Root Function Research Articles

Modelled biological effectiveness comparisons of low, high and ultra-high (FLASH) radiation dose rates

This article considers quantitative comparisons of radiation effectiveness across a large range of dose rates, including low (LDR), medium, conventional or high (HDR) and ultra-high (or FLASH) dose rates.For comparisons of different continuous radiotherapy prescriptions, the linear quadratic model was used to derive ‘biological effective dose’ (BED) equations which included time-dependent enzymatic DNA repair in the low to high dose rate range for monophasic or biphasic repair kinetics. In a recent publication, much higher dose rates, associated with increasing overall radioresistance, was thought to be governed by a cube root (or similar) function of dose rate (which expresses the intensification of micro-volumetric linear energy transfer per unit volume and correlates with average inter-track distances) with resultant increases in the apparent α/β ratios. Explicit equations for assessments of BED* (defined as the excess BED beyond the threshold BED) are presented for dose rates ranging from around 0.1–5 × 106 Gy per hr. The method can also be adapted for tumour control comparisons.Graphical presentations are used to determine iso-effective doses of similar BED* values at different dose rates, for specified radiation doses. The threshold BEDs for radio-tolerance reduce in proportion to the change in the α radiosensitivity parameter. For dose rates above the HDR range, the intrinsic α/β ratio, which is independent of dose rate, continues to influence the magnitude of the changes in BED and dose required for a specified bio-effect, but in a modified form.For further research purposes, these tentative methods can provide isoeffective dose estimates to guide radiation use at different dose rates, but require further specific experimental validation. The methods may seem complex and contain many pitfalls. Further research is also required to identify residual enigmas, such as the exact dose rate and dose at which biological FLASH effects begin to operate and to validate these isoeffective dose predictions.

Inverse problems of determining an unknown depending on time coefficient for a parabolic equation with involution and periodicity conditions

The solution of the investigated problem with an unknown coefficient in the equation was constructed by using the method of separation of variables. The properties of the induced spectral problem for the second-order differential equation with involution are studied. The dependence on the equation involutive part of the spectrum and its multiplicity as well as the structure of the system of root functions and partial solutions of the problem were investigated. The conditions for the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the inverse problem have been established. To determine the required coefficient, Volterra's integral equation of the second kind was found and solved.

Perennial grass root system specializes for multiple resource acquisitions with differential elongation and branching patterns.

Roots optimize the acquisition of limited soil resources, but relationships between root forms and functions have often been assumed rather than demonstrated. Furthermore, how root systems co-specialize for multiple resource acquisitions is unclear. Theory suggests that trade-offs exist for the acquisition of different resource types, such as water and certain nutrients. Measurements used to describe the acquisition of different resources should then account for differential root responses within a single system. To demonstrate this, we grew Panicum virgatum in split-root systems that vertically partitioned high water availability from nutrient availability so that root systems must absorb the resources separately to fully meet plant demands. We evaluated root elongation, surface area, and branching, and we characterized traits using an order-based classification scheme. Plants allocated approximately 3/4th of primary root length towards water acquisition, whereas lateral branches were progressively allocated towards nutrients. However, root elongation rates, specific root length, and mass fraction were similar. Our results support the existence of differential root functioning within perennial grasses. Similar responses have been recorded in many plant functional types suggesting a fundamental relationship. Root responses to resource availability can be incorporated into root growth models via maximum root length and branching interval parameters.

Forecasting the Final Contract Cost on the Basis of the Owner’s Cost Estimation Using an Artificial Neural Network

Raising the final contract cost (FCC) is a significant risk for project owners. This study hypothesizes that the factors that cause owner’s cost estimation (OCE) accuracy and FCC changes share the same causes, and a case study confirmed that the two variables (OCE and FCC) could be correlated. Accordingly, this study aims to develop a forecast model to predict FCC on the basis of the initial OCE, which has not been studied previously. This study utilized data from 34 Saudi Arabian projects. Two linear regression models developed the data, and the square root function transformed the data. Moreover, the artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed after data standardization using Zavadskas and Turskis’ logarithmic method. The results showed that the ANN model had a MAPE smaller than the two linear regression models. Using Zavadskas and Turskis’ logarithmic standardization method and elimination of data that had an absolute percentage error (APE) of more than 35% led to an increase in ANN model accuracy and provided a MAPE value of less than 8.5%.

