The apterous endemic genus Omphra Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Helluonini) of the Indian subcontinent : taxonomy with notes on habits and distributional patterns

Among the four oriental genera of the tribe Helluonini, Omphra Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae), is unique for its endemism to the Indian subcontinent and aptery. High intraspecies variability in morphological characters and limited diagnostic information makes species differentiation of the genus Omphra a complicated task. The present study provides a description of a new species, Omphra drumonti n. sp. from the Western Ghats, redescriptions and a key to the species of Omphra, details of intraspecies variation, discussion of relationships between taxa and distributional patterns of the genus. Based on the distributional patterns in the Indian subcontinent and flightlessness of the genus, inability to cross the physical barrier of the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta between north and peninsular India is indicated as the reason for its absence in the northeastern Indian subcontinent and endemism to the lower Indian subcontinent

Dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) community structure across a forest- agriculture habitat ecotonein South Western Ghats

Ecotones are zones of transition between biomes or ecosystems.Ecotones, natural or anthropogenic, can greatly affect insect community structure across habitats.Scarabaeinae dung beetles are ideal biological indicators that are used to study effects of habitat modification, fragmentation and edge effects on biodiversity. Dung beetle community structure across a forest-agriculture habitat ecotone in South Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspotin India was studied.Dung baited pitfall traps were used to collect dung beetles from forest, ecotone and agriculture habitat. Community attributes such as species richness, abundance, diversity,indicator and detector species were recorded in the study sites. Species composition varied between the three habitats. Greater similarity in species composition was observed between forest and ecotone. This isattributed to the presence of heliophilic species in the region, adapted to survive in forest and the open edge. Though forest recorded higher abundance,ecotone and agriculture habitat recorded higher species richness and diversity. Low diversity in forest resulted from decreased equitability in the overall forest assemblage resulting from increased dominance of few species such as Onthophagusfurcillifer and O. pacificus. Higher species richness in ecotone and agriculture habitat was associated with heliophilicspecies that respond positively to disturbance, whereas stenotopic species adapted to closed canopy were negatively affected in the region.Onthophagusfurcillifer, the indicator species in the forest and ecotone was also the detector species in agriculture habitat. Presence of such species in the region that are adapted to survive in widely different habitat types is a result of decades of forest degradation and fragmentation in the Western Ghats which led to the establishment of heliophiles andsynanthropic species in the region.Such increase in species richness in disturbed habitat is not considered a positive attribute, as original species composition is altered to favor disturbance adapted species in the region

Tannin Acyl Hydrolase Production by Citrobacter sp. isolated from Tannin rich Environment, using Tamarindus indica seed powder

Bacterial isolate, Citrobacter sp., from tannery effluent loaded sites has proved as a potent producer of tannase. Production of tannase was compared in solid-state and submerged fermentation using tamarindseed as sole carbon source. Two times increase in tannase activity was seen in solid-state fermentation (90 U) than submerged fermentation (50 U) at 48 h from 5 g substrate

A revision of Indian species of Parurios Girault with a new record of Papuopsia Boucek (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) from India

Two new species of Parurios Girault viz. P. bouceki Narendran sp. nov. and P. sringericus Narendran sp. nov. are described from India. The female of P. keralensis Narendran is also described. A key to Indian species of Parurios is provided. The genus Papuopsia is recorded for the first time from India

Beneficial effects of green tea: A literature review

The health benefits of green tea for a wide variety of ailments, including different types of cancer, heart disease, and liver disease, were reported. Many of these beneficial effects of green tea are related to its catechin, particularly (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, content. There is evidence from in vitro and animal studies on the underlying mechanisms of green tea catechins and their biological actions. There are also human studies on using green tea catechins to treat metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular risk factors

Advancements in Automotive Antennas

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Tight Junction Protein Claudin-7 Is Essential for Intestinal Epithelial Stem Cell Self-Renewal and Differentiation

Background & Aims: Claudin-7 (Cldn7) is a tight junction (TJ) membrane protein located at the apical TJ and basolateral side of intestinal epithelial cells. Deletion of Cldn7 by gene targeting leads to the inflammatory bowel disease–like phenotype in mice, which includes weight loss, diarrhea, mucosa ulceration, and severe intestinal epithelial damage. In this study, we test our hypothesis that Cldn7 plays a critical role in regulating intestinal crypt stem cell functions. Methods: Gene expression microarray, quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, in situ hybridization, histologic examinations, immunoblotting, 3-dimensional organoid culture, and various treatments to rescue Cldn7-deficient organoid defects were conducted using global Cldn7 knockout mice and inducible, conditional Cldn7 knockout mice. Results: Gene deletion of Cldn7 in intestines showed significant alteration of expression profiles with striking down-regulation of intestinal crypt stem cell markers such as Olfm4, dislocated proliferative cells, and disrupted epithelial cell differentiation. In addition, the isolated Cldn7-deficient crypts where the stem cells reside were either unable to survive at all or formed defective spheroids, highlighting the functional impairment of crypt stem cells in the absence of Cldn7. Remarkably, the Cldn7-expressing organoids with buddings underwent rapid cell degeneration within days after turning off Cldn7 expression in the culture. We identified that activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling rescued the organoid defects caused by Cldn7 deletion. Conclusions: In this study, we show that Cldn7 is indispensable in controlling Wnt/β-catenin signaling–dependent intestinal epithelial stem cell survival, self-renewal, and cell differentiation. This study could open a door to study roles of TJ proteins in stem cell regulations in other tissues and organs