Effects of combined application of phosphorus and sulfur fertilizers on agronomic traits and protein content of supplementary irrigated haricot bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) varieties in Raya Valley, Northern Ethiopia

Haricot bean is primarily grown in Ethiopia for human consumption and export earnings. A market demand for haricot bean, both in the domestic and export market, has triggered the production of haricot bean in selected areas of Ethiopia though its production is constrained by several factors such as poor soil fertility and erratic rainfall. This study was carried out to investigate the combined effect of phosphorus and sulfur fertilizers on yield, yield related traits and protein content of haricot bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) varieties at the research field of Mekoni Agricultural Research Center during 2016/17 cropping season. The experiment was laid out in split plot design where varieties were assigned to the main plots and fertilizer rates to the sub plots in three replications. Three phosphorus (P) rates (10, 20 and 30 kg ha-1) were combined with four sulfur (S) rates (15, 30, 45 and 60 kg ha-1) and applied in combination to Melka Awash-98 and Nasir varieties. Data on phenological, agronomic and quality traits were collected and determined. Partial budget analysis was carried out to assess the profitability of the applications. P-S fertilizer treatments were  significantly affected by varieties. Treatments were significantly affected by varieties and the imposed P and S rates. The interaction effect due to variety by fertilizer the two factors significantly affect days to flowering, plant height, hundred seed weight and protein content. Tallest plants, fewer days to flowering and maturity, many pods/plant, heavier seeds, higher grain yield ha-1 and better protein content were recorded where the fertilizer application rate was 20 kg ha-1P and 30 kg ha-1 S for both varieties. Grain yield ranged from 1520 to 3000 kg ha-1 depending on P-S fertilizer rates and varieties. Nasir variety seems to be superior over Melka Awash-98 for most traits except protein content. However, production of Melka Awash-98 under 20 kg ha-1P and 15 kg ha-1 S fertilization tend to be more economical as it resulted in highest net benefit return. Although not profitable, planting Melka Awash-98 using an application rate of 20 kg ha-1P and 30 kg ha-1 S could be suggested for use in the area to ensure earliness and high grain yield

How to reduce the number of rating scale items without predictability loss?

Rating scales are used to elicit data about qualitative entities (e.g., research collaboration). This study presents an innovative method for reducing the number of rating scale items without the predictability loss. The "area under the receiver operator curve method" (AUC ROC) is used. The presented method has reduced the number of rating scale items (variables) to 28.57\% (from 21 to 6) making over 70\% of collected data unnecessary. Results have been verified by two methods of analysis: Graded Response Model (GRM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). GRM revealed that the new method differentiates observations of high and middle scores. CFA proved that the reliability of the rating scale has not deteriorated by the scale item reduction. Both statistical analysis evidenced usefulness of the AUC ROC reduction method.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

Reversal of hepatorenal syndrome type 1 with terlipressin plus albumin vs. placebo plus albumin in a pooled analysis of the OT-0401 and REVERSE randomised clinical studies

Background The goal of hepatorenal syndrome type 1 (HRS-1) treatment is to improve renal function. Terlipressin, a synthetic vasopressin analogue, is a systemic vasoconstrictor used for the treatment of HRS-1, where it is available. Aim To compare the efficacy of terlipressin plus albumin vs. placebo plus albumin in patients with HRS-1. Methods Pooled patient-level data from two large phase 3, randomised, placebo-controlled studies were analysed for HRS reversal [serum creatinine (SCr) value ≤133 μmol/L], 90-day survival, need for renal replacement therapy and predictors of HRS reversal. Patients received intravenous terlipressin 1–2 mg every 6 hours plus albumin or placebo plus albumin up to 14 days. Results The pooled analysis comprised 308 patients (terlipressin: n = 153; placebo: n = 155). HRS reversal was significantly more frequent with terlipressin vs. placebo (27% vs. 14%; P = 0.004). Terlipressin was associated with a more significant improvement in renal function from baseline until end of treatment, with a mean between-group difference in SCr concentration of −53.0 μmol/L (P \u3c 0.0001). Lower SCr, lower mean arterial pressure and lower total bilirubin and absence of known precipitating factors for HRS were independent predictors of HRS reversal and longer survival in terlipressin-treated patients. Conclusions Terlipressin plus albumin resulted in a significantly higher rate of HRS reversal vs. albumin alone in patients with HRS-1. Terlipressin treatment is associated with improved renal function

