It was on a placid canoe trip at a Gordon Conference in 2002 that Lee Segel told me that he was writing a new book in mathematical biology. In the prime of his health and at the peak of his mathematical career, Lee asked me to agree to act as shepherd to this book “in case” anything happened to prevent his completion of the project. The request was purely “academic” at that time, an…
This book provides pedagogically informed guidance and researchbased suggestions for practice. It is not necessarily a text to read ‘in one go’ as it is divided into three parts. The idea is that those completely new to using Second Life for teaching begin with Part 1, but those wanting to develop their teaching begin with Part 2. For the experienced and the boundary crossers, Parts 2 or 3 …
Supramolecular chemistry – the branch of chemistry associated with the formation of complex multimolecular entities from relatively simple molecular components – has been a major research theme over the past four decades. Researchers were provided with a unifying vision of the field following the award of the 1987 Nobel Prize in chemistry to three of its pioneers: Jean-Marie Lehn, Donal…
To develop and characterize introgression lines for leaf and neck blast resistance, 326 introgression lines were developed using various accessions of six different AA genome wild species in the genetic background of elite Indian varieties like PR114 and Pusa 44 and were screened for blast resistance. Stringent phenotyping coupled with genotyping using gene based markers led to the identificati…
Despite significant yield advantage over inbred rice, the adoption rate of hybrid rice in India is very low due to the high seed cost and poor quality of the produce. To alleviate the problem, we initiated a doubled haploid (DH) breeding approach to develop new lines from two elite indica rice hybrids (CRHR5 and CRHR7) through rapid fixation of homozygosity in the recombinants. In vitro culture…
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of proline and glutamine on in vitro callus induction and subsequent regeneration and to develop a reproducible and highly efficient plant regeneration protocol in four rice genotypes, viz. Pawana, Jaya, Indrayani and Ambemohar. Considerable variation in response to plant growth regulators and amino acid supplements used was observed in all the f…
To dissect the genetic basis of low phosphorus tolerance (LPT), 114 BC2F4 introgression lines (ILs) were developed from Shuhui 527 and Minghui 86 (recurrent parents), and Yetuozai (donor parent). The progenies were tested for 11 quantitative traits under three treatments including normal fertilization in normal soil (as control), normal fertilization in barren soil and low phosphorus stress in …
Tillering is an important agronomic trait which has a direct impact on plant type and grain yield. Strigolactones are a class of important phytohormones regulating rice tillering. ATMAX1 is an important gene involved in strigolactone biosynthesis through encoding the protein P450 in Arabidopsis. Based on sequence BLASTp, we identified five homologous genes of ATMAX1 in rice, i.e., OsMAX1a, OsMA…
An attempt was made to determine the qualitative changes in basmati rice (Pusa Basmati 1121,PB1121) during soaking at 40 °C to 80 °C. Soaking temperature had significant effect (α = 0.01) on chemical composition, glycemic index and starch characteristics of rice. Starch content, apparent amylose content, crude protein content and crude fat content in un-soaked rice were found to be 73.24%,27…
Narrow genetic background is a key limiting factor in breeding stable high-yielding rice. The introduction and utilization of international rice core germplasm is an important way to increase the genetic diversity of domestic rice varieties. We conducted a genome-wide association study on 5 panicle traits of 315 rice accessions introduced from the international rice micro-core germplasm bank. B…
We identified the rice floral organ development mutant, termed as open hull and male sterile 1 (ohms1), from the progeny of the indica restorer line Zhonghui 8015 treated with 60Co γ-ray irradiation. The ohms1 mutant exhibited an open hull and lemma- and palea-like structure conversion between the anthers and stigma, which resulted in the ohms1 mutant spikelet showing ‘tridentate lemma’. T…
To investigate the effect of low light (LL, 50% natural light) during grain filling (GF) stage on rice transamination, amino acid (AA) accumulation, nutritional value, and cooking quality in three different rice genotypes, transaminase activities and AA levels in grains during GF stage and the traits that significantly affected rice quality (physical appearance, cooking quality, and nutritional…
Weedy rice exerts a severe impact on rice production by competing for sunlight, water and nutrients. This study assayed the population structure, genetic diversity and origin of Northeast Asia weedy rice by using 48 simple sequence repeat markers. The results showed that weedy rice in Northeast Asia had a high genetic diversity, with Shannon’s diversity index (I) of 0.748 and the heterozygosi…
