Rhythmicity of aminotransferase in the cockroach,Periplaneta americana

Summary Aspartate (AAT) and alanine aminotransferase (AIAT) activities in nervous system and coxal leg muscle of the cockroach showed circadian variations with maximal activity around midnight, alternating with minimal activity at 12.00 noon of the solar day. The enhanced activity levels of the enzymes observed during night dark hours may be related to higher energy requirements during increased locomotor activity of the animals.We thank Prof. K. S. Swami, for providing facilities. The financial help rendered by UGC and CSIR, in the form of Junior (to SV) and Senior (to TPK) Research Fellowships is acknowledged.     

Hepatic silver binding protein (Ag BP) from sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Summary A silver binding protein (Ag BP) has been identified in the liver ofsparrows administered a tracer dose of^110mAg. The protein as purified by gel-filtration shows a major absorption maximum at 260 nm and a minor one at 225 nm. It has a mol.wt of 9500 daltons and is stable when exposed to high temperature (64°C for 15 min) as well as to acidic pH (2.2).     

Bioavailability of progesterone enhanced by intranasal spraying

Summary The bioavailability of progesterone (P) in terms of area under time-concentration curve and maximal concentration in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid was studied in adult ovariectomized rhesus monkeys following the administration of P as a nasal spray, i.v. or i.m. injections, nasal or eye drops. The bioavailability of P in both the body fluids was found to be considerably higher following its being sprayed intranasally.This work was supported by the World Health Organization, Geneva.     

Nature of inhibition of rat testicular alkaline phosphatase by isatin

Isatin has been found to inhibit rat testicular alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1). That the inhibition is non-competitive as well as non-allosteric is evident from a) the hyperbolic curve relating inhibition as a function of inhibitor concentration; b) the small change in enthalpy, free energy and entropy; c) the number of isatin molecules associating with 1 molecule of the enzyme (n=1.29); and, d) the decrease in the values of both Km and Vmax in the presence of isatin.     

Identification and characterization of microsatellite markers for yellow grouper Epinephelus awoara and bluelined hind Cephalopholis formosa

0Introduction Groupershaveconsistentlyprovedhighlyvulnerable toanythingotherthanhighlevelsoffishingpressure.This islargelyduetotheirbiologicalcharacteristics.Yellow grouperEpinephelusawoaracanbeseeninHongKong livefishmarket[1].Manygrouperspeciesoncerecorded as“common”inHongKongarenowrarelyseen[2].Blue linedhindCephalopholisformosaisoftenmisidentifiedin thepetfishliteratureandsoldasC.boenakfromIndo westPacific.Cephalopholisispartofasub family(Epinephelinae)andfurthersub division(Tribe E…     

Artificial neural network approach to assess selective flocculation on hematite and kaolinite

Because of the current depletion of high grade reserves, beneficiation of low grade ore, tailings produced and tailings stored in tailing ponds is needed to fulfill the market demand. Selective flocculation is one alternative process that could be used for the beneficiation of ultra-fine material. This process has not been extensively used commercially because of its complex dependency on process parameters. In this paper, a selective flocculation process, using synthetic mixtures of hematite and kaolinite in different ratios, was attempted, and the adsorption mechanism was investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. A three-layer artificial neural network (ANN) model (4-4-3) was used to predict the separation performance of the process in terms of grade, Fe recovery, and separation efficiency. The model values were in good agreement with experimental values.     

Vestibular evidence for the evolution of aquatic behaviour in early cetaceans

Early cetaceans evolved from terrestrial quadrupeds to obligate swimmers, a change that is traditionally studied by functional analysis of the postcranial skeleton. Here we assess the evolution of cetacean locomotor behaviour from an independent perspective by looking at the semicircular canal system, one of the main sense organs involved in neural control of locomotion. Extant cetaceans are found to be unique in that their canal arc size, corrected for body mass, is approximately three times smaller than in other mammals. This reduces the sensitivity of the canal system, most plausibly to match the fast body rotations that characterize cetacean behaviour. Eocene fossils show that the new sensory regime, incompatible with terrestrial competence, developed quickly and early in cetacean evolution, as soon as the taxa are associated with marine environments. Dedicated agile swimming of cetaceans thus appeared to have originated as a rapid and fundamental shift in locomotion rather than as the gradual transition suggested by postcranial evidence. We hypothesize that the unparalleled modification of the semicircular canal system represented a key 'point of no return' event in early cetacean evolution, leading to full independence from life on land.