ALBERT

Beschreibung: Natural products are important in prevention and treatment of cancer because of their antitumor effect and reducing side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential cytotoxic effecs of carnosic acid and in combination with cisplatin in liver cancer cells. Cytotoxicity was assessed using MTT assay for 24/48 hours. The intracellular ROS levels were determined using the oxidation‐sensitive fluorescent probes DCFH‐DA. Changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were detected using JC-1 commercial kit. Concentrations were selected for carnosic acid and cisplatin according to IC50 values. As a results, % cell viability decreased with concentration/time dependent and combination treatments showed potentiated effect at 48 hours exposure. According to DCFH-DA assay, it was observed that carnosic acid and combinations with cisplatin reduced intracellular ROS levels in presence of H2O2. Carnosic acid and its combinations reduced MMP. Our results showed that carnosic acid has the potential to inhibit growth in HepG2 cells without increasing ROS production. In conclusion, carnosic acid alone and combination with cisplatin may be promising for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer.

Beschreibung: Cajanus scarabaeoides (L.) Thouars is the closest wild relative of cultivated pigeonpea, Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh. However, unlike cultivated pigeonpea which is very susceptible to insects, especially Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner), this wild pigeonpea is strongly insect resistant. Since H. armigera causes damage to many important crops resulting in economic losses up to 2 billion USD/year, improvement in resistance to this insect in crops is highly desirable. Here we investigate insect resistance components in C. scarabaeoides and explore the possibility of transferring one or more of those factors to cultivated pigeonpea. A detached leaf assay was used to assess antibiosis and antixenosis resistance mechanisms in C. scarabaeoides. Artificial diet supplemented with lyophilised leaf powder was employed to investigate the antibiosis resistance mechanism. Data on larval mortality and larval and pupal weights were collected. Time taken for neonate larvae to pupate and for pupae to develop to the moth stage were determined through daily observations. Preliminary results showed that H. armigera larval weight was significantly reduced and larval development stages were prolonged when reared on different accessions of C. scarabaeoides as compared to the susceptible check, C. cajan (ICPL 87). Interspecific hybridization was carried out between C. scarabaeoides and a commercial pigeonpea variety. Results from insect challenge assays and trichome identification indicate that the hybrids have similar levels of insect resistance to their wild parent. Proteomic analysis is being used to identify possible antibiosis factors.

Beschreibung: Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is used as a vegetable and medicinal plant. It is a rich source of organosulfur compounds, in particular allicin, which contributes to the flavour and health benefits. Although worldwide garlic production is increasing, demand continues to outstrip supply. Improving the yield of garlic will address the increasing demand, while increasing allicin concentration will improve its potential health benefits and flavour. It is unknown if increasing garlic bulb size (yield) has a negative effect on allicin concentration of garlic. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of the relationship between yield and allicin concentration is required. A field experiment was conducted at Gatton (QLD, Australia) with 32 varieties, of which 29 varieties were sourced from World Vegetable Centre and 3 varieties from existing Queensland sub-tropical varieties. The garlic cloves were planted in March 2018 with 4 replicates in a randomised complete block design and harvested when garlic had 70% senescence. Varieties showed large variation in bulb size, ranging from about 35 to 120 g, with fresh yield ranging from about 5.5 to 16 t/ha. The allicin concentration ranged from 3.5 to 6.6 mg g−1 fresh weight (FW) between varieties and more than 50% of varieties were under the minimum pharmaceutical standard for allicin concentration (〉4.5 mg g−1 in FW). Across varieties there was an inverse relationship between yield and allicin concentration. However, there were some varieties which had both high allicin concentration and yield. Current field trials investigate the effect of agronomic practices on yield and allicin concentration in garlic varieties.

Beschreibung: With extended reality (XR) technology on the rise in aviation education, we evaluated the perceptions of Thai students on an inexpensive and classroom-friendly virtual reality (VR) system and software combination, as an introduction to flying an aircraft. In addition to cost-effectiveness, consumer grade technology also provides greater portability than traditional full-flight simulators. Third year aeronautical engineering and commercial pilot undergraduate program international students were exposed to a brief VR experience using a PlayStation 4 console (PS4) with PlayStation VR (PSVR) and Ultrawings software. Subsequently, in-depth qualitative interviews were analyzed via thematic coding. The student responses were mostly positive and enthusiastic, but also identified issues with hardware and software (screen door effect, limited peripheral vision, less than optimal interaction controls, and lack of haptic feedback). Using thematic coding, responses were categorized into; head mounted device, controls and controllers, plausibility illusion, place illusion, embodiment illusion, academic value and entertainment value. Following respondents’ positive responses on certain identified critical points, we recommend further study using other hardware and software combinations.

