Effect of fertilizer in controlling weeds under intercropping of pearl millet and red bean in Sistan region, Iran

This experiment was conducted at the Agriculture Research Center of Zabol University during 2007 cropping season. The experimental design was split plot, using randomized complete block design with three replications. The factors included were, main factors: unfertilized (F1), 100% fertilizer (F2), 100% manure (F3), 50% fertilizer + 50% manure (F4) and five sub factors: sole crop of millet (I1), 75% millet + 25% bean (I2), 50% millet + 50% bean (I3), 25% millet + 75% bean (I4) and sole crop of bean (I5). The plants were planted as replacement method. The results showed that the lowest dry matter for crops and total dry matter of weeds was achieved from 50% fertilizer + 50% manure treatment. Also, the highest total dry matter of millet and bean was obtained from this treatment. The highest dry matter of millet and bean was obtained from the sole crop of millet and bean. Further, the highest total dry matter of millet and bean was achieved from the intercropping treatments. The land equivalent ratio (LER) for most of the intercropping treatments was greater than one which indicated that intercropping had advantage over sole crop. Comparing the performance of sole crop and intercrop treatments, the results indicated that intercropping combinations were more advantageous in terms of weed control.Key words: Intercropping, pearl millet, red bean, weeds, land equivalent ratio, yield

Altered RECQ Helicase Expression in Sporadic Primary Colorectal Cancers

AbstractDeregulation of DNA repair enzymes occurs in cancers and may create a susceptibility to chemotherapy. Expression levels of DNA repair enzymes have been shown to predict the responsiveness of cancers to certain chemotherapeutic agents. The RECQ helicases repair damaged DNA including damage caused by topoisomerase I inhibitors, such as irinotecan. Altered expression levels of these enzymes in colorectal cancer (CRC) may influence the response of the cancers to irinotecan. Thus, we assessed RECQ helicase (WRN, BLM, RECQL, RECQL4, and RECQL5) expression in primary CRCs, matched normal colon, and CRC cell lines. We found that BLM and RECQL4 mRNA levels are significantly increased in CRC (P = .0011 and P < .0001, respectively), whereas RECQL and RECQL5 are significantly decreased (P = .0103 and P = .0029, respectively). RECQ helicase expression patterns varied between specific molecular subtypes of CRCs. The mRNA and protein expression of the majority of the RECQ helicases was closely correlated, suggesting that altered mRNA expression is the predominant mechanism for deregulated RECQ helicase expression. Immunohistochemistry localized the RECQ helicases to the nucleus. RECQ helicase expression is altered in CRC, suggesting that RECQ helicase expression has potential to identify CRCs that are susceptible to specific chemotherapeutic agents

Dimensions of Consistency in GSD: Social Factors, Structures and Interactions

Peer reviewe

Different forms of informal coercion in psychiatry: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to investigate how mental health professionals describe and reflect upon different forms of informal coercion. RESULTS: In a deductive qualitative content analysis of focus group interviews, several examples of persuasion, interpersonal leverage, inducements, and threats were found. Persuasion was sometimes described as being more like a negotiation. Some participants worried about that the use of interpersonal leverage and inducements risked to pass into blackmail in some situations. In a following inductive analysis, three more categories of informal coercion was found: cheating, using a disciplinary style and referring to rules and routines. Participants also described situations of coercion from other stakeholders: relatives and other authorities than psychiatry. The results indicate that informal coercion includes forms that are not obviously arranged in a hierarchy, and that its use is complex with a variety of pathways between different forms before treatment is accepted by the patient or compulsion is imposed

The Neuronal EGF-Related Gene Nell2 Interacts with Macf1 and Supports Survival of Retinal Ganglion Cells after Optic Nerve Injury

Nell2 is a neuron-specific protein containing six epidermal growth factor-like domains. We have identified Nell2 as a retinal ganglion cell (RGC)-expressed gene by comparing mRNA profiles of control and RGC-deficient rat retinas. The aim of this study was to analyze Nell2 expression in wild-type and optic nerve axotomized retinas and evaluate its potential role in RGCs. Nell2-positive in situ and immunohistochemical signals were localized to irregularly shaped cells in the ganglion cell layer (GCL) and colocalized with retrogradely-labeled RGCs. No Nell2-positive cells were detected in 2 weeks optic nerve transected (ONT) retinas characterized with approximately 90% RGC loss. RT-PCR analysis showed a dramatic decrease in the Nell2 mRNA level after ONT compared to the controls. Immunoblot analysis of the Nell2 expression in the retina revealed the presence of two proteins with approximate MW of 140 and 90 kDa representing glycosylated and non-glycosylated Nell2, respectively. Both products were almost undetectable in retinal protein extracts two weeks after ONT. Proteome analysis of Nell2-interacting proteins carried out with MALDI-TOF MS (MS) identified microtubule-actin crosslinking factor 1 (Macf1), known to be critical in CNS development. Strong Macf1 expression was observed in the inner plexiform layer and GCL where it was colocalizied with Thy-1 staining. Since Nell2 has been reported to increase neuronal survival of the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, we evaluated the effect of Nell2 overexpression on RGC survival. RGCs in the nasal retina were consistently more efficiently transfected than in other areas (49% vs. 13%; n = 5, p<0.05). In non-transfected or pEGFP-transfected ONT retinas, the loss of RGCs was approximately 90% compared to the untreated control. In the nasal region, Nell2 transfection led to the preservation of approximately 58% more cells damaged by axotomy compared to non-transfected (n = 5, p<0.01) or pEGFP-transfected controls (n = 5, p<0.01)

