Winter wheat yield improvement by genetic gain across different provinces in China

The replacement of winter wheat varieties has contributed significantly to yield improvement worldwide,with remarkable progress in China.Drawing on two sets of data,production yield from the National Bureau of Statistics of China and experimental yield from literature,this study aims to(1)illustrate the increasing patterns of production yield among different provinces from 1978 to 2018 in China,(2)explore the genetic gain in yield and yield relevant traits through the variety replacement based on experimental yield from 1937 to 2016 in China,and(3)compare the yield gap between experimental yield and production yield.The results show that both the production and experimental yields significantly increased along with the variety replacement.The national annual yield increase ratio for the production yield was 1.67%from 1978 to 2018,varying from 0.96%in Sichuan Province to 2.78%in Hebei Province;such ratio for the experimental yield was 1.13%from 1937 to 2016.The yield gap between experimental and production yields decreased from the 1970s to the 2010s.This study reveals significant increases in some yield components consequent to variety replacement,including thousand-grain weight,kernel number per spike,and grain number per square meter;however,no change is shown in spike number per square meter.The biomass and harvest index consistently and significantly increased,whereas the plant height decreased significantly.

Genetically modified pigs:Emerging animal models for hereditary hearing loss

Hereditary hearing loss(HHL),a genetic disorder that impairs auditory function,significantly affects quality of life and incurs substantial economic losses for society.To investigate the underlying causes of HHL and evaluate therapeutic outcomes,appropriate animal models are necessary.Pigs have been extensively used as valuable large animal models in biomedical research.In this review,we highlight the advantages of pig models in terms of ear anatomy,inner ear morphology,and electrophysiological characteristics,as well as recent advancements in the development of distinct genetically modified porcine models of hearing loss.Additionally,we discuss the prospects,challenges,and recommendations regarding the use pig models in HHL research.Overall,this review provides insights and perspectives for future studies on HHL using porcine models.

Damage evolution of rock-encased-backfill structure under stepwise cyclic triaxial loading

Rock-encased-backfill(RB)structures are common in underground mining,for example in the cut-andfill and stoping methods.To understand the effects of cyclic excavation and blasting activities on the damage of these RB structures,a series of triaxial stepwise-increasing-amplitude cyclic loading experiments was conducted with cylindrical RB specimens(rock on outside,backfill on inside)with different volume fractions of rock(VF=0.48,0.61,0.73,and 0.84),confining pressures(0,6,9,and 12 MPa),and cyclic loading rates(200,300,400,and 500 N/s).The damage evolution and meso-crack formation during the cyclic tests were analyzed with results from stress-strain hysteresis loops,acoustic emission events,and post-failure X-ray 3D fracture morphology.The results showed significant differences between cyclic and monotonic loadings of RB specimens,particularly with regard to the generation of shear microcracks,the development of stress memory and strain hardening,and the contact forces and associated friction that develops along the rock-backfill interface.One important finding is that as a function of the number of cycles,the elastic strain increases linearly and the dissipated energy increases exponentially.Also,compared with monotonic loading,the cyclic strain hardening characteristics are more sensitive to rising confining pressures during the initial compaction stage.Another finding is that compared with monotonic loading,more shear microcracks are generated during every reloading stage,but these microcracks tend to be dispersed and lessen the likelihood of large shear fracture formation.The transition from elastic to plastic behavior varies depending on the parameters of each test(confinement,volume fraction,and cyclic rate),and an interesting finding was that the transformation to plastic behavior is significantly lower under the conditions of 0.73 rock volume fraction,400 N/s cyclic loading rate,and 9 MPa confinement.All the findings have important practical implications on the ability of backfill to support underground excavations.

A dual-RPA based lateral flow strip for sensitive,on-site detection of CP4-EPSPS and Cry1Ab/Ac genes in genetically modified crops

Traditional transgenic detection methods require high test conditions and struggle to be both sensitive and efficient.In this study,a one-tube dual recombinase polymerase amplification(RPA)reaction system for CP4-EPSPS and Cry1Ab/Ac was proposed and combined with a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay,named“Dual-RPA-LFD”,to visualize the dual detection of genetically modified(GM)crops.In which,the herbicide tolerance gene CP4-EPSPS and the insect resistance gene Cry1Ab/Ac were selected as targets taking into account the current status of the most widespread application of insect resistance and herbicide tolerance traits and their stacked traits.Gradient diluted plasmids,transgenic standards,and actual samples were used as templates to conduct sensitivity,specificity,and practicality assays,respectively.The constructed method achieved the visual detection of plasmid at levels as low as 100 copies,demonstrating its high sensitivity.In addition,good applicability to transgenic samples was observed,with no cross-interference between two test lines and no influence from other genes.In conclusion,this strategy achieved the expected purpose of simultaneous detection of the two popular targets in GM crops within 20 min at 37°C in a rapid,equipmentfree field manner,providing a new alternative for rapid screening for transgenic assays in the field.

