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Plant viruses infect various economically important crops and cause a serious threat to agriculture. As of now, conventional strategies employed are inadequate to circumvent the proliferation of rapidly evolving plant viruses. In this regard, recent advancement in genome-editing approach looks promising to produce plants resistant to DNA/RNA virus infections. Clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system has been emerged as a promising genome-editing tool that has received special interest because of its ease, competence and reproducibility. Recent studies have demonstrated that CRISPR/Cas9 system has great potential to confer plant immunity by either directly targeting or cleaving the viral genome in both RNA and DNA viruses. Similarly, the approach can be used for targeting the host susceptibility genes more particularly in case of RNA viruses. In the present review, different approaches and strategies being used to improve plant resistance against devastating viruses are discussed in view of recent advances in CRISPR systems. This review also describes the major pitfalls of CRISPR/Cas9 system that utilizes highly efficient and novel platforms to engineer interference to single and multiple plant RNA viruses.

Synthesis and structural characterization of a new pyridylimidazole based vanadyl compound [VO2(L)(L−)] (1) [L = 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole] (1) are reported. It crystallizes in P 1 ¯ space group. The molecular geometry of 1 around vanadium(V) is found to be distorted octahedron. 1 interacts with DNA in a intercalative fashion. Hypochromism of the absorption band of the complex with increasing concentration of DNA and the steady increase in DNA viscosity with increasing concentration of 1 indicates intercalative mode of binding. The binding constant is calculated as 2.76 × 105 M−1. 1 also shows cytotoxicity against human breast cancer, human lung cancer and human keratinocyte cancer cell lines.

X-ray structural analyses of two newly synthesized Schiff base-complexes, [Co(L)3] (1) and [Ni(L)2] (2) [HL = 2-((E)-(2-pyridine-2-pyridin-2-ylthio)ethylimino)methyl)phenol], reveal the bidentate chelation behavior of the ligand HL with octahedral and square planar geometries at the metal centers in 1 and 2, respectively. Both the compounds show antibacterial activity as well as catecholase activity. The antibacterial activities of the compounds were investigated on gram positive and gram negative bacteria; compound 2 was found to be better in terms of antibacterial activity than 1 against both the bacteria. Moreover, both compounds catalyse the oxidation of 3,5-ditertiarybutylcatechol in methanol in the presence of molecular oxygen with first order reaction kinetics and turn over numbers 3.48 × 103 h−1 (1) and 2.68 × 103 h−1 (2).

Several authors have highlighted the importance of writing in developing reflective thinking skills, transforming knowledge, communicating expressions, and filling knowledge gaps. However, difficulties with higher order processing and critical analysis affect students' ability to write critical and thoughtful essays. The Building a Scholar in Writing (BSW) model is a 6-step process of increasing intricacies in critical writing development. Development of critical writing is proposed to occur in a processed manner that transitions from presenting simple ideas (just bones) in writing, to connecting ideas (connecting bones), to formulating a thesis and connecting key components (constructing a skeleton), to supporting ideas with evidence (adding muscle), to building creativity and originality (adding essential organs), and finally, developing strong, integrated, critical arguments (adding brain). This process symbolically represents the building of a scholar. The idea of building a scholar equates to progressively giving life and meaning to a piece of writing with unique scholarly characteristics. This progression involves a transformation in awareness, thinking, and understanding, as well as advancement in students' level of critical appraisal skills.

The formation and deposition of proteinaceous aggregates of amyloid fibrils characterize diverse degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and systemic amyloidosis. The presence of these aggregates is associated with clinical manifestations, and various forms of amyloid aggregates have been identified to be cytotoxic. Although the exact mechanism of amyloid toxicity remains to be elucidated, prevention of amyloid fibril formation and aggregation forms a possible therapeutic approach. Nanomaterials possess the potential for such a strategy. Using hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) as a prototypic amyloid-forming protein, we found a reduction in the aggregation rate of HEWL in the presence of super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) with slowing of nucleation and amyloid fibril elongation. HEWL-amyloid had a predominantly fibrillar structure and was toxic to various cells. A significant attenuation of cytotoxicity was observed when cells were treated with SPION-interacted HEWL-amyloid. Ultra-structural differences were observed between the native and SPION-interacted HEWL-amyloids by SEM and TEM imaging. Our findings confirm that SPIONs perturb amyloid fibrillation, thereby reducing the cytotoxicity of amyloid.