The Amazon sailfin catfish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis), which belongs to the Loricariidae family, is an invasive species that has caused massive damage to the ecological environment. However, a high-quality reference genome for this catfish species has not yet been reported. Here, we successfully assembled the first chromosome-level high-quality genome of P. pardalis using data produced from multiple sequencing platforms. The assembled genome contains 26 chromosomes, with a scaffold N50 of 49.47 Mb. Different evaluation methods indicated the high connectivity and accuracy genome we got. In total, 23 859 protein-coding genes were predicted in the genome, 22 169 (92.92%) of which were functionally annotated in public databases. Phylogenetic analysis showed that P. pardalis was clustered with all other catfish studied and diverged from their common ancestor 132.5 million years ago. Whole-genome collinearity analysis indicated the chromosome 6 of P. pardalis was aligned to two distinct chromosomes in Ameiurus melas, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, and Ictalurus punctatus, suggesting the occurrence of potential chromosomal fusion/fission events. Furthermore, many immune system-related genes were expanded in the P. pardalis genome, which may have contributed to their adaptive traits to highly polluted environments and successful invasion. This study not only provides insights into the genetic basis of the successful invasion of P. pardalis, but also provides important data for comparative genomic analysis of P. pardalis in Siluriformes in the future.

Background: Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxic metabolites found in cereals and forage released by moulds and other fungi. In domestic farm animals, mycotoxins contribute to a spectrum of disorders. However, little is known about the impact of multiple mycotoxins in horses and there is little published data investigating mycotoxins found in forage fed to horses in the UK. Objectives: To identify the concentrations of mycotoxins found in forage fed to horses in the UK with increased liver enzyme concentrations. Study Design: Retrospective case series. Methods: Records of forage mycotoxin sampling undertaken for horses with increased liver enzymes between May 2019 – October 2021 were reviewed. The quantity and frequency of 54 mycotoxins identified were recorded. Individual mycotoxins were grouped based on their biochemical structure or fungus they are produced by. Results: Mycotoxins were detected in 50/52 (96%, CI 87-99) of forage samples; 42/52 (81%, CI 67-90) samples had two or more present. The median number of mycotoxin groups detected was three. Emerging mycotoxins were detected in 39/52 samples (75%, CI 61-86) with median concentration of 92 μg/kg [IQR 20-444] (median concentration [IQR]); fusaric acid in 25/52 samples (48%, CI 34-62), (14 [11-45]), and type B trichothecenes in 24/52 samples (46%, CI 32-61), (119 [50-1517]). One or more mycotoxin groups were detected in 14/52 samples (26%, CI 16-42) at a concentration thought to be ‘higher’ risk to animal health; 22/52 (42%, CI 29-57) samples had one or more mycotoxins groups that were detected at a concentration that was ‘medium’ or ‘higher’ risk. Main limitations: Lack of a control population and potential for case selection bias. Conclusions: Mycotoxins are frequently found in the forage eaten by horses with increased liver enzymes. The effects of mycotoxins in horses and synergistic effects of multiple mycotoxins in horses warrant further investigation.

Many parasites can interfere with their host’s defences to maximize their fitness. Here we investigated if there is heritable variation in the spider mite, Tetranychus evansi for traits associated with how they interact with their host plant. We also determined if this variation correlates with mite fecundity. This mite has the ability to interfere with jasmonate (JA) defences which is the main determinant of anti-herbivore immunity in plants. We investigated (i). variation in fecundity in the presence and absence of JA defences, making use of a wild-type tomato cultivar and a JA-deficient mutant (defenseless-1), and (ii) variation in the induction of JA defences, in 4 T. evansi field populations and in 59 inbred lines created from an outbred population conceived from controlled crosses of the four field populations. We observed a strong positive genetic correlation between fecundity in the presence (on WT) and in the absence of JA-defenses (on def-1). However, fecundity did not correlate with the magnitude of induced JA-defenses in WT plants. Our results suggest that JA-defences have a minimal impact on the performance of the specialist T. evansi, either because all lines can adequately reduce levels of defences, or because they are resistant to such defences.

