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A type of biodegradable plastic derived from biological substances instead of petroleum is Bio-Plastics. The following study explores how plastics were changed by focusing on the relationship between bioplastic materials and the products into which they are made. At the present time, used as a flipside of plastic; the reason behind the enlargement of plastic objects like stones and much more. The production of plastic is inexpensive and comparatively more durable and the rate of production is high due to the Earth’s environment that negatively affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, and humans. For the present time, plastics are replaced by bioplastics as Biomass is simply available in large quantities and bio-plastics can easily be made by them. This is true that life is implausible today without plastic. People nowadays know about the huge benefits but they are not aware about the negative impact of the same plastic on the environment. The growth of biodegradable plastic is derivative by the given factors:- • Government policies towards Go Green obtainment. • Biodegradability. • Use of renewable and bio-based raw materials. • Consumer preference towards eco friendly products. The knowledge gained by the activity was to frame the plastic and create motifs as a surface embellishment used in our innovative and draping saree collection. The following study will help to understand the application of bioplastic as surface ornamentation in the process of range development of saree collection using organic materials. The recommendation to overcome the barrier of bio-plastic use, was provided and evaluated by the technical, social, and economic based evidence where they offer possibility over unexceptional plastic.

Background: Optimal patient selection for the endovascular treatment of iliofemoral DVTs remains a significant clinical challenge. 2 Symptom onset is used as a gross surrogate for determining the composition of the clot to determine if it is amenable to endovascular treatment. As thrombus ages, collagen deposition increases, and the bulk of fibrin within the thrombus becomes crosslinked and resistant to lysis 3 . Symptom onset has poor correlation with collagen content 4 and is not a predictor of endovascular success. The goal of this study is to relate MRI characteristics to clot composition to guide patient selection for endovascular treatment of iliofemoral DVT in the future. 5 Methods: 2 patients with popliteal deep venous thrombus that presented within a week of symptom onset underwent Inari thrombectomy. Patient 1 was imaged in the 7T MRI and patient 2 was imaged with 3T Both patients had T2-weighted (T2W) and UTE sequences. Results: Patient 1 had a thrombus with high collagen content indicated by low signal intensity on T2W imaging and high signal intensity on UTE MRI. The extracted clot had gross chronic characteristics and was extremely challenging to extract despite multiple passes. Patient 2 had a thrombus with low collagen content indicated by low signal intensity on T2W imaging and isointense on ultrashort echo time imaging. The clot had acute gross characteristics and was easy to extract. Conclusion: Symptom onset is not always reflective of the composition of deep venous thrombus. MRI characterization of thrombus can aid patient selection for endovascular treatment by differentiating patients with high and low collagen content.

Objective: To present initial results of an ongoing ex-vivo experimental study to compare vessel preparation with intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) or orbital atherectomy (OA) versus plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) in tibial arteries. Method: We will study amputated limbs that have concentric calcification, in three arms, 1. POBA, 2. IVL, and 3. OA. Amputated limbs are first scanned on 7T MRI using UTE (Ultra-short echo time) and T2 weighted sequences to characterize target lesions with concentric calcium at high resolution. The diameter of balloon is sized based on diameter of the vessel proximal and distal to target lesion and confirmed with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). A through-and-through wire is placed and angiography and IVUS are performed. POBA, IVL or OA is performed. In lesions with vessel prep, angioplasty is performed. All angioplasties are performed at minimum pressure required for the balloon to reach profile diameter. Finally, the ex-vivo harvested specimens are imaged in 9.4T MRI for 3-D plaque analysis prior to histologic sectioning and staining. Results: We have 7 experiments, 3 BKA and 4 AKA. Balloon angioplasty without vessel prep was performed in 3/7, OA in 2/7 and IVL in 2/7. Lesions angioplastied without vessel prep required higher than burst pressure to reach profile. Lesions treated with OA and IVL required pressures between nominal and burst to reach profile. POBA samples demonstrated plaque disruption and dissections with more luminal gain compared with lesions that underwent vessel prep prior to angioplasty. Conclusion: This study elucidates the mechanism of vessel prep and how it assists POBA in protecting the vessel wall. Vessel prep did not “debulk” or improve luminal gain substantially but required lower inflation pressures and had less uncontrolled dissections and disruptions of the vessel wall. Initial results demonstrate a compelling indication for vessel preparation in select tibial lesions with 360-degree concentric calcium.

