Search for the charge symmetry forbidden decays of electron–positron bound state using the J-PET detector

The Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomograph (J-PET) is a multi-purpose device built out of plastic scintillators. With large acceptance and high angular resolution, it is suitable for the studies of various phenomena such as discrete symmetries in decay of positronium atom or entangled states of photons as well as medical imaging. J-PET enables the measurement of momenta together with photon polarization related observables. Large acceptance and high granularity of the J-PET detector enables measurement of ortho-positronium decays into three photons in the whole phase space. In this paper, we present the search of the C-forbidden decays of positronium with the J-PET detector

Manipur in Transition: Differentials of Development in a Polyethnic Area of India.

The present study seeks to investigate the processes of socio-economic change that have affected the major ethnic groups in Manipur, mainly the subsistence level tribals and the Meitei peasantry; the strategies adopted by these groups, and individuals within the groups, to cope with the changed environment; and the spatial expression of these processes of change in varying patterns of development. Manipur, a polyethnic state in northeastern India, is currently the scene of hostilities among the different ethnic groups. The study tests the hypothesis that the underlying cause of these conflicts is the difference in the levels of development of the three major ethnic groups, the tribal, the Meitei, and the Nepali immigrants, and their differential access to scarce resources. This meso-level investigation focuses on a one-third sample of all villages in Manipur. The study is based on published Census data, supplemented by field work. Spatial variations in the levels of development, mapped and described using simple statistical and cartographic techniques, reveal a distinct disparity between the hills and the valley of Manipur. Since these two physiographic units correspond with the two ethnic groups, the tribal and the Meitei, these regional differences also reflect ethnic differences. These differences are further substantiated using multivariate statistical techniques. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) reveals that, on the basis of the selected indicators of development, significant differences exist among the tribals, Meiteis, and Nepalis. The subsequent procedure of discriminant analysis used to identify how the selected variables combine to distinguish one group from the other, also highlights the differences in the levels of development of the three groups. Population pressure, accessibility, and geographical proximity to an urban center appear to be important factors in determining the intensity of change. The four clusters of development identified in Manipur: in the Manipur valley, in the Khuga valley, in the northern foothills along the Dimapur-Imphal highway, and in Jiribam, all share these three attributes

The Effect of Feedback Frequency on Performance in Applied Behavior Analysis: a Field Study.

Occupational safety continues to be a major social concern in spite of the attention which it has received over the years. While unsafe acts and behaviors have been major contributors to accidents, the attention paid to increasing safety by changing human behavior has only been sporadic. This study used an applied behavior analysis package of training, goal setting, and feedback as a behavioral approach to improving safety in an industrial setting. In addition, the effects of changing the frequency of feedback on safe behavior performance were investigated. All the employees in a plant engaged in the manufacture and repair of heat exchangers, were put through various phases of the above mentioned applied behavior analysis package. Safe behavior performance of the employees was monitored over the ten month duration of the study through behavioral observation and measurement. A variation and extension of the basic reversal (A-B-A) design was used to assess the effect of varying the frequency of feedback along with the other inverventions, namely, training and goal setting. Statistical analyses were performed through the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) analysis suitable for such time series data, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and comparison of means through Duncan\u27s multiple range test and Tukey\u27s method for pairwise comparison of means. Based on the results obtained, the following conclusions were arrived at: (1) It is possible to improve performance through a combination of training, goal setting, and feedback as a package of applied behavior analysis. (2) Providing feedback can help improve performance over and above the level achieved with only training and goal setting. (3) It may not be necessary for feedback to be as frequent as possible to sustain a given, desired level of performance. It is possible to sustain a desired level of performance with some optimum feedback frequency which may be less than the most frequent possible. (4) A behavioral approach to safety can complement a conventional, environmental approach in sustaining and enhancing the safety level in an organization

Symptomatic Hypocalcemia in Primary Hyperaldosteronism: A Case Report

The metabolic alterations caused by hyperaldosteronism are being increasingly recognized and have generated considerable interest among the medical fraternity. Hyperaldosteronism is suspected to have a pivotal role in the patho-physiology of congestive cardiac failure where it has been studied extensively. But its effects on calcium metabolism, parathyroid metabolism and renal handling of calcium are less well described. Recent experimental models have shed light into the roles played by previously unknown mechanisms in causing these metabolic alterations. We hereby report a case of primary hyperaldosteronism due to adrenal adenoma (Conn's syndrome) who presented with a myriad of clinical features including symptomatic hypocalcemia, significant weight loss along with uncontrolled hypertension for a prolonged period before eventually detected to have primary hyperaldosteronism. Surgical removal of the causative tumor resulted in prompt disappearance of all the symptoms and signs and regain of lost weight

Increase in wheat production through management of abiotic stresses : A review

About 9% of area on earth is under crops out of which 91% is under various stresses. On an average, about 50% yield losses are due to abiotic stresses mostly due to high temperature (20%), low temperature (7%), salinity (10%), drought (9%) and other abiotic stresses (4%). As there is no scope for increasing area under agriculture, the increased productivity from these stressed land is a must to meet the ever increasing demand. Further, the severity of abiotic stresses is likely to increase due to changing climate leading to adverse effect on crops. Therefore, abiotic stresses like drought, salinity, sodicity, acidity, water logging, heat, nutrient toxicities/ deficiencies etc need to be effectively addressed through adoption of management practices like tillage and planting options, residue management, sowing time, stress tolerant cultivars, irrigation scheduling and integrated nutrient management to conserve natural resources, mitigating their adverse effect and sustainable wheat production

