Stress-free Environments Research Articles

Harnessing Generative AI (GenAI) for Automated Feedback in Higher Education: A Systematic Review

In this systematic review, we synthesize ten empirical peer-reviewed articles published between 2019 and 2023 that used generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) for automated feedback in higher education. There are significant opportunities and challenges to integrate these tools effectively into learning environments as the demand for timely and personalized feedback grows. We examine the articles based on instructional contexts and system characteristics, identifying critical implementation possibilities for GenAI in automated feedback. Our findings reveal that GenAI provides diverse feedback across various contexts with multiple instructional purposes. GenAI systems can reduce instructor workload by automating routine grading and feedback tasks, allowing educators to focus on more complex teaching responsibilities with augmented capabilities. Additionally, these systems enhance communication, offer cognitive and emotional support, and improve accessibility by creating supportive, stress-free learning environments. Overall, implementing GenAI automated feedback systems improves educational outcomes and creates a more efficient and supportive learning environment for students and instructors. We conclude with future research directions to better integrate GenAI with human instruction by reconsidering instructors’ roles, especially in providing feedback to create more effective educational experiences.

Men's Perceptions and Expectations of Fertility Clinics.

Most of the research and care in fertility focuses on women, whereas men's perspectives and expectations are often overlooked. The aim of the study was to explore the experiences and expectations of men with primary infertility regarding fertility clinics and to provide implications for personalized and inclusive care. A qualitative study was conducted in Iran between November 2022 and October 2023. Thirteen men with primary infertility were interviewed in-depth using a semistructured approach. Data were analyzed using the inductive content analysis method. The central theme, "Therapy Environment: Private and Interactive," was identified. The theme comprises four categories: Effective Interaction-A Key to Therapy Success; Infertility Treatment-A Joint Effort; Personal and Stress-Free Environment-Essential for Treatment; and Treatment Plan-Vital for Successful Outcome. Study findings underscore the importance of tailored approaches to male infertility care. Healthcare providers should prioritize personalized, stress-free environments for male infertility patients and encourage effective communication and joint participation with partners to achieve successful outcomes. Tailored approaches and therapeutic settings should be created to cater to male patients' unique needs.

Effect of workplace bullying and incivility on employee performance: Mediating role of psychological well being

Workplace bullying (WB) and workplace incivility (WI) appear to be the most alarming events with a potentially threat to the entire workforce and organization. Considering their implications, this research study is examining the effect of WB and WI on employee performance (EP) in the presence of psychological well-being (PW) among both relationships. Sample of the female employees (Nurses) working in the health care units and hospitals of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K), Pakistan was taken to collect the data. Data were collected from female nurses and their supervisors working in the public sector hospitals of AJ&K, Pakistan. The current study uses AMOS 21.0 for empirical analysis to estimate the “Structural Equation Model (SEM)”. The results of SEM show that WB and WI negatively influence nurses’ performance in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s health sectors. Moreover, PW mediates the association between WB and EP. Similarly, the effects of WI decrease in the presence of PW. The current study provides theoretical and practical implications for Pakistan’s health sector regulators and other stakeholders. It also sheds highlight on the importance of a stress-free environment for health sector employees and postulates that employee productivity may be enhanced after eliminating bullying and incivility at the workplace. Further, the study guides managers to create stress-free environments and policies to enhance employee’s productivity.

Nodo-Tie: an innovative, 3-D printed simulator for surgical knot-tying skills development

