Observations on the exploitation of sea turtles along the Tuticorin coast, Tamil Nadu, India

Aqueous extract of seven species of marine macroalgae were screened for their antimicrobial potency against ten pathogenic bacterial strains. Ulva fasciata, Gracilaria corticata, Sargassum wightii and Padina tetrastromatica showed significantly higher activity against 70% of the tested bacterial isolates. The maximum zone of inhibition was noted for the red alga G.corticata against Proteus mirabilis (17mm) and brown alga P. tetrastromatica against the pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio harveyi (15mm). The general trend of inhibitory activity was higher towards Gram negative bacteria

Ovicidal, oviposition deterrent and larvicidal response of Anopheles stephensi Liston, 1901 to Lobophora variegata Lamouroux, 1817 from Tuticorin coast, Gulf of Mannar, India

The objective of the present study was to investigate the mosquito ovicidal, oviposition deterrent and larvicidal efficacy of hexane, benzene, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of, Lobophora variegata against malarial vector Anopheles stephensi. Among the five extract tested, the methanol extract was notable, which attained the 100 percent mortality at the concentration of 200.0 ppm and the hatchability rate ranged from 71.3 to 36.3 percent. In laboratory oviposition deterrent test, the extract of L. variegata greatly reduced the number of eggs deposited by gravid An. stephensi. The maximum and significant diminished fecundity in An. stephensi was observed with methanol extract which caused 76.15­–97.69% effective deterrence. Larvicidal response of An. stephensi was more susceptible in methanol extract. The LC50 ­value of methanol extract was 61.63 ppm and the Chi-square value were significant at p<0.05 level. It is concluded, that the extract of L. variegata could be used in control of malarial vector An. stephensi

Association of molluscan fauna with the coral reefs of Gulf of Mannar

Coral reefs are one of the important ecosystems in India. Major coral families of Gulf of mannar such as Acroporidae, Pocilloporidae, Poridae were collected. The above reef building corals harboured 51 numbers of molluscan species during this study. Pteria chinensis, Ostrea sp, Nerita rumphi and Cypraea tigris were noted from the study area. The gastropods are mostly associated with the coral reefs than the bivalves. The present study will reveal the diversity of molluscan fauna harbored in the different habitat of corals

Spawning, intracapsular development and production potential of viable juveniles of a murex Chicoreus virgineus var. ponderosa Sowerby under laboratory conditions

Muricids are commercially important gastropods and are exploited primarily for shell craft industries. They also occupy a niche in ornamental keeping. Studies on the larval development of muricids in Indian waters are few. Hence, an attempt was made to study with a focus on the optimum requirements for captive brood maintenance; regional variation in egg laying, intracapsular development and to estimate production potential of individual brooder (the length/ weight ranged from 80 - 110 mm/49 - 169 g (average 94.875 ± 3.980 mm/111.625 ± 14.870 g) of Chicoreus virgineus var. ponderosa collected off Tuticorin coast, Gulf of Mannar. Experimental airlift water circulation system fitted in 1 t FRP tanks having an overturn of 300% water is found suitable for long term maintenance and maturation of brooders with near cent percent survival over a year. Spontaneous breeding commenced from June ’09. Eggs cases were ‘vase’ shaped and measured 1.2 - 1.5 cm in height. Egg case numbers varied between 110 and 140 and got reduced to 10 - 40 during October and increased in Nov & December. Number of eggs within the egg case was highly variable ranging from 100 - 380. Eggs were spherical, embedded in jelly mass within the egg case and measured 510 - 608 μ (578 μ). Intra capsular development is detailed and compared with the earlier report on this species from other areas of Indian coast. Development took nearly 20 days and only few free living juveniles measuring between 1.7 - 1.9 mm emerged and the rest of the eggs have functioned as “Nurse eggs”. Average net production potential of a single viable egg case was estimated to be 6.7 nos for Chicoreus virgineus var. ponderosa of Tuticorin coast of Gulf of Mannar

Design, development, calibration, and testing of indigenously developed strain gauge based dynamometer for cutting force measurement in the milling process

In this work, a milling dynamometer based on strain gauge with an octagonal and square ring was designed and tested. Strain gauges were attached with the mechanical rings to detect the deformation, during the machining process. Wheatstone bridge circuit was equipped with gauges to acquire the strain as voltage owing to the deformation of mechanical rings when machining takes place. The finite element analysis (FEA) was used to identify the location of maximum deformation and stress. The direction of rings and location of gauges were decided to increase the sensitivity and decrease the cross-sensitivity. Then, the cutting force was acquired through NI 6221 M series data acquisition (DAQ) card. The dynamometer had undergone a cycle of tests to verify its static and dynamic characteristics. The metrological characterization was performed according to the calibration procedure based on ISO 376 – 2011 standard. The cutting force was measured with both the dynamometers through milling experiments based on Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array and the results were recorded. The measured cutting force varied from 300 N to 550 N. The obtained results depicted that low-cost milling dynamometer was reliable to measure the three component machining force. Overall, the square ring based dynamometer provides the better static and dynamic characteristics in terms of linearity, cross-sensitivity (4%), uncertainty (0.054%), and natural frequency (362.41 rev/s)

Effects of cannabidiol on contractions and calcium signaling in rat ventricular myocytes

