Characterization of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Roots Versus Root Pulling Resistance as Selection Indices for Draught Tolerance

A technique described as Root Pulling Resistance (RPR) was used to evaluate genotypic differences in root growth and development of 50 rice germplasm accessions and cultivars. Several root characteristics in rice are associated with drought tolerance and avoidance capability of plants. The RPR measurements showed a significant positive correlation with maximum root length (r=0.69), root thickness (r=0.75), branching number (r=0.75), and root dry weight (r= 0.82). Rice genotypes that had a high RPR value were identified as having longer, thicker, and denser root systems. The data indicated that high RPR measurements are strongly correlated with greater root penetration. Munji Sufaid Pak, IR52 (IR5853-1 18-5) and Saunfia or Mabla Pak 329 had a significantly greater root length, root thickness, root number, root branching and dry weight as compared to IR 36. Also, there was no correlation between plant height and RPR. Furthermore, the data demonstrated that the RPR technique is ideal for selecting superior root systems and potential drought tolerant rice germplasm and cultivars

Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in Incarcerated Populations

Alarming disparities in population health and wellness in the United States have led to multi-disciplinary research efforts to create health equity. Identifying disparities, elucidating the etiological bases of disparities, and implementing solutions to eliminate disparities are part of the U.S. national health agenda. Racial and ethnic disparities have been identified throughout the cancer control continuum, in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and a multitude of other conditions. The causes of disparities are complex, condition specific, and conjectured to result from combinations of biological and socio-behavioral factors. Racial and ethnic health disparities within the vast incarcerated communities have been excluded from most studies, yet are of significant ethical and fiscal concern to inmates, governing bodies, and non-incarcerated communities into which inmates return. Importantly, research on racial and ethnic disparities in this unique population may shed light on the relative etiologies of health disparities and solutions for creating health equity throughout the general population in the United States

Industrial wastewater treatment using hydrodynamic cavitation and heterogeneous advanced Fenton processing

A combination of hydrodynamic cavitation and heterogeneous advanced Fenton process (AFP) based on the use of zero valent iron as the catalyst has been investigated for the treatment of real industrial wastewater. The effect of various operating parameters such as inlet pressure, temperature, and the presence of copper windings on the extent of mineralization as measured by total organic carbon (TOC) content have been studied with the aim of maximizing the extent of degradation. It has been observed that increased pressures, higher operating temperature and the absence of copper windings are more favourable for a rapid TOC mineralization. A new approach of latent remediation has also been investigated where hydrodynamic cavitation is only used as a pre-treatment with an aim of reducing the overall cost of pollutant degradation. It has been observed that approach of latent remediation works quite well with about 50–60% removal of TOC using only minimal initial treatment by hydrodynamic cavitation

Intensification of hydroxyl radical production in sonochemical reactors

The efficacy of sonochemical reactors in chemical processing applications has been well established in the laboratory scale of operation though at a given set of operating parameters and no efforts have been directed in terms of maximizing the free radical production. In the present work, the effect of different operating parameters viz. pH, power dissipation into the system, effect of additives such as air, haloalkanes, titanium dioxide, iron and oxygen on the extent of hydroxyl radical formation in a sonochemical reactor have been investigated using salicylic acid dosimetry. Possible mechanisms for oxidation of salicylic acid in the presence of different additives have also been established. It has been observed that acidic conditions under optimized power dissipation in the presence of iron powder and oxygen result in maximum liberation of hydroxyl radicals as quantified by the kinetic rate constant for production of 2,5- and 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid. The study has enabled the optimization of the conditions for maximum efficacy of sonochemical reactors where free radical attack is the controlling mechanism for the chemical processing applications

The role of Volatile Anesthetics in Cardioprotection: a systematic review.

