Effect of endurance and strength training on muscular endurance of college men

The purpose of the present study was to find the effect of endurance and strength training on the muscular endurance of college men. For this purpose, forty-five men students studying of Annamalai University in the age group of 18 – 23 years were selected. They were divided into three equal groups, each group consisted of fifteen subjects, in which group – I underwent endurance training, group – II underwent strength training and group – III acted as a control group who did not participate in any special training. The training period for this study was three days in a week for eight weeks. Prior to and after the training period, the subjects were tested for muscular endurance. The result proved that endurance training displayed mild improvement but strength training elicited greater improvement in muscular endurance. It is concluded that strength training is more suitable for improving core strength than endurance training

Optimization and Scale-Up of Thiarubrine a Production From Hairy Root Cultures of Ambrosia Artemisiifolia.

Thiarubrine A (TA), a plant secondary metabolite synthesized by members of the family Asteraceae possesses antifungal and antiviral properties and is a potential pharmaceutical. The objective of the work was the optimization and scale-up of a bioprocess for the production of TA using hairy root cultures of Ambrosia artemisiifolia. At the inception of the work an established hairy root culture of the model system was used as inoculum in reactor experiments for the development of a protocol for the quantification of TA and in subsequent shake flask experiments to determine optimum culture conditions. TA accumulation closely paralleled growth and then decreased indicating TA degradation. Growth and TA accumulation decreased on increasing the temperature from 25\sp\circC to 30\sp\circC. No TA accumulation was observed in cultures exposed to light and this inhibitory effect was reversible. Elicitation, biotic and abiotic was studied as TA yield enhancement strategy using a statistical method. Biotic elicitation was done with Protomyces gravidus, a pathogen and Botrytis cinereae, a non pathogen of the model system and abiotic elicitation using vanadyl sulfate solution. In all the three cases stimulation of TA accumulation was observed. To obtain highly productive clones the root cultures were disorganized by the addition of phytohormones which facilitated somaclonal variation to provide a pool of variability. Hairy root clones were regenerated from the disorganized phase and a clone with thrice the productivity of the parent clone was achieved. Using the optimal culture conditions obtained, the cultures were scaled-up to a nine liter air sparged reactor with the inoculum concentration of root tips as the basis. Volumetric productivity of TA was of the same order of magnitude in the shake flask and the reactor. The results show that the inoculum concentration of root tips is a key parameter describing root growth and secondary metabolite accumulation at low biomass densities. Experiments performed in a shake flask indicated that manipulation of the inoculum concentration of root tips provides a way of manipulating the kinetics of root growth and TA accumulation early in the run

Paramagnetic magnetization signals and curious metastable behaviour in field-cooled magnetization of a single crystal of superconductor 2H-NbSe2

We present here some newer characteristics pertaining to paramagnetic Meissner effect like response in a single crystal of the low Tc superconducting compound 2H-NbSe2 via a detailed study of effects of perturbation on the field-cooled magnetization response. In the temperature range, where an anomalous paramagnetic magnetization occurs, the field-cooled magnetization response is found to be highly metastable: it displays a curious tendency to switch randomly from a given paramagnetic value to a diamagnetic or to a different paramagnetic value, when the system is perturbed by an impulse of an externally applied ac field. The new facets revealed in a single crystal of 2H-NbSe2 surprisingly bear a marked resemblance with the characteristics of magnetization behaviour anticipated for the giant vortex states with multiple flux quanta predicted to occur in mesoscopic-sized superconducting specimen and possible transitions amongst such states.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a leading cause of brain cancer-related death in children. These aggressive high-grade gliomas cannot be effectively treated and are associated with dismal prognosis. Whilst radiation therapy (RT) prolongs survival, it is a palliative therapy, as half of children with DIPG die within 1 year of diagnosis and almost all are dead by 2 years. These statistics have not changed for decades, despite a multitude of clinical trials. No chemotherapeutic regimen has been shown to improve survival, emphasizing the need to find novel and effective treatments. One of the principal reasons for this poor outcome was our limited knowledge of the biology of DIPG’s. Due to their location in brainstem, surgical resection is not feasible and up until recently, even performing a limited biopsy was considered too dangerous. In the last decade, DIPG tumor tissue has become available through autopsies and biopsies. This combined with the genome revolution has resulted in a transformation in our understanding of the underlying biology of this disease. Moreover, viable DIPG cells can now be grown in the laboratory which have allowed development of in-vitro (neurospheres) and in-vivo models (allograft and xenograft). This chapter summarizes recent advances in DIPG and potential novel therapies

Development of an Electro-Mechanical System to Identify & Map Adverse Soil Compaction Using GIS&GPS

A stand-alone electro-mechanical system with a 32-inch disc coulter was developed and tested to identify soil compaction in a 1-acre field located at the University of Kentucky Animal Research Center (UKARC). The system was evaluated by making four passes in the square grid cell. With the aid of hydraulic actuation, the coulter oscillated between depths of 100mm (4-in) and 330mm (13-in) as it moved forward and recorded the vertical impedance force given by the soil continuously. Forty standard soil cone penetrometer measurements along the diagonals to a depth of 400mm (16-in) were taken and the average cone indices (MPa) at different depths for the entire grid cell were compared to the average coulter indices (CuI(N/mm), defined as the penetration force divided by the perimeter of the coulter disc in contact with soil) at corresponding depths. Ten soil bulk density measurements were taken at depths of (100,150,200,250,300mm) per each grid cell and averaged. Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and coefficient of determination (r2) were found to be 0.716 and 0.51between CuI and CI respectively. The depth and spatial locations of maximum vertical impedance force and maximum CuI were determined

Development of an Electro-Mechanical System to Identify & Map Adverse Soil Compaction Using GIS&GPS

A stand-alone electro-mechanical system with a 32-inch disc coulter was developed and tested to identify soil compaction in a 1-acre field located at the University of Kentucky Animal Research Center (UKARC). The system was evaluated by making four passes in the square grid cell. With the aid of hydraulic actuation, the coulter oscillated between depths of 100mm (4-in) and 330mm (13-in) as it moved forward and recorded the vertical impedance force given by the soil continuously. Forty standard soil cone penetrometer measurements along the diagonals to a depth of 400mm (16-in) were taken and the average cone indices (MPa) at different depths for the entire grid cell were compared to the average coulter indices (CuI(N/mm), defined as the penetration force divided by the perimeter of the coulter disc in contact with soil) at corresponding depths. Ten soil bulk density measurements were taken at depths of (100,150,200,250,300mm) per each grid cell and averaged. Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and coefficient of determination (r2) were found to be 0.716 and 0.51between CuI and CI respectively. The depth and spatial locations of maximum vertical impedance force and maximum CuI were determined

Respiratory symptoms and cross-shift lung function in relation to cotton dust and endotoxin exposure in textile workers in Nepal: a cross-sectional study

Objectives: Inhalation of a cotton-based particulates has previously been associated with respiratory symptoms and impaired lung function. This study investigates the respiratory health of Nepalese textile workers in relation to dust and endotoxin exposure. Methods: A total of 938 individuals from four sectors (garment, carpet, weaving and recycling) of the textile industry in Kathmandu, Nepal completed a health questionnaire and performed spirometry. A subset (n=384) performed cross-shift spirometry. Personal exposure to inhalable dust and airborne endotoxin was measured during a full shift for 114 workers. Results: The overall prevalence of persistent cough, persistent phlegm, wheeze ever, breathlessness ever and chest tightness ever was 8.5%, 12.5%, 3.2%, 6.5% and 12.3%, respectively. Symptoms were most common among recyclers and least common among garment workers. Exposure to inhalable dust significantly predicted persistent cough and chest tightness. Exposure to endotoxin did not have any independent predictive effect. Significant cross-shift reduction in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were found (p<0.001 for both) being largest for FEV1 in the recyclers (−143 mL), and least in the garment workers (−38 mL; p=0.012). Exposure to inhalable dust predicted a cross-shift reduction in FEV1. Conclusions: This study is the first to investigate the respiratory health of Nepalese cotton workers. The measured association between inhalable dust exposure and reporting of respiratory symptoms and across-shift decrement in FEV1 and FVC indicates that improved dust control measures should be instituted, particularly in the recycling and carpet sectors. The possible role of other biologically active agents of cotton dust beyond endotoxin should be further explored

Character association and path analysis studies in germplasm lines of rabi sorghum (Sorghum bicolor(L.) Moench)

The field experiment was carried out using 121 germplasm lines of rabi sorghum to study association among the yield and its component traits, direct and indirect effects of traits on the yield. Association studies indicat-ed that at both genotypic and phenotypic levels, panicle width (rg=0.190; rp=0.204) and 1000 grain weight (rg=0.450; rp=0.520) showed significantly positive correlation with grain yield per plant. Genotypic correlation magnitude was higher than phenotypic correlation. Partitioning of yield and yield components both at phenotypic and genotypic levels into direct and indirect effects revealed that the characters that had positive direct effects on grain yield were 1000 grain weight (Ppi=+0.3085, Pgi=+0.4621), panicle length (Ppi=+0.1516, Pgi=+0.2843), days to maturity (Ppi=+0.1539, Pgi=+0.1391) at both genotypic and phenotypic level. On grain yield indicating importance of these characters hence, due consideration should be given to these characters while planning a breeding strategy by utilizing rabisorghum