Significant Source Of Variation Research Articles

Sensory Characteristics and Volatile Organic Compound Profile of Wild Edible Mushrooms from Patagonia, Argentina.

The Andean-Patagonian forests of South America offer a great variety of wild edible mushrooms, many with ancestral use and others linked to new mycogastronomic offers. However, their sensory properties and detailed characterizations have not yet been deeply explored and described, nor have their alterations due to cold storage. The aims of this work were to perform a sensory characterization through a trained panel evaluation, perform target volatile compounds analysis and evaluate post-harvest preservation methods effects on nine species of wild edible mushrooms with different trophic habits (Cortinarius magellanicus, Panus dusenii, Fistulina antarctica, F. endoxantha, Gloeosoma vitellinum, Grifola gargal, Lepista nuda, Ramaria patagonica, and Cyttaria hariotii). The sensory description of dehydrated specimens through quantitative descriptive analysis showed that panelists were a significant source of variation; F. antarctica and R. patagonica registered distinct sweet flavor/spice odor and wood/sweet flavor, respectively, and different textures. Refrigeration produced a rapid loss of sensory characteristics, whereas freezer conservation satisfactorily maintained the characteristics in F. anctartica, R. patagonica, G. vitellinum, and C. hariotti for at least four months. A total of 60 target volatile organic compounds were detected, corresponding to grass, mushroom, alkane, and pungent odors in F. anctartica, R. patagonica, and G. vitellinum. The detailed sensory characterization and post-harvest conservation options of these novel products constitute crucial information to promote their sustainable use and local development through innovative activities linked to tourism, such as mushroom gastronomy and mycotourism.

Internal consistency of measures for ICD-11 personality disorder severity and traits: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

A number of measures and scales have been developed for the ICD-11 personality disorder (PD) diagnosis, including severity and trait dimensions. The present systematic review and meta-analysis sought to evaluate the internal consistency of these measures across different populations and cultures. A systematic search was conducted across four databases where relevant studies were subjected to explicit eligibility criteria resulting in 49 included studies and 370 effect sizes. Study characteristics were tabulated, their methodological quality was evaluated, and findings were synthesized using random effects meta-analysis. Findings overall indicated that measures of ICD-11 PD severity and trait domains have adequate levels of internal consistency (α/ω = 0.82, 95% CI [0.81; 0.83], I2 = 97.3%). Aspects such as sample, country, language, format, and measured construct were significant sources of variation. Additional meta-analyses revealed that some measures performed better than others for certain dimensions. Internal consistency was overall supported across ICD-11 measures of severity and trait domains. Future research should further investigate the interrater reliability, test-retest reliability and stability, and alignment with interview-based PD diagnoses.

Interior shell patterns among the Spondylid species (Bivalvia: Spondylidae) in Mindanao, Philippines

Abstract. Ruaza FJC, Maturan DC, Bustillo E. 2024. Interior shell patterns among the Spondylid species (Bivalvia: Spondylidae) in Mindanao, Philippines. Biodiversitas 25: 2901-2906. The variations among the species of the Spondylus were assessed based on its interior shell pattern using landmark-based geometric morphometry. A total of 200 specimens were subjected to analysis. Samples of the Spondylid species were collected and photographed, and 15 landmarks from internal shell morphology were quantified and analyzed. The landmarks include the umbo, teeth, size of the muscle scar, and the pallial sinus. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences in internal shell characters among Spondylid species across sampling sites (p<0.05). Canonical Variance Analysis (CVA) effectively differentiated the local Spondylid species into distinct clusters. In addition, the relative warps captured the most significant sources of variation in the morphological characters analyzed, leading to effective differentiation between the groups or populations of the species. The most distinguishing characteristics among the species are the distance of the pallial line to the ventral tip of the adductor muscle scar and the size of the cardinal tooth. The internal shell characters among the Spondylid species exhibit notable disparity despite their great morphological similarity. These shell characters can be used in the identification while conservation efforts are still in the initial stage of development. The presence of notable dissimilarities in the internal shell characteristics among the Spondylid species indicates that even slight deviations can result in noticeable morphological distinctions. This discovery enhances the understanding of the species divergence within this group and underscores the significance of incorporating internal shell characteristics into taxonomic and ecological investigations.

