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Transgenic papaya is widely publicized for controlling papaya ringspot virus. However, the impact of particle bombardment on the genome remains unknown. The transgenic SunUp and its progenitor Sunset genomes were assembled into 351.5 and 350.3 Mb in nine chromosomes, respectively. We identified a 1.64 Mb insertion containing three transgenic insertions in SunUp chromosome 5, consisting of 52 nuclear-plastid, 21 nuclear-mitochondrial and 1 nuclear genomic fragments. A 591.9 kb fragment in chromosome 5 was translocated into the 1.64 Mb insertion. We assembled a gapless 9.8 Mb hermaphrodite-specific region of the Y

Seed dormancy is an important breeding trait for the development of certain types of peanut cultivars. Peanut cultivars with seed dormancy can inhibit preharvest sprouting in which the sprouting may increase susceptibility to preharvest aflatoxin contamination. The recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population derived from a cross of Tifrunner, a dormant Runner type, and GT-C20, a non-dormant Spanish type, were planted in the field for 2 years, and the freshly harvested seeds were used for seed dormancy tests at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days during germination. There were three RILs from 2-year tests with no dormancy (T48, T83, T160) and two lines with strong dormancy (T11, T163). This RIL population was genotyped using peanut SNP array ‘Axiom_Arachis’ 58 K, and two major seed dormancy QTLs were anchored on chromosome A04 and A05 with 43.16% and 51.61% of the phenotype variation explained (PVE), respectively. The QTL mapped on chromosome A05 had been anchored on a physical map interval of 98 kb (157.538–157.636 Mb) from which a possible candidate gene (Arahy.KB746A, ethylene-responsive transcription factor) was identified. Reference to the peanut physical map and flanking sequences, DNA markers can be developed for these two QTLs and used in marker-assisted breeding selection for seed dormancy in peanut.

Introduction Recombinant bovine interferon alpha (rBoIFN-α) has been demonstrated to have antiviral activity. However, no conduct of acute or chronic toxicity tests has been reported. Material and Methods Specific pathogen-free Sprague Dawley rats were administered doses at different concentrations through intraperitoneal or intravenous injection. After the administration (single for an acute toxicity test over 14 days or daily for a sub-chronic toxicity test over 30 days), the rats’ behaviour and other indicators and the degree of toxic reaction were continuously monitored. Blood was collected for haematological and serum biochemical examinations. At the end of the experiments, the rats were sacrificed for necropsy and histopathological tissue analysis. Results The external performance, behaviour characteristics, and changes in body temperature and body weight of the rats in each subgroup were comparable to the normal control subgroup. Except for a few cases, there were no lesions in the viscera’s pathological structures, and the blood parameters and biochemical indicators were not noticeably different from those of the control subgroup. Conclusion This study suggests that rBoIFN-α seems to be safe for rats, and its use may foster the development of the cattle industry in China by protecting livestock health.

Seeds kept in long-term storage are essential for maintaining genetic resources of crops and other plant materials in seed banks and national germplasm systems. But seeds undergo chemical changes over time as part of the ageing process that result in reduced germination rates and seedling normalcy. For example, oilseed crops such as peanuts are particularly vulnerable to oxidation and rancidification due to their high oil content. To test the effect of storage time on seed oil in peanuts, we grew different accessions and harvested fresh seeds to compare the oil composition of new seeds with seeds aged in storage for varying lengths of time. Out of the nine fatty acids detected and measured by gas chromatography, five including oleic, gadoleic, behenic, lignoceric and cerotic acids differed significantly between new and old seeds. Additionally, old seeds accumulated up to four oxidation products together averaging about 1% of the total oil composition. The concentration of these oxidation products was positively correlated with the age of the seeds, increasing linearly up to more than 6% of the total in the oldest seeds. The presence and concentration of oxidation products measured using simple chromatography techniques can be used as an initial indication of quality and viability in older seed inventories stored in germplasm repositories.

