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Rhizophora is one of the incredibly potent medicinal mangrove plants with abundant store of secondary metabolites. This study is directed towards the effect of Rhizophora mucronata leaf extract against Penaeus stylirostris penstyldensovirus I (PstDVI)/ Infectious hypodermal hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV), a common potential aquaculture pathogen in shrimp, listed by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). The antiviral property of R. mucronata extract was confirmed through in vitro studies in PmLyO-Sf9 cell line and in vivo studies in P. monodon post larva conducted in batches of 20 post larvae (Juveniles) of 15-mm size for a period of 40 days in a rearing system having the gross parameters such as pH, alkalinity, hardness, ammonia, and nitrite measured and regulated. IHHNV-free status of experimental animals was confirmed by selecting random animals from the pool and testing them for IHHNV genes by diagnostic PCR. The extract showed virucidal property and inhibited virus attachment and replication both in PmLyO-Sf9 cells and P. monodon post larva. A significant reduction in IHHNV capsid gene expression was observed through qPCR analysis. All the three concentrations studied (1 mg mL−1, 0.5 mg mL−1, 0.25 mg mL−1) showed virus replication inhibition. Virus attachment inhibition was prominent at 1 mg mL−1 and 0.5 mg mL−1, but ineffective at 0.25 mg mL−1 plant extract. Meanwhile, virucidal property of the extract was significant at 1 mg mL−1 of the plant crude extract. Transmission electron microscopy images (TEM) of P. monodon larval tissue treated with the extract followed by the IHHNV infection did not show any cytological changes as the cells remained apparently normal. GC–MS profiling of the crude extract showed the presence of 28 phytochemicals which have contributed to the activity. From the study, it is evident that R. mucronata methanolic extract contains discrete compounds/molecules having anti-IHHNV property and can potentially serve as a source of natural therapeutics against the pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the effects of different probiotics on growth, survival, and immune gene expression in Macrobrachium rosenbergii post-larvae (PL). The PL were fed with MY-1, Enterotrophotic (ENT), and MY-1 + Enterotrophotic (MY-1 + ENT) enriched artemia for a duration of 20 days, with three feedings per day. Throughout the experiment, water quality parameters were closely monitored. Results showed that the postlarvae fed with MY-1 + ENT exhibited better growth in terms of size and weight compared to the other groups. On the 21st day, both the control and treated PL were exposed to pathogenic Vibrio alginolyticus. The groups administered with MY-1 + ENT had higher survival rates compared to the other treatment and control groups. Moreover, the expression levels of immune-related genes such as cytochrome oxidase (COX), prophenoloxidase (proPO), peroxinectin (PE), antilipopolysaccharide (ALF), and lipopolysaccharide glucan binding protein (LGBP) were examined through qPCR. The results indicated a variable expression pattern suggesting that the application of probiotics enhances the expression and regulation of immune genes in the event of infection by V. alginolyticus. The differences in gene expression highlight the opportunity to develop Immune Gene Expression Finger Printing, which may act as an effective tool for evaluating probiotics and immunostimulants by assessing their ability to modulate immune responses in M. rosenbergii. The study warrants field-level validation of the findings to facilitate the adoption in the hatchery technology for scampi seed production too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The purpose of this study was to conduct and interpret a pooled 12-month analysis of two prospective, multi-center, randomized, double-masked, controlled trials designed to assess the efficacy and safety of the travoprost intracameral implant (slow-eluting [SE] implant in development as a new therapeutic and fast-eluting [FE] implant included for masking purposes) in subjects with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension (OHT). Methods: Subjects with OAG or OHT, on 0–3 intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering medications, baseline unmedicated mean diurnal IOP of ≥ 21 mmHg, and IOP ≤ 36 mmHg at each baseline diurnal timepoint, received either a travoprost implant and twice-daily (BID) placebo eye drops or BID timolol 0.5% eye drops and a sham procedure. Subjects were followed through 12 months and assessed for IOP, reduction in topical IOP-lowering medications, and safety parameters including treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). IOP at 8AM was prospectively collected at all study visits through 12 months and diurnal IOP, measured at 8AM, 10AM, and 4PM, was prospectively collected at baseline, day 10, week 6, and months 3 and 12. Results: A total of 1150 subjects were randomized (385 FE implant, 380 SE implant, and 385 sham/timolol) across the two trials. Statistical non-inferiority to timolol and clinically relevant reductions in 8AM IOPs were demonstrated at month 12. In more detail, both implant groups demonstrated statistical non-inferiority to timolol and clinically relevant reductions from baseline in mean diurnal IOP at all visits over the 12-month evaluation period when diurnal IOP was collected. Additionally, both implant groups demonstrated robust treatment effect based on 8AM average IOP from day 10 through the specified visit which ranged from day 10 to month 12 from 6.9 to 8.5 mmHg in the FE implant group; 6.8 to 8.5 mmHg in the SE implant group; and 7.3 to 7.5 mmHg in the sham/timolol group. With regards to reduction in topical pharmacotherapy, at month 12, 77.6% of FE and 81.4% of SE implant eyes were completely free of all topical IOP-lowering medications and a significantly greater proportion of FE and SE implant eyes (89.9% and 93.0%) versus sham/timolol eyes (66.9%) were on the same or fewer topical IOP-lowering medications compared with pre-study (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, of subjects on topical IOP medications at screening, a significantly greater proportion of FE implant (80.2%) and SE implant (85.1%) eyes versus sham/timolol (22.8%) eyes were on fewer topical IOP-lowering medications at month 12 compared with pre-study (p < 0.0001). Lastly, of SE implant eyes on same or fewer topical IOP-lowering medications at month 12, the average through month 12 decreased by 0.9 medications, and of those SE implant eyes on fewer topical IOP-lowering medications compared with pre-study, the average through month 12 decreased by 1.4 medications. The most common TEAEs related to study treatment were hyperemia (conjunctival or ocular), iritis, and IOP increased. Conclusion: The travoprost intracameral implant demonstrated robust IOP-lowering efficacy that was sustained and statistically non-inferior to timolol over the entire 12 months, resulting in a significant reduction in topical IOP-lowering medication use, with the majority of SE implant eyes remaining completely free of all topical IOP-lowering medications. In addition, the implant demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile based on this pooled 12-month analysis of two pivotal trials. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers NCT03519386 (registered May 09, 2018) and NCT03868124 (registered March 08, 2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate fatigue life prediction of polycrystalline materials is crucial for many engineering applications. In polycrystalline materials, a significant portion of life is spent in the crack nucleation phase at the microstructural scale. Hence, the total fatigue life shows high sensitivity to the local microstructure. To predict fatigue life accurately, the microstructure models of polycrystalline material i.e., titanium alloy are virtually generated with the help of the Voronoi tessellation technique. These models incorporate critical microstructural features such as grain size, grain shape, and the volume fraction of different phases within the material. To efficiently predict microstructure sensitive fatigue life, the smooth finite element method (SFEM) is coupled with continuum damage mechanics (CDM). The SFEM provides flexibility in the meshing of complex microstructure geometries as it alleviates the need to use only triangular and quadrilateral elements. Moreover, there is no need of isoparametric mapping and explicit form of shape function derivatives in SFEM, hence it requires less computation time. To obtain the fatigue life (in number of cycles), jump in cycles algorithm is implemented using SFEM-CDM. The numerical results of fatigue life data obtained from simulations are compared with experimental data, which reveals the validity of the present approach. This approach is useful to find out the scatter in fatigue life data of polycrystalline materials along with the source of scatter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including beta-defensin from fish, are a crucial class of peptide medicines. The focus of the current study is the molecular and functional attributes of CmDef, a 63-amino acid beta-defensin AMP from Malabar trevally, Carangoides malabaricus. This peptide demonstrated typical characteristics of AMPs, including hydrophobicity, amphipathic nature, and +2.8 net charge. The CmDef was recombinantly expressed and the recombinant peptide, rCmDef displayed a strong antimicrobial activity against bacterial fish pathogens with an MIC of 8 µM for V. proteolyticus and 32 µM for A. hydrophila. The E. tarda and V. harveyi showed an inhibition of 94% and 54%, respectively, at 32 µM concentration. No activity was observed against V. fluvialis and V. alginolyticus. The rCmDef has a multimode of action that exerts an antibacterial effect by membrane depolarization followed by membrane permeabilization and ROS production. rCmDef also exhibited anti-cancer activities in silico without causing hemolysis. The peptide demonstrated stability under various conditions, including different pH levels, temperatures, salts, and metal ions (KCl and CaCl2), and remained stable in the presence of proteases such as trypsin and proteinase K at concentrations up to 0.2 µg/100 µl. The strong antibacterial efficacy and non-cytotoxic nature suggest that rCmDef is a single-edged sword that can contribute significantly to aquaculture disease management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanotechnology can contribute significantly to the aquaculture sector for a wide range of applications. In this study, silica nanoparticles were prepared from beach sand and characterized. The XRD pattern was obtained and confirms the crystalline nature of potassium aluminium silicate [K(AlSi3O8)], sodium silicate (Na2Si2O5), and silicon dioxide (SiO2). FTIR confirms that intense peaks at 445, 795, and 1036 cm−1 are characteristic of Si–O–Si stretching vibration. TEM micrograph of silica nanoparticles found a spherical morphology with an average size of 42 nm. In vitro anti-WSSV (white spot syndrome virus) activity was carried out using PmLyo-Sf9 cells by attachment inhibitory and virucidal activity; the optimum concentration was determined as 320 μg/mL. The interaction of silica nanoparticles and VP28 envelope protein was confirmed using in silico approach. The complexes K(AlSi3O8)-VP28, Na2Si2O5-VP28, and SiO2-VP28 had binding affinities of −5.2, −7.2, and −8.3 Kcal/mol, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional selective breeding in aquaculture has been effective in genetically enhancing economic traits like growth and disease resistance. However, its advances are restricted by heritability, the extended period required to produce a strain with desirable traits, and the necessity to target multiple characteristics simultaneously in the breeding programs. Genome editing tools like zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) are promising for faster genetic improvement in fishes. CRISPR/Cas9 technology is the least expensive, most precise, and well compatible with multiplexing of all genome editing approaches, making it a productive and highly targeted approach for developing customized fish strains with specified characteristics. As a result, the use of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in aquaculture is rapidly growing, with the main traits researched being reproduction and development, growth, pigmentation, disease resistance, trans-GFP utilization, and omega-3 metabolism. However, technological obstacles, such as off-target effects, ancestral genome duplication, and mosaicism in founder population, need to be addressed to achieve sustainable fish production. Furthermore, present regulatory and risk assessment frameworks are inadequate to address the technical hurdles of CRISPR/Cas9, even though public and regulatory approval is critical to commercializing novel technology products. In this review, we examine the potential of CRISPR/Cas9 technology for the genetic improvement of edible fish, the technical, ethical, and socio-economic challenges to using it in fish species, and its future scope for sustainable fish production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum L. is grown widely as an important day-to-day demand vegetable. The crop is attacked by various polyphagous insect pests like tomato fruit borer, stink bug, cabbage looper, flea beetle, aphids, whitefly, two-spotted spider mite, etc., and oligophagous insects like leaf-miner, five-spotted hawkmoth, etc. To combat the damage and yield loss, various chemical insecticides were sprayed on tomatoes under field conditions. The residual pattern of insecticides like chlorantraniliprole, thiamethoxam, flubendiamide, and deltamethrin residues was studied following applications of chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC (Coragen) @ 30 g a.i./ha, thiamethoxam 25% WG (Actara) @ 50 g a.i./ha, flubendiamide 39.35 M/M SC (Fame) @ 48 g a.i./ha and deltamethrin 2.8% EC (Decis 100) @ 12.5 g a.i./ha using Reverse Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC). Fruit samples were collected at 0 (1 h after application), 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 days and at harvest time. All the residues of insecticides such as chlorantraniliprole (0.09 mg kg− 1), thiamethoxam (0.03 mg kg− 1), flubendiamide (0.02 mg kg− 1), and deltamethrin (0.01 mg kg− 1) were persisted up to 5th day. There were no residues found at harvest time. The residues of chlorantraniliprole and deltamethrin persisted up to 3rd day of spraying whereas the residues of flubendiamide and thiamethoxam were not detected on the same day in the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Invertebrates like crabs employ their own immune systems to fight against a number of invasive infections. Anti-lipopolysaccharide factors (ALFs) are an important class of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) exhibiting binding and neutralizing activities against lipopolysaccharides. Results: This study identified and characterized a novel homolog of ALF (Pp-ALF) from the blue swimmer crab Portunus pelagicus. Pp-ALF has a 369bp open-reading frame encoding a protein with 123 amino acids. The deduced protein featured an LPS-binding domain and a signal peptide. The predicted tertiary structure of Pp-ALF contains three α helices packed against four β sheets. The deduced amino acid sequence of Pp-ALF had a net positive charge of +10.75 and an isoelectric point of 9.8. