Explore the vast range of titles available.

The use of environmental-stress resilient plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) offers an organic solution to sustainable agriculture, under rapid climate change. Our laboratory has previously reported the drought-ameliorating property of an exopolysaccharide-secreting PGPR strain, Bacillus endophyticus J13 on Arabidopsis thaliana . In this study, A. thaliana roots were inoculated with J13 under well-watered and water-stressed conditions (under controlled plant growth conditions). To understand the mechanism of drought amelioration, impact of J13 on plant ABA biosynthesis and signaling was analyzed. It was found that the ABA levels in water-stress, inoculated plants were lower than the water-stressed plants, without inoculation. Also, the expression of ABA biosynthesis genes: NCED3, AAO3 and ABA2 , was downregulated in inoculated treatments under water-stress as compared to non-inoculated, water-stress treatments. J13 did not cause any modulation in the expression of ABA-dependent signaling gene SnRK2 and the ABA-independent signaling gene, DREB2A , under water-stress in Arabidopsis shoots. On treating the bacteria with EDTA (which negatively impacts biofilm levels), we observed that J13 fails to impart stress tolerance to plants under water deficit conditions. The soil moisture content in soil adhered to roots and exopolysaccharide (EPS) content was significantly higher in the plants under water-stressed, inoculated treatments than the non-inoculated plants. This study unravels the mechanism of drought amelioration by J-13 on Arabidopsis by modulating soil moisture content through EPS secretion, thereby eliminating the need for enhanced ABA biosynthesis and signaling.

Nowadays, product development times are constantly decreasing, while the requirements for the products themselves increased significantly in the last decade. Hence, manufacturers use Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Finite-Element (FE) Methods to develop better products in shorter times. Shape optimization offers great potential to improve many high-fidelity, numerical problems such as the crash performance of cars. Still, the proper selection of optimization algorithms provides a great potential to increase the speed of the optimization time. This article reviews the optimization performance of two different algorithms and frameworks for the structural behavior of a b-pillar. A b-pillar is the structural component between a car’s front and rear door, loaded under static and crash requirements. Furthermore, the validation of the algorithm includes a feasibility constraint. Recently, an optimization routine was implemented and validated for a Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) implementation. Different multi-objective optimization algorithms are reviewed and methodically ranked in a comparative study by given criteria. In this case, the Gap Optimized Multi-Objective Optimization using Response Surfaces (GOMORS) framework is chosen and implemented into the existing Institut für Konstruktionstechnik Optimizes Shapes (IKOS) framework. Specifically, the article compares the NSGA-II and GOMORS directly for a linear, non-linear, and feasibility optimization scenario. The results show that the GOMORS outperforms the NSGA-II vastly regarding the number of function calls and Pareto-efficient results without the feasibility constraint. The problem is reformulated to an unconstrained, three-objective optimization problem to analyze the influence of the constraint. The constrained and unconstrained approaches show equal performance for the given scenarios. Accordingly, the authors provide a clear recommendation towards the surrogate-based GOMORS for costly and multi-objective evaluations. Furthermore, the algorithm can handle the feasibility constraint properly when formulated as an objective function and as a constraint.

Background and Aims: Arteriovenous (AV) fistula surgery is commonly performed for AV access for hemodialysis. However the ideal anaesthetic technique of choice remains debated. We aimed to assess operative conditions, vascular patency, and complication rate following AV fistula surgery with isolated brachial plexus block among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Methods: This prospective, observational study included 214 patients undergoing AV fistula surgery under isolated supraclavicular brachial plexus block between January and December 2017. The diameters of the vessels both before and after the block, and the patency of the AV fistula in the immediate postoperative period and after 3 months were assessed using ultrasound Doppler. The change in the vessel diameter both before and after block was compared using independent sample t-test. Results: The mean brachial artery diameter increased by 0.09 mm (P = 0.002), and cephalic vein diameter at elbow, radial artery, and cephalic vein at wrist diameters increased by 0.5 mm (P < 0.001), 0.08 mm (P = 0.031), and 0.48 mm (P < 0.001), respectively. Overall, 93.45% had immediate patency, 85.51% had primary, and 47.19% had functional patency at 3 months. In the brachiocephalic group, 96.24% had immediate patency, 87.21% had primary, and 27.06% had functional patency at 3 months. Among the radiocephalic group, 91.35% had immediate patency, 82.71% had primary patency, and 71.60% had functional patency at 3 months. Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided isolated brachial plexus block results in good vasodilation and achieves good immediate and long-term patency in AV fistula surgery.

