Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, was an almost neglected pathogen until its introduction in the Americas in 2015, where it has been responsible for a threat to global health, causing a great social and sanitary alarm due to its increased virulence, rapid spread, and an association with severe neurological and ophthalmological complications. Currently, no specific antiviral therapy against ZIKV is available, and treatments are palliative and mainly directed to symptoms relief, such as fever and rash, by administering antipyretics, anti-histamines, and fluids for dehydration. Nevertheless, lately, a great effort has been made to search for antiviral candidates using different approaches and methodologies, ranging from repurposing of specific compounds with known antiviral activity to the screening of libraries and of natural compounds. The identified antiviral candidates include drugs targeting viral components (structural proteins and enzymes), as well as cellular ones. Here, we present an updated review of current knowledge about anti-ZIKV strategies, focusing on host-directed antivirals as a realistic alternative to combat ZIKV infection.

Plasmodium vivax malaria is a neglected tropical disease, despite being more geographically widespread than any other form of malaria. The documentation of P. vivax infections in different parts of Africa where Duffy-negative individuals are predominant suggested that there are alternative pathways for P. vivax to invade human erythrocytes. Duffy-negative individuals may be just as fit as Duffy-positive individuals and are no longer resistant to P. vivax malaria. In this review, we describe the complexity of P. vivax malaria, characterize pathogenesis and candidate invasion genes of P. vivax, and host immune responses to P. vivax infections. We provide a comprehensive review on parasite ligands in several Plasmodium species that further justify candidate genes in P. vivax. We also summarize previous genomic and transcriptomic studies related to the identification of ligand and receptor proteins in P. vivax erythrocyte invasion. Finally, we identify topics that remain unclear and propose future studies that will greatly contribute to our knowledge of P. vivax.

This review provides a comprehensive and updated information on chalcones, presenting their sources, methods of identification and properties putting emphasis on applications in agricultural industry. Vast exploitation of synthetic pesticides led to the weed and pest resistance issue, causing economic loss but more importantly health risk due to pesticide overuse. Because one of the aim of the European Green Deal 2030 is the Farm to Fork strategy which targets on reducing by 50% the use of chemical pesticides by 2030, and push towards natural pesticides which are more environmentally friendly and restore natural resources, chalcones and their derivatives seem to fit perfectly. They have herbicidal, fungicidal, bactericidal and antiviral properties. Moreover, chalcones are naturally occurring substances, known for their favorable health effect for years, working on many areas. This review is complementary to the previous ones describing chalcones use in agriculture, updates them but additionally shows methods of detection.

Cystatin F (CstF) is a protease inhibitor of cysteine cathepsins, including those involved in acti-vating the perforin/granzyme cytotoxic pathways. It is targeted to the endolysosomal pathway but can also be secreted to the extracellular milieu or endocytosed by bystander cells. CtsF was shown to be significantly increased in tuberculous pleurisy, and during HIV coinfection, pleural fluids display high viral loads. In human macrophages, we revealed a strong upregulation of CstF during infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). CstF manipulation using RNA si-lencing led to increased proteolytic activity of lysosomal cathepsins, improving Mtb intracellular killing. Here, we investigate the impact of CstF depletion during coinfection of Mtb-infected mac-rophages with lymphocytes infected with HIV. Our results indicate that decreasing CstF released by phagocytes impacts the major pro-granzyme convertase cathepsin C of cytotoxic immune cells. Consequently, an observed increase of the granzyme B apoptotic effects leads to a significant re-duction in viral replication in HIV-infected lymphocytes. Overall, our results indicate a mecha-nism of Mtb/HIV evasion of the cytotoxic mediated pathogen killing driven by the ax-is CstF/ catC/granzymes contributing to this syndemic interaction. Ultimately, this knowledge can be crucial for developing new therapeutic approaches to control both pathogens based on manipulating CstF.

The present study aims to identify tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars with weed-suppressive ability against target weed species in the tomato growing season. A greenhouse study was conducted with 17 tomato cultivars and target weeds Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats), yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.), and large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis L.). Tomato plants and weed species were grown in the same pot. The height, chlorophyll, and dry weight biomass of the weeds were measured 28 days after sowing. The largest effect of tomato interference was on Palmer amaranth. Cultivar 15 reduced Palmer amaranth height, chlorophyll, and biomass by 58, 28, and 83%, respectively. Chlorophyll percentage of yellow nutsedge seedlings was suppressed by 15% by cultivar 64, whereas 13% of its height was reduced by cultivar 20. Cultivar 15 reduced biomass of yellow nutsedge by 40%. The percentage of chlorophyll of large crabgrass was reduced by 22% with cultivar 5, whereas the height and biomass were reduced by 35 and 44% with cultivars 38 and 63, respectively. Factoring all parameters evaluated, cultivars 38, 33, and 7 were most suppressive against the problematic weed species in tomato.

A field experiment was conducted at farmer field of Sundarbazar, Lamjung during rainy season of 2020 with an objective to determine the dynamics of weed with respect different planting methods and varieties. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications where five Varieties (KabreKodo 1, KabreKodo 2, Dalle 1, Okhale 1 and local) were used as the main plot factor and three planting methods (Direct sowing;10*10cm, Conventional transplanting;10*10 cm with 15 days old seedlings and System of Crop Intensification;25*25 cm with 30 days old seedlings) as sub plot factor. Result showed that among 5 genotypes of weeds based on Importance value index, Cyperusrotundus was the most dominant during the initial stage but after the first weeding, Aegeratumhaustinianum dominated the field. Weed biomass and density was recorded highest in directly sown field than that in transplanted field. Among the transplanted crop, weed infestation was seen higher in SCI than in conventionally transplanted finger millet due to wider spacing. But after the first hand weeding, due to profuse root growth and tillering in SCI, weeds were suppressed and thus weed biomass was observed higher in CT. After one hand weeding, SCI showed higher weed control index, crop resistance index and planting method efficiency index in terms of yield. Weed infestation was observed higher in Dalle 1 among varieties.

Enveloped viruses represent a significant category of pathogens that cause serious diseases in animals. These viruses express envelope glycoproteins that are singularly important during infection of host cells by mediating fusion between the viral envelope and host cell membranes. Despite low homology at protein levels, three classes of viral fusion proteins have, as of yet, been identified based on structural similarities. Their incorporation into viral particles is dependent upon their proper sub-cellular localization after being expressed and folded properly in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, viral protein expression can cause stress in the ER, and host cells respond to alleviate the ER stress in the form of the unfolded protein response (UPR); the effects of which have been observed potentiating or inhibiting viral infection. One important arm of UPR is to elevate the capacity of the ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD) pathway, which is comprised of host quality control machinery that ensures proper protein folding. In this review, we provide relevant details regarding viral envelope glycoproteins, UPR, ERAD, and their interactions in host cells.

This study aimed at testing the effectiveness of novel combinations of chemical and physical methods to control Prosopis juliflora, an invasive weed in the Moshi and Simanjiro districts of Nothern Tan-zania. Six different treatments including manual uprooting, glyphosate, bark chop with chemical application, two separate chemical mixtures and control were tested in a total of 32 plots, which represented two land use types (grazing land and farmland) found in the two districts. Each plot covered 20m×30m plot area. Two response variables (stem count and tree volume) were recorded to compare weed population density before and after treatment six months later. An analysis of the untreated control plots, showed that the inherent growth potential of P. juliflora was higher in Moshi than in Simanjiro district. The number of stems increased during the experiment for all six treatments showing that the P. juliflora population had not yet reached the local carrying capacity. For the manual control treatment, the increase was reduced compared to the untreated control. For all other treatments, the increase in stem count was on par with that in the untreated control or even higher. Thus, we conclude that only manual uprooting had a controlling effect but not to the extent that it eradicated P. juliflora. Thus, it is for P. juliflora as for weed control in general: weed control must be an ongoing effort.

Natural host defensins, also sometimes termed antimicrobial peptides, are evolutionarily conserved. They have been studied as antimicrobials, but some pharmaceutical properties, undesirable for clinical use, led to the development of synthetic molecules with constructed peptide arrangements and/or peptides not found in nature. The leading development currently is synthetic small molecule nonpeptide mimetics, whose physical properties capture the characteristics of the natural molecules, and share their biological attributes. We studied brilacidin, an arylamide of this type, for its activity in vitro against fungi (40 clinical isolates, 20 species) that the World Health Organization has highlighted as problem human pathogens. We find antifungal activity at low concentrations for many pathogens, which indicates further screening for activity, particularly in vivo, is justified to evaluate this compound, and other mimetics, as attractive leads for development of effective antifungal agents.

Hydrogen has a leading role in accomplishing a net zero green-house gas emission future. Today’s challenge is producing green hydrogen to cover the fuel demand of transportation and industry, to gain independence from fossil fuels. This review’s goal is to demonstrate critically the existing methods of biomass treatment and assess their ability to scale up. Biomass is an excellent hydrogen carrier and biomass-derived processes are the main target for hydrogen production as it is an innovative pathway to green hydrogen production. Comparing the existing processes, thermochemical treatment is found to be far more evolved than biological or electrochemical treatment especially with regard to scaling prospects.

Cryptococcus neoformans is a facultative intracellular fungal pathogen. Ten-generation-old (10GEN) C. neoformans cells are more resistant to phagocytosis and killing by macrophages than younger daughter cells. However, mechanisms that mediate this resistance and intracellular parasitism are poorly understood. Here, we identified factors important for the intracellular survival of 10GEN C. neoformans, such as urease activity, capsule synthesis, and DNA content using flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy techniques. Real-time visualization of time-lapse imaging was applied to determine the phagosomal acidity, membrane permeability, and vomocytosis (non-lytic exocytosis) rate in J774 macrophages that phagocytosed C. neoformans of different generational ages. Our results showed that old C. neoformans exhibited higher urease activity, and enhanced capsule formation, which was supported by an increased Golgi complex. In addition, old C. neoformans were more likely to be arrested in the G2 phase, resulting in the occasional formation of aberrant trimera-like cells. To finish, the advanced generational age of the yeast cells slightly reduced vomocytosis events within host cells, which might be associated with increased phagolysosomal pH and membrane permeability. Altogether our results contribute to a better understanding of the strategies used by old C. neoformans to resist phagosomal killing and suggest that old generation C. neoformans intracellular behavior may be driving cryptococcosis pathogenesis.

Lynch syndrome (LS) is one of the most common hereditary cancer syndrome in human populations, associated with germline variants in MLH1, MSH2/EPCAM, MSH6 and PMS2 genes. The advent of next generation sequencing has proven a significant impact in germline variant detection in the causative genes; however, a large proportion of patients with clinical criteria still receive uncertain or negative results. PMS2 is the least frequent reported gene, associated with up to 15% of LS cases with late-onset disease and low penetrance phenotype; however, the proportion of PMS2-LS cases is considered to be highly underestimated. In this context, we consulted public available databases (ClinVar, LOVD) for missense and intronic PMS2 variants and performed an in silico analysis of the genomic sequence. Splicing bioinformatics tools proven effective in other genes were used to assess both the wild-type DNA sequence and reported genetic variants. Splicing alterations were predicted in silico and using GTEx short-read RNA expression data. Out of the 2384 missense variants discovered, 90% were classified with uncertain significance (VUS). 4.9% of missense variants were shown to have a potential splicing consequence (DS > 0.2) using SpliceAI. As described in the original publication, SpliceAI-visual was proven effective in annotation of short intronic variants (< 50 bp). Four short intronic variants were identified using SpliceAI-visual as potentially splicing disturbing, in spite of using a lower threshold (DS > 0.1). Moreover, we observed that Splicing Regulatory Elements (SREs) may play a fundamental role in alternative splicing in PMS2 gene, ESE motifs being overrepresented in highly expressed exons 5, 11 and 14. Computational analysis performed in our study serves as a valuable filtering step for guiding further RNA sequencing experiments. Additional functional data is necessary to evaluate the significance of our findings.

The p53 tumor suppressor protein is an activator of transcription. Diverse stress factors lead to various sets of posttranslational modifications of p53 what results in different sets of upregulat-ed genes. We noticed that actinomycin D and nutlin-3a (A+N) synergize in inducing activating phosphorylations of p53 and upregulation of selected p53-target genes. Here we found that one of these genes is DUSP13, which codes for poorly-studied, dual-specificity phosphatase having at least two isoforms, one expressed in testis and the other in skeletal muscles. In cancer cells ex-posed to A+N, DUSP13 is expressed from an alternative promoter in intron, what results in ex-pression of isoform named TMDP-L1. The luciferase reporter tests demonstrated that this pro-moter is activated by both endogenous and ectopically expressed p53. We showed for the first time that mRNA expressed from this promoter actually produces the protein, which can be de-tected by Western blotting in all examined cancer cell lines with wild-type p53 exposed to A+N. In some cell lines it is also induced by clinically relevant camptothecin or by nutlin-3a acting alone. This isoform, fused with green fluorescent protein localizes in perinuclear region of cells. Thus, TMDP-L1 isoform may be an important element of p53-regulated stress response system.

