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Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) hold promising future for sustainable agriculture. Here, we demonstrate a carotenoid producing halotolerant PGPR Dietzia natronolimnaea STR1 protecting wheat plants from salt stress by modulating the transcriptional machinery responsible for salinity tolerance in plants. The expression studies confirmed the involvement of ABA-signalling cascade, as TaABARE and TaOPR1 were upregulated in PGPR inoculated plants leading to induction of TaMYB and TaWRKY expression followed by stimulation of expression of a plethora of stress related genes. Enhanced expression of TaST , a salt stress-induced gene, associated with promoting salinity tolerance was observed in PGPR inoculated plants in comparison to uninoculated control plants. Expression of SOS pathway related genes ( SOS1 and SOS4 ) was modulated in PGPR-applied wheat shoots and root systems. Tissue-specific responses of ion transporters TaNHX1 , TaHAK , and TaHKT1 , were observed in PGPR-inoculated plants. The enhanced gene expression of various antioxidant enzymes such as APX , MnSOD , CAT , POD , GPX and GR and higher proline content in PGPR-inoculated wheat plants contributed to increased tolerance to salinity stress. Overall, these results indicate that halotolerant PGPR-mediated salinity tolerance is a complex phenomenon that involves modulation of ABA-signalling, SOS pathway, ion transporters and antioxidant machinery.

In recent years, machine learning technologies and analytics have been widely utilized across the healthcare sector. Healthcare Analytics Made Simple bridges the gap between practising doctors and data scientists. It equips the data scientists' work with healthcare data and allows them to gain better insight from this data in order to improve healthcare outcomes. This book is a complete overview of machine learning for healthcare analytics, briefly describing the current healthcare landscape, machine learning algorithms, and Python and SQL programming languages. The step-by-step instructions teach you how to obtain real healthcare data and perform descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics using popular Python packages such as pandas and scikit-learn. The latest research results in disease detection and healthcare image analysis are reviewed. By the end of this book, you will understand how to use Python for healthcare data analysis, how to import, collect, clean, and refine data from electronic health record (EHR) surveys, and how to make predictive models with this data through real-world algorithms and code examples.

Cassia tora is a plant of medicinal importance. Medicinal plants from different localities are believed to differ in their therapeutic potency. In this study, six populations of C. tora with different eco-geographical origins were investigated genotypically (ISSR) and phytochemically (FTIR) to establish an integrated approach for population discrimination and authentication of the origin of this medicinal herb. CHS gene expression analysis and determination of flavonoid content were carried out to substantiate the study. A total of 19 population-specific authentication bands were observed in 11 ISSR fingerprints. Authentication codes were generated using six highly polymorphic bands, including three authentication bands. FTIR spectra revealed that the peaks at wavenumber 1623 cm −1 (carbonyl group) and 1034 cm −1 (>CO- group) were powerful in separating the populations. These peaks are assigned to flavonoids and carbohydrates, respectively, were more intense for Ranchi (highland) population. Variation in the transcript level of CHS gene was observed. The findings of FTIR and RT-PCR analyses were in agreement with the TFC analysis, where, the lowest amount of flavonoids observed for Lucknow (lowland) population. All the populations of C. tora have been authenticated accurately by ISSR analyses and FTIR fingerprinting, and the Ranchi site was observed to be more suitable for the potential harvesting of therapeutic bioactive compounds.

