Sugarcane bagasse biochar boosts maize growth and yield in salt-affected soil by improving soil enzymatic activities.

Salinization is a leading threat to soil degradation and sustainable crop production. The application of organic amendments could improve crop growth in saline soil. Thus, we assessed the impact of sugarcane bagasse (SB) and its biochar (SBB) on soil enzymatic activity and growth response of maize crop at three various percentages (0.5%, 1%, and 2% of soil) under three salinity levels (1.66, 4, and 8 dS m-1). Each treatment was replicated three times in a completely randomized block design with factorial settings. The results showed that SB and SBB can restore the impact of salinization, but the SBB at the 2% addition rate revealed promising results compared to SB. The 2% SBB significantly enhanced shoot length (23.4%, 26.1%, and 41.8%), root length (16.8%, 20.8%, and 39.0%), grain yield (17.6%, 25.1%, and 392.2%), relative water contents (11.2%, 13.1%, and 19.2%), protein (17.2%, 19.6%, and 34.9%), and carotenoid (16.3, 30.3, and 49.9%) under different salinity levels (1.66, 4, and 8 dS m-1, respectively). The 2% SBB substantially drop the Na+ in maize root (28.3%, 29.9%, and 22.4%) and shoot (36.1%, 37.2%, and 38.5%) at 1.66, 4, and 8 dS m-1. Moreover, 2% SBB is the best treatment to boost the urease by 110.1%, 71.7%, and 91.2%, alkaline phosphatase by 28.8%, 38.8%, and 57.6%, and acid phosphatase by 48.4%, 80.1%, and 68.2% than control treatment under 1.66, 4 and 8 dS m-1, respectively. Pearson analysis showed that all the growth and yield parameters were positively associated with the soil enzymatic activities and negatively correlated with electrolyte leakage and sodium. The structural equational model (SEM) showed that the different application percentage of amendments significantly influences the growth and physiological parameters at all salinity levels. SEM explained the 81%, 92%, and 95% changes in maize yield under 1.66, 4, and 8 dS m-1, respectively. So, it is concluded that the 2% SBB could be an efficient approach to enhance the maize yield by ameliorating the noxious effect of degraded saline soil.

Selection of mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) mutants with respect to seasonal variation of summer and spring using discriminant function analysis.

The current study was carried out at Nuclear Institute of Agriculture, Tandojam to assess ten mungbean mutants together with one check cultivar in two separate cropping seasons. The findings revealed that all mutants, with the exception of the branches per plant, had significantly different examined traits. By characterizing ten variables, including plant height (cm), number of branches/plant, number of seeds per pod, grain yield per plot (g/plot), grain weight per plant, pod length (cm), pods per plant, days to flowering, above ground biological weight per plot (g/plot) and days to maturity, the results could considerably differentiate between low and high producing mutants. Discriminant analysis was used to choose high-yielding genotypes. The discriminant score demonstrated a significant canonical correlation of 0.994** and could account for 98.8 % of differences in mungbean production. According to the results of discriminant function analysis, the most significant features are pod length, days to flowering, plant height and above ground biological weight. The highest discriminant scores were displayed by the genotypes AEM66, AEM27, AEM25 and AEM14, identified as high yielding mutants. The low yielding mungbean mutants, designated Viz, AEM20, AEM30, AEM35, AEM-96, AEM29, AEM40 and AEM32 are those that exhibit the lowest values of the discriminant score. Mungbean cultivation is more successful in the summer than it is in the spring.

Influence of brassinosteroid and silicon on growth, antioxidant enzymes, and metal uptake of leafy vegetables under wastewater irrigation.

Vegetable cultivation under sewage irrigation is a common practice mostly in developing countries due to a lack of freshwater. Long-term usage provokes heavy metals accumulation in soil and ultimately hinders the growth and physiology of crop plants and deteriorates the quality of food. A study was performed to investigate the role of brassinosteroid (BRs) and silicon (Si) on lettuce, spinach, and cabbage under lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) contaminated sewage water. The experiment comprises three treatments (control, BRs, and Si) applied under a completely randomized design (CRD) in a growth chamber. BRs and Si application resulted in the highest increase of growth, physiology, and antioxidant enzyme activities when applied under canal water followed by distilled water and sewage water. However, BRs and Si increased the above-determined attributes under the sewage water by reducing the Pb and Cd uptake as compared to the control. It's concluded that sewerage water adversely affected the growth and development of vegetables by increasing Pb and Cd, and foliar spray of Si and BRs could have great potential to mitigate the adverse effects of heavy metals and improve the growth. The long-term alleviating effect of BRs and Si will be evaluated in the field conditions at different ecological zones.