Nebulized gamma interferon (IFN-γ) protein has been studied for clinical safety and efficacy against pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The protein is expensive, requires a cold chain, and is difficult to deploy in limited-resource, high-incidence settings. We generated preclinical proof of concept (PoC) for a dry powder inhalation (DPI) containing DNA constructs to transiently transfect the lung and airway epithelium of mice with murine IFN-γ. Bacterial colony forming units (CFU) in the lungs of mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) reduced from about 106/g of tissue to ∼104 after four doses given once a week. Nodular inflammatory lesions in the lungs reduced significantly in number. Immunohistochemistry of infected lung sections for LC3-1 and LAMP-1 indicated autophagy induction between 18-48h after inhalation. ELISA on bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid showed differences in kinetics of IFN-γ concentrations in the epithelial lining fluid of healthy versus infected mice. Uninfected mice receiving DNA constructs expressing a fluorescent protein were live-imaged. The fluorescence signals from the intracellular protein peaked at about 36h after inhalation and declined by 48h. These results establish preclinical PoC of the efficacy of a DPI and dosing regimen as host-directed and transient gene therapy of experimental pulmonary TB in mice, justifying preclinical development., Graphical Abstract, Misra and colleagues present preclinical proof-of-concept that transiently transfecting the lung epithelium by means of inhaled DNA encoding gamma interferon is efficacious in treating mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They argue that their non-sterile, non-invasive and potentially storage-stable dry powder inhalation formulation of plasmid DNA has advantages over nebulized protein.

Polymer coating of water soluble fertilizers to curb excess solubilization of nutrients is well-acknowledged fact. Lack of information on phosphorus (P) release from controlled release nitrogen-phosphorus (NP) formulation and its impact on nutrient use indices has driven us to conduct this experiment. We developed NP formulations by reacting liquid ammonia and orthophosphoric acid in laboratory. Resulting NP formulations were characterized by solubility fractions, microscopy, spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. After coating with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and liquid paraffin (LP) at 2 and 3 w/w% concentration, P release kinetics and temperature sensitivity (Q10) of the formulations were compared with diammonium phosphate (DAP) at 20 and 30 °C temperature in a P-deficient soil for 120 h of incubation. Finally, nutrient use efficiency and relative efficiency indices were determined from a greenhouse experiment in potted soil to assess the effect of polymer-coated formulations and of DAP at two application rates in comparison with a non-P amended control. Laboratory synthesized NP formulations were alkaline in reaction, definite cubical to hexagonal crystalline structure with smooth surface generating peaks related to P and N in fingerprinting region of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Polymer coating of NP formulations delayed the P release compared with DAP, while LP-coated formulations showing slower P release than PVA-based coatings. Despite LP-coated formulations showed greater temperature sensitivity (Q10), the PVA-based formulation significantly increased yield and biomass accumulation of wheat, with concomitant increase in crop P uptake and P use efficiency. Both LP and PVA-coated formulations showed a significant residual P accumulation in post-harvest soils. The findings underline the potential of polymer coating technology for enhancing P use efficiencies, thereby reducing environmental P footprints.

