Neurogenomic dynamics following social interactions in male threespined sticklebacks

Social interactions provoke changes in brain and behavior, however molecular changes associated with social interactions remain obscure. This thesis explored the neurogenomic responses to aggressive and affiliative social interactions in male threespined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), a small fish famous for their rich behavioral repertoire. In chapter one I provided the detailed overview of the research included in this dissertation. The second chapter tested the hypothesis that there are conserved transcriptional responses to social interactions in sticklebacks and fruit fly. There was stronger evidence for this hypothesis for one type of social behavior – a territorial challenge – than for a social interaction at the opposite end of the continuum: a courtship opportunity. In chapter three and chapter four I tracked the temporal dynamics of neurogenomic plasticity in male sticklebacks. I focused on two brains regions (diencephalon and telencephalon), which contain several nuclei of the social decision-making network. The third chapter focused on the transcriptomic and epigenomic responses to a territorial challenge. Results showed that the genome dynamically responds to a territorial challenge, with waves of transcription associated with different functions, e.g. hormone activity and immune response. The fourth chapter focused on males’ transition to fatherhood, and compared and contrasted the neurogenomics of paternal care with the neurogenomics of the response to a territorial challenge. Males experienced dramatic neurogenomic shifts while they were providing paternal care. Genes related to hormones that change in mammalian mothers during pregnancy and maternal care, were differentially expressed in stickleback fathers. Gene regulatory analysis suggested that shared regulators were responsive to both a territorial challenge and paternal care and these were regulated differently along with their targets. This analysis offers a glimpse into how genes differentially acting within the social decision-making network in the brain can generate responses to opposing social stimuli. Altogether, this thesis adds to the growing repertoire of studies examining social behavior at the molecular level and draws attention to the neurogenomic dynamics associated with behavioral plasticity

Synthesis and Characterization of Dihydrouracil Analogs Utilizing Biginelli Hybrids

Dihydrouracil presents a crucial intermediate in the catabolism of uracil. The vital im-portance of uracil and its nucleoside, uridine, encourages scientists to synthesize novel dihydroura-cils. In this paper, we present an innovative, fast, and effective method for the synthesis of dihy-drouracils. Hence, under mild conditions, 3‐chloroperbenzoic acid was used to cleave the carbon– sulfur bond of the Biginelli hybrids 5,6‐dihydropyrimidin‐4(3H)‐ones. This approach led to thirteen novel dihydrouracils synthesized in moderate‐to‐high yields (32–99%)

Antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activity of symmetrical dibenzyl-substituted α,β-unsaturated carbonyl-based compounds.

Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) and leishmaniasis are two of the most neglected challenging tropical diseases, caused by the kinetoplastid parasites and species, respectively. For both of these complex disease spectra, treatment options are limited and threatened by drug resistance, justifying urgent new drug discovery efforts. In the present study we investigated the antitrypanosomal and antileishmanial activity of a series of 21 symmetrical α,β-unsaturated carbonyl-based compounds, each featuring two 3-methoxybenzene attached to a central cyclohexanone, tetrahydro-4-pyranone scaffold or 4-piperidone ring. Structure-activity relationships were explored with respect to substitution on positions 3, 4 and 6 of the terminal 3-methoxybenzyl groups, and seven types of central ring. Compounds and , showed broad anti-kinetoplastid activity against all species and strains tested. Compound featuring -methyl-4-piperidone was found to be the most potent analog and therefore can serve as a potential lead for the development of new drug candidates for trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis

Impact of Work Life Balance on Employee Productivity: An Empirical Investigation from the Banking Sector of Pakistan

Work makes the significant part of our lives but so does our family. A uni-polar inclination towards one would result in an unbalanced life. This research explores the impact of work-life balance practices on employee productivity. It covers the description of commonly used work-life balance practices which includes flexible working hours, telecommuting, job-sharing, compressed work week, childcare facilities and family leave programs. This study is explanatory in nature, based on the philosophy of post-positivism. It is a quantitative study for which inductive approach was used. To verify if people, at large, feel the importance of work-life balance practices, a critical factor in driving employee performance, a survey in the form of a structured questionnaire was distributed among the bankers who typically work 9-10 hours a day. The data was then tested through SPSS statistical tools to assess if work life balance practices have any relationship with the way employees perform at work or not. Study reveals that, work-life balance practices, when connected appropriately, would impact employee performance positively. A happy employee will be self-driven to work compared to an unhappy employee who is striving to get the right balance between work, family and self. This study aims to help this employee, his family and his employer. Keywords: Work Life Balance, Employee Productivity, Banking Sector

