Seed quality enhancement through biopriming in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris. L)

An experiment on seed quality enhancement of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) var. S 9 (local) was conducted at the department of seed science and technology, OUAT, Bhubaneswar during 2013-14 by use of three biocontrol agents viz. Trichoderma viride, Trichoderma harzianum, Pseudomonas fluorescence. Seeds were bi-oprimed with the biocontrol agents at 40, 50 and 60 % concentration for 4,8,12 and 16 hours of soaking. Seeds were also hydro primed for 4,8,12 and 16 hours. Unprimed dry seed resulted in germination (69 %), shoot length (27.5 cm), root length (14 cm), seedling dry weight (1.71g), SVI-I (2859.2), SVI-II (118.0) and speed of germination (5.8) while hydro primed seeds resulted in germination (72%), shoot length (31.9 cm), root length (15 cm), seedling dry weight (1.80 g), SVI-1 (3375.9) SVI-II (129.8) and speed of germination (6.7). Trichoderma harzianum at 40% con-centration and for 4 hours of soaking resulted enhancement of above quality parameter like 13.0 % in germination, 21.1 % in shoot length, 20.7 % in root length, 31.6 % in seedling dry weight, 36 % in seedling vigour index-I, 48.1 % in seedling vigour index-II and 58.6 % in speed of germination over unprimed seeds. Bio priming with P. fluorescence ( at 40% concentration and for 4 hour) closely followed and at par with best treatment with 11.6 %, 18.2 %, 16.4 %, 30.4 %, 30.7 % and 56.9 % enhancement of above mentioned quality parameters, respectively

Disaster, Divine Judgment, and Original Sin: Christian Interpretations of Tropical Cyclone Winston and Climate Change in Fiji

Paradise in the Pacific is often rendered as a natural state where "native" people live in simple harmony without the need for government or state institutions. However, Christian traditions also include paradise not simply as a state of innocence but also as a narrative of salvation history in which paradise is lost through original sin and must be restored through sacrifice and repentance. This article takes recent Fijian Christian interpretations of Tropical Cyclone Winston as a key site in which contested ideologies of Paradise are being reworked. As the idyll of island harmony is disrupted by disaster, Christians have seen Winston as an act of divine judgment and punishment on a sinful people. This essay analyzes how narratives of a sinful nation intersect with contemporary formulations of climate change, disaster, politics, and human agency

Ibrexafungerp:A novel oral triterpenoid antifungal in development for the treatment of candida auris infections

Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen reported worldwide. Infections due to C. auris are usually nosocomial and associated with high rates of fluconazole resistance and mortality. Echinocandins are utilized as the first-line treatment. However, echinocandins are only available intravenously and are associated with increasingly higher rates of resistance by C. auris. Thus, a need exists for novel treatments that demonstrate potent activity against C. auris. Ibrexafungerp is a first-in-class triterpenoid antifungal agent. Similar to echinocandins, ibrexafungerp inhibits (1→3)-β-D-glucan synthase, a key component of the fungal cell wall, resulting in fungicidal activity against Candida spp. Ibrexafungerp demonstrates broad in vitro activity against various Candida spp. including C. auris and C. auris isolates with fks mutations. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC50 and MIC90) values in >400 C. auris isolates were 0.5 μg/mL and 1.0 μg/mL, respectively. Clinical results were reported for two patients with invasive candidiasis or candidemia due to C. auris treated during the CARES (Candidiasis Caused by Candida Auris) trial, an ongoing open-label study. These patients experienced a complete response after treatment with ibrexafungerp. Thus, ibrexafungerp represents a promising new antifungal agent for treating C. auris infections