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This study examines the process of optimising machining parameters in the turning of EN8 steel. The PROMETHEE-II multicriteria decision-making technique is utilised for this purpose. The analysed machining variables consist of Material Removal Rate (MRR), Surface Roughness (SR), Acceleration (Ac), and Tool Wear (TW). These variables are influenced by the cutting speed (Vc), Feed Rate (FR), and Depth of Cut (DoC) which serve as input parameters. The experimental trials were performed utilizing Taguchi's L27 orthogonal array on a CNC lathe. The ANOVA analysis showed that Vc had the most substantial effect on MRR, SR, and Ac, whereas FR had the greatest influence on TW. The PROMETHEE-II approach determined that the most favourable machining settings are a cutting speed (Vc) of 200 m/min, an FR of 0.08 mm/rev, and a DoC of 0.2 mm. Given these circumstances, the MRR achieved a value of 2.887 cubic millimetres per second, the SR was minimized to 0.744 micrometres, the Ac was decreased to 0.026 meters per second squared, and the TW was restricted to 0.026 millimetres. The study finds that PROMETHEE-II is a highly successful method for optimizing multiple machining reactions, resulting in substantial enhancements in machining performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula L. Roxb.) is one of the most important vegetable crops in India. It belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae; like any other crop, it is also highly susceptible to biotic and abiotic stresses. Among the biotic stresses, tomato leaf curl New Delhi Virus (ToLCNDV) is becoming a major constraint in cultivation of ridge gourd. ToLCNDV is naturally transmitted through whitefly in a circulative and persistent manner and causes the yield loss to the tune of 40–100% (Patil et al. in Virus Dis 28(2):146–155, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13337-017-0376-6). In present investigation, coat protein gene of ToLCNDV was used to construct a phylogenetic tree showing no host-specificity in the population studied. Further, for in vitro expression studies, the coat protein gene was cloned into pET28a and successfully overexpressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) cells. The expression of recombinant coat protein varied with different induction time and the highest expression was recorded in 4 h of induction period, incubated with 1-mM IPTG at 37 °C. Overexpressed protein was further purified using Ni–NTA column and confirmed through SDS-PAGE analysis. The present study will help to develop ELISA-based detection tools to diagnose the disease as well as to take up immediate management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ridge gourd is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and few varieties like Pusa Nasdar and Satputia temperate regions across the world. It is a rich source of essential vitamins and minerals around the world. However, the production of ridge gourd has been severely affected by diseases among which viral diseases have major impact on its production. The viral disease caused by tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV), a member of the genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae-an economically important virus affecting the ridge gourd yield. It is transmitted by the whiteflies [Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)] and causes ridge gourd yellow mosaic disease (RgYMD) in ridge gourds. The present study mainly aimed at the process of development of Agrobacterium coat protein gene construct and in silico analysis of CP. The total DNA from infected leaves of ridge gourd with ToLCNDV was amplified using CP specific primers with amplicon size of 771bp. The purified CP. gene was successfully cloned to the TA cloning vector. The CP gene was further moved into plant expression binary vector pBI121. The gene construct of the plant expression vector was transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens. In-silico analysis of the coat protein revealed that the protein contains nuclear export factors BR1 family. BLAST results analysis of coat protein with respect to the other coat proteins of ToLCNDV depicted 80-90 per cent resemblance. Phylogenetic tree revealed the common origin of this protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops, particularly Bt cotton expressing Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab toxins, has revolutionized global agriculture by providing effective solutions to pest-related challenges. However, the Pink Bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella, a highly destructive insect pest threatening cotton cultivation worldwide, has developed resistance to Bt cotton, leading to reduced benefits. This study aimed to assess the relative response of Pink Bollworm population collected from different regions in South India to Bollgard-II® Bt cotton expressing both Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab toxins. Field populations of Pink Bollworm were collected from major cotton-growing areas in Karnataka (Raichur, Dharwad and Yadgir), Tamil Nadu (Jolarpet) and