Evaluation of Brazilian wild Hevea germplasm in India for cold tolerance: Variability and character associations in juvenile growth phase

Natural rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), cultivation has been extended to non-traditional regions due to limited scope of further expansion in traditional rubber growing areas in India. These areas are often confronted with various abiotic stresses especially temperature extremes. A set of 18 wild accessions, two popular clones along with two control clones RRIM 600 and Haiken 1, were evaluated in the juvenile growth phase at the Regional Experiment Station of the Rubber Research Institute of India, Nagrakata, West Bengal, a sub-Himalayan cold prone region of India. The genotypes exhibited highly significant clonal differences (P<0.01) for all the eight quantitative traits. During the pre-winter period, the number of leaves per plant ranged from 14.2 (AC 3074) to 47.6 (MT 2229). In the post winter period maximum leaves per plant was recorded in MT 900 (29.27) comparable to the control clone Haiken 1 (28.20), while the accession AC 3293 recorded very high loss in leaves. An increase in number of whorls per plant during winter period was noted in MT 1020 as compared to Haiken 1 (0.80). Increment of plant height during winter ranged from 6.53 cm (AC 3293) to 45.01 cm (MT 1020) as compared to the control clone Haiken 1 (40.73 cm). Girth ranged from 5.36 cm (AC 3293) to 11.53 cm (MT 915) while the control clone Haiken 1 recorded a girth of 10.50 cm. Girth was significantly correlated with the other growth traits. Based on rank sum values, the accessions were ranked for overall performance and the top 20 per cent of the potential accessions showing early growth vigour were identified. These can be used for the development of cold tolerant clones

NEW BACTERIA FORAGING AND PARTICLE SWARM HYBRID ALGORITHM FOR MEDICAL IMAGE COMPRESSION

For perfect diagnosis of brain tumour, it is necessary to identify tumour affected regions in the brain in MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) images effectively and compression of these images for transmission over a communication channel at high speed with better visual quality to the experts. An attempt has been made in this paper for identifying tumour regions with optimal thresholds which are optimized with the proposed Hybrid Bacteria Foraging Optimization Algorithm (BFOA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) named (HBFOA-PSO) by maximizing the Renyi’s entropy and Kapur’s entropy. BFOA may be trapped into local optimal problem and delay in execution time (convergence time) because of random chemo taxis steps in the procedure of algorithm and to get global solution, a theory of swarming is commenced in the structure of HBFOA-PSO. Effectiveness of this HBFOA-PSO is evaluated on six different MRI images of brain with tumours and proved to be better in Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Mean Square Error (MSE) and Fitness Function

Prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and its association with controlled and uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus in northern Andhra Pradesh population: a retrospective study

Background: The two important endocrinopathies, diabetes mellitus and thyroid dysfunction are interrelated to each other where the correlation is poorly understood. The thyroid dysfunction is more frequent in diabetics than general population. The present study was aimed to know the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its association with controlled and uncontrolled T2DM.Methods: A retrospective study of 600 T2DM patients between 13-60 years of age with known thyroid status were included and the following parameters were examined: age, sex, body mass index (BMI), fasting blood sugar (FBS), HbA1C, free triiodothyronine (fT3), free tetraiodothyronine (fT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).Results: The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in T2DM patients was found to be 26.5% whereas 9% in healthy controls. Significantly elevated levels of FBS, HbA1C and TSH were observed whereas the levels of fT3, fT4 were found to be low in patients when compared to controls. Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) in diabetics (both controlled and uncontrolled) was more prevalent (15%) than it was found in healthy controls (5%). Similarly, overt hypothyroidism was also found to be high in diabetic patients (6%) as compared to healthy controls (2%). Significant difference (p <0.05) in the levels of TSH was found between group I (Controlled T2DM) and II (uncontrolled T2DM patients), also between groups II and III (Controls). Group II patients were found to have significant low levels of fT3 as compared to other two groups (Group I and III) (p<0.005).Conclusions: As SCH is more frequent in T2DM diabetes mellitus and untreated SCH patients have higher rate of complications, periodical screening is advised for thyroid dysfunction to prevent micro vascular and cardiovascular complications

Chemical composition of essential oils of garlic (Allium sativum L.)

