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Published literature shows significant impact of sorghum type and flour on end-product quality, while demonstrating paucity in the studied varieties with respect to processing aspects (such as bread making) despite of enormous accessions available worldwide. Limited studies have reported usage of germinated flour for the above said purpose. The present study thus aimed at mitigating these gaps by utilizing results of sorghum (HJ-513) germination (Day 1-5) and flour derived from optimized condition (Day 3 as identified by partial least square analysis) to develop a composite functional bread (partial replacement of wheat). The germination process enhanced the total phenolics compounds (TPC, till day 3), water (14.01%) and oil absorption capacity (25.97%) while reducing the bulk density (760.99-644.69 kg/m3). This demonstrated increased potential of sorghum flour for development of bakery and confectionery products. The process also affected the pasting properties, total flavonoids compounds (TFC) and DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) significantly (p

Background Sugar alcohols are widely used as low-calorie sweeteners in the food and pharmaceutical industries. They can also be transformed into platform chemicals. Yarrowia lipolytica, an oleaginous yeast, is a promising host for producing many sugar alcohols. In this work, we tested whether heterologous expression of a recently identified sugar alcohol phosphatase (PYP) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae would increase sugar alcohol production in Y. lipolytica. Results Y. lipolytica was found natively to produce erythritol, mannitol, and arabitol during growth on glucose, fructose, mannose, and glycerol. Osmotic stress is known to increase sugar alcohol production, and was found to significantly increase erythritol production during growth on glycerol. To better understand erythritol production from glycerol, since it was the most promising sugar alcohol, we measured the expression of key genes and intracellular metabolites. Osmotic stress increased the expression of several key genes in the glycerol catabolic pathway and the pentose phosphate pathway. Analysis of intracellular metabolites revealed that amino acids, sugar alcohols, and polyamines are produced at higher levels in response to osmotic stress. Heterologous overexpression of the sugar alcohol phosphatase increased erythritol production and glycerol utilization in Y. lipolytica. We further increased erythritol production by increasing the expression of native glycerol kinase (GK), and transketolase (TKL). This strain was able to produce 27.5 ± 0.7 g/L erythritol from glycerol during batch growth and 58.8 ± 1.68 g/L erythritol during fed-batch growth in shake-flasks experiments. In addition, the glycerol utilization was increased by 2.5-fold. We were also able to demonstrate that this strain efficiently produces erythritol from crude glycerol, a major byproduct of the biodiesel production. Conclusions We demonstrated the application of a promising enzyme for increasing erythritol production in Y. lipolytica. We were further able to boost production by combining the expression of this enzyme with other approaches known to increase erythritol production in Y. lipolytica. This suggest that this new enzyme provides an orthogonal route for boosting production and can be stacked with existing designs known to increase sugar alcohol production in yeast such as Y. lipolytica. Collectively, this work establishes a new route for increasing sugar alcohol production and further develops Y. lipolytica as a promising host for erythritol production from cheap substrates such as glycerol.

Background Black wheat is a variety of pigmented wheat developed by crossing purple and blue wheat. The anthocyanin present in the outer layer is responsible for the black color of wheat grain. It consists of numerous nutritional and bioactive compounds including phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, carotenoids, phytic acid essential amino acids, dietary fibers, vitamins and minerals. Scope and research This review summarizes the chemical composition, bioactive compounds, functional properties and health benefits of black wheat to highlight its potential for different functional food development. Key findings and conclusions Black wheat (BW) possess higher protein content, dietary fiber, calcium, Vitamin K, total flavonoid (TFC) and phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity than the conventional yellow wheat. The TPC of BW is six times higher than yellow wheat with most abundant phenolic acid being ferulic acid. Around 225 metabolites mainly belonging to flavonoids group differs between black and yellow wheat and are responsible for their colour difference. The expression of structural genes namely TaCHI, TaDFR, TaF3H, TaUGT, TaANS and TaMT was highest in BW than other pigmented and conventional wheat varieties. Consumption of whole BW led to prevention of cardiovascular disease, inflammation, cancer, diabetes, obesity, aging and large bowel protection. Clinical trials have revealed that enhancement of interleukin (IL)-6 induced due to type 2 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α diabetes mellitus was prevented by the BW diet. Nutrient and bioactive compound rich BW offers a great potential to develop healthy functional food.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia has plant growth-promoting potential, and interaction with Arachis hypogaea changes host-plant physiology, biochemistry, and metabolomics, which provides tolerance under the N2 starvation conditions. About 226 suppression subtractive hybridization clones were obtained from plant-microbe interaction, of which, about 62% of gene sequences were uncharacterized, whereas 23% of sequences were involved in photosynthesis. An uncharacterized SSH clone, SM409 (full-length sequence showed resemblance with Cytb6), showed about 4-fold upregulation during the interaction was transformed to tobacco for functional validation. Overexpression of the AhCytb6 gene enhanced the seed germination efficiency and plant growth under N2 deficit and salt stress conditions compared to wild-type and vector control plants. Results confirmed that transgenic lines maintained high photosynthesis and protected plants from reactive oxygen species buildup during stress conditions. Microarray-based whole-transcript expression of host plants showed that out of 272,410 genes, 8704 and 24,409 genes were significantly (p 2 up or down-regulated) under N2 starvation and salt stress conditions, respectively. The differentially expressed genes belonged to different regulatory pathways. Overall, results suggested that overexpression of AhCytb6 regulates the expression of various genes to enhance plant growth under N2 deficit and abiotic stress conditions by modulating plant physiology.

