bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of large plasmid DNA in salt tolerance of a novel strain gracilibacillus sp. GTY
Authors: Uddin M Salah , Jiti Zhou , Saleh MA , Ekram A , Sikdar B , Zaman S
Published: October 2011

Context: Isolated plasmid DNA from salt tolerant bacteria can play an important role in special environmental conditions.   Objectives: The main objective of this study was to make a standard protocol for the isolation of large plasmid DNA from a highly salt tolerant bacterial strain, and then the plasmid DNA was eliminated from bacterial genome to know its effect on bacterial adaptation in high saline water.   Materials and Methods: The strain Gracilibacillus sp. GTY was collected from the coast line of Dalian (North China) and was inoculated in high salt concentrated bacteriological media. Wheatcroft’s modified method was used to isolate plasmid DNA. Then the chemical curing agents such as acridine orange, SDS, sodium benzoate and mitomycin C were applied separately in different concentrations to eliminate plasmid DNA. After the elimination of plasmid DNA, the strain was cultivated in the MS liquid media containing 5%, 15% and 25% (w/v) of NaCl respectively and their growth rates were compared with the non-eliminated culture.   Results: According to Wheatcroft’s modified method, the plasmid took two more hours to get isolated from the chromosomal DNA and the approximate size of the extracted plasmid DNA was 23.13 kb. Among all of the curing agents, plasmid DNA was eliminated successfully by acridine orange after 24 h of treatment at the concentration of 50 mg/l. Growth rates of plasmid eliminated culture were lower than non-eliminated culture and the growth rates of the plasmid eliminated culture were decreasing significantly with the addition of more NaCl.Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that the presence of large plasmid DNA in salt tolerant bacteria is related to their survival strategies. The genes located in the large plasmids may encode important traits related to their adaptation to special environmental conditions.   Keywords: Salt tolerance; halophilic bacteria; curing agent; extrachromosomal DNA; Gracilibacillus sp. GTY. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbs.v18i0.8772 JBS 2010; 18(0): 34-39
Age-related response of tribolium castaneum (Herbst) larvae to diatomaceous earth at different exposure periods
Authors: Hossain Md Mosharrof , Reza AMS , Parween Selina
Published: October 2011

Context: Diatomaceous earth (DE) compounds have been recognized as reduced risk and eco-friendly compounds, which can be used in the insect pest management programmes for food storage and processing areas.   Objective: To determine the repellent or attractant property of a DE formulation (Mitex) against the larvae of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), a major pest of stored-products.   Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted in choice chambers, which was divided into two equal halves by drawing a line through the midline. One half of the chamber was loaded with untreated flour (control) and the other half was loaded with DE-treated flour. Twenty larvae of a definite age were released in the midline of the two foods, thus providing them an option for choosing either treated or untreated food. The experiment was set separately for different ages of larvae (9-, 12- and 15-day old), doses of DE (2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 mg DE/g of flour) and exposure periods (24-, 48-, 72-, 96- and 120-hours). All the experiments were replicated three times and conducted at 30 ± 1°C in an incubator without humidity and light control. Differences of the distribution of the larvae in treated and untreated flour was analyzed by χ2 test.   Results: The efficacy of a diatomaceous earth (DE) compound (Mitex) as a repellent or an attractant was tested against 9-, 12- and 15-day old larvae of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). Larvae of all ages were significantly (p<0.001) repelled by DE at doses from 8-32 mg/g food at all exposure periods of 24-, 48-, 72- 96 and 120 h. The mature larvae (15-day old) showed tolerance to the low doses like 2 and 4 mg/g food.   Conclusion: The present results revealed that DE can be used as a reduced risk repellent compound in the grain and cereal stores, flour mills and grocery shops to manage the larval population of T. castaneum.   Keywords: Age related response; T. castaneum; diatomaceous earth DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbs.v18i0.8773 JBS 2010; 18(0): 40-43
Isolation and characterization of escherichia coli in ready-to-eat foods vended in Islamic University, Kushtia
Authors: Biswas S , Parvez MAK , Shafiquzzaman M , Nahar S , Rahman MN
Published: October 2011

Context: Escherichia coli is shed in the feces of warm blooded animals and humans and thus potential for public health. Detection and characterization of E. coli in the ready-to-eat (RTE) foods concerns due to their presence indicates fecal contamination of the food.   Objective: To identify, characterize and RFLP pattern analysis of E. coli isolated from RTE foods vended in Islamic University campus, Kushtia.   Materials and Methods: Fifty samples from four types of consumed foods in six student halls of residence, some temporary restaurants of Islamic University, Kushtia were assessed for bacterial contamination by standard methods. Identification and characterization of E. coli isolates were performed using IMViC tests. Genomic DNA was used to perform RFLP pattern analysis.   Results: Thirty seven out of 50 (74%) examined samples of RTE foods had E. coli contamination. The highest number of E. coli was isolated from vegetable oriented RTE foods (90.90%) and fish, meat and cereals samples were also significantly E. coli positive. RFLP profiling of two E. coli isolates were observed.   Conclusion: The results of this study provide evidence that some RTE foods had unsatisfactory levels of contamination with E. coli. Thus street vended RTE food could be important potential vehicles for food-borne diseases. Molecular characterization may be exploited to identify food borne pathogen among different species.  Keywords: Ready-to-eat foods; Escherichia coli; RFLP pattern DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbs.v18i0.8783 JBS 2010; 18(0): 99-103
Purification, characterization and effect of physico-chemical agents on the stability of ?-galactosidase from betel leaves
Authors: Shovon MS , Sharma SCD , Roy N
Published: October 2011

