Decreasing, or truncating, the chlorophyll antenna size of the photosystems can theoretically improve photosynthetic solar energy conversion efficiency and productivity in mass cultures of algae or ...plants by up to threefold. A Truncated Light-harvesting chlorophyll Antenna size (TLA), in all classes of photosynthetic organisms, would help to alleviate excess absorption of sunlight and the ensuing wasteful non-photochemical dissipation of excitation energy. Thus, solar-to-biomass energy conversion efficiency and photosynthetic productivity in high-density cultures can be increased. Applicability of the TLA concept was previously shown in green microalgae and cyanobacteria, but it has not yet been demonstrated in crop plants. In this work, the TLA concept was applied in high-density tobacco canopies. The work showed a 25% improvement in stem and leaf biomass accumulation for the TLA tobacco canopies over that measured with their wild-type counterparts grown under the same ambient conditions. Distinct canopy appearance differences are described between the TLA and wild type tobacco plants. Findings are discussed in terms of concept application to crop plants, leading to significant improvements in agronomy, agricultural productivity, and application of photosynthesis for the generation of commodity products in crop leaves.
Opisani su čimbenici postanka i razvoja tla petrinjskog i glinskog kraja, uključujući geološko litološku podlogu, klimu, vegetaciju, ljudske aktivnosti, elementarne nepogode i ratne štete na ...poljoprivrednom zemljištu. Tekstom i na pedološkoj karti su navedeni i opisani tipovi i niže pedosistematske jedinice poljoprivrednog zemljišta. Procijenjena je sadašnja pogodnost poljoprivrednog tla/zemljišta za obradu. Za utvrđene vrste ograničenja pogodnosti korištenja tla, preporučene su agro ili/i hidrotehničke mjere. Detaljnije raspravljamo o preporukama za održavanje plodnosti tla.
Factors of soil origin and development of Petrinja and Glina region are described, including geological lithological background, climate, vegetation, human activities, natural disasters and war damage to agricultural land. The types and lower pedosystematic units of agricultural land are listed and described in the text and on the pedological map. The current suitability of agricultural soil / land for cultivation has been assessed. For the identified types of soil limitations for cultivation, agro and / or hydrotechnical measures are recommended. We discuss in more detail the recommendations for maintaining soil fertility.
Evaluate infants with Robin Sequence (RS) who were successfully treated with conservative airway measures alone vs. those who failed and eventually underwent surgical airway intervention after a ...protracted course of conservative management.
Retrospective review of prospectively gathered database.
Large tertiary care institution.
Infants diagnosed with RS (n = 122) who underwent primary airway management at a single institution from 1994-2020.
Patient demographics, nutritional and respiratory status, laboratory values, and polysomnographic results were compared between patients who were discharged after successful conservative airway management (Group 1, n = 61) and patients that underwent surgical airway intervention after failing a prolonged course of conservative management (Group 2, n = 61). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was done to assess continuous variables that may predict failure of conservative airway management.
122 infants with RS were investigated. While several variables were significantly different between groups, the following polysomnographic
factors, with cut points, were identified as most predictive of failed conservative airway management:
TCO2 (max) > 49 mmHg,
HI > 16.9 events/hour, OAHI
EM >25.9 events/hour, OAHI
on-REM > 23.6 events/hour.
We identified factors in infants with RS that were associated with severe UAO that failed to improve despite weeks of conservative airway management. Our results may expedite earlier definitive treatment of these critical patients and reduce risks for known complications of prolonged UAO.
During pregnancy, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in maternal blood encompasses a small percentage of cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA), an easily accessible source for determination of fetal disease status in risk ...families through non-invasive procedures. In case of monogenic heritable disease, background maternal cfDNA prohibits direct observation of the maternally inherited allele. Non-invasive prenatal diagnostics (NIPD) of monogenic diseases therefore relies on parental haplotyping and statistical assessment of inherited alleles from cffDNA, techniques currently unavailable for routine clinical practice. Here, we present monogenic NIPD (MG-NIPD), which requires a blood sample from both parents, for targeted locus amplification (TLA)-based phasing of heterozygous variants selectively at a gene of interest. Capture probes-based targeted sequencing of cfDNA from the pregnant mother and a tailored statistical analysis enables predicting fetal gene inheritance. MG-NIPD was validated for 18 pregnancies, focusing on CFTR, CYP21A2, and HBB. In all cases we could predict the inherited alleles with >98% confidence, even at relatively early stages (8 weeks) of pregnancy. This prediction and the accuracy of parental haplotyping was confirmed by sequencing of fetal material obtained by parallel invasive procedures. MG-NIPD is a robust method that requires standard instrumentation and can be implemented in any clinic to provide families carrying a severe monogenic disease with a prenatal diagnostic test based on a simple blood draw.
The recent advancements in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) have revealed significant potential for enhancing traffic management through Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADASs), with benefits ...for both safety and environment. This research paper proposes a vehicle localization technique based on Kalman filtering, as accurate positioning of the ego-vehicle is essential for the proper functioning of the Traffic Light Advisor (TLA) system. The aim of the TLA is to calculate the most suitable speed to safely reach and pass the first traffic light in front of the vehicle and subsequently keep that velocity constant to overcome the following traffic light, thus allowing safer and more efficient driving practices, thereby reducing safety risks, and minimizing energy consumption. To overcome Global Positioning Systems (GPS) limitations encountered in urban scenarios, a multi-rate sensor fusion approach based on the Kalman filter with map matching and a simple kinematic one-dimensional model is proposed. The experimental results demonstrate an estimation error below 0.5 m on urban roads with GPS signal loss areas, making it suitable for TLA application. The experimental validation of the Traffic Light Advisor system confirmed the expected benefits with a 40% decrease in energy consumption compared to unassisted driving.
Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) is a rare and complex condition that often necessitates the collaboration of a full medical team from various disciplines to save the lives of babies with this genetic ...mutation, characterized by three clinical manifestations: glossoptosis, micrognathia, and cleft palate. Treatment primarily involves freeing upper airway obstructions and enhancing nutrition to allow the babies to lead a normal life. The lip-tongue adhesion procedure has been identified in medical literature as the recommended approach to addressing the issues associated with Pierre Robin sequence, and this method was successfully adopted in this case.
2.5 kg, a newborn male baby with an abnormal position of the tongue and the inability to breastfeed and feed normally, without any medical, family, or social history. Following an examination, it was discovered that the baby had a posterior position of the tongue, micrognathia, and a cleft palate, leading to a diagnosis of Pierre Robin Sequence (Figs. 1, 2). Preparations for the baby's surgery have commenced. The baby was solely fed intravenously and provided with an oxygen mask for 25 days until all necessary consultations were completed and the baby's readiness for surgery and general anesthesia was confirmed. The surgical plan involved attaching the tongue to the lower lip to enhance the tongue's muscular strength, addressing the posterior position issue, and delaying the palate repair until the age of 1.5 years.
PRS is a clinical entity characterized by the triad of mandibular hypoplasia (small jaw), glossoptosis (hypotonic, retracted tongue) and respiratory obstruction that require a multidisciplinary team for initial evaluation and management and maintenance care. TLA is a simple and effective procedure for increasing the cross-sectional area of oropharyngeal port.
Handling airway obstruction in Pierre Robin Sequence involves various factors, and there is no universal treatment that can address all cases. Appropriate airway management strategies and feeding programs are essential for each individual with PRS. Our review highlights that TLA is a straightforward surgical procedure with minimal or no short-term complications. TLA should be considered as the primary surgical intervention when relief is needed.
•Pierre Robin sequence is a rare congenital birth defect characterized by : glossoptosis, micrognathia, and cleft palate.•Treatment for PRS is unclear and it is also dependent on the severity of the condition.•In certain situations, medical staff intervention may be urgently required to prevent blockage of airway and assist in feeding the baby.
Na pojavu i štete od kukuruznog moljca kao jednog od najvažnijih štetnika kukuruza mogu utjecati različiti čimbenici. Istraživanje utjecaja sustava obrade tla i gnojidbe kukuruza na napad i štete od ...kukuruznog moljca provedeno je 2021. godine na pokusnim površinama Veleučilišta u Križevcima. Tretmani u pokusu bili su: standardna obrada tla (ST), konzervacijski sustav plitki (KSP) i konzervacijski sustav duboki (KSD), gnojidba prema preporuci (GPP), GPP s dodatkom biofoziološkog aktivatora (GPPGEO) te gnojidba umanjena za 50% (GU) i GU s dodatkom biofoziološkog aktivatora (GUGEO). Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da sustav obrade tla, gnojidba kukuruza i njihove interakcije imaju značajan utjecaj na većinu, ali ne na sve mjerene parametre oštećenja od kukuruznog moljca (postotak zaraze stabljike, drške klipa i klipa, broj rupa i ukupna dužina oštećenja, broj gusjenica po biljci). Varijante ST, GPPGEO i GPP te njihove interakcije rezultirale su najvećim intenzitetom zaraze u većini parametara. Sustav obrade tla nije imao značajan učinak na postotak zaraze drške klipa, a gnojidba nije imala utjecaja na postotak zaraženih stabljika i broj gusjenica po biljci. Najveća masa klipa po biljci utvrđena je kod tretmana obrade tla KSP i ST, kod gnojidbe GPPGEO i GPP te u interakcijama KSP i GPP te ST i GPPGEO.
•We formalize the notion of assignments and assignment strategies.•We present an SMT encoding from which assignment strategies are extracted.•We define a sound decomposition of a TLA+ formula into ...symbolic transitions.•We implement the above as part of the APALACHE model checker.•We present experimental results using several state-of-the-art TLA+ specifications.
In ▪, a system specification is written as a logical formula that restricts the system behavior. As a logic, ▪ does not have assignments and other imperative statements that are used by model checkers to compute the successor states of a system state. Model checkers compute successors either explicitly — by evaluating program statements — or symbolically — by translating program statements to an SMT formula and checking its satisfiability. To efficiently enumerate the successors, TLA's model checker TLC introduces side effects. For instance, an equality x′=e is interpreted as an assignment of e to the yet unbound variable x.
Inspired by TLC, we introduce an automatic technique for discovering expressions in ▪ formulas such as x′=e and x′∈{e1,…,ek} that can be provably used as assignments. In contrast to TLC, our technique does not explicitly evaluate expressions, but it reduces the problem of finding assignments to the satisfiability of an SMT formula. Hence, we give a way to slice a ▪ formula in symbolic transitions, which can be used as an input to a symbolic model checker. Our prototype implementation successfully extracts symbolic transitions from a few ▪ benchmarks.
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