Antioxidant Defense and Ionic Homeostasis Govern Stage-Specific Response of Salinity Stress in Contrasting Rice Varieties.

Salt stress is one of the most severe environmental stresses limiting the productivity of crops, including rice. However, there is a lack of information on how salt-stress sensitivity varies across different developmental stages in rice. In view of this, a comparative evaluation of contrasting rice varieties CSR36 (salt tolerant) and Jaya (salt sensitive) was conducted, wherein NaCl stress (50 mM) was independently given either at seedling (S-stage), tillering (T-stage), flowering (F-stage), seed-setting (SS-stage) or throughout plant growth, from seedling till maturity. Except for S-stage, CSR36 exhibited improved NaCl stress tolerance than Jaya, at all other tested stages. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the improved NaCl stress tolerance in CSR36 coincided with enhanced activities/levels of enzymatic/non-enzymatic antioxidants (root ascorbate peroxidase for T- (2.74-fold) and S+T- (2.12-fold) stages and root catalase for F- (5.22-fold), S+T- (2.10-fold) and S+T+F- (2.61-fold) stages) and higher accumulation of osmolytes (shoot proline for F-stage (5.82-fold) and S+T+F- (2.31-fold) stage), indicating better antioxidant capacitance and osmotic adjustment, respectively. In contrast, higher shoot accumulation of Na+ (14.25-fold) and consequent increase in Na+/K+ (14.56-fold), Na+/Mg+2 (13.09-fold) and Na+/Ca+2 (8.38-fold) ratio in shoot, were identified as major variables associated with S-stage salinity in Jaya. Higher root Na+ and their associated ratio were major deriving force for other stage specific and combined stage salinity in Jaya. In addition, CSR36 exhibited higher levels of Fe3+, Mn2+ and Co3+ and lower Cl- and SO42-, suggesting its potential to discriminate essential and non-essential nutrients, which might contribute to NaCl stress tolerance. Taken together, the findings provided the framework for stage-specific salinity responses in rice, which will facilitate crop-improvement programs for specific ecological niches, including coastal regions.

Morpho-molecular and nutritional profiling for yield improvement and value addition of indigenous aromatic Joha rice of Assam.

Short-grain aromatic Joha rice of Assam is a unique class of specialty rice having tremendous potential in domestic and international markets. The poor yielding ability of Assam's Joha rice demands its systematic characterization for an effective breeding program. This study investigates the morphological, molecular and biochemical profiles of twenty popular Joha (aromatic) rice cultivars indigenous to Assam. Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) characterization of the cultivars revealed polymorphism in thirty-seven traits, establishing distinctiveness for their utilization in breeding programs. Unweighted Neighbor Joining (UNJ) clustering based on usual Euclidean distances for the polymorphic morphological markers grouped the cultivars into three clusters with eight, eleven, and one genotypes. The Joha rice cultivars showed significant differences for all the quantitative traits except for panicle length. The genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variability (GCV & PCV) were high for grain yield ha-1 (24.62 & 24.85%) and filled grains panicle-1 (23.69 & 25.02%). Mahalanobis D2 analysis revealed three multi-genotypic and four mono-genotypic clusters of the cultivars. The first five principal components explain 85.87% of the variation among the cultivars for the traits under study; filled grain panicle-1 (0.91) and stem thickness (0.55) positively contributed to the first PC. The cultivars' average polyunsaturated fatty acids were 37.9% oleic acid, 39.22% linoleic acid, and 0.5% linolenic acid. Kon Joha 4 and Ronga Joha contained the highest iron (82.88 mg kg-1) and zinc (47.39 mg kg-1), respectively. Kalijeera, Kunkuni Joha, Kon Joha-5, Manimuni Joha and Kon Joha-2 accorded a strong aroma. PCR amplified 174 alleles with a mean value 2.64 across the 66 polymorphic SSR markers. PIC values ranged from 0.091 to 0.698, with an average of 0.326. The highly informative (PIC > 0.50) markers were RM316, RM283, RM585, RM1388, RM3562, RM171, R1M30, RM118, RM11and RM29 for identification of the twenty aromatic rice cultivars. PCR amplification of 27 SSR markers identified 28 unique alleles (97-362 bp) in 13 Joha rice cultivars, which can help their identification/DNA fingerprinting. The UNJ clustering based on Jaccard's coefficients classified the cultivars into three distinct clusters with eight, ten, and two genotypes. Our study revealed the nutritional richness of these specialty Joha rice cultivars and sufficient scope for yield enhancement through their interbreeding to keep quality intact.

