Dynamics of soil penetration resistance, moisture depletion pattern and crop productivity determined by mechanized cultivation and lifesaving irrigation in zero till blackgram.

Rice fallow black gram is grown under the residual moisture situation as a relay crop in heavy texture montmorillonite clay soil under zero till condition. Since the crop is raised during post monsoon season, the crop often experiences terminal stress due to limited water availability and no rainfall. Surface irrigation in montmorillonite clay soil is determent to pulse crop as inundation causes wilting. Therefore, zero tilled rice fallow black gram has to be supplemented with micro irrigation at flowering stage (35 days after sowing) to alleviate moisture stress and to increase the productivity as well. Hence micro farm pond in a corner of one ha field was created to harvest the rain water during monsoon season and the same was utilized to supplement the crop with lifesaving irrigation through mobile sprinkler at flowering stage for the crop grown under conservation agriculture. Soil cracking is also the common phenomena of montmorillonite clay soil where evaporations losses would be more through crack surfaces. The present study was therefore conducted to study the changes in the soil physical properties, crop establishment and productivity in conjunction with mechanized sowing and harvest and supplemental mobile sprinkler irrigation. Sowing of black gram by broadcasting 10 days prior to the manual harvest of rice, manual drawn single row seed drill after the machine harvest of rice and sowing by broadcasting at 4 days prior to machine harvest of rice was experimented separately and in combination with lifesaving irrigation. Results indicated that the number of wheel passes and lifesaving irrigation had a very strong impact on soil penetration resistance and soil moisture. Combined harvester followed by no till seed drill increased the soil penetration resistance in all the layers (0-5 cm, 5-10 cm and 10-15 cm). Two passes of wheel increased the mean soil penetration resistance from 407 KPa to 502 KPa. The soil penetration resistance (0-5 cm) at harvest shown that black gram sown by manual broadcasting 10 days prior to manual harvest of paddy supplemented with life irrigation on 30 DAS reduced the soil penetration resistance from 690 Kpa to 500 Kpa, 740 Kpa to 600 Kpa and 760 Kpa to 620 Kpa respectively at 0-5 cm, 5-10 cm and 10-15 cm layer. In general, moisture depletion rate was rapid in the surface layer of 0-5 cm as compared to other layers of 5-10 cm and 10-15 cm up to 30 DAS (Flowering stage). The moisture content and the soil penetration resistance had an inverse relationship. The soil penetration resistance also had an inverse relationship with the root length in which the root length lowers as the soil penetration resistance increases. The soil crack measured at 60 DAS was deeper with no till seed drill (width of 3.94 cm and depth of 13.67 cm) which was mainly due to surface layer compaction. The relative water content, specific leaf weight and chlorophyll content were significantly improved through the supplemental irrigation given on 30 DAS irrespective of crop establishment methods. The results further indicated that compaction of ploughed layer in the moist soil due to combined harvester and no till seed drill had a negative impact on yield (457 kg ha-1), which was improved by 19.03 per cent due to increased soil moisture with supplemental irrigation. The mean yield increase across different treatments due to supplemental lifesaving irrigation through mobile sprinkler was 20.4 per cent.

URANIUM QUANTIFICATION IN GROUNDWATER AND HEALTH RISK FROM ITS INGESTION IN AND AROUND TIRUVANNAMALAI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA.

The aim of this study is to assess the degree of contamination in drinking water sources around the holy mountain "Arunachala" in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. Drinking water samples from 20 different sites were collected, and their physio-chemical parameters, pH, electrical conductivity and total dissolved solvents were determined. An LED fluorimeter was used to determine the concentration of uranium in these samples. As consumption of contaminated drinking water involves both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk, excess cancer risk; life-time average daily dose; hazard quotient and annual effective dose were calculated for the samples. On comparing these values with their respective maximum permissible limits, it is found that water from the aquifers around the mountain is safe to consume.

Aloe vera in dentistry.