Perioperative Transfusion Practices in Adults Having Noncardiac Surgery

Surgical patients are often transfused to manage bleeding and anemia. Best practices for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion administration in patient having noncardiac surgery remains controversial and a robust evaluation and description of perioperative transfusion practices is lacking. We characterized perioperative hemoglobin concentrations and transfusion practices from the prospective VISION cohort which included 39,222 patients aged ≥45 years who had inpatient noncardiac surgery. Variations in transfusion practices were analyzed using hierarchical mixed models, and associations with mortality and complications were evaluated using a nested frailty survival model. Within the cohort, 16.1% (n = 6296) were given perioperative RBC transfusions, with the fraction declining from 20% to 13% over the 6-year study period. The proportion of patients transfused varied by surgery type from 6.4% for low-risk operations (i.e., minor surgery) to 31.5% for orthopedic surgeries. Variations were largely associated with patient hemoglobin concentrations, but also with center (range: 3.7%-27.3%) and country (0.4%-25.3%). Even after adjusting for baseline hemoglobin, comorbidities and type of surgery, both center and country were significant sources of variation in transfusion practices. Among transfused participants, 60.4% (n = 3728/6170) had at least 1 hemoglobin concentration ≤80g/L and 86.0% (n = 5305/6170) had at least 1 hemoglobin concentration ≤90g/L, suggesting that relatively restrictive transfusion strategies were used in most. The proportion of patients receiving at least 1 RBC transfusion declined from 20% to 13% over 6 years. However, there was considerable unexplained variation in transfusion practices.

Estimation of the nutrient variation in feed delivery and impacts on lactating dairy cattle

Diets formulated for dairy cattle are designed to supply nutrients, but rations delivered to the animal may deviate from original formulations resulting in implications on milk production, composition, and even pregnancy rate. The objective of this study is to evaluate retrospective feed mixing records collected from 8 commercial dairy farms over 52 weeks. Farms ranged from 2,982 – 29,783 animals, producing 31.8 ± 5.93 kg milk with 4.14 ± 0.461% fat and 3.26 ± 0.218% protein. Data collected included daily TMR nutrient deviation; calculated as diet nutrient content minus the observed divided by the formulated diet concentrations of CP, fat, NDF, and starch. Data were analyzed with fixed effects of time (modeled as 28-d periods) and days of positive nutrient deviation in fat, CP, NDF and starch with each nutrient alone and in combination with the other nutrients, random effects of herd, and repeated measure of time within herd. The nutrient deviation by farm averaged (±SD) 1.68 ± 2.655, 2.28 ± 4.473, 1.75 ± 2.621, and 1.47 ± 2.147% for CP, fat, NDF, and starch. Days of positive nutrient deviation per period averaged (±SD) 25.5 ± 3.47, 25.5 ± 3.72, 25.6 ± 3.49, and 25.9 ± 2.61. Dry matter intake (DMI; 17.2 ± 1.78 kg/d) decreased with increasing positive deviation days in starch (−0.0483 ± 0.01265; P < 0.01) and increased with increasing positive deviation days in CP (0.0211 ± 0.00942; P = 0.03). Milk yield (31.4 ± 2.50 kg/d) increased with positive deviation days in starch (0.0486 ± 0.02110; P = 0.02) and decreased with increased positive deviation days in NDF (−0.0298 ± 0.02202; P = 0.18). Finally, pregnancy rate (21.7 ± 4.34) increased with increasing positive deviation days in fat (0.385 ± 0.1635; P = 0.02) and decreased with increasing positive deviation days in CP (−0.420 ± 0.1879; P = 0.03). For these models, period significantly affected milk yield (P < 0.01) and but was not observed to affect pregnancy rate and DMI (P ≥ 0.12). Results suggest farm and nutrient type were significant sources of variation and overall, farms overfeed nutrients CP, fat, NDF, and starch 92% of the days of a 28-d period.

