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Field experiments were conducted for two successive seasons July 2018 to November 2018 and July 2019 to November 2019 at the Fruit Instructional Farm, Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Jhalawar district under Rajasthan state of India. The experiment consisted of different treatments of Azospirillum brasilense (AZS) and Vermicompost (V.C.). It was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. The 16 different treatment combinations of AZS and Vermicompost were applied to soil canopy of custard apple cv. Balanagar plants during first week of July 2018 and July 2019 in canopy rhizosphere of black vertisols in custard apple plants. Among different treatment combinations, T10 treatment consisting of AZS @ 50 g + V.C. @10 kg/plant was found relatively better over all other treatments with respect to most of the plant growth characteristics, including soil health properties and microbial population density in soil availability in canopy of custard apple cv. Balanagar plants. The pooled results of two years revealed comparative better plant growth parameters viz. rootstock girth (74.20 mm), scion girth (61.52 mm), plant height attribute (3.46 m), number of nodes per shoot (13.00), number of nodes per branch (86.17), number of shoots per branch (26.00), number of shoots per plant (151.00) have shown augmenting response in improvement of plant growth parameters under T10 treatment (AZS @ 50 g + V.C. @ 10 kg /plant) in custard apple cv. Balanagar plants. However, key soil parameters concerning bulk density (1.32 g/cm3), soil pH (7.39), and electrical conductivity (0.46 dS m−1) reduced significantly under T10 treatment over other treatments. The soil physico-chemical properties especially change in porosity (55.04%), organic carbon (0.55%), available nitrogen content (350.55 kg/ha), available phosphorous content (46.51 kg ha−1) and available potassium content (322.34 kg ha−1), bacterial population (26.67 cfu g−1), fungi population (15.00 cfu g−1) and actinomycetes population (10.00 cfu g−1) have shown tremendous response in improvement of soil parameters under T10 treatment (AZS @ 50 g + V.C. @ 10 kg /plant) with respect to overall soil health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer nanocomposite is a promising substitute for the charge‐storage dielectric material in capacitors. Barium titanate/polycarbonate (BT/PC) nanocomposite is one of the system due to its comprehensive excellent dielectric properties. As the dielectric response of nanocomposite depends strongly on the size of the fillers, concentration of fillers in the composite system. In this study, BT/PC nanocomposites (BT = 1‐5%) with thickness of 100 µm were fabricated to reveal the effect of the fillers on the energy storage performance of the polymer nanocomposites. Owing to the variable concentration and good dispersibility of the nanofillers, the nanocomposites with small concentration of BT particles show more uniform and denser microstructures. Moreover, with the increase of filler concentration, dielectric results indicate a breakdown strength enhancement in the nanocomposites with BT fillers, which is quite different from the nanocomposites with normal fillers, and therefore leads to the superior energy storage performance. This study demonstrates a strategy of obtaining large dielectric constants and energy densities in ceramic/polymer composites for energy storage device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal amyloidosis (RA) is a rare protein misfolding disorder that prompts progressive renal insufficiency. This study aimed to decipher proteomic changes in human sera to understand the pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms underlying the disease development, hence assisting in the diagnosis of RA. Serum proteomic analysis was performed using a gel-based approach followed by MALDI-TOF MS. RA patients with age and sex matched healthy volunteers were recruited from Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi, India. Proteome profiles of serum revealed eight differentially expressed proteins namely, Zinc finger protein 624, Protein FAM183A, Calcium-binding mitochondrial carrier protein Scamc-3, V-type proton ATPase 116 kDa subunit A isoforms 2, Protein TXNRD3NB, ATP – dependent RNA helicase, Troponin C and Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 7. These proteins were reported first time in RA. The increased levels of MAP3K7 and TROPONIN C were validated by bio-layer interferometry and their diagnostic accuracy was evaluated by ROC curve analysis. The differentially expressed proteins were predominantly associated with vesicular trafficking, transcriptional regulation, metabolic processes, apoptotic process and mitochondrial metabolism. The