Biomethanated distillery spentwash and pressmud biocompost as sources of plant nutrients for groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

A field experiment was conducted to study the impact of biomethanated distillery spentwash and pressmud biocompost in various proportions with inorganic fertilizers on yield attributes, yield, oil and protein content of groundnut at Research and Development Farm of M/s. Bhavani Distilleries and Chemicals Ltd., T. Pudur, Thimiri, Tamil Nadu. Results of the field experiment revealed that yield and yield attributes viz., number of matured pods, 100 kernel weight and shelling percentage of groundnut were improved by the application of biomethanated distillery spentwash and pressmud biocompost compared to recommended NPK as chemical fertilizers. One-time pre-sown application of BDS @ 100 m3ha-1 along with recommended NP in groundnut registered higher pod, grain and haulm yield of 1774, 1272 and 4668 kg ha-1, respectively and the increase was to the tune of 35.83, 43.57 and 46.01 per cent, respectively over control. Similar to yield, BDS application increased the protein and oil content of groundnut kernels significantly. The net returns and benefit cost ratio of sugarcane were also as high as Rs.19,612 ha-1 and 1.90 for the treatment that received pre-sown application of BDS @ 100 m3ha-1 along with recommended NP as compared to control of Rs.19,612 ha-1 and 1.38, respectively. This concludes that the biomethanated distillery spentwash can be conveniently used as source of plant nutrients for groundnut

Improvement of Mechanical, Thermal and Optical Properties of Barium Mixed Cobalt Tartrate Hydrate Crystals Grown by Gel Method

In this present work, CTH and BCTH crystals have been prepared by gel technique by using single diffusion method at room temperature. The as grown crystals were characterized by using XRD, FT-IR, UV, TG / DTA and Micro hardness studies. X-ray powder diffraction results analyzed by using suitable software suggest that a CTH and BCTH crystals belong to cubic crystal system. The unit cell volume is observed to increase with increase in the concentration of barium in cobalt tartrate due to the lattice distortion. The band gap and optical properties have analyzed by UV-Visible spectrum. The functional groups and compound formation of the crystals have been studied by FT-IR spectrum. The mechanical properties of the grown crystals were tested by using Vicker’s microhardness studies. The work hardening coefficient (n) was determined to be 3.7 for CTH, 5.3 for BCTH (1 : 1) and 6.4 for BCTH (2 : 1) and the stiffness constants for different loads were calculated and reported. Thermal analysis suggests that pure cobalt tartrate starts decomposing at 73.2 C whereas the barium mixed cobalt tartrate brings about better thermal stability which increases with an increase in barium concentration

Improvement of Mechanical, Thermal and Optical Properties of Barium Mixed Cobalt Tartrate Hydrate Crystals Grown by Gel Method

In this present work, CTH and BCTH crystals have been prepared by gel technique by using single diffusion method at room temperature. The as grown crystals were characterized by using XRD, FT-IR, UV, TG / DTA and Micro hardness studies. X-ray powder diffraction results analyzed by using suitable software suggest that a CTH and BCTH crystals belong to cubic crystal system. The unit cell volume is observed to increase with increase in the concentration of barium in cobalt tartrate due to the lattice distortion. The band gap and optical properties have analyzed by UV-Visible spectrum. The functional groups and compound formation of the crystals have been studied by FT-IR spectrum. The mechanical properties of the grown crystals were tested by using Vicker’s microhardness studies. The work hardening coefficient (n) was determined to be 3.7 for CTH, 5.3 for BCTH (1 : 1) and 6.4 for BCTH (2 : 1) and the stiffness constants for different loads were calculated and reported. Thermal analysis suggests that pure cobalt tartrate starts decomposing at 73.2 C whereas the barium mixed cobalt tartrate brings about better thermal stability which increases with an increase in barium concentration

Hydraulic & Design Parameters in Full-Scale Constructed Wetland & Treatment Units: Six Case Studies

The efficiency of pond and constructed wetland (CW) treatment systems, is influenced by the internal hydrodynamics and mixing interactions between water and aquatic vegetation. In order to contribute to current knowledge of how emergent real vegetation affects solute mixing, and on what the shape and size effects are on the mixing characteristics, an understanding and quantification of those physical processes and interactions was evaluated. This paper presents results from tracer tests conducted during 2015-2016 in six full-scale systems in the UK under different flow regimes, operational depths, shapes and sizes, and in-/outlet configurations. The aim is to quantify the hydraulic performance and mixing characteristics of the treatment units, and to investigate the effect of size and shape on the mixing processes. Relative comparison of outlet configuration, inflow conditions, and internal features between the six different treatment units showed variations in residence times of up to a factor of 3. A key outcome of this study, demonstrated that the width is a more important dimension for the efficiency of the unit compared to the depth. Results underlined the importance of investigating hydrodynamics and physics of flow in full-size units to enhance treatment efficiency and predictions of water quality models

GSK-3β Controls Osteogenesis through Regulating Runx2 Activity

Despite accumulated knowledge of various signalings regulating bone formation, the molecular network has not been clarified sufficiently to lead to clinical application. Here we show that heterozygous glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β)-deficient mice displayed an increased bone formation due to an enhanced transcriptional activity of Runx2 by suppressing the inhibitory phosphorylation at a specific site. The cleidocranial dysplasia in heterozygous Runx2-deficient mice was significantly rescued by the genetic insufficiency of GSK-3β or the oral administration of lithium chloride, a selective inhibitor of GSK-3β. These results establish GSK-3β as a key attenuator of Runx2 activity in bone formation and as a potential molecular target for clinical treatment of bone catabolic disorders like cleidocranial dysplasia

