Prospecting for scarabid specific Bacillus thuringiensis crystal toxin cry8 gene in sugarcane ecosystem of Tamil Nadu, India

In the present study, we report the occurrence of cry8 positive isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in selected white grub, Holotrichia serrata F. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), endemic soils of sugarcane ecosystem and other places in Tamil Nadu. Out of the 66 soil samples collected and screened for white grub specific Bt, 74 isolates of the bacterium, all containing only spherical crystal toxin, were identified. PCR screening of these isolates with cry8 gene universal primer revealed six isolates to be positive. Further, the amplicon of a 370 bp band, amplified with another set of degenerate primer designed based on the conserved sequence of cry8 genes, was sequenced from four isolates. Multiple sequence alignment revealed the gene sequences to be the same for all the isolates. The present report of the availability of cry8 positive Bt isolates opens the avenue for controlling white grubs through transgenic research

A comparative study of the fracture union between long and short proximal femoral intramedullary nails antirotation in the treatment of intertrochanteric femur fractures in the elderly: a multicentric analysis

Background: The objective of the study was to compare the fracture union of long vs. short proximal femoral intramedullary nail antirotation (PFNA) in the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures in elderly patients who was more than 60 years old.Methods: A retrospective analysis of 170 cases of intertrochanteric fractures of the femur (AO type A1 and A2) in the elderly was conducted. There were 64 males (37.6%) and 106 females (62.3%) with the age of 60–90 (mean age 75) years. The general demographic data of patients, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, length of hospital stay, blood transfusion rate, anterior thigh pain, postoperative complications like periprosthetic fractures, infections were recorded.Results: The short nail group also had a significantly shorter operation time (41.5±15.3 minutes vs. 62.5±25.3 minutes, p=0.002) and lower rate of postoperative transfusion (31.3% vs. 58.7%, p=0.041). However the length of hospital stay showed no significant differences. After surgery in short group there were 03 cases of periprosthetic fracture with a total incidence of 03%, however there were none in long nail group. At the end of the follow-up, all patients achieved bony union. The average fracture union time of the long nail group was (8.5±3.2) months, and the short nail group was (7.8±4.7) months, revealing no significant differences (p=0.09).Conclusions: Both the proximal femoral intramedullary long and short nail fixation has a good result in the form of fracture union in treating intertrochanteric femur fractures in the elderly. They showed no significant difference in terms of fracture union, hospital stay, and postoperative complications. The incidence of periprosthetic fractures and anterior thigh pain was slightly high in short nail group. In short intramedullary nailing group there was obvious decrease in the intraoperative blood loss, operation time and postoperative blood transfusion

Exploring the Antimicrobial Potential of Phyllanthus emblica L. (Amla) using Molecular Docking Studies against Shrimp Pathogens

Vibriosis is a major problem in shrimp farm. Farmers indiscriminately use hormones, antibiotics, disinfectants and other chemicals in fish feed and culture water to protect their crops. E. coli and Aeromonas sp were highly predominant isolates. Herbs act as agents in aquaculture to control or reduce pathogen infections. The results of phytochemicals screening of fruit extract of Phyllanthus emblica showed the presence of various phytchemicals. Phyllanthus emblica extract shows anti-bacterial properties against biofilm producing shrimp pathogens. Among the 10 bacterial genera, E. coli and P.aeruginosa were highly suppressed. The extracts exhibited the bacteria growth inhibitory activity in a dose-dependent manner. The compound sitosterol has potent antibiofilm activity was showed by molecular docking, which revealed a significant binding energy and interaction (-8.4 Kcal/mol) between it and key biofilm-forming protein. Diving analysis was done using the chemical compounds found in GCMS analysis

Processing of aluminum-graphite particulate metal matrix composites by advanced shear technology

