A new species of the enigmatic genus \u3cem\u3eChiromachetes\u3c/em\u3e Pocock, 1899 (Scorpiones: Hormuridae) from Western Ghats, India, with a key to the genus

A new species of hormurid scorpion is described from the Western Ghats of India. Chiromachetes sahyadriensis sp. nov. differs from other members of this genus in the following set of characters: medium sized scorpions, total length reaching 62.9 mm, carapace flat, three pairs of lateral eyes, manus length/width ratio in males 4.6–4.8 and 3.4 in females, tarsi of leg ventrally with three spinoid setae at the base of tarsi. Dentate margin of pedipalp manus finger with two rows of granules fused at base. Pectines 8–9 in males, 6–8 in females. Lamellar hook positioned distinctly in basal half of hemispermatophore in proximity to the lamellae

Growth and yield responses of wheat cultivars to inoculation with N2-fixing bacteria under field conditions

In a field trial on clay loam soil, seeds of wheat cv. NI 747-19, NI 5439 and NI 5643 and Triticum durum cv. HD 2189, CC 464, UP 215, Malvika and Sonalika were inoculated with Azotobacter chroococcum and Azospirillum brasilense. Inoculation increased the number of fertile tillers/plant, plant DW, grain yield and N content of grain, straw and soil at harvest. Grain yield with no inoculation, A. chroococcum and A. brasilense was 3.32, 3.85 and 4.04 t/ha, respectively. Of the parameters measured there were no differences between different cultivar

A new species of \u3cem\u3eOrthochirus\u3c/em\u3e Karsch, 1892 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Maharashtra, India

A new species of scorpions of the genus Orthochirus (Buthidae) is described from Jalna, Maharashtra, India. A key to Indian scorpion of the genus Orthochirus is provided

Association between N2-fixing bacteria and pearl millet plants: responses, mechanisms and persistence

The responses of different cultivars of Pennisetum americanum to inoculation with Azospirillum and Azotobacter spp. with applications of N fertilizer and FYM were studied in 25 experiments at several locations in India. Increased grain yields of >10% (up to 33%) over the non-inoculated controls were observed in 46% of the experiments. In 2 experiments, continued inoculation for 2 or 3 years increased grain, plant biomass yield and N uptake. Application of combined N and FYM tended to increase yield and total plant N uptake. Inoculation did not increase grain N content in any experimen

Photoacoustic Detection of Circulating Prostate, Breast and Pancreatic Cancer cells using targeted Gold Nanoparticles: Implications of Green Nanotechnology in Molecular Imaging

Nanoscience Poster SessionCirculating tumor cells are hallmarks of metastasis cancer. The presence of circulating tumor cells in blood stream correlates with the severity of disease. Photoacoustic imaging (PA) of tumor cells is an attractive technique for potential applications in diagnostic imaging of circulating tumor cells. However, the sensitivity of photoacoustic imaging of tumor cells depends on their photon absorption characteristics. In this context, gold nanoparticle embedded tumor cells offer significant advantages for diagnostic PA of single cells. As the PA absorptivity is directly proportional to the number of nanoparticles embedded within tumor cells, the propensity of nanoparticles to internalize within tumor cells will dictate the sensitivity for single cell detection. We are developing biocompatible gold nanoparticles to use them as probes as part of our ongoing effort toward the application of X ray CT Imaging, Ultra Sound (US) and photoacoustic imaging of circulating breast, pancreatic and prostate tumor cells. We, herein report our latest results which have shown that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-conjugated gold nanoparticles (EGCG-AuNPs) internalize selectively within cancer cells providing threshold concentrations required for photo acoustic signals. In this presentation, we will describe, our recent results on the synthesis and characterization of EGCG gold nanoparticles, their cellular internalization and photo acoustic imaging of PC-3 prostate cancer cells and PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells

Biochemical Changes in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) Plants Infected with Maize Mosaic Virus*

