Magnetically Driven Biopsy Capsule Robot with Spring Mechanism.

In recent years, capsule endoscopes (CEs) have appeared as an advanced technology for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases. However, only capturing the images limits the advanced diagnostic procedures and so on in CE's applications. Herein, considering other extended functions like tissue sampling, a novel wireless biopsy CE has been presented employing active locomotion. Two permanent magnets (PMs) have been placed into the robots, which control the actuation of the capsule robot (CR) and biopsy mechanism by employing an external electromagnetic actuation (EMA) system. A spring has been attached to the biopsy mechanism to retract the biopsy tool after tissue collection. A camera module has also been attached to the front side of the CR to detect the target point and observe the biopsy process on the lesion. A prototype of CR was fabricated with a diameter of 12 mm and a length of 32 mm. A spring mechanism with a biopsy needle was placed inside the CR and sprang out around 5 mm. An in vitro experiment was conducted, which demonstrated the precise control translation (2 mm/s and 3 mm/s in the x and y directions, respectively) and desired extrusion of the biopsy mechanism (~5 mm) for sampling the tissue. A needle-based biopsy capsule robot (NBBCR) has been designed to perform the desired controlled locomotion and biopsy function by external force. This proposed active locomoted untethered NBBCR can be wirelessly controlled to perform extended function precisely, advancing the intestinal CE technique for clinical applications.

Deployment of fine and coarse grain rice cultivars in time and space for increased productivity.

To examine the impact of mixture ratio and temporal deployment of fine and coarse grain cultivars on rice productivity and profitability, two experiments were carried out at Bangladesh Agricultural University. In both investigations, two monsoon rice cultivars viz., Binadhan-13 (a tall, late-maturing, fine-grained) and Dhani Gold (a semi-dwarf, mid-maturing, coarse-grained) were utilized. In the 1st experiment, rice cultivars were planted in different mixture ratios viz., sole Binadhan-13, sole Dhani Gold, 1:1, 2:3, 3:2, 2:4 and 4:2 ratio of Binadhan-13 to Dhani Gold. The second study included the introducing time of Dhani Gold viz., seven days before or after or same day of Binadhan-13, sole Binadhan-13 and sole Dhani Gold. Three replications of the randomized complete block design were used for both trials. In the first experiment, both cultivars produced more when grown in mixtures as opposed to solitary cultures. Even though Dhani Gold's sole culture had the greatest yield, it was statistically equivalent to combined yields when Binadhan-13 and Dhani Gold were grown together in mixtures at 2:1, 3:1, or 4:1 ratios. The maximum net return and benefit cost ratio (BCR) were achieved when Binadhan-13 and Dhani Gold were planted in mixture following a 4:2 ratio as opposed to when Binadhan-13 was grown solely. In the second experiment, a sole cultivar generated less yield than cultivars that were transplanted on the same day, before, and after another cultivar. Cultivation of sole Binadhan-13 produced the lowest net return and minimum BCR (1.37), while the highest net return and BCR (1.81) was recorded when Dhani Gold was planted seven days before Binadhan-13 in mixture. A clear economic advantage of mixed culture with temporal deployment over the sole culture of either cultivar was evident. Therefore, transplanting Dhani Gold in a 1:1 ratio seven days before Binadhan-13 may be advised for greater output and economic return.

Millets: The future crops for the tropics - Status, challenges and future prospects.

Millets are small-grained nutritious minor cereal crops that are resistant to different abiotic stresses resulting from climate change. Despite their many benefits, millets have received limited attention in agricultural research, policies, and markets. Considering the importance of millets, recently the government many tropical countries including India and Bangladesh give more emphasis to millets cultivation and improvement. Moreover, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) declared 2023 to be the "International Years of Millets". In these connections, a details and updated review of the pros and cons of millets cultivation and its improvement in this region warrant due attention. The review therefore, examines the potential and main barriers to the adoption and promotion of millet cultivation in this region. These include limited research and development efforts, inadequate infrastructure and inputs, weak market linkages and demand, and insufficient awareness and knowledge about millets' nutritional and environmental benefits. This review also highlighted the prospects and strategies for scaling up millet cultivation in this region especially in Bangladesh. These include increasing public and private investment in research and extension services, strengthening farmers' organizations and market linkages, promoting millet-based value chains and products, and integrating millets into nation's food policy. The review concludes that millets might support equitable and sustainable agricultural growth, which would contribute to global food and nutritional security and could help attain the sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, achieving this potential will require concerted efforts from multiple stakeholders, including farmers, researchers and policymakers. The review emphasizes the need for a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach that prioritizes innovation, inclusiveness, and sustainability. Lastly, the review highlights more investigation into the socioeconomic, environmental, and nutritional effects of millet production in this region with special emphasis on Bangladesh in order to support evidence-based policies and practices.