Impact of Inoculation Practices on Microbiota Assembly and Community Stability in a Fabricated Ecosystem

Studying plant–microbe–soil interactions is challenging due to their high complexity and variability in natural ecosystems. While fabricated ecosystems provide opportunities to recapitulate aspects of these systems in reduced complexity and controlled environments, inoculation can be a significant source of variation. To tackle this, we evaluated how different bacterial inoculation practices and plant harvesting time points affect the reproducibility of a synthetic microbial community (SynCom) in association with the model grass Brachypodium distachyon. We tested three microbial inoculation practices, seed inoculation, transplant inoculation, and seedling inoculation, and two harvesting points, early (14-day-old plants) and late (21 days postinoculation). We grew our plants and bacterial strains in sterile devices (EcoFABs) and characterized the microbial community from root, rhizosphere, and sand using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. The results showed that inoculation practices significantly affected the rhizosphere microbial community when harvesting at an early time point but not at the late time point. As the SynCom showed a persistent association with B. distachyon at 21 days postinoculation regardless of inoculation practices, we assessed the reproducibility of each inoculation method and found that transplant inoculation showed the highest reproducibility. Moreover, plant biomass was not adversely affected by transplant inoculation treatment. We concluded that bacterial inoculation while transplanting coupled with a later harvesting time point gives the most reproducible microbial community in the EcoFAB− B. distachyon−SynCom fabricated ecosystem. We recommend this method as a standardized protocol for use with fabricated ecosystem experimental systems. [Formula: see text] This manuscript has been authored by an author at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory under Contract number DE-AC02-05CH11231 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The U.S. Government retains, and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges, that the U.S. Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Application of the variability budget approach to the Dissolution test

The aim. This study aimed to evaluate the completeness of our knowledge about the sources of variation in the Dissolution test with 100 % release by compiling a variability budget.&#x0D; Materials and methods. The study was performed on 500 mg metformin tablets, using pharmacopoeial quality reagents, State Pharmacopoeia of Ukraine (SPhU) Metformin HCl reference standard, Pharmatest DT70 Dissolution apparatus, Perkin Elmer Lambda 35 spectrophotometer, Mettler Toledo XP 204 analytical balance, and ISO class A volumetric glassware. The SPhU metrological approach was employed.&#x0D; Results and discussion. The variability budget was compiled based on the comparison of uncertainty estimates obtained from the requirements for maximum permissible variation in normal analytical practice (UNAP, bottom-up estimation) and experimental data (Uexp). This involved characterizing Metformin content in tablets using the Uniformity of Dosage Units (UDU) test as an independent method. The 100 % release of Metformin in the Dissolution test (infinity point) was proved by increasing the dissolution time. Having optimized Dissolution and UDU analytical procedures for variability budget compiling, we achieved insignificance of Uexp compared to the target uncertainty (Utg) for the Dissolution test in compliance testing. The differences in UDU and Dissolution mean results did not exceed UNAP for the release time of 45 and 60 min, i.e. uncertainty budget was proven. Uexp for the Dissolution test indicated the presence of an unknown statistically significant source of random variation, which, however, was less than Utg; therefore, the procedure is suitable for compliance testing.&#x0D; Conclusion. Experimental results confirmed the completeness of our knowledge about sources of variation (absence of bias) for the Dissolution test with 100 % release. An essential condition for compiling the budget was the optimization of uncertainty of analytical procedures. For UDU, all significant sources of variation were within the expected range. Yet, there is a need for additional research to identify and manage an unknown source of practically significant random variation for the Dissolution test

Effects of Slaughter Weight and Muscle Types on Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics of Holstein Friesian Bulls