Grossman and Katz (five decade ago) suggested a new definition of differential and integral calculus which utilize the multiplicative and division operator as compared to the addition and subtraction. Multiplicative Calculus is a vital part of the applied Mathematics because of its application in the area of Biology, Science and Finance, Biomedical, Economic, etc. Therefore, we used a multiplicative calculus approach to develop a new fourth-order iterative scheme for multiple roots based on the well-known King’s method. In addition, we also propose the detailed convergence analysis of our scheme with the help of multiplicative calculus approach rather than the normal one. Different kinds of numerical comparisons has been suggested and obtained results are very impressive as compared to the ordinary derivative methods. Finally, the convergence of our technique is also analyzed by basin of attractions that also support the theoretical aspects.

A 34-year-old woman was referred with a history of psoriasiform plaques for 12 years skin biopsy was performed and a diagnosis of MF was confirmed and treatment with PUVA, prednisolon, methotrexate, topical ointment including ucerin, urea ad clobetasol were initiated. Significant improvement in all lesions were observed

We report the diagnostic approach to mild and non-specific thrombocytopenia with unclear genetic findings in two sisters. Genetic sequencing revealed a novel variant in ETS Variant Transcription Factor 6, which is associated with inherited thrombocytopenia with predisposition to hematologic malignancy. Familial studies provided sufficient evidence for a likely pathogenic classification.

The risk of emerging infectious diseases (EID) is increasing globally. More than 60% of EIDs worldwide are caused by animal-borne pathogens, and most viral pathogens are rodent-borne. This study aimed to characterise the virome and analyse the phylogenetic evolution and diversity of rodent-borne viruses in Hainan Province, China. We collected 588 anal and throat samples from rodents, combined them into 28 pools according to their species and location, and processed them for next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. The diverse viral reads closely related to mammals were assigned to 15 viral families. Molecular clues of the important rodent-borne viruses were further identified by polymerase chain reaction for phylogenetic analysis and annotation of genetic characteristics such as coronavirus, arenavirus, picornavirus. We identified a pestivirus in Leopoldoms edwardsi and two bocaviruses in Rattus andamanensis and Leopoldoms edwardsi from the national nature reserves of Jianfengling and Bangxi with low amino acid identity to known pathogens are proposed as the novel species, and their rodent hosts have not been previously reported to carry these viruses. These results expand our knowledge of viral classification and host range and suggest that there are highly diverse, undiscovered viruses that have evolved independently in their unique wildlife hosts in inaccessible areas, which may cause zoonosis if they cross their host barrier. Our virome and phylogenetic analyses of rodent-borne viruses provide basic data for the prevention and control of human infectious diseases caused by rodent-borne viruses in the subtropical area of China.

The load demand at distribution network (DN) is increasing day by day due to increase in industrial, commercial, municipal, residential and irrigation needs. In order to meet the increased load demand in DN, distributed energy resources i.e., Distributed Generators (DG), Capacitors and Network reconfiguration are used as alternative solutions. In this paper, an attempt has been made to maximize the economic benefits in distribution system with installation of DGs, Capacitors and Network reconfiguration by simultaneously optimizing the location, size, switching configuration while taking into account, the load growth and the variations in load in DN also. Optimal location and capacity of DG and Capacitor is a difficult non differentiable combinatorial optimization problem. Adaptive Quantum inspired evolutionary Algorithm (AQiEA) has been used to solve the difficult non differentiable, combinatorial optimization problem. The effectiveness of AQiEA is tested with a benchmark test bus system i.e., 33 bus system. In this study, two different cases are considered to test the effectiveness of proposed algorithm. Seven different Scenarios are considered to analyse the losses incurred in the system with variation in load in first case. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm as compared with other algorithm is demonstrated on the other case.

Power systems around the world are rapidly transitioning to much higher shares of inverter-based resources (IBRs) with few synchronous generators remaining online. IBRs and synchronous generators have fundamentally different dynamic performance characteristics resulting in a difference in the overall power system dynamic performance. IBRs are generally more flexible and controllable than synchronous generators, however at the same time exhibit significantly more complex control systems. Furthermore, new and emerging capabilities are being developed progressively and in particular the so-called grid-forming inverters. Grid-forming inverters (GFM) offer several new capabilities not previously possible with conventional grid-following inverters (GFL). However, they are not well understood currently when applied in a mega scale and moving forward when they will likely take over the role synchronous generators have been performing for several decades as the workhorse of system security support. Key questions currently in the technical community include the extent to which GFM shall be similar or different to each of the synchronous machines and conventional GFL, and how various control strategies can assist in maximising the grid support capabilities sought and minimise or ideally eliminate any adverse impacts. The objective of this special issue is to provide insights into some of these unknowns.

