Colchicine induced interchanges in chillies (Capsicum annuum L.)

Summary Seeds ofCapsicum annuum L. cultivar cerasiformies were treated with 0.4 and 0.2% aqueous colchicine solution for 24 and 72 h respectively. Tetraploids were not realized; instead, interchange heterozygosity was observed in several plants in 0.4% treatment. The interchanges varied from 1 to 3 per plant. It is presumed that colchicine has induced chromosome breaks.     

Karyotype in two himalayan species of polygonatum

Zusammenfassung Die Chromosomenzahl und der Karyotypus vonPolygonatum verticillatum Allioni (2n = 30, 64) undP. cirrifolium Royle (2n = 38), die im Himalaya vorkommen, wurden mit früher untersuchten europäischen Formen verglichen. Die beobachteten Unterschiede lassen sich durch die Annahme erklären, dass die europäischen Formen aus den Himalaya-Formen durch den Vorgang der Chromosomenverminderung und Veränderungen des Karyotypus hervorgingen.     

On the contribution of haemolymph to the salivary proteins of the red cotton bug,Dysdercus koenigii F. (Heteroptera,Pyrrhocoridae)

Summary Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of haemolymph and the salivary gland of adult maleDysdercus koenigii has been carried out. The presence of common bands in the electropherograms of the salivary gland and haemolymph shows the possible elaboration of haemolymph protein into the salivary glands as also evidenced by leucomethylene blue incorporation into the salivary gland lobules. The results are discussed in the light of our present state of knowledge.I wish to acknowledge the financial support from the C.S.I.R., New Delhi, India. Grateful acknowledgements are made to Prof. P.S. Ramamurty for encouragements, and to Zoology Department, Banaras Hindu University for the working facilities.     

Effect ofβ-Aminoethylisothiuronium-bromide-hydrobromide on the acetate-1-14C incorporation into tissue lipids of irradiated rats

Zusammenfassung Einfluss von Bestrahlung auf die Lipidsynthese, wobei festgestellt wird, dass der Strahlungsschutzstoff AET die Lipidsynthese hemmt.     

Genome-wide association study identifies a susceptibility locus for HCV-induced hepatocellular carcinoma

To identify the genetic susceptibility factor(s) for hepatitis C virus-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCV-induced HCC), we conducted a genome-wide association study using 432,703 autosomal SNPs in 721 individuals with HCV-induced HCC (cases) and 2,890 HCV-negative controls of Japanese origin. Eight SNPs that showed possible association (P < 1 × 10(-5)) in the genome-wide association study were further genotyped in 673 cases and 2,596 controls. We found a previously unidentified locus in the 5' flanking region of MICA on 6p21.33 (rs2596542, P(combined) = 4.21 × 10(-13), odds ratio = 1.39) to be strongly associated with HCV-induced HCC. Subsequent analyses using individuals with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) indicated that this SNP is not associated with CHC susceptibility (P = 0.61) but is significantly associated with progression from CHC to HCC (P = 3.13 × 10(-8)). We also found that the risk allele of rs2596542 was associated with lower soluble MICA protein levels in individuals with HCV-induced HCC (P = 1.38 × 10(-13)).     

A multi-stage genome-wide association study of bladder cancer identifies multiple susceptibility loci

We conducted a multi-stage, genome-wide association study of bladder cancer with a primary scan of 591,637 SNPs in 3,532 affected individuals (cases) and 5,120 controls of European descent from five studies followed by a replication strategy, which included 8,382 cases and 48,275 controls from 16 studies. In a combined analysis, we identified three new regions associated with bladder cancer on chromosomes 22q13.1, 19q12 and 2q37.1: rs1014971, (P = 8 × 10?12) maps to a non-genic region of chromosome 22q13.1, rs8102137 (P = 2 × 10?11) on 19q12 maps to CCNE1 and rs11892031 (P = 1 × 10??) maps to the UGT1A cluster on 2q37.1. We confirmed four previously identified genome-wide associations on chromosomes 3q28, 4p16.3, 8q24.21 and 8q24.3, validated previous candidate associations for the GSTM1 deletion (P = 4 × 10?11) and a tag SNP for NAT2 acetylation status (P = 4 × 10?11), and found interactions with smoking in both regions. Our findings on common variants associated with bladder cancer risk should provide new insights into the mechanisms of carcinogenesis.     

Using Generic Structures in System Dynamics Model Building: Reflection from Modeling for Indian Shrimp Industry

The paper focused on how a system dynamics modeler could reduce model development and testing time by using “Generic Structures” as an interim benchmark between causal loop diagram and stock flow diagram. Using generic structures as a benchmark could prevent the modeler from including redundant structures to the model and getting affected by personal biases that in turn could reduce repetitive amendments to the model during model testing. Indian Shrimp Industry, during 1990–2010, sequentially showed an early growth, a hasty decline, a combative rejuvenation, and an inexorable re-decline behavior in terms of the annual shrimp production and production capacity. Average Yield continuously fluctuated throughout the Industry’s life cycle during 1990–2010. Breaking such progressive behavior into temporal units, we found that the unit behaviors resemble with the behaviors of generic structures like, exponential growth, goal-seeking, S-shaped growth, limits to success, and overshoot-and-collapse. We, using the related generic structures as the interim benchmarks, illustrated a step-by-step modeling exercise for studying the dynamic behavior of Indian Shrimp Industry during 1990–2010. The paper concluded that using generic structures as the benchmark during system dynamics modeling improved the efficiency and the effectiveness of model building due to reduction in model building and testing time.