Use of the subfascial plane in debulking an extensive lower extremity plexiform neurofibroma: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Plexiform neurofibromas (PNs) are characterized by their diffuse masses with tortuous expansion along nerve branches. While surgery is the primary management for PNs, the optimal surgical approach remains unestablished. CASE PRESENTATION: A 35-year-old lady presented with a large hanging mass covering the medial aspect of the thigh and the leg. It caused discomfort, disfigurement, and occasional pain. The patient was planned for the debulking surgery under spinal anesthesia. Incisions were given on the normal-looking skin adjacent to the mass, through the skin layers, subcutaneous tissue and deep fascia until the muscles were seen. The mass was then approached and elevated in the subfascial plane (relatively avascular). Large, dilated, dense tortuous vessels could be seen in the suprafascial and subcutaneous planes. Maximum area that could be removed was marked and excised. The normal contour of the left lower extremity was restored close to achieving a thigh and a leg lift. DISCUSSION: PNs pose surgical challenges due to their vascularity and difficult locations. The subfascial debulking approach presented in the case aims to reduce intraoperative hemorrhage by avoiding highly vascular areas and preventing entry into blood sinuses within the neurofibromatous tissue. This technique also minimizes the risk of inadvertent injury to nearby neurovascular structures. CONCLUSION: The proposed subfascial approach, significantly reduces intraoperative hemorrhage during the debulking of a PN.

Growth, ultrastructural and physiological characteristics of Abelmoschus cytotypes under elevated ozone stress: a study on ploidy-specific responses.

Tropospheric ozone (O3 ) is a significant abiotic stressor whose rising concentration negatively influences plant growth. Studies related to the differential response of Abelmoschus cytotypes to elevated O3 treatment are scarce and need further exploration to recognise the role of polyploidisation in stress tolerance. In this study, we analysed the changes in growth pattern, ultrastructure, physiology and foliar protein profile occurring under O3 stress in Abelmoschus moschatus (monoploid), Abelmoschus esculentus (diploid) and Abelmoschus caillei (triploid). Our findings showed that higher stomatal conductance in A. moschatus triggered higher O3 intake, causing damage to stomatal cells and photosynthetic pigments. Additionally, it caused a reduction in photosynthetic rates, leading to reduced plant growth, total biomass and economic yield. This O3 -induced toxicity was less in diploid and triploid cytotypes of Abelmoschus . Protein profiling by sodium dodecyl sulpate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed a significant decrease in the commonly found RuBisCO larger and smaller subunits. The decrease was more prominent in monoploid compared to diploid and triploid. This study provides crucial data for research that aim to enhance plant ability to withstand O3 induced oxidative stress. Our findings may help in developing a tolerant variety through plant breeding techniques, which will be economically more advantageous in reaching the objective of sustainable production at the high O3 levels projected under a climate change scenario.

Anomaly detection using deep convolutional generative adversarial networks in the internet of things.

Advanced 5 G and 6 G technologies have accelerated the adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) and are a priority in providing support for high-speed communication and fast data analysis. One of IoT networks benefits is automated networking, which unfortunately increases the risk of security, integrity, and privacy breaches. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a weighted stacked ensemble model combining deep convolutional generative adversarial and bidirectional long short-term memory networks. The proposed model has been regularized, and hyperparameter tuning has been performed. The tuned model is then evaluated on four publicly available current IoT datasets. The proposed model exhibits significant improvement in standard performance measures for both binary and multiclass classification. Generalization error has been reduced by a rate of 0.005% and to overcome the issue of overfitting, a L2 regularization technique has been deployed. The overall Accuracy of the model on various datasets is 99.99% for BOT-IoT, 99.08% for IoT23, 99.82% for UNSWNB15, and 99.96% for ToN_IoT, respectively, alongside improvements in Precision, Recall, and F1-score.

Progress in gene editing tools, implications and success in plants: a review.