Reportedly, 300 million people worldwide are affected by the consumption of arsenic contaminated groundwater. India prominently figures amongst them and the state of Bihar has shown an upsurge in cases affected by arsenic poisoning. Escalated arsenic content in blood, leaves 1 in every 100 human being highly vulnerable to being affected by the disease. Uncontrolled intake may lead to skin, kidney, liver, bladder, or lung related cancer but even indirect forms of cancer are showing up on a regular basis with abnormal arsenic levels as the probable cause. But despite the apparent relation, the etiology has not been understood clearly. Blood samples of 2000 confirmed cancer patients were collected from pathology department of our institute. For cross-sectional design, 200 blood samples of subjects free from cancer from arsenic free pockets of Patna urban agglomeration, were collected. Blood arsenic levels in carcinoma patients as compared to sarcomas, lymphomas and leukemia were found to be higher. The geospatial map correlates the blood arsenic with cancer types and the demographic area of Gangetic plains. Most of the cancer patients with high blood arsenic concentration were from the districts near the river Ganges. The raised blood arsenic concentration in the 2000 cancer patients strongly correlates the relationship of arsenic with cancer especially the carcinoma type which is more vulnerable. The average arsenic concentration in blood of the cancer patients in the Gangetic plains denotes the significant role of arsenic which is present in endemic proportions. Thus, the study significantly correlates and advocates a strong relation of the deleterious element with the disease. It also underlines the need to address the problem by deciphering the root cause of the elevated cancer incidences in the Gangetic basin of Bihar and its association with arsenic poisoning.

World is facing agrarian as well as nutritional challenges. Agricultural lands with irrigation facilities have been exploited to maximum, and hence we need to focus on dry lands to further increase grain production. Owing to low fertility, utilization of dry lands to produce sufficient quality grains is a big challenge. Millets as climate change compliant crops score highly over other grains like wheat and rice in terms of marginal growing conditions and high nutritional value. These nutri-cereals abode vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, phyto-chemicals and antioxidants that can help to eradicate the plethora of nutritional deficiency diseases. Millets cultivation can keep dry lands productive and ensure future food and nutritional security.

Background Anaerobic germination is a critical trait for rice cultivation, particularly in regions that experience flooding or waterlogging immediately after sowing. Under direct-seeded conditions, where rice is sown directly into the field without prior transplantation, the ability of seeds to germinate in anaerobic (oxygen-deficient) conditions becomes essential for successful crop establishment. This trait is especially relevant in areas prone to waterlogging, were traditional methods of rice cultivation, such as puddled transplanting, may be less viable. Understanding the genetic basis of anaerobic germination can lead to the development of rice varieties that are better adapted to such challenging conditions, thus supporting more sustainable agricultural practices. Results In this study, a nested association mapping (NAM) population consisting of 384 breeding lines was utilized to identify genomic regions associated with anaerobic germination in rice. Through comprehensive analysis, 19 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) were identified, including 12 associations specifically linked to percent seed germination under anaerobic conditions. These associations were distributed across six different chromosomes: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9. Notably, a cluster of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning a 6.9 Mb genomic region on chromosome 3 (from 21,089,181 to 28,017,712 bp) was consistently associated with percent germination at 15 and 21 days after sowing over multiple years. Similarly, a 6.4 Mb genomic segment on chromosome 6 (from 18,028,538 to 24,492,161 bp) was also associated with percent germination at the same time points. Specific SNPs within this region, namely S6_18028538 and S6_24492161, were linked to germination at 15 and 21 days, respectively. In addition to these findings, one MTA was identified for days to 50% flowering on chromosome 1, and six MTAs were identified for grain yield across chromosomes 1, 2, 5, 8, and 10. The breeding lines that exhibited both high and stable yields, along with anaerobic germination traits, have the potential to be particularly valuable in genomics-assisted breeding programs aimed at improving rice varieties for flood-prone areas. Conclusions This study provides crucial insights into the genetic basis of anaerobic germination in rice, highlighting specific genomic regions associated with this trait under direct-seeded conditions. The identification of significant MTAs across multiple chromosomes, particularly the consistent associations found on chromosomes 3 and 6, underscores the potential for developing rice varieties with enhanced tolerance to anaerobic conditions. The high-yielding breeding lines identified in this research, which also exhibit strong anaerobic germination traits, represent valuable genetic resources for breeding programs. These findings support the use of direct-seeded rice (DSR) as a sustainable alternative to traditional puddled transplanting, particularly in regions prone to flooding, thereby contributing to the development of more resilient rice cultivation practices.