Segmentation and classification of skin lesions using hybrid deep learning method in the Internet of Medical Things.

INTRODUCTION: Particularly within the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) context, skin lesion analysis is critical for precise diagnosis. To improve the accuracy and efficiency of skin lesion analysis, CAD systems play a crucial role. To segment and classify skin lesions from dermoscopy images, this study focuses on using hybrid deep learning techniques. METHOD: This research uses a hybrid deep learning model that combines two cutting-edge approaches: Mask Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (MRCNN) for semantic segmentation and ResNet50 for lesion detection. To pinpoint the precise location of a skin lesion, the MRCNN is used for border delineation. We amass a huge, annotated collection of dermoscopy images for thorough model training. The hybrid deep learning model to capture subtle representations of the images is trained from start to finish using this dataset. RESULTS: The experimental results using dermoscopy images show that the suggested hybrid method outperforms the current state-of-the-art methods. The model's capacity to segment lesions into distinct groups is demonstrated by a segmentation accuracy measurement of 95.49 percent. In addition, the classification of skin lesions shows great accuracy and dependability, which is a notable advancement over traditional methods. The model is put through its paces on the ISIC 2020 Challenge dataset, scoring a perfect 96.75% accuracy. Compared to current best practices in IoMT, segmentation and classification models perform exceptionally well. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this paper's hybrid deep learning strategy is highly effective in skin lesion segmentation and classification. The results show that the model has the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy in the setting of IoMT, and it outperforms the current gold standards. The excellent results obtained on the ISIC 2020 Challenge dataset further confirm the viability and superiority of the suggested methodology for skin lesion analysis.

Pseudomonas fluorescens and L-tryptophan application triggered the phytoremediation potential of sunflower (Heliantus annuus L.) in lead-contaminated soil.

Lead, a toxic heavy metal present in soil, hampers biological activities and affects the metabolism of plants, animals, and human beings. Its higher concentration may disturb the various physio-chemical processes, which result in stunted and poor plant growth. An interactive approach of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and L-tryptophan can be used to mitigate the lethal effects of lead. A pot experiment was conducted, and two weeks before sowing, the level of lead (300 mg kg-1) was maintained by spiking the PbCl2 salt. Pseudomonas fluorescens and L-tryptophan were applied individually as well as in combination to segregate the effect of both in contaminated soil under a completely Randomized Design (CRD). Statistical analysis revealed that plant growth was significantly reduced up to 22% due to lead contamination. However, the interactive approach of PGPR and L-tryptophan significantly improved the plant growth, physiology, and yield with relative productive index (RPI) under a lead-stressed environment. Moreover, integrated use of PGPR and L-tryptophan demonstrated a considerable increase (22%) in lead removal efficiency (LRE) by improving bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) for shoot without increasing the lead concentration in achenes. The reduced lead concentration in achene was due to its immobilization in shoot and root by negatively charged particles and improved the lead sequestration in vegetative parts which abridged the translocation of lead into achenes.

Effects of Half-Somersault and Brandt-Daroff exercise on dizziness, fear of fall and quality of life in patients with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: A randomised control trial.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Half-Somersault and Brandt-Daroff exercises on dizziness, fear of fall, and quality of life in patients with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (PC-BPPV). This study was conducted from July 2020 to November 2020. A total of 20 patients were enrolled in the study, through sealed envelope method, and assigned to two groups, A and B (10 in each). Vestibular activity and participation measure and Fall Efficacy Scale (FES) were used. The mean age of the patients was 36.70±11.58 years. There was a significant (p=0.05) difference between the Vestibular activities and participation measure (VAP) score at post intervention and Fall Efficacy Scale (FES) (p<0.05) between the groups. Within group analysis showed significant results (p=0.01). This study concluded that both manoeuvers are significantly effective in the treatment of PC-BPPV, but patients treated with Brandt-Daroff exercises reported more improvement in terms of quality of life and residual dizziness compared to the Half Somersault group. Clinical Trials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT04469309.

