strong positive correlations (Pearson’s correlation coefficients ranging from 0.56 to 0.75, all p<.001). The IVC and aorta longitudinal and transverse measurements show a positive correlation with age, weight, height and Broselow-Luten color group, indicating that as the patient grows the IVC and aorta increase in a predictable manner. The strongest association was with the Broselow-Luten color groups. Transverse measurements of the IVC and aorta proved more reliable, especially in the smaller-sized children due trunk movement with normal respiration in the long axis plane.

High density aggregations of the Aurelia sp 1 ephyrae in a Chinese coastal aquaculture pond

Blooms of the Moon Jellyfish Aurelia sp.1 medusae have occurred in the harbors and coastal waters of the Bohai and Yellow Seas. However, the occurrence and distribution of Aurelia sp.1 ephyrae is relatively unknown. Mass occurrence of scyphozoan ephyrae in a coastal aquaculture pond (Shidao) in northern China was first recorded in April 2015. Based on morphological characteristics, the ephyrae collected in the aquaculture pond were mostly similar to the ephyrae collected in Atlantic French waters, which were identified as Aurelia sp.1. This was further confirmed by phylogenetic analyses of the mtDNA 16S regions of the sampled ephyrae. Surprisingly, the blooms of Aurelia sp.1 ephyrae formed an obvious reddish color similar to red tides in the surface water of the aquaculture pond. The mean density of ephyrae in the reddish color zone of the aquaculture pond was estimated to be 7.38 x 10(6) individuals m(-3). Seawater temperature and wind are the key factors for the formation of Aurelia sp.1 ephyra bloom in the aquaculture pond. Finally, we speculate that artificial structures may provide more substrates for the polyps and enhance the Jellyfish blooms in Chinese aquaculture ponds.

Interaction of Brilliant Blue dye solution with soil and its effect on mobility of compounds around the zones of preferenial flows at spruce stand

Abstract We performed field experiment with 10 g l−1 concentration of Brilliant Blue solutes in 100 l of water sprinkling on 1 × 1 m surface of the Dystric Cambisol. Consequently, four vertical profiles were exposed at experimental plot after 2 hours (CUT 2), 24 hours (CUT 24), 27 hours (CUT 27) and after 504 hours (CUT 504) in order to analyse spatiotemporal interactions among the BB solution (Na-salts), soil exchangeable complex and fine earth soil (%) samples extracted from both the high and low coloured zones located around the optically visualised macropore preferred flow (PF) zones. The concentration changes were quantifying via soil profiles not affected by BB (termed as REF) located in the close vicinity of experimental plot. Observed changes in pH (H2O), chemical composition of fineearth soil, as well as in concentration of Na+ in soil exchangeable complex to suggest, the BB dye solution didn’t represent an inert tracer, but compounds strongly involved in reaction with surrounding soils. Recorded chemical trends seems to be the result both the competitive processes between the Na+ of BB dye solution and composition of surrounding soil exchangeable complex, as well and the spatial-temporal controlled mechanism of dye solution transfer in soil.

The enduring impact of historical and structural racism on urban violence in Philadelphia

Public health approaches to crime and injury prevention are increasingly focused on the physical places and environments where violence is concentrated. In this study, our aim is to explore the association between historic place-based racial discrimination captured in the 1937 Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) map of Philadelphia and present-day violent crime and firearm injuries. The creators of the 1937 HOLC map zoned Philadelphia based in a hierarchical system wherein first-grade and green color zones were used to indicate areas desirable for government-backed mortgage lending and economic development, a second-grade or blue zone for areas that were already developed and stable, a third-grade or yellow zone for areas with evidence of decline and influx of a “low grade population,” and fourth-grade or red zone for areas with dilapidated or informal housing and an “undesirable population” of predominately Black residents. We conducted an empirical spatial analysis of the concentration of firearm assaults and violent crimes in 2013 through 2014 relative to zoning in the 1937 HOLC map. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors at the time the map was created from the 1940 Census, firearm injury rates are highest in historically red-zoned areas of Philadelphia. The relationship between HOLC map zones and general violent crime is not supported after adjusting for historical Census data. This analysis extends historic perspective to the relationship between emplaced structural racism and violence, and situates the socio-ecological context in which people live at the forefront of this association.

