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Early detection of plant diseases is crucial for safeguarding crop yield, especially in regions vulnerable to food insecurity, such as Sub-Saharan Africa. One of the significant contributors to maize crop yield loss is the Northern Leaf Blight (NLB), which traditionally takes 14–21 days to visually manifest on maize. This study introduces a novel approach for detecting NLB as early as 4–5 days using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, which can identify the disease before any visual symptoms appear. Utilizing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) models, nonvisual measurements of Total Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and ultrasound emissions from maize plants were captured and analyzed. A controlled experiment was conducted on four maize varieties, and the data obtained were used to develop and validate a hybrid CNN-LSTM model for VOC classification and an LSTM model for ultrasound anomaly detection. The hybrid CNN-LSTM model, enhanced with wavelet data preprocessing, achieved an F1 score of 0.96 and an Area under the ROC Curve (AUC) of 1.00. In contrast, the LSTM model exhibited an impressive 99.98% accuracy in identifying anomalies in ultrasound emissions. Our findings underscore the potential of IoT sensors in early disease detection, paving the way for innovative disease prevention strategies in agriculture. Future work will focus on optimizing the models for IoT device deployment, incorporating chatbot technology, and more sensor data will be incorporated for improved accuracy and evaluation of the models in a field environment.

Wind loads on a semi-submersible rig were investigated using computational fluid dynamics. A maritime atmospheric boundary layer model for wind profile was implemented such that the wind profile shapes were retained throughout the computational domain. Wind loads on the semi-submersible rig were calculated under the maritime atmospheric boundary layer and matched well with the results from wind tunnel within a ±20% error. Among the topside structures, five structures including deckbox were selected and analyzed on the contribution to the wind load, particularly overturning moments by decomposing the moments into drag and lift components. Overall, moments ignoring lift components tended to overestimate overturning moments by approximately 20% at maximum. The majority of the lift components originated from the deckbox, which served as a lifting body owing to the accelerated streamlines between the waterline and the bottom of the deckbox.

Background: Knowledge on microclimate conditions under artificial shades in a ginseng field would facilitate climate-aware management of ginseng production. Methods: Weather data were measured under the shade and outside the shade at two fields located in Gochang-gun and Jeongeup-si, Korea, in 2011 and 2012 seasons to assess temperature and humidity conditions under the shade. An empirical approach was developed and validated for the estimation of leaf wetness duration (LWD) using weather measurements outside the shade as inputs to the model. Results: Air temperature and relative humidity were similar between under the shade and outside the shade. For example, temperature conditions favorable for ginseng growth, e.g., between 8°C and 27°C, occurred slightly less frequently in hours during night times under the shade (91%) than outside (92%). Humidity conditions favorable for development of a foliar disease, e.g., relative humidity > 70%, occurred slightly more frequently under the shade (84%) than outside (82%). Effectiveness of correction schemes to an empirical LWD model differed by rainfall conditions for the estimation of LWD under the shade using weather measurements outside the shade as inputs to the model. During dew eligible days, a correction scheme to an empirical LWD model was slightly effective (10%) in reducing estimation errors under the shade. However, another correction approach during rainfall eligible days reduced errors of LWD estimation by 17%. Conclusion: Weather measurements outside the shade and LWD estimates derived from these measurements would be useful as inputs for decision support systems to predict ginseng growth and disease development.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the selective death of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) dopaminergic neurons and includes both motor and non-motor symptoms. While numerous models exist for the study of typical PD motor deficits, fewer exist for non-motor symptoms. Previous studies have shown that a Pitx3−/− mouse model (aphakia or ak mouse) has specific developmental failure of the dopaminergic neuron population in the SNpc and that it can be used for the study of PD-related gross motor dysfunction as well as cognitive functional deficits. It remains unclear whether the aphakia mouse, both male and female, might also be used to model fine motor deficits and for additional studies of non-motor deficits associated with PD. Here, using an extensive battery of behavioral tests, we demonstrate that the aphakia mouse shows both gross and fine motor functional deficits compared with control mice. Furthermore, aphakia mice show deficits of olfactory function in buried pellet, odor discrimination and odor habituation/dishabituation tests. We also found that aphakia mice suffer from gastrointestinal dysfunction (e.g., longer whole gut transit time and colon motility deficits), suggesting that the mutation also affects function of the gut-brain axis in this animal model. Moreover, our data demonstrate that in the aphakia mouse, L-DOPA, the gold standard PD medication, can rescue both gross and fine motor function deficits but neither olfactory nor gastrointestinal symptoms, a pattern much like that seen in PD patients. Altogether, this suggests that the aphakia mouse is a suitable model for fine motor, olfactory and gastrointestinal behavioral studies of PD as well as for the development of novel disease-modifying therapeutics. Significance statement: While several animal models are available to study the major motor symptoms of PD, there are fewer that replicate non-motor symptoms, which constitute a major source of morbidity for patients. Moreover, available models often require manipulations resulting in sudden massive cell loss and inflammation, both of which may interfere with understanding of the direct effects of dopaminergic neuronal loss in the SNpc. We describe a model of congenital SNpc cell deficiency in a Pitx3−/− mouse and characterize it with a battery of behavioral tests suggesting that it closely mimics non-motor as well as motor symptoms of PD, providing a useful insight into the effects of the nigrostriatal dopamine deficit. Taken together, these data suggest that the ak mouse represents a useful model to study dopaminergic system function for both motor and non-motor symptoms of PD.

