Comparing the Effect of Foliar Spraying by Calcium and Boron on Productivity and Quality of Strawberry Fruits under Organic Hydroponic System

The availability of slow-moving elements within the plant is very important for the growth and productivity of crops, the most important of which are calcium and boron, and the deficiency of any of them leads to a significant imbalance in growth and productivity. This experiment was conducted inside a greenhouse at the National Organic Agriculture Center, Unaiza, Qassim, Ministry of Environment Water and Agriculture, Saudi Arabia to investigations made on the effects of foliar applications levels of calcium (Ca) and boron (B) on yield and quality of strawberries (Fragaria X ananassa Duch.). Factorial experiment was used in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four levels of calcium (Ca1=100, Ca2 = 200, Ca3= 400 mg/l), and four levels of boron (B1= 5, B2= 10, B3= 20 mg/l), as well as control treatment (C=0), each treatment was replicated three times. Different treatments with different combinations of both elements were studied. Addition of B and Ca influence vegetative growth parameters, yield attributes and fruit quality parameters significantly compare to the control such as the percentages of Glucose%, Fructose%, vitamin C and Sucrose%. Therefore, results indicated that sprays of mixture contained calcium and boron at different levels of Ca2B1, Ca1B1 and Ca3B1 increased fruit diameter, fruit length, weight /plant, and total weight (g), while with Ca3B1 and Ca3B2 were showed high increment of sugar percentages. According to results authors recommended foliar application of combination of calcium and boron as follow Ca2B1, Ca3B1 and Ca3B2 to improve yield attributes and fruit quality parameters. Keywords: Strawberry, Foliar application, Calcium, Boron, Organic hydroponics DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/13-18-03 Publication date:October 31st 202

THE N-HEXANE FRACTION OF MYRMECODIA PENDANS INHIBITS CELL SURVIVAL AND PROLIFERATION IN COLON CANCER CELL LINE

Objective: Despite advanced treatment options available for colorectal cancer, many reported resistance and unresponsiveness to conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, it is urgent to discover a novel drug for colon cancer. Sarang Semut (Myrmecodia pendans), an Indonesian native plant, has been studied extensively due to its anti-cancer profiles. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-tumour activity of Sarang Semut in colon cancer cells.Methods: We evaluated cytotoxic activity of methanol extract as well as n-hexane and ethyl acetate fraction towards colon cancer cell lines (Caco-2 and HCT-116 cells) utilizing 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The most potent fraction was evaluated further in inhibiting cell survival using MTT assay and cell proliferation using trypan blue exclusion assay as well as a clonogenic assay.Results: Our data showed that the n-hexane fraction of Sarang Semut induces more cell death than the methanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction. Therefore, we analyzed the n-hexane fraction further and found that the inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) of the n-hexane fraction was 24 and 30 parts per million (ppm) for Caco-2 and HCT-116 cells, respectively. Moreover, it inhibited cell growth as well as cell colony formation, in particular, shown by the plating efficiency (P<0.05) and colony area per seed (P<0.01) of the control group were different to the treatment group.Conclusion: The n-hexane fraction of Sarang Semut demonstrates a high potential antitumor activity in colon cancer cell line

On the edge: habitat restoration priorities for three critically endangered bird species on Sangihe, Indonesia

Remnant forests on the small Wallacean island of Sangihe north of Sulawesi hold the entire ranges of more critically endangered (CR) bird species than any other comparable area on earth. We develop habitat association models for three of these CR species to identify critical habitat features as well as areas where habitat falls slightly short of suitability, and to determine whether another area of forest away from the largest block might be suitable as an insurance site for a translocated population. Hopes for all three species appear almost totally pinned to forest within a 13 km2 area of the Sahendaruman crater, with virtually no near-suitable habitat away from this site. There is, however, little overlap in habitats between one CR species and the other two: cerulean flycatcher Eutrichomyias rowleyi is associated with mature streamside forest with full canopy cover, lianas, and mid-level growth, while Sangihe whistler Coracornis sanghirensis and Sangihe golden bulbul Hypsipetes platenae are restricted to ridgetop forest with full canopy cover and large trees. We pinpoint small areas (around 5 km2) of forest in the crater that are already suitable or can be made so with habitat management, and these are absolute priorities for conservation action. We show how habitat characteristics identified within models might be enhanced, and how features, especially certain tree species, can be used as indicators of future habitat improvement

MEKK1-MKK4-JNK-AP1 Pathway Negatively Regulates Rgs4 Expression in Colonic Smooth Muscle Cells