It is unclear whether Vitamin D is efficacious as a host-directed therapy (HDT) for patients of tuberculosis (TB). We investigated pulmonary delivery of the active metabolite of Vitamin DWe optimized a spray drying process to prepare a dry powder inhalation (DPI) of calcitriol using a Quality by Design (QbD) approach. We then compared outcomes when Mtb-infected mice were treated with inhaled calcitriol at 5 ng/kg as a stand-alone intervention versus DPI as adjunct to standard oral anti-tuberculosis therapy (ATT).The DPI with or without concomitant ATT markedly improved the morphology of the lungs and mitigated histopathology in both the lungs and the spleens. The number of nodular lesions on the lung surface decreased from 43.7 ± 3.1 to 22.5 ± 3.9 with the DPI alone and to 9.8 ± 2.5 with DPI + ATT. However, no statistically significant induction of host antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin or reduction in bacterial burden was seen with the DPI alone. DPI + ATT did not significantly reduce the bacterial burden in the lungs compared to ATT alone.We concluded that HDT using the low dose calcitriol DPI contributed markedly to mitigation of pathology, but higher dose may be required to evoke significant induction of bactericidal host response and bactericidal activity in the lung.

Carbon fractions under different bamboo species viz., Bambusa balcooa, Bambusa bambos, Bambusa nutans, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, Dendrocalamus asper and Dendrocalamus strictus were evaluated to understand the potential of these different bamboo species in soil rehabilitation in Himalayan foothills. The highest accumulation of the different carbon fractions likes very labile (6.12 mg g−1), less labile (2.55 mg g−1) and non-labile (11.40 mg g−1) was observed under D. hamiltonii, while highest labile fraction (3.17 mg g−1) was recorded under D. strictus. The highest active (8.85 mg g−1) and passive pool (13.95 mg g−1) were recorded under D. hamiltonii. Higher carbon management index (CMI) was obtained under D. hamiltonii (186.04) which was comparable with D. strictus (182.66) and B. nutans (179.24). Among all the six species, D. hamiltonii had the highest buildup of active and passive pool in both the soil depths. Bamboo plantations irrespective of the different species helped in enhancing the SOC fraction and enhanced C buildup in the soil in comparison to the open fallow land and holds potential in combating the problems of land degradation and soil rehabilitation., Active pool, Carbon management index, Labile pool, Non-labile pool, Passive pool

Soil carbon and its fractions are important in understanding the mechanism of soil carbon sequestration. The present study evaluated the impact of seven commercial bamboo species, viz., Bambusa balcooa, B. bambos, B. vulgaris, B. nutans, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, D. stocksii, and D. strictus, on labile and non-labile carbon fractions. In the 0-15-cm layer, B. nutans had the highest very labile C (7.65 g kg

BackgroundThe physical function of children with sarcoma after surgery has not been studied explicitly. This paucity of research is partly because of the lack of a sufficiently sensitive pediatric functional measure. The goal of this study was to establish and validate a standardized measure

Although nitrogen (N) has the highest requirement for plant growth, N use efficiency (NUE) seldom exceeds 40%. NUE may be improved by integrated application of fertilizer N and enriched org...

Sewage sludge being a cheap source of plant nutrient is commonly applied by farmers and is being promoted for implementation of “waste to wealth” programme in India. It has diverse impact on soil microbial properties. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of application of sludge from three waste water treatment plants namely, Okhla (Sld-O), Keshopur (Sld-K) and Pappankallan (Sld-P) in National Capital Region (NCR), Delhi, India on various soil biological properties and bio-safety of crop produce. A pot culture experiment with eight treatment combinations (3 sludge × 2 doses [i.e. 11.2 mg kg−1 + 50% recommended NPK, 22.4 mg kg−1] + recommended dose of NPK + absolute control) was conducted. The sludge amendment significantly improved the microbial biomass carbon, potential mineralizable nitrogen, enzyme activities (dehydrogenase, acid and alkaline phosphatase) as well as yield of palak. However, excess nitrate concentration (∼100% higher than control) in post-harvest soils and contamination of palak leaves with Escherichia coli is a matter of great concern and should be monitored carefully for proper utilization of sludge in agriculture.

