Study of contamination sensors. Volume I - Executive summary report

Design criteria for automatic remotely indicating fluid contamination sensors, monitors, counters, and recorders and for sampling equipment and technique

Performance of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp) as Influence by Different Weed Control Methods

A field study was conducted during the late planting season of 2013 at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Imo State University, Owerri, to determine the effects of different methods of weed control on the growth and yield of cowpea. Different weed control methods (Weedy Check/Control Plot (T1WC1), Hand-Weeding at 20 and 40 Days after planting (DAP)( T2WC2), Hoe Weeding at 20DAP (T3WC3), Chemical Weeding at 20 DAP (T4WC4), Hoe Weeding at 20DAP + hand – weeding at 40DAP (T4WCs), Chemical Weeding at 20 DAP (T4WC6)) were compared for their efficiency to control various weed species in Owerri, Nigeria. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Cowpea seeds (Ife brown) were collected from the Department of Crop Science and Biotechnology of Imo State University, Owerri and planted at a distance of 50cm x 50cm. The post emergence herbicides (fusilade forte) used for chemical weed control was bought at Imo State Agricultural Development Programme Owerri (Imo ADP). The parameters measured were; types of weeds and their relative abundance, plant height (cm), stem girth (cm), number of branches/plant, number of leaves per plant, leaf area (cm2), number of root nodules per plant, number of days to 50% flowering, plant biomass, number of pods per plant, number of pods per plot, pods weight per plot(g), 100 seed weight(g), pod yield (kg/ha), and seed yield (kg/ha) Predominant weed types observed in the cowpea plots were; Aspilia Africana, Euphorbia heterophylla, Imperata cylindrical, Talinum triangulare , cyperus esculentus and Tridax procumbens. Among different weed control methods, hoe weeding at 20DAP + hand weeding at 40DAP gave seed yield of 47.77kg/ha. This treatment (hoe weeding at 20DAP + hand weed at 40DAP) out performed others in terms of 100 seed weight (94.10g) which significantly different (P<0.05) from the records of the other treatments. On the basis of these results, Maximum seed yield 47.77kg/ha of cowpea (Ife brown)) was obtained with the application of hoe weeding at 20DAP + hand weeding at 40DAP. Keywords: weed biomass, herbicides, weed control, owerri, cowpe

Correction: Archibong, A.E., et al. Effects of Benzo(a)pyrene on Intra-testicular Function in F-344 Rats

We found some errors in Figure 4 in our paper published in the International journal of Environmental Research and Public Health [1].[...

Stationary Distribution and Eigenvalues for a de Bruijn Process

We define a de Bruijn process with parameters n and L as a certain continuous-time Markov chain on the de Bruijn graph with words of length L over an n-letter alphabet as vertices. We determine explicitly its steady state distribution and its characteristic polynomial, which turns out to decompose into linear factors. In addition, we examine the stationary state of two specializations in detail. In the first one, the de Bruijn-Bernoulli process, this is a product measure. In the second one, the Skin-deep de Bruin process, the distribution has constant density but nontrivial correlation functions. The two point correlation function is determined using generating function techniques.Comment: Dedicated to Herb Wilf on the occasion of his 80th birthda

Deletion of Neurturin Impairs Development of Cholinergic Nerves and Heart Rate Control in Postnatal Mouse Hearts

The neurotrophic factor neurturin is required for normal cholinergic innervation of adult mouse heart and bradycardic responses to vagal stimulation. Our goals were to determine effects of neurturin deletion on development of cardiac chronotropic and dromotropic functions, vagal baroreflex response, and cholinergic nerve density in nodal regions of postnatal mice. Experiments were performed on postnatal C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and neurturin knockout (KO) mice. Serial electrocardiograms were recorded noninvasively from conscious pups using an ECGenie apparatus. Mice were treated with atenolol to evaluate and block sympathetic effects on heart rate (HR) and phenylephrine (PE) to stimulate the baroreflex. Immunohistochemistry was used to label cholinergic nerves in paraffin sections. WT and KO mice showed similar age-dependent increases in HR and decreases in PR interval between postnatal days (P) 2.5 and 21. Treatment with atenolol reduced HR significantly in WT and KO pups at P7.5. PE caused a reflex bradycardia that was significantly smaller in KO pups. Cholinergic nerve density was significantly less in nodal regions of P7.5 KO mice. We conclude that cholinergic nerves have minimal influence on developmental changes in HR and PR, QRS, and QTc intervals in mouse pups. However, cholinergic nerves mediate reflex bradycardia by 1 week postnatally. Deletion of neurturin impairs cholinergic innervation of the heart and the vagal efferent component of the baroreflex early during postnatal development

Potent selective inhibitors of protein kinase C

AbstractA series of potent, selective inhibitors of protein kinase C has been derived from the structural lead provided by the microbial broth products, staurosporine and K252a. Our inhibitors block PCK in intact cells (platelets and T cells), and prevent the proliferation of mononuclear cells in response to interleukin 2 (IL2)