Kinetics of Solid State Reaction between Copper & Bromine Vapours

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Genetic Diversity of Genus \u3cem\u3eAvena\u3c/em\u3e in North Western-Himalayas assessed by Morphological Traits

Oat (Avena sativa L.) is a cool season, annual crop grown mainly in moist areas of temperate climates of the world serving as a food for mankind and forage for cattle. Oat is an important rabi fodder crop in India.In India, oat is also cultivated in Himalayan states like Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Oat in these regions have a wider adaptability, because of its excellent growing habitat, quick re-growth and better nutritional value (Misri, 2004). Oat breeding programme in Indian regions has not achieved much impetus due to a narrow genetic base of cultivated gene pool within the regionally adapted germplasm. The competition for utilization of land for food grains and fodder necessitates intensified efforts towards more efficient forage research and production, for which it is imperative to characterize and evaluate Avena species in order to identify donors for different traits and diversify primary oat gene pool. Historically, morphological traits have been important in the diversity analysis of crop species. The characterization of germplasm using morphological traits help the plant breeders to select the accessions to be utilized in hybridization programme. Considering the potential forage value of oats and limited genetic information available at morphological level, present study was aimed to assess the genetic diversity of genus Avena using morphological characterization. The information generated from this study will be helpful in characterizing the genus Avena germplasm and in the selection and utilization of diverse genotypes to enhance variability and productivity of commercial oat for future crop improvement endeavors in the Indian North-Western Himalayan region

Potential benefits and therapeutic applications of "Panchgavya" therapy (Cowpathy) for human and animal health: Current scientific knowledge

Cow's milk, urine, dung, ghee, and curd (together known as "Panchgavya") have incomparable medicinal value in Ayurveda and ancient Indian clinical methods. Panchgavya is also known as Cowpathy in Ayurveda. In India, the cow is revered as a goddess known as "Gaumata" because of its nurturing qualities similar to those of a mother. Almost no adverse effects are associated with using Panchgavya, which is why it is recommended in Ayurveda for treating disorders affecting numerous body systems. Its possible antimicrobial effects have piqued the curiosity of medical researchers and practitioners. Cow milk is widely regarded as a nutritious diet and has been shown to effectively treat various medical conditions, including high body temperature, pain, cancer, diabetes, kidney diseases, and weakness. Milk can prevent the growth of microorganisms, has erotic qualities when combined with the leaves of medicinal herbs, and the fat in milk has anticancer characteristics. Toned and skim milk, lassi, yoghurt, cottage cheese, and khoa all come from milk and have important medicinal characteristics. Curd (dahi) is recommended as a blood purifier for conditions such as hemorrhoids, piles, and gastrointestinal issues. Ghee made from cows has been shown to boost immunity. It is important to highlight the use of cow dung as an antifungal and for treating malaria and tuberculosis. It has the potential to aid in the development of a populace free from disease, the creation of sustainable energy systems, the fulfilment of all nutritional needs, the elimination of poverty, the promotion of organic farming culture, and the like. Cow urine is a powerful remedy for numerous medical conditions, including but not limited to epileptic convulsions, diabetes, hepatitis, inflammation, fever, and anaemia. The current review article explores how the Panchgavya ingredients can be employed to safeguard human and animal health

Impact of Phytoconstituents on Oral Health Practices: A Post COVID-19 Observation

Appropriate oral hygiene significantly reduces the possibility of oral infections. However, dental caries and periodontal diseases are major oral health issues causing chronic diseases due to poor oral health. Recently, herbal compounds have gained interest in maintaining oral health. Extracts of burdock root (Arctium), noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia), and neem leaf (Azadirachta indica) are now used as intracanal medicaments in endodontics and periodontics. Plectranthus amboinicus species and other plants produces essential oil like β-caryophyllene, p-cymene, and γ-terpinenecan exhibiting antibacterial activity, highlighting phytoconstituents plays a vital role in oral health. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of hygiene and sanitization, to curb SARS-CoV-2. Oral cavity is among the gateways for virus entry into saliva. Saliva is a potential reservoir of SARS-CoV-2, and there is an increased risk of infection if there is any fissure in the mouth. This enables entry of virus into the vascular system through gingival or periodontal pocket, possibly reaching lung periphery then to lung vessels by interacting with endothelial surface receptors triggering pulmonary vasoconstriction and lung damage due to endothelial dysfunction. This review aims to draw attention to the possible route of SARS-CoV-2 infection via the oral cavity and the importance of oral hygiene against COVID-19

