Haematology and biochemical parameters of different feeding behaviour of teleost fishes from Vellar estuary, India

Haematological parameters have been recognized as valuable tools for monitoring fish health. Haematological and serum biochemical parameters were studied and compared different feeding behaviour of teleost fishes. Three marine teleost fishes, Lates calcarifer (carnivores), Mugil cephalus (omnivores) and Chanos chanos (herbivores), were carried out in order to find out a normal range of blood parameters which would serve as baseline data for assessment of the health status of the fish as well as reference point for future comparative surveys. Blood parameters such as red blood cell count (RBC) and white blood cells count (WBC), haemoglobin, haematocrit, mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell haemoglobin, glucose, protein, cholesterol and urea were estimated from teleost fishes of different trophic level. Statistical analysis revealed that differences in haematological parameters between marine fish were significant (P<0.01)

Evaluation of normal variants of circle of Willis at MRI

Background: Anatomy of circle of Willis (COW) shows extensive variations in different individuals and signifies the causation and presentation of clinical disease. The present study aims to evaluate the different anatomical variations of the Circle of Willis (COW) in general population, using magnetic resonance (MR) 3D-time of flight angiography and to correlate the observations with age and gender characteristics.Methods: This observational clinical study was conducted January 2013 to March 2014 in 503patients who were referred for MRI – Brain. MRI (Philips 1.5 Tesla magnet) with routine brain sequences along with 3D –TOF MRA was done in all patients. The anatomical variants of the anterior and posterior components of the COW were studied. The complete COW was assessed and the diameters of all the components were measured. The correlation between the vessel diameters in relations to age and gender were evaluated.Results: The mean age group of study participants was 42 years. Male dominance was seen among participants (57.1%). The complete configuration of the circle was seen in 31.6% of population. Most common anterior variant is type A (normal anterior configuration) with a prevalence of 52.9% and posterior variant is type K with a prevalence of 32.9%. Average diameters of the proximal vessels supplying the COW were larger in the older age subjects (centripetal vessels, the right and left ICA s and BA). Statistically significant differences between the mean vessel diameters between males and females were seen in the ICA-RT, ICA-LT, and PCOA-LT.Conclusions: The present study showed great variability of the anatomy of the COW in asymptomatic person. Various variants of COW can be picked up by MRA which is safer and non-invasive when compared with CTA / DSA. Knowledge of these variations would help in planning surgical procedures as well as preventing unwanted interventions

2-Hy­droxy­ethyl 4-hy­droxy­benzoate

In the title compound, C9H10O4, the dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the –CO2 unit is 11.93 (8)° and the conformation of the 2-hy­droxy­ethyl side chain is gauche [O—C—C—O = −71.91 (17)°]. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

A Model of Cooperative Threads

We develop a model of concurrent imperative programming with threads. We focus on a small imperative language with cooperative threads which execute without interruption until they terminate or explicitly yield control. We define and study a trace-based denotational semantics for this language; this semantics is fully abstract but mathematically elementary. We also give an equational theory for the computational effects that underlie the language, including thread spawning. We then analyze threads in terms of the free algebra monad for this theory.Comment: 39 pages, 5 figure

Utility of biotechnology based decision making tools in postharvest grain pest management: an Australian case study

A major concern for the Australian grain industry in recent years is the constant threat of resistance to the key disinfectant phosphine in a range of stored grain pests. The need to maintain the usefulness of phosphine and to contain the development of resistance are critical to international market access for Australian grain. Strong levels of resistance have already been established in major pests including the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and most recently in the rusty grain beetle Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens). As a proactive integrated resistance management strategy, new fumigation protocols are being developed in the laboratory and verified in large-scale field trials in collaboration with industry partners. To aid this development, we have deployed advanced molecular diagnostic tools to accurately determine the strength and frequency of key phosphine resistant insect pests and their movement within a typical Australian grain value chain. For example, two major bulk storage facilities based at Brookstead and Millmerran in southeast Queensland, Australia, were selected as main nodes and several farms and feed mills located in and around these two sites at a scale of 25 to 100 km radius were selected and surveyed. We determined the type, pattern, frequency as well as the distribution of resistance alleles accurately for two major pests, R. dominica and T. castaneum. Overall, this information along with the phenotypic data, provide a basis for designing key intervention strategies in managing resistance problems in the study area

Studies on soil fertility status of coffee growing regions in Wayanad district

Top soil in Wayanad region is prone to disturbance and erosion, as the coffee growers’ practice scraping, scuffling and cover digging. It isnecessary to conserve the inherent fertility of top soil by minimum disturbance during farming operations. Otherwise soil deterioration can become one of the major constraints for crop production in the present day exploitative cultivation of plantation crops. It is well known that nutrient availability is influenced by their distribution in the soil as well as other soil characteristics. Soil fertility is the key to meet the nutrient requirement of the crops. Soil test based nutrient management will increase the crop productivity there by helping to save the fertility. The study, carried out to understand the fertility status of the coffee soils, revealed a higher acidity (98%) with deficiencies of calcium (32%), magnesium (96%) and boron (31%) limiting the coffee productivity in the district. The coffee area in the district is strongly acidic (69%) due to lack of liming and continuous use of acid producing fertilizers. Fifty per cent of soil sampleswere high in phosphorus which in turn impair the nutrient balance and affects micronutrient absorption by plants. Deficiency of calcium and magnesium affects uptake of other nutrients which upsets cellular functions. In coffee, boron deficiency will reduce the productivity by affecting flowering and fruit set. Amelioration of soil acidity and optimal use of major, secondary and micronutrients are must to enhance coffee productivity in the district. Application of manures and fertilizers based on soil test values will save the fertilizers and also sustain the soil health. Integrated management of plant nutrients is essential to achieve sustainable coffee crop production

