Advances in phenotyping technology are critical to ensure the genetic improvement of crops meet future global demands for food and fuel. Field-based phenotyping platforms are being evaluated for ...their ability to deliver the necessary throughput for large scale experiments and to provide an accurate depiction of trait performance in real-world environments. We developed a dual-camera high throughput phenotyping (HTP) platform on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and collected time course multispectral images for large scale soybean Glycine max (L.) Merr. breeding trials. We used a supervised machine learning model (Random Forest) to measure crop geometric features and obtained high correlations with final yield in breeding populations (r=0.82). The traditional yield estimation model was significantly improved by incorporating plot row length as covariate (p<0.01). We developed a binary prediction model from time-course multispectral HTP image data and achieved over 93% accuracy in classifying soybean maturity. This prediction model was validated in an independent breeding trial with a different plot type. These results show that multispectral data collected from the UAV-based HTP platform could improve yield estimation accuracy and maturity recording efficiency in a modern soybean breeding program.
•A budget friendly airborne high throughput phenotyping platform was developed.•Canopy geometric features measured at plot-level highly correlated with yield.•Plot row length assessed from image improved yield estimation accuracy.•Time course multispectral data predicted soybean plot maturity with high accuracy.•The UAV-based high throughput phenotyping platform improved breeding efficiency.
There is considerable evidence for relationship between gut microbiota and osteoarthritis (OA), but no studies have investigated their causal relationship.
This study utilized large-scale genome-wide ...association studies (GWAS) summary statistics to evaluate the causal association between gut microbiota and OA risk. Specifically, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach was used to identify the causal microbial taxa for OA. Comprehensively sensitive analyses were performed to validate the robustness of results and novel multivariable MR analyses were further conducted to ensure the independence of causal association. Reverse-direction MR analyses were performed to rule out the possibility of reverse associations. Finally, enrichment analyses were used to investigate the biofunction.
After correction, three microbial taxa were identified to be causally associated with diverse joint OA (PFDR < 0.100), namely Methanobacteriaceae family for knee OA (PFDR = 0.043) and any OA (PFDR = 0.028), Desulfovibrionales order for knee OA (PFDR = 0.045) and Ruminiclostridium5 genus for knee OA (PFDR = 0.063). In addition, we also identified five suggestive microbial taxa that were significant with three different methods under the nominal significance (P < 0.05). Sensitive analysis excluded the influence of heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy and multivariable MR analysis ruled out the possibility of horizontal pleiotropy of BMI. GO enrichment analysis illustrates the protective mechanism of the identified taxa against OA.
This study found that several microbial taxa were causally associated with diverse joint OA. The results enhanced our understanding of gut microbiota in the pathology of OA.
•Ag-doping in TiO2 can preserve the anatase form to higher temperature.•Ag-doped TiO2 samples can absorb both UV and visible light.•The band gap energy of the sample significantly reduced after ...Ag-doping.•Ag-doped TiO2 samples effective for visible light-induced reduction of Cr(VI).
Ag-doped TiO2 nanomaterials (Ag–TiO2) were prepared by a sol–gel method. The structures of Ag–TiO2 nanomaterials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), X-ray photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms. The photocatalytic activities were checked through the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) as a model compound under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the Ag doping and the calcination temperature played an important role on the microstructure and photocatalytic activity of the samples. Ag-doped TiO2 samples calcinated at 400°C exhibits higher photocatalytic activity than that of the other samples under visible light irradiation.
Highlights • PAR-1 knockdown neuronal and astrocytes cells are negative for TUNEL-positive cells. • PAR-1 knockdown results in 70% reduction of dying neurons with improved neurological deficits. • ...Knockdown or inhibition of PAR-1 would provide neuroprotection in the brain from ischemic injury.
Pyroptosis is a novel form of programmed cell death mediated by cleavage of Gasdermin family proteins by activated caspases, which plays an important role in the control of acute and chronic ...diseases. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease with varying degrees of airflow obstruction. The airway epithelial barrier plays an important role in initiating host defenses and controlling immune responses. Accumulating evidence suggests that pyroptosis is involved in the impairment of airway epithelial barrier function and abnormal immune regulation in asthma. This article aims to review the latest regulatory mechanism of pyroptosis involved in airway epithelial barrier injury in asthma under various environmental exposure factors, and to provide a new method for targeted therapy of asthma.
An image processing algorithm for detecting individual weeds was developed and evaluated. Weed detection processes included were normalized excessive green conversion, statistical threshold value ...estimation, adaptive image segmentation, median filter, morphological feature calculation and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The developed algorithm was validated for its ability to identify and detect weeds and crop plants under uncontrolled outdoor illuminations. A machine vision implementing field robot captured field images under outdoor illuminations and the image processing algorithm automatically processed them without manual adjustment. The errors of the algorithm, when processing 666 field images, ranged from 2.1 to 2.9%. The ANN correctly detected 72.6% of crop plants from the identified plants, and considered the rest as weeds. However, the ANN identification rates for crop plants were improved up to 95.1% by addressing the error sources in the algorithm. The developed weed detection and image processing algorithm provides a novel method to identify plants against soil background under the uncontrolled outdoor illuminations, and to differentiate weeds from crop plants. Thus, the proposed new machine vision and processing algorithm may be useful for outdoor applications including plant specific direct applications (PSDA).
