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The preparation of a magnetically recoverable and reusable Fe3O4@benzothiazole-Cu(II) nanoparticles with their catalytic and electrochemical sensing properties are reported in this manuscript. The prepared Fe3O4@benzothiazole-Cu(II) nanoparticles are characterized using various analytical techniques, including XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, XPS, TGA and VSM analysis. The prepared system has shown good catalytic activity in the reduction of 2-NBA, achieving a reaction rate constant of 0.093 min−¹ in 2 min with a low catalyst loading. The synthesized catalyst also showed very high efficiency in the reduction of 4-nitro-phenol and methylene blue within 13 min and 4 min, respectively. The prepared material demonstrated good recovery yield and could be reused as a catalyst for multiple cycles without a significant loss in catalytic activity. It also exhibited a remarkable electrochemical sensing capability for the detection of ascorbic acid, H2O2, and paracetamol at various concentrations, as determined through cyclic voltammetry and impedance measurements. They exhibited clear redox transformations, indicating the electrochemical sensing ability of the prepared materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identity management (IM) solutions are designed for facilitating and managing in digital field that identifies to perform the authentication operation which has been widely used for the real-world applications. The blockchain-based IM solutions are provided which allows the user to take the control of his or her identity. The existing blockchain-based IM models and based identified the research gap and other opportunities that will improve the present research work. Also, the information for owners who are trustworthy, traceable, secure ownership for the medical data that created seriousness in the security issues. The techniques and systems were centralized made difficult for sharing the medical data that have increased the single point of failure. The blockchain technology enabled the transparent, dependable, and auditable computing in various industries that used the decentralized network in the public ledger. The main objective is to exchange data in a safe and secure manner by using unalterable logs. To achieve and to improve the transparency, security and privacy, the verifiable digital signature with controlled blockchain enabled data records (DVS-CBDR) is introduced. Performance study of the proposed system has been assessed by a number of studies, examining throughput (170 tx/s), transaction response time (21 s), latency (5 s), memory usage (200 MB), and CPU utilization (98 Hz) which is better than patient-controlled blockchain enabled electronic health records for healthcare (PcBEHR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to assess silymarin's anticancer and antifibrotic potential through in silico analysis and investigate its impact on in vitro arecoline-induced fibrosis in primary human buccal fibroblasts (HBF). Methods & results: The study utilized iGEMDOCK for molecular docking, evaluating nine bioflavonoids, and identified silymarin and baicalein as the top two compounds with the highest target affinity, followed by subsequent validation through a 100ns Molecular Dynamic Simulation demonstrating silymarin's stable behavior with Transforming Growth Factor Beta. HBF cell lines were developed from tissue samples obtained from patients undergoing third molar extraction. Arecoline, a known etiological factor in oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), was employed to induce fibrogenesis in these HBFs. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) of arecoline was determined using the MTT assay, revealing dose-dependent cytotoxicity of HBFs to arecoline, with notable cytotoxicity observed at concentrations exceeding 50µM. Subsequently, the cytotoxicity of silymarin was assessed at 24 and 72 h, spanning concentrations from 5µM to 200µM, and an IC50 value of 143µM was determined. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to analyze the significant downregulation of key markers including collagen, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), stem cell, hypoxia, angiogenesis and stress markers in silymarin-treated arecoline-induced primary buccal fibroblast cells. Conclusion: Silymarin effectively inhibited fibroblast proliferation and downregulated genes associated with cancer progression and EMT pathway, both of which are implicated in malignant transformation. To our knowledge, this study represents the first exploration of silymarin's potential as a novel therapeutic agent in an in vitro model of OSMF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balanced nutrition is key to achieving sustainable output with efficient utilization of natural resources. A two-year field experiment was conducted to determine the combined effect of silicon (Si) and phosphorus (P) on system crop productivity (SP), system water productivity (SWP), system irrigation water use efficiency (SIWUE), and system profitability of aerobic-rice-wheat cropping system (ARWCS) in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India. The four doses of Si viz. 0, 40, 80, and 120 kg Si ha– 1(S0, S1, S2 and S3) and four doses of P viz. 0, 30, 60, and 90 kg P2O5 ha−1(P0, P1, P2, and P3) were applied during both years. The results revealed that the application of P3 and S3 enhanced the rice equivalent yield (REY) and SP by 26–38.4% and 27.6–39.6%, respectively over control treatment. Similarly, SWP and SIWUE were also increased by 31.2–38.3% and 26.6–39.5% under the same treatment. Further, the application of P3 and S3 reduced the lodging by 69.4% and 85.9% in rice and wheat, respectively, over control. Further, the same treatment reduced the incidence of yellow stem borer and pink stem borer by 40.3–63.3% and 39.8–51.7%in rice and wheat, respectively. The soil available P and Si were also improved significantly with the application of S3. Therefore, the application of Si and P in aerobic rice-wheat cropping systems could be recommended for improving system crop productivity, SWP, SIWUE, besides improving soil health and crop resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon (Si) is known as a beneficial or quasi-essential element particularly for graminaceous crops, as Si increases photosynthetic efficiency, increased resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, aluminium toxicity, heavy metal toxicity, dry matter accumulation and enhances resistance to lodging and drought. The combined application of phosphorus (P) and Si has a significant impact on the growth and yield of various crops. While the residual effect of Si and P application on growth, yield and soil biological activity in wheat were not ascertained. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the residual effect of Si and P on the wheat crop. The four levels of Si (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg Si ha–1) and P (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg P2O5 ha–1) were applied to the preceding aerobic rice crop and their effect was evaluated in succeeding wheat crop after two years of application. The results demonstrated a significant effect of Si and P on wheat growth, yield, nutrient uptake, and soil enzyme activities. The residual effect of 120 kg Si and 90 kg P2O5 ha–1 significantly improved the grain yield of the succeeding wheat crop by 24–45%. Further, the residual Si and P remarkably improved Si, N, P, and K concentration in wheat grain by 35, 13.2, 45, and 56 %, respectively, over control. Similarly, an increase in the microbial biomass carbon, dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate, and alkaline phosphatase activity by 17.2, 33.5, 12.4, and 37.5%, respectively were observed in the residual application of 120 kg Si and 90 kg P2O5 ha–1 over control. Therefore, the inclusion of Si and P could have great potential to improve soil enzyme activities and productivity of the wheat crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, copper (II) immobilized on guanidine functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4@Guanidine–CuII) are developed as a heterogeneous catalyst. Fe3O4@Guanidine–CuII is well-characterized by adopting FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TEM, EDX, SEM-elemental mapping, TG–DTA, XPS, ICP-OES, and VSM analysis. Fe3O4@Guanidine–CuII is employed for the selective reduction of nitro group on electronically diversified nitroarenes involving NaBH4 to serve as a hydrogen source in ethanol medium. Anilines resulted from the reduction of nitroarenes are of excellent yields with high TON and TOF numbers, indicating the efficiency of the prepared catalyst. Also, the catalyst has been recovered with effective yield over the time of the reaction, and the recovered catalyst was used up to eight cycles for the reaction without any significant change in the catalytic activity. This notable feature of the prepared catalytic system makes it highly promising, not only for an industrial but also from an environmental point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Road traffic accidents (RTA) are one of the foremost causes of head injuries and its prevalence is more in developing countries owing to its unorganised road utilisation system. Maxillofacial injuries occur in 5–33% of all trauma cases universally and are commonly associated with head injury (HI). Aim and objectives: The purpose of this prospective study is to determine the incidence and pattern of facial fractures in head injury patients and to evaluate the relationship between them. Does the midface acts as a cushion to the brain when subjected to trauma? Materials and methods: Hospital records of 500 consecutive patients admitted with head injury in a Tertiary Health Care Centre (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences) in Bangalore between March and June 2015 were included in the study. Results: Out of the total of 500 patients, the overall incidence of maxillofacial fractures among head injury patients was found to be 8.6%. Out of the 43 cases of maxillofacial involvement, the most commonly fractured facial bone was the maxilla (5.4%). All the cases of maxillofacial fractures due to RTA involved two-wheel vehicles and none of those cases had helmet protection at the time of the incident. 4.4% of study participants had sustained maxillofacial injuries while under the influence of alcohol. Conclusion: In our study of head injury patients, the most common aetiology of maxillofacial fractures was found to be RTA with drivers being most affected. Alcohol intoxication and lack of helmet protection played a significant role in causing maxillofacial fractures. We concluded that maxillofacial fractures are closely related to head injury especially in cases of RTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here the synthesis and dielectric characteristics of lead-free methylammonium bismuth chloride (MABiCl) and bromine (Br) doped methylammonium bismuth chloride (MABiBrCl) powders. The dielectric characteristics of the samples (pressed powder pellet) measured in the frequency range 1 Hz to 1 MHz and temperature range 333–403 K indicate complex electrical transport in these halide perovskite materials. We have observed that the transport is dominated by long-range hopping of carriers and localized charges above and below a critical frequency respectively. The experimental data are fitted with the theoretical models considering grains, grain boundary, and contacts effects and made a comprehensive analysis. The activation energy obtained from ac electrical conductivity measurements is found to be relatively higher for the Br doped MABiBrCl than undoped MABiCl, which might explain some of the properties reported on solar cells and optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is known to be a nutrient exhaustive crop and the application of silicon (Si) has been reported for the better utilization of plant nutrients from the soil. Hence, the response of the plant to phosphorus (P) could be enhanced by co-fertilization of Si and P. The present study evaluates the dry matter accumulation, grain yield, nutrients uptake, and nutrient-use efficiency of Si and P application in aerobic rice. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India in a factorial randomized block design, the treatments comprised four levels of Si (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg Si ha–1) and P (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg P2O5 ha–1) application. The results revealed the significant effect of Si and P application on dry matter accumulation, grain yield, and nutrient uptake in aerobic rice. The dry matter accumulation and grain yield of aerobic rice was significantly higher with the combination of 120 kg Si and 90 kg P2O5 ha–1 closely followed by the combination of 80 kg Si and 60 kg P2O5 ha–1. The rate of increase in dry matter accumulation due to different doses of Si and P ranged between 7.6 and 25.6 % over control. A strong positive relationship was observed between different doses of Si and P and concentrations and uptakes of different nutrients, barring zinc. Application of Si and P significantly enhanced the grain concentration of Si, nitrogen, P, and potassium by 25, 16.5, 47, and 25 %, respectively, over control. Overall, the addition of Si and P application in nutrient management could increase the productivity and nutrient use efficiency of aerobic rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here the synthesis and dielectric characteristics of lead-free methylammonium bismuth chloride (MABiCl) and bromine (Br) doped methylammonium bismuth chloride (MABiBrCl) powders. The dielectric characteristics of the samples (pressed powder pellet) measured in the frequency range 1 Hz to 1 MHz and temperature range 333–403 K indicate complex electrical transport in these halide perovskite materials. We have observed that the transport is dominated by long-range hopping of carriers and localized charges above and below a critical frequency respectively. The experimental data are fitted with the theoretical models considering grains, grain boundary, and contacts effects and made a comprehensive analysis. The activation energy obtained from ac electrical conductivity measurements is found to be relatively higher for the Br doped MABiBrCl than undoped MABiCl, which might explain some of the properties reported on solar cells and optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adoption of an integrated farming system (IFS) is essential to achieve food and nutritional security in small and marginal holdings. Assessment of IFS to know the resource availability and socio-economic condition of the farm household, farm typology plays a critical role. In this regard, a sample survey of 200 marginal households practicing mixed crop-livestock agriculture was conducted during 2018–2019 at Southern Coastal Plains, which occupies 19,344 ha in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, India. Farming system typology using multivariate statistical techniques of principal component analysis and cluster analysis characterized the diverse farm households coexisting within distinct homogenous farm types. Farming system typology identified four distinct farm types viz. resource constrained type-1 households with small land owned, high abundance of poultry, very low on-farm income, constituted 46.5%; resource endowed type-2 households oriented around fruit and vegetable, plantation crop, with a moderate abundance of large ruminant and poultry, high on-farm income, constituted 12.5%; resource endowed type-3 household oriented around food grain, extensive use of farm machinery, with a moderate abundance of large ruminant, low on-farm income, constituted 21.5%; and resource endowed type-4 household oriented around fodder, with high abundance of large ruminant, medium on-farm income, constituted 19.5% of sampled households. Constraint analysis using constraint severity index assessed the severity of constraints in food grain, horticulture, livestock, complementary and supplementary enterprises in each farm type, which allowed targeted farming systems interventions to be envisaged to overcome soil health problems, crops and animal production constraints. Farming system typology together with constraint analysis are therefore suggested as a practical framework capable of identifying type-specific farm households for targeted farming systems interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathological origin of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains uncharted terrain, despite intensive investigation. Discriminating aberrant proteinaceous deposits, such as β-amyloid (Aβ) and (hyperphosphorylated) tau protein by imaging methods, is a vital tool to support investigations towards the network of interacting features that results in AD pathology. In this context, multispectral fluorescence imaging (MSFI) has drawn much attention enabling the distinction of several analytes with merely a single fluorophore emitting a multichromatic fluorescent signal. Herein, we developed three kinds of benzimidazole-derived fluorescent dyes, BZ1–BZ3. The photophysical properties and intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) characteristics of the probes were evaluated in various solvents. Furthermore, a benzimidazole-associated polar-sensitivity displayed multichromatic behavior and enabled the visualization of minute differences in microenvironmental polarity between Aβ and tau aggregates, resulting in different maximal fluorescent emission wavelengths. Indeed, BZ2 demonstrated an approximately 30 nm bathochromic shift in maximal fluorescent emission. All these observations offer a potential for the development of a future generation of benzimidazole-derived ICT-based fluorescent probes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the reported work, ZnxFe2O4:Cu2+1−x nanoparticle (CZF NPs) was successfully synthesized from fabrication of copper (Cu2+) doped ZnFe2O4 NPs by a facile one-pot green (Aegle Marmelos extract) assisted combustion approach. The structural characterizations were investigated by specific spectral techniques; Powder X-Ray diffractometer (PXRD) confirms the formation of spinel cubic nanocrystalline structure with crystallite size in the range 20–25 nm. The porous with spongy like structure morphology was noticed by Scanning electron microscope (SEM). The photocatalytic performance of CZF NPs (7 mol%) was examined by observing their potential role in photodegradation of Rhodamine B (Rh-B) dye (94%) under irradiation of UV–Visible light. Electrochemical study was conducted by graphite assisted with CZF electrode paste in 0.1 M KCl electrolyte and performed as an excellent mechanism of charge–discharge supercapacitor nature with high responses towards the electrochemical sensor action for Mifepristone-Misoprostol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this retrospective observational cohort study was to measure glycemic variability and reductions in body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), and use of antihypertensive medications in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients participating in the digital twin-enabled Twin Precision Treatment (TPT) Program. Study participants included 19 females and 45 males with T2D who chose to participate in the TPT Program and adhered to program protocols. Nine additional enrollees were excluded due to major program non-adherence. Enrollees were required to have adequate hepatic and renal function, no myocardial infarction, stroke, or angina ≤ 90 days before enrollment, and no history of ketoacidosis or major psychiatric disorders. The TPT program uses Digital Twin technology, machine learning algorithms, and precision nutrition to aid treatment of patients with T2D. Each study participant had ≥ 3 months of follow-up. Outcome measures included glucose percentage coefficient of variation (%CV), low blood glucose index (LBGI), high blood glucose index (HBGI), systolic and diastolic BP, number of antihypertensive medications, and BMI. Sixty-four patients participated in the program. Mean (± standard deviation) %CV, LBGI, and HBGI values were low (17.34 ± 4.35, 1.37 ± 1.37, and 2.13 ± 2.79, respectively) throughout the 90-day program. BMI decreased from 29.23 ± 5.83 at baseline to 27.43 ± 5.25 kg/m2. Systolic BP fell from 134.72 ± 17.73 to 124.58 ± 11.62 mm Hg. Diastolic BP decreased from 83.95 ± 10.20 to 80.33 ± 7.04 mm Hg. The percent of patients taking antihypertensive medications decreased from 35.9% at baseline to 4.7% at 90 days. During 90 days of the TPT Program, patients achieved low glycemic variability and significant reductions in BMI and BP. Antihypertensive medication use was eliminated in nearly all patients. Future research will focus on randomized case–control comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective of this study was to examine changes in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), anti-diabetic medication use, insulin resistance, and other ambulatory glucose profile metrics between baseline and after 90 days of participation in the Twin Precision Nutrition (TPN) Program enabled by Digital Twin Technology. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients with type 2 diabetes who participated in the TPN Program and had at least 3 months of follow-up. The TPN machine learning algorithm used daily continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and food intake data to provide guidelines that would enable individual patients to avoid foods that cause blood glucose spikes and to replace them with foods that do not produce spikes. Physicians with access to daily CGM data titrated medications and monitored patient conditions. Results: Of the 89 patients who initially enrolled in the TPN Program, 64 patients remained in the program and adhered to it for at least 90 days; all analyses were performed on these 64 patients. At the 90-day follow-up assessment, mean (± standard deviation) HbA1c had decreased from 8.8 ± 2.2% at baseline by 1.9 to 6.9 ± 1.1%, mean weight had decreased from 79.0 ± 16.2 kg at baseline to 74.2 ± 14.7 kg, and mean fasting blood glucose had fallen from 151.2 ± 45.0 mg/dl at baseline to 129.1 ± 36.7 mg/dl. Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) had decreased by 56.9% from 7.4 ± 3.5 to 3.2 ± 2.8. At the 90-day follow-up assessment, all 12 patients who were on insulin had stopped taking this medication; 38 of the 56 patients taking metformin had stopped metformin; 26 of the 28 patients on dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors discontinued DPP-4 inhibitors; all 13 patients on alpha-glucosidase inhibitors discontinued these inhibitors; all 34 patients on sulfonylureas were able to stop taking these medications; two patients stopped taking pioglitazone; all ten patients on sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors stopped taking SGLT2 inhibitors; and one patient stopped taking glucagon-like peptide-1 analogues. Conclusion: The results provide evidence that daily precision nutrition guidance based on CGM, food intake data, and machine learning algorithms can benefit patients with type 2 diabetes. Adherence for 3 months to the TPN Program resulted in patients achieving a 1.9 percentage point decrease in HbA1c, a 6.1% drop in weight, a 56.9% reduction in HOMA-IR, a significant decline in glucose time below range, and, in most patients, the elimination of diabetes medication use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coconut is a major plantation crop of coastal India. Accurate prediction of its yield is helpful for the farmers, industries and policymakers. Weather has profound impact on coconut fruit setting, and therefore, it greatly affects the yield. Annual coconut yield and monthly weather data for 2000–2015 were compiled for fourteen districts of the west coast of India. Weather indices were generated using monthly cumulative value for rainfall and monthly average value for other parameters like maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and solar radiation. Different linear models like stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR), principal component analysis together with SMLR (PCA-SMLR), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and elastic net (ELNET) with nonlinear models namely artificial neural network (ANN) and PCA-ANN were employed to model the coconut yield using the monthly weather indices as inputs. The model's performance was evaluated using R2, root mean square error (RMSE) and absolute percentage error (APE). The R2 and RMSE of the models ranged between 0.45–0.99 and 18–3624 nuts ha−1 respectively during calibration while during validation the APE varied between 0.12 and 58.21. The overall average ranking of the models based these performance statistics were in the order of ELNET > LASSO > ANN > SMLR > PCA-SMLR > PCA-ANN. Results indicated that the ELNET model could be used for prediction of coconut yield for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metformin is the first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but many patients either cannot tolerate it or cannot achieve glycemic control with metformin alone, so treatment with other glucose-lowering agents in combination with metformin is frequently required. Remogliflozin etabonate, a novel agent, is an orally bioavailable prodrug of remogliflozin, which is a potent and selective sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor. Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of remogliflozin etabonate compared with dapagliflozin in subjects with T2DM in whom a stable dose of metformin as monotherapy was providing inadequate glycemic control. Methods: A 24-week randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled, three-arm, parallel-group, multicenter, phase III study was conducted in India. Patients aged ≥ 18 and ≤ 65 years diagnosed with T2DM, receiving metformin ≥ 1500 mg/day, and with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels ≥ 7 to ≤ 10% at screening were randomized into three groups. Every patient received metformin ≥ 1500 mg and either remogliflozin etabonate 100 mg twice daily (BID) (group 1, n = 225) or remogliflozin etabonate 250 mg BID (group 2, n = 241) or dapagliflozin 10 mg once daily (QD) in the morning and placebo QD in the evening (group 3, n = 146). The patients were followed-up at weeks 1 and 4 and at 4-week intervals thereafter until week 24. The endpoints included mean change in HbA1c (primary endpoint, noninferiority margin = 0.35), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial plasma glucose (PPG), bodyweight, blood pressure, and fasting lipids. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), safety laboratory values, electrocardiogram, and vital signs were evaluated. Results: Of 612 randomized patients, 167 (group 1), 175 (group 2), and 103 (group 3) patients with comparable baseline characteristics completed the study. Mean change ± standard error (SE) in HbA1c from baseline to week 24 was − 0.72 ± 0.09, − 0.77 ± 0.09, and − 0.58 ± 0.12% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The difference in mean HbA1c of group 1 versus group 3 (− 0.14%, 90% confidence interval [CI] − 0.38 to 0.10) and group 2 versus group 3 (− 0.19%; 90% CI − 0.42 to 0.05) was noninferior to that in group 3 (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found between group 1 or group 2 and group 3 in change in FPG, PPG, and bodyweight. The overall incidence of TEAEs was comparable across study groups (group 1 = 32.6%, group 2 = 34.4%, group 3 = 29.5%), including adverse events (AEs) of special interest (hypoglycemic events, urinary tract infection, genital fungal infection). Most TEAEs were mild to moderate in intensity, and no severe AEs were reported. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the noninferiority of remogliflozin etabonate 100 and 250 mg compared with dapagliflozin, from the first analysis of an initial 612 patients. Remogliflozin etabonate therefore may be considered an effective and well-tolerated alternative treatment option for glycemic control in T2DM. Trial Registration: CTRI/2017/07/009121. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: First-line controller combination therapy for the management of asthma is a low-dose inhaled corticosteroid (LD-ICS) + a long-acting β-agonist (LABA), and second-line options are a LD-ICS + a leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA), LD-ICS + sustained-release theophylline (SR-T), and a medium-/high-dose ICS (HD-ICS).Objective: The purpose of this review is to assess the various second-line combination therapy options for the management of asthma.Methods: We systematically reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in adult patients with asthma, extracting and synthesizing data from eligible articles on study design, duration, randomization, blinding, withdrawal, run-in period, type of analysis, and names and doses of drugs. The primary outcome measure was change in percentage predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (% FEV1), and the secondary outcome was frequency of asthma exacerbations.Findings: Nine RCTs (three blinded and six open-label trials) were selected for the review. One study investigated LD-ICS + LTRA compared with HD-ICS, two studies investigated LD-ICS + SR-T compared with HD-ICS, and five studies investigated LD-ICS + LTRA compared with LD-ICS + SR-T. Only one of the nine RCTs compared all treatment options as mentioned in Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines. Seven RCTs examined the primary outcome (change in % FEV1). No significant difference was observed (four RCTs; % FEV1) between LD-ICS + LTRA and LD-ICS + SR-T, but one RCT reported better clinical improvement with LD-ICS + LTRA than with LD-ICS + SR-T (% FEV1). Likewise, similar clinical effects (two RCTs) were observed between LD-ICS + SR-T and HD-ICS, one based on % FEV1 and the other based on exacerbation improvement. One RCT concluded that LD-ICS + LTRA was an effective and well-tolerated alternative to HD-ICS (exacerbation improvement). LD-ICS + LTRA resulted in greater clinical improvement when comparing all second-line treatment options in one RCT (% FEV1 and exacerbation improvement). All nine studies had a high risk of bias according to a modified Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for quality assessment of RCTs.Conclusion: Existing RCTs provide low-quality evidence of the