Present Experiments Research Articles

The effects of diazepam on fear extinction in nulliparous and primiparous female rats

Benzodiazepines undermine the success of exposure therapy in humans with anxiety disorders, and impair the long-term memory of fear extinction (the laboratory basis of exposure therapy) in rodents. However, most rodent studies on fear extinction and benzodiazepines have been conducted in male rodents. In female rodents, the estrous cycle influences the consolidation of fear extinction memories and sensitivity to benzodiazepines. In addition, pregnancy leads to long-term changes in the neurobiological, hormonal, and behavioural features of fear extinction, as well as the responsivity to benzodiazepines. Therefore, the present experiments examined the impact of benzodiazepines on fear extinction in female rats with and without reproductive experience. Age-matched nulliparous (no reproductive experience) and primiparous (one prior reproductive experience; tested one-month post-weaning) rats received fear conditioning to a discrete cue. The next day, rats were administered the benzodiazepine diazepam (2 mg/kg, s.c), or vehicle, prior to or immediately after extinction training. Rats were then tested the next day, drug free, for extinction retention. Similar to previous findings in males, diazepam impaired extinction retention in both nulliparous and primiparous rats when administered either pre- or post-extinction training. These findings may have potential clinical implications as they suggest that benzodiazepine use in conjunction with exposure therapy may undermine long-term treatment success in women with and without reproductive experience, although this remains to be tested in human populations. Moreover, these findings are theoretically important when considered in light of previous studies showing dissociable mechanisms of fear extinction in females pre- versus post-pregnancy.

Photoionization of Nitrile-substituted Naphthalene and Benzene: Cation Spectroscopy, Photostability, and Implications for Photoelectric Gas Heating

We investigate the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photodynamics of gas phase 1- and 2-cyanonaphthalene and cyanobenzene, recently detected in the Taurus molecular cloud, by combining synchrotron radiation and a double imaging electron/ion coincidence setup. The high-resolution threshold photoelectron spectra (TPES) of all three molecules are obtained experimentally from which the adiabatic ionization energies are reported with very high accuracy, particularly for 2-cyanonaphthalene, for which no data exist at this level of precision. Theoretical calculations are performed to compare with the TPES for the ground electronic state of the cations. Furthermore, the different features observed in the extended TPES have been assigned to the different molecular orbitals with the help of the outer valence Green's function calculations. The present experiments also shed light on the kinetic energy distribution of the photoelectrons as a function of the incident photon energy, to describe their contribution to the photoelectric heating effect in the interstellar medium. In this context, we show how kinetic energy distributions can be obtained from our data for any given photon energy, such as the omnipresent Lyα line, or any given interstellar radiation field (ISRF). In addition, from the total ion yields, we estimate the photorates for a few ISRFs. Finally, we discuss the photodissociation of the two cyanonaphthalenes, quoting the activation energies of the dissociation channels with the help of Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus modeling. It is observed that CN substitution does not cause any appreciable change to the VUV dissociative photoionization relaxation channel.

Influence of in situ Biofloc Production on Bio Growth Performance, Physiological Immune Response, Digestive Enzyme Activity, Nutrient Composition and Disease Resistance of Etroplus suratensis

Backgroud: The present experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of insitu jaggery based biofloc on biogrowth performance, physiological immuno response, digestive enzyme activity, nutrient composition and disease resistance of Etroplus suratensis. Method: The fingerlings of pearlspot, E. suratensis with an average body weight of 5.67±0.08 g was stocked at the rate of 150/m3 in treatment and control system. The insitu biofloc was produced in 2.4 ton capacity outdoor tanks using jaggery as carbon source at two different C: N ratio of viz, 10: 1 (B1) and 20:1 (B2), where clear brackishwater system and without carbon source as control. Result: The levels of ammonia nitrogen, nitrite–nitrogen and nitrate–nitrogen were reduced in the insitu biofloc compared to control while TSS and TS were increased significantly in all insitu biofloc compared to control. The physiological immuno responses such as Respiratory burst test, Myeloperoxidase, serum lysozyme and antioxidant enzymes activity Superoxide dismutase and catalase were found to be significantly higher in B2 at end of the trial. Stress parameters glucose and cortisol were significantly lower in jaggery based biofloc system especially in (B2) C: N 20:1 compared to control. The fishes from the jaggery based biofloc groups possessed significantly (P less than 0.05) higher immune status as compared to control. The digestive enzymes activity such as amylase protease and lipase, of fish was higher in biofloc treatment and lower in control. Compare to control the nutrient composition of E. suratensis was significantly higher in the treatment groups. Moreover, jaggery based insitu fishes showed the lower cumulative mortality rate and Enhanced relative levels of protectio after experimental challenge with A. hydrophila compared to control.

Jet Noise and Wing Installation Effects of Circular, Beveled and Rectangular Nozzles

AbstractWith the growth of modern turbofan engines, their integration under the wing becomes challenging and induces aerodynamic and acoustic interactions between the jet exhaust and the airframe. Jet noise reduction techniques have been widely studied over the past decades but their efficiency has still to be demonstrated once installed. The present lab-scale jet experiments at Mach 0.6 compare the noise radiated by beveled and rectangular installed nozzles to circular ones on a quarter-sphere radiation map using a microphone antenna. For all radiation angles, modified nozzles show an amplitude decrease of the jet-plate interaction tones of the noise spectra attributed to a strong coupling between the jet shear layers and the sound scattering at the plate trailing edge. Beveled nozzles achieve a noise reduction for all radiation angles with a maximum decrease up to 2 dB at receiver locations perpendicular to the plate. While rectangular nozzles show a similar behavior, a sound increase is observed for listeners parallel to the plate when the height-to-width ratio is small.

Previewing test items prior to learning and receiving decorative pictures during testing: Impact on listening comprehension for English as a Foreign Language students

AbstractIn multimedia learning research, pictures are commonly used to visually represent corresponding written texts, generating substantial research on how to apply multimedia principles to more effectively design instructional materials. However, it is still unclear what types of pictures presented in testing, with or without additional instructional supports, enhance learning from spoken messages. To address this gap, the present experiment recruited 184 university students and employed a 2 (representational vs. decorative pictures) × 2 (cueing vs. no cueing) between‐subjects factorial design. Specifically, this study investigated the effects of adding decorative (aesthetic, interest enhancing), as compared to representational (content depicting) pictures, to test items with or without the opportunity to preview such items (cueing) on learning and learning judgments. The results showed significant main effects of picture type and cueing, as well as a significant interaction effect on listening comprehension. That is, cueing neutralized the negative impact of decorative pictures, but did not improve learning when representational pictures were used. In addition, representational pictures led to significantly higher learning judgments than did decorative pictures. The detrimental effect of decorative pictures and the compensating effect of cueing on decorative pictures in testing were confirmed in the listening comprehension scenario.

Standardization of Formulation and Application Approaches for Field Implementation of EPNs

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) live parasitically inside the infected insect host, and so they are termed as endoparasitic. They infect different types of insect living in the soil like the larval forms of moths, butterflies and beetles as well as adult forms of beetles, grasshoppers and crickets. The present experiment was conducted under both laboratory and field conditions at CCS Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar. Two most virulent strains of EPNs, Metarhabditis amsactae strain HAR-St-II and HAR-Ht-III were taken and their formulations were standardized using six different media i.e. cadaver based formulation, water, alginate gel, foam chips, clay chips and water dispersible granules. Among these formulations, cadaver based formulation was found to be best. Maximum numbers of active IJs after 90 days were obtained from this formulation were 3370 and 2728 /Petri plate in strain HAR-St-II and HAR- Ht-III of M. amsactae, respectively. Further this, experiment was conducted at field level for EPNs suspension was standardized using different size of nozzle opening i.e. 25 µm, 50 µm, 75 µm and 100 µm on knapsack sprayer. Spodoptera litura was selected as a test insect in okra crop for foliar application of EPNs and results revealed that 100 µm nozzle opening size gave maximum larval mortality of S. litura. Per cent mortality of S. litura was increased with increase in size of nozzle and period of observation

Non-invasive measurements to identify mungbean genotypes for waterlogging tolerance.

As the best-fit leguminous crop for intercropping across time and space, mungbean promises to sustain soil health, carbon sequestration, and nutritional security across the globe. However, it is susceptible to waterlogging, a significant constraint that persists during heavy rains. Since the predicted climate change scenario features fewer but more intense rainy days. Hence, waterlogging tolerance in mungbean has been one of the major breeding objectives. The present experiment aimed to employ non-destructive tools to phenotype stress tolerance traits in mungbean genotypes exposed to waterlogging and estimate the association among the traits. A total of 12 mungbean genotypes were used in the present study to assess waterlogging tolerance at the seedling stage. Plant responses to stress were determined non-destructively using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters at different time intervals. NDVI and grain yield were positively associated with control (r = 0.64) and stress (r = 0.59). Similarly, chlorophyll fluorescence (quantum yield of PS-II) also had a significant positive association with grain yield under both control (r = 0.52) and stress (r = 0.66) conditions. Hence, it is suggested that NDVI and chlorophyll fluorescence promise to serve as traits for non-destructive phenotyping waterlogging tolerance in mungbean genotypes. With the methods proposed in our study, it is possible to phenotype hundreds of plants for waterlogging tolerance efficiently.

The principle of reciprocity in Scharff interviews

AbstractStudies on the collection of information (intelligence) show the effectiveness of the Scharff technique and the principle of reciprocity. These two aspects have never been considered at the same time. In the present experiment, we compared the effect of two different forms of reciprocity (intrinsic vs. instrumental) and their combination on the elicitation of information in Scharff interviews. Participants were asked to imagine that an interview took place and were exposed to four reciprocity conditions (no reciprocity, intrinsic reciprocity, instrumental reciprocity, intrinsic and instrumental reciprocity). The results showed that instrumental reciprocity resulted in more information than intrinsic reciprocity.

Growth, Yield Attributes, Yield and Economics of Mustard (Brassica Juncea L.) as Affected by Different Varieties and Spacing

A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Farm, Narayan Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Gopal Narayan Singh University, Jamuhar, Sasaram, Rohtas, (Bihar) during the Rabi season of 2022-2023 to access the effect of different varieties and spacing on growth and yield of mustard. Treatment consisted of three varieties RH- 404, DRMR-1165-40 and NRCM-101 and three spacing viz. 30×10 cm, 40×10 cm and 50×10 cm. Present Experiment was conducted under randomized block design with three replications. The result of experiment showed that growth viz, plant height and dry weight and yield attributes viz., number of seeds/siliqua, biological yield (Kg/ha) and economics viz., cost of cultivation (Rs/ha), gross return (Rs/ha), net return (Rs/ha) and B:C ratio and yield were significantly affected due to different varieties and spacing. The maximum plant height (165.72 cm), dry weight (35.32 g/plant), number of seeds/siliqua (15.97), gross return (124623.3 Rs/ha), net return (74004.5 Rs/ha) and B:C ratio of (1.48) was found in treatment combination of NRCM-101 + 40 cm × 10 cm. However treatment combination of DRMR-1165-40 + 30 cm × 10 cm recorded maximum biological yield (6665.37 kg/ha).

Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Productivity and Quality of Rice

The present field experiment was conducted at crop research farm Nawabganj of C.S. Azad University of Agriculture and Technology Kanpur, under the Central Plain zone of Uttar Pradesh, during Kharif season of 2018. The experiment comprised of 9 treatment combinations in randomized block design with three replications consisted of T1: Control, T2: 100 % RDF(120:60:60), T3: 75 % RDF + 25 % N as FYM, T4: 75 % RDF + 25 % N as CWC, T5: 75 % RDF + 25 % N as PM, T6: 75 % RDF + 25 % N as FYM + CWC, T7: 75 % RDF + 25 % N as CWC+ PM, T8: 75 % RDF + 25 % N as FYM + PM, T9: 75 % RDF + 25 % N as FYM + PM + CWC. On the basis of the results emanated from present investigation, it could be concluded that application of 75 % RDF + 25 % N as FYM + PM + CWC applied in rice to significantly increases yield attributes, yield and protein content. Results showed that maximum among the different fertility levels, application of T7 [75 % RDF + 25 % N as CWC + PM] significantly enhanced productivity parameters i.e. grain yield and straw yield over the control.

Acoustic mechanisms and tonal noise control of contra-rotating ducted fan by rotating speed regulation

The contra-rotating ducted fan (CRDF) involves more tonal noise modes compared with rotor/stator and single-rotor ducted fans. According to the present experiment on small-scale CRDF the dominant tone is concentrated at the harmonics of blade passing frequencies of front-rotor and rear-rotor as the modes of (m,0) and (0,n), as well as the modes (m,m) respectively. To investigate the flow mechanisms and sound propagation characteristics of these three types of tonal noise, unsteady three-dimensional numerical simulation was implemented under different rotational speed matching for CRDF and isolated rotor. Steady load and thickness noise were systematically analyzed using Hanson model. And the generation mechanisms of wake interaction noise and their contribution ratios were analyzed utilizing the duct sound model.It was indicated that tonal noise at the mode of (m,0) (0,n) of CRDF is primarily determined by the blade thickness and steady load. Compared with the single-rotor, the contra-rotating rotors could improve the load allocation between the front and rear rotor, resulting in the forward noise reduction with the constant thrust. Increasing the rear rotor speed enhances the contribution of potential flow interaction noise from the front rotor. Subsequently the front rotor load and wake interference are weakened, leading to noise reduction of approximately 0.3 dB for the rear rotor. However, the potential flow disturbance is intensified which causes noise increase by approximately 3.5 dB on the front rotor. But, increasing the front rotor speed will strengthen both the potential flow interference intensity on the pressure surface of the front rotor blade and the wake disturbance intensity on the leading edge of the rear rotor blade. This generates approximately 3 dB and 3.5 dB noise level increases for the front and rear rotors, respectively. As a result, appropriately raising the rear rotor speed can achieve a reasonable load allocation, and balance the potential flow interaction and wake interaction to realize the whole noise reduction without thrust loss.

Influence of Microbial Inoculants and their Consortia on Yield and Nutrient Uptake in Maize Grown on Vertisol

The present field experiment was undertaken at Wheat and Maize Research Unit, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani during Kharif season of 2022. Ten different treatment combinations were used in the experiment which included different microbial inoculants and their consortia ie Azospirillum + Bacillus megaterium (Consortia -I), Azospirillum + Frateuria aurantia (Consortia-II), Azospirillum + Thiobacillus thioxidans (Consortia-III), Azospirillum + Pseudomonas strita (Consortia- ⅠⅤ ), Azospirillum + Bacillus megaterium + Frateuria aurantia (Consortia-Ⅴ), Azospirillum + Bacillus megaterium + Thiobacillus thioxidans (Consortia- ⅤI ), Azospirillum + Bacillus megaterium + Pseudomonas strita (Consortia- ⅤII ), and control replicated thrice in RBD (Randomized Block Design). Seed treatment of maize was done with microbial inoculants consortia @ 10 ml kg -1 seed before sowing with recommended dose of fertilizers. Among all the treatments, Azospirillum + Bacillus megaterium + Thiobacillus thioxidans (Consortia- ⅤII) noted significantly higher grain and stover yield of maize (8156.00 and 9836.66 kg ha -1 respectively). Furthermore, total uptake of NPK was found significantly higher (395, 99.99 and 170.65 kg ha -1) with consortia VII. Study concludes that recommended dose of fertilizers with microbial consortia helped in improving yield and nutrient content in plants and grain of maize grown in Vertisol.

Why individuals do not use emergency exit doors during evacuations: A virtual reality and eye-tracking experimental study

Despite being purposefully designed and strategically placed in buildings to facilitate efficient evacuation, emergency exit doors are frequently underutilized during evacuations. To address this issue, this study explores why individuals often fail to use emergency exit doors during evacuations via a virtual reality and eye-tracking experimental study and investigates human emergency wayfinding behaviors through the lens of perceptions and attention. The results show that individuals’ attention to wayfinding clues is positively related to their exit choices. Failure to notice an emergency exit door is a key contributor to explaining how familiarity affects the usage of the emergency exit door. Participants in the familiarity group were less likely to pay attention to the exit door and thus rarely use it. However, when participants had fixations on the door, their exit choices were not significantly different between the familiarity and unfamiliarity groups. In the present experiment, door color and type did not have a significant impact on participants’ visual attention and exit choices. Specifically, the effect of door type on participants’ exit choices was impaired by the presence of the stairwell sign. The experimental results reveal the conspicuity and visibility of exit doors and explicit and clear wayfinding information are crucial to increasing their usage during indoor evacuations.

Atmospheric pressure argon plasma jets I – Measurements of spatial distribution for visible emission spectrum and vacuum ultraviolet

AbstractThis paper describes the observed position dependent emission spectrum and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) to clarify the optical structure of argon atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APJs). Visible emission spectra of argon, nitrogen, and OH molecules were measured as a function of position from the nozzle of plasma jet generator to gas flow direction. From the results, we realized that a certain electric field is required for producing high energy excited atoms of argon in the jet from the high voltage electrode in the device to the ground positioned at downstream side. Moreover, VUV was detected along the plasma jet through the downstream direction. Thus, we could picture that the light pattern of plasma jet of which intensity weaken depend to the distance from the nozzle is sustained by the above two factors with the present steady state experiments.

Evaluation of packaging materials for enhancing the storage life of marigold flowers (Tagetes erecta)

Among the various loose flower crops, marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) holds a prominent place among commercial crops. Its vibrant blooms are in high demand, but flowers are perishable, rendering them susceptible to significant post-harvest losses. Efforts to mitigate these losses will enhance the overall flower production, distribution to maximize its economic potential and to sustain valuable contribution for the industry. So, the present experiment on storage of marigold flowers was conducted during 2021 and 2022 at the ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi with an objective to improve the shelf life of flowers by using different packaging materials. The results revealed that in marigold var. Pusa Basanti Gainda, maximum shelf life, high carotenoid content, minimum ion leakage, physiological loss in weight and enzyme activity were achieved in flowers packed in shrink-wrap and stored under low-temperature (6±20C) conditions.

Resurgence Following Higher or Lower Quality Alternative Reinforcement.

Resurgence is a temporary increase in a previously suppressed target behavior following a worsening in reinforcement conditions. Previous studies have examined how higher rates or magnitudes of alternative reinforcement affect suppression of the target behavior and subsequent resurgence. However, there has been no investigation of the effects of higher versus lower qualities of alternative reinforcement on resurgence. Using a three-phase resurgence preparation with rats, the present experiments examined the effects of an alternative reinforcer that was of higher (Experiment 1) or lower (Experiment 2) quality than the reinforcer that had previously maintained the target behavior. The results of both experiments showed greater reductions in target behavior with a higher quality alternative reinforcer and larger increases in target responding when a higher quality alternative reinforcer was removed. Along with prior findings with higher rates and magnitudes of alternative reinforcement, these findings suggest that variations in reinforcer dimensions that increase the efficacy of alternative reinforcement also tend to increase resurgence when alternative reinforcement is removed. The results are discussed in terms of the resurgence as choice in context model and in terms of potential clinical implications.

Reliable Routing Strategies on Urban Transportation Networks

The problem of finding the most reliable routing strategy on urban transportation networks refers to determining the time-adaptive routing policy that maximizes the probability of on-time arrival at a destination given an arrival time threshold. The problem is defined on a stochastic and time-dependent network that captures real-world transportation systems’ inherent uncertainty and dynamism. To solve this problem, we present a dynamic programming–based algorithm that benefits from a node-time pairs queue implementation. In addition to improving the computational running time in most cases, this implementation supports different queue disciplines, leading to different algorithmic approaches: label-correcting and label-setting methods. We prove the correctness of the algorithm and derive its worst case time complexity. We present computational experiments over real-world, large-scale transportation networks with up to [Formula: see text] nodes, showing that the algorithm is a viable alternative to existing state-of-the-art methods. It can be four times faster for relatively tight arrival time thresholds and is competitive for looser ones. We also present experiments assessing the different queue disciplines used within the algorithm, the gains of the node–time pairs queue implementation, and comparing optimal strategies obtained from reliability and travel time objectives.

