Mid Stages Research Articles

MANAGEMENT OF TOMATO FRUIT BORER (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner) THROUGH BIO AND CHEMICAL PESTICIDES

An experiment was conducted during October 2020 to May 2021 at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University's central field in Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh, to test the efficiency of certain bio and chemical pesticides against the tomato fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner). Seven treatments were under this trial viz., T1 (neem oil @ 3 ml/l of water), T2 (neem seed karnel @ 20 g/l of water), T3 (garlic extract @ 3 ml/l of water), T4 (Spinosad 45 SC @ 0.5 ml/l of water), T5 (Ripcord 10 EC @ 1 ml/l of water), T6 (Voliam Flexi 300 SC @ 0.5 ml/l of water) and T7 (Untreated Control). With three replications, the experiment was set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). To combat the fruit borer, all of the treatments were used on tomatoes at various phases of growth. T5 produced the healthiest fruit (28.91, 55.67, and 44.95) at the early, mid, and late fruiting stages, as well as the largest single fruit weight (161.60 g). At the same time, the T5 treatment had the lowest mean fruit infestation percentage (2.03 percent). T4 generated the healthiest fruits (25. 21, 53. 12, and 37. 92) among the biopesticides in terms of early, mid, and late fruiting stages, with a single fruit weight of 138.83 g. Treatment T7 had the smallest number and weight of healthy fruit, as well as the highest percentage of fruit infestation. As a result, when compared to the other treatments, T5 performed the best among chemical pesticides and T4 sowed the best performance among biopesticides against tomato fruit borer.

Crop Coefficient Estimation and Effect of Abscisic Acid on Red Cabbage Plants (Brassica oleracea var. Capitata) under Water-Stress Conditions

Understanding the anticipated impact of climate change on agriculture, as well as water conservation, is critical to achieving food security. Therefore, during this critical time and due to reduced water resources and increased food demand, it is important to study the impact of water-stress conditions on crops. Two successive seasons were carried out through the 2021 and 2022 seasons to estimate the crop coefficient (Kc) and study the effect of abscisic acid on red cabbage plants (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) under water-stress conditions at a private farm in the Bilbeis region, Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. The aim was to estimate the crop coefficient (Kc) and effect of different concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA) (0, 25, 50, and 75 ppm) under various irrigation levels (100, 80, and 60% of field capacity “FC”) on the growth process and yield parameters of red cabbage plants. The results revealed that the average estimated crop coefficient (Kc) for red cabbage crops under standard conditions, 100% of FC, was 0.75, 1.07, 1.2 and 0.88 and 0.77, 1.2, 1.25 and 0.82 for Initial, Development, Mid, and End stages during the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons, respectively. Data collected during both seasons clearly showed that all treatments significantly increased both the plant’s growth process and yield parameters when compared to the control. However, abscisic acid (ABA, 75 ppm) application with irrigation requirements (80% of FC) was statistically the most effective treatment in this study. Hence, this means a water savings of 20% can be achieved without significantly compromising the yield.

Quality attributes and biochemical changes in white and colored table grapes as influenced by harvest maturity and ambient postharvest storage

Maturity is a key factor that determines fruit quality and shelflife. Determination of the correct harvest stage is always challenging in non-climacteric fruits, and more complex with grapes because of varietal and climatic variations. Thus, the current study was conducted to determine the effect of different maturity levels on berry composition and postharvest quality of table grapes. Three grape cultivars (‘Sultanina-C’, ‘Flame Seedless’ and ‘NARC Black’) were harvested at early (M1) mid (M2) and late (M3) maturity stages, based on berry color development. Harvested fruits were kept at ambient conditions (25°C with 60-65% Relative Humidity) for physico-chemical and antioxidant evaluation until onset of decay. Results indicated that, regardless of storage duration, the fruit harvested at the second (M2) or third (M3) maturity stages exhibited significantly lower weight loss and berry shattering with better skin color (L*, a*, b*). Titratable acidity (TA) was significantly lower while total soluble solids (TSS), pH and TSS:TA ratio were significantly higher at M3. No significant difference in ethylene production was recorded in maturity stages but a significant linear increase was observed during ambient storage whereas, respiration rate was found to be higher in fruit harvest at early stage of maturity (M1) that increased gradually during ambient storage and start decreasing at the end of shelf life. Total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant scavenging activity (ASA), and activities of antioxidative enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) significantly decreased with increasing maturity level. During ambient storage for 4 days, ASA and activity of SOD, CAT and PPO increased initially and then decreased, while TPC and POX activity decreased linearly. ‘NARC Black’ grapes had higher TPC, ASA, anthocyanins, SOD and POX than the other cultivars. Conclusively, grapes harvested at M3 exhibited better fruit physico-chemical quality attributes with least antioxidative characters which was higher at M1 irrespective to white or colored table grapes at ambient storage.