Context: β-galactosidase are present in a wide variety of organisms including plants, animals and microorganisms. Exploration of this enzyme from plant source will help to address the problems faced in the food and allied industries that look for enzymes with novel properties.   Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the purification, characterization and analysis of β-galactosidase from betel leaves.   Materials and Methods: Aomal Bangla variety of betel leaf (Piper betle Linn.) was collected from betel vine. The column chromatographic method was done at 4°C using conventional method. The protein concentration was determined by UV-spectrophotometer at 280 nm. The activities of β-galactosidase were done by spectrophotometric method. All other reagents used in the study were of analytical grade. Unless specified, all the experimental conditions are maintained at 4°C.   Results: After extraction of β-galactosidase from betel leaves, the crude enzyme was applied to DEAE-cellulose chromatography with sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The active fraction from DEAE-column chromatography was dialyzed with buffer and applied to CM-cellulose chromatography. The β-galactosidase activity from CM-cellulose chromatography was loaded to Sephadex G-75 Gel filtration chromatography. In this column, the enzyme β-galactosidase was eluted in a single peak. The homogeneity of purity was checked by disc gel electrophoresis and a single band was obtained. The optimum pH of β-GS-I, β-GS-II and β-GS-III were 3.5, 3.8 and 4.2, respectively. The optimum temperatures of the enzymes were 53, 51 and 56°C, respectively.   Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that three β-galactosidases namely β-GS-I, β-GS-II and β-GS-III were purified from betel leaves. This is the first report of purification and characterization of β-galactosidase from betel leaves.   Keywords: Betel leaves; β-galactosidase; MW; characterisation; stability. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbs.v18i0.8785 JBS 2010; 18(0): 108-115
Sedation of xylazine and lignocaine with adrenaline and bupivacaine for umbilical surgery in calves
Authors: Sarker NC , Hashim MA , Ray BP , Sarker SK
Published: October 2011

Context: The use of sedatives in veterinary practice is indispensable as they help in overcoming resistance of the animal during examination, maintaining depth of anaesthesia, reducing the dose of anaesthetic agent and increasing the margin of safety. Thus, action of some sedatives and local analgesics in various regional anaesthesia in calves and their evaluation in respect of doses are of great significance. The approximation of dose rate of available sedatives in calves may be helpful for the practitioners.   Objectives: To determine the general effect of clinically useful dose of the sedatives produced by xylazine and lignocaine with adrenaline and bupivacaine for umbilical surgery in calves.   Materials and Methods: The experiment was performed on 20 affected with umbilical hernia, 6 were indigenous (local) and 14 were crossbred. They were divided into 4 groups and each group included 5 calves. Groupp A was sedated with xylazine hydrochloride and 2% lignocaine hydrochloride; Group B with xylazine hydrochloride followed by 0.5% bupivcaine hydrochloride; Group C with diazepam followed by 2% lignocaine hydrochloride; and Group D diazepam followed by 0.5% bupivacaine. Respiratory rate, heart rate and rectal temperature were recorded before administration of sedatives and at 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes after sedation and local analgesia.   Results: Heart rate and respiration rate significantly (p<0.01) decreased during sedation with xylazine hydrochloride plus 2% lignocaine hydrochloride or 0.5% bupivacaine hydrochloride. A significantly decreased (p<0.01) heart rate and respiration rate also found during sedation with diazepam plus 2% lignocaine hydrochloride or 0.5% bupivacaine hydrochloride. Duration of analgesia was longer with 0.5 % bupivacaine hydrochloride (55.88 ± 1.58 min in Group B and 48±11.25 min in Group D) compared to 2% lignocaine hydrochloride (39.60 ± 5.77 min in Group A and 43.6 ± 5.81 min in Group C). Xylazine hydrochloride showed short onset and long duration of sedation compared to diazepam.   Conclusion: For herniorraphy, xylazine hydrochloride can be used as a better sedative while 0.5 % bupivacaine hydrochloride can be used as a local analgesic for longer duration of action.   Keywords: Xylazine; lignocaine; diazepam; sedation; analgesia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbs.v18i0.8789 JBS 2010; 18(0): 134-139
A new species of torymus dalman (hymenoptera: torymidae) from India with a check list of torymus species of India and adjacent countries
Authors: Narendran TC , Razak Nakeer
Published: October 2011

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbs.v18i0.8792 JBS 2010; 18(0): 148-151
Emission Ratios of the Tropospheric Ozone Precursors Nitrogen Dioxide and Formaldehyde from Australia’s Black Saturday Fires
Authors: Young Emma , Paton-Walsh Clare
Published: October 2011

