Search

Genetic modification is a technology that allows incorporating beneficial genes from other organisms. One of the major challenges of current era is feeding the consisting growing population of the world. Reduced cultivatable land and climate change have made it even more challenging. Through genetic engineering technology it is possible to develop high yielding, disease resistance and climate resilient crop varieties within shorter period of time than the conventional ways. Current global status of GM crop cultivation and production has already proved that GM crops have the potential to achieve food security for the future world. However, in most of the countries, public has misperception of its risks on human health and environment. Due to such misconception most of the countries have not adopted GM crops yet which could make it difficult to utilize GM crops to achieve food security. Therefore, in this book chapter we discussed on how genetically modified crops are developed, what beneficial traits are usually incorporated, how they are assessed for human health risks and regulations for selling genetically modified foods in the market. Such discussion would help common people to understand how this technology can help us ensuring food security of the world.

The boreal zone has experienced more severe fires over the last years, often coinciding with years of anomalously high lightning frequencies. These lightning frequencies might increase even further with global warming. Current lightning predictions are however highly uncertain, either relying on empirical relationships derived from present climate, or coarse-scale climate scenario simulations in which the critical process of deep convection is parameterized, and the detailed representation of land-atmosphere interactions is lacking. In this study, we used the NASA Unified-Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) modeling framework to simulate lightning over a 550,000 km2 domain including the Great Slave Lake in Canada. Simulations were run for the six lightning seasons (June-August; 2015-2020) at both a convection-parameterized (9 km) and convection-permitting (3 km) spatial resolution. Additionally, two microphysics (MP) schemes (Goddard 4ICE and Thompson) were compared at both resolutions. From the simulation output, we derived four diagnostic lightning indices which were evaluated against observations from the Canadian Lightning Detection Network (CLDN). This evaluation was done in terms of the capability of the indices to match the observational spatial pattern (temporally averaged), spatiotemporal frequency distribution, daily and seasonal climatology (spatially averaged), and an event-based overall skill assessment. Our results show that the Thompson MP scheme better predicts the daily climatology than the Goddard 4ICE MP scheme. The Goddard 4ICE MP scheme, on the other hand, predicts the spatial pattern best. Both MP schemes predict the seasonality equally well. Concerning the spatial resolution, a clear improvement when simulating at convection-permitting resolution is only seen for the Goddard 4ICE MP scheme. Regarding the different lightning indices, no clear superior index is found as the relative performance of each index strongly depends on the evaluation criteria. Finally, the study shows that models are in particular poor in reproducing the long-term averaged observed spatial pattern of lightning occurrence. This might be related to an insufficient representation of the land surface heterogeneity in the study area.

Information systems, such as task management applications and digital assistants, can help people keep track of tasks of different types and different time durations, ranging from a few minutes to days or weeks. Helping people better manage their tasks and their time are core capabilities of assistive technologies, situated within a broader context of supporting more effective information access and use. Throughout the course of a day, there are typically many short time periods of downtime (e.g., five minutes or less) available to individuals. Microtasks are simple tasks that can be tackled in such short amounts of time. Identifying microtasks in task lists could help people utilize these periods of low activity to make progress on their task backlog. We define actionable tasks as self-contained tasks that need to be completed or acted on. However, not all to-do tasks are actionable. Many task lists are collections of miscellaneous items that can be completed at any time (e.g., books to read, movies to watch), notes (e.g., names, addresses), or the individual items are constituents in a list that is itself a task (e.g., a grocery list). In this article, we introduce the novel challenge of microtask detection, and we present machine-learned models for automatically determining which tasks are actionable and which of these actionable tasks are microtasks. Experiments show that our models can accurately identify actionable tasks, accurately detect actionable microtasks, and that we can combine these models to generate a solution that scales microtask detection to all tasks. We discuss our findings in detail, along with their limitations. These findings have implications for the design of systems to help people make the most of their time.

Writing is a complex non-linear process that begins with a mental model of intent, and progresses through an outline of ideas, to words on paper (and their subsequent refinement). Despite past research in understanding writing, Web-scale consumer and enterprise collaborative digital writing environments are yet to greatly benefit from intelligent systems that understand the stages of document evolution, providing opportune assistance based on authors' situated actions and context. In this paper, we present three studies that explore temporal stages of document authoring. We first survey information workers at a large technology company about their writing habits and preferences, concluding that writers do in fact conceptually progress through several distinct phases while authoring documents. We also explore, qualitatively, how writing stages are linked to document lifespan. We supplement these qualitative findings with an analysis of the longitudinal user interaction logs of a popular digital writing platform over several million documents. Finally, as a first step towards facilitating an intelligent digital writing assistant, we conduct a preliminary investigation into the utility of user interaction log data for predicting the temporal stage of a document. Our results support the benefit of tools tailored to writing stages, identify primary tasks associated with these stages, and show that it is possible to predict stages from anonymous interaction logs. Together, these results argue for the benefit and feasibility of more tailored digital writing assistance.