Meta-analysis of honey bee neurogenomic response links deformed wing virus type A to precocious behavioral maturation

Crop pollination by the western honey bee Apis mellifera is vital to agriculture but threatened by alarmingly high levels of colony mortality, especially in Europe and North America. Colony loss is due, in part, to the high viral loads of Deformed wing virus (DWV), transmitted by the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, especially throughout the overwintering period of a honey bee colony. Covert DWV infection is commonplace and has been causally linked to precocious foraging, which itself has been linked to colony loss. Taking advantage of four brain transcriptome studies that unexpectedly revealed evidence of covert DWV-A infection, we set out to explore whether this effect is due to DWV-A mimicking naturally occurring changes in brain gene expression that are associated with behavioral maturation. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that brain gene expression profiles of DWV-A infected bees resembled those of foragers, even in individuals that were much younger than typical foragers. In addition, brain transcriptional regulatory network analysis revealed a positive association between DWV-A infection and transcription factors previously associated with honey bee foraging behavior. Surprisingly, single-cell RNA-Sequencing implicated glia, not neurons, in this effect; there are relatively few glial cells in the insect brain and they are rarely associated with behavioral plasticity. Covert DWV-A infection also has been linked to impaired learning, which together with precocious foraging can lead to increased occurrence of infected bees from one colony mistakenly entering another colony, especially under crowded modern apiary conditions. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms by which DWV-A affects honey bee health and colony survival

Appraisal of acute oral toxicity of glucuronoxylan hydrogel from Mimosa pudica seeds

Glucuronoxylan hydrogel (GXH) isolated from M. pudica seeds was assessed for acute toxicology in albino mice that were alienated into four groups. Three groups, i.e., II, III and IV received GXH at a dose of 1, 2 and 5 g/kg, respectively while group I was retained untreated and provided routine diet. After administering GXH, mice were examined for vomiting, diarrhea, allergy and tremors for 8 h. All animals were carefully observed for food and water consumption at 1, 2, 3, 7 and 14 day after administering GXH. At the end of studies, blood samples were drawn for investigation of hematological and biochemical parameters. All animals were sacrificed, relative body weight of vital organs was calculated and their histopathology was studied. It was concluded that there was insignificant difference in body weight, behavioral pattern, food and water intake among treated and control groups. Haematology and biochemistry of blood samples from all groups were found analogous. Histopathological evaluation of vital body organs exhibited no lesions in all groups. Ocular, cardiac and dermal safety of GXH was also established on albino rabbits

Appraisal of acute oral toxicity of glucuronoxylan hydrogel from Mimosa pudica seeds

Glucuronoxylan hydrogel (GXH) isolated from M. pudica seeds was assessed for acute toxicology in albino mice that were alienated into four groups. Three groups, i.e., II, III and IV received GXH at a dose of 1, 2 and 5 g/kg, respectively while group I was retained untreated and provided routine diet. After administering GXH, mice were examined for vomiting, diarrhea, allergy and tremors for 8 h. All animals were carefully observed for food and water consumption at 1, 2, 3, 7 and 14 day after administering GXH. At the end of studies, blood samples were drawn for investigation of hematological and biochemical parameters. All animals were sacrificed, relative body weight of vital organs was calculated and their histopathology was studied. It was concluded that there was insignificant difference in body weight, behavioral pattern, food and water intake among treated and control groups. Haematology and biochemistry of blood samples from all groups were found analogous. Histopathological evaluation of vital body organs exhibited no lesions in all groups. Ocular, cardiac and dermal safety of GXH was also established on albino rabbits

Development of ANN optimized mucoadhesive buccal tablet containing flurbiprofen and lidocaine for dental pain

A novel mucoadhesive buccal tablet containing flurbiprofen (FLB) and lidocaine HCl (LID) was prepared to relieve dental pain. Tablet formulations (F1-F9) were prepared using variable quantities of mucoadhesive agents, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and sodium alginate (SA). The formulations were evaluated for their physicochemical properties, mucoadhesive strength and mucoadhesion time, swellability index and in vitro release of active agents. Release of both drugs depended on the relative ratio of HPMC:SA. However, mucoadhesive strength and mucoadhesion time were better in formulations, containing higher proportions of HPMC compared to SA. An artificial neural network (ANN) approach was applied to optimise formulations based on known effective parameters (i.e., mucoadhesive strength, mucoadhesion time and drug release), which proved valuable. This study indicates that an effective buccal tablet formulation of flurbiprofen and lidocaine can be prepared via an optimized ANN approach