Genetic modifications are made through diverse mutagenesis techniques for crop improvement programs. Among these mutagenesis tools, the traditional methods involve chemical and radiation-induced mutagenesis, resulting in off-target and unintended mutations in the genome. However, recent advances have introduced site-directed nucleases (SDNs) for gene editing, significantly reducing off-target changes in the genome compared to induced mutagenesis and naturally occurring mutations in breeding populations. SDNs have revolutionized genetic engineering, enabling precise gene editing in recent decades. One widely used method, homology-directed repair (HDR), has been effective for accurate base substitution and gene alterations in some plant species. However, its application has been limited due to the inefficiency of HDR in plant cells and the prevalence of the error-prone repair pathway known as non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). The discovery of CRISPR-Cas has been a game-changer in this field. This system induces mutations by creating double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the genome and repairing them through associated repair pathways like NHEJ. As a result, the CRISPR-Cas system has been extensively used to transform plants for gene function analysis and to enhance desirable traits. Researchers have made significant progress in genetic engineering in recent years, particularly in understanding the CRISPR-Cas mechanism. This has led to various CRISPR-Cas variants, including CRISPR-Cas13, CRISPR interference, CRISPR activation, base editors, primes editors, and CRASPASE, a new CRISPR-Cas system for genetic engineering that cleaves proteins. Moreover, gene editing technologies like the prime editor and base editor approaches offer excellent opportunities for plant genome engineering. These cutting-edge tools have opened up new avenues for rapidly manipulating plant genomes. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of plant genetic engineering, focusing on recently developed tools for gene alteration and their potential applications in plant research.

Machine learning-based optimal crop selection system in smart agriculture.

The cultivation of most crops depends upon the regional weather conditions. So, the analysis of the agro-climatic conditions of a zone contributes significantly to deciding the right crop for the right land in the right season to obtain a better yield. Machine learning algorithms facilitate this process to a great extent for better results. In this paper, the authors proposed an ML-based crop selection model based on the weather conditions and soil parameters, collectively. Weather analysis is done using LSTM RNN and the process of crop selection is completed using Random Forest Classifier. This model gives better results for weather prediction in comparison to ANN. With LSTM RNN, the RMSE observed in Min. Temp. prediction is 5.023%, Max. Temp. Prediction is 7.28%, and Rainfall Prediction is 8.24%. In the second phase, the Random Forest Classifier showed 97.235% accuracy for crop selection, 96.437% accuracy in predicting resource dependency, and 97.647 accuracies in giving the appropriate sowing time for the crop. The model construction time taken with a random forest classifier using mentioned data size is 5.34 s. The authors also suggested the future research direction to further improve this work.

Comparison of Mechanical Properties, Physical Properties, and Biocompatibility of Four Different Denture Base Resins: An In vitro Study.

Four new dental replacement base tars were evaluated in vitro to determine their mechanical qualities, authentic properties, and biocompatibility. Materials and Methods: In this experiment, we employed SR Triplet HOT (a fiber-developed heat fix tar), Sunflex (a multipurpose force fix sap), Trevalon-Hello (a high-impact heat fix tar), DPI (a digital pigment imaging system), and a variety of other pigments and inks (normal power fix tar). For these models, the ISO specification 1567 for dental substitute base gums called for testing of flexural strength, hardness, impact strength, water sorption and dissolvability, and cytotoxicity. Results: All the strength and mechanical properties tested had a statistically significant difference when intergroup analysis was performed. Conclusion: The exceptional physical and mechanical capabilities of the Sunflex denture base resin, together with its biocompatibility with oral tissues, make it a good candidate for use as a denture base material in routine clinical practice.

Study of the Aetiology and Clinical Manifestations of Thrombocytopenia in a Tertiary Care Centre.

