Line thinning enhances diversity of Coleoptera in overstocked Cryptomeria japonica plantations in central Japan

We evaluated the effectiveness of line thinning, a new silvicultural technique, toward restoring diversity of Coleoptera in overstocked Cryptomeria japonica D. Don plantations in central Japan. We compared the abundance of some common Coleoptera families between line-thinned stands and adjacent unthinned stands in two plantations: low-elevation Sugi site (4 years since thinning) and high-elevation Kuchiotani site (6 years since thinning). Many bettle families comprising various functional groups such as plant feeders, wood borers, rotten wood feeders, root feeders, fungus feeders, dung feeders, and scavengers were more abundant in the line-thinned stands than in the unthinned stands. Furthermore, some important families were missing from the unthinned stands. There were strong positive relationships between Coleopteran abundance and understory vegetation. Our results suggest that line thinning may potentially increase biodiversity in overstocked C. japonica plantations by restoring important ecological processes such as food-web interactions (pollination, predation, herbivory, decomposition, parasitism, etc.), and habitat conditions.     

Isolation and characterisation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) degrading actinomycetes and purification of PHBV depolymerase from newly isolatedStreptoverticillium kashmirense AF1

Streptoverticillium kashmirense AF1 with the ability to degrade a natural polymer, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) was isolated from municipal sewage sludge by soil burial technique. The PHBV film was degraded by the action of extracellular enzymes secreted by the microorganisms. Degradation of PHBV was evident by the formation of clear zones of hydrolysis on the polymer containing mineral salt agar plates. The extent of PHBV degradation increased up to 30 days of incubation. Maximum production of PHBV depolymerase was observed both at pH 8 and pH 7, 45 °C, 1% substrate concentration and in the presence of lactose as an additional carbon source. Two types of extracellular PHBV depolymerases were purified fromS. kashmirense AF1 by gel permeation chromatography using Sephadex G-75. The molecular weights of the two proteins were found to be 35 and 45 kDa approximately, as determined by SDS-PAGE. The results of the Sturm test also showed more CO₂ production as a result of PHBV degradation, in the test as compared to control. The present findings indicated the degradation capabilities ofS. kashmirense AF1.     

New lipoxygenase-inhibiting constituents from Calligonum polygonoides

Calligonolides A (1) and B (2), two new butanolides, and a new steroidal ester, 3, have been isolated from the whole plant of Calligonum polygonoides, together with four known compounds, tetracosan-4-olide, beta-sitosterol and its glucoside, and ursolic acid. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric studies. Compounds 1-3 showed moderate inhibitory potential against lipoxygenase from soybean.     

Molecular and genomic studies of IMMP2L and mutation screening in autism and Tourette syndrome

We recently reported the disruption of the inner mitochondrial membrane peptidase 2-like (IMMP2L) gene by a chromosomal breakpoint in a patient with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). In the present study we sought to identify genetic variation in IMMP2L, which, through alteration of protein function or level of expression might contribute to the manifestation of GTS. We screened 39 GTS patients, and, due to the localization of IMMP2L in the critical region for the autistic disorder (AD) locus on chromosome 7q (AUTS1), 95 multiplex AD families; however, no coding mutations were found in either GTS or AD patients. In addition, no parental-specific expression of IMMP2L was detected in somatic cell hybrids containing human chromosome 7 and human cell lines carrying a maternal uniparental disomy for chromosome 7 (mUPD7). Despite the fact that no deleterious mutations in IMMPL2 (other than the inverted duplication identified previously) were identified in either GTS or AD, this gene cannot be excluded as a possible rare cause of either disorder.     

Applying neural networks to predict HPC-I/O bandwidth over seismic data on lustre file system for ExSeisDat

Cluster Computing - HPC or super-computing clusters are designed for executing computationally intensive operations that typically involve large scale I/O operations. This most commonly involves...     

High intrinsic seed Zn concentration improves abiotic stress tolerance in wheat

Plant and Soil - Abiotic stresses are threatening wheat productivity across the globe, which is often associated with nutrient deficiencies. Zinc (Zn) is involved in many physiological processes of...     

Genetic improvement of peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) genotypes by developing short duration hybrids

