Influence of foliar chemical compounds on the development of Spodoptera litura (Fab.) in interspecific derivatives of groundnut

Tobacco armyworm, Spodoptera litura (Fab), a polyphagous insect, is an important pest of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L). It is one of the insect pests which had developed resistance to insecticides. Currently there are no cultivars of groundnut which express high level of resistance to S. litura. Wild species of groundnut, which show high levels of resistance, have been identified. Arachis kempff-mercadoi is one such wild species, which is reported to be resistant to S. litura, and indicated that in wild species three flavonoids chlorogenic acid, quercetin and rutin are involved in the components of resistance. In the present study, although these flavonoids had an effect on larval mortality, statistical analysis revealed that quercetin had a major effect due to high correlation of quercetin with chlorogenic acid and rutin. Interspecific derivatives were obtained as a result of crossing cultivated groundnut with A. kempff-mercadoi. In vitro studies showed high percentage of neonate larval mortality when fed on the foliage of interspecific derivatives, majority of interspecific derivatives were detrimental to larval development and had considerable effect on its subsequent progeny. Resistant derivatives were found to have high levels of flavonoids and antibiosis mechanism prevented larval growth. Susceptible derivatives and the female parent, A. hypogaea have low levels of flavonoids

Reduction of Power Losses in the Distribution System by Controlling Tap Changing Transformer using the PSO Algorithm

Energy is an essential commodity for everyone, with electrical energy being the most preferred form. Unfortunately, non-renewable energy resources are gradually depleting, and renewable energy sources take several years to establish. To mitigate this problem, technology has shifted from non-renewable energy sources to electrical devices and machines, including household appliances like washing machines and air conditioners. However, the generation of electricity is still inadequate to meet the growing demand. This leads to two critical issues: Excessive power loss and inadequate voltage stability, making it difficult for power distribution companies to ensure a consistent and reliable power supply. The objective of this study is to tackle the issue of reduction and minimization of power dissipation By employing the PSO technique, adjusting the transformer tap settings. The proposed approach uses the 14-bus system as a reference and calculates losses for this system using the backward-forward sweeping technique

Finite Element Analysis and Machine Learning Guided Design of Carbon Fiber Organosheet-based Battery Enclosures for Crashworthiness

Carbon fiber composite can be a potential candidate for replacing metal-based battery enclosures of current electric vehicles (E.V.s) owing to its better strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. However, the strength of carbon fiber-based structures depends on several parameters that should be carefully chosen. In this work, we implemented high throughput finite element analysis (FEA) based thermoforming simulation to virtually manufacture the battery enclosure using different design and processing parameters. Subsequently, we performed virtual crash simulations to mimic a side pole crash to evaluate the crashworthiness of the battery enclosures. This high throughput crash simulation dataset was utilized to build predictive models to understand the crashworthiness of an unknown set. Our machine learning (ML) models showed excellent performance (R2 > 0.97) in predicting the crashworthiness metrics, i.e., crush load efficiency, absorbed energy, intrusion, and maximum deceleration during a crash. We believe that this FEA-ML work framework will be helpful in down select process parameters for carbon fiber-based component design and can be transferrable to other manufacturing technologies

Insecticide Resistance In Helicoverpa Armigera In India: Recent Developments

Seasonal changes in insecticide resistance in the cotton bollworm. Helimverpa arrnigera (Hilbner) were monitored at six widely spaced locations in lndia during 1993194 usina a discrimlnatina dose bioassay technique. lnsecticide I synergist combinations- were used to elucidate resisknce mechanisms. The status- of resistance to pyrethroids. endosulfan and omanophosphates is described and correlated with iocal farmer insecticide use slrategies.in the different regions and the role of migration in the spread of resistance beyond high input farming areas

Associations of FTO and MC4R Variants with Obesity Traits in Indians and the Role of Rural/Urban Environment as a Possible Effect Modifier

Few studies have investigated the association between genetic variation and obesity traits in Indian populations or the role of environmental factors as modifiers of these relationships. In the context of rapid urbanisation, resulting in significant lifestyle changes, understanding the aetiology of obesity is important. We investigated associations of FTO and MC4R variants with obesity traits in 3390 sibling pairs from four Indian cities, most of whom were discordant for current dwelling (rural or urban). The FTO variant rs9939609 predicted increased weight (0.09 Z-scores, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.15) and BMI (0.08 Z-scores, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.14). The MC4R variant rs17782313 was weakly associated with weight and hip circumference (P < .05). There was some indication that the association between FTO and weight was stronger in urban than that in rural dwellers (P for interaction = .03), but no evidence for effect modification by diet or physical activity. Further studies are needed to investigate ways in which urban environment may modify genetic risk of obesity

Breeding for Resistance to Heliothisl Helicoverpa: Effectiveness and Limitations

Helicoverpa armigera (Hiibner) has been identified as an important pest problem globally. Only a few insect pests cause as much loss to vegetative and reproductive plant parts in a range of tropical and subtropical crops around the world as Helicoverpa. Its geographical range of distribution extends to all the continents, but the damage in the semi-arid tropics is enormous. Helicoverpa armigera has been recorded from over 20 crops and 180 wild hosts in India. Cyclic appearance of H. armigera on cotton and pulses has rendered the mitigation of this pest to be quite difficult............

Breeding for resistance to Heliothis/Helicoverpa: effectiveness and limitations

The mechanisms of resistance to Helicoverpa armigera, progress in breeding for resistance to H. armigera, and the effectiveness and limitations of breeding for resistance to H. armigera in chickpea, pigeon pea and cotton are discussed in this chapter. Future breeding strategies for increased resistance to H. armigera are presented

Rapid Genotyping of Soybean Cultivars Using High Throughput Sequencing

Soybean (Glycine max) breeding involves improving commercially grown varieties by introgressing important agronomic traits from poor yielding accessions and/or wild relatives of soybean while minimizing the associated yield drag. Molecular markers associated with these traits are instrumental in increasing the efficiency of producing such crosses and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) are particularly well suited for this task, owing to high density in the non-genic regions and thus increased likelihood of finding a tightly linked marker to a given trait. A rapid method to develop SNP markers that can differentiate specific loci between any two parents in soybean is thus highly desirable. In this study we investigate such a protocol for developing SNP markers between multiple soybean accessions and the reference Williams 82 genome. To restrict sampling frequency reduced representation libraries (RRLs) of genomic DNA were generated by restriction digestion followed by library construction. We chose to sequence four accessions Dowling (PI 548663), Dwight (PI 597386), Komata (PI200492) and PI 594538A for their agronomic importance as well as Williams 82 as a control

Genetic variants in novel pathways influence blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk.

Blood pressure is a heritable trait influenced by several biological pathways and responsive to environmental stimuli. Over one billion people worldwide have hypertension (≥140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure or  ≥90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure). Even small increments in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. This genome-wide association study of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which used a multi-stage design in 200,000 individuals of European descent, identified sixteen novel loci: six of these loci contain genes previously known or suspected to regulate blood pressure (GUCY1A3-GUCY1B3, NPR3-C5orf23, ADM, FURIN-FES, GOSR2, GNAS-EDN3); the other ten provide new clues to blood pressure physiology. A genetic risk score based on 29 genome-wide significant variants was associated with hypertension, left ventricular wall thickness, stroke and coronary artery disease, but not kidney disease or kidney function. We also observed associations with blood pressure in East Asian, South Asian and African ancestry individuals. Our findings provide new insights into the genetics and biology of blood pressure, and suggest potential novel therapeutic pathways for cardiovascular disease prevention