Corn responses to nitrogen forms, ammonium/nitrate ratios and potassium in Iowa and Kenya

Nitrogen in soils occurs in both the organic and inorganic forms; but a crop absorbs and utilizes mainly the inorganic forms. Of these inorganic N forms only the nitrate (NO[subscript]3) and ammonium (NH[subscript]4) forms are absorbed. In humid and sub-humid regions, NO[subscript]3-N is lost from crop rooting zones by leaching and/or denitrification;Preserving fertilizer N in the NH[subscript]4 form may significantly decrease leaching and denitrification losses of applied N because NH[subscript]4-N is not easily leached and is not denitrified. However, ammonium nutrition may be harmful to a crop, especially when high amounts are used. There are, however, some indications that potassium (K) addition may prevent the injurious effect of NH[subscript]4 nutrition. There are also indications that utilization of mixtures of NH[subscript]4 and NO[subscript]3 forms of N compared to either form alone, results in an improvement in plant growth and higher yields;This study, therefore, was undertaken to determine whether NH[subscript]4-N supplied at a rate that is within economic reach of farmers is toxic or not and if it is, whether or not potassium addition could reduce the injurious effect of NH[subscript]4-N. Also evaluated were the effects of mixtures of NH[subscript]4-N and NO[subscript]3-N and various levels of NH[subscript]4-N with or without K addition on the yield and element composition of field grown corn;The study was in three parts. The first part evaluated the effect of the two forms of N (NH[subscript]4 and NO[subscript]3) with or without K addition on corn yield. In the second part, the effects of mixtures of NH[subscript]4 and NO[subscript]3 N in various NH[subscript]4:NO[subscript]3 combination ratios with or without K addition on corn yield were evaluated. The N rate used was 100 kg ha[superscript]-1 and the K rate was 50 kg ha[superscript]-1. In the third part, the effect of various levels of NH[subscript]4-N with or without K addition on corn yield was investigated. Rates used ranged from 0 to 150 kg ha[superscript]-1 for N and 0 to 50 kg ha[superscript]-1 for K for all soils except the Clarion series which received higher rates that ranged from 0 to 336 kg ha[superscript]-1 for both N and K. Experiments were conducted on: Typic Hapludolls (Clarion and Marshall series), Oxic Paleustalfs and Typic Paleudults soils;Corn yield was not negatively affected by NH[subscript]4-N or NO[subscript]3-N. In both Iowa and Kenya corn grown with NH[subscript]4-N produced higher grain yield than that grown with NO[subscript]3-N. Potassium addition appeared not to be needed;There was no specific NH[subscript]4:NO[subscript]3 combination ratio that was applicable to all the four soils used for high corn yield. Each soil type required a different NH[subscript]4:NO[subscript]3 ratio for higher corn yield;Corn yields increased with increasing levels of NH[subscript]4-N and a yield plateau was observed about 100 kg N ha[superscript]-1. Potassium addition did not change the corn yield plateau

Neural precursor cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells exhibit reduced susceptibility to infection with a neurotropic coronavirus.

The present study examines the susceptibility of mouse induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural precursor cells (iPSC-NPCs) to infection with the neurotropic JHM strain of mouse hepatitis virus (JHMV). Similar to NPCs derived from striatum of day 1 postnatal GFP-transgenic mice (GFP-NPCs), iPSC-derived NPCs (iPSC-NPCs) are able to differentiate into terminal neural cell types and express MHC class I and II in response to IFN-γ treatment. However, in contrast to postnatally-derived NPCs, iPSC-NPCs express low levels of carcinoembryonic antigen-cell adhesion molecule 1a (CEACAM1a), the surface receptor for JHMV, and are less susceptible to infection and virus-induced cytopathic effects. The relevance of this in terms of therapeutic application of NPCs resistant to viral infection is discussed

Prediction of Stock Values Based on Fuzzy Logic using Fundamental Analysis

Due to high fluctuations in the stock market, it is difficult to predict the future movement of stock prices. Many researchers have developed technical tools to predict future price based on past patterns. However, every stock has an Intrinsic value that do not depend on market price. The approach works through phases as Data Collection, Feature Processing and Learning. The stock value is produced by Dividend Discount Model. The quality and quantity factors of stocks are mapped through fuzzy logic. Different formulas based on fundamental strategies of stock valuation gives different resulting values, which imply different degrees of inference. General fuzzy IF-THEN rules are applied. The result of approach provides a guideline about actual value of stock. System gives emphasis on value rather than price which help Investors to take decision

THE EFFECTS OF COMPENSATION ON EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY A CASE STUDY OF KENYA LITERATURE BUREAU, SOUTH C NAIROBI