Dispersal is a crucial mechanism to living beings, allowing them to reach new resources such that populations and species can explore new environments. However, directly observing the dispersal mechanisms of widespread species can be costly or even impracticable, which is the case for mangrove trees. The influence of ocean currents on the mangroves’ propagules’ movement has been increasingly evident; however, few studies mechanistically relate the patterns of population distribution with the dispersal by oceanic currents under an integrated framework. Here, we evaluate the role of oceanic currents on dispersal and connectivity of Rhizophora mangle along the Southwest Atlantic. We inferred population genetic structure and migration rates based on single nucleotide polymorphisms, simulated the displacement of propagules along the region and tested our hypotheses with Mantel tests and redundancy analysis. We observed a two populations structure, north and south, which is corroborated by other studies with Rhizophora and other coastal plants. The inferred recent migration rates do not indicate gene flow between the sampled sites. Conversely, long-term migration rates were low across groups and contrasting dispersal patterns within each one, which is consistent with long-distance dispersal events. Our hypothesis tests suggests that both isolation by distance and isolation by oceanography (derived from the oceanic currents) can explain the neutral genetic variation of R. mangle in the region. Our findings expand current knowledge of mangrove connectivity and highlight how the association of molecular methods with oceanographic simulations improve the interpretation power of the dispersal process, which has ecological and evolutionary implications.

An exoskeleton robot is a sample of a wearable robot. One of the most critical challenges in developing wearable robots is the application of the interactive force between human and robot. Force sensors need to be placed on the robot. Consideration in using these sensors needs to be given to factors such as cost, noise, and weight. One way that can be used to help with the operation of the exoskeleton is to support the sensors with observers. This study will estimate the interactive force applied to a human arm model and the exoskeleton robot. The Sliding Mode Control (SMC) method will be employed to design a chattering-free robust fixed-time controller and observer, for estimating the states of the human arm and exoskeleton robot. Utilising this information from state observers, the interactive force is estimated. The state observer and the controller work together in real-time (online estimation). The Lyapunov theory is used to show the fixed-time stability analysis of the controller and the observer. Numerical simulation with three scenarios demonstrates the performance of the proposed design.

Corresponding author (*) Prashant Mahajan (*) R. C. Patel Institute of Technology, Shirpur. E-mail: registrar@rcpit.ac.in ORCiD ID: 0000-0002-5761-5757 Vaishali Patil RCPET’s, Institute of Management Research and Development, Shirpur. E-mail: imrd.director@gmail.com

A giant ascending aortic aneurysm associated with a ruptured sinus of Valsalva is rare. A 53-year-old male patient successfully underwent Bentall procedure after multimodality imaging which enable the correct diagnosis to be established and intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography provides additional information on the surgical planning.

Based on the Bell polynomial method, the (3+1)-dimensional variable coefficient Potential-YTSF equation is transformed into bilinear form, and the double Bell polynomial B a ̵̈ cklund transformation, bilinear B a ̵̈ cklund transformation, Lax pair and infinite conservation law of this equation are constructed. Firstly, the Lax integrability of the equation is proved by the B a ̵̈ cklund transformation of double Bell polynomials, and the infinite conservation law is constructed. Secondly, the exact solution of the equation is obtained by bilinear B a ̵̈ cklund transformation and symbolic computation system Mathematica. Finally, we illustrate their properties by making some graphs of soliton solutions.

