İnsan iradesinin nörobiyolojik temeline karşılaştırmalı bir yaklaşım: Kant ve el-Gazali

This study aims to present both the neuroscientific findings on Human Will and its philosophical perspectives from the Civilisations of the West and Islam. It aims to correlate the philosophies of the concept Human Will with the Neuroscientific evidences deduced from human brain experiments. The central thesis of this research claims that the Neuroscientific perspectives on the issue of Human Will are compatible with the Human Will concepts of Kant and Al-Ghazali. This compatibility is argued for in order to frame a more informed conversation between Neuroscientists and Philosophers. This argument is contrary to the belief that the findings of Neuroscientific studies are in opposition to the transcendental connotations that are embedded in the works of Kant and Al-Ghazali.Bu çalışma hem insan iradesi hakkındaki sinir ilimsel ulguları hem de Batı ve İslam medeniyetlerinden felsefi akış açıları sunmayı amaçlamaktadır. İnsan iradesi kavramının felsefelerini, insan eyni deneylerinden elde edilen sinir bilimsel kanıtlarla ilişkilendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu araştırmanın ana fikri, insan iradesi hakkındaki sinir ilimsel akış açılarının Kant ve gazali'deki insan iradesi kavramları ile uyumlu olduğunu iddia etmektedir. Bu uyumluluk, sinir ilimciler ve filozoflar arasında daha ilinçli ir ilişki oluşturmak için çalışılmıştır. Bu argüman, sinir ilimsel çalışmaların, Kant ve Gazali'nin eserlerinde içkin olan spiritüel çağrışımlarla çatıştığı görüşüne karşı çıkmaktadır

Analysis of rice grain protein composition in the context of rice grain quality

Protein (composed of prolamin, glutelin, globulin and albumin) is the second most abundant component in the milled rice grain. It has very diverse properties that may contribute to rice grain quality. Rice grain protein extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography methods were developed and applied into different sets of short, medium and long grain advanced breeding lines. Rice prolamin and albumin were extracted with 60% n-propanol, while the glutelin and globulin were extracted with 5M acetic acid. Analyses of protein extracts revealed differences in rice grain storage protein composition which were associated with rice grain texture and head rice yield

Prospects for Genetic Improvement in Internal Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Rice

While improving the efficiency at which rice plants take up fertiliser nitrogen (N) will be critical for the sustainability of rice (Oryza sativa L.) farming systems in future, improving the grain yield of rice produced per unit of N accumulated in aboveground plant material (agronomic N use efficiency; NUEagron) through breeding may also be a viable means of improving the sustainability of rice cropping. Given that NUEagron (grain yield/total N uptake) is a function of harvest index (HI; grain yield/crop biomass) × crop biomass/total N uptake, and that improving HI is already the target of most breeding programs, and specific improvement in NUEagron can only really be achieved by increasing the crop biomass/N uptake. Since rice crops take up around 80% of total crop N prior to flowering, improving the biomass/N uptake (NUEveg) prior to, or at, flowering may be the best means to improve the NUEagron. Ultimately, however, enhanced NUEagron may come at the expense of grain protein unless the N harvest index increases concurrently. We investigated the relationships between NUEagron, total N uptake, grain yield, grain N concentration (i.e., protein) and N harvest index (NHI) in 16 rice genotypes under optimal N conditions over two seasons to determine if scope exists to improve the NHI and/or grain protein, while maintaining or enhancing NUEagron in rice. Using data from these experiments and from an additional experiment with cv. IR64 under optimum conditions at an experimental farm to establish a benchmark for NUE parameters in high-input, high yielding conditions, we simulated theoretical potential improvements in NUEveg that could be achieved in both low and high-input scenarios by manipulating target NHIs and grain protein levels. Simulations suggested that scope exists to increase grain protein levels in low yielding scenarios with only modest (5–10%) reductions in current NUEagron by increasing the current NHI from 0.6 to 0.8. Furthermore, substantial scope exists to improve NUEveg (and therefore NUEagron) in high-yielding scenarios if maintaining current grain protein levels of 7.3% is not essential

Rice grain protein composition influences instrumental measures of rice cooking and eating quality

Rice cultivar starch composition differences do not completely explain variation in rice cooking and eating quality. Rice grain storage proteins possess divergent solubility properties suggesting they may contribute to cultivar differences in rice grain quality. Application of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis to protein extracts derived from medium and long grain advanced rice breeding lines revealed rice grain protein composition differences which were associated with instrumental measures of grain quality. Globulin content displayed little variation in both grain types. The mean glutelin content was higher in long grain rice lines than medium grains. Although the mean content of prolamins in medium and long grain rice were similar, the prolamin content of medium grains was more variable. Individual medium grain prolamin HPLC peaks, total prolamin content and the prolamin:glutelin + prolamin ratio were positively correlated with several rapid visco analyser (RVA) parameters. The long grain HPLC data displayed a similar pattern of correlations with RVA parameters but of reduced magnitude. Protein composition was associated with instrumental measures of grain quality in this set of germplasm and although the textural properties of rice are complex, these data suggest consideration of rice grain protein composition could contribute to breeding high quality rice

Rice grain protein composition influences head rice yield

Background and objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which differences in rice grain protein composition are associated with head rice yield (HRY). HRY, the mass of milled unbroken rice grain derived from a defined mass of paddy rice expressed as a percentage, is a commercially important trait targeted by rice breeders. Variation in rice grain protein composi- tion influences rice grain texture, and high grain protein content is associated with high HRY; however, the relations hip between rice grain protein composition and HRY is not well understood. Findings: HPLC analysis of protein extracts derived from broken and unbroken milled medium- and long-grain rice suggests that rice grain protein composition differences are associated with HRY. Glutelin, a major class of rice grain storage proteins, displayed the greatest difference between broken and unbroken rice grains but weakest association with HRY . Prolamin and globulin content dis- played relatively smaller differences between broken and unbroken medium and long grains, yet both protein fractions were associ ated with HRY. Conclusions: Rice grain protein composition, in addition to other known factors, influences rice HRY. Significance and novelty: Protein composition differences between broken and unbroken rice grains have significant implications for human nutrition and in part explain differences in HRY. Rice breeders face the challenge of balancing the two competing traits of HRY and soft grain texture

Large-scale production and evaluation of marker-free indica rice IR64 expressing phytoferritin genes

Biofortification of rice (Oryza sativa L.) using a transgenic approach to increase the amount of iron in the grain is proposed as a low-cost, reliable, and sustainable solution to help developing countries combat anemia. In this study, we generated and evaluated a large number of rice or soybean ferritin over-accumulators in rice mega-variety IR64, including marker-free events, by introducing soybean or rice ferritin genes into the endosperm for product development. Accumulation of the protein was confirmed by ELISA, in situ immunological detection, and Western blotting. As much as a 37- and 19-fold increase in the expression of ferritin gene in single and co-transformed plants, respectively, and a 3.4-fold increase in Fe content in the grain over the IR64 wild type was achieved using this approach. Agronomic characteristics of a total of 1,860 progenies from 58 IR64 single independent transgenic events and 768 progenies from 27 marker-free transgenic events were evaluated and most trait characteristics did not show a penalty. Grain quality evaluation of high-Fe IR64 transgenic events showed quality similar to that of the wild-type IR64. To understand the effect of transgenes on iron homeostasis, transcript analysis was conducted on a subset of genes involved in iron uptake and loading. Gene expression of the exogenous ferritin gene in grain correlates with protein accumulation and iron concentration. The expression of NAS2 and NAS3 metal transporters increased during the grain milky stage