On a whale shark Rhincodon typus landed at Mangalore, Dakshina Kannada coast

One whale shark Rhincodctn typus Smith was accidentally caught by a multiday trawl boat on 27-3-1997 at a depth of 30 m off Murdeshwara, about 160 km north of Mangalore. The shark got entangled in the trawl net and was brought to the Mangalore Fisheries Harbour on the same day

Study of Tribological Characteristics of Journal Bearing using Mixture of different Bio-Lubricants

Wear is the main reason for material losses & degradation of any machine component. If we reduce the magnitude of this wear can bring about enhanced performance. This can be possible by decreasing friction. Usage of Lubricant is a viable method for controlling the friction. This decreases wear and it has wide application in operation of machine component, for example, bearing. Nowadays different oils are used to diminish erosion and wear between mechanical contact surfaces however mineral oils are known for higher manufacturing expenses and low biodegradability. A few research works are going ahead keeping in mind the end goal to create bio-oil and to have tribological characteristic study between interacting mechanical surfaces

Purification and Characterization of Two New Allergens from the Venom of Vespa magnifica

Due to poor diagnostic facilities and a lack of medical alertness, allergy to Vespa wasps may be underestimated. Few allergens have been identified from Vespa wasps

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Not AvailableOne whale shark Rhincodctn typus Smith was accidentally caught by a multiday trawl boat on 27-3-1997 at a depth of 30 m off Murdeshwara, about 160 km north of Mangalore. The shark got entangled in the trawl net and was brought to the Mangalore Fisheries Harbour on the same day.Not Availabl

Design and Analysis of Gravity Roller Conveyor System for Moped Engine Assembly Line

In the manufacturing industry, raw materials need to be transported from one manufacturing stage to another. Material coping with system’s are designed such that they facilitate clean, speedy and secure loading and unloading. For instance roller conveyor machine can be hired for clean and secure coping with of materials. The goal of the venture is to design a gravity roller conveyor device in moped engine meeting line of vehicles Production Company. The existing conveyor system was studied thoroughly and its drawbacks were analyzed. Gravity roller conveyor system is designed to minimize the overall cycle time of the process and make the process to complete in one single stroke. Each and every components of the conveyor system is designed considering their functionality. Detailed drawing is also prepared using solid works. Geometrical model of each components including assembly of the same were generated in solid works. Linear static analysis, contact stress analysis, model analysis and life estimation and life estimation were carried out in ANSYS with proper loading and boundary condition

Systemic pathological effects induced by cobra (Naja naja) venom from geographically distinct origins of Indian peninsula

Indian cobra (Naja naja) venom from different geographical locations varied in its composition and biochemical, pharmacological and immunological properties. Recently it has been shown that the variation in composition of venom from different geographical origin of Indian peninsula is due to the quantitative difference in the same components and also the presence of different biochemical entities with respect to their origin. This disparity in venom composition may be due to several environmental factors. However, very little is known about the systemic effects on vital organs caused by the venom due to regional variation. In the present investigation, the venom samples procured from eastern, western and southern regions were compared for histopathological effects on skeletal muscle and some vital organs (heart, lungs, liver and kidney) in the mouse model. All the three venom samples damaged vital organs such as cardiac muscle, gastrocnemius muscle, liver, lungs and kidneys; however, the extent of damage varied greatly. Eastern venom predominantly damaged cardiac muscle and kidney, western venom injured the liver and the southern venom affected the lung. In addition, the eastern venom caused the recruitment of a flux of inflammatory cells in the skeletal muscle unlike southern and western venom samples. These results suggest the diversity of target-specific toxins in all the three regional venoms. Thus, the study explores the possible variations in the pathological effects of cobra (Naja naja) venom samples on vital organs due to geographical distribution in the Indian subcontinent. It also emphasizes the importance of intra-specific variation of venom samples for the production of efficacious and region-specific therapeutic antivenom