Stress-corrosion coupled damage localization induced by secondary phases in bio-degradable Mg alloys:phase-field modeling

In this study,a phase-field scheme that rigorously obeys conservation laws and irreversible thermodynamics is developed for modeling stress-corrosion coupled damage(SCCD).The coupling constitutive relationships of the deformation,phase-field damage,mass transfer,and electrostatic field are derived from the entropy inequality.The SCCD localization induced by secondary phases in Mg is numerically simulated using the implicit iterative algorithm of the self-defined finite elements.The quantitative evaluation of the SCCD of a C-ring is in good agreement with the experimental results.To capture the damage localization,a micro-galvanic corrosion domain is defined,and the buffering effect on charge migration is explored.Three cases are investigated to reveal the effect of localization on corrosion acceleration and provide guidance for the design for resistance to SCCD at the crystal scale.

Genetic pathways in cerebral palsy:a review of the implications for precision diagnosis and understanding disease mechanisms

Ce rebral palsy is a diagnostic term utilized to describe a group of permanent disorders affecting movement and posture.Patients with cerebral palsy are often only capable of limited activity,resulting from non-progressive disturbances in the fetal or neonatal brain.These disturbances severely impact the child’s daily life and impose a substantial economic burden on the family.Although cerebral palsy encompasses various brain injuries leading to similar clinical outcomes,the unde rstanding of its etiological pathways remains incomplete owing to its complexity and heterogeneity.This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on the genetic factors influencing cerebral palsy development.It is now widely acknowledged that genetic mutations and alterations play a pivotal role in cerebral palsy development,which can be further influenced by environmental fa ctors.Des pite continuous research endeavors,the underlying fa ctors contributing to cerebral palsy remain are still elusive.However,significant progress has been made in genetic research that has markedly enhanced our comprehension of the genetic factors underlying cerebral palsy development.Moreove r,these genetic factors have been categorized based on the identified gene mutations in patients through clinical genotyping,including thrombosis,angiogenesis,mitochondrial and oxidative phosphorylation function,neuronal migration,and cellular autophagy.Furthermore,exploring targeted genotypes holds potential for precision treatment.In conclusion,advancements in genetic research have substantially improved our understanding of the genetic causes underlying cerebral palsy.These breakthroughs have the potential to pave the way for new treatments and therapies,consequently shaping the future of cerebral palsy research and its clinical management.The investigation of cerebral palsy genetics holds the potential to significantly advance treatments and management strategies.By elucidating the underlying cellular mechanisms,we can develop to rgeted interventions to optimize outcomes.A continued collaboration between researchers and clinicians is imperative to comprehensively unravel the intricate genetic etiology of cerebral palsy.

YOLO-Based Damage Detection with StyleGAN3 Data Augmentation for Parcel Information-Recognition System

Damage to parcels reduces customer satisfactionwith delivery services and increases return-logistics costs.This can be prevented by detecting and addressing the damage before the parcels reach the customer.Consequently,various studies have been conducted on deep learning techniques related to the detection of parcel damage.This study proposes a deep learning-based damage detectionmethod for various types of parcels.Themethod is intended to be part of a parcel information-recognition systemthat identifies the volume and shipping information of parcels,and determines whether they are damaged;this method is intended for use in the actual parcel-transportation process.For this purpose,1)the study acquired image data in an environment simulating the actual parcel-transportation process,and 2)the training dataset was expanded based on StyleGAN3 with adaptive discriminator augmentation.Additionally,3)a preliminary distinction was made between the appearance of parcels and their damage status to enhance the performance of the parcel damage detection model and analyze the causes of parcel damage.Finally,using the dataset constructed based on the proposed method,a damage type detection model was trained,and its mean average precision was confirmed.This model can improve customer satisfaction and reduce return costs for parcel delivery companies.