Beschreibung: Understanding the basis of sulphur (S) use efficiency in higher S requiring crops such as brassicas can help develop more cost-effective cultivars. Oleriferous brassicas sequester reduced S in the mature seeds mainly as secondary metabolite-glucosinolate (GSL) and seed storage proteins (SSP). Glucosinolates have a wide range of positive aspects in food production, human nutrition and plant defence, and SSPs are a potential source of high quality vegetable proteins for human and livestock consumption. We carried out a developmental S audit to establish the net fluxes of S in two lines of B. juncea mustard where the level of seed GSL differed. We quantified S pools (sulphate, GSL and total S) in different organs at multiple growth stages until maturity. We have established that leaf S components accumulated as primary S sinks at early developmental stages in condiment type B. juncea become remobilised as a secondary S source to meet the demand of GSL as the dominant seed S sink at maturity. Our evidence for S remobilisation from leaves as primary S sink suggests that up or down regulation of signalling molecules which mediate between secondary S sinks and sources may help modulate economically valuable S compounds in brassica seed.

Beschreibung: Modeling crop growth dynamics has been used to predict and analyze the effects of water stress on crop yields for different irrigation managements. In particular, rice, a water intensive crop, has been extensively modeled using simulation software such as ORYZA3, Aquacrop, and WARM. Despite these established simulation models, only soil water balance models are utilized for real time irrigation control. The reasons are twofold: the complexity in incorporating non-linear and highly interactive nature of crop physiological mechanisms in a control framework; and the difficulty in estimating these physiological mechanisms compared to using soil water sensors for soil water balance models. This work developed a system identification technique that improves accuracy in irrigation timing, amount and efficiency by integrating crop growth dynamics to estimate evapotranspiration as feedback in the soil water balance model. Sample simulation runs from ORYZA3 were used to build and validate a water limited growth dynamics. A two level regression technique was used resulting in reduced expressions for leaf area index, biomass, and soil water depletion. With advancements in wireless sensor technologies, the modeling framework maximizes use of field sensor information to adequately estimate the crop state. Thus, it can be adopted in advance control techniques for irrigation.

Beschreibung: Crop cultivation in the coastal saline area of Bangladesh during rabi season is limited due to late harvest of Aman rice, shorter winter period, difficulty in tillage, soil salinity, lack of fresh irrigation water etc. Zero tillage potato cultivation with mulching could minimize these obstacles and thereby increase system productivity. However, selection of mulching material is crucial for higher yield and economic return. An experiment was conducted at coastal saline area of Bangladesh during rabi 2018–19 to observe zero tillage potato performance under different mulch materials. Three locally available mulch materials were employed in the trial viz. rice straw (T1), rice husk (T2) and compost (T3) as control. Additionally, treatment T1 and T2 also received same amount of compost as T3. Results from single factor randomized complete block design with three replications showed that leaf dry matter, leaf area index and number of tuber per plant did not varied significantly. Significantly highest stem and root dry matter were found from T1 (69.56 kg ha−1) and T3 (138.92 kg ha−1), respectively. Rice husk (T2) produced numerically highest leaf dry matter (372.74 kg ha−1) and significantly lowest root dry matter (87.92 kg ha−1), which ultimately produced highest tuber yield (13.99 t ha−1) followed by rice straw (T1) (11.08 t ha−1). However, weed growth was highest in rice husk (1.16 t ha−1). Mulch treatments conserved 3.5 to 7.45% more moisture and 4.3% less salinity than control. Between two mulches rice straw is suggested for its profitability since it remains unused and readily available.

Beschreibung: The IMPECAF is a research project that started at the end of 2018 and aims to deepen the knowledge on weather extremes, particularly droughts and heat waves, which affect agricultural and forest ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula. Despite these events presenting different temporal scales, their simultaneous occurrence can intensify the observed impacts. In addition, these impacts may extend over large areas affecting different ecosystems. This project aims at transferring knowledge on fundamental research in meteorology for the agricultural and forestry sectors, and it is expected that the results may be an input in the decision-making process of farmers. To achieve this aim, appropriate measures will be developed to mitigate the impact of these extreme weather events in the forestry and agricultural sectors. This will be followed by an approach that ensures the involvement of stakeholders since the beginning of the project and even after its conclusion.

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Beschreibung: Six 1,3-oxazoles were synthetized in moderate to good yields by Van Leusen reaction in a pressure reactor. The methodology allowed to decrease the reaction times reported in the literature from hours to 20 min. In addition, preliminary qualitative recognition of cations with some synthetized oxazoles such as Hg2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Ag+, Cu2+, Pb2+ was done and a “turn off” effect was observed with Ni2+. Finally, the 1,3-oxazoles could be of biological relevance because they are considered privileged nucleus in medicinal chemistry and therefore will be useful to obtain pharmacophoric hybrid molecules.