Effect of anticoagulants on the plasma hyaluronidase activities

Mammalian hyaluronidases (HAases) are an endo-beta-N-acetyl-hexosaminidases that degrade hyaluronan (HA) and have been implicated in diverse pathophysiological functions. Several pathological conditions, such as diabetes, monoclonal gammapathy, and bladder and prostate tumors, report the distorted plasma HAase activity. However, the plasma HAase (hHyal-1) activity has been presumed to change with the circulating HA level and serves as an early marker for several diseases. It has been generally practised to use the anticoagulants such as tri-sodium citrate/disodium EDTA/heparin for the preparation of plasma for both biochemical and clinical analyses. In the present investigation, the effect of anticoagulants on plasma HAase activity was evaluated and compared with the serum HAase activity that is devoid of anticoagulants as no study provides information in this regard. The results suggested that the plasma HAase activity in the presence of the recommended concentration of EDTA was highly comparable/similar to that of the serum HAase activity. In contrast, citrated or heparinized plasma recorded a significantly reduced level of activity than that of the serum HAase activity. In conclusion, our results suggested that the EDTA-treated plasma samples are a better choice compared with heparin and citrated samples to assess the HAase activity. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 23:29-33,2009. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc

p38 MAP-kinase inhibitor protects against platelet-activating factor-induced death in mice

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a potent inflammatory agonist. In Swiss albino mice, intraperitoneal injection of PAF causes sudden death with oxidative stress and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), characterized by prolonged prothrombin time, thrombocytopenia, reduced fibrinogen content, and increased levels of fibrinogen degradation products. However, the underlying mechanism(s) is unknown. The PAF-R antagonist WEB-2086 protected mice against PAF-induced death by reducing DIC and oxidative stress. Accordingly, general antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, gallic acid, and N-acetylcysteine partially protected mice from PAF-induced death. N-acetylcysteine, a clinically used antioxidant, prevented death in 67 of mice, ameliorated DIC characteristics and histological alterations in the liver, and reduced oxidative stress. WEB-2086 suppressed H2O2-mediated oxidative stress in isolated mouse peritoneal macrophages, suggesting that PAF signaling may be a downstream effector of reactive oxygen species generation. PAF stimulated all three (ERK, JNK, and p38) of the MAP-kinases, which were also inhibited by N-acetylcysteine. Furthermore, a JNK inhibitor (SP600125) and ERK inhibitor (SCH772984) partially protected mice against PAF-induced death, whereas a p38 MAP-kinase inhibitor (SB203580) provided complete protection against DIC and death. In human platelets, which have the canonical PAF-R and functional MAP-kinases, JNK and p38 inhibitors abolished PAF-induced platelet aggregation, but the ERK inhibitor was ineffective. Our studies identify p38 MAP-kinase as a critical, but unrecognized component in PAF-induced mortality in mice. These findings suggest an alternative therapeutic strategy to address PAF-mediated pathogenicity, which plays a role in a broad range of inflammatory diseases

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Not AvailableWA-CMS system based rice hybrids are widely adopted in many rice growing countries, including India. Even though it is well known that the trait is controlled by mitochondria, the genes underpinning the trait remain enigmatic. In the present study, a complete genome-wide comparative sequence analysis was performed using draft mitochondrial genomes of WA-CMS and male fertile lines in a step-wise manner, progressively covering 5–10 kb every time through BLASTN tool. The sequence polymorphisms identified in different mitochondrial regions were targeted to develop two different sets of dominant PCR-based markers, one consisting of six markers targeting WA-CMS mitochondria, the other set consisting of five markers targeting male fertile mitochondria in addition to development of a set of eight co-dominant PCR-based markers targeting both the genomes. When a set of candidate genes/ORFs reported earlier to be associated with WA-CMS trait in rice were analyzed through RT-PCR of RNA isolated from immature rice florets, it was observed that the chimeric ORF, WA352 is expressed only in WA-CMS line and hybrid (i.e. genotypes containing sterile mitochondria), indicating it’s candidacy for the WA-CMS trait. Targeting the functional nucleotide polymorphism between WA-CMS and maintainer mitochondria with respect to WA352, two dominant markers, one targeting sterile and another targeting fertile mitochondria were developed. In addition, a robust, codominant functional marker targeting the candidate gene was also developed and validated for its utility in identification of genetic impurities in seed lots of WA-CMS lines.Not Availabl