A potential cyanobacterial ancestor of Viridiplantae chloroplasts

The theory envisaging the origin of plastids from endosymbiotic cyanobacteria is well-established but it is difficult to explain the evolution (spread) of plastids in phylogenetically diverse plant groups. It is widely believed that primordial endosymbiosis occurred in the last common ancestor of all algae^1^, which then diverged into the three primary photosynthetic eukaryotic lineages, viz. the Rhodophyta (red algae), Glaucocystophyta (cyanelle-containing algae) and Viridiplantae (green algae plus all land plants)^2^. Members of these three groups invariably have double membrane-bound plastids^3^, a property that endorses the primary endosymbiotic origin of the organelles. On the other hand, the three or four membrane-bound plastids of the evolutionary complicated Chromalveolates [chromista (cryptophytes, haptophytes, and stramenopiles) and alveolata (dinoflagellates, apicomplexans, and ciliates)] are inexplicable in the light of a single endosymbiosis event, thereby necessitating the postulation of the secondary^4,5^ and tertiary^6^ endosymbiosis theories where a nonphotosynthetic protist supposedly engulfed a red or a green alga^7^ and an alga containing a secondary plastid itself was engulfed^8^ respectively. In the current state of understanding, however, there is no clue about the taxonomic identity of the cyanobacterial ancestor of chloroplasts, even though there is a wide consensus on a single primordial endosymbiosis event. During our metagenomic investigation of a photosynthetic geothermal microbial mat community we discovered a novel order-level lineage of Cyanobacteria that - in 16S rRNA gene sequence-based phylogeny - forms a robust monophyletic clade with chloroplast-derived sequences from diverse divisions of Viridiplantae. This cluster diverged deeply from the other major clade encompassing all hitherto known groups of Cyanobacteria plus the chloroplasts of Rhodophyta, Glaucocystophyceae and Chromalveolates. Since this fundamental dichotomy preceded the origin of all chloroplasts, it appears that two early-diverging cyanobacterial lineages had possibly given rise to two discrete chloroplast descents via two separate engulfment events

Finite Element Analysis for Hysteretic Behavior of Thin-walled Steel Bridge Piers with Partially In-filled Concrete

名古屋工業大学博士(工学)Doctor of Engineering主査：後藤　芳顯doctoral thesi

Cenozoic Climatic Record for Monsoonal Rainfall over the Indian Region

Atmospheric carbon dioxide level is one of the major drivers responsible for the global temperature change (Lacis et al., 2010). The role of carbon dioxide as an important greenhouse gas, and its contribution towards regulation of global surface temperature has been recognized for over a century (Arrhenius, 1896; Chamberlin, 1899; Royer, 2006). The ice core records along with other proxy based records provides an evidence signifying a strong coupling between CO2 and global temperature for at least the last ~65 m.y. (million years) (Petit et al., 1999; Siegenthaler et al., 2005, Zachos et al., 2001). The intensification of convective hydrological cycle inducing heavy rainfall during high pCO2 condition is both simulated and estimated from General Circulation Models (GCM) and geochemical analyses of fossil record respectively (Kutzbach & Gallimore, 1989). The evidences of intensification of monsoon, which refer to the rainfall due to seasonal reversal of the wind direction along the shore of the Indian Ocean especially in the Arabian Sea and surrounding regions, are preserved in the sedimentary records from continental and oceanic region (Fig.1). The other factor which affected the regional hydrological cycle apart from the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is tectonic rise of Himalayan mountain. Proxy record based on parameters like stomata index, alkenones and boron isotopes clearly suggested high concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere (~400 ppm) during Miocene time. The estimated concentration of CO2 observed in the atmosphere was rather similar to the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere measured in the recent years at Mauna Loa (Thoning et al., 1989). The effect of such high CO2 concentration is seen to have significantly modulated and altered the pattern of rainfall distribution, intensity and its spatial variability. Record from sedimentary archives from the continental and marine sites over the Indian region yielded evidence of warmer, wetter and higher temperature seasonal climate for the Miocene period. A similarity of signature both from continental region and the marine archives support the argument for the change in hydrological condition during last 20 m.y. The marine records are only a few but the largely scattered along the continental margin and central Indian Ocean. A more recent study of such sedimentary sequences lying on the western and eastern India provided glimpses of spatial variability of regional climate. The chapter will narrate the long term variation in Miocene monsoonal rainfall and its spatial pattern using large set of available observations from the palaeo record.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/modern_climatology/1009/thumbnail.jp

Sudden warming epochs during 42 to 28 ky bp in the Himalayan region from stable iso-tope record of sediment column from a relict lake in Goting, Garhwal, North India

