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Spectroscopy in vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and visible ranges plays an important role in the investigation and diagnosis of tokamak plasmas. However, under harsh environmental conditions of fusion grade devices, such as ITER, VUV–visible systems encounter many issues due to the degradation of optical components used in such systems. Here, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has become an effective tool in understanding the edge plasma dynamics. Considering its importance, a NIR spectroscopic diagnostic has been developed and installed on the ADITYA-U tokamak. The system consists of a 0.5 m spectrometer having three gratings with different groove densities, and it is coupled with a linear InGaAs photodiode array. Radiation from the ADITYA-U edge plasma has been collected using a collimating lens and optical fiber combination and transported to the spectrometer. The spectrum in the NIR range from the ADITYA-U plasma has been recorded using this system, in which Paβ and Paγ along with many spectral lines from neutral and singly ionized impurities have been observed. The influxes of H and C have been estimated from measurements. The H influx value is found to be 2.8 × 1016 and 1.9 × 1016 particles cm−2 s−1 from neutral hydrogen lines Hα and Paβ, respectively, and the C influx value is found to be 3.5 × 1015 and 2.9 × 1015 particles cm−2 s−1 from the neutral carbon and singly ionized carbon, respectively. A good agreement is seen between these results and the results obtained by using a routine photomultiplier tube based diagnostic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the performance of p-type NiO pocket on Ga2O3/Graphene and Ga2O3/Black phosphorous hetero-MOSFET has been investigated to find out its applicability in the wireless applications. To show the utility of the proposed devices, its analog/RF characteristics have been studied and compared to those of the experimentally demonstrated conventional Ga2O3 MOSFET. The large signal RF performances analysis has also been carried out by considering CW Class-A power measurements at 0.8 GHz using passive source and load tuning. The important figure of merits (FOMs) used in the analysis are intrinsic capacitances CGS and CGD, cutoff frequency fT, output power gain GP, and power-added efficiency. The key idea behind this work is to propose a device which is efficient and shows low leakage current. All the analysis of proposed devices has been carried out using ATLAS TCAD simulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incorporation of leaf litters in agroforestry systems can meet a significant share of nutrients demand and improve crop yield. The Citrus aurontifolia, Aegle marmelos and Cordia myxa (among fruit trees) and Colophospermum mopane, Acacia senegal, Acacia tortilis, Dalbergia sissoo (among trees) are well-adapted species to the arid environment. Unfortunately, little work has been done in the past to study the influence of leaf litters of these species on yield and nutrition of crops grown in arid region. Therefore, the present experiment was planned to study the influence of leaf litters of Colophospermum mopane, Acacia senegal, Acacia tortilis, Dalbergia sissoo, Citrus aurontifolia, Aegle marmelos and Cordia myxa on yield and uptake of nutrients in moth bean and Indian mustard in arid region. Methods: Field experiment was conducted at ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Regional Research Station, Bikaner in moth bean-mustard rotation during 2010-11 and 2011-12 by incorporating leaf litters of seven tree species i.e. Mopane (Colophospermum mopane), Gum acacia (Acacia Senegal), Umbrella tree (Acacia tortilis), Indian rosewood (Dalbergia sissoo), Sour lime (Citrus aurantifolia), Assyrian plum (Cordia myxa) and Bengal quince (Aegle marmelos) in randomized block design with three replications. Grain and straw yield was recorded and analysed for N, P and K content. Result: The maximum grain yield of moth bean and its residual effect on mustard was observed in the soils amended with leaf litters of Citrus aurontifolia followed by Aegle marmelos and Dalbergia sissoo. The total uptake of N, P and K was significantly higher in the treatments of Citrus aurontifolia and Aegle marmelos, which was due to the higher dry matter production of crops, faster rate of litter decomposition and higher release of nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectroscopic studies of medium and high Z impurities have been the subject of interest in fusion research due to their role in mitigating plasma disruption and reducing heat load on the plasma facing components. Line emissions from these impurities provide the rotation velocity and ion temperature measurements along with the understanding of the overall impurity behavior in plasma. In the Aditya-U tokamak, the spatially resolved Ar II line emissions have been observed using a high resolution multi-track spectroscopic diagnostic consisting of a 1 m Czerny–Turner spectrometer coupled with a charge coupled device (CCD) detector using seven lines of sight viewing plasma tangentially along the toroidal direction. The spatially resolved Ar II lines at 458.96 nm have been observed. The singly ionized Ar emission peaks at the radial location of ρ = 0.8 of the plasma having a minor radius of 25 cm. Moreover, a 0.5 m UV–visible spectrometer coupled with a CCD detector and having a line of sight passing through the plasma midplane from the radial port was used to record visible Ar survey spectra within the 670–810 nm wavelength range, and all these lines have been identified for further analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two