Semi-automatic mapping for identifying complex geobodies in seismic images

Seismic images are composed of positive and negative seismic wave traces with different amplitudes (Robein 2010 Seismic Imaging: A Review of the Techniques, their Principles, Merits and Limitations (Houten: EAGE)). The association of these amplitudes together with a color palette forms complex visual patterns. The color intensity of such patterns is directly related to impedance contrasts: the higher the contrast, the higher the color intensity. Generally speaking, low impedance contrasts are depicted with low tone colors, creating zones with different patterns whose features are not evident for a 3D automated mapping option available on commercial software. In this work, a workflow for a semi-automatic mapping of seismic images focused on those areas with low-intensity colored zones that may be associated with geobodies of petroleum interest is proposed. The CIE L*A*B* color space was used to perform the seismic image processing, which helped find small but significant differences between pixel tones. This process generated binary masks that bound color regions to low-intensity colors. The three-dimensional-mask projection allowed the construction of 3D structures for such zones (geobodies). The proposed method was applied to a set of digital images from a seismic cube and tested on four representative study cases. The obtained results are encouraging because interesting geobodies are obtained with a minimum of information.

Unusual ruby–sapphire transition in alluvial megacrysts, Cenozoic basaltic gem field, New England, New South Wales, Australia

Rare ruby crystals appear among prevailing sapphire crystals mined from placers within basaltic areas in the New England gem-field, New South Wales, Australia. New England ruby (NER) has distinctive trace element features compared to those from ruby elsewhere in Australia and indeed most ruby from across the world. The NER suite includes ruby (up to 3370ppm Cr), pink sapphire (up to 1520ppm Cr), white sapphire (up to 910ppm) and violet, mauve, purple, or bluish sapphire (up to 1410ppm Cr). Some crystals show outward growth banding in this respective colour sequence. All four colour zones are notably high in Ga (up to 310ppm) and Si (up to 1820ppm). High Ga and Ga/Mg values are unusual in ruby and its trace element plots (laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma—mass spectrometry) and suggests that magmatic–metasomatic inputs were involved in the NER suite genesis. In situ oxygen isotope analyses (secondary ion mass spectrometry) across the NER suite colour range showed little variation (n=22; δ18O=4.4±0.4, 2σ error), and are values typical for corundum associated with ultramafic/mafic rocks. The isolated NER xenocryst suite, corroded by basalt transport and with few internal inclusions, presents a challenge in deciphering its exact origin. Detailed consideration of its high Ga chemistry in relation to the known geology of the surrounding region was used to narrow down potential sources. These include Late Palaeozoic–Triassic fractionated I-type granitoid magmas or Mesozoic–Cenozoic felsic fractionates from basaltic magmas that interacted with early Palaeozoic Cr-bearing ophiolite bodies in the New England Orogen. Other potential sources may lie deeper within lower crust–mantle metamorphic assemblages, but need to match the anomalous high-Ga geochemistry of the New England ruby suite.

Sonic colour zones: Laura Boulton and the hunt for music

At the intersection of sound studies and the history of ethnomusicology, this article explores the production of sonic colour zones through Laura Boulton’s recordings in Africa and the Caribbean in the 1920s and 30s. Her own accounts, correspondence, field notes and recordings offer an opportunity to attend to alternative understandings of the relationship between humans and animals, and to situate recording practices within the field of natural history. At the same time, attention to technology and Boulton’s relationship to it allows for further theorisation of the gendering of ethnographic recording. And evidence about her interlocutors opens up an interpretive strand that considers their motivations and agendas as distinct from Boulton’s.

Scorecard - An Innovative Simplified Tool to Supplement the Existing Monitoring Mechanism to Assess and Improve Performance of Antiretroviral Treatment Centers.

Introduction:All 26 antiretroviral treatment (ART) centers of Gujarat were monitored by Gujarat State AIDS Control Society under the National AIDS Control Program. A comprehensive tool is needed to identify gap in service delivery and to prioritize monitoring visits.Objectives:To supplement the existing monitoring system, identify strengths/weakness of ART centers, and give recommendations.Methodology:Scorecard was developed in spreadsheet format with 17 scoring indicators on monthly base from March 2014 onward. The centers were classified in three color zones: green (score ≥80%), yellow (score <80% and ≥50%), and red (score <50%). Visits were prioritized at centers with more indicators in yellow/red zone. The performance of centers was compared for March 2014 and March 2015.Results:The statistically significant improvement was observed in indicator “ART initiation within 2 months of eligibility,” while after removing red zone from analysis, four more indicators named “eligible patients transferred out before ART initiation, general clients started on ART, antenatal women started on ART, and pre-ART follow-up CD4 done” reflect statistically significant improvement. Quadrant analysis was done for some indicators, which provide insight that less number of eligible patients may be a reason for low initiation of ART at one center, and at four other centers, the possible reasons for low retention are high death rate and high lost to follow-up rate. Based on these findings, the recommendations were made to regular mentoring centers, improve coordination between ART center and care and support centers (CSCs), and conduct verbal autopsy.Conclusion:Scorecard is a simple and cost-effective tool for monitoring, and by highlighting low-performing indicators, it helps in improving quality of services provided at ART centers.