This study seeks to explore the effects of compensation on employee productivity with specific focus on Kenya Literature Bureau. The problem that the research seeks to address is the limited study done on how compensation affects the productivity of employees. The objective will be to investigate the effects of Compensation on employee Productivity, in Kenya Literature Bureau in Nairobi. The specific Objectives of the study will be: to evaluate the effects of direct financial compensation on employee productivity at KLB Nairobi, to determine the effects of indirect compensation on employee productivity at KLB Nairobi, to examine the effects of Non-financial compensation on employee productivity at KLB Nairobi. The findings of this study will assist KLB (South C) and other branches countrywide to formulate acceptable and better compensation strategies in order to enhance and increase employee motivation and uplifting their morale and have a positive attitude towards work hence high productivity which results to a high competitive advantage. The study will adopt a descriptive research design that will enable the use of questionnaires as research instruments. The target population consisted of one fifty (150) employees of Kenya Literature Bureau South c Nairobi. These will include management staff, support staff and subordinate staff in the establishment. Stratified proportionate random sampling was used to obtain a sample size of 45 respondents. The data will be analyzed using the qualitatively and quantitatively through the use of SPSS and then put on tables and figures. The research questions will be answered from the data analyzed where conclusion will be made and then recommendations. Data will be presented using pie charts, tables, graphs and figure

GPS-GSM based Vehicle Tracking System

Avoiding car theft is impossible but now finding your stolen car will be easier! You just need to install Real-Time Vehicle Tracking System with the GSM+GPS module hidden in your car, maybe in your trunk, in the glove compartment or under the spare tire. Then connect the GSM and GPS antenna and a SIM card, all of this powered with a battery and you are ready! If you want to locate your car open the lsquoSPYderrsquo App and request location, longitude and latitude at the moment. The lsquoSPYderrsquo app used this data to track the location on Google Maps. This system is programmed to recognize your number and only if it is correct it will send you this data. Thanks to this system you can track your car in real time

TESTBED IMPLEMENTATION OF ENERGY EFFICIENT MULTI ANTENNA SYSTEM AND ITS PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

With the recent development and requirement for high-speed wireless communications, the demand of energy has increased exponentially in order to support required quality of service (QoS). Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technique gaining more popularity in current communication network, since it provides advantages in terms of higher data rates and maximum capacity with the cost of more energy consumption. In this paper, QAM modulation scheme is analyzed as the best modulation scheme for the total energy required to transmit the given number of bits is reduced. A SDR testbed has been built to implement Almouti coded MIMO system using LABVIEW and Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) platform. The analysis was then extended to evaluate the energy consumption of the system where it was observed that by minimizing the transmission power the energy requirement of the system gets reduced. Then the system efficiency in terms of transmit power was evaluated using USRP. It has been observed that by adjusting carrier frequency transmit power of the system gets reduced up to 25%.Finally the performance of the system is evaluated by demonstrating the effect of transmission distance, symbol rate, spectral efficiency and circuit power on energy consumption of the system using LABVIEW math script

A mixed method multi-Country assessment of barriers to implementing pediatric inpatient care guidelines

Introduction: Accelerating progress in reducing child deaths is needed in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal child mortality target. This will require a focus on vulnerable children-including young children, those who are undernourished or with acute illnesses requiring hospitalization. Improving adherence to inpatient guidelines may be an important strategy to reduce child mortality, including among the most vulnerable. The aim of our assessment of nine sub-Saharan African and South Asian hospitals was to determine adherence to pediatric inpatient care recommendations, in addition to capacity for and barriers to implementation of guideline-adherent care prior to commencing the Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Cohort study. The CHAIN Cohort study aims to identify modifiable risk factors for poor inpatient and post discharge outcomes above and beyond implementation of guidelines.Methods: Hospital infrastructure, staffing, durable equipment, and consumable supplies such as medicines and laboratory reagents, were evaluated through observation and key informant interviews. Inpatient medical records of 2-23 month old children were assessed for adherence to national and international guidelines. The records of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were oversampled to reflect the CHAIN study population. Seven core adherence indicators were examined: oximetry and oxygen therapy, fluids, anemia diagnosis and transfusion, antibiotics, malaria testing and antimalarials, nutritional assessment and management, and HIV testing.Results: All sites had facilities and equipment necessary to implement care consistent with World Health Organization and national guidelines. However, stockouts of essential medicines and laboratory reagents were reported to be common at some sites, even though they were mostly present during the assessment visits. Doctor and nurse to patient ratios varied widely. We reviewed the notes of 261 children with admission diagnoses of sepsis (17), malaria (47), pneumonia (70), diarrhea (106), and SAM (119); 115 had multiple diagnoses. Adherence to oxygen therapy, antimalarial, and malnutrition refeeding guidelines was \u3e75%. Appropriate antimicrobials were prescribed for 75% of antibiotic-indicative conditions. However, 20/23 (87%) diarrhea and 20/27 (74%) malaria cases without a documented indication were prescribed antibiotics. Only 23/122 (19%) with hemoglobin levels meeting anemia criteria had recorded anemia diagnoses. HIV test results were infrequently documented even at hospitals with universal screening policies (66/173, 38%). Informants at all sites attributed inconsistent guideline implementation to inadequate staffing.Conclusion: Assessed hospitals had the infrastructure and equipment to implement guideline-consistent care. While fluids, appropriate antimalarials and antibiotics, and malnutrition refeeding adherence was comparable to published estimates from low- and high-resource settings, there were inconsistencies in implementation of some other recommendations. Stockouts of essential therapeutics and laboratory reagents were a noted barrier, but facility staff perceived inadequate human resources as the primary constraint to consistent guideline implementation

