Rice-wheat comparative genomics:Gains and gaps

Rice and wheat provide nearly 40%of human calorie and protein requirements.They share a common ancestor and belong to the Poaceae(grass)family.Characterizing their genetic homology is crucial for developing new cultivars with enhanced traits.Several wheat genes and gene families have been characterized based on their rice orthologs.Rice–wheat orthology can identify genetic regions that regulate similar traits in both crops.Rice–wheat comparative genomics can identify candidate wheat genes in a genomic region identified by association or QTL mapping,deduce their putative functions and biochemical pathways,and develop molecular markers for marker-assisted breeding.A knowledge of gene homology facilitates the transfer between crops of genes or genomic regions associated with desirable traits by genetic engineering,gene editing,or wide crossing.

A Multifunctional Chiral Metasurface with Asymmetric Transmission and Linear-Polarization Conversion

In this paper,a multifunctional chiral metasurface is presented to achieve asymmetric transmission(AT)and linear-polarization conversion(LPC).The designed metasurface consists of a cross swords-like shape and two holes in the lower side of the unit cell.In the frequency band from 8.3 GHz to 10.4 GHz,AT is realized with more than 90%efficiency and the same chiral metasurface transforms linear polarized wave into its orthogonal counterpart with high efficiency.For LPC,the polarization conversion ratio(PCR)is greater than 95%.The proposed metasurface is stable against the incident angles of striking electromagnetic(EM)waves up to 60°for both operations of AT and LPC.

Elemental characterization of black shales of Khyber Pakthunkhawa (KPK) region of Pakistan using AAS

Black shale samples were collected from Chimiari Khyber Pakthunkhawa region of Pakistan and were analyzed for elemental compositions. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) was utilized for the determination of elements in the digested solutions. The analysis of black shale was performed precisely with relative standard deviation (RSD) lower than 2%. Results showed that the samples contained high concentrations of Ca (11.98 %), Al (7.09%), Fe (3.03%), Mg (0.59%) and Ti (0.58%).

Anomaly Based Camera Prioritization in Large Scale Surveillance Networks

Digital surveillance systems are ubiquitous and continuously generate massive amounts of data,and manual monitoring is required in order to recognise human activities in public areas.Intelligent surveillance systems that can automatically identify normal and abnormal activities are highly desirable,as these would allow for efficient monitoring by selecting only those camera feeds in which abnormal activities are occurring.This paper proposes an energy-efficient camera prioritisation framework that intelligently adjusts the priority of cameras in a vast surveillance network using feedback from the activity recognition system.The proposed system addresses the limitations of existing manual monitoring surveillance systems using a three-step framework.In the first step,the salient frames are selected from the online video stream using a frame differencing method.A lightweight 3D convolutional neural network(3DCNN)architecture is applied to extract spatio-temporal features from the salient frames in the second step.Finally,the probabilities predicted by the 3DCNN network and the metadata of the cameras are processed using a linear threshold gate sigmoid mechanism to control the priority of the camera.The proposed system performs well compared to state-of-theart violent activity recognition methods in terms of efficient camera prioritisation in large-scale surveillance networks.Comprehensive experiments and an evaluation of activity recognition and camera prioritisation showed that our approach achieved an accuracy of 98%with an F1-score of 0.97 on the Hockey Fight dataset,and an accuracy of 99%with an F1-score of 0.98 on the Violent Crowd dataset.

Quaternion Integers Based Higher Length Cyclic Codes and Their Decoding Algorithm

The decoding algorithm for the correction of errors of arbitrary Mannheim weight has discussed for Lattice constellations and codes from quadratic number fields.Following these lines,the decoding algorithms for the correction of errors of n=p−12 length cyclic codes(C)over quaternion integers of Quaternion Mannheim(QM)weight one up to two coordinates have considered.In continuation,the case of cyclic codes of lengths n=p−12 and 2n−1=p−2 has studied to improve the error correction efficiency.In this study,we present the decoding of cyclic codes of length n=ϕ(p)=p−1 and length 2n−1=2ϕ(p)−1=2p−3(where p is prime integer andϕis Euler phi function)over Hamilton Quaternion integers of Quaternion Mannheim weight for the correction of errors.Furthermore,the error correction capability and code rate tradeoff of these codes are also discussed.Thus,an increase in the length of the cyclic code is achieved along with its better code rate and an adequate error correction capability.

