Abstract Root-pathogen interactions are an important factor accelerating premature senescence of rice, however, few study have addressed the underlying interactions in rhizosphere micro-ecosystem. In this study, the OsVHA-A1 mutant rice line displayed an early senescent phenotype associated with a special rhizosphere microbiome in contrast to the wild type. Moreover, the pathogen Gibberella intermedia had been shown to sharply increase when premature senescence occured in OsVHA-A1 mutant. Using GC-MS analysis, we found the composition of root exudates from the senescent rice were different from the WT. In addition, transcriptome data revealed that G. intermedia preferred using sugars from root exudates that had been generated by fructose and mannose metabolism in the mutant. Furthermore, the OsVHA-A1 mutant would display cell death in both physiological and molecular levels when suffering from pathogenic infection by G. intermedia. However, such fungi showed a weaker virulence for infecting the WT. Finally, Bacillus and Burkholderia could be used as antagonistic bacteria that could effectively alleviate the early senescent phenotype of OsVHA-A1 mutant rice thereby improved its grain yield. Keywords: OsVHA-A1, premature senescence, microbiome, G. intermedia, GC-MS, transcriptome, sugars, virulence, cell death, antagonistic bacteria

The present work aims to provide reliable estimates of extreme discharge flows and their probability of occurrence. Such estimates are important for the assessment of the associated hydrological risk of hydraulic infrastructures, such as bridges and dams, in the design process as well as during their operations. The hydrological modeling herein developed was applied to estimate the design floods approaching the new Hintze Ribeiro bridge, in the north of Portugal. It proposes a statistical analysis of the maximum annual streamflow data by using a flood frequency analysis technique. The data series were subject to a reliability analysis and the specific modeling assumptions, required for the study, were appropriately given and tested. An extrapolation technique of the missing instantaneous discharge data was herein derived. Such technique was validated by two distinct methods. The estimations are accurate with a mean deviation of 7.2% relative to the observed data. A set of probabilistic models were considered and the models’ performance verified by the goodness-of-fit tests and Q-Q plots. The model and the parameter uncertainties were taken into account. Model uncertainties were addressed by comparing the estimated design floods through selecting the best fitting probability model (MS) with the approach that considered the distribution functions which fit well the data (MM). On the other hand, the computed flow rates were estimated with 95% of confidence to reduce the inherent parameter uncertainties. An additional accuracy assessment of the parametric approaches was performed through a comparative analysis of such design floods with the ones retrieved by application of the non-parametric Kernel density estimate (KDE). The MM approach showed a lower discrepancy (18.5%) to KDE estimates, when compared with the MS results. A sensitivity analysis of the associated hydrological risks was also undertaken.

Separation and recovery of C2H6 and C3H8 from natural gas is a potentially economical but challenging subject in the petroleum industry. In this work, we report a stable pillared-layer microporous MOF, Ni(TMBDC)(DABCO)0.5 for the separation of C2H6 and C3H8 from natural gas. Ni(TMBDC)(DABCO)0.5 remained intact structure after exposure to humid air with RH = 100% for days. Derived from the combination of dense and accessible methyl group and methylene group in the channel, Ni(TMBDC)(DABCO)0.5 exhibited strong affinity toward C3H8 and C2H6, with remarkably high capacities of 2.80 mmol/g at 1 kPa and 3.37 mmol/g at 5 kPa for C3H8, as well as 2.93 mmol/g at 10 kPa for C2H6. Its IAST selectivities of C3H8/CH4 and C2H6/CH4 reached 274 and 29, respectively. The complete separation of CH4/C2H6/C3H8 ternary mixture on breakthrough experiment demonstrated the great potential on recovery of C2H6 and C3H8 from natural gas through a Ni(TMBDC)(DABCO)0.5 packed column.

We study a coupled Navier–Stokes–Nernst–Planck–Poisson system arising from electrohydrodynamics in critical Besov-weak-Herz spaces. When the initial value sufficiently small, we prove the existence and uniqueness of global mild solution to the cauchy problem in this spaces for $n\geq3$. The spaces is larger than some other known critical spaces.