IntroductionClinical simulators are an important resource for medical students seeking to improve their fundamental surgical skills. Three-dimensional (3-D) printing offers an innovative method to create simulators due to its low production costs and reliable printing fidelity. We aimed to validate a 3-D printed knot-tying simulator named Nodo-Tie. MethodsWe designed a 3-D printed knot-tying simulator integrated with a series of knot-tying challenges and a designated video curriculum made accessible via a quick-response (QR) code. The Nodo-Tie, which costs less than $1 to print and assemble, was distributed to second-year medical students starting their surgical clerkship. Participants were asked to complete a survey gauging the simulator's usability and educational utility. The time between simulator distribution and survey completion was eight weeks. ResultsStudents perceived the Nodo-Tie as easy-to-use (4.6 ± 0.8) and agreed it increased both their motor skills (4.5 ± 0.9) and confidence (4.5 ± 0.8) for tying surgical knots in the clinical setting. Many students agreed the Nodo-Tie provided a stable, durable surface for knot-tying practice (83.7%, n = 41) and that they would continue to use it beyond their participation in the study period (91.7%, n = 44). DiscussionMedical students found this interactive, 3-D printed knot-tying simulator to be an effective tool to use for self-directed development of their knot-tying skills. Given the Nodo-Tie's low cost, students were able to keep the Nodo-Tie for use beyond the study period. This increases the opportunity for students to engage in the longitudinal practice necessary to master knot-tying as they progress through their medical education. Key messagesClinical simulators provide proactive learners with reliable, stress-free environments to engage in self-directed surgical skills development. The Nodo-Tie, a 3-D printed simulator, serves as a cost-effective, interactive tool for medical students to develop their knot-tying abilities beyond the clinical setting.

Fluctuating selection facilitates the discovery of broadly effective but difficult to reach adaptive outcomes in yeast.

Evolutionary compromises are thought to be common under fluctuating selection because the mutations that best enable adaptation to one environmental context can often be detrimental to others. Yet, prior experimental work has shown that generalists can sometimes perform as well as specialists in their own environments. Here we use a highly replicated evolutionary experiment (N = 448 asexual lineages of the brewer's yeast) to show that even though fluctuation between two environmental conditions often induces evolutionary compromises (at least early on), it can also help reveal difficult to reach adaptive outcomes that ultimately improve performance in both environments. Specifically, we begin by showing that yeast adaptation to chemical stress can involve fitness trade-offs with stress-free environments and that, accordingly, lineages that are repeatedly exposed to occasional stress tend to respond by trading performance for breadth of adaptation. We then show that on rare occasions, fluctuating selection leads to the evolution of no-cost generalists that can even outcompete constant selection specialists in their own environments. We propose that the discovery of these broader and more effective adaptive outcomes under fluctuating selection could be partially facilitated by changes in the adaptive landscape that result from having to deal with fitness trade-offs across different environmental conditions. Overall, our findings indicate that reconciling the short- and long-term evolutionary consequences of fluctuating selection could significantly improve our understanding of the evolution of specialization and generalism.

Promotional Properties of ACC Deaminase-Producing Bacterial Strain DY1-3 and Its Enhancement of Maize Resistance to Salt and Drought Stresses.

Salt stress and drought stress can decrease the growth and productivity of agricultural crops. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) may protect and promote plant growth at abiotic stress. The aim of this study was to search for bacterial strains that can help crops resist rises in drought and salt stresses, to improve crop seed resistance under drought and salt stresses, and to investigate the effect of bacterial strains that can help crop resist external stresses under different stress conditions. Pseudomonas DY1-3, a strain from the soil under the glacier moss community of Tien Shan No. 1, was selected to investigate its growth-promoting effects. Previous studies have shown that this strain is capable of producing ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) deaminase. In this experiment, multifunctional biochemical test assays were evaluated to determine their potential as PGPB and their bacterial growth-promoting properties and stress-resistant effects on maize plants were verified through seed germination experiments and pot experiments. The results showed that strain DY1-3 has good salt and drought tolerance, as well as the ability to melt phosphorus, fix nitrogen, and produce iron carriers, IAA, EPS, and other pro-biomasses. This study on the growth-promoting effects of the DY1-3 bacterial strain on maize seeds revealed that the germination rate, primary root length, germ length, number of root meristems, and vigor index of the maize seeds were increased after soaking them in bacterial solution under no-stress, drought-stress, and salt-stress environments. In the potting experiments, seedlings in the experimental group inoculated with DY1-3 showed increased stem thicknesses, primary root length, numbers of root meristems, and plant height compared to control seedlings using sterile water. In the study on the physiological properties of the plants related to resistance to stress, the SOD, POD, CAT, and chlorophyll contents of the seedlings in the experimental group, to which the DY1-3 strain was applied, were higher than those of the control group of seedlings to which the bacterial solution was not applied. The addition of the bacterial solution reduced the content of MDA in the experimental group seedlings, which indicated that DY1-3 could positively affect the promotion of maize seedlings and seeds against abiotic stress. In this study, it was concluded that strain DY1-3 is a valuable strain for application, which can produce a variety of pro-biotic substances to promote plant growth in stress-free environments or to help plants resist abiotic stresses. In addition to this, the strain itself has good salt and drought tolerance, making it an option to help crops grown in saline soils to withstand abiotic stresses, and a promising candidate for future application in agricultural biofertilizers.