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of slaughter weight and muscle types on carcass characteristics, chemical composition and meat quality characteristics of young Holstein Friesian bulls. For this purpose, the 21 young bulls were assigned to three experimental groups based on their weights at slaughter called lighter (LSW) (470.4±32.5kg), medium (MSW) (540.8±10.9 kg) and heavier (HSW) (605.8±28.3 kg). Animals in the HSW group resulted in higher carcass weight, LD area, crude protein content, pH24 value. On the other hand, L* and a* values color parameters and LD area per 100 kg carcass weight were significantly decreased with the increasing slaughter weight. The meat obtained from the LSW group were brighter and redder compared to other two slaughter groups. Additionally, there was a decreasing trend in the proportion of the non-carcass components with increasing of the slaughter weight. However, increasing of the slaughter weights led to a significant increase in the carcass measurements such as thoracic depth, carcass length, length of the round as well as width of the round. Although the crude protein content was significantly affected by both slaughter weights and muscle types, only muscle types were also significant sources of variation in percentages of moisture and crude ash.

Visitors’ willingness to pay for ecosystem conservation in Grenada

Understanding visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) for natural ecosystems can assist policymakers in managing the environmental assets that form the foundation of nature-based tourism. To earn the highest economic return from limited budgetary resources, tourist-dependent destinations must identify sustainable sources of conservation funding and prioritize spending across ecosystems and initiatives. The purpose of this study is to assess the potential for visitor donations to serve as a source of conservation funding and investigate preferences and willingness to pay for multiple ecosystems concurrently, using data from a stated preference survey administered in Grenada, a small island state in the southern Caribbean that relies on nature-based tourism. Results from a discrete choice experiment and a contingent valuation exercise reveal a reluctance to donate to conservation initiatives by more than half of respondents. Visitors place the highest value on improvements to coral reefs, followed by rainforests, mangroves, and beaches. Average willingness to donate to a conservation trust fund ranged from US $8.00 to US $15.00, and from US $17.00 to US $52.00 for conservation plans targeting improvements to specific ecosystems. Few factors are found to be associated with willingness to pay. Scale heterogeneity may be a more significant source of variation than preference heterogeneity.

Effect of bovine respiratory disease on the respiratory microbiome: a meta-analysis.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most devastating disease affecting beef and dairy cattle producers in North America. An emerging area of interest is the respiratory microbiome's relationship with BRD. However, results regarding the effect of BRD on respiratory microbiome diversity are conflicting. To examine the effect of BRD on the alpha diversity of the respiratory microbiome, a meta-analysis analyzing the relationship between the standardized mean difference (SMD) of three alpha diversity metrics (Shannon's Diversity Index (Shannon), Chao1, and Observed features (OTUs, ASVs, species, and reads) and BRD was conducted. Our multi-level model found no difference in Chao1 and Observed features SMDs between calves with BRD and controls. The Shannon SMD was significantly greater in controls compared to that in calves with BRD. Furthermore, we re-analyzed 16S amplicon sequencing data from four previously published datasets to investigate BRD's effect on individual taxa abundances. Additionally, based on Bray Curtis and Jaccard distances, health status, sampling location, and dataset were all significant sources of variation. Using a consensus approach based on RandomForest, DESeq2, and ANCOM-BC2, we identified three differentially abundant amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) within the nasal cavity, ASV5_Mycoplasma, ASV19_Corynebacterium, and ASV37_Ruminococcaceae. However, no ASVs were differentially abundant in the other sampling locations. Moreover, based on SECOM analysis, ASV37_Ruminococcaceae had a negative relationship with ASV1_Mycoplasma_hyorhinis, ASV5_Mycoplasma, and ASV4_Mannheimia. ASV19_Corynebacterium had negative relationships with ASV1_Mycoplasma_hyorhinis, ASV4_Mannheimia, ASV54_Mycoplasma, ASV7_Mycoplasma, and ASV8_Pasteurella. Our results confirm a relationship between bovine respiratory disease and respiratory microbiome diversity and composition, which provide additional insight into microbial community dynamics during BRD development. Furthermore, as sampling location and sample processing (dataset) can also affect results, consideration should be taken when comparing results across studies.

