Regeneration of begonia plantlets by direct organogenesis

The economic importance of ornamentals worldwide suggests a bright future for ornamental breeding. Rapid progress in plant molecular biology has great potentials to contribute to the breeding of novel ornamental plants utilizing recombinant DNA technology. The plant cell, tissue or organ culture of many ornamental species and their regeneration are essential for providing the material and systems for their genetic manipulation, and this is therefore the first requirement of genetic engineering. In this research, different concentration of BA (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mgl(-1) with NAA ( 0.0, 0.5, 1.0 mgl(-1)) and BA (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mgl(-1)) with IAA ( 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, mgl(-1)) were investigated to optimize regeneration of Begonia elatior cv. Toran orange. The best regeneration and growth were obtained from the media containing 2.0 mgl(-1) BA and 1.0 mgl(-1) NAA (70%) followed by 1.0 mgl(-1) BA and 0.5 mgl(-1) NAA (50%), 1.0 mgl(-1) BA and 1.0 mgl(-1) NAA (20%) in BA - NAA combination. The media with BA - IAA combination showed that the best regeneration was 0.5 mgl(-1) BA and 0.5 mgl(-1) IAA (43%) followed by 0.5 mgl(-1) BA and 1.0 mgl(-1) IAA (23%)

Factors associated with changing alcohol consumption during the first UK lockdown

BACKGROUND: In response to COVID-19 there have been lockdowns and restrictions to hospitality services. Drinking behaviours often change in response to traumatic events and changes in the drinking environment, and this is influenced by a range of factors. This study explores self-reported changes in alcohol consumption in the third month of the UK lockdown, associations with socio-demographics factors and with COVID-19-related concerns, and mental health and wellbeing. METHODS: The COVID-19 Psychological Wellbeing Study was a longitudinal, online, three-wave survey of 1958 UK adults. Data were collected during the first UK lockdown; wave 1 launched 23 March 2020, wave 2 was 1 month after and wave 3 2 months after completion of wave 1A hierarchical multinomial regression model was estimated to investigate factors associated with changes in perceived alcohol consumption in the third month of the lockdown. RESULTS: The majority of participants reported changes in drinking (62%) with over one-third indicating increased consumption. Student status and worries about the financial implications of COVID-19 were associated with lower odds of decreased alcohol consumption. Those with above average income and those with children in the household had lower odds of increased alcohol consumption, while younger adults had higher odds of increased alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the growing body of research showing changes in alcohol consumption behaviours during the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, and identifies risk and protective factors which can aid in targeting intervention at those most in need of support

Tuning of 2D rod-type photonic crystal cavity for optical modulation and impact sensing

We propose a novel way of mechanical perturbation of photonic crystal cavities for on-chip applications. We utilize the equivalence of the 2D photonic crystals with perfect electric conductor (PEC) boundary conditions to the infinite height 3D counterparts for rod type photonic crystals. Designed structures are sandwiched with PEC boundaries above and below and the perturbation of the cavity structures is demonstrated by changing the height of PEC boundary. Once a defect filled with air is introduced, the metallic boundary conditions is disturbed and the effective mode permittivity changes leading to a tuned optical properties of the structures. Devices utilizing this perturbation are designed for telecom wavelengths and PEC boundaries are replaced by gold plates during implementation. For 10 nm gold plate displacement, two different cavity structures showed a 21.5 nm and 26 nm shift in the resonant wavelength. Optical modulation with a 1.3 MHz maximum modulation frequency with a maximum power consumption of 36.81 nW and impact sensing with 20 μs response time (much faster compared to the commercially available ones) are shown to be possible

