Effect of different shading intensities on growth and yield of cherry tomato

Cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicon var cerasiforme) is small size fruits, with a bright red colour resembling to cherry and becoming popular in the retail chains which are marketed at a premium price. The field experiment was conducted to study the effect of different (35, 50 and 75 per cent) shading intensities on growth and yield (qha-1 ) of cherry tomato. Significantly maximum yield was recorded in 35 per cent shading intensity and genotype Kalash Seeds Product (KSP)-113 (579.44 and 503.88 q ha-1 , respectively). Among the different shading intensities and genotypes, maximum plant height was observed in 75 per cent shading intensity and genotype KSP -113 at 30 days interval (74.70 and 60.95 cm, respectively). The minimum days to 50% flowering of cherry tomato were observed in cherry tomatoes grown under 35 per cent shading intensity (45.00 days) as compared to other shading intensities while minimum days to 50% flowering were observed in genotype KSP-113 (44.00 days). The maximum length of the cluster (9.58 cm), the weight of cluster (27.67 g), number of fruits per cluster (9.42) and number of pickings (11.67) were observed in 35 per cent shading intensities and in genotype KSP-113. The cultivation of KSP-113 genotype under 35 per cent shading intensity was found to be most sustainable for improving growth and yield of cherry tomato during the summer season

Risk Factors for Heart Failure 20-Year Population-Based Trends by Sex, Socioeconomic Status, and Ethnicity

Background: There are multiple risk factors for heart failure, but contemporary temporal trends according to sex, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity are unknown. Methods: Using a national UK general practice database linked to hospitalizations (1998-2017), 108 638 incident heart failure patients were identified. Differences in risk factors among patient groups adjusted for sociodemographic factors and age-adjusted temporal trends were investigated using logistic and linear regression. Results: Over time, a 5.3 year (95% CI, 5.2-5.5) age difference between men and women remained. Women had higher blood pressure, body mass index, and cholesterol than men (P<0.0001). Ischemic heart disease prevalence increased for all to 2006 before reducing in women by 0.5% per annum, reaching 42.7% (95% CI, 41.7-43.6), but not in men, remaining at 57.7% (95% CI, 56.9-58.6; interaction P=0.002). Diabetes mellitus prevalence increased more in men than in women (interaction P<0.0001). Age between the most deprived (74.6 years [95% CI, 74.1-75.1]) and most affluent (79.9 [95% CI, 79.6-80.2]) diverged (interaction P<0.0001), generating a 5-year gap. The most deprived had significantly higher annual increases in comorbidity numbers (+0.14 versus +0.11), body mass index (+0.14 versus +0.11 kg/m(2)), and lower smoking reductions (-1.2% versus -1.7%) than the most affluent. Ethnicity trend differences were insignificant, but South Asians were overall 6 years and the black group 9 years younger than whites. South Asians had more ischemic heart disease (+16.5% [95% CI, 14.3-18.6]), hypertension (+12.5% [95% CI, 10.5-14.3]), and diabetes mellitus (+24.3% [95% CI, 22.0-26.6]), and the black group had more hypertension (+12.3% [95% CI, 9.7-14.8]) and diabetes mellitus (+13.1% [95% CI, 10.1-16.0]) but lower ischemic heart disease (-10.6% [95% CI, -13.6 to -7.6]) than the white group. Conclusions: Population groups show distinct risk factor trend differences, indicating the need for contemporary tailored prevention programs

Science with an ngVLA: Resolving the Radio Complexity of EXor and FUor-type Systems with the ngVLA

Episodic accretion may be a common occurrence in the evolution of young pre-main sequence stars and has important implications for our understanding of star and planet formation. Many fundamental aspects of what drives the accretion physics, however, are still unknown. The ngVLA will be a key tool in understanding the nature of these events. The high spatial resolution, broad spectral coverage, and unprecedented sensitivity will allow for the detailed analysis of outburst systems. The proposed frequency range of the ngVLA allows for observations of the gas, dust, and non-thermal emission from the star and disk.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, To be published in the ASP Monograph Series, "Science with a Next-Generation VLA", ed. E. J. Murphy (ASP, San Francisco, CA

Advances in chemical and biological methods to identify microorganisms—from past to present

Fast detection and identification of microorganisms is a challenging and significant feature from industry to medicine. Standard approaches are known to be very time-consuming and labor-intensive (e.g., culture media and biochemical tests). Conversely, screening techniques demand a quick and low-cost grouping of bacterial/fungal isolates and current analysis call for broad reports of microorganisms, involving the application of molecular techniques (e.g., 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing based on polymerase chain reaction). The goal of this review is to present the past and the present methods of detection and identification of microorganisms, and to discuss their advantages and their limitations.C.F.R. would like to thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT–Portugal) for the C.F.R. for the project UID/EQU/00511/2019—Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology, and Energy—LEPABE funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) and N.M. for the Strategic project ref. UID/BIM/04293/2013 and “NORTE2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte” (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012)

