Characterization, inheritance of male sterility and development of male sterile and maintainer lines in ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula (Roxb.) L.)

Two male sterile mutants IIHRRG-12MS (long fruited) and IIHRRG-28MS (medium long fruited) were identified from the ridge gourd germplasm IIHR-12 and IIHR-28 respectively at ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru. These two male-sterile (ms) sources were characterized by the production of rudimentary male flowers in the racemes in contrast to the bright yellow flowers with fertile pollen and healthy anthers in male fertile, monoecious plants. Using these ms lines the inheritance of male sterility was worked out, which is cytoplasmic genic male sterility (CGMS) type, with single dominant gene either in homozygous or heterozygous condition restoring male fertility in the presence of sterile cytoplasm. In order to develop F1 hybrids using male sterility, several male sterile and maintainer lines were developed in different genetic back grounds such as green/dark green fruit colour and short/medium long/long fruit length

Metal contacts to lowly doped Si and ultra thin SOI

We present our investigations on the fabrication of ohmic and Schottky contacts of several metals on lowly doped bulk Si and SOI wafers. Through this paper we evaluate the fabrication of rectifying devices in which no doping is intentionally introduced

Fabrication and characterization of the charge-plasma diode

We present a new lateral Schottky-based rectifier called the charge-plasma diode realized on ultrathin silicon-oninsulator. The device utilizes the workfunction difference between two metal contacts, palladium and erbium, and the silicon body. We demonstrate that the proposed device provides a low and constant reverse leakage-current density of about 1 fA/μm with ON/OFF current ratios of around 107 at 1-V forward bias and room temperature. In the forward mode, a current swing of 88 mV/dec is obtained, which is reduced to 68 mV/dec by back-gate biasing

Hydroxyurea and zileuton differentially modulate cell proliferation and interleukin-2 secretion by murine spleen cells: Possible implication on the immune function and risk of pain crisis in patients with sickle cell disease

Background: Hydroxyurea (HU) reduces major complications associated with sickle cell disease in part because of the induction of fetal hemoglobin. However, because of its antiproliferative property, its long-term use may impair immunity. Zileuton, a derivative of HU, also induces fetal hemoglobin and has antiinflammatory properties, a feature that can reduce the risk of sickling. Our goal was to investigate the capacity of both drugs to modulate the secretion of interleukin-2 (IL-2), a regulatory cytokine for immune responses. Methods: Spleen cells obtained from 11 4-month-old C57BL/6 female mice were incubated without and with 10 µ/mL HU or zileuton, 2.5 µ/mL concanavalin A (ConA), 20 µ/mL phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and 50 ng/mL anti-CD3 antibody for 12-48 h. IL-2 was measured in the supernatant by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and cell proliferation byH-thymidine uptake. Results: While HU reduced lymphocyte proliferation in response to mitogens (

Sub 20 nm Short Channel Carbon Nanotube Transistors

Carbon nanotube field-effect transistors with sub 20 nm long channels and on/off current ratios of > 1000000 are demonstrated. Individual single-walled carbon nanotubes with diameters ranging from 0.7 nm to 1.1 nm grown from structured catalytic islands using chemical vapor deposition at 700 degree Celsius form the channels. Electron beam lithography and a combination of HSQ, calix[6]arene and PMMA e-beam resists were used to structure the short channels and source and drain regions. The nanotube transistors display on-currents in excess of 15 microA for drain-source biases of only 0.4 Volt.Comment: Nano Letters in pres

Self care activities among patients with diabetes attending a tertiary care hospital in Mangalore Karnataka, India

