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Abstract Biological nitrogen fixation by rhizobia bacteria plays a pivotal role in sustainable agriculture by converting atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can assimilate, thereby reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. This process can be dramatically reduced by various abiotic stressors. Native rhizobia strains, which are naturally occurring, may be better adapted to the local soil and climatic conditions, making them more resilient to stress factors such as drought, salinity, temperature extremes, and pH variations compared to commercial strains that may have been developed in and for different environments. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of native rhizobia species with a commercial inoculant and uninoculated controls in maintaining nitrogen fixation under induced stress by delayed planting in field peas over two growing seasons (2021 and 2022) in central South Dakota. Our findings indicate that native rhizobia, while not outperforming the commercial inoculant, demonstrated competitive nitrogen fixation capacities. Overall, total nitrogen fixation was not statistically different between a commercial inoculant and native rhizobia formulations. Planting date emerged as a significant factor influencing nitrogen fixation, with later planting substantially reducing overall effectiveness. These results highlight the potential of native rhizobia as an alternative to commercial inoculants and underscore the need for increased screening throughput and improved methods to assess rhizobia efficacy and nodule competition in field settings.

Introduction The likelihood of finding HLA-matched unrelated donors for rare HLA types and non-white European ancestry continues to be a challenge with less than a 70% chance of finding a full match. Mismatched transplants continue to have high rates of transplant-related mortality. With the near-universal ability to find a haploidentical donor in families, haploidentical transplants have become of more critical importance in ethnic minority groups and patients with rare HLA types.Methods Data was collected through clinical trials, review articles, and case reports published in the National Library of Medicine.Results The use of improved lymphodepleting conditioning regimens, graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis using regimens such as post-transplant cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate, and tacrolimus have improved engraftment to nearly 100 percent and reduced transplant-related mortality to less than 20 percent. Attention to donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) with interventions using bortezomib, rituximab, and plasmapheresis has decreased graft failure rates.Conclusion With improved prevention of GVHD with interventions such as post-transplant cyclophosphamide and management of DSAs, haploidentical transplants continue to improve transplant-related mortality (TRM) compared to patients who received matched-related donor transplants. While TRM continues to improve, ongoing research with haploidentical transplants will focus on improving graft and donor immunosuppression and identifying the best regimens to improve TRM without compromising relapse-free survival.

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are used to treat various malignancies. They block the inhibitory signals of tumor cells and enhance the inflammatory cascade, which results in tumor killing. However, this can lead to unchecked inflammation throughout the body, leading to various adverse effects. A rare gastrointestinal adverse effect of ICI therapy is the development of immune-mediated celiac disease. This entity has a similar clinical presentation to the more common ICI-induced enterocolitis. Our study aims to determine the clinical characteristics and optimal treatment strategies for this rare ICI toxicity and differentiate it from ICI-induced enterocolitis. Methods and Material: We conducted a retrospective analysis of eight cases of ICI-induced celiac disease and 24 cases of ICI-induced enterocolitis from the literature. Data on patient demographics, clinical history, therapeutic interventions and outcomes were collected. A comparative analysis was performed to identify the key differences between the two groups. Results: Patients with ICI-induced celiac disease were more likely to have a pre-existing autoimmune condition and HLA-DQ2 positivity. Significant differences in clinical manifestations, histological findings, and treatment outcomes were observed. Notably, weight loss, nutritional deficiencies and electrolyte abnormalities were more commonly associated with ICI-induced celiac disease. Regarding pathology, duodenal villous blunting was noted more commonly with ICI-induced celiac disease. Initiating a gluten-free diet led to a rapid improvement in patients with ICI-induced celiac disease, while immunosuppressive therapy did not have an impact. Conclusion: ICI-induced celiac disease is a rare and underrecognized gastrointestinal adverse effect of ICI therapy, often misdiagnosed as ICI-induced enterocolitis. Early recognition and treatment with a gluten-free diet can lead to rapid symptom resolution, sparing patients from unnecessary systemic immunosuppression and the discontinuation of antineoplastic immunotherapy.

