Characterization and phylogenetic analysis of alkaline α-amylase producing Brevibacillus laterosporus from mountain climatic zone of India

α-amylases (EC3.2.1.1) are glycoside hydrolases that breakdown complex starch and maltodextrins into glucose and maltose by acting upon 1,4-glycosidiclinkages. Several amylases have been isolated and purified from members of Bacillus community, which find extensive application in starch processing, textile and pharmaceutical industry. Keeping this in mind we isolated α-amylase producing gram positive bacterium from soils collected from mountain climatic zone of India and identified it as Brevibacillus laterosporus. We further studied the effect of temperature and pH on the amylase activity of this strain and found a very stable activity at alkaline pH of 10 and temperature of 45 ºC. To our knowledge this a first report on characterization and evolutionary analysis of alkaline α-amylase producing Brevibacillus laterosporus isolated from unexplored sites of mountain climatic zone of India. Keywords: Climatic zone, Brevibacillus, Amylase, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, Phylogenetic analysi

(5S,6S,10R)-10-(2,4-Dichloro­phen­yl)-14-[(E)-(2,4-dichloro­phen­yl)methyl­idene]-3,9-diphenyl-12-[(R)-1-phenyl­ethyl]-1,4,7-trioxa-2,8,12-triaza­dispiro­[4.0.4.4]tetra­deca-2,8-diene

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C41H31Cl4N3O3, contains two independent mol­ecules with almost identical geometries. The piperidine ring adopts a chair conformation in both mol­ecules, and the dihydro­isoxazole rings adopt envelope conformations. The crystal structure is stabilized by C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds and C—H⋯π inter­actions

Characteristics of spectral aerosol optical depths over India during ICARB

Spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements, carried out regularly from a network of observatories spread over the Indian mainland and adjoining islands in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, are used to examine the spatio-temporal and spectral variations during the period of ICARB (March to May 2006). The AODs and the derived Angstrom parameters showed considerable variations across India during the above period. While at the southern peninsular stations the AODs decreased towards May after a peak in April, in the north Indian regions they increased continuously from March to May. The Angstrom coefficients suggested enhanced coarse mode loading in the north Indian regions, compared to southern India. Nevertheless, as months progressed from March to May, the dominance of coarse mode aerosols increased in the columnar aerosol size spectrum over the entire Indian mainland, maintaining the regional distinctiveness. Compared to the above, the island stations showed considerably low AODs, so too the northeastern station Dibrugarh, indicating the prevalence of cleaner environment. Long-range transport of aerosols from the adjoining regions leads to remarkable changes in the magnitude of the AODs and their wavelength dependencies during March to May. HYSPLIT back-trajectory analysis shows that enhanced long-range transport of aerosols, particularly from the west Asia and northwest coastal India, contributed significantly to the enhancement of AOD and in the flattening of the spectra over entire regions; if it is the peninsular regions and the island Minicoy are more impacted in April, the north Indian regions including the Indo Gangetic Plain get affected the most during May, with the AODs soaring as high as 1.0 at 500 nm. Over the islands, the Angstrom exponent (α) remained significantly lower (~1) over the Arabian Sea compared to Bay of Bengal (BoB) (~1.4) as revealed by the data respectively from Minicoy and Port Blair. Occurrences of higher values of α, showing dominance of accumulation mode aerosols, over BoB are associated well with the advection, above the boundary layer, of fine particles from the east Asian region during March and April. The change in the airmass to marine in May results in a rapid decrease in α over the BoB

Adult immersion test for assessment of amitraz resistance in Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks

Ticks are obligate blood sucking ectoparasites recognised globally as vectors of various pathogens, next to mosquitoes. The present study is conducted on brown dog ticks collected from naturally infested dogs in and around Thrissur district. Adult immersion test was performed and the parameters such as engorged tick weight, egg mass weight as well as tick mortality were recorded to derive the reproductive indices, percentage inhibition of oviposition and percentage mortalities. Non-linear regression analysis of the dose response data yielded the LC50 values at 95% confidence intervals and, the slopes and regression coefficients of the different parameters were also derived. The Resistance factors (RF) were calculated to categorise resistance levels into I, II, III and IV. Resistance to amitraz was detected at level II in tick isolates collected from Choolissery and Mundur, at level III and level IV in isolates collected from Mannuthy and Paravattani, respectively. Two isolates collected from Mannuthy were found to be susceptible. One way ANOVA of resistance levels revealed that the resistance levels III and IV were significantly different from that of susceptible and resistance level II. This is the first report on detection of amitraz resistance levels in dog ticks from south India calling for proper implementation of tick control strategies to prevent spread of amitraz resistance

