Diversity analysis in snowball cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) using microsatellite markers

A set of 50 microsatellite markers were used for analysis of molecular diversity in 12 parental lines consisting of five Ogura CMS lines and 7 testers of snowball cauliflower (Brassica oleracea vas botrytis L.). Twelve markers were found to be polymorphic and the polymorphic information content (PIC) of the simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers ranged from 0.15 to as high as 0.83. The genetic dissimilarity based on simple matching coefficient for 12 genotypes ranged from 0.06 to 0.61 with an average of 0.36. The principal coordinate analysis based on molecular polymorphism, delineated the genotypes into five different groups. Genotype specific alleles was identified, which can be used as a reference for varietal identification as well as to identify the purity of the hybrid seeds in snowball cauliflower. The present study demonstrates the utility of microsatellite markers for estimating molecular diversity as well as genotype identification in snowball cauliflower

Development of disposal sorbents for chloride removal from high-temperature coal-derived gases

The objective of this program is to develop alkali-based disposable sorbents capable of reducing HCl vapor concentrations to less than 1 ppmv in coal gas streams at temperatures in the range 400{degrees} to 750{degrees}C and pressures in the range 1 to 20 atm. The primary areas of focus of this program are investigation of different processes for fabricating the sorbents, testing their suitability for different reactor configurations, obtaining kinetic data for commercial reactor design, and updating the economics of the process

Evaluation of methanol for reduced exhaust emissions in a single-cylinder research engine

The investigation examines the influence of different operating parameters on the formation of oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, unburned fuel and the aldehydes when fueled by methanol and methanol-water mixtures. Also, the effect of adding small quantities of aniline on the burning rate and aldehydes exhaust has been explored

Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Lacking hfq Gene Confers Protective Immunity against Murine Typhoid

Salmonella enterica is an important enteric pathogen and its various serovars are involved in causing both systemic and intestinal diseases in humans and domestic animals. The emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of Salmonella leading to increased morbidity and mortality has further complicated its management. Live attenuated vaccines have been proven superior over killed or subunit vaccines due to their ability to induce protective immunity. Of the various strategies used for the generation of live attenuated vaccine strains, focus has gradually shifted towards manipulation of virulence regulator genes. Hfq is a RNA chaperon which mediates the binding of small RNAs to the mRNA and assists in post-transcriptional gene regulation in bacteria. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of the Salmonella Typhimurium Δhfq strain as a candidate for live oral vaccine in murine model of typhoid fever. Salmonella hfq deletion mutant is highly attenuated in cell culture and animal model implying a significant role of Hfq in bacterial virulence. Oral immunization with the Salmonella hfq deletion mutant efficiently protects mice against subsequent oral challenge with virulent strain of Salmonella Typhimurium. Moreover, protection was induced upon both multiple as well as single dose of immunizations. The vaccine strain appears to be safe for use in pregnant mice and the protection is mediated by the increase in the number of CD4+ T lymphocytes upon vaccination. The levels of serum IgG and secretory-IgA in intestinal washes specific to lipopolysaccharide and outer membrane protein were significantly increased upon vaccination. Furthermore, hfq deletion mutant showed enhanced antigen presentation by dendritic cells compared to the wild type strain. Taken together, the studies in murine immunization model suggest that the Salmonella hfq deletion mutant can be a novel live oral vaccine candidate

Kinetics of Oxidation of Some Amino Acids by N-Chlorosaccharin in Aqueous Acetic Acid Medium

The kinetics of oxidation of some amino acids namely, glycine, alanine, aspartic acid, arginine, and histidine, (AA) by N-chlorosaccharin (NCSA) in aqueous acetic acid medium in the presence of perchloric acid have been investigated. The observed rate of oxidation is first order in [AA], [NCSA] and of inverse fractional order in [H+]. The main product of the oxidation is the corresponding aldehyde. The ionic strength on the reaction rate has no significant effect. The effect of changing the dielectric constant of the medium on the rate indicates the reaction to be of dipole-dipole type. Hypochlorous acid has been postulated as the reactive oxidizing species. The reaction constants involved in the mechanism are derived. The activation parameters are computed with respect to slow step of the mechanism

Genetic and molecular analysis of leaf blast resistance in Tetep derived line RIL4 and its relationship to genes at Pita/Pita 2 locus

Abstract The Vietnamese indica landrace ‘Tetep’ is known worldwide for its durable and broad spectrum-resistance to blast. We performed genetic and molecular analyses of leaf blast resistance in a Tetep derived recombinant inbred line ‘RIL4’ which is resistant to both leaf and neck blast. Phenotypic analysis of segregating F2 progenies suggested that leaf blast resistance in RIL4 was controlled by a dominant gene tentatively designated as Pi-l(t). The gene was mapped to a 2.4 cm region close to the centromere of chromosome 12. The search for the gene content in the equivalent genomic region of reference cv. Nipponbare revealed the presence of five NBS-LRR genes, two of which corresponded to the alleles of Pita and Pi67 genes previously identified from Tetep. The two other genes, LOC_Os12g17090, and LOC_Os12g17490 represented the homologs of stripe rust resistance gene Yr10. The allelic tests with Pita2 and Pi67 lines suggested that the leaf blast resistance gene in RIL4 is either allelic or tightly linked to these genes. The genomic position of the leaf blast resistance gene in RIL4 perfectly coincided with the genomic position of a neck blast resistance gene Pb2 previously identified from this line suggesting that the same gene confers resistance to leaf and neck blast. The present results were discussed in juxtaposition with past studies on the genes of Pita/Pita 2 resistance gene complex