results indicate that these proteomic signatures may be considered as potential molecular targets for RA diagnostics and therapeutics subject to validation on large sample size. Abbreviations: AβP= Amyloid-beta protein, Aβ=Amyloid-beta, AL= Light chain amyloidosis, AA= Amyloid A, ALECT2= LECT2 amyloidosis, APS= Ammonium persulfate CKD= Chronic Kidney Diseases, EBRT= external beam radiation therapy, ESRD= End-Stage Kidney Disease, Glis2= Gli-similar 2, JNK= c-Jun NH 2-terminal kinase, MAPK= Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase, MM=Multiple Myeloma, PHD= Prolyl hydroxylase, RA = Renal Amyloidosis, SAA= Serum Amyloid A, SD= Standard Deviation, Sepp= Selenoprotein, SCC= Squamous cell carcinoma, SDS= Sodium dodecyl sulfate, TEMED = tetramethyl ethylenediamine, TGF-Beta-1=Transforming growth factor- Beta-1, Trx = Thioredoxin, TrxR= Thioredoxin reductase [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to discern the proteomic differences responsible for hampering the receptivity of endometrium and subduing the fertility of females with polycystic ovary syndrome in analogy to healthy fertile females. This study was designed in collaboration with Hakeem Abdul Hameed Centenary Hospital affiliated to Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India. Serum samples were taken from infertile PCOS subjects (n = 6) and fertile control subjects (n = 6) whereas endometrial tissue samples were recruited from ovulatory PCOS (n = 4), anovulatory PCOS (n = 4) and normal healthy fertile control subjects (n = 4) for proteomic studies. Additionally, endometrial biopsies from healthy fertile control (n = 8), PCOS with infertility (n = 6), unexplained infertility (n = 3) and endometrial hyperplasia (n = 3) were taken for validation studies. Anthropometric, biochemical and hormonal evaluation was done for all the subjects enrolled in this study. Protein profiles were generated through 2D-PAGE and differential proteins analyzed with PD-QUEST software followed by identification with MALDI-TOF MS protein mass fingerprinting. Validation of identified proteins was done through RT-PCR relative expression analysis. Protein profiling of serum revealed differential expression of proteins involved in transcriptional regulation, embryogenesis, DNA repair, decidual cell ploidy, immunomodulation, intracellular trafficking and degradation processes. Proteins involved in cell cycle regulation, cellular transport and signaling, DNA repair, apoptotic processes and mitochondrial metabolism were found to be differentially expressed in endometrium. The findings of this study revealed proteins that hold strong candidature as potential drug targets to regulate the cellular processes implicating infertility and reduced receptivity of endometrium in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an overview of two Martian Years (MYs) oxygen dayglow limb observations of the ultraviolet (UV) emissions at 130.4 and 135.6 nm. The data have been collected with the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument on board the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. We use solar flux measurements of EUVM on board MAVEN to remove the solar‐induced variation and show the variations of the maximum limb brightness and altitude with season, solar zenith angle, and latitude, which reflects the strong variability of the Martian atmosphere. The 130.4‐ and 135.6‐nm peak brightness and altitudes are strongly correlated and behave similarly. Both emissions are modeled for selected data using Monte Carlo codes to calculate emissions arising from electron impact on O and CO2. Additional radiative transfer calculations are made to analyze the optically thick 130.4‐nm emission. Model atmospheres from the Mars Climate Database serve as input. Both simulated limb profiles are in good agreement with the observations despite some deviations. We furthermore show that the observed 130.4‐nm brightness is dominated by resonance scattering of the solar multiplet with a contribution (15–20%) by electron impact on O. Over 95% of the excitation at 135.6 nm arises from electron impact on O. Simulations indicate that the limb brightness is dependent on the oxygen and CO2 content, while the peak emission altitude is mainly driven by the CO2 content because of absorption processes. We deduce [O]/[CO2] mixing ratios of 3.1% and 3.0% at 130 km for data sets collected at LS = 350° in Martian years 32 and 33. Key Points: We analyze two MYs of UV dayglow limb observations of O at 130.4 and135.6 nm; results at 135.6 nm are the first published since Mariner 6/7Solar flux cannot fully explain the brightness variations; strong correlation of the emissions confirms current photochemistry understandingEmissions mainly arise from direct excitation of O; limb brightness and peak altitude