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In this study, a sensitive and specific monoclonal antibody against VIR M1 was produced based on a new hapten. The antibody had a linear detection range of 3.77–65.51 ng/mL with an IC50 of 15.26 ng/mL and good specificity for VIR M1. Gold nanoparticle (GNP)-based lateral flow strips were assembled for rapid screening of VIR M1 in feed samples. When evaluated with the naked eye, the visual limit of detection (LOD) in feed samples was 25 μg/kg, and the cut-off value was 200 μg/kg. Therefore, this GNP-based lateral flow strip assay can be used for on-site detection and rapid preliminary screening of VIR M1 in feed samples.

The article presents the results of a morphophysiological assessment of rice samples by the strength of growth, as well as an assessment of the degree of development of the conducting system of the flag leaves of rice plants. The resistance of varieties to flooding is very relevant in the fight against weeds due to the deep layer of water that weeds cannot overcome. Currently, there are no zoned varieties in Russia that would meet these requirements. Therefore, the problem of creating such rice varieties is urgent, as it will reduce production costs, reduce grain losses during harvesting, improve the quality of the products obtained, and also reduce the pesticide load on the ecosystem. As a result of research, a number of studied samples revealed the potential to quickly lengthen the first leaves, overcome a large layer of water and accumulate vegetative mass. As a result of the evaluation of the conducting system of the flag leaf of rice plants, it was found that in plants with the flood resistance gene Sub1A, which stops growth under water, the conductive beams were smaller in comparison with other fast-growing samples with the AG, Sk genes. Consequently, fast-growing samples have bigger sizes of the conducting system as a resistance mechanism.

Due to the rapid evolution of the monkeypox virus, the means by which the monkeypox virus is spread is subject to change. Therefore, the present study aims to analyze the detection of the monkeypox virus according to the collection site of samples from confirmed monkeypox cases. A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases until 5 October 2022. A total of 1022 articles were retrieved using the search strategy. After removing duplicates (n = 566) and examining by title, abstract, and full text, 65 studies reporting monkeypox case reports were included with a detailed description of risk factors, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), site of monkeypox virus-positive specimens, location of skin lesions, and diagnostic test. A total of 4537 confirmed monkeypox cases have been reported, of which 98.72% of the cases were male with a mean age of 36 years, 95.72% had a sexual behavior of being men who have sex with men, and 28.1% had human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The most frequent locations of lesions in patients diagnosed with monkeypox were: 42.85% on the genitalia and 37.1% in the perianal region. All confirmed monkeypox cases were diagnosed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the most frequent locations of samples collected for diagnosis that tested positive for monkeypox virus were: 91.85% from skin lesions, 20.81% from the oropharynx, 3.19% from blood, and 2.43% from seminal fluid. The disease course of the cases with monkeypox was asynchronous, with no severe complications, and most patients did not report specific treatment but simply followed a symptomatic treatment.

Large-scale reference genome sequencing projects for all of biodiversity are underway and common standards have been in place for some years to enable the understanding and sharing of sequence data. However, the metadata that describes the collection, processing and management of samples, and link to the associated sequencing and genome data, are not yet adequately developed and standardised for these projects. At the time of writing, the Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) Project is over two years into its ten-year ambition to sequence all described eukaryotic species in Britain and Ireland. We have sought consensus from a wide range of scientists across taxonomic domains to determine the minimal set of metadata that we collectively deem as critically important to accompany each sequenced specimen. These metadata are made available throughout the subsequent laboratory processes, and once collected, need to be adequately managed to fulfil the requirements of good data management practice. Due to the size and scale of management required, software tools are needed. These tools need to implement rigorous development pathways and change management procedures to ensure that effective research data management of key project and sample metadata is maintained. Tracking of sample properties through the sequencing process is handled by Lab Information Management Systems (LIMS), so publication of the sequenced data is achieved via technical integration of LIMS and data management tools. Discussions with community members on how metadata standards need to be managed within large-scale programmes is a priority in the planning process. Here we report on the standards we developed with respect to a robust and reusable mechanism of metadata collection, in the hopes that other projects forthcoming or underway will adopt these practices for metadata., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2024 Shaw F et al.)

Traditional ion chromatography is mainly applied to anionic, cationic and polar compounds in aqueous solution. With the expansion of the application scope of ion chromatography, through the appropriate sample preparation, the samples of non-aqueous solution can be transformed into aqueous solution, including organic solvents, soiid samples and gaseous samples. Especaally with our attention to the atmospheric environment,gas purity and the composton of gaseous samp!es in exha!ed gas,more and more gas and gaseous samp!es, espedally iomc and polar samp!es, are produced. These compounds can be converted into aqueous solution by appropriate samp! preparation and coHection, and analyzed by ion chromatography. This paper reviews the ion chromatography detection technology of gas components, summarizes the preparation and collection methods of gas substances in gas sampes, aerosols and iiquid sampes and uses ion chromatography technology to determine the above samples. The problem in the application of this technology and is development prospect are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camellia sinensis L. leaves composed of different concentrations of mineral contents play a vital role in human nutrition and health. In this study, locally processed three different green tea varieties i.e. P3, P5 and P9 were used for mineral content determination at National Tea and High Value Crops Research Institute (NTHRI), Shinkiari, Mansehra, Pakistan. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer, flame photometer and Kjehldal apparatus were used for the determination of mineral concentration in all the collected tea samples. Mineral composition of tea samples were identified in the following quantity order: high level of nitrogen (37300 to 41380 mg/L), calcium (515.6 to 522.1 mg/L) and phosphorus (742 to 1220 mg/L) were observed in all tea samples compared to other minerals. Cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), sodium (Na), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) were highest in P3, while least amount was identified in P5, variety. On the contrary, calcium (Ca), potassium (K) and lead (Pb) contents were maximum in P5, while minimum were in P3. This study revealed that the levels of mineral elements in different varieties of green tea vary from the permissible level but the monitoring of their levels in tea plant is obligatory for future risk measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organoleptic quality and shelf life of smoked catfish (Clarias gariepinus) was studied over a period of eight (8) weeks after application of spices. Forty (40) chunks of fresh C. gariepinus were dipped in 10% brine solution and distributed into 4 treatments of 10 chunks each, A (100 g ginger), B (100 g garlic), C (50 g garlic/50 g ginger) and D (0 g). Refrigerated for 3 h to complete seasoning process, and then smoked using charcoal and wood for 5 h on day one and 3 h on the second day. Assessed for organoleptic value and microbial analysis after 8 weeks. Results revealed significant difference (P