The ‘Black Saturday’ fires were a series of devastating forest fires that burned across Victoria, Australia, during February and March of 2009. In this study we have used satellite data made publically available by NASA from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) to track the smoke plume from the Black Saturday firestorm and explore the chemical aging of the smoke plume in the first days after emission. We also determined emission ratios for formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide within smoke from fires actively burning across Victoria between 7 and 17 February 2009. The mean emission ratios with respect to carbon monoxide derived for these two tropospheric ozone precursors are (0.016 ± 0.004 mol.mol−1) for formaldehyde and (0.005 ± 0.002 mol.mol−1) for nitrogen dioxide. The mean emission ratio for formaldehyde with respect to CO is in broad agreement with values previously quoted in the literature for temperate forest fires. However, to our knowledge there are no previous measurements of emission ratios for nitrogen dioxide from Australian temperate forest fires.
Valuing Expansions of the Electricity Transmission Network under Uncertainty: The Binodal Case
Authors: Abadie Luis M. , Chamorro José M.
Published: October 2011

Transmission investments are currently needed to meet an increasing electricity demand, to address security of supply concerns, and to reach carbon-emissions targets. A key issue when assessing the benefits from an expanded grid concerns the valuation of the uncertain cash flows that result from the expansion. We propose a valuation model that accommodates both physical and economic uncertainties following the Real Options approach. It combines optimization techniques with Monte Carlo simulation. We illustrate the use of our model in a simplified, two-node grid and assess the decision whether to invest or not in a particular upgrade. The generation mix includes coal- and natural gas-fired stations that operate under carbon constraints. The underlying parameters are estimated from observed market data.
Isolation and Characterization of the Etheostoma tallapoosae (Teleostei: Percidae) CENP-A Gene
Authors: Fountain Dyanna M. , Kral Leos G.
Published: October 2011

Both centromeric alpha-satellite sequences as well as centromeric protein A (CENP-A) are highly variable in eukaryotes. CENP-A, a histone H3 variant, is thought to act as the epigenetic “mark” for assembly of centromeric proteins. While most of the histone fold domain (HFD) of the CENP-A is fairly well conserved, a portion of this HFD as well as the N-terminal tail show adaptive variation in both plants and animals. Such variation may establish reproductive barriers that may lead to speciation. The family Percidae contains over 200 species most of which are within the subfamily Etheostomatinae. This subfamily represents a species rich radiation of freshwater fishes in North America and these species exhibit both allopatric and sympatric distributions. In order to study the evolution of CENP-A in percid fish species, we have isolated and characterized the CENP-A gene from Etheostoma tallapoosae by PCR based gene walking. As a result of this study we have demonstrated that the Tallapoosa darter CENP-A gene HFD sequences can be isolated from genomic DNA by nested PCR in a manner that does not lead to the amplification of the highly sequence related histone H3 gene. We also demonstrated that PCR based walking can be subsequently used to isolate the rest of the CENP-A gene and adjacent gene sequences. These adjacent gene sequences provide us with a primer binding sites for PCR isolation of the CENP-A gene from other percid species of fishes. An initial comparison of three percid species shows that the N-terminal tail of the percid CENP-A gene shows adaptive evolution.
gef Gene Expression in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells is Associated with a Better Prognosis and Induction of Apoptosis by p53-Mediated Signaling Pathway
Authors: Boulaiz Houria , Álvarez Pablo J. , Prados Jose , Marchal Juan , Melguizo Consolación , Carrillo Esmeralda , Peran Macarena , Rodríguez Fernando , Ramírez Alberto , Ortíz Raúl , Aránega Antonia
Published: October 2011

Breast cancer research has developed rapidly in the past few decades, leading to longer survival times for patients and opening up the possibility of developing curative treatments for advanced breast cancer. Our increasing knowledge of the biological pathways associated with the progression and development of breast cancer, alongside the failure of conventional treatments, has prompted us to explore gene therapy as an alternative therapeutic strategy. We previously reported that gef gene from E. coli has shown considerable cytotoxic effects in breast cancer cells. However, its action mechanism has not been elucidated. Indirect immunofluorescence technique using flow cytometry and immunocytochemical analysis were used to detect breast cancer markers: estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) hormonal receptors, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 proto-oncogene (c-erbB-2), ki-67 antigen and p53 protein. gef gene induces an increase in ER and PR expressions and a decrease in ki-67 and c-erbB-2 gene expressions, indicating a better prognosis and response to treatment and a longer disease‑free interval and survival. It also increased p53 expression, suggesting that gef‑induced apoptosis is regulated by a p53-mediated signaling pathway. These findings support the hypothesis that the gef gene offers a new approach to gene therapy in breast cancer.
Structure of Salvioccidentalin, a Diterpenoid with a Rearranged neo-Clerodane Skeleton from Salvia occidentalis
Authors: Jaime-Vasconcelos Miguel Ángel , Frontana-Uribe Bernardo Antonio , Morales-Serna José Antonio , Salmón Manuel , Cárdenas Jorge
Published: October 2011

From the aerial parts of Salvia occidentalis (Labiatae) a new diterpenoid with a rearranged neo-clerodane skeleton was isolated. This new compound was named salvioccidentalin and its structure was established by spectroscopic means. A probable biogenetic relationship with salvigenolide from S. fulgens and salvileucalin A and spiroleucantholide from Salvia leucantha is proposed.
Chip Implementation with a Combined Wireless Temperature Sensor and Reference Devices Based on the DZTC Principle
Authors: Chang Ming-Hui , Huang Yu-Jie , Huang Han-Pang , Lu Shey-Shi
Published: October 2011

