Non-native plants are typically released from specialist enemies in new ranges, but continue to be attacked by generalists, but whether they shift relative allocation to constitutive or induced defenses is unknown. We compared herbivory on co-occurring native and non-native species and also constitutive and induced defenses. Non-natives suffered less damage than natives and constitutive defenses of non-natives was lower than that of native congeners, whereas induced defense was the opposite. The strength of constitutive defenses for a species was correlated with the intensity of herbivory experienced, for non-natives, whereas induced defenses showed the reverse. The defenses of natives were not related to herbivory pressure. Finally, the strength of induced defenses correlated positively with growth, suggesting a novel mechanism for the evolution of increased competitive ability. These results expand our understanding of fundamental tradeoffs in constitutive and induced defenses and provide novel insight into how herbivory pressure affects defense allocation.

A 5-year-old Staffordshire terrier mix being treated for immune-mediated hemolytic anemia was diagnosed with concurrent disseminated Aspergillus citrinoterreus and localized Curvularia lunata infections. This case highlights the potential development of multiple concurrent opportunistic fungal infections, and it is the first reported case of Aspergillus citrinoterreus infection in a dog.

Background: Children and adolescents undergoing umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) are faced with severe challenges and a decline in quality of life (QoL) during the inpatient period. This prospective study investigated the effect of structured exercise intervention on fatigue, QoL and clinical outcomes. Methods: Participants (n=48) were randomized to a control group (CG: usual care) or an intervention group (IG: structured exercise intervention). Fatigue and QoL were assessed at hospital admission, 14 days after UCBT, and at discharge using repeated measures analysis of variances. In addition, engraftment kinetics, supportive care, and transplant-related complications were derived from medical records. Results: Forty-four patients completed the study, and the IG participated in an average of 2.12 (1.36-2.8) training sessions with a duration of 24 (16-34) min weekly. Fatigue increased at 14 days after UCBT (76.04±15.88 vs. 69.03±15.36, p=0.031), but it returned to pre-UCBT levels at discharge (74.10±16.31 vs. 76.04±15.88, p=0.578), with patients’ QoL was positively maintained during the exercise intervention (75.16±11.27 vs. 74.77±10.58 vs. 77.40±14.33, p＞0.05). However, no significant differences were observed for the remainder of clinical outcomes ( p＞0.05). Conclusion: Our randomized study indicated that structured exercise intervention might exert a protective effect by attenuating the decline in fatigue and QoL.

INTRODUCTION: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) blockers such as infliximab (IFX) and adalimumab (ADA) had significantly changed the course of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritis (SpA) and Crohn’s disease (CD). However, about 30% of patients do not respond to these treatments. This lack of response may be due to the formation of antibodies against these drugs (anti-drug antibodies: ADAbs). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence ADAbs against IFX and ADA, and the trough serum concentration of IFX and ADA in RA, SpA or CD patients and to assess their impact on the therapeutic response. METHODS: A cross sectional, multi-centric study was conducted including patients with RA, SpA or CD treated with IFX or ADA as a first biotherapy for at least 6 months. ADAbs and trough levels were measured by an Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: 137 patients were included (37 RA, 53 SpA and 47 CD). ADAbs were positive in 40% of cases for IFX and 25% for ADA. They were positive in 39% of SpA, 35% of RA, and 21% of CD. The presence of ADAbs was inversely correlated to the trough levels of IFX and ADA during RA (p=0.01 and p<0.0001), SpA (p<0.01 and p<0.0001) and CD (p=0.001 and p=0.04). For all pathologies, the presence of ADAbs was not correlated with disease activity. CONCLUSION: In our study, the presence of ADAb and low trough levels seem to not affect the therapeutic response in patients on TNF alpha antagonists.

Eurasian otters are apex predators of freshwater ecosystems and a recovering species across much of their European range; investigating the dietary variation of this predator over time and space therefore provides opportunities to identify changes in freshwater trophic interactions and factors influencing the conservation of otter populations. Here we sampled faeces from 300 dead otters across England and Wales between 2007 and 2016, conducting both morphological analysis of prey remains and dietary DNA metabarcoding. Comparison of these methods showed that greater taxonomic resolution and breadth could be achieved using DNA metabarcoding but combining data from both methodologies gave the most comprehensive dietary description. All otter demographics exploited a broad range of taxa and variation primarily reflected changes in prey distributions and availability across the landscape. This study provides novel insights into the trophic generalism and adaptability of otters across Britain, which is likely to have aided their recent population recovery, and may increase their resilience to future environmental changes.

