Functional aspects of Pheromones

Pheromones are organic substances produced by an animal or plant which changes the behaviour of the same or other animal belonging to same species or opposite sex. In the case of plants pheromones are produced to attract or repel insectsor animals. Pheromones are synthesized in particular organ or group of cells locally and released outside the body. Their site of action is on neighbouring cells, organs or animals. Pheromones identified or synthesized chemically play many roles and are commercially exploited in many functional aspects. In most of the cases pheromones are chemical ligands or small peptides attached to a chemical ligand having specificity towards a particular receptor.

Pheromones have been utilized for forest protection or insects control involved in the deforestation. In the pacific northwest of USA Douglas fir beetle is a menace and due to its bark boring nature many tree species like Douglasfir, Pseudotsuga menziesii have been extensively died. A pheromone named methylcyclohexenone (MCH) (3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one) has been utilized for segregation and killing of the Douglas fir beetle.

Food security: A world wide challenge

The production of food grains in world increased considerably since 1960s due to increase in arable area, large-scale cultivation of high yielding semi-dwarf varieties and increased applications of irrigation, fertilizers and pesticides. Food security has to be understood as a distress phenomenon, as with marginal increase in their incomes over time they are forced to cut down on their food consumption to meet other pressing demands of health and education that were not considered important in the past. High economic growth rates have failed toimprove food security in whole world leaving the state facing a crisis in its rural economy. If food security is a complex objective, pursued with others (shelter, safety, health, self-esteem), in a world where individual households face diverse, complex and different livelihood opportunities, what role can policy possibly play? Can governments ever know enough to act?

  

The global food system today is beset by serious challenges and risks: production and prices have become more volatile; hunger and poverty levels remain high,particularly among farming communities; and unsustainable practices exacerbate environmental challenges. By 2050, the world’s population will have risen to 9 billion. Feeding this population will require substantial changes to ensure the production, distribution and consumption of sufficient nutritious and sustainably produced food.

Impact of Community culture on orangutan development

The common perceptions regarding the orangutan forests are that, the inhabitants are completely isolated and their existence can be accurately monitored through geographic representation are not totally correct. Eventhough population density appears resource dependent butbehavioural studies reveal that, it takes a community to raise an orangutan. Development of intricate communication techniques among themselves reflects the importance of the community.

Perception that orangutan are forest inhabitants living in isolated existence may be an accurate geographic portrayal, but overlooks noncontiguous interactions. While population density appears resource dependent, it takes a community to “raise” an orang. Their development of intricate communication techniques reflects the importance of community. Clicks and “faux speech” represent arousal and alarm calls, in the form of grumphs, gorkunes, grumbiass. Sophisticated kiss-squeak alarm calls involving cupping hands around muzzles to reduce pitch, facilitating long-distance sound transmission.

The importance of peripheral vision: Serendipity as a scientific method

Scientific method has been routinely taught as identifying a question, creating a  hypothesis and then testing that hypothesis. That is a very focused approach, one that has had great success. It is important, however, not to be so focused as to not to attend to ancillary findings. Blinded studies for specific responses, wherein the experimenter is unaware of the participants (e.g., drug or placebo) identity are clearly influenced by expectations. Thus, there is a placebo effect, whether positive or negative. Examining each theory and testing it step by step has been emphasized at the expense of observational studies, experiments performed when the tester has no specific expectation of results. Such are sometimes derided as “fishing expeditions,” ignoring their role in advancing science by identifying new subjects for investigation or exposing inconvenient truths – findings which do not conform to conventional thinking, the “collective consciousness” of a given field. Many of those assumptions, right or wrong, have never been actually tested.

 

Many activities are pursued without foresight as to future implications. We all record data aimed at answering a specific question, sometimes without consideration of how that data might be utilized in the future to address other questions. A classic example is recording perceptions as degree, extent or magnitude, rather than recording the actual finding. That approach is predicated on the assumption that the perceived degree/extent/magnitude represent a spectrum of findings relatable to a single phenomenon. That might be a reasonable approach if the degree/extent/magnitude assumption was validated. However, that assumes that the classification will not be modified in the future and components subsequently recognized as unrelated. Such would significantly reduce its value for incorporation into future analyses.

