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An investigation was planned during the year 2016 to observe the effect of selfie addiction on self-esteem across two genders and locales. The data was collected from 360 rural and urban school going adolescents (studying in 10th 11th and 12th grades) using Self-Structured Selfie Addiction Checklist consisting of three levels: borderline (0–4 scores), acute (5–9 score) and chronic (10–14 scores) in addition to Self-Esteem Inventory to assess three levels of self-esteem. The study was conducted in schools of Ludhiana District, India in the year 2017. The results showed that in the case of borderline selfie addiction, a larger proportion of girls in comparison to boys had low self-esteem, while higher number of boys in contrast to girls demonstrated a high level of self-esteem. At the acute and chronic levels of selfie addiction, no gender differences were discovered. This shows that boys in comparison to girls had higher self-esteem. Moreover, across all three levels of selfie addiction, urban boys exhibited higher self-esteem than urban girls, although no significant gender differences were found in rural adolescents. The findings showed that boys had better mean scores of self-esteem than girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, taking selfies and posting them to social media is a major trend. However, photos may seem harmless, if used carelessly, they can have devastating repercussions on psychological heath of individuals. The present study is based on the comparative analysis of perceived Loneliness among selfie addicts and non-selfie addicts youth of Punjab. In this study, 500 young adults of 19-21 years were surveyed by using Self-Structured Selfie Addiction Checklist and Loneliness Inventory. A complete list of all the districts falling under three cultural regions of Punjab, viz., Majha, Malwa and Doaba was prepared. For equal representation of the sample from all cultural regions, proportionate numbers of districts were selected in the ratio of approximately 1:1:3 from Majha, Doaba, and Malwa region respectively. Amritsar district from Majha and Jalandhar district from Doaba region and Ludhiana, Moga and Patiala from Malwa region were purposively selected. The colleges and universities were chosen randomly for data collection to complete the sample. Survey results indicated that non-significantly majority of young adults had medium level of loneliness irrespective of their addiction in Majha, Malwa, and Doaba region respectively. Moreover, significantly more number of non-addicts had high level of loneliness which highlights that addicts keep them engaged by clicking, editing and posting selfies on social media. Further, significantly higher number of addicted males in comparison to non-addict males, had medium level of loneliness whereas more number of addicted females were found in low level of loneliness which shows that addicted females feel less lonely and isolated as compared to addicted males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemotaxis signaling pathways enable bacteria to sense and respond to their chemical environment and, in some species, are critical for lifestyle processes such as biofilm formation and pathogenesis. The signal transduction underlying chemotaxis behavior is mediated by large, highly ordered protein complexes known as chemosensory arrays. For nearly two decades, cryo-electron tomography (cryoET) has been used to image chemosensory arrays, providing an increasingly detailed understanding of their structure and function. In this mini-review, we provide an overview of the use of cryoET to study chemosensory arrays, including imaging strategies, key results, and outstanding questions. We further discuss the application of molecular modeling and simulation techniques to complement structure determination efforts and provide insight into signaling mechanisms. We close the review with a brief outlook, highlighting promising future directions for the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient numerical technique for the solution of the pulp washing model is proposed in this study. Two linear and one nonlinear model are explained with quintic Hermite collocation method (QHCM). In this technique, quintic Hermite polynomials (C2 continuous) are used as a basis function, and an orthogonal collocation method is applied within each element of the partitioned domain. For accuracy and applicability of the method, a comparison of the numerical results with analytic ones is made. The method is found to be stable using stability analysis and convergence criteria. The effect of Peclet number on exit solute concentration and other parameters is presented in the form of breakthrough curves. The results are derived for a broad range of parameters, and the present method is found to be more efficient and refined for solving the two-point boundary value problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2 variants rapid emergence has posed critical challenge of higher transmission and immune escape causing serious threats to control the pandemic. The present study was carried out in confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 patients to elucidate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variant strain. We performed RT-PCR using extracted RNA from the nasopharyngeal swabs of suspected Covid-19 patients. Confirmed positive cases with CT<25 were subjected to whole-genome sequencing to track the prevalence of the virus in the Malwa region of Punjab. The presence of B.1, B.1.1.7, B.1.351, B.1.617.1, B.1.617.2, AY.1 and other unidentified variants of SARS-CoV-2 was found in the studied population. Among all the variants, B.1.1.7 (UK variant) and B.1.617.2 (delta-Indian variant) was found to be the most dominant variant in the population and was found majorly in Patiala followed by Ludhiana, SBS Nagar, Mansa and Sangrur. In addition to this, sequencing results also observed that the dominant trait was more prevalent in male population and age group 21-40 years. The B.1.1.7 and B.1.617.2 variant of SARSCoV-2 is replacing the wild type (Wuhan Strain) and emerging as the dominant variant in Punjab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat, one of the major cereal crops worldwide, get adversely affected by rising global temperature. We have identified the diploid B genome progenitor of wheat, Aegilops speltoides (SS), as a potential donor for heat stress tolerance. Therefore, the present work was planned to study the total transcriptome profile of heat stress-tolerant Ae. speltoides accession pau3809 (AS3809) and compare with that of tetraploid and hexaploid wheat cultivars PDW274 and PBW725, respectively. The comparative transcriptome was utilized to identify and validate heat stress transcription factors (HSFs), the key genes involved in imparting heat stress tolerance. Transcriptome analysis led to the identification of a total of 74 K, 68 K, and 76 K genes in AS3809, PDW274, and PBW725, respectively. There was a high uniformity of GO profiles under the biological, molecular, and cellular functions across the three wheat transcriptomes, suggesting the conservation of gene function. Twelve HSFs having the highest FPKM value were identified in the AS3809 transcriptome data, while six of these HSFs namely HSFA3, HSFA5, HSFA9, HSFB2a, HSFB2b, and HSFC1b, were validated with qRT PCR. These six HSFs were identified as an important component of thermotolerance in AS3809 as evident from their comparative higher expression under heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing and cultivating resistant wheat crop varieties is important to meet the demands of the growing population and minimizing the yield losses due to foliar diseases. More important is the identification of novel resistance sources and transfer of resistance in ready to use form. In the current study, leaf rust (LR) and stripe rust (YR) resistant tetraploid nonprogenitors of wheat Aegilops triuncialis (UtUtCtCt) acc pau 3462 was crossed and backcrossed susceptible cultivar WL711(NN) by inducing homeologous pairing using CS ph1. Recurrent parent type plants were selected in subsequent generation with resistance to LR and YR and BC2F7 introgression line (2n=42) named ILtri have been developed. To understand the nature and inheritance of LR and YR resistance genes and to map their genomic location, F2 and F2:3 mapping populations were developed by crossing ILtri with WL711(NN). In F2 and F2:3, the seedlings and adult plants segregated into 3R:1S and 1HR:2Seg:1HS ratios, respectively for both LR and YR, indicating inheritance of single dominant all stage resistance gene working against both the rusts. These genes were temporary designated as Lrtri and Yrtri and were inherited independently. Molecular mapping of 614 SSR markers mapped the Lrtri at a distance of 11.2 cM from SSR marker Xwmc606. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unrecognized significance of the web acts as a driving force for the massive and rapid growth of websites in each domain of social life. For making a successful website, it is necessary for developers to embrace appropriate web testing and evaluation methodology. Some valuable works in the past have striven to appraise the web applications quantitatively. Various parameters have been considered which are again sub-parameterized to measurable indicators. But their weighing criterion has not been appropriately taken into account according to the domain of the website. Also, the relative degrees of interactions among parameters have not been taken into consideration. The work presented in this paper aims at describing a framework, Quality Index Evaluation Method to gauge the design quality of a website in the form of index value. An automated tool has been designed and coded to measure the metrics quantitatively. A weighing technique based on Fuzzy-DEMATEL (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory Method) has been applied on these metrics. Fuzzy trapezoidal numbers have been used for assessment of parameters and the final design quality index value. To verify the use of framework in different website domains, it has been exercised on eight academic (four institutional and four digital libraries), five informative and four commercial websites. The results have been validated through the most widely used method in literature, i.e., user judgment. Opinions of users for each website have been quantified and aggregated with fuzzy aggregation technique. Experimental results show that the proposed framework provides accurate and consistent results in very less time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sapota [Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen] is an important commercial fruit crop of Sapotaceae family grown for fresh fruits and chicle production. Sapota when propagated by vegetative means, produce true to type plant material and reduces juvenile period and result in early commercial production. Various propagation techniques on different rootstocks were tried for the purpose. Among different rootstocks, khirni (Manilkara hexandra) was found most successful and is used for commercial plant propagation as it possesses high graft compatibility with sapota and plants produce fruits of excellent quality with high yield. Various vegetative propagation techniques have been standardized and used on large scale depending upon season and region. The general techniques used for sapota propagation are softwood grafting, veneer grafting, side grafting, inarching and air layering. Softwood grafting is employed in regions with moderate temperature and high relative humidity which prevent desiccation of scion stick. Veneer and side grafting using mature scion stick is also found effective in regions with variable climates. Inarching technique possess high graft survival rate and is practiced by private nurseries. Propagation through cuttings is not successful in sapota even when treated with rooting hormones. Micro-propagation in sapota by tissue culture techniques have been tried but application remains limited to academics only. This may be due to high phenolic contents and sap exudation in explant. Special protocols for successful root and shoot regeneration are required to be standardized for commercial scale plant propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat, a major food crop, faces significant yield constraints due to losses caused by various diseases, especially rusts and powdery mildew. Since the causal organisms are always evolving, there is a never-ending hunt for new genes/quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for resistance to control the damage. For this purpose, Triticum durum–Aegilops speltoides backcross introgression lines (DS-BILs) developed in our wide hybridization programme were screened against stripe rust and powdery mildew at both seedling and adult plant stages. DS-BILs showed complete to moderate resistance at the adult plant stage while varying resistance and susceptibility at the seedling stage. A total of 1095 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified on 14 chromosomes of T. durum, using genotyping by sequencing, were used for QTL mapping. Eleven unique QTLs, across six chromosomes (chr1B, chr2A, chr2B, chr3B, chr6B and chr7B) were identified for resistance, four QTLs for field mixture of stripe rust pathotypes, two QTLs for stripe rust pathotype 78S84 and five QTLs for field mixture of powdery mildew pathotypes using stepwise regression-based likelihood ratio test for additive effect of markers and single-marker analysis. Eleven DS-BILs carrying multiple QTLs were identified which will serve as a useful resource to transfer the respective resistance to susceptible cultivars to develop all stage resistant elite cultivars where QTL for stripe rust resistance QYrAs.pau-2A.1 (LOD 3.8, PVE 24.51 linked to SNP S2A_16016633) and QTL for powdery mildew resistance QPmAs.pau-6B (logarithm of the odds (LOD) 3.2, phenotypic variation explained (PVE) 17.75 linked to SNP S6B_26793381) are major targets of the transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the world has caused major disruptions in healthcare delivery and practice. A survey was conducted to assess the changes in the care of gynaecologic oncology patients in India. Methods: An online survey enquiring about the patient volumes and surgical load, and changes in practice protocols for endometrial, ovarian, cervical and vulval cancers was conducted in May, 2020. Results: The total number of responses received was 153. Barring duplicates, 148 were analysed. There was a significant drop in gynaecologic oncology patients attending government hospitals as compared to the non-government sector. The drop was not significantly different in areas having low versus high COVID-19 case volumes. The treatment of endometrial cancers remained the same although there was a marked shift from minimal access surgery to conventional surgery. Advanced ovarian cancer was mostly managed by neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Cervical and vulval cancer management remained the same, but radiotherapy protocols were modified by most. Conclusion: Based on clinician responses, it appears that most practices across India have suffered a fall in patient volumes. The responses from government sectors point towards a bigger hit in this segment of practice. While the management of endometrial cancers and cervical cancers was mostly unchanged, most cases of advanced ovarian cancer received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Cervical cancer, when managed by chemoradiation, was likely to have altered radiation schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild wheat species Aegilops peregrina (UpUpSpSp), harbours resistance to various diseases including leaf rust and stripe rust. Inheritance studies in a recombinant inbred line population of wheat-Ae. peregrina introgression line IL pau16061 revealed the transfer of a single major dominant gene conditioning all stage resistance, herein temporarily designated as LrAp. Genomic in situ hybridisation of IL pau16061, resistant and susceptible RILs with U- and S-genome DNA probes confirmed that the introgression with leaf rust resistance is from the Up genome of Ae. peregrina. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation using chromosome specific probes identified Up genome introgression to be on the long arm of wheat chromosome 6B. To genetically map LrAp, bulked segregant analysis was combined with resistance gene enrichment sequencing (MapRenSeq). Five nucleotide binding leucine-rich repeat contigs distinguished resistant and susceptible bulks and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers from these contigs co-segregated with LrAp. All five RenSeq NB_ARC contigs showed identity with the long arm of wheat chromosome 6B confirming the introgression on 6BL which we propose is a compensating translocation from Ae. peregrina chromosome 6UpL due to homoeology between the alien and wheat chromosomes. The SNP markers developed in this study will aid in cloning and marker assisted gene pyramiding of LrAp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cichorium in(ybus is a multipurpose small to medium size perennial herb. It is spread in European andAsian countries, used as forage for livestocks, It is a vegetable plant with high nutrient value, eaten raw as a salad or cooked. It is also used as a substitute for coffee in Europe. It has a medicinal value to cure various diseases. In India this plant is widely cultivated for its medicinal value. It has a great power of hepatoprotective activity and lot of research has been carried out to estimate its medicinal properties. It shows antifungal, antiageing, antiallergic, antibacterial, antivirus, antioxidant, antidiabetic and anticpneer properties. Chicory is used as raw material to produce inulin in industry. It is also used in production of cosmetics. Chicory is also a genetically important plant as its two model K59 and C15 is used to investigate cell reactivation and somatic embryogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GSI is an important parameter measuring the growth of gonads during the different phases of reproductive cycle of a fish. An attempt has been made to investigate the effect of photoperiod and temperature manipulation on the ovarian recrudescence and variation in GSI in Channa punctatus (Bloch) especially during the preparatory phase of reproductive cycle.' Environmental cues like photoperiod and temperature play an important role in timing of maturation of gonads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, leading to motor symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia. Current therapeutic strategies for PD are limited and mainly involve symptomatic relief, with no available treatment for the underlying causes of the disease. Therefore, there is a need for new therapeutic approaches that target the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of PD. Calcium homeostasis is an essential process for maintaining proper cellular function and survival, including neuronal cells. Calcium dysregulation is also observed in various organelles, including the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria, and lysosomes, resulting in organelle dysfunction and impaired inter-organelle communication. The ER, as the primary calcium reservoir, is responsible for folding proteins and maintaining calcium homeostasis, and its dysregulation can lead to protein misfolding and neurodegeneration. The crosstalk between ER and mitochondrial calcium signaling is disrupted in PD, leading to neuronal dysfunction and death. In addition, a lethal network of calcium cytotoxicity utilizes mitochondria, ER and lysosome to destroy neurons. This review article focused on the complex role of calcium dysregulation and its role in aggravating functioning of organelles in PD so as to provide new insight into therapeutic strategies for treating this disease. Targeting dysfunctional organelles, such as the ER and mitochondria and lysosomes and whole network of calcium dyshomeostasis can restore proper calcium homeostasis and improve neuronal function. Additionally targeting calcium dyshomeostasis that arises from miscommunication between several organelles can be targeted so that therapeutic effects of calcium are realised in whole cellular territory. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that manifests its pathology through synaptic damage, mitochondrial abnormalities, microRNA deregulation, hormonal imbalance, increased astrocytes & microglia, accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) and phosphorylated Tau in the brains of AD patients. Despite extensive research, the effective treatment of AD is still unknown. Tau hyperphosphorylation and mitochondrial abnormalities are involved in the loss of synapses, defective axonal transport and cognitive decline in patients with AD. Mitochondrial dysfunction is evidenced by enhanced mitochondrial fragmentation, impaired mitochondrial dynamics, mitochondrial biogenesis and defective mitophagy in AD. Hence, targeting mitochondrial proteins might be a promising therapeutic strategy in treating AD. Recently, dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), a mitochondrial fission protein, has gained attention due to its interactions with Aβ and hyperphosphorylated Tau, altering mitochondrial morphology, dynamics, and bioenergetics. These interactions affect ATP production in mitochondria. A reduction in Drp1 GTPase activity protects against neurodegeneration in AD models. This article provides a comprehensive overview of Drp1's involvement in oxidative damage, apoptosis, mitophagy, and axonal transport of mitochondria. We also highlighted the interaction of Drp1 with Aβ and Tau, which may contribute to AD progression. In conclusion, targeting Drp1 could be a potential therapeutic approach for preventing AD pathology. • Accumulation of amyloid β, phosphorylated Tau, mitochondrial changes and synaptic damage are found in Alzheimer's disease. • Mitochondrial abnormalities are involved in the loss of synapses, defective axonal transport and cognitive decline in patients with AD. • Dynamin-related protein 1 protein has gained attention due to its interactions with Aβ and hyperphosphorylated Tau in AD. • A reduction in Drp1 GTPase activity protects against neurodegeneration in AD models. • Targeting Drp1 could be a potential therapeutic approach for preventing AD pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) is the second most essential element for the growth and development of plants because of its role in vital biochemical reactions in the plant system. The positive response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to P and dwindling raw materials for P fertilizer necessitate identification of P-efficient cultivars of wheat. Thirty wheat genotypes consisting of bread, synthetic, and wild wheats were assessed for P-use efficiency (PUE) at two P levels for identification of P-use efficient and P-deficiency-tolerant genotypes. PUE was measured by recording agro-morphological traits and P concentration in straw and grains. T. dicoccoides, T. boeoticum acc. pau5147, and synthetic wheats derived from different Aegilops tauschii accessions were observed to be P-acquisition efficient, as indicated by shoot P uptake. Hexaploid wheat introgression lines pau16059, pau16063, pau16065, pau16066, and pau16067 were identified to be P-utilization efficient. Synthetic wheats from Ae. tauschii acc. pau14201, pau9796, pau14128, and pau14170; T. boeoticum acc. pau5147; T. dicoccoides acc. pau5366, pau7127, and pau7142; and hexaploid wheat lines pau16065, pau16066, pau16067, and pau16059 were found to be P-deficiency tolerant. Overall, wild germplasm was more efficient in uptake and accumulation of P in the shoots, and hexaploid wheats were more efficient in utilization of the accumulated P in realizing increased grain yields and PUE. These genotypes will be exploited for developing P-use efficient wheat cultivars and identifying genomic regions conditioning PUE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Novel rust resistance genes LrP and YrP from Ae. peregrina identified on chromosome 5D and the linked markers will aid deployment of these genes in combination with other major/minor genes. Aegilops peregrina, a wild tetraploid relative of wheat with genome constitution UUSS, displays genetic variation for resistance to leaf and stripe (yellow) rust. The wheat Ae. peregrina introgression line, IL pau16058, harbouring leaf and stripe rust resistance, was crossed with wheat cv. WL711 to generate an F2:3 mapping population. Inheritance studies on this population indicated the transfer of dominant co-segregating resistance to leaf and stripe rust. Ethyl methane sulphonate mutagenesis of