Organic fertilizers are naturally available mineral sources that contain moderate amount of plant essential nutrients. They are capable of mitigating problems associated with synthetic fertilizers. They reduce the necessity of repeated application of synthetic fertilizers to maintain soil fertility. They gradually release nutrients into the soil solution and maintain nutrient balance for healthy growth of crop plants. They also act as an effective energy source of soil microbes which in turn improve soil structure and crop growth. Organic fertilizers are generally thought to be slow releasing fertilizers and they contain many trace elements. They are safer alternatives to chemical fertilizers. However, the improper use of organic fertilizers leads to overfertilization or nutrient deficiency in the soil. Hence, controlled release of organic fertilizers is an effective and advanced way to overcome these impacts and maintain sustainable agriculture yield.[a]

Lipaphis erysimi is a specialist aphid of the Indian subcontinent that causes significant yield losses in oilseed Brassicas. Several aphid genes have been used as preferred targets in RNAi-based transgenic plants for aphid resistance. In order to enhance the repertoire of potential target genes for aphid control and to identify the genes associated with aphid feeding and development, we performed a two-way comparative study of differential gene expression profiles between (i) feeding and non-feeding adults and (ii) adult and nymph developmental stages of L. erysimi. De novo RNA-seq of aphids using Illumina technology generated a final transcriptome comprising 52,652 transcripts. Potential transcripts for host selection, detoxification, salivary proteins and effectors, molecular chaperones and developmental genes were identified. Differential gene expression studies identified variations in the expression of 1502 transcripts between feeding and non-feeding adults and 906 transcripts between nymphs and adults. These data were used to identify novel target genes for RNAi-based aphid control and facilitate further studies on the molecular basis of aphid feeding and development.

Guanylate cyclase-1 (GC1) plays a critical role in visual phototransduction and its absence severely compromises the ability of the photoreceptor cells to transduce light for vision. In this study we sought to determine if the absence of GC1 has any effect on light entrainment of the circadian oscillators located in these cells. We compared the rhythmic changes in transcript levels of iodopsin, a photoreceptor-specific gene whose expression is regulated by circadian oscillators, in retinas of normal chickens and GUCY1∗B (∗B) chickens that carry a null mutation in GC1. Our results show that iodopsin rhythms are present in ∗B retinas and that they can be entrained to light; however, the rise and fall of iodopsin transcript levels in ∗B retina under cyclic light conditions is significantly more rapid than that observed in normal retina, and under constant dark conditions, the phase of the iodopsin rhythm in ∗B retina is advanced by 6 h relative to that observed in normal retina. In addition, the rate of entrainment of the iodopsin rhythm in ∗B retina to a reversal of the light cycle is significantly slower than normal. The results of our study show that a functioning visual phototransduction cascade is not essential for light entrainment of the oscillators that drive the iodopsin rhythm in photoreceptor cells. We propose that the abnormal synthesis of cGMP in ∗B photoreceptors underlies the irregular iodopsin rhythms observed in post-hatch ∗B retina.

Background: Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus shows wide variation across our country. From the recent studies, it is observed that incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus in antenatal women is increasing globally and India is not an exception from this. Gestational diabetes mellitus should be considered as a serious risk factor for both mother and baby as it affects two generations by having chance of developing diabetes and its related complications in future.Methods: A total of 585 pregnant women with 24 to 28 weeks of gestational age were recruited for the study. The study population was divided into four groups based on the age range; Group I include antenatal women with age <20 years, Group II includes antenatal women of age range 21-24 years, Group III includes antenatal women of age range 25-29 years, and Group IV includes antenatal women of age range ≥30 years.Results: In the present study GDM was diagnosed in 94 women among 585 antenatal women screened for GDM (16.06%). Majority of the studied population are in the age range of 20-29 years (441/585, 75.38%). The mean age of participants was 27.54±3.58 years (range 18-34 years). The prevalence of GDM was higher in the group of women aged ≥30 years (Group IV) followed by ≤20 years (Group I) (23.21% and 15.62% respectively) compared to the groups II and III (14.78% and 13.74% respectively). This observation was found to be statistically significant (p<0.001). Among 585 patients, delivery outcome was 100% successful, all delivered live babies, among them 64 patients delivered babies with macrosomia (11%).Conclusions: The study showed GDM prevalence of 16.06% from the neighboring rural villages attending our teaching hospital.