are strongly modulated by CO2 absorption [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Physics is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Unlike lumbar spinal dysraphism, cervical spinal dysraphism with or without tethered cord are rare lesions. These lesions are generally asymptomatic at birth, but with progression of time symptoms develop. These may be associated with various other anomalies. Not much have been reported in literature about cervical myelomeningocele (MMC) in adults or adolescents. We report a case of a 17 years old adolescent boy with cervical myelomeningocele with tethered cervical cord, who was completely intact neurologically even at this age and was without any associated anomaly. He came to us only for cosmetic reasons. The tethering band, which was evident on imaging was confirmed intra-operatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Head injuries are very common in children. All over the world, the most common mechanism is fall. These injuries are more prevalent in developing countries due to lack of education, poverty, lack of standard and scientific ways to child upbringing. Penetrating injuries in pediatric patients is extremely uncommon and usually occur due to sharp objects like knife, screw driver, drills, nails. We are reporting a rare case of a child with penetrating head injury due to tea cup, very commonly used crockery in every house hold. To the best of our knowledge, no similar case has ever been reported in world literature. Our case also emphasized the need for educating people about child care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrological Sciences Journal/Journal des Sciences Hydrologiques is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study measured activities of serum enzymes alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), markers of liver function in albino rats after continuous ingestion of arsenic trioxide (As203). For the study, treated animals were given AS2O3(0.2 mg/100 g/day) orally for 180 days. After the completion of treatment, the blood was collected for the estimation of serum biochemical markers. The results obtained were compared with control group. Data showed a significant increase in SGOT and SGPT activity after 60 days of As203administration. The level of alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase increased significantly after 90 and 120 days, respectively. Since the elevation of these serum enzymes is an indicator of hepatic damage, data indicate that As2O3produces hepatotoxicity. When taken continuously, arsenic was also deposited in liver and blood and affected the enzymatic pathways. Total accumulated arsenic was determined by HG-AAS at 193.7 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we provide concrete constructions of idempotents to represent typical singular matrices over a given ring as a product of idempotents and apply these factorizations for proving our main results. We generalize works due to Laffey (Products of idempotent matrices.Linear Multilinear A.1983) and Rao (Products of idempotent matrices.Linear Algebra Appl.2009) to noncommutative setting and fill in the gaps in the original proof of Rao’s main theorems. We also consider singular matrices over Bézout domains as to when such a matrix is a product of idempotent matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a nonnegative rank factorization of a nonnegative matrix A for the case in which one or both of A (1) A and AA (1) are nonnegative. This gives, in particular, a known result for characterizing nonnegative matrices when A † A or AA † is nonnegative. We applied this characterization to the derivation of known results based on the characterization of nonnegative monotone matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We characterize a finite cyclic semigroup of nonnegative matrices by generalizing a result known for the special case in which the semigroup is a group. We also characterize semirings S of nonnegative matrices A with diag A ⩾ I whose multiplicative semigroup S − {0} is cyclic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Genetics of non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) in Asian Indians has been inadequately investigated. This study aims to determine the association of the 1784G>C polymorphism in the SREBP-2 gene with NAFLD in Asian Indians in north India. Methods: In this study, (n=335); 162 obese with NAFLD, 91 obese without NAFLD and 82 non-obese without NAFLD subjects were recruited. Abdominal ultrasound, clinical profile, anthropometry, metabolic profile, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, fasting insulin and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were analysed. Polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism were used to