Regulatory Effect of Light and Rhizobial Inoculation on the Root Architecture and Plant Performance of Pasture Legumes

Rhizobial associations with leguminous plants are some of the most important symbioses on Earth, and they have economic relevance in agriculture. Because their interactions are positive and have advantages for both partners, nitrogen-fixing rhizobia also demand significant carbohydrate allocation in exchange for key nutrients, and this demand is reflected in the anatomy of roots. In the current scenario of climate change, rhizobia–legume interactions can be affected, and plants may need to compensate for carbon loss when light availability is not correct. Under such conditions, roots can modify their anatomy to accommodate symbionts’ needs, and the outcome of an interaction can switch from mutualism to parasitism, resulting in changes in root allocation. We experimented with two legume species originating from well-irradiated environments (Coronilla juncea L. and Ornithopus compressus L.) and two species from shaded environments (Trifolium repens L. and Vicia sativa L.). We applied high radiation, intermediate radiation, and low radiation to two treatments of microbial inoculation (inoculation and control). After an incubation period of 105 days, we quantified the root area, size, and complexity, as well as the nodule production and mass, plant relative growth, and below-ground allocation. For plants originating in shaded environments, nodulation, root complexity, and below-ground allocation were enhanced in inoculated plants when they were transferred to conditions of high irradiance. Strikingly, plants from environments exposed to high light radiation were less plastic when exposed to changing light availability, and the symbionts were less beneficial than expected in stress-free environments. Our study proved that the stress imposed on plants due to high irradiance is overcome when plants are inoculated, and the positive effect is more evident in plants that are usually grown in shaded environments (e.g., Trifolium repens and Vicia sativa).

Hungarian secondary school EFL teachers’ perceptions of their students’ individual differences: A validation study

Besides classroom-based EFL lessons, EFL learners have a plethora of opportunities to learn the language by engaging in out-of-school or in other words extramural English activities. As learners pursue these activities for entertainment purposes, extramural English activities may be closely associated with L2 learning motivation. In addition to motivation, several other individual learner differences, namely L2 anxiety and L2 willingness to communicate are also important in both the school-based and the extramural learning contexts, as motivating and stress-free environments may lead to a decrease in learners’ level of L2 anxiety and an increase in the level of their L2 willingness to communicate. Using the quantitative research paradigm, the present pilot study aimed to investigate Hungarian secondary school EFL teachers’ perceptions of their students’ individual learner differences as well as extramural EFL learning. The preliminary results show that participants demonstrate an overall positive attitude towards extramural EFL learning and considered their students to be relatively motivated to learn English, to be willing to speak English in EFL classes. Finally, participants’ responses also show that they do not perceive their students anxious in EFL classes.

Usage of reading comprehension to enhance word problem solving skills in mathematics

Thailand’s national tests, O-NET, are administered at the 3rd, 6th, and 9th grade levels. Mathematics is one of the tests. Achievement levels in Mathematics are consistently low. Several studies have shown that there is a link between Mathematics achievement and reading comprehension proficiency. Because previous studies were carried out in other jurisdictions, this study aims to correct this situation. Random sampling was used to select the population from a field of 66 grade six students who were enrolled in a special English programme in a private school, Bangkok. 21 students met the sampling criteria. They sat for a pretest and a posttest test in reading comprehension and in word problem-solving skills in mathematics. Treatment was carried out over a period of 8 weeks. Results showed a high positive correlation between reading comprehension skills and achievement in word problem-solving skills in Mathematics. The results can serve as an encouragement to teachers and their supervisors to focus more directly on improving the reading comprehension skills of students as a means to increasing students’ scores on mathematical word-solving tests. 
 HIGHLIGHTS:
 
 This study provided the results that these two-skill were positively related and the improvement on reading comprehension skill could induce the development in word problem-solving skills because they both were affected by working memory as an essential key factor.
 Providing stress-free reading environments and activities could be an interesting option to improve student’s word problem-solving skills in Mathematics.

