Description of a new species of the subgenus Hirtodrosophila (Drosophila: Drosophilidae: Diptera: Insecta) from Chandigarh, India

A new species belonging to the subgenus Hirtodrosophila of the genus Drosophila is described from Chandigarh, India. The relationship, based on the morphology, periphallic organs and phallic organs, at the subgeneric and generic levels is discussed in detail. This new species does not resemble, in external morphology, any of the species described so far. However, in the structures of periphallic and phallic organs it resembles to D. (H.) nokogiri Okada (1956) and D. (H.) histiroides Okada & Kurokawa (1957). The present species is characterized by the presence of a pair of paired black stripes separated by a silvery-white stripe on the mesonotum and scutellum.     

Effect of Aflatoxins on the Changes in Fats and Carbohydrates during Germination and on the Symbiotic Fixation of Nitrogen in Peanuts [Arachis hypogaea]

The rate of hydrolysis of fats during germination of peanuts decreased with the increase in the concentration of aflatoxins. Free-reducing sugars increased up to 96 h of germination, and thereafter their concentrations remained more or less constant. However, the rate of formation of free-reducing sugars decreased with increase in the concentration of aflatoxins. At all the stages of germination the rate of formation of sucrose decreased with increase in the concentration of aflatoxins. The aflatoxins stimulated the fixation of nitrogen during the preflowering stage, leading to an increase in the concentrations of soluble nitrogen in roots and protein in shoots: the maximum amount of total nitrogen fixed and that excreted into the soil was at a concentration of 2.5 μg/ml aflatoxins.     

IMAGE ANALYSIS AS A RAPID PATHOGEN DETECTION METHOD FOR USE IN POULTRY INDUSTRY

An image analysis system was developed and evaluated as a method for rapid detection of Salmonella typhimurium in pure culture and in chicken washes. A direct immunomagnetic separation and immunofluorescent staining technique was developed to capture and identify target cells. Digital images were acquired and segmented into background and bacteria. Bacteria were enumerated using a custom designed image analysis software. The image analyses results were compared with manual enumeration. A correlation coefficient of 0.78 was established between manual and image analysis counts. In addition, the difference between the manual and the image analysis bacterial counts in individual images was low. Image analysis took an average of 15 s to analyze an image. The results indicate that the proposed system has the potential to be used as a rapid screening procedure for bacterial detection in the food industry.     

The Identification of an Anther Specific Antigen inBrassicaSpecies using a Heterologous Monoclonal Antibody

Monoclonal antibody, MAb 69-139-19, raised against sheep sperm,cross-reacted with anther proteins from fourBrassicaspeciestested. Early in anther development the MAb weakly detecteda polypeptide of42 kDa. At the mid-maturation stage the MAbstill bound weakly to this band but it also detected a polydisperseband of Mr 160–230 kDa. In mature pollen MAb 69-139-19labelled the polydisperse region of 160–230 kDa very strongly,as well as a faint, but distinct, band of116 kDa. Immunogoldlabelling ofB. napusL. anthers and pollen grains also showeda differential pattern of labelling. At the early vacuolatestage the MAb recognized an antigen within the tapetum and themicrospore cytoplasm and nucleus. During the late vacuolatestage the MAb bound to the tapetal material during transferto the pollen grain wall, leading to strong labelling of thepollen wall at maturity. In sheep MAb 69-139-19 binds to thepostacrosomal region of the sperm (Hou, 1989). The polypeptidepresent in plants, which contains the epitope recognized bythe MAb is likely to be a different protein to that in sheep,but we suggest that it plays a role in sexual reproduction inBrassica.It is possible that as the polypeptide is located in the pollencoat it may be involved in pollen/stigma interactions duringpollination leading to successful adhesion and pollen tube germination. Brassica napusL; incongruity; pollen-stigma recognition; pollination; rapeseed; heterologous antibody     

Studies on the Physiology of Host-parasite Relationship in Orobanche. III. Carbohydrate and Nitrogen Metabolism of Host and Parasite

Determination of different carbohydrate and nitrogen fractions was made in tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) and mustard (Brassica campestris L.) serving as hosts for Orobanche cernua and O. aegyptiaca respectively. Shoots of Orobanche were also subjected to such analyses. Infection raised the level of total reducing and total sugar in the host with a simultaneous decrease in the level of acid-hydrolyzable and total carbohydrates in the constituent organs of infected hosts. This has been explained to be due to predominance of hydrolytic activity in the infected host. Infection also brought about a depression in the proportion of sucrose to the pool of total sugar in the host. This was also possibly due to predominance of hydrolytic processes and retardation in the synthetic processes. Higher concentration of acid-hydrolyzable and total carbohydrates in Orobanche than in the host indicated a high demand for sugars by the parasite. The insignificant differences between the relative proportions of different nitrogen fractions to the pool of total nitrogen in healthy and infected hosts indicated that nitrogen metabolism was not deranged in any way due to infection. Orobanche always had a lower concentration of total soluble and total nitrogen than the host root.     