Analysis of marine garbage catches in mangrove roots of rhizophora sp in senggarang besar, tanjungpinang, Indonesia

Rhizophora sp has a single root. The shape of the roots, which are like anchors, is what makes mangroves wave absorbers, sediment binder, and so on. One of the functions of mangrove roots is to prevent the release of garbage into the open sea. This is due to the shape of the roots that make garbage snagged (caught) on the sidelines of the roots. The purpose of this study was to analyze the capture of marine debris in the mangrove roots of Rhizophora sp in the Sengarang Besar ecosystem. This research was conducted in December 2021 in the mangrove forest of Senggarang Besar. The method used is the line transect method with 10 Rhizophora sp mangrove trees located on the coast. Then, data analysis on the density of waste caught in the mangrove roots of Rhizophora sp. The results showed that the inorganic waste found in the mangrove roots of Rhizophora sp were plastic waste, metal waste, glass waste, rubber waste, and cloth waste. Plastic waste is the highest waste catch in the mangrove ecosystem of the Great Senggarang beach. Then the data that has been taken is analyzed using Pearson correlation to prove whether there is a relationship between the circumference and the type of garbage caught. The results of the Pearson correlation between cloth and plastic with root circumference were -0.30 and -0.04 (no correlation between the two variables); Pearson glass correlation with root circumference was 0.45 (sufficient correlation); Pearson rubber correlation with circumference is 0.71 (strong correlation). It can be concluded that there are other factors such as geographical influences, ocean currents, and others in the catch of garbage at mangrove roots.

Analysis of marine garbage catches in mangrove roots of rhizopora sp in senggarang besar, tanjungpinang

Rhizopora sp has a single root. The shape of the roots, which are like anchors, is what makes mangroves a wave absorber, sediment binder, and so on. One of the functions of mangrove roots is to prevent the release of garbage into the open sea. This is due to the shape of the roots that make garbage snagged (caught) on the sidelines of the roots. The purpose of this study was to analyze the capture of marine debris in the mangrove roots of Rhizopora sp in the Sengarang Besar ecosystem. This research was conducted in December 2021 in the mangrove forest of Senggarang Besar. The method used is the line transect method with 10 Rhizopora sp mangrove trees located on the coast. Then, data analysis on the density of waste caught in the mangrove roots of Rhizopora sp. The results showed that the inorganic waste found in the mangrove roots of Rhizopora sp were plastic waste, metal waste, glass waste, rubber waste, and cloth waste. Plastic waste is the highest waste catch in the mangrove ecosystem of the Great Senggarang beach. Then the data that has been taken is analyzed using Pearson correlation to prove whether there is a relationship between the circumference and the type of garbage caught. The results of the Pearson correlation between cloth and plastic with root circumference were -0.30 and -0.04 (no correlation between the two variables); Pearson glass correlation with root circumference was 0.45 (sufficient correlation); Pearson rubber correlation with circumference is 0.71 (strong correlation). It can be concluded that there are other factors such as geographical influences, ocean currents and others in the catch of garbage at mangrove roots.