Introduction Ovine interferon-tau (oIFN-τ) is a newly discovered type I interferon. This study used biochemical techniques to transform the oIFN-τ gene into Escherichia coli to obtain the mass and soluble expression of the recombinant protein. Material and Methods First, total RNA was extracted from fresh sheep embryonic tissues with TRIzol reagent and then used as a template to reverse transcribe and amplify the mature oIFN-τ gene with RT-PCR. The amplified product was next digested with the HindIII and XhoI restriction enzymes and inserted into the pET-32a(+) vector to construct the prokaryotic expression plasmid. The corrected in-frame recombinant plasmid, pET-32a(+)-oIFN-τ, was transformed into E. coli Rosetta (DE3) competent cells. After induction with isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), the recombinant protein was detected in bacteria. Finally, the bacteria were lysed by sonication, and the recombinant protein was purified by nickel affinity chromatography and DEAE anion exchange chromatography. Results The protein was confirmed to be oIFN-τ, which mainly existed in the soluble lysate fraction, as proven by SDS-PAGE and Western blot assays. Conclusion Purified IFN-τ exists mostly in a soluble form, and its anti-vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) activity reached 7.08×10(6)IU/mL.

Recently the driving force for economic growth in China's port cities is insufficient, and ports are suffering from the capacity surplus in the context of the global recession. To find out whether the problem could be relieved by adjusting port and city development strategy, the present study examined the relationship between economic indicators of the port city and the port throughput. Panel data regression models were estimated to examine the extent of impact between port throughput and city economy with the second-generation panel data analysis methods, with panel data for 16 port-city pairs in China over the period 2000–2016. Results suggest that port throughput imposes a non-negligible impact on GDP while it has an opposite effect on the amount of total retail sales of consumer goods (TRSCG). Regarding the economic structure indicators, the port throughput increases synchronously with the added value of the secondary industry (SI) but negatively with that of the primary industry (PI) and the tertiary industry (TI). The causality test confirms an interactive mechanism between the port city economy and the port throughput in the sampled city-port pairs. The underlying reasons were discussed, and several policy suggestions to respond to the research question were proposed.

Adopting modern gene-editing technologies for trait improvement in agriculture requires important workflow developments, yet these developments are not often discussed. Using tropical crop systems as a case study, we describe a workflow broken down into discrete processes with specific steps and decision points that allow for the practical application of the CRISPR-Cas gene editing platform in a crop of interest. While we present the steps of developing genome-edited plants as sequential, in practice parts can be done in parallel, which are discussed in this perspective. The main processes include 1) understanding the genetic basis of the trait along with having the crop’s genome sequence, 2) testing and optimization of the editing reagents, development of efficient 3) tissue culture and 4) transformation methods, and 5) screening methods to identify edited events with commercial potential. Our goal in this perspective is to help any lab that wishes to implement this powerful, easy-to-use tool in their pipeline, thus aiming to democratize the technology.

Among major cereals domesticated as staple food, only sorghum has a high proportion of cultivars with condensed tannins in grain, which can trigger bitter taste perception in animals by binding to type 2 taste receptors (TAS2Rs). Here, we report the completion of uncovering of a pair of duplicate recessive genes (Tannin1 and Tannin2) underlying tannin presence. Three loss-of-function alleles from each gene were identified in non-tannin sorghum desired as palatable food. Condensed tannins effectively prevented sparrows from consuming sorghum grain. Parallel geographic distributions between tannin sorghum and Quelea quelea supported the role of tannins in fighting against this major herbivore threat. Association between geographic distributions of human TAS2R variants and tannin sorghum across Africa suggested that different causes had probably driven this bidirectional selection according to varied local herbivore threats and human taste sensitivity. Our investigation uncovered coevolution among humans, plants and environments linked by allelochemicals.

