Does gastric stump cancer really differ from primary proximal gastric cancer? A multicentre, propensity score matching-used, retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Although the location of proximal cancer of the remnant stomach is the same as that of primary proximal cancer of the stomach, its clinical characteristics and prognosis are still controversial. AIM: To evaluate the clinicopathological features and prognosis factors of gastric stump cancer (GSC) and primary proximal gastric cancer (PGC). METHODS: From January, 2005 to December, 2016, 178 patients with GSC and 957 cases with PGC who received surgical treatment were enrolled. Patients in both groups underwent 1:1 propensity score matching analysis, and both clinical and pathological data were systematically collected for statistical purposes. Quality of life was evaluated by the C30 and STO22 scale between GSC-malignant (GSC following gastric cancer) and GSC-benign (GSC following benign lesions of the stomach). RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-two pairs were successfully matched after propensity score matching analysis. Of the 15 demographic and pathological variables collected, the analysis further revealed that the number of lymph nodes and positive lymph nodes were different prognostic and clinicopathological factors between PGC and GSC. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that gender, differentiation degree and tumor-node-metastasis stage were independent risk factors for patients with GSC. Gender, vascular invasion, differentiation degree, depth of infiltration, positive lymph nodes, and tumor-node-metastasis stage were independent risk factors for patients with PGC. The 5-year overall survival and cancer-specific survival of patients with GSC were significantly lower than those in the PGC group, the scores for overall quality of life in the GSC-malignant group were lower than the GSC-benign, and the differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The differences in clinicopathological characteristics between GSC and PGC were clarified, and PGC had a better prognosis than GSC.

Mechanisms of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in itch: From acute itch model establishment to the role in chronic itch in mouse.

Programmed cell death receptor/ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) blockade therapy for various cancers induces itch. However, few studies have evaluated the mechanism underlying PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor-induced itch. This study aimed to establish and evaluate a mouse model of acute itch induced by PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and to explore the role of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in chronic itch. The intradermal injection of the PD-1/PD-L1 small molecule inhibitors, or anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies in the nape of the neck in the mice elicited intense spontaneous scratches. The model was evaluated using pharmacological methods. The number of scratches was reduced by naloxone but not by antihistamines or the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel inhibitor. Moreover, the PD-1 receptor was detected in the spinal cord of the mouse models of chronic itch that exhibited acetone, diethyl ether, and water (AEW)-induced dry skin, imiquimod-induced psoriasis, and 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB)-induced allergic contact dermatitis. Intrathecal PD-L1 (1 µg, 4 times a week for 1 week) suppressed the activation of the microglia in the spinal dorsal horn to relieve the chronic itch that was elicited by imiquimod-induced psoriasis and DNFB-induced allergic contact dermatitis. Although the activation of the microglia in the spinal dorsal horn was not detected in the AEW-treated mice, intrathecal PD-L1 still reduced the number of scratches that were elicited by AEW. Our findings suggest that histamine receptor inhibitors or TRP channel inhibitors have limited effects on PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor-induced itch and that spinal PD-1 is important for the spinal activation of the microglia, which may underlie chronic itch.

Related donor platelet transfusion improves platelet transfusion refractoriness in hematological patients.

Objective: Transfusion of HLA-matched platelets can reduce the effect of alloimmune responses on platelet transfusion efficacy; however, finding HLA-matched platelets in the population is nearly impossible. Almost all HLA-matched platelets from related are half-matched, but the hemostatic efficacy of related donor platelets is unclear. Our goal was to compare the hemostatic effect of related donated platelets and unrelated donors platelets. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome patients with thrombocytopenia after chemotherapy. These patients were all transfused with platelets. This study excluded patients younger than 16 years and older than 65 years, or patients with abnormal coagulation parameters during platelet transfusion. We compared the hemostatic effect of related donated platelets and unrelated donors platelet. The primary outcome was transfusion efficacy after platelet transfusion, and the number of platelet counts and corrected count increments at 24 h after platelet transfusion. Result: We analyzed 31 patients who received platelet transfusions from related donors (Treatment group) and 35 patients who received platelet transfusions from unrelated donors (Comparator group). Except for the relatively small proportion of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome in the treatment group, baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics were similar between the two groups. Hemostasis and prevention of bleeding in the treatment group showed significant superiority; the number of platelets increased 24 h after platelet transfusion in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the comparator group. After 24 h, the corrected count increments treatment group was also higher than the comparator group; in the treatment group, the transfusion effect was better when the three sites of HLA-A, B, and C were identical, and the different blood types of platelet donors and recipients did not affect the transfusion effect. Conclusion: Related donated platelets have better hemostasis and prevention effects, and no increase in adverse blood transfusion reactions. It may be a better transfusion strategy for platelet refractoriness patients in emergency situations.