Parasite Plasmodium falciparum is continuously giving a challenge to human beings by changing itself against most of the antimalarial drugs and its consequences can be seen in the form of a huge number of deaths each year especially in the poor and developing country. Due to its drug resistance ability, new drugs are regularly needed to kill the organism. Many new drugs have been developed based on different mechanisms. One of the potential mechanisms is to hamper protein synthesis by blocking the gene expression. : S-Adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH) hydrolase is a NAD+ dependent tetrameric enzyme, which is responsible for the reversible hydrolysis of AdoHcy to adenosine and L-homocysteine, has been recognized as a new target for antimalarial agents since the parasite has a specific SAH hydrolase. The inhibition of SAH hydrolase causes the intracellular accumulation of S-Adenosyl-L-homocysteine, elevating the ratio of SAH to S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and inhibiting SAM-dependent methyltransferase that catalyzes methylation of the capped structure at the 5′-terminus of mRNA, and other methylation reaction which is essential for parasite proliferation. In other words, S-Adenosyl-Lhomocysteine hydrolase regulates methyltransferase reactions. In this way, SAH hydrolase inhibitors can be used for the treatment of different diseases like malaria, cancer, viral infection, etc. by ultimately stopping the synthesis of protein. Many antiviral drugs have been synthesized and marketed which are based on the inhibition of SAH hydrolase. : This review summarises the development of SAH inhibitors developed over the last 20 years and their potentiality for the treatment of malaria.

Ryegrass (Lolium spp.) is a troublesome weed in major wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production regions in the United States. High diversity and adaptive potential are known to contribute to its success as a weed species and also create difficulties in correct species identification in fields. The objective of this research was to characterize diversity for 16 different morphological traits among 56 Lolium populations collected from wheat production fields across the Texas Blackland Prairies region and identify Lolium species based on taxonomic characteristics. Populations were highly diverse (both at inter- and intrapopulation levels) for the traits studied, and a taxonomic comparison with USDA-GRIN reference samples revealed that all the populations were variants of Italian ryegrass [Lolium perenne L. ssp. multiflorum (Lam.) Husnot] with a few offtypes of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) or probable hybrids between the two species. Hierarchical clustering grouped the populations into six clusters based on their similarities for the morphological traits investigated. Principal component analysis showed that the variability for yield traits greatly contributed to the total diversity. Pre-flowering plant height (stage 10 on Feekes scale) was positively correlated with tiller count, shoot biomass, and spike count, but not with total seed count per plant, whereas plant height at maturity (stage 11.3 to 11.4 on Feekes scale) was highly correlated with total seeds per plant. Further, basal node color was positively correlated with plant growth habit, regrowth rate, and leaf color. Leaf blade width was positively correlated with survival to pinoxaden and multiple herbicides, whereas, spike count was negatively correlated with survival to mesosulfuron. The high levels of intra- as well as interpopulation variability documented in this study indicate the potential of this species to rapidly adapt to herbicides and emphasize the need for implementing diverse management tactics, including the integration of harvest weed seed control.

Yellow dent, high amylose and waxy corn were evaluated using lab-scale conventional, enzymatic (E-milling) and intermittent milling and dynamic steeping (IMDS) processes. The application of proteolytic enzyme (E-milling) and sulfur dioxide (Conventional milling and IMDS process) during kernel hydration and their effects on overall starch yields from three corn types were studied. Despite using lower amount of SO2 (600 ppm) and shorter steeping duration (66.8%), E-milling yielded the highest amount of starch for yellow dent, high amylose and waxy corn (71.4%, 60.1% and 66.9% (db), respectively). The use of proteolytic enzyme during steeping resulted in 26.1% points higher starch yield for high amylose corn. In conventional wet milling process, the highest starch yields were obtained from yellow dent corn and the lowest from high amylose corn, the values being 70.1% and 46.2% (db), respectively. Similarly, highest starch yield (69.5%, db) was obtained from yellow dent corn from the IMDS process. Steepwater absorption for high amylose corn was on average 37.7% greater than the other two corn types for conventional process and 34.6% greater for the modified processes. Modified wet milling protocols with shorter steeping durations and requiring lesser amounts of SO2 can be used to efficiently process different corn mutants.

Background Annual bluegrass is a troublesome weed in managed turf systems. A survey was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of herbicide resistance in golf course populations of annual bluegrass in eastern Texas. Screenings were conducted for two photosystem II (PS II)-inhibitor herbicides [simazine preemergence (PRE), amicarbazone postemergence (POST)], two acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors (foramsulfuron POST, trifloxysulfuron POST) and one microtubule assembly inhibitor (pronamide PRE/POST). Results Ninety percent of the populations were found to be resistant to at least one of the tested herbicides. The TX15-14 population was >490-, 178-, 10-, 26-, 4.3- and 3.8-fold, and the TX15-27 population was >490-, 16-, 28-, 84-, 5.2- and 4.1-fold less sensitive to simazine, amicarbazone, foramsulfuron, trifloxysulfuron, pronamide POST and pronamide PRE, respectively, compared to the susceptible standard TX15-SUS. Populations resistant to pronamide POST were completely controlled by pronamide PRE at the label recommended rate. The ALS and psbA gene sequence analysis indicated the presence of target site mutations (Ser-264-Gly in the psbA gene of TX15-14 and Trp-574-Leu in the ALS gene of TX15-27). However, given the absence of any target-site mutation in the ALS gene of TX15-14, the psbA gene of TX15-27 and α-tubulin of both populations, nontarget site mechanisms of resistance are suspected. Conclusion This is the first case of multiple herbicide resistance in annual bluegrass populations to three herbicide modes of action. Results show the widespread occurrence of multiple herbicide resistance in golf course annual bluegrass populations in eastern Texas and emphasize the need for the development and implementation of effective resistance management practices. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

A paper-based survey was conducted from 2015 to 2017 among stakeholders of the Texas rice industry on current weed management challenges and factors influencing management decisions. A total of 108 survey questionnaires were completed by stakeholders at the rice Cooperative Extension meetings conducted in the rice-growing counties of Texas. In addition, late-season field surveys were conducted prior to harvest in 2015 and 2016 across the rice-growing counties to understand dominant weed escapes occurring in rice fields. Results from the questionnaire survey revealed that rice–fallow–rice was the most common rotation practiced in Texas rice production. Echinochloa spp., Leptochloa spp., and Cyperus spp. were the top three problematic weed issues faced by the respondents. Among the Leptochloa species, Nealley’s sprangletop, a relatively new species in rice fields, was indicated as an emerging concern. Clomazone was the most frequently used PRE herbicide, whereas quinclorac, propanil, imazethapyr, and cyhalofop were the popular POST herbicides. Most respondents (72%) made weed-control decisions on the basis of economic thresholds, whereas 63% made decisions on the basis of weed problems from previous years. Most respondents (88%) expressed moderate to high concern for herbicide-resistant weeds in their operations. Strategies to manage herbicide-resistant weeds and economical weed management practices were among the top suggested research needs. The field survey revealed that jungle rice, Nealley’s sprangletop, and hemp sesbania were the top three late-season weed escapes in rice production in Texas, with frequencies of occurrence of 28%, 19%, and 13%, respectively. Furthermore, average field area infested by a species was the greatest for jungle rice (13%), followed by hemp sesbania (11%) and weedy rice (11%). Findings from the stakeholder and field surveys help direct future research and outreach efforts for sustainable weed management in Texas rice.