This dataset include figures and supplementary material for the manuscript entitled "Abiotic stress mediated modulation of chromatin landscape in Arabidopsis thaliana" to be published in Journal of Experimental Botany special issue focused on Chromatin. Supplementary File 1: Table describing read count, mapping percentage and genome coverage from each sample in FAIRE-seq and DNase-seq. Supplementary File 2: List of DHSs obtained from control and stress subjected samples. Supplementary File 3: List of FIRs obtained from control and stress subjected samples. Supplementary File 4: List of uniquely merged OCRs with respective chromatin accessibility score in cold, heat, salt and drought stress. Supplementary File 5: List of GO terms enriched in nrOCRs, SRCRs, and SACRs. Supplementary File 6: List of GO terms enriched in overlapping nrOCRs, SRCRs, and SACRs. Supplementary File 7: List of digital footprints (DFPs) obtained from nrOCRs regions of control-cold, control-heat, control-salt and control-drought pairs. Supplementary File 8: Annotation details of the chromatin regions which were either found to be in state of accessible (CAS > 0.2) or inaccessible (CAS < -0.2) upon exposure to all of the stresses studied (heat, cold, salt and drought stress). Supplementary Fig S1: Overlap of DHSs in control sample of present study with previously published studies. A Venn diagram showing overlap of DNase hypersensitive sites (DHSs) found in control sample of present study and Zhang et al 2010 (A) and Sullivan et al 2014 (B). The statistical significance of overlap is calculate using hypergeometric Fischer`s exact test. Supplementary Fig S2: Genomic locations of DHSs and FIRs A line diagram representing the genomic location of unique DHSs and FIRs over each chromosome. DHSs/FIRs identified from each sample were merged to generate unique non-redundant subset of DHSs/FIRs before plotting over genome. Supplementary Fig S3: Validation of correlation between OCRs and gene expression using microarray. Box plot representing expression of genes (log10(normalised expression)) whose various structual elements fall in OCRs. Supplementary Fig S4: First exons are highly enriched in both DHSs and FIRs A bar plot showing presence of uFIRs, uDHSs, and ovOCRs in various positions of exon in Arabidopsis genes. The X-axis represent the exon number whereas Y-axis represent the fraction of OCRs found in each exon number. Supplementary Fig S5: Validation of correlation between Ha-SACRs/Ha-SRCRs and gene expression using microarray. Relative expression of genes (log2 fold change) corresponding to Ha-SACRs (Top) and (Ha-SRCRs (bottom) in cold (A), heat (B), salt (C) and drought (D) stress are plotted as box plot (p- value from Mann-Whitney test). To further compare RNA-seq data of salt stress with microarray, RNA-seq data was down-sampled to include genes which were also present in microarray data (E). Supplementary Fig S6: Genomic location of SACRs and SRCRs found in Drought sample. A snapshot of Integrative Genome Viewer (IGV) showing genomic location of stress activated chromatin regions (SACRs) and stress repressed chromatin region (SRCRs) in drought sample. The location of the centromere on each chromosome is shown as green bar IGV track.

In this work, Oxyfluoride Lithium Zinc Borosilicate glasses of varying Dy3+ ions concentration were prepared by using a melt quench technique. The optical and luminescence characteristics of Dy3+ ions were analyzed by XRD, absorption and emission spectroscopy. The Judd-Ofelt (J-O) parameters estimated by correlating absorption spectral measurements. The emission profiles displayed three principle bands in blue, yellow, red regions and quenching was detected at 1 mol% of Dy3+ ions. The radiative properties were evaluated for the protuberant luminous levels of Dy3+ ions within the ambit of J-O theory. The color coordinates at 351 nm pumping wavelength provide the worthy white emission. The decay profiles of F-4(9/2)-> H-6(13/2) showed exponential nature up to 1 mol% and non-exponential elsewhere. It has been observed that 1.0 mol % Dy3+ ions doped OFLZBS glasses are aptly fit for white light generation. This observation showed that as-quenched glasses may have great potentials for lasers and w-LEDs applications.

Limited information is available on abiotic stress-mediated alterations of chromatin conformation influencing gene expression in plants. In order to characterize the effect of abiotic stresses on changes in chromatin conformation, we employed FAIRE-seq (formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatory element sequencing) and DNase-seq to isolate accessible regions of chromatin from Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings exposed to either heat, cold, salt, or drought stress. Approximately 25% of regions in the Arabidopsis genome were captured as open chromatin, the majority of which included promoters and exons. A large proportion of chromatin regions apparently did not change their conformation in response to any of the four stresses. Digital footprints present within these regions had differential enrichment of motifs for binding of 43 different transcription factors. Further, in contrast to drought and salt stress, both high and low temperature treatments resulted in increased accessibility of the chromatin. Also, pseudogenes attained increased chromatin accessibility in response to cold and drought stresses. The highly accessible and inaccessible chromatin regions of seedlings exposed to drought stress correlated with the Ser/Thr protein kinases (MLK1 and MLK2)-mediated reduction and increase in H3 phosphorylation (H3T3Ph), respectively. The presented results provide a deeper understanding of abiotic stress-mediated chromatin modulation in plants.

We present analytical calculations, Finite Element Analysis modelling, and physical measurements of the interstrip capacitances for different potential strip geometries and dimensions of the readout boards for the GE2/1 triple-Gas Electron Multiplier detector in the CMS muon system upgrade. The main goal of the study is to find configurations that minimize the interstrip capacitances and consequently maximize the signal-to-noise ratio for the detector. We find agreement at the 1.5–4.8% level between the two methods of calculations and on the average at the 17% level between calculations and measurements. A configuration with halved strip lengths and doubled strip widths results in a measured 27–29% reduction over the original configuration while leaving the total number of strips unchanged. We have now adopted this design modification for all eight module types of the GE2/1 detector and will produce the final detector with this new strip design.

Purpose Ex vivo organ perfusion has been widely used for graft preservation in transplantation. Various organoprotective strategies have been attempted, one of which is temperature. Clinically, hypothermic machine perfusion has proven beneficial in preserving organs such as kidney and liver. Comparable data, however, are lacking in the lung realm. This study aimed to investigate the effects of various perfusion temperatures on lung graft preservation during ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP). Methods After 1 hour cold preservation, heart-lung blocs from rats underwent 4 hours acellular EVLP at the following predetermined perfusion temperatures: 10°C, 23°C, 32°C, and 37°C. Graft evaluation during EVLP included functional, metabolic and physiological variables. At the end of EVLP, tissue mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines were quantified. Results were compared among the groups. Results EVLP was completed successfully in all groups. Glucose consumption was curtailed at temperatures lower than 37°C. It was found lungs at colder temperatures showed lower lung compliance, while significant diminishing occurred with time at 37°C. Lungs at 23°C and 32°C showed stable vascular resistance (PVR) with time in lower range compared to that at 10°C, although lungs at 37°C exhibited significant increase of PVR over time. Tissue mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines were decreased at lower temperatures, reflecting deceleration of graft inflammation at non-normothermic temperatures. Conclusion At each perfusion temperature, lung grafts demonstrate a unique performance profile with individualized benefits and risks. Temperature adjustment is an easily modifiable approach in modulating inflammatory and metabolic processes during EVLP, thus enhancing graft preservation and potentially contributing to improved posttransplant outcomes.

