Nitin Kumar Singh

Emerging technologies to support supply chain management

New technologies that turn raw data into information and knowledge are changing the way the firms operate. In this context, various forms of supply chain management (SCM) applications are among the enabling technologies transforming how business markets operate. IT research agencies expect SCM applications sales to triple by 2004 [9], in part owing to developments in related technologies that support SCM applications. Prominent vendors in SCM applications market include i 2 Technologies, SAP AG, Oracle, and Invensys, which produce a range of hardware and software components that span communication, optimization, and modeling systems. The hardware and software components that support SCM applications can be collectively referred to as the supply chain infrastructure. In this article, we outline important developments in SCM and supply chain infrastructure, including technologies in optimization and modeling systems, which have had a remarkable imprint on supply chain decision-making. Our observations are indicative in nature and shed light on the trajectory these developments are taking, but are not meant to be comprehensive and do not encompass all the facets of supply chain management and SCM applications. Data Capture and Transmission In the area of communication, automatic data capture (ADC) technology is fast becoming an important tool to support business transactional information and supply chain processes. ADC systems, which are predicted to grow by almost 16% per year [9], include bar code scanning, voice recognition, and radio frequency data capture (RFDC) systems. The devices supporting ADC systems range from scanners, keyboards, PCs, laptops, servers, PDA devices, cell phones, pagers, and vehiclemounted instruments. One cannot hope to know the status of items flowing through the system without collecting data in a usable form as ADC systems do. Bar code scanning systems are currently integral to the supply chain infrastructure of many firms, and radio frequency identification (RFID) is gaining increasing acceptance too. While RFID systems are more expensive than bar codes, they can be read at very high speeds, and can collect 40 times the data collectible through traditional bar codes,

Exiguobacterium aquaticum sp. nov., a member of the genus Exiguobacterium

A Gram-positive, motile, short rod-shaped, orange pigmented bacterium, designated strain IMTB-3094(T), was isolated from a water sample collected from Tikkar Tal Lake, Haryana, and subjected to detailed polyphasic taxonomic analysis. Strain IMTB-3094(T) possessed most of the phenotypic and chemotaxonomic properties of the genus Exiguobacterium and, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, was assigned to this genus. Strain IMTB-3094(T) exhibited the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Exiguobacterium mexicanum MTCC 7759(T) (99.5 %) followed by Exiguobacterium aurantiacum MTCC 6414(T) (99.1 %), Exiguobacterium aestuarii MTCC 7750(T) (98.0 %), Exiguobacterium profundum MTCC 10851(T) (98.0 %) and Exiguobacterium marinum MTCC 7751(T) (98.0 %). The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain IMTB-3094(T) was 53.2 mol% and a DNA-DNA relatedness study confirmed that it represents a novel species. The major fatty acids of strain IMTB-3094(T) were iso-C(17 : 0) (16.1 %), anteiso-C(13 : 0) (19.0 %), iso-C(13 : 0) (11.9 %), iso-C(15 : 0) (9.8 %) and iso-C(17 : 1) (12.7 %). The predominant quinones were MK-7 (55.0 %) and MK-6 (26.0 %) with minor amounts of MK-8 (12.0 %). Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses, strain IMTB-3094(T) represents a novel species of the genus Exiguobacterium, for which the name Exiguobacterium aquaticum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is IMTB-3094(T) (= MTCC 10958(T) = JCM 17977(T)).

Reclassification of Bacillus isronensisShivaji et al. 2009 as Solibacillus isronensis comb. nov. and emended description of genus Solibacillus Krishnamurthi et al. 2009.

An investigation into the taxonomic position of Bacillus isronensis MTCC 7902T revealed that the strain shares a common phylogenetic lineage with Solibacillus silvestris MTCC 10789T. It displays considerable overlap in phenotypic properties with the genus Solibacillus, including endospore shape and position, oxidase and catalase activities, presence of iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 1ω7c alcohol and iso-C17 : 1ω7c as major cellular fatty acids, A4α-type cell-wall peptidoglycan, polar lipids and menaquinone pattern. These features reinforce the findings of molecular phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene, gyrB gene and 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequences and, in line with the recommendations of Kämpfer et al. [Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 56 (2006), 781-786], provide justification for the transfer of Bacillus isronensis from the genus Bacillus to Solibacillus as Solibacillus isronensis comb. nov. The type strain is B3W22T ( = MTCC 7902T = DSM 21046T = JCM 13838T). An emended description of the genus Solibacillus is also provided.

