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Effectiveness of diverse eco-safe strategies against mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach) infesting Indian mustard was evaluated for two years with 11 treatments viz., Beauveria bassiana @ 108 CS ml-1, neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) @ 5 per cent, neem oil @ 5 per cent, B. bassiana @ 108 CS ml-1 after clipping of infested twigs (CIT), nimbecidine @ 0.03 per cent, NSKE @ 5 per cent after CIT, neem oil @ 5 per cent after CIT, nimbecidine @ 0.03 per cent after CIT, clipping of infested twigs alone, dimethoate 30 EC @ 625 ml ha-1 and control. The pooled data revealed that dimethoate contributed maximum efficacy in reducing L. erysimi population over control (89.74 %), followed by B. bassiana after CIT (83.16 %) and nimbecidine @ 0.03 per cent after CIT (80.51%). Seed yield (1716 kg ha-1) was maximum in dimethoate , followed by treatments B. bassiana @ 108 CS ml-1 after CIT (1636.5 kg ha-1) and nimbecidine @ 0.03 per cent after CIT (1608 kg ha-1), whereas minimum (1211 kg ha-1) in the control. The gross income (Rs 64350 ha-1) and net return (Rs 18017 ha-1) were highest in dimethoate, followed by B. bassiana @ 108 CS ml-1 after CIT with gross income of Rs 61388 ha-1 and net return of Rs 13865 ha-1. The incremental cost-benefit ratio was also maximum in dimethoate (1: 19.58), followed by B. bassiana, nimbecidine and NSKE treatments (1: 6.33 to 7.27). Results suggest that B. bassiana @ 108 CS ml-1 after CIT and nimbecidine @ 0.03 per cent after CIT can be used as a non- chemical control option as a substitute to chemical control.

The Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is a significant oilseed crop in India. The sap-sucking pest, mustard aphid (Lipaphis erysimi) emerged as a major threat to this crop, which can harshly reduce yield. The research experiment was carried out during the Rabi seasons, 2019-20 and 2020-21 at Rewari, Haryana to comprehend the influence of L. erysimi infestation on different yield parameters of B. juncea in the field. The two cultivars of B. juncea namely, RH 725 and RB 50 were raised in a paired plot design with two different sets viz., protected and unprotected and thirteen replications each set were kept. The protected set was sprayed with insecticide Dimethoate 30 EC @ 625 ml ha-1 one time only, whereas unprotected set was kept free from insecticidal application for natural infestation of the pest. The present investigation revealed that under unprotected conditions, the yield parameters viz., weight of 100 siliquae, 100 siliquae husk, 10 main apical shoots (10 cm) and 1000 seeds, as well as seed yield, were significantly (P0.01). The maximum seed yield losses were registered in genotype RH 725 (26.25 %) when compared with RB 50 (25.92 %). All other yield parameters exhibited the same pattern except for three parameters i.e. weight of 100 siliquae, 100 siliquae husk and 10 main apical shoots (10 cm). In conclusion, this research highlights the colossal yield losses inflicted by L. erysimi infestation in B. juncea in unprotected conditions and the utility of insecticidal application in the enhancement of crop yield by management of this insect pest in protected conditions.

The 16S rRNA gene is a primary marker used to study bacterial taxonomy, particularly for bacteria with ‘Candidatus’ status, where it serves as a primary reference sequence for identification. Despite its usefulness, ensuring the authenticity of publicly available sequences has always posed a challenge. To address this issue, multiple tools and databases with curated collections of reference 16S rRNA gene sequences were established. However, even with these efforts, many sequence chimeras still exist. These chimeric gene sequences are formed by the fusion of sequence parts from multiple organisms and can arise from errors during PCR amplification or sequencing. The objective of this study was to identify chimeric sequences from a dataset of over 4500 phytoplasma 16S rRNA gene sequences using multiple tools. The tools ChimeraSlayer and UCHIME identified 12 and 11 chimeric sequences, respectively. Notably, these sequences included the reference 16S rRNA gene sequence of ‘Ca. Phytoplasma wodyetiae’ strain Bangi-2 (KC844879) and ‘Ca. Phytoplasma allocasuarinae’ (AY135523). The study’s outcomes indicated the existence of chimeric 16S rRNA gene sequences, emphasizing the threat posed by such sequences in correctly assigning taxonomic status to phytoplasma strains. These findings underscore the importance of rigorously verifying the authenticity of 16S rRNA gene sequences to ensure their accuracy in identifying and classifying bacterial species.

