Alkaline proteases from the gut fluids of detritus-feeding larvae of the crane fly, Tipula abdominalis (say) (diptera, tipulidae)

The high level of proteolytic activity present in the midgut fluids of the detritus-feeding larvae of the crane fly, Tipula abdominalis, is due to a mixture of enzymes, consisting largely of serine proteases with trypsin- or chymotrypsin-like substrate specificities. These enzymes have high alkaline pH optima (pH > 11) and high stability at pH values of 8.5-11.5 at 15[deg]C, properties that enable them to function effectively in the highly alkaline gut fluids (pH 9.5-11.5) of an insect that feeds and grows in cold water (0-25[deg]C). The enzymes also have very low isoelectric points (pH in vivo. Possibly their anionic character prevents their inactivation through adsorption on ingested lignin, humic acid or clay. These serine enzymes arise from the midgut epithelial cells, and not from microbes residing in the gut or from ingested detrital food. The digestive system of T. abdominalis larvae is adapted for the efficient utilization of the limited quantities of dietary protein present in detrital food.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24947/1/0000374.pd

Određivanje i validacija novih početnica za učinkovitu genotipizaciju životinjskih rotavirusa G3.

The present study describes the problem of genotyping failures of animal rotaviruses with existing and in-use G3 genotyping primers. To overcome the problem, published and in-use G3 typing primers with sequences of VP7 genotyping regions from human and animal G3 rotavirus isolates were evaluated. The sequence alignment analysis showed that existing in-use G3 primers exhibit higher complementarities with rotavirus isolates of G6, G8 and G10 genotype specificities. The existing G3 primers showed up to 9 nucleotide mismatches with the animal origin rotavirus isolates of G3 genotype specificity. The modified G3 genotyping primers yielded positive amplification in all the G3 isolates of animal origin, with no incorrect amplification with any other group A rotavirus genotypes viz. G6 and G10. We advise the use of the proposed primers in molecular surveillance studies to discover the truly dominant genotypes of rotaviruses in animals.U radu je opisan problem neuspjeha genotipizacije životinjskih rotavirusa s dosadašnjim početnicama za genotipizaciju G3. Za rješavanje tog problema vrednovane su objavljene i rabljene početnice za G3 sa sekvencijama za VP7 područja genotipizacije izolata rotavirusa podrijetlom od ljudi i životinja. Analiza poravnanja sekvencije pokazala je da rabljene početnice G3 pokazuju veću komplementarnost s izolatima rotavirusa genotipa G6, G8 i G10. Postojeće početnice G3 bile su u devet nukleotida nepodudarne s rotavirusima G3 životinjskog podrijetla. Preinačene početnice za genotipizaciju G3 pokazale su se uspješnima za umnožavanje sva tri izolata G3 podrijetlom od životinja bez pogrješnog umnožavanja bilo kojeg genotipa skupine A rotavirusa odnosno G6 i G10. Preporučuje se upotreba predloženih početnica u molekularnim istraživanjima za dokaz uistinu dominantnih genotipova rotavirusa u životinja

A Study Of Hypertension In Adult Population (20-60 Years) Of A Rural Area Of J&K State

Research questions: 1. What is the magnitude of problem of hypertension in adult population of a rural area of J&K? 2. What is the role of socio- demographic factors? Objectives: To study the extent of problem of hypertension in terms of prevalence and distribution of cases. Study design: Case â€" control. Setting: Villages of R.S Pura block, Distt. Jammu. Participants: Adult population (20-60 years). Simple size: 4267 adults (20-60 years) from 17 villages. Study variables: Age, sex, caste, religion, marital status, literacy. Outcome variables: Prevalence. Statistical analysis: ANOVA, S.E of diff. of means and proportions, Chi- square test. Results: Prevalence of hypertension in adult population was observed to be 8.31%. It was higher in females (10.8%) in comparison to males (6.34%), which was statistically significant (p<0.05). There was a consistent rise in prevalence rate from 1.4% to 31.93% with the increase in age group from 20-25 years to 55-60 years in both sexes, which is highly significant (p<0.01). Marital status & literacy did not seem to contribute towards hypertension

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Not AvailableNine members of the family Herpesviridae infect equines and two of them (EHV1 and EHV4) are the globally significant pathogens causing respiratory disease, abortion and more rarely paralysis. The ability of equid herpesviruses to establish life-long latent infection in lymphoid and neural tissues with periodic reactivation and shedding is central to the maintenance of these viruses in horse populations. Over 50% of horses become latently infected after infection with EHV1 and EHV4. During latency, expression of viral genes is highly restricted with expression of few or no viral proteins. The recent scientific advances have provided insight into the mechanism of equine herpesvirus pathogenesis, including latency. The establishment of latent infection is highly coordinated process regulated by inter-play of viral, host and environmental factors. In this article, we review how molecular, cellular and viral regulatory mechanisms influence the switch between latent and lytic infections.Not Availabl

High sensitivity detection and classification of defects in austenitic weldments using cluster analysis and pattern recognition

