Influence of Morphological Characters on the Yield of Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) - A Statistical Approach

Discriminate Analysis was carried out to formulate the categorization rule for allocating the apricot tree to "High Yielder Group" and "Low Yielder Group". Factor Analysis method was also applied to extract the basic factors underlying the observed morphological characters of apricot for both the High and Low Yielder groups. The study brought out five basic factors explaining 69.35% of the total variation in the case of High Yielder population and six factors explaining 74.14% of the total variation in the case of Low Yielder population, respectively. The first factor in both the populations contains the same variables viz. stem girth, number of branches and leaf area which indicate that these variables play an appreciable/significant role in increasing the yield of apricot (21 % in the case of High Yielder and 16.33% in the case of Low Yielder population

Effect of Sintering Temperature on Structural and PiezoelectricProperties of PNN-PZT Ceramics

Sintering temperatures affect the structural and piezoelectric properties of PbNi1/3Nb2/3-PbZrO3-PbTiO3 system considerably; therefore the effect has been studied on mechano-chemicallyprocessed powder. This process involves activating mixed oxides of PbO, NiO, Nb2O5, ZrO2 andTiO2, and in the present study, calcination steps at an intermediate temperatures were skippedwhich are usually required in conventional solid state reaction methods and chemical routes.Single-phase formation was confirmed from XRD patterns which shows rhombohedral structureat higher sintering temperature. Investigations of the microstructure indicate almost linear increasein grain size from 0.98 m to 2.56  m when the sintering temperature was varied from 1050 oC to1150 °C. A high value of planar coupling factor (kp) = 67 per cent and piezoelectric charge coefficient(d 33 ~ 750 pm/V; (as determined from strain versus electric field curve at low field) were obtainedfor the ceramic specimens sintered at 1100 °C. The maximum strain was observed ~ 0.21 per centat 40 kV/cm applied field for the sample sintered at 1100 °C for 4 h

Evaluation of Epley’s manoeuvre efficacy in posterior semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Background: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most prevalent cause of peripheral vertigo in the outpatient department. Methods: After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 53 patients out of 96 who visited the outpatient department were included in this study. To rule out other disorders, pure tone audiometry, computed tomography etc were performed if needed. Epley's manoeuvre was performed, and the patient's response was noted. The manoeuvre was performed during weekly appointments, and the number of visits necessary by each patient was recorded. The patients were followed up for four months. Results: Mean age of the patients was 48 years. In this study, out of 53, there were 31 females (58.49%) and 22 males (41.50%). The female to male ratio was 1.4:1. All patients experienced positional vertigo, which was accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The right side was found to be more involved in our study than the left. Out of 53 patients, 23 patients (43.39 %) recovered in the first visit, 15 patients (28.30 %) recovered in second visit, 8 patients (15.09 %) recovered in the third visit and remaining 7 patients (13.20 %) recovered in fourth visit. All the patients recovered eventually. In 5 out of 53 cases, that is, in 9.43%, recurrence was seen with return of the BPPV symptoms. Conclusions: We concluded that majority of patients for whom Epley’s manoeuvre was done recovered after the first visit itself. Patients presenting with recurrence were less probably due to the shorter period of follow up

Interplay of fission modes in mass distribution of light actinide nuclei 225,227Pa

Fission-fragment mass distributions were measured for 225,227Pa nuclei formed in fusion reactions of 19F + 206, 208Pb around fusion barrier energies. Mass-angle correlations do not indicate any quasi-fission like events in this bombarding energy range. Mass distributions were fitted by Gaussian distribution and mass variance extracted. At below-barrier energies, the mass variance was found to increase with decrease in energy for both nuclei. Results from present work were compared with existing data for induced fission of 224, 226Th and 228U around barrier energies. Enhancement in mass variance of 225, 227Pa nuclei at below-barrier energies shows evidence for presence of asymmetric fission events mixed with symmetric fission events. This is in agreement with the results of mass distributions of nearby nuclei 224, 226Th and 228U where two-mode fission process was observed. Two-mode feature of fission arises due to the shell effects changing the landscape of the potential energy surfaces at low excitation energies. The excitation-energy dependence of the mass variance gives strong evidence for survival of microscopic shell effects in fission of light actinide nuclei 225, 227Pa with initial excitation energy ~30 - 50 MeV