Biochemical changes in sorghum cultivars naturally infected with maize mosaic virus were investigated. Virus infection reduced plant biomass ranging from 10-53% among different cultivars. Total chlorophyll content in infected leaves was reduced. Reduction in nitrate reductase activity varied from 23-72% in the infected leaves of different cultivars but nitrate reductase activity in the stems of infected plants was significantly higher than in those of healthy plants. The relationship between plant biomass and leaf chlorophyll concentration was positive and that between plant biomass and stem nitrate reductase activity was negative. The relationship between plant biomass and stem N concentration was negative. Concentration of soluble sugars in leaves and stems of infected plants was increased. N concentration in the infected leaves was lower than in the healthy leaves but the N concentration in infected stems was higher. Electrophoretic analysis of soluble leaf proteins revealed the presence of two polypeptides of 21 and 22 kD in the infected but not in the healthy leaves and these were found to be not of viral origin by electro-blot immunoassay

An Effective Strategy for the Synthesis of Biocompatible Gold Nanoparticles Using Cinnamon Phytochemicals for Phantom CT Imaging and Photoacoustic Detection of Cancerous Cells

This is a post-print version of the Pharmaceutical Research Article. The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com. DOI 10.1007/s11095-010-0276-6Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to explore the utilization of cinnamon coated gold nanoparticles (Cin-AuNPs) as CT/optical contrast enhancement agent for detection of cancer cells. Methods: Cin-AuNPs were synthesized by a “Green” procedure and the detailed characterization has been performed by physic-chemical analysis. Cytotoxicity and cellualar uptake studies were carried out in normal human fibroblast and cancerous (PC-3 and MCF-7) cells respectively. The efficacy of detecting cancerous cells was monitored using photoacoustic technique. In vivo biodistribution was studied after IV injection of Cin-AuNPs in mice and a CT phantom model was generated. Results: Biocompatible Cin-AuNPs were synthesized with high purity. Significant uptake of these gold nanoparticles was observed in PC-3 and MCF-7 cells. Cin-AuNPs internalized in cancerous cells facilitate detectable photoacoustic signals. In vivo biodistribution in normal mouse shows steady accumulation of gold nanoparticles in lungs and rapid clearance from blood. Quantitative analysis of CT values in phantom model reveals that the cinnamon phytochemicals coated AuNPs has reasonable attenuation efficiency. Conclusions: The results indicate that these non-toxic Cin-AuNPs can serve as excellent CT/ photoacoustic contrast enhancement agents and may provide a novel approach toward the tumor detection through nanopharmaceuticals.This work has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute under the Cancer Nanotechnology Platform program (grant number: 5R01CA119412-01), NIH - 1R21CA128460-01; NIH-SBIR-Contract no. 241, and University of Missouri-Research Board - Program C8761 RB 06-030

New project to support scientific collaboration electronically

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95417/1/eost10181.pd

Light strongly promotes gene transfer from Agrobacterium tumefaciens to plant cells

Abstract Light conditions during Agrobacterium-based plant transformation, the most routinely used method in plant genetic engineering, differ widely and, to our knowledge, have not been studied systematically in relation to transformation efficiency. Here, light effects were examined in two already optimized transformation procedures: coculture of Agrobacterium tumefaciens with callus from two genotypes of the crop plant Phaseolus acutifolius (tepary bean) and coculture of root segments from two ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana. Except for the light conditions during coculture, all steps followed established procedures. Coculture was done either under continuous darkness, under a commonly used photoperiod of 16 h light/8 h darkness or under continuous light. b-glucuronidase (GUS) production due to the transient expression of an intron-containing uidA gene in the binary vector was used to evaluate T-DNA transfer. In all situations, uidA expression correlated highly and positively with the light period used during coculture; it was inhibited severely by darkness and enhanced more under continuous light than under a 16 h light/8 h dark photoperiod. The promotive effect of light was observed with Agrobacterium strains harboring either a nopaline-, an octopine-or an agropine/succinamopine-type nononcogenic helper Ti plasmid. The observed positive effect of light has obvious implications for developing and improving transient and stable transformation protocols, specifically those involving dark coculture conditions