IL pau16058 identified independent loss-of-function mutants for leaf and stripe rust resistance, indicating that the leaf and stripe rust resistance is controlled by independent genes, herein designated LrP and YrP, respectively. A high-resolution genetic map of LrP and YrP was constructed using the Illumina Infinium iSelect 90K wheat array and resistance gene enrichment sequencing (RenSeq) markers. The map spans 4.19 cM on the distal-most region of the short arm of chromosome 5D, consisting of eight SNP markers and one microsatellite marker. LrP and YrP co-segregated with markers BS00163889 and 5DS44573_snp and was flanked distally by the SNP marker BS00129707 and proximally by 5DS149010, defining a 15.71 Mb region in the RefSeq v1.0 genome assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishes in the aquatic food web are at the top of most aquatic food chains and form an important link in the aquatic-terrestrial food chain also. They are easily available in the wild, market, can be easily maintained in the laboratory and act as important models for indicating the outcome of exposure of human populations to toxic and genotoxic chemicals in drinking water. They respond to toxicants in a manner similar to higher vertebrates and metabolize and accumulate pollutants. Food is a major route for exposure of human populations to toxic chemicals in water so fish and shell fish have been recognized as major vectors for transfer of contaminants to humans, as these major sources of protein in many countries, are often contaminated with high concentrations of pollutants. In living systems, these are biotransformed to various toxic derivatives which react with DNA and lead to tumour development are carcinogenic and/or mutagenic to life leading to the number of cancer cases. Epidemiological studies have revealed that workers in the dye industry had a higher incidence of urinary bladder tumours than that of the general population. Therefore, in the present review an attempt has been made to document the work done in past on the use of fishes for studying toxicological changes induced by pollutants. Actually, toxicity and genotoxicity of dyes in fish has not been much explored, therefore along with the few reports available on dyes, literature on toxicity and genotoxicity of other aquatic pollutants has also been reviewed in the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study envisaged evaluating the effect of Basic violet-1 (BV-1, CI No. 42535), a widely used azo dye in dyeing and textile industries, on antioxidant enzymes of Labeo rohita fingerlings (7.6 - 11.3 cm length and 16.1 - 26.7 g weight). Antioxidant enzymes such as acetylcholinesterase (AChE), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) were estimated in liver, kidney, gill, muscle and brain of the fish as markers for the stress of BV-1. After 96h, the fish were kept for a recovery period of 30 days and activity of enzymes was determined at 15 day intervals. Significant dose dependent increase over control in the activity of AST (79.69%) and ALT (50.07%) was observed in all the tissues while a significant decrease over control was observed in AChE (717.43%) and SDH (173.07%) activity in all the tissues. Alterations in the activity of enzymes could probably be due to a defense against oxidative damage caused by the dye and prolonged effect till the end of the recovery period could be a metabolic adaptation of the fish to the stress of the present dye. The results indicate that the dye is very toxic to L. rohita as there was a marked change in the activity of selected enzymes in the exposed fish and the effect prolonged till the end of recovery period. So these enzymes in the selected tissues can be considered as best biomarker to determine toxicity of even very low doses of the azo dye BV-1 in fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Amongst the many adipocytokines discovered in recent times, Adiponectin has drawn much attention for its insulin sensitising, anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory actions. Though, Adiponectin is secreted by adipose tissue, its decreased levels are associated with obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Aim: The present investigation was conducted to study the role of Adiponectin in glucose homeostasis in T2DM subjects in relation to Body Mass Index (BMI). Materials and Methods: Seventy five T2DM patients visiting the Endocrinology OPD of a tertiary care hospital were selected for the study. Patients on thiazolidinediones were not included. They were divided into three groups of 25 each based on BMI. Group A: <25 kg/m² Group B: 25-29.99 kg/m2 Group C: ≥30 kg/ m². Waist Hip Ratio (WHR) was recorded. Serum Adiponectin levels were estimated by ELISA, FBS, CRP, HbA1c, insulin and lipid profile was analysed on Cobas 6000 (Roche). Insulin resistance was measured by Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA-IR). Results: A 56% patients had low Adiponectin levels (<10 µg/ mL), only 10.8% patients had >25 µg/mL. Group B patients had lowest levels of Adiponectin (11.86±8.79 µg/mL). FBS, HbA1c, insulin levels and HOMA-IR showed a negative correlation with Adiponectin in all the groups but was significant in group B only (r=-0.555, -0.611, -0.477 and -0.528 respectively). CRP and all the fractions of lipid profile (except HDL) showed negative correlation with Adiponectin in all the groups but it was not significant. HDL levels increased with increase in Adiponectin levels in all the groups. Conclusion: This study reaffirms the significant role that adipose tissue hormones play in pathophysiology of T2DM. Significant negative correlation of glucose, HbA1c, insulin resistance with Adiponectin noted in overweight diabetics supports the hypothesis that these patients can be potential therapeutic target for drugs increasing Adiponectin levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aegilops tauschii, the D genome donor of wheat, is an invaluable source of genetic variability, which can be utilized for broadening the wheat gene pool. Linked leaf rust resistance and non-glaucousness genes transferred from Ae. tauschii to cultivated wheat variety WH542 were mapped in the present study. Genetic analysis in an F2 population from a BC3 plant derived from the cross Triticum durum cv. PBW114/Ae. tauschii acc. pau14195//4*T. aestivum cv. WH542 revealed monogenic dominant inheritance for both the traits. The leaf rust resistance and the non-glaucous- ness gene were tentatively named LrT and IwT, respectively. Leaf rust resistance gene exhibited all stage resistance. SSR markers Xbarc124, Xgdm5, Xgdm35, Xcfd51 and EST-derived markers Xcau96 and Xte6 on chromosome 2DS were linked with both genes. Chromosomal assignments of the genes were confirmed by testing linked SSR markers on Chinese Spring nulli-tetrasomics lines. SSR markers Xcau96 (1.6 cM) and Xbarc124 (0.6 cM) flanked LrT and Xgdm35 (4.1 cM) and Xte6 (2.5 cM) flanked non-glaucousness gene. LrT and IwT showed a recombination distance of 3.4 cM. Hence, IwT can be used as an easy to score morphological marker of LrT during its transfer to other glaucous backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wild non-progenitor species from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) tertiary gene pool,Aegilops peregrina(Hack.) Maire & Weiller accession pau3519 (UUSS), was used for introgression of leaf rust (caused byPuccinia triticina) and stripe rust (caused byPuccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) resistance in bread wheat. The accession was crossed and backcrossed with hexaploid wheat line Chinese Spring PhIto develop two homozygous BC2F6wheat-Ae. peregrinaintrogression lines (ILs), viz., IL pau16058 and IL pau16061, through induced homoeologous recombination. Homozygous lines were screened against sixPuccinia triticinaand twoPuccinia striiformis f. sp. triticipathotypes at the seedling stage and a mixture of prevalent pathotypes of both species at the adult plant stage. IL pau16061 showed resistance to leaf rust only, whereas IL pau16058 was resistant to both leaf and stripe rust pathotypes throughout plant life. Molecular profiling of these ILs with simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers indicated that alien introgressions were mainly terminal and very few were