Response of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) and soil chemical properties to different amendment types in an ultisol

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of different organic manure on the growth and yield of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) at the teaching and research farm of the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria between April to August, 2016. Four treatments; control (T1), cattle dung + poultry manure + pig manure (T2), poultry manure + foliar blend (T3) and bacterial inoculant (T4) were laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Data were collected on growth (plant height, number of leaves, stem girth and leaf area) and yield parameters of okra plant. Results obtained from the research indicated that the growth and yield of okra was lowest in control (T1). These results further suggest that, the organic manure used in the study especially in a combined form (cattle dung + poultry manure + pig manure) positively influenced the agronomic performance of the okra plant. T2 increased okra plant height and, leaf area compared with the control. T3 recorded significantly higher number of leaves (7.188), compared with the control (3.375) whereas, fresh fruit weight from the various treatment plots were in the following order; T2 (79.15g) > T3 (53.58g) > T4 (22.53g) > T1 (20.24g). Although the nitrogen content of the soil was higher (21.33 g/kg) with T4, the highest fruit weight was obtained in T2 treated soils. It was also observed from the microbial analysis carried out on the soil samples obtained from the various plots that, soils with organic amendments (T2, T3 and T4) generally had higher microbial population, relative to control (T1). Based on the findings of this experiment, it could be deduced that cattle dung, poultry manure and pig manure promotes higher performance of okra. &nbsp

High-Field Magnetization of Doped Spin-Peierls System Cu_<1-x>Zn_xGeO_3(Research in High Magnetic Fields)

We measured magnetizations of doped spin-Peierls Cu_Zn_xGeO_3 with x=0, 0.005, 0.010 and 0.020 in order to study effects of impurities on a magnetic phase. A rapid change of the magnetization associated with a phase transition from dimerized to other phases is seen. The magnetization above 16 T shows weak x and temperature dependence. A critical field associated with the phase transition decreases with increasing x. Effects of impurities on the magnetic phase are weaker than on the dimerized phase. The soliton model is applicable to the magnetic phase

Vascular hyperpermeability in severe influenza

Multiorgan failure with vascular hyperpermeability is the final outcome in the progression of seasonal influenza virus pneumonia and influenza-associated encephalopathy, and it is also common in infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. However, the precise molecular mechanism by which influenza virus infection causes vascular endothelial cell hyperpermeability remains poorly defined. We investigated the mechanisms of hyperpermeability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells infected with influenza A virus (IAV)/Puerto Rico/8/34 (PR8) (H1N1). The levels of β-catenin, a key regulatory component of the vascular endothelial-cadherin cell adhesion complex, were markedly decreased during infection for 28 h, with increments of vascular hyperpermeability measured by transendothelial electrical resistance. Lactacystin (at 2 μM), a proteasome inhibitor, inhibited the decrease in β-catenin levels. Since the N-terminal phosphorylation of β-catenin by glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β is the initiation step of proteasome-dependent degradation, we examined the effects of GSK-3β suppression by RNA interference in endothelial cells. IAV-infection-induced β-catenin degradation was significantly inhibited in GSK-3β-knockdown cells, and transfection of cells with recombinant β-catenin significantly suppressed IAV-induced hyperpermeability. These findings suggest that IAV infection induces GSK-3β-mediated β-catenin degradation in the adherens junctional complexes and induces vascular hyperpermeability. The in vitro findings of β-catenin degradation and activation of GSK-3β after IAV infection were confirmed in lungs of mice infected with IAV PR8 during the course of infection from day 0 to day 6. These results suggest that GSK-3β-mediated β-catenin degradation in adherens junctions is one of the key mechanisms of vascular hyperpermeability in severe influenza

Vortex structure in dd-wave superconductors

Vortex structure of pure $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave superconductors is microscopically analyzed in the framework of the quasi-classical Eilenberger equations. Selfconsistent solution for the $d$-wave pair potential is obtained for the first time in the case of an isolated vortex. The vortex core structure, i.e., the pair potential, the supercurrent and the magnetic field, is found to be fourfold symmetric even in the case that the mixing of $s$-wave component is absent. The detailed temperature dependences of these quantities are calculated. The fourfold symmetry becomes clear when temperature is decreased. The local density of states is calculated for the selfconsistently obtained pair potential. From the results, we discuss the flow trajectory of the quasiparticles around a vortex, which is characteristic in the $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave superconductors. The experimental relevance of our results to high temperature superconductors is also given.Comment: 22 pages, RevTex, 23 figures available upon reques