According to the springboard perspective, emerging market multinationals seek strategic assets aggressively from the outset. In this paper, we investigate the role of firms’ institutional embeddedness in terms of age and affiliation to business group on their aggressive internationalization pursuits, an issue which has remained less explored in international business scholarship. This study, based on 8163 Indian listed firms over 18 years, identifies a trend that younger firms founded in the liberalized era, post 1991, and unaffiliated firms are more likely to pursue aggressive internationalization by conducting their first cross-border acquisition (CBA) faster. Among affiliated firms, younger ones are relatively faster in conducting their first CBA. Furthermore, the evidence signals a moderating impact of inter-group heterogeneity in terms of group-level assets and foreign investments on the relationship between firm age and aggressive internationalization.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused over 1.4 million deaths worldwide. Repurposing existing drugs offers the fastest opportunity to identify new indications for existing drugs as a stable solution against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) is a critical target for designing potent antiviral agents against COVID-19. In this study, we identify potential inhibitors against COVID-19, using an amalgam of virtual screening, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and binding-free energy approaches from the Korea Chemical Bank drug repurposing (KCB-DR) database. The database screening of KCB-DR resulted in 149 binders. The dynamics of protein-drug complex formation for the seven top scoring drugs were investigated through MD simulations. Six drugs showed stable binding with active site of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro indicated by steady RMSD of protein backbone atoms and potential energy profiles. Furthermore, binding free energy calculations suggested the community-acquired bacterial pneumonia drug ceftaroline fosamil and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor telaprevir are potent inhibitors against Mpro. Molecular dynamics and interaction analysis revealed that ceftaroline fosamil and telaprevir form hydrogen bonds with important active site residues such as Thr24, Thr25, His41, Thr45, Gly143, Ser144, Cys145, and Glu166 that is supported by crystallographic information of known inhibitors. Telaprevir has potential side effects, but its derivatives have good pharmacokinetic properties and are suggested to bind Mpro. We suggest the telaprevir derivatives and ceftaroline fosamil bind tightly with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and should be validated through preclinical testing. [Display omitted] •1865 drugs from KCB-DR database were screened to search potential inhibitors for COVID-19.•Drugs were screened by molecular docking, MD simulations, and binding free energy calculations.•Telaprevir and ceftaroline fosamil were identified as potential Mpro binders.•Telaprevir derivatives having good ADME properties bind well with Mpro.•A new hydrogen bond interaction was discovered with ceftaroline and Thr45 of Mpro.

India relies heavily on coal-based thermal power plants to meet its energy demands. Sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) emitted from these plants and industries is a major air pollutant. Analysis of spatial and temporal changes in SO 2 using accurate and continuous observations is required to formulate mitigation strategies to curb the increasing air pollution in India. Here, we present the temporal changes in SO 2 concentrations over India in the past four decades (1980–2020). Our analysis shows that the Central and East India, and Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) are the hotspots of SO 2 , as these regions house a cluster of thermal power plants, petroleum refineries, steel manufacturing units, and cement Industries. Thermal power plants (51%), and manufacturing and construction industries (29%) are the main sources of anthropogenic SO 2 in India. Its concentration over India is higher in winter (December–February) and lower in pre-monsoon (March–May) seasons. The temporal analyses reveal that SO 2 concentrations in India increased between 1980 and 2010 due to high coal burning and lack of novel technology to contain the emissions during the period. However, SO 2 shows a decreasing trend in recent decade (2010–2020) because of the environmental regulations and implementation of effective control technologies such as the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) and scrubber. Since 2010, India's renewable energy production has also been increased substantially when India adopted a sustainable development policy. Therefore, the shift in energy production from conventional coal to renewable sources, solid environmental regulation, better inventory, and effective technology would help to curb SO 2 pollution in India. Both economic growth and air pollution control can be performed hand-in-hand by adopting new technology to reduce SO 2 and GHG emissions.