Epicuticular wax forms the outermost protective barrier of the aerial surfaces of land plants,working in concert with other components of the plant cuticle to prevent uncontrolled loss of water and to provide protection against an array of external environmental stress. In this study, chemically-mutagenized populations of rice (Oryza sativa L.) derived from approximately 4 750 M2 families were …
The major storage substance in rice endosperm is starch, which accounts for 80% of dry matter weight. In this study, rice mutant flo7, selected from the progeny of Nipponbare’s tissue culture, displayed floury and opaque endosperm. Compared with its corresponding wild type (WT) Nipponbare, the mutant flo7 produced longer, narrower, thinner and lighter grains. The levels of glucose, fructose a…
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important food crop and requires larger amount of water throughout its life cycle as compared to other crops. Hence, water related stress cause severe threat to rice production. Drought is a major challenge limiting rice production. It affects rice at morphological (reduced germination,plant height, plant biomass, number of tillers, various root and leaf traits), ph…
Hydroponic cultures were conducted to compare the aluminum (Al) tolerance among different rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties, including indica, japonica and their hybrids. The results showed that the root growth of rice plant was inhibited in different degrees among Al treated varieties. The Al tolerance observed through relative root elongation indicated that five japonica varieties including Lo…
Abstract: Aim: This study aimed to explore the perceived influences on food and meal choices of Queensland paramedicsduring shift work. Methods: A qualitative study using individual semi-structured telephone interviews was conducted on a purposivesample of 15 paramedics working on a rotating shift roster in Queensland. Interviews explored the perceived influences on their food choices while w…
Abstract: For some 60 years now, various measures have been introduced to bring Europeans together as citizens, based on the idea that increased cross-border encounters would create familiarity, generate a sense of community, facilitate economic activities and ultimately bring about a shared identity, however fragile at first. Town twinning and numerous exchange and mobility programmes of many…
Abstract: A method for characterization of butter cookie quality by assessing the surface browning and water content using multispectral images is presented. Based on evaluations of the browning of butter cookies, cookies were manually divided into groups. From this categorization, reference values were calculated for a statistical prediction model correlating multispectral images with a brown…
The use of improved high yielding crop varieties is an important avenue for reducing hunger and food insecurity in developing countries. Using cross-sectional data obtained from a survey conducted during 2013 crop season, we performed a probit model (plot-level analysis) to determine the probability of adopting new improved rice varieties (NIRVs) by smallholder farmers particularly from two mai…
Abstract: France was modestly hit by the financial crisis compared with its neighbours but the recovery has been particularly slow. The shock to the public finances was nonetheless significant, and came on top of an already weak pre-crisis fiscal position. Part of this shock is expected to be permanent and the French government has so far mostly used increases in taxation to bring borrowing un…
Paw San Hmwe (PSM) rice has been cultivated in many areas of Myanmar for a long time. Strong aroma, good taste and its elongation during cooking are the key characteristics of PSM rice. Thirty-one PSM accessions were genotypically characterized, and their physical grain and cooking quality traits were studied. We used specific gene markers associated with aroma, apparent amylose content (AAC) a…
Submergence tolerant high yielding rice variety was developed using BR11 as a recipient parent applying foreground, phenotypic and background selection approaches. Recombinant selection was found essential to minimize linkage drag by BC2F2 generation. Without recombinant selection, the introgression size in the backcross recombinant lines (BRLs) was approximately 15 Mb on the carrier chromosome…
Well-being is a goal pursued by many consumer resistance movements. This study contributes to the literature by analyzing the rhetorical appeals and techniques utilized by the Resisting the Green Dragon (RGD) movement that employs the value of social well-being to oppose environmentalism. We integrate prominent consumer resistance discourses and religiously charged nationalisetic mythical narra…
