Immunomodulatory effects of seagrass Halophila ovalis polysaccharide mixed feed in adult black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon and its protective efficacy against white spot syndrome virus infection

As white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) can be highly pathogenic in penaeid shrimp, various feed supplements have been tested to help to protect farmed shrimp against WSSV disease. Here a polysaccharide extract from Halophila ovalis (HO) seagrass was added to feeds at concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 g/kg to assess its ability to protect Black Tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) against WSSV challenge. Following feeding on these diets for 25 days, P. monodon were challenged by muscle injection and monitored for 21 days. On Day 0 and on Days 7 and 21 post-injection (pi), total haemocyte counts (THC), total protein concentrations, prophenoloxidase activity and respiratory burst activity were compared using haemolymph collected from 10 shrimp. All shrimp fed the basal diet died by Day 7 pi but survival times were extended among shrimp fed diets containing HO polysaccharide (HOP), and significantly at concentrations of 0.5 or 1 gkg^-1. Concomitantly with improved survival, all haemolymph immune parameters examined were enhanced significantly (p<0.05) among shrimp fed diets containing higher amounts of HOP. WSSV infection loads determined by real-time PCR were also lowered. The data suggest that if shrimp growth performance is not affected, inclusion of 0.5-1 gkg-1 HOP in commercial feeds might increase resilience of pond stocks of P. monodon against WSSV disease and when disease occurs, provide farmers with a longer management window to minimize economic losses

Effectiveness of grassroots ICT projects: A case study of the Akshaya Project of Kerala State, India

This paper reports the findings of a study that examined the effectiveness of grassroots ICT projects in India. It was conducted in 2010 and focused on the Akshaya ICT Project which was launched in 2002 by the IT Mission and the Department of Science and Technology of the State of Kerala, India with voluntary tie-up with some local bodies. The core aim of the project was to make Kerala the first fully e-literate state in India. Data were collected using qualitative and quantitative methods. One hundred respondents of the district were selected and recruited through a two stage sampling technique. The study found that although over half of the respondents had heard about the project, very few were aware of the project’s services. The few who accessed the services did so mainly epayment purposes.Key Words: ICT, Akshaya Project, Kerala, development, e-kendra (e-centre

Thermo-mechanical properties of sodium chloride and alkali-treated sugarcane bagasse fibre

The experimental characterization of mechanical and thermal properties of treated and raw sugarcane bagasse fibre hasbeen studied. The bagasse fibres are treated with sodium chloride (NaCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions. TheNaOH treated fibres show better structural and thermal properties than other two types. SEM image of alkali-treated fibresreveals that the bundles of fibres are mainly composed of thin parenchyma cell walls. The fibres are joined with each otherwhich improves the mechanical properties. The statistical analysis is also performed using ANOVA one-factor method.From ANOVA, the significant difference between the dependent parameters and the various chemical treatments aredetermined. The results show that the NaCl and NaOH treated fibres significantly improve the mechanical properties andthermal stability

Transport of Entanglement Through a Heisenberg-XY Spin Chain

The entanglement dynamics of spin chains is investigated using Heisenberg-XY spin Hamiltonian dynamics. The various measures of two-qubit entanglement are calculated analytically in the time-evolved state starting from initial states with no entanglement and exactly one pair of maximally-entangled qubits. The localizable entanglement between a pair of qubits at the end of chain captures the essential features of entanglement transport across the chain, and it displays the difference between an initial state with no entanglement and an initial state with one pair of maximally-entangled qubits.Comment: 5 Pages. 3 Figure

Evaluation of different fungicides applied as seed tuber treatments for the control of potato silver scurf

La tache argentée de la pomme de terre (Solanum tuberosum), causée par le champignon Helminthosporium solani, est une maladie affectant la qualité du tubercule. L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer l’efficacité de différents fongicides, appliqués sur les tubercules de semence, à contrer le développement de la tache argentée. Pour ce faire, des tubercules de semence infectés par H. solani ont été traités avec l’un des fongicides suivants : talc, fludioxonil, mancozeb, iprodione, thiabendazole, imazalil et azoxystrobin. Ils ont, par la suite, été plantés au champ. Les essais ont été réalisés au Québec sur trois sites en 1998 et deux sites en 1999. Les résultats obtenus montrent que, sous nos conditions expérimentales, ces fongicides, appliqués en traitement de semence, n’ont pas affecté significativement les rendements totaux et vendables ainsi que la sévérité de la tache argentée sur les tubercules-fils au moment de la récolte et après différentes périodes d’entreposage. D’autre part, cette étude a permis de mettre en évidence l’influence des sites expérimentaux sur le développement de la tache argentée et suggère que l’inoculum du sol joue un rôle dans l’épidémiologie de cette maladie.Silver scurf of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), caused by the fungus Helminthosporium solani, is an important surface-blemishing disease of potato tubers. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of different fungicides applied to potato seed tubers for control of silver scurf. Field trials were conducted in Québec province in 1998 and 1999. Potato seed tubers infected with H. solani were treated with either talc, fludioxonil, mancozeb, iprodione, thiabendazole, imazalil or azoxystrobin, and planted at three locations in 1998 and two locations in 1999. The results showed that, under our experimental conditions, the fungicides tested, applied as seed treatments, did not significantly influence total and marketable yields as well as silver scurf severity on daughter tubers at harvest and after different storage periods. In addition, this study showed the influence of the experimental locations on silver scurf development and suggests that soil inoculum plays a role in the epidemiology of the disease