Lead biosorption by a bacterium isolated from industrial effluents

An attempt was made to isolate microorganisms from the industrial effluents and to study their role in bioremediation of lead in selected industrial effluents. Sixty bacterial strains from the industrial effluent were isolated, purified, preliminarily identified and examd. for their ability to uptake lead. Based on the min. inhibition concns. (MICs) of lead for the selected isolates, six strains were found to be most resistant isolates and amongst them one isolate showed max. resistance to lead which was identified as Bacillus cereus. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) photographs and Energy dispersive X-​ray spectroscopy (EDS) signature of Bacillus cereus revealed that lead was adsorbed to the cell surface, confirming biosorption capacity of the bacteria

Central Course of Photic Input in the Ventral Nerve Cord of Scorpion (Heterometrus fulvipes)

The course of the photic input from the metasoma in the ventral nerve cord of scorpion was studied. The input was found to influence the activity in a large number of neurons in the nerve cord. The phenomenon of contralateral stimulation of units at various levels of the nerve cord has heen demonstrated

Motor Excitation with Reference to Neural Photoreception in Scorpion

The effect of photic input from the neural photoreceptors in the metasoma of the scorpion Heterometrus on the motor activity was examined. It was observed that the illumination of these photoreceptors results in the excitation of a large number of efferent fibers innervating various parts of the body. Furthermore, the input was also found to elicit a bending movement of the telson which constitutes an important part of the sting reflex of the animal

Glycerol formation in silkworm eggs

The temporal pattern of accumulation of glycerol was examined during the early diapause period in silkworm eggs. Studies on the activities of two important enzymes viz. NADP-dependent glycerol dehydrogenase and NADP-dependent glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase showed that the latter may be more important than the former in the production of glycerol during diapause in silkworm eggs. © 1980 Indian Academy of Sciences

Polyol dehydrogenases in the eggs of the silkworm Bombyx mori L.

Activities of some of the dehydrogenases involved in the formation of polyols were examined in diapause, non-diapause and acid treated artificial non-diapause eggs. The studies revealed that NADP-SDH may be important in the production of sorbitol during the onset of diapause and that NAD-GPDH may be playing a more important role than NADP-GDH in the production of glycerol. © 1988 Indian Academy of Sciences

Neural Organization of the Sensory Appendages of the Whip Scorpion, Thelyphonus Indicus Stoliczka (Arachnida, Uropygi)

In whip scorpion, the multisegmented whiplike flagellum and the antenniform legs are the modified telson and the first pair of legs respectively. These two appendages bear numerous sensory hairs. Each segment of the flagellum also bears at its base an oval membranous region called ‘Fenestra Ovalis’. The neural organisation of these two sensory appendages was examined with light and electron microscope and compared with the sensory appendages of other arthropods. Each sensory hair of the antenniform leg has polyneural innervation. The afferent axons form tiny nerves. In contrast to the conventional arthropod neural organisation, an unusual finding is the formation of synapses by some of the axons in the periphery. Various types of synapses based on pre- and postsynaptic elements, and the nature of synaptic vesicles have been studied. The aggregation of the axons results in the formation of two large nerves which contain predominantly fine fibres and a few exceptionally large “Giant” fibres. In the antenniform legs just below the cuticle, cells with striking microvillar formations similar to those found in rhabdoms of photoreceptor cells were observed. Associated with these structures were cells containing abundant osmiophilic granules. The innervation of sensory hairs of the flagellum is similar to that of the antenniform legs. Fenestra Ovalis shows a thin and membranous cuticle below which sensory cells with broad, expanded dendrites containing elongated mitochondria were found. These observations are discussed from a standpoint of neural organization in relation to information processing at the periphery and in comparison with the sensory appendages of arthropods

IONIC COMPOSITION OF THE HAEMOLYMPH OF THE WHIP SCORPION, THELYPHONUS INDICUS STOLICZKA, AND ITS SALINE FORMULA

The concentration of major ions (mM/l) in haemolymph of the whip scorpion, Thelyphonus indicus STOLICZKA, were found to be Na+=222.6, K+=14.24, Ca2+=12.50, Mg2+=7.52 and Cl-=235.16. The pH of haemolymph was found to be 7.60. Based on these values the saline formula was established as follows: NaCl =13.00g/l, KCl=1.06g/l, CaCl2=1.38g/l, MgCl2=1.52g/l. The pH was adjusted to 7.60 with 0.2M Tris-HCl buffer. The suitability of the prepared saline for neurophysiological studies has been tested

Effect of Mating in Altering Oviposition Preference for Substrata, Photoperiod and Diet in Helicoverpa armigera Females

Studies aimed at understanding various factors influencing the female reproductive behavior in general, and egg laying in particular in cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera showed differential responses to factors such as texture of the substratum, photoperiod and diet following mating. Further, the deformity of wings affected oviposition despite normal mating

THE DISPOSITION AND EXTERNAL MORPHOLOGY OF TRICHOBOTHRIA IN TWO ARACHNIDS

GEETHABALI and Sulochana D. MoRo (Neurophysiology Laboratory, Depart-ment of Zoology, Bangalore University, Bangalore-560056, India) : The disposition and external morphology of trichobothria in two arachnids. Acta arachnol,, 36:11-23 (1988).The distribution and external morphology of trichobothria in the whip scorpion,Thelyphonus indicus, and the scorpion, Heterometrus fulvipes, have been studied. While the whip scorpion has its trichobothria remarkably reduced in number to just 10 distributed on the tibiae of the legs, the scorpion has totally 96 trichobothria with 48 on each pedipalp. The sockets as well as hair shafts of the trichobothria on the antenniform legs of the whip scorpion differ widely in their appearance from those on the walking legs. The trichobothria of the scorpion resemble those on the antenniform legs of the whip scorpion, but differ due to the lamellated wall of the cup of the trichobothrium in the scorpion. The directions of mobilities of individual trichobothria in both the arachnids have also been mapped