Fishes of the genus Olyra McClelland (Teleostei: Bagridae) from Indo-Bhutan hill streams of Assam, India

The type specimens described in this communication are collected from two hill streams, Kanamakra and Langkhar flowing from the Bhutan foothills of the Himalaya through Amguri and Amteka respectively in the Indo- Bhutan border of Chirang district (26015’ 0” - 2700’ 0” N and 90030’ 0” - 90045’ 0” E) of Assam. The occurrence of three catfishes species of the genus Olyra, of which Olyra horae is recorded as a new report from the type locality of Assam. The taxonomic variables of O. horae are compared with other two species namely, O. kempi and O.longicaudata. The O. horae is distinguished from the other two congeners in having the caudal fin forked but not high, upper lobe slightly elongated with 10 rays and lower lobe with 9 rays. It can also be distinguished in having the higher range of the caudal peduncle length (16.9 - 20.0 % SL), pre-anal length (60.1 - 71.4 % SL), head width (81.3 - 81.6 % HL) and the lower range of snout length (21.7 - 24.3 % HL), outer mandibular barbel length (55.7 - 57.3 % HL) in comparison to the other two congeners

Occurrence of the genus Amblyceps Blyth (Teleostei: Amblycipitidae) from the Indo-Bhutan streams of the Brahmaputra drainage of Assam, India

Three species of the genus Amblyceps, namely, A. apangi, A. arunachalensis, A. mangois are described from Kanamakra and Langkhar (26°45?0? ? 26°48?0?N and 90°35?0? ? 90°40?0?E) hill streams of Chirang district of Assam. The torrent catfishes are distinguished within the genera on the basis of their general appearance of the body and the caudal fin structure, adipose fin, eye diameter, inter-orbital space, fold on lip and number of vertebrae. The caudal peduncle height for A. apangi (12.36 ? 12.73% SL), A. mangois (14.25 ? 15.36% SL) and A. arunachalensis(10.01 ? 11.42% SL), caudal peduncle length for A. apangi (20.29 ? 20.87% SL), A. arunachalensis (22.00 ? 22.11% SL) and A. mangois (19.09 ? 19.31% SL) and other taxonomic details of the congeners with their distributional status are discussed

Immunizing Internet Service Providers from Third-Party Internet Defamation Claims: How Far Should Courts Go?

On April 25, 1995, a notice titled Naughty Oklahoma T- shirts appeared on an America Online ( AOL ) bulletin board. The notice advertised T-shirts with slogans such as Visit Oklahoma... It\u27s a BLAST! and Putting the kids to bed ... Oklahoma 1995. In short, the notice glorified the Oklahoma City bombings of 1995, which killed 168 people. Under the only known identity of Ken ZZ03, the author invited readers to call Ken at the listed phone number, which belonged to a Mr. Kenneth Zeran. While Mr. Zeran\u27s first name was in fact Ken, Mr. Zeran was not responsible for posting the notice. Rather, the bogus notice was part of a vicious prank played upon Mr. Zeran. As a result of this prank, Mr. Zeran received a series of angry, intimidating phone calls, including some death threats. The advertisement notice also had a serious, negative impact upon Mr. Zeran\u27s business, which was dependent upon his ability to communicate by telephone. The constant, offensive phone calls severely interrupted Mr. Zeran\u27s work, thereby causing him both emotional and economic suffering. Mr. Zeran immediately contacted AOL and asked them to remove the bogus advertisement, informing AOL of the harm that it was causing him. AOL promptly complied with Mr. Zeran\u27s request. The next day, however, a second notice, just as vulgar as the first, appeared on AOL\u27s bulletin board. Again, Mr. Zeran demanded that AOL remove the notice and take steps to block future false notices bearing his name and phone number. While AOL in- formed Mr. Zeran that they were taking steps to delete the notice and terminate the account that was posting the notices, a series of these offensive notices continued to appear on AOL through May 1, 1995. As a result, the threatening and abusive phone calls persisted long after the notices were finally removed.\u27 About a year later, Mr. Zeran decided to seek redress for the injuries that he had suffered as a result of the defamatory statements posted on AOL. In April 1996, Mr. Zeran sued AOL for failing to respond adequately to the bogus notices posted on its bulletin board after he informed AOL that the notices were false and defamatory. In response to Mr. Zeran\u27s claim, the District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia granted, and the Fourth Circuit affirmed, AOL immunity from any liability for the defamatory notices under ? 230(c) of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 the CDA ). Thus, Mr. Zeran lost his case and was provided no remedy or compensation for the harm he suffered as a result of the defamatory notices posted about him on AOL. Mr. Zeran is not alone; his case exemplifies a problem that is becoming more and more common in today\u27s society as the Internet becomes increasingly pervasive. Albeit an extreme example, Mr. Zeran\u27s case nonetheless illustrates the gravity of the problem of defamation over the Internet and the severity of the harm that it can cause. These instances of so-called third-party Internet defamation are uniquely problematic because Internet Service Providers ( ISPs ) are usually granted immunity from any liability, leaving the plaintiff with no remedy. In the past five years, there has been an influx of cases in which unknown third parties have posted defamatory statements over the Internet through message boards, chat rooms, or e-mail. The victims of this type of third-party defamation often suffer real harm, such as termination or loss of reputation, as a direct result of the false statements made about them. Increasingly, people are opting to sue their ISP, such as AOL, for posting these allegedly defamatory statements, since the actual defamers are usually unknown. Because the Internet is a recent, complex medium that cannot be neatly reconciled with established common law defamation principles, these Internet defamation cases add a new dimension to existing defamation law, and make the analysis more complicated