CsPbI3-PVDF Composite-Based Multimode Hybrid Piezo-Triboelectric Nanogenerator: Self-Powered Moisture Monitoring System.

For several decades, the development of potential flexible electronics, such as electronic skin, wearable technology, environmental monitoring systems, and the internet of Things network, has been emphasized. In this context, piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are highly regarded due to their simple design, high output performance, and cost-effectiveness. On a smaller scale, self-powered sensor research and development based on piezo-triboelectric hybrid nanogenerators have lately become more popular. When a material in the TENG is a piezoelectric material, these two distinct effects can be coupled. Herein, we developed a multimode hybrid piezo-triboelectric nanogenerator using the CsPbI3-PVDF composite. The addition of CsPbI3 to PVDF significantly enhances its electroactive phase and dielectric property, thereby enhancing its surface charge density. 5 wt % CsPbI3 incorporation in poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) results in a high electroactive phase (FEA) value of >90%. Moreover, CsPbI3-PVDF composite-based PENGs were fabricated in three modes, viz., nanogenerators in contact-separation mode (TECS), single electrode mode (TESE), and sliding mode (TES), and the output performance of all the devices was investigated. The fabricated TECS, TESE, and TES reveal peak output powers of 3.08, 1.29, and 0.15 mW at an external load of 5.6 MΩ. Through analysis of the contact angle measurement and experimental quantification, the hydrophilicity of the composite film has been identified. The hydrophobicity and moisture absorption capacity of CsPbI3-PVDF film make it an attractive option for self-powered humidity monitoring. The TENGs effectively powered several low-powered electronic devices with just a few human finger taps. This study offers a high-performance PTENG device that is reliant on ambient humidity, which is a helpful step toward creating a self-powered sensor.

Comparative transcriptomics of stem rust resistance in wheat NILs mediated by Sr24 rust resistance gene.

Stem rust of wheat is a deleterious fungal disease across the globe causing severe yield losses. Although, many stem rust resistance genes (Sr) are being used in wheat breeding programs, new emerging stem rust pathotypes are a challenge to important Sr genes. In recent years, multiple studies on leaf and yellow rust molecular mechanism have been done, however, for stem rust such studies are lacking. Current study investigated stem rust induced response in the susceptible wheat genotype C306 and its Near Isogenic Line (NIL) for Sr24 gene, HW2004, using microarray analysis to understand the transcriptomic differences at different stages of infection. Results showed that HW2004 has higher basal levels of several important genes involved in pathogen detection, defence, and display early activation of multiple defence mechanisms. Further Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway analysis identified important genes responsible for pathogen detection, downstream signalling cascades and transcription factors (TFs) involved in activation and mediation of defence responses. Results suggest that generation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), cytoskeletal rearrangement, activation of multiple hydrolases, and lipid metabolism mediated biosynthesis of certain secondary metabolites are collectively involved in Sr24-mediated defence in HW2004, in response to stem rust infection. Novel and unannotated, but highly responsive genes were also identified, which may also contribute towards resistance phenotype. Furthermore, certain DEGs also mapped close to the Sr24-linked marker on Thinopyrum elongatum translocated fragment on wheat 3E chromosome, which advocate further investigations for better insights of the Sr24-mediated stem rust resistance.

Mutation induction in aromatic Joha rice of Assam for improvement of morpho-agronomic traits through M1 to M3 generation.