18O/16O variations of the precipitation recorded in carbonate sediments of a high-altitude Himalayan lake have been investigated by analysing samples from a varve deposit in Goting, Garhwal Himalaya. 14C ages of four samples from different depths suggest that the sedimentation in the lake started ~ 42 ky BP and continued till ~ 28 ky BP. Fluctuations in δ18O values are interpreted in terms of water-source variations. A trend showing the enrichment of δ18O values between 32 and 28 ka indicates slow cooling as one approaches the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). There are six strong δ18O excursions (depleted ratios) coinciding with low 13C values at around 40.2, 38.2, 36.2, 34.2, 32.8 and 29.4 ky BP, denoting enhancement of the southwest monsoon. In addition, three positive shifts at around 40.7, 37.2 and 35.2 ky BP were observed, which indicate weakening of the southwest monsoon. Fourier analysis of the δ18O time series shows a significant ~ 740 year periodicity, similar to that reported in the Arabian Sea and South China Sea

Rise of the Andes

The surface uplift of mountain belts is generally assumed to reflect progressive shortening and crustal thickening, leading to their gradual rise. Recent studies of the Andes indicate that their elevation remained relatively stable for long periods (tens of millions of years), separated by rapid (1 to 4 million years) changes of 1.5 kilometers or more. Periodic punctuated surface uplift of mountain belts probably reflects the rapid removal of unstable, dense lower lithosphere after long-term thickening of the crust and lithospheric mantle

Factors influencing motivation in alcohol dependence syndrome patients in a tertiary care hospital of Assam

Background: The aim of this study is to study the change in motivation in patients with alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS).Design: 50 consecutive patients admitted for the treatment of ADS in a tertiary care hospital were evaluated. It was a cross sectional observational study.Methods: The study was done in a tertiary care hospital in the in-patient department of psychiatry. Structured performa for sociodemographic details. Psychiatric morbidity was assessed by structured clinical interview according to ICD10. SAD-Q (severity of alcohol dependence questionnaire) to assess severity of alcohol dependence. The assessment of motivation was done using the University of Rhode Island change assessment scale at baseline and after 10 days of admission. Data was evaluated keeping the aims and objectives in mind with appropriate statistical method using Statistical package social software (SPSS) version 21 and descriptive statistics was used. Chi square and Fisher exact test were used to assess the significance.Results:  A total 64% were in pre-contemplation, 30% in contemplation and 6% were in action stage of motivation at baseline assessment. A significant change was seen in the levels of motivation towards contemplation and action stage after a brief hospital stay of 10 days. Motivation to change had a significant association with education and severity of alcohol dependence.Conclusions: Pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment during a short hospital stay results in improvement in readiness for change in patients of alcohol dependence syndrome.

Apparent ice accumulation rate in East Antarctica: Relation with temperature and thinning pattern

We present here formal evidence of a strong linkage between temperature and East Antarctic ice accumulation over the past eight hundred kiloyears, after accounting for thinning. The conclusions are based on statistical analysis of a proposed empirical model based on ice core data from multiple locations with ground topography ranging from local peaks to local valleys. The method permits adjustment of the apparent accumulation rate for a very general thinning process of ice sheet over the ages, is robust to any misspecification of the age scale, and does not require delineation of the accumulation rate from thinning. Records show 5% to 8% increase in the accumulation rate for every 1${}^\circ$C rise in temperature. This is consistent with the theoretical expectation on the average rate of increase in moisture absorption capacity of the atmosphere with rise in temperature, as inferred from the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. This finding reinforces indications of the resilience of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to the effects of warming induced by climate change, which have been documented in other studies based on recent data. Analysis of the thinning pattern of ice revealed an exponential rate of thinning over several glacial cycles and eventual attainment of a saturation level

A comparative study of the efficacy of amisulpride and olanzapine in patients with schizophrenia attending the outpatient Department of Psychiatry in a tertiary care hospital, Silchar, Assam, India

Background: Schizophrenia is one of the most commonly encountered psychiatric disorders. It is characterized by impairment in perception or expression of reality, leading to occupational and social dysfunction. Now a day’s mainstay of treatment of schizophrenia is by using atypical antipsychotics. Amisulpride and olanzapine are atypical antipsychotics which are commonly used in treatment of schizophrenia. The current study is undertaken to assess the efficacy of amisulpride which is a relatively newer antipsychotics against existing antipsychotic olanzapine.Methods: This was designed as a single-blind, prospective, parallel-group, observational study. Eighty adult patients of either sex were randomized to receive standard doses of the two drugs orally for 12 weeks, with follow up at 4 and 8 weeks. Effectiveness was assessed by change in the score of Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) score during the treatment period. Data were entered in Microsoft excel and statistical analysis were done using graph pad and p value <0.05 considered to be statistically significant.Results: Out of 80 adults patients 76 patients were evaluated by dividing into two groups, 38 patients were included in each group. Final BPRS score was less for olanzapine as compared to amisulpride (p<0.001). Improvement in CGI score is more in olanzapine group than amisulpride group which became statistically significant from 8th weeks onwards.Conclusions: Both amisulpride and olanzapine are very effective in controlling the symptoms of schizophrenia which is evident by significant decrease in BPRS, CGI-S and CGI-I score, but efficacy of amisulpride is still inferior to olanzapine

