IMPACT OF ROTATORY VESTIBULAR STIMULATION AND CURCUMA LONGA ON SPATIAL LEARNING AND MEMORY IN WISTAR ALBINO RATS

ABSTRACTObjective: This study was aimed at investigating the effect of rotatory vestibular stimulation and the capacity of the powerful antioxidant curry spiceCurcuma longa (turmeric) on neuromorphological and brain cholinesterase activity in rats to analyze the behavioral changes and cognition in healthyWistar albino rats.Methods: A total of 72 adult male Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned into four groups. For Group A (control group) neither vestibularstimulation nor the turmeric was administered, Group B (rotatory vestibular stimulated group), rotatory vestibular stimulation was given for5 minutes in a rotatory vestibular apparatus at a rate of 50 revolutions per minute in clockwise direction for 30 days, Group C (turmeric alone) treatedwith 2 mg/kg of turmeric for 30 days, Group D (turmeric+vestibular), treated with 2 mg/kg of turmeric followed by 5 minutes of rotatory vestibularstimulation for 30 days.Results: Group B shows improvement in learning via a reduction in number of trails for acquisition and retention, and an increase in dendriticbranching points and intersections and also a reduction in acetylcholinesterase level.Conclusion: Rotatory vestibular stimulation provides improvement in cognition via neuromorphological and biochemical changes than rotatoryvestibular stimulation and turmeric in combination and turmeric alone, though there is no significant difference between the treated groups.Rotatory vestibular stimulation in combination with turmeric (Group D) shows a nonsignificant increase in dendritic arborization ensures a longlasting promising effect in cognition enhancement through a long period of treatment. Further detailed study on combination of rotatory vestibularstimulation and turmeric is required to explore the mechanism of therapeutic action of this intervention as a useful remedy for the management ofcognitive disorders. Keywords: Rotatory vestibular stimulation, Turmeric, Learning and memory, Hippocampal neuron

Wave attenuation at a salt marsh margin: A case study of an exposed coast on the Yangtze estuary

To quantify wave attenuation by (introduced) Spartina alterniflora vegetation at an exposed macrotidal coast in the Yangtze Estuary, China, wave parameters and water depth were measured during 13 consecutive tides at nine locations ranging from 10 m seaward to 50 m landward of the low marsh edge. During this period, the incident wave height ranged from <0.1 to 1.5 m, the maximum of which is much higher than observed in other marsh areas around the world. Our measurements and calculations showed that the wave attenuation rate per unit distance was 1 to 2 magnitudes higher over the marsh than over an adjacent mudflat. Although the elevation gradient of the marsh margin was significantly higher than that of the adjacent mudflat, more than 80% of wave attenuation was ascribed to the presence of vegetation, suggesting that shoaling effects were of minor importance. On average, waves reaching the marsh were eliminated over a distance of similar to 80 m, although a marsh distance of >= 100 m was needed before the maximum height waves were fully attenuated during high tides. These attenuation distances were longer than those previously found in American salt marshes, mainly due to the macrotidal and exposed conditions at the present site. The ratio of water depth to plant height showed an inverse correlation with wave attenuation rate, indicating that plant height is a crucial factor determining the efficiency of wave attenuation. Consequently, the tall shoots of the introduced S. alterniflora makes this species much more efficient at attenuating waves than the shorter, native pioneer species in the Yangtze Estuary, and should therefore be considered as a factor in coastal management during the present era of sea-level rise and global change. We also found that wave attenuation across the salt marsh can be predicted using published models when a suitable coefficient is incorporated to account for drag, which varies in place and time due to differences in plant characteristics and abiotic conditions (i.e., bed gradient, initial water depth, and wave action).

A robust nitrifying community in a bioreactor at 50 °C opens up the path for thermophilic nitrogen removal

The increasing production of nitrogen-containing fertilizers is crucial to meet the global food demand, yet high losses of reactive nitrogen associated with the food production/consumption chain progressively deteriorate the natural environment. Currently, mesophilic nitrogen-removing microbes eliminate nitrogen from wastewaters. Although thermophilic nitrifiers have been separately enriched from natural environments, no bioreactors are described that couple these processes for the treatment of nitrogen in hot wastewaters. Samples from composting facilities were used as inoculum for the batch-wise enrichment of thermophilic nitrifiers (350 days). Subsequently, the enrichments were transferred to a bioreactor to obtain a stable, high-rate nitrifying process (560 days). The community contained up to 17% ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOAs) closely related to 'Candidatus Nitrososphaera gargensis', and 25% nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOBs) related to Nitrospira calida. Incorporation of C-13-derived bicarbonate into the respective characteristic membrane lipids during nitrification supported their activity as autotrophs. Specific activities up to 198 +/- 10 and 894 +/- 81 mg N g(-1) VSS per day for AOAs and NOBs were measured, where NOBs were 33% more sensitive to free ammonia. The NOBs were extremely sensitive to free nitrous acid, whereas the AOAs could only be inhibited by high nitrite concentrations, independent of the free nitrous acid concentration. The observed difference in product/substrate inhibition could facilitate the development of NOB inhibition strategies to achieve more cost-effective processes such as deammonification. This study describes the enrichment of autotrophic thermophilic nitrifiers from a nutrient-rich environment and the successful operation of a thermophilic nitrifying bioreactor for the first time, facilitating opportunities for thermophilic nitrogen removal biotechnology