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Panicle abortion is a severe physiological defect and causes a reduction in grain yield.In this study, we aim to provide the characterization and functional analysis of a mutant apa1331 (apical panicle abortion1331).The isolated mutant from an EMS-mutagenized population was subjected to SSR analysis and Mutmap assay for candidate gene mapping. We performed phenotypic analysis, anthers cross-sections morphology, wax and cutin profiling, biochemical assays and phylogenetic analysis for characterization and evaluation of apa1331. We used CRISPR/Cas9 disruption for functional validation of its candidate gene. Furthermore, comparative RNA-seq and relative expression analysis were performed to get further insights into mechanistic role of the candidate gene.The anthers from the apical spikelets of apa1331 were degenerated, pollen-less and showed defects in cuticle formation. Transverse sections of apa1331 anthers showed defects in post-meiotic microspore development at stage 8-9. Gas Chromatography showed a significant reduction of wax and cutin in anthers of apa1331 compared to Wildtype (WT). Quantification of HOur study reports the novel role of SUBSrP1 in anther cuticle biosynthesis by ROS-mediated programmed cell death in rice.

Introduction Phytic acid (PA) is an important antinutrient agent present in cereal grains which reduces the bioavailability of iron and zinc in human body, causing malnutrition. Inositol pentakisphosphate 2- kinase 1 (IPK1) gene has been reported to be an important gene for PA biosynthesis. Objective A recent genome editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 has been successfully applied to develop biofortified rice by disrupting IPK1 gene, however, it remained a challenge in wheat. The aim of this study was to biofortify wheat using CRISPR/Cas9. Methodology In this study, we isolated 3 TaIPK1 homeologs in wheat designated as TaIPK1.A, TaIPK1.B and TaIPK1.D and found that the expression abundance of TaIPK1.A was stronger in early stages of grain filling. Using CRISPR/Cas9, we have disrupted TaIPK1.A gene in cv. Borlaug-2016 with two guide RNAs targeting the 1st and 2nd exons. Results We got several genome-edited lines in the T0 generation at frequencies of 12.7% and 10.8%. Sequencing analysis revealed deletion of 1–23 nucleotides and even an addition of 1 nucleotide in various lines. Analysis of the genome-edited lines revealed a significant decrease in the PA content and an increase in iron and zinc accumulation in grains compared with control plants. Conclusion Our study demonstrates the potential application of CRISPR/Cas9 technique for the rapid generation of biofortified wheat cultivars.

The Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the most widespread viral infections of humans. HBV causes acute and chronic hepatitis. Chronic hepatitis leads to hepatocellular carcinoma, which is a significant cause of death. DNA-based immunization programs to control the spread of Hepatitis B in developing countries are costly and require special storage and transportation. The alternative way is to express Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in plants to develop oral vaccines. In this study, HBsAg gene was isolated, cloned, and then transformed in tomato plants. The transgenic tomato plants were confirmed through RT-qPCR. HBsAg expression was analysed in mature green and red stages of tomato fruit through quantitative real-time PCR. It was observed that expression of HBsAg was high in matured red tomato as compared to mature green. The present study is the first step to developing Solanum lycopersicum as an edible vaccine production system in this world region.

High temperature electrical properties of morphotropic phase boundary BiScO3-PbTiO3 compositions, exhibiting high piezoelectric coefficient, saturation polarization, field induced strain and low dielectric loss have been presented in detail. Dielectric loss and various electrical parameters have been comprehensively utilized to identify multiple dipolar relaxation dynamics in the regime where conductivity effects are low. Dielectric data confirms presence of various polymorphs exhibiting lower (higher) symmetry configuration, which extends to wider (narrower) temperature regime. Effect of conductivity associated with the charge transport is not dominant up to 600 K, which shows that this material is a promising candidate for high temperature applications.

