Aquaculture vis-a-vis agriculture

The effect of aquaculture, especially shrimp farming, on agriculture has caused heated debate among aquaculturists, agriculturists, and non-governmental organizations. As data on the negative impact of shrimp farming on adjacent rice fields are not available, a study was undertaken in rice fields skirting three shrimp farms: a semi-intensive farm; an extensive farm; and a semi-intensive farm with a buffer zone. The buffer zone was found to be helpful in preventing salinization of the adjacent agricultural fields and the Electrical Conductivity (EC) values (less than 1) reported were found to be harmless to the rice crop. Thus, aquaculture and agriculture can coexist in coastal areas if there are buffer zones in between

Role of Interpersonal Trust on the Relationship Between Employee Innovative Behaviour and Customer Participation: Evidence from The Hospitality Industry in Sri Lanka

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess how the customers’ contribution impels employee innovative behavior in hospitality services with respect to the mediating role of interpersonal trust in selected hotels in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the existing literature, conceptual model is created with the dependent variable of employee innovative behavior, independent variable of customer participation and the mediating variable of interpersonal trust. A total of 391 acceptable questionnaires were obtained out of 500 questionnaires distributed comprisesing 198 and 193 frontline employees and customers respectively (convenient sampling was used) in three to five star hotels in Sri Lanka. The collected data were analyzed using inferential statistics. Findings: The quantitative survey divulges that there is a significant positive effect between customer participation and employee innovative behavior and interpersonal trust. In addition, a study reveals that increasing the level of interpersonal trust between customers and employees may boost employee innovative capacity. Hence it is proved that customer participation has an indirect significant effect on employee innovative behavior through interpersonal trust. Originality: This study contributes to fill out the existing knowledge gap and it helps to improve the innovations in the service sector with the appropriate climate of information exchange.   Implications: According to the results, increasing consumer involvement in service design and delivery improves employee novelty. Meanwhile developing trust between the parties enhances the relationship as well as it will enhance the creative power of employees in hospitality services. This study contributed to the hospitality industry on innovative ideas which makes customer participation as a tool for their novelty in the Sri Lankan context. Keywords: Customer Participation, Interpersonal Trust, Employee Innovative Behavior, Services, Hotels, Tourism &nbsp

EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIALS OF Cardiospermum halicacabum Linn.

Antimicrobial activity of Cardiospermum halicacabum shoot extracts were studied on gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus substilis, and gram-negative bacteria such as E.coli, Proteus vulgaris, and fungus Candida albicans. Disc diffusion method was used to study the antimicrobial activity of aqueous, ethanol, chloroform and ether extracts of C. halicacabum. Ampicillin was used as reference standard at 10 mg/disc concentration. Extracts of C. halicacabum exhibited a significant antibacterial activity except the aqueous extract. Ethanolic extract was found to be very effective with maximum activity index (0.84). The ethanolic extract exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC of 0.25 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus substilis, E. coli and Proteus vulgaris and 0.125 mg/mL against Candida albicans. The MIC of chloroform and ether extracts ranged between 0.25 and 1.0 mg/ml against the test organisms. All the extracts showed antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Key words: antimicrobial activity, Cardiospermum halicacabum shoot system, solvent extraction,

Evolution of SET-Domain Protein Families in the Unicellular and Multicellular Ascomycota Fungi

Background: The evolution of multicellularity is accompanied by the occurrence of differentiated tissues, of organismal developmental programs, and of mechanisms keeping the balance between proliferation and differentiation. Initially, the SET-domain proteins were associated exclusively with regulation of developmental genes in metazoa. However, finding of SET-domain genes in the unicellular yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe suggested that SET-domain proteins regulate a much broader variety of biological programs. Intuitively, it is expected that the numbers, types, and biochemical specificity of SET-domain proteins of multicellular versus unicellular forms would reflect the differences in their biology. However, comparisons across the unicellular and multicellular domains of life are complicated by the lack of knowledge of the ancestral SET-domain genes. Even within the crown group, different biological systems might use the epigenetic \u27code\u27 differently, adapting it to organism-specific needs. Simplifying the model, we undertook a systematic phylogenetic analysis of one monophyletic fungal group (Ascomycetes) containing unicellular yeasts, Saccharomycotina (hemiascomycetes), and a filamentous fungal group, Pezizomycotina (euascomycetes). Results: Systematic analysis of the SET-domain genes across an entire eukaryotic phylum has outlined clear distinctions in the SET-domain gene collections in the unicellular and in the multicellular (filamentous) relatives; diversification of SET-domain gene families has increased further with the expansion and elaboration of multicellularity in animal and plant systems. We found several ascomycota-specific SET-domain gene groups; each was unique to either Saccharomycotina or Pezizomycotina fungi. Our analysis revealed that the numbers and types of SET-domain genes in the Saccharomycotina did not reflect the habitats, pathogenicity, mechanisms of sexuality, or the ability to undergo morphogenic transformations. However, novel genes have appeared for functions associated with the transition to multicellularity. Descendents of most of the SET-domain gene families found in the filamentous fungi could be traced in the genomes of extant animals and plants, albeit as more complex structural forms. Conclusion: SET-domain genes found in the filamentous species but absent from the unicellular sister group reflect two alternative evolutionary events: deletion from the yeast genomes or appearance of novel structures in filamentous fungal groups. There were no Ascomycota-specific SET-domain gene families (i.e., absent from animal and plant genomes); however, plants and animals share SET-domain gene subfamilies that do not exist in the fungi. Phylogenetic and genestructure analyses defined several animal and plant SET-domain genes as sister groups while those of fungal origin were basal to them. Plants and animals also share SET-domain subfamilies that do not exist in fungi