The stem rot caused by Sclerotium hydrophilum and false smut caused by Ustilaginoidea virens are two of the major production constraints in rice cultivation in India and other countries. Stem rot and false smut can be effectively controlled with synthetic fungicides. However, the indiscriminate use of chemical fungicides may cause development of resistance among the pathogens. In addition to this, synthetic fungicides also exhibit harmful impacts on the environment. Exploiting microbe-based alternatives for managing plant diseases diminishes public concerns about the ill effects of pesticide usage in crops. In this regard, the present study was designed to investigate the potential of native microbial biocontrol agents (BCAs) from rice rhizosphere for the sustainable management of stem rot and false smut diseases in rice. Potential BCAs and pathogens were identified and characterized through morphological, biochemical, and sanger sequencing techniques. Bio-efficacy tests of potential BCAs against stem rot and false smut diseases on rice under glasshouse conditions indicated higher seed vigour index of the treated seeds, significant improvement in the growth of the seedling, increased dry weight, reduction in percentage disease index viz., 70.03% (stem rot) and 69.24% (false smut) over the control plants. Phytohormones indole acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA), salicylic acid (SA), and zeatin (tZ) were detected and quantified in the four potential BCAs using liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies revealed the endophytic nature of the strains in rice. The study indicated a positive correlation between the diversity and concentration of phytohormones released by the bioagents and enhanced plant growth promotion and disease suppression in rice.

This manuscript reports the whole genome sequence of a conditionally pathogenic rhizobacterial strain, Pseudomonas putida AKMP7, which has been previously reported by us to be beneficial to Arabidopsis thaliana under well-watered conditions and pathogenic to the plant under water stress. As part of a study to understand this unique behavior, the whole genome sequence of this strain was analyzed. Based on the results, it was identified that the total length of the AKMP7 genome is 5,764,016 base pairs, and the total GC content of the genome is 62.93% (typical of P. putida). Using RAST annotation pipeline, it was identified that the genome has 5605 coding sequences, 80 repeat regions, 71 tRNA genes, and 22 rRNA genes. A total of 4487 functional proteins and 1118 hypothetical proteins were identified. Phylogenetic analysis has classified it as P. putida species, with a P value of 0.03. In order to identify close relatives of this strain, comparative genomics was performed with 30 other P. putida strains, taken from publicly available genome databases, using Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) analysis. Whole genome comparison with these strains reveals that AKMP7 possesses Type-IV Secretion System (T4SS) with conjugative transfer functionality. Interestingly, the T4SS feature is absent in all the beneficial/harmless strains of P. putida that we analyzed. All the plant pathogenic bacteria that were analyzed had the T4SS feature in their genome, indicating its role in pathogenesis. This study aims to address important gaps in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the conditional/opportunistic pathogenesis of plant-associated, beneficial soil bacteria, using genomics approaches.

Some weeks ago, Mr. Praful Bidwai convincingly argued in these columns in favour of a sites and services solution to the problem of housing the urban poor. The sites and services concept was propounded over two decades ago. India's own sixth five-year plan had...

Tungsten heavy alloys are two-phase metal matrix composites that include W–Ni–Fe and W–Ni–Cu. The significant feature of these alloys is their ability to acquire both strength and ductility. In order to improve the mechanical properties of the basic alloy and to limit or avoid the need for post-processing techniques, other elements are doped with the alloy and performance studies are carried out. This work focuses on the developments through the years in improving the performance of the classical tungsten heavy alloy of W–Ni–Fe through doping of other elements. The influence of the percentage addition of rare earth elements of yttrium, lanthanum, and their oxides and refractory metals such as rhenium, tantalum, and molybdenum on the mechanical properties of the heavy alloy is critically analyzed. Based on the microstructural and property evaluation, the effects of adding the elements at various proportions are discussed. The addition of molybdenum and rhenium to the heavy alloy gives good strength and ductility. The oxides of yttrium, when added in a small quantity, help to reduce the tungsten’s grain size and obtain good tensile and compressive strengths at high temperatures.