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Pp-ALF has a strong ancestral relationship with crab ALFs. Conclusion: Antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anticancer, and antibiofilm activities of Pp-ALF could be revealed by in silico prediction tools. Recombinant expression of Pp-ALF was unsuccessful in the Escherichia coli Rosetta-gami expression system due to the cytotoxic effect of the peptide to the host. The toxic effect of Pp-ALF to the host was displayed by membrane permeabilization and death of the host cells by fluorescent staining with Syto9-Propidium Iodide and CTC-DAPI- FITC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To deal with the increasing risk of pollutants from the aquaculture practice, wastewater treatment systems are considered to be an ideal strategy, for reducing the impact on the natural ecosystem. Biological treatment systems per se bioreactors involving microorganisms are efficient in the bioremediation process is determined by the reactor design, operational module i.e., structure of the bacterial community, and their diversity which in turn reveals the essential relationship between its ecosystem and the environmental factors. Microbial diversity and the dynamics of the microbial populations illustrate the principal background of different bacterial communal development performing bioremediation. Progression in genome exploration led to multifaceted technical ease in recent with the emergence of different generation sequencing technologies e.g., Sanger sequencing, 454 sequencing, Illumina/Solexa sequencing, Single-molecule real-time sequencing, and Oxford nanopore sequencing. Though the recent advancements provide a greater profile of information for research, using high throughput sequencing could not be a suitable option in all aspects, especially in consideration of the initial research requirement, the low number of targets, minimal samples, and also the diversity scaling methodologies. In this review, we have discussed the PCR-based molecular fingerprinting techniques which go accessible with sanger sequencing methodologies as well as by combining different statistical and bioinformatic algorithms. The systematic analysis with the elementary molecular techniques combining sequence technologies and bioinformatics tools would enable us to understand the overview and diversity structure of the biofilm and further in-depth research by selecting appropriate sequencing platforms results in the dynamics of the microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the attempts that have started since the 1960s, not even a single cell line of marine molluscs is available. Considering the vast contribution of marine bivalve aquaculture to the world economy, the prevailing viral threats, and the dismaying lack of advancements in molluscan virology, the requirement of a marine molluscan cell line is indispensable. This synthetic review discusses the obstacles in developing a marine molluscan cell line concerning the choice of species, the selection of tissue and decontamination, and cell culture media, with emphasis given on the current decade 2010–2020. Detailed accounts on the experiments on the virus cultivation in vitro and molluscan cell immortalization, with a brief note on the history and applications of the molluscan cell culture, are elucidated to give a holistic picture of the current status and future trends in molluscan cell line development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three group of porous Ti4Al4Co samples made of (i) unmilled powder and vacuum sintered (S1), (ii) milled powder and vacuum sintered (S2), and (iii) milled powder sintered in open atmosphere (S3) were prepared. Phase change, crystallite size and lattice strain variations due to powder milling and sintering were examined by SEM and XRD. To evaluate mechanical property, alloy samples were subjected to the uniaxial compression test. For corrosion analysis, Tafel plot was plotted using electrochemical corrosion system in simulated body fluid (SBF) as electrolytic medium. From the obtained results, it was found that significant microstructural transformation takes place due to milling and change in sintering atmosphere. Sample S1 possessed 139 MPa compressive strength, which was about 48% and 76% higher than samples S2 and S3 respectively. Corrosion current density for S3 was found as 5.5 ± 0.3 μA/cm2 which is 7 and 12 times lower than S2 and S1 samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increase of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic microbes necessitated novel molecules for curing infection. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are the gene-encoded evolutionarily conserved small molecules with therapeutic value. AMPs are considered as an alternative drug for conventional antibiotics. Hepcidin, the cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptide, is an important component in innate immune response. In this study, we identified and characterized hepcidin gene from the fish, Catla catla (Indian major carp) and termed it as Cc-Hep. Results: Open reading frame of Cc-Hep consists of 261 base pair that encodes 87 amino acids. Cc-Hep is synthesized as a prepropeptide consisting of 24 amino acid signal peptide, 36 amino acid propeptide, and 26 amino acid mature peptide. Sequence analysis revealed that Cc-Hep shared sequence similarity with hepcidin from Sorsogona tuberculata. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Cc-Hep was grouped with HAMP2 family. Structure analysis of mature Cc-Hep identified two antiparallel beta sheets stabilized by four disulphide bonds and a random coil. The mature peptide region of Cc-Hep has a charge of + 2, isoelectric value 8.23 and molecular weight 2.73 kDa. Conclusion: Functional characterization predicted antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer potential of Cc-Hep, which can be explored in aquaculture or human health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout Asian countries including India, water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) plays a crucial role in socio-economic status of the farmers by providing nutritional security. The concept of genomic selection through genetic markers has been widely used in various livestock species and this is extended to buffalo species as well. Molecular markers have been extensively used in animal breeding for improvements of desirable animal traits. Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP), one of the important molecular markers is widely used in animal breeding program. In this study, SNPs related to four important traits of buffalo i.e., milk volume, age at first calving, post-partum cyclicity and feed conversion efficiency have been identified based on genome sequence data generated using ddRAD (double digest Restriction-site Associated DNA) sequencing technology. These identified SNPs have been compiled as database accessible through Web and can be used in molecular breeding program of buffalo species. This database facilitates easy search of SNPs, Polymorphic Loci and Haplotypes along with their important features like minor and major allele frequencies, observed and expected heterozygosity, observed and expected homozygosity and nucleotide diversity. This database will help to accelerate the molecular breeding program for developing trait specific breeds of buffalo to meet the need of food and nutritional security of the world including India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboos due to high soil water conservation potential are gaining increased attention in plantation programs across the globe. Large-scale plantation of fast-growing bamboo, however, can have important hydrological consequences. The study aims to quantify the eco-hydrological parameters, viz., throughfall (TF), stemflow (SF), and interception (I) in seven important sympodial bamboo species in north western Himalayan foothills of India. The species selected include Bambusa balcooa, Bambusa bambos, Bambusa vulgaris., Bambusa nutans, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, Dendrocalamus stocksii, and Dendrocalamus strictus. Throughfall versus gross rainfall (GR) relationship in different species indicated high throughfall production during high rainfall events with r2 > 0.90. Average throughfall was lowest (62.1%) in D. hamiltonii and highest in B. vulgaris (74.6%). SF ranged from 1.32% in B. nutans to 3.39% in D. hamiltonii. The correlation coefficient (r) between leaf area index (LAI), number of culms, and crown area with the interception were 0.746, 0.691, and 0.585, respectively. The funneling ratio (F) was highest (27.0) in D. hamiltonii and least in B. nutans. Canopy storage capacity was highest in D. strictus (3.57 mm) and least in D. hamiltonii (1.09 mm). Interception loss was highest (34.4%) in D. hamiltonii and lowest in B. vulgaris (23.5%) and D. strictus (23.6%). Higher interception in bamboos make them suitable for soil conservation, but careful selection of species is required in low rainfall areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-lipopolysaccharide factors (ALFs) are antimicrobial peptides of approximately 100 amino acid residues with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. It is an amphipathic peptide with an N-terminal hydrophobic region