Unilateral four heads of sternocleidomastoid muscle: a rare case report CASE REPORT

SUMMARY A rare case of two additional slips in the origin of the sternal and clavicular head of the left sternocleidomastoid muscle was found during routine dissection of neck in a 65-year-old male cadaver. One of the additional heads originated in the clavicle and another head shared its origin in both the clavicle and the sternum. Both the additional heads joined with the main heads of the sternocleidomastoid muscle in the middle of the neck. The insertion, nerve supply, and blood supply were normal. The aim of our study was to report a case of variation in the sternal and clavicular origin of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and to provide detailed information about this new variation. This case may be important for head-andneck surgeons for muscle grafting, as well as for radiologists while interpreting MR/CT scans of neck region

Development of Some Larval Nematodes in Experimental and Natural Animal Hosts: An Insight into Development of Pathological Lesions vis-a-vis Host-Parasite Interactions

Infective third-stage larvae of three spiruroid nematodes, Ascarops strongylina and Physocephalus sexalatus of pigs and Spirocerca lupi of dogs, were recovered from 14 species of coprophagous beetles belonging to 4 different genera. These larvae were fed to rabbits and/or guinea pigs to study their development in these experimental hosts. Larvae of A. strongylina reached the adult stage in all rabbits and one guinea pig. The adult worms recovered in these hosts were 40% and 4%, respectively, and became diminutive in comparison to their natural hosts. The larvae of P. sexalatus became reencysted in the gastric wall of rabbits inducing marked pathological changes. The infective larvae of S. lupi became reencapsulated in the stomach wall of the rabbit and also showed development in the aortic wall. Adults of Toxocara canis of dog, collected from 5 different regions of the Indian subcontinent, varied significantly in size. The mouse passage of infective larvae of one of these types led to the recovery of the adults from the experimental dogs that were smaller in size and caused severe pathology in natural experimental hosts. Developmental effects shown in experimental hosts and host specificity are of value in understanding the evolution of nematode parasitism

Impact of Ageratum conyzoides L. on the diversity and composition of vegetation in the Shivalik hills of Himachal Pradesh (Northwestern Himalaya), India

The flora of the Shivalik hills of Himachal Pradesh, India is under threat due to the rapid invasion of invasive species. Invasive species means an alien species, which becomes established in natural or semi-natural ecosystems and threatens native biological diversity. In their new regimes they show diverse life forms, habit, morphology, reproductive biology, grow fast, have the ability to grow under different habitats, produce enormous number of very small, light weight seeds that and can-survive in soil for years helping long distance dispersal and spread. They can out-compete native species, reduce wildlife habitat potential, alter natural ecosystem processes and limit overall biodiversity. Ageratum conyzoides is one such widely adaptive weed from sub-tropical America that has entered in the Shivalik hills of Hamrpur district of Himachal Pradesh. It has grown as monocultures, in grasslands, forests, agricultural, plantations and horticultural fields in Himachal Pradesh. Hence, it was decided to evaluate the impact of A. conyzoides on the diversity and floristic compositions of native species. It was found that as compared to control, in the Ageratum invaded area; the average number of plant species has reduced by 32.10%; the α diversity has reduced by 41.21% and the dry biomass of plants has also reduced significantly. It was concluded that invasion of A. conyzoides is drastically affecting the productivity and diversity of the invaded areas in Shivalik hills of Hamirpur district

Viscosity and thermal conductivity of gas mixtures

121-127A method is proposed for estimating viscosity and thermal conductivity of gas mixtures from the pure component data. Deviations of the results predicted by the approximate relationships developed are or the same order, as the uncertainty in the experimental measurements