Morphological features of Jat dentition

Observations on morphological characters of milk and permanent teeth, based on 648 pairs of dental casts of 356 male and 292 female Jat children of Haryana (India) are reported. Deciduous teeth show high frequencies of bilateral winging of maxillary central incisor, Carabelli's cusp of maxillary second molar, and deflecting wrinkle of mandibular second molar. Reduction of maxillary molar cusps is more marked in males than in females. Y pattern is very common in deciduous molars. Permanent teeth have high frequencies of grooved cingulum of incisors, cingular nodule of lateral incisors and canines, and distal accessary ridge of canines. Low frequencies of Carabelli's cusp and winging are also common. The tendency towards faintly developed shovelling in milk incisors occurs more often than in the permanent teeth.     

Nutritive role of different carbohydrates for the growth and survial of Oryzaephilus mercator Fauvel (Coleoptera).

Recent investigations on the nutritive role of different carbohydrates for the survival and growth of Oryzaephilus mercator show that fructose, glucose, dextrin and glycogen are of high nutritive value, fructose being even better than natural control diet (wheat + 5% yeast). Maltose, soluble starch, mannitol and sorbitol, although support some growth, are not of as good nutritive value as control diet. All pentoses, sorbose, galactose, lactose, raffinose, potato starch, inulin and dulcitol are of no nutritive value.     

CONDUPLICATE AND SPECIALIZED CARPELS IN THE ALISMATALES

Carpel closure and stigmatic localization in the Alismatales have accompanied decreases in carpel size and numbers of ovules per carpel and increases in carpel numbers per flower. The most specialized carpels are uniovulate and indehiscent and occur acyclically in great numbers in each flower, with strong trends toward monoecism and even dioecism. The least specialized carpels in the order are open, multiovulate, and conduplicate, with poor differentiation of style and stigma. The Alismatales show a broad range from primitive to specialized gynoecial features.     

Tunable luminescence of a synthesized furophenanthraquinone derivative: interactions with different solvents

The synthesis is described of a luminescent furophenanthraquinone derivative, 9‐methoxyphenanthro[4,3‐b]furan‐4,5‐dione (MPFD). The biological importance of tetracyclic furophenanthraquinones was considered and the tunable luminescence of MPFD in different solvents was studied to explore the nature of the specific interactions between MPFD and solvents. Observation of dual emission bands and identical nature of the fluorescence excitation spectra of MPFD monitored at the emission wavelength in polar solvents indicated the formation of two different types of species in the excited state, probably due to proton transfer from the solvent to MPFD. Luminescence intensity due to anionic species was found to be increased and the corresponding peak was red shifted with increase in the proton‐donating ability of the solvents, acting as an acid with respect to MPFD. Availability of more acidic protons in the solvent facilitated this phenomenon occurring in the excited state. MPFD also interacted with halogen‐containing solvents by forming electron donor–acceptor charge transfer (CT) complexes. This CT complex formation was dependent on the number of chlorine atoms; the position of the corresponding luminescence band varied with the polarity of the solvent. Extent of the CT increased with increase in the number of chlorine atoms in the dichloro, trichloro and tetrachloro solvents, whereas the luminescence peak due to the CT complex was found to be blue shifted with decrease in solvent polarity. Interaction of the synthesized bioactive MPFD with different solvents deserves biological importance as proton transfer and CT play pivotal roles in biology.     

Sierra Nevada mountain lake microbial communities are structured by temperature,resources and geographic location

Warming, eutrophication (nutrient fertilization) and brownification (increased loading of allochthonous organic matter) are three global trends impacting lake ecosystems. However, the independent and synergistic effects of resource addition and warming on autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms are largely unknown. In this study, we investigate the independent and interactive effects of temperature, dissolved organic carbon (DOC, both allochthonous and autochthonous) and nitrogen (N) supply, in addition to the effect of spatial variables, on the composition, richness, and evenness of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities in lakes across elevation and N deposition gradients in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, USA. We found that both prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities are structured by temperature, terrestrial (allochthonous) DOC and latitude. Prokaryotic communities are also influenced by total and aquatic (autochthonous) DOC, while eukaryotic communities are also structured by nitrate. Additionally, increasing N availability was associated with reduced richness of prokaryotic communities, and both lower richness and evenness of eukaryotes. We did not detect any synergistic or antagonistic effects as there were no interactions among temperature and resource variables. Together, our results suggest that (a) organic and inorganic resources, temperature, and geographic location (based on latitude and longitude) independently influence lake microbial communities; and (b) increasing N supply due to atmospheric N deposition may reduce richness of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes, probably by reducing niche dimensionality. Our study provides insight into abiotic processes structuring microbial communities across environmental gradients and their potential roles in material and energy fluxes within and between ecosystems.     

MicroRNA profiles in Sorghum exposed to individual drought or heat or their combination

Sorghum is largely grown for food, fodder and for biofuel production in semi-arid regions where the drought or high temperature or their combination co-occur. Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) are integral to the gene regulatory networks that control almost all biological processes including adaptation to stress conditions. Thus far, plant miRNA profiles under separate drought or heat stresses have been reported but not under combined drought and heat. In this study, we report miRNA profiles in leaves of sorghum exposed to individual drought or heat or their combination. Approximately 29 conserved miRNA families represented by 80 individual miRNAs, 26 families represented by 47 members of less conserved or sorghum-specific miRNA families as well as 8 novel miRNA families have been identified. Of these, 25 miRNAs were found to be differentially regulated in response to stress treatments. The comparative profiling revealed that the miRNA regulation was stronger under heat or combination of heat and drought compared to the drought alone. Furthermore, using degradome sequencing, 48 genes were confirmed as targets for the miRNAs in sorghum. Overall, this study provides a framework for understanding of the miRNA-guided gene regulations under combined stresses.

     

Hypocholesterolemic Effect of Potent Peptide and Bioactive Fraction from Pigeon Pea By-Products in Wistar Rats

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Elevation high plasma cholesterol plays a significant role in promoting the incidence of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. In...     

Gastrointestinal stress as innate defence against microbial attack

The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract has been bestowed with the most difficult task of protecting the underlying biological compartments from the resident commensal flora and the potential pathogens in transit through the GI tract. It has a unique environment in which several defence tactics are at play while maintaining homeostasis and health. The GI tract shows myriad number of environmental extremes, which includes pH variations, anaerobic conditions, nutrient limitations, elevated osmolarity etc., which puts a check to colonization and growth of nonfriendly microbial strains. The GI tract acts as a highly selective barrier/platform for ingested food and is the primary playground for balance between the resident and uninvited organisms. This review focuses on antimicrobial defense mechanisms of different sections of human GI tract. In addition, the protective mechanisms used by microbes to combat the human GI defence systems are also discussed. The ability to survive this innate defence mechanism determines the capability of probiotic or pathogen strains to confer health benefits or induce clinical events respectively.     

Embryological studies on Indian Taraxacum Weber. Embryo sac,endosperm and embryo

Abstract

The present paper deals with the embryological studies of ten species of Taraxacum, out of which nine polyploid species are apomictic and one diploid species T. wallichii shows normal sexual behaviour. Occasional formation of normal megaspore tetrads and triads are observed in tetraploid and triploid species.

Autonomous development of endosperm from the secondary nucleus seems to be the rule. The growth of endosperm is relatively slow.