Identification of genetic biomarkers, drug targets and agents for respiratory diseases utilising integrated bioinformatics approaches.

Respiratory diseases (RD) are significant public health burdens and malignant diseases worldwide. However, the RD-related biological information and interconnection still need to be better understood. Thus, this study aims to detect common differential genes and potential hub genes (HubGs), emphasizing their actions, signaling pathways, regulatory biomarkers for diagnosing RD and candidate drugs for treating RD. In this paper we used integrated bioinformatics approaches (such as, gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, molecular docking, molecular dynamic simulation and network-based molecular interaction analysis). We discovered 73 common DEGs (CDEGs) and ten HubGs (ATAD2B, PPP1CB, FOXO1, AKT3, BCR, PDE4D, ITGB1, PCBP2, CD44 and SMARCA2). Several significant functions and signaling pathways were strongly related to RD. We recognized six transcription factor (TF) proteins (FOXC1, GATA2, FOXL1, YY1, POU2F2 and HINFP) and five microRNAs (hsa-mir-218-5p, hsa-mir-335-5p, hsa-mir-16-5p, hsa-mir-106b-5p and hsa-mir-15b-5p) as the important transcription and post-transcription regulators of RD. Ten HubGs and six major TF proteins were considered drug-specific receptors. Their binding energy analysis study was carried out with the 63 drug agents detected from network analysis. Finally, the five complexes (the PDE4D-benzo[a]pyrene, SMARCA2-benzo[a]pyrene, HINFP-benzo[a]pyrene, CD44-ketotifen and ATAD2B-ponatinib) were selected for RD based on their strong binding affinity scores and stable performance as the most probable repurposable protein-drug complexes. We believe our findings will give readers, wet-lab scientists, and pharmaceuticals a thorough grasp of the biology behind RD.

Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic by strengthening immunity as a nonpharmaceutical intervention: A major public health challenge.

Background and Aims: The global Coronavirus-2 outbreak has emerged as a significant threat to majority of individuals around the world. The most effective solution for addressing this viral outbreak is through vaccination. Simultaneously, the virus's mutation capabilities pose a potential risk to the effectiveness of both vaccines and, in certain instances, newly developed drugs. Conversely, the human body's immune system exhibits a robust ability to combat viral outbreaks with substantial confidence, as evidenced by the ratio of fatalities to affected individuals worldwide. Hence, an alternative strategy to mitigate this pandemic could involve enhancing the immune system's resilience. Methods: The research objective of the review is to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the role of inflammation and immunity in COVID-19. The pertinent literature concerning immune system functions, the impact of inflammation against viruses like SARS-CoV-2, and the connection between nutritional interventions, inflammation, and immunity was systematically explored. Results: Enhancing immune function involves mitigating the impact of key factors that negatively influence the immune response. Strengthening the immune system against emerging diseases can be achieved through nonpharmaceutical measures such as maintaining a balanced nutrition, engaging in regular exercise, ensuring adequate sleep, and managing stress. Conclusion: This review aims to convey the significance of and provide recommendations for immune-strengthening strategies amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The distribution of submerged macrophytes in response to intense solar radiation and salinity reveals hydrogen peroxide as an abiotic stress indicator.

The feasible condition for submerged macrophyte growth is hard to understand as many environmental factors contribute to establishing macrophyte distribution with different intensities generating excess reactive oxygen species (ROS). Among various kinds of ROS, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is relatively stable and can be measured accurately. Thus, for the quantification of submerged macrophyte species, H2O2 can be used to evaluate their distribution in a lake. Submerged macrophytes, such as Potamogeton anguillanus, were abundant in Lake Shinji. The largest biomass distribution was around 1.35 m deep, under low solar radiation intensity, and nearly no biomass was found less than 0.3 m deep, where solar radiation was high. Tissue H2O2 concentrations varied in response to the diurnal photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) intensity, which was followed by antioxidant activities, though slightly delayed. Laboratory experiments were conducted with different PAR intensities or salinity concentrations. A stable level of H2O2 was maintained up to about 200 µmol m-2 s-1 of PAR for 30 days, followed by a gradual increase as PAR increased. The H2O2 concentration increased with higher salinity. A change in Chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentration is associated with an altering H2O2 concentration, following a unique negative relationship with H2O2 concentration. If H2O2 exceeded 45 µmol/gFW, the homeostasis collapsed, and H2O2 and Chl-a significantly declined afterward. The above findings indicate that H2O2 has a negative effect on the physiological condition of the plant. The increase in H2O2 concentration was prevented by antioxidant activities, which elevated with increasing H2O2 concentration.

