This new method could be applied to obtain potent fungal mutants for more enzymes production.

No abstract

Due to fast depletion of fossil fuels in the modern world, bioethanol usage as an alternate energy source is the need of the hour. For the first time, we report bioethanol production by Candida albicans via direct conversion of starchy biomass into ethanol along with enhanced starch-hydrolysing capacity and ethanol conversion ratio. So far, C. albicans was dealt in the field of clinical pathology, but here we successfully employed this organism to produce bioethanol from starchy agri-substrates. Optimizing fermentation parameters and improving the microbial strains through successive mutagenesis can improve the end product yield.

The present study was designed to investigate the antinociceptive effects of methanolic leaf extract of Swietenia mahagoni (MESM) on acrylamide-induced painful neuropathy in rats. The intraperitoneal administration of acrylamide (30 mg/kg; for 24 consecutive days) has been employed for the induction of painful neuropathy. Acrylamide induced nociceptive pain sensitive changes, which have been assessed by hot plate, Von Frey Hair, and tail immersion tests at different time intervals, that is, 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24th day. Furthermore, the biochemical changes, that is, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, reduced glutathione, and total calcium levels have been estimated in sciatic nerve tissue on 24th day and histopathological changes have been observed in sciatic nerve tissue sample. MESM and pregabalin have been administered for 14 consecutive days before 1 h of the each acrylamide injection. Administration of acrylamide resulted in significant changes in behavioral and biochemical parameters. Pretreatment of MESM ameliorated acrylamide-induced behavioral, biochemical, and histopathological changes in a dose-dependent manner, which is similar to that of pregabalin-pretreated group. These findings suggested that the neuroprotective effect of S. mahagoni may be due to its potential of antioxidative, calcium channel modulatory, and neuroprotective action.

An investigation was undertaken to record the influence of host age on the reproductive performance of Nesolynx thymus (Hymenoptera:Eulophidae). This is an indigenous, gregarious, ecto-pupal parasitoid of certain dipteran insects, including the tachinid fly, Exorista bombycis (Louis) which is a well-known endolarval parasitoid of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Each gravid N. thymus female was allowed to parasitise 1Á4-day-old puparia of Musca domestica L. for 2 days at a parasitoidÁhost ratio of 1:20. The parasitised host puparia were observed for progeny recovery, sex ratio, female longevity and fitness (adult size). In addition, reproductive performance of the parasitoid progeny was assessed by allowing its females to parasitise for 2 days, 3-day-old puparia of E. bombycis at a parasitoidÁ host ratio of 1:4. There was a significant negative correlation between host age and parasitisation rate, parasitoid developmental duration, sex ratio and female longevity while the correlation was positive between host age and parasitoid recovery per host puparium. Similarly, negative correlation was observed between host age and morphometric parameters (body length, head width and wing span of male and female and length and width of female abdomen) of the progeny adults. Host age did not have any impact on the reproductive performance of progeny adults when allowed to parasitise puparia of E. bombycis.