Problems like population growth, continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and ideal gas are studied from the last four decades in the field medicine science, Engineering and applied science, respectively. One of the main motivation was to understand the pattern of such issues and how to fix them. With the help of applied Mathematics, such problems can be converted or modeled by nonlinear expressions with similar properties and the required solution can be obtained by iterative techniques. In this manuscript, we proposed a new iterative scheme for multiple roots (without prior knowledge of multiplicity m) by adopting multiplicative calculus rather than the standard calculus. The base of our scheme is on the well-known Schröder method and we retain the same second-order of convergence. In addition, we extend the order of convergence from second to fourth by constructing a two-step joint Schröder scheme with hybrid approach of ordinary and multiplicative calculus. Some numerical examples are tested to find the roots of nonlinear equations and results are found to be competent as compared to ordinary derivative methods. Finally, the convergence of schemes is also analyzed by basin of attractions that also support the theoretical aspects.

Ant societies are primarily composed of females, whereby labor is divided into reproductive and non-reproductive, worker, castes. Workers and reproductive queens can differ greatly in behavior, longevity, physiology, and morphology, but their differences are usually modest relative to the differences relative to males. Males are short-lived, typically do not provide the colony with labor, often look like a different species, and only occur seasonally. It is these differences that have historically led to their neglect in social insect research, but also why they may facilitate novel phenotypic variation – by increasing the phenotypic variability that is available for selection. In this study, worker variation along a size-shape axis corresponded with variation in male-queen size and shape. As worker variation increased within species, so did sexual variation. Across species in two independent genera, sexual size dimorphism correlated with worker polymorphism regardless of whether the ancestral condition was large or small worker/sexual dimorphism. These results, along with mounting molecular data showing that process of queen-worker caste determination has co-opted many genes/pathways from sex determination, lead to the hypothesis that sexual selection and selection on colony-level traits are non-independent and that sexual dimorphism may even have facilitated the evolution of the distinct worker caste.

Global changes and local pressures related to the exploitation of water resources are significantly reducing streams' biodiversity and threatening their ecological balance. This trend concerns both the lowland rivers flowing in densely populated areas, and the alpine headwaters, where the effects of global change are dramatically evident and often accompanied by alterations in river hydro-morphology. In mountainous river stretches, regulation and morphological alterations such as bank reinforcement, water abstractions, dams, and weirs are increasing. In the Alps, protected areas and especially large National Parks constitute an effective strategy to face the loss of biodiversity, but little is known about their effectiveness regarding lotic environments. To examine the recent trend in aquatic communities in Alpine protected areas, we carried out biological samplings and hydro-morphological evaluation in twelve high-altitude streams within the oldest Italian National Park, the Gran Paradiso Park, located in the heart of the Western Alps, and we compared results with a previous survey performed in 2005, keeping the same experimental design. Our results detected minimal changes in the hydro-morphology of the studied watercourses. Biomonitoring indices associated with benthic communities likewise do not evidence significant differences. Concerning diatom flora, we found however in 2020 a greater uniformity in species composition compared to communities of 2005, and a slight turnover between species. In conclusion, our findings underline the effectiveness of protected areas for the conservation of running water environments because they limit hydro-morphological alterations thus increasing the resilience of aquatic communities to climate change.

In this article, the performance analysis of recessed gate and field-plated III-nitride Nano-HEMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor) developed on β-Ga 2O 3 substrate with and without AlN spacer layer is studied. The two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) formed at the AlGaN/GaN interface is crucial in changing the characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. The different transport, DC, and AC characteristics of the proposed III-nitride HEMT with spacer layer are numerically simulated and compared with the HEMT without spacer layer. The major findings of this research demonstrate that the AlN spacer layers large band off set, strong polarisation field, and high barrier allow the increased concentration of 2DEG, when it is introduced between AlGaN/GaN interface. Furthermore, the AlN layer moves the 2DEG distribution shifts from the surface, which diminishes interface scattering. Further, AlN thickness variation influences the polarisation field and conduction band offset, which impacts the concentration and mobility of 2DEG.

