Evaluating Responses of Sugar Beet Cultivars to Fusarium Species in Greenhouse and Field Conditions

Fusarium yellows of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is becoming an important disease in Minnesota and North Dakota in the United States. One of the best ways to manage Fusarium yellows is to develop and use resistant cultivars. Responses of eight sugar beet cultivars to three Fusarium species were determined in the greenhouse and compared to the responses of the same eight cultivars grown in a field already infected by Fusarium yellows. There were significant and appreciable relationships between greenhouse and field studies for responses of eight sugar beet cultivars on Fusarium yellows. The estimated correlation coefficient for area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) between observations in fields and those in greenhouses was 0.987 (p<0.01). The mean AUDPC were significantly different among cultivars (p<0.01) in the greenhouse and in the field studies. Of the cultivars, Van der Have 46177 was the most susceptible, but Crystal R434 the most resistant. Crystal 820, Van der Have 66561, and Beta 4797R were resistant, and Beta 4818R, Seedex Magnum, and Hilleshog 2463Rz were moderately resistant. There was a strong negative relationship between the AUDPC and recoverable sucrose yield in the field experiments and the estimated coefficient of determination was 0.939 (p<0.01). It was concluded that greenhouse screening can act as a useful and reliable means to evaluate and select beet germplasms and/or accessions for resistance to Fusarium yellows.Peer reviewe

In vitro cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis by multiwalled carbon nanotubes in human peripheral lymphocytes: Correlation with physicochemical properties

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) consist of more than 80% of the current nanomaterials’ applications worldwide. Despite their wide application, little information is known concerning their impact on human health. The current study aims to identify the in vitro effects of exposure of the human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to MWCNTs and the possible associations with their physiochemical properties. Two doses (50 and 500 µg/ml) of four different commercially available MWCNTs (obtained from Frascati Laboratory, Sigma Co., Sun Nanotech Co. and Shenzhen Co.) were used in this study. Cell viability and apoptotic activity were evaluated by trypan blue exclusion test and Annexin-V/PI staining in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL). Physicochemical properties of the different MWCNTs were determined and correlated with the cytotoxicity results after exposure for 12 and 48 h. Results indicate that PBL exposed to MWCNTs showed decreased cell viability and increased apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The Pearson’s correlation test showed a lack of relationship between diameter of nanoparticles and their pro-apoptotic activity (r2= 0.282), whereas significant correlations were found between pro-apoptotic activity and the presence of some metal contaminants such as nickel, cobalt and gold (r2= 0.919, 0.698 and 0.520, respectively). Our results therefore suggest that carbon nanotubes at high concentrations lowered cell viability in vitro and induced apoptosis in human cells in vitro. In addition, the results indicate that metal contaminants in carbon nanotubes may be causative of some of the adverse outcomes observed. Finally, our finding provides important information on the biohazard potential of some carbon nanotubes in humans.Key words: Multiwalled, carbon, nanotubes, cytotoxicity, apoptosis, flow cytometry, viability,  lymphocytes

On realistic target coverage by autonomous drones

Low-cost mini-drones with advanced sensing and maneuverability enable a new class of intelligent sensing systems. To achieve the full potential of such drones, it is necessary to develop new enhanced formulations of both common and emerging sensing scenarios. Namely, several fundamental challenges in visual sensing are yet to be solved including (1) fitting sizable targets in camera frames; (2) positioning cameras at effective viewpoints matching target poses; and (3) accounting for occlusion by elements in the environment, including other targets. In this article, we introduce Argus, an autonomous system that utilizes drones to collect target information incrementally through a two-tier architecture. To tackle the stated challenges, Argus employs a novel geometric model that captures both target shapes and coverage constraints. Recognizing drones as the scarcest resource, Argus aims to minimize the number of drones required to cover a set of targets. We prove this problem is NP-hard, and even hard to approximate, before deriving a best-possible approximation algorithm along with a competitive sampling heuristic which runs up to 100× faster according to large-scale simulations. To test Argus in action, we demonstrate and analyze its performance on a prototype implementation. Finally, we present a number of extensions to accommodate more application requirements and highlight some open problems

(2Z)-2-(4-Methyl­phen­yl)-3-(2-naphth­yl)prop-2-enenitrile

In the title compound, C20H15N, the dihedral angle between the naphthalene and benzene rings is 60.30 (16)°. The crystal packing features very weak inter­molecular C—H⋯π inter­actions

Relative effects of different non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants on global thrombotic status in atrial fibrillation

