Media properties of different vermicompost and coir dust mixtures

In recent years, the demand for coir dust has increased as it is widely used as a growth medium in soilless culture. Since it is low in nutrients, when mixed with vermicompost, will provide a better growthmedium for plant establishment. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the properties ofdifferent verrnicornpost and coir dust mixtures. Tomato was used as the test plant and four differentmedia compositions were tested with and without nutrient supplement. Media properties includingchemical (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg levels, pH and Electrical conductivity [ECl) and physical properties(Bulk density, Field capacity and drying pattern) were measured in the time period.Nutrient levels, pH, EC, bulk density, and drying rates were found to be decreased and only fieldcapacity increased with increasing the proportion of coir dust. According to the result obtained,vermicompost alone can be used as a plant growth medium. But poor porosity and aeration ofvermicompost limit the root growth and lowered the water holding capacity. Therefore, medium with75% verrnicompost and 25% coil' dust is more suitable than vennicompost alone. Medium with 50%verrnicornpost and 50% coir dust has better physical properties, but nutrient level is not sufficient tosupport plant growth. Therefore nutrient supplement is needed to use it as growing medium.

Regulation of Plant Growth and Development: A Review From a Chromatin Remodeling Perspective

In eukaryotes, genetic material is packaged into a dynamic but stable nucleoprotein structure called chromatin. Post-translational modification of chromatin domains affects the expression of underlying genes and subsequently the identity of cells by conveying epigenetic information from mother to daughter cells. SWI/SNF chromatin remodelers are ATP-dependent complexes that modulate core histone protein polypeptides, incorporate variant histone species and modify nucleotides in DNA strands within the nucleosome. The present review discusses the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeler family, its classification and recent advancements. We also address the involvement of SWI/SNF remodelers in regulating vital plant growth and development processes such as meristem establishment and maintenance, cell differentiation, organ initiation, flower morphogenesis and flowering time regulation. Moreover, the role of chromatin remodelers in key phytohormone signaling pathways is also reviewed. The information provided in this review may prompt further debate and investigations aimed at understanding plant-specific epigenetic regulation mediated by chromatin remodeling under continuously varying plant growth conditions and global climate change

Development of a quality indicator set to measure and improve quality of ICU care in low- and middle-income countries

PURPOSE: To develop a set of actionable quality indicators for critical care suitable for use in low- or middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: A list of 84 candidate indicators compiled from a previous literature review and stakeholder recommendations were categorised into three domains (foundation, process, and quality impact). An expert panel (EP) representing stakeholders from critical care and allied specialties in multiple low-, middle-, and high-income countries was convened. In rounds one and two of the Delphi exercise, the EP appraised (Likert scale 1–5) each indicator for validity, feasibility; in round three sensitivity to change, and reliability were additionally appraised. Potential barriers and facilitators to implementation of the quality indicators were also reported in this round. Median score and interquartile range (IQR) were used to determine consensus; indicators with consensus disagreement (median < 4, IQR ≤ 1) were removed, and indicators with consensus agreement (median ≥ 4, IQR ≤ 1) or no consensus were retained. In round four, indicators were prioritised based on their ability to impact cost of care to the provider and recipient, staff well-being, patient safety, and patient-centred outcomes. RESULTS: Seventy-one experts from 30 countries (n = 45, 63%, representing critical care) selected 57 indicators to assess quality of care in intensive care unit (ICU) in LMICs: 16 foundation, 27 process, and 14 quality impact indicators after round three. Round 4 resulted in 14 prioritised indicators. Fifty-seven respondents reported barriers and facilitators, of which electronic registry-embedded data collection was the biggest perceived facilitator to implementation (n = 54/57, 95%) Concerns over burden of data collection (n = 53/57, 93%) and variations in definition (n = 45/57, 79%) were perceived as the greatest barrier to implementation. CONCLUSION: This consensus exercise provides a common set of indicators to support benchmarking and quality improvement programs for critical care populations in LMICs