Aloe vera is a medicinal plant which has been used for thousands of years. The health benefits of aloe vera is well known and the dental uses of this plant is multiple. Interest is gathering among researchers regarding the use of this plant. Studies have proved the antiseptic, anti inflammatory, antiviral and antifungal properties of aloe vera and the use of this plant is proved beneficial. This plant is proved to be non allergic and very good in building up the immune system. Aloe vera is gaining popularity in dentistry as it is completely natural and there is no side effects being reported with its use. This paper gives an overview of the uses of this miracle plant and its uses in dentistry.

Solution structure of BTK-2, a novel hK(v)1.1 inhibiting scorpion toxin, from the eastern Indian scorpion Mesobuthus tamulus.

The three dimensional structure of a 32 residue three disulfide scorpion toxin, BTK-2, from the Indian red scorpion Mesobuthus tamulus has been determined using isotope edited solution NMR methods. Samples for structural and electrophysiological studies were prepared using recombinant DNA methods. Electrophysiological studies show that the peptide is active against hK(v)1.1 channels. The structure of BTK-2 was determined using 373 distance restraints from NOE data, 66 dihedral angle restraints from NOE, chemical shift and scalar coupling data, 6 constraints based on disulfide linkages and 8 constraints based on hydrogen bonds. The root mean square deviation (r.m.s.d) about the averaged co-ordinates of the backbone (N, C(α), C') and all heavy atoms are 0.81 ± 0.23Å and 1.51 ± 0.29Å respectively. The backbone dihedral angles (ϕ and ψ) for all residues occupy the favorable and allowed regions of the Ramachandran map. The three dimensional structure of BTK-2 is composed of three well defined secondary structural regions that constitute the α-ß-ß structural motif. Comparisons between the structure of BTK-2 and other closely related scorpion toxins pointed towards distinct differences in surface properties that provide insights into the structure-function relationships among this important class of voltage-gated potassium channel inhibiting peptides.

Cloning, overexpression, folding and purification of a biosynthetically derived three disulfide scorpion toxin (BTK-2) from Mesobuthus tamulus.

BTK-2, a 32 residue scorpion toxin initially identified in the venom of red Indian scorpion Mesobuthus tamulus was cloned, overexpressed and purified using Cytochrome b(5) fusion protein system developed in our laboratory. The synthetic gene coding for the peptide was designed taking into account optimal codon usage by Escherichia coli. High expression levels of the fusion protein enabled facile purification of this peptide. The presence of disulfide bonded isomers, occurring as distinctly populated states even in the fusion protein, were separated by gel filtration chromatography. The target peptide was liberated from the host protein by Tev protease cleavage and subsequent purification was achieved using RP-HPLC methods. Reverse phase HPLC clearly showed the presence of at least two isomeric forms of the peptide that were significantly populated. The oxidative folding of BTK-2 was achieved under ambient conditions during the course of purification. Structural characterization of the two forms, by solution homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR methods, has shown that these two forms exhibit significantly different structural properties, and represent the natively folded and a "misfolded" form of the peptide. The formation of properly folded BTK-2 as a major fraction without the use of in vitro oxidative refolding methods clearly indicate the versatility of the Cytochrome b(5) fusion protein system for the efficient production of peptides for high resolution NMR studies.

Significance of a "hot patella" in total knee replacement without primary patellar resurfacing.

A "hot patella" is a bone scan finding of increased tracer uptake in the patella, greater than the ipsilateral distal femur or the proximal tibia. Increased patellar uptake on the bone scans is a relatively frequent finding; this is often not commented upon. The aim of our study was to define the incidence of a "hot patella" on bone scans following total knee replacements with ongoing symptoms unrelated to sepsis. We wanted to investigate the correlation between the adverse retropatellar symptomatology following total knee replacement with bone scan findings. We undertook a retrospective study of 55 symptomatic total knee replacement patients, who had bone scans. The incidence of a "hot patella" in patients without primary patellar resurfacing was 51% (28/55). Ninety-five percent patients with anterior knee pain and 21% patients with diffuse knee pain had a "hot patella". Statistical analysis showed a positive association between "hot patella" and anterior knee pain (p value of <0.001). The patients with "hot patella" who underwent secondary patellar resurfacing had symptomatic relief of symptoms. Our study has shown that the finding of a "hot patella" on a bone scan in patients with anterior knee pain following total knee replacement suggests a problem related to the patellofemoral joint. This study would appear to indicate that a "hot patella" in a patient with clinically defined anterior knee pain is likely to benefit from secondary patellar resurfacing.