and a lipopolysaccharide binding domain (LBD). In the present study, we report an isoform of the anti-lipopolysaccharide factor (Mm-ALF) from the speckled shrimp, Metapenaeus monoceros. A 359 bp cDNA encoded 119 amino acids, and the sequence showed 99.16% similarity to ALF from the shrimp Fenneropenaeus indicus. The mature peptide of 94 amino acids has a net charge of +8, molecular weight 10.62 kDa, and pI 10.11. The mature peptide Mm-ALF was recombinantly expressed in E. coli Rosetta-gami cells, and the peptide was isolated and purified. The rMm-ALF exhibited notable antibacterial activity against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Edwardsiella tarda, Aeromonas hydrophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio proteolyticus, Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio fluvialis) bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae are a promising new source of biomass; however, large-scale economical harvesting of microalgal biomass is a major technological and economic challenge, limiting the commercial production of microalgal biomass for high-value compounds. In this study, the cationic polymer chitosan was used for the harvesting of the marine diatom Chaetoceros muelleri. Natural flocculation, and pH and chitosan-induced flocculation were studied in detail. The effects of flocculant dosage, culture pH, initial biomass concentration, and sedimentation time were investigated on biomass recovery. The results showed that flocculation efficiency can reach > 99% with an optimum dosage of chitosan (80 mg L−1) at pH 9.6 and settling time of 40 minutes for biomass concentration from 0.2 to 1.2 g L−1. The reusability of the recycled water, preservation of biomass after harvesting, and cost of the harvesting process were evaluated. The results showed that the chitosan-induced flocculation offers an efficient, cost-effective, rapid, and sustainable harvesting method for C. muelleri biomass for food and feed applications in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The concern regarding a post-antibiotic era with increasing drug resistance by pathogens imposes the need to discover alternatives for existing antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with their versatile therapeutic properties are a group of promising molecules with curative potentials. These evolutionarily conserved molecules play important roles in the innate immune system of several organisms. The β-defensins are a group of cysteine rich cationic antimicrobial peptides that play an important role in the innate immune system by their antimicrobial activity against the invading pathogens. The present study deals with a novel β-defensin isoform from the red-toothed trigger fish, Odonus niger. Total RNA was isolated from the gills, cDNA was synthesized and the β-defensin isoform obtained by polymerase chain reaction was cloned and subjected to structural and functional characterization in silico. Results: A β-defensin isoform could be detected from the gill mRNA of red-toothed trigger fish, Odonus niger. The cDNA encoded a 63 amino acid peptide, β-defensin, with a 20 amino acid signal sequence followed by 43 amino acid cationic mature peptide (On-Def) having a molecular weight of 5.214 kDa and theoretical pI of 8.89. On-Def possessed six highly conserved cysteine residues forming disulfide bonds between C1–C5, C2–C4, and C3–C6, typical of β-defensins. An anionic pro-region was observed prior to the β-defensin domain within the mature peptide. Clustal alignment and phylogenetic analyses revealed On-Def as a group 2 β-defensin. Furthermore, it shared some structural similarities and functional motifs with β-defensins from other organisms. On-Def was predicted to be non-hemolytic with anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-cancer, and immunomodulatory potential. Conclusion: On-Def is the first report of a β-defensin from the red-toothed trigger fish, Odonus niger. The antimicrobial profile showed the potential for further studies as a suitable candidate for antimicrobial peptide therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intrinsic microstructural length scales of piezoelectric materials (e.g. grain size, nature of the domain and their orientations) spans from micron to nanoscale have a pronounced influence on the electromechanical behaviour. Of all these microstructural features, domain configurations particularly found to control the nanomechanical properties which can be tailored using domain engineering techniques. Keeping this in view, we investigated the effect of different domain configurations on the indentation size effects (ISE) in nanohardness of polycrystalline hard and soft lead zirconate titanate (PZT). The state of different domain configurations in hard and soft PZT is achieved by annealing the poled specimens slightly below and above the Curie temperature (Tc). Nanoindentation experiments at different indentation sizes are performed to evaluate the proposal of ISE. Further, the size-dependence in nanohardness is analyzed using the classical Meyer's law, the Hays-Kendall (H–K) model, the elastic recovery (ER) approach, the proportion specimen resistance (PSR) model and the modified PSR (MPSR) model. The results revealed that all the mechanistic models show excellent fitting of nanoindentation data and size-dependence in nanohardness is found to be sensitive to the domain configurations. The Meyer's law and H–K approach quantifies the ISE in both the PZT but do not provide any significant understandings about the origins of ISE. The PSR and MPSR models demonstrated that besides the domain configurations, size-dependence in nanohardness in piezoceramics could also be attributed to (i) material-dependent constants and (ii) surface artefacts. The true hardness values obtained from the ER, PSR and MPSR models are similar to each other due to the similar attributes in fitting the nanoindentation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a new thermo-mechanical formulation for the conventional and localizing gradient damage method is proposed. The proposed formulation is based on the generalized micromorphic theory, which accounts for the underlying fracture processes at the micro-level. The thermal and mechanical effects on the fracture response are incorporated in the formulation through three primary variables. These variables are displacement (u), micro-equivalent strain (ē) and temperature (θ), which are strongly/weakly coupled. In addition to mechanical loading, steady-state and transient heat transfers are considered in the formulation. Several 1D and 2D numerical examples are solved using the formulation to demonstrate its accuracy and effectiveness in simulating thermo-mechanical fracture. In the numerical examples, different types of thermal and mechanical loads are considered to study various effects on the fracture response of the components. Moreover, a detailed description of the formulation and its numerical implementation is presented for a better understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, a modified 9Cr-1Mo steel is subjected to normalizing and tempering treatment with or without an intermediate rolling, which was carried out at 1050 °C in austenitic phase and 550 °C in metastable austenitic phase. The tempering was carried out at 700 °C and 750 °C to improve the strength by precipitation hardening and refining the microstructure. The ductile to brittle-transition temperature (DBTT) and tensile properties have been evaluated at 20 °C, 550 °C and 650 °C for the material subjected to various thermomechanical treatments. Rolling performed in austenitic phase showed improvement in the upper shelf energy and reduction in the DBTT compared with the material rolled in metastable austenitic phase. Rolling in metastable austenitic phase improved the yield strength at elevated temperature (39 pct at 20 °C, 31 pct at 550 °C and 91 pct at 650 °C) and was accompanied by a reduction in ductility (21 pct at 20 °C, 32 pct at 550 °C and 35 pct at 650 °C) compared with the as-received condition. The influence of grain size, low angle boundaries and precipitates on DBTT and high temperature strength has been studied using EBSD and TEM analyses. An increase in high temperature strength is found to increase with the area fraction of fine