In the past years, consumers have increased their interest to buy healthier food products, rejecting those products with more additives and giving preference to the fresh ones. Moreover, the current environmental situation has made society more aware of the importance of reducing the production of plastic and food waste. In this way and considering the Food Industry need of reducing the food spoilage along the food chain, edible coating has been considered as an eco-friendly food packaging that can replace traditional plastic packaging providing an improvement in the product’s shelf-life. Edible coating are thin layers applied straightaway on the food materials’ surface, that are made of biopolymers that usually incorporate other elements, such as nanoparticles or essential oils, to improve their physicochemical properties. These materials must provide a barrier that can prevent the pass of water vapor and other gasses, the microbial growth, the moisture loss, and the oxidation, so the shelf-life could be extended. The aim of this review was to compile the current data available to give a global vision of the formulation process and the different ways to improve the characteristics of the coats applied in both fruits and vegetables. In this way, the suitability of compounds in by-products produced during the Food Industry chain were also considered for the edible coating production.

Acute and chronic graft versus host disease (a/cGVHD) are major complications of allogeneic stem cell transplantation and a frequent cause of non relapse-mortality. The treatment of a/cGVHD consists of steroid administration at full dose. In the case of aGVHD, around 60 % of patients with grade III/IV fails to respond (steroid-resistant, SR), requiring a second line therapy. Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) represents a good option for second line treatment, leading to multiorgan response in several patients. Here, we have evaluated the performances of a cytofluorimetric quality control of the first ECP procedure in 29 patients with severe SR aGVHD who underwent ECP. The quality control represents a check control of in vitro cell apoptosis/death induction in collected and irradiated CD3+ cells by ECP. Our analysis shows that in more than 70 % quality controls a relevant apoptotosis/death of CD3+ cells was observed after cell irradiation, as compared to non-irradiated controls. Albeit observed in a small patients’ series, the occurrence of relevant in vitro effect after ECP relates to less procedures and/or to a better survival on ECP. Age, disease, gender, aGVHD grade and time from transplant to the first ECP had not impact on ECP efficacy in this patients’ series.

The increasing prevalence of species that are detrimental to biodiversity is a major concern, particularly for managers of National Parks. To develop effective programs for controlling weeds, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of the extent and severity of infestations, as well as the contributing factors such as temperature, rainfall, and disturbance. Predicting these factors on a regional scale requires models that can incorporate a wide range of variables in a quantifiable manner, while also assisting with on-ground operations. In this study, we present two Bayesian Network models specifically designed for six significant weed species found along the southern coast of Australia. Our models are based on empirical data collected during a coastal weed survey conducted in 2015 and repeated in 2016. We applied these models to the coastal national parks in the isolated and pristine East Gippsland region. Importantly, the prediction models were developed at two different spatial scales that directly corresponded to the scale of the observations. Our findings indicate that coastal habitats, with their vulnerable environments and prevalence of open dune systems, are particularly susceptible to weed infestations. Moreover, adjacent regions also have the potential for colonization if these infestations are not effectively controlled. Climate-related factors play a role in moderating the potential for colonization, which is a significant concern for weed control efforts in the context of global climate change.

Weeds are among the major constraints to any crop production system, reducing productivity and profitability. Herbicides are among the most effective methods to control weeds, and reliance on herbicides for weed control has increased significantly with the advent of herbicide-resistant crops. Unfortunately, over-reliance on herbicides leads to environmental-health issues and herbicide-resistant weeds, causing human-health and ecological concerns. Crop diversification can help manage weeds sustainably in major crop production systems. It acts as an organizing principle under which technological innovations and ecological insights can be combined to manage weeds sustainably. Diversified cropping can be defined as the conscious inclusion of functional biodiversity at temporal and/or spatial levels to improve the productivity and stability of ecosystem services. Crop diversification helps to reduce weed density by negatively impacting weed seed germination and weed growth. Additionally, diversified farming systems are more resilient to climate change than monoculture systems and provide better crop yield. However, there are a few challenges to adopting a diversified cropping system, which ranges from technology innovations, government policies, farm-level decisions, climate change, and market conditions. In this review, we discuss how crop diversification supports sustainable weed management, the challenges associated with it, and the future of weed management with respect to the diversification concept.

Weed seedbank is an indication of future weed infestation potential of the species and is essential for making strategic planning for its sustainable management. Parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) is an invasive alien species threatening the biodiversity and the environment in Malaysia. A study was, therefore, conducted to estimate the soil seedbank of the weed at four soil depths of four villages of Kuala Muda, Kedah. The aim was to indicate the critical s of parthenium weed seedbank in Malaysia. Soil samples were collected from the sites using a soil core. The seeds were extracted from the soil samples with sieve shaker at the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan laboratory, Jeli Campus. The study indicates that the weed seedbank is in critical level at the area. The highest number of weed seeds (6915/m2) was found in Kg. Kongsi 6, followed by Kg. Sungai Tok Rawang (4481 seeds/m2). The top layer of soil, 0-5 cm, contained the maximum number of weed seeds (4878 seeds/m2) and a significant number of seeds (316 seeds/m2) were noticed at 10-15 cm soil depth. The study suggests the Malaysian government to take immediate action to control parthenium weed seedbank of the sites.

Deep learning is widely used in image segmentation, effectively identifying crops and weeds and contributing to the reduction of herbicide use. Traditional methods of applying pesticides over large areas are inefficient in dealing with weeds as needed, leading to massive waste of pesticides, high-cost production, and serious environmental pollution. This affects crop yield and quality. Although weed recognition using conventional deep learning methods has evolved over time, there are still challenges in weed extraction, detection, and segmentation. Accurate recognition and detection of weeds are essential prerequisites for implementing variable spraying. This paper proposes a semantic segmentation method based on UNet++ for complex environments where accurate identification of plants and weeds is challenging, targeting weeds in sugar beets, peas, and rice. An attention module is integrated into the upsampling process of UNet++, and UNet++ is used as a backbone network to effectively integrate multi-scale information, efficiently suppressing external noise interference. The UNet++ model with an integrated attention mechanism module achieves higher IOU than the general UNet++ model used in medical image analysis. This method effectively detects crops and weeds in complex backgrounds, providing reference material for the accurate application of robotic herbicides.

Vancomycin is one of the ‘last-line’ classes of antibiotics used in the treatment of life-threatening infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria. Even though vancomycin was discovered in 1950s it was widely used after 1980s for the treatment of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococci as prevalence of such strains were increased. However, currently it is evident that vancomycin resistant Staphylococcusaureusandvancomycin-resistant Enterococci have been developed as a result of various reasons including use of avaparcin, which is an analog of vancomycin, as feed additive in livestock. In present day context, more attention should be paid on prevention of emergence of resistance for the antibiotics in order to keep antibiotics effective. In order to prevent emergence of resistance, proper guidance for the responsible use of antimicrobials is indispensable. Therefore, almost all stakeholders who use antibiotics should have in depth understanding on the antibiotic they use. As such, it is imperative to be aware of the important aspects of vancomycin. In the present review, efforts have been made to discussthe pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, indications, emergence of resistance, control of resistance, adverse effects and alternative therapy for vancomycin.

A crop-weed simulation model is presented to compare and evaluate Integrated Weed Management (IWM) strategies. Specifically, the model was parameterized for soybean crops in competition with Euphorbia davidii Subils. We used both, weed and crop demographic data surveyed in agronomic fields of the central zone of the Buenos Aires province, Argentina, throughout two crop cycles (2011/2012 and 2013/2014). The proposed model underwent a calibration process and subsequent validation with 70/30 % data split respectively (N=37). Two annual-based and one multiannual-based case studies were simulated to demonstrate the performance of the model. Different IWM strategies were compared under both, operational and tactical planning horizons through the evaluation of different model outcomes (i.e. crop yield, interspecific competition, economic return, and environmental impact). Our case studies results suggest that the inclusion of cultural management practices could reduce weed interspecific competition by 46 to 97 % and weed seed production by 40 to 89%. An increment in both expected crop yield, by 6 to 20%, and annual gross margin, by 44 to 199 US$.ha-1, were obtained in silico for similar levels of environmental impact.

A relevant aspect in the epidemiology of Tegumentary Leishmaniasis (TL) is the Leishmania parasites carrying a viral endosymbiont Leishmania RNA Virus 1 (LRV1), a dsRNA virus. Leishmania parasites carrying LRV1 are prone to causing more severe TL symptoms, increasing the likelihood of unfavorable clinical outcomes. LRV1 has been observed in cultured strains of five L. (Viannia) species, and host specificity was suggested when studying LRV1 from L. braziliensis and L. guyanensis strains. The coevolution hypothesis of LRV1 and Leishmania was based on phylogenetic analyses, implying an association between LRV1 genotypes, Leishmania species, and their geographic origins. This study aimed to investigate LRV1 specificity to Leishmania (Viannia) species hosts by analyzing LRV1 from L. (Viannia) species. To this end, LRV1 was screened in L. (Viannia) species other than L. braziliensis or L. guyanensis, and it was detected in 11 out of 15 L. naiffi and in 2 out of 4 L. shawi. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial LRV1 genomic sequencing supported the hypothesis of host specificity, as LRV1 clustered according to their respective Leishmania species hosts. These findings underscore the importance of investigating Leishmania and LRV1 coevolution and its impact on Leishmania (Viannia) species dispersion and pathogenesis in the American Continent.

In the intricate dance between viruses and host cells, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) serve as crucial orchestrators of gene expression and cellular processes. We will delve into the riveting realm of viral hijacking, where viruses deftly exploit host RBPs to manipulate cellular machinery for their replication and pathogenesis. Through a masterstroke of molecular subterfuge, viruses co-opt RBPs involved in various facets of RNA metabolism - from transcription to degradation - to promote viral gene expression and evade host immune defenses. This manipulation leads to global alterations in cellular RNA metabolism, impacting essential host genes vital for immune responses and homeostasis.Unveiling this clandestine alliance between viruses and RBPs is not just a scientific pursuit, but a critical imperative for devising innovative antiviral strategies to disrupt these interactions. By unraveling the intricate interplay between viral proteins and host RBPs throughout the viral life cycle - from entry to assembly - researchers aim to identify vulnerabilities that can be targeted for therapeutic intervention. Strategies such as disrupting viral protein-RBP interactions hold promise for inhibiting viral replication and curbing pathogenesis, offering a beacon of hope in the battle against viral infections.Our manuscript elucidates the indispensable roles played by RBPs in viral replication, translation, and pathogenesis, shedding light on the molecular mechanisms driving viral success. Delving deeper, it explores how viruses intricately entwine with host RBPs, manipulating cellular signaling pathways to create a hospitable environment for viral spread. By dissecting these manipulative tactics, researchers uncover new targets for antiviral therapy, envisioning a future where tailored interventions disrupt viral-host RBP interactions with precision and efficacy.As the narrative unfolds, the therapeutic implications of targeting RBPs or their interactions with viral proteins emerge as a promising frontier in the fight against viral infections. From small molecule inhibitors to RNA-based therapeutics, innovative approaches are on the horizon, offering new avenues for combatting viral diseases. We set the stage for future research, beckoning researchers to delve deeper into the molecular intricacies of viral hijacking of RBPs and charting a course towards novel therapeutic interventions that promise to reshape the landscape of antiviral therapy.\Ultimately, it beckons the scientific community to embark on a voyage of discovery, unraveling the secrets of viral hijacking of RBPs and paving the way for transformative advances in antiviral therapeutics. The stage is set for a new chapter in the battle against viral infections, where knowledge becomes the sword and innovation the shield against the pernicious machinations of viral pathogens.

This study evaluated the using of machine vision in combination with deep learning to identify weeds in real-time for wheat production system. PMAS-Arid Agriculture university research farm were selected for collection of images (6000 total images) of weeds and wheat crops under different weather condition. During growing season, the database was constructed to identify the weeds. For this study two framework were used TensorFlow and PyTorch under CNNs and Deep learning. Deep learning perfromed better with in PyTourch value as compared to another model in Tensorflow. comparing with other networks such as YOLOv4, we concluded that our network reaches a better result between speed and accuracy. Specifically, the maximum precision of weed and wheat plants were 0.89 and 0.91 respectively with 9.43 ms and 12.38 ms inference time per image (640 × 640) NVIDIA RTX2070 GPU.

Human influenza A viruses (IAVs) cause global pandemics and epidemics. These viruses evolve rapidly, making current treatment options ineffective. To identify novel modulators of IAV-host interactions, we re-analyzed our recent transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, phosphoproteomics, and genomics/virtual ligand screening data. We identified 713 potential modulators targeting 200 cellular and two viral proteins. Anti-influenza activity for 48 of them has been reported previously, whereas the antiviral efficacy of the remaining 665 is unknown. Studying anti-influenza efficacy, immuno-modulating properties and potential resistance of these compounds or their combinations may lead to the discovery of novel modulators of IAV-host interactions, which might be more effective than the currently available anti-influenza therapeutics.

Weeds are unwanted and invasive plants that proliferate and compete for resources such as space, water, nutrients, and sunlight, affecting the quality and productivity of the desired crops. Weed detection is crucial for the application of precision agriculture methods and for this purpose machine learning techniques can be used, specifically convolutional neural networks (CNN). This study focuses on the search for CNN architectures and technology used to detect and identify weeds in different crops; 61 articles applying CNN architectures and technology were analyzed in the last five years (2019-2023). The results show the used of different devices to acquire the image for training, such as digital cameras, smartphones, and drone cameras. Additionally, the YOLO family and algorithms are the most widely adopted architectures, followed by VGG, ResNet, Faster R-CNN, AlexNet, and MobileNet, respectively. This study provides an update on CNNs that will serve as a starting point for researchers wishing to implement these weed detection and identification techniques.

The success of any tsetse control programs depends on the knowledge of their behaviour. This study assessed the host choice and feeding behaviours of Glossina morsitans’ siblings whose parents were bloodfed on Rabbits, Guinea pigs, Rodents and Squirrels. Individual host was placed in a screen cage which allowed flies to enter through openings on each side. The groups of flies (20 per replicate) colour-marked differently basing on their parents’ bloodmeal hosts, were released from the centre of large semi-field cage. Released flies were aspirated after 24 hours, then, sorted basing on the location, feeding status and parents’ bloodmeal. A total of 213 flies (72.95% of the recovered) were attracted to the hosts. The number of flies attracted to different hosts varied significantly (χ²4= 33.685, p= 0.0001); Rodent (n=80, p=0.006), Rabbit (n=59, p=0.331), Guinea pig (n=49, p=0.057) and squirrel (n=25, p=0.005). The number of flies attracted to their parent’s blood meal source varied significantly (χ²12 = 56.476, p<0.001); rabbits (n= 35, 59.32%, p<0.001), rodent (n=25, 31.25%, p=0.043) and guinea pig (n= 19, 38.78%, p=0.45). But, only 39 flies (18.31% of total attracted) bloodfed on the hosts; Guinea pigs (n=10, 25.64%), Rodents (n=23, 58.97%), Rabbits (n=6, 15.38%) and Squirrels (n=0,0.0%). There was significant variation in number of flies that fed successively across hosts (χ²4=49.478, p<0.001). The findings from this study confirms the presence of the hosts’ differential attractiveness to flies but failed to explain observed behaviours with reference to genetic inheritance. Therefore, the study attracts the need for detailed investigation on the influence of bloodmeal sources on tsetsefly siblings’ behaviours across filial generations using small mammals.

Begomoviruses, which belong to the Geminiviridae family, are intracellular parasites transmitted by whiteflies to dicotyledonous plants, significantly damaging agronomically relevant crops. These nucleus-replicating DNA viruses need to move intracellularly from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and then, like other plant viruses, spread systemically throughout the plant to cause dis-ease. The transport proteins of begomoviruses play a crucial role in recruiting host components for the movement of viral DNA within and between cells while exhibiting functions that suppress the host's immune defense. Pioneering studies on species of the Begomovirus genus have identified specific viral transport proteins involved in intracellular transport, cell-to-cell movement, and systemic spread. Recent research has primarily focused on viral movement proteins and their interaction with the cellular host transport machinery, significantly expanding our understanding of viral infection pathways. This review focuses on three main aspects: (i) the role of viral transport proteins, specifically movement proteins (MPs) and nuclear shuttle proteins (NSPs), (ii) their ability to recruit host factors for intra- and intercellular viral movement, and (iii) suppress antiviral immunity, with a particular emphasis on bipartite begomoviral movement proteins.

A viable radiation dominated era in the early universe is best described by the standard (FLRW) model of cosmology. In this short review, we demonstrate reconstruction of the forms of F(R) in the modified theory of gravity, and the metric compatible F(T) together with the symmetric F(Q) in alternative teleparallel theories of gravity from different perspectives, primarily rendering emphasis on a viable FLRW radiation era. Inflation has also been studied for a particular choice of the scalar potential. The inflationary parameters are found to agree appreciably with the recently released observational data.

CD44 glycoprotein is ubiqutously present and situated at the extracellular surface of cell. Its role as an adhesion recptor was modified depending upon the state of post addition of glycomoeties under varied microenvironment. Many alternative spliced variants of CD44 were expressed by human cells depending upon the attainment during mutifunctional signal disposition. The function of splice factors, and hnRNPA family (Heterogenous ribonucleoproteins A) were dicussed in context to CD44 alternative variants. Glioma cell cline U87 MG were used in this study to search more about the affect of hnRNPA1 and hnRNPA2/B1 knockdown in CD44 V6 and CD44V10 expression. We found in preliminary study that splice factor knock down reduces the alternative splice variants of CD44 such as V6 & V10. Therefore, potential of this study to elaborate further the mechanism in vivo model, to validate the alternative spliced variant in context to interaction with extracellular microenvironment.

Endo-reticular stress induces the unfolded protein response including a highly conserved set of genes crucial for cell survival against a variety of onslaughts. Among the activated stress response genes is Ire1, which undergoes auto-phosphorylation and acquires a regulated Ire1-dependent mRNA decay activity. Ire1P non-canonically splices the mRNA for Xbp1 in the cytoplasm. This spliced Xbp1 serves as mRNA encoding a transcription factor for unfolded protein response genes. Meanwhile the mRNA decay function of Ire1P degrades other cellular mRNAs and can cause changes to the translation machinery by altering regulators in a cell specific manner. Naïve splenic B cells differentiate into Antibody Secreting Cells and activate Ire1 phosphorylation early on after LPS stimulation, within 18 hrs. When Ire1 is activated in B cells, in addition to Xbp1 splicing, there are large-scale changes in mRNA; inhibition of the mRNA degradation function of Ire1 both reduces the number and changes the type of genes involved in altered splicing patterns, including factors for snRNA transcription. Some of the splicing changes seen at 18 hrs after LPS persist into the late stages of antibody secretion, up to 72 hrs, while others are supplanted by new splicing changes introduced by the induction of ELL2, a transcription elongation factor. ELL2 changes mRNA processing patterns and is necessary for Immunoglobulin secretion. RNA splicing patterns in antibody secreting cells are thus shaped by endo-reticular stress, ELL2 induction, and are associated with changes in the levels of snRNAs.

Weeds can have both positive and negative effects on agricultural environments. However, despite the growing interest in the ecology of weed communities in agricultural areas, few studies have been carried out in the northern region of the Andes of Colombia, where urban and agricultural expansion have gen-erated highly disturbed scenarios. The aim of this study is to analyze the diversity of vegetation and weed seed banks in three agricultural production systems and a forest ecosystem in the northern Andes of Colombia. Hill numbers were used to compare diversity, Beta diversity to assess changes in composition, and range-abundance-dominance curves at different sites. Likewise, indicator species were analyzed to find species associations to each system. The results revealed differences in the composition of weeds between the forest ecosystem and the agricultural production systems, with higher equitability in the forest ecosystem and higher dominance in agricultural systems. A higher differentiation was observed in the dominant species of each agricultural system, highlighting those considered pests due to their life history traits, giving them greater success against various anthropogenic selection pressures. These findings highlight the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on the ecological dynamics of weed com-munities in different ecosystems, which should be considered when planning integrated weed manage-ment techniques.

Broomrape (Orobanche cumana), root parasitic weed, negatively affects sunflower, thereby causing severe yield losses and required controls on O. cumana infestation. Brassinosteroids (BRs) plays key roles in plant growth and provides resilience to weed infection. This designed study evaluated the mechanisms by which BRs ameliorates O. cumana infection in sunflower (Helianthus annuus). The pretreatment of sunflower seeds with various concentrations of BRs (1, 10, and 100 nM) were applied with and without O. cumana infestation. Under O. cumana infection, a significant reduction in plant height (38.61%), fresh/dry biomass, photosynthesis and regulation in plant defense (POX, GST), BRs signaling (BAK1, BSK1 to BSK4) and synthesis (BRI1, BR6OX2) associated genes. Moreover, O. cumana elevated the levels of MDA, OH‒, H2O2 and O2•‒ in leaves/roots by 77%/112%, 62%/104%, 57%/98% and 55%/89.4% and caused ultrastructural damages in leaves/roots, suggesting the severe oxidative or cellular damages in sunflower. In response, plants activate activities of SOD and POD enzymes as well as reduced or oxidized glutathione, but unable to stimulate APX and CAT activities. Addition of BRs, especially at 10 nM notably lowered the production of oxidative stress, activated the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. The downregulation in the reported genes by BRs attributed to the increased resilience of sunflower (via susceptible reaction). In nutshell, the pretreatment of BRs enhanced the sunflower resistance to O. cumana infection by improving the planta growth and biomass, photosynthesis, activating the antioxidant defense system, lowering the oxidative stress, cellular damages and modulating the expression of BR synthesis and signaling genes.

Despite the productivity, achieving long-term sustainability and maintaining plant biodiversity become the pivotal goals in orchard floor management, especially along tree rows. Thus, the paradigm of eradicating weeds in the tree row using chemical herbicide or repeated soil tillage needs to be substituted with more sustainable alternatives. This study was conducted in two commercial apple and peach orchards in Marche region (Italy). Two integrated mechanical approaches, integrated mowing (mower + brush or disc) and integrated tillage (blade weeder + integrated mowing), were compared with standard herbicide system in a 2-years trial. Weed species abundance, soil coverage rate, and weed biomass productions, including gas exchange parameters, tree growth, fruit yield and quality were measured. Both integrated practices had significant effects on the number of weed species, total vegetation coverage, and dry weed biomass production. No significant differences were found in terms of tree gas exchange parameters, growth and fruit yield. However, a few fruit quality parameters such as fruit firmness, solid soluble content and dry matter content responded positively to the integrated practices. These results suggest that the integrated mechanical approaches of weed management increased orchard biodiversity, and they had no adverse effects on tree growth, fruit yield, and quality.

The Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) includes socioeconomically important pathogens that cause disease and/or mycotoxin contamination on numerous crops. Here, we used comparative genomics to elucidate processes underlying the ability of pine-associated and grass-associated FFSC species to colonize tissues of their respective plant hosts. We characterized the identity, possible functions, evolutionary origins, and chromosomal positions of the host-range-associated genes encoded by the two groups of fungi. The 72 and 47 genes identified as unique to the respective genome groups were potentially involved in diverse processes, ranging from transcription, regulation, and substrate transport, through to virulence/pathogenicity. Most emerged early during the evolution of Fusarium/FFSC and were subsequently retained only in some lineages, while some had origins outside Fusarium. Although differences in the densities of these genes were especially noticeable on the conditionally dispensable chromosome of F. temperatum (representing the grass-associates) and F. circinatum (representing the pine-associates), the host-range-associated genes tended to be located towards the subtelomeric regions of chromosomes. Taken together, these results demonstrate that multiple mechanisms drive the emergence of genes in grass- and pine-associated FFSC taxa examined and highlighted the diversity of molecular processes potentially underlying niche-specificity in these and other Fusarium species.

When the zoonotic parasite of rodents that can cause human neuroangiostrongyliasis, i.e., Angiostrongylus cantonensis, is found in its natural definitive hosts, it is usually reported in isolation, as if the rat lungworm were the only component of the within-rat parasite community. In this study we report the coinfections found in rats naturally infected by A. cantonensis in urban populations of Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus in Valencia, Spain. In addition to the rat lungworms, which were found in 14 of the 125 rats studied (a prevalence of 11.20%), 18 other parasite infrapopulations (intestinal and tissular protists, microsporidia, and helminths) were found; some of them with high burdens. Fourteen of these 19 species found are potential zoonotic parasites, namely Blastocystis, Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Encephalitozoon hellem, Toxoplasma gondii, Brachylaima spp., Hydatigera taeniaeformis larvae, Hymenolepis nana, Hymenolepis diminuta, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Calodium hepaticum, Gongylonema neoplasticum and Moniliformis moniliformis. Despite the limited number of rats studied, the total predominance of coinfected rats as well as their high parasite loads seem to indicate a clear trend towards parasite tolerance.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is a vital leguminous crop known for its rich nutritional profile, includ-ing high protein and oil content, making it a valuable resource in global agriculture and human nutrition. In Pakistan due to regulatory issues non-GMO soybean is grown therefore, the universal herbicide control method is not applicable. Similarly, for other crops, specific herbicides are avail-able but for soybean no crop specific herbicide is present. A comprehensive study was conducted over two growing seasons, in 2022 and 2023, at Agronomic Research Farm University of Agri-culture Faisalabad. The research involved 16 different treatments, including both six pre-emergence and eight post-emergence herbicides as well as a control group and weedy check. Findings of this study showed that critical importance of weed management in soybean cultiva-tion, as unchecked weed infestation can lead to substantial yield losses. Among the pre-emergence herbicide S-Metolachlor + Pendimethalin performed best and showed higher plant height (54.33 cm & 53.67 cm), 100 grain weight (11.57 g & 12 g), seed yield plant-1 (13.07 g and 12.87 g), lower Susceptibility Index (10%), higher weed control percentage (91.21% & 95.65%) higher weed con-trol efficiency (92.02% & 93.43%), herbicide efficiency index (27.54% & 32.48%) and lower weed index (18.16% & 21.70%) during 2022 and 2023 respectively. However, in post emergence herbi-cide the Fluizefop-p-butyl is most effective herbicide due to less crop injury 10% Susceptibility In-dex, higher plant height (42.67 cm & 44 cm), whole plant weight (93.33 g & 95 g), 100-grain weight (11.40 g & 11.77 g), seed yield plant-1 (12.87 g & 13.13 g), higher weed control percentage (91.12% & 91.03%) higher weed control efficiency (89.73% & 92.36%, herbicide efficiency index (21.18% & 30.41%) and lower weed index (19.42% & 20.08%) in both 2022 and 2023 respectively. Notably, herbicides such as S-Metolachlor + Atrazine + Mesotrione, Topramezone, Mesosulfu-ron-methyl + Iodosulfuron-methyl sodium and Mesotrione + Atrazine led to complete plant mor-tality, resulting lethal to soybean. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that screened the best suitable herbicides with less plant injury, and higher efficiency index. So, it is recom-mended that the application of S-Metolachlor + Pendimethalin as PRE and Fluizefop-p-butyl as POST showed the least injury and best weed control results with higher grain yield.