In this letter, we consider the privacy-preserving strategies of the distributed state estimator over wireless sensor networks. Aiming at an eavesdropper who can intercept the data transmitted on the communication channel, we design a simple preserving scheme to encode the transmitted data by using system dynamics and history estimates. To analyze the privacy-preserving performance, we use the gap between the values deciphered by the eavesdropper and decoded by the sensor as the privacy index to evaluate the degree of robust privacy protection. Finally, we provide some simulations to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed preserving schemes.

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a zoonotic disease endemic in the rain forest countries of Central and West Africa. Understanding the immune response in zoonosis is fundamental to prevent and contrast viral spreading. MPXV is a close relative of the Variola (smallpox) virus and vaccination with vaccinia virus give an 85% protection against MPXV. With the emergence of the recent MPXV outbreak, Jynneos vaccine has been proposed to individuals at high-risk of exposure. Comparative data on MPXV immune response in vaccinated or infected subjects is still scarce. Here we described the differences between a group of infected patients in comparison to smallpox or Jynneos vaccinated subjects. The patients’ response is stronger and faster, while the Jynneos vaccinated controls need more time to develop a good immunity. Interestingly, the historic smallpox-vaccinated controls retain a degree of protection, even after years from vaccination, which is most visible in the T-cellular memory that is comparable to the newly vaccinated subjects.

Introduction: Isolated precordial inverted T-wave (IPITW) is a challenging finding on electrocardiogram (ECG) due to a wide range of differential diagnoses ranging from a normal finding to coronary heart disease. The aim of this study was to determine the overall prevalence of IPITW and its underlying causes along with ECG mapping. Materials and methods: The MASHAD cohort study participants (phase II) were screened for the presence of IPITW on the ECG. Demographic and clinical information of patients with IPITW extracted from the cohort study archive. ECG mapping and trans-thoracic echocardiography were performed on randomly selected 40 participants with IPITW. These participants were divided into symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. Results: The prevalence of IPITW was 1.56%. Of the selected 40 participants (9, 22.5% male and 31, 77.5% female), IPITW was mostly present in V3 and V4 leads (77.5% in each case). There was no significant difference in the number of leads with IPITW between I, M and N patterns (p = 0.051). Hypertension, ischemic heart disease (IHD) and heart failure (HF) were the least prevalent among N pattern group. The prevalence of heart failure was the highest in M pattern group (60%). Pattern I was associated with 525.2-fold increased likelihood of IHD compared to the N pattern. I pattern had the highest sensitivity (68.42%), specificity (90.48%), positive (86.67%) and negative (76.0 %) predictive values in IHD diagnosis. Conclusions: IPITW in the presence of I pattern in ECG mapping can be an indicator for IHD.

Bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax can occur as a late complication in patients with COVID-19 even without any history of mechanical ventilation. Here, we are presenting a patient with mild COVID-19 pneumonia with a left massive pneumothorax in the third week of the hospitalization, and the addition of right pneumothorax as well.

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune disease that often manifests as a post-viral complication. However, its association with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unclear. We present a rare case of GBS secondary to COVID-19 infection complicated by rapidly progressive sensorimotor deterioration resistant to plasma exchange therapy.

This letter considers the problem of beamforming in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar. The mismatch phenomenon of MIMO radar virtual array steering vector is addressed and a new robust beamforming method for MIMO radar is proposed. The object function of this robust MIMO radar beamformer is constructed from an infinite norm of the output data, which is solved by linear programming. The performance of the proposed beamformer is verified by simulation results. Numerical results illustrate that proposed beamformer exhibits good performance improvement in virtual array steering vector mismatch compared to conventional methods.

Global optimization problems widely exist in the fields of economic model, finance, engineering design and control. Since it is easy to fall into multiple local optimal solutions that are different from the global optimal solution, how to obtain the global optimal solution is a very important subject. Inspired by the recently proposed deterministic global optimization method – Granular Sieving (GrS) algorithm, this paper proposes a parallel method for global optimization – P-GrS. Supported by the mathematical theory of GrS, P-GrS can theoretically guarantee to find the global optimum and the complete set of global optimal solutions through the parallel design of GrS. The method has better performance than the traditional GrS in most bench mark functions, and the results show the feasibility and effectiveness of the algorithm.

The chemical composition of COVID test swabs has not been examined beyond the manufacturers' datasheets. Given the unprecedented demand for swabs to conduct rapid lateral flow tests and nucleic acid amplification tests, which led to mass production, including 3-D printing platforms, it is plausible that manufacturing impurities could be present in the swabs and, if so, could pose a risk for human health. We used scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy to examine the ultrastructure of five assorted brands of COVID test swabs, and to identify and quantify their chemical elements. We detected unexpected elements, including transition metals, such as titanium and zirconium, as well as aluminium, silicon, and fluorine. The amount of some of the detected elements is close to reported toxicological thresholds for inhalation routes. Experimental studies have shown that detrimental effects of the unexpected chemical elements include moderate to severe inflammatory states in the exposed epithelium as well as proliferative changes. Given the massive testing still being used in the context of the COVID pandemic, often as requisites for travelling, attending universities, or as mandatory work policies, we urge caution in continuing to recommend repeated and frequent testing, particularly of healthy, non-symptomatic, individuals.

The temperature has a large impact on the rate of a chemical reaction. For photoelectrochemical water splitting it has been shown that the photocurrent of a tungsten oxide anode increases by 64 % in a temperature interval of 25 to 65 °C. Photoelectrochemical cells are usually not equipped with systems for active temperature control. This limits the reliability of measurement data, especially for long measurements under illumination (e.g., impedance spectroscopy). Insufficient comparability of materials is an obstacle for development and application of photoelectrochemical modules.

Robots with telepresence capabilities are typically employed for tasks where human presence is not feasible due to geography, safety risks like fire or radiation exposure, or other factors like any epidemic disease. Time delay is a significant consideration in controlling a telepresence robot. This study proposes a deep learning-based approach to compensate for the delay by predicting the behaviour of the teleoperator. We integrate a recurrent neural network (RNN) based on the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) architecture with the reinforcement learning-based Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) algorithm. The proposed method predicts the teleoperator’s angular and linear controlling commands by using data gathered by embedded sensors on the specially designed and built telepresence robot. Simulations and experiments assess the operation of the proposed technique in Gazebo simulation and MATLAB with ROS integration, which shows 2.3% better response in the presence of static and dynamic obstacles.

Synthetic aperture sonar image reconstruction relies on the coherence of overlapping phase centers to provide accurate micronavigation for a sensed scene. It is shown that phase centers lose coherence for near-range scattering from large SAS arrays due to the fundamentally bistatic nature of these sensors. This effect is modeled using the van Cittert-Zernike theorem and a point-based sonar scattering model. Reduction of the window length used in the delay estimation process can partially mitigate the loss of coherence at the expense of increased variance in the resulting delay estimates.

A growing global population and climate change threaten the availability of many critical resources, and they are directly impacting the food and agriculture sector. Therefore, new cultivation technologies must be rapidly adopted and implemented to secure the world’s food needs. Closed-loop greenhouse agriculture systems provide an opportunity to decrease resource reliance and increase crop yield. Greenhouses provide versatility in what can be grown and the resources required to function. Greenhouses can become highly efficient and resilient through the application of a closed-loop systems approach that prioritizes repurposing, reusing, and recirculating resources. Here, we employ a text mining approach to research the available research (meta-research) and publications within the area of closed-loop systems in greenhouses. This meta-research provides a clearer definition of the term closed-loop system within the context of greenhouses, as the term was previously vaguely defined. Using the meta-research approach, we identify six major existing research topic areas in closed-loop agriculture systems, which include models and controls, food waste, nutrient systems, growing media, heating and energy. Furthermore, we identify four areas that require further urgent work, which include the establishment of better connection between academic research to industry applications, clearer criteria surrounding growing media selection, critical operational requirements of a closed-loop system, and the functionality and synergy between the many modules that comprise a closed-loop greenhouse system.

Tilletia laevis cause common bunt and Tilletia controversa cause dwarf bunt of wheat. Both pathogens can cause fungus galls which replace with wheat grains and lead to the total loss of wheat yields. To better understand disease progression, confocal microscopy was used to construct the timeline of cell development of healthy wheat anthers, and which was approved by analyzing the expression level of some developmental and program cell death genes. Based on comparing with normal healthy anthers, tapetum cells should be disappeared at 1300 µm, but in T. laevis infected anthers, tapetum cells was visible in 2100 µm of T. controversa infected anthers. For the anthers infected by T. laevis and T. controversa, cell size and counts showed significant difference with normal anther cells. Additionally, for the anthers of five developmental stages, transcriptome profile and infected five developmental stages were also analyzed. Furthermore, we established virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) for wheat bunt pathogens. Based on RNA-Seq data, TaEC in wheat anther were validated to contribute to the resistance to both bunt pathogens. This study firstly constructed the development timeline of wheat anthers and firstly constructed VIGS system to explore the interaction of both bunt pathogens with wheat anther development.

A document by Dr M R Meena. Click on the document to view its contents.

