Combining ability and heterosis analysis for drought tolerant traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Rice is the most important staple food for more than half of the world’s population and also for most of the countries. A Line x Tester analysis was undertaken to study the nature of gene action for yield and drought tolerant traits. The ratio of SCA and GCA was less than unity for all the characters which revealed that the preponderance of non- additive gene action governing the traits concerned. The lines viz., ADT 43, ADT (R) 49, CO (R) 50 and the testers viz., PMK (R) 3, Chandikar and Anna (R) 4 were adjudged as the best general combiners for drought tolerant traits. The cross combinations viz., ADT 39 x Vellaichitraikar had exhibited significant values for dry root weight (9.66), root/shoot ratio (0.31), root length (3.82), number of roots per plant (37.08), root thickness (0.11), root volume (4.27) and root length density (0.03) ADT (R) 49 x Chandikar for 70 percent relative water content (8.85), dry root weight (18.03), dry shoot weight (40.55), root length (3.10), number of roots per plant (140.16) root thickness (0.38) and root volume (23.14) were found to be specific combiners for most of the drought tolerant traits. The cross combinations, viz., ADT 43 x Anna (R) 4, ADT (R) 49 x Chandikar and ADT 43 x PMK (R) 3 had highly significant standard heterosis. Breeding for drought tolerance in rice would be of immense value to the farmers economic health, family well-being and harmony in the society

Potential outcome of locking compression plate in proximal humerus fractures

Background: Fractures of proximal humerus bone needs immediate attention as the delayed treatment might result in non-union, malunion, and avascular necrosis which are responsible for the pain and dysfunction. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the functional outcome of displaced proximal humerus bone fractures that are surgically managed by locking compression plate and to assess the potential complication.Methods: The present study is the combination of both prospective and retrospective in which 30 patients with either Neer’s three part or Neer’s four-part proximal humerus fractures which were fixed with locking plate by a single surgeon. Functional outcome was measured by Constant Murley scoring (CMS) system.Results: The final follow-up of the study showed that 21 patients (70%) had the result that ranged from good to excellent score whereas, 6 patients (20%) had moderate score and 3 patients had poor score in functional outcome according to CMS system. During follow-up, 3 complications (10%) were encountered.Conclusions: The study concluded that proximal humerus locked compression plate is a valuable surgical method for the fixation of comminuted fractures of the proximal humerus as it is associated with excellent functional outcome. It also provides a stable fixation to permit early mobilization. Regaining medial cortical contact and establishing anatomical reductions decreases the complications that are associated with plate fixation

Concept of Grip Assistive Braking on Four Wheelers

Braking systems in all the segments of vehicles seems to be one of the most crucial developing systems. Many research and developments are carried out in terms of braking of a vehicle in order to enhance the braking efficiency and reduction in stopping distance. This article depicts the concept of assistive braking on four wheelers where we elaborately describe the Braking distance, Thinking distance and Stopping distance after which our concept of braking is proposed with all the technical aspects along with the various components and its efficiency in our real time use. This research article mainly focuses on technical aspects that aim to reduce the reaction time and reflex actions of the driver which in turn is used as a factor to reduce the stopping distance of the vehicle. Various types of biological reactions by a human are observed and then a particular muscular reaction is chosen as a source of intimation for our braking system. When an object is spotted by the driver, the reflex action takes place via a receptor, sensory neurons, spinal cord and from where the muscular reaction takes place. A unique steering with an array of grip sensors is designed and incorporated also with various functions of the vehicle but for this instance, we mainly focus on braking assistance of the vehicle. Thus the unique steering wheel plays the role of connection between vehicle and the driver

A surgical study of serological markers such as C-reactive protein and interleukin 6 in response to postoperative infection in patients with open fractures in a tertiary care hospital

To study the response of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) to postoperative infection in patients with open fractures. Thirty patients with open fractures of extremities within 12 hours of injury were included in study. Blood samples were collected for Postoperative infection is a devastating complication of open fractures. The ideal investigation for early diagnosis of infection should be done before surgery and should be accurate, convenient to patient, cause minimal morbidity. Test such as CRP and IL-6 estimation is utilized in this study. CRP and IL 6 estimation on admission, second and fourth post-op day. All patients underwent surgery and reports evaluated. It was observed that CRP peak on post-op day 4 and IL 6 on postoperative day 2 in patients with infection before clinical evidence of infection. This prospective study includes 30 cases, followed up in ward for a week. Various factors regarding clinical presentation, findings of various investigations, operative treatment had been analyzed. The sensitivity of CRP in our study was 100%, and specificity was 42%. The persistent rise of CRP value seen within the infected group was statistically significant (p<0.05). The present clinical study of estimation of CRP and IL 6 to detect postoperative infection in patients after open fractures is an excellent diagnostic test for early detection and management of infection

Relativistic electron beams accelerated by an interplanetary shock

Collisionless shock waves have long been considered amongst the most prolific particle accelerators in the universe. Shocks alter the plasma they propagate through and often exhibit complex evolution across multiple scales. Interplanetary (IP) traveling shocks have been recorded in-situ for over half a century and act as a natural laboratory for experimentally verifying various aspects of large-scale collisionless shocks. A fundamentally interesting problem in both helio and astrophysics is the acceleration of electrons to relativistic energies (more than 300 keV) by traveling shocks. This letter presents first observations of field-aligned beams of relativistic electrons upstream of an IP shock observed thanks to the instrumental capabilities of Solar Orbiter. This study aims to present the characteristics of the electron beams close to the source and contribute towards understanding their acceleration mechanism. On 25 July 2022, Solar Orbiter encountered an IP shock at 0.98 AU. The shock was associated with an energetic storm particle event which also featured upstream field-aligned relativistic electron beams observed 14 minutes prior to the actual shock crossing. The distance of the beam's origin was investigated using a velocity dispersion analysis (VDA). Peak-intensity energy spectra were anaylzed and compared with those obtained from a semi-analytical fast-Fermi acceleration model. By leveraging Solar Orbiter's high-time resolution Energetic Particle Detector (EPD), we have successfully showcased an IP shock's ability to accelerate relativistic electron beams. Our proposed acceleration mechanism offers an explanation for the observed electron beam and its characteristics, while we also explore the potential contributions of more complex mechanisms.Comment: Main text: 6 pages, 2 figures. Supplementary material: 6 pages, 7 figure