Chemogenetic inhibition of the ventral hippocampus but not its direct projection to the prelimbic cortex attenuates context-specific operant responding.

Previous work has demonstrated the importance of the prelimbic cortex (PL) in contextual control of operant behavior. However, the associated neural circuitry responsible for providing contextual information to the PL is not well understood. In Pavlovian fear conditioning the ventral hippocampus (vH) and its projection to the PL have been shown to be important in supporting the effects of context on learning. The present experiments used chemogenetic inhibition of the direct vH-PL projection or the vH to determine involvement in expression of context-specific operant behavior. Rats were injected with an inhibitory DREADD (hM4Di) or mCherry-only into the vH, and subsequently trained to perform a lever press response for a food pellet in a distinct context. The DREADD ligand clozapine-n-oxide (CNO) was then delivered directly into the PL (experiment 1) and then systemically (experiment 2) prior to tests of the response in the training context as well as an equally familiar but untrained context. vH (systemic CNO) but not vH-PL (intra-PL CNO) inhibition was found to attenuate operant responding in its acquisition context. A third experiment, using the same rats, showed that chemogenetic inhibition of vH also reduced Pavlovian contextual fear. The present results suggest that multisynapatic connections between the vH and PL may be responsible for integration of contextual information with operant behavior.

A comparison of embedding aggregation strategies in drug–target interaction prediction

The prediction of interactions between novel drugs and biological targets is a vital step in the early stage of the drug discovery pipeline. Many deep learning approaches have been proposed over the last decade, with a substantial fraction of them sharing the same underlying two-branch architecture. Their distinction is limited to the use of different types of feature representations and branches (multi-layer perceptrons, convolutional neural networks, graph neural networks and transformers). In contrast, the strategy used to combine the outputs (embeddings) of the branches has remained mostly the same. The same general architecture has also been used extensively in the area of recommender systems, where the choice of an aggregation strategy is still an open question. In this work, we investigate the effectiveness of three different embedding aggregation strategies in the area of drug–target interaction (DTI) prediction. We formally define these strategies and prove their universal approximator capabilities. We then present experiments that compare the different strategies on benchmark datasets from the area of DTI prediction, showcasing conditions under which specific strategies could be the obvious choice.

Strigolactone and nitric oxide collaborate synergistically to boost tomato seedling resilience to arsenic toxicity via modulating physiology and antioxidant system

Arsenic (As) poses a significant environmental threat as a metalloid toxin, adversely affecting the health of both plants and animals. Strigolactones (SL) and nitric oxide (NO) are known to play crucial roles in plant physiology. Therefore, the present experiment was designed to investigate the potential cumulative role of SL (GR24–0.20 μM) and NO (100 μM) in mitigating the adverse effect of AsV (53 μM) by modulating physiological mechanisms in two genotypes of tomato (Riogrand and Super Strain 8). A sample randomized design with four replicates was used to arrange the experimental pots in the growth chamber. 45-d old both tomato cultivars under AsV toxicity exhibited reduced morphological attributes (root and shoot length, root and shoot fresh weight, and root and shoot dry weight) and physiological and biochemical characteristics [chlorophyll (Chl) a and b content, activity of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity (an enzyme responsible for Chl biosynthesis), and carbonic anhydrase activity (an enzyme responsible for photosynthesis), and enhanced Chl degradation, overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation due to enhanced malondialdehyde (MDA) content. However, the combined application of SL and NO was more effective in enhancing the tolerance of both varieties to AsV toxicity compared to individual application. The combined application of SL and NO improved growth parameters, biosynthesis of Chls, NO and proline. However, the combined application significantly suppressed cellular damage by inhibiting MDA and overproduction of ROS in leaves and roots, as confirmed by the fluorescent microscopy study and markedly upregulated the antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate dismutase and glutathione reductase) activity. This study provides clear evidence that the combined application of SL and NO supplementation significantly improves the resilience of tomato seedlings against AsV toxicity. The synergistic effect of SL and NO was confirmed by the application of cPTIO (an NO scavenger) with SL and NO. However, further molecular studies could be imperative to conclusively validate the simultaneous role of SL and NO in enhancing plant tolerance to abiotic stress.