Reproducible in vitro regeneration system for purifying sugarcane clones

Genome purification of a selected clone of sugarcane is the key to developing homogenous lines. Generally,  regenerated plants after transformation are heterogeneous at genome level, and several successive rounds of selection on antibiotic-containing medium and regeneration cycles are required to purify the genome to develop a homogenous population. Sugarcane is a vegetatively propagated plant and hence it requires to be grown in the field to harvest mature cane tops carrying meristematic tissues. In the present studies, stems of in vitro grown plants of four indigenous genotypes namely; HSF-242, US-778, HSF-243 and HSF-240, were subjected to regeneration. Five days post incubation at various levels of 2,4-D, the segments were placed on regeneration medium containing a combination of casein hydrolysate (500 mg/L), kinetin (0.5 mg/L) and benzylaminopurine (BAP, 0.5 mg/L). Response to regeneration was varied from basal to top sections. Nevertheless, more than 137 shoots were regenerated from basal segment, suggesting that the segment consisting of meristematic  tissues responded well to in vitro conditions. This procedure may be considered as one of the best ever  published report on regeneration from in vitro grown plants to purify clones without subjecting the plants to  field conditions and harvesting the mature cane. This technique was used to purify transgenic sugarcane plants carrying Bacillus thuringiensis gene.Key words: In vitro explant, basal stem segment, callus induction, proficient regeneration, Saccharum officinarum

Afghanistan: A Study in Internal Conflict and National Cohesion

Conflicts are caused by various reasons. When competing groups’ goals, objectives, needs or values clash the aggression and violence is a result. Afghanistan as multi ethnic state enjoyed internal flexibility till socialist revolution (1978) that changed its social fabric due to ideological clash. In bipolar world this conflict invited the involvement of external actors (USSR & USA). Even after the withdrawal of Soviet troops this conflict sustained till 1992. The Mujahidin who had become new masters of the war torn country added fuel to the fire by converting an ideological clash into an ethnic one. Taliban replaced the Mujahidin but their religious orthodoxy also failed to bring national cohesion.The long sustained conflict has direct bearings on national and individual life of people of Afghanistan who have lost their ability to work together. All attempts made on national cohesion and integration so far have failed. People do not rely and trust each other and they have lost their motivation to work together and to rebuild their institutions and economy. It is the legacy of the long war that is still going on. A closer look at the last 35 years traumatic history of the country clearly illustrates the complexity of the problem due to clash of divergent aims and objectives of several parties

Technical Advances in Chloroplast Biotechnology

Chloroplasts are highly organized cellular organelles after master organelle nucleus. They not only play a central role in photosynthesis but are also involved in several crucial cellular activities. Advancements in molecular biology and transgenic technology have further groomed importance of the organelle, and they are the most ideal ones for the expression of transgene. No doubt, limitations are there, but still research is advancing to resolve those. Certain valuable traits have been engineered for improved agronomic performance of crop plants. Industrial enzymes and therapeutic proteins have been expressed using plastid transformation system. Synthetic biology has been explored to play a key role in engineering metabolic pathways. Further, producing dsRNA in a plant’s chloroplast rather than in its cellular cytoplasm is more effective way to address desired traits. In this chapter, we highlight technological advancements in chloroplast biotechnology and its implication to develop biosafe engineered plants

Design of Event-Triggered Asynchronous H∞ Filter for Switched Systems Using the Sampled-Data Approach

The design of networked switched systems with event-based communication is attractive due to its potential to save bandwidth and energy. However, ensuring the stability and performance of networked systems with event-triggered communication and asynchronous switching is challenging due to their time-varying nature. This paper presents a novel sampled-data approach to design event-triggered asynchronous H∞ filters for networked switched systems. Unlike most existing event-based filtering results, which either design the event-triggering scheme only or co-design the event-triggering condition and the filter, we consider that the event-triggering policy is predefined and synthesize the filter. We model the estimation error system as an event-triggered switched system with time delay and non-uniform sampling. By implementing a delay-dependent multiple Lyapunov method, we derive sufficient conditions to ensure the global asymptotic stability of the filtering error system and an H∞ performance level. The efficacy of the proposed design technique and the superiority of the filter performance is illustrated by numerical examples and by comparing the performance with a recent result

Cyano­methyl 4-(4-methyl­benzene­sulfonamido)­benzoate

The title mol­ecule, C16H14N2O4S, adopts an L-shaped conformation, with the central C—S—N—C torsion angle being −69.1 (3)°. The two benzene rings form a dihedral angle of 89.94 (15)°. The mol­ecular conformation may be influenced by a weak intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond which generates an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by N—H⋯O and weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains propagating along the b axis. Weak C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds connect the chains into a two-dimensional network parallel to (011). The crystal studied was an inversion twin, the ratio of components being 0.7 (1):0.3 (1)

