ABSTRACT
Fall armyworm is one of the challenges in the agricultural sector. It is a major insect pest of maize and other crops. Currently, farmers use chemical insecticides to reduce such losses. However, chemical insecticides cause the development of insecticidal resistance in insects, environmental pollution, human health hazards, harm to non-target species, etc. Therefore, agrarian look for safe and effective alternative approaches, biological control to fall armyworm. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) based biopesticide is a major alternative to solve these problems. This study aimed to isolate and characterize local Bt isolates from soil and water samples of different sites in Amhara and Afar Region and laboratory testing of their insecticidal activity against fall armyworm. The data was analyzed using Analysis of Variance. A total of 18 soil and water samples were collected from study sites to isolate Bt variety. Morphological and biochemical methods were used to characterize and identify Bt isolates. Based on results, a total of 21 Bt isolates were recovered from102 bacillus species- Bt like a colony and the overall Bt index corresponding to the whole sampling areas was 0.2. From total isolates, 7 isolates had a high potential to kill FAW within 72 hrs. W3C and M8E isolate were best as compared to other potential isolates, including reference strains because they were killed after 48 hrs. To conclude Screening of soil and water samples from different sources and habitats may be useful to obtain potential Bt isolates with broader host ranges and high potential for insecticidal activity.

ABSTRACT
The emergence of heterosis is a crucial marker of hybrid potential in rapeseed breeding for both hybrid and open-pollinated cultivars. However, testing the combining ability of the parents in the field consumes a great deal of manpower. An efficient way to evaluate heterosis and heritability is to use a line×tester analysis. An experiment was performed in 2022 in the research area of department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. Line×tester analysis was performed with ten lines and three testers for the development of thirty F1 crosses. It was used to estimate heritability and heterosis of various fatty acids related traits as: oil contents, protein contents, glucosinolate contents, and erucic acid content. For this, selected better performer lines (high yield) and poor performer (low-yield) testers from ongoing research were crossed and the data were recorded for different fatty acids-related traits. The recorded data were subjected to Analysis of Variance followed by estimation of heterosis and narrow sense and broad sense heritability. Using three alternative forms of heterosis estimates—heterosis over mid parent, heterosis over better parent, and heterosis over standard check—the thirty F1 hybrids that developed were assessed, along with one check variety (Chakwal-second). Crosses 40980×26240 (for oil), 40979×26240 (for glucosinolate contents), 40978×26240 (for erucic acid contents) had positive and significant heterosis over the commercial hybrids for the studied traits. High narrow sense heritability was observed for erucic acid contents followed by protein contents and glucosinolate contents. The hybrid variety in rapeseed might be developed using the crossings 40978×26240, 40979×26240, and 40980×26240.

ABSTRACT
Abiotic stresses such as salt stress, high temperature and others can affect seed germination, germination speed, seedling growth in the field and final yield. But genetic variation exists among tomato germplasm response to adverse maternal environments. One hundred one Recombinant Inbred Lines (RILs) tomato along two parents were replicated twice to teste seed germination and detect QTLs under salt stress, high temperature and control conditions. Strong significant (P<0.001) difference observed among RILs for all germination parameters under three growth conditions, indicating that high genetic variation observed for seed germination. Germination was more delayed at -0.5 MPa of NaCl, salt stress than high temperature and control. Recombinant Inbred Line of 291 showed the highest germination rate and better performed for all germination traits under salt stress, high temperature and control conditions. QTL analyzed showed at least 1 to 4 significant QTLs per trait identified. Furthermore, four significant co-located QTLs were found on chromosomes 9 and 11, each of two controlling for early set and speed of germination traits, each ranging from 9.9 % to 13.2 % per traits under salt and high temperature stress conditions. This might be suggesting that the common base of genes control for multiple traits. The study demonstrated that some derived RILs showed resilience to germinate under abiotic stresses conditions. Further study is required on co-located QTL through fine mapping, validation and will provide valuable insights into the genetics base of seed tomato for germination under salt stress and high temperature conditions.

