Action threshold development in cabbage pest management using synthetic and botanical insecticides

As synthetic insecticides can have environmentally detrimental side effects, it is desirable to limit their use while still achieving good marketable yield. One approach is to apply pesticides only when needed, as determined by an action threshold (AT), defined as the number of pests per crop plant or damage intensity at which application is recommended. Another approach is to adopt alternative pesticides, such as botanical biopesticides, which can also be applied according to ATs. Here, ATs are developed in cabbage pest management using both approaches against the moths Plutella xylostella (L.), Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and Spodoptera litura (F.) and the aphid Brevicoryne brassicae (L.). Action thresholds were derived using fixed spraying regimes for the synthetic insecticides (imidacloprid and Voliam Flexi) and for azadirachtin, a neem-derived botanical. For synthetics, derived ATs are 40 individuals per plant for B. brassicae, 0.3 larvae for P. xylostella and 0.2 medium-sized larvae for H. armigera and for S. litura. For H. armigera and S. litura, negative relationships between marketable yield and pest were found when larvae were medium or large sized, but not when larvae were small. Compared to synthetics, benefits of using neem formulations include higher action thresholds against P. xylostella (0.6/plant) and H. armigera (0.4/plant) and an oviposition deterrent effect against S. litura. Overall, botanical insecticides were effective alternatives to synthetic pesticides. Although regional limits may apply to the accuracy of any ATs derived, the approach used towards their establishment is simple and transferable to other agricultural regions and crops

5,7-Dihy­droxy-3,6-dimeth­oxy-2-(4-meth­oxy­phen­yl)-4H-chromen-4-one monohydrate

The title compound, C18H16O7·H2O, is a flavonoid isolated from Dodonaea viscosa­. The benzopyran ring system of the flavonoid is essentially planar [maximum deviation = 0.025 (2) Å] and inclined at 5.83 (2)° to the attached benzene ring. The water of hydration is involved in extensive hydrogen bonding, assembling the mol­ecules into a supra­molecular network via classical inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonding. The crystal structure is further stabilized by π–π stacking inter­actions [centroid–centroid distance between benzene rings = 3.564 (3) Å]

An ethnomedicinal appraisal of the Kurram Agency, tribal area, Pakistan

631-647The present work was conducted at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the agency of Kurram (33° 49' 07'' N and 70° 10' 24'' E), an administrative part of the late federally administered tribal area (FATA) of Pakistan. Aim of the study was to document the medicinal flora based on local information, i.e., local classification, part used, drug preparation and dosage. Ethnomedicinal data was obtained through semi structured interviews after obtaining the respondents prior informed consent. During field visits 72 people were interviewed 150 plant species belonging to 131 genera in 86 families were documented. The documented plants were found to be effective for 64 disorders, from simple to complicated health issues. In a quantitative analysis, 31 plant species showed fidelity level ranges from 33-100% and relative frequency of citation from 0.03 to 0.28. Conservation issues related to plant use need to be investigated

Analisis Perbandingan Alternatif Pemenuhan Kapasitas Cooling Water Chiller dengan Penggantian Pompa dan Penambahan Jalur Pipa Baru pada Proses Produksi Sabun

Abstract  -  The soap production plant plans to increase the capacity of the cooling water chiller by creating a new pipeline using the tie-in method. However, the addition plan is possible to be costly enough. On the other hand, to add a supply of cooling water chiller, there is still a way that can be done, namely by enlarging the pump's power to be able to meet the cooling water chiller capacity itself, without having to add a new pipeline. The pump replacement planning uses Bernoulli calculation and the 2013 Pipe Flow Expert modeling software. While the planning of the new pipeline considers the sustained and occational loads received by the pipe according to ASME B31.3 Process Piping standard to ensure the new pipeline is safe. In each alternative will take into account the costs incurred. Selection of alternative recommendations using the BCA method (Benefit Cost Analysis). The pump power which is able to meet the cooling water chiller capacity of 78.04 m3 / hr without replacing the pump is 26,236 kW with a pump head value of 17,751 m. According to the standard, allowable stress on new pipelines is 16,700 psi for sustained load and 22,211 psi. The two alternative design of new pipelines have met the standard because they have a load value less than allowable stress which is 101,875 psi for occational load and 227,361 psi in alternative design (1) and 153,469 psi in design (2) for sustained loads. After calculating the overall cost, a feasible alternative to recommend is the first alternative, namely by replacing pumps with greater power and being able to meet the desired capacity without adding new pipelines.     Keyword : , ,

Distinct evolutionary histories of the DNA-A and DNA-B components of bipartite begomoviruses

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Viruses of the genus <it>Begomovirus </it>(family <it>Geminiviridae</it>) have genomes consisting of either one or two genomic components. The component of bipartite begomoviruses known as DNA-A is homologous to the genomes of all geminiviruses and encodes proteins required for replication, control of gene expression, overcoming host defenses, encapsidation and insect transmission. The second component, referred to as DNA-B, encodes two proteins with functions in intra- and intercellular movement in host plants. The origin of the DNA-B component remains unclear. The study described here was initiated to investigate the relationship between the DNA-A and DNA-B components of bipartite begomoviruses with a view to unraveling their evolutionary histories and providing information on the possible origin of the DNA-B component.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Comparative phylogenetic and exhaustive pairwise sequence comparison of all DNA-A and DNA-B components of begomoviruses demonstrates that the two molecules have very distinct molecular evolutionary histories and likely are under very different evolutionary pressures. The analysis highlights that component exchange has played a far greater role in diversification of begomoviruses than previously suspected, although there are distinct differences in the apparent ability of different groups of viruses to utilize this "sexual" mechanism of genetic exchange. Additionally we explore the hypothesis that DNA-B originated as a satellite that was captured by the monopartite progenitor of all extant bipartite begomoviruses and subsequently evolved to become the integral (essential) genome component that we recognize today. The situation with present-day satellites associated with begomoviruses provides some clues to the processes and selection pressures that may have led to the "domestication" of a wild progenitor of the DNA-B component.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The analysis has highlighted the greater genetic variation of DNA-B components, in comparison to the DNA-A components, and that component exchange is more widespread than previously demonstrated and confined to viruses from the Old World. Although the vast majority of New World and some Old World begomoviruses show near perfect co-evolution of the DNA-A and DNA-B components, this is not the case for the majority of Old World viruses. Genetic differences between Old and New World begomoviruses and the cultivation of exotic crops in the Old World are likely factors that have led to this dichotomy.</p