Efecto de Akaushi (Wagyu), Angus y Brahman como razas paternas sobre el crecimiento pre-destete de becerros

Objective. To evaluate pre-weaning growth traits of Angus-, Brahman- and Wagyu-sired calves. Materials and methods. One-hundred seventy one calves were produced by artificial insemination in nine herds in the state of Puebla (subtropical environment; n=83) and four herds in the state of Veracruz (tropical environment; n=88), Mexico. Eleven Angus, 15 Brahman, and 5 Wagyu bulls, sired the calves. Average age at weaning was 219 days. The analyses were carried out with the MIXED procedure of SAS. The model included the effects of breed of sire, sex of calf, birth season, state of the country, and herd nested within state. In addition, the model for actual weaning weight included the linear effect of calf age at weaning. Results. Brahman-sired calves were heavier at birth (p&lt;0.05) than Angus- and Wagyu-sired calves; however, Angus-, Brahman- and Wagyu-sired calves had similar average daily gains from birth to weaning (p&gt;0.05). Angus- and Wagyu-sired calves had similar actual weaning weights (p&gt;0.05), but Brahman-sired calves were heavier at weaning (p&lt;0.05) than Wagyu-sired calves. Sex of calf and season of birth were not significant sources of variation (p&gt;0.05) for any trait. Calves reared in subtropical conditions were heavier at weaning (p&lt;0.05) than those reared in tropical conditions. Conclusions. In general, Brahman-sired calves had a better pre-weaning performance than Angus- and Wagyu-sired calves.

Recommendations for improved reproducibility of ADC derivation on behalf of the Elekta MRI-linac consortium image analysis working group

Background and purposeThe apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), a potential imaging biomarker for radiotherapy response, needs to be reproducible before translation into clinical use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the multi-centre delineation- and calculation-related ADC variation and give recommendations to minimize it. Materials and methodsNine centres received identical diffusion-weighted and anatomical magnetic resonance images of different cancerous tumours (adrenal gland, pelvic oligo metastasis, pancreas, and prostate). All centres delineated the gross tumour volume (GTV), clinical target volume (CTV), and viable tumour volume (VTV), and calculated ADCs using both their local calculation methods and each of the following calculation conditions: b-values 0–500 vs. 150–500 s/mm2, region-of-interest (ROI)-based vs. voxel-based calculation, and mean vs. median. ADC variation was assessed using the mean coefficient of variation across delineations (CVD) and calculation methods (CVC). Absolute ADC differences between calculation conditions were evaluated using Friedman’s test. Recommendations for ADC calculation were formulated based on observations and discussions within the Elekta MRI-linac consortium image analysis working group. ResultsThe median (range) CVD and CVC were 0.06 (0.02–0.32) and 0.17 (0.08–0.26), respectively. The ADC estimates differed 18% between b-value sets and 4% between ROI/voxel-based calculation (p-values < 0.01). No significant difference was observed between mean and median (p = 0.64). Aligning calculation conditions between centres reduced CVC to 0.04 (0.01–0.16). CVD was comparable between ROI types. ConclusionOverall, calculation methods had a larger impact on ADC reproducibility compared to delineation. Based on the results, significant sources of variation were identified, which should be considered when initiating new studies, in particular multi-centre investigations.

Comparative Aspects of Ricin Toxicity by Inhalation.

The pathogenesis of ricin toxicity following inhalation has been investigated in many animal models, including the non-human primate (predominantly the rhesus macaque), pig, rabbit and rodent. The toxicity and associated pathology described in animal models are broadly similar, but variation appears to exist. This paper reviews the published literature and some of our own unpublished data and describes some of the possible reasons for this variation. Methodological variation is evident, including method of exposure, breathing parameters during exposure, aerosol characteristics, sampling protocols, ricin cultivar, purity and challenge dose and study duration. The model species and strain used represent other significant sources of variation, including differences in macro- and microscopic anatomy, cell biology and function, and immunology. Chronic pathology of ricin toxicity by inhalation, associated with sublethal challenge or lethal challenge and treatment with medical countermeasures, has received less attention in the literature. Fibrosis may follow acute lung injury in survivors. There are advantages and disadvantages to the different models of pulmonary fibrosis. To understand their potential clinical significance, these factors need to be considered when choosing a model for chronic ricin toxicity by inhalation, including species and strain susceptibility to fibrosis, time it takes for fibrosis to develop, the nature of the fibrosis (e.g., self-limiting, progressive, persistent or resolving) and ensuring that the analysis truly represents fibrosis. Understanding the variables and comparative aspects of acute and chronic ricin toxicity by inhalation is important to enable meaningful comparison of results from different studies, and for the investigation of medical countermeasures.

