Mass Number Research Articles

Virulence of Five Root-Knot Nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) on Nine Industrial Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Varieties and Nematicidal Potential of Hemp Seed Extracts Against Meloidogyne javanica

The most common and damaging plant parasitic nematodes are root-knot nematodes (RNK). Although hemp has been clearly infected by RNK, little information is available regarding the extent of the damage and losses caused. In addition, no information is available concerning hemp seed extracts’ activity against RNK. In the current research, a greenhouse experiment was developed to evaluate the infection effect of five RKN species (Meloidogyne javanica, M. incognita, M. arenaria, M. hapla, and M. luci) in nine industrial hemp varieties (Fedora 17, Ferimon 12, Futura 75, Santhica 27, Santhica 70, KC Dora, KC Zuzana, Zenit, and USO 31), as was a laboratory experiment to evaluate the nematicidal activity of aqueous and water extracts of hemp seeds against second-stage juveniles (J2s) of M. javanica. The results revealed that the five evaluated Meloidogyne species were pathogenic to hemp plants. The lowest shoot weights were recorded in plants that were inoculated with M. javanica and M. luci (4.65 and 4.53 g, respectively). As for the root system, the most severe damage of the roots was detected in M. incognita-infected plants, presenting the lowest root weight (1.72 g). Regarding hemp varieties, the most susceptible were USO 31, Fedora 17, Ferimon 12, and Zenit, while Futura 75 hosted the lowest nematode numbers, including the lowest values of females per gram of root (10.66), number of egg masses per gram of root (4.70), and fecundity (33.68 eggs per egg mass). Moreover, this research showed that aqueous and ethanolic hemp seed extracts can control M. javanica. After 24, 48, 72, and 96 h of exposure to high concentrations (250–2000 ppm) of ethanolic and aqueous extracts, the J2s were permanently paralyzed; however, at low concentrations, only the ethanolic extract was effective. The ethanolic extract paralyzed J2s at concentrations higher than 62.5 ppm and reduced the egg hatching by up to 76% compared to the control treatment. In general, the efficacy of the aqueous extract was considerably lower than that of the ethanolic extract.

Spontaneou specie of the semi-arid region in proportions with goat manure in the production of coriander

The use of a mixture of fertilizers of plant and animal origin is important in the vegetable cultivation system, however, identifying the proportion of each fertilizer in the composition will lead to positive results for the crop that will be cultivated, in this sense, the objective was to study spontaneous species from the semi-arid region in proportions with goat manure in the production of coriander. The research was developed at the Rafael Fernandes Experimental Farm, belonging to the Federal Rural University of Semi-Arid (UFERSA). The experimental design used was a randomized complete block design with six treatments and four replicates. The treatments consisted of the proportions of hairy woodrose (Merremia aegyptia L.) in goat manure [0%; 20%; 40%; 60%; 80% and 100% of hairy woodrose on dry basis]. The coriander cultivar sown was Verdão. The characteristics evaluated were: plant height, number of stems, productivity, number of bunches and dry mass of coriander. The maximum agronomic efficiency of the proportion of hairy woodrose (Merremia aegyptia L.) in goat manure was 587.28 g m-2 of coriander with 5.79 units of sauces m-2 with the exclusive use of hairy woodrose (Merremia aegyptia L.) in the dry mass (100%). The efficiency of hairy woodrose in the evaluated characteristics is due to its concentration of chemical elements present in the dry matter (24.0 g kg-1 of nitrogen; 23.3 g kg-1 of potassium and carbon nitrogen ratio of 23/1).

Measurement report: Rocket-borne measurements of large ions in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere – detection of meteor smoke particles

