Screening of recombinant inbred lines for salinity tolerance in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Screening and increasing of salinity tolerance of crops is an important aim of many plant breeders. Screening a large number of plants for salinity tolerance is not easy, therefore this investigation was performed to evaluate and screen 186 F8 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between Superhead#2 (Super Seri) and Roshan wheat varieties for salinity tolerance. All the individuals were evaluated under two treatments including control (10 mM NaCl) and salt stress (150 mM NaCl). Different traits relating to salt tolerance, including dry matter of shoot and root, sodium and potassium concentration, chlorophyll content and relative water content (RWC) were measured. Significant differences were observed among wheat RILs for all the measured traits. Seedling growth was reduced by salinity in all RILs and we observed a significant negative correlation between shoot dry matter and sodium concentration (r = -0.52**), whereas significant positive correlations between shoot dry matter and K+/Na+ ratio (r = 0.36**), chlorophyll content (r = 0.20**) and RWC (r = 0.39**) were detected. Based on our results, sodium concentration of leaf, K+/Na+ ratio, chlorophyll content and RWC are good indexes for screening bread wheat genotypes for salinity tolerance.Key words: Screening, salinity tolerance, recombinant inbred lines, wheat

A coded aperture microscope for X-ray fluorescence full-field imaging

The design and construction of an instrument for full-field imaging of the X-ray fluorescence emitted by a fully illuminated sample are presented. The aim is to produce an X-ray microscope with a few micrometers spatial resolution, which does not need to scan the sample. Since the fluorescence from a spatially inhomogeneous sample may contain many fluorescence lines, the optic which will provide the magnification of the emissions must be achromatic, i.e. its optical properties must be energy-independent. The only optics which fulfill this requirement in the X-ray regime are mirrors and pinholes. The throughput of a simple pinhole is very low, so the concept of coded apertures is an attractive extension which improves the throughput by having many pinholes, and retains the achromatic property. Modified uniformly redundant arrays (MURAs) with 10 mu m openings and 50% open area have been fabricated using gold in a lithographic technique, fabricated on a 1 mu m-thick silicon nitride membrane. The gold is 25 mu m thick, offering good contrast up to 20keV. The silicon nitride is transparent down into the soft X-ray region. MURAs with various orders, from 19 up to 73, as well as their respective negative (a mask where open and closed positions are inversed compared with the original mask), have been made. Having both signs of mask will reduce near-field artifacts and make it possible to correct for any lack of contrast

The induction of diabetes in rats by intramuscular administration of streptozotocin

Experientia35121679-1680EXPE

Plasma insulin response to glucose in subjects with normal glucose tolerance test

Annals of the Academy of Medicine Singapore42170-176AAMS

Isolation and Characterization of Crude Oil Degrading Bacillus Spp.

Today, application of microorganisms for removing crude oil pollution from contaminated sites as bioremediation studies, was considered by scientists because other methods such as surfactant washing and incineration lead to production of more toxic compounds and they are non-economic. Fifteen crude oil degrading Bacillus   spp. were isolated from contaminated sites. Two isolated showed best growth in liquid media with 1-3% (v/v) crude oil and mineral salt medium, then studied for enzymatic activities on tested media. The results showed maximal increase in optical densities and total viable count concomitant with decrease in pH on fifth day of experimental period for bacillus S6. Typical generation time on mineral salt with 1% crude oil is varying between 18-20h, 25-26h respectively for bacillus S6 and S35. Total protein was monitored at determined time intervals as biodegradation indices. Increasing of protein concentration during the incubation period reveals that isolated bacillus can degrade crude oil and increase microbial biomass. These bacillus spp. reduced surface tension from 60 (mN/m) to 31 and 38 (mN/m), It means that these bacillus spp. can produce sufficient surfactant and have good potential of emulsification capacity. The results demonstrated that these bacillus spp. can utilize crude oil as a carbon and energy source

Penerapan Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Pikohidro Menggunakan Komponen Bekas dengan Pemanfaatan Potensi Energi Terbarukan di Desa Gelang Kecamatan Sumberbaru Kabupaten Jember

Pembangkit listrik tenaga pikohidro merupakan salah satu alternatif pembangkit listrik skala kecil yang dapat diterapkan di daerah pedesaan dimana tersedia aliran sungai yang mempunyai debit air yang kontinu dan tinggi jatuh air yang relatif rendah untuk menggerakkan turbin yang dapat menghasilkan daya listrik. Untuk dapat menghasilkan daya listrik dengan potensi yang demikian, diperlukan pembangkit listrik tenaga skala pikohidro. Di Desa Gelang Kecamatan Sumberbaru Kabupaten Jember lokasi geografisnya merupakan sebuah dataran tinggi daerah perkebunan kopi dan teh, yang terdiri dari beberapa dusun dan kampung, diantara kampung dihuni oleh sekelompok warga Kampung Seng dan Kampung Genteng yang sampai saat ini belum menikmati listrik karena belum terjangkau jaringan listrik PLN. Dari hasil survei, kampung tersebut mempunyai potensi energi terbarukan berupa sungai yang mempunyai debit air kontinyu sepanjang tahun dan dapat dimanfaatkan untuk pembangkit listrik tenaga skala pikohidro. Pada program kemitraan masyarakat ditawarkan solusi yaitu memanfaatkan potensi energi terbarukan yang ada pada kampung tersebut untuk menghasilkan daya listrik. Pada lokasi Kampung Seng dan lokasi Kampung Genteng dapat diterapkan pembangkit listrik tenaga skala pikohidro menggunakan komponen bekas, sedangkan keluaran daya listriknya dapat digunakan untuk mensuplai kebutuhan listrik pada Mitra (1) dan Mitra (2)