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORAL AND NONORAL EVALUATION OF TEXTURE IN ACID MILK GELS

The objectives of this study were to compare oral and nonoral sensory evaluation for discrimination of texture of acid skim milk gels and to establish whether nonoral attributes could be correlated to the oral perception of texture. Trained panelists (n = 13) identified 11 nonoral (visual and in-hand) and 4 oral attributes during a preliminary profiling session that could be used to discriminate textures (P < 0.001) in a range of acid gels prepared with different solid contents and heat treatment of the milks. Both methods of sensory appraisal were found to discriminate between gels. Correlation analysis showed high interrelationship between individual oral and nonoral attributes (P < 0.01). Principal component analysis revealed that all 4 oral attributes could be combined into one single attribute (PC1), with equal relative importance of the individual attributes in explaining the variance in the oral sensory data set. Canonical correlation analysis revealed good correlation between the oral and nonoral set of attributes (R² > 87.5%).     

Feeding behaviour of Aphis craccivora (Koch) on cowpea cultivars with different levels of aphid resistance

The feeding activity of Aphis craccivora (Koch) was monitored on cowpea plants of aphid-susceptible (Vita 7) and aphid-resistant (TVu 801) cultivars, using an AC electronic feeding monitoring system. Waveforms corresponding to salivation, phloem ingestion and non-phloem ingestion were observed. Aphids probing on the resistant cultivar showed a significantly reduced ingestion of phloem sap compared with those aphids which fed on the susceptible cultivar. The insect also made more brief and repeated probes on TVu 801. In addition, the duration of non-probing activities and non-phloem ingestion was shorter on the susceptible than on the resistant cultivar.     

Association of <Emphasis Type="Italic">IL-10</Emphasis> gene (−1082A&gt;G, −819C&gt;T and −592C&gt;A) polymorphism and its serum level with metabolic syndrome of north Indian subjects

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an inflammatory disorder, in which various cytokines play important role in tilting balance towards disease state. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an important antiinflammatory cytokine, but its genetic polymorphisms and serum levels in Indian MetS subjects are unknown. Three IL-10 gene polymorphisms (?1082A >G (rs1800896), ?819C >T (rs1800872) and ?592C >A (rs1800871)) were genotyped with PCR-RFLP in MetS subjects (n = 384) and age/sex matched control subjects (n = 386). Serum IL-10 was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum IL-10 level was significantly low in MetS subject and significantly correlated with clinicobiochemical parameters of MetS. Of three investigated promoter polymorphisms, IL-10 –819C > T and –592C >A were significantly associated with risk of MetS. The mutant alleles ?819T and ?592A of IL-10 gene polymorphism were significantly higher in MetS subjects compared to controls. Of the four different haplotypes obtained, common ACC haplotype and rare GTA haplotype of IL-10 polymorphisms were associated with MetS. The mean of fasting insulin and HOMA-IR were significantly different between the genotypes of both ?819 C >T and ?592C >A polymorphisms of IL-10 in MetS subjects. These results suggested that polymorphisms in IL-10 gene (?819C >T and ?592C >A), haplotypes (ACC and GTA) and serum level are significantly associated with risk of MetS. IL-10 ?819C >T and ?592C >A polymorphic variants are also significantly associated with insulin level and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance in north Indian MetS subjects.     

INTERCELLULAR COMMUNICATION IN RAPIDLY PROLIFERATING AND DIFFERENTIATED C6 GLIOMA CELLS IN CULTURE

Glial cells in the brain are known to provide structural and functional supports to neurons. To sustain such a supportive role, they have developed cell-to-cell communicating gap junctional channels. The authors studied the effect of dbcAMP on gap junctional channels mediated communication in C6 cells, a rat glioma cell line. Quantitative assessment of coupled cells under microscope after microinjection of a fluorescent dye was taken as a measure of junctional permeability. An enhanced coupling between cells was observed following dbcAMP treatment and this elevated coupling was found to be dependent on the duration of exposure of cells to dbcAMP. The studies have focused on a subtle shift in the spatial organization of the functional channels to the processes of dbcAMP induced differentiated cells from the cell cytoplasms and membranes of dbcAMP untreated cells. Immunofluorescence study with affinity purified antibody against gap junction further confirmed the spatial distribution of gap junctional protein(s) in the processes and also showed an increase in the density of the protein at the intercellular spaces in dbcAMP induced differentiated C6 glioma cells.     

DNA Polymorphism Revealed by Arbitrary Primers Polymerase Chain Reaction Among Blastocystis Strains Isolated from Humans, a Chicken, and a Reptile

DNA polymorphisms of different strains of Blastocystis isolated from humans, a chicken, and a reptile were examined by an arbitrary primer PCR method. Two strains of Blastocystis hominis isolated from humans in the USA and Japan yielded nearly identical PCR products. However, one strain of B. hominis (isolated from a human in Singapore) yielded quite different PCR products. Blastocystis sp. isolated from a chicken yielded PCR products similar to those of the former two strains, while Blastocystis lapemi, isolated from a reptile, shared no bands with any of the other isolates. These results indicate the possibility that our isolate from the chicken is a zoonotic strain, and that there is intraspecific variation of Blastocystis hominis.