Hematological and biochemical parameters as diagnostic and prognostic markers in SARS-COV-2 infected patients of Pakistan: a retrospective comparative analysis.

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate alteration in blood parameters and their association with the presence, severity, and mortality of COVID-19 patients as the data on hematological abnormalities associated with the Pakistani COVID-19 patients is limited.Methodology: A double-centered, hospital-based comparative retrospective case study was conducted, to include all the admitted patients (n = 317) having COVID-19 Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive. The control group (n = 157) tested negative for COVID-19.Results: Of 317 admitted cases, the majority were males n = 198 (62.5%). Associated comorbidities, lower lymphocytes, platelets, and higher White blood cells, neutrophil, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were found in COVID-19 cases as compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001 for all). The biochemical parameters of cases including Ferritin, D-Dimer, CRP, IL-6, LDH, ALT, AST, and APTT also showed a statistically significant difference compared with standard values (p < 0.001 for all). However, their comparison with a severity level of the severe and non-severe groups showed significance for WBCs, neutrophils, NLR (p < 0.001 for all), and PLR (p = 0.06) only. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that NLR had the highest area under curve (0.84) followed by 1/lymphocyte (0.82), neutrophils (0.74), PLR (0.67),1/platelets (0.68) and WBC's (0.65). Comparison of cases and controls with recommended cut-off values derived from sensitivity and 1-specificity was also done (p < 0.001).Conclusion: Monitoring all the hematological and biochemical parameters including novel hemograms NLR, PLR can aid clinicians to identify potentially severe cases at early stages and initiate effective management in time which may reduce the overall mortality of COVID-19 patients.

Hospital-Acquired Conditions: A Review of Classical and Novel Risk Factors Following Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasties.

¼: In 2016, a total of 48,771 hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) were reported in U.S. hospitals. These incidents resulted in an excess cost of >$2 billion, which translates to roughly $41,000 per patient per HAC. ¼: In the settings of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), increased age, a body mass index of >35 kg/m2, male sex, diabetes mellitus, electrolyte disturbances, and a history of anemia increase the likelihood of surgical site infections. ¼: Institution-specific (surgical) risk factors such as increased tourniquet time, an operative time of >130 minutes, bilateral procedures, a femoral nerve block, and general anesthesia increase the risk of HACs in the settings of THA and TKA.

Teachers' attitudes towards social media (SM) use in online learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic: the effects of SM use by teachers and religious scholars during physical distancing.

