The Significance of Leaf Area in Evapotranspiration

Evapotranspiration rates increased with leaf area and fell withits decline at the time of flowering of cotton plants (Gossypiumbarbadense L.) and this relation was maintained while the rateof pan evaporation was steadily decreasing. A similar relationshipwas established for the hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab L.) butevapotranspiration dropped at the onset of flowering, at thetime when leaf area was still increasing and the evaporatingpotential of the atmosphere began to rise. Evapotranspirationper unit area of leaf surface per day declined progressivelywith age for both species.     

Mycorrhiza and Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria: Potential Bioagents for Sustainable Phosphorus Management in Agriculture

Phosphorus (P) is a critical nutrient that plays an essential role in improving soil fertility for optimum plant growth and productivity. It is one of the most deficient macro-nutrients in agricultural soils after nitrogen and is considered inadequate for plant growth and production. To P availability in soils, the farmers are applying huge amounts of synthetic P fertilizers that adversely affect the wider environment, groundwater, soil fertility and microbial population. Many beneficial microbes are known to release and supply soluble P for improving growth and yield of a variety of plants in a sustainable manner in P deficient soils. Thus, inoculation of these microbes, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) to soil to enhance crop production without harming the environment, is an alternative approach to chemical fertilizers. The combined role of AMF and PSB in P solubilization is not well understood and the application and mode of action of these microbial groups are often naive due to variation in the environment. Therefore, the current review article would develop a better understanding of the interactive role and mechanisms of AMF and PSB in improving P availability from both organic and inorganic sources in a sustainable crop production system. Finally, the current review would loop out further avenues for researchers interested to commercially produce effective AMF and PSB-based biofertilizers for sustainable management of phosphorus over a wide range of agricultural crops worldwide.     

Investigation of polyacrylamide hydrogel-based molecularly imprinted polymers using protein gel electrophoresis

In conjunction with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), molecular imprinting methods have been applied to produce a multilayer mini-slab in order to evaluate how selectively and specifically a hydrogel-based molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) binds bovine haemoglobin (BHb, ~64.5 kDa). A three-layer mini-slab comprising an upper and lower layer and a MIP, or a non-imprinted control polymer dispersion middle layer has been investigated. The discriminating MIP layer, also based on polyacrylamide, was able to specifically bind BHb molecules in preference to a protein similar in molecular weight such as bovine serum albumin (BSA, ~66 kDa). Protein staining allowed us to visualise the protein retention strength of the MIP layer under the influence of an electric field. This method could be applied to other proteins with implications in effective protein capture, disease diagnostics, and protein analysis.     

Enhanced spectrofluorimetric determination of esomeprazole and pantoprazole in dosage forms and spiked human plasma using organized media

A simple, sensitive and rapid spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of esomeprazole (EMZ) and pantoprazole (PRZ) in their pharmaceutical formulations and human plasma. The proposed method is based on the fluorescence spectral behavior of EMZ in methanol in the presence of 0.1 m NaOH containing 0.5% methyl cellulose (MC) at 306/345 nm. The fluorescence intensity of EMZ was enhanced about 1.3‐fold and good linearity in the range 0.4–4.0 µg/mL with a lower detection limit of 0.04 µg/mL and lower quantification limit of 0.14 µg/mL. For PRZ, its methanolic solution exhibited marked native fluorescence at 290/325 nm after enhancement (about 2.1‐ or 1.4‐fold) using either 0.025% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or 0.05% MC in the presence of 0.2 m borate buffer of pH 9.5. The fluorescence–concentration plots of PRZ were rectilinear over the ranges 0.2–2.0 and 0.3–3.0 µg/mL with lower detection limits of 0.02 and 0.03 µg/mL and lower quantification limits of 0.07 and 0.09 µg/mL using sodium dodecyl sulfate and MC, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of EMZ and PRZ in their commercial dosage forms and the results were in good agreement with those obtained with the comparison method. Furthermore, in a preliminary investigation, the proposed method was extended to the in vitro determination of the two drugs in spiked human plasma and the results were satisfactory. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New Pedal Remains of Megaladapis and Their Functional Significance. Am J Phys Anthropol 100:115–139

Erratum: Wunderlich RE, Simons EL, Jungers WL. 1996. New Pedal Remains of Megaladapis and Their Functional Significance. Am J Phys Anthropol 100:115–139.     

Use of climatic data and satellite imagery to model the abundance of Culicoides imicola, the vector of African horse sickness virus, in Morocco

African horse sickness (AHS) is a vector-borne, infectious disease of equids caused by African horse sickness virus (AHSV) . The only proven field vector of the virus is the biting midge Culicoides imicola. Following a recent epizootic (1989–91) of AHS in Morocco, light traps and automatic weather stations were operated for 2 years at twenty-two sites distributed over much of the country. The annually-averaged mean daily trap catch of C. imicola at these sites was negatively correlated with wind speed, and positively correlated with the average and mean annual minimum NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, a remotely sensed measure of vegetation activity). There were no significant correlations between the mean daily trap catch and air temperature, soil temperature, relative humidity, saturation deficit, rainfall, altitude or the mean annual maximum or range of NDVI. The best two-variable model, which combined Windspeed_MnAvMn (the average daily minimum wind speed of the least windy month) and NDVI_min (the average annual minimum NDVI) as predictors, explained over 50% of the variance in the annually-averaged mean daily trap catch of C. imicola. There was a significant, positive correlation between minimum wind speed at night and the daily mortality rate of adult female C. imicola and it is suggested that the relationship between wind speed and the abundance of C. imicola arises from effects on adult mortality or dispersal. Considering several climatic variables, in North Africa NDVI_min was most significantly correlated with total annual rainfall. It is suggested that the relationship between NDVI_min and the abundance of C. imicola arises from the impact of soil moisture on both. It is proposed that areas of Morocco with higher levels of soil moisture in late summer or autumn provide more, larger and/or more enduring breeding sites for C. imicola, as well as supporting more photosynthetically active vegetation and hence having higher NDVI.     

Mutation-independent Proteomic Signatures of Pathological Progression in Murine Models of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

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Highlights

• •Proteomics analysis was performed in two murine models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (mdx and mdx52) at three ages (8, 16 and 80 weeks) and compared with wild-type controls.
• •High-resolution isoelectric focusing liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry enabled the quantification of 4974 proteins in all samples.
• •This study has revealed protein signatures of dystrophin deficiency and the progression of dystrophic pathology.
• •In contrast, the proteomes of the mdx and mdx52 mice were highly similar.
• •Pathway analysis revealed crosstalk between inflammatory, metabolic and muscle growth processes in dystrophic muscle.