Diagnostic evaluation of nested PCR and microscopy for Cryptosporidiosis in goats: can COWP gene based qRT-PCR be useful in assessment of active Cryptosporidial infections?

The present research delved into the transmission patterns, diagnostic methods, molecular traits, and phylogenetic analysis of Cryptosporidium species. The research was undertaken to enhance comprehension of the epidemiology and the potential for zoonotic transmission. A total of 80 goat-kid samples were tested, 7 were confirmed positive by mZN microscopy and 12 by nested-PCR. By PCR, 18SSUrRNA, HSP70, and GP60 amplicons were tested for Cryptosporidium. The restriction enzymes viz., SspI, VspI and MboII were used to genotype 12 Cryptosporidium positive samples by which C. parvum and C. bovis mixed infections were detected. Quantitative reverse transcription real-time PCR was used to transcriptionally screen the COWP-subunit genes to assess the severity of the infection in goat-kids, which showed upregulation of COWP6 and COWP4, while COWP9 and COWP3 genes were downregulated. A silent mutation was found at the codon CCA→CCC, which is being reported for the first time in goat field isolates. Phylogenetic and sequencing analyses confirmed the presence of the anthropozoonotic IIe subtype.

The effect of geometry dependent Chamber Spatial Response Function in small field profile measurements.

The effect of Chamber-Spatial Response Function (CSRF) on beam profile measurements has been studied for Standard Ionization Chamber-Radiation Field Analyzer setup. The Chamber-Spatial Response Function is assumed to be Gaussian and parameterized through the projected geometry of the chamber along the measurement axis. CSRF widths was measured by constructing chamber diameter-FWHM correlation for a set of ionization chambers. The results were analyzed through Geant4 simulations. The geometrical parameters for the chamber, used in Geant4 simulation, have been derived from the CT scan images of the chamber. An excellent agreement between measurement and simulation is obtained. Various factors effecting the CSRF, such as chamber width and Compton current are analyzed. The analysis shows that the Compton current has significant role in broadening the CSRF. Further, it is also observed that a spherical chamber geometry provides better and compact CSRF.

Energy, exergy, environmental impact, and economic analyses of evacuated tube compound parabolic concentrator-powered solar thermal domestic water heating system.

In the reported study, a dynamic analytical model is developed to propose the energy, exergy, environmental impact, and economic analyses of the water heating system at Jaipur (India) with an evacuated tube compound parabolic concentrator field of a total area of 81 m2. Consequently, the model is used to perform parametric studies to report the effect of operating and meteorological parameters on the productivity and performance of the system. Moreover, the system's performance, environmental impact, and economic aspects have been investigated and compared under different meteorological conditions at four different Rajasthan (India) locations using TMY2 weather data files. Results clarified that Jodhpur receives the highest solar radiation intensity from these four locations. The model results were validated with the experimental data, and a good agreement has prevailed. Consequently, the results indicate the highest annual energy and exergy gain for Jodhpur with 79.72 MWh and 9.311 MWh, respectively, followed by Jaisalmer, Barmer, and Jaipur. The economic analysis results clarified that the simple payback period ranged from 4.5 to 4.75 years and the discounted payback period ranged from 6.6 to 7 years based on a 6% discount rate. At the same time, the levelized cost of heating for the given system is around 0.023 $/kWh which is very economical closest to that of CNG as a fuel which costs around 0.059 $/kWh. The internal rate of return is reported to be 16.76, 16.82, 16.77, and 16.75% for Barmer, Jodhpur, Jaipur, and Jaisalmer, respectively, and savings of 74.4, 78.1, 75.4, and 73.8 tonnes of CO2 emission to the environment.