AIM Cachexia is characterized by losses in lean body mass and its progression results in worsened quality of life and exacerbated outcomes in cancer patients. However, the role and impact of fibrosis during the early stages and development of cachexia in under-investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine if fibrosis occurs during cachexia development, and to evaluate this in both sexes. Methods Female and male C57BL6/J mice were injected with PBS or Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) at 8‐week of age and tumors were allowed to develop for 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks. 3wk and 4wk female tumor‐bearing mice displayed a dichotomy in tumor growth and were reassigned to high tumor (HT) and low tumor (LT) groups. In vitro analyses were also performed on co-cultured C2C12 and 3T3 exposed to LLC conditioned media. Immunohistochemistry and quantitative PCR analysis were used to investigate fibrosis and fibrosis related signaling in skeletal muscle. Results Collagen deposition in skeletal muscle was increased in the 1wk, LT and HT groups in female mice. However, collagen deposition was only increased in the 4wk group in male mice. In general female mice displayed earlier alterations in ECM related genes beginning at 1 wk post-LLC injection. Whereas this was not seen in males. Conclusions While overall tumor burden is tightly correlated to cachexia development in both sexes, fibrotic development is not. Male mice did not exhibit early-stage alterations in ECM related genes contrary to what was noted in female mice.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is very common in children with Down Syndrome. We report an 11-month-old female infant with Down syndrome who presented with OSA and Hypoventilation. As surgery was not indicated she was referred for institution of CPAP. As her family had concerns about CPAP, she was started on medications (nasal steroids and leukotriene antagonists) and advised Positional Therapy. Repeat sleep study in lateral position performed 7 months later showed resolution of hypoventilation and significant reduction in AHI.

Plastics are versatile materials of synthetic long-chain polymers with low cost, lightweight, recalcitrant properties. The market is mostly dominated by 6 classes of plastics:  Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polystyrene (PS), Poly-Urethane (PUR), and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET).  Microparticles as being in the size range <5 mm (recognizing 333 μm as a practical lower limit when neuston nets are used for sampling.  Microplastic pollution has been a particular concern in recent years because of its prevalence in the ocean and potential ingestion by marine organisms.  A sustainable approach to both production and consumption of plastic materials with global efforts has been geared towards the management of marine debris via prevention. Recycling and reusing plastic products are some of the most effective actions to reduce the volumes of plastic wastes that must be flushed into the ocean. Finally, with the increase in microplastics and its effects on marine ecosystems, it is suggested that community and public vanguards could be initiated to develop a feasible platform for microplastics’ mitigation and ecosystem balance.  

It is imperative to explore renewable energy options to meet the energy needs of our growing population as well as to prevent pollution and natural hazards. Solar irradiance can be harnessed into electrical power by installing photovoltaic panels under the sun. In order to install conventional solar panels, a large space was required, which would be a loss as the population grows. The drawbacks of this approach can be overcome by designing natural tree-like structures to maximize solar power generation on a minimum of land. In solar trees, phyllotaxy, the pattern of branches and leaves, is often used as inspiration for the arrangement of solar panels. In order to achieve the optimal solar panel power, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is used, which involves constantly changing the angle of the panels or adjusting the optimum voltage for the controller based on irradiance angle changes in order to obtain the maximum power. In the first option, the tracking equipment requires some power, and in the second, MPPT algorithms must be selected carefully. An MPPT algorithm based on the horse herd optimization (HHO) algorithm is used for solar tree applications in this study. A MATLAB/Simulink tool is used to analyze the proposed technique under various atmospheric conditions.

Surma is a principal distributary of the Barak River, which is the main source of fresh water in South-Eastern region like Sylhet, Sunamganj of Bangladesh Bengal. Every year huge amount of sediment loads are coming from upstream which are settling down on Surma river bed, hindering the safe passage of flow which contributes to the change in hydrodynamic and morphological characteristics of the river. Recently a dredging has been done in Sunamganj area to increase the navigability of the river in that area. In this study work, the hydrodynamic study of the river Surma has been investigated to check the impact of dredging with the help of HEC-RAS. For these flood frequency analysis has been done for ( 5, 10, 25, 50, 100) years return period and comparison of water level, velocity and discharge has been done before and after dredging. Before dredging the water level, flow path was very high, velocity, discharge was low but after dredging water level, flow path. Discharge also decreases after dredging in the 6 stations which are located in the dredged area, the values are 1375.41 m 3/s, 1374.31 m 3/s, 1373.73 m 3/s, 1369.7 m 3/s, 1373.11 m 3/s, 1372.08 m 3/s and before dredging the values are 1669.62 m 3/s, 1665.53 m 3/s, 1664.69 m 3/s, 1658.12 m 3/s, 1624.23 m 3/s, 1383.98 m 3/s. Increment of velocity has also been observed.