Grazing management is a critical land-use requirement that facilitates the preservation of plant community composition, soil properties and environmental quality. Grazing density of livestock has a significant impact on soil health, and there is a need to study the interactions of grazing densities and topographical positions influencing soil biochemical and microbial properties. This study was conducted at Cottonwood Field Station in Philip, South Dakota to assess the influence of more than 7 years of low, medium, and high grazing stocking densities (0.33, 0.41, 0.72 animal units/ac, respectively) at summit and footslope landscape positions on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fractions, microbial community composition, and enzymatic activities in a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem. Medium grazing density showed a 16% increase in soil N at the footslope compared with summit. Low grazing density significantly reduced microbial biomass C (~269 μg g−1 soil) and N (~26 μg g−1 soil) at summit compared with other grazing densities and landscape positions, except, the summit at high grazing density. Medium grazing density significantly enhanced hot-water extractable N by 21–23% at footslope compared with low grazing density at the footslope and high grazing density at the summit. Low grazing density increased urease (3.64 μg NH4+ g−1 soil h−1) at footslope than all other grazing densities and landscape positions. Low grazing density enhanced β-glucosidase by 75% than high grazing density; alkaline phosphatase was significantly greater by 60% at footslope than summit. High grazing density at the summit decreased total PLFA (mean 56.53 nmol g−1 soil) due to lower AM fungi, G (+), G (−) and actinomycetes biomass. Microbial stress indicators such as G (+)/G (−), saturated/unsaturated, monosaturated/polysaturated, GNeg stress revealed that high grazing density especially at summit position posed elevated physiological stressed conditions to the microbial community. Overall, long-term medium grazing density of 0.41 animal units/ac may enhance soil N, microbial composition, microbial biomass C and N, hot-water extractable C and N fractions, and reduce stress conditions for microbial community at both footslope as well as summit landscape positions. Moreover, long-term overgrazing of pastures, particularly at summit slopes, appears to inhibit microbial populations and degrade overall soil health.

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) meningitis is rare. It is usually associated with neurosurgical procedures or devices. We describe a case of VRE meningitis from hematogenous spread during persistent bacteremia in an immunocompromised patient who received haploidentical bone marrow transplant for VEXAS syndrome. The bacteremia and meningitis were successfully treated with combination of intravenous (IV) daptomycin, ceftaroline, and linezolid.

Abstract Remote sensing using passive solar illumination in the Short-Wave Infrared spectrum is exposed to strong intensity variation in the spectral bands due to atmospheric changing conditions and spectral absorption. More robust spectral analysis methods, insensitive to these effects, are increasingly required to improve the accuracy of the data analysis in the field and extend the use of the system to “non ideal” illumination condition. A computational hyperspectral image analysis method (named HIAM) for deriving optimal reflectance indices for use in remote sensing of soil moisture content is detailed and demonstrated. Using histogram analysis of hyperspectral images of wet and dry soil, contrast ratios and wavelength pairings were tested to find a suitable spectral index to recover soil moisture content. Measurements of local soil samples under laboratory and field conditions have been used to demonstrate the robustness of the index to varying lighting conditions, while publicly available databases have been used to test across a selection of soil classes. In both cases, the moisture was recovered with RMS error better than 5%. As the method is independent of material type, this method has the potential to also be applied across a variety of biological and man-made samples.

Managing nitrogen (N) is one of the of the biggest challenges in achieving environmental and economic sustainability in the agroecosystem. As N fertilizer prices have increased significantly, farmers are considering a revised N recommendation to optimize crop production, while addressing negative environmental impacts of excess N in water bodies. This study analyzes the accuracy of using the Haney Soil Test (HST) to predict the N requirement (HSTNR) of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a semi-arid climate. The accuracy of the HST to predict the economically optimum N rate (EONR) was dependent on in-season precipitation. In drought conditions, the HSTNR was 33 kg N ha−1 lower on average than the EONR. Conversely, in wetter years, the HSTNR was 35 kg N ha−1 higher than the EONR. Net return was approximately USD 19 ha−1 lower than that with the EONR under both precipitation scenarios. Similar differences were found for protein content. There was a strong correlation between soil respiration and the soil health calculation, within the HST, and the difference between the net return on yield from the HSTNR and the EONR yield. These indicators may serve as useful metrics for formulating soil health-based N recommendations in winter wheat. However, in drought-prone areas, the HSTNR may significantly underpredict the EONR in many years due to an overestimation of N mineralization.

