Period Of Active Growth Research Articles

Synthetic auxin 3,5,6-TPA increases fruit size of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) by reducing cell turgor pressure

In loquat, the synthetic auxin 3,5,6-trichloro-2 pyridyloxiacetic acid (3,5,6-TPA) applied at 15mgl−1 at the onset of the linear fruit growth stage or one month later during the active fruit growth period, advanced fruit ripening and harvest. The treatment significantly accelerated fruit growth and enhanced final fruit diameter by 10% compared to the control. The experiment was conducted on adult trees of ‘Algerie’ loquat during two consecutive years. 3,5,6-TPA (as a free acid) was sprayed by handgun to the entire tree until the point of run off, using a randomized design with one-tree plots and 8–10 replications. Cell sap water and osmotic potential were measured at the onset of colour change in treated fruit. Fruit growth rate and carbohydrate concentrations were periodically evaluated and at the first harvest date, fruit colour, fruit weight, plant hormone (ABA, GA, IAA, tZ, and JA) content, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and number of fruits harvested were also recorded. Results confirmed that the effect of 3,5,6-TPA increasing fruit size is due to a reduction of fruit cell turgor pressure that diminished water potential, improving water uptake and increasing carbohydrate contents.

Pre-sowing static magnetic field treatment for improving water and radiation use efficiency in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under soil moisture stress.

Soil moisture stress during pod filling is a major constraint in production of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), a fundamentally dry land crop. We investigated effect of pre-sowing seed priming with static magnetic field (SMF) on alleviation of stress through improvement in radiation and water use efficiencies. Experiments were conducted under greenhouse and open field conditions with desi and kabuli genotypes. Seeds exposed to SMF (strength: 100 mT, exposure: 1 h) led to increase in root volume and surface area by 70% and 65%, respectively. This enabled the crop to utilize 60% higher moisture during the active growth period (78-118 days after sowing), when soil moisture became limiting. Both genotypes from treated seeds had better water utilization, biomass, and radiation use efficiencies (17%, 40%, and 26% over control). Seed pre-treatment with SMF could, therefore, be a viable option for chickpea to alleviate soil moisture stress in arid and semi-arid regions, helping in augmenting its production. It could be a viable option to improve growth and yield of chickpea under deficit soil moisture condition, as the selection and breeding program takes a decade before a tolerant variety is released. Bioelectromagnetics. 37:400-408, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Degradation of skeletal muscle protein during growth and development of salmonid fish

Published data and the results of the authors’ own studies on the role of intracellular proteolytic enzymes and the metabolic and signaling processes regulated by these enzymes at certain stages of growth and development of salmonid fishes are analyzed in the present review. The major pathways of intracellular proteolysis relying on autophagy, proteasome activity, and calpain activity are considered, as well as the relative contribution of these pathways to proteolysis in skeletal muscle of the fish. Skeletal muscle accounts for more than half of the weight of the fish and undergoes the most significant changes due to the action of anabolic and catabolic signals. Special attention is paid to the intensity of protein degradation during the active growth period characterized by a high rate of protein synthesis and metabolism in fish, as well as to protein degradation during the reproductive period characterized by predomination of catabolic processes in contrast to the growth period. Skeletal muscle plays a unique role as a source of plastic and energy substrates in fish, and, therefore, the process of muscle protein degradation is regarded as a key mechanism for the regulation of growth intensity in juvenile salmon and for maintenance of viability and reproductive capacity of salmonid fish during the maturation of gametes, starvation, and migration related to spawning. The possibility of using a set of parameters of intracellular proteolysis to characterize the early development of salmonids is demonstrated in the review.

