Observations on broodstock maintenance, breeding and early larval development of the common spider conch Lambis lambis (Linnaeus, 1758) in captivity

Spider conches are common in shallow waters of the Indian coast. Of the eleven species reported from Indian waters, six species of the genus Lambis are categorised under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Studies on the breeding of Lambis spp. are limited Considering its importance, an attempt was made to breed the common spider conch Lambis lambis, under controlled conditions. The brooders ranged from 152-184 mm/80-400 g in size/weight. They were maintained on macroalgal diet under static as well as airlift recirculation system. The conch shells, after 4 months of maintenance, exhibited mating behaviour and laid eggs under captivity during October-December 2010. The morphology and development of the embryo within the egg filaments, hatching, embryonic and early larval development up to 35 days post-hatch (dph) is detailed and compared with the similar observation made at Majuro atoll, Marshall Islands

Optimization of Complex Water Supply Network

AbstractThe Millennium drought created critical water shortages throughout Australia and particularly in South East Queensland (SEQ). In response to this the bulk water network was significantly enhanced resulting in large infrastructure augmentations consisting of cross regional pipelines, a desalination plant and a purified recycled water plant. Given that SEQ can transition from drought to flood and vice versa in a short period of time it is a fine balance to operate the new more complicated asset base economically whilst maintaining sufficient supply security. With rising energy prices and the increasing cost of living pressures, there is an immediate need to better understand what optimal grid operation looks like and this is currently being investigated by the Seqwater Decision Support System (DSS).Till now, a network such as the SEQ water grid with its variety of water supply sources of varying reliabilities and complexity of the network has been operated in a relatively manual manner using manual heuristics. Given the number of factors which need to be considered when making decisions about which parts of the network to activate at any one time and the limitations of the human mind to resolve these, means that sub optimal results are frequently generated.The development of a DSS using optimization techniques can help determine the most efficient mode of delivery of water taking into account the operating costs of the various assets within the network, amongst a range of other constraints. This paper goes into detail the application of the optimization technology to the SEQ Water grid

CHEMICAL CHANGES OF PADDY DURING METAL SILO STORAGE

ABSTRACTObjective: To study the chemical changes of paddy stored at metal silo for a period of 6-month.Methods: The peroxide value (PV) and free fatty acids (FFAs) were analyzed by titrimetry method. The total fatty acid profile was analyzed throughgas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) (Scion 436-GC Bruker model coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrophotometer) andNational Institute Standard and Technology-MS library.Results: The PV of paddy at the 1st month of storage is 0.62 mEq/kg and at the 6 month the value increases to 5.11 mEq/kg and initial FFA wasrecorded as 0.49% and final value of 2.28%. In accordance with these data, the GC-MS study of rice bran oil (RBO) proved that polyunsaturated fattyacid percentage is decreasing over the period of storage time.thConclusion: With the results and findings, the overall chemical change during the 6-month storage of paddy at metal silo does not affect the RBOquality significantly.Keywords: Free fatty acids, Peroxide value, Metal silo, Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

NANOPARTICLE FORMULATION OF BIOFLAVONOIDS FOR ENHANCED ANTI-CANCER ACTIVITY

Among the natural sources, plant origin drugs constitute around 25% which includes various secondary metabolites such as bioflavonoids, alkaloids, terpenes, saponins, glucosides, and lignans. The bioflavonoids belonging to the polyphenol group shows many beneficial effects like hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antiviral. The main objective of this article is to collectively present the research data published worldwide about the anticancer activity of bioflavonoids by loading them in novel formulations. Thus, the present review explored the novel formulations of the bioflavonoids with improved pharmacokinetic properties along with the enhanced anticancer activity. The major drawback with bioflavonoids is its poor solubility and bioavailability, which restricts the usage of bioflavonoids in the treatment of cancer in the market worldwide. Novel drug delivery system seems to possess many benefits like site-specific drug delivery along with minimal side effects and improves pharmaceutical and therapeutic properties of drugs compared to a conventional dosage form of bioflavonoids. The scope for improvement of anticancer activity of bioflavonoids by incorporating in novel pharmaceutical formulations like nanoparticles is very high, and it has to be considered as a potential area of research

Synthesis and biological activity of pyrazino[3,2,1-j,k]carbazoles

1133-113

High Grade Dysplastic Villous Adenoma Arising from a Giant Hamartomatous Polyp- A Rare Case Presentation