Uncultured microbes represent a huge untapped biological resource of novel genes and gene products. Although recent genomic and metagenomic sequencing efforts have led to the identification of numerous genes that are homologous to existing annotated genes, there remains, yet, an enormous pool of unannotated genes that do not find significant sequence homology to existing annotated genes. Functional metagenomics offers a way to identify and annotate novel gene products. Here, we have constructed a metagenomic phage display library from healthy human fecal samples, and performed functional carbohydrate binding screens against dietary, microbial and host polysaccharides/glycoconjugates in order to mine novel carbohydrate binding domains that might aid gut commensals in the metabolism of complex carbohydrates and in adherence and colonization of the gut. We obtained several protein sequences that do not find a hit to any known Pfam domain but show carbohydrate binding module-like folds as per Alphafold2 prediction. We heterologously expressed, purified and biochemically characterized some of these protein domains and demonstrated their carbohydrate-binding function. Our study reveals several previously unannotated carbohydrate-binding domains, including a levan binding domain and four complex N-glycan binding domains that might be useful for the labeling, visualization, and isolation of these glycans.

This paper offers the 6 A’s model of social worker associations and COVID-19, which includes (i) ‘Apprehend’, (ii) ‘act’, (iii) ‘advocate’, (iv) ‘alliance’, (v) ‘an emphasis on solidarity and resilience’ and (vi) ‘a future prospect’. The model is based on the findings of qualitative analysis of social worker associations’ reports on COVID-19. It also offers insights that can be utilised in similar crises in the future.

Phytoplasma taxonomy has been a topic of discussion for the last two and half decades. Since the Japanese scientists discovered the phytoplasma bodies in 1967, the phytoplasma taxonomy was limited to disease symptomology for a long time. The advances in DNA-based markers and sequencing improved phytoplasma classification. In 2004, the International Research Programme on Comparative Mycoplasmology (IRPCM)- Phytoplasma/Spiroplasma Working Team – Phytoplasma taxonomy group provided the description of the provisional genus ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma’ with guidelines to describe the new provisional phytoplasma species. The unintentional consequences of these guidelines led to the description of many phytoplasma species where species characterization was restricted to a partial sequence of the 16S rRNA gene alone. Additionally, the lack of a complete set of housekeeping gene sequences or genome sequences, as well as the heterogeneity among closely related phytoplasmas limited the development of a comprehensive Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) system. To address these issues, researchers tried deducing the definition of phytoplasma species using phytoplasmas genome sequences and the average nucleotide identity (ANI). In another attempts, a new phytoplasma species were described based on the Overall Genome relatedness Values (OGRI) values fetched from the genome sequences. These studies align with the attempts to standardize the classification and nomenclature of ‘Candidatus’ bacteria. With a brief historical account of phytoplasma taxonomy and recent developments, this review highlights the current issues and provides recommendations for a comprehensive system for phytoplasma taxonomy until phytoplasma retains ‘Candidatus’ status.

Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) is a serious pest of Brassica crops in the North-Western region of India, inflicting crop yield losses. Therefore, the present study was conducted on seasonal incidence and management of B. hilaris in Brassica juncea genotype RH 725 at farmer’s field, Kolana village, Aravalli Hills Region, Rewari, Haryana, India during Rabi, 2019-20 and 2020-21. This study laid out the trial in a randomized block design with three replications and six treatments viz., Neem Seed Kernel Extract (NSKE) @ 7%, Nimbecidine @ 0.03%, Neem oil @ 5%, NSKE @ 5%, Neem oil @ 7% and control (unsprayed). Observations on the incidence of B. hilaris showed that it appeared from 5th Standard Meteorological Week (SMW) (0.34 bugs plant-1) and attained peak during 10th SMW with 5.77 bugs plant-1. The incidence of B. hilaris exhibited significant positive correlation with maximum (r=0.852, p