Genetic studies of extra-early provitamin-A maize inbred lines and their hybrids in multiple environments.

Vitamin A deficiency, drought, low soil nitrogen (low‐N), and Striga hermonthica parasitism of maize (Zea mays L.) cause malnutrition and food insecurity in sub‐Saharan Africa. The objectives of this study were to determine combining abilities of extra‐early provitamin A (PVA) lines, classify them into heterotic groups (HGs), identify testers, and determine yield stability of hybrids under contrasting environments in two trials. In Trial 1, 190 F1 hybrids plus six checks were tested under Striga‐infested, drought, and stress‐free environments in Nigeria from 2015–2017. In Trial 2, 35 extra‐early yellow hybrids were evaluated under low‐N, Striga‐infested, and stress‐free environments in 2018. TZEEIOR 202 and TZEEIOR 205 had PVA concentrations of 23.98 and 22.56 μg g−1. TZEEIOR 197 × TZEEIOR 205 (20.1 μg g−1) and TZEEIOR 202 × TZEEIOR 205 (22.7 μg g−1) contained about double the PVA level of the commercial check, TZEEI 58 × TZEE‐Y Pop STR C5 (11.4 μg g−1). Both general (GCA) and specific (SCA) combining ability variances were significant for most agronomic traits, although GCA was larger than SCA effects, indicating GCA effects primarily controlled the inheritance of those traits. TZEEIOR 97 and TZEEIOR 197 were identified as inbred testers. TZEEIOR 197 × TZEEIOR 205 was identified as a single‐cross tester and the most stable and highest‐yielding hybrid across environments. TZEEIOR 202 and TZEEIOR 205 should be invaluable resources for breeding for high PVA. Provitamin A level was independent of hybrid yield potential, indicating that selection of superior hybrids with elevated PVA levels should be feasible.

Environmental stress maintains trioecy in nematode worms.

Sex is determined by chromosomes in mammals but it can be influenced by the environment in many worms, crustaceans, and vertebrates. Despite this, there is little understanding of the relationship between ecology and the evolution of sexual systems. The nematode Auanema freiburgensis has a unique sex determination system in which individuals carrying one X chromosome develop into males while XX individuals develop into females in stress-free environments and self-fertile hermaphrodites in stressful environments. Theory predicts that trioecious populations with coexisting males, females, and hermaphrodites should be unstable intermediates in evolutionary transitions between mating systems. In this article, we study a mathematical model of reproductive evolution based on the unique life history and sex determination of A. freiburgensis. We develop the model in two scenarios, one where the relative production of hermaphrodites and females is entirely dependent on the environment and one based on empirical measurements of a population that displays incomplete, "leaky" environmental dependence. In the first scenario environmental conditions can push the population along an evolutionary continuum and result in the stable maintenance of multiple reproductive systems. The second "leaky" scenario results in the maintenance of three sexes for all environmental conditions. Theoretical investigations of reproductive system transitions have focused on the evolutionary costs and benefits of sex. Here, we show that the flexible sex determination system of A. freiburgensis may contribute to population-level resilience in the microscopic nematode's patchy, ephemeral natural habitat. Our results demonstrate that life history, ecology, and environment may play defining roles in the evolution of sexual systems.