PURPOSE: The popular Joha rice cultivar Kon Joha, cultivated throughout the state, was used to induce mutations. Kon Joha is short-grain aromatic rice with excellent cooking quality. The cultivar is tall and late maturing with an average yield of less than 2 tons ha-1 and is susceptible to lodging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The investigation through M1 to M3 generation aimed at improving the morpho-agronomic traits of the popular Joha rice cultivar Kon Joha. The experiments were carried out during the Sali season (winter rice) from 2017 to 2019 at Instruction-cum-Research (ICR) Farm of Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat (Assam). Dry uniform seeds of Kon Joha were subject to irradiation with 100-400 Gy of gamma rays from a 60Co source. The M1 generation used a randomized complete block design with four replications during Sali 2017. A total of 5998 M1 plant progenies were subject to screening in the M2 during Sali 2018. The M3 included 662 morpho-agronomic variants raised in the plant rows during Sali 2019, and 66 mutants were confirmed. RESULTS: The M1 of Kon Joha registered a reduction in germination, seedling height, pollen/spikelet fertility and plant survival at 400 Gy. All the traits showed highly significant differences among the doses in the M2 generation. The shift in trait means was in both directions as influenced by the genotype and mutagen dose. The 66 mutants exhibited significant differences for all traits in the M3 generation. Fifty mutants were shorter than the parent Kon Joha. The GCV and PCV estimates were high (>20%) for grain yield, biological yield, productive tillers, filled grains, and average panicle weight. All the traits except panicle length exhibited high heritability coupled with high genetic advance, suggesting the predominance of additive gene action and the effectiveness of simple selection. Grain yield showed a significant positive correlation with plant height, panicle length, filled grains, spikelet fertility, the average panicle weight and harvest index in the mutant population. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, mutation induction in Kon Joha proved useful in inducing desirable changes in plant architectural traits. The study further emphasized the short stature high yielding mutants with strong aroma for wide-scale testing in the state.

Indian traditional rice variety "Gathuwan" suppresses T-cell-mediated immune responses via activation of ERK/Nrf2/HO-1 signalling pathway.

The impact of food on immune functions has been recognized for centuries and is now being increasingly explored for therapeutic applications. Rice, in addition to being the staple food in most developing countries, exhibits diverse complexities of phytochemicals among its wide germplasm repertoire, which supports its development as a functional food. In the present study, we have explored the immunomodulatory properties of Gathuwan rice, a local rice variety grown in Chhattisgarh, India, and traditionally used for the treatment of rheumatism. Methanolic Gathuwan Brown Rice Extract (BRE) inhibits T-cell activation and proliferation and cytokine secretion (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6 and IFN-γ) without inducing cell death. BRE exhibits radical scavenging activity in a cell-free system and decreases intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione levels in lymphocytes. BRE induces nuclear translocation of the immune-regulatory transcription factor Nrf2 via activation of ERK and p-38 MAP kinase and up-regulates the expression of Nrf2-dependent genes (SOD, CAT, HO-1, GPx and TrxR) in lymphocytes. BRE treatment had no effect on cytokine secretion by lymphocytes from Nrf2 knockout mice, confirming the role of Nrf2 in the immunosuppressive effects of BRE. Feeding of Gathuwan brown rice to mice had no effect on the basal haematological parameters, but lymphocytes isolated from these mice were hypo-responsive to mitogenic stimuli. Treatment of allografts with BRE significantly prevented graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-associated mortality and morbidity in mice. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) data revealed a high enrichment ratio of amino acid and vitamin B metabolism pathways, and among metabolite sets, pyridoxamines, phytosphingosines, hydroxybenzaldehydes, hydroxycinnamic acids and indoles were highly enriched bioactive components. In conclusion, Gathuwan BRE suppresses T-cell-mediated immune responses by altering the cellular redox balance and activating the Nrf2 signalling pathway.

Highly exfoliated graphitic carbon nitride for efficient removal of wastewater pollutants: Insights from DFT and statistical modelling.

