Magnetoreception in Arabidopsis thaliana : Effects of geomagnetic fields on transcription and translation

Very little is known about the effects of geomagnetic fields on plants. The present work was undertaken to answer the question whether plants can perceive the geomagnetic fields (Galland and Pazur 2005). Our findings show that the effects of magnetic fields on various responses in Arabidopsis thaliana result in a characteristic multi-peaked pattern in the stimulus-response curves with multiple maxima (peaks) and minima (valleys). These multi-peaked stimulus-response curves display a unique phenomenon in biology. They are distinctively different from the stimulus-response curves, observed in plant physiology, showing a pattern of rising exponential functions, with a plateau finally. The magnetic response also depended upon the fluence rate of the overhead light, the responses being higher at higher fluence rates. However, the magnetic fields apparently are able to manifest their effects even in darkness. The two double mutants displayed variations in their response to magnetic fields, as compared to Ler seedlings, although the basic pattern of effects remained the same. Additionally the effects were enhanced in phyAphyB double mutants as compared to cry1cry2 double mutants indicating suppression of cryptochrome-mediated magnetic effects by phytochromes. These stimulus-response curves are difficult to explain on the basis of the criteria required by the radical-pair model. The effects of magnetic fields were observed not only in darkness but also in cry1cry2 double mutants. Experiments also revealed responses of the Arabidopsis seedlings to magnetic fields even under red light. Interestingly our data are in good correlation with data obtained by Binhi (2001) while working on DNA of E. coli. They got similar stimulus-response curves with similar peak positions as have been observed by us. Binhi and coworkers explained their observations in the theoretical framework of the “ion-interference mechanism”. A comparison of the effects of magnetic fields of the various organizational levels of Arabidopsis plant, i.e., on hypocotyl length, anthocyanin accumulation, abundance of specific mRNA‟s and proteins reveal maximum effects on gene transcription (12-fold approx.), which were reduced to about 6-fold in case of anthocyanin accumulation and were further reduced to only about 2.5-fold in case of suppression of hypocotyl length by blue light in Arabidopsis. We, therefore state that the effects at transcriptional level get balanced out at higher levels of organization (biochemical pathway, growth response) in order to provide “Magnetohomeostasis”

Implications of Human Resource Practices and Other Structural Factors on Commitment of Public Medical Professionals in India

In this paper we focus on often neglected issue and inadequately studied area of commitment of public sector health professionals and some of the issues surrounding human resources as its determinants. The paper argues that success or failure of new initiatives in health sector critically hinges on the commitment of the staff. This paper is based on the questionnaire study and focused group discussion of 175 doctors working as district medical officers at district level and holding key administrative positions at state level in four states in India. These four Indian states account for nearly 22 per cent of India’s population. The findings provide some important insights that would be useful in drawing future agenda of strengthening health sector and involving all stakeholders in implementation process. The study finds critical linkage between human resource (HR) practices and commitment of doctors working in the government. Specifically, following HR practices are found critical in influencing organizational commitment: transparency in selection/postings, supportive training and capacity strengthening climate, recognition of performance and regular performance feedback. Further, results suggest that certain work environment and structural factors facilitate these practices. Health officials’ roles need to be redefined and given complexity of coordination at various levels, officials need to be allocated higher responsibilities. There is also a need to improve interpersonal relations within departments and coordination among agencies and officials at various levels. It is also observed that the structural rigidities in the system leading to obstruction in information sharing across various levels needs to be addressed to ensure effective healthcare delivery. This study highlights the criticality of administrative and structural issues for reforms of healthcare sector in India. Addressing human resources issues is critical for ensuring commitment from staff in implementing new initiatives or health reform agenda. National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) also identifies the human resources and capacities as an important challenge. Institutions that are critical vehicles to implement the NHRM would remain weak owing to low commitment of people. It would be important to focus on HR issues before any new initiative is proposed and implemented. The departments of health across states need to broaden and deepen the understanding of HR management and planning issues. For this purpose they may need to set-up HR division having appropriate competency and skill-mix to address the issues and work towards making the right changes. The papers discusses that these changes will be required at both strategic and operational levels.