Summary: We report a decentralized prospective cohort study of self-reported adverse events and antibody responses to COVID vaccines derived from dried blood spots. Data are presented for 911 older (aged >70 years) and 375 younger (30–50 years) recruits to 48 weeks after the primary vaccine series. After a single vaccine, 83% younger and 45% older participants had overall seropositivity (p

L’ivermectine, un agent antiparasitaire, n’est pas recommandé pour la prophylaxie ou le traitement de la maladie à coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). L’utilisation inappropriée de l’ivermectine pour le traitement de la COVID-19 peut en diminuer la disponibilité pour les patients atteints d’infections parasitaires graves qui pourraient en bénéficier et aggraver la pénurie actuelle de ce médicament au Canada. Cependant, les patients atteints de COVID-19 qui sont des candidats pour recevoir des thérapies immunomodulatrices (e.g. corticostéroïdes et inhibiteurs de l’interleukine-6) peuvent être exposés au risque de syndrome d’hyperinfection et de la maladie disséminée à Strongyloides stercoralis. Ces complications peuvent être graves, voire mortelles. Il est important de reconnaître et de dépister les patients qui présentent des risques de strongyloïdose, car ces patients peuvent avoir besoin d’un traitement à l’ivermectine pour éviter le risque d’un syndrome d’hyperinfection et d’une maladie disséminée, qui est souvent mortelle. Les médecins devraient suivre des recommandations fondées sur des données probantes pour dépister et traiter l’infection à Strongyloides chez les patients atteints de COVID-19 qui pourraient recevoir des traitements propres à la COVID-19 qui modifient la réponse immunitaire et qui peuvent entraîner un syndrome d’hyperinfection ou une maladie disséminée.

Ivermectin, an antiparasitic agent, is not recommended for prophylaxis or treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Inappropriate use of ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19 may make it less available for patients with serious parasitic infections who could benefit from its use and worsen the current shortage of ivermectin in Canada. However, patients with COVID-19 who are candidates to receive immunomodulatory therapies (e.g. corticosteroids and interleukin-6 inhibitors) may be at risk of hyperinfection syndrome and disseminated disease from Strongyloides stercoralis. These complications can be severe and even fatal. It is important to recognize and screen patients who may be at risk of strongyloidiasis, as these patients may require treatment with ivermectin to avoid the potential for a hyperinfection syndrome and disseminated disease, which is frequently deadly. Clinicians should follow evidence-based recommendations to screen and treat for Strongyloides infection in patients with COVID-19 who are under consideration to receive specific COVID-19 therapies that alter immune response and may lead to hyperinfection syndrome or disseminated disease.

Abstract Background With an increasing awareness of people’s satisfaction and feeling, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has become an essential aspect of measuring health. HRQoL is fundamentally a foreign concept introduced to China from the West. While a growing number of studies applied western HRQoL measures, few content validity tests examined the legitimacy of applying Western developed HRQoL measures in a Chinese cultural setting. If there are distinct differences in health conceptualisation between China and the West, it can be argued that those western measures may fail to ask the most appropriate and important questions among a Chinese population in assessing health. As a limited number of studies have investigated Chinese people’s understandings of health, this study aimed to explore how health is defined and described in China. Methods A Q-methodological study was conducted to explore subjective constructions of health among Chinese participants. A scoping review of Chinese generic HRQoL measures, supplemented by a series of qualitative interviews conducted in China, produced a list of 42 statements representing aspects of health considered as being important in a Chinese cultural setting. Chinese participants in face-to-face interviews ranked and sorted these statements. Data were analysed to identify clusters of participants who shared a similar perspective, using a by-person factor analysis procedure. Results 110 Chinese participants with various demographics characteristics completed sorting interviews. Five independent factors emerged: (I) “Physical independence and social interaction skills”; (II) “Physical health”; (III) “Sensations and feelings”; (IV) “Lifestyles”; (V) “Learning and working abilities”. Conclusions The Q-study showed that many health statements were rated highly as most important by a diverse range of Chinese participants but were not covered in the commonly used Western HRQoL measure EQ-5D. It then suggests that the EQ-5D descriptive system might need modification to improve its capacity to measure health status in China. The study thus raises a general question as to how appropriate the Western-developed HRQoL measures are when used to assess health in a significantly different cultural setting.

Abstract Objectives Advanced tools and resources are needed to efficiently and sustainably produce food for an increasing world population in the context of variable environmental conditions. The maize genomes to fields (G2F) initiative is a multi-institutional initiative effort that seeks to approach this challenge by developing a flexible and distributed infrastructure addressing emerging problems. G2F has generated large-scale phenotypic, genotypic, and environmental datasets using publicly available inbred lines and hybrids evaluated through a network of collaborators that are part of the G2F’s genotype-by-environment (G × E) project. This report covers the public release of datasets for 2014–2017. Data description Datasets include inbred genotypic information; phenotypic, climatic, and soil measurements and metadata information for each testing location across years. For a subset of inbreds in 2014 and 2015, yield component phenotypes were quantified by image analysis. Data released are accompanied by README descriptions. For genotypic and phenotypic data, both raw data and a version without outliers are reported. For climatic data, a version calibrated to the nearest airport weather station and a version without outliers are reported. The 2014 and 2015 datasets are updated versions from the previously released files [1] while 2016 and 2017 datasets are newly available to the public.

