Association of the leptin receptor Q223R (rs1137101) polymorphism with obesity measures in Sri Lankans

OBJECTIVE: The role of genetic factors in the development of obesity is largely unreported in Sri Lankans. The Q223R (rs1137101) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the leptin receptor (LEPR) gene has been associated with obesity measures in various ethnicities. We investigated the association of the Q223R polymorphism with obesity related anthropometric measures and biochemical parameters fasting blood glucose and lipid profile in a sample of 530 Sri Lankan adult subjects (age 18-70 years) representing both urban and rural areas of residence. RESULTS: The LEPR Q223R variant G allele frequency was 0.54. The polymorphism was associated with body mass index (p = 0.04) and waist circumference (p = 0.02) measures in overweight and obese (BMI ≥ 25 kgm-2) subjects with the variant allele conferring a greater risk of adiposity. Residency in urban areas eliminated the protective effect of the non-risk genotype (AA) in the development of obesity

Do Garbage Consuming Elephants in Tissamaharama Adopt Optimal Foraging?

Garbage consumption of elephants at the Uddakandara garbage dump in Tissamaharama of the Southern province of Sri Lanka was studied from April to September 2018. It was hypothesised that elephants adopt the most beneficial foraging strategy ensuring the highest intake of preferred food types among garbage. Direct observations were conducted using binoculars to quantify the foraging behavior pattern of elephants from their arrival to the garbage dump until departure. During the study period, 17 elephants frequently utilised the garbage dump as a food resource. Focal sampling was employed at five-minute intervals to assess the garbage consumption of elephants resulting in 37 sampling episodes making a total observation time of 3,040 minutes. Type of food items ingested and frequency of ingestion were recorded to determine the rate of capture. Mean capture rate was plotted against time to study the change of rate of feeding with the availability of garbage. The most preferred food type based on the frequency of food items ingested by elephants were fruits and vegetables. The mean frequency of ingestion was (mean±standard deviation) 8.65±2.43 per interval. The obtained plot for mean frequency of ingestion vs time interval reached an optimum of 13.97±4.96 per interval and after that showed a decrease in an exponential rate. The capture rate within the garbage patch decreased with time spent in the patch, due to increased searching time caused by depletion of preferred food types. The critical level of mean capture rate was 3.76±0.61 per interval. The threshold of feeding time for elephants at the garbage dump was 70 minutes. When the capture rate drops below the threshold, elephants leave the dump and feed in the adjacent forest until the next fresh garbage dump arrives. Current findings suggest that garbage consuming behavior of elephants could fit to an optimal foraging model.Keywords: Asian elephants, Garbage, Optimal foragin

Hypoglyceamia in a patient with a solitary fibrous tumour

Objective: To illustrate an unusual mechanism causing hypoglycaemia. Material and methods: A 76-year-old man presented with episodes of agitation and confusion and was resuscitated with oral glucose gel when found to be hypoglycaemic. Results: A CT scan for an abdominal mass confirmed a solitary fibrous tumour (SFT). The sarcoma multidisciplinary team suggested conservative management. The patient's episodic hypoglycaemia was managed with diet modification including corn-based starch, scheduled snacks and dexamethasone. Glucose levels were within normal range at discharge from hospital. The patient was referred to the palliative care team for follow-up. Conclusion: SFTs causing non-islet cell tumour hypoglycaemia are difficult to treat

Anomaly freedom in Seiberg-Witten noncommutative gauge theories

We show that noncommutative gauge theories with arbitrary compact gauge group defined by means of the Seiberg-Witten map have the same one-loop anomalies as their commutative counterparts. This is done in two steps. By explicitly calculating the \epsilon^{\m_1\m_2\m_3\m_4} part of the renormalized effective action, we first find the would-be one-loop anomaly of the theory to all orders in the noncommutativity parameter \theta^{\m\n}. And secondly we isolate in the would-be anomaly radiative corrections which are not BRS trivial. This gives as the only true anomaly occurring in the theory the standard Bardeen anomaly of commutative spacetime, which is set to zero by the usual anomaly cancellation condition.Comment: LaTeX 2e, no macros, no figures, 32 A4 page

The open superstring 5-point amplitude revisited

We derive the complete five-gluon scattering amplitude at tree level, within the context of Open Superstring theory. We find the general expression in terms of kinematic factors, and also find its complete expansion up to ${\cal O}({\alpha'}^3)$ terms. We use our scattering amplitude to test three non-equivalent ${\cal O}({\alpha'}^3)$ effective lagrangians that have recently been matter of some controversy.Comment: 41 pages. Submitted to JHEP on June 07. Accepted on July 3

Airborne microbial transport limitation to isolated Antarctic soil habitats

Dispersal is a critical yet poorly understood factor underlying macroecological patterns in microbial communities. Airborne microbial transport is assumed to occupy a central role in determining dispersal outcomes, and extra-range dispersal has important implications for predicting ecosystem resilience and response to environmental change. One of the most pertinent biomes in this regard is Antarctica, given its geographic isolation and vulnerability to climate change and human disturbance. Here, we report microbial diversity in near-ground and high-altitude air above the largest ice-free Antarctic habitat, as well as that of underlying soil microbial communities. We found that persistent local airborne inputs were unable to fully explain Antarctic soil community assembly. Comparison with airborne microbial diversity from high-altitude and non-polar sources suggests that strong selection occurs during long-range atmospheric transport. The influence of selection during airborne transit and at sink locations varied between microbial phyla. Overall, the communities from this isolated Antarctic ecosystem displayed limited connectivity to the non-polar microbial pool, and alternative sources of recruitment are necessary to fully explain extant soil diversity. Our findings provide critical insights into the role of airborne transport limitation in determining microbial biogeographic patterns.The New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (UOWX1401) and the Yale-NUS College Start-Up Fund.https://www.nature.com/nmicrobiolhj2019Genetic