This research aimed to compare the effects of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and its alternatives on sensory characteristics of chicken soup. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis was carried out to quantify umami substances in potential MSG alternatives. Two mushroom extracts (CE and MC), one tomato extract (TC), and one yeast extract (YE) powders were selected due to their high equivalent umami concentration (EUC). These extracts together with MSG were then applied individually at four different levels (CE, MC, TC, MSG: 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%; YE: 0.0125%, 0.025%, 0.05%, 0.1%) in chicken soup in order to compare their impact on major sensory attributes using the degree of difference from control (DODC) test. Our results showed that all four extracts at all the usage levels exhibited an enhancement effect on the overall flavor, meaty flavor, saltiness, and umami taste. The extent of enhancement depended on the type of the alternative and its usage level. Higher levels of MSG alternatives (except YE) suppressed the chicken flavor. YE had similar enhancement effects as MSG on umami and salty tastes already at lower usage levels. At the lowest concentration, TC showed a stronger enhancement effect than MSG, but its effect on most attributes decreased as the usage dose increased. Compared to CE, the other mushroom extract MC resembled MSG at most levels. Overall, the closest synergistic effect in chicken soup was noted with 0.1% MSG, 0.1% MC, and 0.025% YE. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study compared the enhancement effects of MSG and selected alternatives in chicken soup. Results will help food manufacturers who would like to replace MSG with natural umami substances in soup products to enhance flavor and reduce sodium chloride.

Peanut is an important legume providing products with nutrient dense including mineral nutrition. However, the genetic basis underlying the variations in the mineral composition in peanut is still unknown. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of the concentrations of 13 mineral elements combined with coexpression network were performed using a diverse panel of 120 genotypes mainly selected from the U.S. peanut mini core collection. A total of 36 significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with five elemental concentrations were identified with phenotypic variation explained (PVE) from 18.35% to 27.56%, in which 24 QTLs were for boron (B), 2 QTLs for copper (Cu), 6 QTLs for sodium (Na), 3 QTLs for sulfur (S), and 1 QTL for zinc (Zn). A total of 110 nonredundant candidate causal genes identified were significantly associated with elemental accumulation, which included one high-priority overlap (HPO) candidate gene arahy.KQD4NT, an important elemental/metal transporter gene located on LGB04 with position 5,413,913-5,417,353.

Background Drugs that promote angiogenesis include statins, recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and stromal cell-derived factor-1. Low doses of atorvastatin could significantly increase the vascular expressions of endothelial growth factor, and the number of peripheral blood endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), thus improving angiogenesis and local blood flow. G-CSF is an EPC-mobilization agent used in ischemia studies for targeting angiogenesis after cerebral ischemia via EPCs. In previous clinical trials, consistent conclusions have not been reached about the effectiveness of G-CSF on ischemic stroke. Therefore, the therapeutic effect of G-CSF and its combination with other medicines need further experimental verification. It is known that atorvastatin, rhG-CSF, and SDF-1 are considered the most promising neuroprotective candidates, but a comprehensive comparison of their effects is lacking. Aims To compare the effects of atorvastatin, stromal cell-derived factor-1, and recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on ischemic stroke. Methods Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to three groups: normal, sham-operated, and middle cerebral artery occlusion operated. Middle cerebral artery occlusion operated rats were further allocated into saline, atorvastatin, recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor + stromal cell-derived factor-1 groups. Neurological function evaluation, cerebral infarction and the blood–brain barrier integrity analysis, identification of angiogenic factors, assessment of angiogenesis, expression of growth-associated protein-43, neuroglobin, glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor, and cleaved caspase 3, were performed. Results Compared with atorvastatin or recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor alone, recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor + stromal cell-derived factor-1 treatment improved neurological performance, reduced cerebral infarction and blood–brain barrier disruption after stroke, and increased the content of stromal cell-derived factor-1, vascular endothelial growth factor, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, and basic fibroblast growth factor in peripheral blood. In addition, recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor + stromal cell-derived factor-1 promoted greater angiogenesis than atorvastatin or recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor alone and increased the expression of growth-associated protein-43, neuroglobin, and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor, while decreasing the levels of cleaved caspase 3 in the brain after ischemic stroke. Conclusions Combination therapy with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and stromal cell-derived factor-1 is more effective than atorvastatin or recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor alone in protecting against stroke-induced damage and could be an optimal therapeutic strategy for stroke.

