Performance Evaluation of Cabbage Cultivars under Open Field Cultivation in High Altitude of Tawang Arunachal Pradesh

The study has been undertaken to evaluate the performance of locally available commercial cultivars of cabbage in open field during summer season of 2019 at Defence Research Laboratory Research and Development Centre Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh). The commercial cultivars of these vegetables were evaluated based on the growth parameters and their yield performance under open field with paired row system of planting. It was found that the cultivar Green Express performance was outstanding among test edcultivars and it superseded cv. Royal Ball BC-51 and cv. Blue Jayes in terms of growth parameters as well as marketable yield (2.62 kg/m2) and biological yield (3.47 kg/m2). The cv. Royal Ball BC-86 was also found next best performing cultivar after cv. Green Express as former was at par with growth and yield parameter and harvest maturity of later. The head of cv. Green express attended harvest maturity (149.25 days) approximately one week earlier as compared to cv. Blue Jayes (155.0 days). However, the productivity of cultivars Green Express and Royal Ball BC-86 was found within the range of national average, therefore, these two cultivars could be recommended for the commercial cultivation with paired row system of planting under open field cultivation during summer season in high altitude areas of Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh)

Plasmodium falciparum parasite population structure and gene flow associated to anti-malarial drugs resistance in Cambodia

Background: Western Cambodia is recognized as the epicentre of emergence of Plasmodium falciparum multi-drug resistance. The emergence of artemisinin resistance has been observed in this area since 2008–2009 and molecular signatures associated to artemisinin resistance have been characterized in k13 gene. At present, one of the major threats faced, is the possible spread of Asian artemisinin resistant parasites over the world threatening millions of people and jeopardizing malaria elimination programme efforts. To anticipate the diffusion of artemisinin resistance, the identification of the P. falciparum population structure and the gene flow among the parasite population in Cambodia are essential. Methods: To this end, a mid-throughput PCR-LDR-FMA approach based on LUMINEX technology was developed to screen for genetic barcode in 533 blood samples collected in 2010–2011 from 16 health centres in malaria endemics areas in Cambodia. Results: Based on successful typing of 282 samples, subpopulations were characterized along the borders of the country. Each 11-loci barcode provides evidence supporting allele distribution gradient related to subpopulations and gene flow. The 11-loci barcode successfully identifies recently emerging parasite subpopulations in western Cambodia that are associated with the C580Y dominant allele for artemisinin resistance in k13 gene. A subpopulation was identified in northern Cambodia that was associated to artemisinin (R539T resistant allele of k13 gene) and mefloquine resistance. Conclusions: The gene flow between these subpopulations might have driven the spread of artemisinin resistance over Cambodia

Barriers to the adoption of industry 4.0 technologies in the manufacturing sector: An inter-country comparative perspective

This paper examines barriers to the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the manufacturing sector in the context of both developed and developing economies. A comprehensive literature review, followed by discussions with industry experts, identifies 15 barriers, which are analyzed by means of a Grey Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach. The ‘lack of a digital strategy alongside resource scarcity’ emerges as the most prominent barrier in both developed and developing economies. The influencing barriers identified suggest that improvements in standards and government regulation could facilitate the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in developing country case, whereas technological infrastructure is needed to promote the adoption of these technologies in developed country case. This study is one of the first to examine the implementation of Industry 4.0 in both developing and developed economies. This article highlights the difficulties in the diffusion of technological innovation resulting from a lack of coordinated national policies on Industry 4.0 in developing countries, which may prevent firms from fully experiencing the Industry 4.0 revolution. The results of this study may help decision makers and practitioners to address the barriers highlighted, paving the way for successful implementation of Industry 4.0 across the manufacturing sector

Functional analysis of Plasmodium falciparum subpopulations associated with artemisinin resistance in Cambodia