Designing Pair of Nonlinear Components of a Block Cipher over Gaussian Integers

In block ciphers,the nonlinear components,also known as sub-stitution boxes(S-boxes),are used with the purpose of inducing confusion in cryptosystems.For the last decade,most of the work on designing S-boxes over the points of elliptic curves has been published.The main purpose of these studies is to hide data and improve the security levels of crypto algorithms.In this work,we design pair of nonlinear components of a block cipher over the residue class of Gaussian integers(GI).The fascinating features of this structure provide S-boxes pair at a time by fixing three parameters.But the prime field dependent on the Elliptic curve(EC)provides one S-box at a time by fixing three parameters a,b,and p.The newly designed pair of S-boxes are assessed by various tests like nonlinearity,bit independence criterion,strict avalanche criterion,linear approximation probability,and differential approximation probability.

Yield Gap Analysis of Wheat in Rice-wheat Rotation Regions of Anhui Province,China

The present study was planned to analyze the yield gap of wheat and its production constraints in order to explore the approaches for narrowing the yield gap of wheat in different wheat-rice rotation regions of Anhui Province. The production status and limiting factors of wheat in three rice-wheat rotation regions which are named Region Ⅰ,Region Ⅱ and Region Ⅲ were surveyed by using participatory rural appraisal method. The personnel,who were engaged in wheat production in rice-wheat rotation regions of Anhui Province,mainly ageing from 41 to 60,accounted for 79% of the total personnel in the regions. There were significant differences in yield of wheat which was planted after rice in Anhui. The yield was ranging from 8 907. 00 to 2 700. 00 kg/ha from north to south with an average of 4 978. 5 kg/ha,and the rank of overall average yields at province level was Region Ⅰ( 5 685. 60 kg/ha) > Region Ⅱ( 5 600. 10 kg/ha) > Region Ⅲ( 3 048. 60 kg/ha). The average yield gap of wheat in wheat-rice rotation regions at province level was up to 2 637. 00 kg/ha,and the extreme yield gaps per hectare in the same region were 2 778. 00 kg( Region Ⅰ),2 502. 00 kg( Region Ⅱ) and 1 575. 00 kg( Region Ⅲ) respectively. The objective constraints were Fusarium head blight and pre-harvest sprouting;the subjective constraints were variety selection and layout,poor sowing quality and low seedling quality;social constraints were high cost,low market price and poor efficiency;and ecological constraints were poor soil texture,soil infertility and poor water-and-fertilizer retention. The yield gap of wheat in rice-wheat rotation regions can be effectively reduced by improving yield potential of low-and-medium-yielding fields. Selecting appropriate wheat varieties and layout,constructing disease forecast system,improving agricultural machinery and social service organizations of plant protection,and strengthening scientific training as well as technological training of new agricultural operators and agricultural machinery technicians are the core means to narrowing the yield gap of wheat in rice-wheat rotation regions at province scale.

