Light microscopic features of the rete testis,the vas efferens,the epididymis and the vas deferens in the adult rhesus monkey

The present study was carried out to determine the detailed histological and cytological features of the excurrent ducts of the male reproductive system in the rhesus monkey. The excurrent ducts show a regional difference in their histological features. The use of some of these features as histological markers and their possible functional significance are discussed. The epithelial cells in the different components of the excurrent duct system possess cytological features which suggest their involvement in absorption and the secretion of different products into the lumen.     

Predatory behaviour of lutzia on Culex fatigans

The carnivorous mosquito Lutzia (= Culex) raptor devours 20 to 50 larvae (third instar) of Culex fatigans in a day. The predatory capacity of L. raptor is not influenced by changes in volume of water, but significantly influenced by changes in prey density. With increasing prey density, the percentage of prey killed and left unconsumed increases. The duration required to subdue and consume a single larva is 15 min for L. raptor previously deprived of food for 3 to 24 hrs; the handling duration of prey increases to 20 min for the predator previously deprived food for 1 hr. The duration increases with increasing prey size; L. raptor requires 1, 6, 62 or 113 min to handle a single II, III, IV or mini pupa of Culex fatigans weighing 0.2,1.2,4.2 and 4.0 mg respectively.     

Acetophenone and stilbene derivatives from Gnetum ula

The isolation of bergenin, 2-hydroxy-4-benzyloxyacetophenone and the related dimer and stilbene from Gnetum ula is reported.     

Identification of marker genes in Alzheimer's disease using a machine-learning model

Alzheimer''s Disease (AD) is one of the most common causes of dementia, mostly affecting the elderly population. Currently, there is no proper diagnostic tool or method available for the detection of AD. The present study used two distinct data sets of AD genes, which could be potential biomarkers in the diagnosis. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) curated from both datasets were used for machine learning classification, tissue expression annotation and co-expression analysis. Further, CNPY3, GPR84, HIST1H2AB, HIST1H2AE, IFNAR1, LMO3, MYO18A, N4BP2L1, PML, SLC4A4, ST8SIA4, TLE1 and N4BP2L1 were identified as highly significant DEGs and exhibited co-expression with other query genes. Moreover, a tissue expression study found that these genes are also expressed in the brain tissue. In addition to the earlier studies for marker gene identification, we have considered a different set of machine learning classifiers to improve the accuracy rate from the analysis. Amongst all the six classification algorithms, J48 emerged as the best classifier, which could be used for differentiating healthy and diseased samples. SMO/SVM and Logit Boost further followed J48 to achieve the classification accuracy.     

The Role of Fluoride in Montmorillonite-Catalyzed RNA Synthesis

The montmorillonite-catalyzed reactions of the 5′-phosphorimidazolide of adenosine in the presence of fluoride were investigated to complete our study on the effect of salts on this type of reaction. Both anions and cations have been found to influence the oligomerization reactions of the activated nucleotides, being used here as a model system for pre-biotic RNA synthesis. However, in total contrast to the behavior of the activated nucleotides in the presence of montmorillonite and other salts, alkali metal fluorides did not yield any detectable oligomerization products except in very dilute (<0.005 M) solutions of fluoride. Instead, 5′-phosphorofluoridates were formed. Their identity was confirmed by a combination of HPLC, mass spectrometry, synthesis, and NMR.     

Widespread Triploidy in Western North American Aspen (Populus tremuloides)

We document high rates of triploidy in aspen (Populus tremuloides) across the western USA (up to 69% of genets), and ask whether the incidence of triploidy across the species range corresponds with latitude, glacial history (as has been documented in other species), climate, or regional variance in clone size. Using a combination of microsatellite genotyping, flow cytometry, and cytology, we demonstrate that triploidy is highest in unglaciated, drought-prone regions of North America, where the largest clone sizes have been reported for this species. While we cannot completely rule out a low incidence of undetected aneuploidy, tetraploidy or duplicated loci, our evidence suggests that these phenomena are unlikely to be significant contributors to our observed patterns. We suggest that the distribution of triploid aspen is due to a positive synergy between triploidy and ecological factors driving clonality. Although triploids are expected to have low fertility, they are hypothesized to be an evolutionary link to sexual tetraploidy. Thus, interactions between clonality and polyploidy may be a broadly important component of geographic speciation patterns in perennial plants. Further, cytotypes are expected to show physiological and structural differences which may influence susceptibility to ecological factors such as drought, and we suggest that cytotype may be a significant and previously overlooked factor in recent patterns of high aspen mortality in the southwestern portion of the species range. Finally, triploidy should be carefully considered as a source of variance in genomic and ecological studies of aspen, particularly in western U.S. landscapes.     

Evaluation of the probiotic characteristics of Bacillus species isolated from different food sources

Probiotics have established their efficacy as dietary adjuncts providing benefits to consumers. However, selection of probiotics before incorporation into diet requires close scrutiny in the form of in vitro as well as in vivo tests. Three bacteriocinogenic Bacillus sp., namely, B. licheniformis Me1, B. flexus Hk1, and B. subtilis Bn1 previously isolated from milk, cheese and fermented beans, respectively, were characterized for typical in vitro probiotic criteria. When compared to probiotic Bacillus coagulans, all three cultures were found to possess better acid and bile tolerance. Cultures Me1 and Bn1, except Hk1, showed bile salt hydrolase activity. A marked difference in adhesion to hydrocarbons and auto-aggregation properties from 10–80 and 60–99%, respectively, were observed for the tested cultures. Highest antioxidant activity was measured for culture Hk1 (66.6%), whereas least activity of 53% was observed for culture Bn1. Cultures Me1 and Bn1 were sensitive to all the antibiotics tested, whereas Hk1 and B. coagulans showed resistance to the penicillin group of β-lactum antibiotics. All the tested cultures showed a broad spectrum of activity against food-borne pathogens. In co-cultivation studies, B. licheniformis Me1 completely inhibited the growth of the indicator pathogen Listeria monocytogenes ScottA. Overall, the test cultures exhibiting potential probiotic characteristics, particularly B. licheniformis Me1, can serve as probiotics of commercial interest.     

Copy number variation-based polymorphism in a new pseudoautosomal region 3 (PAR3) of a human X-chromosome-transposed region (XTR) in the Y chromosome

A 3.5-Mb region of the X chromosome underwent duplication and transposition to the Y chromosome ~5–6 Mya. This X-transposed-region (XTR) originated at Xq21.3 and was inserted at Yp11.2. The two locations have 98.78 % homology and a high concentration of tandem repeats. In whole-genome scans of ten large families with dyslexic members, we identified transposed blocks comprising >102 kb of the Yp11.2 region in its homologous region at Xq21.3 in three females from three different families. Although recombination is known to be limited only to the pseudoautosomal regions (PARs) of the X and Y chromosomes, we report allelic unequal recombination between the XTR region Yp11.2 and Xq21.3, indicating the presence of a new PAR, which we named PAR3. This PAR3 region was also found in 2 % of the general population. An additional layer of justification could be provided from six other dyslexic cases which harbored duplications and deletions in the same Xq21.3 and Yp11.2 regions through allelic unequal recombination.