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis GroupNon-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) reduce the risk of thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). There has been no head-to-head comparison of the effect of these agents on ex vivo thrombotic and thrombolytic status. Enhanced platelet reactivity and impaired endogenous thrombolysis are risk factors for recurrent thrombotic events. We aimed to assess the comparative effect of NOACs and warfarin using an ex vivo test of thrombosis and thrombolysis. Eighty patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular AF were tested before, and after being established on apixaban (n = 20), dabigatran (n = 20), rivaroxaban (n = 20), or warfarin (n = 20). Thrombotic status was assessed with the automated, point-of-care Global Thrombosis Test (GTT) that assesses both platelet reactivity and endogenous thrombolysis from native blood. The time taken to form an occlusive thrombus (occlusion time, OT) and the time required to restore flow through endogenous thrombolysis (lysis time, LT) were measured. All anticoagulants caused OT prolongation compared to baseline (apixaban 403 ± 102s vs. 496 ± 125s, p = 0.006; dabigatran 471 ± 106s vs. 656 ± 165s, p < 0.00001; rivaroxaban 381 ± 119s vs. 579 ± 158, p < 0.00001; warfarin 420 ± 145s vs. 604 ± 124s, p < 0.00001). Apixaban reduced LT from baseline (1895[1702-2167]s vs. 1435[347-1990]s; p = 0.006). A trend for LT reduction was seen with other NOACs (dabigatran 1594[1226-2069]s vs. 1539[561-2316]s, p = 0.499; rivaroxaban 2085[1366-2428]s vs. 1885[724-2420]s, p = 0.295) but not with warfarin (1490[1206-1960]s vs. 1776[1545-2334], p = 0.601). Our results suggest that NOACs and warfarin have a similar favorable effect on reducing platelet reactivity. All NOACs exhibited a trend toward enhancing endogenous thrombolytic status, although this was significant only for apixaban. This raises the possibility of using NOACs to enhance impaired endogenous fibrinolysis in patients at high-thrombotic risk.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

R11. Challenges and future directions of potential natural products leads against 2019-nCoV outbreak

Corresponding author (NCNPR): Mohamed A. Ibrahim, [email protected]://egrove.olemiss.edu/pharm_annual_posters/1010/thumbnail.jp

Analysis of mutual inductance and coupling factor of inductively coupled coils for wireless electricity

A basic analysis of inductive coils and its parameter calculations are presented. The simulations of mutual inductance, coupling factor calculations are demonstrated with graphical analysis. Three different lab-scale coil models such as square, circular and rectangular coils are wounded to evaluate the magnetic field by experiment, to validate the performance of Wireless Power System (WPT). In the open literature, circular coils are employed in most of the works, but few works have been reported in the parameter analysis. Further investigations on parameter exploration seems as a prerequisite for magnetic field measurement by estimating the parameters such as mutual inductance(M), coupling factor(k), magnetic flux(Φ) and magnetic field(B). It helps us to select the coils according to the applications. In this work, it is observed that circular performs well than other shaped coils in terms of parametrical analysis which are mentioned above. The simulation, and experimental results are tabulated as well as supported graphical plots are shown as proving circular coils performs well in the WPT scenario. Keywords: coupling factor, mutual inductance, magnetic field, inductive coils, wireless power transfer

A Comparative Study of Intrathecal Dexmedetomidine and Buprenorphine as Adjuvant to Bupivacaine in Spinal Anaesthesia

BACKGROUND: The supplementation of local anaesthetics with adjuvants to improve the efficacy of subarachnoid block has been recognised since long. The most preferred drug has been opioids, but newer drugs like dexmedetomidine has also been introduced and investigated as an effective adjuvant. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study was conducted to evaluate and compare the characteristics of subarachnoid blockade, hemodynamic stability and adverse effects of intrathecal buprenorphine and intrathecal dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine for lower abdominal surgeries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study included 60 patients aged between 18-60 years classified as American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status (PS) I/II scheduled for elective lower abdominal surgeries. The patients were randomly allotted into two groups namely Group BB and Group BD of 30 each. Patients in Group BB received 75μg of buprenorphine with 0.5% bupivacaine 15 mg intrathecally.Patients in Group BD received 5μg of dexmedetomidine with 0.5% bupivacaine 15 mg intrathecally. The onset time to peak sensory level, motor block, sedation, Haemodynamic variables, duration of motor block, analgesia and any adverse effects were noted. RESULT: There was no significant difference between groups regarding demographic characteristics and type of surgery. The motor, sensory blockade and time of rescue analgesia were significantly prolonged in Group BD compared to Group BB. The sedation level was higher in Group BD compared to Group BB. There was no significant difference in haemodynamic variables although Group BB had lower Heart Rate (HR) than Group BD. CONCLUSION: Intrathecal dexmedetomidine when compared to intrathecal buprenorphine causes prolonged anaesthesia, analgesia with better degree of sedation and reduced need of rescue analgesics