Efficacy of Botanical Extracts against Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht Causing Mulberry Root Rot-An in Vitro Evaluation

Mulberry root rot disease which is caused by Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht is one of the most serious disease, because mulberry is perennial crop and the pathogen is soil borne in its habitat. Twenty locally available botanicals were opted to screen against the pathogen in laboratory conditions namely Amorphophallus campanulatusBlume.,Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamk.,Azadirachta indicaA. Juss., Calotropis gigantea R.Br.,Calotropis procera(Ait)R.Br.,Carica papayaLinn.,CassiaauriculataLinn.,Cathranthus roseous(L.) G. Don.,Citrus limon(Linn.) Rurm.f.,Eucalyptusglobulus Labill.,EuphorbiahirtaLinn.,Gliricidia maculata(Kunth) Kunth.,Lawsonia inermisLinn.,Michelia champacaLinn., Muntingia caliburaL.,Pongamia pinnata(Linn.) Merr., Psidium guajavaLinn.,Syzygium cumini(Linn.) Skeels., Tagetes patulaL., andTerminaliacatappaL. The aqueousextracts of the plant materials were prepared to test their efficacy againstF. oxysporum by ‘sporegermination method’ and ‘poison food technique’. All the aqueous plant extracts showed inhibition in spore germination and mycelial growth in varying degrees excluding A. heterophyllus(it enhances the growth of the pathogen). Some of them were very effective, while others are moderate and less effective. P. guajava has recorded maximum inhibition in both spore germination and in mycelia growth with 96.3% and 86.5% respectfully, followed by L. inermis with 95.7% and 85.1% in spore germination and mycelia growth respectively. Where as,A. indica showed 90.7% inhibition in spore germination and 67.7% in mycelia growth.P. pinnata showed 81.1% spore and 63.4% mycelia growth inhibition and is followed by C. procerawith61.1% inhibition in spore germination and 67.3% in mycelia growth. Further, the promising results obtained from somebotanicals during in vitroevaluation will be tested in field conditions

Interneurons in the mouse visual thalamus maintain a high degree of retinal convergence throughout postnatal development

Background The dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of the mouse thalamus has emerged as a powerful experimental system for understanding the refinement of developing sensory connections. Interestingly, many of the basic tenets for such developmental remodeling (for example, pruning of connections to form precise sensory maps) fail to take into account a fundamental aspect of sensory organization, cell-type specific wiring. To date, studies have focused on thalamocortical relay neurons and little is known about the development of retinal connections onto the other principal cell type of dLGN, intrinsic interneurons. Here, we used a transgenic mouse line in which green fluorescent protein (GFP) is expressed within dLGN interneurons (GAD67-GFP), making it possible to visualize them in acutely prepared thalamic slices in order to examine their morphology and functional patterns of connectivity throughout postnatal life. Findings GFP-expressing interneurons were evenly distributed throughout dLGN and had highly complex and widespread dendritic processes that often crossed eye-specific borders. Estimates of retinal convergence derived from excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitude by stimulus intensity plots revealed that unlike relay cells, interneurons recorded throughout the first 5 weeks of life, maintain a large number (approximately eight to ten) of retinal inputs. Conclusions The lack of pruning onto interneurons suggests that the activity-dependent refinement of retinal connections in dLGN is cell-type specific. The high degree of retinal convergence onto interneurons may be necessary for these cells to provide both widespread and local forms of inhibition in dLGN

Three Dimensional Computer Graphics Federates for the 2012 Smackdown Simulation

The Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) Smackdown is a two-year old annual event held at the 2012 Spring Simulation Interoperability Workshop (SIW). A primary objective of the Smackdown event is to provide college students with hands-on experience in developing distributed simulations using High Level Architecture (HLA). Participating for the second time, the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) deployed four federates, two federates simulated a communications server and a lunar communications satellite with a radio. The other two federates generated 3D computer graphics displays for the communication satellite constellation and for the surface based lunar resupply mission. Using the Light-Weight Java Graphics Library, the satellite display federate presented a lunar-texture mapped sphere of the moon and four Telemetry Data Relay Satellites (TDRS), which received object attributes from the lunar communications satellite federate to drive their motion. The surface mission display federate was an enhanced version of the federate developed by ForwardSim, Inc. for the 2011 Smackdown simulation. Enhancements included a dead-reckoning algorithm and a visual indication of which communication satellite was in line of sight of Hadley Rille. This paper concentrates on these two federates by describing the functions, algorithms, HLA object attributes received from other federates, development experiences and recommendations for future, participating Smackdown teams

Distribution of tadpoles of large wrinkled frog Nyctibatrachus major in central Western Ghats: influence of habitat variables