This paper presents a novel CMOS wireless temperature sensor design in order to improve the sensitivity and linearity of our previous work on such devices. Based on the principle of CMOS double zero temperature coefficient (DZTC) points, a combined device is first created at the chip level with two voltage references, one current reference, and one temperature sensor. It was successfully fabricated using the 0.35 μm CMOS process. According to the chip results in a wide temperature range from −20 °C to 120 °C, two voltage references can provide temperature-stable outputs of 823 mV and 1,265 mV with maximum deviations of 0.2 mV and 8.9 mV, respectively. The result for the current reference gives a measurement of 23.5 µA, with a maximum deviation of 1.2 µA. The measurements also show that the wireless temperature sensor has good sensitivity of 9.55 mV/°C and high linearity of 97%. The proposed temperature sensor has 4.15-times better sensitivity than the previous design. Moreover, to facilitate temperature data collection, standard wireless data transmission is chosen; therefore, an 8-bit successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a 433 MHz wireless transmitter are also integrated in this chip. Sensing data from different places can be collected remotely avoiding the need for complex wire lines.
Following Glucose Oxidase Activity by Chemiluminescence and Chemiluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (CRET) Processes Involving Enzyme-DNAzyme Conjugates
Authors: Niazov Angelica , Freeman Ronit , Girsh Julia , Willner Itamar
Published: October 2011

A hybrid consisting of glucose oxidase-functionalized with hemin/G-quadruplex units is used for the chemiluminescence detection of glucose. The glucose oxidase-mediated oxidation of glucose yields gluconic acid and H2O2. The latter in the presence of luminol acts as substrate for the hemin/G-quadruplex-catalyzed generation of chemiluminescence. The glucose oxidase/hemin G-quadruplex hybrid was immobilized on CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs). The light generated by the hybrid, in the presence of glucose, activated a chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer process to the QDs, resulting in the luminescence of the QDs. The intensities of the luminescence of the QDs at different concentrations of glucose provided an optical means to detect glucose.
Antiviral Immunity in Amphibians
Authors: Chen Guangchun , Robert Jacques
Published: October 2011

Although a variety of virus species can infect amphibians, diseases caused by ranaviruses ([RVs]; Iridoviridae) have become prominent, and are a major concern for biodiversity, agriculture and international trade. The relatively recent and rapid increase in prevalence of RV infections, the wide range of host species infected by RVs, the variability in host resistance among population of the same species and among different developmental stages, all suggest an important involvement of the amphibian immune system. Nevertheless, the roles of the immune system in the etiology of viral diseases in amphibians are still poorly investigated. We review here the current knowledge of antiviral immunity in amphibians, focusing on model species such as the frog Xenopus and the salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum), and on recent progress in generating tools to better understand how host immune defenses control RV infections, pathogenicity, and transmission.
Continuous-flow enantioselective α-aminoxylation of aldehydes catalyzed by a polystyrene-immobilized hydroxyproline
Authors: Cambeiro Xacobe C , Martín-Rapún Rafael , Miranda Pedro O , Sayalero Sonia , Alza Esther , Llanes Patricia , Pericàs Miquel A
Published: October 2011

The application of polystyrene-immobilized proline-based catalysts in packed-bed reactors for the continuous-flow, direct, enantioselective α-aminoxylation of aldehydes is described. The system allows the easy preparation of a series of β-aminoxy alcohols (after a reductive workup) with excellent optical purity and with an effective catalyst loading of ca. 2.5% (four-fold reduction compared to the batch process) working at residence times of ca. 5 min.
Prévention et temporalité
Authors: Lecorps Philippe
Published: October 2011

Résumé Qu’elle soit primaire, secondaire, tertiaire, quaternaire, la prévention accompagne chaque étape de la vie, elle est la promesse que chacun attend avant toute pathologie, pendant et après. Il n’y a pas de temps mort pour la prévention. Pour autant, le sujet pris dans ses addictions répugne à rentrer dans une démarche temporelle qui exigerait de lui des actes de renoncement dans le présent pour une probabilité de récompense dans un futur indéterminé.
Les nouveaux réseaux sociaux sur internet
Authors: Tisseron Serge
Published: October 2011

Résumé Les nouveaux réseaux se nourrissent de désirs qui ont toujours existé : valoriser ses expériences du monde en les racontant, n’être jamais oublié, ou encore pouvoir se cacher et se montrer à volonté. Mais ils introduisent aussi de nouvelles possibilités : universalité des messages, immédiateté, association de l’intimité à une intention plutôt qu’à des espaces, désir d’extimité élargi à la planète entière. En même temps, le web collaboratif suscite de nouvelles formes de liens, de réseaux et de communautés. Enfin, dans ce nouveau paysage, les avatars semblent appelés à jouer un rôle de plus en plus grand.
Accelerated Life Testing of Subsea Equipment Under Hydrostatic Pressure
Authors: Thiraviam Amar , Malone Linda
Published: October 2011

