Protective effect of Tribulus terrestris L. fruit aqueous extract on lipid profile and oxidative stress in isoproterenol induced myocardial necrosis in male albino Wistar rats

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the possible protective effects of Tribulus terrestris fruit aqueous extract (TTFAEt) on lipid profile and oxidative stress in isoproterenol (ISO) induced myocardial necrosis in albino Wistar rats. Albino Wistar rats were divided into normal control, TTFAEt alone treated, ISO control and pretreated (TTFAEt+ISO) groups. The extract was administered at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight for 40 days orally by gavage and ISO was administered at a dose of 85 mg/kg body weight for two consecutive days intraperitoneally at an interval of 24 h. ISO induced myocardial infarction (MI) was confirmed by disturbances in serum lipid profile, heart tissue lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme levels. There was a significant increase in the levels of serum total cholesterol (32.60 %), triglycerides (41.30 %), very low density lipoproteins (81.81 %), low density lipoproteins (84%) and phospholipids (38.88 %) and a significant decrease in the levels of high density lipoproteins (33.33 %) in the ISO control group when compared to normal controls. Additionally, there is a significant decrease in the levels of heart tissue antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase and depletion of reduced glutathione, which indicates enhanced lipid peroxidation(172 %). Pretreatment with extract significantly showed a protective effect against ISO altered lipid profile, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme levels. The present study showed therapeutic effect of TTFAEt on lipid profile and oxidative stress in isoproterenol (ISO) induced myocardial necrosis in experimental rats

Research on Data Mining Using Neural Networks

The application of neural networks in the data mining has become wider. Data mining is the search for relationships and global patterns that exist in large databases but are `hidden\u27 among the vast amount of data, such as a relationship between patient data and their medical diagnosis. These relationships represent valuable knowledge about the database and the objects in the database and, if the database is a faithful mirror, of the real world registered by the database. Data mining refers to using a variety of techniques to identify nuggets of information or decision-making knowledge in bodies of data, and extracting these in such a way that they can be put to use in the areas such as decision support, prediction, forecasting and estimation. The data is often voluminous, but as it stands of low value as no direct use can be made of it; it is the hidden information in the data that is useful . In this paper, the data mining based on neural networks is researched in detail, and the key technology and ways to achieve the data mining based on neural networks are also researched

<i>Wendlandia tinctoria</i> (Roxb.) DC. (Rubiaceae), a key nectar source for butterflies during the summer season in the southern Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh, India

Wendlandia tinctoria is a semi-evergreen tree species. It shows massive flowering for about a month during March-April. The floral characteristics such as the white colour of the flower, lack of odour, short-tubed corolla with deep seated nectar having 15-18% sugar concentration are well tailored for visitation by butterflies. The nectar is hexose-rich and contains the essential amino acids such as arginine and histidine and the non-essential amino acids such as alanine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glysine, hydroxyproline, tyrosine, glutamic acid and serine. The inflorescences with clusters of flowers provide an excellent platform for foraging by butterflies. The flowers are long-lived and attractive to butterflies. A variety of butterflies visit the flowers for nectar and in doing so, they pollinate them. Nymphalids are very diverse and utilize the flowers until exhausted. The flowers being small in size with a small amount of nectar compel the butterflies to do a more laborious search for nectar from a greater number of flowers. But, the clustered state of the flowers is energetically profitable for butterflies to reduce search time and also flight time to collect a good amount of nectar; such a probing behaviour is advantageous for the plant to achieve self- and cross-pollination. Therefore, the study shows that the association between W. tinctoria and butterflies is mutual and such an association is referred to as psychophilous. This plant serves as a key nectar source for butterflies at the study site where floral nectar sources are scarce during the summer season

Entomophily, ornithophily and anemochory in the self-incompatible <i>Boswellia ovalifoliolata</i> Bal. & Henry (Burseraceae), an endemic and endangered medicinally important tree species

Boswellia ovalifoliolata (Burseraceae) is a narrow endemic and endangered deciduous tree species. Its flowering, fruiting and seed dispersal events occur in a leafless state during the dry season. The flowers are small, bisexual, mildly odoriferous and actinomorphic; weakly protandrous but strictly self-incompatible. While insects and sunbirds pollinate the flowers, floral characteristics suggest that entomophily is the principal mode. Both bud and flower feeding by a weevil and flower and fruit feeding by the Palm Squirrel have been found to affect the success of sexual reproduction. The Garden Lizard serves as a predator of pollinating insects, especially bees and wasps, thus influencing pollination of this tree species. Fruit set in open pollination is below 10%, rising to 34% in manual cross-pollination. Limitation of cross-pollination, space constraints for seed production from all flower ovules and availability of limited resources in rocky, dry litter of the forest floor appear to constrain higher fruit set. Mature fruits dehisce and disseminate their lightweight, papery winged seeds with the aid of wind. The study site being windy provides the necessary driving force for effective dispersal of seeds away from parent trees. Seed germination occurs following rainfall but further growth depends on soil water and nutritional status. The success rate of seedling recruitment is highly limited, and it could be due to nutrient-poor soil and water stress resulting from dry spells during the rainy season

TURBULENT FILM CONDENSATION OF PURE VAPORS FLOWING NORMAL TO A HORIZONTAL CONDENSER TUBE - CONSTANT HEAT FLUX AT THE TUBE WALL

A mathematical model was developed for the study of external turbulent film condensation of pure vapours flowing downward and normal to the axis of the condenser tube with constant heat flux conditions maintained at the tube wall. The magnitude of interfacial shear was estimated for a given external flow condition of the vapour with the help of Colburn’s analogy. The average condensation heat transfer coefficients for different system conditions were evaluated. The present theory was compared with the available experimental and theoretical data in the literature and was found to be satisfactory