Plastic Classification Using Optical Parameter Features Measured with the TMF8801 Direct Time-of-Flight Depth Sensor.

We demonstrate a methodology for non-contact classification of five different plastic types using an inexpensive direct time-of-flight (ToF) sensor, the AMS TMF8801, designed for consumer electronics. The direct ToF sensor measures the time for a brief pulse of light to return from the material with the intensity change and spatial and temporal spread of the returned light conveying information on the optical properties of the material. We use measured ToF histogram data of all five plastics, captured at a range of sensor to material distances, to train a classifier that achieves 96% accuracy on a test dataset. To extend the generality and provide insight into the classification process, we fit the ToF histogram data to a physics-based model that differentiates between surface scattering and subsurface scattering. Three optical parameters of the ratio of direct to subsurface intensity, the object distance, and the time constant of the subsurface exponential decay are used as features for a classifier that achieves 88% accuracy. Additional measurements at a fixed distance of 22.5 cm showed perfect classification and revealed that Poisson noise is not the most significant source of variation when measurements are taken over a range of object distances. In total, this work proposes optical parameters for material classification that are robust over object distance and measurable by miniature direct time-of-flight sensors designed for installation in smartphones.

The impact of temperature and decay in insecticide-treated net efficacy on malaria prevalence and control

Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) have been useful and effective in mitigating the risk of malaria globally. However, due to misuse and normal/human-induced physical and chemical wear, the effectiveness of ITNs in combating malaria has been declining. Underlying heterogeneities in the nature of malaria, combined with environmental factors such as temperature lead to complex malaria transmission and control dynamics. In particular, temperature plays a significant role in determining the risk of malaria since it influences the growth and survival of mosquitoes and the malaria parasite. Here, a unifying mechanistic framework that integrates malaria dynamics with waning ITN-efficacy and temperature change is developed and used to assess the impact of interactions between significant sources of variation (e.g., temperature) and waning ITN-efficacy on the risk of malaria transmission and the success of ITN programs. The model exhibits a backward bifurcation when ITN-efficacy is constant implying that control efforts must be stepped up and sustained a bit longer even when the reproduction number is slightly less than one. The study shows that malaria is more effectively controlled with ITNs that have a longer lifespan and if ITNs are replaced before the end of their expiration period. Also, failing to account for waning ITN-efficacy leads to an underestimation of disease risk, burden, and effort level required to contain the disease. Local and global sensitivity analyses show that control and temperature-related parameters are primary drivers of the reproduction number and the human disease burden, highlighting the significance of temperature on malaria dynamics. Furthermore, the study shows that the human disease burden is optimal at a temperature of ≈28°C and that high seasonal variations can trigger major malaria outbreaks even in regions with low mean temperatures. Additionally, accounting for both seasonality and decay in ITN-efficacy leads to complex malaria patterns. To sum it up, insights into the sensitivity of malaria dynamics on temperature are useful in assessing the potential impact of changes in temperature on malaria risk. Also, a malaria control program, which ensures that ITNs are replaced regularly and early enough, and that educates at risk populations on proper use and care for ITNs is necessary for reducing the burden of malaria.