Background: Plasmodium falciparum malaria is one of the most widespread parasitic infections in humans and remains a leading global health concern. Malaria elimination efforts are threatened by the emergence and spread of resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapy, the first-line treatment of malaria. Promising molecular markers and pathways associated with artemisinin drug resistance have been identified, but the underlying molecular mechanisms of resistance remains unknown. The genomic data from early period of emergence of artemisinin resistance (2008–2011) was evaluated, with aim to define k13 associated genetic background in Cambodia, the country identified as epicentre of anti-malarial drug resistance, through characterization of 167 parasite isolates using a panel of 21,257 SNPs. Results: Eight subpopulations were identified suggesting a process of acquisition of artemisinin resistance consistent with an emergence-selection-diffusion model, supported by the shifting balance theory. Identification of population specific mutations facilitated the characterization of a core set of 57 background genes associated with artemisinin resistance and associated pathways. The analysis indicates that the background of artemisinin resistance was not acquired after drug pressure, rather is the result of fixation followed by selection on the daughter subpopulations derived from the ancestral population. Conclusions: Functional analysis of artemisinin resistance subpopulations illustrates the strong interplay between ubiquitination and cell division or differentiation in artemisinin resistant parasites. The relationship of these pathways with the P. falciparum resistant subpopulation and presence of drug resistance markers in addition to k13, highlights the major role of admixed parasite population in the diffusion of artemisinin resistant background. The diffusion of resistant genes in the Cambodian admixed population after selection resulted from mating of gametocytes of sensitive and resistant parasite populations. (Résumé d'auteur

A genetically modified Plasmodium berghei parasite as a surrogate for whole-sporozoite vaccination against P. vivax malaria

© The Author(s) 2022. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.Two malaria parasite species, Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and P. vivax (Pv) are responsible for most of the disease burden caused by malaria. Vaccine development against this disease has focused mainly on Pf. Whole-sporozoite (WSp) vaccination, targeting pre-erythrocytic (PE) parasite stages, is a promising strategy for immunization against malaria and several PfWSp-based vaccine candidates are currently undergoing clinical evaluation. In contrast, no WSp candidates have been developed for Pv, mainly due to constraints in the production of Pv sporozoites in the laboratory. Recently, we developed a novel approach for WSp vaccination against Pf based on the use of transgenic rodent P. berghei (Pb) sporozoites expressing immunogens of this human-infective parasite. We showed that this platform can be used to deliver PE Pf antigens, eliciting both targeted humoral responses and cross-species cellular immune responses against Pf. Here we explored this WSp platform for the delivery of Pv antigens. As the Pv circumsporozoite protein (CSP) is a leading vaccine candidate antigen, we generated a transgenic Pb parasite, PbviVac, that, in addition to its endogenous PbCSP, expresses PvCSP under the control of a strictly PE promoter. Immunofluorescence microscopy analyses confirmed that both the PbCSP and the PvCSP antigens are expressed in PbviVac sporozoites and liver stages and that PbviVac sporozoite infectivity of hepatic cells is similar to that of its wild-type Pb counterpart. Immunization of mice with PbviVac sporozoites elicits the production of anti-PvCSP antibodies that efficiently recognize and bind to Pv sporozoites. Our results warrant further development and evaluation of PbviVac as a surrogate for WSp vaccination against Pv malaria.A.D. and J.C.S. were supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (U19AI110820 and R01AI141900). A.M.M. acknowledges Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (FCT) for Grant PTDC-BBB-BMD-2695-2014. M.P. acknowledges the “la Caixa” Foundation for Grant HR21-848, the GSK OpenLab Foundation for grant TC269, and FCT for grant PTDC-SAU-INF-29550-2017. D.M. acknowledges FCT for grant SFRH/BD/144817/2019.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genome-wide diversity and gene expression profiling of Babesia microti isolates identify polymorphic genes that mediate host-pathogen interactions

Babesia microti, a tick-transmitted, intraerythrocytic protozoan parasite circulating mainly among small mammals, is the primary cause of human babesiosis. While most cases are transmitted by Ixodes ticks, the disease may also be transmitted through blood transfusion and perinatally. A comprehensive analysis of genome composition, genetic diversity, and gene expression profiling of seven B. microti isolates revealed that genetic variation in isolates from the Northeast United States is almost exclusively associated with genes encoding the surface proteome and secretome of the parasite. Furthermore, we found that polymorphism is restricted to a small number of genes, which are highly expressed during infection. In order to identify pathogen-encoded factors involved in host-parasite interactions, we screened a proteome array comprised of 174 B. microti proteins, including several predicted members of the parasite secretome. Using this immuno-proteomic approach we identified several novel antigens that trigger strong host immune responses during the onset of infection. The genomic and immunological data presented herein provide the first insights into the determinants of B. microti interaction with its mammalian hosts and their relevance for understanding the selective pressures acting on parasite evolution