Considerable Azadirachtin Production in Neem Cell Culture under Abiotic Elicitor Induction

In this study the effect of different concentrations of some abiotic elicitors (salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, cadmium chloride and sodium chloride) with different incubation times (3, 6, 9 and 12) on azadiractin production and cell growth in the cell culture of the Iranian native Neem were investigated. Cell growth rate was measured by changes in dry cell weight and it was used as a basis for the treatment of elicitor effect. Azadirachtin was extracted with methanol and measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that the AZ content of cells increased significantly in the cells elicited with different types and concentrations of all used elicitors compared to the control. The cell suspension which treated with 0.75 mM salicylic acid showed the highest Azadirachtin content (0.1268 g/g DCW) 6 days after incubation. The highest dry cell weight, with a significant increase, was observed in the suspension cultures treated with 0.1 mM cadmium chloride 12 days after incubation. However, this study highlighted the new valuable Iranian native Neem genotype and salicylic acid as a powerful elicitor for azadirachtin production. In addition, it was approved the effect of exposure time, individual intrinsic and more presumably combined condition of elicitors and their concentration on plant secondary metabolites production

Computer-based tools provide new insight into the key factors that cause physiological disorders of pistachio rootstocks cultured in vitro

During the in vitro culture of plants some physiological disorders caused major problems that have been associated with culture media composition. The objective of this study was to better understand the abnormal physiological response of two pistachio rootstocks to changes in culture media ingredients. On this purpose, two computer-based tools were employed: design of experiment (DOE) and neurofuzzy logic. DOE was employed to generate a five-dimensional IV-design spaces allowing to reduce the number of treatments from 6,250 to 61. The second one, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, neurofuzzy logic, was used to understand the cause-effect relationships between the factors studied (25) and seven physiological disorders including shoot-tip necrosis (STN), leaf necrosis (LN), leaf color (LC), basal callus (BC) formation, shoot fasciation (SF), hyperhydricity and epinasty, typically described during pistachio in vitro culture. Four out of the seven disorders were successfully modeled, being significantly affected by a limited number of factors. STN and BC were significantly affected by the concentration of EDTA−. However, while a low concentration of EDTA− reduces the STN, promotes BC. LN and LC were strongly alleviated by high amounts of thiamine-HCl. Undoubtedly, the results demonstrate the importance of recording and using data related to physiological disorders along with growth parameters when developing suitable culture media for plant tissues. The computer-based tools have been useful to: i) well sample experimental design; ii) reduce the final number of treatments and the experimental work; iii) identify the key factors affecting each disorder; iv) get insight about the causes that promote the appearance of physiological disorders. Our findings demonstrate that the recently AI designed POM media, although not optimal, is the most suitable (favouring growth and limiting physiological abnormalities) media for in vitro culture of pistachio compared to those media, currently used.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C2017/09Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431D-2017/1

Practical method for optimal rehabilitation of steel frame buildings using buckling restrained brace dampers

A novel optimisation method is developed for optimum strengthening design of 2D multi-story steel moment resisting frames using buckling restrained brace (BRB)dampers and externally welded steel plates in compliance with ASCE 41-06. The proposed method is based on the concept of Uniform Distribution of Deformation (UDD), in which structural materials are redistributed from strong to weak parts of a structure until the material capacity is fully exploited. For the first time, an adaptive power function is introduced to improve the computational efficiency and convergence speed of the UDD optimisation method. The results of the proposed optimisation method are compared with metaheuristic optimisation methods using Genetic Algorithm (GA)and Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO)for a three story and a nine story frame. The demand to capacity ratios of deformation-controlled and force-controlled structural members based on ASCE 41-06 are considered as design constraints in the optimisation process. The results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed optimisation method in finding the optimum design solution with significantly less computational costs (up to 300 times less number of analyses)compared to both GA and PSO methods. It is shown that, in general, a more suitable distribution of dampers is accompanied by a more uniform distribution of demand to capacity ratios, which confirms the concept of UDD optimisation method

Combining DOE With Neurofuzzy Logic for Healthy Mineral Nutrition of Pistachio Rootstocks in vitro Culture