Prominence eruption observed in He II 304 Å up to >6 R⊙ by EUI/FSI aboard Solar Orbiter⋆

Aims. We report observations of a unique, large prominence eruption that was observed in the He II 304 Å passband of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager/Full Sun Imager telescope aboard Solar Orbiter on 15–16 February 2022. Methods. Observations from several vantage points – Solar Orbiter, the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and Earth-orbiting satellites – were used to measure the kinematics of the erupting prominence and the associated coronal mass ejection. Three-dimensional reconstruction was used to calculate the deprojected positions and speeds of different parts of the prominence. Observations in several passbands allowed us to analyse the radiative properties of the erupting prominence. Results. The leading parts of the erupting prominence and the leading edge of the corresponding coronal mass ejection propagate at speeds of around 1700 km s−1 and 2200 km s−1, respectively, while the trailing parts of the prominence are significantly slower (around 500 km s−1). Parts of the prominence are tracked up to heights of over 6 R⊙. The He II emission is probably produced via collisional excitation rather than scattering. Surprisingly, the brightness of a trailing feature increases with height. Conclusions. The reported prominence is the first observed in He II 304 Å emission at such a great height (above 6 R⊙)

The integration of social concerns into electricity power planning : a combined delphi and AHP approach

The increasing acceptance of the principle of sustainable development has been a major driving force towards new approaches to energy planning. This is a complex process involving multiple and conflicting objectives, in which many agents were able to influence decisions. The integration of environmental, social and economic issues in decision making, although fundamental, is not an easy task, and tradeoffsmust be made. The increasing importance of social aspects adds additional complexity to the traditional models that must now deal with variables recognizably difficult to measure in a quantitative scale. This study explores the issue of the social impact, as a fundamental aspect of the electricity planning process, aiming to give a measurable interpretation of the expected social impact of future electricity scenarios. A structured methodology, based on a combination of the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Delphi process, is proposed. The methodology is applied for the social evaluation of future electricity scenarios in Portugal, resulting in the elicitation and assignment of average social impact values for these scenarios. The proposed tool offers guidance to decision makers and presents a clear path to explicitl

Applying Bayesian model averaging for uncertainty estimation of input data in energy modelling

Background Energy scenarios that are used for policy advice have ecological and social impact on society. Policy measures that are based on modelling exercises may lead to far reaching financial and ecological consequences. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness that energy modelling results are accompanied with uncertainties that should be addressed explicitly. Methods With view to existing approaches of uncertainty assessment in energy economics and climate science, relevant requirements for an uncertainty assessment are defined. An uncertainty assessment should be explicit, independent of the assessor’s expertise, applicable to different models, including subjective quantitative and statistical quantitative aspects, intuitively understandable and be reproducible. Bayesian model averaging for input variables of energy models is discussed as method that satisfies these requirements. A definition of uncertainty based on posterior model probabilities of input variables to energy models is presented. Results The main findings are that (1) expert elicitation as predominant assessment method does not satisfy all requirements, (2) Bayesian model averaging for input variable modelling meets the requirements and allows evaluating a vast amount of potentially relevant influences on input variables and (3) posterior model probabilities of input variable models can be translated in uncertainty associated with the input variable. Conclusions An uncertainty assessment of energy scenarios is relevant if policy measures are (partially) based on modelling exercises. Potential implications of these findings include that energy scenarios could be associated with uncertainty that is presently neither assessed explicitly nor communicated adequately

Microbial Diversity of a Brazilian Coastal Region Influenced by an Upwelling System and Anthropogenic Activity

BACKGROUND: Upwelling systems are characterised by an intense primary biomass production in the surface (warmest) water after the outcrop of the bottom (coldest) water, which is rich in nutrients. Although it is known that the microbial assemblage plays an important role in the food chain of marine systems and that the upwelling systems that occur in southwest Brazil drive the complex dynamics of the food chain, little is known about the microbial composition present in this region. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We carried out a molecular survey based on SSU rRNA gene from the three domains of the phylogenetic tree of life present in a tropical upwelling region (Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The aim was to analyse the horizontal and vertical variations of the microbial composition in two geographically close areas influenced by anthropogenic activity (sewage disposal/port activity) and upwelling phenomena, respectively. A lower estimated diversity of microorganisms of the three domains of the phylogenetic tree of life was found in the water of the area influenced by anthropogenic activity compared to the area influenced by upwelling phenomena. We observed a heterogenic distribution of the relative abundance of taxonomic groups, especially in the Archaea and Eukarya domains. The bacterial community was dominated by Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes phyla, whereas the microeukaryotic community was dominated by Metazoa, Fungi, Alveolata and Stramenopile. The estimated archaeal diversity was the lowest of the three domains and was dominated by uncharacterised marine Crenarchaeota that were most closely related to Marine Group I. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The variety of conditions and the presence of different microbial assemblages indicated that the area of Arraial do Cabo can be used as a model for detailed studies that contemplate the correlation between pollution-indicating parameters and the depletion of microbial diversity in areas close to anthropogenic activity; functional roles and geochemical processes; phylogeny of the uncharacterised diversity; and seasonal variations of the microbial assemblages