Effect of biofilmed biofertilizer on rice growth in the native soils of the component microbes

The haphazard application of synthetic chemicals in agriculture has led to loss of beneficial microbial communities leading to deteriorating soil productivity and environmental quality. Application of Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) is widely tested world over to overcome this problem and increasing productivity in different plant species has been demonstrated. Use of biofilmed biofertilizers (BFBFs) is speculated to be more beneficial than the use of monoculture PGPRs and it has been found that use of in vitro produced BFBFs could reduce the use of recommended chemical fertilizers by about 50% in certain crops which would be of great importance in terms of environmental health and economy. The aim of this study was to test the effect of an in vitro formulated BFBF on the growth and yield of rice in soils from which the component bacterium and fungus of BFBF were isolated. Rice variety BG 357 was grown in pots in a green house, in two paddy soils with different salinity levels from Ampara District in Sri Lanka. Five treatments namely 100% recommended chemical fertilizer, 50% recommended chemical fertilizer, 50% fertilizer with the BFBF, the BFBF alone and the control with no fertilizer or BFBF were applied. Growth and yield parameters were recorded at harvest and analysed statistically. The BFBF did not have any effect on plant growth although it significantly improved the seed germination and seedling vigour index in a germination assay. The less saline soil had a significantly higher shoot growth compared to high saline soil and the root growth was vice versa although the total dry weight did not differ. The filled grain dry weight was higher in the less saline soil although the soil type did not affect the 1000 grain weight or filled grain percentage. The 50% chemical fertilizer applied with BFBF improved the filled grain percentage, filled grain dry weight and 1000 grain weight significantly compared to the 50% chemical fertilizer alone treatment and this effect though not significant at 5% probability level, was higher than the 100% chemical fertilizer application regardless of the soil type. Similar effects have been reported with different plant species including rice and further studies need to be carried out under field conditions

Effect of four bio film formulations on rice seed germination and seedling growth

Biofilms are consortia formed by different microbes of which the members are physically and metabolically interdependent and the consortia harbor properties distinct from those of their single components and thus have various applications including improved agricultural productivity. Beneficial biofilms can be developed in vitro and be used as biofertilizers called biofilmedbiofertilizers (BFBFs).Objective of this study was to formulate an effective BFBF formulation for rice. Seven bacterial species isolated from two different paddy soils (coastal and inland) were grown separately in association with a fungus. Four of these two-membered cultures selected as potential biofilm formulations based on forming intimate association, plant growth substance production and Nrfixing ability were tested for the impact on rice seed germination and seedling growth. The percentage seed germination and seedling vigour index of seeds treated with the above four biofilm formulations were significantly higher than the control indicating the potential of these formulations to be used as biofertilisers for rice and thus will be further tested

Building Knowledge across Language Systems: The Role of Audio and Visual Supports in Bilingual Learning through Self-Derivation

Children who enter the US education system as emerging bilinguals (or English Learners) show significant gaps in test scores and graduation rates compared to their English monolingual peers. Dual-language education programs may provide an instructional context that capitalizes on emerging bilingual children’s strengths and supports their academic performance while they acquire English. However, prior research has shown that integrating semantic knowledge across language systems poses a challenge. Supports may mitigate these challenges. Thus, across two studies, we examined instructional practices that may facilitate the integration of academic content across English and Spanish in elementary-age children enrolled in dual-language education programs. In Study 1, we examined whether facts presented through reading-while-listening or children’s silent self-paced reading more effectively supported learning the facts and subsequent integration for dual-language students in grades 3 and 4 (n = 56; Mage = 9.54 years). In Study 2, we examined whether combining graphics with text was more effective in supporting fact learning and cross-language integration compared to facts presented as text alone in dual-language students in grades 4 and 5 (n = 67; Mage = 10.48 years). Overall, the studies replicate the benefits of reading-while-listening and graphics for learning directly taught facts, but underscore the difficulty in integrating semantic knowledge across lessons and languages

Relationship between knowledge and treatment satisfaction with psychological well-being among haemodialysis patients: a single center study

Background: Haemodialysis (HD) patients are subjected to bio-psychosocial stress in many ways even after successful hemodialysis session. Therefore, this study was designed to survey on relationship between knowledge and treatment satisfaction with psychological well-being among haemodialysis patients.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 100 HD patients who were referred to emergency dialysis unit, nephrology and transplant unit, National Hospital, Kandy during the year 2019. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire.Results: Mean age of this study group was 45.17 (13.6) years; two dominant etiologies of chronic renal failure were diabetic nephropathy and hypertension accounting for nearly 61% of the study population. Only 19% of patients presented with emotional suffering and 40% of patients worried about their disease condition. However, majority of the patients satisfied with nursing care and nurses’ co-operation while they are on HD treatment. Moreover, they confirmed nurses’ co-operation helped to reduce their stress level. Further, knowledge on HD compliance (p=0.000), satisfaction on nursing staff attitudes (p=0.001), satisfaction on nursing staff concern about the health issues (p=0.001) and worrying about the kidney disease condition (p=0.000) had statistically significant association with mental stress in this study cohort.Conclusions: The topic of stressors is very important among patients receiving dialysis, as these affect their psycho-social and physiological wellbeing. Thus, health care team is playing an important role in providing patients with effective psycho-social and physiological support