Rice, a staple cereal crop in many parts of the world, has been confronted with multiple environmental stresses including high temperature, negatively impacts the booting as well as anthesis growth stages. The situation is further complicated by the changing climatic conditions, resulting in gradual escalation of temperature as well as changing the rainfall pattern and frequency, thus raising a concern of food security worldwide. The situation can be combat by developing rice varieties with excellent genetics with improved morpho-physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms, together can minimize the adverse effects of heat stress. Here, several strategies (encompassing genetic and genomic, and mechanisms involved) for mitigating the impact of high temperature on rice have been discussed. Finally, the utilization of genomic knowledge in augmenting the conventional breeding approaches have been comprehensively elaborated to develop heat tolerant germplasm.

In classical ferroelectric BaTiO3, inclusion of Pb at A-site, forms a unique system in terms of improvement in the physical properties and for investigation of several interesting aspects associated with the physical chemistry and materials science. Manipulation of ferroelectric instability with high tetragonality arises due to Pb-O bond which exhibits strong covalent nature along with the presence of the stereochemically active lone pair of Pb (i.e. 6s2). In contrast, Ba-O chemical bond is ionic in nature. In the present work, Pb is progressively substituted with Ba, to observe the intrinsic effects on the physical properties such as tetragonality, phase transition temperature, vibrational modes, piezoelectric coefficient, ferroelectric domain configuration etc. Phase transition temperature significantly increases with substitution of Pb, which is a manifestation of the effect of chemical bond modification. Sintering temperature effects both intrinsic as well as extrinsic contributions to the physical properties of the system.

Intrinsic dielectric relaxations associated with the domains in dense single-phase Barium Titanate (BaTiO3), covering entire ferroelectric regime and various polymorphs, has been investigated. Existence of frequency dispersion in dielectric loss in the three phases where system exhibits low symmetry, has been recorded and analyzed. Formation and reorientation of the mesoscopic ferroelectric sub-domains/domain boundaries because of applied ac electric field, generates relaxation dynamics between consecutive phase transitions. Relaxation dynamics have been observed due to the presence of multiple domain variants associated with the low symmetry configurations such as orthorhombic, rhombohedral and tetragonal. Frequencies which effectively triggers these effects have been traced for various structural phases and activation energy has been extracted. Such intrinsic response of the system has been found to be sensitive to the processing of the ceramics and intentional incorporation of that defects by ionic substitution.

Background To evaluate the association between inflammatory markers expressed as neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and process of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) maturation. Methods A retrospective review of patients with end-stage renal disease referred for formation of a new AVF in one center. Patients referred to the vascular service in the University Hospital of Limerick for creation of vascular access between 2009 and 2013. The association between NLR, calculated from preoperative blood tests, and functional fistula maturation, as determined by successful use of the AVF for 6 consecutive hemodialysis sessions, was investigated using univariate and logistic regression analyses. A logistic regression analysis was carried out to assess potential influence from other factors related to AVF maturation. Stepwise regression test was performed including the NLR. Results Overall AVF functional maturation rate in our study was 53.7% (66/123). Patients with matured AVFs had an NLR of 4.850 (1.8–15.7) compared with 3.554 (1.7–15.0); this difference was found to be significant ( P = 0.024). Female gender ( P = 0.008) and a history of kidney transplant ( P = 0.004) were the only independent factors of fistula maturation outcome in a logistic regression model. Conclusion Increased level of NLR was found to be associated with fistula maturation; however, more studies are needed to validate this finding.