ABSTRACT
Human curiosity about the sexual orientation of living things has a long history. For thousands of years, livestock owners wanted to find a suitable way to predict the sex of the progeny to be born for their herds on their farm. Thanks to the development of semen sexing technology, animal breeding has undergone a revolution, which allows farmers to control the sex of their offspring. Sexed semen enhances overall productivity and also assists farmers in meeting the rising demand for high-quality dairy animals by enabling them to selectively generate seedstock female calves. The technology is a one-stop solution to enhance breed improvement especially in a country like Ethiopia where 97 percent of the cattle population is indigenous, which is not selected for milk production and results in undernourishment for animal source origin diet, including milk and meat. The benefits of using sexed semen include sex selection, improved genetic selection, enhanced breeding effectiveness, better control over herd dynamics, greater financial gains, environmental sustainability, and improved animal welfare. Hence, with the finding of this study, an overall result of a 98% response rate 95% female skewness, and 79% conception rate was recorded after being inseminated with sexed semen. The finding of the response rate is closer to the results reported by another researcher, while the average conception rate is comparatively higher. This could be due to careful animal selection, the use of fertile quality semen, proper heat detection, and inseminating at an optimum window of time. In general, from the piece of this study, it is possible to foresee and conclude that the adoption and application of sexed semen technology is a groundbreaking and game-changer technology for the dairy industry in a country like Ethiopia, which overcomes the limitations of improved crossbred dairy cattle, replacement heifers, and high milk prices on the one hand, a shortage of grazing land, ...

ABSTRACT
Autoimmune diseases are chronic hypersensitive diseases that occur due to an inability of the immune system to recognize self-antigens as part of its system. Antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA) are antibodies that target the proteins located in the nucleus, mitotic spindle, nuclear membrane, and cytoplasmic substructures. Detection of ANA is done using either the ANA-IIF or by ELISA method; the latter might be slightly more sensitive as compared to the ANA-IIF but the specificity is however low. ANA patterns such as nuclear, cytoplasmic, and mitotic can be important to clinical practice because they suggest the significance, as well as the nature of autoimmune Connective Tissue Disorder (CTDs). ANA is a predictor of autoimmune diseases, and the risk is greater in female individuals. The specific objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of ANA and the detection of demographic correlations with them; thereby it would help in the identification of the various autoantibody subclasses in the Indian people. The present cross-sectional descriptive study included 351 patient records from a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata, India expounds on the association of multiple ANA patterns with certain autoantibodies, and demography of the ANA-positive patients. Knowledge of such regional variations of autoimmune diseases would be useful to formulate a strategy for proper diagnosis of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) in India.

ABSTRACT
Neurodegenerative disorders are a range of debilitating conditions that manifest due to the progressive loss of neuronal cells in specific brain regions. Current therapeutic options are less than adequate in many respects. Protein misfolding and aggregation are hallmarks of the most common neurodegenerative disorders. Consequently, they elicit cellular homeostasis disruption, synaptic connection loss, and subsequent cellular apoptosis. In recent years, research has increasingly linked dysregulated inflammatory responses mediated by the inflammasome complex to several neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Epilepsy, Huntington’s disease, Autism, stroke etc. The inflammasome is a cytosolic multiprotein complex that is essential for innate immunity. Microglia are the primary cells expressing inflammasomes in the central nervous system, although astrocytes, neurons, and infiltrating myeloid cells can also express and activate inflammasomes. Regrettably, dysregulated inflammasome signaling upregulates the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as activating caspase-1. This process contributes to the continuation of neuroinflammation and subsequent damage to neurons. In this review of existing literatures, we collated empirical evidences about various inflammasome signaling pathways in selected neurological disorders. Majorly, we emphasised their influence on the advancement of diseases and neuronal cell death. Available empirical data showed that dietary small molecule inhibitors offer multi-targeted interactions to inhibit inflammasome signalling and upstream neuroinflammation. Notably, the baseline mechanisms involve suppression of free radicals, downregulating NF-κB and NLRP3 oligomerization, activating anti-inflammatory pathways, reducing ER stress, and modulating the Nrf2-ARE pathway. This shows promise for developing innovative medical nutrition therapies for various neurological conditions.

ABSTRACT
H. pylori is a micro-aerophilic, gram-negative, S-curved, polar motility, spiral bacillus measuring 2.5 µm to 5 µm long and 0.3 µm wide. Type two diabetes of mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia associated with disturbances of the various metabolisms, in particular lipid, carbohydrate and protein. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection in the diabetic and non-diabetic population consulting in the gastroenterology and external medicine department of CHU-Brazzaville. We carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study over a period from June 20 to November 02, 2021, like a period of six months. Ninety patients were selected divided into two groups, each subdivided into two subgroups. 44 type two diabetes of mellitus patients and 46 non-diabetic patients were included. The average age of diabetic patients was 51 ± 11 years old with an average duration of diabetes evolution of 5.54 ± 4.58 years old. The average age of non-diabetic patients was 40±15 years old. Out of 90 patients in our study population, we had a predominance of women (68) compared to men (22). The overall frequency of H. pylori infection of the study population was 57%. It was 66% in diabetic patients and 48% in non-diabetics. The results of our study showed that H. pylori infection was more common in diabetics compared to non-diabetics.