International Annals of Science
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Strategies of Plant Biotechnology to Meet the Increasing Demand of Food and Nutrition in India
Get PDFA groundbreaking application of biotechnology research during the recent past has been improvement of crop health and production. India being one of the most rapidly developing countries with an enormous population and remarkable biodiversity, plant biotechnology promises significant potential to contribute to characterization and conservation of the biodiversity, increasing its usefulness. However, India’s green revolution was noted to be insufficient to feed the country's teeming millions. Therefore, novel approaches in crop biotechnology had to be aimed at ensuring better productivity and quality of cultivars. This paper provides a comprehensive review of research undertaken mainly in the last couple of decades along with potential strategies in plant biotechnology focusing on specific grain and seed crops of key agricultural as well as dietary importance to meet the growing demand of food and nutrition in India, while also proposing potential application of relevant global research findings in the Indian context. The analysis would help address the ever-increasing worldwide socio-economic necessity for greater food security, particularly during times of crisis such as the recent Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
Brain Evidence in Nursing Research: EEG Methodology
Get PDFThis aim of the mini-review paper is to introduction the bio-physiologic measures of resting state EEG for nursing scientist. Article specifically addresses the emotional domain as clarified by concepts of brain evidence-based nursing research reviewed that the emotion aspect documented a strong link to frontal brain alpha activities asymmetry. Extensive nursing research has been performed in emotional, behavioral, and/or psychological matters for healthy and unhealthy populations. Evidence-based nursing can transform the way that data is used to improve health and healthcare. One core role of nursing practice is to promote healthy behaviors. Previous researches have shown out that the brain is the main ambassador of behavioral change. The electroencephalogram (EEG) is an efficient tool to study brain-behavior relations. Evidences show that frontal alpha asymmetry is an important marker suggests that EEG is beneficial for assessment emotional capacities and appraises nursing efficiency. The basic resting alpha frontal asymmetry provides a reliable instrument in conducting nursing researches in order to strengthen the quality of nursing. Furthermore, we provide a viewpoint to show progress in the novel research issue probably for clinical applications. To integrate biological measures in order to gain highly accurate and precise advantages of EEG and beneficial assessment of the emotional capacities are suggested. Nursing promotes healthy behaviors including emotional health. Human behavior changes originate in the brain. EEG enables objective and biological insights into the cognitive process. As a foundation, the neuroscience research requires profound knowledge and tools to analyze bio-physiological data. Creating Cross-disciplinary cooperation must be inevitable alliances to advance nursing research
Comparing the Neuroprotective Effects of Aqueous and Methanolic Extracts of Vernonia Amygdalina on the Cerebellum of Adult Male Wistar Rats
Get PDFThe solvent of extraction determines the type and amount of phytochemicals extractible from a plant material. Reports have shown that numerous African herbs are rich is potent phytochemicals which have been used in folkloric and orthodox medicine in the prevention and treatment of ailments. This research is geared towards comparing the neuroprotective potency of the aqueous and methanolic extracts of Vernonia amygdalina on the cerebellum of mercury chloride intoxicated Wistar rats. Thirty adult male Wistar rats were divided into 6 groups of 5 rats each. Group A was the negative control and had food and water only. Group B was the positive control and was exposed to mercury chloride without treatment. Groups C1 and C2 received 200mg/kg bw of aqueous and methanolic extracts respectively while groups D1 and D2 received 400mg/kg bw of aqueous and methanolic extracts of Vernonia amygdalina respectively. Result of phytochemical analysis shows that water extracted more flavonoids while methanol extracted more phenols. The results of antioxidant studies show that the methanolic extract conferred more protection against oxidative stress than the aqueous extract. Histological results show that aqueous extract conferred more protection than the methanolic extract. We therefore conclude from our report that both the aqueous and methanolic extracts of Vernonia amygdalina confer neuroprotection on the cerebellum of Wistar rats
Evaluation of Wood Ash as Additive for Cow Manure Composting
Get PDFThis study was conducted to produce high-quality compost using both cow manure and wood ash that can specifically be used to increase the fertility of soils in tropical regions. Increased proportions of wood ash were co-composted with cow manure. During composting, the composts produced presented the classical composting temperature curve and attain a thermophilic composting phase (about 60 oC). After 117 days of composting, the produced composts (CMA 0%; CMA 5%; CMA 10% and CMA15%) had a C/N ratio between 16 and 30, and their pH, was basic, indicating maturity. They were rich in minerals (Mg; Ca; K+; and Na+) and poor in heavy metals (Zn; Cu and Pb). Wood ash addition raise the fungal communities except for CMA 0% and did not impair significantly on bacteria communities; however, addition of high amounts of wood ash could reduce the metabolism of the microbial communities including cellulase activity that showed a proportional decrease according to the added amount except for CMA 15%. The composts showed a germination index greater than 80% at all concentrations, indicating the absence of phytotoxicity. Therefore, co-composting of cow manure with wood ash (<15%) allowed to obtain a good organic fertilizer with higher liming potential, nutrient content, and less hazardous material which could be used in farms to remediate acidity of tropical soils
A Simple PCR Assay for Discrimination of Dengue Vectors from Nsukka LGA, Nigeria
Get PDFMosquitoes of Aedes species are vectors of several arboviral diseases which continue to be a major public health problem in Nigeria. This study among other things, morphologically identified Aedes mosquitoes collected from Nsukka LGA and used an allele specific PCR amplification for discrimination of dengue vectors. Larval sampling, BG-sentinel traps and modified human landing catches were used for mosquito sampling in two selected autonomous communities of Nsukka LGA (Nsukka and Obimo). A total of 124 Aedes mosquitoes consisting of five (5) different species were collected from April to June, 2019 in a cross-sectional study that covered 126 households, under 76 distinct geographical coordinates. Larvae was mainly collected from plastic containers 73% (n=224), metallic containers 14% (n=43), earthen pots 9% (n=29) and used car tyres 3% (n=9), reared to adult stage 69.35% (n=86), and all mosquitoes were identified using standard morphological keys. Five (5) Aedes mosquito species were captured; Aedes aegypti 83(66.94%), Aedes albopictus 33(26.61%), Aedes simpsoni (4.48%), Aedes luteocephalus (≤1%) and Aedes vittatus (≤1%). Nsukka autonomous community had higher species diversity than Obimo. Allele specific amplification confirmed dengue vectors, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species on a 2% agarose gel. Since the most recent re-emergence of arboviral diseases is closely associated with Aedes species, findings of this study therefore, give further evidence about the presence of potential arboviral vectors in Nigeria and describe the role of a simple PCR in discriminating some. Further entomological studies should integrate PCR assays in mosquito vector surveillance
Mechanism of Organic Odor Generation from Thermophilically Digested Biosolids
Get PDFIn anticipation to generate more stabilized biosolids, thermophilic anaerobic digestion systems are widely used to destroy greater sludge organics thus making them less odorous. In this study, single-stage thermophilic (at 55 ℃) and mesophilic (at 37 ℃) anaerobic digesters were studied to compare organic removal efficiencies and sulfur-based odor generation from their biosolids. Although the thermophilic system removed about 9% more volatile solids than the mesophilic system, about 55 times more odorous organic sulfur compounds were measured from dewatered thermophilic biosolids. Different methanogenic species were found to be responsible for malodorous dewatered biosolids from the thermophilic anaerobic digester
Two Alternative Proofs of the Grüss Inequality
Get PDFThe classical Grüss inequality has spurred a range of improvements, generalizations, and extensions. In this article, we provide new functional bounds that ultimately lead to two elementary proofs of the inequality that might be of interest. Our results are motivated by the extreme cases where the equality is reached, namely step functions of equal support. Our first proof is based on the standard Cauchy-Schwarz inequality and a simple bound on the variance of a function. Its simplicity would be of particular interest to those who are new to the study of functional inequalities. Our second proof utilizes non-intuitive and novel bounds on functionals defined on L∞(0, 1). As a result, we provide a detailed and new insight into the nature of the Grüss inequality
Combining Ability and Heterosis in Diallel Analysis of Maize (Zea mays L.) Lines
Get PDFA sound breeding program for maize improvement is very important to meet the demands of the growing population. Therefore, combining ability and heterosis were studied in a 4 x 4 full diallel cross in maize for growth attributes, yield and its contributing traits. Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replicates was used to study the general combining ability of parents, specific combining ability of F1s (including reciprocals) and heterosis of the F1s over commercial check variety on selected agronomic characters. Genotype was highly significant for all the traits studied. The combining abilities (GCA and SCA) and reciprocal mean squares were highly significant for most studied characters. The ratio of GCA/SCA was not less than unity for studied traits excepted for days to anthesis and ear height. The results indicated that the additive genetic effects were more important and played major role in studied traits. Thus, results revealed GCA effects for the parental lines (PL). Where ‘PL2’ was excellent combiner for number of tassels and cob circumference and ‘PL3’ was good combiner for days to silking and grain yield (t.h-1). While ‘PL4’ for short height. Majority of the F1s from the GCA effects showed high SCA effects. This F1 (PL2 x PL3) performed best amongst. However, several reciprocals were not desirable. Heterosis estimation was carried out using a commercial check, Oba super II. When commercial check was used, the percent heterosis especially on grain yield varied from -8.89 to 22.62%. Among the twelve F1s, nine of the crosses exhibited significant positive heterosis for grain yield (t.h-1). Those F1s that showed significant positive and/or negative desirable traits for SCA effects and significant positive heterosis could be used for varietal development in maize breeding. And conservation of those parents that exhibited high GCA effects be considered as well
Maximum Flow Evacuation Planning Problem with Non-Conservation Flow Constraint
Get PDFThe optimization model of the maximum flow evacuation planning problem efficiently sends a maximum number of evacuees along with the routes of their transshipment from the disastrous zone, the source, to the safe zone, the sink, over a given time horizon. The limitation of the problem with the flow conservation constraint at the intermediate nodes is that even one more evacuee cannot be sent out from the source, if the evacuee cannot reach the sink. However, evacuators must attempt to send out as many evacuees as possible to safer places despite the sink. There may be relatively safe places in between the source and the sink. The limitation is due to the flow conservation constraint. In this paper, we remodel the problem with non-conservation flow constraint and propose an efficient algorithm. With this approach one can send as many evacuees as in the flow conservation case from the source to the sink. Moreover, a maximum number of evacuees can also be sent to the relatively safe places in between the source and the sink. The routes of their transshipment can also be identified
Identification of Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) Collected from Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Endemic Focus in the Ho Municipality, Ghana
Get PDFLeishmaniasis, is a vector-borne disease transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female sand flies. Active and continuous monitoring of the sand fly is an important aspect of disease control. Thus, the correct identification of its vectors is paramount in this regard. Objective: The study was conducted to morphologically and molecularly identify female sand fly species in a cutaneous leishmaniasis endemic focus collected in three villages in the Ho Municipality of the Volta region. CDC light traps and sticky paper traps was used for the collection of the sand flies. The morphologically identified sand flies was molecularly confirmed by running PCR with the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase gene subunit I (COI) primers and DNA sequenced. A total of 537 sand flies was collected, made up of 363 females and 174 males. Eleven different species of sand flies was morphologically identified – one Phlebotomus species and ten Sergentomyia species. The PCR amplified products showed bands of molecular weights 658 base pairs for the primers. The molecular identification using the 658-bp fragment of the (COI) gene was congruent with the morphological identification