The present work entails the synthesis of thermally modified graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) using a two-step thermal treatment procedure and its subsequent use in the photocatalytic reduction of toxic pollutants such as rhodamine B dye (RhB) and chromium (VI) (Cr(VI)) from aquatic environments. The as-synthesised exfoliated GCN (GCNX) is characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis (BET), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These characterisations helped to elucidate the phase formation, chemical structure, composition, surface area, optical properties, and morphology of the sample. With assistance from a visible light source, GCNX can degrade RhB dye within 30 min in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in under 2 h in the presence of formic acid (FA/HCOOH). Variations in different catalytic parameters, including catalyst amount, pH of the solution, initial RhB or Cr(VI) concentration, and variation in H2O2 or FA concentration, are performed to inspect their effects on the photodegradation activity of GCNX. Moreover, the GCNX catalyst exhibits impressive stability and reusability. A thorough statistical evaluation follows the response surface methodology to understand the complex interaction between the factors contributing to the catalytic activity. The band alignment of differently functionalised GCN blocks in their pristine form and their H2O2/FA-adsorbed states is investigated using first-principles calculations to provide a further understanding of the RhB and Cr(VI) reduction mechanisms. The modified GCN can thus be effectively employed as a low-cost material for removing contamination from aquatic environments.

Genetic Improvement in Plant Architecture, Maturity Duration and Agronomic Traits of Three Traditional Rice Landraces through Gamma Ray-Based Induced Mutagenesis.

Mutation breeding offers a simple, fast and efficient way to rectify major defects without altering their original identity. The present study deployed radiation (gamma rays @ 300Gy)-induced mutation breeding for the improvement and revival of three traditional rice landraces, viz., Samundchini, Vishnubhog and Jhilli. Among the various putative mutants identified in the M2 generation, only three, ten and five rice mutants of Samundchini, Vishnubhog and Jhilli, respectively, were advanced to the M4, M5 and M6 generations, along with their parents and three checks for evaluations based on 13 agro-morphological and 16 grain quality traits. Interestingly, all the mutants of the three landraces showed a reduction in days to 50% flowering and plant height as compared to their parents in all the three generations. The reduction in days to 50% flowering ranges from 4.94% (Vishnubhog Mutant V-67) to 21.40% (Jhilli Mutant J-2-13), whereas the reduction in plant height varies from 11.28% (Vishnubhog Mutant V-45-2, Vishnubhog Mutant V-67) to 37.65% (Jhilli Mutant J-15-1). Furthermore, two, six and three mutants of Samundchini, Vishnubhog and Jhilli have increased their yield potential over their corresponding parents, respectively. Interestingly, Samundchini Mutant S-18-1 (22.45%), Vishnubhog Mutant V-74-6 (36.87%) and Jhilli Mutant J-13-5 (25.96%) showed the highest yield advantages over their parents. Further, a pooled analysis of variance based on a randomized complete block design revealed ample variations among the genotypes for the studied traits. In addition, all the traits consistently showed high to moderate PCV and GCV and a slight difference between them in all three generations indicated the negligible effect of the environment. Moreover, in the association analysis, the traits, viz., fertile spikelets/panicle, panicle length, total tillers/plant, spikelet fertility percent and 100-seed weight showed the usual grain yield/plant, whereas the traits hulling (%) and milling (%) with HRR (%) consistently showed high direct effects and significant positive correlations. The SSR marker-based genome similarity in rice mutants and corresponding parents ranged from 95.60% to 71.70% (Vishnubhog); 95.62% to 89.10% (Samundchini) and 95.62% to 80.40% (Jhilli), indicating the trueness of the mutants. Moreover, the UPGMA algorithm and Gower distance-based dendrogram, neighbour joining tree and PCA scatter diagram assured that mutants were grouped with their respective parents and fell into separate clusters showing high similarity between mutants and parents and dissimilarity among the 24 genotypes. Overall, the information and materials generated from the current study will be very useful and informative for students, researchers and plant breeders. Additionally, our results also showed that irradiation could generate a considerable amount of genetic variability and provide new avenues for crop improvement and diversification.

Advancement in the Breeding, Biotechnological and Genomic Tools towards Development of Durable Genetic Resistance against the Rice Blast Disease.

