Dynamics of the time-fractional reaction-diffusion coupled equations in biological and chemical processes.

This paper aims to demonstrate a numerical strategy via finite difference formulations for time fractional reaction-diffusion models which are ubiquitous in chemical and biological phenomena. The time-fractional derivative is considered in the Caputo sense for both linear and nonlinear problems. First, the Caputo derivative is replaced with a quadrature formula, then an implicit method is used for the remaining part. In the linear case, the proposed strategy reduces the time fractional models into linear simultaneous equations. In nonlinear cases, Quasilinearization is utilized to tackle the nonlinear parts. With this strategy, solutions of the fractional system transform into linear algebraic systems which are easy to solve. Next, the Von Neumann method is implemented to examine the stability of the scheme which discloses that the scheme is unconditionally stable. Further, the applicability of the presented scheme is tested with different linear and nonlinear models which include the one dimensional Schnakenberg and Gray-Scott models, and one and two dimensional Brusselator models. To analyze the accuracy of the present technique two norms namely, L ∞ and L 2 , and relative error are addressed. Moreover, the obtained outcomes are shown tabulated and graphically which identifies that the scheme properly works for the time fractional reaction-diffusion systems.

CFD study of self-cleaning system of multi-stage tangential roller threshing unit for precise buckwheat breeding.

Buckwheat is a globally recognized, nutritionally rich crop with robust adaptability, serving as a multi-purpose plant for its health benefits. Achieving precise and mechanized plot seed harvesting is a critical step in obtaining accurate results in breeding experiments. However, plot breeding requires no seed retention, no mixing, and ensures no accumulation of seed in the threshing unit. A self-cleaning technology was developed to prevent seed retention, mixing, and accumulation in the multistage tangential cylinder threshing unit. The newly designed cleaning system has five air inlets and a centrifugal fan for pneumatic cleaning. CFD simulations were conducted for each inlet position, coupled with four varying inlet velocities and the rotation speed of the main threshing cylinder. During the post-processing stage of the CFD modeling, a line consisting of fifty points was drawn beneath the threshing drums, and the air velocity at these points was recorded. The optimal configuration of inlet position, inlet air velocity, and main threshing drum rotation speed for efficient cleaning was identified based on the ratio of points beneath the drums where the airflow speed surpassed the suspension speed of buckwheat to the points where the airflow speed was lower than the suspension speed of buckwheat. The optimal configuration for "inlet_1" was identified based on the suspension velocity of buckwheat grain, with an inlet velocity of 4 m/s and a main threshing drum speed of 450 rpm.

The quality, suitability, and readability of web-based resources on endometriosis-associated dyspareunia: A systematic review.

People commonly and increasingly rely on the internet to search for health information, including those related to endometriosis-associated dyspareunia. Yet the content of such websites may be of variable accuracy and quality. This review aims to evaluate the quality, readability, and suitability of web-based resources on endometriosis-associated dyspareunia for patients. We searched 3 databases - Google, Bing, and Yahoo - to identify websites related to endometriosis-associated dyspareunia. Two independent reviewers screened the search results against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Another set of two reviewers evaluated the selected websites using validated measurement instruments. Out of 450 websites, 21 met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated. More than half of the websites had information on content updates, reported on authorship, or disclosed sponsorship information. The mean quality and suitability scores were 47.5 (SD = 13.3) and 65.2 (SD = 13.6) respectively, thus suggesting generally adequate quality and suitability levels. However, the mean readability scores exceeded the recommended level for health-related websites. The poor readability of the websites might limit accessibility for a significant proportion of patients with low educational levels. The findings of this review have implications for designing high-quality, readable and up-to-date web interventions for people who rely on web platforms as an alternative or complementary source of health information on dyspareunia.

Low glucose metabolite 3-phosphoglycerate switches PHGDH from serine synthesis to p53 activation to control cell fate.

