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Multi‐parent advanced generation inter‐cross (MAGIC) populations have been developed and utilized in crop improvement programs in several economically important crops. In the current study, soybean (Glycine max L.) MAGIC population was evaluated at four locations to identify stable and high‐yielding MAGIC RILs (recombinant inbred lines) and to understand the genotype and environmental interaction for grain yield and attributing traits. For different traits under study, pooled analysis of variance indicated the significant genotype × environmental interactions at p < 0.01. RILs such as G236, G455, G159, G493, and G488 found ideal for grain yield across the four environments. Through multi‐trait genotype‐ideotype distance index ideotype‐MAGIC RILs have been identified for each location. Significant positive correlation of grain yield with pods per plant, 100‐seed weight, plant height, number of nodes per plant, and branches per plant has been identified. Under field conditions, screening of F2:3 generation of MAGIC population revealed that only 59 progenies exhibited adult plant resistance for charcoal rot disease (caused by Macrophomina phaseolina). Although under controlled conditions parental genotypes EC 572136 and EC 572109 found to be partially resistant with least mean necrosis length, MAGIC RILs (F2:8) showed variable reaction. Thus, the study established diverse genetic resources useful for both mapping and varietal development program. Core Ideas: The study on G × E interactions identified number of ideal genotypes performing better across the four locations.These genotypes were valuable resources for direct release as varieties or large‐scale testing under All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) trials.Charcoal rot screening revealed significant variation for the mapping studies in the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS)‐based isotopic imaging technique of ion microscopy was used for observing calcium influx in single renal epithelial LLC‐PK1 cells. The CAMECA IMS‐3f SIMS instrument, used in the study, is capable of producing isotopic images of single cells at 500 nm spatial resolution. Due to the high‐vacuum requirements of the instrument the cells were prepared cryogenically with a freeze‐fracture method and frozen freeze‐dried cells were used for SIMS analysis. The influx of calcium was imaged directly by exposure of cells to 44Ca stable isotope in the extracellular buffer for 10 min. The 44Ca influx was measured at mass 44 and the distribution of endogenous calcium at mass 40 (40Ca) in the same cell. A direct comparison of interphase cells to cells undergoing division revealed that calcium influx is restricted in metaphase and post‐metaphase stages of cell division. This restriction is lifted in late cytokinesis. The net influx of 44Ca in 10 min was approximately half under calcium influx restriction in comparison to interphase cells. Under calcium influx restriction the 44Ca concentration was the same between the mitotic chromosome and the cytoplasm. These observations indicate that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium uptake is compromised under calcium influx restriction in cells undergoing division. LAY DESCRIPTION: A mass spectrometry‐based isotopic imaging technique of ion microscopy was used to study the influx of calcium in cells undergoing division. The cells growing in culture were exposed to extracellular nutrient medium made from 44Ca stable isotope for 10 min. The 44Ca influx in interphase and dividing cells was imaged directly with ion microscopy. A comparison of interphase to dividing cells revealed that cells in metaphase and post‐metaphase stages restrict 44Ca influx. This restriction continued through cytokinesis and is lifted in late cytokinesis stage when the daughter cells are barely attached. Physiological implications of such restriction are still to be studied and may include protection of dividing cells from harmful calcium waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybeans cover a vast geographical region of 53°N to 40°S latitudes, but individual genotypes have a very narrow latitudinal adaptation of ~200 km due to photoperiodic limitations. Fourteen soybean maturity groups (MG0000‐X) of Northern America have genotypes adapted to very long (MG0000) to short (X) day length conditions. Photoperiod not only affects flowering but other agronomic traits also. Several maturity genes have been mapped, and 12 genes related to the photoperiodic network (E1, E2, E3, E4, J, FT2a, FT5a, Tof5, Tof11, Tof12, Tof16 and Tof18) have been functionally characterized. The role of the paralogues of functionally characterized genes (E1Ls, COs, PRRs, FULs, SOCs and FTs) is being recently elucidated. Allelic diversity at photoperiodic loci confers latitude specific adaptation. Molecular models (common allelic combination present in an MG) have been developed for different MG using E genes but require refining by the addition of other functionally characterized genes to fully explain the flowering and maturity, especially in MG V to X. Three interacting modules PHYA‐E1, GI‐CO and miRNA‐dependent have been developed to elucidate the flowering mechanism in soybean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business critical systems (BCS) are those systems whose failure may lead to loss of business or damage to reputation in the market. This is often due to