bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Xilomanaliztli: La primera fiesta de las veintenas en el "Códice Tudela"
Authors: de la Rubia María Isabel
Published: February 2022

En el presente trabajo se exponen los principales rasgos de contenido, tanto del Libro Escrito Europeo como del Libro Indígena, de la primera fiesta contenida en el contexto del xiuhpohualli del Códice Tudela. En estas páginas analizamos detenidamente, por un lado, cada uno de los elementos que el amanuense describe y, por otro, aquello que el tlacuilo recoge, para tratar de esclarecer lo que esta fuente poco estudiada puede aportar a la luz de otras y por sí misma. De esta forma, el presente trabajo pretende poner el foco en la gran cantidad de información que ha quedado olvidada en las páginas de este documento, por su difícil acceso y por la poca atención que la historiografía tradicional le ha prestado. Por este motivo, lo aquí contenido es el primer análisis detallado que incorpora a la historiografía la información que el amanuense nos aporta en relación con el xiuhpohualli, y pone de manifiesto todo lo que aún queda por descubrir en las páginas de este manuscrito. Las páginas que siguen se limitan exclusivamente a la primera fiesta por la enorme cantidad de información que contiene, prueba una vez más de la importancia del Códice Tudela como fuente histórica.
“Non essendo io italiano, e dovendo scrivere in questa lingua”: La génesis de la "Pratica manvale di arteglieria" de Luis Collado (1586)
Authors: Fuente de Pablo Pablo de la
Published: February 2022

Luis Collado es el principal tratadista sobre artillería del siglo xvi. El estudio de su obra como escritor militar es sumamente complejo y ha sido muy superficialmente analizada excepto alguna honrosa excepción que se cita en este trabajo. En este artículo se pretende explicar una cuestión hasta ahora no resuelta: ¿por qué, siendo español, decidió que la primera versión de su obra se editase en italiano en Venecia en 1586? Esta circunstancia se hace más compleja al considerar que seis años más tarde sí que aparecería una versión española ampliada, publicada en Milán, ciudad en la que servía como ingeniero. En el trabajo se demostrará, más allá de cualquier duda razonable que, si bien Collado es el autor de la Pratica manvale di arteglieria, no fue quien redactó el texto en italiano, haciendo una interpretación a vista de un manuscrito en español, hoy perdido, que fue transcrita por un amanuense nativo. Dicha decisión tan tortuosa –escribir primeramente un texto en español y trasladarlo al italiano– respondió al interés profesional de promocionar su carrera militar, desarrollada principalmente en Italia, así como obtener un beneficio económico que le permitiera capitalizar los costes de la edición española.
Amplification of entangled beam based on four-wave mixing process
Authors: Xu Xiao-Yin , Liu Sheng-Shuai , Jing Jie-Tai ,   State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China,   Center for Excellence in Ultra-intense Laser Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China,   Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China,   Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
Published: February 2022

Two-mode entangled state is an important quantum resource for quantum information. In this paper, the amplification of a single mode of two-mode entangled state (single-mode amplification scheme) and two modes of two-mode entangled state (two-mode amplification scheme) are theoretically proposed. Here, the optical beam splitter model is used to simulate the vacuum noise introduced by the loss in the optical transmission process. By utilizing the positivity under partial transpose criterion, we analyze the effect of the gain of the four-wave mixing process on the entanglement degree of the initial two-mode entangled state in two different amplification schemes. In these two schemes, we set the gain of the initial two-mode entangled state generation process to be 1.5, 2.5 and 50.0 respectively, and then change the gain of the amplification process in a certain range. We also set the transmission efficiency of the amplified beams for each of the two schemes to be a definite value. The results show that the entanglement of the initial two-mode entangled state decreases with the gain increasing under the condition of specific transmission loss in two schemes. When the gain does not exceed a certain value, the entanglement of the initial two-mode entangled state can be maintained. Then, with the increase of the gain, the entanglement of the initial two-mode entangled state will disappear. Moreover, the entanglement of the initial two-mode entangled state of the two-mode amplification scheme disappears faster than that of the single-mode amplification scheme. Our theoretical results pave the way for the experimental realization of the amplification of two-mode entangled state based on four-wave mixing process.
When cells get in the flow
Authors: Collu Giovanna M , Mlodzik Marek
Published: February 2022

New imaging approaches question a long-standing model for how the eyes of fruit flies acquire their geometric patterning.
Microbial biogeography of the wombat gastrointestinal tract
Authors: Eisenhofer Raphael , D’Agnese Erin , Taggart David , Carver Scott , Penrose Beth
Published: February 2022