Alterations in Cervical Nerve Root Function during Different Sitting Positions in Adults with and without Forward Head Posture: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The current study aimed to determine whether participants with and without forward head posture (FHP) would respond differently in cervical nerve root function to various sitting positions. We measured peak-to-peak dermatomal somatosensory-evoked potentials (DSSEPs) in 30 participants with FHP and in 30 participants matched for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) with normal head posture (NHP), defined as having a craniovertebral angle (CVA) >55°. Additional inclusion criteria for recruitment were individuals between the ages of 18 and 28 who were in good health and had no musculoskeletal pain. All 60 participants underwent C6, C7, and C8 DSSEPs evaluation. The measurements were taken in three positions: erect sitting, slouched sitting, and supine. We identified statistically significant differences in the cervical nerve root function in all postures between the NHP and FHP groups (p < 0.001), indicating that the FHP and NHP reacted differently in different positions. No significant differences between groups for the DSSEPs were identified for the supine position (p > 0.05), in contrast to the erect and slouched sitting positions, which showed a significant difference in nerve root function between the NHP and FHP (p < 0.001). The NHP group results were consistent with the prior literature and had the greatest DSSEP peaks when in the upright position. However, the participants in the FHP group demonstrated the largest peak-to-peak amplitude of DSSEPs while in the slouched position as opposed to an erect position. The optimal sitting posture for cervical nerve root function may be dependent upon the underlying CVA of a person, however, further research is needed to corroborate these findings.

Electrochemical study of agarose hydrogels for natural convection on macroelectrodes and ultramicroelectrodes

Electrochemical measurements using an agarose hydrogel as a solid electrolyte and ferrocyanide as a redox probe were conducted to analyze transport properties and natural convection effects. The mass transport properties and diffusion coefficients of ferrocyanide were studied using various macroelectrodes and ultramicroelectrodes via cyclic voltammetry. The experimental results confirmed that the mass transfer behavior in agarose was similar to that in solution. The good linearity of the square root of the scan-rate-dependent peak current demonstrated that diffusion is dominant during mass transfer in agarose hydrogel owing to a reduction in other mass transport effects (i.e., migration and convection). Furthermore, chronoamperometry (CA) was performed to estimate the effects of natural convection in the solution and agarose hydrogel. CA curves and plots of current as a function of the inverse square root of time yielded irregular and irreproducible responses in the solution for relatively long-term electrochemistry. However, in the agarose hydrogel, the CA response was more regular and reproducible for > 300 s because of reduced natural convection, based on the Cottrell’s theory.

Longitudinal section cell morphology of Chinese fir roots and the relationship between root structure and function

IntroductionThe longitudinal section cell morphology of Chinese fir roots was studied to better understand the relationship between root structure and root function.MaterialsIn this study, the adjusted microwave paraffin section method and the selected two sample transparency methods were used to process the Chinese fir roots and combined with the laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) technique, the morphology of Chinese fir roots longitudinal section can be clearly observed in a short time. At the same time, the observation effect of the longitudinal section cell morphology of the LSCM image of the thick section of the Chinese fir roots and the ordinary optical imaging of the thin section was analyzed and compared.Results and DiscussionThe results showed that: (1) There were apparent differences in the observation effect of cell morphology in longitudinal sections of Chinese fir roots obtained using various treatment methods. Under LSCM, the section with a thickness of 20 μm generated by the microwave paraffin section technique displayed complete cell morphology and clear structure in the root cap, meristem zone, and elongation zone. The overall imaging effect was good; the thickness was 0.42–1.01, 0.64–1.57, and 0.95–2.71 mm, respectively. The cell arrangement in maturation zone cells was more regular. (2) Compared to the ordinary optical imaging of thin sections, the thick sections of roots made by the microwave paraffin section method shortened the time to obtain high-quality sections to ensure the observation effect. Therefore, adopting the microwave paraffin cutting approach to produce thicker root sections under LSCM allows for rapid observation of the cell morphology in longitudinal sections of Chinese fir roots. The current study provides the efficient operation procedure for the microscopic observation technology of the longitudinal section of Chinese fir roots, which is not only beneficial to reveal the relationship between the root structure and function from the microscopic point of view but also provides a technical reference for the anatomical study of other organs and the observation of the longitudinal section cell morphology of plant roots with similar structural characteristics.