The adoption of physical distancing and quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic to contain virus spread has left the world with schools' closure. In response, schools have shifted into online learning in developed societies while the developing world struggles to opt for online learning due to limited infrastructure and capacity and religious beliefs, in some communities, that discourage online learning. However, there has been a significant increase in the use of Social Media (SM) observed across developing and developed societies and religious communities amid physical distancing. This study was conducted to explore the possibility of SM use in online learning by exploring teachers' attitudes in relation to the effects of physical distancing and increased SM use, SM knowledge and religious leaders' SM use. In a quantitative investigation method, the researchers used a questionnaire as a primary tool to collect the data from 252 teachers of both public and private schools. Partial Least Square Structural Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used as an analysis method to assess and measure the proposed model. The findings are significant to inform how physical distancing amid the pandemic has influenced teachers' attitudes to opt for social media use in online learning. The findings have implications for teachers worldwide, particularly in developing countries, to switch to online learning using SM under challenging situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Efficacy of prolotherapy in comparison to other therapies for chronic soft tissue injuries: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Prolotherapy and other injections, primarily acting on pathways associated with maladaptive tissue repair, are recommended for recalcitrant chronic soft tissue injuries (CSTI). However, selection of injection is challenging due to mixed results. This network meta-analysis (NMA) aimed to compare prolotherapy with other therapies, particularly injections, for CSTI and establish robustness of the results. METHODOLOGY: Pubmed, Medline, SPORTDiscus and Google scholar were searched from inception to 4th January 2021 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving injection therapies (e.g. blood derivatives, corticosteroid, hyaluronic acid, botulinum toxin) for CSTI. The primary and secondary outcomes were pain and function, respectively, at (or nearest to) 6 months. Effect size (ES) was presented as standardised mean difference with 95% confidence interval (CI). Frequentist random effect NMA was used to generate the overall estimates, subgroup estimates (by region and measurement time point) and sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: A total of 91 articles (87 RCTs; 5859 participants) involving upper limb (74%), lower limb (23%) and truncal/hip (3%) injuries were included. At all time points, prolotherapy had no statistically significant pain benefits over other therapies. This observation remained unchanged when tested under various assumptions and with exclusion of studies with high risk of bias. Although prolotherapy did not offer statistically significant functional improvement compared to most therapies, its ES was consistently better than non-injections and corticosteroid injection for both outcomes. At selected time points and for selected injuries, prolotherapy demonstrated potentially better pain improvement over placebo (<4 months: shoulder [ES 0.65; 95% CI 0.00 to 1.30]; 4-8 months: elbow [ES 0.91; 95% CI 0.12 to 1.70]; >8 months: shoulder [ES 2.08; 95% CI 1.49, to 2.68]). Injections generally produced greater ES when combined with non-injection therapy. CONCLUSION: While clinical outcomes were generally comparable across types of injection therapy, prolotherapy may be used preferentially for selected conditions at selected times.

Regulation of flowering time in chrysanthemum by the R2R3 MYB transcription factor CmMYB2 is associated with changes in gibberellin metabolism.

The switch from vegetative growth to reproductive growth is a key event in the development of a plant. Here, the product of the chrysanthemum gene CmMYB2, an R2R3 MYB transcription factor that is localized in the nucleus, was shown to be a component of the switching mechanism. Plants engineered to overexpress CmMYB2 flowered earlier than did wild-type plants, while those in which CmMYB2 was suppressed flowered later. In both the overexpression and RNAi knockdown plants, a number of genes encoding proteins involved in gibberellin synthesis or signaling, as well as in the response to photoperiod, were transcribed at a level that differed from that in the wild type. Both yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays revealed that CmMYB2 interacts with CmBBX24, a zinc-finger transcription factor known to regulate flowering by its influence on gibberellin synthesis.

Effect of ultrasonic application during KOH pretreatment and anaerobic process on digestion performance of wheat straw.

The digester performance was enhanced by ultrasonic application during pretreatment and the anaerobic digestion (AD) process. Two setups (with and without ultrasonic application) were applied during pretreatment and AD, to untreated and potassium hydroxide (KOH) pretreated wheat straw. The results confirmed that the ultrasonic application enhanced the hydrolysis process during pretreatment. The highest total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) (3012 ± 18 mg L-1) production and overall lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose (LHC) reductions (22.4 ± 0.5%) were obtained from ultrasonic assisted KOH pretreated (KOHU) samples, after 36 hours of pretreatment. Similarly, the SEM analysis showed obvious disruption in the outer structure of KOHU samples. However, the ultrasonic application during AD showed significant improvement in biodegradation rate, biogas and biomethane production. Obvious reduction in sonication time (76%) along with enhanced biogas (570 ± 9 mL gm-1 VS) and biomethane (306 ± 12 mL gm-1 VS) production were observed from KOH pretreated digesters, when ultrasonication was applied during AD. Moreover, the biodegradation rate reached up to 76% along with highest total solid (TS) and volatile solid (VS) reductions from digesters with single KOH pretreatment and ultrasonic influence during AD. Finally, the digester effluent ranged in between the stable values, confirming the completion of the AD process. These results suggested that ultrasonic application was more effective when applied during AD due to the higher liquid to solid ratio. The reduction in energy input can be beneficial for commercial applications and to recognize the better stage for ultrasonic application for enhanced biomethane yield.

Use of Methadone to Reverse Opioid Escalation in a Patient With Surgical Pain.