Profitability, marketability, and CSR disclosure efficiency of the banking industry in Bangladesh.

Using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach, this study measures the profitability, marketability, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure efficiencies from 2012 to 2021 of listed banks in Bangladesh. The results show that Bangladeshi banks are, on average, inefficient in terms of all efficiencies, profitability (0.703), marketability (0.56), and CSR disclosure (CSRD) (0.903) over the sample period. Further, the study compared the three efficiencies between Islamic and conventional banks and found that conventional banks are more efficient than Islamic banks in terms of profitability and marketability at 5% and 8%, respectively, while, in terms of CSRD efficiency, Islamic banks are by 1% more efficient than conventional banks. Furthermore, ordinary least square (OLS) regression has been used to investigate the impact of financial constraints, political connections, and Shari'ah regulations on firm efficiencies. The results showed that financial constraints negatively impact the firms' all three efficiencies, while political connections and Shari'ah regulations negatively affect the banks' marketability efficiency. The findings advocate more compliance with corporate regulation and considerable contributions to CSR, leading to increased stakeholder loyalty and improved efficiency of banks. The findings provide insight for the banks' management to improve their efficiency level, investors and depositors to make proper judgments about their investment, and clients to compare among banks for better decision making. In addition, academicians and researchers have necessary insight from the DEA's noble use in Bangladesh's banking sector.

Measurement of foliar H2O2 concentration can be an indicator of riparian vegetation management.

Riparian vegetation is frequently exposed to abiotic stress, which generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by strong differences in a river's hydrological conditions. Among different ROS, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is relatively steady and can be measured appropriately. Thus, the quantification of plant H2O2 can be used as a stress indicator for riparian vegetation management. The current study examines the spatial distribution of plants by riparian vegetation communities across the elevation gradient of riparian zones through quantification of environmental stress using foliar H2O2 concentration. The trees Salix spp., Robinia pseudoacacia, Ailanthus altissima with Juglans mandshurica, and the herbs Phragmites australis, Phragmites japonica, and Miscanthus sacchariflorus were selected for this study. Leaf tissues were collected to analyze H2O2 concentration, meanwhile riparian soil was sampled to measure total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and moisture content. The H2O2 concentration of tree species increased with higher soil moisture content, which was negatively correlated for Salix and herb spp., in which H2O2 concentration always decreased with high soil moisture. In this study, we found a unique significant interaction between soil moisture content and H2O2 concentration, both positively or negatively correlated relationships, when compared with other parameters, such as TN or TP concentrations or TN: TP in riparian soil. The species-specific distribution zones can be explained by the H2O2 concentration in the plant for gravelly and sandy channels on a theoretical range of soil moisture. Each species' H2O2 concentration was estimated through derived equations and is directly related to an elevation above the channel. The comparison with the observed distribution of plant elevations in the field indicated that all species showed a spatial distribution that acts as species-specific elevations where H2O2 concentrations stayed below 40 µmol/gFW. Hence, the present study suggests that foliar H2O2 concentration can be a useful benchmark for the distribution potentiality of riparian vegetation.

Stature estimation from footprint measurements in Bangladeshi adults.

The estimation of stature is very important in forensic investigation, as it provides useful data that can narrow the pool of potentially matching identities. The purpose of this study was to develop formulae for the estimation of stature from footprint measurements in Bangladeshi adults. This study included 118 randomly selected men and 130 randomly selected women, all aged 18-50 years. From each participant, stature and six footprint measurements were taken by means of standard measurement techniques. Footprint measurements were found to be positively correlated with stature. Stature was estimated by using linear regression equations. The right T1 length in men (R: +0.587, R2 : 0.345) and the right T2 length in women (R: +0.506, R2 : 0.256) were the most reliable individual estimators of stature. However, when data were combined for both sexes, the right T2 length was identified as the most reliable estimator of stature, with higher values of R (+0.792) and R2 (0.627). In conclusion, human stature can be successfully estimated by using footprint measurements; this finding can be applied in forensic research and investigation.

The Gut Microbiota (Microbiome) in Cardiovascular Disease and Its Therapeutic Regulation.