Feline panleukopenia (FPL), a highly contagious and frequently fatal disease of cats, is caused by Feline parvovirus (FPV) and Canine parvovirus (CPV). We characterized the diversity of these Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 variants in 18 faecal samples collected from domestic cats with FPL during an outbreak, using targeted parvoviral DNA metagenomics to a mean depth of >10,000 X coverage per site. All samples comprised FPV alone. Compared to the reference FPV genome, isolated in 1967, 44 mutations were detected. Ten of these were non-synonymous, including 9 in non-structural genes and one in VP1/VP2 (Val232Ile), which was the only one to exhibit inter-host diversity, being present in five sequences. There were five other polymorphic nucleotide positions, all with synonymous mutations. Intra-host diversity at all polymorphic positions was low with sub-consensus variant frequencies (SVF) of >1% except for two positions (2108 and 3208) in two samples with SVF of 1.1 – 1.3%. Intra-host nucleotide diversity was measured across the whole genome (0.7 - 1.5%) and for each gene, and was highest in the NS2 gene of four samples (1.2 – 1.9%). Overall, intra-host viral genetic diversity was limited and most mutations observed were synonymous, indicative of a low background mutation rate and strong selective constraints.

Agriculture is an important sector of European Union in societal , economic and environmental dimensions. Sustainability of the sector require improvements in its key operations. Weeding is one of the crucial operation having impact on farms’ productivity, safety for farmers, food security and environmental state. To achieve EU policy goals of sustainable agriculture there are needed new technical and organizational solutions. One of the advanced techniques are laser based weeding technique. It is important to understand well the impacts of introduction of these tech-niques to the markets and agricultural practice in sustainability context. For that reason Social Life Cycle Assessment was performed. The method was based on participatory approach. The as-sessment was carried in three perspectives: general society, farmers, and business perspective re-lated to agriculture. Expert interviews based on questionnaires and workshops were realized to get the opinions on the impacts of a new laser technique on particular aspects of its implementation. The results show generally positive impact in all perspectives, especially in the perspective of farmers.

We are encouraged to look beyond ɅCDM as there are no satisfactory explanations for either dark energy or dark matter. A data centred phenomenological approach supports an explanation where dark energy is Holographic Dark Information Energy, HDIE. HDIE explains many effects attributed separately to Ʌ and CDM. HDIE mimics Ʌ with sufficient energy and an equation of state parameter, w= -1.03±0.05 at redshifts z<1.35 to account for accelerating expansion. HDIE is clumped around galaxies at densities that distort space-time, explaining many CDM attributed effects. The present ratio of HDIE/baryons ~2.15, required for the observed expansion history, is equivalent to a dark matter fraction ~68%, consistent with many galaxies. The HDIE/baryon model is based largely on proven physics, provides a common explanation for dark energy and dark matter, and solves the cosmological coincidence problem. At earlier times, z > ~1.35, HDIE was phantom, w = -1.82±0.08, enabling the model to be falsified. HDIE fits Planck dark energy wo-wa plots at least as well as Ʌ, and is consistent with other results that suggest dark energy was phantom at earlier times. A new w-parameterisation is proposed, as the usual CPL parameterisation is biased and unsuitable for distinguishing between HDIE/baryon and ɅCDM models.

Rotavirus (RV) replicates within viroplasms, membrane-less electron-dense globular cytosolic inclusions with liquid-liquid phase properties. In these structures occur the virus transcription, replication, and packaging of the virus genome in newly assembled double-layered particles. The viroplasms are composed of virus proteins (NSP2, NSP5, NSP4, VP1, VP2, VP3, and VP6), single and double-stranded virus RNAs, and host components such as microtubules, perilipin-1 and chaperonins. The formation, coalescence, maintenance, and perinuclear localization of viroplasms rely on their association with the cytoskeleton. A stabilized microtubule network involving microtubules and kinesin Eg5 and dynein molecular motors is associated with NSP5, NSP2, and VP2, facilitating dynamic processes such as viroplasm coalescence and perinuclear localization. Key post-translation modifications, particularly phosphorylation events of RV proteins NSP5 and NSP2, play pivotal roles in orchestrating these interactions. Actin filaments also contribute, triggering the formation of the viroplasms through the association of soluble cytosolic VP4 with actin and the molecular motor myosin. This review explores the evolving understanding of RV replication, emphasizing the host requirements essential for viroplasm formation and highlighting their dynamic interplay within the host cell.

The spread of viral pathogens both between and within hosts is inherently a spatial process. While the spatial aspects of viral spread at the epidemiological level have been increasingly well characterized, the spatial aspects of viral spread within infected hosts are still understudied. Recent experimental studies, however, have started to shed more light on the mechanisms and spatial dynamics of viral spread within hosts. Here, we review these experimental studies as well as the limited number of computational modeling efforts that have begun to integrate spatial considerations for understanding within-host viral spread. We limit our review to influenza virus to highlight key mechanisms affecting spatial aspects of viral spread for pathogens of the respiratory tract. There is considerable empirical evidence for highly spatial within-host spread of influenza virus, yet few computational modeling studies that shed light on possible factors that structure the dynamics of this spatial spread. In existing modeling studies, there is also a striking absence of theoretical expectations of how spatial dynamics may impact the dynamics of viral populations. To mitigate this, we turn to the extensive ecological and evolutionary literature to provide informed theoretical expectations for what viral and host factors may impact the spatial patterns of within-host viral dynamics and for how spatial spread will affect the genetic composition of within-host viral populations. We end by discussing current knowledge gaps related to the spatial component of within-host influenza virus spread and the potential for within-host spatial considerations to inform the development of disease control strategies.

Laser-targeted weeding methods further enhance the sustainable development of green agriculture, with one key technology being the improvement of weed localization accuracy. Here, we propose an improved YOLOv8 instance segmentation based on bidirectional feature fusion and deformable convolution (BFFDC-YOLOv8-seg) to address the challenges of insufficient weed localization accuracy in complex environments with resource-limited laser weeding devices. Initially, by training on extensive datasets of plant images, the most appropriate model scale and training weights are determined, facilitating the development of a lightweight network. Subsequently, the introduction of the Bidirectional Feature Pyramid Network (BiFPN) during feature fusion effectively prevents the omission of weeds. Lastly, the use of Dynamic Snake Convolution (DSConv) to replace some convolutional kernels enhances flexibility, benefiting the segmentation of weeds with elongated stems and irregular edges. Experimental results indicate that the BFFDC-YOLOv8-seg model achieves a 4.9% increase in precision, an 8.1% increase in recall rate, and a 2.8% increase in mAP50 value to 98.8% on a vegetable weed dataset compared to the original model. It also shows improved mAP50 over other typical segmentation models such as Mask R-CNN, YOLOv5-seg, and YOLOv7-seg by 10.8%, 13.4%, and 1.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the model achieves a detection speed of 24.8 FPS on the Jetson Orin nano standalone device, with a model size of 6.8MB that balances between size and accuracy. The model meets the requirements for real-time precise weed segmentation, suitable for complex vegetable field environments and resource-limited laser weeding devices.

Faba bean is an important legume crop wordwide, grown both for food and feed. As for many legume crops, postemergence weed control is difficult. The aim of this work was to assess potential of intercropping on weed management by assessing the effect of mixing faba bean with different crops (wheat, barley, and pea) on weeds in the South of Spain. Four field trials were conducted over four consecutive seasons, and results found that addition alternate intercropping of faba bean and barley achieved high levels of weed control, both for coverage and biomass (92.7% and 76.6%, respectively). Intercropping with wheat did not reduce weed coverage but did decrease weed biomass by 46.1% as compared to faba bean monocrop. Intercropping with pea did not provide significant reductions for weed coverage neither for weed biomass. The diversity of the weed community was not altered by the different crop combinations tested. Additional experiments under controlled conditions were carried out to determine a possible role of barley allelopathy in weed suppression. A strong allelopathic effect entailing a reduction in the number of plants and biomass was detected for four weeds: Sinapis arvensis, Polypogon monspeliensis, Matricaria camomilla, and Medicago trucatula. It can be concluded that intercropping faba bean with barley is an excellent strategy for weed control in the Southern Spain.

Over the last five decades, weed management systems have relied primarily on synthetic herbicides. Due to the concerns over the potential impact of chemicals on human health and the environment, efforts are being made to reduce the heavy reliance on synthetic herbicides. To reduce the use of synthetic herbicides, the use of natural products such as essential oils, plant extracts, allelochemicals, agricultural by-products, and some microbes are gaining attention because of their short environmental half-life and low toxicity. They are a good alternative to synthetic herbicides, especially in organic agriculture, since they focus on environmental protection, and ecological stability. Most of the commercially available natural herbicides are non-selective and require careful application in order to preserve the cash crops. Although many studies in this direction have been undertaken, the use of these natural products is still not common because of their cost the difficulties in their synthesis due to their complex structure, cost effectiveness, poor performance, and rapid degradation. When used singly, these natural herbicides do not perform as well as the chemical herbicides. An integrated approach may provide better results. Using a combination of natural herbicides may be more effective than using just one.

Despite several decades’ effort to detect and identify phytoplasmas (Tenericutes: Mollicutes) using PCR and Sanger sequencing focusing on diseased plants, knowledge of phytoplasma biodiversity and vector associations remains highly incomplete. To improve protocols for documenting phyto-plasma diversity and ecology, we used DNA extracted from phloem-feeding insects and com-pared traditional Sanger sequencing with a next-generation sequencing method, Anchored Hy-brid Enrichment (AHE) for detecting and characterizing phytoplasmas. Among 22 of 180 leaf-hopper samples that initially tested positive for phytoplasmas using qPCR, AHE yielded phyto-plasma 16Sr sequences for 20 (19 complete and 1 partial sequence) while Sanger sequencing yield-ed sequences for 16 (11 complete and 5 partial). AHE yielded phytoplasma sequences for an addi-tional 7 samples (3 complete and 4 partial) that did not meet the qPCR threshold for phytoplasma positivity or yielded non-phytoplasma sequences using Sanger sequencing. This suggests that AHE is more efficient for obtaining phytoplasma sequences. Twenty-three samples with sufficient data were classified into eight 16Sr subgroups (16SrI-B, I-F, I-AO, III-U, V-C, IX-J, XI-C, XXXVII-A), three new subgroups (designated as 16SrVI-L, XV-D, XI-G) and three possible new groups. Our results suggest that screening phloem-feeding insects using qPCR and AHE sequencing may be the most efficient method for discovering new phytoplasmas.

There have been beaching events of the marine alga pelagic sargassum in coastal regions of the Caribbean Sea, West African countries, and the north-northeast region of Brazil since 2011. Its presence has caused environmental and socioeconomic impacts while several studies were conducted in order to understand the causes of this phenomenon, as well as alternatives to mitigate its impacts. The objective of this research was to evaluate pelagic sargassum biomass as a raw material for the manufacture of medium-density multilayer particleboards. These are composed of 30% sargassum particles in their inner layer and 70% sugarcane bagasse particles on their outer layers which are bonded with castor oil-based polyurethane resin. A physical and chemical characterization was carried out in order to evaluate sargassum particles while physical and mechanical tests were carried out in order to evaluate the panels. Results were subsequently compared with indications from NBR 14810-2:2018 and ISO 16893:2016 standards. A life cycle assessment based on ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2006 was carried out as to complement the feasibility study of these panels and to compare their different manufacturing processes. The multilayer panels met the minimum requirements for physical and mechanical properties established by regulations, indicating that the Sargassum spp. biomass can be used as filling. The life cycle assessment study indicates that sargassum panels produced in the Belém-PA-Brazil region present lower environmental impacts in four of seven evaluated categories when compared to conventional panels. As such, they constitute an alternative way to mitigate environmental impacts generated by beaching events.

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a challenge for global health services, affecting millions and leading hundreds to end-stage liver disease each year. This comprehensive review explores the interactions between HBV and the host, examining their impact on clinical outcomes. HBV infection encompasses a spectrum of severity, ranging from acute hepatitis B to chronic hepatitis B, which can potentially progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI), characterized by low HBV DNA levels in hepatitis B surface antigen-negative individuals, can reactivate and cause acute hepatitis B. The identification of diverse HBV genotypes reveals distinct geographical distributions and associations with clinical outcomes. Moreover, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the host genome have been linked to several clinical outcomes, including cirrhosis, HCC, OBI, hepatitis B reactivation, and spontaneous clearance. The immune response plays a key role in controlling HBV infection by eliminating infected cells and neutralizing HBV in the bloodstream. Furthermore, HBV can modulate host metabolic pathways involved in glucose and lipid metabolism and bile acid absorption, further influencing disease progression. HBV clinical outcomes correlate with three levels of viral adaptation. In conclusion, the clinical outcomes of HBV infection could result from complex immune and metabolic interactions between the host and HBV. These outcomes can vary among populations and are influenced by HBV genotypes, host genetics, environmental factors, and lifestyle. Understanding the degrees of HBV adaptation is essential for developing region-specific control and prevention measures.

