97 research outputs found
Vaccination of Rhesus Macaques with a Recombinant Measles Virus Expressing Interleukin-12 Alters Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses
Lack of a vaccine for infants and immunosuppression after infection are problems associated with measles virus (MV). Because interleukin (IL)-12 has been used successfully as a vaccine adjuvant and because inhibition of IL-12 expression has been associated with immunosuppression during measles, the addition of IL-12 may enhance the immune response to MV. To determine the effect of IL-12 supplementation, rhesus macaques were vaccinated with a recombinant MV expressing IL-12; these macaques had increased interferon-Ī³ production by CD4+ T cells, decreased production of IL-4, and lower levels of MV-specific immunoglobulin G4 and neutralizing antibody. Lymphoproliferative responses to mitogen were not improved. IL-12 supplementation altered the T helper type 2 bias of the immune response after MV vaccination, had a detrimental effect on the protective neutralizing antibody response, and did not improve other manifestations of immunosuppression. Reduced IL-12 levels are not the sole factor in MV-induced immunosuppressio
Absorption Properties of a Porous Organic Crystalline Apohost Formed by a Self-Assembled Bis-Urea Macrocycle
We report herein the characterization and binding properties of a microporous crystalline host formed by the self assembly of a bis-urea macrocycle 1. Bis-urea macrocycle 1 has been designed to crystallize into stacked hollow columns. The self-assembly process is guided primarily by hydrogen bonding and aromatic stacking interactions that yield crystals of filled host 1Ć¢acetic acid (AcOH). The AcOH guests are bound in the cylindrical cavities of the crystal. The guest AcOH can be removed by heating to form a stable crystalline apohost 1. Apohost 1 displays a type I gas adsorption isotherm with CO2 that is consistent with an open framework microporous material. Apohost 1 binds a range of small molecule guests with specific stoichiometry. The formation of these inclusion complexes does not destroy the crystal framework and therefore apohost 1 can be reused, much like a zeolite. We investigated the structure of apohost 1 and its inclusion complexes by powder X-ray diffraction. The ability of guests to bind and their stoichiometry could be rationalized on the basis of the size, shape, and polarity of the guest molecules. Finally, the shape selectivity of these self-assembled porous materials was demonstrated in competition studies in which apohost 1 preferentially bound p-xylene from a mixture of xylene isomers
Orbit spaces of free involutions on the product of two projective spaces
Let be a finitistic space having the mod 2 cohomology algebra of the
product of two projective spaces. We study free involutions on and
determine the possible mod 2 cohomology algebra of orbit space of any free
involution, using the Leray spectral sequence associated to the Borel fibration
. We also
give an application of our result to show that if has the mod 2 cohomology
algebra of the product of two real projective spaces (respectively complex
projective spaces), then there does not exist any -equivariant
map from for (respectively ), where
is equipped with the antipodal involution.Comment: 14 pages, to appear in Results in Mathematic
Examining Temporal Change and Prediction of Future Land Use Using Geospatial Approach: A Case Study of Talpona River Watershed in Goa, India
Land-use change leads to environmental change on spatial and temporal scales. For better water resource management, understanding the interaction between land-use changes and local hydrology is crucial. This study analyzed the land-use change over past years and predicted the future one in Talpona river watershed in Goa. Land Change Modeler was used for change analysis between satellite images of 1993, 2014 and 2019 map for validation. The Kappa co-efficient of 0.73 indicated acceptable accuracy. Multi-Layer Perceptron neural network was used for prediction of land-use for 2030 and 2040. Results will aid in modeling future water flows and designing adaptation strategies
Vaccination of Rhesus Macaques with a Recombinant Measles Virus Expressing Interleukinā12 Alters Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses
Lack of a vaccine for infants and immunosuppression after infection are problems associated with measles virus (MV). Because interleukin (IL)-12 has been used successfully as a vaccine adjuvant and because inhibition of IL-12 expression has been associated with immunosuppression during measles, the addition of IL-12 may enhance the immune response to MV. To determine the effect of IL-12 supplementation, rhesus macaques were vaccinated with a recombinant MV expressing IL-12; these macaques had increased interferon-Ī³ production by CD4+ T cells, decreased production of IL-4, and lower levels of MV-specific immunoglobulin G4 and neutralizing antibody. Lymphoproliferative responses to mitogen were not improved. IL-12 supplementation altered the T helper type 2 bias of the immune response after MV vaccination, had a detrimental effect on the protective neutralizing antibody response, and did not improve other manifestations of immunosuppression. Reduced IL-12 levels are not the sole factor in MV-induced immunosuppressio
Nitrogen Challenges and Opportunities for Agricultural and Environmental Science in India
In the last six decades, the consumption of reactive nitrogen (Nr) in the form of fertilizer in India has been growing rapidly, whilst the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of cropping systems has been decreasing. These trends have led to increasing environmental losses of Nr, threatening the quality of air, soils, and fresh waters, and thereby endangering climate-stability, ecosystems, and human-health. Since it has been suggested that the fertilizer consumption of India may double by 2050, there is an urgent need for scientific research to support better nitrogen management in Indian agriculture. In order to share knowledge and to develop a joint vision, experts from the UK and India came together for a conference and workshop on āChallenges and Opportunities for Agricultural Nitrogen Science in India.ā The meeting concluded with three core messages: (1) Soil stewardship is essential and legumes need to be planted in rotation with cereals to increase nitrogen fixation in areas of limited Nr availability. Synthetic symbioses and plastidic nitrogen fixation are possibly disruptive technologies, but their potential and implications must be considered. (2) Genetic diversity of crops and new technologies need to be shared and exploited to reduce N losses and support productive, sustainable agriculture livelihoods. MĆ³ring et al. Nitrogen Challenges and Opportunities (3) The use of leaf color sensing shows great potential to reduce nitrogen fertilizer use (by 10ā15%). This, together with the usage of urease inhibitors in neem-coated urea, and better management of manure, urine, and crop residues, could result in a 20ā25% improvement in NUE of India by 2030