Nutrients are essential for plant growth. Thus, nutrient recycling is an integral part of soil science, nutrient chemistry, and sustainable agriculture. Biogeochemistry of nutrients is a cyclic process, where microbes act on parent materials by secreting different chemical compounds and make the nutrient bioavailable and vice versa. In a typical phytobiome, the composition of the microbiome varies from harmful pathogens to beneficial rhizospheric microbes. Other than this, climatic conditions, soil organic matter (SOM) content and structure, leaf litter composition (forest soil), mineralogy of parent materials, root architecture, and land use management are the controlling factors of biogeochemical reactions of nutrient recycling. Further, information on nutrient biogeochemistry and their ecosystem variability based on three different ecosystems such as wetland ecosystem (representative of a tropical ecosystem), forest ecosystem (representative of a temperate ecosystem), and arid ecosystem are rarely found in a complied manner. These natural ecosystems cover the maximum land surface of the earth. Continuous or intermittent flooding in paddy fields and leaf litter decomposition in forest soils are prime factors that control biogeochemistry and availability of C, N, P, K, S and micronutrients. Additionally, forest soil content has high SOM, whereas arid and semiarid ecosystems are low in SOM and soil water is the prime factor controlling nutrient dynamics. Various investigations have documented that soils of arid and semiarid regions contain a higher amount of Cu, B, Mo, Co, Se, and Cr than the soils of tropical and temperate regions. This chapter has focused on covering nutrient recycling, biogeochemistry, and controlling factors in different ecosystems by the concept of the rhizospheric microbiome.

Transient transfection of the respiratory mucosa of mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) with gamma interferon (IFN-γ) promises benefits in disease therapy. We investigated preclinical efficacy of a dry powder inhalation (DPI) as a stand-alone versus adjunct to oral anti-tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy in mice. We observed that this host-directed therapy mitigates the gross organ pathology and histopathology of lung and spleen tissue of infected mice receiving the DPI, either alone or as adjunct therapy. However, no statistically significant reduction in Mtb colony forming units (CFU) occurred if mice were given only DPI; but not drugs. We compared one and three doses a week of the DPI over four weeks; with or without concomitant oral drugs. There was no significant difference in lung CFU after four or 12 doses of the DPI alone, but, surprisingly, four doses were qualitatively better than 12 doses in mitigating lung pathology. Nodular lesions on the lung surface and the area occupied by these was significantly reduced after four doses of the DPI, even without oral drugs. Transient transfection with IFN-γ did not induce pathological inflammation of the lungs and airways. We conclude that IFN-γ, as expected of host-directed therapy, 'heals the host; ' but does not 'kill the bug.'

Inter-Basic Service Sets (BSSes) interference and interference inside a BSS are unavoidable since the quantity of non-overlapping channels for wireless networks is limited; and multiple BSSes form an Extended Service Set (ESS). Nowadays, due to the rapid growth in the use of wireless devices like smart phones, laptop etc., access points (APs) in public areas are overheaded with a huge number of Internet accesses requested by users. When many wireless devices are assembled together to get and offer services, allocation and sharing of wireless channels become a critical issue since all wireless devices want to access the channel simultaneously and transmit data. Therefore, collisions occur in acquiring the channel and consequently, unfairness in channel access increases, which leads to the degradation of throughput fairness in wireless networks. This paper addresses aforesaid issue to propose a mechanism, called FairIN, to provide fairness in throughput such that all wireless stations can get an equal access of the channel. In FairIN, we design two mechanisms to handle the fairness inside a BSS and among APs separately. The performance analysis of FairIN through simulation in an IEEE 802.11ac network shows that FairIN can improve throughput fairness in infrastructure-based wireless networks.

