Population structure,gene flow and genetic diversity analyses based on agro-morphological traits and microsatellite markers within cultivated and wild germplasms of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench.]

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Monech.] is an annual herb of the family Malvaceae and has tremendous nutritional and industrial potential. However, the...     

Alterations in total microbial activity and nitrification rates in soil due to amoxicillin‐spiked pig manure

Most veterinary drugs enter the environment via manure application. However, ecotoxic effects of antibiotics are varying as a function of their physicochemical characteristics and for most antibiotics it is still unclear how these substances interact with soil biota. It was the aim of the present study to investigate effects of manure containing different concentrations of the antibiotic amoxicillin (AMX) on microbial‐community function in two different soils over an incubation time of 18 d. Therefore, soil respiration, potential nitrification, and the products of N turnover were measured. We could show that CaCl₂‐extractable amounts of AMX in soil are low, even shortly after the application of high doses together with manure. Thus, not surprisingly basal respiration in soil was not influenced by the addition of the antibiotic with manure. In contrast, mainly shortly after manure addition the kinetic of substrate‐induced respiration was clearly shifted by the treatments depending on the presence of AMX in the manure. Potential nitrification rates in the two different soils were not significantly affected when data were related to the overall incubation time by the application of AMX to the manure. However, shortly after the addition of the manure containing AMX, a tendency to lower turnover rates was visible compared to the application of pure manure.     

Role of elasticity in control of diameter of electrospun PAN nanofibers

A series of poly(acrylonitrile-co-methylacrylate) copolymers (PAN) with varying molecular weight were synthesized by radical copolymerization using α-α′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator. These copolymers were dissolved at different concentrations in DMF and electrospun at Minimum electrospinning voltage (MEV) to correlate electrical energy required to perform the mechanical work during the spinning of the fibers. The diameters of the resultant fibers were correlated with the Berry number and average number of entanglements per chain of the spinning solution. It was observed that number of entanglements per chain, which represents the capacity of the polymer system to store elastic energy, could correlate well with the ultimate diameter of the fiber. Interestingly, the diameters of the nanofibers were found to increase linearly with increase in number of entanglements per chain with two distinct regions having transition of the slope at number of entanglement value of 3.5.     

Neuropharmacological properties of Xylocarpus moluccensis

The methanolic extracts of the barks and pneumatophores of Xylocarpus moluccensis were assessed for their effects on the central nervous system (CNS) using a series of established pharmacological tests including pentobarbitone-induced sleeping time, open field, hole cross, hole-board and evasions tests in mice model. These extracts produced a dose-dependent reduction of the onset and duration of pentobarbitone-induced hypnosis, reduction of locomotor and exploratory activities in the open field, hole cross, head-dip and evasion tests. These results suggest that both the bark and pneumatophore extracts possess CNS depressant activity, the pneumatophore extract being more potent than the bark extract.     

Analgesic activity of Amorphophallus campanulatus tuber

The methanol extract of Amorphophallus campanulatus tuber, given orally at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg, showed significant analgesic activity in mice.