Genome Mining and Comparative Genomic Analysis of Five Coagulase- Negative Staphylococci (CNS) Isolated from Human Colon and Gall Bladder

Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CNS) are known to cause distinct types of infections in humans like endocarditis and urinary tract infections (UTI). Surprisingly, there is a lack of genome analysis data in literature against CNS particularly of human origin. In light of this, we performed genome mining and comparative genomic analysis of CNS strains Staphylococcus cohnii subsp. cohnii strain GM22B2, Staphylococcus equorum subsp. strain equorum G8HB1, Staphylococcus pasteuri strain BAB3 isolated from gall bladder and Staphylococcus haemolyticus strain 1HT3, Staphylococcus warneri strain 1DB1 isolated from colon. We identified 29% of shared virulence determinants in the CNS strains which involved resistance to antibiotics and toxic compounds, bacteriocins and ribosomally synthesized peptides, adhesion, invasion, intracellular resistance, prophage regions, pathogenicity islands. 10 unique virulence factors involved in adhesion, negative transcriptional regulation, resistance to copper and cadmium, phage maturation were also present in our strains. Apart from comparing the genome homology, size and G + C content, we also showed the presence 10 different CRISPR-cas genes in the CNS strains. Further, KAAS based annotation revealed the presence of CNS genes in different pathways involved in human diseases. In conclusion, this study is a first attempt to unveil the pathogenomics of CNS isolated from two distinct body organs and highlights the importance of CNS as emerging pathogens of health care sector.

Agromyces arachidis sp. nov. Isolated from a Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) Crop Field

A Gram-positive, yellowish bacterium strain AK-1T was isolated from soil sample collected from peanut (Arachis hypogaea) crop field and studied by using a polyphasic approach. The organism had morphological and chemotaxonomic properties consistent with its classification in the genus Agromyces. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain AK-1T was closely related to Agromyces aurantiacus (98.6%) followed by Agromyces soli (98.3%), Agromyces tropicus (97.6%), Agromyces ulmi (97.3%), Agromyces flavus (97.2%), and Agromyces italicus (97.0%), whereas the sequence similarity values with respect to the other Agromyces species with validly published names were between 95.3 and 96.7 %. However, the DNA-DNA hybridization values obtained between strain AK-1T and other related strains were well below the threshold that is required for the proposal of a novel species. The DNA G + C content of the strain is 71.8 mol%. The above data in combination with the phenotypic distinctiveness of AK-1T clearly indicate that the strain represents a novel species, for which the name Agromyces arachidis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is AK-1T (=MTCC 10524T = JCM 19251T).

Draft Genome Sequence of Streptomyces gancidicus Strain BKS 13-15

ABSTRACT We report the 7.3-Mbp genome sequence of Streptomyces gancidicus strain BKS 13-15, isolated from mangrove sediment samples collected from the Bhitar Kanika Mangrove Reserve Forest, Odissha, India. The draft genome of strain Streptomyces gancidicus strain BKS 13-15 consists of 7,300,479 bp with 72.6% G+C content, 6,631 protein-coding genes, and 71 RNAs.

Genome sequencing and annotation of Acinetobacter guillouiae strain MSP 4-18.

The genus Acinetobacter consists of 31 validly published species ubiquitously distributed in nature and primarily associated with nosocomial infection. We report the 4.8 Mb genome of Acinetobacter guillouiae MSP 4-18, isolated from a mangrove soil sample from Parangipettai (11°30′N, 79°47′E), Tamil Nadu, India. The draft genome of A. guillouiae MSP 4-18 has a G + C content of 38.0% and includes 3 rRNA genes (5S, 23S, 16S) and 69 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes.

Genome sequencing and annotation of Acinetobacter gerneri strain MTCC 9824T

The genus Acinetobacter consists of 31 validly published species ubiquitously distributed in nature and primarily associated with nosocomial infection. We report the 4.4 Mb genome of Acinetobacter gerneri strain MTCC 9824T. The genome has a G + C content of 38.0% and includes 3 rRNA genes (5S, 23S16S) and 64 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes.

Draft Genome Sequence of Acinetobacter baumannii Strain MSP4-16

ABSTRACT We report the 4.0-Mb draft genome sequence of Acinetobacter baumannii strain MSP4-16, isolated from a mangrove soil sample from Parangipettai (11°30′N, 79°47′E), Tamil Nadu, India. The draft genome sequence of strain MSP4-16 consists of 3,944,542 bp, with a G+C content of 39%, 5,387 protein coding genes, and 69 RNAs.