Genome-wide association analysis for stripe rust resistance in spring wheat(Triticum aestivum L.) germplasm

Stripe rust is a continuous threat to wheat crop all over the world.It causes considerable yield losses in wheat crop every year.Continuous deployment of adult plant resistance(APR)genes in newly developing wheat cultivars is the most judicious strategy to combat this disease.Herein,we dissected the genetics underpinning stripe rust resistance in Pakistani wheat germplasm.An association panel of 94 spring wheat genotypes was phenotyped for two years to score the infestation of stripe rust on each accession and was scanned with 203 polymorphic SSRs.Based on D’measure,linkage disequilibrium(LD)exhibited between loci distant up to 45 c M.Marker-trait associations(MTAs)were determined using mixed linear model(MLM).Total 31 quantitative trait loci(QTLs)were observed on all 21 wheat chromosomes.Twelve QTLs were newly discovered as well as 19 QTLs and 35 previously reported Yr genes were validated in Pakistani wheat germplasm.The major QTLs were QYr.uaf.2 AL and QYr.uaf.3 BS(PVE,11.9%).Dissection of genes from the newly observed QTLs can provide new APR genes to improve genetic resources for APR resistance in wheat crop.

Nonlinear Components of a Block Cipher over Eisenstein Integers

In block ciphers,the nonlinear components,also known as substitution boxes(S-boxes),are used with the purpose to induce confusion in cryptosystems.For the last decade,most of the work on designing S-boxes over the points of elliptic curves,chaotic maps,and Gaussian integers has been published.The main purpose of these studies is to hide data and improve the security levels of crypto algorithms.In this work,we design pair of nonlinear components of a block cipher over the residue class of Eisenstein integers(EI).The fascinating features of this structure provide S-boxes pair at a time by fixing three parameters.However,in the same way,by taking three fixed parameters only one S-box is obtained through a prime field-dependent Elliptic curve(EC),chaotic maps,and Gaussian integers.The newly designed pair of S-boxes are assessed by various tests like nonlinearity,bit independence criterion,strict avalanche criterion,linear approximation probability,and differential approximation probability.

Identification of Potential F₁Hybrids in Maize Responsive to Water Deficient Condition

The assessment of heterotic F1 combinations is a basic requisite for hybrid seed development. A set of 30 F1 hybrids along with their parental inbred lines were evaluated under both normal and water deficit conditions for various physiological and agronomic traits. Highly significant mean squares due to general combining ability, specific combining ability and reciprocal effect were observed for all traits under both water regimes. Components of variation exhibited greater estimates for GCA variance (б2g) than SCA variance (б2s) for majority of the traits under both normal and stress conditions depicting the predominant role of additive genetic component. Inbred lines NCIL-20-20, D-157 and OH-8 were found to be the best general combiner on the basis of performance regarding grain yield per plant under water deficit condition. The F1 combinations namely, NCIL-20-20 × D-109, NCIL-20-20 × OH-8 and D-157 × NCIL-20-20 were out-performers based on yield and yield attributes under water deficit conditions. On the basis of our results, we recommend these hybrids for further exploitation to assess their potential for commercial cultivation under water deficit condition.

Efficient Joint Key Authentication Model in E-Healthcare

Many patients have begun to use mobile applications to handle different health needs because they can better access high-speed Internet and smartphones.These devices and mobile applications are now increasingly used and integrated through the medical Internet of Things(mIoT).mIoT is an important part of the digital transformation of healthcare,because it can introduce new business models and allow efficiency improvements,cost control and improve patient experience.In the mIoT system,when migrating from traditional medical services to electronic medical services,patient protection and privacy are the priorities of each stakeholder.Therefore,it is recommended to use different user authentication and authorization methods to improve security and privacy.In this paper,our prosed model involves a shared identity verification process with different situations in the e-health system.We aim to reduce the strict and formal specification of the joint key authentication model.We use the AVISPA tool to verify through the wellknown HLPSL specification language to develop user authentication and smart card use cases in a user-friendly environment.Our model has economic and strategic advantages for healthcare organizations and healthcare workers.The medical staff can increase their knowledge and ability to analyze medical data more easily.Our model can continuously track health indicators to automatically manage treatments and monitor health data in real time.Further,it can help customers prevent chronic diseases with the enhanced cognitive functions support.The necessity for efficient identity verification in e-health care is even more crucial for cognitive mitigation because we increasingly rely on mIoT systems.

