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.     

Human oestrogen receptor cDNA: sequence, expression and homology to v-erb-A

We have cloned and sequenced the complete complementary DNA of the oestrogen receptor (ER) present in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. The expression of the ER cDNA in HeLa cells produces a protein that has the same relative molecular mass and binds oestradiol with the same affinity as the MCF-7 ER. There is extensive homology between the ER and the erb-A protein of the oncogenic avian erythroblastosis virus.     

Interruption of acoustic communication and mating in a leafhopper and a planthopper by aerial sound vibrations picked up by plants

Summary Each sex of the cotton leafhopper and the rice brown planthopper communicates with the opposite sex by certain specific sound vibrations which travel through the plant surface and lead to mating. External sounds of certain frequencies, viz., 200 c/sec, generated by a harmonium or an audio-oscillator are picked up from the air by the plants and interrupt the acoustic communication as well as mating of the insects. Notes with harmonics are effective whereas pure notes are ineffective.The authors gratefully acknowledge P.L. 480 grant No. FG-IN-551 from the US Department of Agriculture for project No. IN-ARS-90, under which this work was carried out.     

Differential implantation of twin blastocysts inMegaderma (Microchiroptera)

Zusammenfassung Ungleichgeschlechtige Zwillinge von verschiedener Grösse vonMegaderma lyra lyra (Microchiroptera) wurden im April letzten Jahres in einem trächtigen Weibchen gefunden. Um die Grössendifferenz der Zwillinge zu erklären, wird angenommen, dass in diesem Falle zwei Eier befruchtet worden waren, dass die linke Zygote einen Vorsprung über die rechte gewann und dass deshalb dic Implantation der rechten Blastocyste verzögert wurde.     

Microstructure studies of air-plasma-spray-deposited CoNiCrAlY coatings before and after thermal cyclic loading for high-temperature application

In the present study, bond-coats for thermal barrier coatings were deposited via air plasma spraying (APS) techniques onto Inconel 800 and Hastelloy C-276 alloy substrates. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to investigate the phases and microstructure of the as-sprayed, APS-deposited CoNiCrAlY bond-coatings. The aim of this work was to study the suitability of the bond-coat materials for high temperature applications. Confirmation of nanoscale grains of the γ/γ′-phase was obtained by TEM, high-resolution TEM, and AFM. We concluded that these changes result from the plastic deformation of the bond-coat during the deposition, resulting in CoNiCrAlY bond-coatings with excellent thermal cyclic resistance suitable for use in high-temperature applications. Cyclic oxidative stability was observed to also depend on the underlying metallic alloy substrate.     

Comparison of DNA isolation methods from blood for use in trypanosome specific polymerase chain reaction

Conclusions The three methods tested are convenient for the preparation of samples to be analyzed by PCR for the repetitive satellite DNA sequences of trypanosomes. Despite a slightly reduced sensitivity of detection of free trypanosome DNA, the preparation method based on the isolation of cell nuclei seems to be the most suitable and rapid technique for the routine analysis of a large number of blood samples.     

Evidence for several waves of global transmission in the seventh cholera pandemic

Vibrio cholerae is a globally important pathogen that is endemic in many areas of the world and causes 3-5 million reported cases of cholera every year. Historically, there have been seven acknowledged cholera pandemics; recent outbreaks in Zimbabwe and Haiti are included in the seventh and ongoing pandemic. Only isolates in serogroup O1 (consisting of two biotypes known as 'classical' and 'El Tor') and the derivative O139 can cause epidemic cholera. It is believed that the first six cholera pandemics were caused by the classical biotype, but El Tor has subsequently spread globally and replaced the classical biotype in the current pandemic. Detailed molecular epidemiological mapping of cholera has been compromised by a reliance on sub-genomic regions such as mobile elements to infer relationships, making El Tor isolates associated with the seventh pandemic seem superficially diverse. To understand the underlying phylogeny of the lineage responsible for the current pandemic, we identified high-resolution markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms; SNPs) in 154 whole-genome sequences of globally and temporally representative V. cholerae isolates. Using this phylogeny, we show here that the seventh pandemic has spread from the Bay of Bengal in at least three independent but overlapping waves with a common ancestor in the 1950s, and identify several transcontinental transmission events. Additionally, we show how the acquisition of the SXT family of antibiotic resistance elements has shaped pandemic spread, and show that this family was first acquired at least ten years before its discovery in V. cholerae.     

Dolochar as a reductant in the reduction roasting of iron ore slimes

The present investigation examines the viability of dolochar, a sponge iron industry waste material, as a reductant in the reduction roasting of iron ore slimes, which are another waste generated by iron ore beneficiation plants. Under statistically determined optimum conditions, which include a temperature of 900℃, a reductant-to-feed mass ratio of 0.35, and a reduction time of 30-45 min, the roasted mass, after being subjected to low-intensity magnetic separation, yielded an iron ore concentrate of approximately 64wt% Fe at a mass recovery of approximately 71% from the feed iron ore slime assaying 56.2wt% Fe. X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the magnetic products contain magnetite and hematite as the major phases, whereas the nonmagnetic fractions contain quartz and hematite.