Electrical, morphological and structural properties of RF magnetron sputtered Mo thin films for application in thin film photovoltaic solar cells

Molybdenum (Mo) thin films were deposited using radio frequency magnetron sputtering, for application as a metal back contact material in ‘‘substrate configuration’’ thin film solar cells. The variations of the electrical, morphological, and structural properties of the deposited films with sputtering pressure, sputtering power and post-deposition annealing were determined. The electrical conductivity of the Mo films was found to increase with decreasing sputtering pressure and increasing sputtering power. X-ray diffraction data showed that all the films had a (110) preferred orientation that became less pronounced at higher sputtering power while being relatively insensitive to process pressure. The lattice stress within the films changed from tensile to compressive with increasing sputtering power and the tensile stress increased with increasing sputtering pressure. The surface morphology of the films changed from pyramids to cigar-shaped grains for a sputtering power between 100 and 200 W, remaining largely unchanged at higher power. These grains were also observed to decrease in size with increasing sputtering pressure. Annealing the films was found to affect the resistivity and stress of the films. The resistivity increased due to the presence of residual oxygen and the stress changed from tensile to compressive. The annealing step was not found to affect the crystallisation and grain growth of the Mo films

In Vivo Evaluation of the Biocompatibility of Surface Modified Hemodialysis Polysulfone Hollow Fibers in Rat

Polysulfone (Psf) hollow fiber membranes (HFMs) have been widely used in blood purification but their biocompatibility remains a concern. To enhance their biocompatibility, Psf/TPGS (d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate) composite HFMs and 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) coated Psf HFMs have been prepared. They have been evaluated for in vivo biocompatibility and graft acceptance and compared with sham and commercial membranes by intra-peritoneal implantation in rats at day 7 and 21. Normal body weights, tissue formation and angiogenesis indicate acceptance of implants by the animals. Hematological observations show presence of post-surgical stress which subsides over time. Serum biochemistry results reveal normal organ function and elevated liver ALP levels at day 21. Histological studies exhibit fibroblast recruitment cells, angiogenesis and collagen deposition at the implant surface indicating new tissue formation. Immuno-histochemistry studies show non-activation of MHC molecules signifying biocompatibilty. Additionally, Psf/TPGS exhibit most favorable tissue response as compared with other HFMs making them the material of choice for HFM preparation for hemodialysis applications

On-farm evidence on breaking yield barriers through optimizing wheat cropping system in Indo Gangetic Plain

The wheat production in the food basket of South Asia has plateaued with threats of environmental sustainability and posing a serious challenge to future food security. For sustainable wheat production in conventional rice-wheat (CTRW) systems under changing climatic scenario, atwo-year on-farm study was conducted. We evaluated system optimization practices (SOP) of legume inclusion with CTR-zero-tillage (ZT) wheat-mungbean (CTR-ZTWMb) and direct seeded rice-ZT wheat-mungbean (DSR-ZTWMb) and triple ZT (raised bed) based futuristic systems of maize-wheat-mungbean (ZTMWMb) and soybean-wheat-mungbean (ZTSWMb). The global warming potential (GWP) of wheat production was significantly reduced by 811 kg CO2 eq/ha (783−861) in the SOP compared to CTRW. Moreover, the water usein wheat reduced by 85.9 and 85.2 ha-mm/ha in CTR-ZTWMb and DSR-ZTWMb with higher reduction in ZTMWMb and ZTSWMb by128.7 and 118.0 ha-mm/ha, respectively over CTRW. Similarly, the total weed density was reduced at 60 (39 and 52 %) and 90 (38 and 49 %) days after sowing with CTR-ZTWMb and DSR-ZTWMb over CTRW. However, the weed density reduction was lesser with ZTSWMb and ZTMWMb at 60 (3.0 and 23.6 %), and 90 (9.8 and 31.0 %) days after sowingcompared to the CTRW.The partial factor productivity (PFP) of NPK applied was 8.5–19.0 % higher under SOP over the CTRW. The use of non-renewable energy in wheat cultivation was reduced by 24.4–28.9 % with SOP over CTRW. The enhancement in wheat grain yield (7.4–11.8 %) and net returns (98–169 US$/ha) was also recorded with CTR-ZTWMb and DSR-ZTWMb and this gain in futuristic systems (ZTMWMb and ZTSWMb) was much higher in grain yield (17.2–21.0$/ha) over CTRW. The adoption of these SOPs on 1 million ha could produce 0.37–1.05 million t additional wheat over CTRW. The on-farm study evidenced thatwheat production with system optimization practices of legume inclusion and zero tillage are better alternatives to achieve higher productivity and profitability with a lesserenvironmental footprint in Indo-Gangetic Plains and similar agroecological regions