Glycolytic intermediary metabolites such as fructose-1,6-bisphosphate can serve as signals, controlling metabolic states beyond energy metabolism. However, whether glycolytic metabolites also play a role in controlling cell fate remains unexplored. Here, we find that low levels of glycolytic metabolite 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA) can switch phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) from cataplerosis serine synthesis to pro-apoptotic activation of p53. PHGDH is a p53-binding protein, and when unoccupied by 3-PGA interacts with the scaffold protein AXIN in complex with the kinase HIPK2, both of which are also p53-binding proteins. This leads to the formation of a multivalent p53-binding complex that allows HIPK2 to specifically phosphorylate p53-Ser46 and thereby promote apoptosis. Furthermore, we show that PHGDH mutants (R135W and V261M) that are constitutively bound to 3-PGA abolish p53 activation even under low glucose conditions, while the mutants (T57A and T78A) unable to bind 3-PGA cause constitutive p53 activation and apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, even in the presence of high glucose. In vivo, PHGDH-T57A induces apoptosis and inhibits the growth of diethylnitrosamine-induced mouse HCC, whereas PHGDH-R135W prevents apoptosis and promotes HCC growth, and knockout of Trp53 abolishes these effects above. Importantly, caloric restriction that lowers whole-body glucose levels can impede HCC growth dependent on PHGDH. Together, these results unveil a mechanism by which glucose availability autonomously controls p53 activity, providing a new paradigm of cell fate control by metabolic substrate availability.

SentiUrdu-1M: A large-scale tweet dataset for Urdu text sentiment analysis using weakly supervised learning.

Low-resource languages are gaining much-needed attention with the advent of deep learning models and pre-trained word embedding. Though spoken by more than 230 million people worldwide, Urdu is one such low-resource language that has recently gained popularity online and is attracting a lot of attention and support from the research community. One challenge faced by such resource-constrained languages is the scarcity of publicly available large-scale datasets for conducting any meaningful study. In this paper, we address this challenge by collecting the first-ever large-scale Urdu Tweet Dataset for sentiment analysis and emotion recognition. The dataset consists of a staggering number of 1, 140, 821 tweets in the Urdu language. Obviously, manual labeling of such a large number of tweets would have been tedious, error-prone, and humanly impossible; therefore, the paper also proposes a weakly supervised approach to label tweets automatically. Emoticons used within the tweets, in addition to SentiWordNet, are utilized to propose a weakly supervised labeling approach to categorize extracted tweets into positive, negative, and neutral categories. Baseline deep learning models are implemented to compute the accuracy of three labeling approaches, i.e., VADER, TextBlob, and our proposed weakly supervised approach. Unlike the weakly supervised labeling approach, the VADER and TextBlob put most tweets as neutral and show a high correlation between the two. This is largely attributed to the fact that these models do not consider emoticons for assigning polarity.

Pathway analysis of food security by employing climate change, water, and agriculture nexus in Pakistan: partial least square structural equation modeling.

Increasing population and augmented demand for food have put burden on water resources, crops, and livestock for future sustainability. Pakistan is facing difficulties of water shortage, low crops and livestock productivity, meagre livelihood, and intensive food insecurity. Hence, this study was conducted in Pakistan to explore the nexus of climate change, irrigation water, agriculture, rural livelihoods, and food security. The study is based on primary data of 1080 farmers gathered from 12 districts of the rice-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping systems. A partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to compute the nexus. Findings of path analysis indicated that climate change had a significant negative impact on irrigation water, crops, livestock, rural livelihood, and food security in both cropping systems. There was positive relationship between surface water and crops. In addition, groundwater and crops were also positively and significantly correlated. The impact of crop was positive and significant on rural livelihood and food security. Furthermore, rural livelihood and food security were positively and significantly influenced by livestock. Moreover, there was positive relationship between rural livelihood and food security. The cotton-wheat cropping system was more affected by climatic and natural hazards than rice-wheat cropping system. Interconnectivity among nexus components and their contribution to rural livelihood and food security indicate that government, policymakers, and other concerned stakeholders should effectively improve food security policies under climatic and natural hazards. Moreover, it helps in examining adverse impacts of hazards induced by climate change on nexus components, leading to the designing and adoption of sustainable climate change policies. The study's originality lies in its ability to provide a inclusive and integrated pathway of the interconnections and interdependencies among these variables, identifying key drivers of food insecurity in Pakistan. Moreover, outcome of the study has policy implications for developing sustainable policies and strategies to improve sustainable food security in the country.

Investigating the environmental externalities of digital financial inclusion and the COVID-19 pandemic: an environmental sustainability perspective.