Inorganic and organic fertilizers are crop food considered as indispensable sources of nutrients to the agriculture ecosystem. These crop food, besides supplying essential nutrients and acting as soil conditioners, pose potential pollution risk in agriculture and might contain significant amount of contaminants. Indiscriminate use of fertilizer and manures, improper handling and storage facilities, etc. often result in degradation of natural resources, releasing contaminants into soil, air, and water which directly impact human health. Inorganic fertilizers are subjected to easy breakdown in soil compared to organic manures and, therefore, easily contaminate soil, water, and air. Major source of contamination is from nitrogenous and phosphatic fertilizers, which affect soil properties, runoff cause water contamination, or sometime escape to atmosphere affecting air quality thereby enhanced contribution to greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. In addition, contaminants from both inorganic and organic fertilizers rich in nutrient lost via runoff and soil erosion result in eutrophication of aquatic bodies. High build up of heavy metals like Cr, Cd, Ni, Hg in soil are often associated with excess application rate of manures and fertilizers in agriculture. Various contaminants have direct effect on soil properties, such as reduction in soil organic carbon, high accumulation of salts, compaction, surface crusting, imbalance of essential nutrients, which deteriorates normal soil functions. Site-specific information along with appropriate nutrient management strategies such as best management practices (BMPs), nutrient application based upon crop requirement, phytoremediation techniques, nutrient loss models, monitoring, awareness among farmers and public, and legislation policies can not only result in sustainable crop production but will also minimize the possible adverse effect on living beings and environment by reducing contaminants added by organic and inorganic fertilizers.

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our times, and we are steadily marching towards a climate catastrophe. Among the various sectors which is fuelling the climate change through emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), the contribution of agricultural sector is 24%. Unscientific farm management practices like imprudent fertilizer and pesticide application, livestock management practices, land use changes etc. are the driving forces which have led to increased GHG emissions from agriculture. Thus, strategies to reduce the emission and its subsequent impact on the changing climate is the need of the hour, as agriculture besides being a contributor is also one of the most vulnerable sectors affected by climate change. Precision farming or precision agriculture (PA) is one such instrument which is effective in making agriculture more ‘climate smart’ by reducing its impact on the environment. This technique of farming employs right management practices at the right place and time by capturing the heterogeneity of the land at a minute scale. Thus, PA is a technology intensive system, which requires the assistance of Global Positioning System; different sensors for monitoring soil moisture, nutrients etc. and geo-referenced maps for different soil properties but when adopted at a large scale would help to improve the productivity, increase the saving of resources and reduce the environmental impact. PA is the modern-day climate-smart agriculture strategy, which could answer the problem of food insufficiency in developing countries and emerge as a powerful tool, as well as solution to the innumerable challenges faced by the agriculture sector.

The enormous potential of the phytobiome for better plant growth and productivity is an essential tool for sustainable agronomic practices for eco-friendly cultivation processes. However, microbes in relation to plants, environment, omics, and their interactions are still to be clearly explored. Current predictive formulae like niche origin, ecological traits, evolution, genetics or heterosis, and resource trades are not mutually exclusive. This chapter mainly emphasizes on phytobiome related to soil fertility, nutrient cycling, plant growth, and soil health. Plant-associated phytobiome such as rhizospheric and phyllospheric played a significant role in the enhancement of plant growth and yield. These organisms form multifarious networks that are established and regulated through nutrient cycling, competition, antagonism, and chemical communication mediated by a diverse array of signaling molecules. The integration of knowledge of signaling mechanisms with that of phytobiome members and their networks will lead to a new understanding of the fate and significance of these signals at the ecosystem level. Such an understanding could lead to new biological, chemical, and breeding strategies to improve crop health and productivity. Soil organic matter (SOM) is a heterogeneous mixture of materials that range in the stage of decomposition from fresh plant residues to highly decomposed material known as humus. SOM is made of organic compounds that are highly enriched in carbon. Though half of the global population depends on fertilizer N, atmospheric N fixation by rhizospheric microbes is essential for plant productivity in low N soils. Many plants form symbiotic associations between their roots and specialized fungi in the soil known as mycorrhizae; the roots provide the fungi energy in the form of carbon, while the fungi provide the plant with often-limiting nutrients such as phosphorus. Besides, some soil microbiomes play a crucial role in the solubilizing stable form of potassium and micronutrients by releasing some metabolites which act as chelating agents. We explain recent information and cracks in these areas using phytobiomes.