An efficient method for constructing a random insertional mutant library for forward genetics in Nannochloropsis oceanica

Insertional mutation,phenotypic evaluation,and mutated gene cloning are widely used to clone genes from scratch.Exogenous genes can be integrated into the genome during non-homologous end joining(NHEJ)of the double-strand breaks of DNA,causing insertional mutation.The random insertional mutant library constructed using this method has become a method of forward genetics for gene cloning.However,the establishment of a random insertional mutant library requires a high transformation efficiency of exogenous genes.Many microalgal species show a low transformation efficiency,making constructing random insertional mutant libraries difficult.In this study,we established a highly efficient transformation method for constructing a random insertional mutant library of Nannochloropsis oceanica,and tentatively tried to isolate its genes to prove the feasibility of the method.A gene that may control the growth rate and cell size was identified.This method will facilitate the genetic studies of N.oceanica,which should also be a reference for other microalgal species.

Investigating ischemia and reperfusion-induced organ damage in severe cardiac arrest:A comprehensive proteomics perspective

Cardiac arrest(CA)is a life-threatening condition with complex pathophysiology and limited treatment options.To gain deeper insights into the pathological state of vital organs,we employed a proteomics analysis in rodents to assess proteome alterations in the brain,heart,kidney,and liver using a rat model of CA.The brain displayed severe protein alterations in essential cellular pathways,including three major energy-generating pathways after CA,which worsened after resuscitation,resulting in the most significant overall protein changes among the organs.Conversely,the liver,experiencing the most substantial protein alterations post-CA,demonstrated significant recovery,presenting the least protein changes post-resuscitation.

Modulation of p75 neurotrophin receptor mitigates brain damage following ischemic stroke in mice

Stroke is a significant leading cause of death and disability in the United States(Tsao et al.,2022).Approximately 87% of strokes fall into the ischemic category,mainly caused by arterial blockage(Jayaraj et al.,2019).Although the only FDA-approved effective medication is tissue plasminogen activator(tPA),it should be administrated within 4.5 hours of ischemic stroke.Furthermore,tPA has been an integral part of managing acute ischemic stro ke.

Does HSP27 injection induce glaucoma damage in mice?

In a further aging society,excellent eyesight is an integral part of overall well-being and quality of life.Preserving good vision is crucial to maintaining mobility,independence,and mental health.There can be several reasons for visual impairment in elderly people,these include age-related macular degeneration,the leading cause of vision loss among older adults,cataract,glaucoma,diabetic retinopathy,retinal detachment,and others.

LociScan,a tool for screening genetic marker combinations for plant variety discrimination

To reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of plant genetic marker fingerprinting for variety discrimination,it is desirable to identify the optimal marker combinations.We describe a marker combination screening model based on the genetic algorithm(GA)and implemented in a software tool,Loci Scan.Ratio-based variety discrimination power provided the largest optimization space among multiple fitness functions.Among GA parameters,an increase in population size and generation number enlarged optimization depth but also calculation workload.Exhaustive algorithm afforded the same optimization depth as GA but vastly increased calculation time.In comparison with two other software tools,Loci Scan accommodated missing data,reduced calculation time,and offered more fitness functions.In large datasets,the sample size of training data exerted the strongest influence on calculation time,whereas the marker size of training data showed no effect,and target marker number had limited effect on analysis speed.

Parameter calibration of the tensile-shear interactive damage constitutive model for sandstone failure

The tensile-shear interactive damage(TSID)model is a novel and powerful constitutive model for rock-like materials.This study proposes a methodology to calibrate the TSID model parameters to simulate sandstone.The basic parameters of sandstone are determined through a series of static and dynamic tests,including uniaxial compression,Brazilian disc,triaxial compression under varying confining pressures,hydrostatic compression,and dynamic compression and tensile tests with a split Hopkinson pressure bar.Based on the sandstone test results from this study and previous research,a step-by-step procedure for parameter calibration is outlined,which accounts for the categories of the strength surface,equation of state(EOS),strain rate effect,and damage.The calibrated parameters are verified through numerical tests that correspond to the experimental loading conditions.Consistency between numerical results and experimental data indicates the precision and reliability of the calibrated parameters.The methodology presented in this study is scientifically sound,straightforward,and essential for improving the TSID model.Furthermore,it has the potential to contribute to other rock constitutive models,particularly new user-defined models.

Genetic Diversity of Jute Mallow (Corchorus spp.) Accessions Based on ISSR Markers

Jute mallow is a nutritious leafy vegetable. The leaves are rich in proteins, vitamins and essential amino acids. Molecular characterization of Jute mallow with focus on improvement of leaf yield is scarcely reported. In the present study, inter sequence simple repeats (ISSR) molecular markers were employed to assess genetic diversity and relationships of 83 accessions of Jute mallow from different parts of Africa and Asia conserved at the World Vegetable Center East and Southern Africa. A total of 89 bands were amplified by 8 ISSR primers. Number of polymorphic bands per primer ranged from 2 to 6 with an average of 2.75 bands per primer. Polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.390 to 0.760 with average of 0.53. Average Nei’s gene diversity (h) and Shannon’s information index (I) were 0.335 and 0.494 respectively. The highest pairwise genetic distance was 0.431 observed in a population from East Africa accessions. PC1 and PC2 axis explained 21.69% and 11.66% of the total variation respectively. UPGMA cluster analysis grouped the accessions into six main clusters at genetic similarity coefficient of 0.53 as standard value for classification. These results have important implications for jute mallow breeding and conservation.

A Comparative Study of Myocardial Damage Caused by Novel Coronavirus Infection and Influenza A Virus Infection in Children during the COVID-19 Epidemic Period

Objective: To explore the comparative study of myocardial damage in children infected with COVID-19 and influenza A virus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Retrospective analysis of myocardial injury caused by COVID-19 infection and influenza A virus infection in children during the COVID-19 from October 2022 to May 2023, including 106 cases of COVID-19 infection, that is, the COVID-19 group;And 164 cases of influenza A virus infection, namely, H1N1 group;Two groups were tested for various indicators of myocardial enzyme spectrum, and the situation of myocardial injury was compared between the two groups. Result: In the enrolled cases, there was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence rate of men and women in the COVID-19 group (P > 0.05);There was no statistically significant difference in the average age between men and women (P > 0.05);The comparison of the incidence rates between males and females in the H1N1 group showed a statistically significant difference (P 0.05);There was no statistically significant difference in the average age between the two groups of girls (P > 0.05). A comparison between two groups of various indicators of myocardial enzyme spectra showed that the results of AST, -HBDH and LDH were statistically significant (P 0.05). Conclusion: Both COVID-19 infection and influenza A virus infection in children have different degrees of myocardial damage, but COVID-19 infection causes more myocardial damage than influenza A virus infection, and influenza A virus is more prone to myocardial infarction, which deserves our attention.

Genetic Diversity in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) under Two Growing Conditions*

This study explores the use of genetic variability for advancing the genetic improvement of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp), particularly in response to insect infestation stress. Over a period spanning 2015 to 2017, forty accessions of cowpeas were evaluated to determine their variability under both insecticide spray and no insecticide spray conditions at the Teachings and Research Farms, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design in three replicates. The accessions were evaluated for plant height, leaf length, leaf width, number of days of 50% flowering, number of pods per plant, pod length, number of seeds per plant, 100-seed weight, and seed yield. Data collected were subjected to principal component and single linkage cluster analyses. Principal axis I (PCA1) accounted for 39% and 35% under insecticide spray and no insecticide spray respectively to the total variation in the accessions. Plant height with a factor score of 0.38, leaf length (0.41), number of leaves (0.37), and 100-seed, weight (0.30) was related to PCAI under insecticide spray while leaf width (0.32). Pod length (0.37) and number of seeds/plant (0.38) were significant to PCA1 under no insecticide spray. Notably, accessions such as SAMPEA6, SAMPEA10, IFE-Brown, and IFE-BPE exhibited consistent performance across both conditions, while others displayed condition-specific attributes. For instance, NGB1063, NGB1152, and NGB1093 demonstrated distinct traits under insecticide spray, while NGB1146 and NGB1124 exhibited notable characteristics under no insecticide spray conditions. Therefore, identifying these forty accessions with desirable traits hold promise for future genetic improvement efforts of cowpea cultivation in Nigeria and beyond.

An extended micromechanical-based plastic damage model for understanding water effects on quasi-brittle rocks

Water effects on the mechanical properties of rocks have been extensively investigated through experiments and numerical models.However,few studies have established a comprehensive link between the microscopic mechanisms of water-related micro-crack and the constitutive behaviors of rocks.In this work,we shall propose an extended micromechanical-based plastic damage model for understanding weakening effect induced by the presence of water between micro-crack’s surfaces on quasi-brittle rocks,based on the Mori-Tanaka homogenization and irreversible thermodynamics framework.Regarding the physical mechanism,water strengthens micro-crack propagation,which induces damage evolution during the pre-and post-stage,and weakens the elastic effective properties of rock matrix.After proposing a special calibration procedure for the determination of model parameters based on the laboratory compression tests,the proposed micromechanical-based model is verified by comparing the model predictions to the experimental results.The model effectively captures the mechanical behaviors of quasibrittle rocks subjected to the weakening effects of water.

Genetic and Agronomic Parameter Estimates of Growth, Yield and Related Traits of Maize (Zea mays L.) under Different Rates of Nitrogen Fertilization

This study evaluated the genetic and agronomic parameter estimates of maize under different nitrogen rates. The trial was established at the Njala Agricultural Research Centre experimental site during 2021 and 2022 in a split block design with three maize varieties (IWCD2, 2009EVDT, and DMR-ESR-Yellow) and seven nitrogen (0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 kg∙N∙ha−1) rates. Findings showed that cob diameter and anthesis silking time (ASI) had intermediate heritability, ASI had high genetic advance, ASI and grain yield had high genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), while traits with high phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were plant height, ASI, grain yield, number of kernel per cob, number of kernel rows, ear length, and ear height. The PCV values were higher than GCV, indicating the influence of the environment in the studied traits. Nitrogen rates and variety significantly (p < 0.05) influenced grain yield production. Mean grain yields and economic parameter estimates increased with increasing nitrogen rates, with the 30 and 180 kg∙N∙ha−1 plots exhibiting the lowest and highest grain yields of 1238 kg∙ha−1 and 2098 kg∙ha−1, respectively. Variety and nitrogen effects on partial factor productivity (PFPN), agronomic efficiency (AEN), net returns (NR), value cost ratio (VCR) and marginal return (MR) indicated that these parameters were significantly affected (p < 0.05) by these factors. The highest PFPN (41.3 kg grain kg−1∙N) and AEN (29.4 kg grain kg−1∙N) were obtained in the 30 kg∙N∙ha−1 plots, while the highest VCR (2.8) and MR (SLL 1.8 SLL−1 spent on N) were obtained in the 180 kg∙N∙ha−1. The significant influence of variety and nitrogen on traits suggests that increasing yields and maximizing profits require use of appropriate nitrogen fertilization and improved farming practices that could be exploited for increased productivity of maize.

Identification of earthquake induced structural damage based on synchroextracting transform

Several popular time-frequency techniques,including the Wigner-Ville distribution,smoothed pseudo-Wigner-Ville distribution,wavelet transform,synchrosqueezing transform,Hilbert-Huang transform,and Gabor-Wigner transform,are investigated to determine how well they can identify damage to structures.In this work,a synchroextracting transform(SET)based on the short-time Fourier transform is proposed for estimating post-earthquake structural damage.The performance of SET for artificially generated signals and actual earthquake signals is examined with existing methods.Amongst other tested techniques,SET improves frequency resolution to a great extent by lowering the influence of smearing along the time-frequency plane.Hence,interpretation and readability with the proposed method are improved,and small changes in the time-varying frequency characteristics of the damaged buildings are easily detected through the SET method.

Damage evolution and removal behaviors of GaN crystals involved in double-grits grinding

Elucidating the complex interactions between the work material and abrasives during grinding of gallium nitride(GaN)single crystals is an active and challenging research area.In this study,molecular dynamics simulations were performed on double-grits interacted grinding of GaN crystals;and the grinding force,coefficient of friction,stress distribution,plastic damage behaviors,and abrasive damage were systematically investigated.The results demonstrated that the interacted distance in both radial and transverse directions achieved better grinding quality than that in only one direction.The grinding force,grinding induced stress,subsurface damage depth,and abrasive wear increase as the transverse interacted distance increases.However,there was no clear correlation between the interaction distance and the number of atoms in the phase transition and dislocation length.Appropriate interacted distances between abrasives can decrease grinding force,coefficient of friction,grinding induced stress,subsurface damage depth,and abrasive wear during the grinding process.The results of grinding tests combined with cross-sectional transmission electron micrographs validated the simulated damage results,i.e.amorphous atoms,high-pressure phase transition,dislocations,stacking faults,and lattice distortions.The results of this study will deepen our understanding of damage accumulation and material removal resulting from coupling between abrasives during grinding and can be used to develop a feasible approach to the wheel design of ordered abrasives.