Rice production needs to be sustained in the coming decades, as the changeable climatic conditions are becoming more conducive to disease outbreaks. The majority of rice diseases cause enormous economic damage and yield instability. Among them, rice blast caused by Magnaportheoryzae is a serious fungal disease and is considered one of the major threats to world rice production. This pathogen can infect the above-ground tissues of rice plants at any growth stage and causes complete crop failure under favorable conditions. Therefore, management of blast disease is essentially required to sustain global food production. When looking at the drawback of chemical management strategy, the development of durable, resistant varieties is one of the most sustainable, economic, and environment-friendly approaches to counter the outbreaks of rice blasts. Interestingly, several blast-resistant rice cultivars have been developed with the help of breeding and biotechnological methods. In addition, 146 R genes have been identified, and 37 among them have been molecularly characterized to date. Further, more than 500 loci have been identified for blast resistance which enhances the resources for developing blast resistance through marker-assisted selection (MAS), marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB), and genome editing tools. Apart from these, a better understanding of rice blast pathogens, the infection process of the pathogen, and the genetics of the immune response of the host plant are very important for the effective management of the blast disease. Further, high throughput phenotyping and disease screening protocols have played significant roles in easy comprehension of the mechanism of disease spread. The present review critically emphasizes the pathogenesis, pathogenomics, screening techniques, traditional and molecular breeding approaches, and transgenic and genome editing tools to develop a broad spectrum and durable resistance against blast disease in rice. The updated and comprehensive information presented in this review would be definitely helpful for the researchers, breeders, and students in the planning and execution of a resistance breeding program in rice against this pathogen.

Significant enhancement of lattice thermal conductivity of monolayer AlN under bi-axial strain: a first principles study.

Using rigorous ab initio calculations within the framework of phonon Boltzmann transport theory, we have carried out a detailed investigation to probe the effects of uniform bi-axial strain and finite size on the lattice thermal conductivity (κ) of monolayer AlN. We show that implementation of bi-axial tensile strain can shoot up the value of κ of monolayer AlN by a large amount unlike in the case of analogous 2D materials. The value of κ for monolayer AlN is calculated to be 306.5 W m-1 K-1 at room temperature (300 K). The value of κ can be raised by one order of magnitude to up to 1500.9 W m-1 K-1 at 300 K by applying a bi-axial strain of about 5%. A similar trend persists when the finite size effect is incorporated in the calculation. As the sample size is varied from 10 nm to 10 000 nm along with increasing tensile strain, a huge variation of κ (from 20.7 W m-1 K-1 to 558.9 W m-1 K-1) is observed. Our study reveals that the major part of the lattice thermal conductivity of monolayer AlN comes from the contribution of the flexural acoustic (ZA) phonon modes. The anomalous trend of drastic increment in the value of κ with tensile strain is found to be a direct effect of interaction between nitrogen lone-pair electrons and bonding electrons in the ionic lattice which results in the reduction of phonon anharmonicity with increasing tensile strain. Our study provides a detailed analysis of the strain modulated and size-tuned thermal transport properties of monolayer AlN revealing that it is an impactful 2D material to be used in thermal management devices.

The Microbial Nitrogen Cycling, Bacterial Community Composition, and Functional Potential in a Natural Grassland Are Stable from Breaking Dormancy to Being Dormant Again.

The quantity of grass-root exudates varies by season, suggesting temporal shifts in soil microbial community composition and activity across a growing season. We hypothesized that bacterial community and nitrogen cycle-associated prokaryotic gene expressions shift across three phases of the growing season. To test this hypothesis, we quantified gene and transcript copy number of nitrogen fixation (nifH), ammonia oxidation (amoA, hao, nxrB), denitrification (narG, napA, nirK, nirS, norB, nosZ), dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (nrfA), and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (hzs, hdh) using the pre-optimized Nitrogen Cycle Evaluation (NiCE) chip. Bacterial community composition was characterized using V3-V4 of the 16S rRNA gene, and PICRUSt2 was used to draw out functional inferences. Surprisingly, the nitrogen cycle genes and transcript quantities were largely stable and unresponsive to seasonal changes. We found that genes and transcripts related to ammonia oxidation and denitrification were different for only one or two time points across the seasons (p < 0.05). However, overall, the nitrogen cycling genes did not show drastic variations. Similarly, the bacterial community also did not vary across the seasons. In contrast, the predicted functional potential was slightly low for May and remained constant for other months. Moreover, soil chemical properties showed a seasonal pattern only for nitrate and ammonium concentrations, while ammonia oxidation and denitrification transcripts were strongly correlated with each other. Hence, the results refuted our assumptions, showing stability in N cycling and bacterial community across growing seasons in a natural grassland.

