Effect of Toxic Concentrations of H+ and AI on Nonsymbiotic Growth of Groundnut in Solution Culture

Two solution culture experiments We1'e conducted to stt,d)' the effects of toxic concentrations of H and aluminium on. nOllsymbiotic growth ojgroundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cu. Maljam. TheJive pH lroels used were 3,5, 4,0, 4.8.5.5 and 6.5, and the sum of activities o/monomeric Al species (LaM_"/I) were 0. 1.5. 3.0, 15,35 and 80 I'-M at pH 4.3. The H' iOIl concentratian at pH 3.5 did not aiJed top dry weight but markedly decreased root d,)' weight and kngth. Raisillg the solution pH 10 4.0 illlp1VlJed the grawth oj roots. The pH level recom-mended Jar growth of groundnut was ~ 4.4. The non-toxic concentration of aluminium for growth of groundnut and mot elongation was ~ 12.2 p,M La,u_",,(==: 17.1 J..L1W monomeric-Al or 20.3 J-LM monomeric total-Ai). Increasing the };a-\/Jfl""/I to 80 J..LM decreased the magnesium concentration in the youngest expanded leaf (YeL) to 0.18%. a value known to be deficient for groundnut. J\1agnesium concentmtion in the YEL was more sensitive to aluminium. toxicity than magnesium concentration in the roots. Tlu! results also showed that root dry weight and root length ·responded positively to low concentrations oj aluminium (1.5 1·L1W ~aAI,""'i"); this effect was not observed for dry' weight oj top

Changes in the chemical and mineralogical properties of Mt. Talang volcanic ash in West Sumatra during the initail weathering phase.

Eruptions from Talang volcano on 12 April 2005 distributed volcanic ash over portions of the Solok District of West Sumatra, Indonesia. Unleached and leached pristine volcanic ash were collected immediately after the eruption, and the third sample was collected after 2 years. The mineralogy and chemical properties of pristine volcanic ash and volcanic ash deposits that were weathered for 2 years from the 2005 eruption of Mt. Talang, Sumatra, were studied to characterize the volcanic ash, identify the primary minerals present, and determine its chemical properties. Results showed that the volcanic ash contained 30% noncrystalline minerals (or volcanic glass); the remaining ash is composed of crystalline minerals such as labradorite, hypersthene, augite, hornblende, olivine, opaque ferromagnetic minerals, and rock fragments. Notable differences in pH values were observed as the pH tended to become more acidic from the unleached, leached, and weathered volcanic ash, but the ash did not give much response to the sodium fluoride (NaF) test. Total sulfur gradually decreased from 3.28% in unleached ash to 1.93% after 2 years. Available phosphorus (P) in the unleached volcanic ash was 68 mg kg−1, and this value was decreased by 15 % after 2 years of being exposed to the atmosphere, while phosphate retention ranged between 52.8% and 66.8%. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) was low with the value of 10 cmolc kg−1 although base saturation was high, exceeding 75%. The low acid oxalate–extractable silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), and iron (Fe) values of 0.07%, 0.25% and 1.17%, respectively, show the scarcity of secondary amorphous compounds in the ash. Total elemental analysis indicated that no differences were found in total silica oxide (SiO2) content of all samples, with a value about 56%, and this volcanic ash can be classified as basaltic andesite. We observed that removal of chemical elements by leaching was large for calcium oxide (CaO), magnesium oxide (MgO), and sodium oxide (Na2O) as the values decreased in time. Solid-state 29Si and 27Al magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies indicated that Al occurred in both tetrahedral and octahedral forms. Silicon was not present in the tetrahedral layer. An intense peak at −92 ppm was indicative of the presence of aluminosilicates

Effects of feeding angles and cutting speeds of a mower knife with serrated edges on the pulverization of sweet potato vines

A study was conducted to test the effects of three different speeds of 1830, 2066 and 2440 rpm of a mower knife with serrated edges and two different feeding angles of 45° and 90° on the pulverization of sweet potato vines. The results indicated that all the treatments were significant at 99% significance level for the pulverized percentage of sweet potato vines remaining on the sieve. The best result was for the 45° feeding angle with lowest vine pulverized percentage of 47.20%. The second speed of 2066 rpm had the finest vine pulverized percentage of 57.47%. The best performance for overlapping effect between feeding angle and speed of mower was achieved by the 45° feeding angle and a mower speed of 1830 rpm resulting in an average percentage of 44.45 % of pulverized vines