superiority of second-line controller options for asthma management. This systematic review recommends that clinically relevant, stringently designed RCTs with appropriate sample sizes and durations are conducted to identify the best second-line controller option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is generally grown under completely flooded condition and providing food for more than half of the world’s population. Any changes in weather parameters might affect the rice productivity thereby impacting the food security of burgeoning population. So, the crop yield forecasting based on weather parameters will help farmers, policy makers and administrators to manage adversities. The present investigation examines the application of stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR), artificial neural network (ANN) solely and in combination with principal components analysis (PCA) and penalised regression models (e.g. least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) or elastic net (ENET)) for rice yield prediction using long-term weather data. The R2 and root mean square error (RMSE) of the models varied between 0.22-0.98 and 24.02-607.29 kg ha−1, respectively during calibration. During validation with independent dataset, the RMSE and normalised root mean square error (nRMSE) ranged between 21.35-981.89 kg ha−1 and 0.98-36.7%, respectively. For evaluation of multiple models for multiple locations statistically, overall average ranks on the basis of R2 and RMSE of calibration; RMSE and nRMSE of validation were calculated and non-parametric Friedman test was applied to check the significant difference among the models. The ranking of the models revealed that LASSO (2.63) was the best performing model followed by ENET (3.07) while PCA-ANN (4.19) was the worst model which was found significant at p < 0.001. The reason behind good performance of LASSO and ENET is that these models prevent overfitting and reduce model complexity by penalising the magnitude of coefficients. Then, pairwise multiple comparison test was performed which indicated LASSO as the best model which was found similar to SMLR and ENET. So, for prediction of rice yield, these models can very well be utilised for west coast of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution, global warming and climate change are the major contributing factors in causing the increase prevalence of allergic airway diseases like asthma and allergic rhinitis and they will be the defining issues for health system in the twenty-first century. Asthma is an early onset non-communicable environmental disease with global epidemic and contributes a greatest psycho socio economic burden. Nearly 8 million global deaths are from air pollution. Over one billion population are the sufferers during 2015 and will increase to 4 billion by 2050. Air pollution not only triggers the asthma episodes but also changes the genetic pattern in initiating the disease process. Over the years our concept of management of allergic airway disease has changed from control of symptoms to prevention of the disease. To achieve this we need positive development on clean air policies with standard norms, tracking progress, monitoring and evaluation, partnership and conventions with local and global authorities. We do have challenges to overcome like rapid urbanization, lack of multisectorial policy making, lack of finance for research and development and lack of monitoring exposure to health burden from air pollution. We need to prioritize our strategy by sustainable, safe, human settlement, cities, sustainable energy, industrialization, and research. The measures to be adopted are highlighted in this review article. With effective measures by all stake holders we can reduce air pollution and prevent the global warming by 2030, along with 194 countries as adopted by WHO in May 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radioactivity concentration of 210Po, 226Ra, and U in Cauvery river basin was analyzed using radiochemical analysis, emanometry, and LED fluorimetry, respectively. Due to transfer with water in cracks and pores, leaching, and heavy usage of phosphate fertilizers, 210Po, 226Ra, and U radionuclides get into the environmental samples studied. The 210Po concentration ranges from 0.7 ± 0.11 to 5.0 ± 0.7 and from 0.83 ± 0.12 to 5.2 ± 0.8 mBq L-1; the 226Ra concentration, from 11.7 ± 1.8 to 62 ± 9 and from 10.5 ± 1.6 to 68 ± 10 mBq L-1; and the U concentration, from 0.08 ± 0.01 to 4.4 ± 0.7 and from 2.0 ± 0.3 to 7.4 ± 1.1 ppb in river and borewell water samples, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays India is undergoing an impressive economic growth accompanied by a very slow decline, almost stagnation, in malnutrition levels. In developing countries, studies on dietary patterns and their relationship with nutritional status are scarce. Over the years some nutritional studies have been performed to explore different types of food consumed in various Indian regions, among different social samples. The aim of the present paper is to review and describe trends in food and nutrition intake patterns in the different states of India. The review was carried out in PubMed, using the advanced research criteria: [food* OR ('meal pattern*') OR ('eating pattern*')] AND ('nutrient intake') AND India*. PubMed research gave back 84 results and out of these, 7 papers due to their focus on food intake and consumption levels in India have been included in this study. Food intake patterns showed that most of the Indians are vegetarians and that food items rich in micronutrients (pulses, other vegetables, fruits, nuts, oilseeds and animal foods) are generally consumed less frequently. Poor and monotonous cereals-based diet may promote inadequate nutrition intakes according to Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the prevalence of physical activity and its relation with socio-demographic variables and eating habits among school-aged children in India. Methods: The study incorporated secondary analysis of anthropometric measurements and questionnaires on lifestyle and dietary habits of 1,680 school children aged between 3 and 11 y, obtained while carrying out the OBEY-AD project. The inventory contained questions about several variables concerning to physical activity, educational background, lifestyles and eating habits for both children and parents. Questions were organized along specific contents, which could be informative topics, picture choices and multiple answers choices. Results: Prevalence of inactivity was 21 % and exhibited significant variations between cities. Physical activity was significantly associated to socio-economic status and consumption of fruits and vegetables. No association could be revealed with children's BMI. Conclusions: Health-promotion interventions aimed at improving healthy lifestyles in Indian children should focus on population strata with low socio-economic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate obesogenic co-causing factors, promoting rise of weight in children, associated to local differences in India. Methods: Overall 1,680 children, aged 3-11 and balanced by gender, were recruited in school contexts distributed in seven major Indian cities. All children were weighted and measured in order to calculate their BMI. A validated cultural specific questionnaire was administered to children's parents for assessing socio-demographic data, eating habits, physical activity, etc. Furthermore children's brand awareness scores were computed in order to analyze their affiliation towards food-based advertisement. Descriptive statistics of frequencies, duration and intensity of the various factors were performed. Chi-square tests or Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for evaluating significance of differences in factors distribution across Indian cities. Results: Four factors, promoting rise of children's weight, were individuated as associated to urban differences, namely meal times consumed in the family, parents' BMI, brand awareness and physical activity. These aspects exercised a significant impact on children's body size in Kolkata and Chennai. Hyderabad and Mumbai, instead, were the cities where religion played some role in influencing children's weight gain. Conclusions: Such findings underline the need to frame obesity as a situated phenomenon rather than a national problem. Health policies, implemented in treating and preventing obesity, should be therefore specifically focused on locally situated peculiarities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel sphingosine, 1,2-diacetyl D- erythro-sphinganine having a characteristic almond flavour was isolated from the edible mushroom Grifola gargal. We have synthesized this sphinganine along with the three other sphingolipids, such as 1,2-diacetyl L- threo-sphinganine, D- erythro-sphinganine triacetate and L- threo-sphinganine triacetate using Garner aldehyde as the starting material involving the Grignard reaction and Mitsunobu inversion. The sphingolipids 1,2-diacetyl D- erythro-sphinganine and 1,2-diacetyl L- threo-sphinganine have been synthesized for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water, the most abundant volatile in Earth's interior, preserves the young surface of our planet by catalysing mantle convection, lubricating plate tectonics and feeding arc volcanism. Since planetary accretion, water has been exchanged between the hydrosphere and the geosphere, but its depth distribution in the mantle remains elusive. Water drastically reduces the strength of olivine¹ and this effect can be exploited to estimate the water content of olivine from the mechanical response of the asthenosphere to stress perturbations such as the ones following large earthquakes. Here, we exploit the sensitivity to water of the strength of olivine², the weakest and most abundant mineral in the upper mantle, and observations of the exceptionally large (moment magnitude 8.6) 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake³ to constrain the stratification of water content in the upper mantle. Taking into account a wide range of temperature conditions and the transient creep of olivine, we explain the transient deformation in the aftermath of the earthquake that was recorded by continuous geodetic stations along Sumatra as the result of water- and stress-activated creep of olivine. This implies a minimum water content of about 0.01 per cent by weight--or 1,600 H atoms per million Si atoms--in the asthenosphere (the part of the upper mantle below the lithosphere). The earthquake ruptured conjugate faults down to great depths4, compatible with dry olivine in the oceanic lithosphere. We attribute the steep rheological contrast to dehydration across the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, presumably by buoyant melt migration to form the oceanic crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of a weak asthenospheric layer underlying Earth's mobile tectonic plates is fundamental to our understanding of mantle convection and plate tectonics. However, little is known about the mechanical properties of the asthenosphere (the part of the upper mantle below the lithosphere) underlying the oceanic crust, which covers about 60 per cent of Earth's surface. Great earthquakes cause large coseismic crustal deformation in areas hundreds of kilometres away from and below the rupture area. Subsequent relaxation of the earthquake-induced stresses in the viscoelastic upper mantle leads to prolonged postseismic crustal deformation that may last several decades and can be recorded with geodetic methods1-3. The observed postseismic deformation helps us to understand the rheological properties of the upper mantle, but so far such measurements have been limited to continental-plate boundary zones. Here we consider the postseismic deformation of the very large (moment magnitude 8.6) 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake4-6 to provide by far the most direct constraint on the structure of oceanic mantle rheology. In the first three years after the Indian Ocean earthquake, 37 continuous Global Navigation Satellite Systems stations in the region underwent horizontal northeastward displacements of up to 17 centimetres in a direction similar to that of the coseismic offsets. However, a few stations close to the rupture area that had experienced subsidence of up to about 4 centimetres during the earthquake rose by nearly 7 centimetres after the earthquake. Our three-dimensional viscoelastic finiteelement models of the post-earthquake deformation show that a thin (30-200 kilometres), low-viscosity (having a steady-state Maxwell viscosity of (0.5-10) ? 1018 pascal seconds) asthenospheric layer beneath the elastic oceanic lithosphere is required to produce the observed postseismic uplift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advancements in cell cultures are occurring at a rapid pace, an important direction is culturing cells in 3D conditions. We demonstrate the usefulness of agarose hydrogels in obtaining 3 dimensional aggregates of three cell lines, A549, MCF-7 and Sp2/0. The differences in culture phases, susceptibility to cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity are studied. Also, the 3D aggregates of the three cell lines were reverted into 2D cultures and the protein profile differences among the 2D, 3D and revert cultures were studied. The analysis of protein profile differences using UniProt data base further augment the usefulness of agarose hydrogels for obtaining 3D cell cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Justification: Asthma and allergic rhinitis together are part of the concept of 'one airway, one disease' or 'united airway disease'. The management of allergic airway diseases should address this united concept and manage the issue by educating the patients and their parents and health care providers, along with environmental control measures, pharmacotherapy and immunotherapy. Here, we present recommendations from the module of 'Airway Diseases Education and Expertise' (ADEX) that focused on allergic rhinitis, asthma and sleep disorder breathing as a single entity or Allergic Airway Disease. Process: A working committee was formed by the collaboration of Pediatric Allergy Association of India (PAAI) and Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) Allergy and Applied Immunology chapter to develop a training module on united airway disease. Objectives: To increase awareness, understanding and acceptance of the concept of 'United Airway disease' and to educate the primary health care providers for children and public health officials, in the management of united airway diseases. Recommendations: Recommendations for diagnosis, management and follow-up of Allergic airway disease are presented in this document. A better compliance by linking education of child, parent, grandparents and other health care providers, and scientific progress by collaboration between practitioners, academicians, researchers and pharmaceutical companies is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low-noise (LNA) amplifier that combines transformer-neutralization with bandwidth enhancement is introduced to enable a compact design capable of operating from a widely scalable supply voltage. A supply-voltage scalable 17-29 GHz ultra-wideband (UWB) multi-stage LNA prototype employing a single transistor between V and ground in all stages, and using the aforementioned techniques, is fabricated in 130 nm CMOS. The LNA achieves 15.4 dB (18 dB) peak gain, 5.5 dB (4.7 dB) minimum NF and −12 dBm (−11 dBm) worst case IIP3 while consuming 6 mW (15 mW) power while operating with a 0.6 V (1.2 V) supply voltage. A 17-27 GHz quadrature receiver prototype employing a modified version of this LNA is also fabricated, with potential applications in wireless sensor and vehicular radar applications. The receiver achieves 22.2 dB (25.4 dB) of peak conversion gain, 8.7 dB (5.7 dB) minimum NF and −17 dBm (−15 dBm) worst case IIP3 while consuming 10.2 mW (24 mW) power from a 0.6 V (1.2 V) V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the influence of Coriolis force on transport and hybridization of ssDNA molecules in compact disk (CD) microfluidic platform where centrifugal force is used as the driving force. While the effect of Coriolis force on fluid flow in CD microfluidic channels has been studied experimentally and numerically only recently, its influence on ssDNA molecule migration and hybridization has not been investigated so far. This study addresses this phenomenon through numerical simulation and demonstrates that for most practical geometrical configurations and angular velocity ranges reported in the literature, the Coriolis force introduces significant qualitative and quantitative spatial variations in the hybridization of ssDNA molecules, particularly at locations near the periphery. In a particular example investigated here, hybridization was observed to reach steady-state at some locations in about half the time required in the absence of Coriolis force. However, our results further indicate that the time frame for hybridization is so fast (<1 s) that the transient effect due to Coriolis force on the location of hybridization is eventually compensated by the kinetics of hybridization and diffusion-limited reactions that tend to allow a uniform diffusion of target ssDNA over the surface at steady-state. To validate the numerical approach developed here, we carry out several experiments on microfluidic channels in a CD platform. Both numerically and experimentally, Coriolis effect is observed to be significantly influenced by channel width and angular rotations. Our results indicate that for low viscosity fluids, angular velocities as low as 25 rad/s could introduce Coriolis force that is as high as at least 25 % of the main driving centrifugal force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: To develop an instrument that allows one to estimate the Indian children's brand awareness of alimentary products. Methods: The IBAI (International Brand Awareness Instrument), an age specific tool composed of 12 sheets with images reporting brand logos of alimentary products, has been adjusted for the Indian context in order to investigate on infants' cognitive skills of recalling and recognizing. The IBAI was piloted in a sample of 100 children aged from 3 to 10 y and enrolled in New Delhi schools. Results: Children aged 7-10 y showed an higher brand awareness as compared to those of 3-6 y. Conclusions: The IBAI instrument may be a component for further analysis of the influence of food marketing on child's diet, foods' choices and preferences within the Indian social and cultural macro-context. Findings suggest that children over 6 y are particularly gullible by brands and TV promoted advertising. Prevention through information should, therefore be offered to school aged children and their parents, involving teachers, nutritionists and experts in developmental psychology also. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate, in a large pan Indian sample of school children, whether gadgets (toys) added to food increase food consumption, and if contemporary exposure to TV and/or advertising is a further promoting factor. Methods: A total of 1,680 Indian children were first randomized to food exposure with or without toy and then to a five-level exposure to TV viewing and advertising according to a 2 × 5 full factorial ad libitum eating design study. The sample size was computed to detect a difference of 20 Kcal of caloric intake (assuming the same standard deviation of 20 Kcal in both groups) between 'food with gadget' (Toy) and 'food alone' (No Toy) groups in each level of the exposure to TV and advertising factor, given an alpha error equal to 0.05 and a power of 0.90. Results: Mean caloric intake both in 'Toy' and 'No Toy' group was around 223 Kcal. When considering exposure to TV and advertising, mean values varied negligibly between 222 and 225 Kcal. According to linear models for the effect of gadget and exposure to TV and/or advertising on children's intake, no significant adjusted associations were found, neither as main effects nor as interactions. Conclusions: Food consumption by children is not influenced by the presence of added toys, even after adjustment for several potential confounding factors. The city where they live and age significantly influences Indian children's caloric intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To quantify mothers' social desirability bias with respect to their children's weight in a cross-regional Indian setting. Methods: The OBEY-AD was a cross-sectional study which has been realized in 7 Indian cities (Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, New Delhi and Surat), enroling 1,680 children aged 3-11 y of which 50 % were females. Children's BMI scores were computed, standardized according to WHO growth charts and categorized as Normal, Overweight, Obese and Underweight. Mothers were asked to judge the weight status of their children through an iconographic test, indicating the shape, which better mirrors the size of their kids. Socio-demographic data, especially employment, income and education, was accessed by administrating a cross-sectional questionnaire to the mothers, involved for the study. Results: Overall, 369 children resulted as obese or overweight (23.5 %). Out of them, 75 % (278) were not recognized as such by their mothers. Such figures range from up to 76 % in Chennai and Surat down to 72 % in Hyderabad, Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai. Overall agreement between perceived and desired weight status of children was very poor ( p < 0.001). Surprisingly, overall 10 % of overweight/obese children were considered as even too lean by their mothers. Misperception of children's weight status seemed to be significantly related to urban differences and socio-economic status. Conclusions: This study quantifies the extent of the so-called social desirability bias, namely mother's unconscious attitude to adapt empirical evidence to more culturally legitimized ideal-types of what their children's weight status is expected to be. Its association with westernized representations of leanness as evaluation criteria for beauty has important policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal ecosystems generate diverse services, such as protection, production of food, climate regulation and recreation across the globe. These services are vital for extremely vulnerable coastal areas for enhancing present and future adaptation capacity under changing climate. Bangladesh has long coastline which provides opportunities to large population for multiple resource uses; and threats from extreme natural disasters. The CBACC-Coastal Afforestation is the priority initiative of Bangladesh NAPA that has come in actions under first LDCF adaptation project. The project has focused