interstitial. Identification of linked markers with advanced genomic technologies will aid in marker-assisted pyramiding of alien genes in cultivated wheat background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to explore the mental health status of rural and urban adolescents with selfie addiction. The total sample comprised of 360 adolescents studying in 10th, 11th and 12th standard from rural and urban schools of Ludhiana district identified with different levels of selfie addiction and equally divided across two locales i.e. rural and urban. Self-structured Selfie Addiction checklist and Mental Health Battery (Singh & Gupta, 2000) was used to collect the data. The combined picture of mental health status of rural and urban adolescents showed that adolescents with chronic level of selfie addiction were having poor mental health status which indicates that they were having issues with certain aspects of mental health. The results indicated that within borderline and acute level of selfie addiction, urban adolescents had better mental health as compared to rural adolescents. It was found that all the rural urban adolescents with chronic selfie addiction were found to have low level of mental health. It was further found that as the severity of selfie addiction increased from borderline to acute the percentage of adolescents with high intelligence decreased. Urban adolescents were having better emotional stability than rural adolescents whereas rural adolescents were having better intelligence than their urban counterparts. Urban adolescents were more independent, self-determined in thinking and had greater sense of security as compared to rural adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pair of stripe rust and leaf rust resistance genes was introgressed from Aegilops caudata, a nonprogenitor diploid species with the CC genome, to cultivated wheat. Inheritance and genetic mapping of stripe rust resistance gene in backcross-recombinant inbred line (BC-RIL) population derived from the cross of a wheat- Ae. caudata introgression line (IL) T291-2(pau16060) with wheat cv. PBW343 is reported here. Segregation of BC-RILs for stripe rust resistance depicted a single major gene conditioning adult plant resistance (APR) with stripe rust reaction varying from TR-20MS in resistant RILs signifying the presence of some minor genes as well. Genetic association with leaf rust resistance revealed that two genes are located at a recombination distance of 13%. IL T291-2 had earlier been reported to carry introgressions on wheat chromosomes 2D, 3D, 4D, 5D, 6D and 7D. Genetic mapping indicated the introgression of stripe rust resistance gene on wheat chromosome 5DS in the region carrying leaf rust resistance gene LrAc, but as an independent introgression. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) and sequence-tagged site (STS) markers designed from the survey sequence data of 5DS enriched the target region harbouring stripe and leaf rust resistance genes. Stripe rust resistance locus, temporarily designated as YrAc, mapped at the distal most end of 5DS linked with a group of four colocated SSRs and two resistance gene analogue (RGA)-STS markers at a distance of 5.3 cM. LrAc mapped at a distance of 9.0 cM from the YrAc and at 2.8 cM from RGA-STS marker Ta5DS_2737450, YrAc and LrAc appear to be the candidate genes for marker-assisted enrichment of the wheat gene pool for rust resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A selfie is a self-portrait photograph of oneself, taken with camera or a camera phone held at arm's length or pointed at a mirror that is usually shared through social media. Though people were fond of taking photographs of their own and others since many decades, with selfie camera it has lead to an extreme effect. Selfies became a very interesting topic for researchers to study and examine the cause since 2012, as the rate of usage of selfie has reportedly increased many fold. The extent of selfie addiction can be welljudged from the fact that many deaths have been reported in India due to increasing obsession of taking selfies in general public. Infact, India has witnessed highest number of selfie deaths in recent years. A strong relationship has been found between selfie addiction and various mental health issues like poor self esteem, narcissism, loneliness and depression. Addiction with selfie in youth, especially teenagers and mental health issues are on the rise as many psychiatrists are seeing number of parents coming with the same complaint. Therefore, it is right time to sensitize parents, teachers and educators about the alarming increase in selfie addiction and its deteriorating impact on mental health of adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powdery mildew caused by Blumeria graminis f.sp. tritici is significantly affecting wheat production worldwide. In the search for new sources of resistance we investigated the powdery mildew resistance in the synthetic hexaploid wheat line „Synthetic 43“ with its D genome from Aegilops tauschii. This line was developed at CIMMYT and resists a number of common bread wheat diseases. The line was crossed with the powdery mildew susceptible hexaploid wheat cultivar WH542 and a mapping population consisting of 148 RILs was developed. Inheritance studies in the RIL population revealed monogenic inheritance of powdery mildew resistance both at the seedling stage and adult plant stage. This resistance gene was mapped at a distance of 4.8 cM from SSR marker Xwmc150 on chromosome 7D and has been temporarily designated as PmT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a novel lacZ fusion vector and demonstrate its utility for expression analysis of genes associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis latent infection. The vector contains E. coli ( oriE) and mycobacterial ( oriM) origins of replication, a kanamycin resistance gene (Km) as selection marker, and a lacZ reporter gene in fusion with MCS for cloning of upstream regulatory sequence of the desired genes. β-galactosidase activity of the vector was standardized for expression analysis under latent mycobacterial conditions using P hsp60, a constitutive mycobacterial promoter, utilizing Mycobacterium smegmatis as model organism. Validation of the vector was done by cloning and expression analysis of P hspX (alpha crystalline) and P icl (isocitrate lyase), promoters from two of the genes shown to be involved in M. tuberculosis persistence. Both genes showed appreciable levels of β-galactosidase expression under hypoxia-induced persistent conditions in comparison to their actively replicating state. Expression analysis of a set of hypothetical genes was also done, of which Rv0628c showed increased expression under persistent conditions. The reported fusion vector and the strategy can be effectively used for short listing and validation of drug targets deduced from various non-conclusive approaches such as bioinformatics and microarray analysis against latent/persistent form of mycobacterial infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article evaluates the significance, necessity and use of nursing informatics in the nursing curriculum for information technology (IT). Topics discussed include an overview of nursing informatics, its utilization in nursing curriculum, its benefits to nursing students and nursing practice, and its future trends for nursing education.

