Effects of sleep-deprivation on decision-making and action selection

This thesis addresses neuroscience research focusing on the brain’s mechanisms underlying behavioral choice, or prioritization, and decision-making. The research has been conducted with Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly – a good model from both the behavioral and neural perspectives. This project specifically observes the co-regulation of sleep with two other behaviors – courtship and oviposition. The overlap between the sleep and courtship circuits in the brain should provide a good model for behavioral prioritization, and the interaction between sleep and ovipositional preference should provide a model for understanding the effects of sleep on decision-making. All three of these adaptive behaviors are well studied at the behavioral level among flies and humans, but not well understood at the neuronal levels. The data presented points toward a neurotransmitter called octopamine – the fly’s homolog of the human neurotransmitter norepinephrine as key in the co-regulation between sleep and decision-making circuitry in the brain. Further research should delve into this pathway for a better understanding of such neural mechanisms

IIT Hyderabad team wins TCS CodeVita contest

Adarsh Pugalia and Shalin Shah, from IIT Hyderabad bagged CodeVita’s 1st prize of $10,000 at the con test held in Hyderabad. The team, comprising Adarsh Pugalia and Shalin Shah, from IIT Hyderabad bagged CodeVita’s 1st prize of$10,000, at the contest held in Hyderabad last week. A two-member team from IIT Hyderabad emerged on top at the TCS CodeVita contest for engineering and science students. The team, comprising Adarsh Pugalia and Shalin Shah, from IIT Hyderabad bagged CodeVita’s 1st prize of $10,000, at the contest held in Hyderabad last week, a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) release on Monday said

Concept for estimation of secondary and tertiary biomass from primary production

Fixation of inorganic carbon to organic carbon in the ocean is driven purely by phytoplankton. Phytoplankton carbon fixation plays an important role in maintaining the quasi steady state level of atmospheric CO2. Relative contribution of marine primary productivity to global photosynthetic production is between 10 and 50%. Magnitude ranges from 20 to 55 Gt of C/ year (Ryther 1969, Smith et al., 1983, Walsh 1984 and Martin 1992). Ocean-atmospheric coupled climate models predict changes in the ocean circulation and hypothesize that changes in the ocean circulation will stimulate phytoplankton biomass production in the nutrient depleted areas in the open ocean (Roemmich & Wunch 1985). The effect on atmospheric CO2 is uncertain because the relationship between the enhanced primary production and air sea exchange of CO2 is not understood. The challenge is to study the magnitude and variability of Primary productivity, its time scales and changes in atmospheric forcing and upscale it into secondary and tertiary productivity

Genetic stock characterization of fish using molecular markers

Accurate Identification of genetic resources is necessary for detecting new species and varieties for products of commercial value. Fish, as a group, apart from their economic value from a biodiversity viewpoint, have the highest species diversity among all vertebrate taxa. They exhibit enormous diversity in size, shape, biology and in the habitats they occupy. In terms of habitat diversity, fishes live in almost all conceivable aquatic habitats, ranging from Antarctic waters to desert springs. Of the 62,305 species of vertebrates recognized world over, 34,090 (nearly 52%) are valid fish species; a great majority of them (97 %) are bony fishes and the remaining (3 %) are cartilaginous (sharks and rays) and jawless fishes (lampreys and hagfishes). Further, on an average, 300 new fish species are described each year, and global surveys indicate that there could well be at least 5,000 species more to be discovered

Evaluation of results of minimally invasive per cutaneous surgeries in management of calcaneal fractures

 Background: To analyze the outcome percutaneous surgeries in fractures of the calcaneum.Methods: 20 patients admitted in a tertiary care center in Ahmedabad were followed up from admission to until 2 years post operatively and functional outcomes in them following operative intervention were analyzed using AOFAS and Maryland scoring system.Results: Majority of patients have excellent or good outcome following percutaneous surgery in fractures of the calcaneum. The results were evaluated for 22 people with intraarticular calcaneum fractures using the Maryland foot score and AOFAS score. The mean AOFAS score was 86. There were 6 excellent, 12 good and 4 fair results.Conclusions: Percutaneous fixation in fractures of the calcaneum is a middle path in treatment of calcaneum fracture having the benefit of better reduction of ORIF plating and lesser soft tissue injury or chances of infection of conservative management

A study on outcome of various K-wire fixations in paediatric supracondylar humerus fractures

Background: The ideal pin geometry for treatment of paediatric supracondylar humerus fracture is still debated. Various studies have been carried out comparing medial-lateral pinning (MLP) and lateral only pinning (LOP), but none have compared all three individually i.e. MLP, lateral divergent pinning and Lateral Trans olecranon fossa four cortex purchase pinning (TOF-FCP). This study aims to compare the cosmetic and functional outcome of these three pinning methods.Methods: 54 children with supracondylar humerus (Gartland type 2 or 3) meeting inclusion criteria were treated operatively and followed up till 6 months postoperatively. At 6 months the cosmetic and functional outcomes were assessed using the modified Flynn criteria.Results: All fractures united within 3 to 6 weeks duration. The mean duration of fracture union was 4.05 weeks. Functional outcome was satisfactory (i.e. excellent or good) at 6 months according to Flynn criteria in 95% of cases in cross pinning, 100% cases in TOF-FCP construct and 89% cases in lateral entry divergent pinning. cosmetic outcome was satisfactory (i.e. excellent or good) at 6 months according to Flynn criteria in 95% of cases in cross pinning, 100% cases in TOF-FCP construct and 89% cases in lateral entry divergent.Conclusions: Functional and cosmetic outcome of all three pinning geometries after operative intervention of paediatric supracondylar humerus fracture is similar in expert hands. The incidence of complications with TOF-FCP construct is less amongst the lateral only pinning