A 6G meta-device for 3D varifocal.

The sixth-generation (6G) communication technology is being developed in full swing and is expected to be faster and better than the fifth generation. The precise information transfer directivity and the concentration of signal strength are the key topics of 6G technology. We report the synthetic phase design of rotary doublet Airy beam and triplet Gaussian beam varifocal meta-devices to fully control the terahertz beam's propagation direction and coverage area. The focusing spot can be delivered to arbitrary positions in a two-dimensional plane or a three-dimensional space. The highly concentrated signal can be delivered to a specific position, and the transmission direction can be adjusted freely to enable secure, flexible, and high-directivity 6G communication systems. This technology avoids the high costs associated with extensive use of active components. 6G communication systems, wireless power transfer, zoom imaging, and remote sensing will benefit from large-scale adoption of such a technology.

Palladium (II), platinum (II) and silver (I) complexes with oxazolines: Their synthesis, characterization, DFT calculation, molecular docking and antitumour effects.

Six new Pd(II), Pt(II) and Ag(I) complexes, (1);{Pd (L1)]2C6H4}2Cl4} (2); Pt(L2)(DMSO)Cl; 3; {PtL5]2C6H4}2·PhCOO-⋅11NO3-; 4; {[Pt(L4)]2C6H4}; the binuclear cyclometalated complex the polymer chain (5); {[PtL5]C6H4}·NO3-}; and the polymeric silver species (6); Zn(L6)2·AgNO3·CHCl3 were synthesized and thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic techniques (L1=(S,S)-1,4-i-PrOx]2C6H4}2Cl4, L2=Di(2,2-bis(4R-isopropyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-2-yl)acetonitrile) zinc (II) (BR1);L3= 1,4-bis(4R-benzyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-2-yl)benzene (AR2); L4= 1,4-bis(4R-benzyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-2-yl)benzene，L5=1,4-bis(4R-benzyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-2-yl)-benzene，L6=Di(2,2-bis(4S-isopropyl-4,5-dihydrooxazol-2-yl)acetonitrile) zinc (II). Complexes 1-6 showed cytotoxic effects against human tumour cell lines, including a multidrug-resistant subline. Oxazoline and Pd complex 1 induced apoptosis in A549 cells. DFT calculations were also performed to exhibit the excellent bioactivity of complex 1 against A549, MDA-MB-231, and KB cells. Complex 1, with the best docking score and a stable interaction network within the binding site of the G-quadruplex, could stably interact with the G-quadruplex. Additionally, complex 1 was further used in the animal experiment of human lung adenocarcinoma cells in nude mice. By comparing with the model control group, the tumour volume, relative tumour volume and relative tumour proliferation rate T/C decreased significantly in the cisplatin group and compound 1 (complex 1) group.

One-step templated synthesis of chiral organometallic salicyloxazoline complexes.