Introduction Thrombocytopenia is a commonly observed condition in clinical practice, and its diagnosis is often challenging due to numerous aetiologies and variations in clinical presentation. Early identification of thrombocytopenia and its causes can help prevent life-threatening haemorrhagic manifestations. Methodology A prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital from February 2019 to January 2020. This evaluation aimed to determine the causes and prevalence of thrombocytopenia in a tertiary care setting. Patients aged 15 or older with a platelet count of fewer than 150,000/ µL were eligible for inclusion in this evaluation. Investigations for aetiology detection were recommended. Results During the one-year study period, a total of 100 patients, including 58 males and 42 females, with thrombocytopenia were selected for the study. The most common age group affected by thrombocytopenia in this study was between 46 and 55 years old. The most common clinical manifestations observed were generalised weakness (70%), haemorrhagic manifestations (60%), fever (50%), joint pain (37%), splenomegaly (35%), headache (30%), breathlessness (23%), lymphadenopathy (22%), hepatomegaly (24%), and abdominal pain (12%). The most prevalent causes of thrombocytopenia were megaloblastic anaemia (19 cases), dengue fever (15 cases), malaria (11 cases), enteric fever (nine cases), immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) (eight cases), and leukaemia (seven cases). Bleeding was reported as a symptom of thrombocytopenia in 60% of individuals in this study. Conclusion In the study, thrombocytopenia was more common in people aged 46-55 years, and males were more commonly affected than females. Megaloblastic anaemia and infectious disease were the most common causes of thrombocytopenia. Bleeding manifestations were found in 60% of patients with thrombocytopenia.

Adrenal adenoma associated with raised metanephrine level: A case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Adrenal adenomas are benign neoplasms of the adrenal cortex which can be functional or non-functional. The functional tumors manifest as Cushing syndrome. Rarely, they are associated with high levels of metanephrine due to pheochromocytoma. Here, we report an extremely rare case of adrenal adenoma associated with raised metanephrine, but no histopathological evidence of medullary changes. CASE PRESENTATION: A 30-year female with diabetes, hypothyroidism, and hypertension was admitted for resistant hypertension, severe refractory hypokalemia, decreased sleep, fearfulness, anxiety, and palpitation. Facial puffiness, ecchymoses on upper and lower limbs, and bilateral pedal edema were present. Laboratory investigation revealed raised 24-hour-urine cortisol (52.5 µmol/dL) and metanephrine (56.00 µmol/24 h), very low ACTH (<5.0 pg/mL), and negative dexamethasone suppression test. MRI brain findings were normal. CT scan of the abdomen revealed a well-defined soft tissue lesion in the right adrenal gland and diffuse osteopenia vertebrae. Hence, diagnosis of Cushing Syndrome secondary to adrenal adenoma, and pheochromocytoma was made, and laparoscopic adrenalectomy was done under pheochromocytoma protocol. The patient improved dramatically, thereafter. Histopathological findings showed adrenocortical adenoma only; no evidence of pheochromocytoma was found. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: We came across many articles reporting adrenal adenoma associated with high levels of metanephrine due to co-existing pheochromocytomas either in the ipsilateral or contralateral adrenal gland. But, in our case, the adrenal adenoma was associated with high metanephrine levels with no histopathologic features of pheochromocytoma. CONCLUSION: Cushing syndrome due to Cortisol secreting Adrenal adenoma can be associated with biochemical and clinical features suggestive of Pheochromocytoma which could resolve after adrenalectomy.

Security issues and challenges in cloud of things-based applications for industrial automation.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, industries have gained a thrust on contactless processing for computing technologies and industrial automation. Cloud of Things (CoT) is one of the emerging computing technologies for such applications. CoT combines the most emerging cloud computing and the Internet of Things. The development in industrial automation made them highly interdependent because the cloud computing works like a backbone in IoT technology. This supports the data storage, analytics, processing, commercial application development, deployment, and security compliances. Now amalgamation of cloud technologies with IoT is making utilities more useful, smart, service-oriented, and secure application for sustainable development of industrial processes. As the pandemic has increased access to computing utilities remotely, cyber-attacks have been increased exponentially. This paper reviews the CoT's contribution to industrial automation and the various security features provided by different tools and applications used for the circular economy. The in-depth analysis of security threats, availability of different features corresponding the security issues in traditional and non-traditional CoT platforms used in industrial automation have been analysed. The security issues and challenges faced by IIoT and AIoT in industrial automation have also been addressed.