The consumers' demands have changed from energy providing diet to a diet with a balanced nutrient profile along with metabolic, physiological and functional health benefits. They are seeking colorants derived from natural sources to enhance the nutritional and antioxidant value of foods. Colored wheat (Triticum aestivum) contains many phytochemicals, responsible for numerous health benefits. Colored wheat (blue, black, purple and red) contains a good amount of anthocyanins and carotenoids that are primarily located in the outer aleurone layer. Food regulatory and safety authorities and food processing industries are trying to minimize the usage of synthetic food colorants and dyes. Colored wheat is imperative for food processing industries as high-value pigments present in the bran layer (milling industry co-product) can easily be extracted and utilized as functional foods and natural colorants. The extracted pigments such as anthocyanin can replace synthetic dyes currently used in food, drug and cosmetics. Additionally, natural additives improve the nutritional value, appearance, texture, flavor, and storage properties of food products. This review presents a brief knowledge of the nutritional composition of colored wheat including phytochemicals and bioactive compounds like flavonoids, phenolic compounds, their health benefits, methods and technologies used for processing and extraction as well as the effects of processing on these compounds.

The study was conducted to determine the optimum medium for in vitro pollen germination for B. utilis based on germination percentages and length of the pollen tube. Studies about pollen germination and tube growth of B. utilis are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of sucrose (1, 3, 5, 10 and 15%), boric acid (25, 50, 100 and 200 ppm), calcium nitrate (50, 100, 200, 300 and 400 ppm), magnesium sulfate (50, 100, 200 and 300 ppm) and potassium nitrate (50, 100 and 200 ppm) and time of incubation on pollen germination and tube growth. Pollen germination rates and tube growth were recorded periodically at 2, 4, 6, and 10 h. The length varied significantly with different concentrations and incubation time. The germination rate and pollen tube length varied significantly with different concentrations and incubation time. Pollen germination was maximal (98 ± 6.1%) when the germination medium contained 10% sucrose solution supplemented with 100 ppm H3BO3, 300 ppm Ca(NO3)2, 200 ppm MgSO4 and 100 ppm KNO3, after 6 h of incubation. In addition, results revealed that pollen grains collected immediately after anther dehiscence showed the best germination ability but gradually decreased with time.

In this study, six commercial cherry tomato cultivars were analysed for variations in biochemical and technological parameters. Significant differences were observed among cultivars with respect to their technological and functional quality attributes. About 2.48-fold variation in titratable acidity, 2.47-fold variation in total phenolics, 4.13-fold variation in total carotenoid and 7.68-fold variation in lycopene contents were recorded. The total antioxidant activity and respiration rate were also found to vary about 1.85-fold and 1.48-fold, respectively. The highest antioxidant activity and total phenolic content were found in the Cherry tomato hybrid no.1 followed by Pusa cherry tomato-1. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that Cherry tomato hybrid no. 1, Pusa cherry tomato-1, and Nagmoti cultivars were abundantly rich in phytochemical and bioactive compounds.

An exploration was conducted to collect genetic variability of Karonda (Carissa carandus), in different district of Uttar Pradesh during 2019-20. Augmenting germplasm is the first and the foremost activity indeed required for this fruit crop improvement as vast diversity still present in different ecosystem. Being a rich source of iron and minerals, it has potential to improve socio economic status and nutrition standard of Indian rural population. All genotype from IC632668 to 0632678 collected from different places of Uttar Pradesh found erect in nature with fruit diameter of 11 to 19 mm and with three distinct colours (white, green and red). Higher variation was reported in fruit weight, leave size, fruit colour, TSS, acidity and vitamin C content. Significant difference among TSS and vitamin C content was recorded. Attractive colour with good fruit size was observed in Accession no. IC-0632675 collected from Chiraigaon district Varanasi with excellent blend of TSS (9.5°B), acidity (1.10) and vitamin C (28 mg 100 g-1).

Field surveys were conducted across the Blacklands region of Texas during 2016 and 2017 to document the distribution of herbicide-resistant Lolium spp. infesting winter wheat production fields in the region. A total of 68 populations (64 Italian ryegrass, four perennial ryegrass) were evaluated in a greenhouse for sensitivity to herbicides of three different modes of action: an acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor (mesosulfuron-methyl), two acetyl-coenzyme-A carboxylase (ACCase) inhibitors (diclofop-methyl and pinoxaden), and a 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) inhibitor (glyphosate). Herbicides were applied at twice the label-recommended rates for mesosulfuron-methyl (29 g ai ha−1), diclofop-methyl (750 g ai ha−1), and pinoxaden (118 g ai ha−1); and at the recommended rate for glyphosate (868 g ae ha−1). The herbicide screenings were followed by dose-response assays of the most-resistant ryegrass population for each herbicide at eight rates (0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64×), compared with a susceptible population at six rates (0.0625, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2×). The initial screening and dose-response experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications and two experimental runs. Survivors (

The Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule requires covered produce growers to monitor the quality of their agricultural water on a regular basis by some U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved methods recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In this study, we evaluated the changes in the population of indicator organisms in surface water up to 6 months, and the effects of water source and holding temperature on the survival of indicator organisms by seven EPA-approved methods (five methods for Escherichia coli and two methods for Enterococcus). The levels of E. coli and Enterococcus in the surface water were variable with sampling month, ranging from 1.61 ± 0.04 to 2.68 ± 0.15 log most probable number (MPN)/100 mL and from undetectable level to 1.19 ± 0.29 log MPN/100 mL, respectively. At 25°C (holding temperature), there were significant reductions (P < 0.05) in E. coli and Enterococcus populations in surface water after 48 and 24 h, respectively, whereas at 4°C, no significant changes in the bacterial populations were observed up to 48 h. Methods 1603, 1604, 1103.1, 10029, and Colilert showed a comparable sensitivity in quantifying E. coli, whereas method 1600 and Enterolert showed a variable sensitivity with the type of water. The results indicated that regular monitoring of agricultural water is essential to examine whether the microbial quality of water is appropriate for its intended use. Water samples should be maintained at 4°C to minimize the changes in microbial populations between sampling and testing. The comparison of the sensitivity of EPA methods for quantifying indicator organisms could provide growers with useful information for choosing the method for their water quality analysis.

Part of the native root nodule endophytic microflora referring to members of the genera Proteobacteria and Sphingobacteria were used to test their bioefficacy as seed biopriming. These were quantified for their plant growth promoting (PGP) attributes such as IAA production, P and K-solubilization and ACC deaminase production. Results showed that significantly highest IAA was produced by E. hormaechi RCT10. The highest P-solubilization was observed with S. maltophila RCT31 it was solubilizing all the substrate tri-calcium phosphate, di-calcium phosphate, and zinc phosphate. Significantly highest K-solubilization was observed with S. maltophila RCT31 followed by E. turicensis RCT5. However, the maximum zinc solubilization was reported with S. maltophila RCT31 followed by E. turicensis RCT5. The maximum ACC deaminase was quantified in the bacterium. Results revealed that the E. hormaechi RCT10 utilized seed leechates most effectively while root exudates were maximally utilized by S. maltophila RCT31. The pots experiment proves that S. maltophila RCT31 was the most effective bacterium and it was replication vis-à-vis field experiment. In particular, S. maltophila RCT31 holds strong potential to be possibly used as a bioformulation for the medicinal legume, as an economical and eco-friendly alternative to agrochemicals.

The present study was conducted to assess the strain aptness, phycoremediation potential and lipid yield in microalgae Chloroccocum humicola and Oscillatoria sp. Results revealed that microalgae treated with different concentration of wastewater (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) recovered nutrients (Nitrogen: 50.55-85.90%, Phosphorus: 69.98-93.72%) and removed heavy metals (24.17-88.10%) from wastewater. Microalgae C. humicola showed significant reduction in physico-chemical parameters of wastewater at 25% and 50% respectively with considerable increase in lipid production (1.61 folds) at 50% wastewater concentration. In order to counterbalance the wastewater induced toxicity, both microalgae exhibited stimulated antioxidants viz., proline (1.26-4.04 folds), ascorbic acid (1.01-9.21 folds), cysteine (1.44-4.92 folds), catalase (0.99-3.63 folds), superoxide dismutase (1.15-1.43 folds) and glutathione reductase (1.43-6.67 folds) at different wastewater concentrations. Further, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy spectral elucidation of Chloroccocum humicola at 50% reflected high lipid peak in the regions 3000-2800 cm-1 as compared to Oscillatoria sp. Thus, growth characteristics, biochemical responses and lipid yield presented the suitability of the Chloroccocum humicola to be used in phycoremedation, resource recovery as well as lipid production, which may be further utilized as potent feedstock for third generation energy demand.

Macrophages utilize metabolic pathways to generate energy and metabolites that may be vulnerable to pathogen hijacking to favor pathogen survival and persistence. It is unclear how bacterial pathogens alter metabolic pathways in immune cells for their benefit and persistence in the infected host. We have shown that the Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing (QS) signal molecule 2-aminoacetophenone (2-AA) allows pathogen persistence in host tissues by triggering host tolerization via histone deacetylase (HDAC)1-mediated epigenetic reprogramming. Here, we provide strong evidence that 2-AA-meditated persistence is linked to specific metabolic pathway alterations that reduce energy availability and biosynthetic macromolecules involved in host immune responses. 2-AA promotes a Warburg-like metabolic reprogramming effect, thereby increasing levels of lactate, which repressed inflammatory signaling in macrophages. Moreover, it interferes with pyruvate translocation to mitochondria, reducing mitochondrial (mt)-oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) due to down-regulation of estrogen-regulated receptor (ERR)α and mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC)-1. This metabolic reprogramming dampened energy production, reduced the acetyl-CoA pool, and generated an anti-inflammatory milieu that favors P. aeruginosa persistence. These findings provide evidence of first-in-class metabolic reprogramming in immune cells mediated by a QS signaling molecule. The specific metabolic programs affected provide insights that may guide the design and development of therapeutics and protective interventions against pathogen-induced immunometabolic alterations and persistence factors.

The genus Echinochloa constitutes some of the most prominent weed species found in rice (Oryza sativa L.) production worldwide. The taxonomy of Echinochloa is complex due to its morphological variations. The morphophysiological diversity and taxonomic characteristics of Echinochloa ecotypes infesting rice fields in Texas are unknown. A total of 54 Echinochloa ecotypes collected during late-season field surveys in 2015 and 2016 were characterized in a common garden in 2017. Plants were characterized for 14 morphophysiological traits, including stem angle; stem color; plant height; leaf color; leaf texture; flag leaf length, width, and angle; days to flowering; panicle length; plant biomass; seed shattering; seed yield; and seed dormancy. Principal component analysis indicated that 4 (plant height, flag leaf length, seed shattering, and seed germination) of the 14 phenological traits characterized here had significantly contributed to the overall morphological diversity of Echinochloa spp. Results showed wide interpopulation diversity for the measured traits among the E. colona ecotypes, as well as diverse intrapopulation variability in all three Echinochloa species studied, including barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.], junglerice [Echinochloa colona (L.) Link], and rough barnyardgrass [Echinochloa muricata (P. Beauv.) Fernald]. Taxonomical classification revealed that the collection consisted of three Echinochloa species, with E. colona being the most dominant (96%), followed by E. crus-galli (2%), and E. muricata (2%). Correlation analysis of morphophysiological traits and resistance status to commonly used preemergence (clomazone, quinclorac) and postemergence herbicides (propanil, quinclorac, imazethapyr, and fenoxaprop-ethyl) failed to show any significant association. Findings from this study provided novel insights into the morphophysiological characteristics of Echinochloa ecotypes in rice production in Texas. The morphological diversity currently present in Echinochloa ecotypes could contribute to their adaptation to selection pressure imposed by different management tools, emphasizing the need for a diversified management approach to effectively control this weed species.