MAPPING BENTHIC HABITAT FROM WORLDVIEW-3 IMAGE USING RANDOM FOREST CASE STUDY: NUSA LEMBONGAN, BALI, INDONESIA

Abstract. Benthic habitats are coastal ecosystems that provide many benefits and play an important role in the diversity of nature. The maps are developed using random forest method on the Worldview-3 image. Optically shallow water around Nusa Lembongan was selected as the study area. Sunglint and water column correction were applied to surface reflectance data to produce deglint, depth invariant index, and deglint-depth invariant index band for random forest classification. In addition, tuning parameters, including the number of trees and the function to determine the number of randomly selected, are used in the classification. The benthic habitats classification scheme was constructed based on the variations of in situ data, which consisted of coral reefs, seagrass, macroalgae, and substrate. The confusion matrix was used to analyze the accuracy, and the McNemar test to evaluate the level of statistical significance between different processing scenarios. The best benthic habitats map is determined based on the accuracy and spatial distribution of the object. Meanwhile, the random forest algorithm produced 62.72% – 73.00% overall accuracy and these accuracy variations were not statistically significant. According to the findings, surface reflectance data with the parameter setting comprising 500 trees and square root function yielded the best random forest scenario for mapping benthic ecosystems.

Aridity threshold and grazing effects revealed by ecological interaction networks between leaf, root, and biomass function

Increasing aridity and grazing have multifaceted effects on the ecosystem, of which plant traits interact with each other to coregulate the productivity function including above- and below- ground compartments of plant. The ecological interaction network among plant traits could reflect how ecosystem interact with, influence, and respond to environment change. In this study, the interaction network between leaf, root, and biomass function was revealed to indicate systemic ecosystem response to increasing aridity and grazing by sampling in enclosed plots along the aridity gradient and in neighboring grazing plots of China drylands. Systemic and abrupt changes in the network relationship between leaf, root, and biomass were observed with a threshold value of 1-AI (aridity index) ∼ 0.8. The control effect of roots on other traits and the interaction of leaf and root compartments increased in the opposite direction above the threshold. The change in the relative importance of key traits with increasing aridity caused the different grazing effects. Grazing decreased the leaf area in the area with1-AI ∼ 0.6, whereas it increased the effect of roots in the area with 1-AI ∼ 0.8, thus promoting the interaction of functional traits. This result suggests the essential role of the interaction network between plant traits in ecosystem response to environmental change, which could indicate the ecosystem change in a holistic perspective under global change.

Water Stress Induced Changes in Root Traits and Yield of Irrigated Rice under Subtropical Condition

The presence of water or the degree of soil saturation has a direct impact on the root development and function in rice. In this regard, a pot investigation was performed to test the response of root traits and yield components of boro (irrigated) rice. Three boro rice varieties named Binadhan-10, Hira-2 and BRRI dhan 29 were grown at four irrigation regimes, viz. continuous flooding (CF), saturation (S), 75% S and 50% S at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh, throughout the boro period of 2020–2021. The study was replicated three times by employing a completely randomized design (CRD) method. The study revealed a drastic decline in root attributes at 75% and 50% S. A significant increase in root number (RN), root length (RL), root volume (RV), total dry matter (TDM) and grain yield (GY) under S condition followed by CF was observed. Binadhan-10 exhibited the largest scores of RN (359.00), RL (1577.83 cm) and RV (8.34 cm3 hill−1) at 80 DAT under S condition. Root attributes and GY were found to be substantially and positively associated in all observations. Binadhan-10 performed best with regard to seed output (26.13 g pot−1) under S condition. S condition increased the yield of Binadhan-10 in CF, 75% S and 50% S by 4.06%, 23.72% and 46.00%, respectively.

Restoring bladder function using motor and sensory nerve transfers: a cadaveric feasibility study.