Summary: Mitochondrial dynamics play critical roles in both tissue homeostasis and somatic cell reprogramming. Here, we provide integrated guidance for assessing mitochondrial function and dynamics while reprogramming human fibroblasts via an integrated analysis approach. This protocol includes instructions for mitochondrial metabolic analysis in real time and flow cytometry-based assessment of mitochondrial mass and membrane potential. We also describe a protocol for quantification of mitochondrial network and key metabolites.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Cha et al. (2021). : Publisher's note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

The KVLCC2 and its modified hull form were investigated in regular head waves using Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) methods. The modified KVLCC2 (named KWP-bow KVLCC2) is designed for reducing wave reflection from the bow. Firstly, the original KVLCC2 is studied for verification of the present code and methodology and the computed time history of total resistance and 2DOF motions (heave and pitch) for the selected two wave length conditions are directly compared with the results obtained from KRISO towing tank experiment under the identical condition. The predicted added resistance, heave and pitch motion RAOs show relatively good agreement with the experimental results. Secondly, the comparison of performance in waves between KVLCC2 and KWP-bow KVLCC2 is carried out. We confirmed that newly designed hull form shows better performances in all the range of wave length conditions through both the computation and the experiment. The present URANS method can capture the difference of performance in waves of the two hull forms without any special treatment for short wave length conditions. It can be identified that KWP-bow KVLCC2 gives about 8% of energy saving in sea state 5 condition. Keywords: Added resistance in waves, Ship motion, URANS, KVLCC2

Mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) lines were derived by crossing heterozygous transgenic (tg) mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the rat tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) promoter, with homozygous alpha-synuclein (aSYN) mice expressing human mutant SNCAA53T under the control of the mouse Prion promoter (MoPrP), or wildtype (WT) mice. The expression of GFP and human aSYN was validated by immunocytochemistry in midbrain neuron cultures upon differentiation of mESC lines using stromal cell-derived inducing activity. These mESC lines can help to study the impact of human aSYN expression in neurons and oligodendrocytes, and also trace GFP-expressing midbrain neurons.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a potentially replenishable source for the production of transfusable platelets. Here, we describe a method to generate megakaryocytes (MKs) and functional platelets from iPSCs in a scalable manner under serum/feeder-free conditions. The method also permits the cryopreservation of MK progenitors, enabling a rapid “surge” capacity when large numbers of platelets are needed. Ultrastructural/morphological analyses show no major differences between iPSC platelets and human blood platelets. iPSC platelets form aggregates, lamellipodia, and filopodia after activation and circulate in macrophage-depleted animals and incorporate into developing mouse thrombi in a manner identical to human platelets. By knocking out the β2-microglobulin gene, we have generated platelets that are negative for the major histocompatibility antigens. The scalable generation of HLA-ABC-negative platelets from a renewable cell source represents an important step toward generating universal platelets for transfusion as well as a potential strategy for the management of platelet refractoriness.

The two different numerical approaches for solving the nonlinear ship wave problem are discussed in the present paper. One is based on a panel method, which neglects the viscous effects. The other is based on a finite volume method, which take into account the viscous effects by solving RANS equations. Focus is laid upon on the advantages and disadvantages of two methods. The developed methods are applied to calculating the flow around Series 60 hull to validate the performance of the present nonlinear methods. Although the two methods employ quite different numerical approaches, the calculated wave patterns from both methods show good agreements with the experiments. However the potential method simu-lates the global wave pattern accurately, while the viscous method shows better performance for the local wave prediction near a ship.

Disorders of the basal ganglia such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease are commonly thought of primarily as motor disorders; however, the cognitive symptoms of these diseases such as executive dysfunction, learning, memory and attention deficits are prominent and often more disabling than the hallmark motor symptoms. Cognitive features of PD are often neglected in preclinical studies of PD, likely due to the lack of available animal models to study them. Aphakia mice, which are deficient in the transcription factor Pitx3, model the selective nigrostriatal DA loss in PD. Here we report that aphakia mice are impaired in striatum-dependent cognitive tasks including rotarod learning, T-maze and inhibitory avoidance tasks, but not the striatum-independent social transmission of food preference task. These results suggest that some neuropsychiatric symptoms in PD are related to the pathophysiology of the disease rather than stress associated with disease burden, or medications used to treat PD. Furthermore aphakia mice may be used as a novel model of non-motor symptoms in PD.

l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) is one of the main limitations of long term l-DOPA use in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. We show that chronic l-DOPA treatment induces novel dyskinetic behaviors in aphakia mouse with selective nigrostriatal deficit mimicking PD. The stereotypical abnormal involuntary movements were induced by dopamine receptor agonists and attenuated by antidyskinetic agents. The development of LID was accompanied by preprodynorphin and preproenkephalin expression changes in the denervated dorsal striatum. Increased FosB-expression was also noted in the dorsal striatum. In addition, FosB expression was noted in the pedunculopontine nucleus and the zona incerta, structures previously not examined in the setting of LID. The aphakia mouse is a novel genetic model with behavioral and biochemical characteristics consistent with those of PD dyskinesia and provides a more consistent, convenient, and physiologic model than toxic lesion models to study the mechanism of LID and to test therapeutic approaches for LID.