The present investigation was carried out to assess the competence of artificially engineered microalgal consortia i.e. consortia 1 (Scenedesmus vacuolatus + Chlorococcum humicola), consortia 2 (Tetradesmus sp. + Scenedesmus vacuolatus), and consortia 3 (Chlorococcum humicola + Scenedesmus vacuolatus + Tetradesmus sp.) for municipal wastewater treatment and lipid production under laboratory conditions. The purpose of the present study was to screen the competent microalgae consortia based on wastewater remediation, photosynthetic performance, and antioxidant defense responses. The outcome based on nutrient reutilization (78.98–98%), metal detoxification (50–94%), and biomass production (1.43–1.65 folds) reflected greater adaptability and tolerance of consortia 2 against different concentrations of wastewater. The photosynthetic performance parameters such as active photosystem II reaction centre, the quantum yield, and photosynthetic performance index were increased by 1.20–2.35 folds in consortia 2 after treatment with different concentrations of wastewater. Additionally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy peak showed at 1750 cm−1 confirmed neutral lipid accumulation in consortia 2 at 100% concentration of wastewater. The measurement of oxidative stress markers such as thiobarbituric acid reactive species and hydrogen peroxide showed considerable decline in consortia 2 as compared to consortia 1 and 3. Interestingly, increased non–enzymatic (1.02–2.44 folds) and enzymatic antioxidant (1.05–4.14 folds) activity in consortia 2 reflected that oxidative stress was attenuated by the amplified activity of ascorbic acid, proline, cysteine, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione reductase. Overall, photosynthetic performance, lipid production, and antioxidants activity represented that the consortia 2 can be effectively used for sustainable wastewater treatment and lipid production. Thus, the synergistic association of two microalgae may be the superior and neoteric paradigm with multilevel benefits such as sustainable nutrient resource utilization, metal detoxification, and lipid production.

Karanjin, phytochemical from Pongamia pinnata is reported to be effective against HIV that causes AIDS in humans, however, the delivery of this therapeutic molecule still needs improvement. Hence, this study provides a better understanding of the nonbonded interaction between an anti-HIV drug karanjin and carbon nanotube (CNT) (C56H16). The electronic structure and interaction properties of the molecule karanjin over the surface of CNT were theoretically studied in the gas phase by DFT/B3LYP/6-31G ([Formula: see text]) level of theory for the first time. The UV–Vis spectra and transitions of the karanjin drug, CNT (C56H16) and complex CNT (C-56)/karanjin in gas phase have been calculated by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) for the investigation of adsorption effect. To support our hypothesis, we have performed quantum chemical analysis for CNT (C56H16)/karanjin in water and DMSO solvent. In this process, this CNT (C-56)/karanjin complex enters into affected cell in liquid medium. After that, the drug delivery system CNT (C-56) unloads karanjin at the affected site. The binding character interactive species have been determined by NBO and AIM analysis. The frontier orbital HOMO–LUMO gap, chemical softness, chemical hardness have also been calculated to understand its complete chemical properties. The outcomes from our interaction of drug karanjin with CNT (C56H16) will be instrumental for better drug delivery potential in the upcoming future.

Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum (L) Schum) is being developed as a bioenergy crop for production in the southeastern United States. Important criteria for selecting a feedstock are cost, consist...

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common maladies afflicting the human population globally. A wide variety of microbial pathogens are responsible for causing UTIs that are often recurrent, especially in the elderly population, resulting in an economic burden of billions of dollars annually. In this study, we present data from a large population of symptomatic UTI patients tested using a multiplexed, real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) strategy. Our data demonstrate that instances of UTI increase with age for all the tested pathogens, with the exception of Mycoplasma spp. and Ureaplasma spp., which were found to be significantly higher in the younger population. Furthermore, the use of the qRT-PCR approach was also found to be effective in detecting polymicrobial UTIs. With the limitations of classical microbial culture techniques traditionally used for UTI diagnosis, we demonstrate that a rapid and comprehensive technique like RT-PCR can be an effective tool for detecting and managing UTIs.

The present study was conducted to examine the photosynthetic performance, nutrient status and lipid yield in microalgae Chlorococcum humicola and Chlorella vulgaris under different durations of UV-B exposure (1/2 h, 1 h, 2 h, 3 h and 4 h). Results revealed that UV-B reduces the photosynthetic performance of photosystem II by altering photosynthetic performance index (Pi ABS), maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm), net closing rate of reaction centre (Mo), trapping flux (TRo/RC) and effective antenna size with their respective control. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) exhibited variegated structure and increased cell size by ~15–65% which was more pronounced in the case of C. humicola at 4 h of UV-B. The Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) data showed that the content of microelements (C, O, Na, and K) in terms of atomic weight % was found to be significantly increased in C. vulgaris while with C. humicola, it was restricted to carbon (C) only. Further, the high antioxidant (ascorbic acid, cysteine and proline) potential and carotenoid/chl a photoprotection response reflects protection against UV-B in the both algae. In the case of lipid, comparative greater increase in cell size of C. humicola correlated with high lipid yield as compare to C. vulgaris at 2 h of UV-B could be employed in the production of biofuel in sustainable manner. Thus, algae C. humicola could be a best alternative feed stock of lipid and biofuel production in the area receiving high solar radiation.