In jawed vertebrates, two major T cell populations have been characterized. They are defined as α/β or γ/δ T cells, based on the expressed T cell receptor. Salmonids (family Salmonidae) include two key teleost species for aquaculture, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) which constitute important models for fish immunology and important targets for vaccine development. The growing interest to decipher the dynamics of adaptive immune responses against pathogens or vaccines has resulted in recent efforts to sequence the immunoglobulin (IG) or antibodies and T cell receptor (TR) repertoire in these species. In this context, establishing a comprehensive and coherent locus annotation is the fundamental basis for the analysis of high-throughput repertoire sequencing data. We therefore decided to revisit the description and annotation of TRA/TRD locus in Atlantic salmon and two strains of rainbow trout (Swanson and Arlee) using the now available high-quality genome assemblies. Phylogenetic analysis of functional TRA/TRD V genes from these three genomes led to the definition of 25 subgroups shared by both species, some with particular feature. A total of 128 TRAJ genes were identified in Salmo, the majority with a close counterpart in Oncorhynchus. Analysis of expressed TRA repertoire indicates that most TRAV gene subgroups are expressed at mucosal and systemic level. The present work on TRA/TRD locus annotation along with the analysis of TRA repertoire sequencing data show the feasibility and advantages of a common salmonid TRA/TRD nomenclature that allows an accurate annotation and analysis of high-throughput sequencing results, across salmonid T cell subsets.

Winter wheat is susceptible to several fungal pathogens throughout the growing season and foliar fungicide application is one of the strategies used in the management of fungal diseases in winter wheat. However, for fungicides to be profitable, weather conditions conducive to fungal disease development should be present. To determine if winter wheat yield response to fungicide application at the flowering growth stage (Feekes 10.5.1) was related to the growing season precipitation, grain yield from fungicide treated plots was compared to non-treated plots for 19 to 30 hard red winter wheat cultivars planted at 8 site years from 2011 through 2015. At all locations, Prothioconazole + Tebuconazole or Tebuconazole alone was applied at flowering timing for the fungicide treated plots. Grain yield response (difference between treated and non-treated) ranged from 66-696 kg/ha across years and locations. Grain yield response had a positive and significant linear relationship with cumulative rainfall in May through June for the mid and top grain yield ranked cultivars (R2=54%, 78%, respectively) indicating that a higher amount of accumulated rainfall in this period increased chances of getting a higher yield response from fungicide application. Cultivars treated with a fungicide had slightly higher protein content (up to 0.5%) compared to non-treated. These results indicate that application of fungicides when there is sufficient moisture in May and June may increase chances of profitability from fungicide application.