Gujarat (Vadodara), while a laboratory-susceptible population served as a reference. The results showed that pink bollworm populations from various locations exhibited different levels of resistance to Bollgard-II® Bt cotton. Median lethal concentration (LC50) values for field populations ranged from 0.790 to 1.011 ppm, indicating reduced susceptibility compared to the susceptible laboratory colony (LC50 = 0.011; χ² = 0.829; df = 3; h = 0.414). The highest resistance ratio (RR) of 91.90 was recorded in the population collected from Vadodara (LC50= 1.011; χ² = 2.461; df=3; h= 0.820), followed by Raichur (RR = 90.63; LC50 = 0.997; χ² = 7.523; df = 3; h = 2.509), Yadgir (RR = 89.63; LC50 = 0.986; χ² = 3.862; df =3; h = 1.288) and Dharwad (RR = 84.64; LC50 = 0.931; χ² = 5.334; df =3; h = 1.781). The population collected from Jolarpet (LC50 = 0.790; χ² = 3.815; df = 3; h = 1.272) showed resistance ratio of 71.81, lowest among the populations tested. These findings highlight the increased resistance of pink bollworm to the combined Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab toxins in Bollgard-II® Bt cotton, indicating the need for careful management strategies to delay further resistance development. These results emphasize the importance of sustainable agricultural practices to overcome the challenges posed by insect pests in GM crop cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) is an important tropical spice. Among the diseases of ginger, leaf spot disease caused by Phyllosticta zingiberi Ramakr. is considered to be one of the important foliar diseases appearing in mild or severe form in all the ginger growing tracts of the country. Investigations were carried out on disease severity, morphological and molecular characterization the pathogen causing leaf spot disease on ginger. Roving survey was conducted in four major ginger growing districts and the results showed that disease severity was highest in Hassan district (31.32 %) and lowest in Kodagu district (19.73 %). The mycelia of all the five isolates (MND, HSN, RNP, HSN and HNP) collected during the survey from different localities appeared septate and hyaline in colour. The conidia were hyaline, ellipsoidal in shape with a size ranging from 9.15-11.98 × 3.58-6.33 μm. Molecular study revealed that the HNP isolate collected from Holenarasipura taluk of Hassan district showed maximum per cent similarity (95.96%) with Phyllosticta citricarpa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research for the development of biological control agents as an alternative to agrochemicals for controlling plant pathogens has gained considerable attention for the acquirement of agricultural sustainability. Fusarium is a complex genus of ascomycete fungi that consists of plant pathogens of agricultural relevance. The genus Pythium is one of the most important groups of soil-borne plant pathogens, present in almost every agricultural soil and attacking the roots of thousands of hosts, reducing crop yield and quality. In the present study, an analysis of the bio-control attributes of Bacillus subtilis has been conducted and demonstrated the most effective antagonism against Fusarium spp. and Pythium spp. under in vitro conditions. Bacteria, especially members belonging to the genus Bacillus are well recognized for defending the plants against various phytopathogens due to their ability to produce a variety of secondary metabolites and siderophores. Iturin A gene was PCR amplified and showed 675bp length. The lipopeptide was extracted and quantified (O.D.280) from two strains T3 (35µg/ml) and T6 (18µg/ml). The extracted lipopeptide and cell-free extract (supernatant) of T3 and T6 strains of Bacillus subtilis were used at a concentration of 25µg/ml and 10µl/ml of media was used against Fusarium oxysporum and Pythium aphanidermatum, respectively to check the efficacy of antifungal activity. The antifungal activity of the bacterial isolates against pathogens was recorded and a growth inhibition zone was observed. It was observed that 4 cm radius in control without inhibition. The poison food technique method with lipopeptide of T3 and T6 strains showed 36.79 per cent and 51.46 per cent inhibition activity and cell-free extract of T3 and T6 strain showed 33.54 per cent and 52.63 per cent inhibition activity, respectively against Fusarium oxysporum. Also, lipopeptide of T3 and T6 strains showed 5.33 per cent and 11.46 per cent and cell-free extract showed 1.46 per cent and 1.25 per cent inhibition activity respectively against Pythium spp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self-similar expansion into vacuum of a nonideal dusty plasma filling semi-infinite half space has been investigated for both unmagnetized, as well as magnetized, cases. The nonideal contributions arising from the dust species have been modeled through van der Waal's equation of state, while the electrons and the ions have been assumed to be ideal. For the unmagnetized dusty plasma, the governing equations describing the self-similar expansion have been derived and solved numerically to obtain the expansion profiles. The effect of the nonideal