The Spillover Effects of Chinese Shocks on the Belt and Road Initiative Economies: New Evidence Using Panel Vector Autoregression

This paper investigates the spillover effects of Chinese real and monetary sector shocks on the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) economies. The study adopted a panel vector autoregression (PVAR) estimation technique to analyse the dynamic propagation of Chinese shocks in the real sector (gross domestic product (GDP) and trade openness (OPEN)) and monetary sector (nominal interest rate (NIR)) for a sample of 50 BRI countries from 2000 to 2017. The main results revealed that Chinese income shocks positively spill over to all macroeconomic variables except BRI countries’ consumer price index (CPI). However, the Chinese trade openness shock only has a temporary positive spillover to BRI international trade and a temporary negative spillover on its monetary policy. In addition, the Chinese monetary policy shock has a negative spillover on GDP and a positive spillover on CPI in BRI economies. Chinese shocks, however, do not constitute a significant source of variation in any interest variable. As explained by the Chinese income shock, the BRI interest rate is the highest percentage of variable variation accumulated over time. Further, the highest variation of Chinese trade shock is BRI trade openness, and lastly, the highest variation of Chinese interest rate shock is CPI in BRI economies. The beggar-thy-neighbour effect may dominate the positive trade effect and is a negative impact of the Chinese shocks. Hence, BRI economies should alleviate the adverse shocks since the upcoming rapid growth from the Chinese has disturbed the BRI economies. Our results reveal the importance of Chinese development on BRI partners’ economies and the significance of Chinese shocks in real and monetary sectors in assisting policymakers in designing international and monetary policy for BRI economies.

Abstract 5270: Developing a predictive model for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor metastatic potential: A multi-institutional analysis

Abstract Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are rare neoplasms that arise from cells in the islets of Langerhans, with surgical resection presently recommended for tumors &amp;gt; 2cm. While many PNETs have the propensity to be indolent, some small tumors display aggressive features with early metastatic potential. We used machine learning to develop a predictive model of metastatic potential dependent upon the transcriptomic signature of primary PNET tissue. To build this model, RNA sequencing data was obtained from the primary tissue of 96 surgically-resected PNETs from various institutions. Two cohorts were generated with equally balanced metastatic PNET composition (15 (32.6%) vs. 13 (26.5%), p=0.52). A differential gene expression analysis identified 20 concordantly differentially expressed genes associated with metastatic status between the two cohorts. Unsupervised surrogate variable analysis estimated and adjusted for significant sources of variation not related to metastatic potential and mitigated unwanted noise and batch effects. A gene set enrichment analysis identified an additional 29 genes that most frequently contributed to the enriched biologic pathways extrapolated from the sequencing data. Log transformed, batch corrected TPM values for these 49 genes were combined with an additional 10 clinically-relevant genes, including ARX and PDX1, that are known to contribute to PNET signatures or oncogenesis. The datasets were subsequently randomized in a 1:1 ratio and informative features with respect to metastatic status were identified utilizing a Boruta algorithm, with a priori exclusion of highly-correlative genes and those that displayed near zero variance. Nine genes, including AURKA, ARX, CDCA8, CPB2, MYT1L, NDC80, PAPPA2, SFMBT1 and ZPLD1, were identified as sufficient to classify the localized or metastatic outcome. Distributed random forests (DRF), generalized linear models (GLM), gradient boosting machines (GBM) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) models were trained utilizing these 9 genes. Training ROC ranged from 0.92 for DRF to 1 for XGboost. When applied to 47 independent validation samples, the testing sensitivity ranged from 75% for DRF to 94% for GBM; specificity ranged from 84% for DRF to 94% to XGboost and GLM; positive predictive value ranged from 72% for DRF to 86% for GLM; negative predictive value ranged from 88% for GLM to 97% to GBM. The degree of predictive agreement between models ranged from 64% to 91%. Taken together, we have developed a highly sensitive predictive model of the metastatic PNET phenotype that is based on expression of nine genes. Its application as a guide for management should be studied prospectively in patients with newly diagnosed PNETs. Citation Format: Jacques A. Greenberg, Nikolay A. Ivanov, Yajas Shah, Scott Kulm, Jelani Williams, Catherine G. Tran, Theresa Scognamiglio, Yeon Joo Lee, Caitlin E. Egan, Irene M. Min, Rasa Zarnegar, James Howe, Xavier Keutgen, Thomas J. Fahey, Olivier Elemento, Brendan M. Finnerty. Developing a predictive model for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor metastatic potential: A multi-institutional analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5270.