BACKGROUND: The general approach to the synthesis of metal complexes begins with ligand synthesis, followed by ligand reaction with metal salts to afford organometallic complexes. Our research group first reported a one-pot multicomponent synthesis of chiral oxazolinyl-zinc complexes, in the presence of a large amount of ZnCl2 (0.4-2.6 equiv.), with the yields of some products reaching 90%. RESULTS: Our prior strategy was extended to use copper, cobalt, nickel, manganese, palladium or platinum salts as the third component. The one-step method used 1.0 equivalent of a metal salt, such as M(OAc)2·nH2O or MCl2·nH2O (M: Cu, Co, Ni, Pd or Pt, n = 1, 2 or 4), as a reagent to generate chiral salicyloxazoline complexes 1-8 in the reaction of 2-cyanophenol with different d- and l-amino alcohols. CONCLUSION: Complexes 1-8 were obtained using a one-pot method with a sequential strategy. The reaction outcome was demonstrated for three-component reactions between metal salts, amino alcohols and 2-hydroxybenzonitrile to afford organometallic complexes in good yields (65-95%).

Correction to: One-step templated synthesis of chiral organometallic salicyloxazoline complexes.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13065-019-0565-z.].

One-step multicomponent synthesis of chiral oxazolinyl-zinc complexes.

BACKGROUND: Typically, oxazolinyl metal complexes are synthesized in two steps, where the free ligand is prepared by the condensation reaction between a functionalized nitrile and an amino alcohol in the presence of a Lewis or Brønsted acid catalyst, followed by a further reaction with metal salts to obtain the corresponding metal complexes. Very often, the yield afforded by the two-step procedure is not high, and very few oxazolinyl zinc complexes have been prepared by this route. Given that metal-oxazoline complexes often contain Lewis acidic metals, it is conceivable that the two steps may be telescoped. RESULTS: A series of novel chiral organozinc complexes 1-15 were assembled in a single step, All crystalline compounds were fully characterized, including the report of 15 X-ray crystal structures, including a wide structural diversity. CONCLUSIONS: A series of novel chiral organozinc complexes were assembled in a single step, from nitriles, chiral D/L amino alcohols, and a stoichiometric amount of ZnCl2, with moderate to high yields (20-90%).

Rheological properties of a polysaccharide from floral mushrooms cultivated in Huangshan Mountain.

A polysaccharide fraction (FMPS) was isolated from floral mushrooms cultivated in Huangshan Mountain, and the rheological properties of FMPS in aqueous solutions were investigated. The FMPS solution showed shear-thinning behavior at 25°C. Dynamic viscoelastic tests revealed that G' and G″ exhibited strong dependences on the concentration and temperature. The FMPS/water system exhibited sol and weak gel behavior with the change of concentration and temperature. The exponent n of G'∼ω(n) and tan δ also exhibited strong dependences on the concentration and temperature. The gel point (cgel) of FMPS solution was 1.16×10(-2)g/mL at 15°C, and the Tgel of 1.4×10(-2)g/mL FMPS solution was 20.6°C. Dynamic frequency sweep measurements indicated that the FMPS gel system was stable in the selected range of frequency. The heating-cooling process proved that the sol-gel transition of FMPS in aqueous solutions was thermally reversible.

[Quantitative Identification of Yellow Rust and Powdery Mildew in Winter Wheat Based on Wavelet Feature].

Powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis) and stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. Tritici) are two of the most prevalent and serious winter wheat diseases in the field, which caused heavy yield loss of winter wheat all over the world. It is necessary to quantitatively identify different diseases for spraying specific fungicides. This study examined the potential of quantitative distinction of powdery mildew and yellow rust by using hyperspectral data with continuous wavelet transform at canopy level. Spectral normalization was processing prior to other data analysis, given the differences of the groups in cultivars and soil environment. Then, continuous wavelet features were extracted from normalized spectral bands using continuous wavelet transform. Correlation analysis and independent t-test were used conjunctively to obtain sensitive spectral bands and continuous wavelet features of 350～1 300 nm, and then, principal component analysis was done to eliminate the redundancy of the spectral features. After that, Fisher linear discriminant models of powdery mildew, stripe rust and normal sample were built based on the principal components of SBs, WFs, and the combination of SBs & WFs, respectively. Finally, the methods of leave-one-out and 55 samples which have no share in model building were used to validate the models. The accuracies of classification were analyzed, it was indicated that the overall accuracies with 92.7% and 90.4% of the models based on WFs, were superior to those of SFs with 65.5% and 61.5%; However, the classification accuracies of Fisher 80-55 were higher but no different than leave-one-out cross validation model, which was possibly related to randomness of training samples selection. The overall accuracies with 94.6% and 91.1% of the models based on SBs & WFs were the highest; The producer' accuracies of powdery mildew and healthy samples based on SBs & WFs were improved more than 10% than those of WFs in Fisher 80-55. Focusing on the discriminant accuracy of different disease, yellow rust can be discriminated in the model based on both WFs and SBs & WFs with higher accuracy; the user' accuracy and producer' accuracy were all up to 100%. The results show great potential of continuous wavelet features in discriminating different disease stresses, and provide theoretical basis for crop disease identification in wide range using remote sensing image.