Financial inclusion enhances economic growth by facilitating businesses and individuals to access financial resources. Financial inclusion also contributes to environmental sustainability; however, very few studies have explored the link between financial inclusion and the environment. Also, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on environmental performance remains unexplored. From this perspective, this study probes the objective of whether financial inclusion and environmental performance co-move in COVID-19 in highly polluted economies. This objective is tested with the help of 2SLS and GMM approaches. The study also gets assistance from a panel quantile regression approach for empirical tasks. The results show that financial inclusion and the COVID-19 pandemic have a negative impact on CO2 emissions. Based on these findings, the study suggests that highly polluted economies should promote financial inclusion and assimilate environmental policies with financial inclusion policies to attain environment-related goals.

Time-varying price dynamics of clean and dirty energy portfolios.

This paper investigates the dynamic relationships between four key instruments related to clean and dirty energy assets: WTI futures, United States Oil Fund (USO), EnergySelect Sector SPDR Fund (XLE), and iShares Global Clean Energy ETF (ICLN). Econometric tests confirm a long-term relationship between all variables, with causality tests showing that clean energy ETF has a causal influence on most instruments. However, the causal patterns are not definitively interpretable in an economic framework. Moreover, using wavelet-based tests on a 1-min interval transaction dataset, we further find convergence delay between WTI and XLE, and to a lesser extent, USO, but not ICLN. This suggests that clean energy has the potential to be a distinct asset class. We also identify the time scales at which arbitrage opportunities and liquidity movements occur: 32-256 and 4-8 min, respectively. These are new stylized facts about clean and dirty energy market assets and contribute to the limited literature available on high-frequency dynamics in the said markets.

Amide Functionalized Mesoporous MOF LOCOM-1 as a Stable Highly Active Basic Catalyst for Knoevenagel Condensation Reaction.

Acyl-amide is extensively used as functional group and is a superior contender for the design of MOFs with the guest accessible functional organic sites. A novel acyl-amide-containing tetracarboxylate ligand, bis(3,5-dicarboxy-pheny1)terephthalamide, has been successfully synthesized. The H4L linker has some fascinating attributes as follows: (i) four carboxylate moieties as the coordination sites confirm affluent coordination approaches to figure a diversity of structure; (ii) two acyl-amide groups as the guest interaction sites can engender guest molecules integrated into the MOF networks through H-bonding interfaces and have a possibility to act as functional organic sites for the condensation reaction. A mesoporous MOF ([Cu2(L)(H2O)3]·4DMF·6H2O) has been prepared in order to produce the amide FOS within the MOF, which will work as guest accessible sites. The prepared MOF was characterized by CHN analysis, PXRD, FTIR spectroscopy, and SEM analysis. The MOF showed superior catalytic activity for Knoevenagel condensation. The catalytic system endures a broad variety of the functional groups and presents high to modest yields of aldehydes containing electron withdrawing groups (4-chloro, 4-fluoro, 4-nitro), offering a yield > 98 in less reaction time as compared to aldehydes with electron donationg groups (4-methyl). The amide decorated MOF (LOCOM-1-) as a heterogeneous catalyst can be simply recovered by centrifugation and recycled again without a flagrant loss of its catalytic efficiency.

Towards sweetness classification of orange cultivars using short-wave NIR spectroscopy.

The global orange industry constantly faces new technical challenges to meet consumer demands for quality fruits. Instead of traditional subjective fruit quality assessment methods, the interest in the horticulture industry has increased in objective, quantitative, and non-destructive assessment methods. Oranges have a thick peel which makes their non-destructive quality assessment challenging. This paper evaluates the potential of short-wave NIR spectroscopy and direct sweetness classification approach for Pakistani cultivars of orange, i.e., Red-Blood, Mosambi, and Succari. The correlation between quality indices, i.e., Brix, titratable acidity (TA), Brix: TA and BrimA (Brix minus acids), sensory assessment of the fruit, and short-wave NIR spectra, is analysed. Mix cultivar oranges are classified as sweet, mixed, and acidic based on short-wave NIR spectra. Short-wave NIR spectral data were obtained using the industry standard F-750 fruit quality meter (310-1100 nm). Reference Brix and TA measurements were taken using standard destructive testing methods. Reference taste labels i.e., sweet, mix, and acidic, were acquired through sensory evaluation of samples. For indirect fruit classification, partial least squares regression models were developed for Brix, TA, Brix: TA, and BrimA estimation with a correlation coefficient of 0.57, 0.73, 0.66, and 0.55, respectively, on independent test data. The ensemble classifier achieved 81.03% accuracy for three classes (sweet, mixed, and acidic) classification on independent test data for direct fruit classification. A good correlation between NIR spectra and sensory assessment is observed as compared to quality indices. A direct classification approach is more suitable for a machine-learning-based orange sweetness classification using NIR spectroscopy than the estimation of quality indices.

