Effect of integrated nitrogen management through organic and inorganic sources on the yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and status of soil fertility at harvest

The present investigation was conducted with the objective of utilizing locally available organic resources for substituting chemical fertilizer nitrogen partly and augmenting soil health.  The experiment was carried out for the crop kharif rice (Oryza sativa L.) in coastal Karnataka with eleven treatments laid out in randomized block design with three replications. Vermicompost (VC), Poultry manure (PM) and Fish manure (FM) were used as organic nitrogen sources integrated with mineral nitrogen source of fertilizer urea at substitution ratios of  25, 50 and 100 percent. These treatments were compared with control and recommended dose of nitrogen. The results revealed that the substitution of 50 per cent of nitrogen through VC  recorded significantly (P<0.05) higher plant height  (92.27 cm), higher number of productive tillers (16.85 hill-1), higher grain yield (5434 kg ha-1) and straw yield ( 6817 kg ha-1) compared to control. The results of the soil sample analysis for soil fertility parameters indicated that the major nutrients were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by integrated nitrogen management.  The available nitrogen (382.36 kg ha-1) and available potassium (143.7 kg ha-1) were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the treatment T4 where a recommended dose of nitrogen was substituted by 50 percent VC compared to control (294.05 kg ha-1 and 92.31 kg ha-1 respectively). However, the available soil phosphorus was significantly higher with treatment 50 per cent  RDN substituted by PM  (78.83 kg ha-1) as compared to control (43.93 kg  ha-1).  Thus, integrated resource management improved crop yield and post-harvest soil fertility

Novel role for alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M) as a disease modifying protein in senile osteoporosis

Introduction: In the rapidly aging U.S. population, age-induced bone loss (senile osteoporosis) represents a major public health concern that is associated with a significant increased risk for low trauma fragility fractures, which are debilitating to patients, cause significant morbidity and mortality, and are costly to treat and manage. While various treatments exist to slow bone loss in osteoporosis patients, these suffer from poor tolerability and label restrictions that limit their overall effectiveness. Over the past decade, skeletal stem/progenitor cells (SSPCs), which are the main precursor of osteoblasts and adipocytes in adult bone marrow (BM), have emerged as important players in osteoporosis.Methods: Age-induced skeletal pathology was quantified in elderly (24-month-old) vs. mature (3-month-old) mice by micro-CT and changes in SSPC abundance in the BM of these mice was quantified by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). SSPCs from elderly vs. mature mice were also analyzed by RNA-Seq to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and gain and loss-of-function studies were performed in human BM-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) to assess A2M function.Results: Elderly mice were shown to exhibit significant age-induced skeletal pathology, which correlated with a significant increase in SSPC abundance in BM. RNA-seq analysis identified alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M), a pan-protease inhibitor that also binds inflammatory cytokines, as one of the most downregulated transcripts in SSPCs isolated from the BM of elderly vs. mature mice, and silencing of A2M expression in human BM-MSCs induced their proliferation and skewed their lineage bifurcation toward adipogenesis at the expense of osteogenesis thereby recapitulating critical aspects of age-induced stem cell dysfunction.Conclusion: These findings identify A2M as a novel disease modifying protein in osteoporosis, downregulation of which in bone marrow promotes SSPC dysfunction and imbalances in skeletal homeostasis

Comparative study of natural and man-made polymers using whole powder pattern fitting technique

Natural polymers like chitosan, hemp and man-made polymers like poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) were investigated using wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) method. The merits and demerits of natural and man-made polymers were quantified in terms of microcrystalline parameters, determined by whole powder pattern fitting technique, which is an extension of single order method developed by us

Effect of Butea monosperma Lam. leaves and bark extracts on blood glucose in streptozotocin-induced severely diabetic rats

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder that has significant impact on the health, quality of life and life expectancy, as well as on the health care system. Butea monosperma Lam. Kuntze (Fabaceae), commonly known as palash, is widely used in the treatment of various diseases and disorders including diabetes. Materials and Methods: The present study was planned to evaluate the antidiabetic effect of aqueous extracts of B. monosperma leaves and bark in streptozotocin-induced severely diabetic rats. The animals were divided into four groups, with each consisting of six rats, viz. control, diabetic control, leaf extract-treated and bark extract-treated groups. Treatment was continued for 6 weeks. The biochemical estimations included blood glucose and serum insulin levels. Histopathology of pancreas was also performed. Results: The results indicated that both leaf and bark extracts of B. monosperma produced insignificant antihyperglycemic activity. The leaf and bark extracts reduced blood glucose to an extent of 28% and 11%, respectively. It was also evidenced that both leaf and bark extracts did not increase insulin synthesis or secretion and did not improve pancreatic architecture as reflected by the histopathologic studies. Conclusions: The findings of the study emphasize that B. monosperma does not possess significant antidiabetic activity in severe experimental diabetes at the dosage tested

Effect of electric field on mulberry (bivoltine) and tassar fibres

Effect of AC electric field on mulberry (bivoltine) and tassar silk fibres has been studied using X-ray scattering technique. Microstructural parameters are computed using line profile analysis for fibres subjected to various magnitudes of AC electric fields. Crystallite shape ellipsoids obtained from these analyses have been compared. By adopting the axial stress equation for a fibre, the findings have been used to explain the behaviour of silk in the presence of an external electric field. The variations in microstructural parameters of the samples in the applied electric field gradient reveal the fact that there is deformation of samples from the varying electric field which is equivalent to a non-hydrodynamic compression. The increase in the elastic modulus parameters is due to two factors, namely (i) the presence of varying electric field and (ii) the polymer network (crystallite) strengthening