We conducted a survey in the major row-crop production regions of Texas to determine the response of waterhemp to glyphosate (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase [EPSPS] inhibitor), atrazine (photosystem II [PSII] inhibitor), pyrithiobac (acetolactate synthase [ALS] inhibitor), tembotrione (hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase [HPPD] inhibitor), fomesafen (protoporphyrinogen oxidase [PPO] inhibitor), and dicamba (synthetic auxin). We evaluated 127 accessions for these herbicides. Resistance was confirmed on the basis of plant survival within an accession, and the injury ratings of surviving plants were used to categorize each accession as resistant (

Corn stover and sugarcane bagasse are the most widely available agriculture processing biomass and could serve as feedstocks for production of biofuel. In this study, three different technologies are combined to develop a more efficient conversion process for each of these feedstocks. The three technologies are diluted alkaline deacetylation process, combined thermochemical and mechanical shear pretreatment, and fermentation using a combined inoculum of two commercial Saccharomyces yeast strains. The two yeast strains used were a non-GMO and GMO strain engineered for xylose fermentation. The final ethanol concentrations obtained were 35.7 g/L from deacetylated corn stover and 32.9 g/L from sugarcane bagasse. Blending the two yeast reduced residual xylose content from 1.24 g/L to 0.48 g/L and increased ethanol production by 6.5% compared to solely using the C5/C6 yeast. The optimized yeast blend also lowered the amount of C5/C6 yeast required for inoculation by 80%.

The use of sanitizers during produce wash operation is a common practice, but little is known about the effect of residual sanitizers on minimizing food safety risks associated with post-sanitizing cross-contaminations. This study investigated the effect of residual chlorine and organic acids on the survival and the attachment of E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes on spinach leaves during refrigerated storage. The pathogens were spot inoculated on chlorine (100 ppm), lactic acid (0.5%) and acetic acid (0.5%) treated leaves, and their survival during refrigerated storage (4 °C) was examined. A significant reduction (P

Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi's (AMF) role in plant nutrition and stress management is well known, but very few researches and studies have been conducted so far on the fungal ability to reduce different nutrient losses (runoff, leaching and volatilization) from the soil system. This important ecosystem service of AMF had been neglected largely. From the recent findings, it has been confirmed that mycorrhizal symbiosis has potential to check the losses of applied nutrients. The role of soil biota in nutrient cycling is indispensable and determines the nutrient availability to plants. Among these biota, AMF's association with plants is the most prevalent, but the exact mechanisms followed by AMF in nutrient cycling, transformation and reducing nutrient loss ability are still inconclusive. In this review, we will try to unlock this particular aspect of AMF which is important to achieve global food demand in a sustainable way.

A state-level survey was conducted across major row-crop production regions of Texas to document the level of sensitivity of Palmer amaranth to glyphosate, atrazine, pyrithiobac, tembotrione, fomesafen, and dicamba. Between 137 and 161 Palmer amaranth populations were evaluated for sensitivity to the labelled field rate (1X), and rated as resistant (≤49% injury), less sensitive (50% to 89% injury), or susceptible (90% to 100% injury). For glyphosate, 62%, 19%, 13%, and 13% of the populations from the High Plains, Central Texas, Rio Grande Valley, and Lower Gulf Coast, respectively, were resistant. Resistance to atrazine was more common in Palmer amaranth populations from the High Plains than in other regions, with 16% of the populations resistant and 22% less sensitive. Approximately 90% of the populations from the High Plains that exhibited resistance to atrazine POST also were resistant to atrazine PRE. Of the 160 populations tested for pyrithiobac, approximately 99% were resistant or less sensitive, regardless of the region. No resistance was found to fomesafen, tembotrione, or dicamba. However, 22% of the populations from the High Plains were less sensitive to 1X (93 g ai ha-1) tembotrione, but were killed at 2X, illustrating the background variability in sensitivity to this herbicide. For dicamba, three populations, all from the High Plains, exhibited less sensitivity at the 1X rate (controlled at the 2X rate; 1X = 560 g ae ha-1). One population exhibited multiple resistance to three herbicides with distinct sites of action (SOAs) involving acetolactate synthase, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase, and photosystem II inhibitors. Palmer amaranth populations exhibited less sensitivity to approximately 15 combinations of herbicides involving up to five SOAs. Dose-response assays conducted on the populations most resistant to glyphosate, pyrithiobac, or atrazine indicated they were 30-, 32-, or 49-fold or more resistant to these herbicides, respectively, compared with a susceptible standard.Nomenclature: Atrazine; dicamba; fomesafen; glyphosate; pyrithiobac; tembotrione; Palmer amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson

Vegetable producers are often concerned about potential herbicide carryover and injury to vegetables following the application of livestock manure/compost from animals fed with treated hay. A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the effect of activated charcoal on soil residual activity of the herbicides aminopyralid, aminocyclopyrachlor, and picloram, applied at recommended field rates of 120 g ae, 70 g ai, and 303 g ai ha−1 respectively, on tomato, okra, and cantaloupe. A commercial source of activated charcoal was used at four rates [0, 0.5X, 1X, and 2X (1X = 336 kg ha−1)]. When no activated charcoal was applied, aminopyralid caused the greatest injury to tomato and okra, leading to plant death at 4 weeks after emergence/transplanting (WAE/T). At the highest rate (2X) of activated charcoal, crop injuries due to aminopyralid were reduced by 72 and 78% for okra and cantaloupe, respectively at 4 WAE, while tomato did not respond to the 2X rate of activated charcoal. For aminocyclopyrachlor, even a much lower rate (0.5X) of activated charcoal was sufficient to reduce about 70% of the injury caused on cantaloupe and okra. For picloram, activated charcoal application at the 2X rate reduced injury by 78–94% across the three vegetable species investigated. Under low herbicide residue levels that usually occur under carryover situations, a much lower rate of activated charcoal (

Background: Present study, aimed to assess effect of organic and inorganic crop mulching on physical, physiological and biochemical quality of fresh cowpea beans.Methods: Cowpea (cv. Kashi Kanchan bush-type) was grown during two consecutive seasons from April 2018 to July 2019 under four different mulching treatments. Mulching treatments included no mulch; wheat straw mulch (organic mulch); black mulch and silver mulch. Black and silver mulches were made of 25 microns LDPE sheet. Cowpea was grown as per standard agronomic practices and physical, biochemical and postharvest quality parameters of beans were evaluated.Result: Results indicated that bean length (28.7cm) was highest under silver mulch whereas bean thickness (9.10mm), width (9.29mm) and 100 bean weight (1094.5g) were highest under organic mulch. Likewise, protein content (28.63%), total phenolic content (17.0µg GAE/100g) and total antioxidant activity (46.84µmol trolox equiv./100g) were found highest in beans produced under organic mulch. Overall results demonstrated that crop mulching could be used for enhancing the antioxidants, phenolic content of cowpea beans.