contributions coming from the volume reduction coefficient (because of the finite size of the dust grains) and the intergrain cohesive forces have been analyzed. It is shown that a nonideal thermal plasma expands over a much larger distance than the isothermal ideal plasma. For the magnetized case, the analysis has been carried out by using an MHD model, wherein the plasma is frozen to the the magnetic field lines, and quasi-neutrality is maintained. The expansion dynamics is described by a set of self-similar nonlinear governing equations. A parameter study of the expansion process is undertaken and the contributions of the ambient magnetic field to the expansion is discussed. Explicit analytical solutions for the case of small, but finite, amplitude perturbations for both the ummagnetized and magnetized cases have also been obtained. Here, the self-similar equations can be exactly reduced to a quadrature, thus yielding explicit analytical solutions for the plasma profiles during the expansion. Index Terms--MHD model, nonideal plasmas, self similar.

BANANA (Musa spp.) is India's major fruit crop and production of different commercial varieties is affected by Fusarium wilt, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc). The clone 'Nanjanagud Rasabale' (NRB), once a leading variety of Mysore is falling apart because of Panama wilt and is on the verge of extinction. Use of conventional breeding for developing banana clones resistant to Foc is hindered due to the sterile, parthenocarpic and polyploidy nature. Under such circumstances, the use of in vitro mutagenesis using physical / chemical mutagens allows the generation of genetic variability. The present investigation was conducted to screen the possible mutants obtained after exposing shoot tips of NRB to different mutagens. The shoot tips were exposed to different gamma radiation dosages and with varying concentrations of EMS and NaN3 at different durations. LD50 for shoot tips based on 50 per cent reduction in fresh weight as against control was determined as 20 Gy for gamma, two per cent and 0.02 per cent for 60 min for the mutagens EMS and NaN3 respectively. Rooted plantlets obtained from different mutagen treatments and control were screened in vitro using fusaric acid toxin and culture filtrate. The screening did not provide any conclusive results as the control plantlets survived the screening conditions. However, chlorosis in lower leaves, root growth inhibition and production of aerial roots was observed in all the plantlets irrespective of treatments they were taken from proving the effect of the toxin on plant growth and plantlets were trying to escape the toxin present in media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccination is the only means to control rabies, a deadly neuroviral disease with no cure. The use of genetically-altered plants to produce vaccines is gaining importance as it is cost-effective and guarantees freedom from human or animal pathogens. This study reports on Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Cucumis melo with a rabies virus (strain ERA) glycoprotein gene (PRGSpRgp). The presence of the rabies glycoprotein gene in the DNA of transformed melon leaves was confirmed by PCR amplification. Synthesis of the rabies glycoprotein was detected in transformed cantaloupe fruit by SDS-PAGE and western immunoblotting. Partially purified, recombinant rabies glycoprotein from transformed cantaloupe melon fruit was injected intramuscularly and intraperitoneally into mice, and resulted in the induction of anti-PRGSpRgp antibodies. When these mice were challenged with rabies virus strain ERA they survived infection due to the accumulation of sufficient quantities of anti-rabies glycoprotein antibodies (0.6 - 1.6 IU ml-1). These results demonstrate the accumulation of rabies glycoprotein in edible transgenic cantaloupe melon fruit, which offers the promise of biomedical exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cordyceps militaris, a medicinal fungus, has gained considerable attention owing to its potential health benefits, notably the production of bioactive compounds such as cordycepin. Cordycepin possesses significant antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. The present study focused on optimizing the fermentation conditions for C. militaris to boost the production of mycelia and cordycepin, alongside investigating its antifungal properties using in silico and in vitro approaches. The optimal conditions, yielding the highest cordycepin and mycelial biomass, were a temperature of 20°C and a pH range of 4-6, with glucose and sucrose as carbon sources and yeast extract and casein hydrolysate as nitrogen sources. Under these conditions, cordycepin production peaked at low pH (600-1000 mg/L) and with carbon and maltose (400-500 mg/L). The low temperature favored cordycepin production (400 mg/L), whereas casein hydrolysate as a nitrogen source boosted cordycepin yield (600 mg/L). The docking analysis indicated that cordycepin had the highest binding affinity for the tubulin beta chain 2 (-10.4 kcal/mol) compared to the fungicide tebuconazole (-7.9 kcal/mol