Characterization of resistance breaking Meloidogyne incognita - like populations using lectins, monoclonal antibodies and spores of Pasteuria penetrans

Six clones de #Meloidogyne, provenant de populations récoltées en Côte d'Ivoire et qui possèdent un phénotype estérasique particulier (codé pVI) ainsi que la faculté de briser la résistance conférée par le gène #Mi, ont été comparés à #M. incognita à l'aide de différentes sondes. Le marquage à l'aide de lectines des exsudats amphidiaux de juvéniles de second stade ne permet pas de distinguer ces lignées de #M. incognita. Des souches de #Pasteuria penetrans permettent de les distinguer et mettent aussi en évidence une certaine variabilité au sein de ce groupe. Deux anticorps monoclonaux, spécifiques de #M. incognita indiquent que les clones de phénotype pVI partagent certains caractères avec #M. incognita$ mais aussi qu'ils s'en distinguent. (Résumé d'auteur

Antidiabetic and hypolipidaemic potentials of ethanol fruit pulp extract of Persea americana (avocado pear) in rats

Background: Development of new therapies capable of improving glycaemia and lipid profiles in diabetes management without side effects, reduction in efficacy and toxicity has been of great scientific interest. P. americana seed has been reported to have diverse applications in ethno–medicine, ranging from treatment for diarrhea, dysentery, toothache, intestinal parasites, skin treatment and beautification however there is dearth of information regarding it use in treatment of diabetes and hypolipidemic effect following its use for other purposes.Aim: Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate the antidiabetic and hypolipidaemic potentials of P. americana ethanol fruit pulp extract.Methods: Phytochemical screening for classes of secondary plant metabolites was done using standard methods. 250 and 500mg/kg of P. americana ethanol fruit pulp extracts were administered to alloxan- induced diabetic rats orally twice daily for 3 weeks. Glycemic levels were checked every 3 days and serum lipid profile assay was carried out at the end of the treatment period.Results: Phytochemical screening of the extract revealed presence of various classes of phytochemicals such as saponins, tannins, alkaloids and steroids. Both doses of the extract significantly reduced blood glucose levels when compared to the control group. The higher dose (500mg/kg) significantly decreased total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins compared with the control. There was also a marginal increase in HDL-Cholesterol.Conclusion: P. americana ethanol fruit pulp extract reduces hyperglycaemia and hyperlipidaemia associated with type I diabetes mellitus.Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Blood glucose level, serum lipid, phytochemical constituent

Ocular effects of chronic exposure to welding light on calabar welders

It was generally observed that welders in Calabar, Nigeria did not always wear their protective goggles during welding. Since chronic exposure to welding light can impair vision this study was done to assess the effect of exposure to welding light on ocular function of welders in Calabar, Nigeria. There were 195 subjects comprising 110welders (test) and 85 control subjects. Both groups were all male and had similar age range. The tests employed were clinical examination for ocular disorders, assessment of visual acuity, and opthalmoscopy. Test questionnaire was also used to record information on length of service, precautionary measures at work place, age and past ocular illnesses.The study also compared incidence of ocular disorders between the two groups of welders (arc and carbide welders). The mean ages of the welders and their control were not significantly different (27.53 10.0 vs 27.78 8.5 yrs respectively). There was a significantly (P<0.01) higher incidence of pingueculum, cataract, allergic conjunctivitis,corneal opacity, and keratoconjunctivitis (arc eye) in welders than in their control subjects. However, visual acuity, incidence of pterygium and glaucoma were similar. Between the two groups of welders, the incidence of pterygium, corneal opacity and keratoconjunctivitis was significantly (P< 0.01) higher in arc welders than carbide welders. Theincidence of pingueculum and glaucoma were however, similar. In conclusion, chronic exposure to welding light without adequate precaution may cause ocular disorders. Arc welding is more dangerous to ocular function than carbide welding. Length of service and age are predisposing factors to ocular disorders in the welding business

The Possibilist Transactional Interpretation and Relativity

A recent ontological variant of Cramer's Transactional Interpretation, called "Possibilist Transactional Interpretation" or PTI, is extended to the relativistic domain. The present interpretation clarifies the concept of 'absorption,' which plays a crucial role in TI (and in PTI). In particular, in the relativistic domain, coupling amplitudes between fields are interpreted as amplitudes for the generation of confirmation waves (CW) by a potential absorber in response to offer waves (OW), whereas in the nonrelativistic context CW are taken as generated with certainty. It is pointed out that solving the measurement problem requires venturing into the relativistic domain in which emissions and absorptions take place; nonrelativistic quantum mechanics only applies to quanta considered as 'already in existence' (i.e., 'free quanta'), and therefore cannot fully account for the phenomenon of measurement, in which quanta are tied to sources and sinks.Comment: Final version with some minor corrections as published in Foundations of Physics. This paper has significant overlap with Chapter 6 of my book on the Transactional Interpretation, forthcoming from Cambridge University Press: http://www.cambridge.org/us/knowledge/isbn/item6860644/?site_locale=en_US (Additional preview material is available at rekastner.wordpress.com) Comments welcom

Lattice QCD and the Schwarz alternating procedure

A numerical simulation algorithm for lattice QCD is described, in which the short- and long-distance effects of the sea quarks are treated separately. The algorithm can be regarded, to some extent, as an implementation at the quantum level of the classical Schwarz alternating procedure for the solution of elliptic partial differential equations. No numerical tests are reported here, but theoretical arguments suggest that the algorithm should work well also at small quark masses.Comment: Plain TeX source, 20 pages, figures include

Law, politics and the governance of English and Scottish joint-stock companies 1600-1850

This article examines the impact of law on corporate governance by means of a case study of joint-stock enterprise in England and Scotland before 1850. Based on a dataset of over 450 company constitutions together with qualitative information on governance practice, it finds little evidence to support the hypothesis that common-law regimes such as England were more supportive of economic growth than civil-law jurisdictions such as Scotland: indeed, levels of shareholder protection were slightly stronger in the civil-law zone. Other factors, such as local political institutions, played a bigger role in shaping organisational forms and business practice

Preliminary Calculation of αs\alpha_s from Green Functions with Dynamical Quarks

We present preliminary results on the computation of the QCD running coupling constant in the $\widetilde{MOM}$ scheme and Landau gauge with two flavours of dynamical Wilson quarks. Gluon momenta range up to about 7 GeV ($\beta =$ 5.6, 5.8 and 6.0) with a constant dynamical-quark mass. This range already allows to exhibit some evidence for a sizable $1/\mu^2$ correction to the asymptotic behaviour, as in the quenched approximation, although a fit without power corrections is still possible with a reasonable $\chi^2$. Following the conclusions of our quenched study, we take into account $1/\mu^2$ correction to the asymptotic behaviour. We find $\Lambda_{\rm \bar{MS}}^{N_f=2} = 264(27) {\rm MeV} \times [{a^{-1}(5.6,0.1560)}/{2.19 {\rm GeV}}]$, which leads to $\alpha_s(M_Z) = 0.113(3)(4)$. The latter result has to be taken as a preliminary indication rather than a real prediction in view of the systematic errors still to be controlled. Still, being two sigmas below the experimental result makes it very encouraging.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figs., 2 tabs., revte