We propose a new type of generalized fractional derivatives with respect to (wrt) another function. These new generalized fractional derivatives generalize $\psi$–Caputo, Riemann–Liouville (R–L) wrt another function, Caputo Hadamard wrt another function, R–L Hadamard wrt another function, Caputo, R–L, Caputo Hadamard and R–L Hadamard fractional derivatives. We propose a newly modified Laplace transform for linear $\psi$–Katugampola fractional differential equations (FDEs). Properties of this newly generalized Laplace transform are analyzed. Cauchy problems and mass-spring damper system with $\psi$–Katugampola fractional derivative are solved analytically by means of modified Laplace transform. Finally, a new numerical method is proposed for nonlinear $\psi$–Katugampola FDEs.

In this work two-phase Stefan problem for the cylindrical heat equation is considered. One of the phase turns to zero at initial time. In this case, it is difficult to solve by radial heat polynomials because the equations are singular. The solution is represented in linear combination series of special functions Laguerre polynomial and confluent hyper-geometric function. The free boundary is given and heat flux is found. The numerical and approximate test problem is compared graphically. The undetermined coefficients are founded. The convergence of series proved.

A document by Naveed Anjum, written on Authorea.

This paper is concerned with an initial and boundary value problem of the Navier-Stokes equations for compressible viscous barotropic flow subject to large external potential forces in a half space $R^3_+$ with Navier’s boundary conditions. The global well-posedness of strongsolutions with large oscillations and vacuum is established, provided that the initial energy is suitably small and that the unique steady state is strictly away from vacuum. As a by-product,the stability of stationary solution is obtained.

In this work, we deal with the existence and uniqueness of solutions for some classes of singular integral equations with convolution in the case of non-normal type. To obtain the conditions of Noethericity, we establish the regularity theory of solvability for the equations. By means of the theory of Fourier analysis, we transform such equations into Riemann boundary value problems. The analytic solutions and the conditions of solvability are obtained in class $\{0\}$. In particular, we discuss the asymptotic property of solutions at nodes. Therefore, our work generalizes ones in Refs.[1,2,4,5,11,12,15] and improves the theories of integral equations and the classical Riemann boundary value problems.

In this study, we performed density functional theory calculations using the B3LYP, M052X, M062X, and APFD functionals to investigate substituent effects on the mechanism of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, a classical and effective method for the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. The results showed that changing the substituents on the chloroxime compounds affects the energy level of the highest occupied molecular orbital and consequently, the progress of the reaction. Finally, it provided an effective idea for this kind of reaction in the design of organic synthesis and the necessary theoretical basis for revealing the course of this reaction.

Gross primary production (GPP) is a key component of the forest carbon cycle. However, our knowledge of GPP at the stand scale remains uncertain because estimates derived from eddy covariance (EC) rely on semi-empirical modeling and the assumptions of the EC technique are sometimes not fully met. We propose using the sap flux/isotope method as an alternative way to estimate canopy GPP, termed GPPiso/SF, at the stand scale and at daily resolution. It is based on canopy conductance inferred from sap flux and intrinsic water-use efficiency estimated from the stable carbon isotope composition of phloem contents. The GPPiso/SF estimate was further corrected for seasonal variations in photosynthetic capacity and mesophyll conductance. We compared our estimate of GPPiso/SF to the GPP derived from PRELES, a model parameterised with EC data. The comparisons were performed in a highly instrumented, boreal Scots pine forest in northern Sweden, including a nitrogen fertilised and a reference plot. The resulting annual and daily GPPiso/SF estimates agreed well with PRELES, in the fertilised plot and the reference plot. We discuss the GPPiso/SF method as an alternative which can be widely applied without terrain restrictions, where the assumptions of EC are not met.

As global trade of live animals expands, there is increasing need to assess the risks of invasive organisms, including pathogens, that can accompany these translocations. The movement and release of live baitfish by recreational anglers has been identified as a particularly high-risk pathway for the spread of aquatic diseases in the United States. To provide risk-based decision support for preventing and managing disease invasions from baitfish release, we developed a hazard identification and ranking tool to identify the pathogens that pose the highest risk to wild fish via this pathway. We created a screening protocol and semi-quantitative stochastic risk ranking framework, combining published data with expert elicitation (n=25) and applied the framework to identify high-priority pathogens for the bait supply in Minnesota, USA. Normalized scores were developed for seven risk criteria (likelihood of transfer, prevalence in bait supply, likelihood of colonization, current distribution, economic impact if established, ecological impact if established, and host species) to characterize a pathogen’s ability to persist in the bait supply and cause impacts to wild fish species of concern. The generalist macroparasite Schizocotyle acheilognathi was identified as presenting highest overall threat, followed by the microsporidian Ovipleistophora ovariae, and viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus. Our findings provide risk-based decision support for managers charged with maintaining both the recreational fishing industry and sustainable, healthy natural resources. The ranking process, implemented here for a single state case study, provides a standardized conceptual framework that could be applied across jurisdictions to inform risk-based management of the live baitfish pathway.

This study investigates the application of a recently developed construct, the Uniform Trigonometrization Method (UTM), to the singular control problems in chemical engineering. The UTM involves minimal modifications to the original problem, thereby generating near-singular control solutions that can be used for conceptual design and serve as an alternate to direct techniques like nested and simultaneous approaches. Eight classical singular control problems with known analytical solutions and three complex singular control problems from chemical engineering domain are solved in this study. The results obtained using the UTM for these problems are found to match well with the literature and are of higher resolution as compared to the results obtained using a direct pseudospectral based solver. The ability of the UTM to handle complex chemical engineering problems with both singular controls and state path constraints has also been demonstrated in this study.

This research has focused on the chemical reactivity behavior of favipiravir forms and transition states of forms. These compounds are potential drugs for the Ebola virus and have shown its effectiveness for COVID-19. Geometry optimizations have been conducted by using the DFT method with the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) method in the gas phase and 4 different solvent environments. Polarized Continuum Model has been used to evaluate the solvent effect on chemical stability and its related properties. Dipole moment, polarizability, and molecular first-order hyperpolarizability of the favipiravir forms were computed for gas and solvent phase. Also, thermodynamic properties such as heat capacity, entropy, and enthalpy of the A3 form of favipiravir at different temperatures were calculated in the gas phase.

Background: Even though rituximab has emerged as the standard of care for management of high risk paediatric burkitt lymphoma(BL) its safety in children from the low-middle income countries(LMICs) remains to be proven. We herein report our experience of using rituximab in patients with BL treated in our institute. Patients and Methods: All patients diagnosed of BL between January-2015 through December-2017 were treated in a risk stratified manner with either modified MCP-842 or modified LMB protocol. Patients with poor response to MCP 842 were shifted to LMB-salvage regimen. In addition, rituximab was given for selected patients of LMB group B or C. Result: Forty-two(49.4%) of 85 analyzed patients with BL received rituximab [Median dose:1500(Range:375-1875) mg/m2]. The incidence of febrile neutropenia(p=0.02), pneumonia(p=0.005), Intensive care unit admissions(p=0.002) and toxic deaths(p=0.04) were higher amongst BL patients who received rituximab. Pneumonia was fatal in 11 of 16(69%) patients who received rituximab. The mortality was 100% for patients who developed recurrent pneumonia after completion of treatment. On multivariate analysis, rituximab continued to be significantly associated with toxic deaths, HR:11.45(95%CI: 1.87-70.07; p=0.008). The addition of rituximab to intensive chemotherapy resulted in an inferior 1-year event free survival (49.4±8.1% vs 79.3±6.5%;p=0.025) and 1-year overall survival (63.1±8.5% vs 91.8± 4.5%;p=0.007). Also, the addition of rituximab did not improve 1-year relapse free survival (78.3±7.3% vs 83.9±6.0%;p=0.817). Conclusion: The potential immunomodulatory effect of rituximab and increased susceptibility to infections in patients from LMICs being treated under resource-constrained situations has to be carefully considered while choosing this drug in the treatment BL.

Background: In this retrospective analysis, we investigate the clinical features and prognosis of 23 infant patients (< 1 year of age) diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methods: We used clinical data of 23 children diagnosed with infant ALL at the Department of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, Wuhan Children’s Hospital, between 1st January 2014 and 30th September 2019. EFS and OS rate curves were computed using the Kaplan-Meier estimator. The impact of prognostic factors on outcome was analyzed using the Cox model. Results: The median WBC was 46.14 (6.46–513) × 109/L at initial diagnosis. All 21 patients immunophenotyped by flow cytometry had B-lineage ALL. KMT2A-rearrangement was identified in 72.2% （13/18）patients. Mutation screening for 13 patients indicated 4 patients with KRAS mutations, 4 with TTN mutations, 2 with NOTCH1 mutations, 2 with PTPN11 mutations and 2 with NRAS mutations. Of 12 patients who received chemotherapy, complete remission was achieved for 83.3% patients after one course of remission induction. A total of 3 patients underwent related haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The expected 2-year overall survival (OS) rate was 55.6 ± 15.2% and the expected event free survival rate (EFS) was 44.4 ± 15.7%. Univariate analysis revealed WBC > 100 × 109/L at initial diagnosis as a risk factor for poor OS and EFS. Conclusion: Treatment of infant ALL with the standard childhood ALL regimen achieved an OS rate similar to patients with high-risk ALL, and WBC at initial diagnosis may be an important prognostic indicator.

Abstract An ongoing novel highly contagious pneumonia outbreak started in Wuhan, which is sprawling capital of central china’s province, Hubei, at the late December 2019. World Health Organization on February 12, 2020 officially named this disease as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The primary host of SARS-CoV-2 is linked with bat specie however; the intermediate host is still not clear. The COVID-19 spread rapidly across the world because of person-person transmission. The SARS-CoV-2 stimulates both the cellular and humoral immunity mediated by viral specific B and T cells. Cases of COVID-19 infection exhibit several clinical complications for example fever, tiredness and dry cough. Diagnosis are mostly depending on epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestation, and few through the examination of auxiliary tissues. In this review, we have provided a brief introduction of SARS-CoV-2, pathogenesis, diagnosis, immune responses, and treatments and future perspectives.

A document by wafaa essa, written on Authorea.

Nitrogen-fixing Nepalese alder (Alnus nepalensis D. Don.) is a fast-growing early successional species which often forms pure stands in areas affected by landslides and sometimes it occurs mixed with other species in the central Himalayas. In this study, we assessed the distribution of ecosystem carbon storage in plants and soil in a chronosequence of A. nepalensis forest stands in central Himalaya. We examined six forest stands: (1) A. nepalensis-early regeneration (AER) forest, (2) A. nepalensis-late regeneration (ALR) forest, (3) A. nepalensis- mature oak mixed (AMOM) forest, (4) A. nepalensis- mix with rhododendron (AMR) forest, (5) A. nepalensis –mix with old oak (AMOO) forest and (6) A. nepalensis-planted by the forest department in the degraded forest (APDF). The ecosystem C stock increased with an increase in stand total basal area (TBA). C storage in A. nepalensis tree biomass in different stand AER, APDF, ALR, AMOM, and AMR, AMOO, was 8.97, 51.41, 16.07, 53.74, 144.77, and 101.14 Mg ha-1, respectively. Soil organic C (SOC) in different soil depths in successional stages AER (0-10 cm), APDF (0-30 cm), ALR (0-100 cm), AMOM (0-100 cm), AMR (0-100 cm), and AMOO (0-100 cm) was 3.31, 31.21, 75.47, 157.04, 159.43 and 210.13 Mg ha-1, respectively, with decrease in SOC concentration with increasing soil depth. The ecosystem C storage averaged 15.85, 183, 216.26, 390.32, 403.66, and 500.08 Mg ha-1 in AER, APDF, ALR, AMOM, AMR, and AMOO sites, respectively. Overall, in A. nepalensis forest development markedly ameliorated both vegetation and soil succession in central Himalaya.

