Impact of genetically modified crops on rhizosphere microorganisms and processes:A review focusing on Bt cotton

In recent years, the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops has become a topic of great interest, due in part to the considerable public controversy, which exists concerning their potential benefits or adverse effects. Since the development of the first GM crop about 25 years ago, a diverse range of new cultivars have been released into the environment which were developed by employing advanced molecular techniques to introduce new beneficial genes from a wide variety of sources. While GM crops have great potential for enhancing agricultural production, their potential impacts on soil biota are only partially understood and information on their long-term impact on soil biota is scant. Several recent studies have indicated that GM crops may cause changes in both the invertebrate and microorganism soil biota associated with these crops, with some laboratory-based experiments even revealing transfer of genes from GM plants to native soil bacteria. However, processes such as gene transfer and stable inheritance to subsequent generations remain unproven in natural soil systems. In addition, although significant research efforts have recently been directed towards understanding the effects of GM crops on soil biota, the wide variation in the scientific observations has often hindered an accurate understanding of the issues. Thus, this review collated and synthesized all available information on the microbiological and biochemical effects of GM crops on soil biota with a special focus on GM Bt-cotton. The review also addressed the key issues associated with the use of GM crops including herbicide resistance, transgene flow and explored the plausibility of horizontal gene transfer in soil

Photon interferometry and size of the hot zone in relativistic heavy ion collisions

The parameters obtained from the theoretical analysis of the single photon spectra observed by the WA98 collaboration at SPS energies have been used to evaluate the two photon correlation functions. The single photon spectra and the two photon correlations at RHIC energies have also been evaluated, taking into account the effects of the possible spectral change of hadrons in a thermal bath. We find that the ratio $R_{side}/R_{out} \sim 1$ for SPS and $R_{side}/R_{out} <1$ for RHIC energy.Comment: text changed, figures adde

The upgrade of the ALICE TPC with GEMs and continuous readout

The upgrade of the ALICE TPC will allow the experiment to cope with the high interaction rates foreseen for the forthcoming Run 3 and Run 4 at the CERN LHC. In this article, we describe the design of new readout chambers and front-end electronics, which are driven by the goals of the experiment. Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors arranged in stacks containing four GEMs each, and continuous readout electronics based on the SAMPA chip, an ALICE development, are replacing the previous elements. The construction of these new elements, together with their associated quality control procedures, is explained in detail. Finally, the readout chamber and front-end electronics cards replacement, together with the commissioning of the detector prior to installation in the experimental cavern, are presented. After a nine-year period of R&D, construction, and assembly, the upgrade of the TPC was completed in 2020.publishedVersio

Open data from the third observing run of LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO

The global network of gravitational-wave observatories now includes five detectors, namely LIGO Hanford, LIGO Livingston, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO 600. These detectors collected data during their third observing run, O3, composed of three phases: O3a starting in 2019 April and lasting six months, O3b starting in 2019 November and lasting five months, and O3GK starting in 2020 April and lasting two weeks. In this paper we describe these data and various other science products that can be freely accessed through the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center at https://gwosc.org. The main data set, consisting of the gravitational-wave strain time series that contains the astrophysical signals, is released together with supporting data useful for their analysis and documentation, tutorials, as well as analysis software packages

