Management of Fusarium Wilt using mycolytic enzymes produced by Trichoderma harzianum (Th. Azad)

The main aim of this study was to isolate the best chitinase and glucanase enzyme producing Trichoderma strain to manage the Fusarium wilt disease of Cicer aritenum under in vitro conditions. We also studied the effect of Trichoderma strains on the growth and development of C. aritenum plants. Seven strains of Trichoderma were screened against the Fusarium pathogen to isolate the best biocontrol agent causing maximum inhibition of Fusarium growth. Trichoderma harzianum (Th. Azad) was found to be the best strains among all the tested strains. Trichoderma treated plant exhibited the least disease incidence as compared to control plants. Trichoderma treated plant showed a significant stimulatory effect on all the tested eight parameters as compared to control.Key words: Trichoderma, antagonistic activity, chitinase, glucanase, Biocontrol agent, phytopathogenic fungi

Systemic sclerosis, localized morphea, en coup de sabre and aortic regurgitation: A rare association

A 24-year-old male presented with Raynaud's phenomenon, digital infarcts, salt and pepper pigmentation and characteristic facies. There was gastrointestinal involvement clinically, endoscopically as well radiologically. In view of these findings and the demonstration of anti-nuclear antibodies with a homogeneous pattern of immunofluorescence and ScL-70 antibodies, he was diagnosed as a case of diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis. In addition, the patient had plaques of localized morphea, en coup de sabre with facial hemiatrophy on the left side, and mild aortic regurgitation (detected on echocardiography). The occurrence of these rare associations of localized plaques of morphea, en coup de sabre and aortic regurgitation in a single case of systemic sclerosis is quite an exceptional and interesting occurrence

Research on information systems failures and successes: Status update and future directions

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10796-014-9500-yInformation systems success and failure are among the most prominent streams in IS research. Explanations of why some IS fulfill their expectations, whereas others fail, are complex and multi-factorial. Despite the efforts to understand the underlying factors, the IS failure rate remains stubbornly high. A Panel session was held at the IFIP Working Group 8.6 conference in Bangalore in 2013 which forms the subject of this Special Issue. Its aim was to reflect on the need for new perspectives and research directions, to provide insights and further guidance for managers on factors enabling IS success and avoiding IS failure. Several key issues emerged, such as the need to study problems from multiple perspectives, to move beyond narrow considerations of the IT artifact, and to venture into underexplored organizational contexts, such as the public sector. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

Antiepileptic drugs’ tolerability and safety – a systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse effects in dogs

<p>Various anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) are used for the management of idiopathic epilepsy (IE) in dogs. Their safety profile is an important consideration for regulatory bodies, owners and prescribing clinicians. However, information on their adverse effects still remains limited with most of it derived from non-blinded non-randomized uncontrolled trials and case reports.</p><p><span>This poster won third place, which was presented at the Veterinary Evidence Today conference, Edinburgh November 1-3, 2016. </span></p><br /> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/oa-icon.jpg" alt="Open Access" /

Label-free Detection of Influenza Viruses using a Reduced Graphene Oxide-based Electrochemical Immunosensor Integrated with a Microfluidic Platform

Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) has recently gained considerable attention for use in electrochemical biosensing applications due to its outstanding conducting properties and large surface area. This report presents a novel microfluidic chip integrated with an RGO-based electrochemical immunosensor for label-free detection of an influenza virus, H1N1. Three microelectrodes were fabricated on a glass substrate using the photolithographic technique, and the working electrode was functionalized using RGO and monoclonal antibodies specific to the virus. These chips were integrated with polydimethylsiloxane microchannels. Structural and morphological characterizations were performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Electrochemical studies revealed good selectivity and an enhanced detection limit of 0.5 PFU mL(-1), where the chronoamperometric current increased linearly with H1N1 virus concentration within the range of 1 to 104 PFU mL(-1) (R-2 = 0.99). This microfluidic immunosensor can provide a promising platform for effective detection of biomolecules using minute samples.ope

Characterization of the second- and third-harmonic optical susceptibilities of atomically thin tungsten diselenide

Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-28374-1We report the first detailed characterization of the sheet third-harmonic optical susceptibility, χ(3)s, of tungsten diselenide (WSe2). With a home-built multiphoton microscope setup developed to study harmonics generation, we map the second and third-harmonic intensities as a function of position in the sample, pump power and polarization angle, for single- and few-layers flakes of WSe2. We register a value of |χ(3)s| ≈ 0.9 × 10-28 m3 V-2 at a fundamental excitation frequency of ℏω = 0.8 eV, which is comparable in magnitude to the third-harmonic susceptibility of other group-VI transition metal dichalcogenides. The simultaneously recorded sheet second-harmonic susceptibility is found to be |χ(2)s| ≈ 0.7 × 10-19 m2 V-1 in very good agreement on the order of magnitude with recent reports for WSe2, which asserts the robustness of our values for |χ(3)s|.Y.W.H. acknowledges scholarship support from NGS. G.E. acknowledges financial support from National Research Foundation of Singapore (NRF Research Fellowship NRF-NRFF2011-02 and medium-sized centre programme) and Ministry of Education of Singapore (AcRF Tier 2 MOE2015-T2-2-123). V. M. P. acknowledges fnancial support from Ministry of Education of Singapore (FRC AcRF Tier 1 R-144-000-386-114). J.C.V.G. acknowledges fnancial support from CA2DM through National Research Foundation of Singapore (NRF-CRP Grant No. R-144-000-295-281)

AAV2-Mediated Subretinal Gene Transfer of hIFN-α Attenuates Experimental Autoimmune Uveoretinitis in Mice