year field experiment was conducted in hot arid region at Bikaner, Rajasthan to investigate the effects of application of sulphydryl compounds (thioglycollic acid, TGA; thiourea TU) on growth traits, photosynthetic efficiency, yield components and yield of moth bean under water deficit conditions. The experiment comprised seven treatments (water spray, TGA 200 mg L-1, TGA 300 mg L-1, TGA 400 mg L-1, TU 500 mg L-1, TU 750 mg L-1 and TU 1000 mg L-1) and laid out in randomized block design with three replications. Application of sulphydryl compounds had significant effects on growth, photosynthetic traits, activities of anti-oxidant enzymes, and yield of moth bean. The sulphydryl compounds sprayed plants had 24-70, 13-40 and 13-20% higher activities of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione reductase, GR; gluthathione-s-transferase, GST), photosynthetic parameters (net photosynthetic rate, PN ; stomatal conductance, gs ; transpiration rate, E) and seed yield respectively compared to unsprayed plants. The results suggest that application of sulphydryl compounds mitigate moisture deficit induced negative effects on growth and photosynthetic parameters which lead to better seed yield of moth bean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted at research farm, Agricultural Research Sub-Station, Hanumangarh, Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, Rajasthan during kharif, 2016 to study the effect of water and nitrogen levels on yield attributes, water productivity and economics of cluster bean [Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.].Cluster bean variety RGC-1055 with seed rate of 16 kg/ha was planted using 3 levels of irrigation (100, 200 and 300 mm) and 4 level of nitrogen (0, 20, 40 and 60 kg/ha) and analyzed in split plot design with three replication. Results showed that irrigation at 200 mm significantly increased number of pods/plant (44.7), number of seeds/pod (7.8), test weight (28.7g), net returns (Rs 31179/ha) and B:C ratio (2.1) over 100 mm irrigation level. However, water productivity (0.25 kg m-3) was highest at 100 mm irrigation level. Nitrogen level at 40 kg/ha significantly increased number of pods/plant (48.3), number of seeds/pod (8.4), test weight (32.2 g), net returns (Rs. 32273/ha), B:C ratio (2.12) and water productivity (0.27 kg m-3) over no application of N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CropSyst is one of the most important process-oriented simulation models largely used for field crops all over the world to study the effect of climate, soil and management practices on crop productivity. In the present study, we have calibrated and validated the CropSyst model for groundnut crop grown at farmer's field in IGNP Stage-II of Bikaner. CropSyst model was calibrated using the experimental data of crop parameters, soil profile data and observed daily weather data of experimental site for 2012 and validated the experimental data of crop growth and yield parameters for 2013. The results of the study showed that the CropSyst model simulated the crop growth parameter data viz. green area index, seed yield, above ground biomass and N-uptake of groundnut reasonably well. The seed yield, above ground biomass and N- uptake was validated well by the model with relative error of 3.3, 2.2 and 8.4%, respectively. The total water applied in groundnut was 728.9 and 619.6 mm in 2012 and 2013, respectively out of this 664.9 and 530.5mm consumed in evapotranspiration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study on "Evaluation of Cropsyst model for yield and water productivity of clusterbean" was conducted on farmers field during kharif 2012 at village Mainawali in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. The soils of the area are alluvial and calcareous in nature formed under arid and semi arid climate. The soils of site are brown to greyish brown and dark grey in colour, besides being calcareous and slightly alkaline in reaction having 67.7, 11.1 and 21.0% of sand, clay and silt, respectively in 0-15 cm soil depth with pH 8.09 and low soil organic matter content. The simulate yield of clusterbean were closer to the observed clusterbean yield. Simulations of early clusterbean above ground biomass development matched the field data reasonably well. Final above ground biomass, however, was over estimated by the model. The total water applied in clusterbean was 405.8 mm out of this 326.7 mm consumed in ET. Thus, ET constituted 81% of total water applied and deep drainage constituted 13% and rest 6% stored as residual soil moisture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water stress is one of the main environmental stress conditions that adversely affect growth and yield of crops. Sulphydryl (-SH) compounds have been reported to induce tolerance to abiotic stress conditions. A two-year (2010 and 2011) experiment was conducted at Bikaner, Rajasthan, India to test whether the exogenous applications of thiourea (500, 750 and 1000 mg L-1) and thioglycolic acid (200, 300 and 400 mg L-1) as a foliar spray would alleviate deleterious effects of water stress on clusterbean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.). The -SH-treated plants showed higher membrane stability index, photosynthetic pigment content, photosynthetic capacity and antioxidant enzyme activities and lower lipid peroxidation compared with untreated plants. Compared with untreated plants, the -SH-treated plants had 11-18, 18-30, 17-57, 25-47, 14-22% higher membrane stability index, total chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzyme activities, net photosynthetic rate and seed yield, respectively; whereas the