[Comparative Research on Estimating the Severity of Yellow Rust in Winter Wheat].

In order to improve the accuracy of wheat yellow rust disease severity using remote sensing and to find the optimum inversion model of wheat diseases, the canopy reflectance and disease index (DI) of winter wheat under different severity stripe rust were acquired. The three models of PLS (Partial Least Square), BP neural network using seven hyperspectral vegetation indices which have significant relationship with the occurrence of disease and vegetation index (PRI) were adopted to build a feasible regression model for detecting the disease severity. The results showed that PLS performed much better. The inversion accuracy of PLS method is best than of the VI (PRI, Photochemical Reflectance Index) and BP neural network models. The coefficients of determination (R2) of three methods to estimate disease severity between predicted and measured values are 0.936, 0.918 and 0.767 respectively. Evaluation was made between the estimated DI and the measured DI, indicating that the model based on PLS is suitable for monitoring wheat disease. In addition, to explore the different contributions of diverse types of vegetation index to the models, the paper attempts to use NDVI, GNDVI and MSR which on behalf of vegetation greenness and NDWI and MSI that represents the moisture content to be input variables of PLS model. The results showed that, for the wheat yellow rust disease, changes in chlorophyll content is more sensitive to the disease severity than the changes in water content of the canopy. However, the accuracy of the two models are both lower than predicted when participating in all seven vegetation indices, namely using several species of vegetation indices tends to be more accurate than that using single category. It indicated that it has great potential for evaluating wheat disease severity by using hyper-spectral remote sensing.

[Relationship between Chemotactic Factor CCL5 and Diabet-associated Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether the chemotactic factor CCL5 is the major factor of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) induced by diabetes or not. METHODS: The normal human B cells and DLBCL cells were cultured in vitro; the RT-PCR was used to detect their CCL5 mRNA expression, the human DLBCL cell line and mouse-derived DLBCL cell line A20 were cultured in vitro by using glucose at 5 and 30 mmol/L, respectively, then their CCL5 mRNA expression was detected by PT-PCR; the diabetic mouse model was constructed through peritoneal injection of streptozotocin at low dose in the BALB/c mice; the cell lines with stably high and low expression of CCL5 were established via lentiviral transfection and the cell lines with low and high expression of CCL5 were subcutaneously injected into diabetic mice and mice with normal blood sugar level. According to blood sugar level, the experimental mice were divided into 2 groups: diabetic group (A group) and normal blood sugar group as control (B group); then according to CCL5 expression level, the A group and B group were divided as well into high expression group (A1 group and B1 group) and low expression group (A2 group and B2 group), respectively, the tumor-formation rate, tumor-formation time, tumor size and texture were analyzed, respectively; the CCL5 expression was detected by using HE staining of tumor tissue and immunohistochemical method. RESULTS: The expression of CCL5 mRNA in human DLBCL cell line cultured in vitro was higher than that in normal B cells (P < 0.05); the expressions of CCL5 mRNA in human DLBCL cells cultured in high sugar concentration in vitro and mouse DLBCL cells were higher than those in cells cultured in low sugar concentration (P < 0.05). The tumor-formation rates in diabetic mice injected with high and low expression of CCL5 cell line A20 were 93.3% in A1 group and 60% in A2 group; the their tumor-formation time was 7.0 ± 0.85 days in A1 group and 9.5 ± 2.8 days in A2 group, while the tumor formation rates in mice with normal blood sugar level were 20% in B1 group and 20% in B2 group, and their tumor-formation time was 12 ± 1.3 days and 14 ± 2.5 days respectively; the CCL5 expression level in tumor tissue of diabetic mice was higher than that in tumor tissue of mice with normal blood sugar level. CONCLUSION: The high blood glucose level can casase increase of DLBCL risk and promote the tumor growth; the chemotactic factor CCL5 may play an important role in the growth and migration of DLBCL caused by diabetes mellitus.

Physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of polysaccharide from floral mushroom cultivated in Huangshan Mountain.

In this paper, a polysaccharide fraction (FMPS) was purified from the floral mushroom cultivated in Huangshan Mountain for the first time. Physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of FMPS were investigated. FMPS had an average molecular weight of 7.2×10(5)Da and was composed of glucose. On the basis of FT-IR, NMR and methylation analysis, the repeating unit of FMPS was established as (1→3)-linked ß-d-glucopyranosyl backbone with 1-linked ß-d-glucopyranosyl branches substituted at O-6 position of (1→3)-linked ß-d-glucopyranosyl residues. The advanced structure studies indicated that FMPS was a triple-helical polysaccharide. The main hydrodynamic radius (Rh) of FMPS was 23.4nm and it could form a stable system with water in 1.2×10(-2)g/mL solutions. In addition, FMPS exhibited high DPPH radical scavenging activities (79.46% at 5mg/mL) and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities (74.18% at 5mg/mL), as well as Fe(2+)chelating activities and ABTS radical scavenging activities to some extent.

Tetrakis[µ3-2-(piperidin-1-yl)ethanolato]tetrakis[chloridocopper(II)].

In the title tetra-nuclear compound, [Cu4(C7H14NO)4Cl4], each Cu(II) cation is N,O-chelated by a piperidineethanolate anion and coordinated by a Cl(-) anion and two O atoms from neighboring piperidine-ethano-late anions in a distorted NO3Cl square-pyramidal geometry. The deprotonated hydroxyl groups of the piperidineethanolate anions bridge Cu(II) cations, forming the tetra-nuclear complex. All piperidine rings display a chair conformation. In the crystal, there are no significant inter-molecular inter-actions present. The crystal studied was an inversion twin refined with a minor component of 0.18 (5).

Tetra-µ-acetato-κ(8) O:O'-bis-[(pyridine-2-carbo-nitrile-κN (1))copper(II)].

The title binuclear compound, [Cu2(CH3COO)4(C6H4N2)2], lies about an inversion center, with the Cu(II) cation bridged by four acetate anions and coordinated by a pyridine N atom in a distorted square-pyramidal geometry. The Cu⋯Cu distance is 2.5997 (15) Å. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by weak C-H⋯O and C-H⋯N hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional supra-molecular architecture. The crystal studied was a non-merohedral twin with a minor twin component of 4.1 (1)%.

[New vegetation index fusing visible-infrared and shortwave infrared spectral feature for winter wheat LAI retrieval].

Considering the great relationships between shortwave infrared (SWIR) and leaf area index (LAI), innovative indices based on water vegetation indices and visible-infrared vegetation indices were presented. In the present work, PROSAIL model was used to study the saturation sensitivity of new vegetation indices to LAI. The estimate models about LAI of winter wheat were built on the basis of the experiment data in 2009 acting as train sample and their precisions were evaluated and tested on the basis of the experiment data in 2008. Ten visible-infrared vegetation indices and five water vegetation indices were used to construct new indices. The result showed that newly developed indices have significant relationships with LAI by numerical simulations and in-situ measurements. In particular, by implementing modified standardized LAI Determining Index (sLAIDI *), all new indices were neither sensitive to water variations nor affected by saturation at high LAI levels. The evaluation models could improve prediction accuracy and have well reliability for LAI retrieval. The result indicated that visible-infrared vegetation indices combined with water index have greater advantage for LAI estimation.