to reduce climatic vulnerability through enhancing resilience of coastal forests and adaptive capacity of communities. With a total of 6,100 ha of new mangrove plantation and introducing 10 important mangrove species in existing monoculture areas, the project increased protective and carbon rich forest coverage, and also functional capacity of coastal vegetation to adapt to current and future climatic shocks. Concurrently, the project developed co-benefit regime for community based adaptation through innovating integrated land uses for livelihoods of adjacent households. A new land use model (Forest, Fish and Fruit-Triple F) has been implemented to restore fallow coastal lands into community based livelihood adaptation practices. The Triple F practice has reduced inundation and salinity risks and freshwater scarcity in cultivation of agricultural crops and fish. The rational land uses improved household adaptation capacity of landless households through short-, mid- and long-term income generation. The project lesson has further focus to justify the land use innovation for harnessing potential opportunities of ecosystem based adaptation in coastal Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2,4,5-Trisubstituted imidazoles have been synthesized by treatment of benzil with aldehydes and ammonium acetate in water under reflux in the presence of p-dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid as catalyst. The same reaction using an additional amine affords 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles. The products are formed in high yields within 4 h under eco-friendly conditions. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optically clear glasses in the ZnO-BiO-BO (ZBBO) system were fabricated via the conventional melt-quenching technique. Dielectric constant and loss measurements carried out on ZBBO glasses unraveled nearly frequency (1 kHz-10 MHz)-independent dielectric characteristics associated with significantly low loss ( D = 0.004). However, weak temperature response was found with temperature coefficient of dielectric constant 18 ± 4 ppm °C in the 35-250 °C temperature range. The conduction and relaxation phenomena were rationalized using universal AC conductivity power law and modulus formalism respectively. The activation energy for relaxation determined using imaginary parts of modulus peaks was 2.54 eV which was close to that of the DC conduction implying the involvement of similar energy barriers in both the processes. Stretched and power exponents were temperature dependent. The relaxation and conduction in these glasses were attributed to the hoping and migration of Bi cations in their own and different local environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scaling-friendly approach for the low-power calibration of oversampled analog-to-digital (A/D) systems is presented. A 22-dB amplifier relaxes the design constraints of the analog front-end (AFE). The integrator non-idealities in the AFE of the sigma-delta (ΣΔ) ADC are calibrated using a multi-rate polyphase least-mean squares (LMS) algorithm. The proposed half- ( f/2) and quarter-rate ( f/4) LMS calibration schemes reduce computational complexity and achieve more than 2.5× savings in digital power consumption for low-OSR (over-sampling ratio) ΔΣ ADCs, which require higher adaptive filter orders and sampling frequencies. The proposed scheme can have further applications in serial-link I/O and sub-band echo cancellation architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radon concentration in soil-gas and in the atmospheric air has been studied around Mysore city (12°N and 76°E) using Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors. The radon in soil-gas is found to be higher at a depth of 1 m than at a depth of 0.5 m from the ground surface. The higher radon concentration in soil was observed near Chamundi Hills and Karigatta village with average values of 5.94 kBq.m−3 and 5.32 kBq.m−3 at 1 m depth from the ground surface. Seasonal variations in radon in soil gas shows that, the concentration is lower in summer with an average value of 0.60 kBq.m−3 and higher in monsoon season with an average value of 4.70 kBq.m−3. Estimation of 226Ra in soil at these locations is also made using HPGe detector. The activity of 226Ra, varies from 4.82 to 74.23 Bq.kg−1 with an average value of 32.11 Bq.kg−1. Radon concentrations in soil-gas shows good correlation with the activity of 226Ra in soil with a correlation coefficient of 0.76 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radon survey was performed in granite quarries around Bangalore rural district and Bangalore city as part of a lung cancer epidemiological study. Long duration measurements of indoor and outdoor radon, thoron and their progenies concentrations were made around granite quarries of Bangalore rural district by using Solid State Nuclear Track Detector (SSNTD, LR-115, Type-II Plastic track detector) during summer and winter period (2006–07). The increase of radioactivity in granite quarries and inhalation dose to workers and populations near the quarries have been summarized. The higher concentrations of radon and thoron in granite quarries suggest radiation health effects on workers and public around the quarries is higher than permissible levels. The results are presented and analyzed with reference to ICRP limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare earth orthophosphates, RPO4 (LaPO4 and Nd: LaPO4) have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions with an experimental temperature of 120 °C and duration of 16–30 h. Crystals were typically in the size range of 50–120 nm. The nanoparticles obtained were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy, SEM, and optical absorption spectroscopy. The typical morphology of the rare earth phosphate particles obtained was either rod-shaped or spherical depending upon the experimental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium wilt ( Fusarium udum Butler) is a soil borne disease of pigeonpea which causes substantial yield losses. The disease can occur at any stage of plant development, from the young seedling to the pod filling stage. Though resistance is simply inherited, transfer to locally adapted cultivars has been difficult due to linkage drag and difficulty in accurate phenotyping, except in sick plots. An attempt was made to identify RAPD markers associated with wilt phenotype by using F2 populations derived from contrasting parents; GSl (susceptible) ‘ICPL87119 (resistant) and GS1’ ICP8863 (resistant). Parents and F2s were grown in a national Fusarium sick-plot at Gulbarga, India and phenotyped as resistant or susceptible during the entire crop growth period. In both the crosses, resistance to wilt segregated as a monogenic dominant character. DNA samples extracted from sick plot grown, early seedling stage plants of parents and 254 F2 plants of GS1 × ICPL87119 were held separately for marker identification. PCR reactions using 340 random decamer primers with genomic DNA of parents resulted in detection of 45 polymorphic amplicons from 39 primers. PCR testing of bulked DNA from subsets of resistant and susceptible plants revealed the presence of two amplicons at 704 bp and 500 bp (OPM03704 and OPAC11500) with susceptibility. Analysis of individual F2 plants showed a segregation ratio of 3: 1 for the presence: absence of the amplicon in both crosses. Considering the wilt reaction and susceptibility-linked RAPD marker, it was possible to deduce genotype of every F2 plant and the genotypic ratio for wilt reaction was 1RR: 2Rr: 1rr, as expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]