ECOFRIENDLY NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR YIELD AND QUALITY OF BANANA

Banana owing to its large size and rapid growth rate require relatively large amount of nutrients for higher yield of quality fruits and it is estimated that 50 tonnes of banana in one hectare removes 320kg N, 32kg P2O5 and 925 kg K2O every year (Lahav and Turner, 1983). Application of inorganic fertilizers though increases the yield substantially but could not able to sustain the fertility status of the soil (Bharadwaj and Omanwar, 1994) and have caused several undesirable consequences in the fragile soil eco-system, leading to gradual decline in productivity. Considering the present situation of soil quality and environmental security, it is necessary to go for an integrated nutrient management, involving various sources of organic manures, organic cakes and bio-fertilizers besides using chemical fertilizers in banana. In today’s cultivation many commercial organic manures are being used because of their application in lesser volume and also enriched with nutrients. One such commercial organic manure used in the study is Wellgro. Wellgro organic manure is a unique product with a blend of neem and non-timber forest produce and a rich source of nutrients. Hence, this study was under taken to find out the influence of ecofriendly nutrient management practices on yield and quality parameters of banana under irrigated conditions

Endothelial Function is Preserved in Ultra-Marathon Runners Following a 50 km Race

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Multiple programs: essential to the scientific vitality of the DOE Defense Program Laboratories

The future of the Department of Energy� s Defense Program (DP) laboratories-Los Alamos, Livermore, and Sandia-has been extensively debated and examined over the past several years. To assist in this process, I have asked that a set of documents be prepared, which, when taken together, present a comprehensive picture of the three laboratories. This document describes the multiprogram nature of the DP laboratories and the value of their involvement in non-DP work as it relates to the nuclear weapons program. The other two documents, Integration and Collaboration.. Solving Science and Technology Problems for the Nation (DOE/DP-96009797) and Roles and Responsibilities of the Department of Energy Nuclear Weapons Laboratories in the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program (DOE/DP-97000280), describe respectively the integrated nature of the DP laboratories and the roles of the laboratories as they meet their individual and collective responsibilities of ensuring the safety and reliabilities of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. The scientific and technical challenges inherent in the DP laboratories� national security responsibilities today are as complex as those during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War years. Science-based stockpile stewardship and management require in-depth understanding of the full spectrum of nuclear weapons science and technology- physics, chemistry, materials, manufacturing, computational modeling, engineering, and electronics, to name a few-as well as a combination of capabilities and facilities unavailable anywhere else in the country. In addition to stockpile stewardship and management, many other nationally important issues involve science and technology-for example, nuclear nonproliferation, energy security, and environmental protection and remediation. Over the years, the DP laboratories have applied expertise and technologies developed in their nuclear weapons work to these other issues, focusing on those areas where they can make unique and valuable contributions. The nation has invested substantially in the three DP laboratories, creating an unmatched resource of scientific and engineering expertise, facilities, and capabilities. In this era of tight budgets, it is important that the laboratories extract maximum leverage from this investment and fulfill their nuclear weapons responsibilities as cost-effectively as possible. The multiprogram nature of the DP laboratories has been key to their success in achieving the outstanding level of scientific and technical excellence that has become their hallmark and in carrying out their national security mission. The multiprogram work of the laboratories also provides an extremely effective way of leveraging the nation� s investment in science and technology. It makes sense for the DP laboratories to apply their expertise to non-nuclear-weapons programs of national importance. It also makes sense for the DP laboratories to collaborate with other government laboratories, universities, and industry to apply the unique expertise, facilities, and capabilities of these institutions to national security challenges. This report briefly reviews the challenges faced by the DP laboratories in fulfilling their stockpile stewardship and management responsibilities. It then discusses the benefits of the synergy and the accelerated pace of scientific achievement that arise from the laboratories� multiple programs. A representative selection of accomplishments is presented that illustrates the importance of the contributions made to the laboratories� national security mission by their non-nuclear-weapons projects and their connections with the wider scientific community

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Is Associated with Low Levels of Vitamin D

Introduction: COPD patients may be at increased risk for vitamin D (25(OH)D) deficiency, but risk factors for deficiency among COPD patients have not been extensively reported. Methods: Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured by liquid chromatography double mass spectrometry in subjects aged 40–76 years from Western Norway, including 433 COPD patients (GOLD stage II-IV) and 325 controls. Levels <20 ng/mL defined deficiency. Season, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, GOLD stage, exacerbation frequency, arterial oxygen tension (PaO2), respiratory symptoms, depression (CES-D score≥16), comorbidities (Charlson score), treatment for osteoporosis, use of inhaled steroids, and total white blood count were examined for associations with 25(OH)D in both linear and logistic regression models. Results: COPD patients had an increased risk for vitamin D deficiency compared to controls after adjustment for seasonality, age, smoking and BMI. Variables associated with lower 25(OH)D levels in COPD patients were obesity ( = −6.63), current smoking ( = −4.02), GOLD stage III- IV ( = −4.71, = −5.64), and depression ( = −3.29). Summertime decreased the risk of vitamin D deficiency (OR = 0.22). Conclusion: COPD was associated with an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency, and important disease characteristics were significantly related to 25(OH)D levels

Engaging Undergraduates in Science Research: Not Just About Faculty Willingness.