the interruption of service caused by the system being unusable. Therefore, non functional requirements (NFRs) such as availability and security play a crucial role during the development of BCS to mitigate impact to the risk. Nowadays, E‐commerce businesses contribute a significant amount to the GDP of any country. Availability of such systems should be high as well as these systems should be secured against threats. Therefore, in this work, a framework is proposed for the availability analysis during the design phase of the BCS. Also, an approach is used for the security analysis of BCS. A case study of the E‐commerce business system is taken to illustrate our framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper models a peristaltically driven flow when the cross section of the tube changes exponentially. This may resemble the shape of the oesophagus when it suffers from sliding hiatus hernia, that is, when the abdomen protrudes through the hiatus. The fluid transported is considered micro‐polar while the peristaltic waves propagating along wall too dilate exponentially. Bulging, caused by herniation, in tube is examined considering two different cases: (i) tube diverging entirely from the first end to the other, and (ii) tube diverging partly limited to the other end only. Effects of dilating amplitude, the coupling number and the micro‐polar parameter are also investigated. Non‐linear governing equations are linearized by the method of low Reynolds number and long wavelength approximations and computer simulation is used to estimate the numerical results. It is observed that whether the tube diverges entirely or partly, pressure required for carrying the fluid is less, hence facilitating easier swallowing, which causes sliding hiatus hernia to go unnoticed. Exponential divergence in the tube geometry makes swallowing easier than linear divergence. While pressure increases with the coupling number, it declines with the micropolar parameter. Reflux region is further found to shrink once the wave amplitude dilates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean, a short‐day plant, has its origin in higher latitudes of China, and its commercial cultivation remained confined to areas >22°N till 1970s due to precocious flowering accompanied with reduced biomass in lower latitudes. This review summarizes the effect of short days on soybean phenology, discovery of a novel long juvenile (LJ) trait, its role in breaking the latitudinal boundary for soybean production, identification of genes and impact of LJ trait on world soybean production. E6, J and E9 major genes governing the trait have been characterized and cloned. LJ varieties are late in flowering and maturity and successful in long rainfall regime of Brazil. Availability of vast vacant fallows of Cerrado has been another factor for utilization of this trait in Brazil. Recent advances for developing short‐duration LJ varieties, for limited rainfall areas and its suitability to existing cropping systems by combining it with photoinsensitivity, have been reviewed. Based on the available data from lower latitudes of Brazil, the contribution of the LJ trait is estimated to 23.7% of the total world production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is the leading Indian oilseed crop grown under rainfed conditions. Meticulous understanding of genotype × environment interaction patterns is essential to develop superior and widely adaptable soybean varieties. In the current study, 32 soybean genotypes were evaluated at eight locations for two consecutive years. Additive main effect and multiplicative interaction ANOVA revealed that only 41.6% of variance was explained by the first two interaction principal component axes (IPCAs), leaving 58.4% to the remaining 13 IPCs. The weighted average of absolute scores (WAASB) stability index, a best linear unbiased prediction–based mixed model that takes in to account all the IPCAs, has been used in stability analysis. SL1171 (WAASB score, 4.09) was found to be highly stable among the genotypes under study, with grain yield (2,050.87 kg ha−1) lower than the grand mean (2,082.50 kg ha−1). A superiority index that allows weighting between mean performance and stability (WAASBY) was used to select stable and high yielding genotypes. MACS 1620 (WAASBY score, 74.47) was found to be high yielding (2,476.05 kg ha−1) and widely adaptable. A simultaneous selection index (i.e., multi‐trait stability index [MTSI]) has been used for selecting early‐maturing and high‐yielding genotypes. DSb 33 was found to have the lowest MTSI (0.001) and can be used as a parent for breeding for early maturity and higher yield. The 100‐seed weight was found to be positively correlated with grain yield and can be used in direct selection for grain yield. Through genotypic cluster analysis, NRC 146 was found to be more divergent, with the highest mean 100 seed weight (16.39 g), and therefore can be used as a parent for breeding solely for grain yield. Core Ideas: Through WAASB statistic, genotype SL1171 was found to be highly stable with respect to yield.Through WAASBY statistic, genotype MACS 1620 found to be superior.Through MTSI, genotype DSb 33 was selected for both yield and early maturity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a facile, green and eco‐friendly approach has been applied for the synthesis of fluorescent green‐blue carbon dots (GB‐CDs) through the one‐pot hydrothermal treatment of