Frequency of peripheral neuropathy in pre diabetics in sub Himalayan region: a cross sectional observational study

Background: Peripheral neuropathy in pre diabetics has been studied in various studies till now. Many are in support and many against. No data was available in any study using all three criteria i.e. impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance and HbA1C. Aim was to study the frequency of peripheral neuropathy in pre diabetics in a tertiary health care centre in sub Himalayan region.Methods: A 50 patients of prediabetes were enrolled for this study; preformed proforma was used to collect the information, data on examination and investigations. Then these patients were subjected to nerve conduction studies.Results: Out of total 50 pre diabetic patients 9(18%) were diagnosed having peripheral neuropathy. Maximum number of pre diabetic patients were (26) in the age group 46-55 years with mean age of 44.49 years ±7.01 (S.D.). 28 (56%) were males with a female to male ratio of 1:1.27. 20% patients had complaint of polyuria, 12% presented with polydipsia, 14% of total pre diabetic patients had paresthesia on history. 6% patients had impaired vibration and position sense on clinical examination. Out of total 9 patients having evidence of Peripheral Neuropathy 6 (66.66%) were meeting all three criteria for Prediabetes while 8 (88.88%) had IFG, 7 patients had IGT. 42% of the patients were fulfilling the criteria of metabolic syndrome. 28 had raised TGs and out of them 5 (17.8%) had peripheral neuropathy. Out of 24 obese patients, 4 (16.6%) had peripheral neuropathy. Out of 9 patients with peripheral neuropathy 66.66% patients were considered to be suffering with peripheral neuropathy on the basis of sensory symptoms and 33.33% were considered on the basis of impaired vibration and position sense on examination, one patient diagnosed on the basis of nerve conduction studies. 38% were in high risk group of developing T2DM in future as per Indian diabetes risk score. Mean compound motor action potential (CMAP) and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) were less in patients with peripheral neuropathy in comparison to patients without peripheral neuropathy.Conclusions: Peripheral neuropathy can occur in prediabetes though it is difficult to confirm it. Most common is small fiber neuropathy which can be diagnosed on the basis of history and examination. But by diagnosing it early in the course of prediabetes, morbidity and mortality secondary to neuropathy can be prevented

First report of collar rot caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa on calla lily (Zantedeschia elliottiana)

Collar rot of calla lily cultivated in Himachal Pradesh, India, was recorded during 2011–2013, and the pathogen causing the disease was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The disease occurred on roots, rhizomes and stems of host plants, causing severe rotting and breakage, and was predominant during the rainy season (June-August) each year. . This is the first record of Pseudomonas aeruginosa affecting calla lily worldwide

Inhibiting ACK1-mediated phosphorylation of C-terminal Src kinase counteracts prostate cancer immune checkpoint blockade resistance

Solid tumours are highly refractory to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies due to the functional impairment of effector T cells and their inefficient trafficking to tumours. T-cell activation is negatively regulated by C-terminal Src kinase (CSK); however, the exact mechanism remains unknown. Here we show that the conserved oncogenic tyrosine kinase Activated CDC42 kinase 1 (ACK1) is able to phosphorylate CSK at Tyrosine 18 (pY18), which enhances CSK function, constraining T-cell activation. Mice deficient in the Tnk2 gene encoding Ack1, are characterized by diminished CSK Y18-phosphorylation and spontaneous activation of CD

Liposomal amphotericin B for visceral leishmaniasis in human immunodeficiency virus-coinfected patients: 2-year treatment outcomes in Bihar, India

Reports on treatment outcomes of visceral leishmaniasis (VL)-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection in India are lacking. To our knowledge, none have studied the efficacy of liposomal amphotericin B in VL-HIV coinfection. We report the 2-year treatment outcomes of VL-HIV-coinfected patients treated with liposomal amphotericin B followed by combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) in Bihar, India