The structure–mechanical property relationship of a synthetic pentapeptide crystal containing coded and non-coded amino acids was presented. Pentapeptide 1 has two α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) residues at 2 and 4 positions and formed an orthorhombic crystal, with the space group P212121, which is sensitive to external stress and brittle in nature. From FE-SEM the crystal appears as a thick bundle of several fibers. The structural analysis of a crystal of pentapeptide 1 obtained in methanol–water confirmed the existence of an unusual secondary structure, a miniature (P)310/α-helix. The pentapeptide 1 molecules self-assemble by intermolecular N–H⋯O hydrogen bonds and form a supramolecular helical bundle structure which further assembles to form a supramolecular sheet-like structure along the crystallographic a and c directions. The intermolecular interaction energies (kJ mol−1) for pentapeptide 1 were calculated using the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) dispersion corrected DFT model. Although the interaction energy is small, there is no sign of slippage due to the interdigitation of the Leu i-propyl, Boc t-butyl, and Phe side chains. As a result, the crystal is brittle in nature. Moreover, the quantitative nanoindentation technique reveals the moderate E and H values for the major face of this crystal, which is consistent with the presence of adequate van der Waals interactions and several hydrogen bonding interactions in the structure.

Global snow cover is an integral part of the Earth’s water and energy cycles, contributing life-giving water resources to billions of people around the world while helping to cool the planet by reflecting solar energy back to space. Accurate measurements of snow at a regional scale are needed to improve runoff predictions to inform water supply and hydropower needs and to help predict conditions that are associated with floods, drought, and wildfires. Though we can measure the extent of snow cover globally, we cannot yet reliably measure the amount of water stored in a snowpack, or snow-water equivalent (SWE) from space at the resolution and accuracy needed to understand its role in the water cycle. In addition, it is uncertain how the extent and the volume of snow will be changed across the globe in a warmer climate. Here we will review the snow data needs to address our most pressing science questions and operational requirements. We will also present the results of a coverage analysis of SWE data from currently-available and upcoming sensors over the northern hemisphere to identify gaps in current capabilities.

BACKGROUND Spinal anaesthesia with hyperbaric bupivacaine and adjuvants such as clonidine is now the preferred technique for spinal anaesthesia. In this study, we aimed to compare the block characteristics, intraoperative haemodynamics and postoperative pain relief in Caesarean section under subarachnoid block (SAB), following administration of hyperbaric bupivacaine and clonidine as a mixture in a single syringe and sequentially in two syringes. METHODS The research population consisted of 128 term parturient women undergoing elective caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia in the age group of 20 - 30 years. By using computer generated random numbers, they were allocated to one of the two classes of evenly sized groups (64 each). This is a forward-looking, comparative analysis using an inclusive protocol framework for similarly sized classes. Group A received intrathecal 2 mL of 0.5% hyperbaric Bupivacaine (10 mg) + 0.2 mL of clonidine (30 μg) as a mixture from the same syringe and Group B received intrathecal 2 mL of 0.5% hyperbaric Bupivacaine (10 mg) + 0.2 mL of clonidine (30 μg) (bupivacaine followed clonidine) sequentially from two syringes. RESULTS At baseline and in all subsequent measurements (p>0.05), the mean of arterial pressure, respiratory rate, and partial oxygen concentration were similar between the two groups. None of the cases in any group experienced nausea, vomiting and respiratory depression. CONCLUSIONS Sequential clonidine administration reduces the time needed for maximum sensory and motor block accomplishment and substantially prolongs the overall analgesic duration. We found that sequential procedure did not raise the degree of sedation and occurrence of hypotension or bradycardia as compared with drug administration as a mixture.