Adenomatous polyps can be found throughout the colon, most commonly in right colon. Microscopically they are classified as tubular, villous or tubulovillous subtypes. Tubular adenomas are the most common subtype with villous component less than 25%. Tubulovillous adenomas have a villous component that accounts for 25-75%, while villous adenomas have a villous component that accounts for more than 75% of the polyp. Peutz-Jeghers syndrome which is an autosomal dominant condition is characterised by gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyp with distinctive arborization of smooth muscle within the lamina propria. Peutz-Jeghers type polyp is a hamartomatous polyp without associated mucocutaneous pigmentation or a family history of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. In the present case study, a 82-year-old male presented with the chief complaint of constipation and abdominal distension since six months. A polypoidal rectal growth was identified on sigmoidoscopy. The clinical diagnosis of mid rectal growth with acute colonic obstruction was made. Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography (PET CT) was done which was suggestive of malignancy and therefore, Hartmann’s procedure was performed and lesion was excised. On gross examination, a portion of large intestine including sigmoid colon and rectum was received and a pedunculated polypoidal lesion measuring 4.5×3.5×3 cm along with stalk measuring 2.5 cm was seen. On microscopy, the polyp with extensive arborization of muscularis mucosa into the lamina propria was seen with one area showing features of villous adenoma with high-grade dysplasia. Hence, a final diagnosis was given as villous adenoma with high grade dysplasia arising from a hamartomatous polyp consistent with Peutz-Jeghers polyp. The identification of a villous adenoma with high-grade dysplasia in a Peutz-Jegher type polyp is essential in such situations since it is a precursor of invasive malignancy

Efficient Inhibition of HIV Replication in the Gastrointestinal and Female Reproductive Tracts of Humanized BLT Mice by EFdA

The nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) 4'-ethynyl-2-fluoro-2'-deoxyadenosine (EFdA) in preclinical development exhibits improved safety and antiviral activity profiles with minimal drug resistance compared to approved NRTIs. However, the systemic antiviral efficacy of EFdA has not been fully evaluated. In this study, we utilized bone marrow/liver/thymus (BLT) humanized mice to investigate the systemic effect of EFdA treatment on HIV replication and CD4+ T cell depletion in the peripheral blood (PB) and tissues. In particular, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the female reproductive tract (FRT) and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, major sites of transmission, viral replication, and CD4+ T cell depletion and where some current antiretroviral drugs have a sub-optimal effect

A 1-acetamido derivative of 6-epi-valienamine: an inhibitor of a diverse group of β-N-acetylglucosaminidases

The synthesis of an analogue of 6-epi-valienamine bearing an acetamido group and its characterisation as an inhibitor of β-N-acetylglucosaminidases are described. The compound is a good inhibitor of both human O-GlcNAcase and human β-hexosaminidase, as well as two bacterial β-N-acetylglucosaminidases. A 3-D structure of the complex of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron BtGH84 with the inhibitor shows the unsaturated ring is surprisingly distorted away from its favoured solution phase conformation and reveals potential for improved inhibitor potency

Peripheral halo-functionalization in [Cu(N^N)(P^P)]+ emitters: influence on the performances of light-emitting electrochemical cells

A series of heteroleptic [Cu(N^N)(P^P)][PF6] complexes is described in which P^P = bis(2-(diphenylphosphino)phenyl)ether (POP) or 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-9,9-dimethylxanthene (xantphos) and N^N = 4,4′-diphenyl-6,6′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine substituted in the 4-position of the phenyl groups with atom X (N^N = 1 has X = F, 2 has X = Cl, 3 has X = Br, 4 has X = I; the benchmark N^N ligand with X = H is 5). These complexes have been characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, elemental analyses and cyclic voltammetry; representative single crystal structures are also reported. The solution absorption spectra are characterized by high energy bands (arising from ligand-centred transitions) which are red-shifted on going from X = H to X = I, and a broad metal-to-ligand charge transfer band with λmax in the range 387–395 nm. The ten complexes are yellow emitters in solution and yellow or yellow-orange emitters in the solid-state. For a given N^N ligand, the solution photoluminescence (PL) spectra show no significant change on going from [Cu(N^N)(POP)]+ to [Cu(N^N)(xantphos)]+; introducing the iodo-functionality into the N^N domain leads to a red-shift in λmaxem compared to the complexes with the benchmark N^N ligand 5. In the solid state, [Cu(1)(POP)][PF6] and [Cu(1)(xantphos)][PF6] (fluoro-substituent) exhibit the highest PL quantum yields (74 and 25%, respectively) with values of τ1/2 = 11.1 and 5.8 μs, respectively. Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) with [Cu(N^N)(P^P)][PF6] complexes in the emissive layer have been tested. Using a block-wave pulsed current driving mode, the best performing device employed [Cu(1)(xantphos)]+ and this showed a maximum luminance (Lummax) of 129 cd m−2 and a device lifetime (t1/2) of 54 h; however, the turn-on time (time to reach Lummax) was 4.1 h. Trends in performance data reveal that the introduction of fluoro-groups is beneficial, but that the incorporation of heavier halo-substituents leads to poor devices, probably due to a detrimental effect on charge transport; LECs with the iodo-functionalized N^N ligand 4 failed to show any electroluminescence after 50 h