malondialdehyde content was 10-19% lower. These data suggest that under water deficit stress, exogenous-SH compound application improves photosynthesis by increasing photosynthetic pigment, protects plants against oxidative damage by scavenging reactive oxygen species and minimizing lipid peroxidation by elevated antioxidant enzyme activities. These results indicated the role of -SH compounds in diminishing the negative effects of water deficit on clusterbean and suggest that -SH compounds could be used as a potential bioregulator to improve plant growth and yield under water deficit conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted at Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Regional Research Station , Bikaner during Kharif seasons of 2012 and 2013 on Squash Melon (Tinda) crop under rainfed conditions to evaluate four treatments of Farm Yard Manure viz.,0,20,30 and 40 t ha-1 and three treatment of mulching viz., no mulch, straw mulch and plastic mulch. Experiment was conducted in split - plot design with three replications using the Tinda cv. Selection 1. Vine length, numbers of fruits per plant and yield of squash melon (Tinda) crop were significantly influenced by FYM, mulching and their interaction during both the years of experiment. Application of FYM recorded significant improvement in yield up to 30 t ha-1. Averaged across mulching, the yield with application of FYM @ 20, 30 and 40 t ha-1 had 43.3, 83.9 and 87.4 % higher yield compared to control. Application of mulch brought significant improvement in yield and its component. The straw mulch recorded highest vine length, numbers of fruits per plant and yield. Plastic and straw mulch had 24.80 and 42.25 % higher yield than no-mulch. The response of mulch varied with level of FYM application. The highest yield was recorded with application of 40 FYM t ha-1 combined with straw mulch, however the difference between FYM 30 t ha-1 and 40 t ha-1 was non-significant under both straw and plastic mulching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2009-10 and 2010-11. The experiment consisted of two methods of irrigation viz. drip and furrow methods and four type of mulching material treatments viz. plastic mulch (black polyethylene-25micron), hessian cloth mulch (50% shade jute cloth), indigenous plant material (laptodoniaspps.@ lOt/ha) mulch and no mulch (control). Method of irrigation, mulching and their interaction had significant effects on growth, yield attributes and yield. Mean yield averaged across the mulching treatments was 18.3 % higher under drip irrigation than furrow method. Mulching improved the yield from 40 to 71.8 % over no mulch treatment. Among the tested mulching materials, the plastic mulch had the highest improvement in yield (71.8 %) followed by hessian cloth (54.1 %) and indigenous plant material mulch (40 %) over no mulch. Interaction effect between drip irrigation with plastic mulch resulted in significant response in growth, yield attributes and yield of pea as compared to all other treatment combinations. Number of branches per plant, canopy cover and survival percentage of ber was higher in ber + pea cropping system than sole ber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formation of somatic embryoids was noted in cell suspensions of Plantago ovata Forsk. The callus was induced on a solid Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (1 µM) and kinetin (2 µM) using leaf explants of 12 day old seedlings. After two subcultures on the same medium, embryogenic cell suspensions with various stages of embryoids were obtained. Addition of higher levels of kinetin caused these embryos to undergo normal germination. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC) is a major contributing factor for morbidity and mortality in sepsis. Accumulative evidence has suggested that cardiac mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is attenuated in sepsis, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood., Methods: Adult male mice of 9 to 12 weeks old were subjected to sham or cecal ligation and puncture procedure. Echocardiography in vivo and Langendorff-perfused hearts were used to assess cardiac function 24 h after the procedures. Unbiased proteomics analysis was performed to profile mitochondrial proteins in the hearts of both sham and SIC mice. Seahorse respirator technology was used to evaluate oxygen consumption in purified mitochondria., Results: Of the 665 mitochondrial proteins identified in the proteomics assay, 35 were altered in septic mice. The mitochondrial remodeling involved various energy metabolism pathways including subunits of the electron transport chain, fatty acid catabolism, and carbohydrate oxidative metabolism. We also identified a significant increase of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) kinase 4 (PDK4) and inhibition of PDH activity in septic hearts. Furthermore, compared to sham mice, mitochondrial oxygen consumption of septic mice was significantly reduced when pyruvate was provided as a substrate. However, it was unchanged when PDH was bypassed by directly supplying the Complex I substrate NADH, or by using the Complex II substrate succinate, or using Complex IV substrate, or by providing the beta-oxidation substrate palmitoylcarnitine, neither of which require PDH for mitochondrial oxygen consumption., Conclusions: These data demonstrate a broad mitochondrial protein remodeling, PDH inactivation and impaired pyruvate-fueled oxidative phosphorylation during SIC, and provide a molecular framework for further exploration., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interests., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the Shock Society.)