Location-and-scale transformation of a random variable underpins normal distribution, but it is however fundamentally incorrect for scale estimation such as relative dispersion. In this paper, a parametrized alternative to a normal distribution, called scaloc-normal distribution, is proposed that efficiently works and is fundamentally correct with absolute and relative dispersion estimators. The Monte Carlos simulation experiment was used to generate a total of 600,000 artificial datasets in 600 different simulation scenarios from loc-normal (normal) and scaloc-normal distributions. The absolute and relative dispersion were estimated and compared from the two distributions. The results show that scaloc-normal distribution is a good parametrized alternative to loc-normal distribution, fundamentally correct and efficient with both standard deviation and coefficient of variation. The key statistical advancement from loc-normal to scaloc-normal distribution is its fundamental correctness (i.e., scale-invariant property) with an efficient relative estimator of dispersion (i.e., coefficient of variation). Parametrically, the loc-normal and scaloc-normal distributions are very different, but both have linear transformations.

Little phylogeographic structure is presumed for highly mobile species in pelagic zones. Lake Tanganyika is a unique ecosystem with a speciose and largely endemic fauna famous for its remarkable evolutionary history. In bathybatine cichlid fishes, the pattern of lake-wide population differentiation differs among species. We tested the magnifying glass hypothesis for their parasitic flatworm Cichlidogyrus casuarinus. Lake-wide population structure of C. casuarinus ex Hemibates stenosoma was assessed based on a portion of the mtCOI gene combined with morphological characterisation. Additionally, intraspecific mitogenomic variation among 80 individuals within one spatially constrained parasite metapopulation sample was assessed using shotgun NGS. While no clear geographic genetic structure was detected in parasites, both geographic and host-related phenotypic variation was apparent. The incongruence with the genetic north-south gradient observed in the host may be explained by the broad host range of this flatworm as some of its other host species previously showed no lake-wide restriction of gene flow. Our results are consistent with host driven morphological variation without genetic differentiation of the parasite, and highlight the importance of integratively approaching parasites` potential as “tags” for their hosts. We present the first parasite mitogenome from Lake Tanganyika and propose a methodological framework for studying intraspecific mitogenomic variation of dactylogyrid monogeneans.

Recently, two pig-to-human kidney transplants and a pig-to-human heart transplant were completed. The kidney trials involved a patient who was deceased and a patient who was brain dead. They seemed to indicate that pig kidneys can be at least somewhat functional in humans. However, patients still have to be under severe immunosuppression - and the first patient to receive a porcine heart passed away after two months. It is difficult to know exactly which proteins we need to overexpress or underexpress/knockout in a porcine organ to negate the human recipient’s immunological response to it. And testing different porcine organ genetic modifications in baboons can cost around $500,000 per transplant. But there might be a way to decrease immunogenicity where we don’t have to worry so much about modifying the animal’s organs genetically. First, however, we would have to prevent complement factor-mediated lysis of the porcine vascular endothelial cells, which we have made much progress on with triple knockout animals. Then, we could modify the porcine organ so that the cells of said organ secrete a small molecule or peptide that acts as a chemorepellent for the host immune cells. The host immune cells can be modified via bone marrow transplant or vector delivery to express the chemorepulsion receptor.

Bacteria participate in a wide diversity of symbiotic associations with eukaryotic hosts that require precise interactions for bacterial recognition and persistence. Most commonly, host-associated bacteria interfere with host gene expression to modulate the immune response to the infection. However, many of these bacteria also interfere with host cellular differentiation pathways to create a hospitable niche, resulting in the formation of novel cell types, tissues, and organs. In both of these situations, bacterial symbionts must interact with eukaryotic regulatory pathways. Here, we detail what is known about how bacterial symbionts, from pathogens to mutualists, control host cellular differentiation across the central dogma, from epigenetic chromatin modifications, to transcription and mRNA processing, to translation and protein modifications. We identify four main trends from this survey. First, mechanisms for controlling host gene expression appear to evolve from symbionts co-opting cross-talk between host signalling pathways. Second, symbiont regulatory capacity is constrained by the processes that drive reductive genome evolution in host-associated bacteria. Third, the regulatory mechanisms symbionts exhibit correlate with the cost/benefit nature of the association. And, fourth symbiont mechanisms for interacting with host genetic regulatory elements are not bound by native bacterial capabilities. Using this knowledge, we explore how the ubiquitous intracellular Wolbachia symbiont of arthropods and nematodes may modulate host cellular differentiation to manipulate host reproduction. Our survey of the literature on how infection alters gene expression in Wolbachia and its hosts revealed that, despite their intermediate-sized genomes, different strains appear capable of a wide diversity of regulatory manipulations. Given this and Wolbachia’s diversity of phenotypes and eukaryotic-like proteins, we expect that many symbiont-induced host differentiation mechanisms will be discovered in this system.

Lindernia dubia (L.) Pennell is a species with invasive behavior outside of its native range of distribution (North America), linked mainly to aquatic habitats. This annual species has been acknowledged as a weed in rice paddies in Europe and Asia. Due to the impacts of this invasive plant, some authors have even listed this species as a global invader. The present work focused on spontaneous plant species occurring in cattail seedlings grown in central Spain for the establishment of constructed wetlands. Weed inventory revealed the presence of L. dubia as a dominant spontaneous species in this crop environment. A suite of mesocosm experiments were designed to study the distribution of L.dubia versus the distribution of the other dominant plant species, and to determine traits associated with its weedy potential. Results showed that L.dubia presents competitive attributes such as morphological variability, early flowering, long seeding time, short growth cycle, small and light seeds and high seed production and germination rate (25 ⁰C), meaning a high reproductive capacity in a cycle of about three months, in non-limiting conditions for plant growth. Data from this work provide a basis for understanding the weedy potential of L.dubia, and for management decisions of a potentially invasive species, little investigated in Europe

The Eucalyptus genus is the most planted forest crop in the world, with Brazil being one of the countries with the greatest productive potential. However, the occurrence of weeds can cause losses in productivity. Chemical control is widely used, but the efficiency of herbicides depends on factors such as the presence of straw in the soil and the occurrence of rainfall. Due to the scarcity of results regarding the interaction between herbicide, straw, and water depth in the forest sector, the objective of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of S-metolachlor + glyphosate in the control of grasses in different densities of eucalyptus straw and with simulated rain after the application of the product. The experiment was conducted in DBC, factorial 3×3×2, with four replications. The first factor represented 0, 50 and 100% of the commercial dose of S-metolachlor + glyphosate, the second 0, 5, and 10 ton ha-2 of straw, and the third 25 and 50mm of water depth applied in soil with a mix of grasses previously sowed. The rainfall simulation was performed 24 hours after herbicide application on each straw volume. The fresh mass of the aerial part of the grasses was collected 43 days after sowing and dried in an oven to determine the dry mass. Visual analyzes of the percentage of control were performed with scales ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 represents no control and 100 efficient control. The fresh and dry mass and the grasses' dry mass/water ratio decreased with increasing herbicide dosage and straw density. The dosage of 2.12 + 1.59 kg i.a. ha-1 of S-metolachlor + glyphosate resulted in greater control of grasses, and the treatments without straw and with the application of the herbicide had the highest percentages of control. Applying different water depths (25 mm or 50 mm) did not influence the control. Despite the control of grasses, the efficiency of the herbicide mixture was affected by the presence of vegetation cover.

The use of alternative fuels and electric vehicles is an opportunity to reducing exhaust emissions. We observe that the regulations on exhaust emissions from mobile sources are becoming gradually stricter on the all the world. As is widely known, using alternative fuels instead of conventional fuels helps lower vehicle emissions. The most popular alternative fuels are hydrogen, propane, biobutanol, methanol, dimethyl ether, etc. It is very important that more than a dozen alternative fuels are under development. The article contains a comparison of the operating costs of electric cars and cars with an internal combustion engine. This work shows also the characteristic of new alternative fuels and their impacts on exhaust emissions.

Abstract: The search for alternative protein sources to soy-bean meal (SBM) in animal feeding is a strategic objective to reduce production costs and contribute to a sustainable animal produc-tion. Spirulina, due to the high protein content, has emerged as a potential cost-effective, sus-tainable, viable and high nutritional value food resource for many animal species. Insect larvae (Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens) are also considered potential alternatives to SBM, given their high edible percentage of almost 100%, as well as a protein value higher than that of vegetable proteins. Rapeseed meal and grain legumes, such as faba beans, peas, lupins and chickpea can also be used as locally producible protein ingredients. This study reviews the nutritional value of these potential alternatives to SBM in pig diets, effects on animal perfor-mance, digestion, immune system, physicochemical and sensorial characteristics of meat, in-cluding processed meat products of pork. Limits on their use in pig feeding are also reviewed to indicate gaps to be filled in future research on the supplementation level of these potential al-ternative protein sources into pig diets.

Optic neuritis (ON) is the most common cause of vision loss in young adults. It manifests as acute or subacute vision loss, often accompanied by retrobulbar discomfort or pain on eye movements. Typical ON is associated with Multiple Sclerosis and is generally mild and steroid-responsive, whereas atypical forms are characterized by unusual features, such as optic disc edema, poor treatment response and bilateral involvement, and are often associated with autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4) and Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG). However, in rare cases AQP4 and MOG antibodies will come back negative, plunging the clinician in a diagnostic conundrum. Seronegative ON warrants a broad differential diagnosis, including autoantibody-associated, granulomatous, and systemic disorders. These rare forms need to be identified promptly, as their management and prognosis is greatly different. The scope of this review is to describe possible, rarer etiologies of ON when AQP4 and MOG antibodies are negative and discuss their diagnosis and treatment.

Alternative splicing (AS) is a gene regulatory mechanism modulating gene expression in multiple ways. AS is prevalent in all eukaryotes including plants. AS generates two or more mRNAs from the precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA) to regulate transcriptome complexity and proteome diversity. Advances in next-generation sequencing, omics technology and bioinformatics tools, and computational methods provide new opportunities to quantify and visualize AS-based quantitative trait variation associated with plant growth, development, reproduction, and stress tolerance. Domestication, polyploidization and environmental perturbation may evolve novel splicing variants associated with agronomically beneficial traits. To date, pre-mRNAs from many genes are spliced into multiple transcripts that cause phenotypic variation for complex traits, both in model plant Arabidopsis and field crops. Cataloguing and exploiting such variation may provide new paths to enhance climate resilience, resource-use efficiency, productivity, and nutritional quality of staple food crops. This review provides insights into AS variation alongside gene expression analysis to select for novel phenotypic diversity for use in breeding programs. AS contributes to heterosis, enhances plant symbiosis (mycorrhiza and rhizobium), and provides a mechanistic link between the core clock genes and diverse environmental clues.

Porous ceramics can be realized by different methods and are used for manifold applications, like cross-flow-membranes or wall-flow-filters, porous burners, solar receivers, structural design elements or catalytic supports. Within this paper three different alternative process routes are presented, which can be used to manufacture porous ceramic components with different properties or even graded porosity. The first process route bases on additive manufacturing (AM) of macro porous ceramic components, the second on AM of a polymeric template, which is used to manufacture porous ceramic components via replica technique. Finally, the third process route bases on an AM technology, which allows the manufacturing of multi-material or multi-property ceramic components, like components with dense and porous volumes in one complex shaped component.

This study assesses the pursued impacts of Tulsi value chain development intervention on the livelihoods of rural poor in Uttarakhand state of India. Tulsi as an alternative livelihood, particularly for the rural poor, is less explored. With increased crop depredation of major cereal crops grown in the district by wild animals and pests, and decreasing availability of water agriculture, attempts were made to improve earnings from Tulsi as an alternative livelihood. Findings suggest that the average households’ gross profit from Tulsi farming increases by more than double within a span of two years. Total crop income of beneficiary farmers’ increases by 0.8 percent for every 1 percent increase in Tulsi income. Intervention helped enhance productivity of Tulsi, thereby enhancing earnings from Tulsi farming. Most importantly, intervention has shown a tremendous adoption rate. Towards the end of the intervention, the value chain work was out-scaled to another 19 villages in Chamoli district, thereby reaching out to more than 400 households.