Characteristic gene expression profiles in the progression from normal gastric epithelial cells to moderate gastric epithelial dysplasia and to gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer ranks high among the most common causes of cancer-related death worldwide. This study was designed to explore key genes involved in the progression of normal gastric epithelial cells to moderate gastric epithelial dysplasia (mGED) and to gastric cancer. METHODS: Twelve pairs of mGED tissues, gastric cancer tissues, and normal gastric tissues were collected by gastroscopy. Total RNA was then extracted and purified. After the addition of fluorescent tags, hybridization was carried out on a Gene chip microarray slide. Significance analysis of microarrays was performed to determine significant differences in gene expression between the different tissue types. RESULTS: Microarray data analysis revealed totally 34 genes that were expressed differently: 18 highly expressed (fold change > 2; P < 0.01) and 16 down-regulated (fold change > 2; P < 0.01). Of the 34 genes, 24 belonged to several different functional categories such as structural molecule activity, extracellular regions, structural formation, cell death, biological adhesion, developmental processes, locomotion, and biological regulation that were associated with cancer. The remaining 10 genes were not involved in cancer research. Of these genes, the expression levels of Matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP12), Caspase-associated recruitment domain 14 (CARD14), and Chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1) were confirmed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. A two-way clustering algorithm divided the 36 samples into three categories and the overall correct classification efficiency was 80.6% (29/36). Almost all of these genes (31/34) showed constant changes in the process of normal gastric epithelial cells to mGED to gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provided global gene expression profiles during the development and progression from normal gastric epithelial cells to mGED to gastric cancer. These data may provide new insights into the molecular pathology of gastric cancer which may be useful for the detection, diagnosis, and treatment.

[Exploration of newly-formed ferric as the coagulant].

A new coagulant was synthesized by oxidizing Fe(II) with H2O2 instantaneously. Key parameters in the preparation of the coagulant including aging time, acid volume, and n(H2O2 )/n(Fe) were investigated through jar tests. The optimized coagulant was then compared with Fe2 (SO4)3 and PFS (poly-ferric sulphate) in residual turbidity, UV254, Zeta potential to evaluate its coagulation efficiency and infer the reaction mechanism. Aging time has a little effect on coagulation efficiency. The optimized acid concentration was 0.1 mol x L(-1). Coagulation efficiency increased with n(H2O2)/n (Fe). 0.55 is the most economical and efficient molar ratio. The removal efficiency of turbidity of the newly-formed ferric is similar to Fe2 (SO4)3 or PFS. The removal efficiency of UV254 by newly-formed ferric is higher than that by Fe2 (SO4)3 by 20%-44%. The Zeta potential of supernatant after being treated by newly-formed ferric gradually increased to 0 mV with the increasing coagulant dosage, indicating a strong effect of charge neutralization. The newly-formed ferric is a promising new coagulant with an extremely short aging time, a simple synthesis process, a lower cost than Fe2 (SO4)3 or PFS by more than 50%, and a high removal efficiency of UV254 absorbance.

[Investigation of the hyperspectral image characteristics of wheat leaves under different stress].

The diagnosis of growing status and vigor of crops under various stresses is an important step in precision agriculture. Hyperspectral imaging technology has the advantage of providing both spectral and spatial information simultaneously, and has become a research hot spot. In the present study, auto-development of the pushbroom imaging spectrometer (PIS) was utilized to collect hyperspectral images of wheat leaves which suffer from shortage of nutrient, pest and disease stress. The hyperspectral cube was processed by the method of pixel average step by step to highlight the spectral characteristics, which facilitate the analysis based on the differences of leaves reflectance. The results showed that the hyperspectra of leaves from different layers can display nutrient differences, and recognize intuitively different stress extent by imaging figures. With the 2 nanometer spectral resolution and millimeter level spatial resolution of PIS, the number of disease spot can be qualitatively calculated when crop is infected with diseases, and, the area of plant disease could also be quantitatively analyzed; when crop suffered from pest and insect, the spectral information of leaves with single aphid and aphids can be detected by PIS, which provides a new means to quantitatively detect the aphid destroying of wheat leaf. The present study demonstrated that hyperspecral imaging has a great potential in quantitative and qualitative analysis of crop growth.