M23C6/MX precipitates, whereas low angle boundaries and effective grain size influenced the DBTT behavior. The combined effect of precipitation strengthening and strain hardening leads to improvement in the high temperature mechanical strength while maintaining adequate toughness. The effect of aging (for 72 hours at 650 °C) on heat-treated and -rolled samples showed a small decrease in yield strength at 20 °C. A decreasing trend of fracture toughness is observed with the increase in yield strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liu–Murakami creep damage model is improved to predict the creep life of various cracked specimens. The modified creep damage law is implemented in the framework of extended finite element method (XFEM) for performing elasto-plastic creep crack growth simulations. Experiments show that the crack tip constraints vary from component to component which leads to variation in crack growth rates. A stress triaxiality function is introduced in the modified Liu–Murakami damage model to address the variation in crack growth rates. Moreover, a new definition of stress triaxiality (ratio of a linear combination of maximum principal stress and hydrostatic stress to von Mises stress) is proposed based on Leckie and Hayhurst failure criterion. The new definition of stress triaxiality is a key parameter in the prediction of time to failure. The modified Liu–Murakami creep damage model is used for the creep crack growth (CCG) simulations of several specimens under different loading conditions. Parametric studies are also performed to study the influence of various parameters on the CCG. Moreover, a combined framework of continuum damage mechanics and XFEM is used to predict the CCG life of a turbine blade. This work establishes that the modified Liu–Murakami creep damage law accurately predicts the creep life of cracked components under different constraint conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons are a group of chemical pollutants which cause a significant threat to the living organisms in estuaries and marine ecosystems. We report the effect of chrysene, a major PAH pollutant found in Cochin Estuary along the southwest coast of India, on the neuroendocrine and immune gene expression of the post larvae (PL-25) of Penaeus monodon. The PL- 25 of P. monodon were administered with feed coated with increasing concentrations of chrysene (1, 2 and 3 µg/g) for 10 days and the gene expression was studied on 7th, 11th and 15th day. The PL exposed to chrysene showed moulting stress and changes in the levels of moult-inhibiting hormone I (MIH I) indicated by irregular moulting in the experimental tanks. At the molecular level, the higher concentration of chrysene induced two-fold upregulation of neuroendocrine (MIH I) and downregulation of immune (ProPO and crustin) gene on the 7th day of exposure. The expression of MIH I gene reduced on withdrawing the experimental feed (on 11th day), while continued downregulation of ProPO and crustin were observed on the 11th day. The results of the present study indicate that the microgram levels of PAH can impinge the neuroendocrine and immune system of the P. monodon, which may induce morbidity and mortality to the larvae in polluted coastal ecosystems. Therefore, more attention may be given to avoid PAH pollution in the estuaries to maintain a healthy ecosystem and to protect the animals from extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZA-27 alloy matrix composites comprised of different volume fractions of TiC particles as reinforcement phase were synthesized by in situ technique. Microstructural, hardness and electrochemical analysis were performed on these samples along with the base ZA-27 alloy to assess any beneficial effect of making the composites over the base alloy. It was observed that hardness increases in composites as compared to the base alloy. However, hardness of the composite reduces on increasing the reinforcement percentage. Corrosion behavior was investigated by using Tafel and EIS plots in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution at room temperature for all the samples. The results showed increase in corrosion resistance for composites than that of base alloy. However, ZA27 + 5%TiC composite showed better results as compared to that of ZA27 + 10%TiC composite. The decreased property of ZA27 + 10%TiC composite is because of the agglomeration of particles and also by the formation of galvanic cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Ammonia oxidation is an important process in the removal of ammonia generated from feed and metabolic wastes in aquaculture systems. Considering the biogeochemical importance of ammonia oxidation in bioaugmented zero water exchange aquaculture systems, the diversity and abundance of bacterial and archaeal ammonia-oxidizing communities were analyzed in three selected ponds at different time intervals during the culture period, to unravel the key environmental factors influencing their distribution in the system. Materials and methods: The diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in three tropical bioaugmented zero water exchange (ZWE) shrimp culture systems were analyzed using ammonia monooxygenase A (amoA) gene from the sediment metagenome during different phases of culture. The environmental factors associated with the variability in bacterial and archaeal amoA gene abundance and diversity were elucidated using RDA and Pearson correlation analysis. Results and discussion: Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), Nitrosopumilus sp., Nitrosospharea sp., and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), Nitrosomonas sp., were the dominant ammonia-oxidizing communities in the ZWE ponds studied. AOA shared 41 OTUs, and the maximum distribution was influenced by dissolved oxygen in the system, whereas AOB shared 4 OTUs. The copy numbers amoA gene determined using qPCR showed that the AOA amoA gene was 10- to 100-fold abundant than AOB amoA gene. Gene abundance of AOA was positively related to total organic carbon (TOC) and salinity of sediments, and the temperature had a negative impact on bacterial amoA gene abundance. The dissolved oxygen and TOC had a negative and redox potential a positive impact on the diversity of AOA, whereas pH had a negative impact on the diversity of AOB. Conclusions: The ammonia-oxidizing archaeal communities dominated the bioaugmented zero water exchange aquaculture systems compared to bacteria based on the abundance and diversity analysis using amoA gene sequence-based OTU analysis and gene copy numbers. Dissolved oxygen, total organic carbon, and Eh of the sediments contributed to the distribution and abundance of AOA group in the ZWE ponds. This study points to the importance of environmental management in these culture systems for maintaining ammonia-oxidizing populations for optimal ammonia removal. The relative contribution of the archaea and bacteria to ammonia oxidation in these systems is to be further resolved along with that of anammox and comammox bacteria, which would help to develop appropriate biostimulation or bioaugmentation strategies for the management of these sustainable aquaculture production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrite is a well-known toxicant in aquaculture, produced as intermediate in nitrification. Two nitrite-oxidizing bacterial consortia, one from marine environment and the other from brackish water, were developed by enrichment technique at National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health, for removal of nitrite from recirculating aquaculture systems. In the present study, bacterial diversity of the consortia was assessed based on 16S ribosomal RNA and the functional gene analysis. Clone libraries of 16S ribosomal RNA gene and nitrite oxidoreductase A gene were constructed, and amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis was carried out to cluster the clones. Dendrograms generated through molecular characterization showed 29 and 27 clusters in marine and brackish water consortia, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of representative clones from each cluster depicted profound diversity in the consortia consisting autotrophic nitrifiers belonging to Proteobacteria, anaerobic ammonia oxidizers, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and heterotrophic denitrifiers. Functional gene analysis corroborated with the presence of specific nitrite oxidizers. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed the abundance of nitrite oxidizers in the order of 1.51 ± 0.38 × 109/g and 4.88 ± 0.42 × 107/g in marine and brackish water consortia, respectively. Diversity indices and pattern of distribution of organisms within the consortia were analyzed using Geneious, VITCOMIC, Mega 5 and Primer software. The marine nitrite-oxidizing consortium showed higher Shannon-Wiener diversity and mean population diversity than brackish water consortium, suggesting that the former was having more diverse flora and higher potential to be used as startup cultures for activating nitrifying bioreactors subsequent to acclimatization to the required salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel has been investigated near fatigue threshold and Paris regime at room temperature (RT) and 650 °C. The modified 9Cr-1Mo steel was subjected to normalizing at 1050 °C followed by tempering (650-750 °C) and warm rolling at 550 °C followed by tempering in order to improve its precipitation state and refine microstructure. The microstructural parameters such as grain size, block size, lath width and precipitate size were examined and correlated with FCG and tensile properties of investigated samples. The results showed that decreasing tempering temperature significantly reduces the fatigue threshold at RT while increases the yield strength at elevated temperature (i.e., 650 °C). Increase in fatigue threshold is found to increase with the increase in block size, whereas high density of fine precipitates contributed the high temperature strength. The FCG rate in Paris regime was less affected by heat treatment and rolling process at RT. However, rolled sample tested at 650 °C shows a decrease in FCG rate as compared to heat-treated samples. In terms of higher FCG resistance and yield strength, warm rolling followed by tempering at low temperature (i.e., 700 °C) can be considered optimum. For the numerical simulation of FCG behavior, extended finite element method (XFEM) along with Paris law has been implemented in ABAQUS using python script. The simulated FCG behavior is found in good agreement with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigeonpea productivity is greatly constrained by poor plant ideotype of existing Indian cultivars. Enhancing pigeonpea yield demands a renewed focus on restructuring the ideal plant type by using more efficient approaches like genomic tools. Therefore, the present study aims to identify and validate a set of QTLs/gene(s) presumably associated with various plant ideotype traits in pigeonpea. A total of 133 pigeonpea germplasms were evaluated along with four checks in the augmented design for various ideotype traits i.e. initiation of flowering (IF), days to 50% flowering (DFF), days to maturity (DM), plant height (PH), primary branches (PB), seeds per pod (SP) and pod length (PL). We observed significant genetic diversity in the germplasm lines for these traits. The genetic control of IF, DFF, DM and PH renders these traits suitable for detection of marker trait associations. By using residual maximum likelihood algorithm, we obtained appropriate variance-covariance structures for modeling heterogeneity, correlation of genetic effects and non-genetic residual effects. The estimates of genetic correlations indicated a strong association among earliness traits. The best linear unbiased prediction values were calculated for individual traits, and association analysis was performed in a panel of 95 diverse genotypes with 19 genic SSRs. Out of five QTL-flanking SSRs used here for validation, only ASSR295 could show significant association with FDR and Bonferroni corrections, and accounted for 15.4% IF, 14.2% DFF and 16.2% DM of phenotypic variance (PV). Remaining SSR markers (ASSR1486, ASSR206 and ASSR408) could not qualify false discovery rate (FDR) and Bonferroni criteria, hence declared as false positives. Additionally, we identified two highly significant SSR markers, ASSR8 and ASSR390 on LG 1 and LG 2, respectively. The SSR marker ASSR8 explained up to 22 and 11% PV for earliness traits and PB respectively, whereas ASSR390 controlled up to 17% PV for earliness traits. The validation and identification of new QTLs in pigeonpea across diverse genetic backgrounds brightens the prospects for marker-assisted selection to improve yield gains in pigeonpea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Compression socks are frequently used in the treatment and prevention of lower-limb pathologies; however, when combined with endurance-based exercise, the impact of compression socks on haemostatic activation remains unclear.Objectives: To investigate the effect of wearing compression socks on coagulation and fibrinolysis following a marathon.Methods: Sixty-seven participants [43 males (mean ± SD: age: 46.7 ± 10.3 year) and 24 females (age: 40.0 ± 11.0 year)] were allocated into a compression (SOCK, n = 34) or control (CONTROL, n = 33) group. Venous blood samples were obtained 24 h prior to and immediately POST-marathon, and were analyzed for thrombin-anti-thrombin complex (TAT), tissue factor (TF), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), and D-Dimer.Results: Compression significantly attenuated the post-exercise increase in D-Dimer compared to the control group [median (range) SOCK: + 9.02 (- 0.34 to 60.7) ng/mL, CONTROL: + 25.48 (0.95-73.24) ng/mL]. TF increased following the marathon run [median (range), SOCK: + 1.19 (- 7.47 to 9.11) pg/mL, CONTROL: + 3.47 (- 5.01 to 38.56) pg/mL] in all runners. No significant post-exercise changes were observed for TAT and TFPI.Conclusions: While activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis was apparent in all runners POST-marathon, wearing compression socks was shown to reduce fibrinolytic activity, as demonstrated by lower D-Dimer concentrations. Compression may reduce exercise-associated haemostatic activation when completing prolonged exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, three-dimensional heterogeneous and homogenized finite element models are used to predict the indentation response of particle reinforced metal matrix composites (PRMMCs). The matrix is assumed to have elasto-plastic behavior whereas the particles (uniform in size and spherical in shape) are assumed to be harder than the matrix, and possess linear elastic behavior. The particles (25 % by volume) are randomly distributed in the metal matrix. Two modeling approaches are used. In the first approach, the PRMMC is fully replaced by an equivalent homogenous material, and its material properties are obtained through homogenization using representative volume element approach under periodic boundary conditions. In second approach, a small cubical volume under the indenter is modeled as heterogeneous material with randomly distributed particles, whereas the remaining domain is assigned equivalent material properties obtained through homogenization. The elastic material properties obtained through simulations are found within Hashin-Shtrikman bounds. A suitable size cubical volume consisting of heterogeneities under the indenter is established by considering different cubical volumes so as to capture the actual indentation response. The simulations are also carried out for different particle sizes to establish a suitable particle size. These simulations show that the second modeling approach yields harder indentation response as compared to first modeling approach due to the local particle concentration under the indenter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepcidin represents a family of cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides that are mainly expressed in the liver of living organisms. In this study, we have identified and characterised a novel isoform of hepcidin from the common pony fish, Leiognathus equulus ( Le-Hepc). A 261-bp fragment cDNA coding for 86 amino acids was obtained. Homologous analysis showed that Le-Hepc belongs to the hepcidin super family and shares sequence identity with other known fish pre-propeptide hepcidin sequences. The ORF encodes for a 24-amino acid (aa) signal peptide coupled to a 36-aa