Bladder dysfunction after nerve injury has a variable presentation, and extent of injury determines whether the bladder is spastic or atonic. The authors have proposed a series of 3 nerve transfers for functional innervation of the detrusor muscle and external urethral sphincter, along with sensory innervation to the genital dermatome. These transfers are applicable to only cases with low spinal segment injuries (sacral nerve root function is lost) and largely preserved lumbar function. Transfer of the posterior branch of the obturator nerve to the vesical branch of the pelvic nerve provides a feasible mechanism for patients to initiate detrusor contraction by thigh adduction. External urethra innervation (motor and sensory) may be accomplished by transfer of the vastus medialis nerve to the pudendal nerve. The sensory component of the pudendal nerve to the genitalia may be further enhanced by transfer of the saphenous nerve (sensory) to the pudendal nerve. The main limitations of coapting the nerve donors to their intrapelvic targets are the bifurcation or arborization points of the parent nerve. To ensure that the donor nerves had sufficient length and diameter, the authors sought to measure these parameters. Twenty-six pelvic and anterior thigh regions were dissected in 13 female cadavers. After the graft and donor sites were clearly exposed and the branches identified, the donor nerves were cut at suitable distal sites and then moved into the pelvis for tensionless anastomosis. Diameters were measured with calipers. The obturator nerve was bifurcated a mean ± SD (range) of 5.5 ± 1.7 (2.0-9.0) cm proximal to the entrance of the obturator foramen. In every cadaver, the authors were able to bring the posterior division of the obturator nerve to the vesical branch of the pelvic nerve (located internal to the ischial spine) in a tensionless manner with an excess obturator nerve length of 2.0 ± 1.2 (0.0-5.0) cm. The distance between the femoral nerve arborization and the anterior superior iliac spine was 9.3 ± 1.8 (6.5-15.0) cm, and the distance from the femoral arborization to the ischial spine was 12.9 ± 1.4 (10.0-16.0) cm. Diameters were similar between donor and recipient nerves. The chosen donor nerves were long enough and of sufficient caliber for the proposed nerve transfers and tensionless anastomosis.

PSO-ELPM: PSO with elite learning, enhanced parameter updating, and exponential mutation operator

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) has been widely used to solve optimization problems. Although a large number of PSO variants have been proposed so far, they suffer from the shortcomings of the original PSO. This paper proposes PSO with Elite Learning, enhanced Parameter updating, and exponential Mutation operator (PSO-ELPM) to balance the exploration and exploitation capabilities of PSO. In this algorithm, the best-performing particles in the population, known as the elites, are used as exemplars to guide the optimization process. The elitism scheme helps to discover valuable knowledge about the solution space. The adopted elites are also used to compute self-cognition coefficients of particles. Additionally, the inverse of the cube root function is applied to ensure a smooth distribution of weight among the elites. The final improvement is to apply an exponential mutation operator, which determines the mutation probability per particle based on the current iteration and its history. The comparisons among PSO-ELPM and 10 state-of-the-art PSO variants on the CEC 2017 benchmark functions reveal that the proposed algorithm yields higher accuracy with acceptable time complexity. According to the Wilcoxon rank sum test, PSO-ELPM at-least outperforms the competitive algorithms on six and seven functions in 30 and 50-dimensional problems, respectively.

Molecular taxonomy of nociceptors and pruriceptors.

Molecular taxonomy of nociceptors and pruriceptors.

New insights into the cortex-to-stele ratio show it to effectively indicate inter- and intraspecific function in the absorptive roots of temperate trees.

The cortex-to-stele ratio (CSR), as it increases from thin- to thick-root species in angiosperms, is theorised to effectively reflect a compensation for the 'lag' of absorption behind transportation. But it is still not known if this compensatory effect exists in gymnosperm species or governs root structure and function within species. Here, anatomical, morphological, and tissue chemical traits of absorptive roots were measured in three temperate angiosperm and three gymnosperm species. Differences in the CSR and the above functional traits, as well as their intraspecific associations, were analyzed and then compared between angiosperms and gymnosperms. At the intraspecific level, the CSR decreased with increasing root order for all species. The expected functional indication of the CSR was consistent with decreases in specific root length (SRL) and N concentration and increases in the C to N ratio (C:N ratio) and the number of and total cross-sectional area of conduits with increasing root order, demonstrating that the CSR indicates the strength of absorption and transportation at the intraspecific level, but intraspecific changes are due to root development rather than the compensatory effect. These trends resulted in significant intraspecific associations between the CSR and SRL (R 2 = 0.36 ~ 0.80), N concentration (R 2 = 0.48 ~ 0.93), the C:N ratio (R 2 = 0.47 ~ 0.91), and the number of (R 2 = 0.21 ~ 0.78) and total cross-sectional area (R 2 = 0.29 ~ 0.72) of conduits in each species (p< 0.05). The overall mean CSR of absorptive roots in angiosperms was four times greater than in gymnosperms, and in angiosperms, the CSR was significantly higher in thick- than in thin-rooted species, whereas in gymnosperms, the interspecific differences were not significant (p > 0.05). This suggests that the compensation for the lag of absorption via cortex thickness regulation was stronger in three angiosperm species than in three gymnosperm species. In addition, there was poor concordance between angiosperms and gymnosperms in the relationships between CSRs and anatomical, morphological, and tissue chemical traits. However, these gymnosperm species show a more stable intraspecific functional association compared to three angiosperm species. In general, absorptive root CSRs could manifest complex strategies in resource acquisition for trees at both intra- and interspecific levels.

Assessment of wastewater toxicity from the pharmaceutical industry of salicylic acid and paracetamol on the roots of a plant species: Phaseolus vulgaris

Pharmaceutical compounds are currently a group of emerging environmental contaminantswhere their presence is reported in all ecosystems (water, soil, etc.). Their effects often resultin strong metabolic disturbances which affect all vital functions of organisms, including plantswhich are non-target species. During their development, plants can absorb and accumulatemany xenobiotics, including pharmaceutical compounds that are able to cross the root walls.In order to evaluate the toxic effects of salicylic Acid (SA) and Paracetamol (PAR) on bean(Phaseolus vulgaris) were investigated. The root length showed significant reduction with anincrease in the concentration of PAR in parallel, with an increase in the length of the rootsobtained at the highest concentration of SA. On increasing the concentration from PAR andSA, the gradual increase in fresh weight of roots was observed compared to the control. Afterexposure to the different concentrations, PAR and SA treatments caused damage to theprotein synthesis. In addition, a significant stimulation of proline synthesis is recorded aftertreatment with PAR compared with the value obtained in the presence of SA at the highestconcentration. Lipid peroxidation supported by a significant increase in MDA and H 2 O 2levels, particularly for PAR treatments, are also observed. The evaluation of the respiratoryactivity of the isolated bean roots shows an oxygen consumption related to the PARconcentrations. This consumption is much higher in the presence of SA. Finally, our resultsshow that pharmaceutical products and their residues (such as PAR and SA), released into theenvironment in large quantities and without treatment, can produce morphological,biochemical and metabolic changes in the roots of non-target plant species such as bean thatcan seriously disrupt root functioning.

A new search direction of IPM for horizontal linear complementarity problems

This study presents a new search direction for the horizontal linear complementarity problem. A vector-valued function is applied to the system of xy=μe, which defines the central path. Usually, the way to get the equivalent form of the central path is using the square root function. However, in our study, we substitute a new search function formed by a different identity map, which obtains the equivalent shape of the central path using the square root function. We get the new search directions from Newton’s Method. Given this framework, we prove polynomial complexity for the Newton directions. We show that the algorithm’s complexity is O(nlognϵ), which is the same as the best-given algorithms for the horizontal linear complementarity problem.

Special Issue: Root traits and functioning: from individual plants to ecosystems

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Overcoming Limitation In Chat GPT With Future Knowledge [ Continuous Calculation Of Symmetric Quadratic Root Functions Starting From Low-Order Functions

Overcoming Limitation In Chat GPT With Future Knowledge [ Continuous Calculation Of Symmetric Quadratic Root Functions Starting From Low-Order Functions