Copyright @ 2009 ASM International. This paper was published in Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance 18(9) and is made available as an electronic reprint with the permission of ASM International. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic or multiple reproduction, distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means, duplications of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of this paper are prohibited.To extend the possibilities of using aluminum/graphite composites as structural materials, a novel process is developed. The conventional methods often produce agglomerated structures exhibiting lower strength and ductility. To overcome the cohesive force of the agglomerates, a melt conditioned high-pressure die casting (MC-HPDC) process innovatively adapts the well-established, high-shear dispersive mixing action of a twin screw mechanism. The distribution of particles and properties of composites are quantitatively evaluated. The adopted rheo process significantly improved the distribution of the reinforcement in the matrix with a strong interfacial bond between the two. A good combination of improved ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and tensile elongation (e) is obtained compared with composites produced by conventional processes.EPSR

Cinnamon as a Potential Feed Additive: Beneficial Effects on Poultry Health and Production Performances – An Update

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, global poultry output increased from approximately 115 million tons in 2016 to around 136 million tons in 2023. Poultry production has increased significantly with the dramatic uptick in meat and egg demand. Feed accounts for between 65 and 70 percent of total production costs, making it the largest chicken industry expense. This is why it's important to maximize the transformation of poultry feed into feed with a high biological value while taking as many steps as possible to protect feed quality and reduce feed costs. The use of feed additives in poultry feed has recently gained popularity and has been essential to increase feed efficiency and growth rate, which typically leads to reduced costs. The meat's texture, consistency, and nutritional content are all improved, and its shelf life is lengthened as a bonus. Feed additives are a fantastic tool for boosting a poultry farm's bottom line. For example, cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) is often used as a traditional feed supplement. Rather than antibiotics, the poultry industry could benefit from using cinnamon as a natural antibiotic replacement, which would benefit animal welfare, consumer health, and the bottom line. The performance index, feed intake, FCE performance, and weight growth of poultry can all be improved by including cinnamon in the feed at varied concentrations. The digestive health and intestinal microbial population of hens are enhanced by a diet containing bioactive components of cinnamon. Cinnamon essential oils' popularity stems from their many valuable features, such as their ability to increase gastric enzyme synthesis and other biofunctional benefits. This review focuses on the possible advantages of cinnamon as a natural feed supplement for chickens, particularly about their intestinal microbiota, blood chemistry, nutrient absorption, gene expression, and immunology

Sensor-based precision nutrient and irrigation management enhances the physiological performance, water productivity, and yield of soybean under system of crop intensification

Sensor-based decision tools provide a quick assessment of nutritional and physiological health status of crop, thereby enhancing the crop productivity. Therefore, a 2-year field study was undertaken with precision nutrient and irrigation management under system of crop intensification (SCI) to understand the applicability of sensor-based decision tools in improving the physiological performance, water productivity, and seed yield of soybean crop. The experiment consisted of three irrigation regimes [I1: standard flood irrigation at 50% depletion of available soil moisture (DASM) (FI), I2: sprinkler irrigation at 80% ETC (crop evapo-transpiration) (Spr 80% ETC), and I3: sprinkler irrigation at 60% ETC (Spr 60% ETC)] assigned in main plots, with five precision nutrient management (PNM) practices{PNM1-[SCI protocol], PNM2-[RDF, recommended dose of fertilizer: basal dose incorporated (50% N, full dose of P and K)], PNM3-[RDF: basal dose point placement (BDP) (50% N, full dose of P and K)], PNM4-[75% RDF: BDP (50% N, full dose of P and K)] and PNM5-[50% RDF: BDP (50% N, full P and K)]} assigned in sub-plots using a split-plot design with three replications. The remaining 50% N was top-dressed through SPAD assistance for all the PNM practices. Results showed that the adoption of Spr 80% ETC resulted in an increment of 25.6%, 17.6%, 35.4%, and 17.5% in net-photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (Gs), and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), respectively, over FI. Among PNM plots, adoption of PNM3 resulted in a significant (p=0.05) improvement in photosynthetic characters like Pn (15.69 µ mol CO2 m−2 s−1), Tr (7.03 m mol H2O m−2 s−1), Gs (0.175 µmol CO2 mol−1 year−1), and Ci (271.7 mol H2O m2 s−1). Enhancement in SPAD (27% and 30%) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (42% and 52%) values were observed with nitrogen (N) top dressing through SPAD-guided nutrient management, helped enhance crop growth indices, coupled with better dry matter partitioning and interception of sunlight. Canopy temperature depression (CTD) in soybean reduced by 3.09–4.66°C due to adoption of sprinkler irrigation. Likewise, Spr 60% ETc recorded highest irrigation water productivity (1.08 kg ha−1 m−3). However, economic water productivity (27.5 INR ha−1 m−3) and water-use efficiency (7.6 kg ha−1 mm−1 day−1) of soybean got enhanced under Spr 80% ETc over conventional cultivation. Multiple correlation and PCA showed a positive correlation between physiological, growth, and yield parameters of soybean. Concurrently, the adoption of Spr 80% ETC with PNM3 recorded significantly higher grain yield (2.63 t ha−1) and biological yield (8.37 t ha−1) over other combinations. Thus, the performance of SCI protocols under sprinkler irrigation was found to be superior over conventional practices. Hence, integrating SCI with sensor-based precision nutrient and irrigation management could be a viable option for enhancing the crop productivity and enhance the resource-use efficiency in soybean under similar agro-ecological regions