identify individual genotypes, and the association of this polymorphism with clinical and biochemical parameters was assessed. Results: The observed frequency of G allele was 0.73 and C allele was 0.27. Frequency of C/C genotype was higher in NAFLD as compared to obese and non-obese subjects (p=0.003). In NAFLD subjects 57.4% were G/G homozygous, 31.5% G/C heterozygous and 11.1% were C/C homozygous. The SREBP-2 genotype frequencies deviated from the Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium (X^{2}=6.39, p =0.0114). Mean values of TG (p = 0.002), TC (p =0.002), ALT (p =0.04) and AST (p =0.03) levels were significantly higher in NAFLD subjects with G/C genotype as compared to G/G genotypes in obese and non-obese groups. Fasting insulin (p =0.03), HOMA (p =0.009) and hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in NAFLD subjects with G/C genotype as compared to obese and non obese subjects with G/G genotypes. Conclusion: In this study, conducted for the first time in Asian Indians, SREBP-2 1784 G>C genotype was associated with NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a viscoplastic formulation including damage for creep and creep rupture. The model incorporates a damage evolution law which includes both the viscoplastic strain rate as well as stress rate. Primary, secondary and tertiary creep are incorporated in this formulation. Model parameters are obtained for polycarbonate using both creep test and the constant strain rate test data. It is found that the model can give a reasonable predictions for creep and creep rupture. However the model will need to be modified for the constant strain rate case. The paper also presents a multi-axial formulation for the model. The formulation is general enough so we will be able to apply it to a complex problem of landslides in soil masses which is stated in the paper as our plan for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of ulcerative colitis (inflammatory bowel disease, IBD) has been achieved by using colon specific drug delivery system bearing 5-ASA and Camylofine dihydrochloride. Chitosan microspheres were prepared separately for both the drugs using emulsion method followed by enteric coating with Eudragit®S-100. The in vitro drug release was investigated in different simulated GIT medium. The drug release in PBS (pH7.4) and simulated gastric fluid has shown almost similar pattern and rate, whereas a significant increase in drug release (70.3 ± 1.36 and 72.5 ± 1.33% of 5-ASA and Camylofine, respectively) was observed in medium containing 3% rat caecal matter, after 24 h. In control study, 57.1 ± 1.13% of 5-ASA and 59.2 ± 1.2% of Camylofine release was observed in 24 h. For enzyme induction, rats were orally administered with 1 mL of 1% w/v dispersion of chitosan for 5 days and release rate studies were conducted in SCF with 3% w/v of caecal matter. An enhanced drug release (i.e., 92.3 ± 3.81 and 95.5 ± 3.52% 5-ASA and Camylofine, respectively) was observed after 24 h in dissolution medium containing 3% caecal content obtained from enzyme induced animals. In vivo data showed that microspheres delivered most of its drug load (76.55 ± 2.13%) to the colon after 9 h, which reflects its targeting potential to the colon. It is concluded that orally administered microspheres of both drugs can be used together for the specific delivery of drug to the colon and reduce symptoms of ulcerative colitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear and nonlinear relations of time independent plasticity are compared and their local response for varying stress or strain increment orientation is studied. The applicability of incremental relations to stability and post-critical response analysis can be assessed from such comparative study. In particular, the endochronic model providing nonlinear incremental relations is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its inception in 1971 by Valanis, the endochronic theory has undergone periods of both scrutiny and acceptance. Researchers at Virginia Tech showed that computational schemes and the methods of determination of material parameters were capable of invalidating this outstanding theory. Since the publication of their work in 1991, no refutation of the endochronic theory has been seen in the literature. This presentation is an extension of their 1991 paper. A five parameter endochronic solid is constructed by incorporating two exponential terms in the kernel function of the endochronic theory. Methods are presented for efficiently integrating the endochronic equations and a procedure is established for determing the material function. Local constitutive properties of the endochronic solid are investigated. It is shown that the model constructed is promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]