Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilization on the Growth and Yield of Mustard Under Irrigated Conditions in Agra District

The present field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Farm of RBS College, Bichpuri Agra, during Rabi season of 2018-19. The soil of the experimental site is Gangetic alluvial. The experimental was laid out in RBD factorial having 3 main treatment (N level) and 4 sub treatments (P2O5 level) with 3 replications. All growth and yield attributing character increase with application of N @ 120 Kg-1 and P2O5 @ 60 kg-1. All the yield components i.e., number of siliquae plant-1, length of siliqua and number of seeds siliqua-1 improved with the increase in the level of nitrogen. Higher value of harvest index was associated with the application of 60 kg P2O5 ha-1. Seed yield increased appreciably with every additional increase in the level of nitrogen. Respectively 26.85 and 40.05 per cent higher seed yield ha-1 was obtained with the application of 80 and 120 kg ha-1 nitrogen as compared to 40 kg ha-1 .

Energy Efficient Lighting in Plant Factories: Addressing Utilance

Vertical farming is considered to play a crucial role in future food supply. Until today, the high amount of electrical energy required for artificial lighting has been problematic in this context. Various possibilities for increasing efficiency through adapted lighting conditions have been and are being investigated. However, comparably little attention is paid to increasing utilance, i.e., the amount of photons that can effectively be used by the plant. In this work, a novel targeted lighting strategy is therefore proposed that allows for a dynamic adaptation of the luminaires’ light distribution to match the effective crop size at each stage of plant growth in a fully-automated manner. It is shown that the resulting utilance can significantly be increased compared to standard full-coverage lighting. Moreover, it is found that the proposed strategy is likely to consume less than half of the electrical energy usually required for the latter. An additional increase in system efficiency can be prognosticated and the potential energy savings are estimated based on assumptions of future LED generations derived from literature.

Метод непрямого приховування інформації в процесі стиснення відеозображень

It is substantiated that steganographic systems should be used to ensure the protection of special information resources in conditions of its prompt delivery. Here, steganographic technologies are an integral part of complex information protection systems. Simultaneously, for steganographic systems, there is a contradiction between the density of embedded data and level of information compaction of video container (level of reduction of volume bit volume of compact presented video image concerning bit volume of an initial video image). It leads to the fact that under the conditions of the required quality (reliability) of digital video information, the bit rate level of the covert channel is insufficient. Consequently, the scientific-applied problem concerns the necessity to increase the integrity (the level of correspondence of the hidden information before its embedding in a video container and after its extraction) and bit rate of the hidden channel of special information transmission. It is relevant. The solution of the described problem in the field of application of steganographic transformations can be realized based on the application of two different approaches. The first approach is based on methods of direct message embedding. But this approach is characterized by introducing distortions in the video images used as a container. Therefore, changes in structural and statistical patterns in the syntactic description of the video container happen. It reduces the potential for video container compaction. The second approach to creating steganographic transformation methods is based on information hiding using indirect embedding technique. Here, the embedding process exploits the functional dependency between the elements of the video container and the elements of the embedded message. Setting a specific dependency between the elements in the video container corresponds to the embedded element with a value of "0" or "1". However, the existing indirect steganographic transformation methods have a disadvantage. It consists of an insufficient value of embedded data density. To eliminate these disadvantages, it is proposed to develop an approach that allows using not only psychovisual but also structural redundancy of video container for concealment. Therefore, the research objective of this paper is to develop a method for indirect information withholding in the video container compression process to increase the bit rate of the hidden message channel. In the process of research, a steganographic multiagent system is constructed, which allows embedding hidden message elements without loss of information based on the indirect approach by modifying the active bases of the multiagent basis considering their uncertainty. To select transformants (data sets) as containers for information embedding, the requirement of the existence of a base system with all active bases is taken into account. The number of embedded bits of the hidden message is equal to the number of active bases in the base system of the multiadic space. Because of the made experiments, the following results have been received: in the process of embedding messages based on the created method distortions in a video container is not brought; for the created method the additional increase in the hidden channel bit rate in average 5 … 7 times are reached.