Subsurface signatures and timing of extreme wave events along the Southeast Indian coast

Written history's limitation becomes apparent when attempting to document the predecessors of extreme coastal events in the Indian Ocean, from 550-700 years in Thailand and 1000 years in Indonesia. Detailed ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys in Mahabalipuram, southeast India, complemented with sedimentological analyses, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and optical dating provide strong evidence of extreme wave events during the past 3700 years. The diagnostic event signatures include the extent and elevation of the deposits, as well as morphologic similarity of buried erosional scarps to those reported in northern Sumatra region. Optical ages immediately overlying the imaged discontinuities that coincides with high concentration of heavy minerals date the erosional events to 340 ± 35, 350 ± 20, 490 ± 30, 880 ± 40, 1080 ± 60, 1175 ± 188, 2193 ± 266, 2235 ± 881, 2489 ± 293, 2450 ± 130, 2585 ± 609, 3710 ± 200 years ago. These evidences are crucial in reconstructing paleo extreme wave events and will pave the way for regional correlation of erosional horizons along the northern margin of Indian Ocean

Beneficial impacts of biochar as a potential feed additive in animal husbandry

In the last decade, biochar production and use have grown in popularity. Biochar is comparable to charcoal and activated charcoal because it is a pyrogenic carbonaceous matter made by pyrolyzing organic carbon-rich materials. There is a lack of research into the effects of adding biochar to animal feed. Based on the reviewed literature, including its impact on the adsorption of toxins, blood biochemistry, feed conversion rate, digestion, meat quality, and greenhouse gas emissions, adding biochar to the diet of farm animals is a good idea. This study compiles the most important research on biochar's potential as a supplement to the diets of ruminants (including cows and goats), swine, poultry, and aquatic organisms like fish. Biochar supplementation improves animal growth, haematological profiles, meat, milk and egg yield, resistance to illnesses (especially gut pathogenic bacteria), and reduced ruminant methane emission. Biochar's strong sorption capacity also helps efficiently remove contaminants and poisons from the animals' bodies and the farm surroundings where they are raised. Animal farmers are predicted to make greater use of biochar in the future. Biochar could potentially be of value in the healthcare and human health fields; hence research into this area is encouraged. The present review highlights the potential benefits of biochar as an additive to animal feed and demonstrates how, when combined with other environmentally friendly practices, biochar feeding can extend the longevity of animal husbandry

Captive breeding of a near threatened fish, pengba Osteobrama belangeri (Valenciennes, 1844) using three different inducing agents

Farm reared pengba, Osteobrama belangeri were induced to spawn in captivity during August, 2012 by injecting three different synthetic hormones, Ovaprim, Ovatide and Gonopro-FH. Single dose (1 ml kg-1 body weight) of each hormone was administered and results were recorded. Spawning was observed within 8 h after injection. Hatching of eggs were observed after 22±2 h of incubation at 27±1OC. The mean fertilization rate was 84.05±0.36% for Ovaprim, 79.17±3.95% for Ovatide and 84.85±0.89% for Gonopro-FH treated fish. The mean hatching rate was 84.69±1.73% with Ovaprim, 75.01±1.92% with Ovatide and 86.52±0.88% with Gonopro-FH. Gonopro-FH and Ovaprim gave 5.67 and 4.88% higher fertilization rate as well as 11.5 and 9.69% more hatching rate of eggs respectively as compared to Ovatide. Ovaprim and Gonopro-FH were found to be more effective in induced breeding of O. belangeri

Arpc1b, a centrosomal protein, is both an activator and substrate of Aurora A

In addition to its function as an Arp2/3 complex subunit, Arp1cb interacts with and stimulates Aurora A at centrosomes, functioning in cell cycle progression