Regeneration of begonia plantlets by direct organogenesis

The economic importance of ornamentals worldwide suggests a bright future for ornamental breeding. Rapid progress in plant molecular biology has great potentials to contribute to the breeding of novelornamental plants utilizing recombinant DNA technology. The plant cell, tissue or organ culture of many ornamental species and their regeneration are essential for providing the material and systems for their genetic manipulation, and this is therefore the first requirement of genetic engineering. In this research, different concentration of BA (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mgl-¹ with NAA (0.0, 0.5, 1.0 mgl-¹) and BA (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mgl-¹) with IAA (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, mgl-¹) were investigated to optimize regeneration of Begonia elatior cv. Toran orange. The best regeneration and growth were obtained from the media containing 2.0 mgl-¹ BA and 1.0 mgl-¹ NAA (70%) followed by 1.0 mgl-¹ BA and 0.5 mgl-¹ NAA (50%), 1.0 mgl-¹ BA and 1.0 mgl-¹ NAA (20%) in BA - NAA combination. The media with BA - IAA combination showed that the best regeneration was 0.5 mgl-¹ BA and 0.5 mgl-¹ IAA (43%) followed by 0.5 mgl-¹ BA and 1.0 mgl-¹ IAA (23%)

Genotoxic mixtures and dissimilar action: Concepts for prediction and assessment

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. This article is distributed under the terms of the creative commons Attribution license which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s)and the source are credited.Combinations of genotoxic agents have frequently been assessed without clear assumptions regarding their expected (additive) mixture effects, often leading to claims of synergisms that might in fact be compatible with additivity. We have shown earlier that the combined effects of chemicals, which induce micronuclei (MN) in the cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay in Chinese hamster ovary-K1 cells by a similar mechanism, were additive according to the concept of concentration addition (CA). Here, we extended these studies and investigated for the first time whether valid additivity expectations can be formulated for MN-inducing chemicals that operate through a variety of mechanisms, including aneugens and clastogens (DNA cross-linkers, topoisomerase II inhibitors, minor groove binders). We expected that their effects should follow the additivity principles of independent action (IA). With two mixtures, one composed of various aneugens (colchicine, flubendazole, vinblastine sulphate, griseofulvin, paclitaxel), and another composed of aneugens and clastogens (flubendazole, doxorubicin, etoposide, melphalan and mitomycin C), we observed mixture effects that fell between the additivity predictions derived from CA and IA. We achieved better agreement between observation and prediction by grouping the chemicals into common assessment groups and using hybrid CA/IA prediction models. The combined effects of four dissimilarly acting compounds (flubendazole, paclitaxel, doxorubicin and melphalan) also fell within CA and IA. Two binary mixtures (flubendazole/paclitaxel and flubendazole/doxorubicin) showed effects in reasonable agreement with IA additivity. Our studies provide a systematic basis for the investigation of mixtures that affect endpoints of relevance to genotoxicity and show that their effects are largely additive.UK Food Standards Agenc

FREQUENCY RATIO ASSESSMENT FOR LANDSLIDES TRIGGERED BY 6 FEBRUARY 2023 KAHRAMANMARAS TURKIYE EARTHQUAKES BETWEEN GOLBASI AND ERKENEK

Landslides triggered by earthquakes are significant geological hazards that can have devastating consequences, posing risks to human lives, infrastructure, and the environment. These seismic events may cause the instability of slopes and result in the displacement of soil and rock materials, leading to landslides. It is crucial to understand the characteristics and mechanisms of earthquake-triggered landslides in order to effectively manage and mitigate their associated risks. The number of landslides triggered by the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes (with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6) was over three thousand and their destructive effects were also devastating as secondary hazards. This study aims to examine the characteristics of landslides using the frequency ratio (FR) model. A landslide susceptibility map (LSM) was also produced using the output. For this purpose, in this study, we derived landslides triggered by the earthquakes in a part of the earthquake-affected region, between Golbasi town of Adiyaman and Erkenek village of Malatya covering an area with a size of 625 km2. The study utilized a landslide inventory that was manually delineated by visual interpretation based on pre-event and post-event. These associations can serve as a foundation for the application of various data-driven machine learning techniques. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of accurate LSMs, providing crucial insights into the behavior of earthquake-triggered landslides

Prognostic value of fractional flow reserve: Linking physiologic severity to clinical outcomes

BACKGROUND: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) has become an established tool for guiding treatment, but its graded relationship to clinical outcomes as modulated by medical therapy versus revascularization remains unclear.OBJECTIVES: The study hypothesized that FFR displays a continuous relationship between its numeric value and prognosis, such that lower FFR values confer a higher risk and therefore receive larger absolute benefits from revascularization.METHODS: Meta-analysis of study- and patient-level data investigated prognosis after FFR measurement. An interaction term between FFR and revascularization status allowed for an outcomes-based threshold.RESULTS: A total of 9,173 (study-level) and 6,961 (patient-level) lesions were included with a median follow-up of 16 and 14 months, respectively. Clinical events increased as FFR decreased, and revascularization showed larger net benefit for lower baseline FFR values. Outcomes-derived FFR thresholds generally occurred around the range 0.75 to 0.80, although limited due to confounding by indication. FFR measured immediately after stenting also showed an inverse relationship with prognosis (hazard ratio: 0.86, 95% confidence interval: 0.80 to 0.93; p < 0.001). An FFR-assisted strategy led to revascularization roughly half as often as an anatomy-based strategy, but with 20% fewer adverse events and 10% better angina relief.CONCLUSIONS: FFR demonstrates a continuous and independent relationship with subsequent outcomes, modulated by medical therapy versus revascularization. Lesions with lower FFR values receive larger absolute benefits from revascularization. Measurement of FFR immediately after stenting also shows an inverse gradient of risk, likely from residual diffuse disease. An FFR-guided revascularization strategy significantly reduces events and increases freedom from angina with fewer procedures than an anatomy-based strategy

Assessment of imidacloprid toxicity on reproductive organ system of adult male rats

In the current study it was aimed to investigate the toxicity of low doses of imidacloprid (IMI) on the reproductive organ systems of adult male rats. The treatment groups received 0.5 (IMI-0.5), 2 (IMI-2) or 8 mg IMI/kg body weight by oral gavage (IMI-8) for three months. The deterioration in sperm motility in IMI-8 group and epidydimal sperm concentration in IMI-2 and IMI-8 groups and abnormality in sperm morphology in IMI-8 were significant. The levels of testosterone (T) and GSH decreased significantly in group IMI-8 compared to the control group. Upon treatment with IMI, apoptotic index increased significantly only in germ cells of the seminiferous tubules of IMI-8 group when compared to control. Fragmentation was striking in the seminal DNA from the IMI-8 group, but it was much less obvious in the IMI-2 one. IMI exposure resulted in elevation of all fatty acids analyzed, but the increases were significant only in stearic, oleic, linoleic and arachidonic acids. The ratios of 20:4/20:3 and 20:4/18:2 were decreased and 16:1n-9/16:0 ratio was increased. In conclusion, the present animal experiments revealed that the treatment with IMI at NOAEL dose-levels caused deterioration in sperm parameters, decreased T level, increased apoptosis of germ cells, seminal DNA fragmentation, the depletion of antioxidants and change in disturbance of fatty acid composition. All these changes indicate the suppression of testicular function

Cryo-EM structures of the SARS-CoV-2 endoribonuclease Nsp15 reveal insight into nuclease specificity and dynamics.

Nsp15, a uridine specific endoribonuclease conserved across coronaviruses, processes viral RNA to evade detection by host defense systems. Crystal structures of Nsp15 from different coronaviruses have shown a common hexameric assembly, yet how the enzyme recognizes and processes RNA remains poorly understood. Here we report a series of cryo-EM reconstructions of SARS-CoV-2 Nsp15, in both apo and UTP-bound states. The cryo-EM reconstructions, combined with biochemistry, mass spectrometry, and molecular dynamics, expose molecular details of how critical active site residues recognize uridine and facilitate catalysis of the phosphodiester bond. Mass spectrometry revealed the accumulation of cyclic phosphate cleavage products, while analysis of the apo and UTP-bound datasets revealed conformational dynamics not observed by crystal structures that are likely important to facilitate substrate recognition and regulate nuclease activity. Collectively, these findings advance understanding of how Nsp15 processes viral RNA and provide a structural framework for the development of new therapeutics