In this paper, we report a soluble expression based on Escherichia coli and two-step purification of a novel thioredoxin-tagged chicken interferon-α fusion protein (Trx-rChIFN-α) by using pET32a(+) expression system. The mature ChIFN-α gene was amplified by Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and subcloned into pET-32a (+) vector prior to transformation into Rosetta (DE3) competent cells. After IPTG induction, the recombinant fusion protein was expressed efficiently in the soluble fraction. The protein purification was performed by nickel affinity chromatography and DEAE anion exchange chromatography. The purified product has a purity of 95% with a yield of 47.3 mg/L of culture. The specific activity of the fusion protein reaches to 2.0 × 10

Colloid transfusion during surgical decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) to treat space-occupying cerebral infarction induced by middle cerebral artery (MCA) is controversial. A multicenter retrospective study was conducted to determine whether an increased colloid transfusion during surgery is associated with a lower incidence of postoperative pneumonia and better long-term outcomes after space-occupying cerebral infarction.Data from surgical DHC within 48 hours to treat space-occupying cerebral infarction that took place between November 30, 2013, and March 30, 2016, were collected in a multicenter chart. Univariate analysis, Spearman correlation, χUnivariate analysis showed that surgical duration and mRS were significantly different between the subjects older and younger than 60 years who underwent surgical DHC (P0.05). In the entire population studied, increased National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was associated with a greater incidence of postoperative pneumonia (odds ratio [OR] 1.255, P = 0.003) and increased mRS (OR 1.229, P = 0.014). In the population older than 60 years, it was revealed that increased colloid transfusion was associated with a lower incidence of postoperative pneumonia (OR 0.761, P = 0.030) or better outcomes, as indicated with lower mRS (OR 0.837, P = 0.045).Our retrospective study demonstrated that there is a robust association between increased perioperative colloid transfusion and lower incidence of postoperative pneumonia and better outcomes among the patients older than 60 years after space-occupying cerebral infarction.

The preparation of surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF) substrates is often influenced by experimental strategies and factors such as the morphology and size of the nanostructures. In this study, using the natural reed leaves (RLs) without any special pretreatment as the substrate, metal silver is modified by magnetron sputtering technology to prepare a stable and efficient SEF system. The abundant “hedgehog-like” protrusions on the RL substrate surface can generate high-density “hot spots”, thus enhancement factor (EF) is enhanced up to 3345 times. The stability and reproducibility are verified in many measurements. The contribution of the intervention of silver nanostructure to the radiation attenuation process of fluorescent molecules is analyzed with the aid of Jablonski diagrams. Three-dimensional (3D) finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulates the spatial electric field and “hot spots” distribution of the substrate. The “hedgehog-like” protrusion structure generates multiple “hot spots”, which produce an excellent local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect and provide higher fluorescence signal. Finally, RL/Ag-35 substrate is used to detect crystal violet (CV), and the detection limit is as low as 10−13 M. This “hedgehog-like” SEF substrate provides a new strategy for the trace detection of CV, which has a good practical application value.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a knowledge-based planning (KBP) method in nasopharyngeal cancer radiotherapy using the predicted dose-volume histogram (DVH) of organ-at risk (OAR) and planning target volume (PTV).A total of 85 patients previously treated for nasopharyngeal cancer using 9-field 6-MV intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) were identified for training and 30 similar patients were identified for testing. The dosimetric deposition information, individual dose-volume histograms (IDVHs) induced by a series of fields with uniform-intensity irradiation, was used to predict both OAR and PTV DVH. Two KBP methods (KBPFor patients with T3 tumors, there was no significant difference between the KBPFor patients with T3 tumors, no significant difference was found between the KBP