Automated Sensing Methods in Soft Stretchable Sensors for Soft Robotic Gripper

A soft robot is made from deformable and flexible materials such as silicone, rubber, polymers, etc. Soft robotics is a rapidly evolving field where the human-robot-interaction and bio-inspired design align. The physical characteristics such as highly deformable material and dexterity make soft robots widely applicable. A soft robotic gripper is a robotic hand that acts like a human hand and grasps any object. The most common applications of soft robotics grippers are gripping and locomotion in sensitive applications where high dynamic and sensitivity are essential. Nowadays, soft robotics grippers are used without any sensing method and feedback as it is crucial to make the output feedback from the gripper. The major drawback of soft robotic grippers is their need for more precision sensing. In traditional robots, we can integrate any sensor to detect the force and orientation of objects. Still, soft robotic grippers rely on the deformation sensing method, where the sensor must be highly flexible and deformable. With a precise sensing method, it is easier to determine the exact position or orientation of the object being gripped, and it limits the application of the soft robotic gripper. Sometimes, soft robots are employed in harsh environments to solve problems. With the sensing feedback, automation may become more reliable and succeed altogether. So, in this research, we have designed and fabricated a soft sensor to integrate with the gripper and to observe the feedback of the gripper. We propose integrated multimodal sensing that incorporates applied pressure and resistance change. The sensor provides feedback when the grippers hold any object, and the output response is the resistance change of the sensor. The liquid metal is susceptible and can respond to low force levels. We presented the 3D design, FEM simulation, fabrication, and integration of the gripper and sensor, and by showing both simulation and experimental results, the gripper is validated for real-time application. FEM simulation simulates behavior, optimizing design and predicting performance. We have designed and fabricated a soft sensor that yields microfluidic channel arrays embedded with liquid metal Galinstan alloy and a soft robotic gripper hand. Different printing processes and characterization results are presented for the sensor and actuator. The fabrication process of the gripper and sensor is adequately described. The gripper output characteristics are tested for bending angle, load test, elongation, and object holding under various applied pressure. Additionally, the sensor was tested for stretchability, linearity and durability, and human gesture integration with the finger, and this sensor can be easily reused/ reproduced. Furthermore, the sensor exhibits good sensitivity concerning different pressure and grasping various objects. Finally, we collected data using this sensor-integrated gripper and trained the dataset using machine learning models for automation. With more data, this can be an autonomous gripper with intelligent sensing methodologies. Moreover, this proposed stretchable sensor can be integrated into any existing gripper for innovative real-time applications

Psychiatric morbidity and marital satisfaction: an empirical study on spouse of alcohol dependent cases in Barak valley, North-East India

Background: Alcohol dependence poses serious threats to the healthy functioning of the family apparatus in a multitude of ways. The deleterious impact of alcohol dependence on the couple remains an area of genuine concern for mental health professionals across the world.Methods: 69 cases were selected consecutively from the Psychiatry Outpatient department fulfilling the ICD-10 criteria of alcohol dependence syndrome and the spouse of these cases were assessed to evaluate the pattern and severity of psychiatric morbidity and marital satisfaction. Statistical associations were found between the important variables.Results: Out of the 69 cases, we found that mean age of the alcohol dependent cases was 40.75±8.21 while that of their spouse was 33.91±7.86 years Most of the alcoholics had 1-9 years of alcohol dependence (86.95%) and severe alcohol dependence (47.82%) based on SADD score. Majority of the spouse of the alcoholics suffered from psychiatric illness (60.86%) with the most common diagnosis being depressive disorder (30.43%) based on ICD-10 criteria. Most of the spouse had lower level of marital satisfaction and presence of marital dissatisfaction was significantly associated with a more severe dependence among their alcoholic husbands. Increased duration of alcohol consumption was associated with higher severity of alcohol dependence. Also, the presence of psychiatric morbidity in the spouse was associated with increased years and higher severity of alcohol dependence.Conclusions: If the spouses are psychologically healthy, a good support system is ensured for them which is necessary to maintain motivation levels to leave alcohol