Complete small intestinal obstruction due to band formation in low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm: A rare case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Intestinal obstruction due to external compression is a rare condition, and those caused by appendiceal neoplasms like low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasms are extremely rare. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 67-year-old post-menopausal female, with no history of prior abdominal surgery, presented to the emergency room with constipation for 2 days, and peri-umbilical pain and non-projectile bilious vomiting for 19 h. There was mild abdominal distension and diffuse tenderness. After ultrasonography and Computed Tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis, a provisional diagnosis of complete small bowel obstruction secondary to perforated mucinous neoplasm of the appendix was made. An emergency exploratory laparotomy was performed followed by ileo-cecal resection and ileocolic anastomosis. Intraoperative findings revealed bands extending from the appendix to the ileum forming a closed loop with gangrenous spots in the distal ileum and ascitic fluid with mucin. Later, histopathological examination findings were consistent with low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN). DISCUSSION: We reviewed three cases of intestinal obstruction, caused by compression from a LAMN, including the presented case. Preoperative diagnosis of the cause of small intestinal obstruction on CT is sometimes challenging. Hence, in patients with intestinal obstruction with a transition point in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen on CT, a high index of suspicion for an appendiceal etiology is required. CONCLUSION: LAMN with an associated band should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses in the patient presenting with symptoms of complete small intestinal obstruction without prior abdominal surgery.

DDX3-mediated miR-34 expression inhibits autophagy and HBV replication in hepatic cells.

HBV entry to the host cells and its successful infection depends on its ability to modulate the host restriction factors. DEAD box RNA helicase, DDX3, is shown to inhibit HBV replication. However, the exact mechanism of inhibition still remains unclear. DDX3 is involved in multitude or RNA metabolism processes including biogenesis of miRNAs. In this study, we sought to determine the mechanism involved in DDX3-mediated HBV inhibition. First, we observed that HBx protein of HBV downregulated DDX3 expression in HBV-infected cells. Overexpression of DDX3 inhibited HBx, HBsAg and total viral load, while its knockdown reversed the result in Hep G2.2.15 cells. Expression of miR-34 was downregulated in HBV-infected cells. Overexpression of pHBV1.3 further confirmed that HBV downregulates miR-34 expression. Consistent with the previous finding that DDX3 is involved in miRNA biogenesis, we observed that expression of miR-34 positively corelated with DDX3 expression. miRNA target prediction tools showed that miR-34 can target autophagy pathway which is hijacked by HBV for the benefit of its own replication. Indeed, transfection with miR-34 oligos downregulated the expression of autophagy marker proteins in HBV-expressing cells. Overexpression of DDX3 in HBV-expressing cells, downregulated expression of autophagy proteins while silencing of DDX3 reversed the results. These results led us to conclude that DDX3 upregulates miR-34 expression and thus inhibits autophagy in HBV-expressing cells while HBx helps HBV evade DDX3-mediated inhibition by downregulating DDX3 expression in HBV-infected cells.