BACKGROUND Considerable morbidity is associated with ventilator-related pneumonia. Although gender association with outcomes in trauma patients has been debated for years, some authors have shown a difference recently. We wanted to compare results in younger men and women, with those of older men and women in critically ill patients with pneumonia (VAP) combined with ventilator. METHODS We reviewed our trauma database between May 2018 and January 2020 for patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia admitted to our Intensive Trauma Care unit. Data obtained included age, accident cause and severity (ISS), vital signs at the time of admission, test results as well as outcome factors including hospital duration of stay, ICU stay and survival. In order to account for the hormonal status, patients were also divided into younger (< 50) and older (about 50). Linear regression and binary logistic regression models were developed to compare younger men with older men and younger women with older women, and investigate the correlation between gender and hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU stay (ICUS) and survival. RESULTS 42 trauma patients admitted to our trauma intensive care unit during the study period had VAP. The average age with mean ISS of 196 ± 7.8 was 56.9 ± 18.7 years. There were 26 (61.90%) men, 16 (38.10%) women and 38 (90.48%) men who had blunt trauma. The median ICU stay was 15.6 ± 10.6 days and the median overall period of stay in hospital (LOS) was 23.5 ± 13.5 days. Younger men with VAP had longer 26.6 ± 16.6 days in the hospital relative to older men 14.4 ± 5.6 days (p= 0.061) and 20.7 ± 14.3 days in the intensive care unit compared to older men 10.9 ± 6.2 days (p= 0.079), there was no substantial change of extent of injuries (ISS was 22.8 ± 6.9 vs. 18.90 ± 1.6, p= 0.131). CONCLUSIONS In trauma patients with VAP, there was a longer hospital stay for younger people, and a trend for longer ICU stay. Using a broader collection, further research is necessary to evaluate the factors behind the disparity in results.

A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Farm, Institute of Agriculture, Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan, West Bengal on sandy loam soil during pre- kharif season 2018 to study the effect of weed management practices on yield, quality and economics of summer groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.). The experiment comprising of eight treatments was laid out in a randomized block design with three replications. Among the different herbicides, application of Flumioxazin 50% SL 125 g ha-1 at 1 DAS resulted significantly higher pod yield (2991.02 kg ha-1), haulm yield (2949.18 kg ha-1), oil content (46.27%), gross return ( 143569 ha-1), net return ( 109161 ha-1) and benefit-cost ratio (3.22) over all other herbicidal treatments although weed free check was found most effective to control weeds in groundnut and recorded highest yield and gross return but lower the net return and benefit-cost ratio.

A simple and cost-effective peptide-based in-field detection of the nitro explosive 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP) in the solution, solid, and vapor state at very low concentration has been developed. ...

Colorimetric indicators can provide quick results for instant, in-field detection of analytes without expensive equipment and expertise. A simple, cost-effective 1-m-nitrobenzoyl semicarbazide based indicator has been developed for reversible colorimetric cascade detection of fluoride and moisture. The detection is highly selective for fluoride over other halides and different anions. On addition of fluoride, a sharp brown colour appeared immediately and fluorescence quenching was observed. The fluorescence turn off is due to complex formation with fluoride, almost immediately and can be observed with the naked eye, which is necessary for a real-time sensor without any sophisticated and expensive instruments and quicker response time. Moreover the 1-m-nitrobenzoyl semicarbazide–fluoride complex acts as a reusable probe for moisture showing high selectivity, sensitivity, instant response and stability. In the presence of moisture, the sharp brown colour disappears immediately and the fluorescence bounces back. The entire detection process is reversible in nature and helps to develop a re-writable device and an encryption–decryption system as security ink.

The aggregation of proteins and peptides into fibrils is associated with many neurodegenerative diseases in humans, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and non-neurological type-II diabetes. A better understanding of the fibril formation process and defibrillation using biochemical tools is highly important for therapeutics. Under physiological conditions, acidic pH promotes the formation of toxic fibrils. Here, a mimic of living systems has been achieved by the acid-responsive assembly of benzyloxycarbonyl-l-phenylalanine to fibrils, as well as the urease-assisted disassembly of the said fibrils. The simultaneous incorporation of the two triggers helped to prepare a transient supramolecular hydrogel from benzyloxycarbonyl-l-phenylalanine-entangled fibrils with a high degree of control over the self-assembly lifetime and mechanical properties. Further, under acidic pH, the compound formed the O-HO[double bond, length as m-dash]C hydrogen-bonded dimer. The dimers were further self-assembled by intermolecular N-HO[double bond, length as m-dash]C hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking interactions to form fibrils with high mechanical properties, from this simple molecule. However, the self-assembly process is dynamic. Hence, the in situ-generated NH3 uniformly increased the pH and led to the homogeneous disassembly of the fibrils. Thus, this report provides a valuable approach to defibrillation.