[Problem] The risks of hosting large-scale sports events are very difficult to evaluate and often directly affected by natural environment risks, events management risks, and social environment risks. Before hosting the events, accurately assessing these risks can effectively minimize the occurrence of risks and reduce the subsequent losses. [Aim] In this article, we advocate the use of a back propagation neural network (BPNN) model for risk evaluation and early warning of large-scale sports events. [Methods] We first use expert surveys to assess the risks of 28 large-scale sports events using 12 indicators associated with climate conditions, events management, and natural disasters. We then apply the BPNN model to evaluate the risks of 28 large-scale sports events with sufficient samples by adding white noise with mean zero and small variance to the small actual samples. We provide a general rule to establish a BPNN model with insufficient and small samples. [Results] Our research results show that the recognition accuracy of the established BPNN model is 86.7% for the 15 simulation samples and 100% for the 28 actual samples. Based on this BPNN model, we determined and ranked the risk level of the events and the importance of each indicator. Thus, sample S8 had the highest risk and the second highest was sample S14, and indicator nine was the most important and indicator one the least important. [Conclusions] We can apply the established BPNN model to conveniently evaluate the risk of hosting a large-scale sports event. By analyzing the nonlinear relationship between each indicator and the risk of the sports event, and applying the established BPNN model, we can propose more targeted and effective measures and suggestions for eliminating and decreasing the risks of hosting a large-scale sports event, and ensure large-scale sports events can be successfully hosted.

The scope of the proposed research was to establish the presence of bacteria of the genus Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. in the samples of poultry meat and eggs sold in the commercial food network of the Central Agricultural Market from m. Chisinau. The bacteriological investigations were performed in the laboratory of Microbiology of the Department II of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, SAUM. The serotyping of the isolated bacteria forms was performed at the Republican Center for Veterinary Diagnosis. The following culture media were used for isolation and identification: RVS broth, MKTTn broth, XLD agar, BSA, semi-Fraser broth, ALOA agar, Ottaviani and Agosti agar, Oxford agar. In total, 120 samples including 60 egg samples, 20 samples of frozen poultry carcasses and 40 samples from refrigerated broiler carcasses were collected and examined. As a result, the bacteriological investigation on the eggs of current consumption has established the presence of bacteria of the genus Salmonella typhimurium. Also, in the samples of frozen meat were isolated the serotypes Salmonella enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes and finally, in the samples of refrigerated poultry carcasses was established the presence of serotypes Salmonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteriological investigations of poultry products (eggs and meat) showed the presence of their contamination with bacteria of the genus Listeria monocytogenes in 2.5% of the examined samples and with Salmonella bacteria in 8.3%, which may lead to the transmission of these bacteria to consumers by means of contaminated products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under current climate warming predictions, the future of coral reefs is dire. With projected coral reef decline, it is likely that coral specimens for bleaching research will increasingly become a more limited resource in the future. By adopting a holistic approach through increased collaborations, coral bleaching scientists can maximize a specimen’s investigative yield, thus reducing the need to remove more coral material from the reef. Yet to expand a specimen’s utility for additional analytic methods, information on how corals are collected is essential as many methods are variably sensitive to upstream handling and processing. In an effort to identify common practices for coral collection, sacrifice, preservation, and processing in coral bleaching research, we surveyed the literature from the last 6.5 years and created and analyzed the resulting dataset of 171 publications. Since January 2014, at least 21,890 coral specimens were collected for bleaching surveys or bleaching experiments. These specimens spanned 122 species of scleractinian corals where the most frequently sampled were Acropora millepora, Pocillopora damicornis, and Stylophora pistillata. Almost 90% of studies removed fragments from the reef, 6% collected skeletal cores, and 3% collected mucus specimens. The most common methods for sacrificing specimens were snap freezing with liquid nitrogen, chemical preservation (e.g., with ethanol or nucleic acid stabilizing buffer), or airbrushing live fragments. We also characterized 37 distinct methodological pathways from collection to processing of specimens in preparation for a variety of physiological, -omic, microscopy, and imaging analyses. Interestingly, almost half of all studies used only one of six different pathways. These similarities in collection, preservation, and processing methods illustrate that archived coral specimens could be readily shared among researchers for additional analyses. In addition, our review provides a reference for future researchers who are considering which methodological pathway to select to maximize the utility of coral bleaching specimens that they collect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presentation of the F/12 collection of textiles, kept at the Archives nationales, provides an opportunity to make known a unique color collection. The Archives nationales preserves the memory of the French central administration in the 18th century through the history of the action taken by the State concerning the color of textiles through the control of their production, and the encouragement of innovation. The textile samples belong to different provinces of the kingdom, and illustrate dyeing trials and dyeing experiments from over two centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrodeposited layers such as Ni-P and Ni-P/SiC have a wide use in many fields of activities due to their very good properties such as well behave in corrosion and wear resistance. In this paper are presented some microstructures of Ni-P/SiC deposits and some working parameters that influence the modification of the structure of their thin layers. It was observed, among the others, that the amount of phosphorus included in the deposited layers leads to the modification of the deposition structure and microstructure of these types of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer (c. 1665) is the most beloved painting in the collection of the Mauritshuis in The Hague, The Netherlands. The Girl was last examined during a 1994 restoration treatment, within the project Vermeer Illuminated. Conservators and scientists investigated the material composition and condition of the painting using the analytical and scientific means that were available at the time: technical photography (visible light, ultraviolet fluorescence, and infrared), X-radiography, and stereomicroscopy. To understand the build-up of the paint layers, they investigated paint samples, often mounted as cross-sections. Their results were published in the book Vermeer Illuminated (1994), and as a chapter in Vermeer Studies (1998). This paper reviews the results published in the 1990s and considers them in light of a recent research project, where new findings were made possible by advances in non-invasive imaging, chemical analysis and data science. The project The Girl in the Spotlight is a Mauritshuis initiative, and involves a team of internationally recognised specialists working within the collaborative framework of the Netherlands Institute for Conservation+Art+Science+ (NICAS), with some scientists from other institutions. In 2018, the painting was examined in front of museum visitors at the Mauritshuis. The complementary imaging techniques employed included: technical photography, multispectral infrared reflectography, reflectance and fluorescence imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral imaging), fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy, multiscale scanning optical coherence tomography, 3D scanning, 3D digital microscopy, macroscopic X-ray fluorescence and macroscopic X-ray powder diffraction. Furthermore, the samples mounted in 1994 were re-examined, and new forms of microscopic, organic and inorganic analysis were carried out to identify the pigments and binding media. Advances in computation and data science allow the results of these techniques to be co-registered and compared, and new results to be generated. These complementary research methods have allowed the Girl in the Spotlight team to: visualise and identify materials at and beneath the surface of the painting, scan the surface topography, and examine the surface at an extremely high magnification. Ultimately, they reveal the steps Vermeer took to create the iconic image of the Girl using layers of paint and subtle optical effects. They also provide information about how the painting originally looked, and the changes that have occurred over time.