Artocarpus lakoocha seeds for the first time and entirely characterized via a variety of instrumental techniques like fluorescent spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X‐Ray Photoelectron Spectra (XPS), X‐Ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infra‐red (FTIR) analysis. The as‐prepared GB‐CDs displayed high fluorescent quantum yield (QY) up to 38.5% and high photostability based on which GB‐CDs were successfully applied as a sensitive nanoprobe for the detection of Fe3+ ion. The sensing of Fe3+ shows a linear range from 2 to 6 μM and the limit of detection was found to be 0.62 μM. The sensing of Fe3+ was further investigated in the bona fide sample like river water and human blood serum. In addition, to explore the potential application, MTT assay was carried out on SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. The results showed negligible cytotoxicity as well as high cell viability, which revealed that GB‐CDs could be utilized as a fluorescent probe in living cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Earlier research on the biogeochemical factors affecting natural attenuation in coal‐tar contaminated groundwater, at South Glens Falls, NY, revealed the importance of anaerobic metabolism and trophic interactions between degrader and bacterivore populations. Field‐based characterizations of both phenomena have proven challenging, but advances in stable isotope probing (SIP), single‐cell imaging and shotgun metagenomics now provide cultivation‐independent tools for their study. We tracked carbon from 13C‐labelled naphthalene through microbial populations in contaminated surface sediments over 6 days using respiration assays, secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging and shotgun metagenomics to disentangle the contaminant‐based trophic web. Contaminant‐exposed communities in hypoxic/anoxic groundwater were contrasted with those from oxic surface sediments to identify putative features of anaerobic catabolism of naphthalene. In total, six bacteria were responsible for naphthalene degradation. Cupriavidus, Ralstonia and Sphingomonas predominated at the earliest stages of SIP incubations and were succeeded in later stages by Stenotrophomonas and Rhodococcus. Metagenome‐assembled genomes provided evidence for the ecological and functional characteristics underlying these temporal shifts. Identical species of Stenotrophomonas and Rhodococcus were abundant in the most contaminated, anoxic groundwater. Apparent increases in bacterivorous protozoa were observed following exposure to naphthalene, though insignificant amounts of carbon were transferred between bacterial degraders and populations of secondary feeders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we have designed a laser‐induced fluorescence (LIF) based instrumentation and developed a sensitive methodology for the effective separation, visualization, identification and analysis of proteins on a single platform. In this method, intrinsic fluorescence spectra of proteins were detected after separation on 1 or 2 dimensional Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate–Tris(2‐carboxyethyl)phosphine (SDS‐TCEP) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and the data were analyzed. The MATLAB assisted software was designed for the development of PAGE fingerprint for the visualization of protein after 1‐ and 2‐dimensional protein separation. These provided objective parameters of intrinsic fluorescence intensity, emission peak, molecular weight and isoelectric point using a single platform. Further, the current architecture could differentiate the overlapping proteins in the PAGE gels which otherwise were not identifiable by conventional staining, imaging and tagging methods. Categorization of the proteins based on the presence or absence of tyrosine or tryptophan residues and assigning the corresponding emission peaks (309‐356 nm) with pseudo colors allowed the detection of proportion of proteins within the given spectrum. The present methodology doesn't use stains or tags, hence amenable to couple with mass spectroscopic measurements. This technique may have relevance in the field of proteomics that is used for innumerable applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermatophytes are a group of morphologically and physiologically related moulds, which cause well-defined infection called dermatophytosis. The enzymatic ability of fungi to decompose keratin has long been interpreted as a key innovation in the evolution of animal dermatology. In the present study, keratinase activity profile among Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum, Microsporum canis and Microsporum gypseum isolated on keratin substrates such as human hair, human nail and chicken feather at variable environmental conditions of temperature, pH and metal ions was elucidated. All the above-mentioned fungal strains were isolated from soil using To-KA-Va baiting technique and keratinolytic activity was measured spectrophotometrically. In the temperature range of 30-40 °C and slightly alkaline pH (7.0-8.0), Trichophyton produced the highest activity of keratinase. It can be presumed that high enzyme production of Trichophyton species at normal body temperature range and pH could be an attribute for obligate anthropization in some dermatophytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With 5 tables Abstract The levels of resistance to spotted stem borer ( Chilo