The disruption by the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate medical education allowed for assessment of virtual curricular innovations. One of the difficulties encountered in the virtual curriculum is the teaching of clinical competencies that would traditionally require students to undergo in-person simulations and patient encounters. We implemented a novel informed consent activity module, with standardized patients, to improve self-efficacy in communication within our core surgery clerkship.All medical students who participated in the virtual surgery clerkship were recruited to participate in a retrospective survey study regarding the novel informed consent module. These questions evaluated their perceived competence in 4 domains relating to informed consent: identifying the key elements, describing common challenges, applying the New Mexico Clinical Communication Scale (NMCCS), and documenting.Thirty-four of 90 students participated in the study (38% of the cohort). Respondents to the survey reported that their self-efficacy in communication skills related to informed consent improved as a result of their participation in the activity in each of the 4 domains surveyed (p 0.01), with the majority of students identifying as satisfactory or above in each domain post-module. Students generally viewed the virtual informed consent activity positively, but noted that it was not the same as an in-person clinical experience.A virtual module of communication skills training, using standardized patients and faculty, improved students' belief in their self-efficacy in obtaining informed consent. This communication module can be useful in a virtual or mixed curricular structure for both current and future medical students.

Purpose: To identify planning systems and techniques suitable for different sites tumors by analyzing dosimetric differences using three commercial radiotherapy planning systems: Tomotherapy, Monaco and Eclipse.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 20 lung cancer and 8 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and each patient plans were designed using the three systems. The dose distribution of the target and organs at risk (OARs) were compared, and monitor unit (MU) and treatment time were also evaluated.Results: For lung cancer, mean dose of PGTV, PTV1 and PTV2 in Monaco and Tomo plans were lower than Eclipse plan. PTV2 CI in Monaco and Eclipse plans were better than Tomo plans (p=0.002, p=0.022). Monaco and Tomo plans were better than Eclipse plan regarding to mean dose and V15Gy of lungs; the lowest lungs V20Gy and V30Gy were provided by Tomo plan. The esophagus, heart and SpinalCord_03 dose were lowest in Monaco plan, and the maximum dose and V45Gy of SpinalCord_03 were 592.1cGy and 1.37% lower than Eclipse plan, respectively. For NPC, mean dose of PGTV, PTV1 and PTV2 in Eclipse plan were superior to Tomo plan (p=0.008, p=0.000, p=0.003); PTV2 V95% in Tomo plan was increased by 1.64% than Eclipse plan. There was no significant difference between Monaco and Eclipse plans. Tomo plan showed better spinal cord and brainstem protection, with spinal cord max dose 249.38cGy lower than Eclipse plan and 555cGy lower than Monaco plan, respectively.Conclusion: Although the three plans reflected their respective advantages in different aspects, in general, the Monaco plan (VMAT) was the best choice for lung cancer, and for the more advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the Tomo plan (HT) was superior to the other two plans.

In order to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of recombinant bovine interferon-alpha (rBoIFN-α) in cattle, which has potential for its antiviral and immunomodulatory activities, 12 animals of 6-month age were classified into 4 groups (n=3) to receive rBoIFN-α through IV, IM or SC routes at a dose of 5.0×103 IU/kg. Serum rBoIFN-α titer was evaluated using cytopathic effect (CPE) inhibition bioassay. Then, the standard pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using the DAS (Drug and statistics) software. The concentrationtime profiles of serum rBoIFN-α following IM administration, SC administration and IV administration were characteristics of the 1-, 1-, and 2-compartment open models, respectively. After a single dose of IV administration, the drug rapidly dispersed and was rapidly eliminated from the body (T1/2α=0.15±0.02 h, T1/2=6.48±0.49 h). After IM and SC administrations, the drug is rapidly absorbed and slowly eliminated from the body (For IM administration, Tmax=6.12±0.32 h, T1/2=8.19±0.74 h) (For SC administration, Tmax=4.06±0.56 h, T1/2=7.29±0.55 h). The bioavailability of rBoIFN-α after IM administration is 53.74%, which is higher than the bioavailability of SC administration (27.96%). Therefore, the results showed that the drug administration effect can be preferably obtained following a single dose IM injection using the rBoIFN-α aqueous preparation. We hope that this study will provide valuable information for the clinical application of rBoIFN-α as an potential antiviral agent.