Asymmetric macroeconomic determinants of renewable energy consumption: do financial institutions and ICT trade matter?

This study aims to examine the asymmetric impact of financial institutions and information and communication technologies (ICT) trade on renewable energy demand in BRICS economies by using the cross-sectionally augmented nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model. The asymmetric estimates of the financial institutions index confirm that a positive shock increases renewable energy consumption, and a negative shock reduces renewable energy consumption in BRICS economies. Similarly, the long-run asymmetric estimates attached to ICT trade are positively significant, confirming that a positive shock increases renewable energy consumption and a negative shock hurts renewable energy consumption. As far as country-wise estimates are concerned, the long-run asymmetric estimates of financial institutions are significant in Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa. Similarly, the asymmetric estimates attached to ICT trade are significant in Russia, China, India, and South Africa. The results are asymmetric in nature, implying that negative and positive shocks have different effects on renewable energy consumption. Therefore, policymakers should consider both negative and positive shocks in financial institutions and ICT trade while devising policies regarding environmental sustainability and renewable energy consumption.

The aldolase inhibitor aldometanib mimics glucose starvation to activate lysosomal AMPK.

The activity of 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is inversely correlated with the cellular availability of glucose. When glucose levels are low, the glycolytic enzyme aldolase is not bound to fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) and, instead, signals to activate lysosomal AMPK. Here, we show that blocking FBP binding to aldolase with the small molecule aldometanib selectively activates the lysosomal pool of AMPK and has beneficial metabolic effects in rodents. We identify aldometanib in a screen for aldolase inhibitors and show that it prevents FBP from binding to v-ATPase-associated aldolase and activates lysosomal AMPK, thereby mimicking a cellular state of glucose starvation. In male mice, aldometanib elicits an insulin-independent glucose-lowering effect, without causing hypoglycaemia. Aldometanib also alleviates fatty liver and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in obese male rodents. Moreover, aldometanib extends lifespan and healthspan in both Caenorhabditis elegans and mice. Taken together, aldometanib mimics and adopts the lysosomal AMPK activation pathway associated with glucose starvation to exert physiological roles, and might have potential as a therapeutic for metabolic disorders in humans.

Comparative effectiveness of individualized longer and standardized shorter regimens in the treatment of multidrug resistant tuberculosis in a high burden country.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of second line injectables containing shorter (duration 9-12 months) and longer treatment regimens (LTR, duration ≥ 20 months) among multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients with no documented resistance and history of treatment with any second-line anti-TB drug (SLD) for ≥ 1 month. Methods: This was an observational cohort study of MDR-TB patients treated at eight PMDT units in Pakistan. Patients' data from baseline until treatment outcomes were collected from Electronic Nominal Recording and Reporting System. The treatment outcomes of "cured" and "treatment completed" were grouped together as successful, whereas "death," "treatment failure," and "lost to follow-up" were collectively grouped as unsuccessful outcomes. Time to sputum culture conversion (SCC) was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the differences between groups were compared through the log-rank test. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards and binary logistic regression analyses were used to find predictors of time to SCC and unsuccessful treatment outcomes. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total 701 eligible MDR-TB patients [313 treated with shorter treatment regimen (STR) and 388 treated with LTR at eight centres in Pakistan were evaluated]. Time to achieve SCC was significantly shorter in STR group [mean: 2.03 months, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.79-2.26] than in LTR group (mean: 2.69 months, 95% CI: 2.35-3.03) (p-value<0.001, Log-rank test). Treatment success was higher in STR (83.7%) than in LTR (73.2%) group (p-value <0.001) due to high cure (79.9% vs. 70.9%, p-value = 0.006) and low death (9.9% vs. 18.3%, p-value = 0.002) rates with STR. Treatment with STR emerged the only predictor of early SCC [adjusted Hazards ratio (aHR) = 0.815, p-value = 0.014], whereas, patient's age of 41-60 (OR = 2.62, p-value<0.001) and >60 years (OR = 5.84, p-value<0.001), baseline body weight of 31-60 (OR = 0.36, p-value = 0.001) and >60 kg (OR = 0.23, p-value <0.001), and treatment with LTR (OR = 1.88, p-value = 0.001) had statistically significant association with unsuccessful treatment outcomes. Conclusion: STR exhibited superior anti-microbial activity against MDR-TB. When compared LTR, treatment with STR resulted in significantly early SCC, high cure, and lower death rates among MDR-TB patients who had no documented resistance and history of treatment with any SLD ≥ 1 month.