AbstractAccelerated life testing (ALT) is an effective method of demonstrating and improving product reliability in applications where the products are expected to perform for a long period of time. ALT accelerates a given failure mode by testing at amplified stress level(s)
in excess of operational limits. Statistical analysis (parameter estimation) is then performed on the data, based on an acceleration model to make life predictions at use level. The acceleration model thus forms the basis of ALT methodology. Well-established accelerated models such as the
Arrhenius model and the Inverse Power Law (IPL) model exist for key stresses such as temperature and voltage, but there are other stresses, like subsea pressure, where there are no clear models of choice. This research proposes a pressure-life (acceleration) model for the first time for life
prediction under subsea pressure for key mechanical/physical failure mechanisms.Three independent accelerated tests were conducted, and their results were analyzed to identify the best model for the pressure-life relationship. The testing included material tests in standard coupons to
investigate the effect of subsea pressure on key physical, mechanical, and electrical properties. Tests were also conducted at the component level on critical components that function as a pressure barrier. By comparing the likelihood values of multiple reasonable candidate models for the
individual tests, the exponential model was identified as a good model for the pressure-life relationship. In addition to consistently providing good fit among the three tests, the exponential model was also validated with over 10 years of field data and demonstrated several characteristics
that enable robust life predictions in a variety of scenarios. In addition, the research also used the process of Bayesian analysis to incorporate prior information from field and test data to bolster the results and increase the confidence in the predictions from the proposed model.
General Ecology and Habitat Selectivity of Fresh Water Fishes of the Rawan Oya, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Authors: Jayaratne Ravindra , Surasinghe Thilina
Published: October 2011

This study was conducted over a five-month period at Rawan Oya, a 13.5km long left bank tributary of the River Mahaweli. Data on species composition and mircohabitat conditions were collected from 30 random sampling sites, representing 10 pools, 10 riffles and 10 runs. A single observation was made at each site, where a 10m-length of the stream was blocked with drag nets to get the values for abundance. Fishes were captured using the cast nets and scoop nets, identified and released back at the site of capture. The species richness, relative abundance and the microhabitat conditions were recorded for each habitat type. Physico-chemical parameters of water such as the stream velocity, temperature, pH, water depth, conductivity, Hardness, DO and BOD5 were determined monthly at pre-selected sampling sites. A questionnaire survey was done among people in adjacent villagers, who are selected randomly. A total of 15 fish species belonging to 8 families were recorded of which 2 are endemic and 4 are exotic. The subsequent data analysis revealed that the Shannon Wiener diversity index and the Magalef Index are significantly high in pools. ANOVA test showed significant variation among the 3 habitat types in terms of the microhabitat features measured. Further, the Pearson Correlation test demonstrated that the different fish species have different microhabitat preferences and different habitat associations. Runs seemed to be the most suitable habitats for most of the fish species lotic habitat with the highest species richness compared with the other two habitat types (12 species). Riffles harbored the poorest in species composition (2 species). Pools had an intermediate number of species (9). Puntius bimaculatus, Hypostomus sp and Tor khudree only occurred in pools while Devario malabaricus, Glossogobius giuris, Lepidocephalichthys thermalis, Mystus vittatus, Rasbora daniconius and Xiphophorus maculatus are confined to runs of the stream with no species confined to riffles. Garra ceylonensis and Schistura notostigma occupy all three kinds of habitat types but with higher abundances in riffles. Among the fish found only in pools and runs, Puntius filamentosus were recorded in significantly higher numbers in pools than that in runs in contrast to the alien species such as Poecilia reticulata and Oreochromis mossambicus that showed a higher preference for runs. Key words: Stream Ecosystems; Freshwater Fish; Water Quality; Conservation; Montane Forests DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/suslj.v9i1.3732 Sabaramuwa University Journal, Volume 9 Number 1; December 2010, pp 11-43
A Sociological Study of the Homicide in Sri Lanka: A Case Study in Rathnapura Secretariat Division
Authors: Jayathunga NS
Published: October 2011

This study is an attempt to recognize the causes for homicide and analysis them in a sociological aspect. The crimes which are differed to each society has a big impact on contravention of the collective conscious that helps to positive existence the in the society. As well as this social revolution process copes with the globalization process. The crimes such as murders, rape, child abuse, hitting, robbery and illegal money printing have been expanding in Sri Lankan society with the current wave of crime. Crimes are the major criterion of determining development in each country. This study seeks to identify the reasons and the remedies for the murders in Sri Lanka. Rathnapura police division was selected for the study because of several reasons. It is one of the districts, which recorded the highest number of crimes, and it mainly represents the crimes in rural sector. Non-probability purposive sampling used for the study because the area is much specified and is not very common scenario for each household. 20 cases of murders were included in the sample. The sample is derived through the secondary source of police reports taken from the police head quarters; research papers, publications and web sites were used as the secondary data. Structural and non-structural interviews and observations are further used. There are several limitations of the study. Although crime is a widespread issue, all areas in Sri Lanka were not covered through the study due to time and budgetary constraints. Because Rathnapura district records the very high rate of crimes, the study selected the particular district but Rathnapura police division is the only concern of the study as to make the study easier and descriptive. The study is only based on the cases from 2001 upto2002. Major limitation of the study is that the concealing the real information about the particular incident by the victims and criminals because of several sociological and legal obstacles. The study concludes that the major causes for murders in Rathnapura police division as informal sexual relations, alcoholism, poverty, illiteracy, family background, revenging purposes, monitory purposes, environment and hot temper. Some short, medium, and long-term suggestions are proposed by the study to minimize murders as a one of the crimes in Rathnapura police division as a final contribution of the study. Key words: Crime; Homicide; Social problem DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/suslj.v9i1.3733 Sabaramuwa University Journal, Volume 9 Number 1; December 2010, pp 45-55
The Chinese Dragon Concept as a Spiritual Force of the Masses
Authors: Ranjan DG Keerthi Sri , Zhou C Chang
Published: October 2011