Hepatitis B Virus X Protein Inhibits the Expression of Barrier To Autointegration factor1 via Upregulating miR-203 Expression in Hepatic Cells.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection targets host restriction factors that inhibit its replication and survival. Previous studies have shown that barriers to autointegration factor1 (BANF1) inhibited the replication of herpes simplex virus and vaccinia virus by binding to phosphate backbone of dsDNA. To date, no reports are available for the interplay between BANF1 and HBV. In this study, we elucidated the mechanisms by which HBV inhibit BANF1. First, the effect of HBV on BANF1 was observed in Huh-7, Hep G2, and Hep G2.2.15 cells. Huh-7 cells were transfected with pHBV1.3 or HBx plasmids. The results showed that there was a decreased expression of BANF1 in Hep G2.2.15 cells (P ≤ 0.005) or in HBV/HBx expressing Huh-7 cells (P ≤ 0.005), whereas BANF1 overexpression decreased viral replication (P ≤ 0.05). To study whether phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of BANF1 was responsible for antiviral activity, mutants were created, and it was found that inhibition due to mutants was less significant compared to BANF1 wild type. Previous studies have shown that HBV, at least in part, could regulate the expression of host miRNAs via HBx. It was found that miR-203 expression was high in Hep G2.2.15 cells (P ≤ 0.005) compared to Hep G2 cells. Next, the effect of HBx on miR-203 expression was studied and result showed that HBx upregulated miR-203 expression (P ≤ 0.005). Overexpression of miR-203 downregulated BANF1 expression (P ≤ 0.05) and viral titer was upregulated (P ≤ 0.05), while inhibition of miR-203, reversed these changes. In conclusion, BANF1 downregulated HBV, whereas HBV inhibited BANF1, at least in part, via HBx-mediated miR-203 upregulation in hepatic cells. IMPORTANCE In this study, for the first time, we found that BANF1 inhibited HBV replication and restricted the viral load. However, as previously reported for other viruses, the results in this study showed that BAF1 phosphorylation/dephosphorylation is not involved in its antiviral activity against HBV. HBV infection inhibited the intracellular expression of BANF1, via HBx-mediated upregulation of miR-203 expression. Overexpression of miR-203 downregulated BANF1 and increased the viral titer, while inhibition of miR-203 reversed these changes. This study helped us to understand the molecular mechanisms by which HBV survives and replicates in the host cells.

Chronic Granulomatous schistosomal cholecystitis in Non-endemic zone, a rare one: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Moynihan's aphorism that "gall stone is a tomb stone erected in the memory of the organism with in it" is true even today. This case could be an example to reemphasise the forementioned axiom. We present here a case of Chronic Granulomatous Schistosomal cholecystitis which is an unusually rare cause of Cholecystitis and cholelithiasis, that too in a non-endemic area. The patient has never ever visited the known endemic zones of Schistosomiasis or Bilharziasis areas in India. In a way it could be the first case report of schistosomiasis in this area. CASE PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old female patient presented to the Out-patient department of SMS&R, Sharda university, with right hypochondriac region pain and dyspepsia of six months duration. Investigation revealed Chronic Cholecystitis with Cholelithiasis. After a thorough workup the patient was taken up for Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which was converted to open cholecystectomy due to adhesions and to prevent any iatrogenic injury to the biliary tree. Histopathological examination revealed Chronic Granulomatous Schistosomal Cholecystitis with Cholelithiasis. Patient did well in the post-operative period with anti-helminthic treatment. CONCLUSION: Literature is still undecided whether the Schistosomal eggs deposition in the gallbladder can cause an episode of acute cholecystitis. However, a lithogenic outcome of schistosomiasis secondary to the induction of chronic granulomatous and fibrocalcific changes of the gallbladder and biliary ducts wall, seems probable.

Congenital Pseudodiphallia -A Rare Case Presentation.