Transcriptomics for Drought Stress Mediated by Biological Processes in-relation to Key Regulated Pathways in Gossypium darwinii.

BACKGROUND: Wild cotton Gossypium darwinii, an allotetraploid harbours important traits useful for tolerating abiotic stress, i.e., drought, salt and good genetic stability, hence these characteristics can be transferred to cultivated cotton for genetic improvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we analyzed the RNA-seq transcriptomes from leaves of G. darwinii seedlings with and without drought stress. A total of 86.7 million valid reads with an average length of 95.79 bp were generated from the two samples and 58,960 transcripts with a length of more than 500 bp were assembled. We searched the known proteins on the strength of sequence similarity; these transcripts were annotated with COG, KEGG and GO functional categories. According to gene expression abundance RPKM value, we carried out RT-qPCR analysis to determine the expression pattern of the obtained transcription factors. RESULTS: A total of 58,960 genes was differentially expressed (DEG), with 32,693 and 25,919 genes found to be upregulated and downregulated, respectively. Through gene ontology and KEGG pathways, the upregulated genes were found to associate with all the GO terms, molecular functions (MF), biological process (BP) and cellular components (CC), which are highly linked to enhancing drought stress tolerance. CONCLUSION: The study provides an in-depth knowledge of regulation of pathways and genes involved in photosynthesis during drought stress in G. darwinii. These pathways and genes were found to be significantly downregulated and this information could be further utilized by cotton breeders in developing a more drought tolerant cotton germplasm.

Estimating genetic variability among diverse lentil collections through novel multivariate techniques.

Lentil is an important food legume throughout the world and Pakistan stands at 18th position with 8,610 tons production from 17,457 hectares. It is rich in protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, and minerals that can potentially meet food security and malnutrition issues, particularly in South Asia. Two hundred and twenty lentil genotypes representing Pakistan (178), Syria (14), and the USA (22) including 6 from unknown origins were studied for yield, yield contributing traits, and cooking time (CT). Genotype 6122 (Pakistan) performed the best during both years with seed yield per plant (SY) 68±1.7 g, biological yield per plant (BY) 264±2.8 g, pod size (PS) 0.61±0.01 cm, number of seeds per pod (NSP) 2, cooking time (CT) 11 minutes, with no hard seed (HS). The genotypes 6122 (Pakistan) and 6042 (Syria) produced the highest BY, hence these have the potential to be an efficient source of fodder, particularly during extreme winter months. The genotypes 5698 (Pakistan) and 6015 (USA) were late in maturity during 2018-19 while 24783 and 5561 matured early in 2019. A minimum CT of 10 minutes was taken by the genotypes 6074 and 5745 of Pakistani origin. The lowest CT saves energy, time, and resources, keeps flavor, texture, and improves protein digestibility, hence the genotypes with minimum CT are recommended for developing better lentil cultivars. Pearson correlation matrix revealed significant association among several traits, especially SY with BY, PS, and NSP which suggests their use for the future crop improvement program. The PCA revealed a considerable reduction in components for the selection of suitable genotypes with desired traits that could be utilized for future lentil breeding. Structural Equational Model (SEM) for SY based on covariance studies indicated the perfect relationship among variables. Further, hierarchical cluster analysis establishes four clusters for 2017-18, whereas seven clusters for 2018-19. Cluster 4 of 2017-18 and cluster 5 of 2018-19 exhibited the genotypes with the best performance for most of the traits (SY, BY, PS, NSP, CT, and HS). Based on heritability; HSW, SY, BY, NSP were highly heritable, hence these traits are expected for selecting genotypes with genes of interest and for future lentil cultivars. In conclusion, 10 genotypes (5664, 5687, 6084, 6062, 6122, 6058, 6087, 5689, 6042 and 6074) have been suggested to evaluate under multi-location environments for selection of the best one/s or could be utilized in hybridization in future lentil breeding programs.