Evaluating Staff Perceptions of Supportive Healing Environment in Healthcare Facilities

Evidence-based design strategies can improve stress-free environments in healthcare, by emphasizing strategic opportunities to influence the design of health facilities. Evidence-based design (EBD) as a tool for healthcare planning is a method that began in healthcare having a general-purpose of providing evidence-based medicine. It involved Gathering information and evidence and using this evidence to mould the environment which supports the programming stage in design problem-solving. The connection between the theories and use of findings in (EBD), have not been adequately revealed enough to be used as a tool in design. As such, several factors, or characteristics, evident in numerous studies about healing environment and (EBD), require categorization into tangible and non-tangible dimensions in order to apply them during the design process successfully. Two research questions served as a foundation for the investigation of attributes in healing environments: What critical attributes can be identified by healthcare staff related to Dilani and Ulrich’s research findings? Is a hierarchy of attributes perceived by healthcare staff? The aim of this research is to closely examine the factors of Psychosocial Supportive Design theory by Alan Dilani (2001) and Supportive design theory (SDT) by Roger Ulrich (1991) on the staff in Eastern Mediterranean university health centre. Questioners and site visit were used for data collection. SPSS was used to obtain percentages from data collected. The result of the study reveals a hierarchy of factors perceived by the staff that can promote supportive healing.

Effects of peppermint, chewing gum on memory, cognition, alertness, reaction time, arithmetic skills and athletic performance during laboratory induced stress in undergraduate medical students

Background: Many medical students are dealing with day to day stress in their lives and they need to be both physically and mentally active to counter and overcome their daily problems. In such scenario, a non-pharmacological adjunct could prove useful to counter all of it so that they can work more efficiently. Many universities do recommend the use of peppermints and chewing gums. This study is conducted to see if any of these items actually have an influence on cognitive and physical abilities.Methods: A non-randomized controlled trial was performed on the undergraduate medical students of N.K.P. Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre belonging to the age group of 18-21 years. They were given normal flavoured gum, mint flavoured gum and peppermint. A series of cognitive and physiological tests in both stressful and stress free environments were performed.Results: Consumption of peppermint in a stressful environment showed increase in attention span of the subjects and it increased the intelligence Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-R (WAIS-R) in both stress free and stressful environments. As compared to normal gum, peppermint and peppermint gum proved to be more effective. There was no significant change observed in alertness, reaction time, arithmetic ability, short term memory and fatigue index in any of the subjects.Conclusions: Peppermint has caused increase in the attention span and intelligence of medical students in a stressful work scenario. Peppermint gum was found to be more beneficial than normal gum.

Proteomic and physiological assessment of stress sensitive and tolerant variety of tomato treated with brassinosteroids and hydrogen peroxide under low-temperature stress

The aim of current investigation was to perform proteomics and physio-chemical studies to dissect the changes in contrasting varieties (S-22 and PKM-1) of Lycopersicon esculentum under low-temperature stress. Plant grown under variable low-temperature stress were analysed for their growth biomarkers, antioxidant enzyme activities, and other physiological parameters, which headed toward the determination of protein species responding to low-temperature and 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) concentrations. The plants grown under temperatures, 20/14, 12/7, and 10/3 °C recorded significantly lower growth biomarkers, SPAD chlorophyll, net photosynthetic rate and carbonic anhydrase activity in S-22 and PKM-1. Moreover, the combined effect of EBL and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) significantly improved the parameters mentioned above and consecutively upgraded the different antioxidant enzymes (CAT and SOD) with higher accumulation of proline under stress and stress-free environments. Furthermore, proteomics study revealed that the maximum number of differentially expressed proteins were detected in S-22 (EBL + H2O2); while treatment with EBL + H2O2 + low temperature lost expression of 20 proteins. Overall, three proteins (O80577, Q9FJQ8, and Q9SKL2) took a substantial part in the biosynthesis of citrate cycle pathway and enhanced the growth and photosynthetic efficiency of tomato plants under low-temperature stress.