Germplasm characterization, association and clustering for salinity and waterlogging tolerance in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum)

A study was conducted for characterizing germplasm, estimating interrelationship of traits and clustering of wheat genotypes in five environments covering salinity, waterlogging and neutral soils using, 100 elite but diverse genotypes with eight checks of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). These genotypes were planted under five distinct environments during rabi 2009-10 under augmented design in four blocks wherein each check was repeated twice. The genetic variance, correlation coefficients and cluster analysis were carried out for assessment of lines through seven metric traits, namely, plant stand, plant height, days to heading, days to maturity, tillers/meter, 1000-grain weight and grain yield. Analysis of variance revealed wide variability for most of the traits under study. The phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was high for tillers/meter and grain yield, while high heritability coupled with high genetic advance were found for tillers/meter, 1000-grain weight and grain yield under all five environments. At phenotypic level, positive and significant correlation coefficients revealed that under all the normal and stressed environments used here, grain yield is directly influenced by plant stand, tillers/meter and thousand grain weights. Significant and positive correlations were estimated between tillers/meter (r = 0.31 to 0.66), and 1000 grain weight (r = 0.24 to 0.61) with grain yield under all five environments. Under waterlogged conditions there were significant negative correlations of plant height to grain yield (r = –0.38 to –0.39) across two sites. These results, thereby suggests that yield improvement in bread wheat could be possible by emphasizing these traits through selection in these diverse environments. On the basis of D2 values of pooled data, 108 genotypes were grouped into four clusters. In all, only 26 lines were found common in cluster III under two waterlogging environments (Faizabad and Karnal), while only 15 lines were common in cluster I under non waterlogging (Faizabad, CSSRI and DWR) conditions. These results indicate different constraints exist in waterlogged and non-waterlogged condition at these sites. Genetic diversity available for these traits may be utilized for yield improvement in bread wheat under different soil conditions through planned hybridization and selection in target environments

Origin and spread of human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U7

Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U is among the initial maternal founders in Southwest Asia and Europe and one that best indicates matrilineal genetic continuity between late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer groups and present-day populations of Europe. While most haplogroup U subclades are older than 30 thousand years, the comparatively recent coalescence time of the extant variation of haplogroup U7 (~16–19 thousand years ago) suggests that its current distribution is the consequence of more recent dispersal events, despite its wide geographical range across Europe, the Near East and South Asia. Here we report 267 new U7 mitogenomes that – analysed alongside 100 published ones – enable us to discern at least two distinct temporal phases of dispersal, both of which most likely emanated from the Near East. The earlier one began prior to the Holocene (~11.5 thousand years ago) towards South Asia, while the later dispersal took place more recently towards Mediterranean Europe during the Neolithic (~8 thousand years ago). These findings imply that the carriers of haplogroup U7 spread to South Asia and Europe before the suggested Bronze Age expansion of Indo-European languages from the Pontic-Caspian Steppe region