Changes in Hepcidin Levels in an Animal Model of Anemia of Chronic Inflammation: Mechanistic Insights Related to Iron Supplementation and Hepcidin Regulation

We examined changes in hepcidin (closely associated with anemia of chronic inflammation (ACI)) and upstream regulatory pathways after intravenous (IV) iron supplementation in an ACI animal model. ACI was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by intraperitoneally administering complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA). Two weeks after starting CFA treatment, ACI rats received IV iron (CFA-iron) or vehicle (CFA-saline). Three days after IV iron treatment, iron profiles, hepcidin levels, and expression of proteins involved in the signaling pathways upstream of hepcidin transcription in the liver were measured. In CFA-treated rats, anemia with a concomitant increase in the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species occurred. In CFA-iron rats, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration was still lower than that in control rats. In CFA-saline rats, hepatic hepcidin and ferritin levels increased compared with those in control rats and were further increased in CFA-iron rats. In CFA-saline rats, NADPH oxidase- (NOX-) 2, NOX-4, and superoxide dismutase levels in the liver were upregulated compared with those in control rats and their levels were further increased in CFA-iron rats. In CFA-saline rats, activities of the IL-6/STAT and BMP/SMAD pathways were enhanced in the liver compared with those in control rats and their levels were further increased in CFA-iron rats, whereas IL-6 expression remained unaffected after IV iron administration. In HepG2 cells, iron caused phosphorylation of STAT-3 and SMAD1/5 and knockdown of STAT-3 and SMAD1/5 using siRNAs reduced iron-induced hepcidin upregulation to levels similar to those in corresponding control cells. Renal erythropoietin expression and serum erythroferrone concentration were lower in CFA-iron rats than those in control rats. In ACI rats, IV iron supplementation did not recover Hb within three days despite an increase in hepatic ferritin levels, which might be attributable to an additional increase in hepcidin levels that was already upregulated under ACI conditions. Both STAT-3 phosphorylation and SMAD1/5 phosphorylation were associated with hepcidin upregulation after IV iron treatment, and this seems to be linked to iron-induced oxidative stress.

Association of High-Speed Rail and Tuberculosis Transmission in Newly Integrated Regions: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from China

Objectives: The spread of tuberculosis (TB) is related to changes in the social network among the population and people’s social interactions. High-speed railway (HSR) fundamentally changed the integrated market across cities in China. This paper aims to examine the impact of HSR on TB transmission in newly integrated areas.Methods: By exploiting the opening and operation of the first HSR in Sichuan province as a quasi-natural experiment, we have collected and used the economic, social, and demographic data of 183 counties in Sichuan province from 2013 to 2016.Results: The new HSR line is associated with a 4.790 increase in newly diagnosed smear-positive TB cases per 100,000 people among newly integrated areas. On average, an additional increase of 34.178 newly diagnosed smear-positive TB cases occur every year in counties (or districts) covered by the new HSR.Conclusion: HSR development has significantly contributed to the transmission of TB. The public health system in China needs to pay more attention to the influences of new, mass public transportation.

Lexical Alignment to Non-native Speakers

Two picture-matching-game experiments investigated if lexical-referential alignment to non-native speakers is enhanced by a desire to aid communicative success (by saying something the conversation partner can certainly understand), a form of audience design. In Experiment 1, a group of native speakers of British English that was not given evidence of their conversation partners’ picture-matching performance showed more alignment to non-native than to native speakers, while another group that was given such evidence aligned equivalently to the two types of speaker. Experiment 2, conducted with speakers of Castilian Spanish, replicated the greater alignment to non-native than native speakers without feedback. However, Experiment 2 also showed that production of grammatical errors by the confederate produced no additional increase of alignment even though making errors suggests lower communicative competence. We suggest that this pattern is consistent with another collaborative strategy, the desire to model correct usage. Together, these results support a role for audience design in alignment to non-native speakers in structured task-based dialogue, but one that is strategically deployed only when deemed necessary.

