Comparative Profiling of Volatile Compounds in Popular South Indian Traditional and Modern Rice Varieties by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the major cereal crops cultivated across the world, particularly in Southeast Asia with 95% of global production. The present study was aimed to evaluate the total phenolic content (TPC) and to profile all the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of eight popular traditional and two modern rice varieties cultivated in South India. Thirty-one VOCs were estimated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The identified volatile compounds in the 10 rice varieties belong to the chemical classes of fatty acids, terpenes, alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, phenols, esters, amides, and others. Interestingly, most of the identified predominant components were not identical, which indicate the latent variation among the rice varieties. Significant variations exist for fatty acids (46.9–76.2%), total terpenes (12.6–30.7%), total phenols (0.9–10.0%), total aliphatic alcohols (0.8–5.9%), total alkanes (0.5–5.1%), and total alkenes (1.0–4.9%) among the rice varieties. Of all the fatty acid compounds, palmitic acid, elaidic acid, linoleic acid, and oleic acid predominantly varied in the range of 11.1–33.7, 6.1–31.1, 6.0–28.0, and 0.7–15.1%, respectively. The modern varieties recorded the highest palmitic acid contents (28.7–33.7%) than the traditional varieties (11.1–20.6%). However, all the traditional varieties had higher linoleic acid (10.0–28.0%) than the modern varieties (6.0–8.5%). Traditional varieties had key phenolic compounds, stearic acid, butyric acid, and glycidyl oleate, which are absent in the modern varieties. The traditional varieties Seeraga samba and Kichilli samba had the highest azulene and oleic acid, respectively. All these indicate the higher variability for nutrients and aroma in traditional varieties. These varieties can be used as potential parents to improve the largely cultivated high-yielding varieties for the evolving nutritionalmarket. The hierarchical cluster analysis showed three different clusters implying the distinctness of the traditional and modern varieties. This study provided a comprehensive volatile profile of traditional and modern rice as a staple food for energy as well as for aroma with nutrition

Engineered expression of the invertebrate‐specific scorpion toxin AaHIT reduces adult longevity and female fecundity in the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella

Background: Previous Genetic Pest Management (GPM) systems in diamondback moth (DBM) have relied on expressing lethal proteins (‘effectors’) that are ‘cell‐autonomous’ i.e. do not leave the cell they are expressed in. To increase the flexibility of future GPM systems in DBM, we aimed to assess the use of a non cell‐autonomous, invertebrate‐specific, neurotoxic effector – the scorpion toxin AaHIT. This AaHIT effector was designed to be secreted by expressing cells, potentially leading to effects on distant cells, specifically neuromuscular junctions. Results: Expression of AaHIT caused a ‘shaking/quivering’ phenotype which could be repressed by provision of an antidote (tetracycline); a phenotype consistent with the AaHIT mode‐of‐action. This effect was more pronounced when AaHIT expression was driven by the Hr5/ie1 promoter (82.44% of males, 65.14% of females) rather than Op/ie2 (57.35% of males, 48.39% of females). Contrary to expectations, the shaking phenotype and observed fitness costs were limited to adults where they caused severe reductions in mean longevity (‐81%) and median female fecundity (‐93%). qPCR of AaHIT expression patterns and analysis of piggyBac‐mediated transgene insertion sites suggest that restriction of observed effects to the adult stages may be due to influence of local genomic environment on the tetO‐AaHIT transgene. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the feasibility of using non cell‐autonomous effectors within a GPM context for the first time in the Lepidoptera, one of the most economically damaging orders of insects. These findings provide a framework for extending this system to other pest Lepidoptera and to other secreted effectors

Effect of halides in the electrowinning of zinc. II. Corrosion of lead-silver anodes

This paper summarizes experimental results obtained from a series of laboratory scale electrowinning tests conducted over 5 months to quantify the effects of halides (chloride, fluoride and bromide) on the performance and corrosion of lead-silver anodes under conditions similar to those used during the electrowinning of zinc. The parameters investigated include operating anode potential, corrosion rate and anode scale/cell mud generation rates. Information was also obtained on the consumption of halides and manganese ions and the composition of the anode scale and cell mud. The results have confirmed plant observations of excessive anode corrosion and chlorine emissions at a chloride concentration of 400 mg/L but not at a concentration of 200 mg/L. It has also confirmed the importance of maintaining a suitable manganese(II) concentration in the electrolyte. Bromide and fluoride ions, albeit at lower concentrations, do not have measurable effects on anode corrosion. Although a definitive explanation for enhanced local corrosion at high chloride concentrations has not been advanced, the nature of the accelerated corrosion suggests that a crevice-like corrosion process is responsible for localized massive corrosion. This has been attributed to the presence of high acidity and permanganate ions between the manganese oxide layer and the alloy surface

The effects of halides in the electrowinning of zinc. I. Oxidation of chloride on lead-silver anodes

A study of the kinetics of the anodic oxidation of chloride ions on the surface of lead-silver anodes used for the electrowinning of zinc has shown some interesting and practically important results. Oxidation of chloride does not occur on a PbSO4 surface but occurs readily on a PbO2 surface. Oxidation of chloride occurs at the mass-transport controlled rate at the operating potentials of anodes during the electrowinning of zinc in the absence of manganese in the electrolyte. However, the rate of oxidation of chloride ions is significantly lower in the presence of manganese ions in the concentration range 1 to 5 g/L. These results have been compared with plant observations that confirm the lower rate of chlorine generation in the presence of manganese. The use of periodic current reversal does not increase the rate of oxidation of chloride ions in the presence of manganese ions. The rate of anodic oxidation of chloride in the presence of manganese ions is too low to be of practical value in controlling the chloride levels during the electrowinning of zinc

Synthesis and spectral studies of macrocyclic mono- and binuclear gadolinium(III)complexes derived from schiffs bases

363-366A series of mono- and binuclear Gadolinium(III) macrocyclic complexes have been prepared by the condensation of schiff's bases with the precursor compound 4,4'-dimethyl(2,2' -diformyl-6,6' -piperazine-1,4-di-ylmethylene) bis phenol in template method. All the binuclear complexes 'have been prepared in situ from their corresponding mononuclear complexes without isolation. The phenolate oxygen atom of the binucleating ligands behaves as a bridging group between two metals. The complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR, NMR, UV spectra. The ESR spectral study was carried out for some complexes. The results of elemental analysis of the complexes are in good agreement with the theoretical value. Conductivity studies reveal that all the complexes are neutral