Cancer cells survive and adapt to many types of stress including hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, metabolic, and oxidative stress. These stresses are sensed by diverse cellular signaling processes, leading to either degradation of mitochondria or alleviation of mitochondrial stress. This review discusses signaling during sensing and mitigation of stress involving mitochondrial communication with the endoplasmic reticulum, and how retrograde signaling upregulates the mitochondrial stress response to maintain mitochondrial integrity. The importance of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response, an emerging pathway that alleviates cellular stress, will be elaborated with respect to cancer. Detailed understanding of cellular pathways will establish mitochondrial stress response as a key mechanism for cancer cell survival leading to cancer progression and resistance, and provide a potential therapeutic target in cancer., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cell-based respirometers, such as the Seahorse Extracellular Flux Analyzer, are valuable tools to assess the functionality of mitochondria within adherent neurons, as well as other cell types. The Mito Stress Test is the most frequently employed protocol of drug additions to evaluate mitochondrial bioenergetic function. Sequential exposure of cells to an ATP synthase inhibitor such as oligomycin and an uncoupler such as FCCP cause changes in oxygen consumption rate that allow estimation of the cellular efficiency and capacity for mitochondrial ATP synthesis. While a useful first step in assessing whether an experimental treatment or genetic manipulation affects mitochondrial energetics, the Mito Stress Test does not identify specific sites of altered respiratory chain function. This article discusses limitations of the Mito Stress Test, proposes a refined protocol for comparing cell populations that requires independent drug titrations at multiple cell densities, and describes a stepwise series of respirometry-based assays that "map" locations of electron transport deficiency. These include strategies to test for cytochrome c release, to probe the functionality of specific electron transport chain complexes within intact or permeabilized cells, and to measure NADH oxidation by the linked activity of Complexes I, III, and IV. To illustrate utility, we show that although UK5099 and ABT-737 each decrease the spare respiratory capacity of cortical neurons, the stepwise assays reveal different underlying mechanisms consistent with their established drug targets: deficient Complex I substrate supply induced by the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier inhibitor UK5099 and cytochrome c release induced by the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family protein inhibitor ABT-737., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest N.Y. receives royalties from Agilent Technologies for U.S. Patent US9915647B2. Agilent Technologies had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mitochondria are therapeutic targets in many diseases including cancer, metabolic disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, strategies to deliver therapeutics of interest to mitochondria are important for therapeutic development. As delocalized lipophilic cations (DLCs) preferentially accumulate in mitochondria, DLC-conjugation has been utilized to facilitate therapeutic delivery systems with mitochondrial targeting capability. Here we report that upon DLC-conjugation, anionic polymers exhibit significantly improved mitochondrial targeting when compared to cationic polymers and charge-neutral polymers. Considering that the cell membrane generally bears a net negative charge, the observed phenomenon is unexpected. Notably, the DLC-conjugated anionic polymers circumvent endosomal entrapment. The rapid mitochondrial accumulation of DLC-conjugated anionic polymers is likely a membrane-potential-driven process, along with the involvement of the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier. Moreover, the structural variations on the side chain of DLC-conjugated anionic polymers do not compromise the overall mitochondrial targeting capability, widely extending the applicability of anionic macromolecules in therapeutic delivery systems.

Recent advances in our understanding of tumor cell mitochondrial metabolism suggest it may be an attractive therapeutic target. Mitochondria are central hubs of metabolism that provide energy during the differentiation and maintenance of immune cell phenotypes. Mitochondrial membranes harbor several enzyme complexes that are involved in the process of oxidative phosphorylation, which takes place during energy production. Data suggest that, among these enzyme complexes, deficiencies in electron transport complex I may differentially affect immune responses and may contribute to the pathophysiology of several immunological conditions. Once activated by T cell receptor signaling, along with co-stimulation through CD28, CD4 T cells utilize mitochondrial energy to differentiate into distinct T helper (Th) subsets. T cell signaling activates Notch1, which is cleaved from the plasma membrane to generate its intracellular form (N1ICD). In the presence of specific cytokines, Notch1 regulates gene transcription related to cell fate to modulate CD4 Th type 1, Th2, Th17, and induced regulatory T cell (iTreg) differentiation. The process of differentiating into any of these subsets requires metabolic energy, provided by the mitochondria. We hypothesized that the requirement for mitochondrial metabolism varies between different Th subsets and may intersect with Notch1 signaling. We used the organic pesticide rotenone, a well-described complex I inhibitor, to assess how compromised mitochondrial integrity impacts CD4 T cell differentiation into Th1, Th2, Th17, and iTreg cells. We also investigated how Notch1 localization and downstream transcriptional capabilities regulation may be altered in each subset following rotenone treatment. Our data suggest that mitochondrial integrity impacts each of these Th subsets differently, through its influence on Notch1 subcellular localization. Our work further supports the notion that altered immune responses can result from complex I inhibition. Therefore, understanding how mitochondrial inhibitors affect immune responses may help to inform therapeutic approaches to cancer treatment.

