Analytical Study of Kharif Food Grain Production in Odisha

The state of Odisha having an agrarian based economy depends largely on agriculture for the livelihood of its population. Food grains are important commodity of crop groups that provide high quality carbohydrates, protein and vitamins. A study on the compound growth rate of area, yield and production of food grains for kharif season in the districts of Odisha and the state as a whole has been attempted in the present study which would be helpful in visualizing the progress of the state with respect to food grain cultivation and proper framing of agricultural policies of the state. The study is based secondary data for the period of 1993-94 to 2017-18 to estimate the compound growth rate and Cuddy-Della Instability Index of area, yield and production of kharif food grains for the districts and the state as a whole. The districts are ranked on the basis of compound growth rate and Cuddy-Della Instability Index in decreasing order and increasing order of their magnitudes respectively. The rank correlation between Compound Growth Rate and Cuddy-Della Instability Index of area, yield and production of food grains during kharif seasons are studied. It is found that despite negative growth rate in area, the positive compound growth rate of yield leads to positive compound growth rate in production of kharif food grains of Odisha. Also it is found that despite stability of area, the instability of yield leads to instability in production of kharif food grains in the state of Odisha.

Structural-Based Optimizations of the Marine-Originated Meridianin C as Glucose Uptake Agents by Inhibiting GSK-3β

Glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) is a widely investigated molecular target for numerous diseases, and inhibition of GSK-3β activity has become an attractive approach for the treatment of diabetes. Meridianin C, an indole-based natural product isolated from marine Aplidium meridianum, has been reported as a potent GSK-3β inhibitor. In the present study, applying the structural-based optimization strategy, the pyrimidine group of meridianin C was modified by introducing different substituents based on the 2-aminopyrimidines-substituted pyrazolo pyridazine scaffold. Among them, compounds B29 and B30 showed a much higher glucose uptake than meridianin C (<5%) and the positive compound 4-benzyl-2-methyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolidine-3,5-dione (TDZD-8, 16%), with no significant toxicity against HepG2 cells at the same time. Furthermore, they displayed good GSK-3β inhibitory activities (IC50 = 5.85; 24.4 μM). These results suggest that these meridianin C analogues represent novel lead compounds with therapeutic potential for diabetes.

COMPOUND RANDOM VARIABLES

We give a probabilistic proof of an identity concerning the expectation of an arbitrary function of a compound random variable and then use this identity to obtain recursive formulas for the probability mass function of compound random variables when the compounding distribution is Poisson, binomial, negative binomial random, hypergeometric, logarithmic, or negative hypergeometric. We then show how to use simulation to efficiently estimate both the probability that a positive compound random variable is greater than a specified constant and the expected amount by which it exceeds that constant.

The effect of salinity on growth and amino acid composition in the marine diatom Nitzschia pungens

Nitzschia pungens f. multiseries and N. pungens f. pungens, isolated from two estuaries in Maritime Canada, were grown at various salinities (6–48‰) and their growth rates and free amino acid compositions were determined. The optimal salinity range for growth of f. multiseries was 30–45‰, whereas that of f. pungens was 15–30‰. At higher salinities there was increased production of a ninhydrin-positive compound, which was identified as the amino acid taurine. When f. multiseries was grown at a salinity of 48‰ and rapidly exposed to 15‰, the concentration of taurine decreased markedly (from 61 to 7% of the total amino acids). The evidence indicates that taurine may serve to regulate the osmotic pressure of N. pungens f. multiseries, a role not previously assigned to taurine in a marine diatom. Key words: Nitzschia pungens, salinity, osmotic pressure, amino acids, taurine.

The occurrence of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid in muscle extracts of the blood shell, Scapharca broughtonii

A novel ninhydrin-positive compound, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid, was identified in the muscle extracts of the blood shell, Scapharca broughtonii. This compound is already known to have potent neuroexcitatory activity, inducing hypermotility and strong releasing action of serum luteinizing hormone in mammals. This may be, however, the first finding of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid in natural products.

Investigations on Nonsulfonamide Bratton-Marshall-Positive Compounds in Porcine Liver

An unknown Bratton-Marshall-positive compound was observed when liver extracts were screened by a procedure for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethazine and sulfathiazole in swine livers. The unknown has been conclusively identified as o-aminobenzoic acid (anthranilic acid), a tryptophan metabolite, by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of swine liver extracts obtained by a modified Tishler procedure for sulfonamide residues in animal tissues.

Effect of selected amides on heat-induced changes in milk

SummaryThe effect of 15 amides and related compounds on the heat stability of milk was investigated; of these urea, biuret, triuret, methyl urea and ethyl urea had a similar stabilizing effect. These 5 compounds reacted with lysine to form a ninhydrin-positive compound, possibly homocitrulline, and with lactose produced Maillard-type browning, but some of the other compounds studied were also capable of participating in one or both of these reactions. The only effect which the 5 stabilizing amides had in common and which the other compounds did not share was a significant pH-buffering capacity in synthetic systems and in milk. It is suggested that urea exercises its stabilizing influence in milk principally through its ability to buffer the pH of the system during heating.