Genetic Mapping of Greenbug Resistance Loci in Sorghum [ Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench] & Expression Analysis of Candidate Genes in Response to Greenbug Infestation

Greenbug is a damaging pest of sorghum in the Great Plains of the United States. This study was taken with the objective to identify the genomic regions contributing resistance to greenbug biotype I using sorghum accession, PI 607900 as the resistance source. To accomplish this objective I undertook two projects involving three independent studies. These three studies involved linkage-based mapping and gene expression studies. The first study was conducted in an F 2 mapping population consisting of 371 individuals developed from a cross of BTx623 (susceptible to greenbug) by PI 607900 (resistant to greenbug) to identify QTLs contributing greenbug resistance in sorghum. The second study was performed to identify and confirm QTLs for greenbug resistance in an intercross population developed from a previously used F 2 mapping population. The third study was carried out to examine the differential expression of candidate genes induced by greenbug using real-time PCR experiments in two contrasting parental lines. I found that two major loci for greenbug resistance were on sorghum chromosome 9 from two independent QTL mapping studies. The second QTL mapping project with an intercross population revealed potential candidate genes in a narrowed confidence interval compared to first project's QTL analysis with the F 2 population. These loci were mapped to a region on chromosome 9 flanked by markers Starssbnm 93-Starssbnm 102. The QTL mapping studies identified two novel loci for greenbug resistance using 48 newly developed nuclear and genic SSRs. The identified greenbug resistance loci were linked to a receptor-like kinase Xa21 -binding protein 3, a gene known to increase Xa21 -mediated resistance in rice. Relative quantification of gene expression in the two parental lines indicated that receptor-like kinase Xa21 -binding protein 3 and map kinase phosphatase were differentially expressed upon greenbug infestation. The markers/QTLs identified in the study will have applications in MAS and mapbased cloning experiments for the improvement of greenbug resistance in sorghum.Department of Plant and Soil Science

Lung functions in children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus: A cross sectional study

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder precipitating micro and macro vascular complicationsand peripheral vascular diseases. Normal lung mechanism and gas exchange are influenced by integrity of pulmonaryconnective tissues and microvasculature. Abnormality in either of these two structural components of lung leads tovariations in lung functions. Objective: This study was conducted to document lung function patterns by spirometryin patients with Type 1 DM. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Bangalore, India.Patients in the age group of 1-18 years diagnosed with Type 1 DM between December 2009, and January 2011 wereincluded. Data regarding respiratory symptoms, age, height and weight of each patient with Type 1 DM was collected.The children were trained to use spirometers. Multiple readings of forced expiratory volume in one second and forcedvital capacity were obtained until consistent, and the best reading was recorded and analyzed for any association.Results: A total of 51 children with Type 1 DM were studied, of whom 24 children were males, with a mean age of14.06 ± 3.25 years, the minimum age being 5 years and a maximum being 18 years. 25 children (49%) with Type 1DM were found to have pulmonary dysfunction, of which 19 children (76%) had restrictive lung pattern, and sixchildren (24%) had obstructive pattern. Conclusion: Spirometry evaluation showed that restrictive lung pattern wasvery common in children with Type 1 DM, and there is scope for further study

Can Physician Champions Improve Kangaroo Care? Trends over 5 Years in Rural Western India

Introduction: In 2013, approximately 2.8 million children worldwide died within the neonatal period. India is at the epicenter of this tragedy, accounting for one-third of all neonatal mortalities. Prematurity and/or with low birth weight are the leading cause of neonatal mortality and India has the highest number of neonates born preterm and weighing less than 2,500 grams worldwide. It is estimated that Kangaroo Care can avert up to 48% of all neonatal deaths among premature babies by 2025. However, the promise of Kangaroo Care as a low-cost, safe, and efficacious intervention to reduce neonatal mortality in India has not been realized due to suboptimal implementation. Physician champions can improve Kangaroo Care implementation, but the magnitude of their impact is unknown. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 648 infants identified using clinical data from a NICU located in rural western India. Physicians who led Kangaroo Care training sessions with neonates and coached peer healthcare professionals were considered champions. Two Kangaroo Care champions were on staff full-time from January 2010 through June 2011, part-time from July 2011 through June 2012, and absent thereafter. We examined the effect of the withdrawal of physician champions on overall use using logistic regression, time to initiation using competing risk cox regression, and intensity using linear regression models of the two main components of Kangaroo Care, skin-to-skin care and breastfeeding, separately. Findings: In comparison to when Kangaroo Care champions were present, their absence was associated with a 45% decrease in the odds of receiving skin-to-skin care (95% CI): 64% to 17%), 38% decrease in the rate of initiation of skin-to-skin care (95% CI: 53% to 82%), and on average, 1.47 less hours of skin-to-skin care (95% CI: -2.07 to -0.86). Breastfeeding practices were similar across different champion environments. Interpretation: Withdrawal of Kangaroo Care champions from neonatal intensive care unit in rural western India is associated with diminished administration, delayed initiation, and shorter duration of skin-to-skin care, but did not impact breastfeeding practices. Training healthcare workers and community stakeholders to become champions could help in scaling up and maintaining Kangaroo Care practices. Funding: This research was supported by TL1-TR001454 (to A.S.) from National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and P60-MD006912-05 (to J.A.) from National Institute on Minority Health and Disparities. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH

Critical Analysis of PIM2 Score Applicability in a Tertiary Care PICU in Western India

Objective. Children have limited physiological reserve that deteriorates rapidly. Present study profiled patients admitted to PICU and determined PIM2 score applicability in Indian setting. Patients and Methods. Prospective observational study. Results. In 742 consecutive admissions, male : female ratio was 1.5 : 1, 35.6% patients were ventilated, observed mortality was 7%, and 26.4% were <1 year. The profile included septicemia and septic shock (29.6%), anemia (27.1%), pneumonia (19.6%), and meningitis and encephalitis (17.2%). For the first year, sensitivity of PIM2 was 65.8% and specificity was 71% for cutoff value at 1.9 by ROC curve analysis. The area under the curve was 0.724 (95% CI: 0.69, 0.76). This cutoff was validated for second year data yielding similar sensitivity (70.6%) and specificity (65%). Logistic regression analysis (LRA) over entire data revealed various variables independently associated with mortality along with PIM2 score. Another logistic model with same input variables except PIM2 yielded the same significant variables with Nagelkerke R square of 0.388 and correct classification of 78.5 revealing contribution of PIM2 in predicting mortality is meager. Conclusion. Infectious diseases were the commonest cause of PICU admission and mortality. PIM2 scoring did not explain the outcome adequately, suggesting need for recalibration. Following PALS/GEM guidelines was associated with better outcome

Pearl millet genome sequence provides a resource to improve agronomic traits in arid environments

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br., syn. Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone], is a staple food for over 90 million poor farmers in arid and semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. We report the ~1.79 Gb genome sequence of reference genotype Tift 23D2B1-P1-P5, which contains an estimated 38,579 genes. Resequencing analysis of 994 (963 inbreds of the highly cross-pollinated cultigen, and 31 wild accessions) provides insights into population structure, genetic diversity, evolution and domestication history. In addition we demonstrated the use of re-sequence data for establishing marker trait associations, genomic selection and prediction of hybrid performance and defining heterotic pools. The genome wide variations and abiotic stress proteome data are useful resources for pearl millet improvement through deploying modern breeding tools for accelerating genetic gains in pearl millet.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Development of a High-Density Linkage Map and Tagging Leaf Spot Resistance in Pearl Millet Using Genotyping-by-Sequencing Markers

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br; also Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone] is an important crop throughout the world but better genomic resources for this species are needed to facilitate crop improvement. Genome mapping studies are a prerequisite for tagging agronomically important traits. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) markers can be used to build high-density linkage maps, even in species lacking a reference genome. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population was developed from a cross between the lines ‘Tift 99D2B1’ and ‘Tift 454’. DNA from 186 RILs, the parents, and the F1 was used for 96-plex ApeKI GBS library development, which was further used for sequencing. The sequencing results showed that the average number of good reads per individual was 2.2 million, the pass filter rate was 88%, and the CV was 43%. High-quality GBS markers were developed with stringent filtering on sequence data from 179 RILs. The reference genetic map developed using 150 RILs contained 16,650 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 333,567 sequence tags spread across all seven chromosomes. The overall average density of SNP markers was 23.23 SNP/cM in the final map and 1.66 unique linkage bins per cM covering a total genetic distance of 716.7 cM. The linkage map was further validated for its utility by using it in mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for flowering time and resistance to Pyricularia leaf spot [Pyricularia grisea (Cke.) Sacc.]. This map is the densest yet reported for this crop and will be a valuable resource for the pearl millet community

Investigations on Actuator Dynamics through Theoretical and Finite Element Approach

This paper gives a new approach for modeling the fluid-structure interaction of servovalve component-actuator. The analyzed valve is a precision flow control valve-jet pipe electrohydraulic servovalve. The positioning of an actuator depends upon the flow rate from control ports, in turn depends on the spool position. Theoretical investigation is made for No-load condition and Load condition for an actuator. These are used in finite element modeling of an actuator. The fluid-structure-interaction (FSI) is established between the piston and the fluid cavities at the piston end. The fluid cavities were modeled with special purpose hydrostatic fluid elements while the piston is modeled with brick elements. The finite element method is used to simulate the variation of cavity pressure, cavity volume, mass flow rate, and the actuator velocity. The finite element analysis is extended to study the system's linearized response to harmonic excitation using direct solution steady-state dynamics. It was observed from the analysis that the natural frequency of the actuator depends upon the position of the piston in the cylinder. This is a close match with theoretical and simulation results. The effect of bulk modulus is also presented in the paper

Neonatal Resuscitation Research Priorities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Several critical physiological changes occur during birth. Optimal and timely resuscitation is essential to avoid morbidity and mortality. The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) is a multinational committee that publishes evidence-based consensus and treatment recommendations for resuscitation in various scenarios including that for neonatal resuscitation. The majority of perinatal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); however, there is limited research output from LMICs to generate evidence-based practice recommendations specific for LMICs. The current review identifies key areas of neonatal resuscitation-related research needed from LMICs to inform evidence-based resuscitation of neonates in LMICs