Tiny Publics and Social Worlds—Toward a Sociology of the Local. Gary Alan Fine in Conversation With Reiner Keller

Gary Alan FINE gehört weltweit zu den prominentesten Persönlichkeiten der zeitgenössischen soziologischen Ethnografie. In diesem Gespräch spricht er über Einflüsse in seiner akademischen Laufbahn und prägende intellektuelle Entscheidungen. Er gilt als "serieller Ethnograf", der in zahlreichen Feldkontexten gearbeitet hat und dabei einerseits Kleingruppen und eine von Menschen bevölkerte Ethnografie favorisiert, sich andererseits mit Gerüchten, Klatsch und moralischen Geschichten beschäftigt, die in kleinen und größeren Publiken erzählt werden. FINE beschreibt sein theoretisches Kerninteresse als die Untersuchung des Wechselspiels von Struktur, Interaktion und Kultur. In seinem Werk analysiert er die vielfältigen ortsgebundenen Arten und Weisen, in denen Gesellschaft von Menschen in formellen und informellen sozialen Settings verwirklicht wird, angefangen bei Baseballteams über Restaurantküchen oder die Wetterberichterstattung bis hin zum Schachspielen –um nur einige wenige Gegenstände seiner Forschungen zu nennen. Wesentlich beeinflusst durch symbolisch-interaktionistisches Denken und im Rekurs auf weitere wichtige Perspektiven auf soziale Welten plädiert er für eine selbstbewusste Haltung der ethnografischen Forschung und des ethnografischen Schreibens sowie für die Bedeutung der Konzeptarbeit in einer theorie-informierten empirischen Soziologie dessen, was Menschen zusammen tun.Gary Alan FINE is among the most prominent figures in contemporary sociological ethnography worldwide. In this conversation, he talks about influences in his academic career and key intellectual choices. Considered to be a "serial ethnographer" who has worked in multiple settings, his work focuses on small groups and peopled ethnography, as well as on rumors, gossip, and moral story telling in tiny and larger publics. FINE describes his core theoretical interest as residing in the interplay of structure, interaction, and culture and discusses the multiple local ways society is realized by people in formal and informal social settings: ranging from baseball teams, restaurant kitchens, weather reporting to chess players—to name but a few research sites. Influenced by symbolic interactionist thinking and other important approaches to social worlds, he argues for a confident voice of ethnographic research and writing as well as the importance of conceptual work in a theory-informed empirical sociology of what people do together

Biologic TNF-α Inhibitors Reduce Microgliosis, Neuronal Loss, and Tau Phosphorylation in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Tauopathy

Background Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) plays a central role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology, making biologic TNF-α inhibitors (TNFIs), including etanercept, viable therapeutics for AD. The protective effects of biologic TNFIs on AD hallmark pathology (Aβ deposition and tau pathology) have been demonstrated. However, the effects of biologic TNFIs on Aβ-independent tau pathology have not been reported. Existing biologic TNFIs do not cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB), therefore we engineered a BBB-penetrating biologic TNFI by fusing the extracellular domain of the type-II human TNF-α receptor (TNFR) to a transferrin receptor antibody (TfRMAb) that ferries the TNFR into the brain via receptor-mediated transcytosis. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of TfRMAb-TNFR (BBB-penetrating TNFI) and etanercept (non-BBB-penetrating TNFI) in the PS19 transgenic mouse model of tauopathy. Methods Six-month-old male and female PS19 mice were injected intraperitoneally with saline (n = 12), TfRMAb-TNFR (1.75 mg/kg, n = 10) or etanercept (0.875 mg/kg, equimolar dose of TNFR, n = 10) 3 days/week for 8 weeks. Age-matched littermate wild-type mice served as additional controls. Blood was collected at baseline and 8 weeks for a complete blood count. Locomotion hyperactivity was assessed by the open-field paradigm. Brains were examined for phosphorylated tau lesions (Ser202, Thr205), microgliosis, and neuronal health. The plasma pharmacokinetics were evaluated following a single intraperitoneal injection of 0.875 mg/kg etanercept or 1.75 mg/kg TfRMAb-TNFR or 1.75 mg/kg chronic TfRMAb-TNFR dosing for 4 weeks. Results Etanercept significantly reduced phosphorylated tau and microgliosis in the PS19 mouse brains of both sexes, while TfRMAb-TNFR significantly reduced these parameters in the female PS19 mice. Both TfRMAb-TNFR and etanercept treatment improved neuronal health by significantly increasing PSD95 expression and attenuating hippocampal neuron loss in the PS19 mice. The locomotion hyperactivity in the male PS19 mice was suppressed by chronic etanercept treatment. Equimolar dosing resulted in eightfold lower plasma exposure of the TfRMAb-TNFR compared with etanercept. The hematological profiles remained largely stable following chronic biologic TNFI dosing except for a significant increase in platelets with etanercept. Conclusion Both TfRMAb-TNFR (BBB-penetrating) and non-BBB-penetrating (etanercept) biologic TNFIs showed therapeutic effects in the PS19 mouse model of tauopathy