Distorted cyclotron line profile in Cep X-4 as observed by NuSTAR

We present spectral analysis of NuSTAR and Swift observations of Cep X-4 during its outburst in 2014. We observed the source once during the peak of the outburst and once during the decay, finding good agreement in the spectral shape between the observations. We describe the continuum using a powerlaw with a Fermi-Dirac cutoff at high energies. Cep X-4 has a very strong cyclotron resonant scattering feature (CRSF) around 30 keV. A simple absorption-like line with a Gaussian optical depth or a pseudo-Lorentzian profile both fail to describe the shape of the CRSF accurately, leaving significant deviations at the red side of the line. We characterize this asymmetry with a second absorption feature around 19 keV. The line energy of the CRSF, which is not influenced by the addition of this feature, shows a small but significant positive luminosity dependence. With luminosities between (1-6)e36 erg/s, Cep X-4 is below the theoretical limit where such a correlation is expected. This behavior is similar to Vela X-1 and we discuss parallels between the two systems.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure, accepted for publication in ApJ letter

Assessing Soil Nutrient Additions through Different Composting Techniques in Northern Ethiopia

The use of vermi-compost in northern Ethiopia is not a common practice. It is, therefore, important to understand the possible impediments through studying its chemical and biological properties and its extra contribution compared to other composting techniques. Four compost types (vermi-compost, conventional compost, farmers’ compost and community nursery compost) with three replications were used in this study. The farmers’ and community nursery compost samples were collected from different places in Tigray; whereas, the vermi- and conventional composts were prepared at Mekelle University following a standard composting procedure. Six major composting materials were identified in the visited sites from farmers’ and community nursery foremen’s interview. These composting materials were also used for the vermi- and conventional composting. Twelve composite compost samples were taken for analysis of macro- and micro-nutrients. The results of the experiment showed that for all treatments, despite of having high content of total C (5.04 – 10.67%), the C/N ratio (12.19 – 12.22) was low. This suggests that as the C/N ratio is lower than the threshold (< 30), mineralization is faster, nutrients eventually become available and a large amount of N is lost. Soil pH, exchangeable Magnesium (ex.Mg), exchangeable Potassium (ex.P), available Phosphorus (ava.P), and Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) showed significant differences among the different composting techniques. Among the selected compost types, ex.Mg, ex.Ca and av.P were higher for vermi-compost. The lowest was recorded in community nursery compost. The use of vermi-compost is, therefore, very helpful in terms of providing beneficial soil nutrients as compared to other compost types.Keywords: Conventional compost, Vermi-compost, farmers’ compost, Nursery compost, Macro-nutrients, Micro-nutrients

Encapsulation of gold nanostructures and oil-in-water nanocarriers in microgels with biomedical potential

Indexación: Scopus.Funding: This research was funded by FONDECYT 1161450, 1150744, 11130494 and 1170929, FONDEQUIP EQM160157, EQM170111, CONICYT-FONDAP 15130011, and CONICYT PhD Scholarship 21141137.Here we report the incorporation of gold nanostructures (nanospheres or nanorods, functionalized with carboxylate-end PEG) and curcumin oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsions (CurNem) into alginate microgels using the dripping technique. While gold nanostructures are promising nanomaterials for photothermal therapy applications, CurNem possess important pharmacological activities as reported here. In this sense, we evaluated the effect of CurNem on cell viability of both cancerous and non-cancerous cell lines (AGS and HEK293T, respectively), demonstrating preferential toxicity in cancer cells and safety for the non-cancerous cells. After incorporating gold nanostructures and CurNem together into the microgels, microstructures with diameters of 220 and 540 µm were obtained. When stimulating microgels with a laser, the plasmon effect promoted a significant rise in the temperature of the medium; the temperature increase was higher for those containing gold nanorods (11–12 ◦ C) than nanospheres (1–2 ◦ C). Interestingly, the incorporation of both nanosystems in the microgels maintains the photothermal properties of the gold nanostructures unmodified and retains with high efficiency the curcumin nanocarriers. We conclude that these results will be of interest to design hydrogel formulations with therapeutic applications. © 2018 by the authors.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/23/5/120

The Association Between Abdominal Fat, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Clinical Markers of Metabolic Syndrome

Our purpose was to determine the association between abdominal fat and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on markers of metabolic syndrome (MetS) total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), glucose, and blood pressure. We conducted a retrospective study on 165 adults (108 men) in which correlations between waist girth (WG), CRF and blood variables were determined. The cohort was partitioned by gender into quartiles and again by WG and differences in markers of MetS were compared across quartiles by ANOVA and by ANCOVA to determine the influence of CRF. Males in the lowest WG quartile exhibited greater HDL-C and lower diastolic blood pressure vs. the highest quartile (p < 0.05). TG were lower in the lowest vs. the third and highest quartile (p < 0.05), and glucose was greater in the highest vs. the first and second quartiles (p < 0.05). Females in the second WG quartile exhibited higher HDL-C vs. the highest quartile, and TG, glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were lower in the lowest vs. the highest quartile (p < 0.05). After adjusting for CRF, diastolic blood pressure across WG in males were no longer significant, and    HLD-C and TG quartile differences were no longer significant in females. We confirm WG as an important correlate of clinical markers of MetS in adults. CRF mitigates relationships between WG and clinical markers of cardio-metabolic risk in men and women