Triple-GEM detector technology was recently selected by CMS for a part of the upgrade of its forward muon detector system as GEM detectors provide a stable operation in the high radiation environment expected during the future High-Luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). In a first step, GEM chambers (detectors) will be installed in the innermost muon endcap station in the 1.6<|η|<2.2 pseudo-rapidity region, mainly to control level-1 muon trigger rates after the second LHC Long Shutdown. These new chambers will add redundancy to the muon system in the η-region where the background rates are high, and the bending of the muon trajectories due to the CMS magnetic field is small. A novel construction technique for such chambers has been developed in such a way where foils are mounted onto a single stack and then uniformly stretched mechanically, avoiding the use of spacers and glue inside the active gas volume. We describe the layout, the stretching mechanism and the overall assembly technique of such GEM chambers.

The present study aims to determine the effect of Yoga therapy on cholesterol level [low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglyceride levels] of middle aged women. The sample for the study comprises of 30 females between the ages of 35 to 45 years. Sample was further divided into two groups (i) Experimental group (N=15), (ii) Control group (N=15). The subjects of the Experimental group went through a Yoga therapy for six week under the direct supervision of researchers. They performed –suryanamaskar Dhanurasana, Bhujagasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Chakarasana, Shalabhasana, Paschimotanasana, Purnmatsyandrasana and Nadishodhana, Sithali, Sitakari, Brahmari, Bhastrika and Kapalbhati Paranayama, shatkarma practices. The Control group was engaged in daily routine work. The subjects of both the groups were tested before and after the experimental period of six week. The data was analyzed statistically by applying ANCOVA. The results show that there is significant change on triglycerides and low density lipoprotein as a result of the experimental training. Since the result has revealed that there is a significance difference, the hypothesis is accepted. And results also show that there is no significant difference between high density lipoprotein as a result of experimental training and thus the hypothesis is rejected.

Carthamus tinctorius L. (safflower) is an important oilseed crop producing seed oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids. Scarcity of identified marker-trait associations is a major limitation toward development of successful marker-assisted breeding programs in safflower. In the present study, a safflower panel (CartAP) comprising 124 accessions derived from two core collections was assayed for its suitability for association mapping. Genotyping of CartAP using microsatellite markers revealed significant genetic diversity indicated by Shannon information index (H = 0.7537) and Nei's expected heterozygosity (I = 0.4432). In Principal Coordinate Analysis, the CartAP accessions were distributed homogeneously in all quadrants indicating their diverse nature. Distance-based Neighbor Joining analysis did not delineate the CartAP accessions in consonance with their geographical origin. Bayesian analysis of population structure of CartAP demonstrated the unstructured nature of the association panel. Kinship analysis at population (Gij ) and individual level (Fij ) revealed absence of or weak relatedness between the CartAP accessions. The above parameters established the suitability of CartAP for association mapping. We performed association mapping using phenotypic data for eight traits of agronomic value (viz., seed oil content, oleic acid, linoleic acid, plant height, number of primary branches, number of capitula per plant, 100-seed weight and days to 50% flowering) available for two growing seasons (2011-2012 and 2012-2013) through General Linear Model and Mixed Linear Model. Our study identified ninety-six significant marker-trait associations (MTAs; P < 0.05) of which, several MTAs with correlation coefficient (R2) > 10% were consistently represented in both models and in both seasons for traits viz., oil content, oleic acid content, linoleic acid content and number of primary branches. Several MTAs with high R2-values were detected either in a majority or in some environments (models and/or seasons). Many MTAs were also common between traits (viz., oleic/linoleic acid content; plant height/days to 50% flowering; number of primary branches/number of capitula per plant) that showed positive or negative correlation in their phenotypic values. The marker-trait associations identified in this study will facilitate marker-assisted breeding and identification of genetic determinants of trait variability.