partellus) in sorghum are low to moderate. We therefore evaluated wild relatives of sorghum to identify accessions with high levels of resistance to this pest and studied the mechanisms of resistance. Heterosorghum ( Sorghum laxiflorum), Para-sorghum ( S. australiense, S. purpureo-sericeum, S. versicolor, S. matarankense, S. timorense, S. brevicallosum and S. nitidum) and Stiposorghum ( S. angustum, S. ecarinatum, S. extans, S. intrans, S. interjectum and S. stipoideum) showed very high levels of resistance to stem borer. Chaetosorghum ( S. macrospermum), four wild races of S. bicolor subsp. verticilliflorum and S. halepense were found to be susceptible. Under no-choice conditions, egg laying was observed on all accessions, which significantly differed among the species/accessions. Accessions belonging to Stiposorghum and Para-sorghum ( S. purpureo-sericeum, S. versicolor and S. timorense) were significantly less preferred for oviposition than the resistant control, IS 2205. Accessions belonging to Stiposorghum showed slight leaf-feeding, but there was no deadheart formation. Although there was some damage in Para-sorghum, very few deadhearts were formed, and a few larvae that were recovered subsequently died. In Heterosorghum, the two accessions of S. laxiflorum were highly preferred for oviposition, and up to 82% deadhearts were recorded, but the six larvae that were recovered died within a month. Accessions belonging to Eu-sorghum showed maximum deadhearts, larval recovery and adult emergence. The results suggested that some of the wild relatives of sorghum possess high levels of resistance to C. partellus and both antixenosis and antibiosis are major components of resistance to this pest. Accessions showing high levels of resistance to stem borer can be utilized to increase the levels and diversify the bases of resistance to this pest in sorghum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focuses on the evaluation of the effect of He-Ne laser on tissue regeneration by monitoring collagen synthesis in wound granulation tissues in Swiss albino mice using analysis of laser induced fluorescence (LIF) and light microscopy techniques. The spectral analyses of the wound granulation tissues have indicated a dose dependent increase in collagen levels during the post-wounding days. The histological examinations on the other hand have also shown a significant increase in collagen deposition along with the reduced edema, leukocytes, increased granulation tissue, and fibroblast number in the optimal laser dose treated group compared to the non-illuminated controls. (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to evaluate a He-Ne laser (632.8 nm; 7 mW; 4.02 mW cm−2; 15 mm spot size) dose and the treatment schedule on diabetic wound healing in a mouse model. Circular wounds of 15 mm diameter were created on streptozotocin induced diabetic Swiss albino mice, and were uniformly illuminated with the single exposure of various He-Ne laser doses of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 J cm−2 respectively. Further, the treatment schedule was also optimized by exposing the wounds with 3 J cm−2 at 0, 24 h, 48 h postwounding. Contraction kinetics, mean area under the curve and the mean healing time of the wounds were computed along with the collagen and the glucosamine levels in the wound ground tissues at various postwounding treatment schedules. Results of this study indicated that the single exposure of 3 J cm−2 laser dose applied immediately after the wounding caused a significant reduction in the mean area under the curve and the mean healing time along with the elevated levels of collagen and glucosamine contents in the tissue compared to the controls. In conclusion, He-Ne laser dose of 3 J cm−2 applied immediately after the wounding has demonstrated optimum wound healing compared to the other doses and treatment schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experimental study investigated the modification of optical, structural and morphological properties of Makrofol-KG and Polyethylene Terephtalate (PET) by irradiation of 120 MeV Ni ions at fluences ranging from 1 × 10 to 1 × 10 ion/cm. Optical and structural properties were studied by UV-visible spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) method, respectively. XRD studies of pristine and irradiated polymers revealed that crystallinity decreased after irradiation with swift heavy ions. The UV-visible spectrum displayed a shift in absorbance edge toward higher wavelength at higher fluence, which can be correlated with transition involved in polymers. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra were analyzed to investigate the changes in the chemical/structural properties of these polymers. The Makrofol-KG is found to exhibit more pronounced modification compared to PET after irradiation by swift heavy ions. The surface morphology studied by atomic force microscopy showed that the roughness of polymers surface increased with increasing fluence. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attract and kill (A&K) is an effective control technique for Carpophilus spp. attacking stone fruit but high cost has limited its adoption by growers. Field experiments during two successive growing seasons evaluated the potential to reduce the spatial density of A&K traps from three traps per ha (3 A&K) to two traps per ha (2 A&K), against medium to low beetle populations. Fruit damage in 2 A&K and 3 A&K treated blocks was significantly lower than in pesticide-treated control blocks. However there were no significant differences in blocks treated with either 2 A&K or 3 A&K traps in either season. The results suggest that the number of traps per ha can be reduced without reducing the efficacy of the A&K treatment where Carpophilus population levels are medium to low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Viruses are important aetiological agents of acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). Their reported prevalence varies from region to region. This systematic review calculated the prevalence of respiratory viral infections in AECOPD. Methods: A systematic search was performed using Medline, and references of relevant articles and conference proceedings were hand searched. Articles for review were selected based on the following criteria: (i) prospective or cross-sectional study, (ii) original research, (iii) viral detection used the highly sensitive techniques of PCR and/or Reverse Transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), (iv) viral prevalence in AECOPD defined, and (v) full paper available in English. We assessed the study quality and extracted data independently and in duplicate using a pre-defined data extraction form. Weighted mean prevalence (WMP) was calculated and a forest plot was constructed to show the dispersion. Results: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The WMP of respiratory viral infection in AECOPD was 34.1% (95% CI: 23.9–44.4). picornavirus was the most commonly detected virus with WMP 17.3% (95% CI: 7.2–27.3), followed by influenza; 7.4% (95% CI: 2.9–12.0), respiratory syncytial virus; 5.3% (95% CI: 1.6–9.0), corona viruses; 3.1% (95% CI: 0.4–5.8), parainfluenza; 2.6% (95% CI: 0.4–4.8), adenovirus; 1.1% (95% CI: −1.1 to 3.3), and human metapneumovirus; 0.7% (95% CI: −0.3 to 1.8). Maximum WMP was observed in studies from Europe followed by the USA, Australia and Asia. Picorna was the most common virus detected in Western countries whereas influenza was most common in Asia. Conclusions: This systematic review demonstrated that viruses are strongly associated with AECOPD, with the highest detection rates of viruses being in Europe. The geographical epidemiology of viruses may have important therapeutic implications for management of AECOPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which compared the effects of swift heavy ions and γ-ray irradiation on the polypyrrole's structural and optical properties. It notes the use of an electrochemical process in preparing nanostructured polypyrrole films with para-toluene sulfonic acid. Results of the study showed an improvement in crystallinity with rising fluence after irradiation. It also cites a systematic change in the polymer surface based on the scanning electronic microscopic analysis.

Reliable estimation of insect population size is a pre-requisite to understand population dynamics and to develop management strategies for pest infestations. We report the results of three sampling studies to identify reliable methods of estimating the number of carpophilus beetles in traps. Study 1 compared reliability of volumetric and gravimetric methods. Fresh beetles and beetles dried for 24, 48 and 72 h were used. The reliability in terms of consistency and precision was quantified. A reliable method must first be consistent, quantified by a linear trend of zero slope. Volumetric methods using fresh and 24 h dried beetles were consistent and had good precision. Study 2 investigated the influence of sample size on reliability of volumetric estimation of number of fresh beetles using a 5 mL cylinder. Study 3 examined the influence of cylinder size on reliable volumetric estimation of 1000 fresh beetles. All three sample and cylinder sizes investigated were consistent and had good precision. These results suggest that volumetric methods are generally consistent and possess good precision, a 5 mL cylinder may be used for reliable volumetric estimation of up to 500 beetles, and a 50 mL cylinder may be used for reliable volumetric estimation of larger numbers of beetles. A model is developed to predict the number of fresh beetles from their measured volume. Advantages of volumetric methods compared with gravimetric methods are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate that dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS)-based ion microscopy can provide a means of measuring 13C assimilation into individual bacterial cells grown on 13C-labelled organic compounds in the laboratory and in field soil. We grew pure cultures of Pseudomonas putida NCIB 9816-4 in minimal media with known mixtures of 12C- and 13C-glucose and analysed individual cells via SIMS imaging. Individual cells yielded signals of masses 12, 13, 24, 25, 26 and 27 as negative secondary ions indicating the presence of 12C–, 13C–, 24(12C2)–, 25(12C13C)–, 26(12C14N)– and 27(13C14N)– ions respectively. We verified that ratios of signals taken from the same cells only changed minimally during a ∼4.5 min period of primary O2+ beam sputtering by the dynamic SIMS instrument in microscope detection mode. There was a clear relationship between mass 27 and mass 26 signals in Psuedomonas putida cells grown in media containing varying proportions of 12C- to 13C-glucose: a standard curve was generated to predict 13C-enrichment in unknown samples. We then used two strains of Pseudomonas putida able to grow