Estimation of genetic diversity among sugarcane (Saccharum species complex) clones

he experimental materials consisted of 36 sugarcane clones including two checks (Co Pant 97222 and Co Pant 3220). Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among all the clones for all the traits under study namely no. of millable canes, cane height, single cane weight, juice sucrose percent , purity percent , cane yield and CCS yield except cane thickness, juice brix and juice extraction percent. The divergence studies through Mahalanobis D2 statistics grouped the 36 genotypes into eleven clusters. The maximum numbers of genotypes (21) were grouped in clusterI and the lowest (1) in cluster VI,VII,VIII,IX,X and XI. Members of cluster VII and XI (46.48) were found to be genetically most diverse on the basis of their inter cluster difference as opposite to clusters I and II (10.77) which are closely related. Cane height contributed maximum (15.397%) towards genetic divergence followed by Single cane weight (14.762%) and no. of millable cane (13.016%). These characters were considered to be most important for the genetic diversity. Lowest contribution was made by juice purity percent (4.286%) followed by Cane thickness(7.301%),Juice extraction percent (7.619%). Genetic diversity is important for sustainable production since greater losses of characteristics in any population limits its chances of survival. Little to no genetic diversity makes crops extremely susceptible to widespread biotic and abiotic stresses. Genetic diversity can be assessed by Mahalanobis D2 statistic, which is a morphometric method and a powerful tool in quantifying the degree of divergence at genotypic level

Preliminary experience of fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery with extend system of Gamma Knife

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to present multisession stereotactic radiosurgery with initial experience using custom made extend system (ES) of Gamma Knife.Methods: The ES is comprised of a carbon fiber frame also called extend frame, vacuum head rest cushion, patient surveillance unit and a configurable front piece with dental impression tray. The extend frame is a rigid connection between patient's head and patient positioning system (PPS) of Gamma Knife. A dental impression of patient was created and attached to the frontal piece of extend system. The treatment setup involves positioning the patient within the extend frame using patient specific headrest cushion and front piece. The reference patient’s head position was recorded through measurements of repositioning check tool (RCT) apertures using a high precision digital probe before computed tomography (CT) scan. The RCT measurements taken before treatment were compared with recorded reference position to ensure appropriate patient treatment position. Volumetric magnetic resonance (MR) scan was co-registered with stereotactic CT scan on Leksell Gamma plan. Fused MR to CT images on Gamma Plan was utilized to delineate regions of interest and prepare a precise treatment plan. The presented study includes positional reproducibility check and dosimetric evaluation of ten patients treated with ES.Results: Forty-three fractions on ten patients with prescribed treatment format were delivered successfully. An average tumor volume of 11.26 cm3 (range, 340 mm3 to 59.12 cm3) was treated with ES. The mean tumor coverage of 91.91% (range, 90% to 95%) was able to achieve at 50% prescription isodose without compromising adjacent normal structure radiation dose tolerances. The mean inter-fraction positional variation of 0.69 mm influences an inherent strength of immobilization technique. Follow-up of seven patients at a median interval of 16 months (range, 9 months to 26 months) showed evidence of 100% radiographic control with improved clinical results.Conclusion: Conjugative clinical outcome shows the efficacy of fractionation in various clinical indications

Development of early maturing salt-tolerant rice variety KKL(R) 3 using a combination of conventional and molecular breeding approaches

Introduction: Soil salinity poses a severe threat to rice production, resulting in stunted growth, leaf damage, and substantial yield losses. This study focuses on developing an early maturing seedling stage salinity tolerant rice variety by integrating conventional breeding methods with marker assisted breeding (MAB) approaches.Methods: Seedling-stage salinity tolerance Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) “Saltol” from the salt-tolerant parent FL478 was introduced into the high-yielding but salt-sensitive rice variety ADT 45. This was achieved through a combination of conventional breeding and MAB. The breeding process involved rigorous selection, screening, and physiological parameter assessments.Results: KKL(R) 3 (KR 15066) identified as the top performing Recombinant Inbred Line (RIL), consistently demonstrating maximum mean grain yields under both salinity (3435.6 kg/ha) and normal (6421.8 kg/ha) conditions. In comparison to the early maturing, salt-tolerant national check variety CSR 10, KKL(R) 3 exhibited a substantial yield increase over 50%.Discussion: The notable improvement observed in KKL(R) 3 positions it as a promising variety for release, offering a reliable solution to maximize yields, ensure food security, and promote agricultural sustainability in both saline and non-saline environments. The study highlights the effectiveness of MAB in developing salt-tolerant rice varieties and emphasizes the significance of the Saltol QTL in enhancing seedling stage salinity tolerance. The potential release of KKL(R) 3 has the capacity to revolutionize rice production in salt affected regions, providing farmers with a reliable solution to maximize yields and contribute to food security while ensuring agricultural sustainability

Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network

Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO--Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

A study regarding awareness among mothers of children from 12 months to 23 months about growth charting and its determinants in rural area of Amritsar district

Abstract Despite of various nutritional health programmes, malnutrition among children remains the big health problem in India. Even after the universalization of ICDS, India has biggest burden of malnourished children in the world. Suboptimal utilization of services by mothers is a big challenge before all programmes. Utilization of services also depends upon the awareness regarding the service and its perceived usefulness among beneficiaries. Therefore, the present study was conducted to know the awareness about the growth chart and its determinants among rural mothers. Study was conducted on 186 mothers selected from three villages. Chi square test and F test were applied wherever necessary. Results showed low level of awareness (38.17%) among the mothers regarding growth charting. Majority of mothers reported peripheral health functionaries i.e. ASHA Introduction

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Not AvailableWild relatives of Brassica are a rich reservoir of genes that are invaluable for the improvement of cultivated species. Sinapis alba is a close relative of crop Brassicas that possesses several desirable traits such as tolerance to Alternaria black spot disease, heat stress, insect pests and nematodes. This study is aimed at developing and characterizing hybrids between Brassica juncea and S. alba with the ultimate goal of transferring genes for tolerance to Alternaria brassicae and heat stress, the traits that are lacking in cultivated Brassica. We generated three hybrids between B. juncea and S. alba through protoplast fusion. The hybridity was confirmed through cytology and molecular markers. While two of the hybrids were symmetric, the third one was asymmetric and had greater resemblance to B. juncea. Hybrids showed some characteristic features of the parents and were fully male and female fertile and also set seeds upon back crossing with the parent species. In vitro leaf assay and field inoculation studies revealed that the hybrids are highly resistant to A. brassicae. Besides, hybrids set seeds at temperature of >38 °C when parents failed to produce seeds indicating that hybrids possess heat tolerance. These stable hybrids provide a reliable genetic resource for transfer of genes from S. alba into cultivated Brassica speciesNot Availabl