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Murashige and Skoog (MS) salts on optimal growth of two pistachio rootstocks, P. vera cv. “Ghazvini” and “UCB1” using design of experiments (DOE) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools. MS medium with 14 macro—and micro-elements was used as base point and its concentration varied from 0 to 5 × MS concentrations. Design of experiments (DOE) software was used to generate a five-dimensional design space by categorizing MS salts into five independent factors (NH4NO3, KNO3, mesos, micros and iron), reducing the experimental design space from 3,125 to just 29 treatments. Typical plant growth parameters such as shoot quality (SQ), proliferation rate (PR), shoot length (SL), and some physiological disorders including shoot-tip necrosis (STN) and callus formation at the base of explants (BC) were evaluated for each treatment. The results were successfully modeled using neurofuzzy logic software. The model delivered new insights, by different sets of “IF–THEN” rules, pinpointing the key role of some ion interactions (SO42- × Cl−, K+ × SO42- × EDTA−, and Fe2+ × Cu2+ × NO3-) for SQ, PR, and SL, whilst physiological disorders (STN and BC) were governed mainly by independent ions as Fe2+ and EDTA−, respectively. In our opinion, the methodology and results obtained in this study is extremely useful to understand the effect of mineral nutrients on pistachio in vitro culture, through discovering new complex interactions among macro—and micro-elements which can be implemented to design new media of plant tissue culture and improve healthy plant micropropagation for any plant species

The promoter from SlREO, a highly-expressed, root-specific Solanum lycopersicum gene, directs expression to cortex of mature roots

Root-specific promoters are valuable tools for targeting transgene expression, but many of those already described have limitations to their general applicability. We present the expression characteristics of SlREO, a novel gene isolated from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). This gene was highly expressed in roots but had a very low level of expression in aerial plant organs. A 2.4-kb region representing the SlREO promoter sequence was cloned upstream of the uidA GUS reporter gene and shown to direct expression in the root cortex. In mature, glasshouse-grown plants this strict root specificity was maintained. Furthermore, promoter activity was unaffected by dehydration or wounding stress but was somewhat suppressed by exposure to NaCl, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. The predicted protein sequence of SlREO contains a domain found in enzymes of the 2-oxoglutarate and Fe(II)-dependent dioxygenase superfamily. The novel SlREO promoter has properties ideal for applications requiring strong and specific gene expression in the bulk of tomato root tissue growing in soil, and is also likely to be useful in other Solanaceous crop

Influence of Stefan blowing on nanofluid flow submerged in microorganisms with leading edge accretion or ablation

The unsteady forced convective boundary layer flow of viscous incompressible fluid containing both nanoparticles and gyrotactic microorganisms, from a flat surface with leading edge accretion (or ablation), is investigated theoretically. Utilizing appropriate similarity transformations for the velocity, temperature, nanoparticle volume fraction and motile microorganism density, the governing conservation equations are rendered into a system of coupled, nonlinear, similarity ordinary differential equations. These equations, subjected to imposed boundary conditions, are solved numerically using the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg fourth-fifth order numerical method in the MAPLE symbolic software. Good agreement between our computations and previous solutions is achieved. The effect of selected parameters on flow velocity, temperature, nano-particle volume fraction (concentration) and motile microorganism density function is investigated. Furthermore, tabular solutions are included for skin friction, wall heat transfer rate, nano-particle mass transfer rate and microorganism transfer rate. Applications of the study arise in advanced micro-flow devices to assess nanoparticle toxicity

Pure phase-locking of beta/gamma oscillation contributes to the N30 frontal component of somatosensory evoked potentials

BACKGROUND: Evoked potentials have been proposed to result from phase-locking of electroencephalographic (EEG) activities within specific frequency bands. However, the respective contribution of phasic activity and phase resetting of ongoing EEG oscillation remains largely debated. We here applied the EEGlab procedure in order to quantify the contribution of electroencephalographic oscillation in the generation of the frontal N30 component of the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) triggered by median nerve electrical stimulation at the wrist. Power spectrum and intertrial coherence analysis were performed on EEG recordings in relation to median nerve stimulation. RESULTS: The frontal N30 component was accompanied by a significant phase-locking of beta/gamma oscillation (25-35 Hz) and to a lesser extent of 80 Hz oscillation. After the selection in each subject of the trials for which the power spectrum amplitude remained unchanged, we found pure phase-locking of beta/gamma oscillation (25-35 Hz) peaking about 30 ms after the stimulation. Transition across trials from uniform to normal phase distribution revealed temporal phase reorganization of ongoing 30 Hz EEG oscillations in relation to stimulation. In a proportion of trials, this phase-locking was accompanied by a spectral power increase peaking in the 30 Hz frequency band. This corresponds to the complex situation of 'phase-locking with enhancement' in which the distinction between the contribution of phasic neural event versus EEG phase resetting is hazardous. CONCLUSION: The identification of a pure phase-locking in a large proportion of the SEP trials reinforces the contribution of the oscillatory model for the physiological correlates of the frontal N30. This may imply that ongoing EEG rhythms, such as beta/gamma oscillation, are involved in somatosensory information processing.Comparative StudyJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe