Reconstructing an ancestral genotype of two hexachlorocyclohexane-degrading Sphingobium species using metagenomic sequence data.

Over the last 60 years, the use of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) as a pesticide has resulted in the production of >4 million tons of HCH waste, which has been dumped in open sinks across the globe. Here, the combination of the genomes of two genetic subspecies (Sphingobium japonicum UT26 and Sphingobium indicum B90A; isolated from two discrete geographical locations, Japan and India, respectively) capable of degrading HCH, with metagenomic data from an HCH dumpsite (∼450 mg HCH per g soil), enabled the reconstruction and validation of the last-common ancestor (LCA) genotype. Mapping the LCA genotype (3128 genes) to the subspecies genomes demonstrated that >20% of the genes in each subspecies were absent in the LCA. This includes two enzymes from the 'upper' HCH degradation pathway, suggesting that the ancestor was unable to degrade HCH isomers, but descendants acquired lin genes by transposon-mediated lateral gene transfer. In addition, anthranilate and homogentisate degradation traits were found to be strain (selectively retained only by UT26) and environment (absent in the LCA and subspecies, but prevalent in the metagenome) specific, respectively. One draft secondary chromosome, two near complete plasmids and eight complete lin transposons were assembled from the metagenomic DNA. Collectively, these results reinforce the elastic nature of the genus Sphingobium, and describe the evolutionary acquisition mechanism of a xenobiotic degradation phenotype in response to environmental pollution. This also demonstrates for the first time the use of metagenomic data in ancestral genotype reconstruction, highlighting its potential to provide significant insight into the development of such phenotypes

Non-Contact Warfare: A Strategy for Future

Examining events after World War II shows that the emerging technological environment is shaping the future. The shift in operational doctrine from ‘massing of forces’ to ‘massing of effects’ with a quantum reduction in physical contact between adversarial forces has been scripted. Future conflict trends are likely to be diffused, diverse and disruptive. Expanding security-arena from traditional to non-traditional domains necessitates a nuanced doctrinal approach. The escalation levers are looking at non-military and military means of contestation.   &nbsp

Non-Contact Warfare: A Strategy for Future

Examining events after World War II shows that the emerging technological environment is shaping the future. The shift in operational doctrine from ‘massing of forces’ to ‘massing of effects’ with a quantum reduction in physical contact between adversarial forces has been scripted. Future conflict trends are likely to be diffused, diverse and disruptive. Expanding security-arena from traditional to non-traditional domains necessitates a nuanced doctrinal approach. The escalation levers are looking at non-military and military means of contestation.   &nbsp

Comparative Analysis of Daily Flow Pattern Hydrographs Used to Disaggregate Monthly Naturalized Flows to Daily

Observed and synthesized sequences of stream flow data are explored from the perspective of improving capabilities for disaggregating monthly naturalized flow volumes, representing natural undeveloped conditions, to daily volumes. The research investigates 1) characteristics of river flows and impacts of water resources development on flows, 2) capabilities for disaggregating monthly naturalized flows to daily, and 3) the sensitivity of water availability modeling results to the daily flow pattern hydrographs adopted in monthly-to-daily naturalized flow disaggregation. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Water Availability Modeling (WAM) System consists of the Water Rights Analyses Package (WRAP) and input datasets for all the river basins of Texas. TCEQ sponsored research at Texas A&M University over the past several years has included development of a daily version of the monthly WRAP/WAM modeling system. The thesis research focuses on improving capabilities for developing daily pattern hydrographs for use in disaggregating monthly WAM naturalized flow sequences to daily within the daily WRAP modeling system. Comparative statistical analyses are performed for observed and synthesized river flows at numerous gage sites in the Brazos, Trinity, Neches, and Sabine River Basins. The datasets of monthly and daily flows investigated in the thesis include observed flows at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gages, TCEQ WAM System naturalized flows, unregulated flows from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reservoir operations modeling system, and flows generated with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Hydrologic and Water Quality System (HAWQS) watershed rainfall-runoff modeling systems. Daily WRAP simulations of the four case study river basins for a 1940-2015 hydrologic period-of-analysis are performed with alternative flow disaggregation schemes. The USACE Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) Data Storage System (DSS) and HEC-DSSVue are employed in the compilation and comparative analyses of datasets. Stream flow throughout Texas is extremely variable temporally with the extremes of floods and droughts as well as seasonal and continuous variability. The impacts of water resources development on river flows vary greatly between different locations. Impacts of upstream development are very different across the range of low to median to high flows. The HEC-DSSVue based approach for compiling, analyzing, comparing, selecting, and combining datasets significantly enhances the WRAP/WAM modeling system