In the last two decades, considerable interest has been shown in understanding the development of the gut microbiota and its internal and external effects on the intestine, as well as the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as metabolic syndrome. The intestinal microbiota plays a pivotal role in human health and disease. Recent studies revealed that the gut microbiota can affect the host body. CVDs are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, and patients favor death over chronic kidney disease. For the function of gut microbiota in the host, molecules have to penetrate the intestinal epithelium or the surface cells of the host. Gut microbiota can utilize trimethylamine, N-oxide, short-chain fatty acids, and primary and secondary bile acid pathways. By affecting these living cells, the gut microbiota can cause heart failure, atherosclerosis, hypertension, myocardial fibrosis, myocardial infarction, and coronary artery disease. Previous studies of the gut microbiota and its relation to stroke pathogenesis and its consequences can provide new therapeutic prospects. This review highlights the interplay between the microbiota and its metabolites and addresses related interventions for the treatment of CVDs.

Resveratrol and neuroprotection: an insight into prospective therapeutic approaches against Alzheimer's disease from bench to bedside.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and cognitive impairment; yet, there is currently no treatment. A buildup of Aß, tau protein phosphorylation, oxidative stress, and inflammation in AD is pathogenic. The accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aß) peptides in these neurocognitive areas is a significant characteristic of the disease. Therefore, inhibiting Aß peptide aggregation has been proposed as the critical therapeutic approach for AD treatment. Resveratrol has been demonstrated in multiple studies to have a neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant characteristic and the ability to minimize Aß peptides aggregation and toxicity in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's patients, stimulating neurogenesis and inhibiting hippocampal degeneration. Furthermore, resveratrol's antioxidant effect promotes neuronal development by activating the silent information regulator-1 (SIRT1), which can protect against the detrimental effects of oxidative stress. Resveratrol-induced SIRT1 activation is becoming more crucial in developing novel therapeutic options for AD and other diseases that have neurodegenerative characteristics. This review highlighted a better knowledge of resveratrol's mechanism of action and its promising therapeutic efficacy in treating AD. We also highlighted the therapeutic potential of resveratrol as an AD therapeutic agent, which is effective against neurodegenerative disorders.

Modern computational intelligence based drug repurposing for diabetes epidemic.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Objectives are to explore recent advances in discovery of new antidiabetic agents using repurposing strategies and to discuss modern technologies used for drug repurposing highlighting diabetic specific web portal. METHODS: Recent literature were studied and analyzed from various sources such as Scopus, PubMed, and IEEE Xplore databases. RESULTS: Drugs like Niclosamideethanolamine, Methazolamide, Diacerein, Berberine, Clobetasol, etc. with possibility of repurposing to curb diabetes can be potential late-stage clinical candidates, providing access to information on pharmacology, formulation, and probable toxicity if any. CONCLUSIONS: With collaboration of artificial intelligence (AI) with pharmacology, the efficiency of drug repurposing can improve significantly.

Hot and cold executive functions in the brain: A prefrontal-cingular network.

Executive functions, or cognitive control, are higher-order cognitive functions needed for adaptive goal-directed behaviours and are significantly impaired in majority of neuropsychiatric disorders. Different models and approaches are proposed for describing how executive functions are functionally organised in the brain. One popular and recently proposed organising principle of executive functions is the distinction between hot (i.e. reward or affective-related) versus cold (i.e. purely cognitive) domains of executive functions. The prefrontal cortex is traditionally linked to executive functions, but on the other hand, anterior and posterior cingulate cortices are hugely involved in executive functions as well. In this review, we first define executive functions, their domains, and the appropriate methods for studying them. Second, we discuss how hot and cold executive functions are linked to different areas of the prefrontal cortex. Next, we discuss the association of hot versus cold executive functions with the cingulate cortex, focusing on the anterior and posterior compartments. Finally, we propose a functional model for hot and cold executive function organisation in the brain with a specific focus on the fronto-cingular network. We also discuss clinical implications of hot versus cold cognition in major neuropsychiatric disorders (depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, substance use disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism) and attempt to characterise their profile according to the functional dominance or manifest of hot-cold cognition. Our model proposes that the lateral prefrontal cortex along with the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex are more relevant for cold executive functions, while the medial-orbital prefrontal cortex along with the ventral anterior cingulate cortex, and the posterior cingulate cortex are more closely involved in hot executive functions. This functional distinction, however, is not absolute and depends on several factors including task features, context, and the extent to which the measured function relies on cognition and emotion or both.

