Inventory and classification of wetlands in India

The Indian subcontinent has a large variety of freshwater, saline and marine wetlands. Whereas the mangroves are relatively well documented, very little is known about the other wetlands, with few exceptions. Only recently an inventory of these welands has been prepared but no effort has been made to classify them. A vast majority of the inland wetlands are temporary and/or man-made, and they have been traditionally used and managed by the local human populations. In this paper, first, we evaluate the classification schemes of the IUCN, US Fish and Wildlife Services and those of the Australian wetlands, for their applicability to Indian wetlands. Then, we propose a simple hierarchical classification of wetlands based on their location (coastal or inland), salinity (saline or freshwater), physiognomy (herbaceous or woody), duration of flooding (permanent or seasonal) and the growth forms of the dominant vegetation. We stress upon the hydrological factors which determine all the structural and functional characteristics of the wetlands. We consider that the various growth forms of wetland vegetation integrate the totality of hydrological variables and therefore, can be used as the indicators of different hydrological regimes.     

Extracellular material from Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. dextranicum mediates the aggregation of lactococcal cells: implications for the isolation of single strains

Cultures of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris , originally derived from mixed cheese starter cultures, were assessed as pure following single colony selection and subculturing, yet nevertheless gave rise, under stress conditions, to an isolate with the ability to ferment citrate. The isolate was characterized with respect to its citrate enzymology and lactose fermentation and was identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. dextranicum and assigned the strain number 663. The extracellular material (ECM) from Leuc. mesenteroides subsp. dextranicum 663 was characterized and found to contain carbohydrate, protein and phosphate (30.9, 50.7 and 18.4%, by weight, respectively). Glucose was the most prominent sugar (39% by weight of total carbohydrate) with mannose, galactose and rhamnose being the other major monosaccharides. The ECM protein resolved into a large number of bands on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the most prominent having molecular masses of 40 and 49 kDa. The ECM from Leuc. mesenteroides subsp. dextranicum 663 caused aggregation of suspensions of lactococcal cells and may facilitate intergeneric interactions and/or co-culture during cheese starter strain isolation.     

Leaf architecture of some acanthaceae

Leaf architectural pattern has been studied in 27 genera and 35 species of the Acanthaceae. The major venation pattern conforms to pinnate camptodromous with eucamptodromous or festooned brochidodromous secondaries, pinnate craspedodromous inAcanthus ilicifolius and acrodromous inLepidagathis trinervis. Intersecondary veins are common. The marginal ultimate venation is looped. The areoles are variable in size. The vein endings are usually simple, linear or cuved or divide once or twice dichotomously. Isolated vein endings, tracheids, isolated free vein endings and extension cells are observed. Transfusion tracheids are seen inDicliptera verticillata. Miniature vessel elements with simple perforation plates are noticed lying free in the areole or at the end of tracheids inSeriocalyx scaber andThunbergia grandiflora.Elytraria acaulis, Nelsonia canescens andStaurogynae zeylanica exhibit venation pattern shown by majority of the taxa studied, of the Acanthaceae.     

Abnormalities in the fine structure of the spermatids of rats injected with cadmium

The degenerative changes in the spermatids as measured by changes in fine structure abnormalities increased with time following injection of Cd²⁺ into rat testis. The spermatids in the twelve hours group appear as peculiarly club shaped and elongated structures with one or two small but perceptible vacuoles. The subacrosomal area and the space between the nucleus and the middle piece are seen abnormally dilated. In the 30 day group, the central filaments are the most susceptible unit of 9+2 axoneme complex. The plasma membrane, the cytoplasmic matrix, the mitochondria of the middle piece and the fibrous sheath appear shrunken, discontinuous and degenerative.     

Purification and properties of a nuclear protein kinase from rat mammary gland

A nuclear protein kinase that shows a high degree of substrate specificity for the phosphorylation of the acidic proteins casein, phosvitin and non-histone chromatin proteins, rather than the basic proteins histones and protamine, was partially purified from lactatingrat mammary gland. The enzyme is associated with the acidic protein fraction of chromatin. Nuclear kinase requires Co²⁺ for activity, and other bivalent cations such as Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺ can substitute partially for Co²⁺. The kinase is further activates (2–3-fold) by various salts, their concentration for maximum stimulation being: NaCl, 150mm; KCl, 200mm; sodium acetate, 300mm. The sedimentation coefficient of the nuclear kinase is 8.9S and its mol.wt. is approx. 300000 by gel-exclusion chromatography. The enzyme is not activated by cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP and is inhibited neither by the regulatory subunit of mammary cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase nor by the heat-stable protein kinase inhibitor from ox heart. Analysis of ³²P-labelled protein products reveals that the kinase transfers the terminal phosphate of ATP to serine and threonine residues of proteins. The enzyme, however, has specificity for the phosphorylation of threonine in casein and serine in phosvitin. Molecular size and enzymic characteristics of the nuclear protein kinase are clearly different from those of the cytosol enzyme previously characterized.     