Factors affecting construction safety management in Sri Lanka

Safety at work is an important fact at construction sites. The subject of safety attitudes and safety performance of both management and workers in the construction industry is even more so. In general, accidents at work occur either due to lack of knowledge or training, lack of supervision, lack of means to carry out the task safely or alternatively, due to an error of judgment, carelessness, laziness or total irresponsibility. The standards on quality of physical working conditions were developed based on the lessons accumulated on past accidents and are still based on the investigations and follow-up measures taken after accidents occurred at site. Thus the purpose of this paper is to explore the key factors affecting to Construction Safety Management and utilize the data to enhance the involvement of management to construction safety. The literature survey identifies the key factors affecting to the Construction Safety Management as a whole. To achieve the degree of significance of each factor affecting to the Construction Safety Management in Sri Lanka, a questionnaire was developed and sent to a random sample of top Sri Lankan construction companies. Relative Importance and the Mean Score were calculated to rank the key factors according to their importance. Through this method, it has been identified that the following factors like Management Commitment, Implementation of Safety Supervision Management Measures (Safety Meetings and Safety Training etc.), Project Nature, Jndividua, Involvement, and Economic Investment on Safety are mainly affecting to the Construction Safety Management. The final results enable how to enhance the safety performance of the management with greater involvement

An Efficient Agrobacterium Mediated Transformation of Pineapple with GFP-Tagged Protein Allows Easy, Non-Destructive Screening of Transgenic Pineapple Plants

Quite a few studies have been conducted to improve the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of pineapple, which is the second most important commercial tropical fruit crop worldwide. However, pineapple transformation remains challenging, due to technical difficulties, the lengthy regeneration process, and a high labor requirement. There have not been any studies specifically addressing the introduction of GFP-tagged genes into pineapples through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, which would enable easy, non-destructive expression detection. It would also allow expression localization at the organelle level, which is not possible with GUS a reporter gene that encodes &beta;-glucuronidase or a herbicide resistance reporter gene. Here, we report a method for the introduction of GFP-tagged genes into pineapples through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. We used embryonic calli for transformation, and plants were regenerated through somatic embryogenesis. In this study, we optimized the incubation time for Agrobacterium infection, the co-cultivation time, the hygromycin concentration for selection, and the callus growth conditions after selection. Our strategy reduced the time required to obtain transgenic plants from 7.6 months to 6.1 months. The expression of GFP-tagged AcWRKY28 was observed in the nuclei of transgenic pineapple root cells. This method allows easy, non-destructive expression detection of transgenic constructs at the organelle level. These findings on pineapple transformation will help accelerate pineapple molecular breeding efforts to introduce new desirable traits

Construction safety assessment framework for developing countries: A case study of Sri Lanka

Construction safety on project sites is of utmost importance due to the nature of the construction industry. However, it is usually a secondary concern in a market-driven society where the main concern is completing projects at the required quality with minimum time and cost. Thus, safety issues are considered only after an accident occurs at a construction site with follow up measures to improve working conditions, especially in developing countries. In Sri Lanka, according to the International Labour Organisation, one out of six accidents and 25 out of 40 deaths occur at construction sites due to negligence or carelessness. These statistics show that safety is not adequately considered in the Sri Lankan construction industry. Therefore, proper safety management in construction is of utmost importance; hence, this study aims to introduce a benchmark to measure construction safety through a proposed safety management assessment framework. Factors affecting construction safety performance were explored through a questionnaire survey conducted in Sri Lanka. The results suggest that a benchmark of construction safety should be considered across six dominant groups of factors: management commitment, management measures, implementation, project nature, individual involvement and economic investment. Management commitment is the most dominant factor that affects construction safety and consists of implementing organisational safety policies, assigning safety responsibilities at all levels, etc. The proposed management framework will facilitate a benchmarking process and initiatives for improving construction safety performance in developing countries

Assessment of Treatment Outcomes After Using Electrocautery and Scalpel Blade in Separate Patients for Minor Oral Surgical Procedure: A Randomised Controlled Clinical Trail

Context: Conventionally minor oral surgical treatments are&nbsp; done with the use of Bard Parker handle for incising the tissues. The favourability of B.P.&nbsp; handle is its low cost and no extra equipments. Electro surgery has many applications in oral surgery , but it is not widely used. The presence of varying information on electro surgical wound healing might be the reason. Aims: This study aimed to assess and compare the treatment outcomes in minor oral surgery done by electrocautery and scalpel blade using clinical parameters: Bleeding intraoperatively, Time taken for incision intraoperatively, Pain postoperatively, Healing of the surgical site postoperatively. Methods and Material: Sixty patients between age group ranging 15 to 65 years who reported to Dept of Oral &amp; Maxillofacial surgery, M.G.S. Dental college underwent electrosurgery or scalpel surgery for minor oral surgical procedures under local anaesthesia, were the study subjects. They were randomly and equally divided into two groups. Statistical analysis used: Mann Whitney U test