Unraveling a 146 Years Old Taxonomic Puzzle: Validation of Malabar Snakehead, Species-Status and Its Relevance for Channid Systematics and Evolution

The current distribution of C. diplogramma and C. micropeltes is best explained by vicariance. The significant variation in the key taxonomic characters and the results of the molecular marker analysis points towards an allopatric speciation event or vicariant divergence from a common ancestor, which molecular data suggests to have occurred as early as 21.76 million years ago. The resurrection of C. diplogramma from the synonymy of C. micropeltes has hence been confirmed 146 years after its initial description and 134 years after it was synonymised, establishing it is an endemic species of peninsular India and prioritizing its conservation value

Cisgenesis and intragenesis as new strategies for crop improvement

Cisgenesis and intragenesis are emerging plant breeding technologies which offer great promise for future acceptance of genetically engineered crops. The techniques employ traditional genetic engineering methods but are confined to transferring of genes and genetic elements between sexually compatible species that can breed naturally. One of the main requirements is the absence of selectable marker genes (such as antibiotic resistance genes) in the genome. Hence the sensitive issues with regard to transfer of foreign genes and antibiotic resistance are overcome. It is a targeted technique involving specific locus; therefore, linkage drag that prolongs the time for crop improvement in traditional breeding does not occur. It has great potential for crop improvement using superior alleles that exist in the untapped germplasm or wild species. Cisgenic and intragenic plants may not face the same stringent regulatory assessment for field release as transgenic plants which is a clear added advantage that would save time. In this chapter, the concepts of cis/intragenesis and the prerequisites for the development of cis/intragenesis plants are elaborated. Strategies for marker gene removal after selection of transformants are discussed based on the few recent reports from various plant species

Molecular control of HIV-1 postintegration latency: implications for the development of new therapeutic strategies

The persistence of HIV-1 latent reservoirs represents a major barrier to virus eradication in infected patients under HAART since interruption of the treatment inevitably leads to a rebound of plasma viremia. Latency establishes early after infection notably (but not only) in resting memory CD4+ T cells and involves numerous host and viral trans-acting proteins, as well as processes such as transcriptional interference, RNA silencing, epigenetic modifications and chromatin organization. In order to eliminate latent reservoirs, new strategies are envisaged and consist of reactivating HIV-1 transcription in latently-infected cells, while maintaining HAART in order to prevent de novo infection. The difficulty lies in the fact that a single residual latently-infected cell can in theory rekindle the infection. Here, we review our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the establishment and maintenance of HIV-1 latency and in the transcriptional reactivation from latency. We highlight the potential of new therapeutic strategies based on this understanding of latency. Combinations of various compounds used simultaneously allow for the targeting of transcriptional repression at multiple levels and can facilitate the escape from latency and the clearance of viral reservoirs. We describe the current advantages and limitations of immune T-cell activators, inducers of the NF-κB signaling pathway, and inhibitors of deacetylases and histone- and DNA- methyltransferases, used alone or in combinations. While a solution will not be achieved by tomorrow, the battle against HIV-1 latent reservoirs is well- underway

Influence of different yeast strains on fermentation behaviour, physico-chemical and sensory qualities of plum wine

445-451Effect of different yeast strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus, viz. UCD 505, UCD 595, UCD 522, W and Tablet Strains on the enological and sensory characteristics of plum wines was determined. Different yeast strains influenced the physico-chemical characteristics of the wines produced to a variable extent. All the yeasts fermented plum musts to dryness (sugar content of 0.5% or low). The higher rate of fermentation was shown by 595, tablet and W yeast strain compared to 505 and 522. Out of various strains, UCD 595 gave the highest efficiency along with higher ethanol yield. The Tablet strain produced lowest ethanol in wine. The wine made with UCD 595 had higher titratable acidity and lower yields of aldehyde compared to other yeasts. The highest methanol content was found in wine fermented with the yeast strain Tablet while the lowest content of methanol was produced by strain W. The principal component analysis (PCA) of the physico-chemical characteristics showed that the parameters like aldehyde, methanol and tannins separated the yeasts into two groups, viz. one group had W and Tablet strain while the second had UCD 505, UCD 595 and UCD 522 ; TSS, acidity, pH, total sugar, ethanol and colour did not contribute to separation of yeasts. Sensory evaluation scores of different wines revealed that the must fermented with the yeast strain UCD 595 and W had higher scores for colour, taste, flavour and overall acceptability. However, PCA of sensory analysis showed grouping of yeasts different than that of physico-chemical characteristics; W, Tablet and UCD 595 made one group while remaining second group. All the wines except that fermented by UCD 522 were of commercial acceptability. It is concluded that the use of appropriate yeast strain for the preparation of plum (Prunus salicina Linn.) wine is very important along with other vinification practices as it influenced the chemical and sensorial quality of wine

Down syndrome identification and classification using facial features with neural network

The medical image tool named Ultrasound imaging is used for the analysis of fetus behaviour. Due to the presence of noise the quality of these images is low. Proper filtering is required to suppress this noise. Before the fatal development analysis, it is required image processing method. The processed images are then used for the analysis and it helps to take care of the health. Down syndrome is one of the crucial chromosomal disorders. It is due to the presence of a further copy of chromosome 21. The ultrasound imaging helps to point out DS in the earlier stage of pregnancy by handling the image in an efficient manner. In this work, nasal bone identification and texturing methods are used to detect the disease. Here we designed a nasal bone identification module for the image classification as normal or abnormal. Down syndrome detection utilizes a collection of facial expression images. A compact geometric descriptor is employed for extracting the facial features from the image set. There is no specific treatment for Down syndrome. Thus, early detection and screening of this disability are the best styles for Down syndrome prevention.</jats:p