Non-renewable nature of rock phosphate (RP) reserves coupled with low use efficiency of applied phosphorus (P) fertilizers in the soil system results in irreversible loss of huge quantity of P to the environment. The technology of controlled release fertilizers which harmonizes crop demand and release of P from fertilizers are promising to prevent the loss as well as improve the P use efficiency. This article aimed to synthesize and assess some polymer coated novel controlled release rock phosphate formulations to synchronize P release with crop demand and increasing P recovery by wheat. Polymer coated novel products were synthesized by partially acidulating RP with sulphuric and phosphoric acids followed by coating with polyvinyl alcohol and liquid paraffin @ 2 and 3% levels of coating. These products were characterized through X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Phosphorus release pattern from novel coated fertilizers were monitored under controlled conditions in a laboratory incubation experiment at different moisture and temperature regimes. The products were also evaluated for their P supplying capacity to wheat in a greenhouse experiment. Results emanated from incubation study in a P-deficient Typic Haplustept revealed higher release of P at 20% moisture regime and 30 oC temperature. Phosphoric acid based coated products produced greater biomass yield than commercial diammonium phosphate and sulphuric acid formulated products. Product coated with polyvinyl alcohol @ 2% coating released P gradually that synchronized well with the plant P demand and resulted in greater biomass yield, P uptake and recovery by wheat than that of liquid paraffin and 3% level of coating. It can be concluded that novel technology of controlled release RP formulations using different coating agents could be exploited commercially as the alternative to water soluble P-fertilizers for enhancing P use efficiency.

Endovascular wires and devices for peripheral arterial disease therapy have evolved greatly, yet failure rates of these procedures remain high. Information on lesion composition may inform device selection to improve the success rates of these procedures. This paper, presents an approach for informed guidewire selection. The objective of this study is to quantitatively assess the performance of a radiofrequency powered guidewire in the crossing of various morphology types of peripheral chronic total occlusions. Samples taken from amputated patient limbs are characterized by magnetic resonance imaging. Using a customized catheter test station, the performance of a radiofrequency powered guidewire in puncturing these lesions is compared to a conventional guidewire, and to itself when not powered. The analysis includes quantitative and statistical comparisons of the puncture forces experienced by the different guidewires in "hard" vs. "soft" lesions as well as qualitative assessment of deflections, buckling and puncture success of the wires. Results indicate that the use of radiofrequency ablation significantly reduces the required puncture force, reduced events of buckling and deflection, and resulted in a significantly higher puncture success rate.

Non-renewable nature of rock phosphate (RP) reserves coupled with open ended nature of P cycle makes it imperative for maximum utilization of available P resources. In this context, use of Indian R...

Land area is dwindling due to degradation, both natural and anthropogenic, therefore, it is reasonable to save this important resource and put focus on achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN). An Investigation was taken to know the impact of erosion on soil physico-chemical and biological properties both in fertilized and unfertilized conditions in four phases of erosion viz., slightly eroded (0.5% slope), moderately eroded (2.5% slope), severely eroded (4.5% slope) and very severely eroded (9.5% slope). Productivity index (PI), vulnerability curve, soil loss tolerance limits (STL), soil quality index (SQI) and relative soil quality index (RSQI) were estimated for all phases of erosion. As the severity of erosion increases the soil quality and productivity index (PI) decreases. Very severely eroded soils have lower PI, SQI and RSQI as compared to slightly eroded soils. However, land use under fertilized condition have better soil quality with SQI value of 143.00 and 118.00 in slightly eroded and very severely eroded soils, respectively, compared to 126.00 and 106.00 in non-fertilized condition. Similarly, the productivity index ranged 0.748 in slightly eroded phase to 0.651 in severely eroded phase under fertilized condition. Compared to slightly eroded soil, severely and very severely eroded soils have lower microbial biomass carbon (MBC), CO2 evolution and dehydrogenase activities. Assessment of soil loss tolerance limit based on PI revealed that it ranged from 6.67 to 12.92 Mg ha−1 year−1 which implies that land degradation took place in the more eroded soils which needs higher priority in order to bringing these eroded land to degradation neutrality (LDN), and also requires suitable soil conservation interventions in different phases of erosion.