Different chemicals at varying concentrations were assessed to inactivate the antinutritional components in cereal brans. HCl (4%) used at 3, 4 and 5%; acetic acid (1%) used at 18, 20 and 22%; and calcium hydroxide (1%) used at 18, 20 and 22% were mixed with cereal brans. Maximum reduction in trypsin inhibitor followed by oxalates, polyphenols, phytic acid and saponins was achieved on treating with 1% acetic acid used at 22%. Acetic acid (1%) used at 22% was the most effective in reducing the antinutritional factors of cereal brans, followed by calcium hydroxide (1%) used at 22% and hydrochloric acid (4%) used at 5%. Besides affecting the antinutritional components, chemical treatments have shown profound effect on bulk density and color value of cereal brans. To explore the potential of cereal brans, bread and macaroni were prepared by substituting flour with cereal brans singly and in combination. The products were acceptable to consumers. Practical Applications Cereal brans, being a good source of vitamins and other nutrients, are underutilized as a functional food component. Effective processing (using chemicals) can result in a significant reduction in antinutrient components of the bran and will enhance the functionality of the bran. These processed brans can be utilized in the development of functional products as a fiber supplement. Hence, it can go a long way in supplying the required quantities of cheap and easily available dietary fiber and protein to various segments of our population and also results in profitable utilization of by-products of milling industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to evaluate effect of a highly toxic azo dye, acid black (AB) (CI: 20470, 96 h LC 50 = 10 mg/L) on the biochemical responses of Labeo rohita . Antioxidant/detoxification enzymes such as glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), acid phosphatase (AcP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) were determined in liver, kidney, gill, muscle and brain of L. rohita after 96 h exposure to 6 mg/L (LC 10 ), 8 mg/L (LC 30 ) and 10 mg/L (LC 50 ) of dye with an aim to find out the target tissue and biomarker enzyme for AB. The fish were then kept for a recovery period of 90 days, and activity of the selected enzymes was determined at the end of this period. Present dye altered the activities of all these enzymes in the selected tissues of the experimental fish in a dose-dependent manner. SOD was the maximally affected enzyme, and liver was the most affected tissue. The results indicate that AB is very toxic to L. rohita as there was a significant effect of even 6 mg/L dose of the dye and the toxicity prolonged for a long time because the fish was not able to recover from the stress even 90 days after the exposure. The study suggests that SOD can be used as a biomarker enzyme and liver is the target tissue for AB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is among the main risk factors for HCC. The risk of HCC is not eliminated completely after viral suppression, due to HBV DNA integrated into human chromosomes. Cirrhosis, HBV viral DNA levels, age, male gender, the immune response of the host against HBV, and a combination of obesity and diabetes are among the main risk factors for HCC. Active viral replication and long-standing active disease with inflammation are associated with a higher risk of HCC. Treatment of HBV with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) decreased HCC risk by effectively decreasing viral load and inflammation. Similar risk factors have been reported in hepatitis B patients after seroclearance. Studies have reported decreased risk of HCC after seroclearance, but there were also conflicting results from a few studies indicating no difference in risk of developing HCC. The difference in HCC rates could be because of other factors such as coinfection, occult HBV infection, family history, HBV genotype, and other comorbidities. Due to the persistent risk of HCC after seroclearance, HCC surveillance is critical for early detection, especially in high-risk patients. However, long-term studies might be needed to further validate the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduction of various antinutritional factors in cereal brans by different treatments (microwave heating, dry heating and wet heating) were studied. There was significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) in reduction of antinutritional factors of treated cereal brans except for dry heating at low temperature. Microwave heating at 2450 MHz for 2.5 min resulted in 53.85%, 57.21%, 65.00% and 100% reduction in phytic acid, polyphenols, oxalates and saponins, respectively. Wet heating resulted in maximum reduction in trypsin inhibitor activity (83.07%) at 110 °C for 25 min. Processing treatment resulted in increase in bulk density and slight darkening of the brans. The most effective method of detoxifying most of the toxicants was microwave heating for 2.5 min, and therefore it could be exploited for making treated brans an ideal source for potential food application. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Rusts are the most important biotic constraints limiting wheat productivity worldwide. Deployment of cultivars with broad spectrum rust resistance is the only environmentally viable option to combat these diseases. Identification and introgression of novel sources of resistance is a continuous process to combat the ever evolving pathogens. The germplasm of nonprogenitor Aegilops species with substantial amount of variability has been exploited to a limited extent. In the present investigation introgression, inheritance and molecular mapping of a leaf rust resistance gene of Ae. caudata (CC) acc. pau3556 in cultivated wheat were undertaken. An F population derived from the cross of Triticum aestivum cv. WL711 - Ae. caudata introgression line T291-2 with wheat cultivar PBW343 segregated for a single dominant leaf rust resistance gene at the seedling and adult plant stages. Progeny testing in F confirmed the introgression of a single gene for leaf rust resistance. Bulked segregant analysis using polymorphic D-genome-specific SSR markers and the cosegregation of the 5DS anchored markers ( Xcfd18, Xcfd78, Xfd81 and Xcfd189) with the rust resistance in the F population mapped the leaf rust resistance gene ( LrAC) on the short arm of wheat chromosome 5D. Genetic complementation and the linked molecular markers revealed that LrAC is a novel homoeoallele of an orthologue Lr57 already introgressed from the 5M chromosome of Ae. geniculata on 5DS of wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on the genetics of leaf and stripe rust resistance in a bread wheat cultivar Tonichi. It states that leaf rust and stripe rust are the major foliar disease of wheat, resulting in yield loss worldwide. Results of the study suggest that the cultivar has hypersensitive adult plant resistance genes effective against leaf rust. The study also notes that the cultivar may be useful in developing cultivars with resistance to leaf rust and stripe rust diseases.

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis West. f.sp. tritici, is one of the most damaging diseases of wheat worldwide. Forty genes for stripe rust resistance have been catalogued so far, but the majority of them are not effective against emerging pathotypes. Triticum monococcum and T. boeoticum have excellent levels of resistance to rusts, but so far, no stripe rust resistance gene has been identified or transferred from these species. A set of 121 RILs generated from a cross involving T. monococcum (acc. pau14087) and T. boeoticum (acc. pau5088) was screened for 3 years against a mixture of pathotypes under field conditions. The parental accessions were susceptible to all the prevalent pathotypes at the seedling stage, but resistant at the adult plant stage. Genetic analysis of the RIL population revealed the presence of two genes for stripe rust resistance, with one gene each being contributed by each of the parental lines. A linkage map with 169 SSR and RFLP loci generated from a set of 93 RILs was used for mapping these resistance genes. Based on phenotypic data for 3 years and the pooled data, two QTLs, one each in T. monococcum acc. pau14087 and T. boeoticum acc. pau5088, were detected for resistance in the RIL population. The QTL in T. monococcum mapped on chromosome 2A in a 3.6 cM interval between Xwmc407 and Xwmc170, whereas the QTL from T. boeoticum mapped on 5A in 8.9 cM interval between Xbarc151 and Xcfd12 and these were designated as QYrtm.pau-2A and QYrtb.pau-5A, respectively. Based on field data for 3 years, their R 2 values were 14 and 24%, respectively. T. monococcum acc. pau14087 and three resistant RILs were crossed to hexaploid wheat cvs WL711 and PBW343, using T. durum as a bridging species with the objective of transferring these genes into hexaploid wheat. The B genome of T. durum suppressed resistance in the F1 plants, but with subsequent backcrossing one resistance gene could be transferred from one of the RILs to the hexaploid wheat background. This gene was derived from T. boeoticum acc. pau5088 as indicated by co-introgression