Emerging possibilities in the advancement of herbicides to combat acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitor resistance

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase: EC 6.4.1.2) is one of the essential biotins containing enzymes required by plants for fatty acid synthesis and elongation. The unique enzyme is present in its homomeric form in all the Gramineae family, making it a suitable target for developing herbicides selectively against weeds of the Gramineae family. One such example is infestation of Phalaris minor in winter wheat crop fields, where aryloxyphenoxypropionates (FOP); cyclohexanediones (DIM) and phenyl pyrazoline (DEN) group of ACCase inhibiting herbicides are used. However, the increasing number of ACCase herbicide resistant weed populations has compelled agro-scientists to seek varied possibilities for weed control, through Integrated Weed Management (IWM) strategies. Developing new potential herbicides to regain sensitivity in weeds could be an approach to weed control. The current advancement in computational techniques could be of aid in developing new herbicide-like molecules by exploring the genomics, proteomics and structural details of catalytic sites of herbicide action in crops as well as weeds

Conservation Agriculture and Scale of Appropriate Agricultural Mechanization in Smallholder Systems

This manual has focused on the need to amplify and accelerate adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) practices that enable productivity increases on a sustainable basis. The development of the training manual on ‘Conservation Agriculture and Scale Appropriate Agricultural Mechanization in Smallholder Systems’ is an outcome of the series of advanced training programs on Conservation Agriculture over past one decade. The objectives of this training manual are; (1) To foster capacity building of researchers, extension workers, farmers and machinery manufacturers to promote CA in Asia and Africa; and (2) To raise the awareness of policy planners and decision makers to develop a strategic plan for the development of CA and agricultural mechanization in the developing world. There are several initiatives in South Asia and Africa to promote CA practices as environment-friendly and alternative to conventional agriculture. However, little has been done to document the CA practices or even lessons learnt from these initiatives. Farmers today still lack access to information on CA practices. This is a comprehensive manual that explains in a step by step easy to follow manner on how to implement CA by smallholders in Asia and Africa. It explains what CA is, and why it is important, how to use CA principles in the field and highlights the issues and challenges that researchers, farmers, machinery manufacturers and service providers may encounter when they adopt and adapt CA practices. This manual aims to be a valuable reference and is intended for use by researchers, agricultural extension officers/workers, farmers, machinery manufacturers and service providers to promote CA in Asia and Africa for increasing productivity and reducing poverty. It is written in clear, easy-to-understand language, and is illustrated with numerous figures and tables. It is not intended to cover the subject of conservation agriculture comprehensively but to provide an overview of the principles and practices. Indeed, as the training draws from many distinct disciplines, it is unlikely that any one person will have the necessary technical skills to cover the complete course content. Manual also focuses on two crucial aspects: the provision of farm mechanization services as a viable business opportunity for entrepreneurs, and the essential criteria of raising productivity in an environmentally sensitive and responsible way. This manual is also designed to serve as source of information for custom hire service providers – whether already in the business or intending to start their own hire service business – with skills and competencies in both the technical and the management aspects of the small-scale mechanization business. CA to reach smallholder farmers needed the publication of simplified technical manual. This manual contains useful technical information on CA practices that offer practical answers to questions normally asked by farmers of what, why, how

De novo sequencing, assembly, and characterization of Asparagus racemosus transcriptome and analysis of expression profile of genes involved in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway

Asparagus racemosus is known for its diverse content of secondary metabolites, i.e., saponins, alkaloids, and a wide range of flavonoids. Flavonoids, including phenols and polyphenols, have a significant role in plant physiology and are synthesized in several tissues. Despite the diverse role of flavonoids, genetic information is limited for flavonoid biosynthesis pathways in A. racemosus. The current study explores full-scale functional genomics information of A. racemosus by de novo transcriptome sequencing using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology to elucidate the genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis pathways. The de novo assembly of high-quality paired-end reads resulted in ∼2.3 million high-quality reads with a pooled transcript of 45,647 comprising ∼76 Mb transcriptome with a mean length (bp) of 1,674 and N50 of 1,868bp. Furthermore, the coding sequence (CDS) prediction analysis from 45,647 pooled transcripts resulted in 45,444 CDS with a total length and mean length of 76,398,686 and 1,674, respectively. The Gene Ontology (GO) analysis resulted in a high number of CDSs assigned to 25,342 GO terms, which grouped the predicted CDS into three main domains, i.e., Biological Process (19,550), Molecular Function (19,873), and Cellular Component (14,577). The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway database was used to categorize 6,353 CDS into 25 distinct biological pathway categories, in which the majority of mapped CDS were shown to be related to translation (645), followed by signal transduction (532), carbohydrate metabolism (524), folding, sorting, and degradation (522). Among these, only ∼64 and 14 CDSs were found to be involved in the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways, respectively. Quantitative Real-time PCR was used to check the expression profile of fourteen potential flavonoid biosynthesis pathway genes. The qRT-PCR analysis result matches the transcriptome sequence data validating the Illumina sequence results. Moreover, a large number of genes associated with the flavonoids biosynthesis pathway were found to be upregulated under the induction of methyl jasmonate. The present-day study on transcriptome sequence data of A. racemosus can be utilized for characterizing genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis pathways and for functional genomics analysis in A. racemosus using the reverse genetics approach (CRISPR/Cas9 technology)