Acute pain is a prevalent issue for patients recovering from surgical procedures. Methadone has been recognized as a unique option for treatment of surgical pain due to its multiple mechanisms of analgesia and its potential to decrease tolerance to other opioids. Studies of methadone use in postoperative settings are sparse in part due to safety concerns, such as complex pharmacokinetics, risk of respiratory depression, and association with arrhythmias. In this case study of a 70-year-old male with postsurgical abdominal pain, methadone utilization over a period of 9 days resulted in patient-reported analgesia and aided in de-escalating overall opioid use. More studies are needed to develop guidance on how methadone can be used to relieve pain following surgical procedures.

A Review of Computational Methods for Finding Non-Coding RNA Genes.

Finding non-coding RNA (ncRNA) genes has emerged over the past few years as a cutting-edge trend in bioinformatics. There are numerous computational intelligence (CI) challenges in the annotation and interpretation of ncRNAs because it requires a domain-related expert knowledge in CI techniques. Moreover, there are many classes predicted yet not experimentally verified by researchers. Recently, researchers have applied many CI methods to predict the classes of ncRNAs. However, the diverse CI approaches lack a definitive classification framework to take advantage of past studies. A few review papers have attempted to summarize CI approaches, but focused on the particular methodological viewpoints. Accordingly, in this article, we summarize in greater detail than previously available, the CI techniques for finding ncRNAs genes. We differentiate from the existing bodies of research and discuss concisely the technical merits of various techniques. Lastly, we review the limitations of ncRNA gene-finding CI methods with a point-of-view towards the development of new computational tools.

PERONEUS LONGUS ACTIVITY IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF TAPING: ATHLETES WITH ANKLE INSTABILITY / ATIVIDADE DO MÚSCULO FIBULAR LONGO COM DIFERENTES TIPOS DE BANDAGEM FUNCIONAL EM ATLETAS COM INSTABILIDADE NO TORNOZELO / ACTIVIDAD DEL MÚSCULO FIBULAR LARGO CON DIFERENTES TIPOS DE VENDAJE FUNCIONAL EN ATLETAS CON INESTABILIDAD EN EL TOBILLO

ABSTRACT Introduction: Participation in sport among university athletes in Malaysia has progressed right up to Olympic level. However, some of these athletes are prevented from competing due to injuries. Ankle injuries, in particular, are among the common types of injury. Even so, there is still lack of local data and research describing the incidence of ankle injuries. Objectives: To determine peroneus longus muscle activity in different taped ankles and positions among subjects with functional ankle instability (FAI). Methods: Twenty-three subjects with ankle instability (AJFAT score > 26) volunteered to take part in the study. The subjects were tested under three conditions; 1) no tape (NT), 2) Kinesio(r) tape (KT), and 3) rigid tape (RT). The subjects completed two postural stability tests, followed by a sudden inversion perturbation test with EMG, recording throughout the procedures. The EMG data were analyzed, filtered, full-wave rectified and normalized. The data were analyzed by analysis of variance (Independent T-test and ANOVA) to evaluate differences in peak muscle activation (mV) and peroneal latency (ms). Results: Peak muscle activation of the peroneus was activated more in the RT group during both the Static and Dynamic Stability Tests. Apart from that, there were no statistically significant differences. During sudden inversion perturbation, the RT group was the one that was most activated (p=0.001). Peroneal latency was even delayed in KT and RT during the three tests, and shorter in the NT group. There were significant differences during the Dynamic Stability Test, between the NT and KT groups (p=0.001) and between the NT, RT and KT groups (p=0.001). Conclusion: RT tape may enhance the peroneus longus response by maintaining a higher level of muscle activation, especially during dynamic movements and sudden inversion of the ankle, and may selectively benefit individuals with FAI. The KT ankle did not show superior effect to the NT ankle, and demonstrated minimal benefit when used in FAI. Also, its use may be more likely to cause reinjury to the ankle.

