The influence of triadimenol on banana cultivars Basrai and Williams under in vitro culture

Triadimenol is a systemic fungicide with protective, curative and eradicant action. It is highly effective in controlling a variety of economically important pathogenic fungal caused diseases on plant. This study was conducted to investigate the influence of triadimenol on in vitro culture of banana cultivars Basrai and Williams. The effects of systemic triadimenol were tested on the shoot-tip explants. Explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal solid medium supplemented with 5 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) or 1 mg/l indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and different concentration of triadimenol. Results showed the viability of both banana cultivars were decreased as well as triadimenol concentration increased. Most of shoot-tip explants died at the lethal concentration (60 mg/l) of triadimenol. The shoot-tip proliferation, the number and length of lateral buds and efficiency of root system formation were decreased as the triadimenol concentrations increased. The sub-lethal concentration (50 mg/l) of triadimenol affected the photosynthetic pigments such as ChI a, ChI b and carotenoids contents and a variation in the number and stain intensity of the polypeptides compared with control ones was exhibited. Triadimenol (50 mg/l) treated shoots also showed dramatic decreasing in the Δ5 sterols; sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol content. This study demonstrated that triazole fungicide triadimenol has a similar inhibitory effect on the growth and development of the two banana cultivars Basrai and Williams

Waste Recycling for the Eco-friendly Input Use Efficiency in Agriculture and Livestock Feeding

he increasing competition for available resources and inefficient use of those limited resources necessitates the need to improve the use of available resources. If these inefficacies are not corrected, the resource-poor farmers, mainly living in developing countries will be most affected. Yet these resource farmers contribute immensely for food production in developing countries. Smallholder farmers must be proactive and learn to adopt new strategies that can assist them in continuing farming with maximum use of limited agricultural resources and even wastes in agriculture. Several methods are available to improve the use of agricultural wastes, including non-agronomic benefits. Furthermore, we suggest the integration of waste resources, such as from both the trilogy of human– animal–crop wastes. Similarly, inexpensive techniques are encouraged among the farmers, including composting and vermicomposting of human–crop–animal wastes and/or slaughterhouse/abattoir wastes, biocharing of crop and animal wastes as various means of recycling/recovering nutrients in the soil system. Furthermore, the deployment of fungi could also improve the resource use efficiency through mushroom growth and sales, crop residue fermentation to enhance its feed value. Livestock farmers facing nutritional problems can apply microbes through fermentation to reduce antinutritional factors (lignin, tannins) in plants, and improve the safety of kitchen and dairy waste before feeding. Alternatively, farmers are encouraged to raise micro livestock (rabbits, snails, and grasscutters) on their farm to improve the use of resources. On a large scale, nitrogen and phosphorus recovery from cow urine, slurry, human feces, and fermentation of phytate rich plants with phytate on industrial scales is recommended. This chapter aims to provide insight into the methods by which farmers and industries, especially those in developing countries, can improve their available resources for agricuture and as livestock feeds

The Average Kinetic Energy of the Superconducting State

Isothermal magnetization curves are plotted as the magnetization times the magnetic induction, $4 \pi M \cdot B$, versus the applied field, H. We show here that this new curve is the average kinetic energy of the superconducting state versus the applied field, for type-II superconductors with a high Ginzburg-Landau parameter $\kappa$. The maximum of $4 \pi M \cdot B$ occurs at a field, $H^{*}$, directly related to the upper critical field, $H_{c2}$, suggesting that $H_{c2}(T)$ may be extracted from such plots even in cases when it is too high for direct measurement. We obtain these plots both theoretically, from the Ginzburg-Landau theory, and experimentally, using a Niobium sample with $T_c = 8.5 K$, and compare them.Comment: 11 pages, 9 postscript figure

Hot red pepper powder as a safe alternative to antibiotics in organic poultry feed: An updated review

Globally, several studies have investigated the utilization and efficacy of promising medicinal herbal plants to enhance livestock and poultry production. The most commonly investigated phytobiotics in broiler ration were oregano, garlic, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, hot red pepper (HRP), and sage. Phytobiotics are classified on the basis of the medicinal properties of plants, their essential oil extracts, and their bioactive compounds. The majority of bioactive compounds in plants are secondary metabolites, such as terpenoids, phenolic, glycosides, and alkaloids. The composition and concentrations of these bioactive constitutes vary according to their biological factors and manufacturing and storage conditions. Furthermore, HRP is one of the most important and widely used spices in the human diet. Capsicum annum, that is, HRP, is a species of the plant genus Capsicum (pepper), which is a species native to southern North America and northern South America and is widely grown and utilized for its fresh or cooked fruits. Moreover, these fruits may be used as dried powders or processed forms of oleoresins. Researches have proven that C. annuum is the only plant that produces the alkaloid capsaicinoids. Approximately 48% of its active substances are capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonemide), the main active compound responsible for the intense effects of HRP varieties and the main component inducing the hot flavor. This review aimed to highlight the effects of HRP as a phytobiotic in broiler nutrition and its mode of action as a possible alternative to antibiotics and clarify its impact on broiler and layer productivity

Multi-gap superconductivity in a BaFe1.84Co0.16As2 film from optical measurements at terahertz frequencies