The concept of the Dragon is amalgamation of early tribes from the period of pre – historic era Ain the Chinese social structure. He is a proto - totemic beast later rise into a Dragon which we find each parts of his composition as a sacred body, meaning is attached denoting one of his qualities. In modern complex societies, with the specific interaction potentially drawn from different backgrounds, the distribution of cultural practices and knowledge of their meaning can become extremely complex. There cannot be making simple any local system or any patterns of interactions. The local social system or homogeneous has the highest degree of shared cultural practices. Cultural practices are those meaningful which forge and continue ongoing histories of social cultural coupling. The literature review on the Chinese cultural Dragon denotes that the geographical and social – cultural boundaries have been discrete and made relations with the different tribes and nations. Key words: Dragon Concept; Social Super Structure; Mass Consciousness; Social Development   DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/suslj.v9i1.3735   Sabaramuwa University Journal, Volume 9 Number 1; December 2010, pp 65-80
A Comparison of Nitrate Distribution in Shallow Groundwater of Two Agricultural Areas in Sri Lanka and in Japan
Authors: Gunatilake SK , Iwao Y
Published: October 2011

This paper compares the effects of adding fertilizer in nitrate pollution of groundwater in the Udunuwara area in Sri Lanka and the Shiroishi Plain in Japan. Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers to soils contributes to contamination of groundwater by nitrates. As nitrate is one of the most identified contaminant in groundwater several environmental protection agencies maximum contamination level for nitrate is 10 mg/l as NO3-N. The problem becomes severe in rural areas where people depend entirely on dug wells in the shallow groundwater table for their drinking water supply. Several locations were selected from the Udunuwara area of Sri Lanka for the detailed study. Nineteen shallow dug wells and 4 deep tube wells were selected for water sampling beginning of January to March 1998.Shiroishi Plain in Japan reclaimed from the Ariake Sea has a soil layer consisting of Ariake clay. The total 82 drug wells of average depth 1.5 m had been drilled around the area. Sample were collected in December 2000 and continued for one year around. Nitrate concentration in groundwater was measured by Cadmium reduction method.The results showed a varying nitrate distribution pattern compared to that the Udunuwara area. The effect of fertilizer application on groundwater depends on soil type, fertilizer type and amount used, crop type and climatic condition. The highly permeable soil around Udunuwara area showed that shallow groundwater is highly vulnerable for nitrate than the poorly drained soil of the Shiroishi Plain in Japan. As the people living in Shiroishi Plain use deep groundwater for domestic purposes, drinking water is safe (less than Maximum Contaminated Level for nitrate in drinking water for Japan-10 mg/l as NO3-N) as far as the nitrate contamination is concerned. The results of these studies suggest that applying the correct rate of N fertilizer at the optimum time would have a substantial effect on reducing nitrate-N losses. Key Words: Nitate Contamination; Groundwater; Land Reclamation; Fertilizer DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/suslj.v9i1.3736   Sabaramuwa University Journal, Volume 9 Number 1; December 2010, pp 81-95
An Analysis of Errors in English Writing of Sinhala Speaking Undergraduates
Authors: Abeywickrama Rohan
Published: October 2011

Error analysis is a type of linguistic analysis that focuses on the errors learners make. It consists of a comparison between the errors made in the Target Language (TL) and that TL itself. For learners themselves, errors are ‘indispensable,’ since the making of errors can be regarded as a device the learner uses in order to learn. Researchers are interested in errors because they are believed to contain valuable information on the strategies that learners use to acquire a language. Hence, an error analysis is the best tool for describing and explaining errors made by speakers of other languages in order to know the sources of these errors and the reasons behind their continued occurrence year after year with different groups of learners.This study focuses on errors in English essay writing of Sinhala speaking undergraduates in order to identify whether the L1 transfer is the major cause for errors in English writing of Sinhala undergraduates. If this were to be true, then it could be concluded that the reason behind all those errors is Negative L1 transfer/ Mother Tongue interference. This paper further attempts to identify and describe Sinhala speaking undergraduates’ errors in English essay writing and thereby make efforts to minimize the problems encountered in their English writing. Target Population were the selected Sinhala speaking undergraduates who are offering English as a Second language for their BA (General) Degree at the Universities of Kelaniya, Peradeniya and the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.For the selection of a corpus of language, following the guidelines offered by (Ellis, 1995) samples of written assignments were collected from 60 students who are in the first and the second academic years of their degree programmes. These students were provided with the topics ‘An Unforgettable Day in My Life’ or ‘My University Life’ and asked to write on them in 200 to 250 words. They were given sufficient time to write (Ellis, 1997). They started with an outline, then a first draft and a final draft.This highly objective and outcome-oriented investigation reflects negative L1 transfer/interference is not the major cause for errors in the English writings of Sinhala speaking undergraduates. This would enable the academic researchers, language teachers, linguists to build up a further discussion on errors of Sinhala speakers’ English writing. Key words: Errors; Undergraduates; Sinhala; Second Language; L1 Transfer DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/suslj.v9i1.3737 Sabaramuwa University Journal, Volume 9 Number 1; December 2010, pp 97-114
An Analysis of Urban Growth and Urbanization in the Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka
Authors: Uduporuwa RJM
Published: October 2011