In present study, a total of 15 rhizobial isolates were isolated from the root nodules of Medicago polymorpha growing in Jaipur and were characterized for their phenotypic, biochemical and plant growth promoting activities. The root nodules of M. polymorpha were elongated, branched and indeterminate. All isolated rhizobia were highly diverse in their physiological traits. Based on colony morphology, all isolates were categorized into six groups. Major group containing 6 isolates (MP1, MP3, MP9, MP10, MP11 and MP13) showed white, opaque, raised, smooth edges, non-gummy, and mucilaginous characteristics. Four rhizobial strains MP3, MP4, MP9, and MP15 showed salt-tolerance up to 3% and were well adapted to high alkaline conditions and exhibited growth in extremely alkaline media (pH 10). Majority of strains showed positive result for IAA production, nitrate reductase and catalase activity. In addition, citrate utilization, ammonia production, phosphate solubilization and cellulase activity were observed in few isolates. In present study, some rhizobial isolates like MP3, and MP15 were very versatile rhizobia that showed high plant growth promoting activities (IAA production and phosphate solubilization) and were also tolerant to high pH and salt concentration. Such type of superior rhizobia can be part of biofertilizers to enhance legume crop productivity in an ecofriendly manner without application of chemical fertilizers. Our study suggested that rhizobial isolates associated with Medicago polymorpha were significantly diverse in their physiological and biochemical parameters.

Smokeless tobacco (SLT) consumption is associated with multiple adverse health effects and mortality, with the highest burden in India. The WHO FCTC has banned tobacco advertisement, promotion and sponsorship via Article 13. Indian laws also prohibit any kind of direct or indirect advertisements in all forms of audio, visual, and print media; brand promotion; and sponsorship of tobacco products. However, the tobacco industry continues to find aggressive marketing ways to advertise their products. This study aims to assess the extent of surrogate advertisement of smokeless tobacco products through frequency modulation (FM) radio stations in the city of Delhi (National Capital Territory of India). In this study, the advertisements broadcasted over FM radio across different channels (private and government owned) in total 162 h were analyzed. The time duration was spread evenly over morning peak hours, off hours, and evening peak hours. It was found that multiple brands including Vimal, Kamla Pasand, and Rajshree have used surrogate advertising to market their brands that are commonly associated with smokeless tobacco products. However, no such advertisement was found to be aired on government-owned FM channels. The total surrogate advertisements broadcasted were over 286 times, where no significant difference was found in distribution among peak and non-peak hours. The study indicated that the tobacco industry is making its way to sell the products through indirect advertisements. The need of the hour is to not only enforce tobacco advertising ban laws in all forms of advertising media but also to strictly regulate smokeless tobacco products.

The Sandalwood Spike disease (SSD)-related to ‘Ca. Phytoplasma asteris’ has threatened the existence of sandalwood in India. The epidemiology of SSD is still poorly understood despite the efforts to understand the involvement of insect vectors in SSD transmission and alternate plant hosts over the last two decades. Apart from the transmission of SSD phytoplasma through insect vectors, the information on vertical transmission is entirely unknown. Over 200 seeds from SSD-affected trees and over 500 seedlings generated using commercially purchased seeds were screened for the presence of SSD phytoplasma to understand the vertical transmission in an insect-free environment. The end-point nested PCR and real-time nested PCR-based screening revealed an alarming rate of 38.66% and 23.23% phytoplasma positivity in one-month and four-month-old seedlings, respectively. These results were further validated by visualizing the phytoplasma bodies in sandalwood tissues using scanning electron microscopy. The presence of phytoplasma DNA in the seeds and seedlings is a concern for the commercial distribution of sandalwood seedlings in the current setup. This also poses a fear of spreading the disease to newer areas and negatively affecting the economy. The seedling mortality was also suspected to be associated with isolated bacterial and fungal isolates such as Erwinia, Curtobacterium, Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Neofusicoccum isolated using a culture-dependent approach. These findings strongly recommend the accreditation of commercial production of sandalwood seedlings curtailing SSD phytoplasma’s menace. Additionally, a new nested end-point and qRT PCR assays developed in this study proved valuable for the rapid screening of phytoplasma in many plant samples to detect phytoplasmas.