Мета. Оцінити інтродуковані зразки гороху посівного (Pisum sativum L.) різного еколого-географічного походження в умовах південної частини Лісостепу України за комплексом показників продуктивності та адаптивності. Методи. Протягом 2016–2018 рр. в умовах Устимівської дослідної станції рослинництва Інституту рослинництва ім. В. Я. Юр’єва НААН досліджено 30 нових зразків гороху походженням із Білорусі, Росії, Канади, Чехії, Німеччини, Нідерландів та Франції. У польових і лабораторних умовах вивчено показники врожайності, продуктивності, маси 1000 зерен, скоростиглості, висоти рослин та висоти прикріплення нижніх бобів над рівнем ґрунту, кількості вузлів до першого бобу й загальної кількості їх на рослині, кількості бобів та насіння на рослині, кількості насіння в бобі, параметри бобу. Результати. Вивчення інтродукованого матеріалу дало змогу виділити сортозразки гороху посівного за комп­лексом цінних ознак. Зокрема, сорти ‘Жнивеньский’, ‘Игуменская улучшенная’, ‘Армеец’, ‘Тесей’, ‘Заранка’ (Білорусь), ‘Boldor’ (Франція) характеризуються високою врожайністю, кількістю бобів на рослині, кількістю насіння з рослини, довжиною бобу та продуктивністю рослини. Сорти ‘Червенский’ (Білорусь), ‘Patrick’, ‘Pluto’ (Канада), ‘Salamanca’ (Німеччина) мають велику довжину бобу та велику кількість насіння в бобі. ‘Boldor’ (Франція), ‘Армеец’ (Білорусь) та ‘Кадет’ (Росія) поєднують у собі показники великої кількості бобів на рослині та продуктивності рослини. ‘Slovan’ (Чехія) та ‘Ульяновец’ (Росія) мають велику довжину бобу. Висновки. Інтродуковані сорти гороху посівного, виділені за комплексом цінних ознак, можна рекомендувати як вихідний матеріал у селекції на підвищення продуктивного й адаптивного потенціалу в умовах Південного Лісостепу України.

Surveying vegetation in various areas within Russia is an important link to successful management of plant genetic resources. Species and forms of wild perennial legumes and forage grasses possess complex adaptability to local environments. The aim of VIR’s collecting mission to Voronezh and Tambov Provinces in 2016 was to replenish the preserved genetic diversity of leguminous and perennial forage crops with samples of interest for breeding for fodder and seed productivity and resistance to limiting environmental factors. The task of the collecting mission was to explore the territory and collect seeds of wild perennial forage and leguminous plants. The exploration route and collecting sites are indicated on the map. Geographical coordinates and descriptions of habitats were recorded for 38 collecting sites. During the survey of fourteen districts in Voronezh Province and two districts in Tambov Province, 169 plant samples were collected, including 140 forage plant accessions (33 species) and 29 leguminous ones (9 species). The most frequently occurring species were identified: Poa pratensis L., Melilotus officinalis (L.) Pall., Medicago falcata L., Vicia angustifolia L. and Lathyrus tuberosus L. Plants of Onobrychis arenaria (Kit.) DC. occur throughout Voronezh Province in meadow-steppe communities. Of interest are the samples of Agropyron pectinatum (Bieb.) Beauv. collected on the northern border of its area of distribution; three species of lower-growing fescue (Festuca rubra L., F. valesiaca Gaudin. and F. pseudovina Hack. ex Wiesb.); a perennial form of Medicago lupulina L.; a sample of Lotus corniculatus L. found on chalky outcrops of the Kalach Hills; red (Trifolium pratense L.), golden (T. aureum Pollich.) and strawberry (T. fragiferum L.) clovers from the valley of the Khoper River; pisiform vetch (Vicia pisiformis L.) from Kalach District and hairy vetch (V. villosa Roth) from Povorino District of Voronezh Province. The materials collected by the team were added to the holdings of VIR and are available for further study and use in breeding.