The main goal of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission over land surfaces is the production of global maps of soil moisture (SM) and vegetation optical depth (τ) based on multi-angular brightness temperature (TB) measurements at L-band. The operational SMOS Level 2 and Level 3 soil moisture algorithms account for different surface effects, such as vegetation opacity and soil roughness at 4 km resolution, in order to produce global retrievals of SM and τ. In this study, we present an alternative SMOS product which was developed by INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) and CESBIO (Centre d’Etudes Spatiales de la BIOsphère). This SMOS-INRA-CESBIO (SMOS-IC) product provides daily SM and τ at the global scale and differs from the operational SMOS Level 3 (SMOSL3) product in the treatment of retrievals over heterogeneous pixels. Specifically, SMOS-IC is much simpler and does not account for corrections associated to the antenna pattern and the complex SMOS viewing angle geometry. It considers pixels as homogeneous to avoid uncertainties and errors linked to inconsistent auxiliary data sets which are used to characterize the pixel heterogeneity in the SMOS L3 algorithm. SMOS-IC also differs from the current SMOSL3 product (Version 300, V300) in the values of the effective vegetation scattering albedo (ω) and soil roughness parameters. An inter-comparison is presented in this study based on the use of ECMWF (European Center for Medium range Weather Forecasting) SM outputs and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) from MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). A 6 year (2010-2015) inter-comparison of the SMOS products SMOS-IC and SMOSL3 SM (V300) with ECMWF SM yielded higher correlations and lower ubRMSD (unbiased root mean square difference) for SMOS-IC over most of the pixels. In terms of τ, SMOS-IC τ was found to be better correlated to MODIS NDVI in most regions of the globe, with the exception of the Amazonian basin and of the northern mid-latitudes.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 accounts for more than 14,000 deaths worldwide. However, little is known about the host genetics interaction with infection and COVID-19 progression. To better understand the role of host genetics, we review the current literature, aggregate readily available genetic resources, and provide some updated analysis relevant to COVID-19 and associated phenotypes. Using the unrelated individuals in UK Biobank (total n = 337,579 across 5 populations), we aggregate human leukocyte antigen and ABO blood type frequencies. We find significant and consistent risk reduction of blood group O reported in Zhao et al. and encourage broad sharing of ABO blood type frequencies that are readily accessible across COVID-19 with mild, moderate, and severe/critical symptoms for robust inferences at https://tinyurl.com/abo-covid19. In addition, we generate polygenic risk scores (PRSs) weights for 29 blood measurements, including clinically relevant haematological measurements for COVID-19, such as lymphocyte count and percentage. Focusing on the 8 most COVID-19 clinically relevant blood measurements, we performed PRS-PheWAS analysis across 44 disease antigen measurements (n = 6,643 unrelated individuals in White British group), infectious diseases and acute respiratory infections (n = 20,928 cases and 349,000 controls across 3 population groups) and deaths (n = 1,846 cases and 368,082 controls), recorded in hospital inpatient record and death registry data, respectively, in UK Biobank, and find host genetic PRS associations with disease risk. Taken together, we anticipate these resources (https://github.com/rivas-lab/covid19) will aid in improving our understanding of host genetic risk factors playing a role in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease severity.

Background: Medicinal plants are of great importance to health of individual and communities. About 80% of the population in Uganda relies on traditional medicine because western-trained medical personnel are limited especially in villages. Most Ugandans use Hymenoxys odorato for medicinal purposes e.g. to treat colds, fever, coughs, anti-helminthes, locally used as tea, anti-allergy and also as an anti-venom to relieve snake bites. Method: A group of 25 male wistar rats of 150 g–210 g were kept for 14 days while being fed and treated with the extract. At 14^th day, anesthesia was given and blood samples collected by cardiac puncture for hematological and biochemical investigations. Serum was analyzed for Alkaline Phosphatase, Aspartate Transaminase and Alanine Transaminase while whole blood was used for complete blood count. The liver and kidney were removed and placed in 10% formalin to prepare for histology staining using haematoxylin and eosin technique. Results: The extract elevated hepatic biomarker enzymes i.e. ALP, ALT and AST. The increase was found to be significantly different (P > 0.05) at 400 and 500 mg/kg doses as compared to the control group. Histological sections of the liver showed distortion of liver cytoarchitecture, steatosis, necrosis of hepatocytes and congestion of the sinusoids at high doses 300, 400 and 500 mg/kg body weight. In the sections of the kidney, there was mild distortion of the integrity of the kidney with glomerular hypercellularity at high doses (400 and 500 mg/kg per body weight). Conclusion: Hymenoxys odorato aqueous extract has toxic effects on the liver and kidney of wistar rats. The effects were observed to be in a dose dependent manner.

Host immunological pathways have been proposed including TH1, TH2, TH3, TH9, TH17, TH22, TH1-like, and THαβ immune reactions. Besides TH2 and TH9 immune responses which are against multicellular parasites, host immunological pathways against viruses, intracellular micro-organisms (bacteria, protozoa, and fungi), and extracellular micro-organisms can use programmed cell death pathways to trigger immune reactions or to execute effective strategies to eliminate these pathogens. These programmed cell deaths include apoptosis, autophagic death, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, necroptosis, and NETosis. Apoptosis is related to host anti-virus eradicable THαβ immunity. Autophagic death is related to host anti-virus tolerable TH3 immunity. Pyroptosis is related to host anti-intracellular micro-organism eradicable TH1 immunity. Ferroptosis is related to host anti-intracellular micro-organism tolerable TH1-like immunity. Necroptosis is related to host anti-extracellular micro-organism eradicable TH22 immunity. NETosis is related to host anti-extracellular micro-organism tolerable TH17 immunity.

Begomovirus infection in plant causes a great economic loss in many countries every year. Increasing rate of the infectivity of this single stranded DNA virus forces to study of its transmission in detail for the necessary researches regarding the control of this disease. This pathogenic virus is whitefly vector borne and transferred from one plant to another plant during the suckling of phloem sap by that vector. Viral transmissibility through this insect vector may depend on the genetic variations within the cryptic species groups. Two distinct categories of begomoviruses viz., bipartite and monopartite types consist of different genome organization. Virion particles modify the intracellular environment of the host according to their need of replication and survival. Viral replication takes place through RCR as well as RDR methods. Interplay among host, vector and pathogen is crucial for the establishment of infection. Several endosymbiotic organisms living within the insect vector also have vital role here. Being infected with this virus, host plant responds with defensive activities like TGS, PTGS, autophagy, hormonal regulation, metabolic alteration etc. However, virus also counteracts those through the manipulation of several pathways of cellular events. It is necessary to study in different directions and utilize advanced molecular biological techniques to develop begomovirus resistance within plants.

In addition to CD4+ T lymphocytes, myeloid cells, and, particularly, differentiated macrophages, are targets of the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infection via interaction of gp120Env with CD4 and CCR5 or CXCR4. Both T cells and macrophages support virus replication although with substantial differences. In contrast to activated CD4+ T lymphocytes, HIV-1 replication in macrophages occurs in nondividing cells and it is characterized by virtual absence of cytopathicity both in vitro and in vivo. These general features should be considered in evaluating the role of cell-associated restriction factors aiming at preventing of curtailing virus replication in macrophages and T cells particularly in the context of designing strategies to tackle the viral reservoir in infected individuals receiving combination antiretroviral therapy. In this regard, we will here also discuss a model of reversible HIV-1 latency in primary human macrophages and the role of host factor determining restriction or reactivation of virus replication in myeloid cells.

Growing popularity of smart and integrated buildings requires a review of methods to optimize the preheat of ventilation air. An integrated system permits using heat ex-changers located in the mechanical room or in the future even using an exterior wall as a heat exchanger. One may ask the question how does the earth-air heat exchanger (EAHX) technology fitts into this function. EAHX has many advantages but also has many unanswered questions. Some of the drawbacks are: a possible entry of radon gas, high humidity in the shoulder seasons as well as the need for two different air intake sources with a choice that depends on the actual weather conditions. While in winter, the EAHX may be used continuously to ensure thermal comfort, in other seasons, its operation must be automatically controlled. To generate the missing information about the EAHX technology we reviewed literature and examined two nearly identical EAHX systems, placed either in ground next to the building or under the basement slab. Effectively, the information provided in this paper, shows advantages of merging both these approaches while the EAHX shoud be placed under the house or near the basement foundation.

New advances of nano-enabled weed management: using poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-based nanoherbicides. A review

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) is a problematic common weed species, especially in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). With the wide use of chemical herbicide and herbicide-tolerant transgenic cotton lines, Palmer amaranth populations have developed tolerance to commonly used herbicides. It is imperative to develop alternative weed control methods to slow the evolution of herbicide-resistant weed populations and provide new sources for weed management. Eleven chromosome substitution (CS) cotton lines CS-B26lo, CS-T17, CS-B16-15, CS-B17-11, CS-B12, CS-T05sh, CS-T26lo, CS-T11sh, CS-M11sh, CS-B22sh, and CS-B22lo were screened for weed-suppressing abilities in this study. The cotton lines were tested using the established stair-step structure methodology, which provided scope to study the effect of individual CS lines on the growth and development of Palmer amaranth weed without any interference of other external factors in the greenhouse. Height (cm) and chlorophyll concentration (cci) were measured for each plant in the system. The data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design using LSD mean comparisons of the genotypes at the P≤ .05 level. The 14th day after establishment resulted in the most significant variation in Palmer amaranth height reduction among the CS lines. Results indicated that CS-B22sh had the highest effect in reducing Palmer amaranth height and chlorophyll concentration with the most heightened susceptibility for Palmer amaranth. The cluster analysis revealed that Enlist® cotton, CS-CS-B22sh, and CS-T26lo were clustered in one group suggesting similar genetic potential with reference to Palmer amaranth growth and development. CS-B22sh showed novel genetic potential to control the growth and development of Palmer amaranth, a major weed in cotton fields. In the future, it will be interesting to investigate if CS-B22sh exudates from its root contain allelochemicals able to impede the growth and development of Palmer amaranth.

It has long been known that phytohormone auxin plays a promoting role in tuber formation and stress tolerance in potatoes. Our study aimed to identify and characterize the complete sets of auxin-related genes that presumably constitute the entire auxin signaling system in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). The corresponding genes were retrieved from sequenced genomes of the doubled monoploid S. tuberosum DM1-3-516-R44 (DM) of the Phureja group, the heterozygous diploid line RH89-039-16 (RH), and the autotetraploid cultivar Otava. Both canonical and noncanonical auxin signaling pathways were considered. Phylogenetic and domain analyzes of deduced proteins were supplemented by their expression profiling and 3D molecular modeling. The canonical and ABP1-mediated pathways of auxin signaling appeared to be well conserved. Total number of potato genes/proteins presumably involved in canonical auxin signaling is 46 and 108 in monoploid DM and tetraploid Otava, respectively. Among studied potatoes, spectra of expressed genes obviously associated with auxin signaling were partly cultivar-specific and quite different from analogous spectrum in Arabidopsis. Most of the noncanonical pathways found in Arabidopsis appeared to be low probable in potato. This was equally applied to all cultivars used irrespective of their ploidy. Thus, some important features of the (noncanonical) auxin signaling pathways may be variable and species-specific.

Alternative fuels containing biocomponents produced in various technologies are introduced in aviation to reduce its carbon footprint but there is little data describing their impact on the performance and emissions of engines. The purpose of the work is to compare the performance and gas emissions produced from two different jet engines: the GTM-140 microturbine and the full-size DGEN380 turbofan, powered by blends of Jet A-1 and one of two biocomponents: 1) ATJ and 2) HEFA produced from used cooking oil (UCO) in various concentrations. The acquired data will be used to develop an engine emissivity model to predict gas emissions. Blends of the mineral fuel with synthetic components were prepared in various concentrations, and their physicochemical parameters were examined in the laboratory. Measurements of emissions from both engines were carried out in selected operating points using the Semtech DS gaseous analyzer and the EEPS spectrometer. The impact of tested blends on engine operating parameters is limited, and their use does not carry the risk of a significant decrease in aircraft performance or increase in fuel consumption. Increasing the content of biocomponents causes a noticeable rise in the emission of CO and slight increase for some other gasses (HC and NOx), which should not, however, worsen the working conditions of the ground personnel. This implies that there are no contraindications against using tested blends for fuelling gas-turbine engines.

Chondroitin is a glycosaminoglycan that has gained widespread use in nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals, mainly for treating osteoarthritis. Traditionally, it has been extracted from animal cartilage but recently, biotechnological processes have emerged as a commercial alternative to avoid the risk of viral or prion contamination and offer a vegan-friendly source. Typically, these methods involve producing the chondroitin backbone using pathogenic bacteria and then modifying it enzymatically through the action of sulfotransferases. Despite the challenges of expressing active sulfotransferases in bacteria, the use of eukaryotic microorganisms is still limited to a few works using Pichia pastoris. To create a safer and efficient biotechnological platform, we have constructed a biosynthetic pathway for chondroitin production in S. cerevisiae as a proof-of-concept. Up to 125 mg/L and 200 mg/L of intracellular and extracellular chondroitin were produced, respectively. Furthermore, as genome-scale models are valuable tools for identifying novel targets for metabolic engineering, a stoichiometric model of chondroitin-producing S. cerevisiae has been developed and used in optimization algorithms. Our research has yielded several novel targets, such as uridine diphosphate(UDP)-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase (QRI1), glucosamine-6-phosphate acetyltransferase (GNA1) or N-acetylglucosamine-phosphate mutase (PCM1) overexpression that might enhance chondroitin production, which will guide future experimental research to develop more efficient host organisms for the biotechnological production process.

The recent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in Americas surprised all of us because of its rapid spread and association with neurologic disorders including fetal microcephaly, brain and ocular anomalies and Guillain-Barré syndrome. In responding to this global health outcry, unprecedented and world-wide efforts are taking place to study the ZIKV etiology. Much have been learned about this virus in the areas of epidemiology, clinical manifestation, viral sequences and protein structures, as well as effects of ZIKV infection on fetal brain development and microcephaly. However, the molecular mechanism underlying ZIKV-mediated neurologic disorders remains elusive. Some critical questions include: 1) what type of virologic changes has taken place that increased the viral virulence? 2) which ZIKV protein(s) is responsible for the enhanced viral pathogenicity? And 3) how the newly adapted and pathogenic ZIKV strains alter their interactions with host cells leading to neurologic disorders? The goal of this review is to explore the molecular insights into the ZIKV-host interactions with special focuses on host cell receptor usage for viral entry, host cellular and immune antiviral responses, ZIKV counteraction and ZIKV-induced cytopathic effects. Our hope with this literature review is to inspire additional studies focusing on molecular studies of ZIKV-host Interactions.