The relationship between habitat variables and the distribution and abundance of adults and tadpoles of Nyctibatrachus major (large wrinkled frog) in 35 forest streams in central Western Ghats is detailed in this paper. Tadpoles were not equally distributed among these streams. Adult frogs and tadpoles were absent from 19 streams. In the remaining 16 streams, adults were found throughout the study period but the density of tadpoles varied considerably. Analysis of habitat variables at streams showed significant relationship with canopy cover over the streams, presence of leaf litter and high relative humidity on the occurrence of tadpoles. Reduction in canopy cover increases light level and air and water temperature of the streams discouraging the occurrence of adult frogs and tadpoles. However, canopy cover in the study area is frequently altered by agriculture related human activities including removal of trees for fuel and timber, pruning of green leaves and twigs for making manure and conversion of forest into commercial plantations. The results suggest that disturbances to forest canopy near streams could have deleterious effects on the occurrence and distribution of tadpoles

Hyaluronidase and Hyaluronan Oligosaccharides Promote Neurological Recovery After Intraventricular Hemorrhage

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in premature infants results in inflammation, arrested oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) maturation, and reduced myelination of the white matter. Hyaluronan (HA) inhibits OPC maturation and complexes with the heavy chain (HC) of glycoprotein inter-α-inhibitor to form pathological HA (HC-HA complex), which exacerbates inflammation. Therefore, we hypothesized that IVH would result in accumulation of HA, and that either degradation of HA by hyaluronidase treatment or elimination of HCs from pathological HA by HA oligosaccharide administration would restore OPC maturation, myelination, and neurological function in survivors with IVH. To test these hypotheses, we used the preterm rabbit model of glycerol-induced IVH and analyzed autopsy samples from premature infants. We found that total HA levels were comparable in both preterm rabbit pups and human infants with and without IVH, but HA receptors--CD44, TLR2, TLR4--were elevated in the forebrain of both humans and rabbits with IVH. Hyaluronidase treatment of rabbits with IVH reduced CD44 and TLR4 expression, proinflammatory cytokine levels, and microglia infiltration. It also promoted OPC maturation, myelination, and neurological recovery. HC-HA and tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene-6 were elevated in newborns with IVH; and depletion of HC-HA levels by HA oligosaccharide treatment reduced inflammation and enhanced myelination and neurological recovery in rabbits with IVH. Hence, hyaluronidase or HA oligosaccharide treatment represses inflammation, promotes OPC maturation, and restores myelination and neurological function in rabbits with IVH. These therapeutic strategies might improve the neurological outcome of premature infants with IVH. Significance statement: Approximately 12,000 premature infants develop IVH every year in the United States, and a large number of survivors with IVH develop cerebral palsy and cognitive deficits. The onset of IVH induces inflammation of the periventricular white matter, which results in arrested maturation of OPCs and myelination failure. HA is a major component of the extracellular matrix of the brain, which regulates inflammation through CD44 and TLR2/4 receptors. Here, we show two mechanism-based strategies that effectively enhanced myelination and neurological recovery in preterm rabbit model of IVH. First, degrading HA by hyaluronidase treatment reduced CD44 and TLR4 expression, proinflammatory cytokines, and microglial infiltration, as well as promoted oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination. Second, intraventricular injection of HA oligosaccharide reduced inflammation and enhanced myelination, conceivably by depleting HC-HA levels

Classification of four ovine breeds of southern peninsular zone of India: Morphometric study using classical discriminant function analysis

Six morphometric traits (height at withers, body length, chest girth, ear length, tail length and body weight) were analyzed to characterize from a breed point of view 1981 sheep from four ovine breeds (Bellary, Kenguri, Hassan and Mandya) of southern peninsular zone of India. Discriminant Function Analysis was used to distinguish between four breeds by morphometric traits. The population variability showed Kenguri ewes were the largest and heaviest followed by Bellary, Hassan and Mandya whereas Kenguri rams were followed by Bellary, Mandya and Hassan. Overall sexual dimorphism (m/f) was 1.13, with Kenguri males being 47% heavier than females. The coefficient of variation of all traits in four breeds ranged from 4.06% to 30.28%. The flocks and age effects showed a high heterogeneity among females of different flocks. Height at withers was most discriminating trait in separating the four sheep breeds. The Mahalanobis distance of the morphological traits between Kenguri and Mandya sheep was most while the least differentiation was observed between Kenguri and Bellary sheep. Nearest neighbour discriminant analysis showed that most Kenguri sheep were classified into their source population followed by Mandya. However, varied percentages of misclassification between different breeds were observed showing the level of genetic exchange that has taken place between the breeds overtime. UPGMA based dendrogram showed formation of two separate groups; Mandya and Hassan clustered together while Bellary and Kenguri formed other group