Accumulation of plastic deformation under excessive loads, is one of the most critical drawbacks in steel reinforced concrete structures. Permanent plastic deformation of steel rebars is among the main reasons for the disruption of the functionality of RC structures after major seismic events. It can also pose life threatening risks in case of strong aftershock occurrence. In an attempt to address the problem of excessive permanent deformations and their impact on the post-earthquake functionality of concrete moment resisting frame (MRF) structures, this paper studies analytically a new type of reinforcing bars made of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) with embedded superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) fibers. SMA–FRP reinforcement is characterized with both ductility and pseudo-elasticity which are two important characteristics that are sough in this study to enhance the ability of RC moment frames to withstand strong sequential ground motions (i.e. main shock followed by one or more aftershocks). In this study, experimentally validated SMA–FRP material models are used in structural level models to assess the performance of RC frame structures under seismic loading. Three-story, one-bay prototype RC MRFs, reinforced with steel and SMA–FRP composite reinforcements are first designed using performance based criteria and then subjected to incremental dynamic analysis under sequential ground motions. Comparison is drawn between steel and SMA–FRP reinforced frames based on accumulation of damage and residual drifts. Numerical results show superior performance of SMA–FRP composite reinforced MRF in terms of dissipation of energy and accumulation of lower residual drifts. Increased demands from the effects of aftershock causes accumulation of residual drifts in steel reinforced frames which is mitigated in SMA–FRP reinforced frame through re-centering capability.

Search-based Procedural Content Generation has been proven an efficient technique for the generation of different and diverse types of content. In this article, we generate general levels for 2D games using the FI2POP genetic algorithm. Generating entertaining levels is subjective. Therefore in this work, we focus on the aesthetics and difficulty of a level. For experimentation purposes, we generated levels for five different games in the General Video Game Level Generation track. Our results indicate that the generated levels are symmetrical, balanced, dense and reachable.

Studies were conducted at a Livestock Farm in an arid region of Pakistan, to determine the uptake of mineral nutrients from the food of buffaloes. Samples of feed, water, forage, soil as well as blood, milk, urine, and faeces of the animals were collected and analysed for K + , Ca 2+ , and Fe 2+ during summer and winter. The results showed that the concentrations of K + and Ca 2+ in plants were low, whereas that of Fe 2+ was high. In animals, K + was not found in the milk in significant amounts, rather it was excreted in the urine. The calcium taken in by the animals was used for the synthesis of milk, as a result of which low Ca 2+ concentrations were detected in urine. Mineral nutrient concentrations (K + and Ca 2+ ) in forage plants and water were lower than the optimum requirement of the animals, as a result of which blood plasma contained lower amounts of minerals (K + and Fe 2+ ) than that of the normal animals or critical limits. From the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that the buffaloes raised at the livestock farm had a severe deficiency of mineral nutrients, particularly K + in lactating and Fe 2+ in both lactating and non-lactating animals. Feed supplements, that can overcome these deficiencies, should be used for the optimum growth, milk production and resistance to diseases.

Introduction With increasing numbers of patients diagnosed with ESRD, arteriovenous fistula (AVF) maturation has become a major factor in improving both dialysis related outcomes and quality of life of those patients. Compared to other types of access it has been established that a functional AVF access is the least likely to be associated with thrombosis, infection, hospital admissions, secondary interventions to maintain patency and death. Aim Study of demographic factors implicated in the functional maturation of arteriovenous fistulas. Also, to explore any possible association between preoperative haematological investigations and functional maturation. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients with ESRD who were referred to the vascular service in the University Hospital of Limerick for creation of vascular access for HD. We included patients with primary AVFs; and excluded those who underwent secondary procedures. Results Overall AVF functional maturation rate in our study was 53.7% (52/97). Female gender showed significant association with nonmaturation (P = 0.004) and was the only predictor for non-maturation in a logistic regression model (P = 0.011). Patients who had history of renal transplant (P = 0.036), had relatively lower haemoglobin levels (P = 0.01) and were on calcium channel blockers (P = 0.001) showed better functional maturation rates. Conclusion Female gender was found to be associated with functional non-maturation, while a history kidney transplant, calcium channel-blocker agents and low haemoglobin levels were all associated with successful functional maturation. In view of the conflicting evidence in the literature, large prospective multi-centre registry-based studies with well-defined outcomes are needed.