RESUMO Introdução: A participação nos esportes entre atletas universitários na Malásia progrediu até o nível olímpico. Contudo, alguns desses atletas são impedidos de competir em decorrência de lesões. As lesões no tornozelo estão entre os tipos mais comuns. Além disso, há falta de dados locais e pesquisas que descrevam a incidência dessas lesões. Objetivos: Determinar a atividade do músculo fibular longo com diferentes bandagens funcionais e posições do tornozelo entre indivíduos com instabilidade funcional do tornozelo (IFT). Métodos: Vinte e três indivíduos com instabilidade no tornozelo (escore AJFAT > 26) foram voluntários no estudo. Os indivíduos foram testados em três situações: 1) sem bandagem (SB), 2) bandagem Kinesio(r) (BK), e 3) bandagem rígida (BR). Os indivíduos concluíram dois testes de estabilidade postural, seguidos por um teste de perturbação por inversão repentina com EMG, que registrou os procedimentos do começo ao fim. Os dados EMG foram analisados, filtrados, retificados por onda completa e normalizados. Os dados foram analisados por análise de variância (teste T independente e ANOVA) para avaliar as diferenças de ativação muscular máxima (mV) e latência fibular (ms). Resultados: A ativação muscular máxima da fíbula ocorreu mais no grupo BR durante os testes de estabilidade estática e dinâmica. Além disso, não houve diferenças estatisticamente significantes. Durante a perturbação por inversão, o grupo BR foi o que teve maior ativação (p = 0,001). A latência fibular foi mais tardia nos grupos BK e BR durante os três testes e foi menor no grupo SB. Não houve diferenças significantes durante o teste de estabilidade dinâmica entre os grupos SB e BK (p = 0,001) e entre os grupos SB, BR e BK (p = 0,001). Conclusão: A BR pode ampliar a resposta do músculo fibular longo, porque mantém um nível maior de ativação muscular, especialmente durante os movimentos dinâmicos e a inversão súbita do tornozelo, podendo beneficiar seletivamente os indivíduos com IFT. A BK não apresentou efeito superior com relação à SB, e demonstrou benefício mínimo quando usada para IFT. Ainda, é provável que seu uso cause nova lesão no tornozelo.

RESUMEN: Introducción: La participación en los deportes entre atletas universitarios en Malasia progresó hasta el nivel olímpico. Sin embargo, algunos de esos atletas son impedidos de competir a raíz de lesiones. Las lesiones en el tobillo están entre los tipos más comunes. Además, hay falta de datos locales e investigaciones que describan la incidencia de esas lesiones. Objetivos: Determinar la actividad del músculo fibular largo con diferentes vendajes funcionales y posiciones del tobillo entre individuos con inestabilidad funcional del tobillo (IFT). Métodos: Veintitrés individuos con inestabilidad en el tobillo (score AJFAT > 26) fueron voluntarios en el estudio. Fueron realizados tests con los individuos en tres situaciones: 1) sin vendaje (SV), 2) vendaje Kinesio(r) (VK), y 3) vendaje rígido (VR). Los individuos concluyeron dos tests de estabilidad postural, seguidos por un test de perturbación por inversión repentina con EMG, que registró los procedimientos desde el inicio al fin. Los datos EMG fueron analizados, filtrados, rectificados por onda completa y normalizados. Los datos fueron analizados por análisis de variancia (test T independiente y ANOVA) para evaluar las diferencias de activación muscular máxima (mV) y latencia fibular (ms). Resultados: La activación muscular máxima de la fíbula ocurrió más en el grupo VR durante los tests de estabilidad estática y dinámica. Además, no hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas. Durante la perturbación por inversión, el grupo VR fue el que tuvo mayor activación (p = 0,001). La latencia fibular fue más tardía en los grupos VK y VR durante los tres tests y fue menor en el grupo SV. No hubo diferencias significativas durante el test de estabilidad dinámica entre los grupos SV y VK (p = 0,001) y entre los grupos SV, VR y VK (p = 0,001). Conclusión: La VR puede ampliar la respuesta del músculo fibular largo, porque mantiene un nivel mayor de activación muscular, especialmente durante los movimientos dinámicos y la inversión súbita del tobillo, pudiendo beneficiar selectivamente a los individuos con IFT. La VK no presentó efecto superior con relación a la SV, y demostró beneficio mínimo cuando usada para IFT. Además, es probable que su uso cause nueva lesión en el tobillo.