Biodiversity of Endorhizospheric Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria

Endorhizospheric bacteria also known as endophytic bacteria that resides within living plant tissues without substantially harming plants have found a large number of applications in today’s agriculture such as nutrient cycling, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress as well as promotion ofplant growth. In present study an attempt has been made to test biodiversity ofendophytic plant growth promoting bacteria from different plant species. As nitrogen fixation is one of the prime mechanism of plant growth promoting activity exerted by microorganisms, endophytic nitrogen fixing bacteria were isolated from from surface sterilized plant parts viz. root, stem and leaves of species Cynodondactylon (Durva), Pothosscandens (Money plant), Ipomeabatata (Sweet potato), Saccharumofficinarum (Sugarcane) cv. CO.LK-8001 and CO.-84135, Musa paradica (Banana) and Zea mays (maize)cv. GM-6 by using nitrogen free media selective for growth of nitrogen fixing bacteria. In all total 10 isolates were obtained from different plant species and parts and showed variation in their biochemical and physiological characteristics. All the isolates were found to fix nitrogen and nitrogen fixation rates of all the isolates ranged from 4.0 to 36.3 mg N fixed/gm of sugar consumed. Moreover, they also showed solubilizing tri calcium phosphate in Pikovskaya’s broth.

It is well known that a large number of microorganisms are found to be associated with plants. These plant associated microorganisms arethe agents for stimulation of plant growth and management of plant and soilhealth. They colonize roots and rhizosphere i.e. the soil surface closely adhered to the plant roots. Microorganisms on the roots and in the rhizosphere get benefits from root exudates.

Abrogation of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 in Feedlot Cattle Fed

Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 are perfidious problems for the beef industry. Asymptomatic fecal shedding of these pathogens contaminates the hide and cadaver. Furthermore, Salmonella are unique in their ability to penetrate lymph nodes leading to the post-harvest contagion of ground beef. These contaminations yield the two most significant food safety hazards associated with the consumption of beef. Herein, we report the anti-Salmonella and anti-E. coli O157:H7 effects of a novel Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation prototype fed to feedyard cattle. Cattle fed PRT were compared to those fed a combination of monensin, tylosine, and a direct-fed microbial- a standard conventional practice in the U.S. beef industry. 

In this investigator-blinded study, 1,495 feedlot heifers (300-400 kg) were fed PRT (n=747 heifers) or the standard industry diet (PC; n=748 heifers) without PRT for 125-146 days prior to slaughter. At the abattoir, fecal swabs were obtained from 400 animals (n=200/group) and subjected to selective culture for enumerating Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7. Additionally, subiliac lymph nodes were obtained from 400 carcasses for enumeration of Salmonella spp. Salmonella isolated from the feces and lymph nodes were subjected to a virulence assay and some antibiotic susceptibility and Salmonella serovar testing.

Helminthic Therapy: A Review

Autoimmune and inflammatory diseases represent a significant health burden, especially in affluent societies and that no cure exists for majority of these diseases. Medication can slow the disease's progression, but many of the drugs on the market have unpleasant side effects. Current research on parasitic worms (helminthes) has demonstrated a great potential for whole worms, their eggs or their excretory/secretory proteins in down regulating the immune system and hence the associated inflammatory responses both in vitro and in vivo, in various animal models of diseases and in someclinical trials. The helminthes are thought to modulate and down regulate the T helper cell 1 (Th1) and T helper cell 2 (Th2) axis. Helminthic therapy is hence a novel attempt to restore some of the organisms that we have co evolved with, that can modulate our immune system thereby leading to remission or cure from certain incurable inflammatory and auto immune diseases.

The rapid rise in prevalence of immune mediated diseases, like inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis and asthma inhighly developed industrialized countries, as populations adopt modern hygienic practices, suggests an existence of a strong correlation between improved sanitation and hygiene and a drastic increase in atopic, autoimmune, and inflammatory diseases.

QTL Mapping and Gene Cloning of Durable Resistance to Blast in Rice

Rice blast, caused by Pyricularia grisea Sacc., is a destructive disease of rice in most rice growing areas around the world. Breeding efforts have been made to introduce genes for blast resistanceinto desirable genetic background. Resistance to rice blast is categorized two types, complete (true) and incomplete (field resistance). Complete resistance is a hypersensitive reaction, often a complete form of resistance, and is characterized by a resistant infection type. More than 20 loci for complete blast resistance have been identified.

Rice blast, caused by Pyricularia grisea Sacc., is a destructive disease of rice in most rice growing areas around the world. Breeding efforts have been made to introduce genes for blast resistance into desirable genetic background. Resistance to rice blast is categorized two types, complete (true) and incomplete (field resistance). Complete resistanceis a hypersensitive reaction, often a complete form of resistance, and is characterized by a resistant infection type. More than 20 loci for complete blast resistance have been identified. Although cultivars with complete resistance were developed, the resistance has rapidly been broken down by compatible races of the pathogen. Field resistance, incomplete and usually polygenic, is a susceptible infection type that allows effective control of a parasite under natural field conditions and may be durable when exposed to new races of blast.