Propyl 2-(4-methyl­benzene­sulfonamido)­benzoate

In the title compound, C17H19NO4S, the terminal ethyl group is disordered over two sets of sites, with refined site occupancies of 0.536 (7) and 0.464 (7). The dihedral angle between the two aromatic rings is 81.92 (12)°. The mol­ecular conformation is stabilized by intra­molecular N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, which generate S(6) motifs. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the b axis

Evaluation of kidney injury molecule-1 as a disease progression biomarker in diabetic nephropathy

Background & Objective: Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1) is a peptide whose release into circulation is specific to tubular injury. This study aimed to estimate levels of kidney injury molecule-1 in diabetic patients with and without kidney disease. And evaluate the role of KIM-1 as an early screening marker of progressive kidney injury.Methods: This follow-up study included n=85 subjects from the diabetic clinic of Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center (JPMC) in collaboration with Aga Khan University from November 2016 till September 2017. They were divided as: i) Group A1 (n=30) participants with diabetes for \u3c5 years without microalbuminuria ii) Group A2 (n= 30) subjects with diabetes for 6-10 years with microalbuminuria; iii) Group B (n=25) subjects as healthy control group. All study participants were followed for 6 months and their blood glucose, urea, creatinine, electrolytes, albuminuria and serum KIM-1 were assayed.Results: High KIM-1 at baseline was present in group A2 patients as compared to controls and group A1 (p\u3c0.001). Higher levels were seen after six months in group A1 along with the presence of micro albuminuria (p\u3c0.001) suggesting kidney damage. Moderate positive association were seen for KIM1 with creatinine levels (r=0.530; p\u3c0.001), and HbA1c (r=0.576; p\u3c0.001) in all patients. While a strong positive association was seen for blood urea nitrogen as a marker for kidney function both at baseline (r= 0.728; p=0.000) and follow up (r=0.747; p=0.001). Multiple logistic regression controlling for age showed that KIM1 was independently associated with BUN (r=0.727; p\u3c0.001), creatinine (r=0.510; p\u3c0.001) and HbA1c (r=0.401; p=0.008) in all groups.Conclusion: Rising KIM-1 levels with progressive kidney damage with or without derangement of kidney function is reported in this study. This finding may pave a way towards identifying KIM1 as a prognostic marker for kidney injury

Comparison of Efficacy of Laryngeal Mask Airway and Intersurgical-Gel Supraglottic Airway Device During General Anesthesia in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Upper airways collapse during anesthesia is a common issue faced by anesthetists. Air way maintenance is an essential component of general anesthesia. Laryngeal mask airway and Intersurgical-gel (i-gel) air way devices are new advances in general anesthesia. Present study aims to compare the ease of insertion and hemodynamic response of i-gel supraglottic and laryngeal mask airway (LMA). Material and Methods: A Randomized Clinical trial was conducted at the Department of Anesthesia, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore. Study duration was 6 months (June 2014- December 2014). A total of 60 patients were selected through non-probability consecutive sampling. Ethical approval was taken from ethical review board of Sheikh Zayed Hospital and informed written consents were taken from all the participants. Patients were randomly divided into two groups using lottery method. Group A was given laryngeal mask airway device while group B patients were provided with i-gel supraglottic device during anesthesia. Patients were compared for ease of insertion and hemodynamic parameters. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 24. Chi-square and t-test were applied and p-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 60 patients were included in study. Mean age of patients was 35.2±11.7 years in LMA group and 36.7±13 years in i-gel group. Group B had lower number of insertion attempts (p=0.01) and high insertion satisfaction (p=0.4) as compared to group A. However, process failure and bleeding rate was found to be slightly higher in group B (16% and 13% respectively) as compared to group A (p>0.05). Conclusion: i-gel supraglottic device is a successful alternative option in terms of ease of insertion and less hemodynamic response as compared to laryngeal mask airway during general anesthesia. Key words: , ,&nbsp

Methyl 5-bromo-2-hy­droxy­benzoate

The title compound, C8H7BrO3, is almost planar (r.m.s. deviation for the non-H atoms = 0.055 Å). In the crystal, O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into C(6) chains propagating in [010]. Very weak aromatic π–π inter­actions [centroid–centroid distances = 3.984 (5) and 3.982 (5) Å] also occur

3,3,6-Tribromo-1-methyl-1H-2,1-benzo­thia­zin-4(3H)-one 2,2-dioxide

In the title compound, C9H6Br3NO3S, a halogenated benzothia­zine derivative, the thia­zine ring adopts a sofa conformation. The crystal studied was a racemic twin with a contribution of 72 (1)% of the major domain