Induction of Useful Mutation in Mulberry (Morus) Variety S54 by Gamma Irradiation in M1 Generation

Aims: Plentiful mulberry varieties available in nature, they lack one or the other important economic trait required for silkworm Bombyx mori L. as food. Efforts have been made to induce phytomorphological variability in mulberry variety S54 using gamma rays. Experimental Design: RBD Method with three replications/treatment was followed. Place and Duration of Study: Mulberry garden, Department of Sericulture, Jnana Bharathi, Bangalore University and Mist chamber, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore, Karnataka, India between 2006-2011. Methodology: Gamma ray (1kR-10Kr) was used to induce variability in juvenile twigs of mulberry for various agro-botanical characters viz., sprouting, rooting, internodal distance, leaf area, plant height etc. and leaves were subjected to biochemical analysis. Results: Mulberry variety S54 showed linear decrease in growth parameters with the increased gamma ray dosage and plants exhibited variability with increased rooting (81.33%), plant height (147.86cm) and leaf area (146.22cm2) when compared to control in M1 generation at 7kR. Mutants showing favourable characters were grown for M2 generation which exhibited marked improvement in growth and yield parameters. Biochemical constituents in S54 mutant leaves recorded at 7kR showed increased proteins, carbohydrate, chlorophyll a and b. Conclusion: Mulberry cuttings irradiated with gamma ray (7kR) exhibited favourable traits in rooting, plant height and leaf area over the control in M1 generation and mutants were grown for M2 generation and marked improvement in growth, yield and bio-chemical parameters were observe

Impact of Feeding Selected Mulberry Germplasm Varieties on Silkworm Bombyx Mori L.through Bioassay Techniques for Commercial Exploitation

A critical evaluation study comprising five mulberry varieties viz., S1708, MS5, C10, C6 and M5 was conducted for their leaf quality through silkworm moulting and rearing using crossbreed (PMxNB4D2) silkworms. Results revealed that, in moulting tests, silkworm larvae reared on S1708 mulberry leaves recorded highest larval weight (25.03mg) and moulting ratio (84.96%) and lowest larval weight (17.04mg) and moulting ratio (71.06%) recorded in silkworms reared on C6 leaves during II moult. Silkworms reared on S1708 leaves recorded highest larval weight (39.08mg), cocoon weight (1.90g), shell weight (0.41g), shell percentage (21.66%), filament length (957.57mts), reelability (86.88%), renditta (6.06), denier (2.08) and E.R.R (88.31%), whereas lower larval weight (26.20g), cocoon weight (1.30g), shell weight (0.19g), shell percentage (16.18%), filament length (722.60mts), reelability (56.12%), renditta (8.30), denier (2.62) and E.R.R (78.86%) were observed in C6 mulberry leaves. It is clear from the results that, mulberry variety S1708 turns out to be superior in bioassay tests compared to other varieties studied

Characterization of Intermetallic Precipitates in Ni-Base Alloys by Non-destructive Techniques

The present industrial scenario requires all engineering structure to be designed considering stability of several parameters at the operating conditions (e.g. Temperature, pressure, resistance to mechanical and surface degradation). Choice of materials for any engineering component should be such that it operates safely for reliable function, without failure during in-service, giving optimum component life. Due to scarcity of various resources and cost of manufacturing, regular maintenance and evaluation of structural integrity at every stage of production is necessary. Non-destructive techniques (NDT), along with modern computational facility help in non-intrusive investigation of the component at regular intervals of the operating stages for many critical applications. This will result in increment of designed component life and also help in maximizing utilization of natural resources

Performance Analysis of Set Partitioning in Hierarchical Trees (spiht) Algorithm for a Family of Wavelets Used in Color Image Compression