Diphallia (penile duplication) is a rare congenital malformation with an incidence of about 1 per 5-6 million newborns. The severity of diphallia varies from a small accessory penile-like tissue to complete true penile duplication with other deformities, usually involving the urogenital, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal systems. Pseudodiphallia, as a rare kind of diphallia, is characterized by a small accessory penile-like tissue without a normal penile anatomy structure. A 5.5-year-old male child was brought to the pediatric surgery outpatient department by the parents with complaint of difficulty in retracting the prepucial foreskin and the presence of some growth near the glans. There were no other complaints in specific. Clinical examination revealed foreskin retractable with difficulty and small conical lump smaller than the original glans approximately size ~1 cm diameter at the base attached horizontally at the left side of the original glans at the coronal sulcus and visible incomplete clefting in between the 2 glans visible from the aerial view. After approval from anesthetist, the patient was operated under general anesthesia by excision of pseudodiphallia. Urethral catheterization and circumcision of the penis after taking informed parental consent. Postoperatively, the period was uneventful. The patient responded well to the symptomatic treatment and was orally allowed on the same day evening. Urinary catheter was removed on 5th postoperative day. The patient was discharged on oral symptomatic medication and was advice for follow-up.

Genetic dissection of nitrogen induced changes in the shoot and root biomass of spinach.

Efficient partitioning of above and below-ground biomass in response to nitrogen (N) is critical to the productivity of plants under sub-optimal conditions. It is particularly essential in vegetable crops like spinach with shallow root systems, a short growth cycle, and poor nitrogen use efficiency. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to explore N-induced changes using spinach accessions with diverse genetic backgrounds. We evaluated phenotypic variations as percent changes in the shoot and root biomass in response to N using 201 spinach accessions grown in randomized complete blocks design in a soilless media under a controlled environment. A GWAS was performed for the percent changes in the shoot and root biomass in response to N in the 201 spinach accessions using 60,940 whole-genome resequencing generated SNPs. Three SNP markers, chr4_28292655, chr6_1531056, and chr6_37966006 on chromosomes 4 and 6, were significantly associated with %change in root weight, and two SNP markers, chr2_18480277 and chr4_47598760 on chromosomes 2 and 4, were significantly associated with % change shoot weight. The outcome of this study established a foundation for genetic studies needed to improve the partitioning of total biomass and provided a resource to identify molecular markers to enhance N uptake via marker-assisted selection or genomic selection in spinach breeding programs.

Influence of the Type of Topical Fluoride Delivery at Various Restoration Time Points on the Micro-Shear Bond Strength of a Resin-Based Composite on Bleached Tooth Enamel.

Background This study aimed to evaluate the micro-shear bond strength (mSBS) of an adhesive applied to bleached enamel to determine the effects of fluoride supply and restoration time on the mSBS. Methodology In this study, we bleached 130 samples of enamel and split them into the following three groups of 40 each: group MI: McInnes bleaching solution; group MIF: McInnes bleaching solution + topical acidulated phosphate fluoride gel; group FMI: 2% fluoridated McInnes bleaching solution. Non-bleaching or fluoridation was performed on a group of 10. Subgroups were created for each group (except for the control) to be restored for seven, 14, or 21 days. The mSBS test was performed on a universal testing machine after Tygon tubes were filled with composite resin and put on enamel surfaces. Tukey's post-hoc test (p = 0.05) and two-way analysis of variance were employed to analyze the data. Results The mSBS values obtained for all groups immediately and after seven days were lower, while at 14 and 21 days were similar to the control group. According to the data, group FMI had greater mSBS levels than groups MI and MIF, both immediately and seven days later. Conclusions When in-office bleaching was employed, only the fluoride McInnes solution was successful in quickly correcting the adverse effects of low mSBS.

Medicinal Herbs from Phytoinformatics: An Aid for Skin Burn Management.

Skin burn injury is the most common cause of trauma that is still considered a dreadful condition in healthcare emergencies around the globe. Due to the availability of a variety of regimes, their management remains a dynamical challenge for the entire medical and paramedical community. Indeed, skin burn injuries are accompanied by a series of several devastating events that lead to sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndromes. Hence, the challenge lies in the development of a better understanding as well as clear diagnostic criteria and predictive biomarkers, which are important in their management. Though there are several regimes available in the market, there are still numerous limitations and challenges in the management. In this review article, we have discussed the various biomarkers that could be targeted for managing skin burn injuries. Instead of focusing on allopathic medication that has its adverse events per se, we have discussed the history, ethnopharmacology properties, and prospects of identified phytomedicines from a well-established herbal informatics model. This review article not only discusses the benefits of scrutinized phytocompounds but also the development of novel druggable phyto-compounds to target skin burn injury at a lower cost with no adverse effects.