Pharmacological ablation of the airway smooth muscle layer—Mathematical predictions of functional improvement in asthma

Airway smooth muscle (ASM) plays a major role in acute airway narrowing and reducing ASM thickness is expected to attenuate airway hyper-responsiveness and disease burden. There are two therapeutic approaches to reduce ASM thickness: (a) a direct approach, targeting specific airways, best exemplified by bronchial thermoplasty (BT), which delivers radiofrequency energy to the airway via bronchoscope; and (b) a pharmacological approach, targeting airways more broadly. An example of the less well-established pharmacological approach is the calcium-channel blocker gallopamil which in a clinical trial effectively reduced ASM thickness; other agents may act similarly. In view of established anti-proliferative properties of the macrolide antibiotic azithromycin, we examined its effects in naive mice and report a reduction in ASM thickness of 29% (p <.01). We further considered the potential functional implications of this finding, if it were to extend to humans, by way of a mathematical model of lung function in asthmatic patients which has previously been used to understand the mechanistic action of BT. Predictions show that pharmacological reduction of ASM in all airways of this magnitude would reduce ventilation heterogeneity in asthma, and produce a therapeutic benefit similar to BT. Moreover there are differences in the expected response depending on disease severity, with the pharmacological approach exceeding the benefits provided by BT in more severe disease. Findings provide further proof of concept that pharmacological targeting of ASM thickness will be beneficial and may be facilitated by azithromycin, revealing a new mode of action of an existing agent in respiratory medicine

Temporal changes in chemical properties of acid soil profiles treated with magnesium limestone and gypsum

Effects of ground magnesium limestone (GML) and gypsum on the properties of Ultisols at two sites, involving a corn groundnut rotation, were studied over 24 months. GML or gypsum was incorporated into the soils of the Bungor and Rengam Series (Typic Paleudults), at the rates of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 t ha-1 to depths of 15 cm (GML and gypsum) and 30 cm (GML). Increases in soil pH and exchangeable Ca and Mg arising from GML application were confined mainly to the zone of incorporation. However, there was a decrease of exchangeable Al at deeper depths. After 15 months, there was a tendency for the pH and exchangeable Ca and Mg on the zone of incorporation to decrease and for the exchangeable Al to increase, effects being the least at the high rates of GML application. There was no significant change in pH or exchangeable Al as a result of gypsum application, but there were increases in exchangeable Ca and extractable SO4²- in both the zone of incorporation and the subsoil. With time, the exchangeable Ca and extractable SO4²- in the sub-soils were found to increase, but their concentration in the zone of incorporation decreased. The pH of the soil solution of the control treatment was about 4.0, while Al and Mn concentrations were 150 and 50 µM, respectively. At the GML rate of 2.0 t ha-1 or less, Al in the soil solution was found to exist in the inorganic monomeric form. Meanwhile, the GML application at the rates > 4 t ha-1 could have resulted in complexation of some of Al. In particular, Al3+ was the dominant Al species at low pH and liming resulted in a decrease of Al3+ species and increase of hydroxyl-Al monomers. GML needed to raise the pH of the soil solution to about 5 was 2.0 t ha-1; this consequently decreased Al and Mn concentrations to a low level. The application of gypsum resulted in a decrease and an increase of Al3+ and AlSO4+ activities, respectively

Bayesian evaluation of three serological tests for the diagnosis of bovine brucellosis in Bangladesh

