Lateness Gene Concerning Photosensitivity Increases Yield, by Applying Low to High Levels of Fertilization, in Rice, a Preliminary Report

Various genes controlling heading time have been reported in rice. An isogenic-line pair of late and early lines “L” and “E” were developed from progenies of the F1 of Suweon 258 × an isogenic line of IR36 carrying Ur1 gene. The lateness gene for photosensitivity that causes the difference between L and E was tentatively designated as “Ex(t)”, although it's chromosomal location is unknown. The present study was conducted to examine the effects of Ex(t) on yield and related traits in a paddy field in two years. Chemical fertilizers containing N, P2O5 and K2O were applied at the nitrogen levels of 4.00, 9.00 and 18.00 g/m2 in total, being denoted by "N4", "N9" and "N18", respectively, in 2014. L was later in 80%-heading by 18 or 19 days than E. Regarding total brown rice yield (g/m2), L and E were 635 and 577, 606 and 548, and 590 and 501, respectively, at N18, N9 and N4, indicating that Ex(t) increased this trait by 10 to 18%. Ex(t) increased yield of brown rice with thickness above 1.5mm (g/m2), by 9 to 15%. Ex(t) increased spikelet number per panicle by 16 to 22% and spikelet number per m2 by 11 to 18%. Thousand-grain weight (g) was 2 to 4% lower in L than in E. L was not significantly different from E in ripened-grain percentage. Hence, Ex(t) increased yield by increasing spikelet number per panicle. It is suggested that Ex(t) could be utilized to develop high yielding varieties for warmer districts of the temperate zone

Cognitive Interpretation Bias: The Effect of a Single Session Moderate Exercise Protocol on Anxiety and Depression

Research conducted within the Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) paradigm has revealed that cognitive biases such as negative cognitive interpretation biases contribute to mental health disorders such as anxiety (Beard, 2011). It has been shown that exercise reduces anxiety (Ensari, Greenlee, Motl, & Petruzzello, 2015). Exercise has also been found to reduce negative cognitive attention biases (Tian & Smith, 2011), however no research to date has investigated the effect of exercise on cognitive interpretation bias. The key aims of the current project is to investigate whether moderate exercise reduces self-reported symptoms of depression and stress. Additionally, to establish which intensity of exercise is required to achieve anxiety reduction and reduce an individual’s negative cognitive interpretation biases. Study one recruited a healthy sample of adult participants who were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: a walking exercise protocol or a control condition (n=2x12). Participants completed anxiety and cognitive interpretation bias measures before and after the walking exercise or control condition. Those in the walking exercise condition presented less symptoms of trait anxiety on a measure of state and trait anxiety inventory (STAI), compared to controls relative to baseline measures following the intervention. Study two recruited frequent exercisers who were assigned to an exercise or control group (n=2x24). Participants completed anxiety, depression, psychological stress and cognitive interpretation bias measures before and after the exercise or control condition. Following the intervention, negative interpretation biases decreased in the exercise group and stayed stable in the control group. The exercise group also had significantly decreased anxiety, depression and stress measures after the exercise condition, whilst controls did not. The research concludes that CBM holds promise for the management of mood disorders and exercise is an effective accompaniment to psychotherapy

Role of Protein Kinase C in TBT-Induced Inhibition of Lytic Function and MAPK Activation in Human Natural Killer Cells

Human natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes that destroy tumor and virally infected cells. Previous studies have shown that exposure of NK cells to tributyltin (TBT) greatly diminishes their ability to destroy tumor cells (lytic function) while activating mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) (p44/42, p38, and JNK) in NK cells. The signaling pathway that regulates NK lytic function appears to include activation of protein kinase C (PKC) as well as MAPK activity. TBT-induced activation of MAPKs would trigger a portion of the NK lytic signaling pathway, which would then leave the NK cell unable to trigger this pathway in response to a subsequent encounter with a target cell. In the present study we evaluated the involvement of PKC in inhibition of NK lysis of tumor cells and activation of MAPKs caused by TBT exposure. TBT caused a 2–3-fold activation of PKC at concentrations ranging from 50 to 300 nM (16–98 ng/ml), indicating that activation of PKC occurs in response to TBT exposure. This would then leave the NK cell unable to respond to targets. Treatment with the PKC inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide I, caused an 85% decrease in the ability of NK cells to lyse tumor cells, validating the involvement of PKC in the lytic signaling pathway. The role of PKC in the activation of MAPKs by TBT was also investigated using bisindolylmaleimide I. The results indicated that, in NK cells where PKC activation was blocked, there was no activation of the MAPK, p44/42 in response to TBT. However, TBT-induced activation of the MAPKs, p38 and JNK did not require PKC activation. These results indicate the pivotal role of PKC in the TBT-induced loss of NK lytic function including activation of p44/42 by TBT in NK cells

Five and Six Coordinated Complexes of Di and Trivalent Iron with Ligands Derived from Acidhydrazides and Acetylacetone

