Counter Chemotactic Flow in Quasi-One-Dimensional Path

Quasi-one-dimensional bidirectional particle flow including the effect of chemotaxis is investigated through a modification of the John-Schadschneider-Chowdhury-Nishinari model. Specifically, we permit multiple lanes to be shared by both directionally traveling particles. The relation between particle density and flux is studied for several evaporation rates of pheromone, and the following results are obtained: i) in the low-particle-density range, the flux is enlarged by pheromone if the pheromone evaporation rate is sufficiently low, ii) in the high particle-density range, the flux is largest at a reasonably high evaporation rate and, iii) if the evaporation rate is at the level intermediate between the above two cases, the flux is kept small in the entire range of particle densities. The mechanism of these behaviors is investigated by observing the spatial-temporal evolution of particles and the average cluster size in the system.Comment: 4 pages, 9 figure

Evolution of Spatially Inhomogeneous Eco-Systems: An Unified Model Based Approach

Recently we have extended our the "unified" model of evolutionary ecology to incorporate the {\it spatial inhomogeneities} of the eco-system and the {\it migration} of individual organisms from one patch to another within the same eco-system. In this paper an extension of our recent model is investigated so as to describe the {\it migration} and {\it speciation} in a more realistic way.Comment: Latex, 10 pages, 8 figure

Tre1 GPCR initiates germ cell transepithelial migration by regulating Drosophila melanogaster E-cadherin

Despite significant progress in identifying the guidance pathways that control cell migration, how a cell starts to move within an intact organism, acquires motility, and loses contact with its neighbors is poorly understood. We show that activation of the G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) trapped in endoderm 1 (Tre1) directs the redistribution of the G protein Gβ as well as adherens junction proteins and Rho guanosine triphosphatase from the cell periphery to the lagging tail of germ cells at the onset of Drosophila melanogaster germ cell migration. Subsequently, Tre1 activity triggers germ cell dispersal and orients them toward the midgut for directed transepithelial migration. A transition toward invasive migration is also a prerequisite for metastasis formation, which often correlates with down-regulation of adhesion proteins. We show that uniform down-regulation of E-cadherin causes germ cell dispersal but is not sufficient for transepithelial migration in the absence of Tre1. Our findings therefore suggest a new mechanism for GPCR function that links cell polarity, modulation of cell adhesion, and invasion

Washing studies with a limestone sample for reduction of insolubles: a case study

The paper deals with the washing studies conducted with a limestone sample received from Rourkela Steel Plant with a view to reduce the insolubles. The sample analysed 14.88% insolubles and it was required to reduce the same to below 12% level. As the sample contained some amount of clay both in the fines and coating the lumps, it was decided to conduct washing after crushing the sample to the desired size. Bench scale washing studies indicated that, bulk of the clayey matter could be removed. As the insolubles content of the coarser lumps was quite low, pilot plant scale washing studies were conducted both with -50 mm and -25 mm material separately. Results indicated that in both the cases, the insolubles could be reduced to below 12% level with a marginal loss of CaO values

Competition of coarsening and shredding of clusters in a driven diffusive lattice gas

We investigate a driven diffusive lattice gas model with two oppositely moving species of particles. The model is motivated by bi-directional traffic of ants on a pre-existing trail. A third species, corresponding to pheromones used by the ants for communication, is not conserved and mediates interactions between the particles. Here we study the spatio-temporal organization of the particles. In the uni-directional variant of this model it is known to be determined by the formation and coarsening of ``loose clusters''. For our bi-directional model, we show that the interaction of oppositely moving clusters is essential. In the late stages of evolution the cluster size oscillates because of a competition between their `shredding' during encounters with oppositely moving counterparts and subsequent "coarsening" during collision-free evolution. We also establish a nontrivial dependence of the spatio-temporal organization on the system size

Transcriptional regulation of Drosophila gonad formation

The formation of the Drosophila embryonic gonad, involving the fusion of clusters of somatic gonadal precursor cells (SGPs) and their ensheathment of germ cells, provides a simple and genetically tractable model for the interplay between cells during organ formation. In a screen for mutants affecting gonad formation we identified a SGP cell autonomous role for Midline (Mid) and Longitudinals lacking (Lola). These transcriptional factors are required for multiple aspects of SGP behaviour including SGP cluster fusion, germ cell ensheathment and gonad compaction. The lola locus encodes more than 25 differentially spliced isoforms and we have identified an isoform specific requirement for lola in the gonad which is distinct from that in nervous system development. Mid and Lola work in parallel in gonad formation and surprisingly Mid overexpression in a lola background leads to additional SGPs at the expense of fat body cells. Our findings support the idea that although the transcription factors required by SGPs can ostensibly be assigned to those being required for either SGP specification or behaviour, they can also interact to impinge on both processes

Dental Awareness, Knowledge and Attitude among the Medical Practitioners in Pokhara, Nepal

Introduction: Oral health is a window to our overall health. Negligence to oral health might have adverse effects on the general well being of a person. Hence, early detection and prompt treatment is of utmost importance. Lack of general medical practitioner’s knowledge of oral disease has been shown to contribute to delays in referral and treatment, thus significantly affecting the associated morbidity and mortality. Methods: The present study was undertaken to assess knowledge, attitude and dental awareness among medical practitioners in Pokhara, Nepal. A list of medical practitioners was obtained from the NMA (Nepal Medical Association, Gandaki branch, Nepal) and sample size of 109 study subjects was calculated. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the medical practitioners. from March 2018 to April 2018. The data pertaining to their knowledge, attitude and awareness about oral health was gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Results of the study showed that the medical practitioners had moderate to good knowledge about dentistry as 97.2% of the medical practitioners answered correctly saying that brushing tooth daily prevents tooth decay and periodontal disease Whereas, when asked about the changes in the oral cavity which most commonly is associated with progression towards oral cancer, only 46.8% answered correctly by responding to non-healing ulcer/ erosive lesions. Conclusions: It is imperative that the dental/medical practitioners have good knowledge about the oral diseases and its systemic manifestations, so as to have timely referral and early treatment to prevent the associated morbidity and mortality