We aimed to determine whether heart rate variability (HRV) was correlated to long-term outcome in patients who received mechanical thrombectomy (MT) under general anesthesia for emergent large vessel occlusion (ELVO). Data from 106 patients receiving MT under general anesthesia to treat ELVO between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2019 were collected in a multicenter chart review. Univariate analysis, Chi-square test, and bivariate logistic regression were performed to assess the correlations between preoperative risk factors such as HRV and long-term outcome (as indicated by the modified Rankin score [mRS] at 90 days after MT). Bivariate logistic regression revealed that decreased LF/HF (low frequency/high frequency in HRV) ratio was correlated with unfavorable functional outcome as indicated by mRS ≥ 2 (odds ratio [OR], 0.650; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.157–0.839; p = 0.018), and functionally dependent outcome as indicated by mRS ≥ 3 (OR, 0.704; 95% CI, 0.360–0.914; p = 0.021). It was also found that ELVO in the right anterior circulation was correlated with lower LF/HF ratio, as compared with ELVO in the contralateral side (p < 0.05). Our retrospective study demonstrated that worse outcome in patients with ELVO who received MT under general anesthesia induced autonomic changes and that decreased LF/HF ratio.

Twenty-two health functional legumes and industrial crops contain several phytochemicals and extracts which have potential use as medicinal plants or functional foods in the United States and other countries worldwide. The objective of this study was to present a review of several legume species in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit’s (PGRCU) collection for potential use as non-traditional human and veterinary medicinal plants. Specific phytochemicals and extracts from various plant organs will be identified and discussed from these legumes and industrial crops. Potential phyto-pharmaceuticals including flavonoids, glycosides, phenolics, cliotides, steroids, and saponin from butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) flowers, seed coats, and roots; saponin, steroids, anthro-quinones, terpinoids, flavonoids, and phlabotanin from Indigofera cassioides Rottler ex DC. leaves; dequelin, dehydrodeguelin, rotenol, rotenone, tephrosin, and sumatrol from hyacinth bean [Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet] seeds and roots; L-dopa from velvetbean (Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. and Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) W. Wight seeds; pachyerosin from jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus (L.) Urb. seeds; vitexin from blue wiss [Teramnus labialis (L.f.) Spreng] aerial parts and flavonol glycoside from stems; caffeic, ferulic, cinnamic acids, and kaempferol from mothbean (Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal sprouts; 7S globulins from mungbean (V. radiata (L.) R. Wilczek seeds; defensin, unguilin, trypsin/chymotrypsin inhibitor, 7S globulins from cowpea (V. unguiculata (L.) Walp seeds, and plant extracts. These phytochemicals and extracts have been shown to have multiple potential uses including antifungal, antibacterial, anti-asthmatic, anti-tuberculosis, anti-malaria, Parkinson’s disease management, anti-cancer, antioxidant, oxidative stress reduction, cholesterol reduction, anti-Leishmania amazonensi, anti-breast cancer, anti-inflammatory, skin disease inhibition, reducing blood pressure, immunostimulation, myocardial ischemia protection, anthelmintic, improve eye surface protection from dry eye symptoms, and preventing oral bacteria and kidney damage. These species could provide the human and veterinary medicinal and functional food industries with valuable health products and can be used by other scientist’s and breeders for the development of unique germplasm and/or advanced cultivars with one or more of these traits. Furthermore, many more plant species in the Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit (PGRCU) collection need to be evaluated for the identification, quantification, and variability of potentially and very valuable health traits which are currently unknown.