Quality and Quantity Loss by Aphid Infestation in Vegetables Grown under Protected Cultivation in Ladakh Region

During the hardly six months of suitable climatic window in summer season, many vegetable crops such as cabbage, cauliflower and radish are grown extensively in Ladakh region of India. These crops contribute significantly to the requirement of military and paramilitary troops in addition to the civil population inhabiting the region. In addition to growing these vegetable crops outdoor, some of these are grown under protective cultivation to get early and more produce, however various insect pests including aphids cause serious damage to the crops annually. The present study was undertaken to estimate the quality as well as quantity loss due to aphids infestation in three economically important crops namely cauliflower (B. oleracea var. botrytis), knol – khol (B. caulorapa) and radish (R. sativus) in the Indus valley of Ladakh region (J&K), in 2015. Results showed that there was 7.5 % to 27.5 % reduction in chlorophyll contents in the study crops while the overall yield in infested crops ranged from 35.4 in B. caulorapa to 41.9 % in B. oleracea var. botrytis respectively. Total chlorophyll contents were decreased statistically in radish (p = 0.0002; χ2 ≥ 17.0), whereas the overall yield loss was statistically similar among all the three vegetable crops (p = 0.6). Current study is first to analyze this kind of loss in important vegetable crops in Ladakh region of India and could be used as baseline study for planning anti-aphid strategy to protect vegetable crops in Ladakh region of India

Declining Transmission of Malaria in India: Accelerating Towards Elimination

India is ecologically vast and has close to a billion-population living at risk of malaria. Given the evidence-based present-day intervention tools and large-scale implementation, India has recorded declining trends in disease transmission from 2 million cases in 2001 to close to a million cases in 2017 and embarked upon malaria elimination in keeping with the Global Technical Strategy by 2030. India is malaria endemic, but transmission intensities varied across its landscape with just few States of the east, central and northeast contributing bulk (80%) of total positive cases. Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax are the predominant infections of which there has been steady increase in proportions of the former for constituting >60% of total cases what was 50:50 in 2001, a phenomenon attributed to emerging drug resistance. With the rolling out of the available intervention tools, malaria elimination is foreseeable yet there are multiple challenges which must be addressed to overcome the constraints. We strongly advocate continued disease surveillance and monitoring, universal coverage and intensification of core-interventions for prevention and treatment prioritizing high-risk States, strengthening cross-border collaborations for information sharing and coordinated activities, and above all sustained allocation of resources, creating the enabling environment to end malaria transmission

Prevention and Management of Bacterial Infections in Cirrhosis

Patients with cirrhosis of liver are at risk of developing serious bacterial infections due to altered immune defenses. Despite the widespread use of broad spectrum antibiotics, bacterial infection is responsible for up to a quarter of the deaths of patients with liver disease. Cirrhotic patients with gastrointestinal bleed have a considerably higher incidence of bacterial infections particularly spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. High index of suspicion is required to identify infections at an early stage in the absence of classical signs and symptoms. Energetic use of antibacterial treatment and supportive care has decreased the morbidity and mortality over the years; however, use of antibiotics has to be judicious, as their indiscriminate use can lead to antibiotic resistance with potentially disastrous consequences. Preventive strategies are still in evolution and involve use of antibiotic prophylaxis in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding and spontaneous bacterial infections and selective decontamination of the gut and oropharynx

Effect of Gamma Radiation on Survival and Fertility of Male Anopheles stephensi Liston, Irradiated as Pharate Adults