of T. boeoticum sequences linked to stripe rust resistance QTL, QYrtb.pau-5A. Homozygous resistant progenies with 40–42 chromosomes have been identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is a major cause of cervix cancer, but a number of infected women do not develop invasive lesions, suggesting that HPV infection in itself is not a sufficient factor and that other cofactors, such as smoking, play an important role in development of cervix cancer. Alongside active cigarette smoking, passive smoking is an independent risk factor for cervix cancer. Smoking maintains cervical HPV infection longer and decreases potential of clearing an oncogenic infection. Thus, it is quite possible that polymorphism at detoxifying enzyme coding loci such as GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 may determine susceptibility to cervix cancer. This study evaluates the combined effects of genetic polymorphisms of GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 on susceptibility to cervical cancer and interaction of these genes with smoking. On individual analysis of GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1, it was observed that passive smokers having genotypes GSTM1 (null) (OR = 7.0, 95% CI = 2.19–22.36, P = 0.0005), GSTT1 (null) (OR = 10.2, 95% CI = 1.23–84.18, P = 0.02), and GSTP1 (ile/val) (OR = 6.4, 95% CI = 2.25–18.38, P = 0.0005) have an increased risk of developing cervix cancer. It is thus concluded that cervical cancer risk is increased in passive smokers with GSTM1 (null), GSTT1 (null), and GSTP1 (ile/val) genotypes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Key message: Unraveling genetic markers for MYMIV resistance in urdbean, with 8 high-confidence marker-trait associations identified across diverse environments, provides crucial insights for combating MYMIV disease, informing future breeding strategies. Globally, yellow mosaic disease (YMD) causes significant yield losses, reaching up to 100% in favorable environments within major urdbean cultivating regions. The introgression of genomic regions conferring resistance into urdbean cultivars is crucial for combating YMD, including resistance against mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV). To uncover the genetic basis of MYMIV resistance, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using three multi-locus models in 100 diverse urdbean genotypes cultivated across six individual and two combined environments. Leveraging 4538 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, we identified 28 unique significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) for MYMIV resistance, with 8 MTAs considered of high confidence due to detection across multiple GWAS models and/or environments. Notably, 4 out of 28 MTAs were found in proximity to previously reported genomic regions associated with MYMIV resistance in urdbean and mungbean, strengthening our findings and indicating consistent genomic regions for MYMIV resistance. Among the eight highly significant MTAs, one localized on chromosome 6 adjacent to previously identified quantitative trait loci for MYMIV resistance, while the remaining seven were novel. These MTAs contain several genes implicated in disease resistance, including four common ones consistently found across all eight MTAs: receptor-like serine-threonine kinases, E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase, pentatricopeptide repeat, and ankyrin repeats. Previous studies have linked these genes to defense against viral infections across different crops, suggesting their potential for further basic research involving cloning and utilization in breeding programs. This study represents the first GWAS investigation aimed at identifying resistance against MYMIV in urdbean germplasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well‐developed root system is essential for efficient nutrient and water uptake. We phenotyped a set of 172 Triticum durum–Aegilops speltoides backcross introgression lines (BILs) for various root architecture traits during 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 cropping seasons. The roots were sampled at the maximum tillering stage, and data on various root architecture traits were recorded. The quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was carried out using 5672 polymorphic SNPs obtained from genotyping‐by‐sequencing. A total of 21 QTLs were detected for various root architecture traits on chromosomes 1A, 2A, 2B, 3B, 5A and 6B. Stable QTLs were detected for total root length, number of root tips and root dry weight over the two seasons. Candidate genes were identified by scanning the physical interval corresponding to the linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay flanking the SNPs linked to the stable QTLs. In silico expression studies of postulated candidate genes revealed root‐specific upregulation of some of the genes. These QTLs can be used in breeding programmes after the development and validation of suitable marker assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concurrent seropositivity of HBsAg and anti-HBs has been described among patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), but its prevalence is variable. HBV S-gene mutations can affect the antigenicity of HBsAg. Patients with mutations in the 'α' determinant region of the S gene can develop severe HBV reactivation under immunosuppression. In this study at a tertiary liver center in the United States, we evaluated the frequency and virological characteristics of the HBsAg mutations among CHB patients with the presence of both HBsAg and anti-HBs. In this cohort, 45 (2.1%) of 2178 patients were identified to have a coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs, and 24 had available sera for the genome analysis of the Pre-S1, Pre-S2, and S regions. The frequency of mutations in the S gene was significantly higher among those older than 50 years (mean 8.5 vs. 5.4 mutations per subject, p = 0.03). Twelve patients (50%) had mutations in the 'α' determinant region of the S gene. Mutations at amino acid position 126 were most common in eight subjects. Three had a mutation at position 133. Only one patient had a mutation at position 145—the classic vaccine-escape mutation. Despite the universal HBV vaccination program, the vaccine-escape mutant is rare in our cohort of predominantly Asian patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report signifies the synthesis of ZnO nanorods, cotton ball like structures, nanospheres and their Cu loaded counterparts for effective photocatalytic degradation of methyl parathion pesticide under UV light. Pesticides accumulation in ecosystem becomes major problem which affects health. Zinc oxide is a promising photocatalyst for degradation of pesticides and dyes because of its higher stability, low cost and non-toxic nature. Herein, the synthesized catalysts were characterised by diffused reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy techniques and transmission electron microscopy. ZnO nanorods (ZNR) proved to be better catalyst as compare to other synthesized nanostructures because of its elongated morphology. ZNR were nearly 1.4 times more efficient than ZnO cotton ball like structures. Moreover, photocatalytic activity was also enhanced by Cu loading due to low recombination rate of excitons. Cu loaded ZNR were found to degrade whole compound up to 99% in just 80 min whereas bare ZNR took 3 h under similar conditions. Thus, efficiency of Cu-ZNR had been increased nearly 6 folds as that of bare ZNR. This work demonstrates the effect of different morphologies and their Cu deposited counterparts for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of methyl parathion (MP) pesticide. Image 1 • Morphology of the catalysts influenced reaction efficiency. • Cu loading has improved methyl parathion (MP) degradation rates. • Cu deposited ZnO nanorods like particles degraded MP upto 99% in just 80 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the major cereal crops utilized worldwide for bread making. The presence of secalin locus on 1RS leads to the sticky dough and poor bread-making quality of wheat. In the present study, two donor parents, one with distal rye chromatin (1RS44:38) and another with distal wheat chromatin (Pavon MA1) without secalin, and one recipient elite wheat cultivar HD2967 were used. In 1RS44:38, the distal rye region has the Pm8 gene to which the QTL for superior root traits is linked, while in Pavon MA1 with Glu-B3/Gli-B1, the Pm8 gene was found to be absent. This distal rye region having root trait QTL was introgressed into the HD2967 derivatives using marker-assisted backcross selection. The derivatives with distal rye region introgression had higher root biomass, drought resistance, and 6–8% higher yield than the recipient parent cultivar. HD2967 is highly susceptible to yellow rust. Therefore, in the second backcross, the rust-resistant version of HD2967 (Lr57 + Yr40) was used to introgress rust resistance in the derivatives. Background selection was done using polymorphic wheat anchored SSR markers of A, B, and D genomes of wheat which led to the selection of derivatives with > 90% background of the recipient cultivar. The significant findings in this study include higher root biomass, improved yield, rust resistance in the derivatives, and retaining the alleles of Glu-B3/Gli-B1 along with Pm8 and the absence of secalin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nursing staff engage readily with patients and associates in mental health/forensic inpatient settings. These settings are known to have instances of workplace violence directed towards staff and such violence includes racism. Racism is a form of workplace violence that must be better understood and supported within this complex setting. Completing a systematic review to coalesce preexisting research and suggested interventions can be beneficial to supporting nurses. Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. CINAHL, PsycInfo, Medline, British Nursing Database and Web of Science databases were searched. Reviewers screened the papers for inclusion (29 articles out of 7146 were selected for inclusion) and completed the quality appraisal using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Subsequently, data extraction was completed, and findings were summarised through narrative synthesis. The way racism was conceptualised impacted how data was collected, reported and interpreted; racism was silenced or exposed depending on how studies were undertaken. If exposed, evidence indicates racism is a problem but is not always acknowledged or acted upon. Some evidence determined racism led to negative work‐related outcomes. The literature provided limited examples of interventions. These included changing education/orientation for staff, openly discussing racist events and better planning for patients among colleagues and management. Increasing diversity within the workforce requires more research exploring and addressing issues related to racism towards nurses. Narratives of racism being normalised and embedded in mental health/forensic settings need to be challenged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for approximately 3% of all adult malignancies. True gastrointestinal metastases, specifically to gastric wall, have been rarely observed. Herein we describe a case of delayed metastasis to gastric wall occurring more than a decade after previously curative nephrectomy for RCC. A 67-year-old male with history of right radical nephrectomy in 2001 for RCC was found to have an asymptomatic right lower lobe solitary lung mass upon routine follow-up in 2011, with final biopsy results showing metastatic RCC for which he was treated accordingly. In 2014, patient was evaluated for dyspepsia with microcytic anemia and underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy. EGD revealed a solitary one-centimeter atypical ulcer in the posterior mid gastric body with biopsy results being consistent with metastatic RCC. Our literature review has yielded thirty-six reported cases of RCC in association with gastric wall metastases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops grown in the Western Himalayas of India but its production is challenged by the insect "cereal leaf beetle (CLB)". This study explores the impact of domestication and modern crop improvement on wheat's defense mechanisms against the CLB, a global threat to wheat cultivation. Sixteen diverse wheat genotypes having different ploidy levels were investigated, including wild wheat, landraces, mutants, advanced breeding lines, commercial varieties, and a Rye grass genotype. Genotypes with resistance genes, landraces, and wild wheat exhibited the lowest CLB infestation and oxidative damage. These genotypes displayed enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, such as peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and increased plant secondary metabolite (phenol and tannin) production upon CLB infestation. Resistant durum wheat demonstrated moderate responses and exhibited higher levels of flavonoid production. On the other hand, susceptible durum wheat genotypes, commercial variety Shalimar Wheat‐02 (SW‐2), showed high CLB infestation, ROS production, reduced antioxidant enzyme and secondary metabolite production. This may be because modern varieties like SW‐2 were not selected for insect resistance. These findings emphasize the significance of preserving genetic diversity from wild wheat and landraces to bolster wheat breeding programs against pests such as CLB. This study underscores the need to harness ancestral wheat lines to enhance insect pest resistance in modern wheat cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. Cold stress is a major constraint in production of wheat grown in cold climate regions. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of cold stress tolerance in wheat genotypes through field screening, cell membrane stability through electrolyte leakage assay and biochemical profiling. A core set comprising 4560 genotypes was evaluated for two years (2021–2022), revealing substantial genetic variation for cold stress tolerance. Most genotypes exhibited moderate tolerance, while a smaller proportion showed susceptibility to cold stress. Based on the cold screening data in the field, a mini‐core set of 350 genotypes was selected for membrane stability analysis using electrical conductivity assays. Significant differences were observed in membrane stability among the genotypes, indicating the presence of genetic variation for this trait. Furthermore, a mini‐core set was narrowed down to 50 diverse candidate genotypes that were subsequently profiled for various biochemicals, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) like lipid peroxidation (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H202), osmoprotectant (proline) and enzymatic antioxidants including ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), and catalase (CAT). Correlation analysis of the biochemicals revealed negative associations between antioxidants and reactive oxygen species (ROS), highlighting their role in mitigating oxidative damage under cold stress. This study enhances our understanding of the physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying cold stress tolerance in wheat. The identified genotypes with superior cold stress tolerance can serve as valuable genetic resources for wheat breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was consisted of 100 urdbean genotypes grown at two locations i.e. at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and its Regional Research Station, Gurdaspur during Summer, 2019. In principal component analysis, first four PCs possessed Eigen value more than 1 and revealed 73.29% and 66.43 % variability at Ludhiana and Gurdaspur respectively. PCA analysis suggested the importance of biological yield per plant, plant height, days to 50% flowering, harvest index, yield per plant and pods per plant to speed up the urdbean improvement. The correlation studies suggested significantly positive association of clusters per plant, pods per plant, biological yield per plant and harvest index with grain yield per plant at both locations. Path analysis indicated that harvest index, biological yield per plant, nodes per plant, branches per plant showed the higher and positive direct effect on seed yield at both locations. Direct selection of genotypes with positively correlated characters can be considered useful for increasing seed yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]