for both targets). The in silico results were corroborated by in vitro studies, where the mycelial extract of C. militaris inhibited approximately 75% of fungal growth at a concentration of 6000 ppm. These findings suggest that optimizing fermentation conditions significantly enhances cordycepin production, and cordycepin shows antifungal solid activity, making it a promising agent for biocontrol in agriculture., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Insecticide resistance is a global concern and requires immediate attention to manage dreadful insect pests. One of the resistance mechanisms adopted by insects is through ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter proteins. These proteins rapidly transport and eliminate the insecticidal molecules across the lipid membranes (Phase III detoxification mechanism). In the present study, we investigated the potential role of ABC transporter genes in imparting insecticide resistance in field-collected insecticide resistant larvae of eggplant shoot and fruit borer (Leucinodes orbonalis; Crambidae: Lepidoptera). Dose-mortality bioassays against five insecticidal molecules revealed moderate to high levels of insecticide resistance (32.2. to 134.1-fold). Thirty-one genes encoding ABC transporter proteins were mined from the transcriptome resources of L. orbonalis. They were classified under eight sub-families (ABCA to ABCH). Phylogenetic analysis indicated ABCG is the most divergent, composed of nine genes as compared to many other insects. Transcriptome analysis of the insecticide resistant and susceptible strains of L. orbonalis revealed differential expression of 13 ABC transporter genes. The altered expression of these genes was further validated using qRT-PCR. The knockdown studies indicated the involvement of ABCD1 and ABCG2 genes in chlorantraniliprole resistance in the insecticide-resistant strain of L. orbonalis. This study unveils the additional mechanisms employed by L. orbonalis in resisting insecticide toxicity through accelerated excretion mode. These ABCD and ABCG family genes could be candidate targets in developing genome-assisted pest management strategies in the future., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Puropse: Aqueous misdirection syndrome (AMS) is an aggressive post-operative glaucoma unresponsive to conventional measures with grave outcomes. In this report, we describe a rare case of AMS following silicon oil removal in a vitrectomized eye., Methods: A diabetic patient with tractional retinal detachment underwent pars plana vitrectomy with silicon oil injection. Following retinal reattachment, silicon oil removal was performed at three months. Post oil removal she developed increased intraocular pressure with shallowing of both the peripheral and central anterior chamber suggestive of AMS., Results: Initial medical management with anti-glaucoma medications and cycloplegics was not beneficial. A pars plana lensectomy with complete anterior hyaloidectomy along with a surgical peripheral iridectomy helped relieve the aqueous misdirection., Conclusion: AMS can rarely occur following vitrectomy and is likely secondary to intact anterior hyaloid. Lensectomy along with zonulo-hyaloido-iridectomy is essential. This report highlights the occurrence of this rare complication and its effective management., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The Covid-19 a pandemic infectious disease and affected life across the world resulting in over 188.65 million confirmed cases across 223 countries, territories and areas with 4.06 million deaths. It is caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2, which plays a key role in the receptor recognition and cell membrane fusion process, is composed of two subunits, S1 and S2. The S1 subunit contains a receptor-binding domain (RBD) that recognizes and binds to the host receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), while the S2 subunit mediates viral cell membrane fusion. Hence, it is a key target for developing neutralizing antibodies. Here, we have performed phylogenetic analysis and structural modeling of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, which is found highly conserved. The overall percent protein sequence identity from the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein sequences from the NCBI database was 99.68%. The functional domains of the S protein reveal that the S1 subunit was highly conserved (99.70%) than the S2 subunit (99.66%). Further, the 319-541 residues (RBD) of amino acids within the S1 domain were 100% similar among the spike protein. The 3D modeling of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein indicated that S protein has four domains with five protein units and the S1 subunit from 1 to 289 amino acid of domain 1 is highly conserved without any change in the ligand interaction site. This analysis clearly suggests that the S1 subunit (RBD 319-541) can be used as a target region for stable and safe vaccine development., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Web International Conference on Accelerating Innovations in Material Science – 2020.)