Abstract. We present mass spectroscopic in situ data from rocket flights of two improved ion mass spectrometers in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region. The instruments were optimized to detect large ions with a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z, mass) of up to m/z 2000 and 20 000 respectively, for analysis of meteor smoke particles. The flights were performed in the framework of the polar mesospheric winter echo (PMWE) campaigns, initiated and coordinated by the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), to investigate polar mesospheric winter radar echoes in Andøya (Norway) in 2018 and 2021. Both flights were successful and allowed the mass number and chemical composition of charged meteor smoke particles to be investigated. We found a complex and diverse composition of positively and negatively charged molecules and particles within our mass range in a region that is notoriously difficult to get mass spectroscopic data from. While at altitudes below 85 km we observed negatively charged particles of up to several thousands of atomic mass units, above this altitude we found possible building blocks of these large particles that form right after their ablation from the parent meteorite material. In the first flight we detected no positively charged particles above m/z 100 and a difficult-to-interpret signal for negatively charged particles beyond our mass range of m/z 2000. In the second flight, however, we detected positively charged particles between around m/z 180 and 350 and a number of different negatively charged particles up to m/z 5500. Due to the very large mass range of m/z 20 000 used in the second flight and the subsequent lower mass resolution, unambiguous mass identification is not possible. A particular interesting pattern was found at 80.8 km of a compound that seems to double its mass around m/z 225, 450, 900 and 1800. Comparing our findings to proposed meteor smoke particle compounds by other authors, our observations would be consistent with magnetite, fayalite and forsterite. However, other possible compounds cannot be excluded.

OFF-PUMP CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFTING IN PATIENTS WITH CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE AND CONCOMITANT MITRAL VALVE REGURGITATION

HighlightsThe review presents a retrospective analysis of data of patients who underwent combined coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral valve repair/replacement.The authors comparatively assessed outcomes of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) and on-pump CABG (ONCABG) in patients with combined valvular pathology. AbstractAim. To evaluate the benefits of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) in patients with coronary artery disease and concomitant mitral valve (MV) regurgitation.Methods. The study included 50 patients with coronary artery disease and concomitant MV disease who underwent simultaneous CABG and correction of MV regurgitation. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1 (n = 26) included patiens with on-pump CABG (ONCABG), group 2 (n = 24) included patiens with OPCABG.Results. In the OPCABG group there was shorter aortic cross-clamping time (85,5 [71,25; 105,25] vs 119 [99,25; 132,25] min, compared with the ONCABG group, p < 0,05), shorter duration of CPB (136,5 [119,25; 158,5] vs 168,5 [142,75; 186,25] min, p < 0,05), and overall duration of the operation (292,5 [252,5; 360] vs 340 [287,5; 385] min, respectively, p = 0,15). Moreover, in this group there was a lower need for transfusion of blood and its components: freshly frozen plasma (2 [2; 3] vs 3 [3; 3], p < 0,05), RBC mass (2 [1; 2] vs 2 [2; 2], respectively, p = 0,4), and lower number of bed-days during hospital stay (20 [13,5; 26,25] vs 23,5 [17,5; 26] days, p < 0,05).Conclusions. Off-pump CABG in patients with combined valvular pathology is a safe and reproducible technique that provides shorter aortic cross-clamping time, on-pump time and operation duration. The need for blood transfusion and the length of hospital stay are reduced as well.

Growth Regulator Indole-3-Butyric Acid on Rooting Potential of Actinidia deliciosa Rootstock and Actinidia arguta Female Scion Species Stem Cuttings

A study was conducted to access the effectiveness of exogenous application of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) on adventitious root formation in kiwifruit semi-hardwood stem cuttings (SCs) from Actinidia deliciosa rootstock and Actinidia arguta female scion. Treatment comprised IBA concentrations of 0, 10, 100, 1000, 10,000 and 100,000 ppm. Parallel experiments for A. deliciosa and A. arguta’s treatment were arranged in a randomised complete block design, with 12 replications. In A. deliciosa, treatments had significant (p ≤ 0.05) effects in rooting percentage, number of roots, root length, size of callus formation and callus percentage, except for dry root mass. In A. arguta, treatments showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) effects in rooting percentage, number of roots, root length and dry root mass. No callus formation was observed in A. arguta. Relative to the control, in A. deliciosa, the highest (42%) rooting percentage and lengthy (0.301 cm) roots, were observed at 10,000 ppm IBA concentration, whereas the most (0.295) number of roots were produced at 100,000 ppm IBA concentration. Calli percentage (94%) was highest at 100 ppm IBA, while the size of callus formation was the biggest (2.8) at IBA concentration of 100,000 ppm, when compared to the control. In A. arguta, the highest (100%) rooting percentage was achieved at the control (0 ppm), 100 ppm and 10,000 ppm IBA concentrations, whereas the greatest (0.9815) number of roots were observed at the IBA concentration of 10 ppm. Lengthy (1.0839 cm) roots were achieved at IBA concentration of 100 ppm, whereas the greatest (0.1061 g) dry root mass was attained at IBA concentration of 10,000 ppm. In conclusion, the use of growth regulator IBA was effective for root formation in SCs of A. deliciosa rootstock. In A. arguta female scion, IBA application improved the quality of rooting (more and longer roots). IBA application showed its potential in stimulating root development at 10,000 ppm IBA.