Mechanism of Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Medium on Nitrogen-Doped Graphyne and Graphdiyne Families: A First Principles Study.

Using extensive first principles protocols, a systematic investigation is performed to probe the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mechanism on nitrogen (N) doped graphynes (Gys, e. g. αGy, ßGy, γGy and 6,6,12Gy) and graphdiyne (Gdy) in alkaline medium. We considered both associative and dissociative pathways, as well as two distinct intermediate forks for each of them depending on the first protonation site(s). Following the dissociative approach, the activation energy to form an O2 dissociated configuration is found as a function of the distances migrated by the O atoms over the catalyst surface and the amount of charge transferred from the C atoms linked to N. N doped αGy and 6,6,12Gy emerged as the best electrocatalyst comparing both pathways having lowest overpotentials of 0.88 and 0.82 V, respectively. The rate-limiting steps for the two different intermediate routes are observed to be dependent on the first protonation site(s) and related to the desorption of the OH radical from the sp hybridized C atom site(s) linked to N. Hence, the OH adsorption energy is identified as a descriptor for the efficiency of the ORR for the considered systems. The stabilities of the ORR intermediates are further elaborated in terms of pH and electrode potential.

Post-COVID multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults: a study from a tertiary care hospital in south India.

Background & objectives: There are limited data from India on the post-COVID multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the clinical profile of patients with MIS-A admitted to a tertiary care centre in southern India. Methods: This single-centre retrospective study was conducted from November 2020 to July 2021, and included patients aged >18 yr admitted to the hospital as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: Nine patients (5 male, mean age 40±13 yr) met the criteria for MIS-A. Five patients had proven COVID-19 infection or contact history 36.8±11.8 days back. All patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody, negative for COVID-19 PCR, and had negative blood, urine and sputum cultures. All patients had fever and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, and five patients had left ventricular dysfunction. All patients had neutrophilic leucocytosis at presentation and elevated biomarkers such as C-reactive protein serum procalcitonin, D-dimer and ferritin. The majority of the patients (7/9 i.e. 77.78%) were treated with intravenous hydrocortisone (50-100 mg q6h-q8h). Six patients recovered completely whereas three patients expired. Interpretation & conclusions: Fever and GI symptoms were the most common presentation of MIS-A. Elevated serum procalcitonin may not be useful in differentiating bacterial sepsis from MIS-A. Most patients responded to corticosteroids.

A Case of Severe Aeromonas Bacteremia with Necrotizing Fasciitis of Lower Limb and Fournier ' s Gangrene in a Post-Allogenic Unrelated Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipient.

Bikram DasBackground Aeromonas is a water-dwelling Gram-negative bacillus primarily associated with gastrointestinal tract diseases. Aeromonas sobria causing gastroenteritis has been reported in India. In immunocompromised host, Aeromonas sobria can also present with severe necrotizing skin and soft tissue infection with a high mortality rate. We report a case of Aeromonas sobria sepsis with skin and soft tissue infection in the background of immunosuppression. Case Presentation Fifty-year-old male who underwent an unrelated donor peripheral stem cell transplant for relapsed pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia in complete clinical remission on graft versus host disease prophylaxis, post-white blood cell engraftment presented with acute onset lethargy, lower limb pain without fever, or any skin changes initially. He rapidly worsened clinically over few days and developed sepsis, multiorgan dysfunction with the appearance of erythema and blister over the lower limb, and Fournier's gangrene of scrotum. He was found to have Aeromonas sobria bacteremia with isolated resistance to carbapenems while sensitive to all other classes of antibiotics. Despite appropriate antibiotic therapy and supportive measures, he succumbed to death for this invasive bacterial disease. Conclusion Aeromonas should be considered a cause of sepsis in immunosuppressed hosts, especially those with hematological malignancy presenting with necrotizing skin and soft tissue infection. Considering the virulence of this pathogen, despite the very susceptible antibiogram, such patients must be managed aggressively. Early recognition of the disease with a combination of medical and surgical management might help to improve the outcome.