Heterogeneous treatment effects of therapeutic-dose heparin in patients hospitalized for COVID-19

Importance Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of therapeutic-dose heparin in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 produced conflicting results, possibly due to heterogeneity of treatment effect (HTE) across individuals. Better understanding of HTE could facilitate individualized clinical decision-making. Objective To evaluate HTE of therapeutic-dose heparin for patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and to compare approaches to assessing HTE. Design, Setting, and Participants Exploratory analysis of a multiplatform adaptive RCT of therapeutic-dose heparin vs usual care pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis in 3320 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 enrolled in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia between April 2020 and January 2021. Heterogeneity of treatment effect was assessed 3 ways: using (1) conventional subgroup analyses of baseline characteristics, (2) a multivariable outcome prediction model (risk-based approach), and (3) a multivariable causal forest model (effect-based approach). Analyses primarily used bayesian statistics, consistent with the original trial. Exposures Participants were randomized to therapeutic-dose heparin or usual care pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis. Main Outcomes and Measures Organ support–free days, assigning a value of −1 to those who died in the hospital and the number of days free of cardiovascular or respiratory organ support up to day 21 for those who survived to hospital discharge; and hospital survival. Results Baseline demographic characteristics were similar between patients randomized to therapeutic-dose heparin or usual care (median age, 60 years; 38% female; 32% known non-White race; 45% Hispanic). In the overall multiplatform RCT population, therapeutic-dose heparin was not associated with an increase in organ support–free days (median value for the posterior distribution of the OR, 1.05; 95% credible interval, 0.91-1.22). In conventional subgroup analyses, the effect of therapeutic-dose heparin on organ support–free days differed between patients requiring organ support at baseline or not (median OR, 0.85 vs 1.30; posterior probability of difference in OR, 99.8%), between females and males (median OR, 0.87 vs 1.16; posterior probability of difference in OR, 96.4%), and between patients with lower body mass index (BMI 90% for all comparisons). In risk-based analysis, patients at lowest risk of poor outcome had the highest propensity for benefit from heparin (lowest risk decile: posterior probability of OR >1, 92%) while those at highest risk were most likely to be harmed (highest risk decile: posterior probability of OR <1, 87%). In effect-based analysis, a subset of patients identified at high risk of harm (P = .05 for difference in treatment effect) tended to have high BMI and were more likely to require organ support at baseline. Conclusions and Relevance Among patients hospitalized for COVID-19, the effect of therapeutic-dose heparin was heterogeneous. In all 3 approaches to assessing HTE, heparin was more likely to be beneficial in those who were less severely ill at presentation or had lower BMI and more likely to be harmful in sicker patients and those with higher BMI. The findings illustrate the importance of considering HTE in the design and analysis of RCTs. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT02735707, NCT04505774, NCT04359277, NCT0437258