prodomain followed by a 26-aa mature peptide. The mature peptide region has a calculated molecular weight of 2.73 kDa, a net positive charge of +2 and a theoretical pI of 8.23. Phylogenetic analysis of Le-Hepc showed a strong relationship with other fish hepcidin sequences and clustered into HAMP2 group hepcidins. Secondary structural analysis indicated that Le-Hepc mature peptide contains two antiparallel β-sheets strengthened by four disulphide bonds formed by eight conserved cysteine residues. The physicochemical properties of the peptide and its structural parameters are in agreement with characteristic features of an antimicrobial peptide. This is the first report of an antimicrobial peptide from the common pony fish, L. equulus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to test the efficacy of gonadotropic hormone (GnRH)-based synchronization protocols (Ovsynch, Heatsynch, and Ovsynch Plus) in buffaloes under field condition. Based on anamnesis and transrectal palpation twice at 10-day interval and serum progesterone (P) concentration, 150 anoestrous buffaloes and delayed pubertal heifers were selected to induce oestrus using GnRH-based protocols. These selected animals were randomly divided into three groups: group I: Ovsynch ( n = 50), group II: Heatsynch ( n = 50), and group III: Ovsynch Plus ( n = 50) regimen. Before treatment initiation, blood samples were collected for P, beta-hydroxy butyric acid (β-OHB), and mineral estimation, in addition to the monitoring of oestrus signs. In this investigation, no significant difference ( P > 0.05) in oestrus signs was deduced among three groups. Oestrus induction rate (OIR) was comparable ( P > 0.05) among the groups (Ovsynch 82%, Heatsynch 86%, and Ovsynch Plus 88%). Conception rate (CR) following fixed time artificial insemination (FTAI) was slightly higher with Ovsynch Plus group (28%) as compared to Ovsynch (24%) and Heatsynch (18%) groups, though non-significant. Furthermore, serum glucose, β-OHB, macrominerals (calcium, potassium, and magnesium), and trace minerals (copper, zinc, and iron) remained comparable ( P > 0.05) among the groups. In conclusion, all the protocols (Ovsynch, Heatsynch, and Ovsynch Plus) are efficient in oestrus induction in anoestrous buffaloes under field condition with Ovsynch Plus protocol resulting in higher CR as compared to other protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sol-gel prepared nanoparticles of alpha alumina were mixed in their varying weight percentage (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 wt.%) with Al-6061 powder for synthesizing of Al6061-AlO nanocomposites using powder metallurgy route. After sintering at 610 °C, microstructural, mechanical and corrosion properties of the composite samples were evaluated to see the effect of nanoalumina reinforcement content on these properties. Microstructural examination of the composites indicated the uniform distribution of nanoparticles up to their 2 wt.% content. Above this amount, distribution of nanoparticle attained saturation level and their accumulation started in the grain boundary regions. It is found that by increasing the nanoparticles content, the hardness and strength first increase and then decrease when amount of nanoparticle exceeds 2 wt.%. Reinforcement of 0.5-1 wt.% nanoparticle content has shown excellent corrosion resistance of the synthesized composites in 3.5% NaCl solution. After 1 wt.% incorporation of nanoparticles, a gradual increase in corrosion rate with the increase in nanoparticle content was measured and corrosion becomes worse than that of the base alloy in the presence of 2.5 wt.% nanoparticle content. Solution heat treatment followed by ageing of the composite samples was found highly beneficial for the increase in hardness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of antibiosis components and antioxidant defense of rice genotypes, namely CR3006-8-2, RP4918-221, KAUM182-1, T12, IHRT-ME-25, W1263, Ptb33 (resistant check) and TN1 (susceptible check) was studied by phenotyping them against brown planthopper (BPH). Three genotypes, namely KAUM182-1, RP4918-221 and CR3006-8-2 were resistant to BPH and significantly low damage score (1.97-3.00); honeydew excretion area (46.76-49.64 mm2); nymphal survival (60.60-66.40%) and growth index (2.98-3.86) was recorded on them. Higher constitutive and induced level of soluble phenolics, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase was observed in resistant genotypes without and with BPH infestation. A negative relationship between honeydew excretion, nymphal emergence, growth index and nymphal survival was observed with these biochemical constituents. Likewise, a reverse trend was observed between nymphal development period and biochemical constituents. These genotypes have emerged as a new source of resistance to BPH which can be used in hybridization programme to breed durable BPH resistant rice varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles of gamma alumina prepared by sol-gel method, using alcoholic aluminum chloride (AlCl) precursor has been demonstrated as an effective adsorbent for fluoride removal of water. Increasing the molar concentration of AlCl from 0.1 to 0.25 M was found to increase the nanoalumina content in the same ratio with good yield. Different analytical techniques like thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller surface area analysis were employed for the characterization of the synthesized nanoparticles whereas batch adsorption studies were performed for the understanding of adsorption kinetics of fluoride in water of neutral pH. Adsorption kinetics has exhibited excellent fluoride removal capability of ~23 mg/g from the nanoparticles derived using up to 0.2 M AlCl precursor. Nanoparticles derived from 0.25 M AlCl have shown comparatively less fluoride removal (~18 mg/g). Langmuir equilibrium model was found more suitable for describing the fluoride adsorption mechanism. Presence of sulphate, carbonate, nitrate, and chloride anions in water influenced the fluoride removal efficiency noticeably. Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After screening marine actinomycetes isolated from sediment samples collected from the Arctic fjord Kongsfjorden for potential anticancer activity, an isolate identified as Streptomyces artemisiae MCCB 248 exhibited promising results against the NCI-H460 human lung cancer cell line. H460 cells treated with the ethyl acetate extract of strain MCCB 248 and stained with Hoechst 33342 showed clear signs of apoptosis, including shrinkage of the cell nucleus, DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation. Further to this treated cells showed indications of early apoptotic cell death, including a significant proportion of Annexin V positive staining and evidence of DNA damage as observed in the TUNEL assay. Amplified PKS 1 and NRPS genes involved in secondary metabolite production showed only 82% similarity to known biosynthetic genes of Streptomyces, indicating the likely production of a novel secondary metabolite in this extract. Additionally, chemical dereplication efforts using LC-MS/MS molecular networking suggested the presence of a series of undescribed tetraene polyols. Taken together, these results revealed that this Arctic S. artemisiae strain MCCB 248 is a promising candidate for natural products drug discovery and genome mining for potential anticancer agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work provides a facile novel method for the low-temperature synthesis of LiMnO spinel, a lithium manganese oxide that can potentially be used for application as cathode material in rechargeable lithium ion batteries, in supercapacitors, in magnetic devices, etc. Pure LiMnO has been prepared using pre-synthesized nanostructured MnOOH nanowires as manganese sources and lithium salt at fairly low temperature. XRD, FESEM, HRTEM, and ICP-MS results revealed the formation of perfect cubic phase LiMnO nanorods. Based on the results obtained, a mechanism of formation of LiMnO nanorod is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyocyanin has recently been recognized as antimicrobial agent in aquaculture industry, an alternative to antibiotics, as it accorded higher level inhibitory effect on aquaculture pathogens. As pyocyanin-induced toxicity is a major concern, this study has been undertaken to evaluate the toxicity of purified pyocyanin and to determine the LC value for its safe application in aquaculture. The dose-dependent pyocyanin-induced toxicity was tested on various life stages of P. monodon such as nauplius, zoea, mysis and post-larva as well as on nitrifying bacterial consortia used in aquaculture in order to fix the concentration limits to the animal rearing systems. The study revealed that pyocyanin was a potential inhibitory compound to V. harveyi, bacteriostatic at 5 mg L and bactericidal at 10 mg L. The LC values of pyocyanin at various life stages of P. monodon were higher than the concentration required to abrogate pathogenic V. harveyi. Moreover, pyocyanin did not inhibit nitrification, specifically of nitrifying bacterial consortia used for activating nitrifying bioreactors, at different salinities, suggesting its potential application in recirculating aquaculture systems to control pathogenic vibrios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, a ductile fracture model has been employed to predict the failure of tensile specimen using coupled finite element-element free Galerkin (FE-EFG) approach. The fracture strain as a function of stress triaxiality has been evaluated by analyzing the notched tensile specimens. In the coupled approach, a small portion of the domain, where severe plastic deformation is expected, is modeled by EFG method whereas the rest of the domain is modeled by FEM to exploit the advantages of both the methods. A ramp function has been used in the interface region to maintain the continuity between FE and EFG domains. The nonlinear material behavior is modeled by von-Mises yield criterion and Hollomon's power law. An implicit return mapping algorithm is employed for stress equilibrium in the plasticity model. The effect of geometric nonlinearity as a result of large deformation is captured by updated Lagrangian approach. The coupled approach is used to study the fracture behavior of two different cracked specimens in order to highlight its capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a modified theta projection model is proposed for the constitutive modeling of creep behavior of metals and alloys. In the conventional theta projection model, strain hardening exponent is a function of time and theta, whereas in the modified theta projection model, the exponent is taken as a function of time, theta, and applied stress. The results obtained by the modified theta projection model for Al 2124 T851 alloy at constant uniaxial tensile stress are compared with the experimental results and with the predictions of the conventional theta projection method. The creep behavior of Al 7075 T651 alloy is also predicted using modified and conventional theta projection model and compared with the available experimental data. It is observed that the modified theta projection model captures the creep behavior more accurately as compared to the conventional theta projection model. The modified theta projection model can be used to predict the creep strain of pure metals and class M alloys (similar creep behavior to pure metals) for intermediate range of stress and temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fracture toughness and mechanical properties of the zircaloy-2 processed by rolling at different temperatures have been investigated, and simulations have been performed using extended finite element method (XFEM). The solutionized alloy was rolled at different temperatures for different thickness reductions (25-85%). Fracture toughness has been investigated by compact tension test. The improved fracture toughness of the rolled zircaloy-2 samples is due to high dislocation density. SEM image of the fractured surface shows the reduction in dimple sizes with the increase in dislocation density due to the formation of microvoids as a result of severe strain induced during rolling. Compact tension test, edge crack, center crack and three-point bend specimen simulations have been performed by XFEM. In XFEM, the cracks are not a part of finite element mesh and are modeled by adding enrichment function in the standard finite element displacement approximation. The XFEM results obtained for compact tension test have been found to be in good agreement with the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in culture-independent studies of microbes had proved to be more reliable and efficient than the conventional ones. The isolation of good quality and quantity of total community DNA are one of the major hurdles in this endeavour. Shearing of DNA during the extraction process and the co-extraction of inhibitory compounds reduce the quality of the isolated nucleic acids making it unsuitable for the construction of large insert metagenomic libraries. In the present study, a multi-level filtration step was brought in which efficiently isolated total bacterial DNA from three different environment samples. The preprocessing method could efficiently improve the 260/230 ratio of the isolated DNA by 2.3-45 % and decreased the protein contamination by 22.5-34.5 % on saltpan and arctic sediment samples, respectively. The more significant part of the experiment was that the DNA obtained was of high quality with minimal shearing making it most suitable for the construction of large insert genomic libraries. PCR amplification of 16S rRNA gene confirmed that the filtration method was effective in the isolation of high-quality DNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been realized that shrimp cell immortalization may not be accomplished without in vitro transformation by expressing immortalizing gene in cells. In this process, efficiency of transgene expression is confined to the ability of vectors to transmit gene of interests to the genome. Over the years, unavailability of such vectors has been hampering application of such a strategy in shrimp cells. We report the use of recombinant baculovirus mediated transduction using hybrid promoter system for transgene expression in lymphoid cells of Penaeus monodon. Two recombinant baculovirus vectors with shrimp viral promoters (WSSV-Ie1 and IHHNV-P2) were constructed (BacIe1-GFP and BacP2-GFP) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) used as the transgene. The GFP expression in cells under the control of hybrid promoters, PH-Ie1 or PH-P2, were analyzed and confirmed in shrimp cells. The results indicate that the recombinant baculovirus with shrimp specific viral promoters (hybrid) can be employed for delivery of foreign genes to shrimp cells for in vitro transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retaining terminal transferase activity of telomerase, the ribonucleoprotein enzyme which add telomeric repeats on chromosome end is thought to be required to prevent cellular ageing. Additionally, telomerase considered as a marker for cell proliferation and immortalization in eukaryotes. We examined telomerase activity in tissues and lymphoid cell culture of Penaeus monodon. Along with telomerase activity, telomere repeats and an attempt on identification of telomerase reverse transcriptase (PmTERT) were made. Telomeric repeat amplification protocol revealed that telomerase-dependent telomeric lengthening has been taking place in P. monodon and the adult tissues were retaining this capacity throughout their lifespan with the highest activity in ovary, testis and lymphoid organ. However, telomerase activity could not be detected in lymphoid cells in culture. The canonical telomeric repeats added by telomerase of lymphoid tissue extract were identified as TTAGG, but pentameric repeats GGTTA and AGGTT were also added by the telomerase. PmTERT protein sequence (partial) shared 100 % identity with the TERT sequence of Daphnia pulex, 27 % sequence identity with Purple sea urchin and 24-25 % with Zebra fish. Undetectable telomerase activity in lymphoid cell culture supports the hypothesis that the inadequate telomerase activity or gene expression may be a reason that prevents neoplastic transformation and spontaneous immortalization of the cells in vitro. Thus, it is envisaged that telomerase activation in lymphoid cells may surmount cellular ageing for in vitro transformation and cell line establishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]