Most herbivorous mammals have symbiotic microbes living in their gastrointestinal tracts that help with harvesting energy from recalcitrant plant fibre. The bulk of research into these microorganisms has focused on samples collected from faeces, representing the distal region of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, the GI tract in herbivorous mammals is typically long and complex, containing different regions with distinct physico-chemical properties that can structure resident microbial communities. Little work has been done to document GI microbial communities of herbivorous animals at these sites. In this study, we use 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize the microbial biogeography along the GI tract in two species of wombats. Specifically, we survey the microbes along four major gut regions (stomach, small intestine, proximal colon, distal colon) in a single bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus) and a single southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons). Our preliminary results show that GI microbial communities of wombats are structured by GI region. For both wombat individuals, we observed a trend of increasing microbial diversity from stomach to distal colon. The microbial composition in the first proximal colon region was more similar between wombat species than the corresponding distal colon region in the same species. We found several microbial genera that were differentially abundant between the first proximal colon (putative site for primary plant fermentation) and distal colon regions (which resemble faecal samples). Surprisingly, only 10.6% (98) and 18.8% (206) of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were shared between the first proximal colon region and the distal colon region for the bare-nosed and southern hairy-nosed wombat, respectively. These results suggest that microbial communities in the first proximal colon region—the putative site of primary plant fermentation in wombats—are distinct from the distal colon, and that faecal samples may have limitations in capturing the diversity of these communities. While faeces are still a valuable and effective means of characterising the distal colon microbiota, future work seeking to better understand how GI microbiota impact the energy economy of wombats (and potentially other hindgut-fermenting mammals) may need to take gut biogeography into account.
Learning Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic- A Medical Student’s Perspective
Authors: Pathak Amey Subodh , Athavale Sunita Arvind
Published: February 2022

The educational process has witnessed unprecedented disruption during the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Educators and learners across the globe are struggling to cope up with the testing times. Medical education, owing to its unique character and challenges, has been hit hard. Medical educational institutes while gearing up for preparedness to tackle the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are also grappling with maintaining continuity in the ongoing curriculum. Medical students find themselves in a perplexing situation, forcing them to pursue off-campus online training whilst staying away from labs, clinics, and other on-campus learning modes. However, this unwelcome break introduced newer alleyways of learning online which the tech-savvy newer generation is adept at. However, this medium falls short of replicating the face to face student- teacher, peer to peer, doctor-patient interaction which is vital to achieving competence as a physician. Now, that the situation seems to be slowly limping towards normal, it has left a profound impact on the teaching-learning process.
Radiological Pearls in Imaging of Maffucci Syndrome- A Case Report
Authors: Singh Aishwerya , Gupta Ruchi , Tiwari Richa , Anand Abhishek , Sinha Neetu
Published: February 2022

Maffucci syndrome is a congenital mesodermal dysplasia. The disease is characterised by the presence of multiple soft tissue haemangiomas or slow flow venous malformations and enchondromas and was first described in 1881. This report aims to discuss the clinical and radiological findings of Maffucci syndrome in a 29-year-old female patient who presented with swelling in the right foot and foot deformity. The subsequent history taking and different imaging modalities helped to reach the diagnosis. On Ultrasonography (USG), phleboliths were visible and on Computed Tomography (CT), few calcific foci were noted in planter aspect of right foot in subcutaneous and intermuscular plane with soft tissue enhancement. Hence this case report showed that Maffucci syndrome can present as deformity of limb, multiple soft tissue swellings or with cranial nerve palsy which may suggest an intracranial lesion and close follow-up of patients is required as there are high chances of malignant transformation. Patient in this case was referred to the Neurosurgery Department and later on lost to follow-up.
Laparoscopic Versus Open Retrorectus Mesh Repair of Incisional and Ventral Hernia: A Randomised Clinical Study
Authors: Kulkarni Mukund Prabhakar
Published: February 2022

Introduction: Hernias are defects or holes in the abdominal wall with protrusion of abdominal contents and are common problems in daily surgical practice. The defects can develop following previous surgical procedure or can be primary in the absence of any past surgery. The operative repair of these hernias can be done by either open procedure or laparoscopic surgery. Aim: To compare the laparoscopic hernia repair with open surgical repair in terms of operative time, hospital stay, pain, complications, cost and recurrence. Materials and Methods: This randomised clinical study was conducted from April 2015 to December 2019. Patients undergoing elective surgery for primary ventral hernias and incisional hernias were included. There were 50 patients who underwent open mesh repair and 50 patients who had laparoscopic repair. The data was analysed using Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables and Chi-square test for categorical variables. Results: The patients were comparable for age and sex distribution and also the type of hernia, primary ventral or incisional, size of defect and body mass index in both the groups. The patients undergoing laparoscopic mesh repair had significantly less operative time (90 vs 110 minutes, p=0.036), reduced postoperative pain (p=0.001) and decreased hospital stay (3.47 vs 6.43 days p=0.0005). The cost of the laparoscopic surgery was significantly high (p-value 0.0001) basically owing to the cost of mesh and disposable tacker. The recurrence at mean follow-up of 13 months was similar in both the groups. Conclusion: Laparoscopic hernia repair is superior to open repair in select group of patients with small and medium size defects without loss of abdominal domain if cost is not a consideration.
Necrotising Pancreatitis- A Cross-sectional Study on Surgical Outcomes of Pancreatic Necrosectomy
Authors: Kumar BM Satish , Santhosh R , Nagaraj P
Published: February 2022