Porous microspheres from discotic tripeptides have been investigated as potential candidates for drug delivery vehicles. The C3 symmetric discotic tripeptide adopts a supramolecular helical column structure by three fold intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions as well as face to face π–π stacking interactions. But the C2 symmetric discotic tripeptide adopts a supramolecular dimer like structure by six-fold intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions and face to face π–π stacking interactions. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed that the C3 symmetric discotic tripeptide exhibits bird nest-like porous microsphere morphology formed by the assembly of the individual columns. However the C2 symmetric discotic tripeptide forms round clay pitcher like porous microspheres. These porous microspheres have been used as potential carriers for the sustained release of a bacteriostatic antibiotic sulfamethoxazole. The spectroscopic studies as well as the growth inhibition of E. coli reveal that the round clay pitcher-like porous microspheres are more efficient than the bird nest-like porous microspheres for the sustained release of drugs. The report highlights the importance of the self-assembly pattern for the fabrication of advanced functional materials.

The various aspects associated with the incorporation of steric constraints into a series of dipeptides have been studied. The self-assembly propensities of the dipeptides carried out with the use of complementary experimental methods enabled us to determine the effect of steric constraints. Gly and Aib containing peptide 1 shows a flake-like morphology. The replacement of Gly by L-Phe in peptide 2 increases the steric constraints and results in development of microrods. Peptide 3 with N-phenylglycine and L-Phe has a flower-like morphology, and peptide 4 with N-phenylglycine and L-Tyr has a microsphere morphology. The solid-state FT-IR studies show that the peptides self-assemble by hydrogen bonding. From X-ray crystallography, peptide 1 adopts a kink-like conformation and forms a supramolecular anti-parallel sheet-like structure through multiple intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The replacement of Gly by L-Phe helps peptide 2 to adopt an S-shape conformation and self-assemble to form a supramolecular helix in the solid state. Single crystal X-ray diffraction results exhibit that peptide 3 adopts an extended conformation and forms a 2D sheet-like matrix through π–π stacking interactions. Moreover, metallogelation of peptide 3 was observed selectively for CuSO4·5H2O, ZnSO4·7H2O and Pb(OAc)2·3H2O, whereas other metals were not able to form gel. This study revealed a pivotal role played by the phenyl group in the diverse self-assembly of dipeptides.

In genetic improvement of mungbean much success has not been achieved due to its recalcitrant nature towards in vitro regeneration. An attempt was made to develop an Agrobacterium-mediated in planta genetic transformation protocol for a locally grown mungbean variety BARI Mung-3 using a screenable marker gene. Two minutes of vacuum infiltration followed by 60 minutes of incubation period in Agrobacterium suspension of Winans’ AB medium containing wounded tobacco leaf extract was found most suitable towards genetic transformation in pricked de-coated half seed explants. An optical density (OD600) of 0.7 was found most effective for transient gus gene expression. Chimeric GUS expression was observed in the root and leaf tissues from the successfully transformed plantlets obtained through in planta transformation. This methodology of genetic transformation was found more suitable, easier and less time consuming than tissue culture based genetic transformation, which may be used for the genetic improvement of mungbean.

From the Hindu Kush Mountains to the Registan desert, Afghanistan is a diverse landscape where droughts, floods, conflict, and economic market accessibility pose challenges for agricultural livelihoods and food security. The ability to remotely monitor environmental conditions is critical to support decision making for humanitarian assistance. The FEWS NET Land Data Assimilation System (FLDAS) global and Central Asia data streams described here combine meteorological reanalysis datasets and land surface models to generate routine estimates of snow-covered fraction, snow water equivalent, soil moisture, runoff and other variables representing the water and energy balance. This approach allows us to fill the gap created by the lack of in situ hydrologic data in the region. First, we describe the configuration of the FLDAS and the two resultant data streams: one, global, at ~1 month latency, provides monthly average outputs on a 10 km2 grid from 1982–present. The second data stream, Central Asia, at ~1 day latency, provides daily average outputs on a 1 km2 grid from 2001–present. We describe our verification of these data that are compared to other remotely sensed estimates as well as qualitative field reports. These data and value-added products (e.g., anomalies and interactive time series) are hosted by NASA and USGS data portals for public use. The global data stream with a longer record, is useful for exploring interannual variability, relationships with atmospheric-oceanic teleconnections (e.g., ENSO), trends over time, and monitoring drought. Meanwhile, the higher spatial resolution Central Asia data stream, with lower latency, is useful for simulating snow-hydrologic dynamics in complex topography for monitoring snowpack and flood risk.