Problems encountered in the ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation of austenitic stainless steel weldments (greater than 12 mm thick) are highlighted in this paper. Ultrasonic studies are presented on 14 mm and 16.5 mm thick austenitic stainless steel weldments. These thicknesses were chosen, to initially apply and standardise the developed techniques for defect detection and characterisation, and to subsequently extend these methods for larger weld thicknesses. Two novel cluster analysis methods and a pattern recognition method, that are developed for the efficient detection of defects such as line defects, porosities etc. in these weldments by analysing ultrasonic signals, are presented. Limitations of conventional ultrasonic testing for detection of defects less than 5% of the thickness of the weld and the development and application of advanced signal analysis methodologies to overcome these difficulties are described and the results are compared for both natural defects and simulated (artificial) defects. Results show that even a 1% of thickness notch can be detected, which is indicative of the useful capability and sensitivity of these techniques for an early detection of defects in austenitic stainless steel weldments, particularly in critical applications. An integrated Expert System model, which can be implemented in a personal computer, along with the developed cluster and pattern analysis procedures, has been suggested to tackle the complex problem of detection and characterisation of defects in austenitic stainless steel welds

Scratch resistance and tribological properties of DLC coatings under dry and lubrication conditions

Scratch resistance and tribological properties of hydrogenated and hydrogen free diamond like carbon (DLC) coatings were investigated in ambient atmosphere under unlubricated and lubricated conditions using layers of oleic (C₁₈H₃₄O₂) and linoleic acid (C₁₈H₃₂O₂). Scratch resistance property improved in hydrogenated DLC while using linoelic and oleic acids compared to unlubricated condition. Coefficient of friction (CoF) was found to decrease under ambient dry conditions, while under lubrication condition, it was found to increase with normal load. At low load of 1 N, hydrogenated and hydrogen-free coatings show a super low CoF of 0.001 and high wear resistance with oleic acid

Can productivity and profitability be enhanced in intensively managed cereal systems while reducing the environmental footprint of production? Assessing sustainable intensification options in the breadbasket of India

In the most productive area of the Indo-Gangetic Plains in Northwest India where high yields of rice and wheat are commonplace, a medium-term cropping system trial was conducted in Haryana State. The goal of the study was to identify integrated management options for further improving productivity and profitability while rationalizing resource use and reducing environmental externalities (i.e., "sustainable intensification", SI) by drawing on the principles of diversification, precision management, and conservation agriculture. Four scenarios were evaluated: Scenario 1 - "business-as-usual" [conventional puddled transplanted rice (PTR) followed by (fb) conventional-till wheat]; Scenario 2 - reduced tillage with opportunistic diversification and precision resource management [PTR fb zero-till (ZT) wheat fb ZT mungbean]; Scenario 3 - ZT for all crops with opportunistic diversification and precision resource management [ZT direct-seeded rice (ZT-DSR) fb ZT wheat fb ZT mungbean]; and Scenario 4 - ZT for all crops with strategic diversification and precision resource management [ZT maize fb ZT wheat fb ZT mungbean]. Results of this five-year study strongly suggest that, compared with business-as-usual practices, SI strategies that incorporate multi-objective yield, economic, and environmental criteria can be more productive when used in these production environments. For Scenarios 2, 3, and 4, system-level increases in productivity (10-17%) and profitability (24-50%) were observed while using less irrigation water (15-71% reduction) and energy (17-47% reduction), leading to 15-30% lower global warming potential (GWP), with the ranges reflecting the implications of specific innovations. Scenario 3, where early wheat sowing was combined with ZT along with no puddling during the rice phase, resulted in a 13% gain in wheat yield compared with Scenario 2. A similar gain in wheat yield was observed in Scenario 4 vis-à-vis Scenario 2. Compared to Scenario 1, wheat yields in Scenarios 3 and 4 were 15-17% higher, whereas, in Scenario 2, yield was either similar in normal years or higher in warmer years. During the rainy (kharif) season, ZT-DSR provided yields similar to or higher than those of PTR in the first three years and lower (11-30%) in Years 4 and 5, a result that provides a note of caution for interpreting technology performance through short-term trials or simply averaging results over several years. The resource use and economic and environmental advantages of DSR were more stable through time, including reductions in irrigation water (22-40%), production cost (11-17%), energy inputs (13-34%), and total GWP (14-32%). The integration of "best practices" in PTR in Scenario 2 resulted in reductions of 24% in irrigation water and 21% in GWP, with a positive impact on yield (0.9 t/ha) and profitability compared to conventional PTR, demonstrating the power of simple management changes to generate improved SI outcomes. When ZT maize was used as a diversification option instead of rice in Scenario 4, reductions in resource use jumped to 82-89% for irrigation water and 49-66% for energy inputs, with 13-40% lower GWP, similar or higher rice equivalent yield, and higher profitability (27-73%) in comparison to the rice-based scenarios. Despite these advantages, maize value chains are not robust in this part of India and public procurement is absent. Results do demonstrate that transformative opportunities exist to break the cycle of stagnating yields and inefficient resource use in the most productive cereal-based cropping systems of South Asia. However, these SI entry points need to be placed in the context of the major drivers of change in the region, including market conditions, risks, and declining labor availability, and matching with the needs and interests of different types of farmers