We measured the THz reflectance properties of a high quality epitaxial thin film of the Fe-based superconductor BaFe$_{1.84}$Co$_{0.16}$As$_2$ with T$_c$=22.5 K. The film was grown by pulsed laser deposition on a DyScO$_3$ substrate with an epitaxial SrTiO$_3$ intermediate layer. The measured $R_S/R_N$ spectrum, i.e. the reflectivity ratio between the superconducting and normal state reflectance, provides clear evidence of a superconducting gap $\Delta_A$ close to 15 cm$^{-1}$. A detailed data analysis shows that a two-band, two-gap model is absolutely necessary to obtain a good description of the measured $R_S/R_N$ spectrum. The low-energy $\Delta_A$ gap results to be well determined ($\Delta_A$=15.5$\pm$0.5 cm$^{-1}$), while the value of the high-energy gap $\Delta_B$ is more uncertain ($\Delta_B$=55$\pm$7 cm$^{-1}$). Our results provide evidence of a nodeless isotropic double-gap scenario, with the presence of two optical gaps corresponding to 2$\Delta/kT_c$ values close to 2 and 7.Comment: Published Versio

Antimicrobial and bactericidal impacts of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CECT 5940 on fecal shedding of pathogenic bacteria in dairy calves and adult dogs

Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the bactericidal impacts of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CECT 5940 on the shedding of faecal pathogenic bacteria in dairy calves (Experiment 1) and in adults dogs (experiment 2). In the calves experiment, a completely randomized design was used to investigate the faecal bacteria profile of Holstein dairy calves fed with either pasteurized waste milk (PWM; n = 9) or a formulated non-medicated milk replacer (NMR; n = 9) for 60 d. The NMR containing sodium-butyrate and the active probiotic B. amyloliquefaciens CECT 5940. In the dogs experiment, addition of same probiotic (i.e., B. amyloliquefaciens CECT 5940) was carried out in two stages. The first stage started from day 7–37, and the second from day 44–71. The assessment of faecal score measured on day 22, 37, 42, 57, 71 and 77 to determine the texture of the stools. Calves received PWM consumed (P < 0.05) more starter feed between day 16 and day 45. The calves fed NMR had more moisture faeces and less cough reflux than the PWM-calves. Feeding NMR to calves increased faecal Klebsiella oxytoca and Proteus vulgaris counts in comparison to PWM-calves. The administration of B. amyloliquefaciens CECT 5940 to the dog diet has no significant effect on the hardness of the stool. Meanwhile, the bacillus count increases while the coliforms count decreases upon B. amyloliquefaciens CECT 5940 administration. This reveals that B. amyloliquefaciens CECT 5940 survived the gastrointestinal passage and rapidly colonized the dog intestine, which could positively affect the metabolism and composition of the intestinal microflora. These results show that B. amyloliquefaciens are a promising probiotic with an antimicrobial and bactericidal activities against the intestinal pathogenic bacteria for dairy calves and adult dogs

Mapping geographical inequalities in childhood diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000–17 : analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational regions with the highest burden and mapping associated risk factors can aid in reducing preventable childhood diarrhoea. Methods We used Bayesian model-based geostatistics and a geolocated dataset comprising 15 072 746 children younger than 5 years from 466 surveys in 94 LMICs, in combination with findings of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, to estimate posterior distributions of diarrhoea prevalence, incidence, and mortality from 2000 to 2017. From these data, we estimated the burden of diarrhoea at varying subnational levels (termed units) by spatially aggregating draws, and we investigated the drivers of subnational patterns by creating aggregated risk factor estimates. Findings The greatest declines in diarrhoeal mortality were seen in south and southeast Asia and South America, where 54·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 38·1–65·8), 17·4% (7·7–28·4), and 59·5% (34·2–86·9) of units, respectively, recorded decreases in deaths from diarrhoea greater than 10%. Although children in much of Africa remain at high risk of death due to diarrhoea, regions with the most deaths were outside Africa, with the highest mortality units located in Pakistan. Indonesia showed the greatest within-country geographical inequality; some regions had mortality rates nearly four times the average country rate. Reductions in mortality were correlated to improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) or reductions in child growth failure (CGF). Similarly, most high-risk areas had poor WASH, high CGF, or low oral rehydration therapy coverage. Interpretation By co-analysing geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden and its key risk factors, we could assess candidate drivers of subnational death reduction. Further, by doing a counterfactual analysis of the remaining disease burden using key risk factors, we identified potential intervention strategies for vulnerable populations. In view of the demands for limited resources in LMICs, accurately quantifying the burden of diarrhoea and its drivers is important for precision public health

Anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2018

Anemia is a globally widespread condition in women and is associated with reduced economic productivity and increased mortality worldwide. Here we map annual 2000–2018 geospatial estimates of anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) across 82 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), stratify anemia by severity and aggregate results to policy-relevant administrative and national levels. Additionally, we provide subnational disparity analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of anemia prevalence inequalities within these countries and predict progress toward the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) to reduce anemia by half by 2030. Our results demonstrate widespread moderate improvements in overall anemia prevalence but identify only three LMICs with a high probability of achieving the WHO GNT by 2030 at a national scale, and no LMIC is expected to achieve the target in all their subnational administrative units. Our maps show where large within-country disparities occur, as well as areas likely to fall short of the WHO GNT, offering precision public health tools so that adequate resource allocation and subsequent interventions can be targeted to the most vulnerable populations.Peer reviewe

EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) : Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial

More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369