The rapid spread and emergence of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and other pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria spurred scientists and clinicians to look for alternative therapeutic agents to conventional antibiotics. In the present study, an A. baumannii bacteriophage p54 was isolated and characterized. Morphological and genome analysis revealed that bacteriophage p54 belongs to Myoviridae family with a genome size of 165,813 bps. A novel endolysin, namely LysAB54, showing low similarity with other well-known related endolysins, was cloned, expressed, and characterized from the bacteriophage p54. LysAB54 showed significant bactericidal activity against multidrug-resistant A. baumannii and other Gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli, in the absence of outer membrane permeabilizers. Based on all those observations, LysAB54 could represent a potential agent for the treatment of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative superbugs.

Delivery of therapeutic compounds to the site of action is crucial. While many chemical substances such as beta-lactam antibiotics can reach therapeutic levels in most parts throughout the human body after administration, substances of higher molecular weight such as therapeutic proteins may not be able to reach the site of action (e.g., an infection) and are therefore ineffective., Delivery of therapeutic compounds to the site of action is crucial. While many chemical substances such as beta-lactam antibiotics can reach therapeutic levels in most parts throughout the human body after administration, substances of higher molecular weight such as therapeutic proteins may not be able to reach the site of action (e.g., an infection) and are therefore ineffective. In the case of therapeutic phages, i.e., viruses that infect microbes, to treat bacterial infections, this problem is exacerbated; not only are phages unable to penetrate tissues, but phage particles can be cleared by the immune system, and phage proteins are rapidly degraded by enzymes or inactivated by the low pH in the stomach. Yet, the use of therapeutic phages is a highly promising strategy, in particular for infections caused by bacteria that exhibit multidrug resistance. Clinicians increasingly encounter situations where no treatment options remain available for such infections where antibiotic compounds are ineffective. While the number of drug-resistant pathogens continues to rise due to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, no new compounds are becoming available, as many pharmaceutical companies discontinue their search for chemical antimicrobials. In recent years, phage therapy has undergone massive innovation for the treatment of infections caused by pathogens resistant to conventional antibiotics. While most therapeutic applications of phages are well described in the literature, other aspects of phage therapy are less well-documented. In this review, we focus on the issues that are critical for phage therapy to become a reliable standard therapy and describe methods for efficient and targeted delivery of phages, including their encapsulation.

BACKGROUND Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum) is one of the major winter annual weeds worldwide. In this research, diversity for seed morpho-physiological traits such as seed weight, seed size, awnedness, dormancy, speed of germination, and seed vigor among Italian ryegrass populations collected from the Texas Blacklands region were assessed, and potential association with herbicide resistance was investigated. RESULTS A high degree of diversity was observed among the populations for 100-seed weight (125-256 mg), seed length (4.8-6.6 mm), awn length (0-6 mm), and total seedling length (9-14 cm at 21 days after seed germination). Inter-population range for seed dormancy was higher in the freshly harvested seed (31-85%), which reduced to 18 to 62% at 9 months after harvest. Populations with high initial seed dormancy (> 70% dormancy) released dormancy at a faster rate than the low dormancy group (

Antibiotic resistance is a global health challenge in the modern era. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains poses a serious threat to human health across the globe and compromises the arsenal of antibiotics upon which the modern healthcare system heavily relies. Antibiotic resistance diminishes the choice for effective antimicrobial agents and forces researchers to look for effective alternative agents. Bacteriophages have been established as potent antibacterial agents against most of the bacterial pathogens since the pre-antibiotic era. Additionally, the discovery and exploration of endolysins, i.e. phage coded peptidoglycan hydrolases, have further revolutionized the field of phage-based therapy. Bacteriophage and endolysin have demonstrated to be effective for clearing the infection in both in vitro and in vivo models. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of information on the clinical potential of bacteriophage and endolysin. The present chapter will highlight the features of bacteriophage and endolysin that make them attractive and effective long-term therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of drug-resistant infections in clinical settings.

Stone fruits are emerging in the market in response to increased consumer desire for health-promoting foods. These fruits have an important role in mitigating nutritionally related diseases because of their high level of nutraceutical properties. They fulfill our nutritional requirements and enriching our healthy diet. These fruits are an abundant source of carbohydrates, lipids, organic acids, vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, phenolic, anthocyanins, and other secondary metabolites that enhance the defense-related systems in the body and help in curing different chronic diseases. This inherent potential is to be explored. The inherent level of nutrients may be affected by a number of preharvest factors including genotype, rootstock, canopy management, agronomic practices, and postharvest factors. There is an urgent need to adopt some good agricultural practices to maximize the quality and proportion. An integrated approach could reserve the quality of the fruits and their efficient use. This chapter presents the nutritional composition in different stone fruits.

Epigenetics, essentially, is the study of chemical reactions that influence gene expression at specific times and locations or shed light on how environmental interactions lead to a differential change in gene expression. Some of the epigenetic mechanisms like methylation might affect individual susceptibility to a range of diseases. Thus, these discoveries pave the way for exploring fundamental science research that has illuminated how does a gain or loss of epigenetic “methyl marks” affects not only disease development and progression, but also phenotypic expression. In the studies conducted in the last twenty years, it has been discovered that a number of signalling pathways associated with different cancers can be activated by proteins of viruses. Patients suffering from varied cancers were detected with Human Lymphoma Virus-1, a causative agent of T-cell Lymphoma and Adult T-cell Leukemia. Initiation and expansion of cancers usually pertain to several factors and causes starting with the actuation of the first genetic alteration in the cell during mitosis directing augmentation of several somatic mutations with specific times for each one.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading pathogen for bacterial pneumonia, which can be treated with bacteriophage lysins harboring a conserved choline binding module (CBM). Such lysins regularly function as choline-recognizing dimers. Previously, we reported a pneumococcus-specific lysin ClyJ comprising the binding domain from the putative endolysin gp20 from the Streptococcus phage SPSL1 and the CHAP (cysteine, histidine-dependent amidohydrolase/peptidase) catalytic domain from the PlyC lysin. A variant of ClyJ with a shortened linker, i.e., ClyJ-3, shows improved activity and reduced cytotoxicity. Resembling typical CBM-containing lysins, ClyJ-3 dimerized upon binding with choline. Herein, we further report a choline-recognizing variant of ClyJ-3, i.e., ClyJ-3m, constructed by deleting its C-terminal tail. Biochemical characterization showed that ClyJ-3m remains a monomer after it binds to choline yet exhibits improved bactericidal activity against multiple pneumococcal strains with different serotypes. In an S. pneumoniae-infected bacteremia model, a single intraperitoneal administration of 2.32 μg/mouse of ClyJ-3m showed 70% protection, while only 20% of mice survived in the group receiving an equal dose of ClyJ-3 (P < 0.05). A pharmacokinetic analysis following single intravenously doses of 0.29 and 1.16 mg/kg of ClyJ-3 or ClyJ-3m in BALB/c mice revealed that ClyJ-3m shows a similar half-life but less clearance and a greater area under curve than ClyJ-3. Taken together, the choline-recognizing monomer ClyJ-3m exhibited enhanced bactericidal activity and improved pharmacokinetic proprieties compared to those of its parental ClyJ-3 lysin. Our study also provides a new way for rational design and programmed engineering of lysins targeting S. pneumoniae.

The composition of wastewater varies from place to place and is dependent on the total population, the lifestyle of the people and the industrial development of the country. Industrial development during the twentieth century has increased not only the generation of wastewater but also unknown harmful pollutants for which the society was unprepared. Municipal wastewater involves wastewater from domestic, business, restaurants, shopping centres, institutions and schools. The municipal wastewater produced is coloured with by low-dissolved oxygen, a high organic load and is also saline in nature. Wastewater from industries like the textile, leather, paper, dye, petrochemical, plastic, iron and steel industry are responsible for the release of different pollutants into the environment. Microalgae being the first colonizers of newly constructed wetlands can remove toxic pollutants from wastewater in a sustainable manner. Microalgae and cyanobacteria can grow in artificial wetlands and play a significant role in the remediation of wastewater.

While defects such as oxygen vacancies in correlated materials can modify their electronic properties dramatically, understanding the microscopic origin of electronic correlations in materials with defects has been elusive. Lanthanum nickelate with oxygen vacancies, ${\mathrm{LaNiO}}_{3\ensuremath{-}x}$, exhibits the metal-to-insulator transition as the oxygen vacancy level $x$ increases from the stoichiometric ${\mathrm{LaNiO}}_{3}$. In particular, ${\mathrm{LaNiO}}_{2.5}$ exhibits a paramagnetic insulating phase, also stabilizing an antiferromagnetic state below ${T}_{N}\ensuremath{\simeq}152\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. Here, we study the electronic structure and energetics of ${\mathrm{LaNiO}}_{3\ensuremath{-}x}$ using first principles. We find that ${\mathrm{LaNiO}}_{2.5}$ exhibits a ``site-selective'' paramagnetic Mott insulating state at $T\ensuremath{\simeq}290\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ as obtained using density functional theory plus dynamical mean field theory ($\mathrm{DFT}+\mathrm{DMFT}$). The Ni octahedron site develops a Mott insulating state with strong correlations as the Ni ${e}_{g}$ orbital is half-filled while the Ni square-planar site with apical oxygen vacancies becomes a band insulator. Our oxygen vacancy results cannot be explained by the pure change of the Ni oxidation state alone within the rigid band-shift approximation. Our $\mathrm{DFT}+\mathrm{DMFT}$ density of states explains that the peak splitting of unoccupied states in ${\mathrm{LaNiO}}_{3\ensuremath{-}x}$ measured by the experimental x-ray absorption spectra originates from two nonequivalent Ni ions in the vacancy-ordered structure.

Two-stage pretreatment conditions were optimized to convert corn fiber, separated from whole stillage in a corn dry grind ethanol plant, to fermentable sugars via hydrolysis. Liquid hot water pretreatment (25% solids) at 180 °C for 10 min, followed by three cycles of disk milling, provided maximum glucose, xylose, and arabinose yields of 88.5%, 41.0%, and 30.4% respectively after hydrolysis with Cellulase I. The glucose, xylose, and arabinose yields with Cellulase II at optimum conditions were 94.9%, 74.2%, and 66.3%, respectively. SSF of corn fiber using engineered yeast, with both Cellulase I and II, provided maximum ethanol concentrations of 2.13% and 2.73% (v/v). The protein content in the residual solid after fermentation was 47.95% and 52.05% for Cellulase I and II, respectively. This technology provides additional ethanol in a dry grind plant by converting corn fiber into ethanol and increases the protein content of DDGS, thereby improving the quality.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is known as the causal agent for the current COVID-19 global pandemic. The majority of COVID-19 patients develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), while some experience a cytokine storm effect, which is considered as one of the leading causes of patient mortality. Lipids are known to be involved in the various stages of the lifecycle of a virus functioning as receptors or co-receptors that controls viral propagation inside the host cell. Therefore, lipid-related metabolomics aims to provide insight into the immune response of the novel coronavirus. Our study has focused on determination of the potential metabolomic biomarkers utilizing a Teslin® Substrate in paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) for the development of a rapid detection test within 60 seconds of analysis time. In this study, results were correlated with PCR tests to reflect that the systemic responses of the cells were affected by the COVID-19 virus.