Plant genome editing using engineered nucleases and success of CRISPR/Cas9 system

Development of new plant breeding techniques have facilitated easy manipulation of plants at genetic level. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein9 (Cas9) system is a valuable addition in programmable nucleases. The CRISPR/Cas9 system uses an RNA component to recognize a target DNA sequences and it has shown promising results with respect to simultaneous editing of multigenic plant traits. In this review, components of CRISPR/Cas9, their construction and its methods of delivery to plant cells are analyzed. Variation in nucleotide sequence of the protospacer adjacent motif, codon optimization and progress in web-based bioinformatic tools, will make CRISPR/Cas9 systems more efficient for plants. Development and optimization of protocols to efficiently target all plant species is still under development. Along with this, methods to inspect induced mutation and efficiency of the system have also been reviewed. Auxiliary improvements and understanding are still required to expand the CRISPR/Cas9 systems to target complex genome architectures and epigenetic elements

Synthesis and application of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on cotton fabrics for UV protection

In recent years, the requirements for the sun protection has increased dramatically with climate change specially in high UV index regions. This study was carried out to examine, test and enhance the ultraviolet protection of cotton fabric after applying titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Samples with different concentration of titanium dioxide nanoparticles were prepared by pad-dry- cure method and used in multiple test settings which investigated the presence and effectiveness of applied nanoparticles on fabric. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet protection and tensile strength were used to investigate the resultant effect. The results demonstrated that titanium dioxide nanoparticles showed effective resistance against ultraviolet rays and provided excellent ultraviolet protection while, little increase in tensile strength of treated fabric was observed

Techno-economic and GHG mitigation assessment of concentrated solar thermal and PV systems for different climate zones

In this study, energy production by two solar energy technologies, namely concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) power, is compared from a technical, economic and environmental perspective. Initially, a 50 MW CSP plant is modeled and simulated at four selected sites in Pakistan. Then, the most feasible location of the CSP plant is compared with the solar PV plant of the same capacity. The effect of the solar thermal storage size and cooling system of the CSP system is investigated, while the photovoltaic tracking system is investigated to evaluate the technical and economic performance of the power plants. Technical performance is evaluated based on energy generation and capacity factors metrics, while economic performance is evaluated with respect to levelized cost, payback period and net present value. In addition, environmental criteria such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), saving fossil fuels, and life-cycle water consumption are evaluated. From the results, it was concluded that the CSP plant located in Quetta is technically and economically viable. The capacity factor of the CSP plant is 36.6% compared to 19.8% for the PV plant, while the solar-to-electrical efficiency of the CSP plant is 14.2% compared to 20.8% for the PV plant. The required land area is 2.77 acres/GWh for the CSP plant and 2.33 acres/GWh for the PV plant, while the net capital cost of the CSP plant is five times higher than that of the PV plant. Various design parameters are optimized to obtain the minimum levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for both CSP and PV plants. The results of CSP and PV plants indicate that the LCOE can be reduced to 11.57 cents/kWh and 4.69 cents/kWh, respectively. Thus, the CSP plant performs better from the technical point of view while the PV plant performs better from the economic perspective

Posttraumatic stress disorder: a serious post-earthquake complication

Abstract Objectives Earthquakes are unpredictable and devastating natural disasters. They can cause massive destruction and loss of life and survivors may suffer psychological symptoms of severe intensity. Our goal in this article is to review studies published in the last 20 years to compile what is known about posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurring after earthquakes. The review also describes other psychiatric complications that can be associated with earthquakes, to provide readers with better overall understanding, and discusses several sociodemographic factors that can be associated with post-earthquake PTSD Method A search for literature was conducted on major databases such as MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO and in neurology and psychiatry journals, and many other medical journals. Terms used for electronic searches included, but were not limited to, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), posttraumatic symptoms, anxiety, depression, major depressive disorder, earthquake, and natural disaster. The relevant information was then utilized to determine the relationships between earthquakes and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results It was found that PTSD is the most commonly occurring mental health condition among earthquake survivors. Major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia, and specific phobias were also listed. Conclusion The PTSD prevalence rate varied widely. It was dependent on multiple risk factors in target populations and also on the interval of time that had elapsed between the exposure to the deadly incident and measurement. Females seemed to be the most widely-affected group, while elderly people and young children exhibit considerable psychosocial impact

Posttraumatic stress disorder: a serious post-earthquake complication

<div><p>Abstract Objectives Earthquakes are unpredictable and devastating natural disasters. They can cause massive destruction and loss of life and survivors may suffer psychological symptoms of severe intensity. Our goal in this article is to review studies published in the last 20 years to compile what is known about posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurring after earthquakes. The review also describes other psychiatric complications that can be associated with earthquakes, to provide readers with better overall understanding, and discusses several sociodemographic factors that can be associated with post-earthquake PTSD Method A search for literature was conducted on major databases such as MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO and in neurology and psychiatry journals, and many other medical journals. Terms used for electronic searches included, but were not limited to, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), posttraumatic symptoms, anxiety, depression, major depressive disorder, earthquake, and natural disaster. The relevant information was then utilized to determine the relationships between earthquakes and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results It was found that PTSD is the most commonly occurring mental health condition among earthquake survivors. Major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia, and specific phobias were also listed. Conclusion The PTSD prevalence rate varied widely. It was dependent on multiple risk factors in target populations and also on the interval of time that had elapsed between the exposure to the deadly incident and measurement. Females seemed to be the most widely-affected group, while elderly people and young children exhibit considerable psychosocial impact.</p></div

Abstracts of the 3rd Annual Graduate Entry Research in Medicine Conference

This book contains the abstracts of the papers presented at The 3rd Annual Graduate Entry Research in Medicine Conference (GERMCON 2020) Organized by Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick in collaboration with Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Wales, UK held on 12–18 October 2020. This was especially important for Graduate Entry Medical (GEM) students, who have less opportunity and time to engage in research due to their accelerated medical degree. Conference Title: 3rd Annual Graduate Entry Research in Medicine ConferenceConference Acronym: GERMCON 2020Conference Date: 12–18 October 2020Conference Location: Online (Virtual Mode)Conference Organizer: Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, UKCo-organizer: Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Wales, UK Other Abstract Book of GERMCON: Abstracts of the 4th Annual Graduate Entry Research in Medicine Conferenc