Antiviral effect and mechanism of Phillyrin and its reformulated FS21 against influenza.

Influenza virus causes significant morbidity and mortality with pandemic threat. Oleaceae Fructus Forsythiae is a medicinal herb. This study aimed to investigate antiviral effect of Phillyrin, a purified bioactive compound from this herb, and its reformulated preparation FS21 against influenza and its mechanism. Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells were infected by one of six influenza viruses: five influenza A viruses (IAVs: three H1N1 and two H3N2) and one influenza B virus (IBV). Virus-induced cytopathic effects were observed and recorded under microscope. Viral replication and mRNA transcription were evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and protein expression by Western blot. Infectious virus production was assessed using TCID50 assay, and IC50 was calculated accordingly. Pretreatment and time-of-addition experiments with Phillyrin or FS21 added 1 h before or in early (0-3 h), mid (3-6 h), or late (6-9 h) stages of viral infection were performed to assess their antiviral effects. Mechanistic studies included hemagglutination and neuraminidase inhibition, viral binding and entry, endosomal acidification, and plasmid-based influenza RNA polymerase activity. Phillyrin and FS21 had potent antiviral effects against all six IAV and IBV in a dose-dependent manner. Mechanistic studies showed that both suppressed influenza viral RNA polymerase with no effect on virus-mediated hemagglutination inhibition, viral binding or entry, endosomal acidification, or neuraminidase activity. Phillyrin and FS21 have broad and potent antiviral effects against influenza viruses with inhibition of viral RNA polymerase as the distinct antiviral mechanism.

Wheat Lodging Segmentation Based on Lstm_PSPNet Deep Learning Network

Lodging is one of the major issues that seriously affects wheat quality and yield. To obtain timely and accurate wheat lodging information and identify the potential factors leading to lodged wheat in wheat breeding programs, we proposed a lodging-detecting model coupled with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) image features of wheat at multiple plant growth stages. The UAV was used to collect canopy images and ground lodging area information at five wheat growth stages. The PSPNet model was improved by combining the convolutional LSTM (ConvLSTM) timing model, inserting the convolutional attention module (CBAM) and the Tversky loss function. The effect of the improved PSPNet network model in monitoring wheat lodging under different image sizes and different growth stages was investigated. The experimental results show that (1) the improved Lstm_PSPNet model was more effective in lodging prediction, and the precision reached 0.952; (2) choosing an appropriate image size could improve the segmentation accuracy, with the optimal image size in this study being 468 × 468; and (3) the model of Lstm_PSPNet improved its segmentation accuracy sequentially from early flowering to late maturity, and the three evaluation metrics increased sequentially from 0.932 to 0.952 for precision, from 0.912 to 0.940 for recall, and from 0.922 to 0.950 for F1-Score, with good extraction at mid and late reproductive stages. Therefore, the lodging information extraction model proposed in this study can make full use of temporal sequence features to improve image segmentation accuracy and effectively extract lodging areas at different growth stages. The model can provide more comprehensive reference and technical support for monitoring the lodging of wheat crops at different growth stages.

Stage-, dose-, and course-dependent inhibition of prenatal amoxicillin exposure on fetal articular cartilage development in fetal mice

Amoxicillin is widely used in the treatment of infectious diseases during pregnancy; however, the effects of prenatal amoxicillin exposure (PAE) on fetal development remain largely unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the toxic effects of PAE on fetal cartilage at different stage-, dose-, and course. Pregnant Kunming mice were orally administered 300 mg/kg·d (converted from clinical dose) amoxicillin on gestational days (GD) 10–12 or 16–18 (mid or late pregnancy stage), 150 or 300 mg/kg.d amoxicillin on GD16–18 (different doses), 300 mg/kg·d amoxicillin on GD16 (single course) or 16–18 (multiple courses), respectively. The fetal articular cartilage of the knee was collected on GD18. The number of chondrocytes and the expression of matrix synthesis/degradation, proliferation/apoptosis-related markers, and the TGF-β signaling pathway were detected. The results showed that the number of chondrocytes and the expression of matrix synthesis markers were reduced in male fetal mice treated with PAE (GD16–18, 300 mg/kg.d, single course and multiple courses), whereas the above indices in female mice showed no changes. The inhibited expression of PCNA, increased expression of Caspase-3, and down-regulated expression of the TGF-β signaling pathway were found in male PAE fetal mice. Accordingly, PAE exerted its “toxic effect window” on the knee cartilage development in male fetal mice, which manifested as reduced chondrocyte number and inhibited expression of matrix synthesis at a clinical dose of multiple courses in the late pregnancy stage. This study provides a theoretical and experimental basis for elucidating the risk of chondrodevelopmental toxicity associated with amoxicillin during pregnancy.

The First Analysis of Synaptonemal Complexes in Jawless Vertebrates: Chromosome Synapsis and Transcription Reactivation at Meiotic Prophase I in the Lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis (Petromyzontiformes, Cyclostomata)

Transcription is known to be substage-specific in meiotic prophase I. If transcription is reactivated in the mid pachytene stage in mammals when synapsis is completed, then this process is observed in the zygotene stage in insects. The process of transcriptional reactivation has been studied in a small number of different taxa of invertebrates and vertebrates. Here, for the first time, we investigate synapsis and transcription in prophase I in the European river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis (Petromyzontiformes, Cyclostomata), which is representative of jawless vertebrates that diverged from the main branch of vertebrates between 535 and 462 million years ago. We found that not all chromosomes complete synapsis in telomeric regions. Rounded structures were detected in chromatin and in some synaptonemal complexes, but their nature could not be determined conclusively. An analysis of RNA polymerase II distribution led to the conclusion that transcriptional reactivation in lamprey prophase I is not associated with the completion of chromosome synapsis. Monomethylated histone H3K4 is localized in meiotic chromatin throughout prophase I, and this pattern has not been previously detected in animals. Thus, the findings made it possible to identify synaptic and epigenetic patterns specific to this group and to expand knowledge about chromatin epigenetics in prophase I.

Conformational dynamics of eukaryotic translation.

The ribosome is a molecular machine that adopts multiple conformations during translation. The body of the small ribosomal subunit rotates relatively to the large ribosomal subunit by about 9 degrees. This movement reconfigures tRNA binding sites, which results in a partial movement of tRNAs on the ribosome. At the beginning of the elongation cycle, the ribosome awaits A-site decoding and occupies the non-rotated conformation. Upon A-site tRNA binding, the ribosome rapidly catalyzes peptidyl transfer. It is followed by counterclockwise rotations of the small ribosomal subunit that puts the ribosome into the rotated state. The resultant pre-translocation complex is dynamic and exchanges between rotated and non-rotated conformations. Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) catalyzes translocation, which moves tRNA-mRNA and resets the ribosome into the non-rotated state. Despite extensive biochemical and structural studies, the underlying mechanism of translation elongation remains elusive. We developed a single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) system that allows the observation of intersubunit conformational change of yeast ribosomes in real-time. We followed the ribosome conformational change in pre- and post-translocation ribosome complexes. To interrogate the mechanism of translocation, we applied antifungal sordarin. Sordarin stabilizes eEF2 on the ribosome after GTP hydrolysis and phosphate release. Our results suggest that in the presence of sordarin, the mid and late stages of translocation are thermally driven.

Development of the crop coefficient for vertically trained cucumber vines grown in soilless media under naturally ventilated greenhouse conditions

AbstractIn the wake of climate change and water scarcity issues, protected cultivation combined with precise irrigation management allows effective water resource utilization. This research was intended to find the actual crop evapotranspiration (ETc) of vertically trained cucumber vines in a soilless medium and develop crop coefficients (Kc) under greenhouse conditions. Experiments were performed in three micro‐lysimeters (volume 0.015 m3) placed inside a naturally ventilated greenhouse from April to June 2018 (season I) and September to December 2019 (season II) with a planting density of 0.32 m2/plant. The FAO‐56 Penman–Monteith equation was used to calculate reference evapotranspiration (ETo), and lysimeters were used to calculate the actual ETc. The average actual ETc of cucumber vines in season II (147.81 mm) was almost half of the ETc in season I (275.24 mm). The higher ETc in season I was due to a higher ETo of 493 mm during season I compared to 150 mm in season II inside the greenhouse. Kc values for season I were 0.3, 0.74, 1.11 and 0.68 compared to 0.3, 0.77, 1.38 and 0.79 in season II during the initial development, mid and end stages of cucumber vines, respectively, under greenhouse conditions.

Light controls alpine meadow community assembly during succession by affecting species recruitment from the seed bank.

Some research indicates that soil seed banks can promote species coexistence through storage effects. However, the seed bank mechanism that maintains plant assembly and its role in degraded grassland restoration are still not clear. We collected seed bank samples from early, mid and late secondary successional stages of an abandoned subalpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau, and samples from each stage were exposed to full (i.e., natural), mid, and low light treatments in the field to represent light availability at the bottom/understory (soil surface) of a plant community in the early, mid and late stages of succession, respectively. Species richness, seed density, species composition, and community weighted mean values (CWMs) of seed mass of the species whose seeds germinated in soil samples were evaluated. In response to the light treatments, species richness increased significantly with increased light only for the late successional stage, seed density increased significantly with increased light only in the early and mid successional stages, and seed mass decreased significantly with increased light only in the mid and late successional stages. Species composition differed significantly among the light treatments only in the late successional stage. For the successional series, species richness and seed mass of the species that germinated increased significantly with succession only under mid and full light treatments. Seed density decreased significantly with succession in each light treatment. Species composition differed significantly between the early- and late stage and between the mid and late stage in each light treatment. Both the abiotic (light) and biotic (seed mass) factors influence seed bank recruitment to the plant community. Regeneration of small-seeded species in the seed bank was inhibited under low light in the late successional stage. The balance of stochastic and deterministic processes along a successional gradient was determined by regeneration from the seed bank depending on light intensity change. Differences in seed response to light intensity change largely determined plant community assembly. Our findings should help in the development of effective conservation and restoration strategies.

Expression Variance of the PRLR Gene and its Association with Milk Productive Traits in Pure Holstein-Friesian and Montbeliarde×Holstein Crossbred Cattle Raised under Egyptian Condition

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the expression level of the PRLR gene and milk production traits at different parities in pure Holstein-Friesian and Montbeliarde×Holstein crossbred cattle reared under Egyptian conditions, as well as its potential use in future breeding programs. For this purpose, eighteen healthy cows in mid lactation stage belonging to the first, second, and third parities were selected from each breed for sampling, RNA extraction, and quantitative real-time PCR. The results revealed that, the mean relative expression of prolactin receptor gene and its fold change level were significantly higher in pure Holstein-Friesian than Montbeliarde×Holstein crossbred at the level of the first three parities. In addition, there is a significant and strong positive correlation between PRLR1 and PRLR3 in pure Holstein-Friesian cattle. Significant negative correlations between PRLR2 and PRLR3, DMY3 and TMY3, were observed in Montbeliarde×Holstein crossbred cows. In conclusion, this information about the PRLR gene could be a useful indicator for the milk production trait and could be used in crossing programs that depend on genetic selection.

High Energy Focused Extracorporeal Shock Wave therapy for early and mid stage femoral head necrosis: A single center Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Research has shown that extracorporeal shock wave therapy has a certain therapeutic effect on the osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). However, the sample sizes are relatively small. The aim of this study is to evaluate and investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of high-energy extracorporeal shock wave treatment (ESWT) in the management of early and mid-stage ONFH by observing a large size clinical sample. Materials & Methods: 453 patients with stage I–III ONFH treated ESWT in our hospital between June 2019 to August 2021, are included. The visual analog pain scale (VAS), Harris hip score, radiography, and magnetic resonance imaging were used to estimate treatment results. The progression of ONFH was evaluated by imaging examination and clinical outcomes. Results: The mean follow-up was 39.81±7.94 months (range 26 to 50 months). The mean VAS decreased from 5.54 ± 1.19 before ESWT treatment to 1.92 ± 0.43 points at the 12 months follow-up (p < 0.001). The mean Harris hip score improved from 75.51 ± 5.14 before ESWT treatment, to 92.21 ± 4.53 at the 12 months follow-up (p < 0.001). The clinical success(improvement) was observed in 85.71% of ARCO stage I patients, 48.09% of ARCO stage II patients, and 49.15% of ARCO stage III patients. Imaging success (no worsening of clinical images) was observed in 12.38% stage I hips, 28.37% of stage II hips, and 27.12% of stage III hips, respectively. The hip joint survival rate of stage Ⅱ and stage Ⅲ patients was 86.51% and 77.97% (P<0.05). Conclusions: The result of the current study suggests that ESWT definitely represents an effective, reliable, and safe therapeutic method for early and middle stages of ONFH with bone marrow edema syndrome (BMES), and should be recommended as a therapeutic option. Keywords: High-energy extracorporeal shock wave therapy, Osteonecrosis, Femoral head, Bone marrow edema.