VALUE ADDITION TO BIODIVERSITY PRODUCTS FOR BIOPROSPECTING AND BENEFIT SHARING

Sri Lanka has been identified as a biodiversity hotspot in the world. This is because of her richdiversity at genes, species and ecosj stem levels and unprecedented rate of loss ofSuch biodiversity. Sharing of benefits and increase in the recognized value of resources havebeen considered as one of the most effective pathways to foster conservation and utilization ofbiodiversity. Bioprospecting is searching for new genes, species and lor products for utilization,which has been practiced for centuries in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. However, to reach theoptimum benefit of bioprospecting and benefit sharing, it is essential to understand the valueaddition processes to biodiversity products. Value addition is considered as a step taken toincrease the value of a raw product any time between the harvesting and sale of the finalproduct. Value added products not only offer a higher return, but also open new markets, createbrand recognition and add variety. Value addition to biodiversity products can be rewarding andbenefits accrue from matching under-utili sed resources with potential marketsThe objectives of this study were to explore different value addition pathways of biodiversityproducts and identify sharing of benefits in each value addition process using Exacumtrinervium (binara), Salacia reticulate (kotalahimbutu), Munronia pinnata (binkohomba),Santalum a/bum (suduhandun) and Coscinium fenestratum (venival gata). Information wascollected from personal communication (indigenous knowledge), literature survey and brainstorming discussions.Potential value addition pathways were identified for all species. Sharing of benefits occursthroughout the value addition processes, although magnitude of sharing between different stepsvaries with species. In majority of species higher level of benefits is received by middlemanwhere as inM pinnata, collectors share high level of benefits. Results of the study also revealedthat there are no benefits provided in return to the area of conservation, which is a key factor ofdetermining sustainability of conservation. Implications of understanding of value additionprocesses of biodiversity prospecting, requirements of establishment of national legislation onbiodiversity prospecting, value addition and benefit sharing, and development of procedures andinstitutional capacities to implement such legislation are also discussed in this paper

Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor type D antagonism improves portal hypertension in cirrhotic rats

Splanchnic vasodilatation contributes to the development and aggravation of portal hypertension (PHT). We previously demonstrated that in cirrhosis, angiotensin‐ mediates splanchnic vasodilatation through the Mas receptor (MasR). In this study, we investigated whether the recently characterized second receptor for angiotensin‐(1–7), Mas‐related G protein‐coupled receptor type D (MrgD), contributes to splanchnic vasodilatation in cirrhotic and noncirrhotic PHT. Splanchnic vascular hemodynamic and portal pressure were determined in two rat models of cirrhotic PHT and a rat model with noncirrhotic PHT, treated with either MrgD blocker D‐Pro(7)‐Ang‐(1‐7) (D‐Pro) or MasR blocker A779. Gene and protein expression of MrgD and MasR were measured in splanchnic vessels and livers of cirrhotic and healthy rats and in patients with cirrhosis and healthy subjects. Mesenteric resistance vessels isolated from cirrhotic rats were used in myographs to study their vasodilatory properties. MrgD was up‐regulated in cirrhotic splanchnic vessels but not in the liver. In cirrhotic rats, treatment with D‐Pro but not A779 completely restored splanchnic vascular resistance to a healthy level, resulting in a 33% reduction in portal pressure. Mesenteric vessels pretreated with D‐Pro but not with A779 failed to relax in response to acetylcholine. There was no splanchnic vascular MrgD or MasR up‐regulation in noncirrhotic PHT; thus, receptor blockers had no effect on splanchnic hemodynamics. Conclusion: MrgD plays a major role in the development of cirrhotic PHT and is a promising target for the development of novel therapies to treat PHT in cirrhosis. Moreover, neither MrgD nor MasR contributes to noncirrhotic PHT

Isolation of Flow and Nonflow Correlations by Two- and Four-Particle Cumulant Measurements of Azimuthal Harmonics in sNN=\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}} = 200 GeV Au+Au Collisions

A data-driven method was applied to measurements of Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}} =$ 200 GeV made with the STAR detector at RHIC to isolate pseudorapidity distance $\Delta\eta$-dependent and $\Delta\eta$-independent correlations by using two- and four-particle azimuthal cumulant measurements. We identified a component of the correlation that is $\Delta\eta$-independent, which is likely dominated by anisotropic flow and flow fluctuations. It was also found to be independent of $\eta$ within the measured range of pseudorapidity $|\eta|<1$. The relative flow fluctuation was found to be $34\% \pm 2\% (stat.) \pm 3\% (sys.)$ for particles of transverse momentum $p_{T}$ less than $2$ GeV/$c$. The $\Delta\eta$-dependent part may be attributed to nonflow correlations, and is found to be $5\% \pm 2\% (sys.)$ relative to the flow of the measured second harmonic cumulant at $|\Delta\eta| > 0.7$