1000-grain weight (TGW) is one of the three component traits of the grain yield in rice (Oryza sativa L). This study was conducted to validate and fine-map qTGW1.1, a minor QTL for TGW which was previously located in a 3.7-Mb region on the long arm of rice chromosome 1. Five sets of near isogenic lines (NILs) were developed from two BC2F4 populations of the indica rice cross Zhenshan 973/Milyan…
Genetic diversity of 299 inbred indica rice varieties, including 33 introduced varieties, applied in Guangdong Province of China were assessed using 20 ILP (intron length polymorphism) and 34 SSR (simple sequence repeat) markers. Totally, 154 loci were screened for the 299 varieties, with the average number of alleles (Na), rare alleles (Nr), and polymorphism information content (PIC) scored at…
Honey is a natural sweet substance produced by honey bees, from the nectars of plant flowers and honey dew. The present study aimed to evaluate physicochemical characteristics and quality of honey from different origins. Melissopalynological analysis of honey samples showed a wide variability, with samples from different honey sources being collected from different geographical origins. The col…
Breeding activities in Lebanon have attributed limited interest to barley and landraces have not been exploited before. In this study, 50 Lebanese barley landraces were experimented rainfed in Northern Bekaa in comparison with two checks, Assi and Rihane-3. Two field trials were conducted, the first at 1000 m a.s.l. and 171.6 mm precipitations, and the second at 648 m a.s.l. and 119.4 mm. Out o…
Strategies of regulated irrigation and fertilization are one of the most practical ways in saving irrigation water and N-fertilizer of farmland in arid and semi-arid regions. A field experiments were conducted in the two winter seasons of 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 on clay soil to investigate the effect of 3, 4 and 5 irrigation events and their interaction with two N-fertilization levels using amm…
A conventional key and its tabular version to the 36 species from 21 genera of the Acanthaceae s.l. in Egypt are provided. The key is based on 48 characters of vegetative and floral morphology recorded comparatively for the species. The key-generating package of computer programs DELTA was used to construct the keys and to provide detailed and coded descriptions of the species in terms of the r…
The rapid development and expansion of modern irrigation schemes across arid environments have radically transformed both natural environments and existing agricultural systems over the past century. The consequences for natural and cultural values are often severe, but remain poorly documented for many regions. The present study describes the floristic diversity of an Oasis agro-ecosystem loca…
Prescription painkiller abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States. In the past year, approximately one out of twenty Americans reported misuse or abuse of prescription painkillers. Several factors contribute to the prescription painkiller epidemic. Drug abusers use various methods—such as doctor shopping, paying with cash, and filling prescriptions in different states—t…
Evidences stated that microclimate causes noticeable effects on life cycle, consumptive use of water and planting time of the plant species. So, two field experiments were established at Sakha Agricultural Research Station during 2013 and 2014 growing seasons in order to evaluate the effect of microclimate on planting date as well as the influence of applying nitrogen fertilization (F1: without…
This study was focused on the optimum conditions for preparing the protein isolate of quinoa seeds and investigates the physicochemical and functional properties of the isolated protein to assess the potential use of quinoa protein isolate in food applications and manufacturing. The protein isolate of quinoa was obtained by protein solubility at alkaline pH value (10), followed by precipitation…
In Populations, Public Health and the Law, legal scholar Wendy Parmet urges courts to embrace population-based legal analysis, a public health inspired approach to legal reasoning. Parmet contends that population-based legal analysis offers a way to analyze legal issues—not unlike law and economics—as well as a set of values from which to critique contemporary legal discourse. Population-ba…
Mineral selenium (Se) is an essential nutrient of great importance to biology of human. Cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells in molasses medium with different concentrations of selenium showed that the contents of organic selenium in the cells, increased with the increase in selenium concentration up to 2 lg/ml followed by a gradual decrease after 24 h of incubation. No clear inhibitio…
In Jimmo v. Sebelius, the plaintiffs alleged that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regularly and improperly denied Medicare reimbursement for outpatient therapy treatment when the beneficiary did not show a likelihood of improvement. These denials, based on policy manuals and other guidance, appear to contradict the government’s own regulations, which specifically prohibit…