Trends in selected birth defects among parents from below poverty line population in Karnataka during 2010-2020.

The aim of the study is to reveal the common birth defects among parents of newborns belonging to the below poverty line (BPL) category in Karnataka state (South India) by analyzing Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust data. In the last 10 years, 3672 kids in BPL families have been born with various birth abnormalities. It is found that 50.3% of newborns have anorectal malformations, 33.1% have hypospadias, 6.0% have diaphragmatic hernia, 5.1% have esophageal atresia, and 2.8% have intestinal atresia and obstruct. As a parent's age rises, the likelihood of having a child with birth abnormalities raise as well, particularly anorectal malformations than diaphragmatic hernia. Male newborns have a higher risk of birth defects. We hypothesized that poverty, material deprivation, and low socioeconomic profile throughout the life course among the BPL community could be some of the key reasons for poor maternal health care and related neonatal outcomes.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure Analysis of the USDA Olive Germplasm Using Genotyping-By-Sequencing (GBS).

Olives are one of the most important fruit and woody oil trees cultivated in many parts of the world. Olive oil is a critical component of the Mediterranean diet due to its importance in heart health. Olives are believed to have been brought to the United States from the Mediterranean countries in the 18th century. Despite the increase in demand and production areas, only a few selected olive varieties are grown in most traditional or new growing regions in the US. By understanding the genetic background, new sources of genetic diversity can be incorporated into the olive breeding programs to develop regionally adapted varieties for the US market. This study aimed to explore the genetic diversity and population structure of 90 olive accessions from the USDA repository along with six popular varieties using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS)-generated SNP markers. After quality filtering, 54,075 SNP markers were retained for the genetic diversity analysis. The average gene diversity (GD) and polymorphic information content (PIC) values of the SNPs were 0.244 and 0.206, respectively, indicating a moderate genetic diversity for the US olive germplasm evaluated in this study. The structure analysis showed that the USDA collection was distributed across seven subpopulations; 63% of the accessions were grouped into an identifiable subpopulation. The phylogenetic and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed that the subpopulations did not align with the geographical origins or climatic zones. An analysis of the molecular variance revealed that the major genetic variation sources were within populations. These findings provide critical information for future olive breeding programs to select genetically distant parents and facilitate future gene identification using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) or a marker-assisted selection (MAS) to develop varieties suited to production in the US.

The Feasibility of Using Machine Learning to Classify Calls to South African Emergency Dispatch Centres According to Prehospital Diagnosis, by Utilising Caller Descriptions of the Incident.

This paper presents the application of machine learning for classifying time-critical conditions namely sepsis, myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest, based off transcriptions of emergency calls from emergency services dispatch centers in South Africa. In this study we present results from the application of four multi-class classification algorithms: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression, Random Forest and K-Nearest Neighbor (kNN). The application of machine learning for classifying time-critical diseases may allow for earlier identification, adequate telephonic triage, and quicker response times of the appropriate cadre of emergency care personnel. The data set consisted of an original data set of 93 examples which was further expanded through the use of data augmentation. Two feature extraction techniques were investigated namely; TF-IDF and handcrafted features. The results were further improved using hyper-parameter tuning and feature selection. In our work, within the limitations of a limited data set, classification results yielded an accuracy of up to 100% when training with 10-fold cross validation, and 95% accuracy when predicted on unseen data. The results are encouraging and show that automated diagnosis based on emergency dispatch centre transcriptions is feasible. When implemented in real time, this can have multiple utilities, e.g. enabling the call-takers to take the right action with the right priority.