Stimulation of osteogenic differentiation in human osteoprogenitor cells by pulsed electromagnetic fields: an in vitro study

Background: Although pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) stimulation may be clinically beneficial during fracture healing and for a wide range of bone disorders, there is still debate on its working mechanism. Mesenchymal stem cells are likely mediators facilitating the observed clinical effects of PEMF. Here, we performed in vitro experiments to investigate the effect of PEMF stimulation on human bone marrow-derived stromal cell (BMSC) metabolism and, specifically, whether PEMF can stimulate their osteogenic differentiation. Methods: BMSCs derived from four different donors were cultured in osteogenic medium, with the PEMF treated group being continuously exposed to a 15 Hz, 1 Gauss EM field, consisting of 5-millisecond bursts with 5-microsecond pulses. On culture day 1, 5, 9, and 14, cells were collected for biochemical analysis (DNA amount, alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium deposition), expression of various osteoblast-relevant genes and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling. Differences between treated and control groups were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and considered significant when p < 0.05. Results: Biochemical analysis revealed significant, differentiation stage-dependent, PEMF-induced differences: PEMF increased mineralization at day 9 and 14, without altering alkaline phosphatase activity. Cell proliferation, as measured by DNA amounts, was not affected by PEMF until day 14. Here, DNA content stagnated in PEMF treated group, resulting in less DNA compared to control. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that during early culture, up to day 9, PEMF treatment increased mRNA levels of bone morphogenetic protein 2, transforming growth factor-beta 1, osteoprotegerin, matrix metalloproteinase-1 and-3, osteocalcin, and bone sialoprotein. In contrast, receptor activator of NF-B ligand expression was primarily stimulated on day 14. ERK1/2 phosphorylation was not affected by PEMF stimulation. Conclusions: PEMF exposure of differentiating human BMSCs enhanced mineralization and seemed to induce differentiation at the expense of proliferation. The osteogenic stimulus of PEMF was confirmed by the up-regulation of several osteogenic marker genes in the PEMF treated group, which preceded the deposition of mineral itself. These findings indicate that PEMF can directly stimulate osteoprogenitor cells towards osteogenic differentiation. This supports the theory that PEMF treatment may recruit these cells to facilitate an osteogenic response in vivo. © 2010 Jansen et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

MAPK ERK Signaling Regulates the TGF-β1-Dependent Mosquito Response to Plasmodium falciparum

Malaria is caused by infection with intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium that are transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. Although a variety of anti-parasite effector genes have been identified in anopheline mosquitoes, little is known about the signaling pathways that regulate these responses during parasite development. Here we demonstrate that the MEK-ERK signaling pathway in Anopheles is controlled by ingested human TGF-β1 and finely tunes mosquito innate immunity to parasite infection. Specifically, MEK-ERK signaling was dose-dependently induced in response to TGF-β1 in immortalized cells in vitro and in the A. stephensi midgut epithelium in vivo. At the highest treatment dose of TGF-β1, inhibition of ERK phosphorylation increased TGF-β1-induced expression of the anti-parasite effector gene nitric oxide synthase (NOS), suggesting that increasing levels of ERK activation negatively feed back on induced NOS expression. At infection levels similar to those found in nature, inhibition of ERK activation reduced P. falciparum oocyst loads and infection prevalence in A. stephensi and enhanced TGF-β1-mediated control of P. falciparum development. Taken together, our data demonstrate that malaria parasite development in the mosquito is regulated by a conserved MAPK signaling pathway that mediates the effects of an ingested cytokine

Runx Expression Is Mitogenic and Mutually Linked to Wnt Activity in Blastula-Stage Sea Urchin Embryos

The Runt homology domain (Runx) defines a metazoan family of sequence-specific transcriptional regulatory proteins that are critical for animal development and causally associated with a variety of mammalian cancers. The sea urchin Runx gene SpRunt-1 is expressed throughout the blastula stage embryo, and is required globally during embryogenesis for cell survival and differentiation.Depletion of SpRunt-1 by morpholino antisense-mediated knockdown causes a blastula stage deficit in cell proliferation, as shown by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and direct cell counts. Reverse transcription coupled polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) studies show that the cell proliferation deficit is presaged by a deficit in the expression of several zygotic wnt genes, including wnt8, a key regulator of endomesoderm development. In addition, SpRunt-1-depleted blastulae underexpress cyclinD, an effector of mitogenic Wnt signaling. Blastula stage cell proliferation is also impeded by knockdown of either wnt8 or cyclinD. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) indicates that Runx target sites within 5′ sequences flanking cyclinD, wnt6 and wnt8 are directly bound by SpRunt-1 protein at late blastula stage. Furthermore, experiments using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter transgene show that the blastula-stage operation of a cis-regulatory module previously shown to be required for wnt8 expression (Minokawa et al., Dev. Biol. 288: 545–558, 2005) is dependent on its direct sequence-specific interaction with SpRunt-1. Finally, inhibitor studies and immunoblot analysis show that SpRunt-1 protein levels are negatively regulated by glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3.These results suggest that Runx expression and Wnt signaling are mutually linked in a feedback circuit that controls cell proliferation during development