Characteristics of the grain-filling process and starch accumulation of high-yield common buckwheat ‘cv. Fengtian 1’ and tartary buckwheat ‘cv. Jingqiao 2’

High-yield common buckwheat ‘cv. Fengtian 1’ (FT1) and tartary buckwheat ‘cv. Jingqiao 2’ (JQ2) were selected to investigate the characteristics of the grain-filling process and starch accumulation of high-yield buckwheat. FT1 had an average yield that was 43.0% higher than that of the control ‘cv. Tongliaobendixiaoli’ (TLBDXL) in two growing seasons, while JQ2 had an average yield that was 27.3% higher than that of the control ‘cv. Chuanqiao 2’ (CQ2). The Richards equation was utilized to evaluate the grain-filling process of buckwheat. Both FT1 and JQ2 showed higher values of initial growth power and final grain weight and longer linear increase phase, compared with respective control. These values suggest that the higher initial increasing rate and the longer active growth period during grain filling play important roles to increase buckwheat yield. Similar patterns of starch, amylose and amylopectin accumulation were detected in common buckwheat, leading to similar concentration of each constituent at maturity in FT1 and TLBDXL. Tartary buckwheat showed an increasing accumulation pattern of amylose in developing seeds, which differed from that of starch and amylopectin. This pattern led to a significant difference of the concentrations of amylose and amylopectin at maturity between JQ2 and CQ2, the mechanisms of which remained unclear. Nevertheless, both FT1 and JQ2 showed increased starch, amylose, and amylopectin accumulation during the physiological maturity of grains. The results suggest that prolonging the active grain-filling period to increase carbohydrate partitioning from source to seed sink can be an effective strategy to improve buckwheat yield.

Insulin and 20-hydroxyecdysone action in Bombyx mori: Glycogen content and expression pattern of insulin and ecdysone receptors in fat body

Insulin and ecdysone signaling play a critical role on the growth and development of insects including Bombyx mori. Our previous study showed that Bombyx larvae reached critical weight for metamorphosis between day 3.5 and 4 of the fifth larval instar. The present study showed that the effect of insulin on the accumulation of glycogen in fat body of Bombyx larvae depends on the critical growth period. When larvae are in active growth period (before reaching critical weight), insulin caused increased accumulation of glycogen, while its treatment in larvae at terminal growth period (after critical period) resulted in an increased mobilization of glycogen. During terminal growth period, insulin and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) showed an antagonistic effect on the accumulation of fat body glycogen in fed, food deprived and decapitated larvae as well as in isolated abdomens. Insulin treatment decreased the glycogen content, whereas, 20E increased it. Food deprivation and decapitation caused an increase in the transcript levels of insulin receptor (InR) and this increase in InR expression might be attributed to a decrease in synthesis/secretion of insulin-like peptides, as insulin treatment in these larvae showed a down-regulation in InR expression. However, insulin showed an up-regulation in InR in isolated abdomens and it suggests that in food deprived and decapitated larvae, the exogenous insulin may interact with some head and/or thoracic factors in modulating the expression of InR. Moreover, in fed larvae, insulin-mediated increase in InR expression indicates that its regulation by insulin-like peptides also depends on the nutritional status of the larvae. The treatment of 20E in fed larvae showed an antagonistic effect on the transcript levels since a down-regulation in InR expression was observed. 20E treatment also led to a decreased expression of InR in food deprived and decapitated larvae as well as in isolated abdomens. Insulin and 20E also modulated the expression level of ecdysone receptors (EcRB1 and USP1). 20E treatment showed an up-regulation in expression of ecdysone receptors, but only in fed larvae, whereas insulin treatment showed a down-regulation in the expression of EcRB1 and USP1 in all the experimental larvae studied. Further, the data indicates that an up-regulation of ecdysone receptors is associated with an increase in fat body glycogen content, whereas an up-regulation of insulin receptor expression causes glycogen mobilization. The study, therefore, suggests that the insulin and ecdysone signaling are linked to each other and that both insulin and ecdysone are involved in regulating the carbohydrate reserves in B. mori.

Mercury correlations among blood, muscle, and hair of northern elephant seals during the breeding and molting fasts.

Mercury (Hg) biomonitoring and toxicological risk assessments for marine mammals commonly sample different tissues, making comparisons with toxicity benchmarks and among species and regions difficult. Few studies have examined how life-history events, such as fasting, influence the relationship between total Hg (THg) concentrations in different tissues. The authors evaluated the relationships between THg concentrations in blood, muscle, and hair of female and male northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) at the start and end of the breeding and molting fasts. The relationships between tissues varied among tissue pairs and differed by sampling period and sex. Blood and muscle were generally related at all time periods; however, hair, an inert tissue, did not strongly represent the metabolically active tissues (blood and muscle) at all times of year. The strongest relationships between THg concentrations in hair and those in blood or muscle were observed during periods of active hair growth (end of the molting period) or during time periods when internal body conditions were similar to those when the hair was grown (end of the breeding fast). The results indicate that THg concentrations in blood or muscle can be translated to the other tissue type using the equations developed but that THg concentrations in hair were generally a poor index of internal THg concentrations except during the end of fasting periods. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2103-2110. © 2016 SETAC.

Intra-annual variability of wood formation and δ13C in tree-rings at Hyytiälä, Finland

Investigation of the relationship between tree-ring stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C) and environmental variables at the intra-seasonal scale can inform on the understanding of the environmental forcing affecting trees during the active period of radial growth. Recent progress in the measurement techniques for assessing the δ13C signature of tree rings at high spatial resolution provides an opportunity to derive tree physiological information at fine temporal scale, within a given year. Three δ13C time series of resin-extracted wholewood from tree-rings of Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris L.) sampled at Hyytiälä (Finland) have been produced by using laser-ablation stable isotope mass spectrometry. These intra-seasonal stable isotope series exhibit a strong common signal (EPS=0.96) demonstrating the capacity of trees within a stand to preserve a common intra-seasonal response to external controls in a similar manner as found with annual measurements. To estimate when wood cells are active and responsive to environmental information, a Gompertz approach, assessed against microcore data, was adopted to model the timing of wood formation. The addition of a cell lifetime function into environment-growth models may evaluate more completely, the environmental effect on intra-annual tree-ring δ13C values and that during the growing season. Statistical analysis of the resulting tree-ring δ13C intra-annual signal implies a shift in importance from the influence of the environmental variables through out the growing season.

Seasonal variations in metallic mercury (Hg<sup>0</sup>) vapor exchange over biannual wheat–corn rotation cropland in the North China Plain

Abstract. Air–surface gas exchange of Hg0 was measured in five approximately bi-weekly campaigns (in total 87 days) over a wheat–corn rotation cropland located on the North China Plain (NCP) using the relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) technique. The campaigns were separated over the duration of a full-year period (2012–2013) aiming to capture the flux pattern over essential growing stages of the planting system with a low homogeneous topsoil Hg content ( ∼ 45 ng g−1). Contrasting pollution regimes influenced air masses at the site and corresponding Hg0 concentration means (3.3 in late summer to 6.2 ng m−3 in winter) were unanimously above the typical hemispheric background of 1.5–1.7 ng m−3 during the campaigns. Extreme values in bi-directional net Hg0 exchange were primarily observed during episodes of peaking Hg0 concentrations. In tandem with under-canopy chamber measurements, the above-canopy REA measurements provided evidence for a balance between Hg0 ground emissions and uptake of Hg0 by the developed canopies. During the wheat growing season covering ∼ 2 / 3 of the year at the site, net field-scale Hg0 emission prevailed for periods of active plant growth until canopy senescence (mean flux: 20.0 ng m−3), showing the dominance of Hg0 soil efflux during warmer seasons. In the final vegetative stage of corn and wheat, ground and above-canopy Hg0 flux displayed inversed daytime courses with a near mid-day maximum (emission) and minimum (deposition), respectively. In contrast to wheat, Hg0 uptake of the corn canopy at this stage offset ground Hg0 emissions with additional removal of Hg0 from the atmosphere. Differential uptake of Hg0 between wheat (C3 species) and corn (C4 species) foliage is discernible from estimated Hg0 flux (per leaf area) and Hg content in mature cereal leaves, being a factor of > 3 higher for wheat (at ∼ 120 ng g−1 dry weight). Furthermore, this study shows that intermittent flood irrigation of the air-dry field induced a short pulse of Hg0 emission due to displacement of Hg0 present in the surface soil horizon. A more lingering effect of flood irrigation is however suppressed Hg0 soil emissions, which for wet soil ( ∼ 30 % vol) beneath the corn canopy was on average a factor of ∼ 3 lower than that for drier soil (< 10 % vol) within wheat stands. Extrapolation of the campaign Hg0 flux data (mean: 7.1 ng m−2 h−1) to the whole year suggests the wheat–corn rotation cropland to be a net source of atmospheric Hg0. The observed magnitude of annual wet deposition flux ( ∼ 8.8 µg Hg m−2) accounted for a minor fraction of soil Hg0 evasion flux prevailing over the majority of the year. Therefore, we suggest that dry deposition of other forms of airborne Hg constitutes the dominant pathway of Hg input to this local ecosystem and that these deposited forms would be gradually transformed and re-emitted as Hg0 rather than being sequestered here. In addition, after crop harvesting, the practice of burning agricultural residue with considerable Hg content rather than straw return management yields seasonally substantial atmospheric Hg0 emissions from croplands in the NCP region.

Photosynthetic characteristics and nitrogen distribution of large-spike wheat in Northwest China

The leaf photosynthesis and nitrogen (N) translocation in three large-spike lines and control cultivar (Xi'nong 979) of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were studied in 2010–2011 and 2011–2012. The objectives of this study were to investigate the differences in the physiological characteristics of large-spike lines and control cultivar and identify the limiting factors that play a role in improving the yield of breeding materials. The average yield, grain number per spike, kernel weight per spike, and 1000-kernel weight of the large-spike lines were 16.0, 26.8, 42.6, and 15.4%, respectively, significantly higher than those of control. The average photosynthetic rates (Pn) were not significant between the large-spike lines and control cultivar during the active growth period. The average PSII maximum energy conversion efficiency (Fv/Fm), PSII actual quantum efficiency (ΦPS??), photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), PSII reaction center activity (Fv‘/Fv‘) and water-use efficiency (WUE) of the large-spike lines were 1.0, 5.1, 3.6, 0.8, and 43.4%, respectively, higher than those of the control during the active growth stages. The N distribution proportions in different tissues were ranked in the order of grains<culms+sheathes<ra-chis+glumes<flag leaves<penultimate leaves<remain leaves. This study suggested that utilization of the large-spike wheat might be a promising approach to obtain higher grain yield in Northwest China.

Nitrate Leaching from Soluble Nitrogen Applied to ‘Floratam’ St. Augustinegrass and Common Centipedegrass during Dormancy

Fertilizer bans in Florida prevent turf managers from applying nitrogen (N) fertilizers during periods of active turf growth and may encourage fertilization in fall and winter. Nutrient applications during fall or winter may pose an increased risk to nitrate N (NO3–N) leaching. A 3‐yr field lysimeter study was conducted in Jay, FL, to determine the effect of N rates on NO3–N leaching from ‘Floratam’ St. Augustinegrass (SA) [Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter) Kuntze] and common centipedegrass (CE) [Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.] during turfgrass dormancy. Treatments consisted of urea applied as a foliar spray every 45 d beginning in October at rates of 0.0, 6.0, 12.5, 24.0, or 49.0 kg N ha−1. Leachate was collected weekly and analyzed for NO3–N. Elevated NO3–N levels were observed for 105 d after initiation (DAI). No differences in NO3–N leached were detected among N rates until the late winter cycle of 2008 when rainfall exceeded historic levels by 268 mm. The 49.0 kg N ha−1 treatment resulted in more NO3–N leached than untreated turf during 2008, with 12.5 and 1.3 kg NO3–N ha−1 leached, respectively. These findings suggest that N rates ≤24.0 kg ha−1 applied to dormant or semidormant warm‐season turf do not pose an increased threat of NO3–N leaching even when rainfall is excessive. Soluble N rates &gt;24.0 kg ha−1 should be avoided during dormancy when excessive rainfall is imminent. The benefits, if any, need to be investigated further before fertilization of dormant warm‐season turf is recommended.

Pediatric chronic myeloid leukemia is a unique disease that requires a different approach

AbstractChronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in children is relatively rare. Because of a lack of robust clinical study evidence, management of CML in children is not standardized and often follows guidelines developed for adults. Children and young adults tend to have a more aggressive clinical presentation than older adults, and prognostic scores for adult CML do not apply to children. CML in children has been considered to have the same biology as in adults, but recent data indicate that some genetic differences exist in pediatric and adult CML. Because children with CML may receive tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy for many decades, and are exposed to TKIs during a period of active growth, morbidities in children with CML may be distinct from those in adults and require careful monitoring. Aggressive strategies, such as eradication of CML stem cells with limited duration and intensive regimens of chemotherapy and TKIs, may be more advantageous in children as a way to avoid lifelong exposure to TKIs and their associated adverse effects. Blood and marrow transplantation in pediatric CML is currently indicated only for recurrent progressive disease, and the acute and long-term toxicities of this option should be carefully evaluated against the complications associated with lifelong use of TKIs.

A Two-Step Growth Curve: Approach to the von Bertalanffy and Gompertz Equations

Many curves have been proposed and debated to model individual growth of marine invertebrates. Broadly, they fall into two classes, first order (e.g. von Bertalanffy) and sigmoidal (e.g. Gompertz). We provide an innovative approach which demonstrates that the growth curves are not mutually exclusive but that either may arise from a simple three-stage growth model with two steps (k1 and k2) depending on the ratio of the growth parameters . The new approach predicts sigmoidal growth when is close to 1, but if either growth from stage A to stage B or B to C is fast relative to the other, the slower of the two steps becomes the growth limiting step and the model reduces to first order growth. The resulting curves indicate that there is a substantial difference in the estimated size at time t during the period of active growth. This novel two-step rate model generates a growth surface that allows for changes in the rate parameters over time as reflected in the new parameter n(t) = k1(t) - k2(t). The added degree of freedom brings about individual growth trajectories across the growth surface that is not easily mapped using conventional growth modeling techniques. This two (or more) stage growth model yields a growth surface that allows for a wide range of growth trajectories, accommodating staged growth, growth lags, as well as indeterminate growth and can help resolve debates as to which growth curves should be used to model animal growth. This flexibility can improve estimates of growth parameters used in population models influencing model outcomes and ultimately management decisions.=

Effect of Instructional Programme on Knowledge of Adolescent Girls Regarding Reproductive Health

Adolescence is a period of active growth and development-physical, social and emotional. There is a substantial lacuna in the knowledge about reproductive health among adolescent girls.

Comparison of stocking methods for beef production in northern Australia: seasonal diet quality and composition

Managing and measuring the grazing and nutrition of cattle are required to improve the productivity and profitability of beef businesses in northern Australia. The quality and composition of the diet selected by cattle grazing in three stocking methods (continuous, extensive rotation and intensive (cell) rotation) on nine commercial properties in Queensland were estimated using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy analyses of fresh faeces; 585 faecal samples were analysed between 2005 and 2009. Sites were in two regions (north and south Queensland) and on two vegetation communities, namely brigalow (Acacia harpophylla F. Muell. ex Benth.) on clay soils and eucalypts on light-textured soil types. Pastures were dominated by perennial sown exotic grass species, predominantly Cenchrus ciliaris L. (buffel grass) at five sites and Urochloa mosambicensis (Hack.) (Sabi grass) at one site, and by native perennial tussock grasses at three sites. Seasonal profiles of dietary crude protein, dry matter digestibility, faecal nitrogen concentration, proportion of non-grass, ratio of crude protein to digestibility and an estimate of liveweight gain are presented for each stocking method. Overall, dietary crude protein, digestibility, faecal nitrogen, the crude protein : digestibility ratio and liveweight gain were significantly higher for animals grazed continuously, with short rest periods, than for animals in extensive or intensive rotations. There was a significant interaction between stocking method and pasture growing conditions, measured as a simulated growth index, for dietary crude protein and faecal nitrogen. There was no difference between stocking methods during periods when the index was &lt;0.2, indicating no pasture growth, but during periods of active growth (index &gt;0.5), crude protein and faecal nitrogen were higher with continuous grazing than in the extensive and intensive rotations. For cattle producers considering alternative stocking methods, the results suggest they can obtain similar ecological responses under any of the three methods and diet quality will be higher during the pasture growing period in continuously grazed pastures.

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions and their GWPs: research on different irrigation modes in a rice paddy field

CH4 and N2O emission fluxes from a rice paddy field were measured in the cold region of Heilongjiang under four irrigation modes (control irrigation, wet irrigation, intermittent irrigation, and flood irrigation) by the static chamber-gas chromatograph technique. The emission rates of CH4 and N2O were simultaneously monitored once a week. The net global warming potential (GWP) was calculated as CO2 equivalents. The CH4 and N2O emission peak appeared in the rice active growth period, while the emissions were reduced in the remaining period regardless of the irrigation method utilised. The CH4 emission under flood irrigation was the highest, whereas that of the wet irrigation was 27.2% lower; the control and the intermittent irrigation manifested a decrease by 34% and 48.2%, respectively. N2O emission under flood irrigation was 0.41 kg•hm−2 smaller than that in the intermittent irrigation, but it was higher than those in the control and wet irrigation, respectively. By applying water-saving irrigation techniques, the greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields can be effectively decreased.

Ethylene in the proliferation of cultured plant cells: Regulating or just going along?

Ethylene, being one of five classical plant phytohormones is involved in regulation of numerous physiological processes. There are contradictory data about the effect of ethylene on the cell growth and division; although it is accepted that in culture flasks, the content of ethylene rises to a few tens of μL/L and production of ethylene is associated with the periods of active growth of the cells in vitro. We revealed a strong correlation (r = 0.96) between ethylene production and specific rate of dry weight accumulation in suspension cell cultures of Ajuga turkestanica, heterotrophic and mixotrophic strains of Arabidopsis thaliana, Beta vulgaris, Euonymus maximoviczianus, Medicago sativa, Panax ginseng, and Triticum timopheevii. In heterotrophic cell culture of A. thaliana, the peaks and general shape of the curves describing dynamics of ethylene production, the number of S-phase cells, and specific rate of increase in cell number coincided in log phase and in the phase of growth deceleration. Pretreatment of subculture inoculum with 100 μL/L ethylene caused doubling of S-phase cell number after 3-h-long culturing in fresh nutrient medium. It was found that exogenous ethylene affects the number of S-phase cells only when the level of endogenously produced ethylene is low.

Influence of AM–fungi and applied phosphorus on growth indices, production efficiency, phosphorus–use efficiency and fruit–succulence in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)–pea (Pisum sativum) cropping system in an acid Alfisol

The current experiment was conducted at Palampur, India during 2009–11 in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.)– pea (Pisum sativum L.) cropping system in RBD replicated thrice with 14 treatments comprising arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), applied–P (50, 75 and 100% recommended P dose) and irrigation regimes (40 and 80% available water holding capacity). At active growth period (50–100 DAS), AMF imbedded treatments exhibited 7 and 20% higher absolute growth rate (AGR) in okra and pea over non–AMF counterparts, while relative growth rate (RGR) both in okra and pea was not affected significantly by AMF application. Net assimilation rate (NAR) and crop growth rate (CGR) in okra were higher by 17 and 3%, respectively with AMF inoculation, though, effect on pea was inconspicuous. At both irrigation regimes, ‘AMF + 75% soil–test based P dose’ registered statistically similar okra fruit and pea pod yields as that obtained under ‘100% soil–test based P dose’, thus, indicating an economy of about 25% soil–test based P dose. AMF inoculated plants also showed nominally higher succulence level (moisture) in okra fruits and pea pods at their picking stages compared to their non–AMF counterparts, again demonstrating a positive impact of AMF on quantitative vegetable freshness and plant water relations as well. AMF significantly enhanced the various indices of P-use efficiency in both crops. The increase in partial factor productivity (PFP), crop recovery efficiency (CRE) and % recovery (PR) of applied–P in okra under AMF inoculation was 9, 36 and 20%, respectively over non–AMF counterparts. In pea, AMF inoculation exhibited respective increase of 12, 61 and 27% in PFP, CRE and PR of applied–P over non–AMF counterparts. Production and monetary efficiencies in okra–pea cropping system were also enhanced by AMF inoculation. Overall, utilization of AMF in okra–pea cropping system indicated an economy of about 25% in soil–test based applied–P dose besides improved plant growth. AMF also revealed a tremendous potential in enhancing P- use efficiency, which otherwise is very low in acid Alfisol. Further, AMF inoculation may lead to improved fruit succulence to fetch better prices in market.

Fast and efficient detection of tuberculosis antigens using liposome encapsulated secretory proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

A rapid and efficient diagnostic test was developed for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens in serum samples of active tuberculosis (TB) and extrapulmonary TB patients via a liposomal agglutination-based method. A rapid card test has been developed to facilitate the recognition of high-affinity binding rabbit raised purified culture filtrate protein antibodies coupled on the surface of activated liposomal preparation. In the presence of TB antigens, the polyclonal antibodies bound to the liposomal particles demonstrate a visible agglutination reaction. The developed assay was simple, rapid, reliable, sensitive, and specific as a diagnostic test for the detection of antigens in serum samples of clinically confirmed cases of TB within 4-5 minutes' duration. The test was evaluated at different hospitals, medical colleges, and pathology centers, and involved 1483 participants. This investigation was conducted to detect the presence of these antigens during the period of active growth of the microorganism in serum samples for pulmonary TB and processed tissue biopsy for other extrapulmonary TB. Results obtained using this test were compared with acid-fast bacilli smear and culture results. Our study demonstrated that the newly developed liposome tuberculosis antigen card test detected antigens in our study population with approximately 97.48% sensitivity and 95.79% specificity. This is the first study to report the liposomal encapsulation of culture filtrate proteins from M. tuberculosis for diagnostic application.

Seasonal variation in formation, structure, and chemical properties of phloem in Picea abies as studied by novel microtechniques.

Phloem production and structural development were interlinked with seasonal variation in the primary and secondary metabolites of phloem. Novel microtechniques provided new perspectives on understanding phloem structure and chemistry. To gain new insights into phloem formation in Norway spruce (Picea abies), we monitored phloem cell production and seasonal variation in the primary and secondary metabolites of inner bark (non-structural carbohydrates and phenolic stilbene glucosides) during the 2012 growing season in southern and northern Finland. The structure of developing phloem was visualised in 3D by synchrotron X-ray microtomography. The chemical features of developing phloem tissues isolated by laser microdissection were analysed by chemical microanalysis. Within-year phloem formation was associated with seasonal changes in non-structural carbohydrates and phenolic extractive contents of inner bark. The onset of phloem cell production occurred in early and mid-May in southern and northern Finland, respectively. The maximal rate of phloem production and formation of a tangential band of axial phloem parenchyma occurred in mid-June, when total non-structural carbohydrates peaked (due to the high amount of starch). In contrast, soluble sugar content dropped during the most active growth period and increased in late summer and winter. The 3D visualisation showed that the new axial parenchyma clearly enlarged from June to August. Sub-cellular changes appeared to be associated with accumulation of stilbene glucosides and soluble sugars in the newest phloem. Stilbene glucosides also increased in inner bark during late summer and winter. Our findings may indicate that stilbene biosynthesis in older phloem predominantly occurs after the formation of the new band(s) of axial parenchyma. The complementary use of novel microtechniques provides new perspectives on the formation, structure, and chemistry of phloem.

An Analysis Of “The Gymnastics Battle At Stockholm Elementary Schools”

Abstract Introduction . In order to examine the consequences that a changed view of the child had on early twentieth-century teaching in Sweden, this article analyses a battle that erupted when a proposal for new lesson content for Swedish school gymnastics was presented. Material and methods . The study method is a comparative qualitative analysis of texts which present the views of the supporters and opponents of the proposal. The data analysis is based on a model showing five different constructions of childhood: a moment of innocence and purity; a period of lacking, but with naturally unfolding potential for, rational power; the primitive stage of human evolution; a time for redemption: saving the child from his/her sinful nature; and a period of active growth. Results . For the proposal's supporters, the fact that they mainly regarded childhood as a time of active growth meant a form of gymnastics more suited to children and their needs as well as a desire to get them to participate and become involved. For the proposal's opponents, the notion of childhood as the primitive stage of human evolution meant that considerable space was accorded to order movements, commands, and other military elements designed to subjugate and control in order to develop and civilise pupils in accordance with the values and ideals this side represented. Conclusions . The findings show that the views of both sides concerning which gymnastics should be practised can be linked to different notions of the child.