Characterization of cavity dwelling honey bees using enzyme polymorphism

The most intensively studied of all insects are perhaps honey bees. Recognition of valid honey bee species has been difficult for several reasons. Most important reason has been the movement of honey bees all over the world for bee keeping which has resulted in their hybridization. Another problem is that scientists and bee keepers do not always use the same criteria for identification. While scientists are concerned with the biological parameters, bee keepers are more interested in behavioral traits. Even within a single species there are locally adapted populations called geographic ecotypes, which differ from each other in several morphological, biological, molecular and economic characteristics. Beside behavioral, morphological and cytogenetic evidence, electrophoretic data provide strong support for phylogenetic relationships among insects. Apis cerana and Apis mellifera are the Eastern and the Western cavity dwelling honey bees. Their habit of nesting in dark, enclosed spaces made it possible for man to domesticate them and to use them as a highly commercial industrial enterprise.  A. mellifera is thought to have originated in the African tropics or Asia and colder European climates. The recent movement of bees by European settlers for bee keeping has resulted not only in worldwide distribution of Apis mellifera but has also led to some degree of hybridization between subspecies. On the other hand there has also occurred isolation of populations either by distance or by barrier giving rises to newer subspecies or races. To differentiate these honey bees on the basis of biochemical polymorphism alcohol dehydrogenase provided significant results and was observed to be an additional marker for the species

Cosmological Ohm's law and dynamics of non-minimal electromagnetism

The origin of large-scale magnetic fields in cosmic structures and the intergalactic medium is still poorly understood. We explore the effects of non-minimal couplings of electromagnetism on the cosmological evolution of currents and magnetic fields. In this context, we revisit the mildly non-linear plasma dynamics around recombination that are known to generate weak magnetic fields. We use the covariant approach to obtain a fully general and non-linear evolution equation for the plasma currents and derive a generalised Ohm law valid on large scales as well as in the presence of non-minimal couplings to cosmological (pseudo-)scalar fields. Due to the sizeable conductivity of the plasma and the stringent observational bounds on such couplings, we conclude that modifications of the standard (adiabatic) evolution of magnetic fields are severely limited in these scenarios. Even at scales well beyond a Mpc, any departure from flux freezing behaviour is inhibited.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures; matches version published in JCA

Level of cattle rearing practices followed by farmers of Indo-Gangetic plain zone

The sample of 90 respondents’ was collected for present study from Shamli district in Indo-Gangetic plain zone. Sugarcane tops were the main fodder crop from October to May months. The sugarcane tops were fed with mix of berseem or mustard cake or others concentrates from January to May. 31.11% respondents used wheat straw mixed with other green fodders followed by jowar, karbi, berseem and lobia as 27.77, 3.33, 2.22 and 2.22%, respectively. It was found that 28.80% animals were milch animal in study area. 38.88% of the respondents provided colostrums within 2 h of birth, 2–4 within hours and the placenta. It was also observed that 43.33% allowed suckling of their calf upto six months. However, 91.11% of the respondents did not dehorn calve. The adoption level regarding feeding practices of cow rearing was providing clean and fresh drinking water which have higher180 score (I rank) of feeding and lowest score was grazing which found only 17score (X ranks), followed 172, 103, 98, 96,102, 97, 69, and 47 score occupied the ranks III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII and IX, respectively. Out of eight practices included in adoption of calf rearing management practices, Feeding of colostrum to newly born calves within 2 h after the birth was the highest score and occupied (Ist rank). The II and III ranks were occupied by attending newly born calf and proper cleaning of mucous from mouth and nostrils 139 score and trimming of hooves 94 score, respectively. Lighting and disinfection of naval cord, regular deworming of calves, right time method of dehorning and right time castration were VI, V, VI, VII, and VIII ranks, respectively. However, such types of practices are followed for sustainable livestock husbandry in this area since long time