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Not AvailableEnvironmental threat due to toxic heavy metals is of prime concern worldwide. Rapid urbanization, industrialization and other developmental activities including anthropogenic activities (e.g. mining, fossil fuel burning) are the major contributors of heavy metals above the prescribed permissible limit. High concentration of heavy metals has detrimental impact on soil, water and air as well as human and animal health. Heavy metals exert toxic effects on soil microorganism hence results in the change of the diversity, population size and overall activity of the soil microbial communities. Heavy metal toxicity influences all soil microbial activity that involves change in the microbial population, diversity, their size and growth. Loss of soil fertility results in reduced crop yield and imbalance nutrition due to presence of excess amount of metals. Lead is non-biodegradable highly toxic heavy metal present in the environment. Elevated Pb in soil causes to decrease of soil productivity and impair with various soil enzymatic activities. Lead contaminated soil created several chronic health implications (carcinogenic) or even to death of the living organisms via food chain contamination. Lead is considered as one of the potential carcinogens which can damage cardiovascular, kidney, brain, gastrointestinal tracts, low IQ, loss of hearing or multi-organ failure in humans. Lead toxicity causes several health hazards like everlasting brain injury, hearing loss, learning disabilities, behavioural abnormalities in children while in adults it comes with hypertension, blood pressure, heart disease, and so on. Lead pollution also has severe threat to the aquatic living organisms. In this chapter, a brief overview about the lead with its various active form, source of contamination and impact on agroecosystem, human and animals has been described in details.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableAcross the world, a major challenge is deteriorating environmental health by increasing growth of industries with the unscientific management of industrial waste. Soil contamination with organic and inorganic pollutant is a major task during the production of healthy food. In the last three decades, the concentration of heavy metals in soil has increased drastically, posing a risk to the whole environment, human, as well as animal health. Soil contamination is a threat to sustainable agricultural development and food security in developing countries. Nowadays protection and preservation of the environment from further deterioration have drawn increasing research attention. In the present context, use of modern and traditional technologies aims to maintain the health of natural resources from contamination at economic feasibility. Another major concern is remediation or minimization of toxic metal entry in the food chain contamination of different ecosystems without affecting their functionality. There is a need to make land resources free from metal contamination for healthy and safe agricultural production, to increase food security, and to maintain land use pattern. Advanced remediation techniques are more focusing on in situ environment-friendly practices. Several organic and inorganic remediation technologies to treat heavy metal-contaminated soils are discussed in this chapter.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableIncreasing water crisis across the globe, farmers are forced to use marginal quality water for agricultural activities mainly for crop production. Marginal quality water contains lots of contamination load, i.e. microbial population, heavy metals; and caused a range of diseases through food chain contamination. The long- term application of contaminated water accumulate significant amount of heavy metals mostly in industrial regions as well as peri-urban area in developing countries. Use of various phytoremediation technologies for the removal of organic and inorganic pollutant from soil and water are used across the earth boundaries. Among all, bioremediation is a cheaper and more viable technology for the removal of contaminants from contaminated sites. Phytoremediation is a viable, low cost and green technology having a slow process of metal remediation and affecting by the climatic conditions of a particular region. In this regards, use of soil microbial biomass for the decontamination of heavy metals and other contaminated load from soils. The plant-microbe- modulated phytoremediation enhancing the heavy metal remediation, detoxification and mediated the plant nutrient dynamics in a sustainable manner. The soil organic matter decomposition and biogeochemical cycles of plant nutrients are mainly governed by the rhizospheric biomass of the soil. Microbial assisted phytoremediation is a holistic novel approach for the remediation of contaminants. It can use for the location specific contaminant, easy to operate, eco-friendly in nature. In this chapter, described the role and interaction effect of plant assisted microbes in heavy metal removal from contaminated soils.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableOrganic farming is an emerging option to protect the soil health by replenishing the rapidly depleting organic matter under t ropical soil condition to ensure production sustenance. Present study evaluates the effect of indigenous organic preparation panchagavya, cattle dung manure and biodynamic preparations on nitrate reductase activity, chlorophyll content, phyllospheric microbial count, soil microbial activity as well as growth and yield of wheat crop. Amongst, all the organic preparations viz. panchagavya, cattle dung manure, Biodynamic compost, BD500 and Cow Pat Pit, liquid preparation panchagavya contained low amou nt of plant nutrients. The highest count of bacteria (log10cfu 9.39 per ml) and aerobic nitrogen fixers (log10cfu 7.35 per ml) were found in Panchagavya. Improvement in grain yield of wheat with application of panchagavya and other organics was recorded however; compared to inorganic fertilizer treatment, reduction in grain yield to the extent of 35.42% in panchagavya 9.1% in integrated nutrient management, 12.7% in conventional organic treatment and 16.3% in biodynamic treatment indicated less nutrient supplementing potential of organics in short term as evidenced by lower leaf chlorophyll content and nitrate reducta se activity. Enhancement in phyllospheric microbial population and soil dehydrogenase activity with organic application suggested favorable impact of application of organics.Not Availabl

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