Heavy Metal Concentrations in Three Commercial Fish Species in Cuddalore Coast, Tamil Nadu, India

Three fish species samples were collected from Cuddalore along Tamil Nadu coast, Bay of Bengal, India were analyzed for the levels of heavy metals to elucidate the status of the contamination in fish meat for human consumption. Concentrations of Cu, Cr, Cd, Co, Ni and Zn were determined for the above species using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). The concentrations of heavy metal in the samples were below the maximum residual level recommended by various organizations. Therefore, the fish muscles of the samples analyzed were fit for human consumption in this region

Review article: the effects of antitumour necrosis factor-α on bone metabolism in inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of osteoporosis. A number of studies have emerged in recent years indicating that tumour necrosis factor (TNF) blockade appears to have a beneficial effect on bone mineral density (BMD) in IBD patients. AIMS: To provide a review of the available data regarding the effect of the currently licensed anti-TNF-α therapies on bone metabolism and BMD in IBD patients. METHODS: A Medline search was performed using the search terms \u27infliximab\u27, \u27bone metabolism\u27, \u27IBD\u27, \u27BMD\u27, \u27bone markers\u27, \u27adalimumab\u27, \u27bone disease\u27, \u27Crohn\u27s disease\u27 and \u27ulcerative colitis\u27. RESULTS: Infliximab has a beneficial effect on bone turnover markers in Crohn\u27s disease (CD) patients in the short term. The longest study to date comprising 24 CD patients showed an overall improvement in two bone formation markers - b-alkaline phosphatase (P = 0.022) and osteocalcin (P = 0.008) at 4 months post-treatment. Moreover, the largest study to date comprising 71 CD patients showed significant improvement in sCTx, a bone resorption marker (P = 0.04) at week-8 post-treatment. There is little data looking at the effect of anti-TNF-α therapy on bone metabolism in ulcerative colitis. Moreover, the long-term effects of anti-TNF-α therapy on bone structure and fracture risk in IBD patients are currently not known. The effect of cessation of anti-TNF-α therapy on bone metabolism is also unknown. CONCLUSION: Properly controlled long-term trials are needed to fully evaluate the impact of TNF blockade on bone mineral density

EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIALS OF Cardiospermum halicacabum Linn.

Antimicrobial activity of Cardiospermum halicacabum shoot extracts were studied on gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus substilis, and gram-negative bacteria such as E.coli, Proteus vulgaris, and fungus Candida albicans. Disc diffusion method was used to study the antimicrobial activity of aqueous, ethanol, chloroform and ether extracts of C. halicacabum. Ampicillin was used as reference standard at 10 mg/disc concentration. Extracts of C. halicacabum exhibited a significant antibacterial activity except the aqueous extract. Ethanolic extract was found to be very effective with maximum activity index (0.84). The ethanolic extract exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC of 0.25 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus substilis, E. coli and Proteus vulgaris and 0.125 mg/mL against Candida albicans. The MIC of chloroform and ether extracts ranged between 0.25 and 1.0 mg/ml against the test organisms. All the extracts showed antifungal activity against Candida albicans

Toward allele-specific targeting therapy and pharmacodynamic marker for spinocerebellar ataxia type 3

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the ataxin-3 gene (ATXN3), is characterized by neuronal polyglutamine (polyQ) ATXN3 protein aggregates. Although there is no cure for SCA3, gene-silencing approaches to reduce toxic polyQ ATXN3 showed promise in preclinical models. However, a major limitation in translating putative treatments for this rare disease to the clinic is the lack of pharmacodynamic markers for use in clinical trials. Here, we developed an immunoassay that readily detects polyQ ATXN3 proteins in human biological fluids and discriminates patients with SCA3 from healthy controls and individuals with other ataxias. We show that polyQ ATXN3 serves as a marker of target engagement in human fibroblasts, which may bode well for its use in clinical trials. Last, we identified a single-nucleotide polymorphism that strongly associates with the expanded allele, thus providing an exciting drug target to abrogate detrimental events initiated by mutant ATXN3. Gene-silencing strategies for several repeat diseases are well under way, and our results are expected to improve clinical trial preparedness for SCA3 therapies