Population and conservation genetics seek to understand how adaptive diversity is shaped by the interweaving forces of molecular evolution in small and endangered populations. On the one hand, selection shapes variation, on the other hand, genetic drift impedes the selection by stochastic changes of allele frequencies. Drift is hypothesised to prevail if the population size is small. However, in practice empirical estimates of the population size are often challenging. Here we used island size as a proxy to population size to reveal the evolutionary constraints of molecular diversity in Toll-like receptors (TLRs) of mockingbirds (genus Mimus) inhabiting Galápagos islands. TLRs are crucial for pathogen recognition by host immunity and thus under various selection constraints. We focused on the interaction of drift and selection in TLR1B, TLR4, and TLR15 across 12 size-variable insular populations and compared them with the mainland population of the northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), aiming to test if population size impacts selection efficiency. Nucleotide diversity positively correlated with the island size indicating an increasing effect of genetic drift in small populations. Despite this pattern, functional TLR properties were largely conserved, presumably due to purifying selection opposing drift independently on the island size. The degree of protein conservatism differed between the loci with TLR15 being the least conserved. Island colonisation did not lead to relaxed selection or to local adaptations. Together with the invariable physicochemical properties of the TLR variants, these observations imply that drift did not outweigh purifying selection despite restricted population size.

High temperatures (HTs) during the crop reproductive stage impact seed yield and quality. The changing climate will require consideration of the effects of repeated HT events following evidence for non-additive effects due to beneficial stress memory or amplification of individual event effects. Maturing seeds of the sulfur (S)-demanding crop, oilseed rape, were exposed to several HT sequences that varied in intensity, duration and frequency at the onset of seed maturation. The effects of these sequences in combination with two contrasting S supplies are reported. The results indicated that (i) as the number of HT days in a sequence increased, fatty acid (FA) concentrations decreased, the proportion of unsaturated FAs decreased, seed membranes were damaged, desiccation tolerance was lost, and dormancy increased, regardless of event intensity and (ii) a mild stress event prior to heat peaks had a priming effect on desiccation tolerance and the phytohormones involved in HT-induced thermoinhibition. Low S nutrition amplified or alleviated the effects of the HT sequences due the requirement for S in enhancing seed storage synthesis or inducing stress memory-associated mechanisms. This work provides insights to define thermopriming protocols in relation to the timing of quality building processes and their respective optimal temperature.

Oligogalacturonides (OGs) are fragments of pectin released from the plant cell wall during insect or pathogen attack. They can be perceived by the plant as damage signals, triggering local and systemic defence responses. Here, we analyse the dynamics of local and systemic responses to OG perception in tomato roots or shoots, exploring their impact across the plant and their relevance in pathogen resistance. Targeted and untargeted metabolomics and gene expression analysis in plants treated with purified OGs revealed that local responses were transient, while distal responses were stronger and more sustained. Remarkably, changes were more conspicuous in roots, even upon foliar application of the OGs. The treatments differentially activated the synthesis of defence-related hormones and secondary metabolites including flavonoids, alkaloids and lignans, some of them exclusively synthetized in roots. Finally, the biological relevance of the systemic defence responses activated upon OG perception was confirmed, as the treatment induced systemic resistance to Botrytis cinerea. Overall, this study shows the differential regulation of tomato defences upon OGs perception in roots and shoots and reveal the key role of roots in the coordination of the plant responses to damage sensing.

The problem of determining the economic order quantity has long attracted the attention of researchers, and several models have been developed to meet requirements under different circumstances at minimum cost. In the present paper, we conduct a structural content analysis of 317 selected peer-reviewed research articles that were published during the period 2001-2018 and ranked with a quartile score of Q1 by either ISI or Scopus database. By discussing the main topics of the inventory modeling literature, we provide a comprehensive view of the past research dealing with the management of deteriorating items. Here, we focus on items undergoing physical modification during the planning period, which encompasses a wide variety of products such as fresh produce, processed food, pharmaceuticals and blood products. Therefore, based on our holistic analysis, we identify new trends and we highlights crucial research opportunities to develop more comprehensive and practical models.

In this paper we apply the fractional integrals with arbitrary order depending on the fractional operators of Riemann type (ABR) and Caputo type (ABC) with kernels of Mittag Lefller in three parameters $E_{\alpha,\mu}^\gamma(\lambda,t)$ for solving the time fractional parabolic nonlinear equation. We utilize these operators with homotopy analysis method (HAM) for constructing the new scheme for generating the successive approximations. This procedure are used successfully on two examples for finding the solutions. The effectiveness and accuracy are verified by clarifying the convergence region in the $h$-curves as well as by calculating the residual error and the results were accurate. Depending on this results, this treatment can be used to find the approximate solutions to many fractional differential equations.