This review evaluates the mechanism of volatile anesthetics as cardioprotective agents in both clinical and laboratory research and furthermore assesses possible cardiac side effects upon usage. Cardiac as well as non-cardiac surgery may evoke perioperative adverse events including: ischemia, diverse arrhythmias and reperfusion injury. As volatile anesthetics have cardiovascular effects that can lead to hypotension, clinicians may choose to administer alternative anesthetics to patients with coronary artery disease, particularly if the patient has severe preoperative ischemia or cardiovascular instability. Increasing preclinical evidence demonstrated that administration of inhaled anesthetics - before and during surgery - reduces the degree of ischemia and reperfusion injury to the heart. Recently, this preclinical data has been implemented clinically, and beneficial effects have been found in some studies of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Administration of volatile anesthetic gases was protective for patients undergoing cardiac surgery through manipulation of the potassium ATP (KATP) channel, mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, as well as through cytoprotective Akt and extracellular-signal kinases (ERK) pathways. However, as not all studies have demonstrated improved outcomes, the risks for undesirable hemodynamic effects must be weighed against the possible benefits of using volatile anesthetics as a means to provide cardiac protection in patients with coronary artery disease who are undergoing surgery

"Reporting of Two or More Races in the 1999 American Community Survey"

This paper investigates the causes of western Germany's remarkably poor performance since 1992. The paper challenges the view that the poor record of the nineties, particularly the marked deterioration in public finances since unification, might be largely attributable to unification. Instead, the analysis highlights the role of ill-timed and overly ambitious fiscal consolidation in conjunction with tight monetary policies of an exceptional length and degree. The issue of fiscal sustainability and Germany's fiscal and monetary policies are assessed both in the light of economic theory and in comparison to the best practices of other more successful countries. The analysis concludes that Germany's dismal record of the nineties must not be seen as a direct and apparently inevitable result of unification. Rather, the record arose as a perfectly unnecessary consequence of unsound macro demand policies conducted under the Bundesbank's dictate in response to it, policies that caused the severe and protracted de-stabilization of western Germany in the first place.

Quantitative modeling of \textit{in situ} x-ray reflectivity during organic molecule thin film growth

Synchrotron-based x-ray reflectivity is increasingly employed as an \textit{in situ} probe of surface morphology during thin film growth, but complete interpretation of the results requires modeling the growth process. Many models have been developed and employed for this purpose, yet no detailed, comparative studies of their scope and accuracy exists in the literature. Using experimental data obtained from hyperthermal deposition of pentane and diindenoperylene (DIP) on SiO$_2$, we compare and contrast three such models, both with each other and with detailed characterization of the surface morphology using ex-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). These two systems each exhibit particular phenomena of broader interest: pentacene/SiO$_2$ exhibits a rapid transition from rough to smooth growth. DIP/SiO$_2$, under the conditions employed here, exhibits growth rate acceleration due to a different sticking probability between the substrate and film. In general, \textit{independent of which model is used}, we find good agreement between the surface morphology obtained from fits to the \insitu x-ray data with the actual morphology at early times. This agreement deteriorates at later time, once the root-mean squared (rms) film roughness exceeds about 1 ML. A second observation is that, because layer coverages are under-determined by the evolution of a single point on the reflectivity curve, we find that the best fits to reflectivity data --- corresponding to the lowest values of $\chi_\nu^2$ --- do not necessarily yield the best agreement between simulated and measured surface morphologies. Instead, it appears critical that the model reproduce all local extrema in the data. In addition to showing that layer morphologies can be extracted from a minimal set of data, the methodology established here provides a basis for improving models of multilayer growth by comparison to real systems.Comment: 34 pages (double-spaced, including figures and references), 10 figures, 3 appendice

Reporting of Two or More Races In the 1999 American Community Survey

This study presents data on race, collected at selected sites throughout the country for the 1999 American Community Survey (ACS). In particular, the distribution of the population by race and Hispanic or Latino origin is examined, as are the reporting of multiple races, number of races, and major race combinations and the extent to which the race and Hispanic/Latino questions were not answered. Although the ACS sites were not intended to be a nationally representative sample, the study's results provide important insights into what might be learned from Census 2000.