Picolinic acid hydrazide(PH) and isonicotinic acidhydrazide (INH) react with acetylacetone in the presence of iron(II) and iron . (III) salts and give complexes of open chain tetradentate ligands through a template effect. The complexes are isolated and characterised as five and six-coordinated by the help of analyses, conductance, molecular weight, magnetic, Mossbauer, electronic and infrared spectral studies. Two molecules of PH or INH condense with a single acetylacetone moiety giving open chain tetradentate ligands. Attempts to isolate the ligand in the free state are, however, unsuccessful. The Ac(PH)2 coordinates through azomethine and pyridine nitrogens, while Ac(INHh does so through azomethine nitrogens and amide oxygens. Mossbauer spectra are consistent with their proposed geometries and reveal that iron is in the high-spin state. Various ligand field parameters are calculated using normalised spherical harmonic Hamiltonian theory and the amount of distortion is calculated in terms of DT/DQ. Metal- ligand vibrations in the far IR region are discussed

Geometric discord and Measurement-induced nonlocality for well known bound entangled states

We employ geometric discord and measurement induced nonlocality to quantify non classical correlations of some well-known bipartite bound entangled states, namely the two families of Horodecki's ($2\otimes 4$, $3\otimes 3$ and $4\otimes 4$ dimensional) bound entangled states and that of Bennett etal's in $3\otimes 3$ dimension. In most of the cases our results are analytic and both the measures attain relatively small value. The amount of quantumness in the $4\otimes 4$ bound entangled state of Benatti etal and the $2\otimes 8$ state having the same matrix representation (in computational basis) is same. Coincidently, the $2m\otimes 2m$ Werner and isotropic states also exhibit the same property, when seen as $2\otimes 2m^2$ dimensional states.Comment: V2: Title changed, one more state added; 11 pages (single column), 2 figures, accepted in Quantum Information Processin

Research Notes : Factor analysis in F2 generation of soybean crosses

Factor analysis is a technique of reducing a large number of correlated variables to a few main factors. It has been resorted to to overcome the limi-tations of univariate methods of analysis like correlations, path-coefficient and regression analysis (Wright, 1960; Walton, 1972). Besides, Moreno and Cubero (1978) have used it for estimating diversity

Bioefficacy of Imidacloprid 350 SC against sucking insect-pests in chilli (Capsicum annum L.)

A field experiment was conducted in a RBD at Horticulture farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur to evaluate the bioefficacy of Imidacloprid 350 SC at 100, 125 and 150 ml/ha against sucking pests of chilli during Kharif, 2013 and 2014. The highest reduction in the population of aphid, jassids and thrips in chilli was recorded in case of two spray of Imidacloprid 350 SC at 150 ml/ha and also recorded highest marketable yield of 161.25 and 164.88 q/ha during 2013 and 2014, respectively. It was found at par to Imidacloprid 350 SC at 125 ml/ha

IRAC Excess in Distant Star-Forming Galaxies: Tentative Evidence for the 3.3μ\mum Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Feature ?

We present evidence for the existence of an IRAC excess in the spectral energy distribution (SED) of 5 galaxies at 0.6<z<0.9 and 1 galaxy at z=1.7. These 6 galaxies, located in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey field (GOODS-N), are star forming since they present strong 6.2, 7.7, and 11.3 um polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) lines in their Spitzer IRS mid-infrared spectra. We use a library of templates computed with PEGASE.2 to fit their multiwavelength photometry and derive their stellar continuum. Subtraction of the stellar continuum enables us to detect in 5 galaxies a significant excess in the IRAC band pass where the 3.3 um PAH is expected. We then assess if the physical origin of the IRAC excess is due to an obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) or warm dust emission. For one galaxy evidence of an obscured AGN is found, while the remaining four do not exhibit any significant AGN activity. Possible contamination by warm dust continuum of unknown origin as found in the Galactic diffuse emission is discussed. The properties of such a continuum would have to be different from the local Universe to explain the measured IRAC excess, but we cannot definitively rule out this possibility until its origin is understood. Assuming that the IRAC excess is dominated by the 3.3 um PAH feature, we find good agreement with the observed 11.3 um PAH line flux arising from the same C-H bending and stretching modes, consistent with model expectations. Finally, the IRAC excess appears to be correlated with the star-formation rate in the galaxies. Hence it could provide a powerful diagnostic for measuring dusty star formation in z>3 galaxies once the mid-infrared spectroscopic capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope become available.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Ap

Determination of Uranium Concentration in Sheep Organs for Some Iraqi&#1765;s Cities

The aim of this research is to determine the uranium concentration and its distribution in many sheep organs that live in different region of Iraq. The uranium concentration in tissue samples is measured by using fission tracks registration in CR-39 detector that caused by the bombardment of U235 with thermal neutrons from (241Am-Be) neutron source of thermal flux (5x 103 n.cm-2. s-1). The results show that the maximum uranium concentration in bronchiole tissues of the animals was found in Karbala city (3.706ppm) while the minimum concentration (0.127 ppm) was found in Al-Faluja city, also the same result in lung tissue the maximum value was found in Karbala city (2.313ppm) and the minimum concentration in Al Fluja (0.082). Otherwise, the maximum concentration in liver tissue was found in AdDiwaniyah city (1.156ppm) while the minimum concentration in Al Fluja city (0.153ppm). The uranium concentrations in heart tissues were found various than the previous results. The results of average uranium concentration in each animal were ranged from 0.149 to 1.675 ppm, the maximum values were found in the cities in south region of Iraq

Seed systems and crop genetic diversity in agroecosystems

Poster presented at the First Diversitas Open Science Conference. Oaxaca (Mexico), 9-12 Nov 200