The neurobiological mechanisms that mediate psychiatric comorbidities associated with metabolic disorders such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes remain obscure. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is widely used in beverages and is often included in food products with moderate or high fat content that have been linked to many serious health issues including diabetes and obesity. However, the impact of such foods on the brain has not been fully characterized. Here, we evaluated the effects of long-term consumption of a HFCS-Moderate Fat diet (HFCS-MFD) on behavior, neuronal signal transduction, gut microbiota, and serum metabolomic profile in mice to better understand how its consumption and resulting obesity and metabolic alterations relate to behavioral dysfunction. Mice fed HFCS-MFD for 16 weeks displayed enhanced anxiogenesis, increased behavioral despair, and impaired social interactions. Furthermore, the HFCS-MFD induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and lowered serum levels of serotonin and its tryptophan-based precursors. Importantly, the HFCS-MFD altered neuronal signaling in the ventral striatum including reduced inhibitory phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), increased expression of ΔFosB, increased Cdk5-dependent phosphorylation of DARPP-32, and reduced PKA-dependent phosphorylation of the GluR1 subunit of the AMPA receptor. These findings suggest that HFCS-MFD-induced changes in the gut microbiota and neuroactive metabolites may contribute to maladaptive alterations in ventral striatal function that underlie neurobehavioral impairment. While future studies are essential to further evaluate the interplay between these factors in obesity and metabolic syndrome-associated behavioral comorbidities, these data underscore the important role of peripheral-CNS interactions in diet-induced behavioral and brain function. This study also highlights the clinical need to address neurobehavioral comorbidities associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Genomic prediction provides an efficient alternative to conventional phenotypic selection for developing improved cultivars with desirable characteristics. New and improved methods to genomic prediction are continually being developed that attempt to deal with the integration of data types beyond genomic information. Modern automated weather systems offer the opportunity to capture continuous data on a range of environmental parameters at specific field locations. In principle, this information could characterize training and target environments and enhance predictive ability by incorporating weather characteristics as part of the genotype-by-environment (G×E) interaction component in prediction models. We assessed the usefulness of including weather data variables in genomic prediction models using a naïve environmental kinship model across 30 environments comprising the Genomes to Fields (G2F) initiative in 2014 and 2015. Specifically four different prediction scenarios were evaluated (i) tested genotypes in observed environments; (ii) untested genotypes in observed environments; (iii) tested genotypes in unobserved environments; and (iv) untested genotypes in unobserved environments. A set of 1,481 unique hybrids were evaluated for grain yield. Evaluations were conducted using five different models including main effect of environments; general combining ability (GCA) effects of the maternal and paternal parents modeled using the genomic relationship matrix; specific combining ability (SCA) effects between maternal and paternal parents; interactions between genetic (GCA and SCA) effects and environmental effects; and finally interactions between the genetics effects and environmental covariates. Incorporation of the genotype-by-environment interaction term improved predictive ability across all scenarios. However, predictive ability was not improved through inclusion of naive environmental covariates in G×E models. More research should be conducted to link the observed weather conditions with important physiological aspects in plant development to improve predictive ability through the inclusion of weather data.

Research increasingly suggests that climate change has intensified the frequency of droughts, floods, and other environmental disasters across sub-Saharan Africa. In response to the resulting array of climate-induced challenges, various stakeholders are working collectively to build climate resilience in rural and urban communities and trans-continentally. This paper examines key climate resilience-building projects that have been implemented across sub-Saharan Africa through multi-stakeholder partnerships. It uses a vulnerabilities assessment approach to examine the strategic value of these projects in managing the mitigation of climate shocks and long-term environmental changes. There are still many challenges to building climate resilience in the region, but through multi-stakeholder partnerships, sub-Saharan African nations are expanding their capacity to pool resources and build collective action aimed at financing and scaling up innovative climate solutions. This article contributes to ongoing interdisciplinary academic, management, and policy discourses on global climate adaptation focused on populations and landscapes most at risk.

Abstract Objectives Crop improvement relies on analysis of phenotypic, genotypic, and environmental data. Given large, well-integrated, multi-year datasets, diverse queries can be made: Which lines perform best in hot, dry environments? Which alleles of specific genes are required for optimal performance in each environment? Such datasets also can be leveraged to predict cultivar performance, even in uncharacterized environments. The maize Genomes to Fields (G2F) Initiative is a multi-institutional organization of scientists working to generate and analyze such datasets from existing, publicly available inbred lines and hybrids. G2F’s genotype by environment project has released 2014 and 2015 datasets to the public, with 2016 and 2017 collected and soon to be made available. Data description Datasets include DNA sequences; traditional phenotype descriptions, as well as detailed ear, cob, and kernel phenotypes quantified by image analysis; weather station measurements; and soil characterizations by site. Data are released as comma separated value spreadsheets accompanied by extensive README text descriptions. For genotypic and phenotypic data, both raw data and a version with outliers removed are reported. For weather data, two versions are reported: a full dataset calibrated against nearby National Weather Service sites and a second calibrated set with outliers and apparent artifacts removed.

This article reports on factors affecting local academic acceptance of bring your own devices (BYOD). A review of the literature revealed a paucity of studies that have explored the complex factors that affect academic use and intention to use mobile devices in the classroom, with even less exploring truly ubiquitous and varied personal devices as opposed to supplied institutional or research study sets.A detailed qualitative investigation with 14 academics was undertaken, drawing upon and aiming to compliment mature acceptance research. Firstly by employing a focus group to identify initial psychological factors and the relevance of acceptance theories to the local context. Then, secondly by using in-depth semi-structured interviews, shaped by acceptance categories, to identify a breadth of psychological factors affecting faculty use and intention to use BYOD.This small-scale study found clear distinctions in local academic perceptions of BYOD compared with faculty devices and reported a range of factors that appeared to distinctly affect local academic acceptance of BYOD.

