Quantifying surface gradients with a 2-band Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2)

Quantification of spatial and temporal heterogeneity has been given much attention in order to link ecological patterns to processes. The patch mosaic model, as an operational paradigm, has led to major advances in the field of quantitative landscape ecology. However, it is more realistic to conceptualize landscapes based on continuous rather than discrete spatial heterogeneity. While a conceptual shift has been proposed to supplement the patch mosaic model, few studies use the surface gradient model as a context. This paper explores some comparatively less-utilized metrics to quantify surface gradients in a protected landscape in Central India. Since surface metrics would require continuous variables capable of representing landscape characteristics, this study also explores the utility of a 2-band Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) as a gradient surface. Findings suggest EVI2 relates strongly with discrete land cover classes and thus has potential to describe landscape characteristics without incorporating error through subjectivity. Surface metrics used in this study show potential to be effectively used in landscape level studies. However, these metrics were not developed for landscape level studies and should be used with caution, especially when dealing with multi-scale patterns and processes. Nevertheless, with the rapidly emerging field of surface metrology more studies need to apply these tools to quantify surface gradients and test the robustness of such metrics.     

Methionine production by microorganisms

Microbial production of methionine is reviewed with 71 references. The review describes different methionine-producing organisms, as well as analog-resistant regulatory mutants, their optimum cultural conditions and yields. The pathways of methionine biosynthesis and their regulation are discussed.     

Effects of gibberellic Acid, calcium, kinetic, and ethylene on growth and cell wall composition of pea epicotyls

The influence of gibberellic acid (GA), calcium, kinetin, and ethylene on growth and cell-wall composition of decapitated pea epicotyls (Pisum sativum L. var. Alaska) was investigated. Calcium, kinetin, and ethylene each caused an inhibition of GA-induced elongation of pea stems. Gibberellic acid did not reverse the induction of swelling by Ca²⁺, kinetin, or ethylene. Both Ca²⁺ and ethylene significantly inhibited the stimulatory effects of GA on the formation of residual wall material. Although GA promoted the development of walls relatively low in pectic substances and pectic uronic acid, Ca²⁺, kinetin, and ethylene favored the formation of walls rich in these constituents. Calcium, kinetin, and GA, alone or in combination, had no effect on the production of ethylene by pea epicotyls.     

Validation of the inactivant binary ethylenimine for inactivating rabies virus for veterinary rabies vaccine production.

The rabies vaccine is produced by inactivation of rabies virus propagated on BHK21 cells. In the rabies inactivation process, BEI is added at a final concentration of 1.6 mM to the viral harvest at 37 degrees C, followed by a second dose of BEI at 24 h post-inactivation. Inactivation was confirmed by the mice innocuity test and tissue culture amplification test as per B.P (Vet) 2004. Validation of test procedure is essential as per cGMP requirement. The dose of BEI was validated by using lower and higher concentrations of BEI in inactivation process. The study indicated that BEI at a lower concentration (0.4 mM) was able to inactivate the rabies virus within 30 h and the routine concentration (1.6 mM) of BEI is effective in inactivating rabies virus within 18 h. The amplification test used for confirming the inactivation of the live virus was validated by spiking the sample with different dilutions of pretitrated live rabies virus. The test revealed that the amplification method is sensitive to detect live rabies virus if present in the inactivated sample. The validation of BEI as an inactivant and the amplification test are discussed.     

Selectable antibiotic resistance marker gene-free transgenic rice harbouring the garlic leaf lectin gene exhibits resistance to sap-sucking planthoppers

Rice, the major food crop of world is severely affected by homopteran sucking pests. We introduced coding sequence of Allium sativum leaf agglutinin, ASAL, in rice cultivar IR64 to develop sustainable resistance against sap-sucking planthoppers as well as eliminated the selectable antibiotic-resistant marker gene hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) exploiting cre/lox site-specific recombination system. An expression vector was constructed containing the coding sequence of ASAL, a potent controlling agent against green leafhoppers (GLH, Nephotettix virescens) and brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens). The selectable marker (hpt) gene cassette was cloned within two lox sites of the same vector. Alongside, another vector was developed with chimeric cre recombinase gene cassette. Reciprocal crosses were performed between three single-copy T₀ plants with ASAL- lox-hpt-lox T-DNA and three single-copy T₀ plants with cre-bar T-DNA. Marker gene excisions were detected in T₁ hybrids through hygromycin sensitivity assay. Molecular analysis of T₁ plants exhibited 27.4% recombination efficiency. T₂ progenies of L03C04(1) hybrid parent showed 25% cre negative ASAL-expressing plants. Northern blot, western blot and ELISA showed significant level of ASAL expression in five marker-free T₂ progeny plants. In planta bioassay of GLH and BPH performed on these T₂ progenies exhibited radical reduction in survivability and fecundity compared with the untransformed control plants.     

Synthesis, structure and solution chemistry of dioxidovanadium(V) complexes with a family of hydrazone ligands. Evidence of formation of centrosymmetric dimers via H-bonds in the solid state

[V^IVO(acac)₂] reacts with the methanol solution of tridentate ONO donor hydrazone ligands (H₂L^1-4, general abbreviation H₂L; are derived from the condensation of benzoyl hydrazine with 2-hydroxyacetophenone and its 5-substituted derivatives) in presence of neutral monodentate alkyl amine bases having stronger basicity than pyridine e.g., ethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine and piperidine (general abbreviation B) to produce BH⁺[VO₂L]⁻ (1-16) complexes. Five of these sixteen complexes are structurally characterized revealing that the vanadium is present in the anionic part of the molecule, [VO₂L]⁻ in a distorted square pyramidal environment. The complexes 5, 6, 15 and 16 containing two H-atoms associated with the amine-N atom in their cationic part (e.g., diethylammonium and piperidinium ion) are involved in H-bonding with a neighboring molecule resulting in the formation of centrosymmetric dimers while the complex 12 (containing only one hydrogen atom in the cationic part) exhibits normal H-bonding. The nature of the H-bonds in each of the four centrosymmetric dimeric complexes is different. These complexes have potential catalytic activity in the aerial oxidation of l-ascorbic acid and are converted into the [VO(L)(hq)] complexes containing VO³⁺ motif on reaction with equimolar amount of 8-hydroxyquinoline (Hhq) in methanol.