Involvement of CmWRKY10 in Drought Tolerance of Chrysanthemum through the ABA-Signaling Pathway.

Drought is one of the important abiotic factors that adversely affects plant growth and production. The WRKY transcription factor plays a pivotal role in plant growth and development, as well as in the elevation of many abiotic stresses. Among three major groups of the WRKY family, the group IIe WRKY has been the least studied in floral crops. Here, we report functional aspects of group IIe WRKY member, i.e., CmWRKY10 in chrysanthemum involved in drought tolerance. The transactivation assay showed that CmWRKY10 had transcriptional activity in yeast cells and subcellular localization demonstrated that it was localized in nucleus. Our previous study showed that CmWRKY10 could be induced by drought in chrysanthemum. Moreover, the overexpression of CmWRKY10 in transgenic chrysanthemum plants improved tolerance to drought stress compared to wild-type (WT). High expression of DREB1A, DREB2A, CuZnSOD, NCED3A, and NCED3B transcripts in overexpressed plants provided strong evidence that drought tolerance mechanism was associated with abscisic acid (ABA) pathway. In addition, lower accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and higher enzymatic activity of peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase in CmWRKY10 overexpressed lines than that of WT demonstrates its role in drought tolerance. Together, these findings reveal that CmWRKY10 works as a positive regulator in drought stress by regulating stress-related genes.

Evaluating biomethane production from anaerobic mono- and co-digestion of food waste and floatable oil (FO) skimmed from food waste.

Batch anaerobic digestion was employed to investigate the performance of the floatable oil (FO) skimmed from food waste (FW) and the effect of different FO concentrations (5, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50g/L) on biomethane production and system stability. FO and FO+FW were mono-digested and co-digested. The results showed that FO and FO+FW could be well anaerobically converted to biomethane in appropriate loads. For the mono-digestions of FO, the biomethane yield, TS and VS reduction achieved 607.7-846.9mL/g, 69.7-89% and 84.5-92.8%, respectively, when FO concentration was 5-40g/L. But the mono-digestion appeared instability when FO concentration was 50g/L. For the co-digestions of FW+FO, TS and VS reductions reached 70.7-86.1% and 87.5-91.4%, respectively, when FO concentration was 5-30g/L. However, the inhibition occurred when FO concentrations increased to 40-50g/L. The maximal FO loads of 40g/L and 30g/L were hence suggested for efficient mono-digestions and co-digestions of FO and FO+FW.

Using feature objects aided strategy to evaluate the biomethane production of food waste and corn stalk anaerobic co-digestion.

Feature objects aided strategy was used to predict and evaluate the biomethane production of food waste and corn stalk anaerobic co-digestion. The kinetics of co-digestion and mono-digestion of food waste and/or corn stalk was also analyzed. The results indicated that the compositions of food waste and corn stalk were significantly different. The anaerobic digestion of three feature objects at different mixing ratios showed the different biomethane yields and kinetic constants. Food waste and corn stalk co-digestion enhanced the digestion rate and achieved 22.48% and 41.55% higher biomethane production than those of food waste and corn stalk mono-digestion, respectively.

Promoting anaerobic biogasification of corn stover through biological pretreatment by liquid fraction of digestate (LFD).

A new biological pretreatment method by using liquid fraction of digestate (LFD) was advanced for promoting anaerobic biogasification efficiency of corn stover. 17.6% TS content and ambient temperature was appropriate for pretreatment. The results showed that C/N ratio decreased to about 30, while total lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose (LCH) contents were reduced by 8.1-19.4% after pretreatment. 3-days pretreatment was considered to be optimal, resulting in 70.4% more biogas production, 66.3% more biomethane yield and 41.7% shorter technical digestion time compared with the untreated stover. The reductions on VS, cellulose, and hemicellulose were increased by 22.1-35.9%, 22.3-35.4%, and 19.8-27.2% for LFD-treated stovers. The promoted anaerobic biogasification efficiency was mainly attributed to the improved biodegradability due to the pre-decomposition role of the bacteria in LFD. The method proved to be an efficient and low cost approach for producing bioenergy from corn stover, meanwhile, reducing LFD discharge and minimizing its potential pollution.