Measurement of the Bottom-Strange Meson Mixing Phase in the Full CDF Data Set

We report a measurement of the bottom-strange meson mixing phase \beta_s using the time evolution of B0_s -> J/\psi (->\mu+\mu-) \phi (-> K+ K-) decays in which the quark-flavor content of the bottom-strange meson is identified at production. This measurement uses the full data set of proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt(s)= 1.96 TeV collected by the Collider Detector experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron, corresponding to 9.6 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. We report confidence regions in the two-dimensional space of \beta_s and the B0_s decay-width difference \Delta\Gamma_s, and measure \beta_s in [-\pi/2, -1.51] U [-0.06, 0.30] U [1.26, \pi/2] at the 68% confidence level, in agreement with the standard model expectation. Assuming the standard model value of \beta_s, we also determine \Delta\Gamma_s = 0.068 +- 0.026 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps-1 and the mean B0_s lifetime, \tau_s = 1.528 +- 0.019 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps, which are consistent and competitive with determinations by other experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett 109, 171802 (2012

Diversity of geophilic dermatophytes species in the soils of iran; the significant preponderance of nannizzia fulva

A molecular epidemiology study was conducted between 2016 and 2017 by a network of collaborators from 12 provinces in the Islamic Republic of Iran. A total of 1484 soil samples from different habitats were screened for the presence of dermatophytes by using the hair baiting technique. The primary identification of isolates was carried out by amplification and MvaI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the internal transcribed spacers regions of ribosomal DNA (ITS-rDNA). The identifications, especially in the cases of isolates with unknown RFLP patterns, were confirmed by sequencing of the ITS-rDNA region. As a result, 256 isolates were recovered. The isolation rate was higher in soils with pH range 7.1–8.0, collected from animal habitats (n = 78; 34%) and parks and gardens (n = 75; 32%), geographically from Mazandaran Province (n = 115; 49.5%) and seasonally in the spring (n = 129; 50.4%), all of which were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The dermatophytes comprising five species of the two genera, viz., Nannizzia fulva (n = 214), N. gypsea (n = 34), Arthroderma quadrifidum (n = 5), A. gertleri (n = 2) and A. tuberculatum (n = 1), were isolated. The geophilic dermatophytes occurred in various soils from different parts of Iran; however, surprisingly, N. fulva emerged as the dominant species, outnumbering the common geophilic species of N. gypsea. For the definitive identification of soil inhabitant dermatophytes, DNA-based identification is strongly recommended

Evaluating mechanism and severity of injuries among trauma patients admitted to Sina Hospital, the National Trauma Registry of Iran

Purpose: Injuries are one of the leading causes of death and lead to a high social and financial burden. Injury patterns can vary significantly among different age groups and body regions. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between mechanism of injury, patient comorbidities and severity of injuries. Methods: The study included trauma patients from July 2016 to June 2018, who were admitted to Sina Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The inclusion criteria were all injured patients who had at least one of the following: hospital length of stay more than 24 h, death in hospital, and transfer from the intensive care unit of another hospital. Data collection was performed using the National Trauma Registry of Iran minimum dataset. Results: The most common injury mechanism was road traffic injuries (49.0), followed by falls (25.5). The mean age of those who fell was significantly higher in comparison with other mechanisms (p < 0.001). Severe extremity injuries occurred more often in the fall group than in the vehicle collision group (69.0 vs. 43.5, p < 0.001). Moreover, cases of severe multiple trauma were higher amongst vehicle collisions than injuries caused by falls (27.8 vs. 12.9, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Comparing falls with motor vehicle collisions, patients who fell were older and sustained more extremity injuries. Patients injured by motor vehicle collision were more likely to have sustained multiple trauma than those presenting with falls. Recognition of the relationship between mechanisms and consequences of injuries may lead to more effective interventions. © 2021 Chinese Medical Associatio