Introduction: Necrotising Pancreatitis (NP) is the severe form of acute pancreatitis accounting for significant mortality (15- 40%), morbidity (~25%) and has significant health costs. The traditional management of infected necrosis has centered on open surgical debridement which is accompanied by significant risk of stress, organ failure and complications. Short-term and long-term functional outcomes after operative treatment of NP have not been studied extensively. Aim: To evaluate the short-term and long-term surgical outcomes in patients undergoing surgery for NP. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of patients who underwent surgery for NP conducted at Manipal Hospital, Bangalore between June 2009 to March 2016. The electronic records pertaining to such patients were retrieved. Various surgeries done were grouped. Surgical complications and short-term outcomes like new onset organ failure, Surgical Site Infection (SSIs), haemorrhage, bowel fistula, re-explorations, and requirement of additional procedures, hospital stay and the mortality were studied by hospital data. Long-term outcomes like endocrine/exocrine insufficiency, weight loss, recurrent pancreatitis, incision hernia were studied by prospective data collected from telephonic interview; questionnaires in addition to data collected as and when patient gets admitted and in Outpatient Department (OPD) during follow-up. A comparison with different surgical techniques like laparoscopy, open necrosectomy, Video assisted necrosectomy was made. Statistical analyses were performed by STATA 11.2 (College Station TX USA). Mann-Whitney test were used to find the significance difference between the length of stay and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay with the groups and it is expressed as mean and standard deviation, Chi-square test has been used to measure the association between different clinical variables. p<0.05 was considered as statistically significance. Results: Forty six patients underwent surgical treatment during the study period. Patients’ age ranged from 25 to 75 years (median age- 44 years). Median postoperative ICU stay was 12 days (range of 01- 32 days). The mean follow-up was 3.5 years. The overall mortality rate was 26% (12 patients). The mortality rates between laparatomy (33%) and minimally invasive necrosectomy (23%) groups were not significantly different (p=0.436). Secondary diabetes mellitus was observed in 18 (40%) and exocrine insufficiency in 8 (18%) of patients. The other long-term complications were recurrent pancreatitis in 7 (15%), biliary stricture 3 (6%) and incisional hernia in 3 (6%). Conclusion: Mortality rate, organ failure rates and median ICU admission rate were similar across all surgical techniques though there was a trend of overall reduced complication rate. A long-term and close follow-up is advised in these patients for the late complications to be identified and treated.
A Prospective Cohort Study of Colonic Malignancy in a Tertiary Care Hospital in North Kerala, India
Authors: Keloth Anukesh Vasu , Krishnan Divya G , Ahmad Shafi , Mohandas PG
Published: February 2022

Introduction: Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in males and the second in females, with more than 1.4 million new cancer cases every year. Colon cancer can take many years to develop and early detection of colon cancer greatly improves the chances of a cure. Aim: To study the different modes of clinical presentation of colonic malignancy and its relation to the site of the lesion as seen at a tertiary care hospital in North Kerala, India. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cohort study carried out in patients diagnosed with colonic cancer and admitted to the Department of Surgery of a tertiary care hospital in North Kerala, India, during the study period of one year from November 2014 to November 2015. Total of 45 patients were clinically evaluated, investigated, taken up for surgical management and followed-up. The collected data were entered into the study proforma and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The Chi-square test for goodness of fit, Chi-square test for association and Student’s t-test were used. Results were considered statistically significant when p-value was less than 0.05. results: Of the 42 cases of carcinoma of colon, 24 (57.1%) were males and 18 (42.9%) were females with a male to female ratio of 1.3:1. The maximum frequency of cases were in between the ages 51 and 60 years (6th decade) followed by the 7th and 8th decades. The mean age of presentation of carcinoma in the left colon (64.43 years) was significantly higher than the right side (55.95 years). The most common symptom/signs were abdominal pain (78.6%), anaemia (54.8%), altered bowel habits (50%), abdominal mass (38.1%) loss of weight/appetite (33.3%), constipation (31%) and blood and mucus per rectum (28.6%). conclusion: Cancer of the colon primarily affected older individuals especially those with left colonic cancers. Common complaints such as abdominal pain, altered bowel habits, constipation and blood and mucous per rectum were seen frequently in the patients having colonic cancer. Certain symptoms like constipation, altered bowel habits and blood and mucous per rectum were more in patients with cancer in the left colon.
Dorsal Cord Herniation with DiastematomyeliaA Rare Case
Authors: Shaikh Saad , Sirigireddy Sneha , Walasangikar Vishal , Shah Viraj , Navani Rahul
Published: February 2022

Transdural spinal cord herniation is rare and under reported. Ventral or ventro-lateral cord herniation is relatively more common and a well described entity. Dorsal or posterior spinal cord herniation is very rare, only five cases in the cervical spine, as per our knowledge. It is nonetheless a recognised cause of myelopathy, either acquired postsurgery or post-trauma or idiopathic in cause and congenital. The authors are reporting a rare case of a 47-year-old male patient who underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) spine. The MRI showed cord with diastematomyelia from C3 to C5 levels with kinking of cord at this level attached to the posterior dura. Posterior subarachnoid space at this level is completely effaced with no evidence of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) posterior to the cord and hence, the patient was subsequently diagnosed as postoperative dorsal spinal cord herniation and myelomalacia in the cervical spine associated with diastematomyelia. Patient is being managed conservatively till date.
A Systematic Review on Nano Coated Orthodontic Brackets and its Antibacterial Effects
Authors: Siva Suvetha , Kishore Shreya , Priyanka . , Gopinath Aadhirai
Published: February 2022

Introduction: Oral cavity is a natural habitat of bacteria which proliferates when an orthodontic appliance is placed which leads to enamel demineralisation or white spot lesions. In order to reduce the bacterial proliferation, the surface coating of brackets using nano particles came into existence. Aim: The aim of this systematic review is to assess the different surface modifications using nano coating materials and evaluate the antibacterial properties of these nano coated orthodontic brackets. Materials and Methods: A systematic review was conducted in September 2021, analysing the microbial adhesion and antibacterial properties of orthodontic brackets after application of nano-coating against uncoated brackets was conducted from the available electronic database during January 2000 to June 2021, which included PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar. Because of the less number of in-vivo studies, in-vitro studies were also included. An analysis on the microbial adhesion and antibacterial effects of various orthodontic brackets was done. The results were tabulated after performing risk of bias assessment for each study. Results: Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 studies were included in the study. Risk of bias was medium for majority of the selected studies. As per the previous literature, bacterial adherence of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Actinomyces viscous and Candida albicans was reported lower in groups of brackets coated with silver nano particles than that in the groups of brackets without the addition of silver nano particles. The corrosion level on the silver or silver platinum (Ag-Pt)-coated specimens was lower than that on the non coated specimens. Conclusion: The stainless-steel orthodontic brackets coated with various nano coating materials like silver, silver-platinum, titanium, Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and Copper Oxide (CuO) exhibited adequate antibacterial effect. This shows that in orthodontic patients, especially the one susceptible to caries, the amount of plaque accumulation is significantly reduced when nano-coated orthodontic brackets are used. They reduce the microbial colony count and prevent enamel demineralisation and white spot lesions. Further clinical trials must be carried out on a large scale to confirm the results.
A New Accurate Formula for the Large-angle Period of a Simple Pendulum
Authors: Bechiri Mohammed
Published: February 2022

This paper presents a numerical solution of the nonlinear differential equation governing the non-sinusoidal oscillatory motion for the large angle period of a simple pendulum. The numerical method is based on the discretization of motion equation according to an explicit finite difference scheme. Also, an approximation formula giving the period on the large oscillations amplitude is developed and compared with the numerical model. The results showed a good agreement with a deviation less than 0.063%. The simple pendulum consists of a point mass attached to a massless and inextensible wire that is fixed at the upper end. The oscillations period value is calculated with a precision order of the one-tenth of the millisecond. The approximation formula developed in this work is simple, flexible and more accurate than other formula available in literature.
A Descriptive Study of Hair Morphology of Three Carnivore families (Canidae, Ursidae and Herpestidae)
Authors: Sivapushanam Karthy , Murugesan Prema , Vasanthakumari D. , Rangasamy Kanchana , Jana Debasis
Published: February 2022

Aim: To study the morphological characteristics of dorsal guard hair of five carnivoran species native to Tamil Nadu for the creation of an identification key for application in wildlife forensics.

Study Design: The experiment was designed to observe the physical characters of each hair strand and measure widely used morphological parameters from native species of the state. The results were compared with previous findings to validate the differences and similarities with our study.

Place and Duration of Study: Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC), Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Vandalur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, between August 2020 and September 2021.

Methodology: Hair samples were collected for golden jackal, Indian fox, dhole, sloth bear and Indian grey mongoose. Hair characters such as scale pattern, scale distance and scale margin, medulla structure, cortex thickness, medulla thickness, medullary index and cross-sectional structure were observed.

Results: The hair length of golden jackal, Indian fox, dhole, sloth bear and Indian grey mongoose were as follows 44.94 ± 2.24 mm, 29.70 ± 1.51 mm, 29.60 ± 0.97 mm, 83.83 ± 2.93 mm, 54.60 ± 2.03. The cuticular characters showed few variations compared to previous studies. The medullary structure was wide medulla with vacuoles for all three canid species while sloth bear has a narrow simple unbroken medulla and Indian grey mongoose had wide medulla with lattice. The medullary index for golden jackal, Indian fox, dhole, sloth bear and Indian grey mongoose were 0.73 ± 0.05 (S.D.), 0.77 ± 0.071 (S.D.), 0.66 ± 0.06 (S.D.), 0.18 ± 0.08 (S.D.) and 0.63 ± 0.05 (S.D.) respectively.

Conclusion: The morphometric characters of hair showed variation in scale pattern, scale margin, scale distance and medullary index when compared to the previous studies. The research was successful in creating a taxonomic key for identifying the five mammalian species from their guard hair.
Genetic Variations in fatty Acids and Oil Compositions among 188 Indian Mustard Brassica juncea (Linn.) Czern & Coss genotypes
Authors: Shyam Chitralekha , Tripathi Manoj Kumar , Tripathi Niraj , Tiwari Sushma , Sikarwar R. S.
Published: February 2022

The experiment was conducted at Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Gwalior, India to evaluate variability among 188 Indian mustard genotypes based on diverse biochemical parameters viz., palmitic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic and erucic acids along with oil content. Analysis of variance indicated the existence of substantial magnitude of variability among studied Indian mustard genotypes which suggest better possibilities for their improvement. Genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation was found to be higher for oleic acid tracked by erucic and palmitic acids. Erucic, oleic, palmitic, linoleic and linolenic acids had maximum heritability and genetic advance. Significant negative correlation of erucic acid was documented with palmitic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids. Genotypic and phenotypic path coefficient analysis had the higher positive direct effect of palmitic acid on erucic acid, whereas highest negative direct effect on erucic acid was evidenced by linoleic, oleic, linolenic acids and oil percentage. Genetic divergence using Euclidean distance cluster grouped the genotypes into eighteen different clusters. Among all studied biochemical parameters, erucic acid was found to be low in 9, moderate in 57 and higher in 122 genotypes. In cluster analysis of qualitative traits, maximum inter cluster distance was observed between cluster 18 (Karishma) and cluster 12 (Maya). Thus, these genotypes may be utilized as parents in Indian mustard breeding scheme for improvement of diverse qualitative traits.
Effect of Boiling Times on Polyphenol, Flavonoid, Tannin, Vitamin C and β-carotene contents of African Asparagus (Laccosperma secundiflorum): Their Contribution to Overall Antioxidant Activity
Authors: Viviane-Sipo Kouassi Loukou , Luthère King N’gbo Martin , Josi-Noelline Sinh , William Kwithony Disseka , Betty-Ahonzo Faulet Meuwiah
Published: February 2022

Aims: Laccosperma secundiflorum is a very important rattan species for certain populations in the Ivory Coast. They use the apical meristem in their food and the stems to make various items such as furniture, carpets and baskets etc. However, there is a gap in the study of its nutritional value and its nutritional potential before and after boiling.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Food Science and Technology (UFR-STA), University nangui abrogoua, between December 2019 and November 2020.

Methodology: African asparagus was boiled for 5, 10 and 15 minutes respectively. The effect of boiling on the total polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, vitamin C and β-carotene contents, and further on the antioxidant activity of the heart of rattan palm (African asparagus) was studied quantitatively at this different times. Standardized methods were adopted for phytochemical, antioxidant activity of this samples.

Results: Vitamin C content, which was estimated initially at 37.04 g/100 dry matter, decreased as the cooking time in water increased. Indeed, it is noted 40, 72, and 81% of loss respectively for the cooking times of 5, 10, and 15 min in the water.  Also, these different heat treatments affected the β- carotene content of African asparagus with losses ranging from 76.80 to 84%. Polyphenols were also affected by cooking. The values obtained were 5104.80 mg GAE/100g for fresh African asparagus, 5284.09 mg GAE/100g for 5 min cooking (CE5), 5233.31 mg GAE/100g for 10 min cooking (CE10), and 3536.44 mg GAE/100g for 15 min cooking (CE15). On the other hand, the tannin content of fresh African asparagus was 1954.84 mg/100g DM. However, this rate decreased continuously with heating and was estimated at 1699.93 mg/100g DM, 1429.977548 mg/100g DM, and 1035.42 mg/100g DM respectively for CE5, CE10, and CE15 samples with losses of 13.04, 26.85 and 47.03% respectively. For flavonoids, the losses were varied from 7.41 and 19.92%. In our study, the scavenging activity was found to be highest in the fresh sample, followed by CE15 and CE5.

Conclusion: Finally, boiling reduces the levels of the different parameters studied, but the antioxidant activity of African asparagus increased at the end of the 15 min heat treatment. However, a cooking time of less than or equal to 5 min in water can be advantageous for the consumer.
Influence of Nutrient Management Practices on DTPA Soil Micronutrients and Its Relation with Soil pH and Cation Exchange Capacity in Pearlmillet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) Cultivated Soils of Western India
Authors: Yadav Manish , Jadav N. J. , Kumar Dileep , Chaudhary Drashti , Yadav Suwa Lal
Published: February 2022

A field experiment was conducted during kharif, 2019 at Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat, India. The effect of nutrient management practices on soil pH, cation exchange capacity, DTPA micronutrient and their inter relationship were studied. The result of present study showed that relationship between available micronutrients and soil pH was significantly and negatively correlated for DPTA Fe, Mn and Zn. In case of DTPA Cu and soil pH relationship was positively correlated. The highest R2 value for the relationship between DTPA micronutrients and soil pH was for the available Fe (0 79). The relationship between available micronutrients and cation exchange capacity of soil was reverse of soil pH. Available Fe, Mn and Zn were positively correlated with cation exchange capacity and reverse for DTPA Cu. The lowest R2 value for relationship between DTPA micronutrients and soil cation exchange capacity was for DTPA Cu (0.008).
Assessment of Genetic Divergence in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) Genotypes
Authors: Rahimi Sharifullah , Alam Khursheed , Ahmad Muzeev , Sharma Khushboo , Keshari Deepesh , Wamiq Mohd
Published: February 2022

The present investigation was carried out during Kharif season at the Horticulture Research centre of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, U.P.   2020. The D2 statistics was applied to assess the genetic divergence among 20 genotypes of tomato using Mahalonobis D2 analysis. The experimental materials were planted in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the genotypes for all the characters under study. The genotypes were grouped into five different genetic clusters on the basis of genetic affinity or diversity. Cluster III comprised of highest 7 genotypes followed by Cluster I comprised of 4 genotypes, Cluster II also comprised of 4 genotypes, Cluster V comprised of 3 genotypes and Cluster IV comprised lowest number of 2 genotypes. The highest mean value was recorded in Cluster V for number of fruits per cluster, number of fruits per plant, fruit yield per plant (g), fruit yield /ha (q) and 1000 seed weight (g) followed by cluster II for harvest duration (days), average fruit weight (g) and number of seeds per fruits, Cluster III for number of primary branches, plant height (cm), Cluster I for number of clusters per plant and Cluster IV for number of locules per fruit respectively. The maximum intra cluster distance was found in cluster V and minimum intra cluster distance was recorded cluster IV. The highest inter- cluster distance was recorded between Cluster I and Cluster V and the minimum inter cluster D2 distance was recorded between cluster I and Cluster IV. The highest contribution in the manifestation of genetic divergence was exhibited by number of fruits per cluster followed by number of primary branches, fruit yield per hectare, number of locules per fruit, plant height, harvest duration, number of clusters per plant, average fruit weight, number of fruits per plant, 1000 seeds weight, fruit yield per plant and lowest in number of seeds per fruit. Which could lead to the production of a wide range of beneficial genetic variation for tomato yield improvement.
Effect of Initial soil Fertility and Integrated Plant Nutrition System on Yield and NPK Uptake by Barnyard Millet
Authors: Selvam R. , Santhi R. , Maragatham S. , Chandrasekhar C. N. , Ganapathi Patil Santosh
Published: February 2022

This study examined the effect of soil fertility and Integrated Plant Nutrition System (IPNS) on the yield of barnyard millet (var. MDU 1) on the field of Eastern Block Farm in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. Coimbatore. based on the inductive technique (fertility gradient concept). Among the three fertiliser strips, the first phase of the experiment involved adding graded fertilisers and growing fodder sorghum as a gradient crop to develop soil fertility variations. During the second phase, the barnyard millet test crop experiment included four levels each of N, P2O5, and K2O fertilizers, plus three levels of farmyard manure (FYM). The results show that overall yield recorded in the highest initial fertility  strip III. The highest yield of 2966 kg ha-1 was obtained with 60:30:40 kg ha-1 of N, P2O5, and K2O along with 12.5 t ha-1 of FYM in strip II with initial soil available NPK status 198, 31, and 521 kg ha-1, respectively. The lowest yield 1056 kg ha-1 was recorded in strip I under absolute control and the initial soil test values were 157, 13 and 470 kg ha-1 of KMnO4-N, Olsen-P and NH4OAc-K, respectively. Application of 12.5 t ha-1 of FYM alone increased yield of barnyard was 27.73 per cent over absolute control. Barnyard millet grain production and NPK uptake rose when initial soil fertility and fertiliser N, P2O5, K2O, and FYM levels increased.
Antimicrobial Resistance of some Gram-negative Bacilli Isolated from various sources in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Authors: Horsfall S. J. , Nwokah E. G. , Wachukwu C. K. , Abbey S. D.
Published: February 2022

Aim: To isolate and detect the antimicrobial resistance of some Gram-negative Bacilli Isolated from various sources in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Study Design:  Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Trans-Amadi and Rumuodomaya Slaughters and Bob-D Ventures Poultry Farms, all in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, between July and December, 2019.

Methodology: This study was conducted at Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas of Rivers State, Nigeria from 2019-2020. Hospital wastewater was taken from different sections at the two University Teaching Hospitals- University of Port Harcourt and Rivers State University Teaching Hospitals. Abattoir effluent water samples were taken at different sites from Trans-Amadi and Rumuodumaya Abattoirs. Chicken cloaca samples as well as Hand swab samples of Butchers were collected at the two Abattoirs. All samples were processed following standard procedures and identified organisms were assessed for susceptibilities to different antibiotics following Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion and Microbroth dilution methods. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Percentages and Chi square were used to summarize the data and p values less than 0.05 were considered significant.

Results: Out of a total of 482 samples consisting of Hospital wastewater (84), Chicken cloaca swab (76), Abattoir Effluent water (182), Poultry Dung (96) and Butchers’ Hand Swab (44) investigated for possible recovery of some Gram-Negative organisms, 224 target bacterial isolates were identified. Escherichia coli showed highest percentage occurrence 124 (25.7%), while Klebsiella pneumoniae had 80 (16.5%) and the least rate of occurrence was Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 20 (4.1%). A total of 38 bacteria were isolated from the wastewater samples of the two hospitals; 44 were isolated from the Chicken cloaca samples; 80 from Abattoir Effluent Water samples; 50 from Poultry dung and 12 from Butchers’ hand swabs. Organisms were most susceptible to Imipenem (97%) and most resistance to Nalidixic acid (92%).

Conclusion: Multiple drug resistance to the commonly used antibiotics is high in the study area. The contamination of wastewater by antibiotics or other pollutants lead to the rise of resistance due to selection pressure. The presence of antibiotic resistance organisms in these wastewaters should not be overlooked. Proper wastewater treatment and improved sanitary measures are advocated.
Application of Palm Wine Yeast Species in Beer Brewing
Authors: Ogu C. T. , Umeh S. O. , Nwiyi I. U. , Ikele M. O. , Okonkwo I. F. , Agwuna L.
Published: February 2022

Brewing is found to be one of the lucrative businesses in Nigeria. The brewer’s yeast commonly known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae is always imported and its  price affects the price of the products drastically. In this work, yeast strain was isolated from Palm Wine, identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and used as an alternative in beer brewing. The isolate (SPW) was seen to poses many similar characteristics of the brewer’s yeast (SCT) imported from foreign countries. The isolated and enriched yeast was employed in the laboratory for the production of beer. Results showed that both organisms failed to ferment melibiose and raffinose but fermented glucose, maltose, fructose, sucrose, and galactose. They survived at stress conditions for temperature and cell osmotic pressure in high concentration of ethanol and sugar. They showed good flocculation ability of 97%, and 82% respectively. Their percentage viability was 96.66% and 91.00% respectively with no production of hydrogen sulfide gas. The property of wort prepared for brewing was; pH of 5.82, specific gravity of 1.050 and iodine reaction showed yellow colour. After fermentation, the specific gravity was 1.001 and 1.010 for SPW and SCT respectively while alcohol content was 6.53% and 5.25% respectively. Wort was fermented at 28 ± 2oC for six days and the product beer showed apparent extract of 3.4oP and 4.8oP, Real extract of 4.8oP and 6.55oP, real degree of fermentation of 58.44% and 61.22% for SPW and SCT respectively.  Statistical analysis showed that yeast strain isolated from palm wine after enrichment had great potential when compared to brewer’s yeast strain in beer production attributes (p < 0·05).
Chemical Composition, Antioxidative and Anti-Hyperglycemic Activity of Combined Seed Extracts of Xylopia aethiopica and Trichilia emetica in Alloxan Induced Diabetic Wistar Rats
Authors: Dokubo A. , Nwidag Y. G. , Orlu H. A.
Published: February 2022

The chemical composition, in vivo antioxidative and antihyperglycemic activities of aqueous and ethanol seed extracts of combined Xylopia aethiopica and Trichilia emetica in a ratio of 1:1 mixture was studied in alloxan- induced diabetic wistar rats. Twenty-five wistar rats weighing between 100-150g were used. They were divided into five (5) groups, Normal control (received 1ml of distilled water), Negative control (received 100 mg/kg body weight of alloxan only), Positive control (2.5 mg/kg body weight of glibenclamide) and extracts treated groups which received 300mg/kg body weight of aqueous extract of combined Trichilia emetica and Xylopia aethiopica seeds (ATX) and ethanol extract of combined Trichilia emetica and Xylopia aethiopica seeds. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 100 mg/kg body weight of alloxan for 21 days. The phytochemical composition conducted using a GC (Buck Scientific-GC M910, USA) of the combined seeds extracts of Xylopia aethiopica and Trichilia emetica had varying composition of saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, phenols, terpenoids, tannins and steroids. Acute toxicity studies showed no sign of toxicity and death recorded of the relatively high doses of 3000mg/kg body weight of aqueous and ethanol seed extracts administered. Blood glucose concentration showed significant (p<0.05) decrease when compared to the alloxan treated group. There was significant (p<0.05) reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) and significant (p<0.05) increase in enzymic (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and non-enzymic glutathione (GSH) antioxidants compared to negative control groups. From the findings of this study, it can be concluded that 300mg/kg body weight of aqueous and ethanol extracts of combined Trichilia emetica and Xylopia aethiopica seeds exhibited antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic activities in alloxan induced diabetic rats. Combination of the various bioactive components found in the seed extracts may have contributed significantly to these activities and could be considered as potential therapeutic agent in the management of hyperglycemia.
They Get Away with Murder! UK Lecturers’ Frustration with Students’ Use of ‘Essay Mills’
Authors: Nchindia Christian Atabong
Published: February 2022