on either all or only a part of a mixture of 13C-labelled and unlabelled carbon sources to verify that differential 13C signals measured by SIMS were due to 13C assimilation into cell biomass. Finally, we made three key observations after applying SIMS ion microscopy to soil samples from a field experiment receiving 12C- or 13C-phenol: (i) cells enriched in 13C were heterogeneously distributed among soil populations; (ii) 13C-labelled cells were detected in soil that was dosed a single time with 13C-phenol; and (iii) in soil that received 12 doses of 13C-phenol, 27% of the cells in the total community were more than 90% 13C-labelled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field longevity of synthetic lures for Carpophilus spp. (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) was evaluated by trapping studies in Australia, accompanied by chemical analyses. Carpophilus spp. are serious pests of ripening fruits, and an attract-and-kill method has been developed for their control. Traps are baited with one of two types of lure: synthetic pheromone (in rubber septa) and a host-related synthetic co-attractant (as an aqueous solution). No information was available on the longevity of either lure type. The objective of the study was to understand changes in attractiveness of the pheromone septa and co-attractant over time under field conditions. Pheromone septa were still attractive after 28 days in the field, but activity declined over time. Relative to fresh septa, catches in traps baited only with the pheromone declined to 75, 53, 32, 21, and 16% for 3-, 7-, 14-, 21-, and 28-day-old septa, respectively. Chemical emissions from aged septa showed a very similar decrease with time. Trap catches when both pheromone and co-attractant were present were far higher, and the decrease as the pheromone aged was less rapid (catches were 87, 73, 55, 44, and 36% of the original level for 3-, 7-, 14-, 21-, and 28-day-old septa, respectively). Apparently the presence of co-attractant could partially compensate for the deterioration of pheromone septa. The chemical changes of the co-attractant decreased more rapidly than the pheromone. In a laboratory study, two minor components (acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate) were essentially gone after 1 day, while the major component (ethanol) and the other three minor components (2-methyl-1-propanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 2-methyl-1-butanol) were detectable for up to 4–8 days. Co-attractant evaporation was somewhat slower under field conditions. Trap catches for co-attractant of various ages and pheromones decreased three-fold as co-attractant age increased from 0 to 14 days. Implications with respect to beetle control are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, medium frequency induction melting furnaces find wide application in the making of steels by remelting of scraps. An operational problem of these furnaces is the need to repair and rebuild the lining of the crucible frequently. We present a methodical approach for better design and maintenance to decrease such problems. The erosion process of the lining is modelled as a renewal reward process. A related optimization problem is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondrion plays a significant role in a variety of biological functions. Because of their diverse character and location in the cellular systems, mitochondria commonly get exposed to various extrinsic and intrinsic cellular stresses. The present study reports a novel approach to detection of mitochondrial dysfunction based on tryptophan autofluorescence of its proteins in mouse liver, using laser‐induced fluorescence (LIF) as a tool. Mitochondria, isolated from the mouse liver, were initially tested for purity and integrity using lactate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) assays. Mitochondrial stress was induced by treating the isolated mitochondria with heavy metals at 10 and 0.01 mM for sodium arsenite and mercuric chloride, respectively. Upon treatment with the heavy metal, tryptophan autofluorescence quenching was recorded at 281 nm excitation. The functional integrity of the mitochondria treated with heavy metals was evaluated by measuring SDH and cytochrome c oxidase activities at various concentrations of mitochondria, which showed impaired activity as compared to control upto a concentration of 6.25 μg. A significant shift was also observed in the autofluorescence of proteins upto the level below 1 μg, suggesting their conformational change and hence altered structural integrity of mitochondria. Circular dichroism spectroscopy data of the mitochondrial proteins treated with heavy metals further validates their conformational change as compared to untreated control. The present study clearly shows that the LIF can be a novel detection tool to detect altered structural integrity of cellular mitochondria upon stress, and it also possesses the potentiality to combine with other interdisciplinary modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development of an endoscopic grading, diagnosis and reporting of myochosis and its link with colonic obstructive symptoms, assessing the obstructive nature of myochosis. Topics include a compilation of descriptors of myochosis, its prevalence in Western population who consumes low-fiber diet, and the potential of the proposed grading system to enhance recognition and reporting of the condition.