Pedigree and SSR Data Analysis Reveal Dominant Prevalence of Few Parents in Pedigrees of Pakistani Wheat Varieties

The international recognition of the importance of genetic diversity demands continuous estimation of genetic diversity of in hand population as test of its buffering capacity against all putative threats. Randomly selected Pakistani wheat varieties developed during 1965-1999 and 2000-2011 were evaluated on the basis of pedigree and SSR data. At 2nd and 3rd levels of pedigree, average occurrence of a parent per variety was 2.1 times. The dominating parents included BLUEBIRD, KALYANSONA and SIETE-CERROS-66, which were present in the pedigrees of 71.42%, 64.28%, and 58.57% varieties, respectively. The varieties INQLAB-91 and KIRAN-95 had the same pedigree and were genetically identical as revealed by SSR data. Similarly, varieties PAVON-76 and SOGHAT-90 also had the same parents in their pedigrees. This genetic similarity was also confirmed by SSR based cluster. The SSR based PC1 and PC2 showed narrow genetic diversity confirming the presence of few dominating parents. The results emphasize the inclusion of novel and genetically diverse parents in Pakistani wheat breeding programs to maintain broader genetic base of varieties/cultivars for buffering the effects of ever changing virulent pathogens and crop growth environments.

Family and/or Friends? Gene Mapping at Crossroads

Mapping gene(s) underlying a specific trait offers an opportunity to plant breeders to apply marker assisted selection. All gene mapping approaches except LD mapping use family based segregation populations developed by crossing two or more parents. These family based gene mapping approaches include simple interval mapping, composite interval mapping, multiple interval mapping and Bayesian mapping etc. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages based on type of population and underlying statistical model. Unlike family based approaches, LD mapping uses population of unrelated individuals which are like friends belonging to different family backgrounds. Relative pros and cons of family and friends based approaches make them complementary to each other. Family based approaches identify wide chromosomal region underlying the trait of interest with relatively lower markers density, and therefore, have low mapping resolution. Conversely, friends based LD mapping identifies chromosomal region of interest with higher resolution using higher marker density. The integration of family and friends based approaches addresses their respective pros and cons successfully to enhance mapping resolution for more valid application of marker assisted selection.

Dynamic patterns of gene expression during leaf initiation

The establishment of leaf dorsoventral（adaxial-abaxial）polarity conditions flattening of the leaf,an essential feature of land plants that optimizes light absorbance.Leaf primordia initiate from peripheral zone（PZ）at the flank of the shoot apical meristem（SAM）,which maintains stem cells in the shoot apex.

Structure inversion asymmetry enhanced electronic structure and electrical transport in 2D A3SnO(A=Ca,Sr,and Ba)antiperovskite monolayers

Anti-perovskites A3SnO(A=Ca,Sr,and Ba)are an important class of materials due to the emergence of Dirac cones and tiny mass gaps in their band structures originating from an intricate interplay of crystal symmetry,spin–orbit coupling,and band overlap.This provides an exciting playground for modulating their electronic properties in the two-dimensional(2D)limit.Herein,we employ first-principles density functional theory(DFT)calculations by combining dispersion-corrected SCAN+rVV10 and mBJ functionals for a comprehensive side-by-side comparison of the structural,thermodynamic,dynamical,mechanical,electronic,and thermoelectric properties of bulk and monolayer(one unit cell thick)A3SnO anti-perovskites.Our results show that 2D monolayers derived from bulk A3SnO anti-perovskites are structurally and energetically stable.Moreover,Rashba-type splitting in the electronic structure of Ca3SnO and Sr3SnO monolayers is observed owing to strong spin–orbit coupling and inversion asymmetry.On the other hand,monolayer Ba3SnO exhibits Dirac cone at the high-symmetryΓpoint due to the domination of band overlap.Based on the predicted electronic transport properties,it is shown that inversion asymmetry plays an essential character such that the monolayers Ca3SnO and Sr3SnO outperform thermoelectric performance of their bulk counterparts.