Peanut, the only cash crop of rainfed areas of Pakistan, is facing immense challenges due to global warming. Climatic factors particularly the temperature fluctuations and rain pattern shift significantly impact the production and yield of peanut and unavailability of resilient varieties exacerbate this impact. To deal with the cropping pattern change and yield losses, due to climate vagaries, a study was conducted to develop early maturing hybrids using line into tester mating design. The F₁ hybrids from the parental lines were produced in the year 2018 using Line × Tester mating design and then grown in the field in the year 2019 for further evaluation. The hybrids were evaluated based on the early maturity and yield-related attributes in comparison with the parental lines. Based on the general combining ability estimate, line V-3 (Golden), was found as best parent with highly significant values for plant height, days to peg formation, days to maturity, number of pegs per plant, number of pods per plants, number of seeds per plant, 100 pod weight 100 seed weight. Similarly, tester V-7 (PI 635006 01 SD) showed highly significant results of GCA for days to germination, day to 50% flowering, plant height, days to peg formation, days to maturity, number of pegs per plant, number of pods per plants, number of seeds per plant, 100 kernel weight, shelling percentage. All the combinations were evaluated for specific combining ability and significant results were observed for V-3 × V-4 (Golden × PI 619175 01 SD) and V-1 × V-6 (BARI-2000 × PI 564846 01 SD) by developing or maturity and yield-related attributes. The hybrid combinations V-3 × V-5 (Golden × PI 635006 01 SD) followed by V-3 × V-6 showed highly significant results for mid parent heterosis and better parent heterosis for days to 50% flowering, plant height, days to peg formation, number of pegs, days to maturity, number of mature seeds per plant, shelling ratio, 100 pod weight and 100 kernel weight. These parents and hybrid combinations with early maturity genes and high yield attributes can further be used for the development of short duration variety.     

Investigations of anticholinestrase and antioxidant potentials of methanolic extract,subsequent fractions,crude saponins and flavonoids isolated from Isodon rugosus

Background

Based on the ethnomedicinal uses and the effective outcomes of natural products in various diseases, this study was designed to evaluate Isodon rugosus as possible remedy in oxidative stress, alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Acetylecholinestrase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities of crude methanolic extract (Ir.Cr), resultant fractions (n-hexane (Ir.Hex), chloroform (Ir.Cf), ethyl acetate (Ir.EtAc), aqueous (Ir.Aq)), flavonoids (Ir.Flv) and crude saponins (Ir.Sp) of I. rugosus were investigated using Ellman’s spectrophotometric method. Antioxidant potential of I. rugosus was determined using DPPH, H₂O₂ and ABTS free radicals scavenging assays. Total phenolic and flavonoids contents of plant extracts were determined and expressed in mg GAE/g dry weight and mg RTE/g of dry sample respectively.

Results

Among different fractions Ir.Flv and Ir.Cf exhibited highest inhibitory activity against AChE (87.44 ± 0.51, 83.73 ± 0.64%) and BChE (82.53 ± 0.71, 88.55 ± 0.77%) enzymes at 1 mg/ml with IC₅₀ values of 45, 50 for AChE and 40, 70 μg/ml for BChE respectively. Activity of these fractions were comparable to galanthamine causing 96.00 ± 0.30 and 88.61 ± 0.43% inhibition of AChE and BChE at 1 mg/ml concentration with IC₅₀ values of 20 and 47 μg/ml respectively. In antioxidant assays, Ir.Flv, Ir.Cf, and Ir.EtAc demonstrated highest radicals scavenging activities in DPPH and H₂O₂ assays which were comparable to ascorbic acid. Ir.Flv was found most potent with IC₅₀ of 19 and 24 μg/ml against DPPH and H₂O₂ radicals respectively. Whereas antioxidant activates of plant samples against ABTS free radicals was moderate. Ir.Cf, Ir.EtAc and Ir.Cr showed high phenolic and flavonoid contents and concentrations of these compounds in different fractions correlated well to their antioxidant and anticholinestrase activities.

Conclusion

It may be inferred from the current investigations that the Ir.Sp, Ir.Flv and various fractions of I. rugosus are good sources of anticholinesterase and antioxidant compounds. Different fractions can be subjected to activity guided isolation of bioactive compounds effective in neurological disorders.     

Analysis of the Scattering of Surface Plasmon Polariton Waves from a Perfectly Conducting Circular Cylinder

Surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waves are the most extensively studied waves among various types of surface waves because they are easy to excite and have been used in many optical applications particularly for plasmonic communication, sensing, and harvesting solar energy. In all these applications, especially on-chip plasmonic communication, scattering can be an important issue to deal with. Therefore, this paper aimed to theoretically inspect the scattering pattern of SPP waves from a perfect electric conductor (PEC) cylindrical scatterer. The cylindrical wave approach is used to solve the scattering problem by a cylindrical object placed below a metallic layer. The scattering is investigated thoroughly by changing the size of the scatterer and its distance from the interface along which the SPP wave is excited. As the size of the scatterer increases, the scattering increases significantly. On the other hand, when the distance of the scatterer from the interface is increased, the scattered field becomes small. Two-dimensional field maps are produced for the incident angle at which SPP is excited. Numerical results are also presented for other incident angles to make a comparison. Furthermore, the forward and backward far-fields are significantly enhanced if the SPP wave is scattered in comparison with when the SPP wave is not present.

     

“Engaging the Enemy”: Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) Conservation in Human Modified Environments in the Kinabatangan floodplain of Sabah,Malaysian Borneo

International Journal of Primatology - Throughout the equatorial tropics, forest conversion to agriculture often fragments crucial primate habitat. In 30 years, 80% of the alluvial lowland...