Timely and accurate global urban maps are fundamental in monitoring urbanization process and understanding environmental degradation. Therefore, this paper proposed a locally adaptive and fully automated global mapping method and produced an updated 250 m MODIS global urban area product (MGUP) from 2001 to 2018. The proposed approach mainly consists of 1) automated samples extraction from existing global products, 2) locally adaptive samples selection and trained classification in each 5° × 5° grid, and 3) post-processing in terms of the spatio-temporal context. To validate the product, 9 groups of samples for every two years from 2001 to 2018, amounting to over 150,000 sample points, were collected manually from Landsat imagery as global validation dataset. Accuracy assessment indicates that MGUP has a F-score of 0.88, achieving better results than the contemporary global products, i.e., MCD12Q1.v5 (0.82), MCD12Q1.v6 (0.86), and CCI-LC (0.86). Analysis of urban expansion based on MGUP shows that the world’s urban area increased to 802233 km2 and accounted for 0.54% of the Earth’s land surface in 2018. The total global urban area expanded by 1.68 times from 2001 to 2018. At continent level, urban density varies considerably, and the highest and lowest one is in Europe (1.78%) and Oceania (0.15%), respectively. At national level, large increment of urban area mainly occurs in North America, Asia, and South America; and countries having high growth rates are mainly developing countries in Africa and Asia. MGUP can be downloaded at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339873537_MGUP_annual_global_2001_2018.

Background: Infected diabetic foot ulcer (IDFU) is a public health issue and the leading cause of non-traumatic limb amputation. Very few published data on IDFU exist in most West African countries. Objective: The study investigated the aetiology and antibacterial drug resistance burden of IDFU in tertiary hospitals in Osun state, Nigeria, between July 2016 and April 2017. Methods: Isolates were cultured from tissue biopsies or aspirates collected from patients with IDFU. Bacterial identification, antibiotic susceptibility testing and phenotypic detection of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and carbapenemase production were done by established protocols. Specific resistance genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction. Results: There were 218 microorganisms isolated from 93 IDFUs, comprising 129 (59.2%) Gram-negative bacilli (GNB), 59 (27.1%) Gram-positive cocci and 29 (13.3%) anaerobic bacteria. The top five facultative anaerobic bacteria isolated were: Staphylococcus aureus (34; 15.6%), Escherichia coli (23; 10.6%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20; 9.2%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (19; 8.7%) and Citrobacter spp. (19; 8.7%). The most common anaerobes were Bacteroides spp. (7; 3.2%) and Peptostreptococcus anaerobius (6; 2.8%). Seventy-four IDFUs (80%) were infected by multidrug-resistant bacteria, predominantly methicillin-resistant S. aureus and GNB producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases, mainly of the CTX-M variety. Only 4 (3.1%) GNB produced carbapenemases encoded predominantly by blaVIM. Factors associated with presence of multidrug-resistant bacteria were peripheral neuropathy (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.05, p = 0.04) and duration of foot infection of more than 1 month (AOR = 7.63, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Multidrug-resistant facultative anaerobic bacteria are overrepresented as agents of IDFU. A relatively low proportion of the aetiological agents were anaerobic bacteria.

KRAS mutations are among the most frequent genomic alterations identified in non-squamous non-small cell lung carcinomas (NS-NSCLC), notably in lung adenocarcinomas. In most cases, these mutations are mutually exclusive, with different genomic alterations currently known to be sensitive to therapies targeting EGFR, ALK, BRAF, ROS1, and NTRK. Recently, several promising clinical trials targeting KRAS mutations, particularly for KRAS G12C-mutated NSCLC, have established new hope for better treatment of patients. In parallel, other studies have shown that NSCLC harboring co-mutations in KRAS and STK11 or KEAP1 have demonstrated primary resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Thus, the assessment of the KRAS status in advanced-stage NS-NSCLC has become essential to setting up an optimal therapeutic strategy in these patients. This stimulated the development of new algorithms for the management of NSCLC samples in pathology laboratories and conditioned reorganization of optimal health care of lung cancer patients by the thoracic pathologists. This review addresses the recent data concerning the detection of KRAS mutations in NSCLC and focuses on the new challenges facing pathologists in daily practice for KRAS status assessment.

Background: Infected diabetic foot ulcer (IDFU) is a public health issue and the leading cause of non-traumatic limb amputation. Very few published data on IDFU exist in most West African countries. Objective: The study investigated the aetiology and antibacterial drug resistance burden of IDFU in tertiary hospitals in Osun state, Nigeria, between July 2016 and April 2017. Methods: Isolates were cultured from tissue biopsies or aspirates collected from patients with IDFU. Bacterial identification, antibiotic susceptibility testing and phenotypic detection of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and carbapenemase production were done by established protocols. Specific resistance genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction. Results: There were 218 microorganisms isolated from 93 IDFUs, comprising 129 (59.2%) Gram-negative bacilli (GNB), 59 (27.1%) Gram-positive cocci and 29 (13.3%) anaerobic bacteria. The top five facultative anaerobic bacteria isolated were: Staphylococcus aureus (34; 15.6%), Escherichia coli (23; 10.6%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20; 9.2%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (19; 8.7%) and Citrobacter spp. (19; 8.7%). The most common anaerobes were Bacteroides spp. (7; 3.2%) and Peptostreptococcus anaerobius (6; 2.8%). Seventy-four IDFUs (80%) were infected by multidrug-resistant bacteria, predominantly methicillin-resistant S. aureus and GNB producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases, mainly of the CTX-M variety. Only 4 (3.1%) GNB produced carbapenemases encoded predominantly by bla VIM. Factors associated with presence of multidrug-resistant bacteria were peripheral neuropathy (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.05, p = 0.04) and duration of foot infection of more than 1 month (AOR = 7.63, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Multidrug-resistant facultative anaerobic bacteria are overrepresented as agents of IDFU. A relatively low proportion of the aetiological agents were anaerobic bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing threat to public and animal health. Monitoring is fundamental in terms of obtaining, compiling and exchanging data and carrying out interventions. The efficient transport of samples is an essential part of the epidemiological research and diagnostic laboratory. The objective of this study was to assess the viability of two 3rd generation cephalosporin-resistant enterobacterial species under different storage conditions for detection of antimicrobial resistance. The preliminary study was based on the principles of the qualitative method published by the CLSI (M-40A2). Swabs were introduced in tubes containing different loads of target microorganisms (Extended spectrum betalactamase- producing Escherichia coli and third generation cephalosporin-resistance Salmonella enterica, clinical isolate), subsequently placed in Cary-Blair transport medium andpreserved at room temperature (28-32°C) and under refrigerated conditions (4-8°C), during 24 and 48 hrs. The results showed recovery for all microorganism / dilution / temperature combinations at 24 and 48 hours, being the refrigerated transport during 24 hours the most appropriate for the storage, preserving initial load of each bacteria. However at room temperature, it is not recommended to keep the samples due to the observed overgrowth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chrysanthemum L. Genus reunites approximately 200 taxa, annual or perennial species widespread in the northern hemisphere. The species from this genus are used in medicine and nutrition, processed biotechnologically for producing insecticides and have an additional undeniable ornamental value, (Cojocariu A., 2018). The present paper presents in a systematic form the Chrysanthemum L. species present in Al. Beldie Herbarium from „Marin Drăcea” National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry. This herbarium contains an important number of vouchers with plants of this genus, as well as information that refers to the plants’ harvesting places and renowned specialists that have developed this collection. The paper starts with describing the herbarium, then presents the studied material, the methodology used for elaborating the paper as well as presenting the main conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of detection dogs in conservation studies has expanded across species, conditions and habitats. However, it is incorrect to assume the potential associated with these surveys is automatically linked to the dog's sense of smell. Instead, an accurate detection dog rate is directly linked to many caveats in dog–handler training. Selecting a detection dog is directly linked to a clearly defined study design and must balance various factors, including: olfactory ability, physical structure, energy level, personality and social traits. Selection of training samples should ensure sufficient variation in target and nontarget species, independent of whether the goal is to locate evidence of the animal (e.g. scat, feather) or the physical animal. Just as not all dogs are appropriate, not all persons are suitable for this type of work, as the handler must be consistent and attentive to details with an incredible physical and mental endurance to sustain the time in the field. Testing in controlled and field situations can determine if the personalities of the dog and handler balance, with time needed for each to gain the ability to 'read' the other. Proper training for the dog and handler is essential, with special attention paid to the innate reactions of the latter. After training of the team is complete, testing trials should mimic field conditions. While there is no single model to becoming a handler in wildlife detection dog studies, incorporating these fundamental concepts with professional training can help optimize sample detection rate, minimize handler and dog frustration, and maximize overall success with this technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a sensitive and specific monoclonal antibody against VIR M1 was produced based on a new hapten. The antibody had a linear detection range of 3.77–65.51 ng/mL with an IC50 of 15.26 ng/mL and good specificity for VIR M1. Gold nanoparticle (GNP)-based lateral flow strips were assembled for rapid screening of VIR M1 in feed samples. When evaluated with the naked eye, the visual limit of detection (LOD) in feed samples was 25 μg/kg, and the cut-off value was 200 μg/kg. Therefore, this GNP-based lateral flow strip assay can be used for on-site detection and rapid preliminary screening of VIR M1 in feed samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article was to present laboratory methods used in veterinary toxicology together with the choice of material or specimen for analysis, securing the sample and procedure of preparing this chosen material for sending to laboratory with covered letter. Poisoned animals are an important group of veterinary patients. Finding of the cause of poisoning, gives not only an opportunity to apply targeted treatment. It significantly helps to prevent similar poisoning in the future, gives a confirmed diagnosis to the owner and becomes one more important clinical experience to veterinarian. Laboratory result may serve as an evidence in the court in a poisoning case also. Every step of choosing the material for analysis, then securing the sample, and preparing it for transportation, with properly constructed cover letter, to appropriate, preferably authorized laboratory, is extremely important to the reliable result of investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 234U and 230Th determination method based on an extraction chromatographic separation followed by ICP-MS with quadrupole (ICP-QMS) was developed. For authigenic carbonates, a second separation step with ion exchange chromatography in a HNO3 solution was added. These methods were applied to seven fossil deep-water coral and two authigenic carbonate samples from the continental slope of the Campos Basin - Brazil. The ages determined for the fossil corals samples from the same sediment core ranged from 9 to 202 ky with a 1% uncertainty, consistent with the values determined by 14C dating and with those determined by 230Th/234U using flow injection coupled to an ICP-QMS. One of the authigenic carbonates analyzed presented an age of approximately 80 ky. The other sample exhibited a 230Th/234U activity ratio close to equilibrium and out of the application range of the method.

Welding is the process of merging two or more elements from metallic or thermoplastic materials, throught a heat or pressure source. The joining of the elements is ensured by the welded bead, which is a solidified quantity of material which allows the continuity of the crystalline structure of the material. In this paper, some basics about the welding of plastic materials are presented, as well as a 3D graphics modeling of a butt-welding machine achieved using Autodesk Inventor design environment. At the same time, in the software programme, the heating element modelling is carried out, namely, the electric hob with thermoregulator. This type of welding machine is used in a large number of applications and requires a proper design and dimensioning of the elements for ensuring reliability, strength, design flexibility, and low processing costs.

Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) are beginning to replace conventional forest plot mensuration through their use as low-cost and powerful remote sensing tools for monitoring growth, estimating biomass, evaluating carbon stocks and detecting weeds; however, physical samples remain mostly collected through time-consuming, expensive and potentially dangerous conventional techniques. Such conventional techniques include the use of arborists to climb the trees to retrieve samples, shooting branches with firearms from the ground, canopy cranes or the use of pole-mounted saws to access lower branches. UAS hold much potential to improve the safety, efficiency, and reduce the cost of acquiring canopy samples. In this work, we describe and demonstrate four iterations of 3D printed canopy sampling UAS. This work includes detailed explanations of designs and how each iteration informed the design decisions in the subsequent iteration. The fourth iteration of the aircraft was tested for the collection of 30 canopy samples from three tree species: eucalyptus pulchella, eucalyptus globulus and acacia dealbata trees. The collection times ranged from 1 min and 23 s, up to 3 min and 41 s for more distant and challenging to capture samples. A vision for the next iteration of this design is also provided. Future work may explore the integration of advanced remote sensing techniques with UAS-based canopy sampling to progress towards a fully-automated and holistic forest information capture system.

The article deals with the results of the assessment of breeding material of soft winter wheat with the use of such express methods of evaluation as SDS-sedimentation and analysis of gliadin electrophoregrams. The purpose of our research is to estimate genetic potential according to grain quality and soft winter wheat tolerance to frost (contribution of prolamins), and to assess real quality of grain (realized in the definite field conditions) using the indexes of SDS-sedimentation. Electrophoresis of prolamin proteins of grain (gliadins) has been carried out with the standard method on a starch gel. SDS-sedimentation has been done according to science-practical recommendations, developed in FSBSI ARRIGC after I.G. Kalinenko. The phased approach allows forming a necessary amount of the samples with good, high and excellent grain quality for the farms of competitive variety testing. It can be proved and characterized by the conventional but difficult technologic methods, which allow the farmers to choose promising, competitive varieties with high quality and productivity when sending them for the State variety testing. The conducted researches showed that in the competitive variety testing the main quantity of the samples of soft winter wheat of intensive type possessed high quality of grain in SDS-sedimentation and complied with the valuable and strong wheat. The promising varieties ‘Kipchak’, ‘Bonus’, ‘Kazachka’, ‘Luchezar’, ‘Aksiniya’ and ‘Nakhodka’ possess the high grain quality. The basic amount of the samples of soft winter wheat of half-intensive type has good, high and excellent grain quality. The promising varieties ‘Admiral’, ‘Krasa Dona’, ‘Kapitan’, ‘Kaprizulya’ and ‘Lilit’ showed the quality of the grain of valuable and strong wheat during the period. For the last years 12 varieties of soft winter wheat developed in ARRIGC after I.G. Kalinenko (‘Admiral’, ‘Krasa Dona’, ‘Kapitan’, ‘Kaprizulya’, ‘Lilit’, ‘Kipchak’, ‘Bonus’, ‘Kazachka’, ‘Luchezar’, ‘Aksiniya’, ‘Lidiya’ and ‘Nakhodka’) were sent to SVT. All commercial and promising varieties of soft winter wheat have a high estimation of allele contents of gliadins. These varieties have no gliadins which negatively effect on grain quality; many of them have Gld1D7-allelle, which positively effect on frost tolerance.

The article gives the results of a consistent assessment of breeding material of durum winter wheat with the use of express assessment methods as SDS-sedimentation and analysis of gliadin electrophoregrams. A consistent assessment allows forming a necessary amount of breeding samples with good and high grain quality right to competitive variety trials. It can be confirmed and characterized by the conventional and time-consuming technologies, that allows the farmer to choose promising competitive varieties with good quality and productivity when sending them to SVT. For the recent years of such practice we sent 11 varieties of durum winter wheat of FSBSI ARRIGC named after I.G. Kalinenko. They are ‘Aksinit’, ‘Kurant’, ‘Amazonka’, ‘Lazurit’, ‘Kristella’, ‘Oniks’, ‘Kiprida’, ‘Diona’, ‘Teya’, ‘Eyrena’ and “Yakhont’. They exceed the standard variety in grain quality, in productivity, in gliadins, that gives them opportunity to keep their position in the market of seeds.

Nowadays one of the priorities in winter soft wheat breeding is to provide resistance to leaf diseases, and, in particular, to leaf rust as the most harmful of them. The gene for resistance to leaf rust, Lr34, provides resistance to wheat plants at the slow development. The use of this gene together with other genes for resistance to leaf rust will allow obtaining varieties and samples less susceptible to the disease. The purpose of this work was to identify the Lr34 gene in the varieties and collection samples of winter soft wheat in the Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” (ARC “Donskoy”), because its presence was suspected due to the introduction of the variety “Bezostaya 1” in hybridization of the 1960s, but the study of this gene in our collection has not been carried out yet. The article gives the results of the study of 646 samples of winter soft wheat (including 36 varieties of ARC “Donskoy” introduced in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation and 8 varieties being tested in the State Variety Testing) and identiication of the Lr34 gene and its allelic state. The assessment of the allelic state of the Lr34 gene has been carried out with the help of the codominant marker csLV34 using the method of PCR. There have been identiied 238 samples with the Lr34 gene in the dominant allelic state. The varieties Nakhodka, Bonus, Konkurent, Aksiniya, Kazachka, Donskaya polukarlikovaya, Donskaya bezostaya, Izyuminka, Zernogradka 9, Zernogradka 10 and Zernogradka 11 developed in SSE “ARC “Donskoy” are recommended as a source of the Lr34 gene to breed winter soft wheat resistant to the diseases.

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry is a well-known, well-established and widely applied technique in the determination of many major elemental compositions of earth materials. XRF confers the ability to analyse solid samples non-destructively through X-radiation. The orderliness and clarity of its emission spectrum, its great accuracy and precision make this technique a geochemical method of choice in mineralogy and investigation of the chemical composition of earth materials. There are limitations regarding the age and calibration of instruments, costs of setting up, matrix effects to be considered and the stringent sets of standards; however, XRF laboratory analyses remain the standard technique for providing high-quality geochemical data analyses in the investigation of earth elemental composition. With further improvements in XRF technology, it is expected that this technique will be of continued importance/utility in geological and geomorphological investigations.