Genome-wide quantitative trait loci mapping on Verticillium wilt resistance in 300 chromosome segment substitution lines from Gossypium hirsutum × Gossypium barbadense.

Cotton Verticillium wilt (VW) is a devastating disease seriously affecting fiber yield and quality, and the most effective and economical prevention measure at present is selection and extension of Gossypium varieties harboring high resistance to VW. However, multiple attempts to improve the VW resistance of the most widely cultivated upland cottons have made little significant progress. The introduction of chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) provide the practical solutions for merging the superior genes related with high yield and wide adaptation from Gossypium hirsutum and VW resistance and the excellent fiber quality from Gossypium barbadense. In this study, 300 CSSLs were chosen from the developed BC5F3:5 CSSLs constructed from CCRI36 (G. hirsutum) and Hai1 (G. barbadense) to conduct quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping of VW resistance, and a total of 40 QTL relevant to VW disease index (DI) were identified. Phenotypic data were obtained from a 2-year investigation in two fields with two replications per year. All the QTL were distributed on 21 chromosomes, with phenotypic variation of 1.05%-10.52%, and 21 stable QTL were consistent in at least two environments. Based on a meta-analysis, 34 novel QTL were identified, while 6 loci were consistent with previously identified QTL. Meanwhile, 70 QTL hotspot regions were detected, including 44 novel regions. This study concentrates on QTL identification and screening for hotspot regions related with VW in the 300 CSSLs, and the results lay a solid foundation not only for revealing the genetic and molecular mechanisms of VW resistance but also for further fine mapping, gene cloning and molecular designing in breeding programs for resistant cotton varieties.

Public policies and tax evasion: evidence from SAARC countries.

In compliance with the socioeconomic theory, the study has strived to investigate the impact of economic and non-economic public policies on tax evasion using panel data of 7 SAARC countries covering the period from 1998 to 2015. The study has applied the ordinary least square with fixed effect and random effect models to analyze the data assembled. The result of the study implies that the higher the degree of economic freedoms, the lower the tax evasion. More specifically, the government policies about property rights, monetary freedom, fiscal freedom and investment freedom have a negative influence on taxpayers' choices of tax evasion while financial freedom result shows a positive effect on tax evasion. Additionally, there is a negative impact of public sector governance and religiosity on tax evasion, which implies the higher the public sector governance and the higher the religious faith amid the people, the lower the degree of tax evasion. The findings of the study are supposed to offer the governments, tax authorities, and research scholars the valuable insights into public policies for reducing the tax evasion to a significant extent.

Bent crystal Laue analyser combined with total reflection fluorescence X-ray absorption fine structure (BCLA + TRF-XAFS) and its application to surface studies.

A bent crystal Laue analyser (BCLA) is an X-ray energy analyser used for fluorescence X-ray absorption fine-structure (XAFS) spectroscopy to separate the fluorescence X-ray emission line of a target atom from the elastic scattering X-rays and other fluorescence emission lines. Here, the feasibility of the BCLA for total reflection fluorescence XAFS (TRF-XAFS), which has a long X-ray footprint on the substrate surface owing to grazing incidence, was tested. The focal line of the BCLA was adjusted on the X-ray footprint and the XAFS signal for one monolayer of Pt deposited on a 60 nm Au film with high sensitivity was obtained. Although range-extended XAFS was expected by the rejection of Au fluorescence arising from the Au substrate, a small glitch was found in the Au L3 edge because of the sudden change of the complex refraction index of the Au substrate at the Au edge. This abnormal spectrum feature can be removed by reflectivity correction using Au foil absorption data. BCLA combined with TRF-XAFS spectroscopy (BCLA + TRF-XAFS) is a new technique for the in situ surface analysis of highly dispersed systems even in the presence of a liquid overlayer.

Growth performances and meat yield characteristics of commercial cockerels fed antibiotic and probiotic.

OBJECTIVE: The current research aimed at investigating growth performances and meat yield characteristics of commercial cockerels supplemented with antibiotics and probiotics to the diet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1,350 commercial cockerels (ISA Brown) were indiscriminately distributed to 3 treatment groups, each having three replications of 150-day-old chicks based on completely randomized design. The basal diet was treated as the control, while the experimental groups receiving Enrofloxacin 1 gm/kg and Protexin 1 gm/kg feed were considered as antibiotic and probiotic groups, respectively. Bodyweight, feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and other relevant characteristics were recorded weekly until 49 days of trial. In the end, similar number (10) of birds from each replicate group were slaughtered to determine the carcass characteristics. RESULTS: Significantly, better results were found in the overall growth performances of the cockerels in the probiotic-fed treatment group. Highly significant differences were also found in live bodyweight, weight gain, daily gain, FI, FCR, survivability, dressing percentage, abdominal fat, breast meat, drumstick, and thigh weight in the probiotic-fed treatment group compared to the others. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that the inclusion of dietary probiotics has a superior performance to antibiotics and may have the potentiality to be used as an alternative growth enhancer in the diet of cockerels.