Effect of radiations on the survival and fertility of male Anopheles stephensi Liston was evaluated in the laboratory with 70 and 100 Gy radiation dose. Irradiation of pharate adults with 100 Gy dose resulted in reduced emergence and longevity as compared to control (0 Gy) and 70 Gy dose. Fecundity and fertility of female An. stephensi mated with male irradiated as pharate adults was determined upto four blood meals. Significant decline was observed in fecundity after each blood meal at 100 Gy as compared to 0 Gy and 70 Gy irradiation. Similarly, the fertility was also decreased after each blood meal at 100 Gy irradiation. The present study indicates the suitability of 100 Gy dose for irradiation of pharate adult stage of mosquito as a part of mosquito management.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Defence Research Laboratory, Tezpur, India*Corresponding author, Email: dhiman_81@ indiatimes.com Please Cite This Article As:Kavita Yadav, Sunil Dhiman Indra Baruah and Lokendra Singh. 2010. Effect of Gamma Radiation on Survival and Fertility of Male Anopheles stephensi Liston, Irradiated as Pharate Adults. J. Ecobiotechnol. 2/4:06-10.Â

Graphene Quantum Dots - From Emergence to Nanotheranostic Applications

Quantum dots are at the cutting edge of nanotechnology development. Due to their unique optical and physical properties, they have potential applications in many avenues of medicine and biotechnology. With the advancements in nano-sciences, novel applications of quantum dots are constantly being explored for drug delivery and bioimaging. Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are nanoparticles of graphene with properties of quantum dots as well as graphene. GQDs have ignited remarkable research interest in the field of medicine and biology and are considered as well-suited candidates for nanotheranostic applications due to their excellent biocompatibility and tunable physicochemical properties. The promising emerging implications of GQD platforms for diagnostics and therapeutics advances are the basis of this chapter

Synergistic mosquito-repellent activity of Curcuma longa, Pogostemon heyneanus and Zanthoxylum limonella essential oils

SummaryMosquito repellents play an important role in preventing man–mosquito contact. In the present study, we evaluated the synergistic mosquito-repellent activity of Curcuma longa, Pogostemon heyneanus and Zanthoxylum limonella essential oils. The mosquito repellent efficacies of three essential oils were evaluated separately and in combination under laboratory and field conditions. N,N-Diethylphenylacetamide (DEPA) and dimethylphthalate (DMP) were used for comparison of the protection time of the mixture of essential oils. At an optimum concentration of 20%, the essential oils of C. longa, Z. limonella and P. heyneanus provided complete protection times (CPTs) of 96.2, 91.4 and 123.4min, respectively, against Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in the laboratory. The 1:1:2 mixture of the essential oils provided 329.4 and 391.0min of CPT in the laboratory and field trials, respectively. The percent increases in CPTs for the essential oil mixture were 30 for DMP and 55 for N,N-diethylphenylacetamide (DEPA). The synergistic repellent activity of the essential oils used in the present study might be useful for developing safer alternatives to synthetic repellents for personal protection against mosquitoes

Observational constraint from the heaviest pulsar PSR J0952-0607 on the equation of state of dense matter in relativistic mean field model

In the present work, we constrain the equation of the state of dense matter in the context of heaviest observed neutron star mass M$_{max}$ = 2.35$\pm 0.17$ M$_{\odot}$ for the black widow pulsar PSR J0952-0607. We propose three interactions HPU1, HPU2 and HPU3 (named after Himachal Pradesh University)for the relativistic mean field model which include different combinations of non-linear, self and cross-couplings among isoscalar-scalar $\sigma$, isoscalar-vector $\omega$ and isovector-vector $\rho$ meson fields up to the quartic order. These interactions are in harmony with the finite nuclei and bulk nuclear matter properties. The equations of state computed by using newly generated interactions for the $\beta$-equilibrated nucleonic matter satisfy the heaviest observed neutron star mass M$_{max}$ = 2.35$\pm 0.17$ M$_{\odot}$ for the black widow pulsar PSR J0952-0607. The results for the radius ($R_{1.4}$) and dimensionless tidal deformability (${\Lambda_{1.4}}$) corresponding to the canonical mass are also presented and agree well with the GW170817 event and astrophysical observations. The radius of $2.08M_{\odot}$ neutron star mass is predicted to be in the range $R_{2.08}$ = 12.98 -13.09 Km which also satisfies the NICER observations by Miller et al. (2021) and Riley et al.(2021). A covariance analysis is also performed to assess the theoretical uncertainties of model parameters and to determine their correlations with nuclear matter observables.Comment: 19 pages, 12 Figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2305.06667, arXiv:2305.0593