SRI-A Method for Sustainable Intensification of Rice Production with Enhanced Water Productivity
Climate change induced higher temperatures will increase cropsā water requirements. Every 10Ā°C increase
in mean temperature, results in 7% decline in the yield of rice crop. Hence, there is a need to develop water
saving technologies in rice which consumes more than 50% of the total irrigation water in agriculture. System
of Rice Intensification (SRI) is one such water saving rice production technology. Experiments were conducted
at different locations in India including research farm of Directorate of Rice Research (DRR), Hyderabad, during
2005-10 to assess the potential of SRI in comparison to normal transplanting/Standard Planting (NTP/SP) under
flooded condition. SRI recorded higher grain yield (6 to 65% over NTP) at majority of locations. Long term studies
clearly indicated that grain yield was significantly higher (12-23% and 4-35% over NTP in Kharif and Rabi seasons,
respectively) in SRI (with organic+inorganic fertilizers) while the SRI (with100% organic manures), recorded higher
yield (4-34%) over NTP only in the Rabi seasons. Even though, SRI resulted in higher productivity, the available
nutrient status in soil was marginally higher (10, 42 and 13% over NTP for N, P and K, respectively) at the end of
four seasons. There was a reduction in the incidence of pests in SRI and the relative abundance of plant parasitic
nematodes was low in SRI as compared to the NTP. About 31% and 37% saving in irrigation water was observed
during Kharif and Rabi seasons, respectively in both methods of SRI cultivation over NTP. SRI performed well and
consistently reduced requirement of inputs such as seed and water in different soil conditions. SRI method, using
less water for rice production can help in overcoming water shortage in future and it can also make water available
for growing other crops thus promoting crop diversificatio
Assessment of different methods of rice (Oryza sativa. L) cultivation affecting growth parameters, soil chemical, biological, and microbiological properties, water saving, and grain yield in riceārice system
Field experiments were conducted at DRR farm located at ICRISAT, Patancheru, in sandy clay loam soils during four seasons, Kharif 2008, Rabi 2008ā2009, Kharif 2009 and Rabi 2009ā2010, to investigate growth parameters, water-saving potential, root characteristics, chemical, biological, and microbial properties of rhizosphere soil, and grain yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.) by comparing the plants grown with system of rice intensification (SRI) methods, with organic or organic + inorganic fertilization, against current recommended best management practices (BMP). All the growth parameters including plant height, effective tillers (10ā45 %), panicle length, dry matter, root dry weight (24ā57 %), and root volume (10ā66 %) were found to be significantly higher with in SRI-organic + inorganic over BMP. With SRI-organic fertilization, growth parameters showed inconsistent results; however, root dry weight (3ā77 %) and root volume (31ā162 %) were found significantly superior compared to BMP. Grain yield was found significantly higher in SRI-organic + inorganic (12ā23 and 4ā35 % in the Kharif and Rabi seasons, respectively), while with SRI-organic management, yield was found higher (4ā34 %) only in the Rabi seasons compared to BMP. An average of 31 and 37 % of irrigation water were saved during Kharif and Rabi seasons, respectively, with both SRI methods of rice cultivation compared to BMP. Further, total nitrogen, organic carbon%, soil dehydrogenase, microbial biomass carbon, total bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes were found higher in the two SRI plots in comparison to BMP. It is concluded that SRI practices create favorable conditions for beneficial soil microbes to prosper, save irrigation water, and increase grain yield
Not Available
Not AvailableEarly establishment and demanding life form
dominate the surroundings. Crop plant that has better
growth overdrives the weed plant and suppresses its
growth. Seedling early vigour is the characteristic of seed
quality and describes the rapid, uniform germination and
the establishment of strong seedlings in any environmental
condition. The phenotype of modern rice varieties has been
changed into adaptable for transplanted rice with thirst
toward water and selection pressure for semi-dwarf architecture
resulting in reduced early vigour. Decreasing
freshwater availability and rising labour cost drives the
search for a suitable alternative management system to
enhance grain yield productivity for the burgeoning world
population. In view of these issues, much attention has been focused on dry direct-seeded rice, because it demands
low input. A rice cultivar with a strong seedling vigour trait
is desirable in case of direct seeding. However, seedling
vigour has not been selected in crop improvement programmes
in conventional breeding due to its complex nature
and quantitative inheritance. Molecular markers have
been proven effective in increasing selection efficiency,
particularly for quantitative traits that are simply inherited.
Marker-assisted selection approach has facilitated efficient
and precise transfer of genes/QTL(s) into many crop species
and suggests a speedy and efficient technique over
conventional breeding and selection methods. In this review,
we present the findings and investigations in the field
of seedling vigour in rice that includes the nature of inheritance
of physio-morphological and biochemical traits
and QTLs to assist plant breeders who work for directseeded
rice.Not Availabl
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