Higher critical current density achieved in Bi-2223 High-Tc superconductors

AbstractBi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox (Bi-2223) were prepared using a solid state reaction method at different sintering times and temperatures. Structural phase identifications have been done using X-Ray analysis and refinement by Reitveld method which proves the coexistence of Bi-2223 and Bi-2212 phases. The critical transition temperature Tc and critical current density Jc values were measured using superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer (SQUID) and by the magneto-optics technique. A remarkable rapid decrease to the diamagnetic signal in the magnetization versus temperature M(T) at 110 K and Jc around 1.2 × 107 A/m2 at 5 K are confirmed for the Bi-2223 compound

Vegetative and reproductive growth of salt-stressed chickpea are carbon-limited: sucrose infusion at the reproductive stage improves salt tolerance

Reproductive processes of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) are particularly sensitive to salinity. We tested whether limited photoassimilate availability contributes to reproductive failure in salt-stressed chickpea. Rupali, a salt-sensitive genotype, was grown in aerated nutrient solution, either with non-saline (control) or 30mM NaCl treatment. At flowering, stems were either infused with sucrose solution (0.44M), water only or maintained without any infusion, for 75 d. The sucrose and water infusion treatments of non-saline plants had no effect on growth or yield, but photosynthesis declined in response to sucrose infusion. Salt stress reduced photosynthesis, decreased tissue sugars by 22-47%, and vegetative and reproductive growth were severely impaired. Sucrose infusion of salt-treated plants increased total sugars in stems, leaves and developing pods, to levels similar to those of non-saline plants. In salt-stressed plants, sucrose infusion increased dry mass (2.6-fold), pod numbers (3.8-fold), seed numbers (6.5-fold) and seed yield (10.4-fold), yet vegetative growth and reproductive failure were not rescued completely by sucrose infusion. Sucrose infusion partly rescued reproductive failure in chickpea by increasing vegetative growth enabling more flower production and by providing sucrose for pod and seed growth. We conclude that insuffcient assimilate availability limits yield in salt-stressed chickpea.The work was financially supported by the Australia–India Strategic Research Fund Grand Challenge Project (Project GCF010013) of the Australian Government Department of Industry. HAK received an Endeavour Postgraduate Award from the Australian Government and some operating funds from the School of Plant Biology at The University of Western Australia

Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals molecular regulation of salt tolerance in two contrasting chickpea genotypes

Salinity is a major abiotic stress that causes substantial agricultural losses worldwide. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important legume crop but is salt-sensitive. Previous physiological and genetic studies revealed the contrasting response of two desi chickpea varieties, salt-sensitive Rupali and salt-tolerant Genesis836, to salt stress. To understand the complex molecular regulation of salt tolerance mechanisms in these two chickpea genotypes, we examined the leaf transcriptome repertoire of Rupali and Genesis836 in control and salt-stressed conditions. Using linear models, we identified categories of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) describing the genotypic differences: salt-responsive DEGs in Rupali (1,604) and Genesis836 (1,751) with 907 and 1,054 DEGs unique to Rupali and Genesis836, respectively, salt responsive DEGs (3,376), genotype-dependent DEGs (4,170), and genotype-dependent salt-responsive DEGs (122). Functional DEG annotation revealed that the salt treatment affected genes involved in ion transport, osmotic adjustment, photosynthesis, energy generation, stress and hormone signalling, and regulatory pathways. Our results showed that while Genesis836 and Rupali have similar primary salt response mechanisms (common salt-responsive DEGs), their contrasting salt response is attributed to the differential expression of genes primarily involved in ion transport and photosynthesis. Interestingly, variant calling between the two genotypes identified SNPs/InDels in 768 Genesis836 and 701 Rupali salt-responsive DEGs with 1,741 variants identified in Genesis836 and 1,449 variants identified in Rupali. In addition, the presence of premature stop codons was detected in 35 genes in Rupali. This study provides valuable insights into the molecular regulation underpinning the physiological basis of salt tolerance in two chickpea genotypes and offers potential candidate genes for the improvement of salt tolerance in chickpeas

Reduction of cardiovascular risk in patients with metabolic syndrome in a community health center after a pharmaceutical care program of pharmacotherapy follow-up

