Anti-attachment Function and Biomimetic Application of Slippery Zone in Nepenthes Pitcher

Carnivorous plants of Nepenthes species have evolved particular organs named pitchers at the tips of their conspicuous leaves, allowing slippery trapping and effective digesting prey to acquire sufficient growing nutrients. Nepenthes pitchers are generally distinguished by several morphological regions exhibiting distinct functions in prey capturing, and combined effect of the several zones results in great trapping efficiency. Depending on specific micro-structures, slippery zone performs an important role in efficiently preying arthropods, and this prey ability inspires an idea for biomimetic development of slippery trapping plate used in controlling agricultural pests. In this paper, combined with our latest results, the authors introduced the recent studies of the slippery zone, including surface structures and anti-attachment functions. They also highlighted the biomimetic application of slippery zone in developing slippery trapping plate for controlling agricultural pest.

Medial ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction of the elbow in major league baseball players:Where do we stand?

The ulnar collateral ligament(UCL) is a vital structure to the overhead athlete,especially the baseball pitcher.For reasons not completely understood,UCL injurieshave become increasingly more common in major league baseball(MLB) pitchers over the past 10 years.UCL reconstruction(UCLR) is the current gold standard of treatment for these injuries in MLB pitchers who wish to return to sport(RTS) at a high level and who have failed a course of non-operative treatment.Results following UCLR in MLB pitchers have been encouraging,with multiple RTS rates now cited at greater than 80%.Unfortunately,with the rising number of UCLR,there has also been a spike in the number of revision UCLR in MLB pitchers.Similar to primary UCLR,the etiology of the increase in revision UCLR,aside from an increase in the number of pitchers who have undergone a primary UCLR,remains elusive.The current literature has attempted to address several questions including those surrounding surgical technique(method of exposure,graft choice,management of the ulnar nerve,concomitant elbow arthroscopy,etc.),post-operative rehabilitation strategies,and timing of RTS following UCLR.While some questions have been answered,many remain unknown.The literature surrounding UCLR in MLB pitchers will be reviewed,and future directions regarding this injury in these high level athletes will be discussed.

The Survey of Microbiological Contamination of Pitcher Cheese in West Azarbayjan Province, Iran

Milk acts as a suitable peripheral culture for growth and propagation of different kinds of micro organisms. During the process of producing cheese, some micro organisms such as Escherichia coli, Coliform, Staphylococcus, Mold and Yeast may cause its contamination. In respect to the fact that pitcher cheese is produced in traditional way in different regions in West Azarbayjan, the aim of this research is examining the rate of contamination of pitcher cheese in West Azarbayjan. About 42 samples of pitcher cheese were gathered under strill condition from different parts of West Azarbayjan. In order to study microbes contamination, the samples were examined by standard microbiologic ways in laboratory from the 42 samples of pitcher cheese, four samples were contaminated by Staphylococcus aureus coagulase positive, 16 samples were contaminated by E. Coli, 21 samples by Coliform, 17 samples by mold and yeast. The producing and delivering should be controlled because of the rate of contamination in pitcher cheese and this kind of cheese should be produced in half industrial way by controlling and making special facilities for pitcher cheese producers.

Endophytic fungal diversity of endemic carnivorous plant Nepenthes khasiana in Meghalaya,India

The present investigation deals with the isolation of endophytic fungi from leaf,stem,root and pitcher cup tissue segments of the endemic carnivorous plant Nepenthes khaisana collected from its natural habitat for a period of one year at monthly intervals.Out of 576 tissue segments inoculated,a total of 39 fungal endophytes along with mycelia sterilia were isolated from the host plant.To assess the diversity of fungal endophytes,the colonization frequency(%CF)was first recorded using past software and MS excel.The fungal isolates were mainly composed of the phylum Ascomycota,followed by Zygomycota and Oomycota.The highest percentage colonization frequency on an average of three replicates were recorded in pitcher cup tissues followed by root,stem and least was recorded in leaf of the host plant.Among the isolates,Globisporangium irregulare(83.33%)showed high%CF in leaf,Juxtiphoma eupyrena(83.33%)reported to have maximum%CF in the stem,Talaromyces ruber(66.66%)was recorded high%CF in root and mycelia sterilia(white)were showed the highest%CF in the segments of leaf.The diversity index analyses of Shannon-Weiner,Simpson’s index,species richness and species evenness of diversity showed that leaf of N.Khasiana has the highest diversity than the other parts of the plant.So,with the help of the present finding,we conclude that the distribution of fungal endophytes and their%colonization frequencies vary within different tissues of the host plant and thus,this confirms tissue specificity nature of endophytic fungi.

Slippery Surface of Nepenthes alata Pitcher： The Role of Lunate Cell and Wax Crystal in Restricting Attachment Ability of Ant Camponotus japonicus Mayr

This study attempts to investigate how the slippery surface of Nepenthes alata pitchers restricts the attachment ability of ant Camponotus japonicus Mayr, via climbing behavior observation and friction force measurement. Ants exhibited ineffective climbing behaviors and rather small friction forces when attached to upward-oriented slippery surfaces, but opposite phenomena were shown when on inverted surfaces. Friction forces of intact, claw tip-removed and pad-destroyed ants were measured on intact and de-waxed slippery surfaces, exploring the roles of wax crystals and lunate cells in restricting ant＇s attachment. On downward-directed slippery surfaces, greater forces were exhibited by intact and pad-destroyed ants; on the two slippery sur- faces, pad-destroyed ants presented slightly smaller forces and clawless ants generated considerably smaller forces. Somewhat different force was provided by clawless ants on upward and downward oriented slippery surfaces, and slightly higher force was shown when ants climbed on wax-removed surface. Results indicate that the lunate cells contribute greatly to decrease the friction force, whereas the wax crystals perform a supplementary role. Mechanical analysis suggests that the directionally growing lunate cells possess a sloped structure that effectively prevents the claw＇s mechanical interlock, reducing the ant＇s attachment ability considerably. Our conclusion supports a further interpretation of slippery surface＇s anti-attachment mecha- nism, also provides theoretical reference to develop biomimetic slippery plate to trap agricultural insect.