Numerical Solutions of Variable Coefficient Higher-Order Partial Differential Equations Arising in Beam Models.

In this work, an efficient and robust numerical scheme is proposed to solve the variable coefficients' fourth-order partial differential equations (FOPDEs) that arise in Euler-Bernoulli beam models. When partial differential equations (PDEs) are of higher order and invoke variable coefficients, then the numerical solution is quite a tedious and challenging problem, which is our main concern in this paper. The current scheme is hybrid in nature in which the second-order finite difference is used for temporal discretization, while spatial derivatives and solutions are approximated via the Haar wavelet. Next, the integration and Haar matrices are used to convert partial differential equations (PDEs) to the system of linear equations, which can be handled easily. Besides this, we derive the theoretical result for stability via the Lax-Richtmyer criterion and verify it computationally. Moreover, we address the computational convergence rate, which is near order two. Several test problems are given to measure the accuracy of the suggested scheme. Computations validate that the present scheme works well for such problems. The calculated results are also compared with the earlier work and the exact solutions. The comparison shows that the outcomes are in good agreement with both the exact solutions and the available results in the literature.

SNP-Based Genome-Wide Association Mapping of Pollen Viability Under Heat Stress in Tropical Zea mays L. Inbred Lines.

Global environmental changes with more extreme episodes of heat waves are major threats to agricultural productivity. Heat stress in spring affects the reproductive stage of maize, resulting in tassel blast, pollen abortion, poor pollination, reduced seed set, barren ears and ultimately yield loss. As an aneamophelous crop, maize has a propensity for pollen abortion under heat stress conditions. To overcome the existing challenges of heat stress and pollen abortion, this study utilized a broad genetic base of maize germplasm to identify superior alleles to be utilized in breeding programs. A panel of 375 inbred lines was morpho-physiologically screened under normal and heat stress conditions in two locations across two consecutive planting seasons, 2017 and 2018. The exposure of pollen to high temperature showed drastic decline in pollen germination percentage. The average pollen germination percentage (PGP) at 35 and 45°C was 40.3% and 9.7%, respectively, an average decline of 30.6%. A subset of 275 inbred lines were sequenced using tunable genotyping by sequencing, resulting in 170,098 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) after filtration. Genome wide association of PGP in a subset of 122 inbred lines resulted in ten SNPs associated with PGP35°C (p ≤ 10-5), nine with PGP45°C (p ≤ 10-6-10-8) and ten SNPs associated with PGP ratio (p ≤ 10-5). No SNPs were found to be in common across PGP traits. The number of favorable alleles possessed by each inbred line for PGP35°C, PGP45°C, and the PGP ratio ranged between 4 and 10, 3-13 and 5-13, respectively. In contrast, the number of negative alleles for these traits ranged between 2 and 8, 3-13 and 3-13, respectively. Genetic mapping of yield (adjusted weight per plant, AWP-1) and flowering time (anthesis-silking interval, ASI) in 275 lines revealed five common SNPs: three shared for AWP-1 between normal and heat stress conditions, one for ASI between conditions, and one SNP, CM007648.1-86615409, was associated with both ASI and AWP-1. Variety selection can be performed based on these favorable alleles for various traits. These marker trait associations identified in the diversity panel can be utilized in breeding programs to improve heat stress tolerance in maize.