Biodiversity loss may seriously impact some of the major ecological functions like primary productivity, nutrient cycling and decomposition. Decomposition is a fundamental ecosystem process regulating nutrient mineralization, microbial community composition and structure, carbon sequestration in the soil. Therefore it is important to find out the link between biodiversity and decomposition dynamic which is of key interest recently among ecologists, hence we took up eleven combinations of leaf litter mixtures of four multipurpose tree species commonly occurring together in western Himalayas to find out the direction, magnitude and drivers of litter mixing effect. We found positive non significant effect of litter diversity for all mixtures except two which showed antagonistic effects after three months of decomposition. But we found positive non additive effects (NAE)/interaction effects for all litter mixtures at later stage of decomposition i.e. after nine months. The strength of litter mixing effect varied from 5.45% to 14.75% among litter mixtures. The interaction effects are observed to be greater for those litter mixtures which are more heterogeneous with respect to initial nitrogen, and phosphorus content. However the effect of chemical diversity is more marked on interaction effect/ NAE than variation in single trait(N or P content) as revealed by R2 value (coefficient of determination). Interaction effect values increased with increase in percent of fast decomposing species in the litter mixture but rate of increase decreased when the mixtures move towards homogeneity. Interaction effect also increased with increase in species richness significantly up to three species, thereafter the increase is non significant. Our results indicate that tree diversity alters decomposition dynamics of component species in the mixture. Chemical diversity is more important factor in determining non additive effect rather than taxonomic diversity of a mixture.

Background Previously, a theoretical model based on microvascular physiology was established to facilitate the interpretation of calf perfusion dynamics recorded by arterial spin labeling (ASL). Purpose To investigate the clinical relevance of novel perfusion indices by comparing them to the symptoms, response to revascularization, and short-term functional outcome in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Study type Prospective cohort study. Population Nineteen patients with PAD. Field strength/sequence Pulsed ASL at 3T. Assessment The mid-calf reactive hyperemia induced by 2 minutes of arterial occlusion was recorded in PAD patients. The perfusion responses were characterized by the peak, time-to-peak, and physiological model-derived indices including the baseline perfusion fr , arterial resistance Ra , and compliance Ca , and sensitivity gATP and response time τATP of downstream microvasculature to metabolic stress. These indices were compared to the disease severity and outcome within 6 months after revascularization assessed by self-reported symptoms and the ankle-brachial index. Disease severity was categorized as asymptomatic, claudication, or critical limb ischemia. The outcome was categorized as symptom resolved or limited improvement. Statistical tests Severity and outcome groups were compared using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests with Holm-Sidak adjustments. Results The peak perfusion decreased and model arterial resistance increased progressively with increasing severity of limb ischemia (P = 0.0402 and 0.0413, respectively). Eleven patients had a successful endovascular procedure, including six patients who had symptoms resolved, four patients who had remaining leg pain, and one patient lost to follow-up. The subjects with limited improvement had significantly lower preintervention microvascular sensitivity gATP than those with symptoms resolved (8.72 ± 1.46 vs. 4.93 ± 0.91, P = 0.0466). Data conclusion ASL reactive hyperemia reflects multiple aspects of the pathophysiology. Measures of macrovascular arterial disease are related to the manifested symptom severity, whereas preintervention gATP associated with microvascular dysfunction is related to prognosis following revascularization. Level of evidence 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 4 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1578-1588.

We compared the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of a combination of d-cycloserine (DCS) and ethionamide (ETO) via oral and inhalation routes in mice. The plasma half-life (t 1/2) of oral ETO at a human-equivalent dose decreased from 4.63 ± 0.61 h to 1.64 ± 0.40 h when DCS was coadministered. The area under the concentration-time curve from 0 h to time t (AUC0- t ) was reduced to one-third. Inhalation overcame the interaction. Inhalation, but not oral doses, reduced the lung CFU/g of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv from 6 to 3 log10 in 4 weeks, indicating bactericidal activity.