Six varieties of garlic grown in different geographical locations in Gujarat, India were analysed for their proximate composition including volatile oil content. Twenty nine compounds were identified in the volatile oils by gas chromatography and gas chromatography - mass spectrometry, among which 15 were new compounds hitherto not reported to be components of garlic. The relative concentrations of 13 major components in the volatile oils of all six varieties are also presented. &nbsp

Chemical composition of essential oils of garlic (Allium sativum L.)

Six varieties of garlic grown in different geographical locations in Gujarat, India were analysed for their proximate composition including volatile oil content. Twenty nine compounds were identified in the volatile oils by gas chromatography and gas chromatography - mass spectrometry, among which 15 were new compounds hitherto not reported to be components of garlic. The relative concentrations of 13 major components in the volatile oils of all six varieties are also presented. &nbsp

Esters of petroselinic acid containing Trachyspermum copticum seed oil: Potential industrial lubricant base stocks

126-134Trachyspermum copticum seed oil contains volatile oil rich in thymol, which is distilled out and used for medicinal and aromatic formulations. The seed powder after removal of the volatiles loses its importance. However, the fixed oil being rich in unsaturation with petroselinic acid (18:1, Δ6; 68.3%) and linoleic acid (18:2; 25.3%) is used for preparing biolubricant base stocks. Methyl, isopropyl and 2-ethyl hexyl esters of the oil have been converted to epoxides, followed by in situ hydroxylation and acylation using hexanoic and butyric anhydrides. The acylated products have been evaluated for lubricant properties, and are found to exhibit density (0.91-0.97 g/cc); viscosity of 23.5-27.3 cSt at 40°C and 4.85-5.33 cSt at 100°C. The values are comparable to jatropha acylated products. The products exhibited good copper corrosion resistance value of ‘1a’ and high flash points of 230-242°C. The acylated esters with good weld load behavior, and lower wear and pour point values and viscosity indices, 128.84-138.94, can be potential base stocks belonging to group III category lubricants with ISO VG Grade about 22. These products can be further explored for the preparation of hydraulic, metal working and other industrial fluid formulations

Studies on development of instant pumpkin soup tablets and evaluation of storage stability

486-491A study was carried out to develop pumpkin soup tablet with enriched β-carotene which can be instantly reconstituted in hot water. Ingredients of pumpkin soup tablet namely pumpkin flour (32.5%), corn flour (19.4%), milk powder (14.5%), onion powder (3.2%), pepper powder (3.2%), coriander (1.3%), garlic (1.3%), saturated fat (6.5%) and salt (13.9%) were optimised. Maltodextrin and xanthan gum were used as emulsifier to prepare two variants of the soup cube formulations. Proximate composition, β-carotene, textural attributes and microbiological quality of the developed product were determined during storage at room temperature. Sensory acceptability of the product was evaluated by reconstituting the soup cube in hot water. The study revealed that the product was acceptable and could be reconstituted instantly in hot water. Soup tablets prepared with xanthan gum as emulsifier were superior in colour, texture and retention of β-carotene. The incorporation of pumpkin flour in soup cube enhanced its nutritional value to an extent of 50% of RDI for β-carotene. The product could be a convenient alternative for preparing an organoleptically acceptable soup instantly and thereby saving packaging cost and space

A bibliography of parasites and diseases of marine and freshwater fishes of India

With the increasing demand for fish as human food, aquaculture both in freshwater and salt water is rapidly developing over the world. In the developing countries, fishes are being raised as food. In many countries fish farming is a very important economic activity. The most recent branch, mariculture, has shown advances in raising fishes in brackish, estuarine and bay waters, in which marine, anadromous and catadromous fishes have successfully been grown and maintained

Interpreting the Image of the Human Body in Premodern India

This paper sets out two main arguments. In part one, a description of the adherents of the various intellectual disciplines and religious faiths in premodern India is given, each having developed distinct and different imagined bodies; for example, the body described in Tantric circles had little or nothing in common with the body described in medical circles. In part two, an account is given of the encounter between Ayurvedic anatomy and early colonial European anatomy which led initially to attempts at synthesis; these gave way to an abandonment of the syncretist vision of the body and the acceptance of an epistemological suspension of judgment, in which radically different body conceptualizations are simultaneously held in unacknowledged cognitive dissonance