Resumo A mancha bacteriana das folhas (BLB) é uma das principais doenças do arroz na Malásia. Essa doença causa perdas substanciais de rendimento de até 70%. O desenvolvimento de variedades de arroz que herdaram características de resistência ao BLB é uma abordagem crucial para promover e sustentar a indústria do arroz na Malásia. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi aumentar os caracteres BLB resistentes a doenças da variedade comercial MR219 de alto rendimento por meio de uma abordagem de cruzamento retrocruzamento com ferramenta de apoio de seleção assistida por marcador (MAS). O gene de resistência a BLB de amplo espectro, Xa7 do pai doador IRBB7, foi introgressado no MR219 suscetível (pai recorrente) usando dois marcadores flanqueadores ID7 e ID15. No BC3F4, conseguimos gerar 19 linhagens introgressadas com o gene Xa7 homozigoto e apresentamos características de resistência como genitor doador quando desafiado com Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae por inoculação artificial. O pai recorrente MR219 e a variedade controle, MR263, estavam gravemente infectados pela doença. As linhas melhoradas exibiram características morfológicas e de desempenho de rendimento semelhantes às da variedade elite, MR219. Duas linhas, PB-2-107 e PB-2-34, foram escolhidas como linhas potenciais por causa de seus desempenhos excelentes em comparação com a mãe, MR219. Este estudo demonstra uma história de sucesso de aplicação de MAS no desenvolvimento de linhas de arroz melhoradas com resistência a doenças contra a doença BLB.

Abstract Bacterial leaf blight (BLB) is one of the major rice diseases in Malaysia. This disease causes substantial yield loss as high as 70%. Development of rice varieties which inherited BLB resistant traits is a crucial approach to promote and sustain rice industry in Malaysia. Hence, this study aims were to enhance BLB disease resistant characters of high yielding commercial variety MR219 through backcross breeding approach with supporting tool of marker-assisted selection (MAS). Broad spectrum BLB resistance gene, Xa7 from donor parent IRBB7 were introgressed into the susceptible MR219 (recurrent parent) using two flanking markers ID7 and ID15. At BC3F4, we managed to generate 19 introgressed lines with homozygous Xa7 gene and showed resistant characteristics as donor parent when it was challenged with Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae through artificial inoculation. Recurrent parent MR219 and control variety, MR263 were found to be severely infected by the disease. The improved lines exhibited similar morphological and yield performance characters as to the elite variety, MR219. Two lines, PB-2-107 and PB-2-34 were chosen to be potential lines because of their outstanding performances compared to parent, MR219. This study demonstrates a success story of MAS application in development of improved disease resistance lines of rice against BLB disease.

Abstract Introduction Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) present with a multitude of symptoms that can range from headaches to shoulder pain. Patients frequently present with pain in the ear, dizziness, and vertigo. It is noted that some patients who report TMDs also have a history of sleep disturbances, which is noted in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) as a reduction in the oropharyngeal airway volume. Objective To evaluate the airway volume in pre- and posttreatment of TMD with the use of neuromuscular orthotics made with ultra-low frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (ULF-TENS). Methods A total of 15 patients were evaluated for TMDs using the related criteria. Those included were treated with ULF-TENS with evaluation of the airway volume both pre- and posttreatment using CBCT and the Dolphin 3D volume analysis software. Results While the symptoms were shown to be significantly reduced in patients who were treated with this particular modality, the airway volume varied in those who reported a reduction after a period of 3 months and those that reported after a period of 6 months. Conclusion Posttreatment evaluation of the airway should be done after a period of 6 months for a more objective evaluation. A multidisciplinary evaluation of the patient is required in such cases.

This work presents new predictive correlations for heat transfer to immiscible liquid-liquid mixtures in a spiral plate heat exchanger. Liquid-liquid heat transfer studies were carried out in spiral plate heat exchangers for the water-octane, water-kerosene, and water-dodecane systems. For each composition of the mixture, the mass flow rate of the cold fluid was varied, keeping that of the hot fluid and the fluid inlet temperatures constant. Two-phase cold flow rates were in the laminar range, while the hot fluid flow was turbulent. Calculations of the LMTD (log mean temperature difference) correction factor showed that the flow was countercurrent. Heat transfer coefficients of the two-phase liquids were found to be strongly dependent on the composition of the liquid mixture and exhibited abrupt transitions as a function of the compositions. Given the absence of predictive correlations in the literature that sufficiently capture this compositiondependence, new empirical correlations were developed using part of the experimental data, with the composition of the cold fluid as an explicit variable. Statistical analysis of the regression yielded satisfactory results. The correlations were tested against the rest of the experimental data and were found to predict heat transfer coefficients within ± 15%. These preliminary studies should be useful in designing compact exchangers for handling two-phase water-organics mixtures.

Experimental studies were conducted in a spiral plate heat exchanger with hot water as the service fluid and the two-phase system of water – palm oil in different mass fractions and flow rates as the cold process fluid. The two phase heat transfer coefficients were correlated with Reynolds numbers (Re) in the form h = a Re m, adopting an approach available in literature for two phase fluid flow. The heat transfer coefficients were also related to the mass fraction of palm oil for identical Reynolds numbers. The two-phase multiplier (ratio of the heat transfer coefficient of the two phase fluid and that of the single phase fluid) was correlated with the Lockhart Martinelli parameter in a polynomial form. This enables prediction of the two-phase coefficients using single-phase data. The predicted coefficients showed a spread of ± 10 % in the laminar range.

A kinetic model is presented giving a mathematical description of batch culture of Pseudomonas putida PGA1 grown using saponified palm kernel oil as carbon source and ammonium as the limiting nutrient. The growth of the micro-organism is well-described using Tessier-type model which takes into account the inhibitory effect of ammonium at high concentrations. The ammonium consumption rate by the cells is related in proportion to the rate of growth. The intracellular production of medium-chain-length poly-(3-hydroxyalkanoates) (PHA MCL) by P. putida PGA1 cells is reasonably modeled by the modified Luedeking-Piret kinetics, which incorporate a function of product synthesis inhibition (or reduction) by ammonium above a threshold level.

Prostate cancer (PC) is one of leading cause of cancer related deaths in men. Various aspects of cancer epigenetics are rapidly evolving and the role of 2 major epigenetic changes including DNA methylation and histone modifications in prostate cancer is being studied widely. The epigenetic changes are early event in the cancer development and are reversible. Novel epigenetic markers are being studied, which have the potential as sensitive diagnostic and prognostic marker. Variety of drugs targeting epigenetic changes are being studied, which can be effective individually or in combination with other conventional drugs in PC treatment. In this review, we discuss epigenetic changes associated with PC and their potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications including future areas of research.