Boron vacancy: a strategy to boost the oxygen reduction reaction of hexagonal boron nitride nanosheet in hBN-MoS2 heterostructure.

The incorporation of vacancies in a system is considered a proficient method of defect engineering in general catalytic modulation. Among two-dimensional materials, the deficiency of surface active sites and a high band gap restrict the catalytic activity of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) material towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which hinders its applicability in fuel cells. A bane to boon strategy has been introduced here by coupling two sluggish ORR materials (hBN & MoS2) by a probe-sonication method to form a heterostructure (termed HBPS) which fosters four electron pathways to assist the reduction of oxygen. Theoretical and experimental studies suggest the kinetically and thermodynamically favorable formation of boron vacancies (B-vacancies) in the presence of MoS2, which act as active sites for oxygen adsorption in HBPS. B-vacancy induced uneven charge distribution together with band gap depression promote rapid electron transfer from the valance band to the conduction band which prevails over the kinetic limitation of pure hBN nanosheets towards ORR kinetics. The formed B-vacancy induced HBPS further exhibits a low Tafel slope (66 mV dec-1), and a high onset potential (0.80 V vs. RHE) with an unaltered electrochemically active surface area (ESCA) after long-term cycling. Thus, vacancy engineering in hBN has proved to be an efficient approach to unlock the potential of catalytic performance enhancement.

Next Generation Sequencing Based Forward Genetic Approaches for Identification and Mapping of Causal Mutations in Crop Plants: A Comprehensive Review.

The recent advancements in forward genetics have expanded the applications of mutation techniques in advanced genetics and genomics, ahead of direct use in breeding programs. The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has enabled easy identification and mapping of causal mutations within a short period and at relatively low cost. Identifying the genetic mutations and genes that underlie phenotypic changes is essential for understanding a wide variety of biological functions. To accelerate the mutation mapping for crop improvement, several high-throughput and novel NGS based forward genetic approaches have been developed and applied in various crops. These techniques are highly efficient in crop plants, as it is relatively easy to grow and screen thousands of individuals. These approaches have improved the resolution in quantitative trait loci (QTL) position/point mutations and assisted in determining the functional causative variations in genes. To be successful in the interpretation of NGS data, bioinformatics computational methods are critical elements in delivering accurate assembly, alignment, and variant detection. Numerous bioinformatics tools/pipelines have been developed for such analysis. This article intends to review the recent advances in NGS based forward genetic approaches to identify and map the causal mutations in the crop genomes. The article also highlights the available bioinformatics tools/pipelines for reducing the complexity of NGS data and delivering the concluding outcomes.

GLADS: A gel-less approach for detection of STMS markers in wheat and rice.

Sequence tagged microsatellite site (STMS) are useful PCR based DNA markers. Wide genome coverage, high polymorphic index and co-dominant nature make STMS a preferred choice for marker assisted selection (MAS), genetic diversity analysis, linkage mapping, seed genetic purity analysis etc. Routine STMS analysis involving low-throughput, laborious and time-consuming polyacrylamide/agarose gels often limit their full utility in crop breeding experiments that involve large populations. Therefore, convenient, gel-less marker detection methods are highly desirable for STMS markers. The present study demonstrated the utility of SYBR Green dye based melt-profiling as a simple and convenient gel-less approach for detection of STMS markers (referred to as GLADS) in bread wheat and rice. The method involves use of SYBR Green dye during PCR amplification (or post-PCR) of STMS markers followed by generation of a melt-profile using controlled temperature ramp rate. The STMS amplicons yielded characteristic melt-profiles with differences in melting temperature (Tm) and profile shape. These characteristic features enabled melt-profile based detection and differentiation of STMS markers/alleles in a gel-less manner. The melt-profile approach allowed assessment of the specificity of the PCR assay unlike the end-point signal detection assays. The method also allowed multiplexing of two STMS markers with non-overlapping melt-profiles. In principle, the approach can be effectively used in any crop for STMS marker analysis. This SYBR Green melt-profiling based GLADS approach offers a convenient, low-cost (20-51%) and time-saving alternative for STMS marker detection that can reduce dependence on gel-based detection, and exposure to toxic chemicals.