Tracing the change of the volatile compounds of soy sauce at different fermentation times by PTR-TOF-MS, E-nose and GC–MS

Proton-transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-TOF-MS), combined with electronic nose (E-nose), was first used to track the change of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soy sauce in this study. The results showed that 163 VOCs with different mass numbers were identified. Based on the differences in VOCs, the entire fermentation cycle was divided into four stages (0D and 15D; 30D-75D; 90D; 105D120D). The key stage of aroma formation was on day 90, when the VOC content reached its peak. It was clear that the key feature differential component was nonanal and phenethyl acetate by partial least squares discriminant analysis model, which showed significant correlation with the fermentation time. Moreover, the Quadratic Discriminant Analysis and Linear Discriminant Analysis models can accurately predict the fermentation cycle of soy sauce. The results of study demonstrated the potential of PTR-TOF-MS for comprehensive online monitoring and distinguishing of VOCs change during soy sauce fermentation.

Isotopic analysis of Nd nanoparticles using single particle MC-ICP-MS: A comparative study with single particle-ICP-TOF-MS.

Single particle - inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) is a powerful technique for characterization of the elemental and isotopic composition of individual particles. In this work, the capabilities of the newest generation of MC-ICP-MS with acquisition rates down to 50ms were evaluated for single particle analysis, with a focus on isotopic precision achievable on a single-particle level. Nd (NdVO4) nanoparticles (∼120nm in diameter) were used as case study and were first characterized in terms of mass (respective size) and particle number concentration by SP-ICP-TOF-MS and then by SP-MC-ICP-MS for isotopic precision. For the isotopic ratio measurements, the MC-ICP-MS performance was compared to the ICP-TOF-MS and it was found that the isotope ratio precision was increased (R2 between 0.98 and 0.99) compared to ICP-TOF-MS (R2 between 0.88 and 0.97). The accuracy attained on a single particle level, was compared to bulk digestion followed by MC-ICP-MS analysis, and the SP-MC-ICP-MS technique was able to determine the particle population average to be <4%, percent relative differences for the 142Nd/144Nd, 143Nd/144Nd, 145Nd/144Nd, 146Nd/144Nd, and 148Nd/144Nd ratios The detection limit for the SP-MC-ICP-MS approach was also assessed. When utilizing an all Faraday-cup based detection scheme the determined LOD for the measurements was 0.2fg for Nd, per particle. Based on these results, the newest generation of MC-ICP-MS has demonstrated its utility for performing SP measurement, particularly when high precision isotopic determination is warranted.

Quantification of adulterated fox-derived components in meat products by drop digital polymerase chain reaction

ABSTRACT This paper reported a novel approach to quantification of adulterated fox-derived components in meat products by drop digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR). By using the F2 gene as the target gene of fox, a single primer was designed to identify the adulteration that had been added either inadvertently or deliberately during the process. In this paper, the fox meat was used as the experimental materials and a relationship was established between fox mass and copy number by extracting DNA and using DNA concentration as an intermediary. The results that across the dynamic range, the relationships between meat mass and DNA concentration were nearly linear (R2 = 0.9986), as was the relationship between DNA concentration and DNA copy number (R2 = 0.9992). Based on the DNA concentration, the following formulas were developed about the relationship between fox meat mass (Mfox) and DNA copy number (C): Mfox = 0.05C + 2.7.

General Resolution of the Fundamental Equation of the Global Nuclear Collision Model

The resolution of the fundamental mechanism’s equation E-F of the global nuclear collisions model is performed. It is divided into two stages. The first one, concerns the research of the one parameter minimal group which is given by applying successively conservation laws of charge and mass numbers and total energy. The second one is the determination of the possible mechanisms and their corresponding colliding system final states.

Search for baryon junctions in e+A collisions at the electron ion collider

Constituent quarks in a nucleon are the essential elements in the standard “quark model” associated with the electric charge, spin, mass, and baryon number of a nucleon. Quantum chromodynamics (QCD) describes nucleon as a composite object containing current quarks (valence quarks and sea (anti-)quarks) and gluons. These subatomic elements and their interactions are known to contribute in complex ways to the overall nucleon spin and mass. In the early development of QCD theory in the 1970s, an alternative hypothesis postulated that the baryon number might manifest itself through a non-perturbative configuration of gluon fields forming a Y-shaped topology known as the gluon junction. In this work, we propose to test such hypothesis by measuring (i) the Regge intercept of the net-baryon distributions for e+(p)Au collisions, (ii) baryon and charge transport in the isobaric ratio between e+Ru and e+Zr collisions, and (iii) target flavor dependence of proton and antiproton yields at large rapidity, transported from the hydrogen and deuterium targets in e+p(d) collisions. Our study indicates that these measurements at the EIC can help determine what carries the baryon number.

New approach for calculating nuclear binding energies of nickel isotopes 57-78Ni28 by using the Shell Model

Depending on the basic assumptions of the Shell Model and by using suitable potentials, we found a new formula to calculate the nuclear binding energies of nickel isotopes 57-78Ni28. This formula is related only to the mass number of these isotopes and the number of valence nucleons outside the closed core 56Ni28. When calculating the standard deviation of the experimental data from the theory, we found that our value is better than the value calculated by the Semi-Empirical Mass Formula; it is also better than that calculated by the Integrated Model and calculated by the Modified Integrated Model. This indicates that our inferred formula is better than the most important formulas previously used to calculate nuclear binding energies for our studied nuclei.

Nrf2/NRF1 signaling activation and crosstalk amplify mitochondrial biogenesis in the treatment of triptolide-induced cardiotoxicity using calycosin

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) regulates both oxidative stress and mitochondrial biogenesis. Our previous study reported the cardioprotection of calycosin against triptolide toxicity through promoting mitochondrial biogenesis by activating nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1), a coregulatory effect contributed by Nrf2 was not fully elucidated. This work aimed at investigating the involvement of Nrf2 in mitochondrial protection and elucidating Nrf2/NRF1 signaling crosstalk on amplifying the detoxification of calycosin. Results indicated that calycosin inhibited cardiomyocytes apoptosis and F-actin depolymerization following triptolide exposure. Cardiac contraction was improved by calycosin through increasing both fractional shortening (FS%) and ejection fraction (EF%). This enhanced contractile capacity of heart was benefited from mitochondrial protection reflected by ultrastructure improvement, augment in mitochondrial mass and ATP production. NRF1 overexpression in cardiomyocytes increased mitochondrial mass and DNA copy number, whereas NRF1 knockdown mitigated calycosin-mediated enhancement in mitochondrial mass. For nuclear Nrf2, it was upregulated by calycosin in a way of disrupting Nrf2-Keap1 (Kelch-like ECH associated protein 1) interaction, followed by inhibiting ubiquitination and degradation. The involvement of Nrf2 in mitochondrial protection was validated by the results that both Nrf2 knockdown and Nrf2 inhibitor blocked the calycosin effects on mitochondrial biogenesis and respiration. In the case of calycosin treatment, its effect on NRF1 and Nrf2 upregulations were respectively blocked by PGCα/Nrf2 and NRF1 knockdown, indicative of the mutual regulation between Nrf2 and NRF1. Accordingly, calycosin activated Nrf2/NRF1 and the signaling crosstalk, leading to mitochondrial biogenesis amplification, which would become a novel mechanism of calycosin against triptolide-induced cardiotoxicity.

Transient electromagnetic sources can detect solitary black holes in Milky Way galaxy

Abstract The Milky Way galaxy is estimated to host up to a billion stellar-mass solitary black holes (BHs). The number and distribution of BH masses can provide crucial information about the processes involved in BH formation, the existence of primordial BHs, and the interpretation of gravitational wave (GW) signals detected in LIGO-VIRGO-KAGRA. Sahu et al. recently confirmed one solitary stellar-mass BH in our galaxy using astrometric microlensing. This work proposes a novel mechanism to identify such BH by analyzing the frequency and damping of the quasi-normal modes of GW generated from the interaction of the BH and EM wave originating from a transient electromagnetic (TEM) source. The incoming EM waves distort the curvature of a BH, releasing GWs as it returns to a steady state. Using the covariant semi-tetrad formalism, we quantify the generated GWs via the Regge-Wheeler tensor and relate the GW amplitude to the energy of the TEM. We demonstrate that isolated BHs at a distance of 50 pc from Earth can be detected by LIGO A+ and 100 pc by Cosmic Explorer/Einstein Telescope. Additionally, we discuss the observational implications for orphan afterglows associated with GRBs, highlighting the potential for further discoveries.

Impurity effects on kinetic ballooning instability in high q regions of tokamak plasmas

Abstract The impurity effects on kinetic ballooning modes (KBMs) in high q regions of tokamak plasmas are numerically investigated, using a full gyrokinetic description for main and impurity ions. The findings indicate that the critical plasma pressure ratio β c for KBM is significantly lower (higher) than the first (second) stable threshold β MHD predicted by MHD theory. The KBM exhibits stronger extended instabilities for low q , while the instability region of KBM becomes significantly narrow for high q , resulting in a more concentrated instability window (localized in narrow medium- β region). In addition, the contributions from electromagnetic effect and Shafranov shift are identified in detail, i.e. the electromagnetic destabilizing effect is suppressed by the Shafranov shift, and strong stabilizing effect of Shafranov shift for high β e or α on KBM is pronounced. The impurity ions with negative gradient ratio L e z have stabilizing (destabilizing) effects on KBMs for high (low) q . Such distinct behaviors are demonstrated to be associated with the used parameters close to the second and first unstable α region, i.e. the instability reduces and enhances with the increase of α , respectively. Significantly, the presence of impurities, regardless of the peaking directions of their density profiles, serves to stabilize KBMs and reduce the window of extended instability for high q region, which is in significant contrast with the results for low q region. Furthermore, high concentration, steep negative gradient ratio L ez , and high mass numbers of impurity ions as well as large temperature gradient η i and η e contribute to the stabilization of KBMs and improvement of confinement in high q regions of tokamaks. The region of stabilizing effect of magnetic shear on KBM, is found not belonging to the conventional magnetic shear region, but shows strong sensitivity to q value.

Optimizing Surgery for Idiopathic Scoliosis: Does a Dual Approach Help Young Surgeons?

Introduction Inidiopathic scoliosissurgery, studies have shown two attending surgeons have better curve correction, pain, and recovery time. There is conflicting evidence on operative time, blood loss, infection rate, and hospital length of stay. Limited literature examines the impact of surgeon experience on the dual approach. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of two young orthopedic attendings compared to a senior-level attending in idiopathic scoliosis surgery. Methods We examined adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion by a single or dual-attending approach. We performed a 1:1 propensity score match with the variables of age at surgery, sex, body mass index, Cobb angle, and number of levels fused. Peri- and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Results There were 24 patients in each cohort. Patients having surgery by dual attendings had a shorter mean operative time overall (232 vs. 327 minutes, p<0.001) and per levels fused (19 vs. 26 minutes per level, p<0.001). Dual attendings had better percent curve correction (70% vs. 56%, p=0.001) and smaller overall final postoperative curve magnitude (17° vs. 25°, p<0.001). Estimated blood loss (421 vs. 989 mL, p=0.023) and cell saver volume transfused (59 vs. 178 mL, p<0.001) were lower in dual attending cases. Dual attending patients had a shorter length of stay (3 vs. 4 days, p<0.001). There were no differences in Hemovac blood loss, transfusion requirements, need for intensive care, or complications. Over time, the young dual attendings improved in hospital length of stay (R: -0.617, p=0.001) and hemovac blood loss (R: -0.474, p=0.019). Conclusion A dual attending approach in idiopathic scoliosis surgery may result in shorter operative time, greater curve correction, reduced operative blood loss, and shortened hospital length of stay. No differences were identified in postoperative blood loss or transfusion requirement, need for intensive care, or overall complication rate. Within the limitations of this study, we conclude that dual attending surgery in idiopathic scoliosis is safe and effective when conducted by two young orthopedic surgeons, with results that are similar to that of a more experienced senior surgeon.

Mitochondrial activator BGP-15 protects sperm quality against oxidative damage and improves embryo developmental competence.

To study the efficacy of mitochondrial activator BGP-15 to preserve sperm quality and competence against cellular damage. Spermatozoa from mice or humans were treated in vitro with BGP-15 and sperm quality markers assessed. Spermatozoa from young (8-12 weeks old) or reproductively old (>14 months old) mice were treated with BGP-15 for 1h and assessed for sperm quality and pre-implantation embryo development after in vitro fertilization (IVF). The safety of BGP-15 on offspring outcomes was assessed through embryo transfers. In parallel studies, spermatozoa from healthy (not infertile) men were incubated in hydrogen peroxide, to induce oxidative stress, plus increasing doses of BGP-15 , and sperm quality evaluated. Spermatozoa from patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology treatment (ART) were incubated in the optimized dose of BGP-15 for 30 min and sperm quality assessed. C57BL/6 mice (N=4-15 per group) for sperm quality and embryo development. CBAF1 mice (n=6 per group) produced embryos for transfer. Human spermatozoa were from men with no infertility diagnosis (n=14-20), or men undergoing ART (n=33) at a local fertility clinic. Mouse spermatozoa were treated with 10μM BGP-15. Human spermatozoa were treated with BGP-15 at doses from 1μM to 100μM. Sperm quality measures (mouse and human): motility, mitochondrial membrane potential (JC-1 dye), DNA fragmentation ('HALO' assay) and DNA oxidation (8-OHdG immunodetection). Mouse embryo and offspring measures: on-time development after IVF, morphokinetic analysis and blastocyst inner cell mass and trophectoderm cell number; growth and development from birth to 21 days post-natal. BGP-15 increased sperm motility, increased mitochondrial membrane potential and decreased DNA oxidation in old mice. BGP-15 improved on-time development of 2-cell and blastocyst embryos, and increased ICM blastomere number. Embryos from BGP-15-treated mouse spermatozoa produced normal offspring. In human spermatozoa subjected to in vitro oxidative stress, BGP-15 increased motility by 45% (p=0.03) and prevented DNA fragmentation (by 45%; p<0.0001) and oxidative damage (by 60%; p<0.0001). In spermatozoa from men attending a fertility clinic, BGP-15 increased motility by 12% (p=0.02), and reduced both DNA oxidation and fragmentation by >20% (p<0.05). BGP-15 protects sperm against cellular damage and has the potential to improve ART outcomes.

Preponderance of triaxial shapes in atomic nuclei predicted by the proxy-SU(3) symmetry

Abstract The proxy-SU(3) symmetry predicts, in a parameter-free way, based only on the Pauli principle and the short-range nature of the nucleon–nucleon interaction, non-vanishing values of the collective variable γ almost everywhere across the nuclear chart. Substantial triaxiality with γ between 15° and 45° is proved to be expected along horizontal and vertical stripes on the nuclear chart, covering the nucleon numbers 22–26, 34–48, 74–80, 116–124, 172–182. Empirical support for these stripes is found by collecting all even–even nuclei for which the first two excited 2+ states are known, along with the B(E2)s connecting them, as well as the second 2+ state to the ground state. The stripes are related to regions in which oblate SU(3) irreducible representations appear, bearing similarity to the appearance of triaxiality within the SU(3)* dynamical symmetry of the interacting boson model-2. Detailed comparisons of the proxy-SU(3) predictions to the data and to predictions by state-of-the-art Monte Carlo shell model calculations for deformed N = 94, 96, 98 isotones in the rare earth region show good overall agreement, with the exception of Z = 70 and N = 94, which correspond to fully symmetric proxy-SU(3) irreps, suggesting that the latter are an artifact of the method which can be amended by considering the influence of the neighboring irreps.

Synthesis of Silicon in the Interaction of Aluminum With a Quasi-Neutron and Estimation of the Contribution of the Aluminum Hydride Complex

Among the nuclear fusion reactions of new elements, the simplest reaction refers to the capture of a proton p by the nucleus of the original element ZXA with the formation of the Z + 1YA+1 nucleus (Z and A are the charge and mass number of the element X). In the case of cold fusion, the occurrence of such a reaction is associated with the existence of quasi-neutron (p + e) states in which the proton is “escorted” by the electron e: ZXA + (p + e) ! Z + 1YA+1 + e. For example the synthesis of zinc from copper was established. It is important to note that the ratios of the proportions of synthesized isotopes in most cases should differ significantly from natural ratios, which would certainly confirm their artificial origin. The data of preliminary mass spectrometric measurements for the synthesis of zinc from copper, gallium from zinc, and rhenium from tungsten are consistent with this conclusion. However, for relatively heavy elements, the masses of daughter atoms with Z + 1YA+1 nuclei are difficult to distinguish from the masses of hydride complexes of parent atoms with ZXA nuclei and hydrogen atoms H formed in the course of mass spectrometric measurements. In this regard, the problem of estimating the contributions of daughter atoms and hydride complexes is topical. The solution of this problem was carried out for the case of silicon synthesis from aluminum. In an air environment with water vapor, an electric arc was ignited between an aluminum anode and a tungsten cathode. Aluminum has one stable isotope 13Al27; therefore, the synthesis of only one of the three stable silicon isotopes 14Si28 was expected, which was observed in the mass spectrum of the powder formed on the anode surface (peak at ⇡ 27.977 a.m.u.). The AlH complex corresponds to a peak at ⇡ 27.989 a.m.u. This peak has a height approximately 2.5 times less than the height of the peak for the mass distribution of silicon atoms. Thus, the relatively low intensity for the mass distribution of the AlH complex suggests that it is the isotope ratios of the synthesized daughter nuclei that make the main contributions to the observed isotope mass ratios in the cases of parent atoms having several stable isotopes.

Integrated Management of Meloidogyne incognita on Tomato Using Combinations of Commercial Abamectin and Plant Activator

The effect of abamectin (Streptomyces avermitilis, Abamax®) and plant activators (harpin and Lactobacillus acidiophilus) singly or in combination was tested against Meloidogyne incognita on tomato under controlled conditions. The experiment was established 5 days after transplanting of 35 days of tomatoes. ProAct Plus® (Harpin, 0.15 g/l), ISR-2000® (L. acidophilus, 1 ml/l) and Crop-Set® (L. acidophilus, 0.6 ml/l) were applied to the leaves by spraying, while Abamax® was applied to the soil. Nematode inoculation (1000 second juvenile larvae (J2)) was planned 72 hours after the first application of activators. The activators were applied to tomatoes 2 more times with 14 days intervals. After sixty days, plant height and weight, root height and wet weight, number of galls and egg masses, gall index, J2 soil density and lignification of leaves, stem and roots were evaluated. While the gall index was 4/0-5 index in plants treated only with nematodes, it was found to be 1.2/0-5 index in Abamax®. While 1.6 was found in Proact Plus®, 2.0 was detected in ISR2000® and Cropset®. No galls or egg masses were found in ProAct Plus®+Abamax®, ISR-2000®+Abamax® and Crop-Set®+Abamax®. The positive effect of abamectin alone on plant development was found to be higher than plant activators. Root wet weight increased significantly in Abamectin and plant activator combinations. Plant activators caused an increase in lignification and the highest level was found in Proact Plus®. Lignification was higher in combinations with Abamectin. The highest lignification was in Abamax®+Proact Plus®. The combinations of activators with abamectin may be a potential antagonism strategy against root knot nematodes.

Decomposing rural-urban differences in depression prevalence: a cross-sectional analysis of two community-based southern Indian cohorts

IntroductionDepression is a growing public health concern in India but its prevalence is uneven across the country, possibly influenced by several sociodemographic factors. We aimed to assess the rural-urban disparity...