Solution structure of delta-Am2766: a highly hydrophobic delta-conotoxin from Conus amadis that inhibits inactivation of neuronal voltage-gated sodium channels.

The three-dimensional (3D) NMR solution structure (MeOH) of the highly hydrophobic delta-conotoxin delta-Am2766 from the molluscivorous snail Conus amadis has been determined. Fifteen converged structures were obtained on the basis of 262 distance constraints, 25 torsion-angle constraints, and ten constraints based on disulfide linkages and H-bonds. The root-mean-square deviations (rmsd) about the averaged coordinates of the backbone (N, C(alpha), C) and (all) heavy atoms were 0.62+/-0.20 and 1.12+/-0.23 A, respectively. The structures determined are of good stereochemical quality, as evidenced by the high percentage (100%) of backbone dihedral angles that occupy favorable and additionally allowed regions of the Ramachandran map. The structure of delta-Am2766 consists of a triple-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet, and of four turns. The three disulfides form the classical 'inhibitory cysteine knot' motif. So far, only one tertiary structure of a delta-conotoxin has been reported; thus, the tertiary structure of delta-Am2766 is the second such example. Another Conus peptide, Am2735 from C. amadis, has also been purified and sequenced. Am2735 shares 96% sequence identity with delta-Am2766. Unlike delta-Am2766, Am2735 does not inhibit the fast inactivation of Na+ currents in rat brain Na(v)1.2 Na+ channels at concentrations up to 200 nM.

Synthesis of lateral macrobicyclic compartmental ligands: structural, magnetic, electrochemical, and catalytic studies of mono- and binuclear copper(II) complexes.

A series of putative mono- and binuclear copper(II) complexes, of general formulas [CuL](ClO(4)) and [Cu(2)L](ClO(4))(2), respectively, have been synthesized from lateral macrocyclic ligands that have different compartments, originated from their corresponding precursor compounds (PC-1, 3,4:9,10-dibenzo-1,12-[N,N'-bis[(3-formyl-2-hydroxy-5-methyl)benzyl]diaza]-5,8-dioxacyclotetradecane; and PC-2, 3,4:9,10-dibenzo-1,12-[N,N'-bis[(3-formyl-2-hydroxy-5-methyl)benzyl]diaza]-5,8-dioxacyclopentadecane). The precursor compound PC-1 crystallized in the triclinic system with space group P(-)1. The mononuclear copper(II) complex [CuL(1a)](ClO(4)) is crystallized in the monoclinic system with space group P2(1)/c. The binuclear copper(II) complex [Cu(2)L(2c)](ClO(4))(2) is crystallized in the triclinic system with space group P(-)1; the two Cu ions have two different geometries. Electrochemical studies evidenced that one quasi-reversible reduction wave (E(pc) = -0.78 to -0.87 V) for mononuclear complexes and two quasi-reversible one-electron-transfer reduction waves (E(1)(pc) = -0.83 to -0.92 V, E(2)(pc) = -1.07 to -1.38 V) for binuclear complexes are obtained in the cathodic region. Room-temperature magnetic-moment studies convey the presence of antiferromagnetic coupling in binuclear complexes [mu(eff) = (1.45-1.55)mu(B)], which is also suggested from the broad ESR spectra with g = 2.10-2.11, whereas mononuclear complexes show hyperfine splitting in ESR spectra and they have magnetic-moment values that are similar to the spin-only value [mu(eff) = (1.69-1.72)mu(B)]. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility study of the complex shows that the observed -2J value for the binuclear complex [Cu(2)L(1b)](ClO(4))(2) is 214 cm(-1). The observed initial rate-constant values of catechol oxidation, using complexes as catalysts, range from 4.89 x 10(-3) to 5.32 x 10(-2) min(-1) and the values are found to be higher for binuclear complexes than for the corresponding mononuclear complexes.