With the spurt in the amount of data (Image, video, audio, speech, & text) available on the net, there is a huge demand for memory & bandwidth savings. One has to achieve this, by maintaining the quality & fidelity of the data acceptable to the end user. Wavelet transform is an important and practical tool for data compression. Set partitioning in hierarchal trees (SPIHT) is a widely used compression algorithm for wavelet transformed images. Among all wavelet transform and zero-tree quantization based image compression algorithms SPIHT has become the benchmark state-of-the-art algorithm because it is simple to implement & yields good results. In this paper we present a comparative study of various wavelet families for image compression with SPIHT algorithm. We have conducted experiments with Daubechies, Coiflet, Symlet, Bi-orthogonal, Reverse Bi-orthogonal and Demeyer wavelet types. The resulting image quality is measured objectively, using peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and subjectively, using perceived image quality (human visual perception, HVP for short). The resulting reduction in the image size is quantified by compression ratio (CR)

Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Green Leafy Vegetables Grown in Bangalore Urban District of Karnataka

Randomly collected waste water, soil and green leafy vegetable samples were from five stations of Bangalore urban district were analysed for the heavy metals namely Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Cd and Mn using Atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Present study explains the extent of heavy metal contamination in two leafy vegetables viz., palak (Beta vulgaris) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum). Results showed that, palak leaves contain Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr and Mn in all the sampling points. Cr at S1, S2 and S5 stations crossed safe value limit recommended by FAO/WHO. In coriander leaves Cu, Zn and Mn found in all stations. Pb concentration was exceedingly high in palak (28.43ppm to 149.50ppm) and coriander (54.69ppm to 75.50ppm) in all sampling stations. Cd was detected only at two stations in S2 (0.81ppm) and S4 (1.50ppm). Cr was detected at S1, S2 and S3 stations and at S2 station, Cr content in palak (70.79ppm) and coriander (127.27ppm) was alarmingly exceeding the allowable limit. Cytological studies indicated the formation of anaphase bridge, irregular metaphase, chromosome stickiness, precocious chromosome at anaphase and vagrant chromosomes. Soil samples do not revealed any appreciable increase in the concentration of heavy metals and found within the permissible limits but values were higher than control that shows contamination was mainly due to automobile exhaust, pesticides and industrial exhaust. Pb was detected in all the waste water samples and in S1 (<0.05PPM) and S2 (<0.05ppm) traces of Cd was detected. Physico-chemical parameters of waste water were also determined and factors such as pH, EC, TDS and DO found to exceed the drinking and irrigation water standards. Key Words: Heavy metals, leafy vegetables, palak, coriander, waste water, soil, chromosome

A prospective analysis of polycystic ovarian syndrome in infertile women

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a frequently occurring metabolic and reproductive endocrinopathy. Young women with PCOS mainly present with reproductive problems such as hyperandrogenism, menstrual irregularities, infertility and chronic anovulation. Despite its high prevalence and implications on reproductive health, PCOS is underdiagnosed. The objective was to study the prevalence of PCO in women with infertility, their symptomatology, endocrine profiles and coexisting factors of infertility in women with PCOS.Methods: A prospective study was performed over a period of 6 months. Women presenting with infertility were subjected to detailed history taking, general and gynecological examination. Women with features of PCOS on ultrasound were identified and advised investigations such as serum FSH, LH, prolactin and laparoscopy when indicated.Results: During the study period, 102 patients consulted the infertility clinic, out of which 56 were diagnosed with PCOS. The prevalence of PCOS was found to be 54.9% among infertile women. Menstrual irregularity was found in 33 (59%) women, however, 23 (41%) had regular menstrual cycles. 4 among the 33 patients complained of dysmenorrhea, 5 had heavy menstrual bleeding. On examination, 19 (33.9%) were found hirsute, 8 (14.28%) had thyroid enlargement and 2 (3.57%) had galactorrhea. Investigations revealed mean FSH and LH levels of 8.7±2SD and 13.7±2SD respectively and mean LH/FSH ratio of 1.57±2SD.Conclusions: PCOS is a heterogenous disorder and with its high prevalence in infertile women, proper diagnosis and management is essential as it has many potential metabolic and cardiovascular risks if not managed appropriately

Determination of Heavy Metals Bioaccumulation in Two Green Leafy Vegetables by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