Prognostic accuracy of time to sputum culture conversion in predicting cure in extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis patients: a multicentre retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: There was a lack of information about prognostic accuracy of time to sputum culture conversion (SCC) in forecasting cure among extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) patients. Therefore, this study evaluated the prognostic accuracy of SCC at various time points in forecasting cure among XDR-TB patients. METHODS: This retrospective observational study included 355 eligible pulmonary XDR-TB patients treated at 27 centers in Pakistan between 01-05-2010 and 30-06-2017. The baseline and follow-up information of patients from treatment initiation until the end of treatment were retrieved from electronic nominal recording and reporting system. Time to SCC was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method, and differences between groups were compared through log-rank test. Predictors of time to SCC and cure were respectively evaluated by multivariate Cox proportional hazards and binary logistic regression analyses. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 226 (63.6%) and 146 (41.1%) patients respectively achieved SCC and cure. Median time to SCC was significantly shorter in patients who achieved cure, 3 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.47-3.53), than those who did not (median: 10 months, 95% CI: 5.24-14.76) (p-value < 0.001, Log-rank test). Patient's age > 40 years (hazards ratio [HR] = 0.632, p-value = 0.004), baseline sputum grading of scanty, + 1 (HR = 0.511, p-value = 0.002), + 2, + 3 (HR = 0.523, p-value = 0.001) and use of high dose isoniazid (HR = 0.463, p-value = 0.004) were significantly associated with early SCC. Only SCC at 6 month of treatment had statistically significant association with cure (odds ratio = 15.603, p-value < 0.001). In predicting cure, the sensitivities of SCC at 2, 4 and 6 months were respectively 41.8% (95%CI: 33.7-50.2), 69.9% (95%CI: 61.7-77.2) and 84.9% (95%CI: 78.1-90.3), specificities were respectively, 82.8% (95%CI: 76.9-87.6), 74.6% (95%CI: 68.2-80.4) and 69.4% (95%CI: 62.6-75.5) and prognostic accuracies were respectively 65.9% (95%CI: 60.7-70.8), 72.7% (95%CI: 67.7-77.2) and 75.8% (95%CI: 71.0-80.1). CONCLUSION: In forecasting cure, SCC at month 6 of treatment performed better than SCC at 2 and 4 months. However, it would be too long for clinicians to wait for 6 months to decide about the regimen efficacy. Therefore, with somewhat comparable prognostic accuracy to that SCC at 6 month, using SCC at 4 month of treatment as a prognostic marker in predicting cure among XDR-TB patients can decrease the clinicians waiting time to decide about the regimen efficacy.

Genetic diversity in nutritional composition of oat (Avena sativa L.) germplasm reported from Pakistan.

In the present study, 30 potential germplasm of oat (Avena sativa L.) were subjected to proximate, elemental, and HPLC analysis to provide a scientific basis to genetic diversity present among them. The extracts of the selected germplasms were also evaluated for their antioxidant potentials through DPPH and ABTS assays. Proximate analysis showed protein contents to be in the range 8.35-17.72% with the highest protein contents in the accession line 22,365 (17.72 ± 0.38%). The genotype-725 showed the highest carbohydrate, and dry matter (53.35 ± 0.01 and 93.50 ± 0.07% respectively) contents whereas, the germplasm-830 contained the highest fat (7.88 ± 0.12%) contents while the highest moisture contents were there in germplasm-22348 (11.95 ± 0.06%). The crude fiber contents (19.67 ± 0.19%) were found high in germplasm-832. The mentioned contents were also correlated to each other where a negative (-0.431*) correlation was noted for crude protein and carbohydrate while ash content to crude protein has a positive (0.38*) correlation. A positive and a negative correlation were there in Crude fats/crude protein (0.30*) and crude fats/moisture contents (-0.39*) respectively. Principal component analysis showed an Eigenvalue of 0.76 with a total variation of 85.01% when applied to proximate components. Based on cluster analysis to proximate composition all the oat germplasms were divided into 5 sub-clusters, where accession numbers 769 and 817 were found to be the most diverse genotypes. The elemental analysis confirmed the presence of magnesium (2.89-7.62 mg/L), sodium (3.71-8.03 mg/L), manganese (0.93-3.71 mg/L), copper (0.35-3.36 mg/L), iron (2.15-6.82 mg/L), zinc (1.30-3.37 mg/L), chromium (0.37-3.34 mg/L), and potassium (50.70-59.60 mg/L) in the selected germplasms. Principal component analysis for elemental composition showed the total variation of 73.75% with the Eigenvalue of 0.97. Cluster analysis on an elemental basis divided all the oat germplasms into 7 sub-clusters where accession numbers 769 and 22,350 were found to be the most diverse germplasm. Phytochemical analysis performed through HPLC resulted in the identification of nine possible compounds (malic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, quercetin, morin, ellagic acid, catechin hydrate, rutin, pyrogallol, and mandelic acid) in various germplasm of oat. A concentration-dependent antioxidant response was recorded when extracts were tested as an inhibitor of DPPH and ABTS free radicals. The results revealed that oat grains are a good source of nutrients, minerals, and phytochemicals that can be used as nutraceuticals and as food. The genetic differences revealed that this plant can be grown under varied environmental conditions.

Treatment outcomes among childhood extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis patients in Pakistan.

Treatment outcomes of childhood XDR-TB patients in Pakistan are better than in adult patients but still disappointing https://bit.ly/3rkQ9sw.