Membrane-fusions and cytoplasmic bridges in the cells of the developing cerebellum

Summary In the developing cerebellum of the neonate rats membranefusions and cytoplasmic bridges between cells were observed. These membrane-fusions were characterized by the presence of loops of membrane and cytoplasmic bridges between the two limits of the membrane-fusions. They were found between Purkinje cells, Purkinje cells and the migratory cells, mitotically potent cells of the external granular layer, and differentiating granule cells of the internal granular layer. The membrane-fusions were found to be a transient developmental phenomenon. Issues pertaining to the universality of membrane-fusions, their significance in the induction for cell differentiation, and the problem of fixation artifacts are discussed.This research was supported by N.I.H. Research Grants No. NS-08817 and CA-14650. Assistance of Mrs. Kunda Das in various aspects of electron microscopy is gratefully acknowledged     

Prolactin secreting cells in the hypophysis of the brown spiny mouseMus platythrix (Bennett)

Prolactin secreting cells are identified in thepars distalis of Mus platythrix by conventional methods of light and electron microscopy. Two types of prolactin secreting cells are recognised. These types are estrone-sensitive, mammotrophic type I, and luteotrophic type II, respectively. Histochemical analysis revealed that the cells are rich in RNA, basic proteins, alkaline phosphatase and are resistant to extraction with 0·5% trichloroacetic acid. Quantitative data showed that the prolactin secreting cells increase during pregnancy, lactation and estrone treatment. Estrone at low dose levels caused immense hyperplasia whereas at higher levels there was no corresponding increase in the percentage of type I cells. Ultrastructurally, prolactin secreting cells are characterised by the presence of stacked endoplasmic reticulum, oval or irregular secretory granules. The Golgi apparatus is seen rich in vacuolar system.     

Age dependent alterations in phospholipid composition of a saprophytic and a pathogenic strain of Nocardia

Nocardia polychromogenes (saprophytic) and Nocardia asteroides (pathogenic) showed characteristic patterns in changes of cellular lipids during growth. Total lipids and total phospholipids decreased with the age of the culture in the saprophytic strain, whereas in the pathogenic strain total lipids increased throughout the culture period and the total phospholipids decreased in the late stationary phase. The decrease in total phospholipids in saprophytic strain was reflected in the individual phosphatides. In the pathogenic strain, the phosphatidylinositomannoside content doubled in early stationary phase. Differences were observed in fatty acid composition of phosphatides at various stages of growth, but the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids remained unaltered.     

Management of massive pulmonary embolism after jejuno-ileal bypass for morbid obesity

Four patients developed massive pulmonary embolism after jejuno-ileal bypass for morbid obesity. All patients were in Greenfield's Class IV and were in shock. Severe hypoxia was evidenced in their blood gases. The patients were managed with digitalis, diuretics, Solu-Medrol (methylprednisolone sodium succinate), oxygen, and heparin therapy. Each patient underwent partial vena cava interruption with Mobin Uddin's umbrella, and all four survived without residual complications.     

Production of thermostable β-amylase and pullulanase by Clostridium thermosulfurogenes SV2 in solid-state fermentation: Screening of nutrients using Plackett-Burman design

Screening of fifteen nutrients belonging to four categories, viz., carbon, nitrogen, salt and complex organic sources was carried out using Plackett-Burman design for the production of thermostable #-amylase and pullulanase by Clostridium thermosulfurogenes SV2 in solid-state fermentation (SSF). This design involves screening of up to `nу' variables in just `n' number of experiments. Regression co-efficients and t-values were calculated by subjecting the experimental data to statistical analysis. Lactose, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, calcium chloride and casein hydrolysate showed higher regression co-efficients in the biomass formation. Among the fifteen nutrients screened, based on their performance in terms of product promoting ability, availability and cost, magnesium chloride, potato starch, ferrous sulphate, pearl millet flour and corn steep liquor were identified as most effective and, therefore, selected for inclusion in further optimization studies.