The tidal volume setting as well as colloid transfusion during the peri-operative period after intracranial aneurysm is controversial. A multicenter retrospective study was conducted to determine whether or not an increased tidal volume setting and colloid transfusion are associated with poor outcomes and postoperative pulmonary complications after intracranial aneurysm.Data from endovascular coiling to treat intracranial aneurysms that took place between 30 March 2014 and 30 March 2016 were collected in a multicenter chart. The primary outcomes were better (defined as a Modified Rankin scores [MRS] ≤2) and worse outcomes (MRS ≥3). Secondary outcomes included pneumonia and non-pneumonia in patients with intracranial aneurysms. Univariate analysis, bivariate logistic regression, Spearman correlation, and a linear regression model were performed to account for the association between peri-operative risk factors and different outcomes.Bivariate logistic analysis showed that worse outcomes were correlated with height, Hunt and Hess scores (HHS), and Fisher grade (P 0.05). There was no significant association between colloid transfusion and worse outcomes and postoperative pneumonia (P 0.05). Postoperative pneumonia incidence was associated with increased height in a population with intracranial aneurysms (P 0.05). The Spearman correlation and a linear regression model suggested that increased height was significantly correlated with lower tidal volume setting (per unit of body weight; P 0.05).Decreased tidal volume with increased height, but not colloid transfusion, was independently associated with worse outcomes and postoperative pneumonia across a spectrum of risk profiles. These findings may help to improve practice decisions regarding tidal volume settings.

A better understanding of the genetic basis that governs the inheritance of biomass quality traits may help to improve sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) varieties for energy purposes. Here, combining ability studies were conducted using three restorer lines (male) and 60 cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines (female), at two locations in China, during 2017 and 2018. Both entries and environments (i.e., site) significantly affected concentrations of soluble sugar, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and ash of sorghum, in both stems and leaves. The coefficient of variation level was higher in stems than leaves for each chemical component investigated. The broad-sense and narrow-sense heritability indicated the predominance of an additive gene effect upon chemical components occurring in stems and leaves. This investigation is the first report to evaluate the combining ability effects on soluble sugar, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and ash in stems and leaves of sorghum plants. Sorghum exhibited either significantly negative or positive general combining ability (GCA) effect for all chemical components in stems and leaves. Highly significant negative correlations were found between the GCA effect on soluble sugar and that on cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Significant positive correlations were found among GCA effects of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The GCA effect on ash was significantly negatively correlated with that on soluble sugar but positively so with that on hemicellulose in stems, whereas it had significant negative correlations with that on soluble sugar, cellulose, and hemicellulose in leaves. Based on these findings, 11 and 6 female lines were selected for further development of biomass sorghum hybrids and sweet sorghum hybrids, respectively.

A low-complexity precoding scheme and semiblind channel estimation method are proposed for amplify-and-forward two-way relay networks with multiple relays and frequency-selective fading channels. In the proposed approach, precoding is performed using a rotation-based matrix and the composite channel impulse response of each source-relay-destination link is estimated based on the second-order statistics of the received signals. The ambiguity in the proposed channel estimates caused by the channel information of the direct link is eliminated using a small number of training blocks. The accuracy of the proposed semiblind channel estimates is examined by deriving the mean square error of the channel estimates for two asymptotic cases, namely an infinite number of data blocks and a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime. The two cases, thus, provide a useful insight into the effects on the estimation performance of imperfect direct link information and statistical errors of the ensemble correlations, respectively. The asymptotic analyses are confirmed by the simulation results, which show that the normalized mean square error of the channel estimates varies inversely with the SNR and the number of data blocks.