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Polyester is a popular class of material used in material engineering. With its 0.4% moisture regain, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is classified as highly hydrophobic, which originates from its lack of polar groups on its backbone. This study used a parallel-plate nonthermal plasma dielectric barrier discharge system operating at medium pressure in dry air and nitrogen (N2) to alter the surface properties of PET fabrics to increase their hydrophilic capabilities. Water contact angle, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were utilized to analyze any effect from the plasma treatment. The wettability analysis revealed a reduction in the contact angle of more than 80% within 5 min for both discharges. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed no microscopic damage to the fiber structure, guaranteeing that the fabrics’ structural integrity was preserved after treatment. AFM analysis showed an increase in the nanometer roughness, which was considered beneficial because it increased the total surface area, further increasing the hydrophilic capacity. XPS analysis revealed a sharp increase in the presence of polar functional groups, indicating that the induced surface changes are mostly chemical in nature. Comparing that of untreated fabrics to treated fabrics, a Increase in water absorption capacity was observed for air-treated and N2-treated fabrics, when these fabrics were used immediately after plasma exposure.

For improving the seed germination of Prosopis juliflora and Dalbergia sissoo different treatments were tested, including side cutting, abrasion, overnight soaking in boiling water, scalding in actively boiling water for 1 minute and immersion in 30%, 60% and 95% H2SO4 solution. Results showed that abrasion with sandpaper and side cutting were the most effective methods to break seed dormancy in both species, while scalding in actively boiling water for 1 minute, overnight soaking and different concentrations of H2SO4 gave low to zero seed germination. Based on the positive effects of scarification it was concluded that seed dormancy in both species was due to water impermeability of the seed coat. Mutation breeding involves the treatment of large quantities of seeds, therefore abrasion with sandpaper was the most efficient and less labour-intensive method; this method was subsequently used for determination of LD50 as it is a prerequisite in a mutation breeding program. Abrasion before irradiation had a positive effect on P. juliflora whereas it had a negative effect on D. sissoo seeds. Seeds of both species were exposed to different doses of gamma rays such as 0, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 Gy using a 60Co source. The LD50 for P. juliflora was 651 Gy based on the rate of seed germination indicating that P. juliflora had tolerance to irradiation and low radiosensitivity to gamma ray. A high LD50 of 1097 Gy was observed for D. sissoo, suggesting high tolerance to irradiation and very low radio sensitivity. These findings will help to initiate a mutation breeding program in both species to obtain desirable mutants with desirable characteristics such as thornless genotypes, better tree form, disease resistance and increased genetic diversity.

Summary: Trisomy karyotype occurs in 5%–10% of AML. Its mutational landscape and prognostic significance are not well defined. A cohort of 156 trisomy AML patients was analysed, with reference to 615 cytogenetically normal (CN) AML patients. Trisomy AML showed distinct mutational landscape with more prevalent SMC1A, N/KRAS, ASXL1 and BCOR but fewer CEBPAbZIP and NPM1 mutations in patients ≤60, and fewer NPM1 mutations in those >60. NRAS mutations were associated with poor outcome in trisomy AML, whereas DNMT3A and FLT3‐ITD mutations had neutral effect. Trisomy AML appeared biologically distinct from CN‐AML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acacia mangium Willdenow and Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunningham ex Bentham and their hybrid have become important planting species in Malaysia. Due to their high demand and consumption, development of high quality planting materials is desired. Conventional breeding of Acacia Miller is slow but the utilization of marker-assisted selection breeding can expedite the breeding process. Markers associated with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) required pedigreed populations whereas association mapping can be used directly on diverse germplasm. This study was conducted to screen provenances of A. mangium and A. auriculiformis of different geographical origins for their performance under the Malaysian environment. A. mangium exhibited superior traits compared to A. auriculiformis. More trait variation was observed within and between provenances of A. auriculiformis. Provenances from Queensland (QLD) were superior to those from Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Northern Territory. The best performing provenance with all three superior traits was from Claude River QTL of A. mangium and the worst was Bensbach Western Province, PNG belonging to A. auriculiformis. For individual traits like DBH, Morehead, PNG was superior. For plant height, Morehead, PNG was the superior provenance for A. mangium and Morehead River, QLD was from A. auriculiformis. For stem straightness the A. auriculiformis provenance Jardines Garden, QTL was superior to West of Morehead (PNG) for A. mangium. Multivariate analysis grouped provenances together based on similar traits and genetic similarity. These provenances can be used for seed families which can be treated as a homogeneous population for association mapping or for the development of segregating hybrid populations for Acacia breeding. For the purpose of utilization, provenances of A. mangium can be used for sawn timber. For fuelwood and charcoal industries, A. auriculiformis provenances should be preferred by selecting multi-stemmed trees. The most variable provenances with superior phenotypic traits can be integrated with the genotypic data e.g. single nucleotide polymorphism markers for association mapping to identify quantitative trait loci for marker-assisted breeding.

Acacia mangium Willdenow and Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunningham ex Bentham are fast-growing species with wide environmental adaptability. Fast-growing species which thrive in otherwise non-arable problematic soil and which hold the added advantage of improving the condition of the soil, can be used to increase production area, and, thus, are highly desired. We investigated the growth performance and lignin content under normal and stressed conditions for these Acacia mangium Willd. and Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth. Normal growing conditions was represented by fertile soil, high water-holding capacity due to low soil drainage, high organic matter, low soil temperature, overall consistent rainfall and relatively milder temperatures, whilst stressed conditions were achieved with a sandy soil with low fertility, low water-holding capacity due to high drainage and low organic matter, and high soil temperature accompanied by inconsistent monthly temperature and rainfall. Growth performance under normal conditions was significantly better compared to the stressed conditions. A. mangium performed better than A. auriculiformis under the normal conditions. However A. auriculiformis performed better under stressed conditions due to better adaptability. The lignin content under normal conditions fluctuated from one DBH class to another. As for the stress conditions, A. mangium exhibited incremental increases in lignin content with increasing biomass. In contrast, lignin content in A. auriculiformis decreased with increasing biomass. The differences in performance may be attributable to both the micro- and macro-environments and adaptive differences between the two species. For growth under normal conditions, A. mangium appears to be the superior choice, whereas for problematic soils, A. auriculiformis can be recommended. However, for the selection of superior plants with a combination of desired growth rates and lower lignin content the breeding of interspecific hybrids would be a desirable approach.