The article deals with the current issue of evaluation of qualitative results uncertainty of chemical analyses in the example of chromatographic analyses of specimens of accelerants from a fire place with the SPME-GC/MS technique. The suitability of this technique demonstrates with the results of alidation measurements of analytical characteristics: sensitivity, detection limits, linearity, selectivity and repeatability. It characterizes briefly the current state of knowledge in the area and applies the Bayesian theory for the unconditional “a-priori” probability of an analyte presence in a sample, P (H) of 0.5 and 0.95 for calculation estimates the “a-posteriori” conditional probability of the presence of the analyte in the sample relative to the experimental evidence, P (H / E) with the results of 0.97 and 0.98. This result can be interpreted as a high level of assurance of the hypothesis of presence of the analyte in the sample. In conclusion it is stated that the knowledge can also be applied in the field of construction not only in qualitative analyses of building materials / products, e. g, by FTIR, but also in the probability risk assessment.

Considering the importance of genetic studies to manifest inter population differences in species, samples of Artemia partenogenetica were collected from seven inland lakes including Shoor and Inche-Borun lakes in Golestan Province, Hoze-Soltan and Namak lakes in Qom Province, Maharloo and Bakhteghan lakes in Fars Province and Mighan pool in Markazi Province. A total of 210 samples were subjected to DNA extraction by phenol-chloroform method. Primers were designed on a ribosomal fragment (16SrRNA) of the species' mtDNA sequence and the PCR was conducted on the samples. Digestion of the PCR product with approximately 1584bp lengths by 10 restriction endonuclease (AluI, EcoRI, Eco47I, HaeIII, HindIII, HinfI, MboI, MspI, RsaI, TaqI) showed 12 different haplotypes: 4 haplotypes in Shoor and Inche-Borun, 1 in Namak and Hoze-Soltan, 3 in Mighan pool, 1 in Bakhtegan and Maharloo and 3 in Maharloo. Haplotype diversity values within collected samples varied from zero in Hoze-Soltan, Namak and B.....

Wastewater disposal is recognized by the public health sector for its potential negative environmental health impact. This paper is a cross-sectional study, for an observational period from 2015-2017, with an aim to present the scope of involvement of public health institutions in monitoring of industrial wastewaters. Wastewaters were sampled from industrial facilities of chemical, food-processing, mining-smelting and energy, transport, service, wood-processinga and textile production origin. As a study tool we used a data-base of the Institute of Public Health of Serbia, being filled-in with data from the local IPHs, analyzing wastewater quality on contract basis. In total, summing results from three consecutive years, 13392 wastewater samples were collected and analyzed, of which 44.79% (5999) did not comply to the adopted national standards. By observing wastewater treatment dynamics, generating from the legal entities whose samples were analyzed, it appears that it is insufficiently implemented. In all three monitoring years treatment persisted in less than 50% of facilities, which can be linked to the fact that parameters burdening samples at its most are: suspended and sediment matter, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, ammonia, fats and oils, etc. The fact that most of the effluents are disposed of directly into natural watercourses indicates the constantly present risk for both environment and health.