Interference competition has the potential to alter avian assemblages at long-lasting arid zone waterholes, particularly in a warming world, as more potentially aggressive species frequent these sites to drink. We used camera traps and observational surveys to investigate interference competition between terrestrial avian species at six long-lasting waterholes across three sampling seasons (two summers and one winter) within the MacDonnell Ranges Bioregion in central Australia. The proportion of individuals drinking for each of four dietary classes (granivores, nectarivores, omnivores, and insectivores) was modelled in relation to their abundance in the immediate waterhole habitat, which informed the potential for competition in each season. We then used the temporal overlap estimators to quantify the degree of competition between species at waterholes with species grouped into families (Meliphagidae, Ptilonorhynchidae, Estrildidae, and Rhipiduridae). We found the proportion of individuals drinking at waterholes was greatest during hot and dry periods, suggesting the potential for interference competition is greatest during these times. This was particularly the case for nectarivores where, in hot and dry conditions, the proportion of drinking individuals increased significantly as their abundance also increased in the waterhole habitat. We predicted that subordinate species would alter their activity periods to avoid competitive interactions with meliphagids (honeyeaters), however, we found there was a high degree of temporal overlap between all families sampled across all seasons. These results suggest subordinate species are unlikely to be excluded from long-lasting waterholes by potentially aggressive species, such as honeyeaters. However, some species may face trade-offs between foraging and accessing waterholes to stay hydrated as they shift their activity to avoid the hottest parts of the day during the summer months. Under global warming, extended hot and dry periods will likely create conditions where balancing energy and hydration requirements becomes increasing difficult and results in the loss of body condition.

Driverless technology aims to improve driving safety, accuracy and comfort. Path tracking is a basic component of the motion control module of autonomous vehicles, and its control algorithm directly affects the path tracking effect. Based on the preliminary results of the application of path tracking control algorithm, this paper analyzes the principles, advantages and disadvantages, applications and current research progress of the path tracking algorithm under different working conditions from the perspective of different working conditions at low speed and high speed, and provides an outlook on the future development, aiming to provide reference for future in-depth research.

In plants, neither the contribution of the plasmotype in controlling circadian clock plasticity and overall plant robustness, nor what may be the fitness consequences of clock plasticity on genetic make-up has been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the cytonuclear genetics underlying thermal plasticity of clock rhythmicity and fitness traits in reciprocal doubled haploid population and a diversity panel of wild barley ( Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum). We identified a positive correlation between the thermal plasticity of clock and vegetative growth with the robustness of reproductive output. Moreover, we identified significant linkage disequilibrium and epistatic interactions between previously identified drivers of clock (DOC) loci and the chloroplastic RpoC1 genes, indicating adaptive value for specific cytonuclear gene combinations. Finally, heterologous over-expression of two barley RpoC1 alleles in Arabidopsis showed significantly differential plasticity under elevated temperatures. Our results unravel previously unknown cytonuclear interactions as well as specific alleles within the chloroplastic genome that control clock thermal plasticity while also having pleiotropic effects on plant fitness in the field. The evolutionary and functional relationship between nuclear and chloroplastic DOCs suggest that adaptation to warming environments involve cytonuclear changes to confer local adaptation.

A 42-year-old African female (Kenyan Origin), presents with recurrent ear fullness and pain in the ear diagnosed with otitis media there after progressing to having trigeminal neuralgia and multi-systemic disease. ANCA vasculitis is a rare disease of granulomatous polyangiitis targeting multiple organ systems.

Broilers supply humans with an abundance of high-quality chicken, and the utilization of local poultry genetic variety is crucial for the development of high-performing and efficient broiler breeders. Pingwu red chicken is an outstanding native poultry genetic resource in Sichuan Province, yet research on Pingwu red chicken DNA polymorphism lags behind that of standard broiler breeds. To uncover the genetic variety of Pingwu red chickens, blood genomic DNA from 18 Pingwu red chickens was extracted, and high-throughput locus-specific amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) was utilized for SNP marker analysis and phylogenetic tree construction. To investigate the genetic evolutionary relationship of Pingwu red chickens, a total of 952,944 high-quality SNPs (integrity > 0.5 and MAF > 0.05) and SLAF fragments were gathered, according to the study. This study successfully uncovered the genetic foundation of Pingwu red chicken, indicating the existence of three tiny clusters across all samples. Specific-length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) is a high-resolution technique for identifying and genotyping de novo SNPs. This study concludes that slaf-seq is an effective method for revealing the genetic variety of Pingwu red chickens and provides a scientific basis for its use in Pingwu red chicken evolution.

We give a new proof of continuous Welch bounds obtained by M. Krishna [arXiv:2109.09296]. Our proof is motivated from the proof of Welch [IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, 1974].