Poster session 3Cell growth, differentiation and stem cells - Heart511The role of the endocannabinoid system in modelling muscular dystrophy cardiac disease with induced pluripotent stem cells.512An emerging role of T lymphocytes in cardiac regenerative processes in heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy513Canonical wnt signaling reverses the ‘aged/senescent’ human endogenous cardiac stem cell phenotype514Hippo signalling modulates survival of human induced pluripotent

Purpose Cardiomyocytes progenitor cells (CMPCs) are a candidate cell source for cardiac regenerative therapy. To assess their full potential for cardiac regeneration, it is essential to know if and how CMPCs sense and respond to the three-dimensional (3D) environment and the mechanical stimuli provided by the beating heart. Therefore, we study the response to cyclic strain of undifferentiated and predifferentiated human CMPCs in a 2D environment, as well as CMPC responses to unidirectionally constrained versus stress-free (unconstrained) 3D environments. The latter responses were studied using a hydrogel system that allows for interaction of the cells with a simulated ‘host’ tissue. Methods To test mechanosensitivity of CMPCs in 2D and 3D environments, the response of L9TB CMPCs to uniaxial (cyclic) strain (10% with 0.5 Hz) was investigated. To represent the 3D environment, CMPCs were cultured in unidirectionally constrained and stress-free collagen/Matrigel hydrogels, where the constrainment provides a static strain to the cells. The cellular mechanoresponse to the applied (cyclic) strain was quantified by cellular re-orientation away from the strain direction (strain avoidance). Next to cellular re-orientation, the effect of strain on cell differentiation was analyzed. Results Our results indicate that while undifferentiated cells maintain their original orientation, upon early cardiomyogenic differentiation (predifferentiated) CMPCs exhibit a distinct strain avoidance response during 48hrs of cyclic straining in a 2D environment. In 3D unidirectionally constrained hydrogels, undifferentiated CMPCs retain their cardiomyogenic profile. CMPCs cultured in 3D collagen/Matrigel hydrogels respond to static mechanical strains as expected by cell alignment. Conclusions Our results suggest that CMPCs respond to the presence of mechanical stimuli, in this research mimicked by the application of uniaxial (cyclic) strain in 2D and 3D environments, suggesting that CMPCs are indeed mechanosensitive. Although in 2D environments, mechanosensitivity of the CMPCs is dependent on their differentiation status. Our findings provide the first understanding of the ability of human CMPCs to sense mechanical stimuli, which is the first initial step in mechanotransduction. Mechanotransduction is essential for optimal recruitment, migration, and mechanical integration of progenitor cells into the injured myocardium. Therefore, the presented results can contribute to enhance efficacy of current treatments of cardiac disease, as well as to develop novel endogenous regeneration strategies.

Coping with Stress in Librarianship: A Case Study of Academic Librarians in Universities in South-East Nigeria

The study has tried to identify the not needed, redundant sources of job related stress and coping strategies among academic librarians in universities in South-east Nigeria . The design of the study was a survey. The study population consisted of all the 89 academic librarians in universities in South-east Nigeria. A Stress and Stress Management Inventory (SSMI) was developed, validated and pilot-tested by one senior librarian and 2 assistant librarians from Nnamdi Azikiwe Library, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Comments and responses led to a small number of editorial changes designed to improve clarity in the questions that were administered to the respondents. A total of 67 useable copies of the questionnaire were returned by the respondents, percentage cross-tabulation was used to analyze the data. The following findings were made: (a) Academic librarians in universities in South-east Nigeria experience considerable stress on the job irrespective of their sex, designation, and place of work. (b) Majority of the librarians are dissatisfied with their conditions of service. (c) Coping strategies employed include: maintaining a sense of humours, delegating responsibility, relaxation and stress management techniques. Library administrators needs to recognize the importance of creating stress-free working environments not only to satisfy their legal obligations but also to ensure the long and healthy working life of library employees. A study that called for academic librarians to find strategies to manage stress that affects them in their work environment. Keywords: Coping strategies, stress, academic librarians, management.

Disrupted Airports and Disruptive Technology: A Recipe for Mutual Advantage?

Much work has been undertaken showing that executive air travel can have stress-related consequences. As greater use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has been put forward as a substitute for air travel, then such activity would appear to be a realistic strategy to relieve air travel-related stressors. Although one projection estimated the potential substitution effect at 70%, to date however, empirical studies have come up with much more modest numbers. This paper aims to update the literature on two relatively recent developments in respect of these substitution effects, viz. increased congestion at European airports and advances in mobile technologies. The results suggest that the combined impact of these developments will result in more business communications being undertaken in relatively stress-free environments thus providing potential benefits for both sectors.