Non-Contact Warfare: Lessons from the US National Defence Strategy

The 2018 National Defence Strategy (NDS) unveiled by the Pentagon can be encapsulated in three words ‘compete, deter and win’. Keyquestions that arise are: What does it mean and how it gets manifested? NDS as the capstone document has been guiding the geopolitical discourse and global security developments. The Pentagon’s efforts to redraw its dominance strategy and course correct its two decades of distraction due to endless wars in Afghanistan and West Asia have already manifested in Sino-US relations. A decade of ‘pivot to Asia’ policy put in place by Obama’s administration gathered storm during Trump’s tenure. 2018 NDS declared China and Russia as strategic competitors. Washington’s assertion of widening the competitive space is based on the premise of seamlessly integrating the US “multiple elements of national power—diplomacy, information, economics, finance, intelligence, law enforcement, and military”. A closer examination of how the game gets played by the various national power elements under the new Biden administration will determine future policy directions against China and Russia. The lessons for India are ominous as it helps it to navigate the geo-strategic labyrinth

Countering the Contagion Effect of COVID-19: An Appraisal of China's Influence Operations

For China to realise its millennium goal, it needs to radiate its influence globally and simultaneously engage internally with the local population to ensure social stability. COVID-19 has disrupted China's dream of showcasing to the world a model state with Chinese characteristics. Influence operations thus form the basis of curating and presenting a credible image of the Communist Party of China (CPC) besides altering the behaviour of its adversaries. China has tried to firewall the western influence besides making inroads into other countries' economic, political, and societal institutions. At the time of the COVID-19 crisis, it is employing leverages to correct the narrative while gaining situational awareness through revamped structures and employment of technologies. It is thus imperative to appraise China's influence operations capabilities

Low-cost and Reliable Integrated Hardware and Software Framework for Remotely Operated Water Release from Storage Units

The main contribution of this research is towards the broader area of water management that can be used for multiple purposes. For instance, floods can be mitigated using a novel approach based on the integrated dynamic management of water storage units such as reservoirs, wetlands, and ponds. This approach will enable adaptive water release from storage units hours or days ahead of rainfall events, thereby maximizing storage capacity and minimizing flooding. This approach can be implemented by retrofitting water storage units using siphon hydraulic systems and are remotely controlled in an integrated manner using the decision support system. To make it feasible in a relatively inexpensive way, this dissertation developed a modular, scalable, and integrated hardware-software platform for interfacing automated siphons/gates, sensors, and sensor control/communication to enable remote operation of hundreds and thousands of gates in storage units. In this study, a siphon hydraulic system was developed and used to implement and test the hardware and software integrated control system. The hardware architecture includes water level sensors, bilge pump, air-vent, and actuated butterfly valve. The software architecture is designed and developed in C-sharp language and displays near real-time data from the sensors employed in the lab. It also displays the functioning or malfunctioning condition of all digital and analogic lab hardware. The latter can be used to schedule maintenance operations without visiting the lab. Various cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Software Defined Radios (SDR), and Virtual Private Network (VPN) is employed to integrate the hardware and software architecture. All the data collection and operations are performed remotely using 4G/5G cellular communication. Extensive experiments were performed in the lab, and the results indicate that the systems are reliable. Reliability is defined as the probability that the system will perform its intended function adequately without failure. The operational reliability of sensors and other field hardware, such as liquid level sensors, bilge pumps, and air vents, has been analyzed using the Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) using the ExtendSim software. In this method, the components of the system are linked through graphic blocks following their functional logic or operational relationship. The results of the operational reliability of the system are obtained through Monte Carlo simulations. The cost analysis is also performed for several scenarios based on redundancy, maintenance cost, and the components\u27 life span

Combining ability analysis in linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) for improvement of seed yield and its component traits

Twenty eight hybrids developed from eight genotypes of linseed through diallel mating design (excluding reciprocal) along with one checks viz., Shekhar were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications for eleven distinct morphological traits during rabi season of 2012-13, to estimate the general combining ability (GCA) of the parents and specific combining ability (SCA) of hybrids considered for the development of high yielding varieties. The analysis of variance for combining ability revealed significant mean sum of squares due to GCA and SCA for all the traits under study. Genotype EC-1392 (0.50) and TL-11 (0.45) has been found good general combiner with highest magnitude of GCA effects for seed yield per plant. In addition to above, EC-1392 and TL-11 also showed good GCA effects for plant height, secondary branches per plant, capsules per plant and biological yield per plant. Hybrids A.95.B x Shekhar (2.43), TL-11 x EC-1392 (1.71) and NDL-2004-05 x GS-234 (1.53) showed higher positive significant SCA effects for seed yield per plant. These hybrids also exhibited positive significant SCA effects for plant height, secondary brances per plant, capsules per plant, indicating potential for exploiting hybrid vigour in breeding programme