Screening of antagonistic potential of Trichoderma species against seed-borne pathogenic fungi in seeds of Sorghum vulgare

Antagonistic activity of three species of Trichoderma and their isolates viz., T. viride,T. harzianum and T. hamatum against Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. terreus and Fusarium oxysporum of Sorghum vulgare was studied. In vitro studied were carried out in both dual culture technique and blotter test method. In dual culture technique the T. harzianum was most antagonistic ones to the seed-borne fungi followed by T. viride and T. hamatumin vitro condition. The result shows that maximum inhibition zone was created by T. harzianumagainst A. terreus, F. oxysporum, A. niger, A. Fumigatus and A. flavus. The less effective antagonistic activity in dual culture technique was recorded T. viride against all seed-borne fungi. T. harzianum antagonistic isolate as well as the commercial biocide was applied as seed treatment for controlling seed-borne mycoflora under Blotter test in vitro and Pot experiment in vivo conditions. It was observed that maximum seed germination and maximum shoot and root length recorded with A. flavus and T. harzianum combination in Pot experiment. Experiment shows, that T. harzianum antagonistic isolate was able to significant reduction in seed-borne mycoflora than T. virideand T. hamatum in Sorghum vulgare

A rat model against chemotherapy plus radiation-induced oral mucositis

AbstractObjectivesPresent study was aimed at developing an experimental model of oral mucositis in rats using a combination of chemotherapeutic agent and radiation.Study designFemale Wistar rats (150–200g) were divided into 3 groups (n=6). Rats in group 1 (normal control) and group 2 (mucositis control) were treated with vehicle. Rats in group 3 were treated with l-glutamine (1g/kg, p.o.; 15days) before and after mucositis induction. Oral mucositis was induced by busulfan (6mg/kg, p.o.; 4days) and the tongue exposed to infrared (IR) radiation of intensity 40mV/cm2 for 5 s on the 1st, 4th and 10th days of challenge using a tail flick apparatus. Parameters monitored were body weight, food intake, blood count and survival. Oral mucositis score (OMS) was recorded daily. Histological changes of the irradiated tongue were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining.ResultsBusulfan and IR radiation significantly reduced body weight and food intake of the mucositis control group as compared to normal control. Clear ulceration of the tongue reflected in the OMS. Histopathology of the tongue revealed intense lymphocytic infiltration, decreased thickness of squamous epithelial cell layer, decrease in number of blood vessels, and necrosis of cells along with pseudo-membrane formation in the mucositis control group. These findings suggested that oral mucositis was successfully induced and treatment with l-glutamine partially reversed these conditions.ConclusionOral mucositis was established successfully in rats by the combination of chemotherapeutic agent and IR radiation. This may be a useful model for screening drugs in the treatment of oral mucositis

Random field sampling for a simplified model of melt-blowing considering turbulent velocity fluctuations

In melt-blowing very thin liquid fiber jets are spun due to high-velocity air streams. In literature there is a clear, unsolved discrepancy between the measured and computed jet attenuation. In this paper we will verify numerically that the turbulent velocity fluctuations causing a random aerodynamic drag on the fiber jets -- that has been neglected so far -- are the crucial effect to close this gap. For this purpose, we model the velocity fluctuations as vector Gaussian random fields on top of a k-epsilon turbulence description and develop an efficient sampling procedure. Taking advantage of the special covariance structure the effort of the sampling is linear in the discretization and makes the realization possible

New System for the Acceleration of the Airflow in Wind Turbines

Background: This patent is based on the wind industry technology called Diffuser Augmented Wind Turbines (DAWTs). This technology consists of a horizontal axis wind turbine, which is housed inside a duct with diverging section in the direction of the free air stream. In this paper, a review of preceding patents related to this technology is carried out. Objective: This paper presents an innovative patent to improve the performance of horizontal axis wind turbines. In particular, this system is aimed at improving the performance of those turbines that otherwise might not be installed due to the low wind resource existing at certain locations. Methods: The most innovative elements of this patent are: (1) the semi-spherical grooves, which are mechanized on the surface of the two diffusers in order to guarantee a more energetic boundary layer; (2) the coaxial diffuser, which is located downwind following the first diffuser in order to increase the suction effect on the air mass close to the inlet; (3) the coaxial rings located around the first diffuser outlet, which are used to deflect the external airflow toward the turbine wake; and (4), the selforientating system to orientate the system by the prevailing wind direction. Results: An application of the patent for increasing the power generated by a horizontal axis wind turbine with three blades is presented. The patent is designed and its performance is evaluated by using a Computational Fluid Dynamics code. The numerical results show that this system rises the airflow going through the rotor of the turbine. Conclusion: The patented device is an original contribution aimed at enabling a more profitable installation of wind turbines in places where the wind resource is insufficient because of the wind shear caused both by the proximity of the earth and the obstacles on the earth surface.This work was supported by the OASIS Research Project that was cofinanced by CDTI (Spanish Science and Innovation Ministry) and developed with the Spanish companies: Iridium, OHL Concesiones, Abertis, Sice, Indra, Dragados, OHL, Geocisa, GMV, Asfaltos Augusta, Hidrofersa, Eipsa, PyG, CPS, AEC and Torre de Comares Arquitectos S.L and 16 research centres. The authors also acknowledge the partial funding with FEDER funds under the Research Project FC-15-GRUPIN14-004. Finally, we also thank Swanson Analysis Inc. for the use of ANSYS University Research programs as well as the Workbench simulation environment

Radiology in the Era of Value-Based Healthcare: A Multi-Society Expert Statement From the ACR, CAR, ESR, IS3R, RANZCR, and RSNA

Background: The Value-Based Healthcare (VBH) concept is designed to improve individual healthcare outcomes without increasing expenditure, and is increasingly being used to determine resourcing of and reimbursement for medical services. Radiology is a major contributor to patient and societal healthcare at many levels. Despite this, some VBH models do not acknowledge radiology’s central role; this may have future negative consequences for resource allocation. Methods, findings and interpretation: This multi-society paper, representing the views of Radiology Societies in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, describes the place of radiology in VBH models and the health-care value contributions of radiology. Potential steps to objectify and quantify the value contributed by radiology to healthcare are outlined

Viral nanomotors for packaging of dsDNA and dsRNA

While capsid proteins are assembled around single-stranded genomic DNA or RNA in rod-shaped viruses, the lengthy double-stranded genome of other viruses is packaged forcefully within a preformed protein shell. This entropically unfavourable DNA or RNA packaging is accomplished by an ATP-driven viral nanomotor, which is mainly composed of two components, the oligomerized channel and the packaging enzymes. This intriguing DNA or RNA packaging process has provoked interest among virologists, bacteriologists, biochemists, biophysicists, chemists, structural biologists and computational scientists alike, especially those interested in nanotechnology, nanomedicine, AAA+ family proteins, energy conversion, cell membrane transport, DNA or RNA replication and antiviral therapy. This review mainly focuses on the motors of double-stranded DNA viruses, but double-stranded RNA viral motors are also discussed due to interesting similarities. The novel and ingenious configuration of these nanomotors has inspired the development of biomimetics for nanodevices. Advances in structural and functional studies have increased our understanding of the molecular basis of biological movement to the point where we can begin thinking about possible applications of the viral DNA packaging motor in nanotechnology and medical applications