We compared the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of a combination of d-cycloserine (DCS) and ethionamide (ETO) via oral and inhalation routes in mice. The plasma half-life (t(1/2)) of oral ETO at a human-equivalent dose decreased from 4.63 ± 0.61 h to 1.64 ± 0.40 h when DCS was coadministered. The area under the concentration-time curve from 0 h to time t (AUC(0–)(t)) was reduced to one-third. Inhalation overcame the interaction. Inhalation, but not oral doses, reduced the lung CFU/g of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv from 6 to 3 log(10) in 4 weeks, indicating bactericidal activity.

Purpose: To test and validate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences for peripheral artery lesion characterization and relate the MRI characteristics to the amount of force required for a guidewire to puncture peripheral chronic total occlusions (CTOs) as a surrogate for immediate failure of endovascular therapy. Methods: Diseased superficial femoral, popliteal, and tibial artery segments containing 55 atherosclerotic lesions were excised from the amputated limbs of 7 patients with critical limb ischemia. The lesions were imaged at high resolution (75 μm3 voxels) with T2-weighted (T2W) and ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequences on a 7-T MR scanner. The MR images (n=15) were validated with micro–computed tomography and histology. CTOs (n=40) were classified by their MR signal characteristics as “soft” (signals indicating fat, thrombus, microchannels, or loose fibrous tissue), “hard” (collagen and/or speckled calcium signals), or “calcified” (calcified nodule signals). A 2-kg load cell advanced the back end of a 0.035-inch stiff guidewire at a fixed displacement rate (0.05 mm/s) through the CTOs, and the forces required to cross each lesion were measured. Results: T2W images showed fat as hyperintense and hardened tissue as hypointense. Calcium and thrombus appeared as a signal void in conventional MRI sequences but were easily identified in UTE images (thrombus was hyperintense and calcium hypointense). MRI accurately differentiated “hard,” “soft,” and “calcified” CTOs based on associated guidewire puncture force. The guidewire could not enter “calcified” CTOs (n=6) at all. “Hard” CTOs (n=9) required a significantly higher (p

The aim of the present study was to develop a strategy to solubilize low-grade rock phosphate (RP) from Purulia and Udaipur through organic acids loaded nanoclay polymer composites (NCPC) and see their effectiveness as source of P. An incubation experiment was conducted under laboratory condition to study the release pattern of P in an Alfisol from Jharkhand amended with various RPs treated with organic acid loaded NCPC for 90 days. The RPs were applied at a dose of 0, 50 and 100 mg P kg−1 soil, along with the organic acid loaded NCPC having 10 % clay which was applied at a dose of 0, 20 and 40 mg organic acid kg−1 soil. The incubation experiment showed a positive impact of the organic acids in their ability to release P from all the RP sources, and oxalic acid performed better over citric acid in solubilizing P from RPs. The two indigenous RPs maintained almost comparable available P in soil throughout the period of incubation. With increase in levels of P application, there was an increase in the amount of release of P from both the RPs. Similarly, with the increase in levels of organic acid both Udaipur and Purulia RPs showed increase in the available P in soil. This study demonstrated that availability of P from low-grade indigenous RP could be improved with the interventions of organic acid loaded NCPC which could be used as P-fertilizer and reduce the dependence on commercial fertilizers like DAP.

One of the main entities that possess the virtue of adding to happiness and welfare of mankind and also serves as a deterministic factor in the economic whereabouts of a nation is agriculture. The present scenario is such that agriculture is the most threatened due to the lack of advanced technology. This study focuses on an intelligent and advanced system, where the parameters governing the proper growth and health of the crops such as temperature, humidity, water level, are monitored. The overall information surrounding these parameters is shared with farmers using the GSM technology. The principle aim of this study is to come up with a module that is cost, time and energy efficient having accomplished the main objective.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has advanced significantly in the past decade and provides a safe and non-invasive method of evaluating peripheral artery disease (PAD), with and without using exogenous contrast agents. MRI offers a promising alternative for imaging patients but the complexity of MRI can make it less accessible for physicians to understand or use. This article provides a brief introduction to the technical principles of MRI for physicians who manage PAD patients. We discuss the basic principles of how MRI works and tailor the discussion to how MRI can evaluate anatomic characteristics of peripheral arterial lesions.