Multi-Trait and Multi-Environment QTL Analyses for Resistance to Wheat Diseases

BACKGROUND: Stripe rust, leaf rust, tan spot, and Karnal bunt are economically significant diseases impacting wheat production. The objectives of this study were to identify quantitative trait loci for resistance to these diseases in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) from a cross HD29/WH542, and to evaluate the evidence for the presence loci on chromosome region conferring multiple disease resistance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The RIL population was evaluated for four diseases and genotyped with DNA markers. Multi-trait (MT) analysis revealed thirteen QTLs on nine chromosomes, significantly associated with resistance. Phenotypic variation explained by all significant QTLs for KB, TS, Yr, Lr diseases were 57%, 55%, 38% and 22%, respectively. Marginal trait analysis identified the most significant QTLs for resistance to KB on chromosomes 1BS, 2DS, 3BS, 4BL, 5BL, and 5DL. Chromosomes 3AS and 4BL showed significant association with TS resistance. Significant QTLs for Yr resistance were identified on chromosomes 2AS, 4BL and 5BL, while Lr was significant on 6DS. MT analysis revealed that all the QTLs except 3BL significantly reduce KB and was contributed from parent HD29 while all resistant QTLs for TS except on chromosomes 2DS.1, 2DS.2 and 3BL came from WH542. Five resistant QTLs for Yr and six for Lr were contributed from parents WH542 and HD29 respectively. Chromosome region on 4BL showed significant association to KB, TS, and Yr in the population. The multi environment analysis for KB identified three putative QTLs of which two new QTLs, mapped on chromosomes 3BS and 5DL explained 10 and 20% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study revealed that MT analysis is an effective tool for detection of multi-trait QTLs for disease resistance. This approach is a more effective and practical than individual QTL mapping analyses. MT analysis identified RILs that combine resistance to multiple diseases from parents WH542 and/or HD29

Children’s and adolescents’ rising animal-source food intakes in 1990–2018 were impacted by age, region, parental education and urbanicity

Animal-source foods (ASF) provide nutrition for children and adolescents’ physical and cognitive development. Here, we use data from the Global Dietary Database and Bayesian hierarchical models to quantify global, regional and national ASF intakes between 1990 and 2018 by age group across 185 countries, representing 93% of the world’s child population. Mean ASF intake was 1.9 servings per day, representing 16% of children consuming at least three daily servings. Intake was similar between boys and girls, but higher among urban children with educated parents. Consumption varied by age from 0.6 at <1 year to 2.5 servings per day at 15–19 years. Between 1990 and 2018, mean ASF intake increased by 0.5 servings per week, with increases in all regions except sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, total ASF consumption was highest in Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey, and lowest in Uganda, India, Kenya and Bangladesh. These findings can inform policy to address malnutrition through targeted ASF consumption programmes.publishedVersio

Incident type 2 diabetes attributable to suboptimal diet in 184 countries

The global burden of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes (T2D) is not well established. This risk assessment model estimated T2D incidence among adults attributable to direct and body weight-mediated effects of 11 dietary factors in 184 countries in 1990 and 2018. In 2018, suboptimal intake of these dietary factors was estimated to be attributable to 14.1 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI), 13.8–14.4 million) incident T2D cases, representing 70.3% (68.8–71.8%) of new cases globally. Largest T2D burdens were attributable to insufficient whole-grain intake (26.1% (25.0–27.1%)), excess refined rice and wheat intake (24.6% (22.3–27.2%)) and excess processed meat intake (20.3% (18.3–23.5%)). Across regions, highest proportional burdens were in central and eastern Europe and central Asia (85.6% (83.4–87.7%)) and Latin America and the Caribbean (81.8% (80.1–83.4%)); and lowest proportional burdens were in South Asia (55.4% (52.1–60.7%)). Proportions of diet-attributable T2D were generally larger in men than in women and were inversely correlated with age. Diet-attributable T2D was generally larger among urban versus rural residents and higher versus lower educated individuals, except in high-income countries, central and eastern Europe and central Asia, where burdens were larger in rural residents and in lower educated individuals. Compared with 1990, global diet-attributable T2D increased by 2.6 absolute percentage points (8.6 million more cases) in 2018, with variation in these trends by world region and dietary factor. These findings inform nutritional priorities and clinical and public health planning to improve dietary quality and reduce T2D globally.publishedVersio