Promoting remyelination through cell transplantation therapies in a model of viral-induced neurodegenerative disease.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system (CNS) disease characterized by chronic neuroinflammation, demyelination, and axonal damage. Infiltration of activated lymphocytes and myeloid cells are thought to be primarily responsible for white matter damage and axonopathy. Several United States Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies exist that impede activated lymphocytes from entering the CNS thereby limiting new lesion formation in patients with relapse-remitting forms of MS. However, a significant challenge within the field of MS research is to develop effective and sustained therapies that allow for axonal protection and remyelination. In recent years, there has been increasing evidence that some kinds of stem cells and their derivatives seem to be able to mute neuroinflammation as well as promote remyelination and axonal integrity. Intracranial infection of mice with the neurotropic JHM strain of mouse hepatitis virus (JHMV) results in immune-mediated demyelination and axonopathy, making this an excellent model to interrogate the therapeutic potential of stem cell derivatives in evoking remyelination. This review provides a succinct overview of our recent findings using intraspinal injection of mouse CNS neural progenitor cells and human neural precursors into JHMV-infected mice. JHMV-infected mice receiving these cells display extensive remyelination associated with axonal sparing. In addition, we discuss possible mechanisms associated with sustained clinical recovery. Developmental Dynamics 248:43-52, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Familial Aggregation of High Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Levels in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients frequently have high circulating tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels. We explored circulating TNF-α levels in SLE families to determine whether high levels of TNF-α were clustered in a heritable pattern. We measured TNF-α in 242 SLE patients, 361 unaffected family members, 23 unaffected spouses of SLE patients, and 62 unrelated healthy controls. Familial correlations and relative recurrence risk rates for the high TNF-α trait were assessed. SLE-affected individuals had the highest TNF-α levels, and TNF-α was significantly higher in unaffected first degree relatives than healthy unrelated subjects (P=0.0025). No Mendelian patterns were observed, but 28.4% of unaffected first degree relatives of SLE patients had high TNF-α levels, resulting in a first degree relative recurrence risk of 4.48 (P=2.9×10-5). Interestingly, the median TNF-α value in spouses was similar to that of the first degree relatives. Concordance of the TNF-α trait (high versus low) in SLE patients and their spouses was strikingly high at 78.2%. These data support a role for TNF-α in SLE pathogenesis, and TNF-α levels may relate with heritable factors. The high degree of concordance in SLE patients and their spouses suggests that environmental factors may also play a role in the observed familial aggregation

Lhx2 Is Required for Patterning and Expansion of a Distinct Progenitor Cell Population Committed to Eye Development

Progenitor cells committed to eye development become specified in the prospective forebrain and develop subsequently into the optic vesicle and the optic cup. The optic vesicle induces formation of the lens placode in surface ectoderm from which the lens develops. Numerous transcription factors are involved in this process, including the eye-field transcription factors. However, many of these transcription factors also regulate the patterning of the anterior neural plate and their specific role in eye development is difficult to discern since eye-committed progenitor cells are poorly defined. By using a specific part of the Lhx2 promoter to regulate Cre recombinase expression in transgenic mice we have been able to define a distinct progenitor cell population in the forebrain solely committed to eye development. Conditional inactivation of Lhx2 in these progenitor cells causes an arrest in eye development at the stage when the optic vesicle induces lens placode formation in the surface ectoderm. The eye-committed progenitor cell population is present in the Lhx2−/− embryonic forebrain suggesting that commitment to eye development is Lhx2-independent. However, re-expression of Lhx2 in Lhx2−/− progenitor cells only promotes development of retinal pigment epithelium cells, indicating that Lhx2 promotes the acquisition of the oligopotent fate of these progenitor cells. This approach also allowed us to identify genes that distinguish Lhx2 function in eye development from that in the forebrain. Thus, we have defined a distinct progenitor cell population in the forebrain committed to eye development and identified genes linked to Lhx2's function in the expansion and patterning of these progenitor cells