INTRODUCTION As of 2002, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved Neurontin, a drug developed by the pharm.aceutical company Pfizer, for two uses, the treatment of epilepsy and pain related to shingles. 1. A staggering ninety-four percent of Neurontin prescriptions in the prior five years, however, were for other (non-FDA) approved uses. 2.These other uses effectively trip…
Two field experiments were conducted at 2010–2011 and 2011–2012 winter seasons under the saline conditions of El-Tena plain (17,000 ppm), North Sinai, to investigate the effect of different organic fertilization sources (30 m3 fed. 1 of animal dung, 6 tones fed. 1 of each of rice straw with Olive Mill Wastewater compost (OMW compost) and the regular rice straw compost (RS-compost) beside…
Pimpinella anisum essential oil (EO) residuals and its biotic possessions were deliberated. EO was identified using UPLC MS/MS analysis. Inhibitory effect of oil and its preparations were studied using disc-diffusion and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) tests, and using corn oil and Streptomycin as controls. Tolerant ability of EO treated Hep G2 cells was appraised using MMT assess, and 0…
Surfactants are amphipathic molecules which reduce surface tension, widely used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. The current study aimed to isolate Streptomyces species from Egyptian arid soil, efficient in biosurfactant production. Fifty isolates of Streptomyces were obtained from arid soil in Egypt. Primary screening, using lipase, drop collapse, parafilm M and haemolysis test…
The structure and development of successive cambia and its products were studied in the stems of the halophyte Sesuvium verrucosum Raf. The young stem has several collateral vascular bundles arranged in a circle and separated by interfascicular zones. The secondary thickening begins with the differentiation of fascicular and interfascicular cambia which give rise to secondary xylem,phloem and l…
Thirty-one bacterial isolates out of 133 isolates, were obtained from rhizosphere of Egyptian clover plants, and had variant capability for starch degradation on starch agar medium. The isolate E109 was the most potent being 72.5 U ml1 and 2.5 for amylase activity and starch hydrolysis ratio (SHR), respectively, at 50 C. The potent isolate E109 was identified based on phenotypic characteristi…
tThis study presents the establishment of an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system in thetropical open waters of southern Cebu, Philippines using a combination of locally available species,namely donkey’s ear abalone (Haliotis asinina) as fed species and seaweeds (Gracilaria heteroclada andEucheuma denticulatum) as inorganic extractive species. The culture of Caulerpa lentillifer…
Our previous work on the mechanism of virulence for the unique isolates of Vibrio parahaemolyticus thatcause acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (VPAHPND)revealed that it was mediated by a binary Pir-liketoxin pair ToxA and ToxB. These toxins are located on the pVA plasmid, a plasmid carried by AHPND-causing strain of V. parahaemolyticus with a size of approximately 69 kbp. Using the coding…
tThe aim of this study was to assess the effects of tilapia cage culture on the water quality and sedimentof Palminhas Lake during both the dry and rainy seasons. Eight sites within the lake (four in fish farmsand four in areas without fish farms) and one site on an affluent stream were sampled monthly fromFebruary 2011 to January 2012. Dissolved oxygen and pH were significantly lower at fish f…
tThe practice of prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) farming is widespread in coastal Bangladesh due tofavorable biophysical resources. However, export-oriented prawn farming is particularly vulnerable toclimate change in coastal Bangladesh. This study identified different climatic variables, including salinity,coastal flooding, cyclone, sea-level rise, water temperature, drought, and rainfall ha…
The genetic differences between the blue clawmale(BC),orange clawmale(OC)andsmallmale(SM)morphotypes of male fresh water prawns were assessedu singmi crosatellite DNA markers.Thirtyindi-viduals from eachof the three groups of male prawns were collected from a hatchery rearing systemin Port Dickson,NegeriSembilan,Malaysia.Significant differences in growth were observed between the three groups.T…
tAnhydrobiosis is an adaptive strategy of certain organisms or specialised propagules to survive in theabsence of water while programmed cell death (PCD) is a finely tuned cellular process of the selectiveelimination of targeted cell during developmental programme and perturbed biotic and abiotic condi-tions. Particularly during water stress both the strategies serve single purpose i.e., surviv…