Yield response, profitability margins and oil quality in relation to macro (S) and micro (B and Zn) nutrients application with NPK recommendations were quantified in spring planted sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Significantly higher seed yield, synergism in nutrients uptake and superior oil quality was noticed through better expression of physio-morphic traits and yield components, increased nutrient accumulation and improvement in oil quality parameters with application of S, B and Zn. Supplemented nutrition proved to be economically more efficient and sustainable over recommended NPK as evident by relatively higher crop yield response (0.10-0.18 t ha-1), production efficiency (4.7-8.0%), profitability (0.50-0.97 USD/ha/day), relative economic efficiency (4.64- 9.05%) and sustainability yield index (5.1-8.5%). Improvement in saturated fatty acid (SFA): unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) ratio indicated improvement in oil quality, followed the trend of S>B=Zn. An inverse correlation (r = –0.68**) between mono- (oleic) and poly- (linoleic) unsaturated fatty acids indicated the inter-dependence of these two quality parameters. The information generated would facilitate quantitative yield predictions in relation to macro (S) and micro (B and Zn) nutrient application with recommended fertilization in sunflower.

The High Luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider will deliver 10 times more integrated luminosity than the existing collider, posing significant challenges for radiation tolerance and event pileup on detectors, especially for forward calorimetry. As part of its upgrade program, the Compact Muon Solenoid collaboration is designing a high-granularity calorimeter (HGCAL) to replace the existing endcap calorimeters. It will feature unprecedented transverse and longitudinal readout and triggering segmentation for both electromagnetic and hadronic sections. The electromagnetic section and a large fraction of the hadronic section will be based on hexagonal silicon sensors of 0.5–1 cm2 cell size, with the remainder of the hadronic section being based on highly-segmented scintillators with silicon photomultiplier readout. The intrinsic high-precision timing capabilities of the silicon sensors will add an extra dimension to event reconstruction, especially in terms of pileup rejection. First hexagonal silicon modules, using the existing Skiroc2 front-end ASIC developed for CALICE, have been tested in beams at Fermilab and CERN in 2016. We present results from these tests, in terms of system stability, calibration with minimum-ionizing particles and resolution (energy, position and timing) for electrons, and the comparisons of these quantities with GEANT4-based simulation.

Heterobimetallic complexes of the composition [CuNi(bpy)2 (μ-OAc) (μ-OH) (μ-OH2)](BF4)2 (1) and [CuNi(bz)3 (bpy)2]ClO4 (2) were synthesized in moderate yield through solid state reaction and have been characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductance, mass spectra, magnetic moment, EPR, UV–Vis, IR spectroscopies and cyclic voltammetry. The ground state in complex (1) is doublet while that in complex (2), the ground state is a mixture of doublet and quartet, respectively. The structure of the complexes has been established by X-ray crystallography. The electron transfer reactions of the complexes have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry.

Introduction: Type II Diabetes mellitus (type II DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterised by oxidative stress. Free radicals play a pivotal role in the progression of diabetes and its complications. The role of trace elements in type II DM is always controversial. Antioxidants are very important in reducing the impact of oxidative stress. Hyperglycemia induces oxidative stress which in turn causes damage to copper binding proteins and lead to release of copper ions. Aims and Objectives: The present study was designed to establish an association of trace elements serum copper and zinc with serum albumin and uric acid as antioxidants in type II DM. Materials and Methods: Study includes 30 type II diabetic patients as cases and 30 normal individuals as controls. Fasting blood sugar (FBS) and Post prandial blood sugar (PPBS), serum copper, zinc, uric acid and albumin levels were measured in all the subjects. In our study serum copper levels were increased and zinc levels were decreased in cases when compared to controls. FBS and PPBS levels in our study showed positive correlation with serum copper levels. Serum uric acid levels in cases were increased in comparison to controls. Although there was decrease in albumin levels in this study, it was not statistically significant. However, we could not establish an association of trace elements copper and zinc with the antioxidants like uric acid and albumin in our study probably because of the small sample size. Conclusion: Inclusion of trace elements like copper, zinc and antioxidants like uric acid, albumin in the panel of investigations for diabetes mellitus (D.M) may be useful in predicting the prognosis of type II DM and early detection of its complications. Keywords: Antioxidants, Diabetes, Oxidative stress, Serum albumin, Serum copper, Serum zinc.