Background: Increasing prevalence of diabetes in India is resulting in an epidemiological transition. The care of the people with diabetes is traditionally seen as doctor centered, but the concept of self‑care of people with diabetes is a new domain and is proven beneficial. Aim: The aim was to determine the practice of self‑care activities among people with diabetes attending a tertiary care hospital in Mangalore. Subjects and Methods: A facility‑based cross‑sectional study was conducted in Government Wenlock Hospital, Mangalore during September–October 2012. A total of 290 patients with >1‑year duration of diabetes mellitus (DM) were asked to respond to summary diabetes self‑care activities questionnaire after obtaining the consent from them. The statistical analysis was performed in terms of descriptive statistics and association between the variables was tested using Mann–Whitney U‑test. Results: A healthy eating plan on a daily basis was followed by 45.9% (133/290) of the participants, daily exercises for 30 min were followed by 43.4% (126/290), and regular blood sugar monitoring was done by 76.6% (222/290). Regarding the adherence to oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin, daily adherence to medication was seen among 60.5% (155/256) and 66.9% (138/206) were found to be adherent to insulin injections on a daily basis. Conclusions: Self‑care practices were found to be unsatisfactory in almost all aspects except for blood sugar monitoring and treatment adherence. As these practices are essential for prevention of complications and better quality‑of ‑life, more efforts should be put to educate the people with diabetes.Keywords: Cross‑sectional studies, Diabetes mellitus, India, Self‑car

X-ray crystallographic and structural studies of (benzothiazol-2-yl)ethanesulphonamide, and its antimicrobial properties

N-(benzothiazol-2-yl)ethanesulphonamide (ES2ABT) was synthesized by the condensation of 2-aminobenzothiazole and ethanesulphonylchloride in acetone at 130 °C. The resulting crude precipitates were recrystallized in absolute ethanol. ES2ABT was characterized using X-ray crystallography, mass spectrometry, elemental microanalysis, UV/VIS spectrophotometry, infra red, proton and 13C NMR spectroscopies. The antimicrobial tests of the compound were carried out on both multi-resistant bacterial strains isolated under clinical conditions and cultured species using agar-well diffusion method. The multi-resistant bacterial strains used were Escherichia coli, Proteus species, Pseudomonas aeroginosa and Staphylococcus aureus which were isolated from dogs. The culture species were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Escherichia Coli (ATCC 25922) Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), and the fungi, Candida krusei (ATCC 6258) and Candida albicans (ATCC 90028). The tests were both in vitro and in vivo. Thus the Inhibition Zone Diameter (IZD), the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), and the Lethal and Effective Concentrations (LC50 and EC50) were determined. The antimicrobial activity of the compound was compared with those of Ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole as antibacterial agents and Fluconazole as an antifungal drug. The compound showed varying activity against the cultured typed bacteria and fungi used. However, ES2ABT was less active than the antibacterial standard drugs used but not Fluconazole which did not show any activity against Candida krusei (ATCC 6258). The Lethal Concentration (LC50) is 338.80 ± 28.6 ppm. This is within the permissible concentrations. Key words: N-(benzothiazol-2-yl)ethanesulphonamide, antimicrobial, in vivo, in vitr

Long-term persistence of cellular hyporesponsiveness to filarial antigens after clearance microfilaraemia

The persistence of parasite-specific cellular hyporesponsiveness after clearance of blood microfilariae (mf) was studied in 18 individuals who had been treated with a single dose of ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine, or a combination 2-3 years previously and who had initially cleared their parasitemia. At recruitment into the present study, 50% were again mf+ and 50% remained mf-. There were no significant differences between the mf+ and mf- groups in the amount of interferon- g (IFN- g) produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in response to adult or microfilarial antigens, although IFN- g production in response to purified protein derivative was greater in the mf+ group (geometric mean [gm] = 3,791 pg/ml; P = 0.02) than in the mf- group (gm = 600 pg/ml). These data suggest that although microfilaremic individuals may temporarily regain the ability to produce IFN- g to parasite antigens post-treatment, they subsequently revert to a state of hyporesponsiveness to mf-containing antigens that appears to be independent of the recurrence of microfilaremia and the response to nonparasite antigens

Bias Dependence and Electrical Breakdown of Small Diameter Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

The electronic breakdown and the bias dependence of the conductance have been investigated for a large number of catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) grown single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with very small diameters. The convenient fabrication of thousands of properly contacted SWCNTs was possible by growth on electrode structures and subsequent electroless palladium deposition. Almost all of the measured SWCNTs showed at least weak gate dependence at room temperature. Large differences in the conductance and breakdown behavior have been found for "normal" semiconducting SWCNTs and small band-gap semiconducting (SGS) SWCNTs.Comment: submitted to Journal of Applied Physic