Proteases are integral enzymes of the plant immune system. Multiple aspects of defence are regulated by proteases, including the hypersensitive response, pathogen recognition, priming and peptide hormone release. These processes are regulated by unrelated proteases residing at different subcellular locations. In this review we discuss ten prominent plant proteases contributing to the plant immune system, highlighting the diversity of roles they perform in plant defence.

Reducing meat consumption is better for the environment. Unfortunately, commercial plant-based meat substitutes are often more expensive than meat and thus have not seen widespread adoption. This paper analyzes commercially-available spirulina, soy, pea, and brown rice protein isolates characteristics to provide data for non-meat protein cost reductions. Thermal and rheological properties, viscosity, density, and particle size distribution are analyzed for further study on alternative protein-based food processing. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis produced dry amorphous-shaped curves and paste curves with a more distinct endothermic peak. Extracted linear temperature ranges for processing in food production for spirulina was 70-90ºC; soy protein was 87-116ºC; pea protein was 67-77ºC; and brown rice protein was 87-97ºC. Viscosity analysis determined each protein material was shear-thinning and that viscosity increased with decreased water concentration, with rice being an exception to the latter trend. The obtained viscosity range for spirulina was 15,100-78,000cP; soy protein was 3,200-80,000cP; pea protein was 1,400-32,700cP; and brown rice protein was 600-3,500cP. The results indicate that extrusion is a viable method for further processing of the protein isolates as this technique has a large temperature operating range and variable screw speed. Data provided here can be used to make single or multi-component protein substitutes.

This article traces the origination, distribution, kinematics, function, and nature of alternative lateral horse gaits, i.e. intermediate speed lateral-sequence gaits involving the synchronization of ipsilateral limbs in the swing phase. Such alternative lateral horse gaits (namely, the running walk, rack, broken pace, hard pace, and broken trot) have been prized by equestrians for their comfort, and have been found in select horse breeds for hundreds of years and even exhibited in fossil equid trackways. After exploring the evolution and development of alternative lateral gaits via fossil equid trackways, human art and historical writings, and the genetics and history of modern horse breeds, functional and biomechanical reasons are offered for the genesis of these gaits. The article concludes by tracing similarities and differences between and within the expression of these alternative lateral gaits by various horse breeds. Fast and low-swinging hard pacing gaits are common in several horse breeds of East and North Asia, high-stepping rack and running walk gaits are often displayed in European and North and South American breeds, the broken pace is found in breeds of Central Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia, Western North America, and Brazil in South American, and the broken trot occurs in breeds of North Asia, South Asia, and the Southern United States, and Brazil South America.

Currently, there is increasing industrial demand for rare earth elements (REE) as these elements are now integral to the manufacture of many carbon-neutral technologies. The depleting REE ores and increasing mining costs are prompting to look for alternative sources for these valuable metals, particularly from waste streams. Although REE concentrations in most of the alternate resources are lower than current REE ores, some sources such as marine sediments, coal ash, and industrial wastes like red mud are looking promising with significant concentrations of REE in them. This review focuses on the alternative resources for REE such as ocean bottom sediments, continental shelf sediments, river sediments, stream sediments, lake sediments, phosphorites deposits, industrial waste products like red mud, and phosphogypsum, coal, coal fly ash, and related materials, waste rock sources from old and closed mines, acid mine drainage, and recycling of e-waste. Possible future Moon exploration and mining for REE and other valuable minerals are also discussed. It is evident that REE extractions from both primary and secondary ores alone are not adequate to meet the current demand, and sustainable REE recovery from the alternative resources described here is also necessary to meet the growing REE demand. An attempt is made to identify the potential of these alternative resources and sustainability challenges, benefits, and possible environmental hazards to meet the growing challenges in meeting the future REE requirements.

A progressive and chronic neurological condition called MSA (Multiple System Atrophy) is characterized clinically by varying degrees of dysautonomia, cerebellar ataxia, and parkinsonism. The concept of mitochondrial dysregulation in MSA is one perspective in handling this neurodegenerative disease. Damage to functional mitochondria is driven by the presence of ɑ-Synuclein-induced mitochondrial localization. The goal of MSA treatment up until now has been to reduce symptoms. One of the innovations in the treatment of MSA could be the novel idea based on mitochondrial reprogramming pathways. Mitochondrial reprogramming can be done in various ways in which the use of hydrogen, magnesium and low-dose hydrogen peroxide.

La minería es una industria intensiva en energía que requiere una fuente estable de electricidad. Con el aumento de la demanda de minerales y la disminución de las leyes, se espera que la demanda de energía aumente en un 36% para el 2035. Este aumento de la demanda depende del uso de combustibles fósiles ya que la electricidad producida y comprada en las empresas mineras se basan principalmente en el caso de los combustibles fósiles, los costos de los sistemas de almacenamiento de energía solar y eólica han caído a una escala sin precedentes, lo que alienta a las empresas mineras a probar estas tecnologías.Entre los factores que influyen en el uso de energía renovable, se encuentra el beneficio a la comunidad en la etapa de operación y cierre o post-cierre de un proyecto minero, el siguiente factor es el perfil de consumo eléctrico o demanda es importante para el cálculo de su almacenamiento o no, de las energías renovables a utilizar. Como tercer factor está el cálculo del consumo en los procesos. Los rangos de penetración determinarán si es posible su almacenamiento de energía, y si es posible utilizar control híbrido (solar - eólico), para ello es importante el uso de herramientas digitales como el programa Holmer, es una herramienta importante que técnica y económica.El gobierno debe tener una perspectiva que ayude en los temas regulatorios necesarios para impulsar proyectos de energía renovable con diferentes incentivos e intereses según el contexto minero.

In silico analysis is a promising approach for understanding biological events in complex diseases. Herein, we report an in silico analysis of the entire genome of virus ZikaSPH2015 strain, which was performed in order to identify the occurrence of specific motifs on genomic sequence of Zika Virus that is able to bind and therefore, sequester host’s Transcription Factors (TFs) as well as subsequently predict a possible interactions within host genome. Accordingly to obtained results of this original computational work-flow it is possible to hypothesize that these TFs Binding Motifs might be able to explain the complex and heterogeneous phenotype presentation in Zika Virus affected fe-tus/newborns, as well as the less severe condition in adults. Moreover, the proposed in silico protocol identified thirty three different TFs same as the distribution of TFBSs (Transcription Factor Binding Sites) on ZikaSPH2015 strain, potentially able to influence genes and pathways with biological functions confirming that this approach could find potential answers on disease pathogenesis.

Recently scientific research began to shift their focus on looking at both the gut and the skin microbiota as having a reciprocal and integral relationship with one another, rather than assessing them as separate and unrelated fields. In the past five years, the field of microbial endocrinology emerged, which examines how our gut microbiota influences and modulates hormones. We’ve known for decades that hormones greatly affect the condition of the skin, and many skin conditions are often treated with oral hormonal therapy as means to internally treat skin conditions visible on the dermis. Now, a growing body research and discourse examining this triad of biological spheres – gut microbiota, skin microbiota, and the endocrine system – as interconnected rather than binary and unrelated. While there is ample research established and being conducted examining the gut-skin axis, the gut-brain axis, and the gut-hormone axis, through this paper I will review and synthesize some of the significant advancements in this emerging and inclusive field of science to suggest that the fields need to expand the axis and their modality for researching these fields as a connected whole in order to better understand the role of the microbiota in disease prevention as a whole.

The dietary pattern that characterizes the Western diet is strongly associated with obesity and related metabolic diseases, but biological mechanisms supporting these associations remain largely unknown. We argue that the Western diet promotes inflammation that arises from both structural and behavioral changes in the resident microbiome. The environment created in the gut by ultra-processed foods, a hallmark of the Western diet, is an evolutionarily unique selection ground for microbes that can promote diverse forms of inflammatory disease. Recognizing the importance of the microbiome in the development of diet-related disease has implications for future research, public dietary advice as well as food production practices. Research into food patterns suggests that whole foods are a common denominator of diets associated with a low level of diet-related disease. Hence, by studying how ultra-processing changes the properties of whole foods and how these foods affect the gut microbiome, more useful dietary guidelines can be made. Innovations in food production should be focusing on enabling health in the super-organism of man and microbe, and stronger regulation of potentially hazardous components of food products is warranted.

This study examines the impact of weeds on sweet corn, where weeds compete with the main agricultural crops for essential elements such as nutrients, water, sunlight, and space for growth. In general. the use of herbicides is meant to suppress weed growth. Organic matter is important for plant growth and affects herbicide persistence. The study was aimed to explore the interdependence between ametryn herbicide and organic matter content and its impacts on weed growth, herbicide persistence, and sweet corn yield. The experiment was initiated in 2022 at the Experimental Station of the Faculty of Agriculture, Padjadjaran University, Indonesia, using a Split Plot Design in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. The experiments consisted of three levels of organic matter, i.e. low, medium, and high and 6 levels of ametryn herbicide at 0.0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 kg a.i./ha. The results indicated that the apparent interdependence between ametryn herbicide doses of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 kg a.i./ha and the three levels of the organic matter content totally suppressed the weed growth. However, the effects of interdependence between ametryn herbicide and organic matter content on the herbicide persistence and on the sweet corn yield were not obvious. The ametryn herbicide gave excellent effects on sweet corn yield. Bioassay analysis showed that the lowest persistence of ametryn herbicide was in line with the highest content of the organic matter.

Human beings naturally move from one location to another in search of basic necessities. Road transportation is a low-cost, versatile, and widely accessible mode of transportation worldwide. However, using fossil-based (FB) fuels in transportation vehicles is inefficient, generates hazardous gases, and worsens environmental degradation. The current work assesses the application of clean fuels such as biofuels, natural gas, electricity, propane, and other emerging fuels to replace FB fuels in transport vehicles. Unlike FB fuels, the use of biohydrogen, biomethane, biodiesel, and bioethanol in transport vehicles resulted in emission reduction by 70 %, 63 %, 41 %, and 54 %, respectively, while electric vehicles lower maintenance costs, ensuring better engine performance, and better engine efficiency. The adoption of natural gas and propane as alternative fuels for transport vehicles is cost-effective, and promotes environmental sustainability. There is a need for targeted financial, infrastructural, and technical investments to further promote the application of these clean fuels for road transport application. The outcome of the study provides updated information and sensitizes automobile engineers, environmentalists, transport fleet operators, governments, and other stakeholders on the benefits derivable in the adoption of clean fuels as alternatives to FB fuels as transport vehicles fuel.

Market uncertainty has a significant impact on market performance. Previous studies put much efforts in investigations on market uncertainty related to information asymmetry and risk. However, they have neglected the uncertainty inherent in market transactions, which is also an important aspect of market performance, besides quantity of transactions and market efficiency. In this paper, we put forward the concept of transaction entropy to measure the market uncertainty and see how it changes with price. The definition of transaction entropy is the ratio of total information entropy of all traders to quantity of transactions, reflecting the level of uncertainty in making transactions. And the transaction entropy is the lowest at equilibrium, it will be decreasing in a shortage market, and increasing in a surplus market. Additionally, we make a comparison of total entropy of the centralized market with that of the decentralized market, revealing that the price filtering mechanism could effectively reduce market uncertainty. Overall, the introduction of transaction entropy enriches our understanding of market uncertainty and facilitates a more comprehensive assessment of market performance.

The formation of new blood vessels is a critical process for tumor growth and may be achieved through different mechanisms. Angiogenesis represents the first described and most studied mode of vessel formation, but tumors may also use alternative ways to secure blood supply and eventually acquire resistance to anti-angiogenic treatments. These non-angiogenic mechanisms have been described more recently and include intussusceptive microvascular growth (IMG), vascular co-option, and vasculogenic mimicry. Like solid tumors, also in lymphomas angiogenic and non-angiogenic pathways play a fundamental role in tumor growth and progression. In view of the relevant prognostic and therapeutic implications, a comprehensive understanding of these mechanisms is of paramount importance for improving the efficacy of treatment in patients with lymphoma. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on angiogenic and non-angiogenic mechanisms involved in the formation of new blood vessels in Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas.

Probabilistic and parsimony-based arguments regarding available genetics data are used to propose that Hardy and Higgin’s amyloid cascade hypothesis is valid but is commonly interpreted too narrowly to support, incorrectly, the primacy of the amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) in driving Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. Instead, increased activity of the βCTF (C99) fragment of APP is likely the critical pathogenic determinant altered by mutations in the APP gene. This model is consistent with the regulation of APP mRNA translation via its 5’ iron responsive element (IRE). Similar arguments support that the pathological effects of familial Alzheimer’s disease mutations in the genes PSEN1 and PSEN2 are not exerted directly via changes in APP cleavage to produce different ratios of Aβ length. Rather, these mutations likely affect the stability of presenilin holoprotein and/or γ-secretase multimers with consequences for γ-secretase activity and other important cellular functions. All fAD mutations in APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 likely find unity of pathological mechanism in their actions on endolysosomal acidification and mitochondrial function, with detrimental effects on iron homeostasis and promotion of “pseudo-hypoxia” being of central importance. Aβ production is enhanced and distorted by oxidative stress and accumulates due to decreased lysosomal function. It may act as a disease-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) enhancing oxidative stress-driven neuroinflammation during the cognitive phase of the disease. We also discuss fascinating, but largely ignored, data on presenilin biology that may be important in understanding presenilins’ central role in familial Alzheimer’s disease.