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of a pharmaceutical care (PC) program in a sample of public outpatients with metabolic syndrome (MS) who were being treated in Brazil's health system; the patients were randomized into PC or standard care. The pharmacotherapy follow-up (PF) was performed in a total of 120 patients with type 2 diabetes for 6 months. Adherence to treatment (measured with the Morisky test), negative outcomes associated with medication (NOM) and anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured before and after PF. The Framingham scoring method was used to estimate changes in 10-year coronary heart disease risk scores in all patients. Ninety-six of 120 patients had characteristics of MS and were randomized into two groups (G): the control group (CG: 36) and the intervention group (IG: 38). Among the MS patients, 100% were taking a glucose-lowering drug; many were also taking anti-hypertensive drugs (CG: 72%; IG: 73%), and some patients were also taking hypolipemic drugs (CG: 12.0%; IG: 14.7%). Only 20.7% of the IG patients were considered adherent to their prescribed drugs. In the CG, an increase of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk (22±2 to 26±3; pO objetivo deste estudo foi o de determinar o impacto de um Programa de atenção Farmacêutica (AF) em uma amostra de pacientes ambulatoriais de Sistema Público de Saúde do Brasil portadores de Síndrome Metabólica, randomizados em AF ou atenção à saúde usual. Realizou-se o seguimento farmacoterapêutico com 120 pacientes com diabetes tipo 2 durante seis meses. Avaliou-se o nível de aderência ao tratamento (teste Morisky), resultados clínicos negativos associados a medicamentos (RNM), parâmetros bioquímicos e antropométricos, antes e após o seguimento. O método de Framingham foi usado para calcular as variações no risco de doenças coronarianas em 10 anos em todos os pacientes. Dos 120 pacientes, 96 tiveram características de SM e foram então randomizados em dois grupos (G): Controle (GC: 36) e Intervenção (GI: 38). Entre os pacientes com SM, 100% faziam uso de medicamentos para diminuir a glicose, anti-hipertensivos (GC: 72%; GI: 73%) e hipoglicemiantes (GC: 12.0%; GI: 14.7%). Apenas 20,7% do GI foram considerados aderentes aos fármacos prescritos. No GC foi observado aumento do risco de Doença Arterial Coronariana (DAC) (22±2 para 26±3; p<0,05), enquanto no GI foi observado redução (22±2 para 14±2%; p<0,01). O Programa de AF para pacientes com SM monitorados na atenção primária do Sistema de Saúde Pública brasileiro melhora o funcionamento do serviço resultando na melhoria clínica dos pacientes com redução do risco de doença cardiovascular em um período de dez anos

Foreign enterprises and marketing know-how transfer to developing countries The case of Egypt

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:D197650 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

PROENOFOS EFFECTS ON RABBIT PERFORMANCE AND THEIR AMELIORATION BY USING NATURAL CLAY MINERALS

[EN] Eighty New Zealand White male rabbits of 35 days of age, were used in the present study. The rabbits were randomly allotted to 8 groups with 10 animals in each. Four groups were fed diets contaminated with O, 0.658, 1.315, 2.630 mg proenofos/kg diet. The other four groups fed the same diets but supplemented with 5% natural clay (80% betonite). Rabbits fed with diet contaminated with proenofos (an organophosphorus insecticide) decreased feed intake, final live body weight (-22% for the highest leve!), daily gain, heamoglobin, serum total protein, albumin, SGPT and cholinesterase while mortality rate, SGOT, urea-N and creatinine increased. Feed conversion impaired with increasing pesticide level in rabbit diets. Proenofos residues in liver (3 to 7 ppm), kidney and muscle (0.4 to 0.7 ppm) significantly (P<0.001) increased with increasing pesticide level in rabbit diets. Proenofos residue in liver and kidney tissues and muscle decreased with 54.8, 50.3 and 40.0%, respectively, with clay supplementation in rabbit diets. Final live body weight, daily gain, serum albumin, and cholinesterase significantly increased by·the clay supplementation in pesticide contaminated diets, while blood urea-N significantly decreased. Heamoglobin, serum total protein, globulin, creatinine, transaminases (SGOT and SGPT) and carcass and noncarcass components were insignificantly affected by the interaction between proenofos contamination and clay addition. Supplemented natural clay in rabbit diets contaminated with proenofos decreased mortality rate (3.3% vs 16.7%; P=0.097) Feed conversion was improved with clay supplementation in contaminated rabbit diets[FR] Quatre vingt males néo-zélandais blancs, agés de 35 jours, ont été utilisés pour cette étude. Les lapins ont été répartis au hasard en 8 groupes de 10 animaux chacun. Quatre groupes ont rec;;u un aliment auquel a été ajouté O - 0,658 - 1,315 ou 2,630 mg /kg de proenofos, un insecticide organophosphoré. Les quatre autres groupes ont rec;;u les mémes aliments additionnés de 5% d'argile naturelle (80% de bentonite). Les lapins nourris avec les aliments contaminés par le proenofos ont eu une nette réduction de la consommation, du poids vif final (-22% pour le taux de proenofos le plus élevé), de la vitesse de croissance, des taux d'hémoglobine et de protéines sériques, d'albumine, de transaminases (SGPT), et de cholinestérase ; par centre le taux de mortalité, SGOT, l'urée et la créatinine sanguines ont augmenté. L'efficacité alimentaire a diminué avec l'accroissement du taux d'incorporation de proenofos. Les résidus de proenofos dans le foie (3 a 7 ppm), les reins et les muscles (0,4 a 0,7 ppm) a augmenté significativement (P<0,001) avec l'accroissement du taux de proenofos dans l'aliment. L'addition d'argile a diminué les résidus de proenofos dans le foie, les reins et les muscles de 54,8- 50,3 et 40,0 %, respectivement. L'addition d'argile naturelle dans les aliments contaminés par le proenofos a significativement augmenté le poids vif final, le gain de poids quotidien, les taux d'albumine et de cholinestérase tandis que !'albumine sérique a diminué significativement. Les taux d'hémoglobine, de protéines sériques totales, de globuline, de créatinine, de transaminases (SGOT et SGPT), le poids de la carcasse et des abats n'ont pas été significativement modifiés par l'addition d'argile. L'addition d'argile aux aliments contaminés par le proenofos a di minué le taux de mortalité (3.3% vs 16. 7%; P=0.097) et amélioré l'efficacité alimentaireAyyat, M.; Abd El-Monem, U.; El-Gendy, H.; El-Fateh Hammad, M. (2000). PROENOFOS EFFECTS ON RABBIT PERFORMANCE AND THEIR AMELIORATION BY USING NATURAL CLAY MINERALS. World Rabbit Science. doi:10.4995/wrs.2000.436SWORD08