Outcomes of children with high grade neuroblastoma remain poor despite multi-agent chemotherapy regimens. Rhodiola crenulata extracts display anti-neoplastic properties against several cancers including breast cancer, melanoma, and glioblastoma. In this study, we evaluated the anti-neoplastic potential of Rhodiola crenulata extracts on human neuroblastoma cells. Through this work, cell viability and proliferation were evaluated following treatments with ethanol (vehicle control) or Rhodiola crenulata extract in neuroblastoma, NB-1691 or SK-N-AS cells, in vitro. HIF-1 transcriptional activity was evaluated using a dual luciferase assay. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was utilized to assess the expression of HIF-1 targets. Selected metabolic intermediates were evaluated for their ability to rescue cells from Rhodiola crenulata extract-induced death. Lactate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase, and pyruvate dehydrogenase activities and NAD + /NADH levels were assayed in vehicle and Rhodiola crenulata extract-treated cells. The effects of Rhodiola crenulata extracts on metabolism were assessed by respirometry and metabolic phenotyping/fingerprinting. Our results revealed striking cytotoxic effects upon Rhodiola crenulata extract treatment, especially prominent in NB-1691 cells. As a greater response was observed in NB-1691 cells therefore it was used for remaining experiments. Upon Rhodiola crenulata extract treatment, HIF-1 transcriptional activity was increased. This increase in activity correlated with changes in HIF-1 targets involved in cellular metabolism. Serendipitously, we observed that addition of pyruvate protected against the cytotoxic effects of Rhodiola crenulata extracts. Therefore, we focused on the metabolic effects of Rhodiola crenulata extracts on NB-1691 cells. We observed that while the activities of pyruvate kinase and pyruvate dehydrogenase activities were increased, the activity of lactate dehydrogenase activity was decreased upon Rhodiola crenulata extract treatment. We also noted a decline in the total NAD pool following Rhodiola crenulata extract treatment. This correlated with decreased cellular respiration and suppressed utilization of carbon substrates. Through this work, we observed significant cytotoxic effects of Rhodiola crenulata extract treatment upon treatment on NB-1691 cells, a human neuroblastoma cell line with MYCN amplification. Our studies suggest that these cytotoxic effects could be secondary to metabolic effect induced by treatment with Rhodiola crenulata extract.

Metabolic reprograming is a hallmark of cancer cells. However, the roles of pre-existing differences in normal cells metabolism toward cancer risk is not known. In order to assess pre-existing variations in normal cell metabolism, we have quantified the inter-individual variation in oxidative metabolism of normal primary human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs). We then assessed their response to selected cytokines such as insulin growth factor 1 (IGF1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), which are associated with breast cancer risk. Specifically, we compared the oxidative metabolism of HMECs obtained from women with breast cancer and without cancer. Our data show considerable inter-individual variation in respiratory activities of HMECs from different women. A bioenergetic parameter called pyruvate-stimulated respiration (PySR) was identified as a key distinguishing feature of HMECs from women with breast cancer and without cancer. Samples showing PySR over 20% of basal respiration rate were considered PySR +ve and the rest as PySR -ve . By this criterion, HMECs from tumor-affected breasts (AB) and non-tumor affected breasts (NAB) of cancer patients were mostly PySR -ve (88% and 89%, respectively), while HMECs from non-cancer patients were mostly PySR +ve (57%). This suggests that PySR -ve/+ve phenotypes are individual-specific and are not caused by field effects due to the presence of tumor. The effects of IGF1 and TNFα treatments on HMECs revealed that both suppressed respiration and extracellular acidification. In addition, IGF1 altered PySR -ve/+ve phenotypes. These results reveal individual-specific differences in pyruvate metabolism of normal breast epithelial cells and its association with breast cancer risk., (© 2017 The Authors. Journal of Cellular Physiology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)