Mutagenesis: investigating the process and processing the outcome for crop improvement

The discoveries during the late 1920s that the genetic material is amenable to changes excited geneticists who saw new opportunities for both basic and practical applications. During the 1950s, induced mutagenesis was widely pursued in the US, Europe, Japan and China. In India, Swaminathan and his team at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi initiated a major programme on mutagenesis in crop plants. These studies were broadly aimed at understanding the process of mutation, testing the efficacy of various mutagens, identifying optimum dose and the best method of treatment for different crop species; isolation of mutants of basic and applied value; elucidating the biological effects of radiation-treated media, seeds and vegetative propagules on the organisms consuming them

Comparison among some well known control schemes with different tuning methods

AbstractThis paper presents a comparison between some well-known control schemes such as feedback, feedback plus feed-forward, cascade and cascade plus feed-forward for controlling a third-order process. The controller applied in various control schemes is a PID controller that has been tuned using Ziegler Nichols (ZN) and relay auto-tuning (RA) methods. The comparative analysis is based upon various performance measures such as rise time (tr), settling time (ts), maximum overshoot (Mp), steady-state error (ess), integral of absolute error (IAE), integral of square error (ISE), integral of time square error (ITSE), and integral of time absolute error (ITAE). Simulation results show that the RA method provides superior performance in case of feedback plus feed-forward and cascade control schemes. On the other hand, the ZN method proves to be better in case of cascade plus feed-forward control scheme

Comparative shoot regeneration in diploid and amphidiploid Brassica species and their interspecific hybrids

Shoot regeneration response in interspecific hybrids of Brassica species were assessed in relation to the diploid pollen parents and amphidiploid female parents. Superior regeneration responses were observed in interspecific combinations of B. carinata and B. nigra (BBC), B. juncea and B. campestris (AAB), and B. napus and B. campestris (AAC). Though synthetic B. napus regenerated with a frequency less than that of the better regenerating parent (B. oleracea), higher regeneration response was observed in the hybrid between B. napus and B. campestris. Two triploid combinations of the genetic constitution ABC, one obtained by crossing synthetic B. napus with B. nigra and the other by crossing natural B. juncea with B. oleracea, showed low regeneration responses. The response improved substantially in a tetraploid of the constitution ABBC obtained by crossing B. juncea with B. carinata. Key words: Brassica, alloploids, shoot regeneration

Building Vocabulary Using Digital Platforms

Here are activities for the enhancement and assessment of language skills

Noninvasive Embedding of Single Co Atoms in Ge(111)2x1 Surfaces

We report on a combined scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) based investigation of Co atoms on Ge(111)2x1 surfaces. When deposited on cold surfaces, individual Co atoms have a limited diffusivity on the atomically flat areas and apparently reside on top of the upper pi-bonded chain rows exclusively. Voltage-dependent STM imaging reveals a highly anisotropic electronic perturbation of the Ge surface surrounding these Co atoms and pronounced one-dimensional confinement along the pi-bonded chains. DFT calculations reveal that the individual Co atoms are in fact embedded in the Ge surface, where they occupy a quasi-stationary position within the big 7-member Ge ring in between the 3rd and 4th atomic Ge layer. The energy needed for the Co atoms to overcome the potential barrier for penetration in the Ge surface is provided by the kinetic energy resulting from the deposition process. DFT calculations further demonstrate that the embedded Co atoms form four covalent Co-Ge bonds, resulting in a Co4+ valence state and a 3d5 electronic configuration. Calculated STM images are in perfect agreement with the experimental atomic resolution STM images for the broad range of applied tunneling voltages.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures, 3 table

Z-track technique reduces pain at the injection site, drug leakage, post-injection gluteal inflammation in Pritchard regimen for severe pre-eclamptic patients: findings from a randomized controlled trial

Background: This study was conducted to compare the effect of Z track versus standard technique of intramuscular (IM) administration of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) on level of pain at the injection site, drug leakage, post-injection gluteal inflammation in Pritchard regimen.Methods: 60 antenatal patients with pre-eclampsia (PE) admitted in the labour room were randomized for IM administration of MgSO4 by Z track technique (received all injections by Z track method) and standard technique group (received all injections by standard method). The primary outcomes were level of pain assessed by numerical rating scale, drug leakage measured by sterilized blotting paper technique and gluteal inflammation assessed by transparent grid sheet.Results: The level of pain at the injection site and drug leakage after each injection significantly increased from the 1st injection (p<0.05) to the 8th injection in both groups. Z track group experienced significantly less pain (3rd and 5th injection, p<0.05), drug leakage (p<0.05) and inflammation (both buttocks, p<0.05) compared to the standard group.Conclusions: A significant decrease in drug leakage and gluteal inflammation was observed in the Z track group. Though there was no statistically significant difference in the level of pain in both groups, the pain experienced by the Z track group was comparatively less

Splee:A declarative information-based language for multiagent interaction protocols

The Blindingly Simple Protocol Language (BSPL) is a novel information-based approach for specifying interaction protocols that can be enacted by agents in a fully decentralized manner via asynchronous messaging. We introduce Splee, an extension of BSPL. The extensions fall into two broad categories: multicast and roles. In Splee, a role binding is information that is dynamically generated during protocol enactment, potentially as the content (payload) of communication between two agents. Multicast communication is the idea that a message is sent to a set of agents. The two categories of extensions are interconnected via novel features such as set roles (the idea that a role binding can be a set of agents) and subroles (the idea that agents playing a role must be a subset of agents playing another role). We give the formal semantics of Splee and give small model characterizations of the safety and liveness of Splee protocols. We also introduce the pragmatic idea of query attachments for messages. Query attachments take advantage of Splee's information-orientation, and can help restrict the information (parameter bindings) communicated in a message

Corporate entrepreneurship champions: mapping the past and present states of the field for future advancements

Purpose The purpose of this study is to critically examine and review the extant research on corporate entrepreneurship champions in the broader area of corporate entrepreneurship and to uncover the avenues for advancement of the scholarship with the purpose of engaging CE champions towards the upliftment of organisations in particular, and younger workforce in general. Design/methodology/approach In this study, authors employ bibliometric analysis through a review of 274 papers fetched from Web of Science and Scopus databases. Findings The authors set the agenda for future research and policy by elucidating research themes and potential research questions by bringing out twelve themes classified into five basic themes, three niche themes, three motor themes, and one key theme, while also providing the methodological inputs for carrying out this agenda. Originality/value This study adopts a unique lens of investigation in contextualising the role of self-efficacy, employee engagement, and career choice for the younger workforce