Electron diffraction of the metallic elements in the pineal organ of a freshwater fish, Mystus vittatus (Bloch.)

By electron diffraction pattern the presence of metallic elements, particularly chromium-nickel, chromium phosphide, copper, aluminum-copper and zinc has been shown in the pineal organ of a freshwater teleost, M. vittatus. It is likely that their occurrence within the pineal is due to binding with the neurosecretory material fractions/ligands.     

Histochemical localization of acetylcholinesterase in the glycogen body (sinus rhomboidalis) of common brown dove,Streptopelia senegalensis and house sparrow,Passer domesticus

Summary Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was studied in the glycogen bodies of the spinal cords of 2 birds namelyStreptopelia senegalensis andPasser domesticus. A possible functional significance of AChE in the light of relative enzymatic localization especially in Hoffmann-Kolliker nuclei (motor cell groups), substantia gelatinosa and other regions of gray matter of 2 avian glycogen bodies has been discussed.     

Relation of HTLV-4 to simian and human immunodeficiency-associated viruses

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the aetiologic agent of AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) in most countries and probably originated in Central Africa like the AIDS epidemic itself. Evidence for a second major group of human immunodeficiency-associated retroviruses came from a report that West African human populations like wild-caught African green monkeys had serum antibodies that reacted more strongly with a simian immunodeficiency virus (STLV-3Mac) (ref.6) than with HIV-1. Novel T-lymphotropic retroviruses were reported to have been isolated from healthy Senegalese West Africans (HTLV-4) (ref. 4) and from African green monkeys (STLV-3AGM) (ref. 7), and a different retrovirus (HIV-2) was identified in other West African AIDS patients. Genomic analysis of HIV-2 clearly distinguished it from STLV-3 (ref. 9), but restriction enzyme site-mapping of three different HTLV-4 isolates and six different STLV-3AGM isolates showed them to be essentially indistinguishable. In this report we clone, restriction map, and partially sequence three isolates of HTLV-4 (PK82, PK289, PK190) (ref. 4). We find that these viruses differ in nucleotide sequence from each other and from three isolates of STLV-3AGM (K78, K6W, K1) (ref. 7) by 1% or less. We also report the isolation of a T-lymphotropic retrovirus from the peripheral blood of a healthy Senegalese woman which hybridizes preferentially to HIV-2 specific DNA probes. We conclude that HTLV-4 (ref. 4) and STLV-3AGM (ref. 7) are not independent virus isolates and that HIV-2 is present in Senegal as it is in other West African countries.     

A possible role of guanine-deaminase inhibitor

Zusammenfassung Diskussion über die Frage der Ätiologic der Xanthinurie.     

A brief survey of computerized expert systems for crop protection being used in India

In the recent years, a plethora of computerized expert systems has been developed for various sectors of agriculture in India. The availability of low-cost computers, agricultural knowledge and information technology professionals are the principal reasons for the development of so many agricultural expert systems. Among all agricultural expert systems, the expert systems for crop protection need special mention. These expert systems are meant to be used by farmers and other persons without much experience of using computers. Hence, special care must be taken while developing them. The current paper develops a taxonomy for the expert systems for crop protection and briefly discusses four such expert systems for crop protection being used in India.     

Phosphorus partitioning and recovery of low-phosphorus iron-rich compounds through physical separation of Linz-Donawitz slag

The Linz-Donawitz (LD) steelmaking process produces LD slag at a rate of about 125 kg/t. After metallic scrap recovery, the non-metallic LD slag is rejected because its physical/chemical properties are unsuitable for recycling. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies have indicated that non-metallic LD slag contains a substantial quantity of mineral phases such as di- and tricalcium silicates. The availability of these mineral phases indicates that LD slag can be recycled by iron (Fe)-ore sintering. However, the presence of 1.2wt% phosphorus (P) in the slag renders the material unsuitable for sintering operations. Electron probe microscopic analysis (EPMA) studies indicated concentration of phosphorus in dicalcium silicate phase as calcium phosphate. The Fe-bearing phases (i.e., wustite and dicalcium ferrite) showed comparatively lower concentrations of P compared with other phases in the slag. Attempts were made to lower the P content of LD slag by adopting various beneficiation techniques. Dry high-intensity magnetic separation and jigging were performed on as-received samples with particle sizes of 6 and 3 mm. Spiral separation was conducted using samples ground to sizes of less than 1 and 0.5 mm. Among these studies, grinding to 0.5 mm followed by spiral concentration demonstrated the best results, yielding a concentrate with about 0.75wt% P and 45wt% Fe.     

Effects of gadolinium addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-9Al alloy

This research aims to study the significance of Gd addition (0wt%-2wt%) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-9Al alloy. The effect of Gd addition on the microstructure was investigated via X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Mg-9Al alloy contained two phases, α-Mg and β-Mg17Al12. Alloying with Gd led to the emergence of a new rectangular-shaped phase, Al₂Gd. The grain size also decreased marginally upon Gd addition. The ultimate tensile strength and microhardness of Mg-9Al alloy increased by 23% and 19%, respectively, upon 1.5wt% Gd addition. We observed that, although Mg-9Al-2.0Gd alloy exhibited the smallest grain size (181 μm) and the highest dislocation density (5.1×1010 m-2) among the investigated compositions, the Mg-9Al-1.5Gd alloy displayed the best mechanical properties. This anomalous behavior was observed because the Al₂Gd phase was uniformly distributed and present in abundance in Mg-9Al-1.5Gd alloy, whereas it was coarsened and asymmetrically conglomerated in Mg-9Al-2.0Gd.