The exponentially growing population, with limited resources, has exerted an intense pressure on the agriculture sector. In order to achieve high productivity the use of pesticide has increased up to ...many folds. These pesticides contain organophosphorus (OP) toxic compounds which interfere with the proper functioning of enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and finally affect the central nervous system (CNS). So, there is a need for routine, continuous, on spot detection of OP compounds which are the main limitations associated with conventional analytical methods. AChE based enzymatic biosensors have been reported by researchers as the most promising tool for analysis of pesticide level to control toxicity and for environment conservation. The present review summarises AChE based biosensors by discussing their characteristic features in terms of fabrication, detection limit, linearity range, time of incubation, and storage stability. Use of nanoparticles in recently reported fabrication strategies has improved the efficiency of biosensors to a great extent making them more reliable and robust.
In this work, the diamine oxidase (DAO) produced from pea seedlings was partially purified using ammonium sulphate precipitation, dialysis, and gel filtration chromatography. Partially purified DAO ...was immobilized covalently with the help of a cross-linker glutaraldehyde onto the chitosan- modified gold electrode. The properties of immobilized enzyme were evaluated by optimum pH, optimum temperature, activity recovery, and recyclability using putrescine dihydrochloride as substrate. After immobilization of DAO, optimum pH ranges from 6.0 to 7.0 did not change and optimum temperature of enzyme changed from 34 to 38°C in comparison to free DAO. The immobilized DAO preserved 81% activity of free DAO and permitted increased stability and reusability of the enzyme than its native form. After 15 cycles of usage, the immobilized DAO maintained around 51% of its original activity, and this activity prolonged for 30 days at 4°C.
This work presents the assessment of tin oxide (SnO2) electron transport layer (ETL)‐based quantum dot solar cell for improved efficiency (>20%). The proposed solar cell consists of a solid layer of ...lead sulfide (PbS) treated with PbS‐TBAI (tetrabutylammonium iodide) as absorber layer and PbS CQD treated with 1,2‐ethanedithiol (PbS‐EDT) as hole transport layer (HTL). The high level of efficiencies is achieved by varying the doping concentration of ETL and HTL, which affect the mobility of carriers (both electrons and holes). The optimization is carried out with a doping concentration (for ETL and HTL) of 1 × 1019 cm−3. The said doping reflected >20% conversion efficiency. PCE, fill‐factor (FF), Voc, and Jsc were analyzed for all the performed variations.
CsPbBr.sub.3 nanocrystals (NCs) due to their extraordinary photoluminescence quantum yield and photostability without any inorganic passivation (core-shell) are probable candidates for LED and LASER ...applications. Additionally, the polarized luminescence of these NCs in ensemble broadens the field of applications, especially in liquid crystal display. Here, we report structural distortions and polarized emission from CsPbBr.sub.3 nanocubes with varying sizes of NCs. The change in Br-Pb and Br-Cs bond lengths with decreasing size of QDs reveals secrete of unprecedented increase in degree of emission polarization. The observed degree of polarization in this study is the highest reported value so far for lead halide perovskite structures in ensemble form without any additional alignment process. Different experimental configurations are used to study the transition dipole moments of CsPbBr.sub.3 NCs, which suggests that the transition dipole moments of absorption and emission are non collinear.
Multi-locus genome wide association study was undertaken using a set of 320 diverse spring wheat accessions, which were each genotyped for 9,626 SNPs. The association panel was grown in replicated ...trials in four environments two each in irrigated (IR) and rainfed (RF) environments, and phenotypic data were recorded for five traits including days to heading, days to maturity, plant height, thousand grain weight and grain yield. Forty-six significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) were identified for five traits. These included 20 MTAs in IR and 19 MTAs in RF environments; seven additional MTAs were common to both the environments. Five of these MTAs were co-localized with previously known QTL/MTAs and the remaining MTAs were novel and add to the existing knowledge. Three desirable haplotypes for agronomic traits, one for improvement in RF environment and two for improvement in IR environment were identified. Eighteen (18) promising candidate genes (CGs) involved in seven different biological activities were also identified. The expression profiles of four (Trehalose-6-Phosphate, APETALA2/Ethylene-responsive factor, DNA-binding One Zinc Finger and Gibberellin-dioxygenases) of the 18 genes showed that they were induced by drought stress in the wheat seedlings. The MTAs, haplotypes and CG-based markers may be used in marker-assisted breeding for drought tolerance in wheat.
The GAI-RGA- and -SCR (GRAS) proteins regulate a myriad of biological functions in plants. The C-terminus of GRAS proteins is highly conserved, whereas the N-terminus is hypervariable. So far, GRAS ...proteins have been reported in more than 50 plant species. However, not many GRAS proteins are characterized, thus limiting the revelation of their many functions. This review provides a recent update on GRAS proteins, including their structural features, evolutionary gene family expansion/diversification, and interacting protein partners. Also, a mechanistic insight on GRAS protein-mediated plant growth and abiotic stress response is provided. For this, we assessed the transcriptional dynamics of GRAS genes in rice (monocot) and Arabidopsis (dicot) at different developmental stages and under several abiotic stresses. Lastly, the usage of genome-editing tools such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system to understand GRAS molecular functions is highlighted, with the ultimate goal of developing improved agronomic and climate-resilient traits in plants.
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Biological sciences; Natural sciences; Plant biology; Plant physiology
Key message
A total of 104 foxtail millet accessions were evaluated for 11 nutrients in three environments and 67 high-confidence marker–trait associations (MTAs) were identified. Six SNPs showed ...pleiotropic effect and associated with two or more nutrients, whereas 24 candidate genes were identified for 28 MTAs involving seven traits.
Millets are known for their better nutritional profiles compared to major cereals. Foxtail millet (
Setaria italica
) is rich in nutrients essential to circumvent malnutrition and hidden hunger. However, the genetic determinants underlying this trait remain elusive. In this context, we evaluated 104 diverse foxtail millet accessions in three different environments (E1, E2, and E3) for 11 nutrients and genotyped with 30K SNPs. The genome-wide association study showed 67 high-confidence (Bonferroni-corrected) marker–trait associations (MTAs) for the nutrients except for phosphorus. Six pleiotropic SNPs were also identified, which were associated with two or more nutrients. Around 24 candidate genes (CGs) were identified for 28 MTAs involving seven nutrients. A total of 17 associated SNPs were present within the gene region, and five (5) were mapped in the exon of the CGs. Significant SNPs, desirable alleles and CGs identified in the present study will be useful in breeding programmes for trait improvement.
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