Pathogenicity of Bacillus Strains to Cotton Seedlings and Their Effects on Some Biochemical Components of the Infected Seedlings.

Pathogenicity of eight Bacillus strains to seedlings of four cotton cultivars was evaluated under greenhouse conditions. Each of the tested cultivars was individually treated with powdered inoculum of each bacterial strain. Untreated seeds were planted as control treatments in autoclaved soil. Effects of the tested strains on levels and activities of some biochemical components of the infected seedlings were also assayed. The biochemical components included total soluble sugars, total soluble proteins, total free amino acids, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, phenols, and lipid peroxidation. ANOVA showed that Bacillus strain (B) was a very highly significant source of variation in damping-off and dry weight. Cotton cultivar (V) was a nonsignificant source of variation in damping-off while it was a significant source of variation in dry weight. B × V interaction was a significant source of variation in damping- off and a nonsignificant source of variation in dry weight. Bacillus strain was the most important source of variation as it accounted for 59.36 and 64.99% of the explained (model) variation in damping-off and dry weight, respectively. The lack of significant correlation between levels and activities of the assayed biochemical components and incidence of damping-off clearly demonstrated that these biochemical components were not involved in the pathogenicity of the tested strains. Therefore, it was hypothesized that the pathogenicity of the tested strains could be due to the effect of cell wall degrading enzymes of pathogenic toxins. Based on the results of the present study, Bacillus strains should be considered in studying the etiology of cotton seedling damping-off.

Association between the Ovine MHC-DRB1 Gene and its Resistance to Gastrointestinal Parasites in Deccani Sheep Raised in Hot Semi-arid Ecosystem of India

Backgroung: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is linked with the ability of sheep to resist infection by GIN as measured by feacal egg count. Present study was carried out to genotype Deccani sheep for DRB1 locus and associate it with parasitic resistance. Methods: PCR SSCP analysis for Ovar-DRB1 exon 2 and part of intron-1 was carried out under optimum conditions. Effect of genetic and nongenetic factors along with the genotype was performed using linear model of least square analysis by considering log transferred faecal egg count as a dependent variable. Result: PCR SSCP analysis revealed presence of 14 SSCP patterns. The factors such as age, sex, farm and birth type demonstrated a non significant effect on faecal egg count however, season was observed to be significant source of variation. Further, it was observed that, genotype J and F could be possibly associated with resistance and susceptibility to parasitic infection. Thus, it was inferred that DRB1 gene is may be associated with immune response to parasitic invasion and selection for genotype associated with Ovar-Mhc-DRB1 gene could improve the parasitic resistance in Deccani sheep.

Adjustment Factors for Month of Calving, Age at Calving and Days in Milk for Holteins in Tunisia

Multiplicative adjustment factors for month of calving, age at calving and lactation length were computed for complete lactation records (n= 11’175) recorded between 2012 and 2017 from 6251 dairy cattle raised in 33 Holstein dairy herds. An animal model was used with fixed effects for herd-year-sector, month of calving and age at calving and random and the residual random error. The objectives of this study were: 1) to examine the effect of the non-genetic factors on the milk yield production, 2) to adjust milk yield for non-genetic sources of variation and 3) to examine the effect of milk yield adjustments on estimates of the genetic trend. Main results showed that month of calving, age at calving and lactation length were significant sources of variation for milk yield. Cows calving in the fall and early winter yielded 430 kg and 455 kg more milk than cows calving in spring and summer, respectively. Holsteins in Tunisia reached their maximum milk yield between 68 and 70 months of age. Average adjusted milk yield for days in milk, month and age of calving was 6621±2883 kg. An overall rate of increase in milk yield was found to be 22.68 kg/year over the 15 years period.