We evaluated the performance of three serological tests – an immunoglobulin G indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA), a Rose Bengal test and a slow agglutination test (SAT) – for the diagnosis of bovine brucellosis in Bangladesh. Cattle sera (n = 1360) sourced from Mymensingh district (MD) and a Government owned dairy farm (GF) were tested in parallel. We used a Bayesian latent class model that adjusted for the conditional dependence among the three tests and assumed constant diagnostic accuracy of the three tests in both populations. The sensitivity and specificity of the three tests varied from 84.6% to 93.7%, respectively. The true prevalences of bovine brucellosis in MD and the GF were 0.6% and 20.4%, respectively. Parallel interpretation of iELISA and SAT yielded the highest negative predictive values: 99.9% in MD and 99.6% in the GF; whereas serial interpretation of both iELISA and SAT produced the highest positive predictive value (PPV): 99.9% in the GF and also high PPV (98.9%) in MD. We recommend the use of both iELISA and SAT together and serial interpretation for culling and parallel interpretation for import decisions. Removal of brucellosis positive cattle will contribute to the control of brucellosis as a public health risk in Bangladesh

NOVEL APPROACH IN E-LEARNING TO IMBIBE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

ABSTRACT Real world problems are often felt to be somebody else&apos;s problems. By transferring the real world problems to the virtual world the player experiences the gravity of the situation first hand, as he/she is forced to solve the problems of environmental degradation faced by his/her virtual town. This game, through the concept of infotainment aspires to help average individuals of all age groups to understand the importance of environment protection and enhancement and learn to lead an eco-friendly life. While the game is simple to play, the learning process is facilitated because all the available solutions to protect the Environment will be researched and implemented in the game. Players and spectators will subconsciously learn various methods to protect the environment

Autologus Blood Injection for Lateral Epicondylitis in Tertiary Level Hospital

Tennis elbow is a common and well defined clinical entity. It is an extra articular affection characterised by pain and acute tenderness at the origin of the mainly extensorcarpi radialis brevis, but can involve the tendons of the extensorcarpi radialis longus and the extensor digitorum communis. It is also called lateral epicondylitis. Various types of treatment option for this disease that is conservative and operative. An injection of autologus blood might provide the necessary cellular and humoral mediators to induce a healing cascade. The purpose of the study was to evaluate result of epicondylitis treated with autologus blood injection.Total 19 patients with tennis elbow treated in this study.Among the patients 9 were male and 10 were female.Age of the patients were 25yrs – 60yrs, average 41.63yrs. All patients had failed previous non-surgical treatment. Duration of the pain 1 month to 6 months. All the patients got autologus blood injected every 21 days interval (one or three times). Before autologus blood injection average pain score was 6.2 and average Nirschi score was 5.8. After autologus blood injection pain score and Nirschi score decreases 2.2 and 2 respectively. Average follow-up period was 7 months.TAJ 2013; 26: 79-8

DNA adducts in human urinary bladder and other tissues.

Tobacco smoking is associated with an increased risk of cancer in a number of organs, including bladder and lung. Tobacco smoke contains at least 50 known chemical carcinogens that exert their biological effects through their covalent binding to cellular DNA. Examining human DNA for the presence of altered nucleotides is a means of monitoring exposure to genotoxic chemicals. DNA isolated from 73 human bladder biopsies has been analyzed by 32P-postlabeling for the presence of aromatic/hydrophobic adducts. Butanol extraction of DNA digests resulted in up to a 3-fold greater recovery of adducts than nuclease P1 digestion. Among 16 nonsmokers, adduct levels were in the range 3.2-20.8/10(8) nucleotides (mean 9.7). Eight ex-smokers had values in the range 2.6-12.3 (mean 7.1). Thirteen smokers had adduct levels between 1.3 and 26.7 adducts/10(8) nucleotides (mean 9.5, not different from nonsmokers). Six cigar smokers had higher levels of adducts (mean 12.1, range 7.3-15.0), but pipe smokers did not (five samples, mean 8.6, range 2.9-12.7). A further 8 samples from nonsmokers and 17 from smokers were examined in more detail. Although most of the DNA binding appears not to be smoking related, the levels of one adduct were found to be on average 2-fold higher in smokers (p < 0.005, one-tailed t test). Studies on tissues of the respiratory tract demonstrate a correlation between DNA adduct levels and exposure to tobacco smoke. Evidence to date on the influence of smoking on adducts in peripheral blood cells is equivocal; some studies demonstrate a significant effect, whereas others do not.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS