A theoretical model for diffusion through stenosis.

Stenosis is caused by an abnormal growth in the artery's lumen. This undesirable growth can change the hemodynamic characteristics of the blood flow which could be injurious to normal health. Theoretical results obtained for specific geometrics are given for the velocity distribution, pressure, wall shearing stress, and other different phenomena. Flow resistance has been shown that the wall shear decreases with decreasing peripheral layer viscosity, but these properties increase with increasing stenosis size. A two-fluid blood model with a core of micro-polar fluid and a periphery of Newtonian blood has been researched in the presence of moderate stenosis. In terms of modified Bessels functions of zero and first order, analytical equations for flow resistance, wall shear stress, and diffusion via stenosis have been found. Therefore, understanding and preventing arterial illnesses need a thorough grasp of the specific flow characteristics of a channel with restriction. The results for wall shearing stress resistance to flow and concentration profiles have been obtained and discussed with the help of graphically.

The Indian isolate of Densovirus-2 - Impact of infection and mechanism of resistance in Bombyx mori L.

The Indian Bombyxmori Densovirus type 2 isolate (DNV-2), revealed closer homology with Japanese Yamanashi isolate. PCR and qPCR analyses indicated severe and widespread prevalence of the virus in flacherie diseased B. mori under Indian field conditions. Viral inoculation revealed typical flacherie disease symptoms and transmission electron microscopy revealed damage of infected midgut tissue cells. The nsd-2 gene for resistance to DNV-2 restricted viral proliferation in B. mori. This study indicates possible major role of the Indian DNV-2 isolate in causing flacherie disease in B. mori leading to crop loss. A detailed molecular characterization of the whole viral genome including nsd-2 gene expression profiling is essential to develop appropriate diagnostic tools and control strategies.

Physico-chemical change in vertical soil horizon characteristics of distillery affected soil.

Effect of treated distillery effluent on the physico-chemical characteristics of vertical soil horizon was studied to observe the impact of effluent on soil of nearby area where distillery canal flows. The studies were also carried out with respect to the unaffected region to compare the soil characteristics. The results showed that in distillery affected soil pH, bulk density and alkalinity increased with depth whereas water holding capacity, chloride, organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium decreased with depth compared to unaffected soil horizon. Preliminary study revealed that although most of the parameters were high in distillery affected soil horizon which might promote growth of plants but increase in pH and other toxic substances with depth could cause ground water pollution through constant and continuous leaching.

Identification and association of ISSR markers for thermal stress in polyvoltine silkworm Bombyx mori.

Evaluation of genetic resources is an essential prerequisite for their effective utilization. In India, the tropical climate prevails in most of the sericultural belts, where temperature goes beyond the ambient during summer, adversely affecting the silkworm rearing. Although polyvoltine silkworms are poor in silk content, they are mostly tolerant to tropical conditions and diseases. With an aim to identify potential silkworm races/breeds specific to thermo-tolerance for their effective utilization in breeding programme, 15 selected polyvoltine silkworm races were studied for their thermo-tolerance behaviour. Their genomic DNA samples were analyzed for ISSR-PCR using 15 selected primers. The UPGMA analysis based on Nei and Li algorithm has clustered the 15 silkworm races into five groups and one isolate. ALSCAL-multidimensional scaling has not only supported the information generated by the dendrogram, but it has made the genetic distance among races more clear and substantiating their status in terms of thermal stress where pupation rate was taken as indicator. Further, discriminant function analysis (DFA) was done with three groups of silkworms classified for thermal stress viz. susceptible, moderately tolerant and tolerant. The canonical correlation value was estimated to be 0.987 (Wilk's lambda = 0.004; chi2 = 36.044, p < 0.05). DFA clearly discriminated the above three groups. Beta statistics with t value and its significance for the markers identified through stepwise multiple regression analysis (MRA) revealed a total of five bands (807(1300), 808(3000), 808(4000), 834(4000), and 834(3000)) showing correlation with pupation rate after thermal treatment. Out of them, marker 8083000 showed maximum and highly significant correlation (r = 0.757, p < 0.001, t = 4.182) with pupation rate among the silkworm races. The identified putative markers are being used to develop DNA marker to be used in evolving thermo-tolerant silkworm breeds using marker assisted selection programme.

Antimicrobial activity of Hedychium spicatum.

Extracts from rhizomes of Hedychium spicatum were tested for their antibacterial and antifungal activity. Essential oil, petroleum ether and chloroform extracts showed inhibitory activity against Gram (+) and Gram (-) bacterial cultures, including a strain of methicillin and vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and fungal cultures.

Genetic diversity and differentiation among populations of the Indian eri silkworm, Samia cynthia ricini, revealed by ISSR markers.

Samia cynthia ricini (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), the Indian eri silkworm, contributes significantly to the production of commercial silk and is widely distributed in the Brahmaputra river valley in North-Eastern India. Due to over exploitation coupled with rapid deforestation, most of the natural populations of S. cynthia ricini are dwindling rapidly and its preservation has become an important goal. Assessment of the genetic structure of each population is a prerequisite for a sustainable conservation program. DNA fingerprinting to detect genetic variation has been used in different insect species not only between populations, but also between individuals within a population. Since, information on the genetic basis of phenotypic variability and genetic diversity within the S. cynthia ricini populations is scanty, inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) system was used to assess genetic diversity and differentiation among six commercially exploited S. cynthia ricini populations. Twenty ISSR primers produced 87% of inter population variability among the six populations. Genetic distance was lowest between the populations Khanapara (E5) and Mendipathar (E6) (0.0654) and highest between Dhanubhanga (E4) and Titabar (E3) (0.3811). Within population, heterozygosity was higher in Borduar (E2) (0.1093) and lowest in Titabar (E3) (0.0510). Highest gene flow (0.9035) was between E5 and E6 and the lowest (0.2172) was between E3 and E5. Regression analysis showed positive correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance among the populations. The high G(ST) value (0.657) among the populations combined with low gene flow contributes significantly to the genetic differentiation among the S. cynthia ricini populations. Based on genetic diversity, these populations can be considered as different ecotypes and in situ conservation of them is recommended.

Genetic analysis of Indian mulberry varieties through molecular markers.

India is one of the countries where sericulture is being practiced traditionally. Due to the higher economic return and the greater employment potential, attempts are being made to increase the productivity by developing high yielding mulberry varieties. At the present, Mysore local, Bomaypiasbari, Kanva-2, Bilidevalaya, Kajli, S1, BC(2)59, C776, RFS-175, S-36 and Victory-1 are being cultivated extensively in different parts of India for rearing the silkworm Bombyx mori L. Using 17 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and 11 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers the genetic relationships among these varieties were analyzed. The RAPD and ISSR primers revealed more than 75% polymorphism among the varieties. The genetic similarity estimated from RAPD markers varied from 0.645, between Kajli and Victory-1 to 0.887, between Kanva-2 and Bilidevalaya. Similarly, the genetic similarity estimated from the ISSR markers ranged from 0.600, between Kajli and Victory-1, to 0.873 between Kanva-2 and BC(2)59. The dendrogram constructed from these markers grouped the varieties into three major groups comprising the low yielding, medium yielding and high yielding. The low genetic similarity between the group of varieties originating from the eastern regions with that of the southern region encourages formation of extensive breeding programs between these groups as to transfer the high yield potential of the southern varieties to the low yielding but highly adaptive eastern varieties.

Analysis of phylogenetic relationship among five mulberry (Morus) species using molecular markers.

Species identification in mulberry (Morus) continues to be a point of great debate among scientists despite the number of criteria such as floral characters, wood, and leaf anatomical and biochemical characters used to identify the species within this genus. However, no consensus system of classification has emerged. Hence, an investigation was undertaken with inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to find out the possibility of using these DNA markers to confirm the identity of genotypes in a particular species. Fifteen ISSR and 15 RAPD primers generated 86% and 78% polymorphism, respectively, among 19 mulberry genotypes. The polymorphism among the species varied from 50% to 57% in ISSR markers and 31% to 53% in RAPD markers. Similarity coefficients were higher among the genotypes of M. latifolia, M. bombycis and M. alba. Cluster analyses separated genotypes of M. laevigata and M. indica from those of the other species. Population structure analysis of these species further showed high genetic differentiation coefficients (GST), high heterozygosity between two species (DST), and total heterozygosity among populations (Ht) coupled with considerably low gene flow (Nm) when M. laevigata was paired with other species. Based on these parameters and the result of cluster analysis it is concluded that M. laevigata can be considered as a separate species of mulberry, whereas the other four species may be grouped together and treated as subspecies.

Reverse micelles as a versatile medium for the study of lactate dehydrogenase in vitro.

Rabbit muscle lactate dehydrogenase has been solubilized in cationic reverse micelles of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and isooctane-chloroform (1:1, V/V). The activity of the enzyme was notably affected by the change in water pool, pH, and concentration of the surfactant. Lactate dehydrogenase showed its full activity in this reverse micellar system in non-aqueous solvent under specific conditions at a Wo value of 30.55, pH 7.0, and 100 mM CTAB in comparison to the activity measured in aqueous system under optimum conditions. These results indicate that even the large and complex enzymes (M.W. hundred thousand and four subunits) can be solubilized in apolar solvents where they may retain their conformational integrity and oligomericity, i.e., optimum subunit-subunit interaction with maintenance of full activity.

Haematological and biochemical characteristics of Heteropneustes fossilis under the stress of Congo Red (diphenyl disazo binaphthionic acid).

The effects of the sublethal concentration (0.012%) of Congo Red on Heteropneustes fossilis were studied after 30 days exposure. The RBC count haemoglobin (Hb)% and PCV decreased significantly. The total WBC count, MCV, MCH, and MCHC showed a significant increase. Serum calcium, serum cholesterol and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were significantly elevated, whereas serum phosphorus was significantly reduced. The activities of serum alkaline phosphatase (AlPase), acid phosphatase (AcPase). RNase, GOT, GPT and amylase were also significantly elevated. The possible reasons for these changes are discussed.