Many studies have shown that tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) contribute to tumor development and poor prognosis in various cancers. In this study, we investigated the macrophage populations and ...phenotypes, and their correlation to angiogenesis, immunosuppression, and clinical prognosis in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). CD68 (+) and CD163 (+) macrophage infiltration was analyzed in paraffin‐embedded tissue samples from 39 patients. CD163 is used as a marker of M2 macrophages. Neovascularization and infiltration of forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) (+) regulatory T cells were also evaluated. The number of CD68 (+) and CD163 (+) macrophages was positively correlated with the numbers of vessels and regulatory T cells. The number of CD163 (+) cells was more closely associated with them. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) patients with high counts of CD163 (+) macrophages showed poor disease‐free survival (P = 0.0426). The macrophage density was not correlated with overall survival. In an in vitro study using ICC cell lines (HuCCT1, RBE, and MEC) and human macrophages, tumor cell supernatant (TCS) from cell lines induced an activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription‐3 (Stat3) and macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype. Tumor cell supernatant (TCS) from HuCCT1 most strongly induced Stat3 activation and production of cytokines and other bioactive molecules such as interleukin (IL)‐10, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)‐A, transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐2. Down‐regulation of Stat3 by siRNA significantly suppressed the production of IL‐10 and VEGF‐A. These results provide suggestive evidence that TAMs contribute to cancer progression via Stat3 activation, and CD163 is useful for evaluating M2 TAMs and predicting the clinical prognosis of ICC patients. (Cancer Sci)
Alveolarization in humans and nonhuman primates begins during prenatal development. Advances in stereological counting techniques allow accurate assessment of alveolar number; however, these ...techniques have not been applied to the developing human lung. Based on the recent American Thoracic Society guidelines for stereology, lungs from human autopsies, ages 2 mo to 15 yr, were fractionated and isometric uniform randomly sampled to count the number of alveoli. The number of alveoli was compared with age, weight, and height as well as growth between right and left lungs. The number of alveoli in the human lung increased exponentially during the first 2 yr of life but continued to increase albeit at a reduced rate through adolescence. Alveolar numbers also correlated with the indirect radial alveolar count technique. Growth curves for human alveolarization were compared using historical data of nonhuman primates and rats. The alveolar growth rate in nonhuman primates was nearly identical to the human growth curve. Rats were significantly different, showing a more pronounced exponential growth during the first 20 days of life. This evidence indicates that the human lung may be more plastic than originally thought, with alveolarization occurring well into adolescence. The first 20 days of life in rats implies a growth curve that may relate more to prenatal growth in humans. The data suggest that nonhuman primates are a better laboratory model for studies of human postnatal lung growth than rats.
Brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) might have been assembled relatively late (z < 1) via mergers. By exploiting the high-resolution HST/ACS imaging, we find four BCGs (COSMOS-P 125516, 102810, 036694 ...and 089357) in major dry merging in 29 X-ray clusters at 0.3 ≤ z ≤ 0.6 in the Cosmological Evolutionary Survey (COSMOS). These BCGs show prominent but quiescent double nuclei with a magnitude difference of δm < 1.5 and a projected separation of r
p < 10 kpc. Clear signatures of interaction such as extended plumes and/or significant asymmetries are also observed in their residual images. We infer a major merger rate of 0.55 ± 0.27 merger per Gyr at z ∼ 0.43 assuming the merger time-scale estimate of Kitzbichler & White. This inferred rate is significantly higher than the rate in the local Universe (0.12 ± 0.03 at z ∼ 0.07) presented by Liu et al. We estimate that present-day BCGs increase their luminosity (mass) by ∼35 ± 15 per cent (f
mass/0.5) via major dry mergers since z = 0.6, where f
mass is the mean mass fraction of companion galaxies accreted on to the central ones. Although the statistical uncertainty due to our small sample size is relatively large, our finding is consistent with both recent observational and theoretical results. Furthermore, in conjunction with our previous findings by Liu et al., the discovery of these intermediate-redshift merging BCGs is clear evidence of ongoing assembly of BCGs via major dry mergers over the last ∼6 Gyr.
The standard equivalent static loads (ESLs) method for stiffness topology optimization under crash condition may lead to exaggerated equivalent loads, which is not appropriate to be incorporated into ...the linear static topology optimization and whereby hinder the optimization process. To overcome this disadvantage, an improved ESLs algorithm based on energy-scaling ratio is proposed to guarantee the numerical stability, especially for the first several cycles with relatively larger differences of strain energy between the original crash simulation and equivalent static analysis. At each cycle, the equivalent external static forces are calculated by multiplying the stiffness matrix and the displacement vector at the time with maximal strain energy during the crash simulation. A further adaptive energy-scaling operation for those forces are performed by a weighting factor of square root of the energy ratio to the standard equivalent static loads for the crash problem based on the judging criterion. The newly equivalent loads are incorporated into the static topology optimization, and topology results are filtered into a black-white design for the crash simulation to avoid the numerical issues due to existing of low-density elements. The process is repeated until the convergence criteria is satisfied. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by investing two crash design problems.
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