Extracellular electrical activity from the photoreceptors of midge.

The ontogeny of photosensitivity has been studied in a holometabolous insect, the midge Chironomus ramosus. The life cycle of midges shifts from an aquatic environment to a non-aquatic environment. Extracellular electrical activity of photoreceptor organs was recorded at larval and adult stages. We found an increase in photosensitivity as the larva metamorphosed to the adult stage. This is the first report of changes in photosensitivity during the development of any insect described in an ecological context.

Effect of metal chelators on thermoluminescence peaks of spinach chloroplasts and photosystem II particles: probing the water oxidation cycle with 8-hydroxyquinoline.

Inhibition of photosystem II (PS II) activity by 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) has been investigated in case of spinach chloroplasts and isolated photosystem II particles using the thermoluminescence technique. In presence of 8-HQ, water to methylviologen (MV) photoreduction in isolated chloroplasts is inhibited while the reduction of dichlorophenol indophenol is inhibited in both chloroplasts as well as in photosystem II particles. The activity can be restored fully by addition of diphenylcarbazide (DPC), suggesting that the donor side of water oxidation complex is affected. The changes in the thermoluminescence peaks indicate that the charge recombination processes involving S2 or S3 states of the Kok's cycle are probably affected by 8-HQ treatment.

Study of amplitude frequency spectra of the compound action potentials recorded from normal and M. leprae infected mice using Fourier series analysis.

Compound action potentials recorded from normal and M. leprae infected mice sciatic nerves were analysed in frequency domain using Fourier Series Analysis. Changes in myelinated fibre potentials were detected as early as 2nd post-inoculation month. This technique could be further developed to aid in early diagnosis of leprosy.