BACKGROUND: Recent reports show that gene therapy may provide a long-term, safe and effective intervention for human diseases. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) based human interferon-alpha (hIFN-α) gene therapy in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU), a classic model for human uveitis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: An AAV2 vector harboring the hIFN-α gene (AAV2.hIFN-α) was subretinally injected into B10RIII mice at two doses (1.5×10(6) vg, 1.5×10(8) vg). AAV2 vector encoding green fluorescent protein (AAV2.GFP) was used as a control (5×10(8) vg). The expression of hIFN-α in homogenized eyes and serum was detected by ELISA three weeks after injection. The biodistribution of vector DNA in the injected eyes, contralateral eyes and distant organs was determined by PCR. EAU was induced by immunization with IRBP(161-180) three weeks following vector injections, and evaluated clinically and pathologically. IRBP-specific proliferation and IL-17 expression of lymphocytes from the spleen and lymph nodes were assayed to test the influence of the subretinal delivery of AAV2.hIFN-α on the systemic immune response. hIFN-α was effectively expressed in the eyes from three weeks to three months following subretinal injection of AAV2.hIFN-α vector. DNA of AAV2.GFP was observed only in the injected eyes, but not in the distant organs or contralateral eyes. Subretinal injection of both doses significantly attenuated EAU activity clinically and histologically. For the lower dose, there was no difference concerning lymphocyte proliferation and IL-17 production among the AAV2.hIFN-α, AAV2.GFP and PBS injected mice. However, the higher dose of AAV2.hIFN-α significantly suppressed lymphocyte proliferation and IL-17 production. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Subretinal delivery of AAV2.hIFN-α lead to an effective expression within the eye for at least three months and significantly attenuated EAU activity. AAV2.hIFN-α was shown to inhibit the systemic IRBP-specific immune response

A Novel Role for Aquaporin-5 in Enhancing Microtubule Organization and Stability

Aquaporin-5 (AQP5) is a water-specific channel located on the apical surface of airway epithelial cells. In addition to regulating transcellular water permeability, AQP5 can regulate paracellular permeability, though the mechanisms by which this occurs have not been determined. Microtubules also regulate paracellular permeability. Here, we report that AQP5 promotes microtubule assembly and helps maintain the assembled microtubule steady state levels with slower turnover dynamics in cells. Specifically, reduced levels of AQP5 correlated with lower levels of assembled microtubules and decreased paracellular permeability. In contrast, overexpression of AQP5 increased assembly of microtubules, with evidence of increased MT stability, and promoted the formation of long straight microtubules in the apical domain of the epithelial cells. These findings indicate that AQP5-mediated regulation of microtubule dynamics modulates airway epithelial barrier properties and epithelial function

X-ray emission from the Sombrero galaxy: discrete sources

We present a study of discrete X-ray sources in and around the bulge-dominated, massive Sa galaxy, Sombrero (M104), based on new and archival Chandra observations with a total exposure of ~200 ks. With a detection limit of L_X = 1E37 erg/s and a field of view covering a galactocentric radius of ~30 kpc (11.5 arcminute), 383 sources are detected. Cross-correlation with Spitler et al.'s catalogue of Sombrero globular clusters (GCs) identified from HST/ACS observations reveals 41 X-rays sources in GCs, presumably low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). We quantify the differential luminosity functions (LFs) for both the detected GC and field LMXBs, whose power-low indices (~1.1 for the GC-LF and ~1.6 for field-LF) are consistent with previous studies for elliptical galaxies. With precise sky positions of the GCs without a detected X-ray source, we further quantify, through a fluctuation analysis, the GC LF at fainter luminosities down to 1E35 erg/s. The derived index rules out a faint-end slope flatter than 1.1 at a 2 sigma significance, contrary to recent findings in several elliptical galaxies and the bulge of M31. On the other hand, the 2-6 keV unresolved emission places a tight constraint on the field LF, implying a flattened index of ~1.0 below 1E37 erg/s. We also detect 101 sources in the halo of Sombrero. The presence of these sources cannot be interpreted as galactic LMXBs whose spatial distribution empirically follows the starlight. Their number is also higher than the expected number of cosmic AGNs (52+/-11 [1 sigma]) whose surface density is constrained by deep X-ray surveys. We suggest that either the cosmic X-ray background is unusually high in the direction of Sombrero, or a distinct population of X-ray sources is present in the halo of Sombrero.Comment: 11 figures, 5 tables, ApJ in pres

Phosphoinositide Regulation of Integrin Trafficking Required for Muscle Attachment and Maintenance

Muscles must maintain cell compartmentalization when remodeled during development and use. How spatially restricted adhesions are regulated with muscle remodeling is largely unexplored. We show that the myotubularin (mtm) phosphoinositide phosphatase is required for integrin-mediated myofiber attachments in Drosophila melanogaster, and that mtm-depleted myofibers exhibit hallmarks of human XLMTM myopathy. Depletion of mtm leads to increased integrin turnover at the sarcolemma and an accumulation of integrin with PI(3)P on endosomal-related membrane inclusions, indicating a role for Mtm phosphatase activity in endocytic trafficking. The depletion of Class II, but not Class III, PI3-kinase rescued mtm-dependent defects, identifying an important pathway that regulates integrin recycling. Importantly, similar integrin localization defects found in human XLMTM myofibers signify conserved MTM1 function in muscle membrane trafficking. Our results indicate that regulation of distinct phosphoinositide pools plays a central role in maintaining cell compartmentalization and attachments during muscle remodeling, and they suggest involvement of Class II PI3-kinase in MTM-related disease