Non-Gravitating Scalar Field in the FRW Background

We study interacting scalar field theory non-minimally coupled to gravity in the FRW background. We show that for a specific choice of interaction terms, the energy-momentum tensor of the scalar field vanishes, and as a result the scalar field does not gravitate. The naive space dependent solution to equations of motion gives rise to singular field profile. We carefully analyze the energy-momentum tensor for such a solution and show that the singularity of the solution gives a subtle contribution to the energy-momentum tensor. The space dependent solution therefore is not non-gravitating. Our conclusion is applicable to other space-time dependent non-gravitating solutions as well. We study hybrid inflation scenario in this model when purely time dependent non-gravitating field is coupled to another scalar field.Comment: 7 Pages, 2 figures, RevTeX4, v2:added a section on regularized energy-momentum tensor, references and conclusions modifie

Radiogenic heat production of Late Archaean Bundelkhand granite and some Proterozoic gneisses and granitoids of Central India

Abundances of heat-producing elements, K, U and Th, in some of the granites and gneisses of the Bundelkhand and Bastar terrains have been estimated by in situ gamma-ray spectrometry. The Bundelkhand granite is an I-type, calc-alkaline granite complex made up of porphyritic, coarse-to-medium grained and fine-grained granites. It carries macro enclaves of ~ 3.5 Ga-old tonalitic gneisses. These gneisses have a low heat production of 1.4 μWm-3. The mean heat production of the dominant porphyritic and mediumto- coarse grained Bundelkhand granite is 5.5 μWm-3. The heat production of the Proterozoic Jabalpur granite intruding the Mahakhosal greenstone belt is 3.4 μWm-3. The Tirodi gneisses resulting from migmatization of psammopelites of the Sausar Group, are characterized by a mean heat production of 3.8 μWm-3. The cataclastic biotite gneisses of the Tattapani geothermal area are the highest heat-producing rocks encountered in the Bundelkhand terrain with a mean heat production of 7.4 μWm-3. The tonalitic Amgaon gneisses of the Bastar terrain are characterized by a heat production of 0.7 μWm-3, which is about half of the mean heat production of the tonalitic gneisses occurring as inclusions in the Bundelkhand granite. Mean heat production of the Proterozoic Amgaon and Dongargarh granites are 2.5 and 2.9 μWm-3, respectively. Preliminary heat production data presented here show that the gneisses and granitoids of the Bundelkhand and Bastar terrains may have distinct heat production ranges, with the rocks of the Bundelkhand terrain being more heat-producing

Osteopoikilosis - associated with dwarfism and presenting as painful joint effusion

Osteopoikilosis is usually asymptomatic with only 15-20% patient having pain or joint effusion. Sclerotic dysplasia has multiple differential diagnosis including benign and malignant etiology. Characteristic features of symmetric, round to oval sclerotic lesions in multiple joints with axial skeleton sparing, no cortical erosion, normal clinical and blood investigations help differentiate osteopikilosis from critical malignant sclerotic pathology.

Pseudoarthrosis of unilateral cervical rib and 1st rib exostosis-presenting with supraclavicular mass and thoracic outlet syndrome

Cervical rib is defined as the presence of supernumerary rib at the 7th cervical vertebrae possibly associated with mutations in Hox genes. Cervical rib may have a free end or may be fused with the first rib by bone bridge or fibrous band. However, the incidence of pseudoarthrosis of cervical rib with exostosis from the first rib is reported rarely in literature. This report documents a unilateral pseudoarthrosis of cervical rib with 1st rib exostosis presenting as a supra clavicular mass with thoracic outlet syndrome.

Design, synthesis and anticonvulsant activity of some new 5,7-dibromoisatin semicarbazone derivatives

A series of 5,7-dibromoisatin semicarbazones have been synthesized in good yield, involving aryl urea and aryl semicarbazide formation. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed on the basis of their spectral data. All the compounds were evaluated for anticonvulsant and CNS depressant activities. Anticonvulsant activity was determined after intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration to mice by maximal electroshock (MES) induced seizure method and minimal motor impairment was determined by rotarod test. A computational study was carried out for prediction of pharmacokinetic properties and making them potentially promising agents for the treatment of epilepsy. Compounds (Z)-1-(5,7-dibromo-2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-4-(4-chlorophenyl)semicarbazide (DH-05), (Z)-1-(5,7-dibromo-2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-4-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)semicarbazide (DH-11) and (Z)-1-(5,7-dibromo-1-methyl-2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-4-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)semicarbazide (DH-12) exhibited prominent anticonvulsant effect in the series with little or no neurotoxicity and little CNS depressant effect as compared to standard drug