Many countries have identified urbanization as a progressive process and one of the key forces underlying technological innovation, economic development and socio-political development. In this context, this paper attempts to analyze the urban growth and current level of urbanization in the Sabaragamuwa Province which is one of the plantation areas located in the outer periphery in Sri Lanka. In addition, this study examines the hierarchical order of urban centres of the Sabaragamuwa Province. Data for the calculation of urban growth rates and level of urbanization were collected from several institutions and research papers of the university academics.Although the Sabaragamuwa Province as a major plantation area had reported a relatively high average annual growth rate of 5.3 percent of urban population during the inter-censal period of 1963-1971, it has slowed down to 2.0 percent in the intercensal period of 1971-1981. Due to the re-classification of urban areas in 1987 presently the Sabaragamuwa Province has 3 national urban centres. Accordingly, during the inter-censal period of 1981-2001 the average annual growth rate recorded by the Sabaragamuwa Province was -1.6 percent and level of urbanization was 4.2 percent. It is the lowest level of urbanization compared with the other provinces in the country. Accordingly, the slow growth of urban population, low level of urbanization and the very few national urban centres directly and indirectly affect the less dynamic economy of the Sabaragamuwa Province. Key words: Urban centers; Urban growth; Urbanization; Sabaragamuwa Province DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/suslj.v9i1.3739 Sabaramuwa University Journal, Volume 9 Number 1; December 2010, pp 115-132
Supply Chain Management in the Aquaculture Industry: The Case of Food Fish Aquaculture in Sri Lanka
Authors: Jayantha SPM , De Silva DAM
Published: October 2011

The study was taken up with the objective of identification of local and regional market potential for each main food fish species commonly found in the catch of inland fisheries and aquaculture in Sri Lanka and to identify the market segmentation of each of these fish species and prices in local and regional markets. The study methodology included both desk research and primary research in landing sites and regional markets of Western, Eastern, Sabaragamuwa and North-Central provinces in Sri Lanka. The study has employed BCG matrix for interpretation and analysis the supply chain. The study identifies the different value chains present in the trade map. Fishery value chain is dominated by few big players and a number of intermediaries were high and hence adds up to the cost of product without adding value to the chain. Presence of “patron-client relationship” throughout the supply chain is prevalent. The research indicates that the demand for fishe in the regional markets is dominated mainly by few preferential species. Key words: supply chain; fish and fishery products; Sri Lanka   DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/suslj.v9i1.3741   Sabaramuwa University Journal, Volume 9 Number 1; December 2010, pp 147-169
EphB Receptors Trigger Akt Activation and Suppress Fas Receptor-Induced Apoptosis in Malignant T Lymphocytes
Authors: Maddigan Alison , Truitt Luke , Arsenault Ryan , Freywald Tanya , Allonby Odette , Dean Jonathan , Narendran Aru , Xiang Jim , Weng Andrew , Napper Scott , Freywald Andrew
Published: October 2011

Treatment of hematopoietic malignancies often requires allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, and the subsequent graft-versus-leukemia response is crucial for the elimination of malignant cells. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes and NK cells responsible for the immunoelimination express Fas ligand and strongly rely on the induction of Fas receptor-mediated apoptosis for their action. Although cancer cells are removed successfully by graft-versus-leukemia reactions in myeloid malignancies, their efficiency is low in T cell leukemias. This may be partially because of the ability of malignant T cells to escape apoptosis. Our work shows that Eph family receptor EphB3 is consistently expressed by malignant T lymphocytes, most frequently in combination with EphB6, and that stimulation with their common ligands, ephrin-B1 and ephrin-B2, strongly suppresses Fas-induced apoptosis in these cells. This effect is associated with Akt activation and with the inhibition of the Fas receptor-initiated caspase proteolytic cascade. Akt proved to be crucial for the prosurvival response, because inhibition of Akt, but not of other molecules central to T cell biology, including Src kinases, MEK1 and MEK2, blocked the antiapoptotic effect. Overall, this demonstrates a new role for EphB receptors in the protection of malignant T cells from Fas-induced apoptosis through Akt engagement and prevention of caspase activation. Because Fas-triggered apoptosis is actively involved in the graft-versus-leukemia response and cytotoxic T cells express ephrin-Bs, our observations suggest that EphB receptors are likely to support immunoevasivenes of T cell malignancies and may represent promising targets for therapies, aiming to enhance immunoelimination of cancerous T cells.
Affinity Thresholds for Naive CD8+ CTL Activation by Peptides and Engineered Influenza A Viruses
Authors: Denton Alice E. , Wesselingh Robb , Gras Stephanie , Guillonneau Carole , Olson Matthew R. , Mintern Justine D. , Zeng Weiguang , Jackson David C. , Rossjohn Jamie , Hodgkin Philip D. , Doherty Peter C. , Turner Stephen J.
Published: October 2011