Evaluation of Antibacterial Potential of Daldinia concentrica from North Eastern Region of India

Morphological, bio-chemical and antibacterial potential of an ascomycetous fungus, Daldinia concentrica, was evaluated. It was collected from dead, decaying log of Mimusops elengi tree and isolated by plating in potato dextrose medium. Macroscopic and microscopic features of the stromata were studied. The crude methanol extract of the stromata (30 mg/ml)  exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (MTCC-40), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC-7093), Klebsiella pneumoniae (MTCC-661), Enterobacter aerogenes (MTCC-111) and Gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC-7443), Bacillus subtilis (MTCC-121). Bacillus subtilis was the most sensitive organism to the methanol extract of this fungus with 41.33 mm zone of inhibition. Gas Chromatographic–Mass Spectral Analysis of stromatal methanol extract revealed the presence of 19 compounds. The present investigation indicated the potential antibacterial activity of native D. concentrica, which could be useful for pharmaceutical application

A Review of the Indigenous Medicinal Plants Used by Scheduled Tribe Communities of North-East India

Background: North-eastern India is renowned for its rich bio-diversity of indigenous medicinal plants and its therapeutic properties. The tribal communities and ethnic groups residing in this region genuinely depend on the indigenous systems of medicine. They have extensive knowledge and comprehension of plants, both conventional and non-conventional, for their food and medicine, and they practice their own traditional healthcare system. Objectives:This study aims to give a systematic overview of traditional medicinal plants along with their properties used by the Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities of north-eastern region and their potential for upliftment of the socio economic status of the community. Methods: The data were collected from published paper through electronic databases viz, Google scholar, PubMed, Science Direct based on traditional medicinal plants used by the ethnic groups. Results: In this study, 236 medicinal plants were summarized with their medicinal properties used by the Scheduled Tribe people of northeastern region. Conclusion: This study provides the information on therapeutic plants which will be a valuable resource for creating an action plan and development for the herbal drug sector, with the goal of enhancing and boosting the state\u27s economy and quality of life

REBEL KING BHARATH SINGHA AND HIS COINS: BHAUMA-NARAKA LEGEND FOR THE FORMATION OF MATAK KINGDOM

Purpose of the study: Moamaria rebel king Bharath Singha of Assam issued coins declaring himself a descendant of Bhagadatta. In the present study, we have discussed the ancestral lineage of the rebel king and the various aspects of his association of Bhagadatta.&#x0D; Methodology: The ancestral root and genealogy of the Mayamara gurus, the community of the rebel king, based on the biographies and other available sources. Genuine coins issued by Bharath Singha were taken for the present study. Various other primary and secondary sources related to the coinage of Assam, historical events, genealogy, and inscriptions were also analysed, and contents are compared to reach a decision.&#x0D; Main Findings: Bharath Singha established a kingdom based on the Neo-Vaishnavite faith. He associated himself with the legendary king Bhagadatta of Pragjyotishpura for the legitimation of his rule.&#x0D; Applications of this study: The study may be applied in analysing the nature of the Moamaria Rebellion.&#x0D; Novelty/Originality of this study: In the present study we have discussed Moamaria rebel leader Bharath Singha of Assam and his coins. Although a good number of works have been published discussing various aspects of Moamaria Rebellion, no special attention had been given to Bharath Singha.</jats:p