Machining performance of extruded Ti-6Al-4 V prosthetic alloy was investigated throughelectrical discharge machining (EDM) using copper as electrode material. Experimental sequencing followed the B...

We investigate the gain bandwidth and wavelength-tuning range of an erbium-doped fluoride fibre amplifier. The presented experimental setup consisted of a widely wavelength-tunable optical parametric oscillator (OPO), which was amplified in a single-stage Er-doped fluoride fibre amplifier. The OPO laser provided seed pulses with a pulse width of 5.2 ns and a repetition rate of 10 kHz. The fibre section consisted of 2.2 m of double-clad, single-mode fibre with a doping concentration of 7 mol%. Wavelength-tuning was analysed at gain values of up to 26 dB and amplified pulse energies of up to 37.4 μ J. Using this setup, we demonstrate continuous wavelength tuning of more than 100 nm, covering the wavelength range from 2712 nm to 2818 nm.

A novel, ‘mustard yellow’ pigmented aerobic bacterial strain designated AR01T was isolated from hypocotyl tissue of a sandalwood seedling from Bangalore, India. The 16S rRNA gene of strain AR01T had the highest 98.97% sequence similarity with Rothia halotolerans YIM 90716T (KCTC 19172) followed by Rothia kristinae PM 129T (NBRC 15354T) (97.31%) and Rothia koreensis P31T (JCM 15915) (97.11%), respectively. The strain AR01T was coccoid-shaped, non-motile, non-spore-forming, oxidase-negative, and catalase-positive. The strain AR01T has a genome size of 3.31 Mb containing 2993 protein-coding genes including 48 tRNA and 10 rRNAs spread across 84 contigs. The genomic DNA G + C content was 71.77 mol%. The calculated dDDH was 31.10%, and the OrthoANI value was 85.27% compared to its closest related type strain Rothia halotolerans YIM 90716T. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C16:0 iso (30.04%), C15:0 anteiso (37.42%), and C17:0 anteiso (21.78%). The strain AR01T contains major polar lipids including diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. Based on the distinct physiological, biochemical characteristics and genotypic relatedness indicated that AR01T represents a novel species of the genus Rothia, for which the name Rothia santali sp. nov. (Type strain AR01T = MCC 4800T = JCM 35593T) is proposed.The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession number for the reference 16S rRNA gene sequences of the strain AR01T is OM838448. The accession number of the whole-genome of AR01T is JANAFB000000000

The Sandalwood Spike disease (SSD)-related to '

A novel, mustard yellow-pigmented aerobic bacterial strain designated AR01

In India, nearly 29% of adults (over 42% of men and 14% of women) aged 15 or above use tobacco daily or occasionally.1 Out of 100 million smokers, nearly 40 million smoke cigarettes. ITC (British American Tobacco’s India affiliate) dominates the Indian-manufactured cigarette market with 77% market share,2 while Godfrey Phillips India (Phillip Morris International’s India affiliate) controls 13% of the market.3 In terms of volume, however, bidi (also beedi, a forest tree leaf hand-rolled indigenous cigarillo using sun-cured flaked tobacco) dominates the smoking landscape. In 2014, it is estimated that nearly 550 billion4 bidis were made by women and children in the poorest parts of India.5 In addition, nearly 200 million adults use smokeless tobacco (SLT).1 SLT is the most widely consumed tobacco product in the country that is homemade, largely unregulated, untaxed and sold locally. About 30% of the SLT market consists of commercially manufactured products, where Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group) enjoys a large market share.6 Historically, the Indian tobacco industry has spent large sums in aggressively marketing and advertising its products.7 With the coming into force of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA), however, all forms of direct and indirect tobacco advertising were prohibited in India.8 In particular, section 5, clause 3, subclause (b) of COTPA prescribed that: > No person, shall, under a contract or otherwise promote or agree to promote the use or consumption of…(b) any trade mark or brand name of cigarettes or any other tobacco product in exchange for a sponsorship, gift, prize or scholarship given or agreed to be given by another person.8 Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)9 considers corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to be a form of tobacco advertising …

Background Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament - a shorter version of the sport which is played between assorted company-owned or individual owner teams - has grown immensely popular over the last decade. There is long history of tobacco advertisement, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) in cricket. While direct and indirect TAPS is completely prohibited under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003 the nexus between tobacco industry and cricket in India continues. We monitored any tobacco product and allied brand or surrogate advertisement, promotion, sponsorship (TAPS) or placement during every match played in the IPL-13 season in the year 2020. Methods Using an investigative approach, 60 match highlights during IPL-13 (during September 19 to November 10, 2020) were monitored for TAPS (both on-site i.e. sportswear and/or in stadia) shown on the official website ( www.iplt20.com ). All sponsors and advertisers were validated using brand names or logos from their respective official website. Results Two IPL teams (Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore) were sponsored by major tobacco industry owned brands. Violations by a major smokeless tobacco company promoting their brand extension product i.e. Vimal Elaichi, on the official telecast websites ( www.espncricinfo.com and www.cricbuzz.com ) and television channels ( www.Zeenews.india.com/Gujarati ) was observed. Tobacco companies i.e. Kamla Pasand and ITC Limited were also listed as associate sponsors for the 2020 championship. Conclusion Despite comprehensive ban under India's tobacco control law (COTPA, 2003), sponsorship by tobacco industry was found widespread in IPL-13. Advertisement and logos of tobacco companies are persistent during the telecast and promotion of the IPL events, in clear violation of India's tobacco control legislation and Article 13 of WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) and its guidelines. Given that India and South Asia comprise the largest audience for televised cricket, strong exclusion criteria is needed by the international cricket authority and national cricket associations to ensure compliance with the national law and global good practice, making the cricketing world truly tobacco free.

Background Globally, policies to counter targeting of young people by the tobacco industry have proven to be effective and a key determinant of reducing the magnitude of tobacco epidemic. This paper presents a case for increasing the minimum legal age to access tobacco to 21 years in India. Method We analysed the two rounds of nationally representative Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) data: GATS-1 (2009–10) and GATS-2 (2016–17). We segregated data for two categories of tobacco consumption (smokers and smokeless tobacco users) at the age of initiation ( 21 years) and analysed for their consumption patterns found during the time of the survey (current daily, current less than daily, former and ever users) from GATS-2 (2016–17). Further, we compared the projections from the sub-national level analysis for youth initiating tobacco use before 21 years and change in the prevalence of overall underage tobacco users between the two survey rounds. Result Nearly 77% of smokers and 75% smokeless tobacco users in India initiate tobacco use before or until the age of 21 years. Many large, most populous and high tobacco prevalence states had higher than national mean (14.1%) of youth initiating into tobacco use before 21 years. Overall, as compared to GATS-1, there is a perceptible increase in the prevalence of underage tobacco use in most states. Conclusion Global best practices and the significant number of young tobacco users in India call for increasing the age of access to tobacco from the current 18 years to 21 years. This will help in reducing the overall adult tobacco use prevalence in the longer run in India.

We report on the characterization and analysis of a GaN-based distributed feedback laser diode (DFB-LD) with 3rd-order laterally etched sidewall gratings centered at a wavelength of 420 nm. We also compare the device parameters with two commonly used Fabry-Perot (FP) devices operating at 450 nm and 520 nm. Intrinsic properties of the devices were extracted, including damping factor, carrier and photon lifetimes, modulation efficiency, differential gain, and parasitic capacitance. These parameters showed that the DFB exhibits a lower damping rate and parasitic capacitance while demonstrating a higher modulation efficiency, indicating that the DFB shows good potential for communications applications. Additionally, spectral linewidth of a GaN DFB is reported. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first demonstration of parameter extraction and spectral linewidth measurement for GaN-based DFB-LDs.