Organizational Strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility: The Mediating Effect of Triple Bottom Line.

Limited research in the area of the triple bottom line (TBL) mediation effect on the relationship between organizational strategic performance (OSP) and corporate social responsibility performance (CSRP) has motivated this study. The objective of this study is to investigate how OSP affects CSRP and the mediation impact of TBL elements through the decision-making process of business management. Considering a sample of 250 employees from Bangladesh, this study used structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the relevant research hypotheses. Through the lens of stakeholder, institutional, legitimacy and resource-based view theories along with rigorous statistical techniques, this study has found that OSP is positively related to CSRP. In terms of the mediation effect, this study has found that economic responsibility has no intervening role while environmental and social responsibility significantly mediated the relationship between OSP and CSRP. Finally, the full mediation power of the model suggests that OSP affects a firm's strategic decision and CSR outcomes directly as well as indirectly through TBL.

Temporal and Spatial Expression of Arabidopsis Gene Homologs Control Daylength Adaptation and Bulb Formation in Onion (Allium cepa L.).

Genetic studies aimed at onion improvement have been limited because of high heterozygosity, a very large genome size with a high level of repetitive DNA and a biennial life cycle. Onion bulb initiation is daylength-dependent, which places a significant barrier to adapting new varieties for growth at different latitudes. Compared to the photoperiodic regulation of flowering, relatively little is known about genetic regulation of the bulbing process. This study aims to identify the role of gene sequences involved in daylength-regulated bulb formation and tissue specific expression of onion. A comprehensive set of developmental and spatial quantitative mRNA expression experiments were carried out to investigate expression of onion FLOWERING LOCUS T (AcFT), LEAFY (AcLFY) and GIBBERELLIN-3 OXIDASE (GA3ox1) during the bulbing response. Bulbing ratios were used to measure the response of onion plants under long day (LD) and short day (SD) conditions. AcFT1 was expressed in LD, which induces bulb formation, while AcFT4 was expressed in SD, which inhibits bulb formation. AcFT5 and AcFT6 were expressed in LD and might also be involved in bulb formation itself. All AcFT, AcLFY and GA3ox1 genes showed distinctive patterns of tissue specific expression in onion, with AcFT genes found primarily in the sites of perception in the leaf and LFY in the basal tissues, the site of response. The results are consistent with AcFT1 expression being the signal for LD-induced bulb initiation and AcFT4, being involved in suppressing bulbing in SD.

Physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of honey obtained through sugar feeding of bees.

This study was planned to characterize the physicochemical and antioxidant properties, and microbiological quality of honey obtained from the sandbar pumpkin field. In this study, four sugar supplemented and one control (without sugar fed) honey sample was used. Results revealed that all samples exhibited appropriate maturity considering their low moisture content (~ 19%) and high total solids (~ 80%) and TSS (~ 79%). Total acidity (< 40 meq/kg) and pH (~ 4.5) directed the absenteeism of detrimental fermentation. Ash (~ 0.29%) and electrical conductivity (~ 700 µS/cm) were reasonable and distinctive of dark yellowish-brown honey, which is buttressed by color attributes. Reducing sugars, glucose, fructose, and sucrose values ranged from 68.98 to 75.82%, 26.01 to 33.84%, 34.93 to 38.70%, and 1.74 to 5.96%, respectively. Proline (~ 400 mg/kg), HMF (< 40 mg/kg) and diastase action (~ 14° Gothe) were found within accepted limits, and also possesses good antioxidants in terms of total phenol (~ 160 mg GAE/100 g), total flavonoid (4.67-6.25 mg CE/100 g), and DPPH-RSA (30.65-35.97%). The microbial study revealed that the total viable count ranged between 33.33 and 27.66 CFU/g, while yeasts and mold count varied between 14.33 and 12 CFU/g. Principle component analysis (PCA) results revealed that all the studied parameters could be used effectively to discriminate the honey sample. The overall results signpost a new information regarding the quality i.e. processing, maturity, freshness and composition of honey obtained from the sandbar pumpkin field.