Evapotranspiration of a Hungarian rice variety, ‘SZV Tünde’ in large weighing lysimeter

Aerobic rice production is an alternative growing method to reduce water consumption of rice and thus increase the water productivity of the system without a significant reduction of yield and quality. Evapotranspiration (ETc) of a Hungarian rice variety, ‘SZV Tünde’ under aerobic conditions was measured in large weighing lysimeter during the growing season in 2020. In our experiment, 506.7 g/m2 grain yield and a total above-ground biomass of 1140.4 g/m2 were produced with the application of 315.6 mm of irrigation. Water use-efficiency (WUE) based on the water input and the grain yield was 0.65 g/L. Total ETc for the whole season was measured as 648.3 mm. However, ETc values were ranged 2.04-3.86 mm/day, 3.57-7.90 mm/day and 0.90-4.26 mm/day at the initial, mid and end stages, respectively. Crop coefficients for the different periods of the season were calculated as Kcini=0.82, Kcmid=1.40 and Kcend=0.77. Negative effects of drought can seriously damage rice crop; therefore irrigation scheduling has significant role in successful aerobic rice cultivation. Reliable estimation of evapotranspiration rate in different crop developmental stages can promote this goal.

Bonobo mothers have elevated urinary cortisol levels during early but not mid or late lactation

In mammals, the costs of reproduction are biased towards females. Lactation is particularly energetically expensive, and behavioral and physiological data indicate that maternal effort during lactation induces energetic stress. Another source of stress in females is male aggression directed towards them when they are cycling. Evaluating the costs of reproduction in wild and mobile animals can be a challenging task, and requires detailed information on state-dependent parameters such as hormone levels. Glucocorticoid (GC) levels are indicative of nutritional and social stress, and are widely used to assess the costs of reproduction. We investigated variation in urinary levels of cortisol, the main GC in female bonobos (Pan paniscus), between and within reproductive stages. Female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), the closest living relative of the bonobos, are often exposed to intense aggression from males, which causes a significant rise in their cortisol levels during the phase of their maximum fecundity. In bonobos, males compete for access to fertile females, but aggressive male mating strategies are absent in this species. Therefore, we expected that GC levels of cycling female bonobos would be lower than those of lactating females. Due to the long period of offspring care in bonobos, we expected that GC levels would remain elevated into the late stage of lactation, when immatures gain body weight but may still be nursed and carried by their mothers. We found elevated urinary GC levels only during the early stage of lactation. The GC levels of cycling females did not differ from those in the mid or late lactation stage. Behavioral strategies of female bonobos may allow them to compensate for the elevated energetic demands of lactation and prolonged maternal care.

Study on spoilage potential and its molecular basis of Shewanella putrefaciens in response to cold conditions by Label-free quantitative proteomic analysis.

To elucidate how Shewanella putrefaciens survives and produces spoilage products in response to cold conditions, the metabolic and protease activity of S. putrefaciens DSM6067 cultured at three different temperatures (30°C, 10°C, and 4°C) was studied by determining the bacterial growth, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), biogenic amines, extracellular protease activity, as well as the differential expressed proteins via Label-free quantitative proteomics analysis. The lag phase of the strain cultured at 10°C and 4°C was about 20h and 120h longer than at 30°C, respectively. The TVB-N increased to 89.23mgN/100g within 28h at 30°C, and it needed at least 72h and 224h at 10°C and 4°C, respectively. Cold temperatures (10°C and 4°C) also inhibited the yield factors and the extracellular protease activity per cell at the lag phase. However, the protease activity per cell and the yield factors of the sample cultivated at 10°C and 4°C well recovered, especially at the mid and latter stages of the log phase. The further quantitative proteomic analysis displayed a complex biological network to tackle cold stress: cold stress responses, nutrient uptake, and energy conservation strategy. It was observed that the protease and peptidase were upregulated, so as to the degradation pathways of serine, arginine, and aspartate, which might lead to the accumulation of spoilage products. This study highlighted the spoilage potential of S. putrefaciens still should be concerned even at low temperatures.

Expression and localization of apelin and apelin receptor (APJ) in buffalo ovarian follicles and corpus luteum and the in-vitro effect of apelin on steroidogenesis and survival of granulosa cells

Apelin is an adipose tissue-derived hormone with many physiological functions, including the regulation of female reproduction. It acts through an orphan G protein-coupled receptor APJ/APLNR. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of apelin and its receptor APJ in the ovarian follicles and corpus luteum (CL) and the role of apelin on steroidogenesis and cell survival. Ovarian follicles were classified into four groups based on size and estradiol (E2) level in the follicular fluid as follows: (i) F1 (4–6 mm; <0.5 ng/mL) (ii) F2 (7–9 mm; 0.5–5 ng/mL) (iii) F3 (10–13 mm; 5–40 ng/mL) and (iv) F4 (dominant/pre-ovulatory follicle) (>13 mm; >180 ng/mL). The corpora lutea (CL) were categorized into early (CL1), mid (CL2), late luteal (CL3), and regressing (CL4) CL stages. Expression of apelin increased with follicle size, with significantly greatest in the dominant or pre-ovulatory follicle (P < 0.05). Expression of APJ was greater in large and dominant follicles than in small and medium follicles (P < 0.05). In CL, the mRNA and protein abundance of apelin and apelin receptor was greater during mid (CL2) and late luteal (CL3) stages as compared to early (CL1) and regressing (CL4) stages (P < 0.05). Both the factors were localized in granulosa and theca cells of follicles and small and large luteal cells of CL. The pattern of the intensity of immunofluorescence was similar to mRNA and protein expression. Granulosa cells were cultured in vitro and treated at 1, 10, and 10 ng/mL apelin-13 either alone or in the presence of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (30 ng/mL) or insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) (10 ng/mL) for 48 h. The luteal cells were treated with apelin-13 at 1, 10, and 100 ng/mL doses for 48 h. Apelin treatment at 10 and 100 ng/ml significantly (P < 0.05) increased E2 secretion, cytochrome P450 aromatase or CYP19A1 expression in GC. In luteal cells, apelin at 10 ng/mL and 100 ng/mL significantly (P < 0.05) increased progesterone (P4) secretion and HSD3B1 expression. In GCs, apelin, either alone or in combination, increased PCNA expression and inhibited CASPASE3 expression suggesting its role in cell survival. In conclusion, this study provides novel evidence for the presence of apelin and receptor APJ in ovarian follicles and corpora lutea and the stimulatory effect on E2 and P4 production and promotes GC survival in buffalo, suggesting the role of apelin in follicular and luteal functions in buffalo.

Economic burden of Huntington disease in Europe and the USA: Results from the Huntington's Disease Burden of Illness study.

The prevalence of Huntington disease (HD) has increased over time; however, there is a lack of up-to-date evidence documenting the economic burden of HD by disease stage. This study provides an estimate of the annual direct medical, nonmedical, and indirect costs associated with HD from participants in the Huntington's Disease Burden of Illness (HDBOI) study in five European countries and the USA. The HDBOI is a retrospective, cross-sectional study. Data collection was conducted between September 2020 and May 2021. Participants were recruited by their HD-treating physicians and categorized as early stage (ES), mid stage (MS), or advanced stage (AS) HD. Data were collected via three questionnaires: a case report form, completed by physicians who collected health care resource use associated with HD to compute direct medical cost, and optional patient and caregiver questionnaires, which included information used to compute nondirect medical and indirect costs. Country-specific unit cost sources were used. HDBOI cost estimates were €12,663 (n= 2094) for direct medical costs, €2984 (n= 359) for nondirect medical costs, and €47,576 (n= 436) for indirect costs. Costs are higher in patients who are at later stages of disease; for example, direct medical costs estimates were €9220 (n= 846), €11,885 (n= 701), and €18,985 (n= 547) for ES, MS, and AS, respectively. Similar trends were observed for nondirect and indirect costs. Costs show large variations between patients and countries. Cost estimates from the HDBOI study show that people with HD and their caregivers bear a large economic burden that increases as disease progresses.