This article analyses the phenomenological experiences of four UK lecturers with contract cheating involving students. It aimed to investigate the reasons why some students use contract cheating services and what can be done to expunge the practice. This paper further documents how to recognise some of the cheating patterns and clues observed in essay and report submissions. Participants were recruited using purposive and convenient sampling methods. NVivo software was used to analyse the transcribed data. Findings revealed that contract cheating, especially students’ use of ‘essay mills’ is still entrenched into the UK higher education fabric. Despite being able to identify cheaters using various tools at their disposal, lecturers were left frustrated as too often culprits went unpunished due to universities’ lenient policies. Cheating ‘red flags’ include refusal to meet the lecturer for verbal feedback on assignments; essays having uncommon features from what lecturers normally expect; unusual citations and references which are often outside the module’s specification, and the use of strange figures, and diagrams. Evidence from this study suggest that universities’ leniency in dealing with suspects is largely due to the commodification of education that puts profit before quality. Recommendations to properly address this practice have been suggested in this paper. The limitations of this study and future directions for similar research are submitted herein.
Method Development, Validation and Degradation Studies of Imatinib Mesylate by UPLC
Authors: Venkateshwarlu Punna , Patel Mehul M.
Published: February 2022

Background: A simple, reliable and economical method was used for the study of imatinib mesylate.  The optimized chromatographic conditions were determined by using a C18 intersil ODS (250 X 4.6 mm X 5µm) and a mobile phase containing phosphate buffer (pH 3.0): Acetonitrile: Methanol (40:30:30) v/v was pumped at 1 ml/min flow rate. The injected sample volume is 20 μL and the analytes were eluted at 254 nm.

Results: The Retention time of imatinib mesylate was 3.503 minutes. The system suitability percentage RSD of imatinib mesylate is 0.27. The Assay of imatinib mesylate was found to be 99.37%.The imatinib mesylate LOD, LOQ values of were  found to be 0.901 and  2.73μg/ml. Regression equation was found to be y= 96.59x + 10.76 form linearity calibration graph. Imatinib mesylate was degraded in acid and peroxide stress conditions, and no degradation was obtained in base, photolytic and thermal conditions.

Conclusion: The reliable UPLC method validation data observed that which can be used for analyzing routine quality control. The method is economical due to the run time is reduced, which can be used in regular quality control tests in the industry.
Hepatoprotective Activity of Pongamia Pinnata Leaves on Antitubercular Drugs (Isoniazid & Rifampin) Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats
Authors: Derangula Samba Siva Raju , Muthiah N. S. , Somashekar H. S. , Sukumar E. , Prabhu K.
Published: February 2022

Hepatoprotective effect of an ethanolic extract of Pongamia Pinnata on antitubercular drugs (isoniazid and rifampin) induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

Methods: The experiment used five groups of male wistar rats, each with six individuals. The two control groups were given gum acacia and a mixture of isoniazid and rifampin. The two test groups received 200 and 400 mg/kg of an ethanolic extract of the leaves of Pongamia Pinnata, respectively. The fifth group was given silymarin (50mg/kg, orally). The concentrations of serum Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), tissue Malondialdehyde (MDA) & thiols were calculated. One-way ANOVA was used for statistical examination, monitored through Tukey's test.

Results: When rats were given a mixture of antitubercular drugs and a high dosage (400 mg/kg) of an ethanolic extract of Pongamia Pinnata, blood enzyme levels were lower than when they were given antitubercular drugs alone. The co-administration of a high dose of Pongamia Pinnata extract with antitubercular drugs reduced MDA levels and elevated thiol levels considerably (p˂ 0.05). These biochemical marker levels, however, were not adjusted.

Conclusion: In rats, Pongamia Pinnata encompasses a partial protective effect against the hepatotoxicity caused by antitubercular drugs at high doses.
Impact of COVID and Mental Health on Adolescents
Authors: Kumar Satya , Priya Jothi , Devi R. Gayatri
Published: February 2022

Introduction: The outbreak of coronavirus causes considerable risk to public health and also might cause an impact on adolescents mental health. COVID-19 has brought about a sense of fear and anxiety around the world. During lockdown, mental health of adolescents through online class and work from home makes it more stressful among adolescents. The aim of the study is to explore the pathway among the different variables in order to better understand how these factors play a part in impacting adolescents' mental health conditions.

Materials and Methods: The sample size used for the study is 124. Questionnaire based survey is conducted in google forms among adolescents. This standard questionnaire in Google forms is being circulated among the sample study population and at the end of the survey, all the data is been analysed by using chi square analysis. The chi square analysis was done using the software IBM SPSS (Version 23).The data were analysed from the survey and the values were tabulated in the form of pie and bar charts.

Results: In this study males feel more stress than females and the p value is 0.814 and it is not significant. During COVID period, study stress is caused more among the males than in females and the p value is 0.514 and it is not significant. Mental health was more affected among the males than in females and the p value is 0.261 and it is not significant.In our study population most of them feel stressful during COVID period.

Conclusion: This study creates awareness among the people about the mental health of adolescents affected during lockdown. The containment measures like school and activity centre's closures for long periods together expose the children and youth to effects on educational, developmental, psychological and attainment as they experience loneliness, anxiety and uncertainty. Using the internet and social media will put them at higher risk. The focal point of the healthcare system and policymaking should be prevention, promotion and inter- ventions corresponding to the public mental health system to meet the mental health needs of the population at large by taking the regional contextual parameters into account.