Selection history and epistatic interactions impact dynamics of adaptation to novel environmental stresses.

In rapidly changing environments, selection history may impact the dynamics of adaptation. Mutations selected in one environment may result in pleiotropic fitness trade-offs in subsequent novel environments, slowing the rates of adaptation. Epistatic interactions between mutations selected in sequential stressful environments may slow or accelerate subsequent rates of adaptation, depending on the nature of that interaction. We explored the dynamics of adaptation during sequential exposure to herbicides with different modes of action in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Evolution of resistance to two of the herbicides was largely independent of selection history. For carbetamide, previous adaptation to other herbicide modes of action positively impacted the likelihood of adaptation to this herbicide. Furthermore, while adaptation to all individual herbicides was associated with pleiotropic fitness costs in stress-free environments, we observed that accumulation of resistance mechanisms was accompanied by a reduction in overall fitness costs. We suggest that antagonistic epistasis may be a driving mechanism that enables populations to more readily adapt in novel environments. These findings highlight the potential for sequences of xenobiotics to facilitate the rapid evolution of multiple-drug and -pesticide resistance, as well as the potential for epistatic interactions between adaptive mutations to facilitate evolutionary rescue in rapidly changing environments.

Bio-signature of Ultraviolet-Radiation-Resistant Extremophiles from Elevated Land

Microorganisms with the ability to survive high doses of radiation are known as radiation-resistant extremophiles. This study attempts to demonstrate the diversity of microorganisms resistant to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in the natural environment in order to investigate the molecular and physiological mechanisms by which these microorganisms survive under extreme radiation. We hypothesized that topsoil from elevated land (hills) would reveal a diverse variety of UVR-resistant extremophiles with modulated proteins/enzymes. A total of 10 different UV-C (UV subtype-C)-resistant extremophiles—UVP1, UVP3, UVP4, UVR1, UVR3, UVR4, UVR5a, UV20hr, YLP1, and BR2—were isolated and identified using 16S rRNA sequences for nearest homologues. All the isolates showed prolonged resistance against UV-C: 3.44 x 105 - 2.74 x 106 J/m2. Phylogenetic analysis between and within the UVR isolates revealed their relationship with other soil microorganisms using different outgroups. A unique pattern of protein expression at 25-50kDa was observed on SDS-PAGE under UVR and non-UVR from six prominent UVR isolates. Current studies are finding extreme UV-C-resistant in naturally occurring microorganisms found in stress-free environments.

Developing drought-resilient crops for improving productivity of drought-prone ecologies

Limitation of water is major abiotic factor affecting crop productivity in different parts of world. Climate change is likely to make drought stress even more severe in the future, particularly in semi-arid and arid tropics. Therefore, development of crops with better adaptation to water stress is very critical to have sustainable crop production. An attempt is made here to assess different approaches undertaken to enhance crop performance under waterlimited conditions. Improving drought tolerance during reproductive phase is often a high priority in crop breeding programmes targeting drought-prone areas. Empirical approach followed in different crops to enhance drought tolerance has mainly addressed the issue of environment for selection and of criteria for improving drought adaptation. Using evaluation data from drought stressed and non-stressed environments, many studies highlighted importance of evaluation and selection in drought-prone locations. Most physiological research has concentrated on the identification of parameters that have found little place in regular breeding programmes owing to the lack of simple and easy techniques for selecting such characters on a large scale. Use of adapted germplasm has played a pivotal role in developing drought tolerant crops. The introgression of elite genetic material into drought-adapted germplasm has also been established as an effective approach to enhance performance under drought without compromising performance under stressfree environments. Molecular breeding is fast emerging as a supplement approach to enhance drought adaptation at a faster rate with greater precision. Efforts in this direction started with the development of a molecular marker-based genetic linkage maps in major food crops followed by identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) determining yield under drought environments. Further success would depend upon development of repeatable, low-cost, high throughput phenotyping procedures that reliably characterize genetic variation for drought tolerance and its component traits.