CsPbBrCl2/g-C3N4 type II heterojunction as efficient visible range photocatalyst.

Photocatalytic activity of low band gap semiconductor largely restrained by high recombination rate of photogenerated charge carriers. To enhance the catalytic performance numerous protocols were adopted amongst which designing of novel hybrid via coupling of semiconductors are very intriguing from modest application point of view. Here, we report facile realization of type II heterojunctions embracing polymeric graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4/GCN) and all-inorganic cesium lead halide perovskite (CsPbBrCl2) for degradation complex organic effluents under visible-light illumination. Synthesized hybrid presented much improved performance in toxic cationic and anionic dyes degradation as compared to individual building units. Signature of favorable staggered gap junction's formation at interface was confirmed via Mott-Schottky analysis. Such kind of junctions delay the recombination of photogenerated electron holes and facilitates active radical generation at catalyst surface thereby ensures improved photocatalytic performance. Charge transfer process in heterojunction further illustrated via Density functional theory (DFT) based calculations. Several scavenger tests have been performed to examine the impact of different active radicals in the photocatalysis which suggests manifold performance improvement in the presence of very small concentrations of EDTA. A plausible photocatalytic mechanism in accordance with the type II junction has been proposed.

Expanding Avenue of Fast Neutron Mediated Mutagenesis for Crop Improvement.

: Fast neutron (FN) radiation mediated mutagenesis is a unique approach among the several induced mutagenesis methods being used in plant science in terms of impacted mutations. The FN mutagenesis usually creates deletions from few bases to several million bases (Mb). A library of random deletion generated using FN mutagenesis lines can provide indispensable resources for the reverse genetic approaches. In this review, information from several efforts made using FN mutagenesis has been compiled to understand the type of induced mutations, frequency, and genetic stability. Concerns regarding the utilization of FN mutagenesis technique for a plant with different level of ploidy and genome complexity are discussed. We have highlighted the utility of next-generation sequencing techniques that can be efficiently utilized for the characterization of mutant lines as well as for the mapping of causal mutations. Pros and cons of mapping by mutation (MutMap), mutant chromosome sequencing (MutChromSeq), exon capture, whole genome sequencing, MutRen-Seq, and different tilling approaches that can be used for the detection of FN-induced mutation has also been discussed. Genomic resources developed using the FN mutagenesis have been catalogued wooing to meaningful utilization of the available resources. The information provided here will be helpful for the efficient exploration for the crop improvement programs and for better understanding of genetic regulations.

Altered electrical properties with controlled copper doping in ZnO nanoparticles infers their cytotoxicity in macrophages by ROS induction and apoptosis.

The present study reports the regulation of cytotoxicity of Cu doped ZnO nanoparticles in macrophages (RAW 264.7) due to altered physiochemical properties changes like electrical properties by controlled doping of Cu in ZnO. Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by High Energy Ball Milling technique (HEBM) and formed single phase Zn1-xCuxO (x = 0.0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03) were called as pure ZnO, Cu1%, 2%, 3% respectively. Hexagonal wurtzite structure with size range of 22-26 nm was verified. FE-SEM with EDX analysis indicated the Cu doping effect on the surface morphology of ZnO. Zeta potential of Zn1-xCuxO was found to be elevated with increase in doping percentage of Cu (-36.6 mV to +18.2 mV). Dielectric constant was found to be decreased with increasing doping percentage. Increase in doping percentage enhanced cytotoxicity of Zn1-xCuxO in macrophages with LC50 of 62 µg/ml, 51 µg/ml, 40 µg/ml, 32 µg/ml. Granularity change of macrophages suggested doping influenced cellular uptake as consequence of zeta potential and dielectric properties changes. 3% Cu doped ZnO shown a higher ROS signal and apoptosis than 2% and 1% Cu doping with exhibition of ROS scavenging nature leading to apoptosis of prepared Cu doped ZnO nanoparticles. Our findings revealed mechanism of cytotoxicity of Zn1-xCuxO as a consequence of alteration in electric properties eliciting ROS scavenging leading to higher apoptosis with increasing doping percentage of Cu in ZnO.