An ethnomedicinal appraisal of the Kurram Agency, tribal area, Pakistan

The present work was conducted at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the agency of Kurram (33° 49' 07'' N and70° 10' 24'' E), an administrative part of the late federally administered tribal area (FATA) of Pakistan. Aim of the study wasto document the medicinal flora based on local information, i.e., local classification, part used, drug preparation and dosage.Ethnomedicinal data was obtained through semi structured interviews after obtaining the respondents prior informedconsent. During field visits 72 people were interviewed 150 plant species belonging to 131 genera in 86 families weredocumented. The documented plants were found to be effective for 64 disorders, from simple to complicated health issues.In a quantitative analysis, 31 plant species showed fidelity level ranges from 33-100% and relative frequency of citationfrom 0.03 to 0.28. Conservation issues related to plant use need to be investigated

Type III secretion system confers enhanced virulence in clinical non-O1/non-O139 Vibrio cholerae.

Vibrio cholerae O1 infections mainly are responsible for significant mortality and morbidity amongst children, however, non-O1/non-O139 V. cholerae have also been reported to cause mild to severe infections because of their virulence potential. The pathogenic mechanisms of non-O1, non-O139 isolates are not as clearly understood as for that of O1 and O139 isolates. Type three secretion system (TTSS) is also considered one of the important virulent factors and during the current study, we investigated the role of TTSS in association with non-O1/non-O139 clinical isolates. We report that the presence of TTSS in non-O1/non-O139 V. cholerae clinical isolate (D13) from a child confers more virulence compared to the one lacking it (D15) in another clinical case during the small cholera epidemic. Moreover, the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of D13 and D15 indicate that they are multiple drug resistance (MDR) isolates. The sequence analysis for TTSS cluster was carried out for D13 and compared with the TTSS positive reference Vibrio parahaemolyticus RIMD2210633 and V. cholerae AM19226 non-O1/non-O139. Furthermore, the pathogenic potential of D13 & D15 was also explored in simple and economical invertebrate host model, Galleria mellonella and the results revealed that TTSS+ve isolate (D13) was more virulent compared to TTSS-ve isolate (D15). We suggest that this distinct genetic difference, seen in natural variants D13 and D15, is also reflected by the clinical picture of the former in contributing towards the severity of disease symptoms and this finding was further validated by assessing virulence potential of both isolates using inexpensive G. mellonella infection model

The Effects Of Indentation Loading Force And Number Of Indentations On The Micro Hardness Variation For Inconel 718

The accuracy of the hardness test depends on the effects of variations of the loading force and the number of indentations. The purpose of this study was to compare the micro hardness data of these factors. Aged Inconel 718 with a hardness of 450 HV was used as the specimen in this test. The investigation was carried out by observing the amount of dispersion in a set of hardness data at different loads and number of indentations. The applied loading force ranged from 0.05 to 0.3 Kgf, while the number of indentations was set from 10 to 30. From the result, it was found that increasing the applied load brought the hardness value close to the standard hardness of the material. However, an increase in the number of indentations failed to produce an accurate value

Novel insights into the cardio-protective effects of FGF21 in lean and obese rat hearts

Aims: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a hepatic metabolic regulator with pleotropic actions. Its plasma concentrations are increased in obesity and diabetes; states associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. We therefore investigated the direct effect of FGF21 on cardio-protection in obese and lean hearts in response to ischemia. Methods and Results: FGF21, FGF21-receptor 1 (FGFR1) and beta-Klotho (βKlotho) were expressed in rodent, human hearts and primary rat cardiomyocytes. Cardiac FGF21 was expressed and secreted (real time RT-PCR/western blot and ELISA) in an autocrine-paracrine manner, in response to obesity and hypoxia, involving FGFR1-βKlotho components. Cardiac-FGF21 expression and secretion were increased in response to global ischemia. In contrast βKlotho was reduced in obese hearts. In isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes, FGF21 activated PI3K/Akt (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt), ERK1/2(extracellular signal-regulated kinase) and AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) pathways. In Langendorff perfused rat [adult male wild-type wistar] hearts, FGF21 administration induced significant cardio-protection and restoration of function following global ischemia. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt, AMPK, ERK1/2 and ROR-α (retinoic-acid receptor alpha) pathway led to significant decrease of FGF21 induced cardio-protection and restoration of cardiac function in response to global ischemia. More importantly, this cardio-protective response induced by FGF21 was reduced in obesity, although the cardiac expression profiles and circulating FGF21 levels were increased. Conclusion: In an ex vivo Langendorff system, we show that FGF21 induced cardiac protection and restoration of cardiac function involving autocrine-paracrine pathways, with reduced effect in obesity. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into FGF21-induced cardiac effects in obesity and ischemia