Large-scale proteomic analyses in Escherichia coli have documented the composition and physical relationships of multiprotein complexes, but not their functional organization into biological pathways and processes. Conversely, genetic interaction (GI) screens can provide insights into the biological role(s) of individual gene and higher order associations. Combining the information from both approaches should elucidate how complexes and pathways intersect functionally at a systems level. However, such integrative analysis has been hindered due to the lack of relevant GI data. Here we present a systematic, unbiased, and quantitative synthetic genetic array screen in E. coli describing the genetic dependencies and functional cross-talk among over 600,000 digenic mutant combinations. Combining this epistasis information with putative functional modules derived from previous proteomic data and genomic context-based methods revealed unexpected associations, including new components required for the biogenesis of iron-sulphur and ribosome integrity, and the interplay between molecular chaperones and proteases. We find that functionally-linked genes co-conserved among γ-proteobacteria are far more likely to have correlated GI profiles than genes with divergent patterns of evolution. Overall, examining bacterial GIs in the context of protein complexes provides avenues for a deeper mechanistic understanding of core microbial systems.

Recent studies demonstrate that transformation of mild lupus nephritis into end-stage disease is imposed by silencing of renal DNaseI gene expression in (NZBxNZW)F1 mice. Down-regulation of DNaseI results in reduced chromatin fragmentation, and in deposition of extracellular chromatin-IgG complexes in glomerular basement membranes in individuals that produce IgG anti-chromatin antibodies. The main focus of the present study is to describe the biological consequences of renal DNaseI shut-down and reduced chromatin fragmentation with a particular focus on whether exposed large chromatin fragments activate Toll like receptors and the necrosis-related Clec4e receptor in murine and human lupus nephritis. Furthermore, analyses where performed to determine if matrix metalloproteases are up-regulated as a consequence of chromatin-mediated Toll like receptors/Clec4e stimulation. Mouse and human mRNA expression levels of DNaseI, Toll like receptors 7-9, Clec4e, pro-inflammatory cytokines and MMP2/MMP9 were determined and compared with in situ protein expression profiles and clinical data. We demonstrate that exposure of chromatin significantly up-regulate Toll like receptors and Clec4e in mice, and also but less pronounced in patients with lupus nephritis treated with immunosuppresants. In conclusion, silencing of renal DNaseI gene expression initiates a cascade of inflammatory signals leading to progression of both murine and human lupus nephritis. Principal component analyses biplot of data from murine and human lupus nephrits demonstrate the importance of DNaseI gene shut down for progression of the organ disease.

Crop simulation models are used at the field scale to estimate crop yield potential, optimize current management, and benchmark input-use efficiency. At issue is the ability of crop models to predict local and regional actual yield and total production without need of site-year specific calibration of internal parameters associated with fundamental physiological processes. In this study, a well-validated maize simulation model was used to estimate yield potential for 45 locations across the U.S. Corn Belt, including both irrigated and rainfed environments, during four years (2011–2014) that encompassed diverse weather conditions. Simulations were based on measured weather data, dominant soil properties, and key management practices at each location (including sowing date, hybrid maturity, and plant density). The same set of internal model parameters were used across all site-years. Simulated yields were upscaled from locations to larger spatial domains (county, agricultural district, state, and region), following a bottom-up approach based on a climate zone scheme and distribution of maize harvested area. Simulated yields were compared against actual yields reported at each spatial level, both in absolute terms as well as deviations from long-term averages. Similar comparisons were performed for total maize production, estimated as the product of simulated yields and official statistics on maize harvested area in each year. At county-level, the relationship between simulated and actual yield was better described by a curvilinear model, with decreasing agreement at higher yields (>12Mgha−1). Comparison of actual and simulated yield anomalies, as estimated from the yearly yield deviations from the long-term actual and simulated average yield, indicated a linear relationship at county-level. In both cases (absolute yields and yield anomalies comparisons), the agreement increased with increasing spatial aggregation (from county to region). An approach based on long-term actual and simulated yields and year-specific simulated yield allowed estimation of actual yield with a high degree of accuracy at county level (RMSE≤18%), even in years with highly favorable weather or severe drought. Estimates of total production, which are of greatest interest to buyers and sellers in the market, were also in close agreement with actual production (RMSE≤22%). The approach proposed here to estimate yield and production can complement other approaches that rely on surveys, field crop cuttings, and empirical statistical methods and serve as basis for in-season yield and production forecasts.