Anti-absence activity of mGlu1 and mGlu5 receptor enhancers and their interaction with a GABA reuptake inhibitor: effect of local infusions in the somatosensory cortex and thalamus

OBJECTIVE Glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are the key neurotransmitter systems in the cortical-thalamocortical network, involved in normal and pathologic oscillations such as spike-wave discharges (SWDs), which characterize different forms of absence epilepsy. Metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) and GABA receptors are widely expressed within this network. Herein, we examined the effects of two selective positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of mGlu1 and mGlu5 receptors, the GABA reuptake inhibitor, tiagabine, and their interaction in the somatosensory cortex and thalamus on SWDs in WAG/Rij rats. METHODS Male WAG/Rij rats were equipped with bilateral cannulas in the somatosensory cortex (S1po) or the ventrobasal (VB) thalamic nuclei, and with cortical electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes. Rats received a single dose of the mGlu1 receptor PAM, RO0711401, or the mGlu5 receptor PAM, VU0360172, various doses of tiagabine, or VU0360172 combined with tiagabine. RESULTS Both PAMs suppressed SWDs regardless of the site of injection. Tiagabine enhanced SWDs when injected into the thalamus, but, unexpectedly, suppressed SWDs in a dose-dependent manner when injected into the cortex. Intracortical co-injection of VU0360172 and tiagabine produced slightly larger effects as compared to either VU0360172 or tiagabine alone. Intrathalamic co-injections of VU0360172 and subthreshold doses of tiagabine caused an antiabsence effect similar to that exhibited by VU0360172 alone in the first 10 min. At 30 min, however, the antiabsence effect of VU0360172 was prevented by subthreshold doses of tiagabine, and the combination produced a paradoxical proabsence effect at 40 and 50 min. SIGNIFICANCE These data (1) show that mGlu1 and mGlu5 receptor PAMs reduce absence seizures acting at both thalamic and cortical levels; (2) demonstrate for the first time that tiagabine, despite its established absence-enhancing effect, reduces SWDs when injected into the somatosensory cortex; and (3) indicate that the efficacy of VU0360172 in the thalamus may be critically affected by the availability of (extra)synaptic GABA

A comparison of morphometric traits of sheep breeds of Karnataka in the farmers' flocks

The study revealed that the 4 sheep breeds of Karnataka differed significantly with respect to body weight and other physical traits. Kenguri and Bellary breeds of sheep were larger and heavier than Hassan and Mandya sheep breeds. Amongst them Kenguri rams were heaviest followed by Bellary, Mandya and Hassan but in ewes the above order was reversed in breeds of southern Karnataka. The overall difference in body weights of Kenguri and Bellary rams was 9.66 kg whereas in Hassan and Mandya rams it was 4.37 kg. The corresponding values in ewes were 4.06 kg and 1.5 kg. In ewes, the increase in magnitude of a morphometric trait from a lower age group to next higher age group was marginal. All the sheep breeds of Karnataka attained maximum weight at 8-tooth age

Bone Morphogenetic Protein Inhibition Promotes Neurological Recovery after Intraventricular Hemorrhage

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) results in neural cell death and white matter injury in premature infants. No therapeutic strategy is currently available against this disorder. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling suppresses oligodendrocyte development through basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors and promotes astrocytosis. Therefore, we hypothesized that IVH in premature newborns initiates degeneration and maturation arrest of oligodendrocyte lineage and that BMP inhibition alleviates hypomyelination, gliosis, and motor impairment in the survivors of IVH. To test the hypotheses, a rabbit model of IVH was used in which premature rabbit pups (E29) are treated with intraperitoneal glycerol at 2 hours of age to induce IVH; and the pups with IVH exhibit hypomyelination and gliosis at 2 weeks of postnatal age. Maturation of oligodendrocyte lineage was evaluated by specific markers, and the expression of bHLH transcription factors was assessed. BMP levels were measured in both premature rabbit pups and autopsy materials from premature infants. Recombinant human noggin was used to suppress BMP action; and neurobehavioral performance, myelination and gliosis were assessed in noggin-treated pups compared with untreated controls. We found that IVH resulted in apoptosis and reduced proliferation of oligodendrocyte progenitors, as well as arrested maturation of preoligodendrocytes in rabbits. BMP4 levels were significantly elevated in both rabbit pups and human premature infants with IVH compared with controls. Importantly, BMP inhibition by recombinant human noggin restored the levels of phospho-Smad1/5/8, Olig2 transcription factor, oligodendrocyte maturation, myelination, astrocyte morphology, and motor function in premature pups with IVH. Hence, BMP inhibition might enhance neurological recovery in premature infants with IVH