Enhancement of the Processability and Properties of Nylon 6 by Blending with Polyketone

Polyketones (PKs) having strong hydrogen bonding properties and a chain extender are used as additives in the melt processing of nylon 6 (PA6). Their effect on the chain structure and properties of PA6 is studied to enhance the processability of PA6 in melt processing. The addition of the chain extender to PA6 increases the melt viscosity by forming branches on the backbone. The addition of PKs results in an additional increase in viscosity through the hydrogen bonding between N–H of PA6 and C=O of PK. The change in the N–H bond FT-IR peak of PA6 and the swelling data of the PA6/PK blend containing a chain extender, styrene maleic anhydride copolymer (ADR), suggest that incorporation of chain extender and PK in the melt processing of PA6 results in physical crosslinks through hydrogen bonding between the branched PA6 formed by the addition of chain extender and PK chains. This change in the chain structure of PA6 not only increases the melt strength of PA6 but also increases randomness resulting in decreased crystallinity.

INFLUENCE OF SURFACE PRE-HEATING ON THE NITRIDING DEPTH OF STEEL 25CrMoVA USED COMPLEX ION-PLASMA TREATMENT

In the method of nitriding elements, various methods of their thermal heating are used. The simplest heating method in ion-plasma nitriding is heating by bombarding the surface first with low-energy gas ions and then with metal ions with energies up to several kiloelectronvolt. Elements exposed to ion bombardment have a welldeveloped surface that is free from contaminants and facilitates the diffusion of nitrogen into the depth of the metal during nitriding. The paper studies the effect of various preliminary heating methods on the nitriding depth in the complex ion-plasma hardening technology of 25CrMoVA steel. A JSM 7000-1F scanning electron microscope equipped with an X-ray spectral energy dispersive microanalysis attachment was used to diagnose changes occurring on the surface of the samples and at depth; the hardness was measured using a Nanoindentor G200 device. The preliminary heating of the samples was carried out both with the use of bombardment with Ti or Mo ions, and without its direct effect on the heated surface. In the experiment, differences in the depth of hardening of the nitrided layer of steel are observed when it is heated in different ways. When bombarded with Mo ions, the greatest depths of hardening were obtained in comparison with other preliminary heating conditions. It is shown that these differences are associated with the features of the morphology of the steel surface formed as a result of sputtering processes. The formation of nitride compounds in its surface layer can serve as a barrier that slows down the penetration of nitrogen into the metal. It is shown that with complex treatment in the process of deposition of a nitride coating on the surface of nitrided steel, an additional increase in the depth of hardening of the nitrided layer occurs.

Proliferation of endothelial cells (HUVEC) on specific-modified collagen sponges loaded with different growth factors

In general, matrices for tissue engineering must maintain structural integrity during the process of tissue formation and promote vascularization of developing tissue. Therefore, collagen sponges, manufactured by an approach that offers the potential of unidirectional pore size, were seeded with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) to demonstrate a positive effect on cell proliferation. In addition, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) have been used to promote proliferation of HUVEC on optimized collagen sponges. Growth and viability of the cells were evaluated. Potential unidirectional pore structure demonstrated an improvement of both, endothelial cell growth and viability. Supplementation of growth factors showed an additional increase of endothelial cell growth on collagen sponges, which confirmed the high potential of combining this biomaterial with growth factors. The results suggest that a collagen sponge with a potential specific pore size could be a suitable scaffold for endothelial cells and might be a promising implantable biomaterial with enhanced angiogenic capabilities for future clinical applications.

Measurements of transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) are affected by junctional length in immature epithelial monolayers

The measurement of transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) is a common technique to determine the barrier integrity of epithelial cell monolayers. However, it is remarkable that absolute TEER values of similar cell types cultured under comparable conditions show an immense heterogeneity. Based on previous observations, we hypothesized that the heterogeneity of absolute TEER measurements can not only be explained by maturation of junctional proteins but rather by dynamics in the absolute length of cell junctions within monolayers. Therefore, we analyzed TEER in epithelial cell monolayers of Caco2 cells during their differentiation, with special emphasis on both changes in the junctional complex and overall cell morphology within monolayers. We found that in epithelial Caco2 monolayers TEER increased until confluency, then decreased for some time, which was then followed by an additional increase during junctional differentiation. In contrast, permeability of macromolecules measured at different time points as 4 kDA fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran flux across monolayers steadily decreased during this time. Detailed analysis suggested that this observation could be explained by alterations of junctional length along the cell borders within monolayers during differentiation. In conclusion, these observations confirmed that changes in cell numbers and consecutive increase of junctional length have a critical impact on TEER values, especially at stages of early confluency when junctions are immature.