In the year 2020, a soil study was carried out in the Drăgăşani vineyard, following the natural fertility of the soil, humus, content in mobile forms of phosphorus and content in mobile forms of potassium, in order to behave some varieties of vines at the moment, in parallel to the influence of climatic conditions. The rational system of soil fertilization of vineyards is largely determined by the existing soil and climatic conditions in the area. Organic fertilizers, green manures, so necessary for heavy soils, will be promoted. Among the chemical fertilizers, slow-acting fertilizers will be preferred to reduce the risk of leaching and pollution. The soil samples collected were analyzed at the Agrochemistry Laboratory of IC-DVV Valea Călugărească, in accordance with the methods provided in the "Methodology for elaboration of agropedological studies" elaborated by IC-DVV Valea Călugărească. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) with its early origin in China has grown into a global pandemic. The infection occurs as a mild flu to severe acute respiratory infection and spreads from person to person through droplet infection. Diagnostic testing has been and will continue to be a big part of the 2019 (COVID-19) coronavirus pandemic. Early diagnosis is the key to timely case management and control of the spread of the virus. This article provides a clear understanding of the COVID19 biosafety steps, specimen collection, storage and transportation guidelines. It also addresses steps that can be taken by cytology laboratories to work during the pandemic and reduce the risk to their employees, trainees and pathologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspergillus flavus is one of most important and ubiquitous fungal filamentous pathogen for animals, humans and plants. It is widely distributed in soils, air, water and other environmental compartments making it a serious opportunistic fungal pathogen. Regardless its toxic secondary metabolites, in particular Aflatoxin B1, a carcinogenic mycotoxin, it is considered a main cause of invasive aspergillosis in all animals, poultry and a second main cause in humans after Aspergillus fumigatus. In this study, we worked to isolation andidentificationof this type of Aspergillus species from sheep and human's sputum and then characterization of their ability to produce AFB1. We were collected 150 samples from humans and 150 samples from sheep. The results of macroscopic examination on general media such asSabouraud dextrose Agar (SDA) and potato dextrose Agar (PDA)were matched with results of microscopic examination, where they showed 14 of 150 (9.33%) positive samples ofAspergillus flavus for human samples, while 25 of 150 (16.66%) for sheep samples. The results of aflatoxigenicity on differential media showed 10 0f 14 (71.42%) for human samples and 19 of 25 (76%) for sheep samples on yeast extract sucrose (YES) media, while 8 of 14 (57.14%) for human samples and 17 of 25 (68%) for sheep samples on coconut Agar media (CAM). We conclude that this fungal pathogen and their secondary metabolites constitute a dangerous problem for humans and animals, therefor it is should be diminished in our environments. Also, the test on (CAM) with UV light was more accurate than (YES) with ammonia vapor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibility of producing flux-cored wire by using gas-cleaning dust of the silicomanganese production and gas-cleaning dust of aluminium production with a different ratio of components is studied. As components are used: gas cleaning dust of aluminium production, wt. %: Al2O3 = 21–46,23; F = 18–27; Na2O = 8–15; K2O = 0.4–6; CaO = = 0.7–2.3; Si2O = 0.5–2.48; Fe2O3 = 2.1–3.27; Ctotal = 12,5–30,2; MnO = 0.07–0.9; MgO = 0.06–0.9; S = 0.09–0.19; P = 0.1–0.18 and the dust of gas cleaning silicomanganese, wt. %: Al2O3 = 2.43; Na2O = 1.32; K2O = 5.56; CaO = 6.4; SiO2 = 29.19; BaO = 0.137; MgO = 7.54; S = 0.23; P = 0.04; Fe = 1.067; Mn = 27.69; Zn = 2,687; Pb = 3.833. The deposition is performed under a flux made from a slag of silicomanganese produced by the West-Siberian Metallurgical Plant with the chemical composition: Al2O3 = = 6.91–9.62%, CaO = 22.85–31.70%, SiO2 = 46.46–48.16%, FeO = 0.27–0.81%, MgO = 6.48–7.92%, MnO = 8.01–8.43%, F = 0.28–0.76%, Na2O = 0.26–0.36%, K2O = 0.6–2%, S = 0.15–0.17%, P = 0.01%. The deposition mode is selected. The samples wear tests carried out on the machine 2070 SMT-1. The chemical composition of the deposited metal is determined by the X-ray fluorescence method on an XRF-1800 spectrometer and the atomic emission method on a DFS-71 spectrometer. The hardness of the deposited layers is measured through the use of the MET-DU hardness tester. Evaluation of non-metallic inclusions was carried out according to GOST 1778–70 through the use of the optical microscope OLYMPUSGX-51. The principal possibility of manufacturing flux-cored wires for wear-resistant deposition through the use of the gas cleaning dust of the production of silico-manganese and gas cleaning of aluminium production with a different ratio of components is shown. Qualitative indicators are studied, and the manganese absorption coefficients for various ratios of components are calculated. Statistical processing of research results is carried out; statistical dependencies of the component composition effect on the properties of the deposited layer are constructed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the viability time of horse venous blood samples kept at laboratory temperature (LT) and in water with ice (WI), to perform blood gas analysis. Eleven blood samples were collected in duplicates from 10 healthy horses. The samples were transported to the laboratory and subjected to one of the 24 h storage method. Each pair of syringes was distinctly kept at LT or submerged in WI. Blood gas tests were performed at times T0h, T1h, T2h, T3h, T4h, T5h, T6h, T8h, T10h, T12h and T24h after collection. Analyses of electrolytes were also performed from the same samples. A difference in blood pH was found between the treatments (P < 0.05). From T4h, pH decreased in samples kept at LT, but in WI, pH did not change. For partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), a difference between treatments (P < 0.05) was noted starting at T8h. In samples kept at LT, pCO2 increased; no changes occurred in samples stored in WI. There was a decrease in the base concentration beginning at T5h in samples kept at LT (P < 0.05), but no variation in samples kept in WI. These changes can be attributed to the erythrocyte metabolism, still active in vitro, which generates lactic acid from anaerobic glycolysis. The potassium concentration increased in samples kept in WI from T4h, with a gradual increase until T24h. Conservation of equine venous blood samples in WI is efficient in reducing cellular metabolism, thereby increasing the viability of samples for examination and interpretation of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent to which we generalize a novel property from a sample of familiar instances to novel instances depends on the sample composition. Previous property induction experiments have only used samples consisting of novel types (unique entities). Because real‐world evidence samples often contain redundant tokens (repetitions of the same entity), we studied the effects on property induction of adding types and tokens to an observed sample. In Experiments 1–3, we presented participants with a sample of birds or flowers known to have a novel property and probed whether this property generalized to novel items varying in similarity to the initial sample. Increasing the number of novel types (e.g., new birds with the target property) in a sample produced tightening, promoting property generalization to highly similar stimuli but decreasing generalization to less similar stimuli. On the other hand, increasing the number of tokens (e.g., repeated presentations of the same bird with the target property) had little effect on generalization. Experiment 4 showed that repeated tokens are encoded and can benefit recognition, but appear to be given little weight when inferring property generalization. We modified an existing Bayesian model of induction (Navarro, Dry, & Lee, 2012) to account for both the information added by new types and the discounting of information conveyed by tokens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composite materials are used in many fields of activity because of their properties. The properties of composite materials are superior to those of ordinary materials precisely because of the way they are formed. Thus, a composite material is composed of at least two components, in which one has the role of matrix, the other being incorporated in the first, in various forms and, which has the role of reinforcement. In this paper is presented the composite material Ni-P/SiC and the results of hardness tests on the layers samples that were obtained by means of electrolytic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating gastrointestinal disease that primarily affects premature infants. Despite medical advances, mortality and morbidity from NEC are still unacceptably high. This is partly because of the lack of specific biomarkers and therapies for this disease. Availability of high-quality biological samples and the associated data from premature infants are key to advance our understanding of NEC, and for biomarker discovery and drug development. To that end, the NEC Society Biorepository was established with the goal of promoting studies in human infants through sharing specialized biospecimen and data procurement for NEC research. In this review, we will discuss the required infrastructure for biobanks, discuss the importance of informatics management, and emphasize the logistical requirements for sharing specimens. Finally, we will discuss the mechanism for how tissues and material will be shared between the institutions. We have developed a state-of-the-art biobank for human infants to advance the field of NEC research. With the NEC Society Biorepository, we seek to facilitate and accelerate the basic and translational studies on NEC to provide hope to the infants afflicted with NEC and their families. Review article, level V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]