Two edible green leafy vegetables viz., Amaranthus (Amaranthus sp.) and Dill (Anethum graveolens) leaves collected randomly from three locations in Kolar district like Bethamangala, Bangarpet and K.G.F. are critically examined for heavy metal pollutants like Lead, Copper, Cadmium, Chromium and Zinc using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Results revealed that, Amaranthus and Dill leaves contain lead, copper, cadmium, chromium and zinc in all the sampling stations. Amaranthus leaves recorded significantly high lead concentration (41.57 ppm to 48.89 ppm) crossed permissible limits in all the stations. Copper concentration varied considerably in Bethamangala (4.26 ppm), Bangarpet (12.22 ppm) and KGF (21.59 ppm). Cadmium concentration at Bethamangala (2.06 ppm), Bangarpet (2.78 ppm) and KGF (2.96 ppm) recorded above permissible level. Chromium was detected in all the stations and values are not exceeding the permissible limit. Zinc concentration is higher in K.G.F (62.01 ppm) and in other two stations it is below the safe limit. Dill leaves showed high lead content (22.51 ppm-32.20 ppm) in three stations crossed safe value limit recommended by FAO/WHO. Copper concentration in Bethamangala (3.29 ppm), Bangarpet (12.22 ppm) and KGF (18.52 ppm) are in permissible limit. Cadmium content in Bethamangala (0.92 ppm) and Bangarpet (1.44 ppm) are below detection level and in KGF (2.32 ppm) exceeding the permissible limit. Chromium was detected in all three stations and values are below detection level. Zinc concentration is high in K.G.F (63.04 ppm) and in remaining two stations it is below the safe limit. Keywords: Heavy metals, leafy vegetables, amaranthus, dill, spectrophotometry

EVALUATION OF THE WOUND HEALING ACTIVITY OF CAESALPINIA BONDUCELLA AND CYCLEA PELTATA EXTRACTS IN EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

Objective: The present study was conducted to verify the effect of Caesalpinia bonducella and Cyclea peltata extracts on experimentally induced excision wounds in diabetic rats.Methods: Methanolic and ethyl acetate extract of test sample in PEG base was applied and observed for wound healing effect for a period of 15 d.Results: The data demonstrated statistically significant wound contraction up to 98% in the treated sample as compared to 90% in diabetic control group. The results correlated (r ³ 0.95) with fasting blood glucose level, indicating the deleterious effect of hyperglycemia in wound healing. Histopathological studies indicated moderate granulation with marked epithelial enclose and moderate hyperplasia in groups treated with high dose (100 mg/kg BW) of methanolic extract of aerial part of Cyclea peltata and root of Caesalpinia bonducella. Conclusion: From the study, it can be hypothesized that tested plant extracts favours wound healing in diabetic animals and paves the way for the more detailed study of the phytochemical constituent for therapeutic applications. The present investigation adds to the existing knowledge in the field of therapeutic medicine and may even become the base for the development of herbal based gel formulations or ointments for treating wounds in diabetic patients and thereby continuous usage of synthetic drugs, its associated side effects could be avoided

Experimental Investigations of the Stress Path Dependence of Weakly Cemented Sand

Cohesion between grains in a geological system is perhaps the simplest and ideal representation of a range of material systems including soft rocks, structured soils, mudstones, cemented sands, powder compacts, and carbonate sands. This presence of inter granular cohesion is known to alter the ensemble mechanical response when subjected to varied boundary conditions. In this study, a hollow cylinder apparatus is used to investigate the mechanical behavior of weakly cemented sand ensembles by mapping the state boundary surfaces including the failure surface (locus of peak stress state) and the state of plastic flow (locus of final stress state). When these materials are sheared, the plastic deformation accumulates due to breakdown of cohesion between the grains, which introduces a lag in occurrence of peak stress ratio and maximum dilatancy, unlike a typical frictional granular material. This breakdown of cementation is affected by changes in the initial mean effective stress, initial reconstitution density, and intermediate principal stress ratio (stress path on the octahedral plane). The final state locus, emergent at large strains, was found to depend on the initial reconstitution density. Further, the parameters are extracted for calibration and prediction exercise using an elastic plastic constitutive model. In this and several other models, the effect of cementation is considered as an additional confinement to the ensemble. Such an approach predicts the stress state precisely but does not predict the volumetric response accurately, especially at large strains