High-avidity interactions between TCRs and peptide + class I MHC (pMHCI) epitopes drive CTL activation and expansion. Intriguing questions remain concerning the constraints determining optimal TCR/pMHCI binding. The present analysis uses the TCR transgenic OT-I model to assess how varying profiles of TCR/pMHCI avidity influence naive CTL proliferation and the acquisition of effector function following exposure to the cognate H-2Kb/OVA257–264 (SIINFEKL) epitope and to mutants provided as peptide or in engineered influenza A viruses. Stimulating naive OT-I CD8+ T cells in vitro with SIINFEKL induced full CTL proliferation and differentiation that was largely independent of any need for costimulation. By contrast, in vitro activation with the low-affinity EIINFEKL or SIIGFEKL ligands depended on the provision of IL-2 and other costimulatory signals. Importantly, although they did generate potent endogenous responses, infection of mice with influenza A viruses expressing these same OVA257 variants failed to induce the activation of adoptively transferred naive OT-I CTLps, an effect that was only partially overcome by priming with a lipopeptide vaccine. Subsequent structural and biophysical analysis of H2-KbOVA257, H2-KbE1, and H2-KbG4 established that these variations introduce small changes at the pMHCI interface and decrease epitope stability in ways that would likely impact cell surface presentation and recognition. Overall, it seems that there is an activation threshold for naive CTLps, that minimal alterations in peptide sequence can have profound effects, and that the antigenic requirements for the in vitro and in vivo induction of CTL proliferation and effector function differ substantially.
T Cell Factor 1 Regulates Thymocyte Survival via a RORγt-Dependent Pathway
Authors: Wang Ruiqing , Xie Huimin , Huang Zhaofeng , Ma Jian , Fang Xianfeng , Ding Yan , Sun Zuoming
Published: October 2011

Survival of CD4+CD8+ double-positive (DP) thymocytes plays a critical role in shaping the peripheral T cell repertoire. However, the mechanisms responsible for the regulation of DP thymocyte lifespan remain poorly understood. In this work, we demonstrate that T cell factor (TCF)-1 regulates DP thymocyte survival by upregulating RORγt. Microarray analysis revealed that RORγt was significantly downregulated in TCF-1−/− thymocytes that underwent accelerated apoptosis, whereas RORγt was greatly upregulated in thymocytes that had enhanced survival due to transgenic expression of a stabilized β-catenin (β-catTg), a TCF-1 activator. Both TCF-1−/− and RORγt−/− DP thymocytes underwent similar accelerated apoptosis. Forced expression of RORγt successfully rescued TCF-1−/− DP thymocytes from apoptosis, whereas ectopically expressed TCF-1 was not able to rescue the defective T cell development because of the lack of RORγt-supported survival. Furthermore, activation of TCF-1 by stabilized β-catenin was able to enhance DP thymocyte survival only in the presence of RORγt, indicating that RORγt acts downstream of TCF-1 in the regulation of DP thymocyte survival. Moreover, β-catenin/TCF-1 directly interacted with the RORγt promoter region and stimulated its activity. Therefore, our data demonstrated that TCF-1 enhances DP thymocyte survival through transcriptional upregulation of RORγt, which we previously showed is an essential prosurvival molecule for DP thymocytes.
Adenosinergic Regulation of the Expansion and Immunosuppressive Activity of CD11b+Gr1+ Cells
Authors: Ryzhov Sergey , Novitskiy Sergey V. , Goldstein Anna E. , Biktasova Asel , Blackburn Michael R. , Biaggioni Italo , Dikov Mikhail M. , Feoktistov Igor
Published: October 2011

Extracellular adenosine and purine nucleotides are elevated in many pathological situations associated with the expansion of CD11b+Gr1+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Therefore, we tested whether adenosinergic pathways play a role in MDSC expansion and functions. We found that A2B adenosine receptors on hematopoietic cells play an important role in accumulation of intratumoral CD11b+Gr1high cells in a mouse Lewis lung carcinoma model in vivo and demonstrated that these receptors promote preferential expansion of the granulocytic CD11b+Gr1high subset of MDSCs in vitro. Flow cytometry analysis of MDSCs generated from mouse hematopoietic progenitor cells revealed that the CD11b+Gr-1high subset had the highest levels of CD73 (ecto-5′-nucleotidase) expression (Δmean fluorescence intensity [MFI] of 118.5 ± 16.8), followed by CD11b+Gr-1int (ΔMFI of 57.9 ± 6.8) and CD11b+Gr-1−/low (ΔMFI of 12.4 ± 1.0) subsets. Even lower levels of CD73 expression were found on Lewis lung carcinoma tumor cells (ΔMFI of 3.2 ± 0.2). The high levels of CD73 expression in granulocytic CD11b+Gr-1high cells correlated with high levels of ecto-5′-nucleotidase enzymatic activity. We further demonstrated that the ability of granulocytic MDSCs to suppress CD3/CD28-induced T cell proliferation was significantly facilitated in the presence of the ecto-5′-nucleotidase substrate 5′-AMP. We propose that generation of adenosine by CD73 expressed at high levels on granulocytic MDSCs may promote their expansion and facilitate their immunosuppressive activity.