Background: Regulator of G-protein Signaling 4 (RGS4) plays an important role in regulating smooth muscle contraction, cardiac development, neural plasticity and psychiatric disorder. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. Our recent studies have shown that upregulation of Rgs4 by interleukin (IL)-1b is mediated by the activation of NFkB signaling and modulated by extracellular signal-regulated kinases, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and phosphoinositide-3 kinase. Here we investigate the effect of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway on Rgs4 expression in rabbit colonic smooth muscle cells. Methodology/Principal Findings: Cultured cells at first passage were treated with or without IL-1b (10 ng/ml) in the presence or absence of the selective JNK inhibitor (SP600125) or JNK small hairpin RNA (shRNA). The expression levels of Rgs4 mRNA and protein were determined by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. SP600125 or JNK shRNA increased Rgs4 expression in the absence or presence of IL-1b stimulation. Overexpression of MEKK1, the key upstream kinase of JNK, inhibited Rgs4 expression, which was reversed by co-expression of JNK shRNA or dominant-negative mutants for MKK4 or JNK. Both constitutive and inducible upregulation of Rgs4 expression by SP600125 was significantly inhibited by pretreatment with the transcription inhibitor, actinomycin D. Dual reporter assay showed that pretreatment with SP600125 sensitized the promoter activity of Rgs4 in response to IL-1b. Mutation of the AP1-binding site within Rgs

Manufacture Techniques of Chitosan-Based Microcapsules to Enhance Functional Properties of Textiles

In recent years, the textile industry has been moving to novel concepts of products, which could deliver to the user, improved performances. Such smart textiles have been proven to have the potential to integrate within a commodity garment advanced feature and functional properties of different kinds. Among those functionalities, considerable interest has been played in functionalizing commodity garments in order to make them positively interact with the human body and therefore being beneficial to the user health. This kind of functionalization generally exploits biopolymers, a class of materials that possess peculiar properties such as biocompatibility and biodegradability that make them suitable for bio-functional textile production. In the context of biopolymer chitosan has been proved to be an excellent potential candidate for this kind of application given its abundant availability and its chemical properties that it positively interacts with biological tissue. Notwithstanding the high potential of chitosan-based technologies in the textile sectors, several issues limit the large-scale production of such innovative garments. In facts the morphologies of chitosan structures should be optimized in order to make them better exploit the biological activity; moreover a suitable process for the application of chitosan structures to the textile must be designed. The application process should indeed not only allow an effective and durable fixation of chitosan to textile but also comply with environmental rules concerning pollution emission and utilization of harmful substances. This chapter reviews the use of microencapsulation technique as an approach to effectively apply chitosan to the textile material while overcoming the significant limitations of finishing processes. The assembly of chitosan macromolecules into microcapsules was proved to boost the biological properties of the polymer thanks to a considerable increase in the surface area available for interactions with the living tissues. Moreover, the incorporation of different active substances into chitosan shells allows the design of multifunctional materials that effectively combine core and shell properties. Based on the kind of substances to be incorporated, several encapsulation processes have been developed. The literature evidences how the proper choices concerning encapsulation technology, chemical formulations, and process parameter allow tuning the properties and the performances of the obtained microcapsules. Furthermore, the microcapsules based finishing process have been reviewed evidencing how the microcapsules morphology can positively interact with textile substrate allowing an improvement in the durability of the treatment. The application of the chitosan shelled microcapsules was proved to be capable of imparting different functionalities to textile substrates opening possibilities for a new generation of garments with improved performances and with the potential of protecting the user from multiple harms. Lastly, a continuous interest was observed in improving the process and formulation design in order to avoid the usage of toxic substances, therefore, complying with an environmentally friendly approach

Evaluating the Effects of Study Scale on Spatial Patterns of three Range Plant Species Using Quadrate Indices and Point Pattern Analysis in Chaharmahal- Bakhtirai Province Rangelands

This study aimed to investigate the spatial patterns of Acanthophyllum microcephalum Boiss, Nepeta glomerulosa Boiss and Hertia angustifolia and evaluate the effects of study scale on spatial patterns of three range plant species in Ghale-Gharak research-station located in Shahr-e-Kord. 40 points with a distance of five meters from each other were selected for sampling of vegetation along four 50 m transects using a random-systematic approach. The species spatial patterns were measured by 6 different distance-based methods including Hopkines, Johnson-and-Zimer, Eberhardt, Holgate, Hines and T-Square-index. A 100 m2 reference site (10 by 10 m) was selected to record the species co-ordinates and conduct point pattern analysis. The spatial patterns of the species were determined in 3 scales of 10×10, 5×10 and 5×5 meters to highlight the effects of scale on spatial patterns of vegetation. According to the results, H. angustifolia showed randomized spatial patterns due to its seed dispersal ability. N. glomerulosa and A. microcephalum showed a clustered spatial pattern beacuse their seed are in achene form and fall next to these species. All the 3 species had a clustered pattern when the scale of point pattern analysis was decreased. Identifying these plant spatial patterns and their controlling factors) such as seed dispersal mechanisms of the species and sampling scale) are required to select the best sampling strategy in rangeland assessment programs