The statistical properties of a good estimator include robustness, unbiasedness, efficiency, and consistency. However, the commonly used estimators of dispersion have lack or are weak in one or more of these properties. In this paper, I proposed statistical mirroring as a good alternative estimator of dispersion around defined location estimates or points. In the main part of the paper, attention is restricted to Gaussian distribution and only estimators of dispersion around the mean that functionalize with all the observations of a dataset were considered at this time. The different estimators were compared with the proposed estimators in terms of alternativeness, scale and sample size robustness, outlier biasedness, and efficiency. Monte Carlo simulation was used to generate artificial datasets for application. The proposed estimators (of statistical meanic mirroring) turn out to be suitable alternative estimators of dispersion that is less biased (more resistant) to contaminations, robust to scale and sample size, and more efficient to a random distribution of variable than the standard deviation, variance, and coefficient of variation. However, statistical meanic mirroring is not suitable with a mean (of a normal distribution) close to zero, and on a scale below ratio level.

The demands for high power and low emissions put focus on energy efficiency when developing new engines. An important part is the UAV engine cooling system, which cools the engine structure below damaging temperatures. For high temperatures in the cooling system there is a risk that boiling occurs and while the initial nucleate boiling enhances the cooling effect, the subsequent Film boiling decreases the heat transfer drastically. It is important to understand the benefits and limitations of various fluids when designing a two-phase cooling system. This paper proposes an alternative organic coolant. Its normal application range is 15°C to 400°C, and its pressure range is from atmospheric to 10.6 bar. DOWTHERM A fluid possesses unsurpassed thermal stability at temperatures of 400°C. This fluid, in both the liquid and vapor form, is noncorrosive toward common metals and alloys. Even at the high temperatures involved, the equipment usually exhibits excellent service life. Original equipment in many systems is still being used after 30 years of continuous service. The numerical results, described in this paper, show the potential of DOWTHERM A as a good alternative for cooling a UAV engine. It will extend the working temperature range of the Diesel engine and will maintain the structural integrity of the piston, cylinder and the piston rings.

In every agricultural setting, weed seeds can be found in every cubic centimeter of soil. Weed seeds, as a valuable trait underlying the fate of weed populations, exhibit differing levels of seed dormancy, ensuring their survival under uncertain conditions. Seed dormancy is considered as an innate mechanism that constrains germination under suitable conditions that would otherwise stimulate germination of non-dormant seeds. This work provides new insight into changes in germination patterns along the dormant to nondormancy continuum in seeds with physiological dormancy. Notable findings are: (1) germination synchrony can act as a new parameter that quantitatively describes dormancy patterns and subsequently weed population dynamics, (2) germination synchrony is dynamic, suggesting that the more dormancy decreases, the more synchrony is obtainable, (3) after-ripening and stratification can function as a synchronizing agent that regulates germination behavior. Brassica napus showed the most synchronous germination with the value of 3.14, while lower level of germination asynchrony was for Sinapis arvensis, with the asynchrony value of 2.25. After-ripening and stratification can act as a synchronizing factor through decreasing asynchrony level and increasing synchrony. Weed establish a firm relationship between dormancy cycling and germination synchrony patterns, ensuring their survival and reproductive strategies. By germinating in synchrony, which is accompanied by cycling mechanisms, weeds have more opportunities to persist. The synchrony model used in the present study predicts germination behavior and synchrony along the dormant to nondormancy continuum in weed seeds with physiological dormancy, suggesting a useful method for quantification of germination strategies and weed population dynamics.

A defining feature of a productive infection is the co-opting of host cell resources for viral replication. Despite their repertoire of molecular functions, viruses subvert host defenses to take control of cellular factors such as RNA binding proteins (RBPs). RBPs are involved in virtually all steps of mRNA life forming ribonucleoprotein complexes (mRNPs) in a highly ordered and regulated process to control RNA fate and stability in the cell. Thus, the hallmark of this viral takeover is to reshape RNA fate in the cell to modulate host gene expression and evade immune responses. Here we provide an extensive review of work in this area, particularly how the host-viral interplay influences RBP functions to modulate the host cell. Overall, in this review, we highlight the myriad of ways RBPs can regulate RNA stability in either a pro-viral or antiviral manner by gathering novel insights gained from research studies in this field.

Since the first description of SARS-CoV-2 in China in 2019, thousands of variants have emerged worldwide. For some of them, the constellation of mutations caused changes in virus biology, pathogenicity, infectivityity and transmissibility resulting in dissemination throughout the world. Gamma variant (P.1) differs from SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain (B.1) by 12 amino acids in the Spike (S) protein, and presented mutations related to greater affinity for the receptor angioten-sin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) and/or immune escape. The Gamma variant and subvariants were responsible for the second wave of COVID-19 in the Brazilian city of Manaus, characterized by high mortality and rapid transmission. The ability of variants to induce cytokine production may be closely related to their pathogenicity. Herein we observed that there was no significant difference in the quantity of cytokines among macrophages or neutrophils infected with P.1 and B.1 strains. Also, no significant difference was observed in the absolute number of macrophages and neutrophils infected with these variants. Furthermore, no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 replication was observed in macrophages when infected by the two analyzed variants. Our findings suggest that the difference in the epidemiological outcome observed during the P.1 variant spread when compared to B.1, it is not explained by differences in the quantity of cytokines and absolute number of macrophages or neutrophils. Through bioinformatics analysis of the S protein, we observed that the physicochemical differences between the variants and subvariants of P.1, probably refer to the degree of infectivity, due to the impact caused in the recognition of antibodies and receptor af-finity

Oral diseases remain a major health problem worldwide, with the World Health Organisation reporting that oral health neglect affects almost half of the world’s population. Quorum sensing molecules (QSMs) influence oral biofilms in various ways with knowledge of direct oral QSM-host interaction being limited, and such studies could provide more insight into the cross-kingdom communication occurring during oral disease development. This review aims to explore the literature on oral QSM-host interaction and to highlight areas of advancement in this field. QSM CSP-1 produced by Gram-positive oral bacteria was found to interact with T2R receptors, activating NF-kB signalling and leading to remodeling of the cytoskeleton. AI-2 in the oral cavity was found in various studies to elicit an inflammatory response in specific oral cells. Overall AHL detection methods remain an area for development, through which greater understanding of oral QSMs’ influence on host cells can be achieved. In conclusion, from the current literature it can be inferred that that QSMs are utilised by host cells to detect bacterial presence and in the majority of cases elicit an immune response towards the environmental QSMs. This may provide a base to target QSMs as novel treatment of oral diseases.

The different cell subsets of the immune system express vitamin D receptor (VDR). Through VDR, vitamin D exerts different functions which influences on immune responses, as previously shown in different preclinical models. Based on this background, retrospective studies have explored the impact of vitamin D levels on the outcome of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, showing that vitamin D deficiency is related to an increased risk of complications, especially graft-versus-host disease. These results have been confirmed in a prospective cohorts trial, although further studies are required to confirm this data. In addition, the role of vitamin D on the treatment of hematologic malignancies has also been explored. Considering this dual effect both on the immune system as well as on tumor cells in patients with hematologic malignancies, vitamin D might be useful in this setting both to decrease graft-versus-host disease and relapse rates.

Despite concepts of human flourishing, a term connected to empowerment that acts as an archi-tectural structure within the development and sustainability discourse, tensions remain between exponential economic growth, planetary health and community empowerment. Scholars argue that the development agenda is maldevelopment due to the unrequested interventions delivered to communities, mainly in the Global South (Shiva, 1999). A current state of disorientation grips the modern world, and despite sophisticated global frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), internal approaches are side-lined. This research article repositions empowerment and compassion at the centre of the sustainable development discourse by drawing on the Inner Development Framework, particularly goal one – Being – ‘Relationship to Self’ and goal three – Relating – ‘Caring for others and the World’ as a guiding theoretical underpinning. Accordingly, this research article presents a qualitative interpretative study that examines the lived experience of women and their journeys to empowerment. The key findings indicate an intricate relationship between wellbeing and empowerment and the realisation of inner development as a tool to re-imagine alternative futures. The Machiavellian tendency to the sustainability agenda is deeply embedded in the profiteering of the misery of affected communities.

The genetic systems of Paspalum species have not been extensively studied. We analysed the ploidy, reproductive mode, mating system, and fertility of four Paspalum species - P. durifolium, P. ionan-thum, P. regnellii, and P. urvillei. An analysis of 378 individuals from 20 populations of north-eastern Argentina was conducted. All populations of the four Paspalum species were pure tetraploid and had a sexual and stable reproductive mode. However, some populations of P. durifolium and P. ionanthum showed low levels of apospory. Populations of P. durifolium and P. ionanthum had low seed sets under self-pollination but were fertile under open pollination, showing that self-incompatibility likely caused self-sterility. In contrast, populations of P. regnellii or P. urvillei showed no evidence of apospory and seed set in both self- and open pollination conditions were high, suggesting that they are self-compatible, due to the absence of pollen-pistil molecular in-compatibility mechanisms. The evolutionary origin of the four Paspalum species could explain these differences. This study supplies valuable insights into the genetic systems of Paspalum species, which could have implications for their conservation and management.

The present article discusses the institutional model adopted in Brazil regarding energy production through biomass. The theoretical-empirical method is used to conclude that the model's difficulties can be overcome by adopting a network of contracts capable of subjecting renewable energy generation to an energy compensation model.

The existence of the exclusion zone (EZ), a layer of water in which plastic microspheres are repelled from hydrophilic surfaces, has now been independently demonstrated by several groups. A better understanding of the mechanisms which generate EZs would help with understanding the possible importance of EZs in biology and in engineering applications such as filtration and microfluidics. Pollack theorizes that EZ water exists in a new phase which has a layered structure. We note several problems with Pollack's proposed structure, some of which were noted in the 1960's when a similar structure was proposed for ``polywater''. We argue that Schurr's diffusiophoresis based theory presents a compelling alternative explanation for the core EZ phenomena, although there remain other findings from Pollack's lab it does not explain. Among other things, Schurr's theory makes predictions about the growth of the EZ with time which have been confirmed by Florea et al.\ and others. In this work we also introduce and explore a novel hypothesis - that some aspects of EZ phenomena may be attributable to repulsive van der Waals forces. Finally, we touch on several possible confounding factors that make experimentation on EZs difficult, such as charged surface groups, dissolved solutes, and adsorbed nanobubbles.

We have developed a family of N-alkyl-nitrobenzamides that exhibit promising antitubercular ac-tivities. These compounds are a simplification of the structure of known inhibitors of DprE1, an essential Mtb enzyme and an emergent anti-TB target. The compounds were obtained by a simple synthetic methodology and their antitubercular, cyto-toxicity and stability were studied. The most active compounds were the 3,5-dinitro and the 3-nitro-5-trifluoromethyl derivatives. Lipophilicity was shown to be a main parameter modulating activity within each family. The most active compound presented MIC of 16 ng/mL and had in-termediate lipophilicities. The activity was also studied in a macrophage model of infection. In this model the compounds with chain lengths of 6 and 12 carbon atoms presented the best results, ex-hibiting activity profiles comparable to isoniazid. Docking studies performed suggested that the fit of our highly active compounds to the DprE1 binding pocket was very similar to the literature compounds. Furthermore, the metrics used in the analysis were able to distinguish between the families of the highly and least active compounds. Assessment of susceptibility over multiple species and computational together with the structure of the compounds are complementary information that supports DprE1 as a likely target of action for this type of compounds.

Fusarium spp. are commonly associated with the root rot complex of soybean (Glycine max). Previous surveys identified six common Fusarium species from Manitoba, including F. oxysporum, F. redolens, F. graminearum, F. solani, F. avenaceum and F. acuminatum. This study aimed to determine their pathogenicity, assess host resistance and evaluate the genetic diversity of Fusarium spp. isolated from Canada. Pathogenicity was tested on two cultivars, ‘Akras’ (moderate resistance) and ‘B150Y1’ (susceptible), under greenhouse conditions. The virulence of the fungal isolates varied, with root rot severities ranging from 1.5 to 3.3 on a 0-4 scale. The six species were used to screen a panel of 20 Canadian soybean cultivars for resistance in a greenhouse. Cluster and principal component analyses were conducted based on the same traits as for the pathogenicity study. Two of the cultivars, ‘P15T46R2’ and ‘B150Y1’, were consistently found to be tolerant to F. oxysporum, F. redolens, F. graminearum and F. solani. To investigate the incidence and prevalence of Fusarium spp. in Canada, fungi were isolated from 106 soybean fields surveyed across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec. Two-hundred twenty-one Fusarium isolates were identified, with phylogenetic analyses indicating diversity of the isolates in the major soybean production regions of Canada.