Application of multi-layer neural network and hyperspectral reflectance in genome-wide association study for grain yield in bread wheat

Grain yield (GY) is a primary trait for phenotype selection in crop breeding. Rapid and cost-effective prediction of GY before harvest from remote sensing platforms can be integrated with practical breeding activities. In this study, a natural population containing 166 wheat cultivars and elite lines was used for time-series prediction of GY using ground-based hyperspectral remote sensing. Canopy hyperspectral data (350–2500 nm) was collected at the flowering, early grain-filling (EGF), mid grain-filling (MGF), and late grain-filling (LGF) stages under four environments. GY was predicted by using full bands reflectance as input of multi-layer neural network. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using 373,106 markers from 660 K and 90 K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays in 166 wheat genotypes. Prediction accuracy for GY characterized by R 2 values were 0.68, 0.69, 0.76, and 0.65 at flowering, EGF, MGF, and LGF, respectively. Among the 26 loci identified by predicted GY, 13 were located in similar positions to previously reported loci related to yield, and another 13 were potentially new loci. Linear regression ( R 2 ) ranged from 0.87 to 0.94 indicating that distinct cumulative effects of favorable alleles detected by predicted GY were increasing as compared to measured GY. This study highlights the feasibility of combining remote sensing with machine learning for wheat breeding decisions and to understand the underlying genetic basis of crop yield. • The use of hyperspectral reflectance to predict wheat yield is investigated. • Higher accuracy of yield prediction at the mid grain-filling stage. • Predicted yield can detect QTLs that are consistent with the measured yield.

FGFR2b signalling restricts lineage-flexible alveolar progenitors during mouse lung development and converges in mature alveolar type 2 cells

The specification, characterization, and fate of alveolar type 1 and type 2 (AT1 and AT2) progenitors during embryonic lung development are poorly defined. Current models of distal epithelial lineage formation fail to capture the heterogeneity and dynamic contribution of progenitor pools present during early development. Furthermore, few studies explore the pathways involved in alveolar progenitor specification and fate. In this paper, we build upon our previously published work on the regulation of airway epithelial progenitors by fibroblast growth factor receptor 2b (FGFR2b) signalling during early (E12.5) and mid (E14.5) pseudoglandular stage lung development. Our results suggest that a significant proportion of AT2 and AT1 progenitors are lineage-flexible during late pseudoglandular stage development, and that lineage commitment is regulated in part by FGFR2b signalling. We have characterized a set of direct FGFR2b targets at E16.5 which are likely involved in alveolar lineage formation. These signature genes converge on a subpopulation of AT2 cells later in development and are downregulated in AT2 cells transitioning to the AT1 lineage during repair after injury in adults. Our findings highlight the extensive heterogeneity of pneumocytes by elucidating the role of FGFR2b signalling in these cells during early airway epithelial lineage formation, as well as during repair after injury.

Use of two hybrid algorithms in the investigation and prediction of the values of five quantitative traits of guar beans in different deficit irrigation methods

Nowadays, deficit irrigation is of particular importance in areas facing the water shortage and drought. This study focused on the investigation and prediction of the values of five quantitative traits of guar beans under different deficit irrigation methods. Deficit irrigation methods were carried out at the initial, development, mid, and late plant growth stages. The experiment was carried out in 25 treatments each with four replications in 2018 and 2019. Initially, the values of five quantitative traits of guar beans were divided into three categories, the values of which were clustered using the K-means algorithm. Then, clusters were predicted using a combination of K-means and CART algorithms. Finally, the relationship between different deficit irrigation methods and clusters was investigated by a combination of K-means and Apriori algorithms. The results of two hybrid algorithms determined that the amount of irrigation in the mid-stage of plant growth significantly affected the five quantitative traits of guar beans. After the mid-stage of the plant growth, the amount of irrigation in the development, initial, and late growth stages had the greatest effect on the quantitative traits of guar beans. Among the deficit irrigation methods, irrigation rates of 60% in the primary stage, 80% in the development stage, 100% in the mid-stage, and 40% in the late stage of the plant growth were the best deficit irrigation methods in the four stages of growth.