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. Cannabidiol (CBD), a major nonpsychotropic cannabinoid found in Cannabis plant, has been shown to influence cardiovascular functions under various physiological and pathological conditions. In the present study, the effects of CBD on contractility and electrophysiological properties of rat ventricular myocytes were investigated. Video edge detection was used to measure myocyte shortening. Intracellular Ca2+ was measured in cells loaded with the Ca2+ sensitive fluorescent indicator fura-2 AM. Whole-cell patch clamp was used to measure action potential and Ca2+ currents. Radioligand binding was employed to study pharmacological characteristics of CBD binding. CBD (1μM) caused a significant decrease in the amplitudes of electrically evoked myocyte shortening and Ca2+ transients. However, the amplitudes of caffeine-evoked Ca2+ transients and the rate of recovery of electrically evoked Ca2+ transients following caffeine application were not altered. CBD (1μM) significantly decreased the duration of APs. Further studies on L-type Ca2+ channels indicated that CBD inhibits these channels with IC50 of 0.1μM in a voltage-independent manner. Radioligand studies indicated that the specific binding of [3H]Isradipine, was not altered significantly by CBD. The results suggest that CBD depresses myocyte contractility by suppressing L-type Ca2+ channels at a site different than dihydropyridine binding site and inhibits excitation-contraction coupling in cardiomyocytes

Orange IV stabilizes silk fibroin microemulsions

Silk fibroin (SF) is a natural biopolymer that has been extensively studied in various applications due to its impressive mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Recently, SF-based particles have been proposed as controlled drug delivery systems. A new and efficient method to prepare SF microemulsions (SF-MEs) was developed by oil-in-water emulsions using high-pressure homogenization to promote emulsification. During SF-ME production, the secondary structure of SF changed to a more stable conformation (from random coil to -sheets), thus allowing the formation of small and stable (140.7 ± 1.9 nm; polydispersity index, 0.25) SF microparticles (SF-MPs). The efficiency of SF-MP formation was 60%. Orange IV was used as a model compound for incorporation and release studies, although its incorporation into the SF-MEs significantly improved particle size and size distribution over at least 4 wk compared to traditional stabilizers (e.g., poloxamer 407, transcutol, Tween 80, and SDS). This should be a call of attention when using dyes as model compounds since they can influence particle properties and lead to misinterpretation of the results. Orange IV showed an incorporation efficiency of 91% and a controlled release over time. Stable SF-MP formulations, further enhanced by orange IV incorporation, provide an innovative method with potential application in pharmaceutical development due to its associated high biocompatibility and release profile.The authors thank the FCT Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 and the project "BioHealth - Biotechnology and Bioengineering Approaches to Improve Health Quality," Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000027, cofunded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER. We would also like to acknowledge CRA - Unita di Ricerca di Apicoltura and Bachicoltura Padova (Italy) for the supply of B. mori silkworm cocoons, and Andreia Vasconcelos for technical support

Technology transfer, adoption and performance evaluation of pearl culture technology at selected ecosystems of India

ICAR-CMFRI has developed technologies for breeding and seed production of many commercially important molluscs. One such is the marine pearl culture technology. The technology has been developed way back in 1973, pearl culture was undertaken by the fishers of Veppalodai, Thoothukudi district under the guidance of ICAR-CMFRI and established the interest and farming skill by producing quality pearls. Subsequently many aspects of pearl oyster resources were studied in detail by various researchers and a rich knowledge was obtained on the subject. The technology developed by ICAR-CMFRI has been transferred to various State government, private and joint ventures in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. Partial technology transfer to fisherfolks of Mundalmunai village, Mandapam through financial support of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF, Chennai) and good amount of pearls were produced but, due to non sustenance of funding it couldn’t continue beyond the project period. At this juncture the current programme was implemented in three different centres viz., Kollam (Kerala), Kalpeni (Lakshadweep islands) and Sippikulam, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu with an aim of training and total transferring of the technology of image (‘mabe’) and spherical pearl production to the fishers and empower them in marine pearl culture production technology. In this paper an attempt is made to detail the experience and results of adoption of village/SHG’s respectively, feasibility study for pearl culture using Indian pearl oyster Pinctada fucata, development of infrastructure, training imparted, skill evaluation and the Available online at: www.mbai.org.in doi: 10.6024/jmbai.2018.60.1.2027-06 results of independent pearl culture by the beneficiaries at the respective centre/SHG. The trained group at Sippikulam, Thoothukudi was capable of producing 4.4-7.7% commercial grade spherical pearls, the SHG’s at Kollam and Kalpeni centres developed expertise and produced 15-20% good quality ‘mabe’ pearl. As an encouragement/proof, the product was given to the team concerned. A project proposal was also prepared for the follow up and continuance of the culture with State Fisheries Department for funding was handed over to the group. Strong linkage was developed by liaisoning the groups with the State Department Officials of the respective centre for further follow up. The success of the implementation of the project at the three centres was evaluated by seven indicators

Missense variants in the N-terminal domain of the A isoform of FHF2/FGF13 cause an X-linked developmental and epileptic encephalopathy

Fibroblast growth factor homologous factors (FHFs) are intracellular proteins which regulate voltage-gated sodium (Na v) channels in the brain and other tissues. FHF dysfunction has been linked to neurological disorders including epilepsy. Here, we describe two sibling pairs and three unrelated males who presented in infancy with intractable focal seizures and severe developmental delay. Whole-exome sequencing identified hemi- and heterozygous variants in the N-terminal domain of the A isoform of FHF2 (FHF2A). The X-linked FHF2 gene (also known as FGF13) has alternative first exons which produce multiple protein isoforms that differ in their N-terminal sequence. The variants were located at highly conserved residues in the FHF2A inactivation particle that competes with the intrinsic fast inactivation mechanism of Na v channels. Functional characterization of mutant FHF2A co-expressed with wild-type Na v1.6 (SCN8A) revealed that mutant FHF2A proteins lost the ability to induce rapid-onset, long-term blockade of the channel while retaining pro-excitatory properties. These gain-of-function effects are likely to increase neuronal excitability consistent with the epileptic potential of FHF2 variants. Our findings demonstrate that FHF2 variants are a cause of infantile-onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathy and underline the critical role of the FHF2A isoform in regulating Na v channel function