Genome-wide identification of arabidopsis coiled-coil proteins and establishment of the ARABI-COIL database

Increasing evidence demonstrates the importance of long coiled-coil proteins for the spatial organization of cellular processes. Although several protein classes with long coiled-coil domains have been studied in animals and yeast, our knowledge about plant long coiled-coil proteins is very limited. The repeat nature of the coiled-coil sequence motif often prevents the simple identification of homologs of animal coiled-coil proteins by generic sequence similarity searches. As a consequence, counterparts of many animal proteins with long coiled-coil domains, like lamins, golgins, or microtubule organization center components, have not been identified yet in plants. Here, all Arabidopsis proteins predicted to contain long stretches of coiled-coil domains were identified by applying the algorithm MultiCoil to a genome-wide screen. A searchable protein database, ARABI-COIL (http://www.coiled-coil.org/arabidopsis), was established that integrates information on number, size, and position of predicted coiled-coil domains with subcellular localization signals, transmembrane domains, and available functional annotations. ARABI-COIL serves as a tool to sort and browse Arabidopsis long coiled-coil proteins to facilitate the identification and selection of candidate proteins of potential interest for specific research areas. Using the database, candidate proteins were identified for Arabidopsis membrane-bound, nuclear, and organellar long coiled-coil proteins

Science with the Daksha High Energy Transients Mission

We present the science case for the proposed Daksha high energy transients mission. Daksha will comprise of two satellites covering the entire sky from 1~keV to $>1$~MeV. The primary objectives of the mission are to discover and characterize electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave source; and to study Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). Daksha is a versatile all-sky monitor that can address a wide variety of science cases. With its broadband spectral response, high sensitivity, and continuous all-sky coverage, it will discover fainter and rarer sources than any other existing or proposed mission. Daksha can make key strides in GRB research with polarization studies, prompt soft spectroscopy, and fine time-resolved spectral studies. Daksha will provide continuous monitoring of X-ray pulsars. It will detect magnetar outbursts and high energy counterparts to Fast Radio Bursts. Using Earth occultation to measure source fluxes, the two satellites together will obtain daily flux measurements of bright hard X-ray sources including active galactic nuclei, X-ray binaries, and slow transients like Novae. Correlation studies between the two satellites can be used to probe primordial black holes through lensing. Daksha will have a set of detectors continuously pointing towards the Sun, providing excellent hard X-ray monitoring data. Closer to home, the high sensitivity and time resolution of Daksha can be leveraged for the characterization of Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to ApJ. More details about the mission at https://www.dakshasat.in

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Not AvailableIn India, cassava cultivation is confined in South India. In Tamil Nadu, tubers are used as raw material for starch and sago industry. About 8–10 largescale starch factories and 150–200 small-scale starch and sago production units are generating nearly 40–60 tonnes of solid waste (thippi) per annum creating serious environmental pollution. A study undertaken to manage it through composting to a nutrient-rich organic manure revealed thippi as acidic with low major and micronutrient concentration, high water-holding capacity, good porosity, low bulk density, high starch, fiber, low protein, and cyanide. Composting of thippi with different combinations of raw materials, microbial cultures, and earthworms indicated that thippi enriched with gliricida and cassava leaves and composted with earthworm had the highest nutrient concentration with narrow carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio. The mean concentrations of N, phosphorus (P), potassium (K) calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in thippi compost were 1.32, 3.82, 0.40, 2.18, 0.96, 1.11, 0.08%, 11.23, and 89.93 mg/kg, respectively, which is 3.5, 49,7, 32.5, 8, 185, 100, 2.5, and 12 times than thippi. Thippi compost had low bulk density, starch, without fiber and cyanide but high protein suggesting this protocol as a possible alternative for the management of thippi.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableCassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important tropical tuber crop, the tubers of which are used both for edible purpose and for industrial uses. In Tamil Nadu, more than 500 cassava based small to large scale starch and sago producing factories are generating more than 250 tonnes of solid residue called ‘thippi’ per annum. This is an environmental pollutant affecting soil and human health and was found very difficult to dispose too. At ICAR-CTCRI, the same was converted to a nutritious organic manure through different composting methods where comosting resulted in the highest nutrient increase and the C: N ratio narrowed to 8:1 from 82:1. Experiments conducted in cassava showed its suitability as a good organic manure alternative to the commonly used organic manures like farm yard manure, green manuring in situ with cowpea, vermicompost, coir pith compost and crop residue as well as can substitute for 50% of the NPK requirement as per package of practices (PoP) and secondary nutrient Mg and micronutrient Zn to a great extent. While using any organic manure, the decomposition of the same to release the nutrients (mineralization) especially during the critical growth stage of the crop or as per the nutrient requirement of the crop needs to be understood. Hence, to understand the nutrient release pattern of thippi compost, a pot study was conducted by incubating the soil mixed with thippi compost and analysed the soil samples at monthly intervals for pH, organic carbon, electrical conductivity (EC), available N, P and K, exchangeable Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn for one year. The mean data of the soil chemical properties for one year indicated the pH, EC, available N, P and K, exchangeable Ca, Mg, available S, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn and B increased to the tune of 0.64, 0.055 dS m- 1, 99.8, 46.1, 87.2 kg ha-1, 0.73, 0.99 meq 100g-1, 15.8, 9.4, 0.18, 1.07, 3.07 and 0.19 mg kg- 1 which in turn was 13.8 , 35.4, 46, 88.3, 107.5, 68.2, 176.7, 158, 23.5, 16.4, 72.8, 56.7 and 17.9% over the initial status. Among the nine composting options, vermicomposted thippi compost had the highest nutrient release and the maximum nutrient release was found during 5 to 8th month of incubation.Not Availabl