Despite the many benefits of involving undergraduates in research and the growing number of undergraduate research programs, few scholars have investigated the factors that affect faculty members' decisions to involve undergraduates in their research projects. We investigated the individual factors and institutional contexts that predict faculty members' likelihood of engaging undergraduates in their research project(s). Using data from the Higher Education Research Institute's 2007-2008 Faculty Survey, we employ hierarchical generalized linear modeling to analyze data from 4,832 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty across 194 institutions to examine how organizational citizenship behavior theory and social exchange theory relate to mentoring students in research. Key findings show that faculty who work in the life sciences and those who receive government funding for their research are more likely to involve undergraduates in their research project(s). In addition, faculty at liberal arts or historically Black colleges are significantly more likely to involve undergraduate students in research. Implications for advancing undergraduate research opportunities are discussed

Hospital-onset clostridium difficile infection rates in persons with cancer or Hematopoietic stem cell transplant: A C3IC network report

A multicenter survey of 11 cancer centers was performed to determine the rate of hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infection (HO-CDI) and surveillance practices. Pooled rates of HO-CDI in patients with cancer were twice the rates reported for all US patients (15.8 vs 7.4 per 10,000 patient-days). Rates were elevated regardless of diagnostic test used

Search for Relativistic Magnetic Monopoles with IceCube

We present the first results in the search for relativistic magnetic monopoles with the IceCube detector, a subsurface neutrino telescope located in the South Polar ice cap containing a volume of 1 km$^{3}$. This analysis searches data taken on the partially completed detector during 2007 when roughly 0.2 km$^{3}$ of ice was instrumented. The lack of candidate events leads to an upper limit on the flux of relativistic magnetic monopoles of \Phi_{\mathrm{90%C.L.}}\sim 3\e{-18}\fluxunits for $\beta\geq0.8$. This is a factor of 4 improvement over the previous best experimental flux limits up to a Lorentz boost $\gamma$ below $10^{7}$. This result is then interpreted for a wide range of mass and kinetic energy values.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. v2 is minor text edits, no changes to resul

Lateral Distribution of Muons in IceCube Cosmic Ray Events

In cosmic ray air showers, the muon lateral separation from the center of the shower is a measure of the transverse momentum that the muon parent acquired in the cosmic ray interaction. IceCube has observed cosmic ray interactions that produce muons laterally separated by up to 400 m from the shower core, a factor of 6 larger distance than previous measurements. These muons originate in high pT (> 2 GeV/c) interactions from the incident cosmic ray, or high-energy secondary interactions. The separation distribution shows a transition to a power law at large values, indicating the presence of a hard pT component that can be described by perturbative quantum chromodynamics. However, the rates and the zenith angle distributions of these events are not well reproduced with the cosmic ray models tested here, even those that include charm interactions. This discrepancy may be explained by a larger fraction of kaons and charmed particles than is currently incorporated in the simulations

Search for non-relativistic Magnetic Monopoles with IceCube

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a large Cherenkov detector instrumenting $1\,\mathrm{km}^3$ of Antarctic ice. The detector can be used to search for signatures of particle physics beyond the Standard Model. Here, we describe the search for non-relativistic, magnetic monopoles as remnants of the GUT (Grand Unified Theory) era shortly after the Big Bang. These monopoles may catalyze the decay of nucleons via the Rubakov-Callan effect with a cross section suggested to be in the range of $10^{-27}\,\mathrm{cm^2}$ to $10^{-21}\,\mathrm{cm^2}$. In IceCube, the Cherenkov light from nucleon decays along the monopole trajectory would produce a characteristic hit pattern. This paper presents the results of an analysis of first data taken from May 2011 until May 2012 with a dedicated slow-particle trigger for DeepCore, a subdetector of IceCube. A second analysis provides better sensitivity for the brightest non-relativistic monopoles using data taken from May 2009 until May 2010. In both analyses no monopole signal was observed. For catalysis cross sections of $10^{-22}\,(10^{-24})\,\mathrm{cm^2}$ the flux of non-relativistic GUT monopoles is constrained up to a level of $\Phi_{90} \le 10^{-18}\,(10^{-17})\,\mathrm{cm^{-2}s^{-1}sr^{-1}}$ at a 90% confidence level, which is three orders of magnitude below the Parker bound. The limits assume a dominant decay of the proton into a positron and a neutral pion. These results improve the current best experimental limits by one to two orders of magnitude, for a wide range of assumed speeds and catalysis cross sections.Comment: 20 pages, 20 figure