Effects of intrapopulation competition on morphological and agronomic characters of Jute plant (Corchorus olitorius L.)

The effects of population density on some agronomic traits of Corchorus olitorius were investigated by growing the seedlings in a field experiment at densities of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 plants per m2during the raining season of 2006, at the Ojo campus of Lagos State University (LASU), Nigeria. The randomized block design (RBD) was the experimental design used, with three replicates. The direct effect of competition was investigated on the following agronomic attributes; final height/plant, number of branches/plant, stem girth/plant, number of leaves/plant, total fresh weight, total dry weight, moisture content, total leaf length, leaf petiole length, leaf area, blade length and blade width. A highly significant effect (p < 0.01) of competition was observed for final plant height and total moisture content/ plant, while significant effect (p < 0.05) was observed for other attributes investigated, except for all leaf parameters where insignificant effect of competition was observed. There was a gradual decline in all attributes except height/plant as population density increased. These observations confirmed theoccurrence of intraspecific competition in population of jute plant

Bajo peso al nacer en niños nacidos a término en Antioquia y su relación con las condiciones socioeconómicas de los municipios, un análisis espacio-temporal

ABSTRACT: Low birth weight is one of the main health predictors for childhood and adulthood. It is highly prevalent in developing countries and in children from poorer social classes. Objective: To analyze the geographical distribution and the trends of full-term low birth weight in the 125Materials and methods: We conducted a longitudinal ecological study. The dependent variable was the prevalence of full-term low birth weight in 125 municipalities. The socioeconomic conditions of the municipalities were evaluated using the Human Development Index and the unsatisfied basic needs index. Results: Between 2000 and 2014, the prevalence of full-term low birth weight in Antioquia was 2.7 per 100 live births; this prevalence decreased steadily over time. This trend was also observed between regions, with the exception of the Occidente and Urabá regions, which showed increases of approximately 20.0%. The results also showed a reduction in geographical differences between the 125 municipalities, with the coefficient of variation decreasing from 20.6% to 13.72% over the 14-year period. Finally, we found a positive social gradient between the full-term low birth weight prevalence and the level of development in the municipalities. Conclusion: Full-term low birth weight prevalence decreased between 2000 and 2014, with some regions showing greater reductions than others. Paradoxically, less developed and poorer areas had a lower prevalence, which may be a result of underreporting of birth weight information in these municipalities.RESUMEN: El bajo peso al nacer es uno de los principales indicadores predictores de la salud en la infancia y la adultez, y su prevalencia es elevada en los países en desarrollo y en niños de clases sociales pobres.Objetivo. Analizar la distribución geográfica y la tendencia del bajo peso al nacer de niños nacidos a término en los 125 municipios de Antioquia, y su asociación con las condiciones socioeconómicas de los municipios entre el 2000 y el 2014. Materiales y métodos. Se hizo un estudio ecológico longitudinal. La variable dependiente fue el bajo peso al nacer a término en los 125 municipios; las condiciones socioeconómicas de los municipios se evaluaron según sus índices de desarrollo humano y de necesidades básicas insatisfechas.Resultados. La prevalencia de bajo peso al nacer a término en Antioquia fue de 2,7 por 100 nacidos vivos entre 2000 y 2014, con una reducción constante. Esta tendencia se observó en todas las subregiones, excepto en las de Occidente y Urabá, en las cuales el incremento fue de 20 %. Los resultados evidenciaron una reducción de las brechas geográficas entre los 125 municipios. Además, en todos los trienios se evidenció un gradiente social positivo en la asociación entre el bajo peso al nacer a término y las condiciones socioeconómicas de los municipios. Conclusión. Se observó una mayor tendencia decreciente del bajo peso al nacer a término en unas subregiones. Paradójicamente, se registró una menor prevalencia de bajo peso al nacer a término en las regiones menos desarrolladas y más pobres, lo que posiblemente se explica por el subregistro del peso al nacer

Serial pathologic fractures of five long bones on four separate occasions in a patient with primary hyperparathyroidism, challenges of management in a developing country: a case report

Multiple pathologic fractures secondary to parathyroid adenoma is rarely recognized and reported in the tropics. Inadequate evaluation causes worsened disability and increased psychological stress. We present a 27-year-old Nigerian male student with recurrent unexplained pathological fractures of the long bones. Primary Hyperparathyroidism was later diagnosed and he benefited from a unilateral parathyroidectomy. Primary hyperparathyroidism secondary to parathyroid adenoma is difficult to diagnose and needs a high index of suspicion. Surgery and good  postoperative biochemical control of serum calcium produce satisfying outcomesKey words: Pathologic fractures, parathyroid adenoma, Primary Hyperparathyroidism, serum calcium, surger

Constructive Relationships Between Algebraic Thickness and Normality

We study the relationship between two measures of Boolean functions; \emph{algebraic thickness} and \emph{normality}. For a function $f$, the algebraic thickness is a variant of the \emph{sparsity}, the number of nonzero coefficients in the unique GF(2) polynomial representing $f$, and the normality is the largest dimension of an affine subspace on which $f$ is constant. We show that for $0 < \epsilon<2$, any function with algebraic thickness $n^{3-\epsilon}$ is constant on some affine subspace of dimension $\Omega\left(n^{\frac{\epsilon}{2}}\right)$. Furthermore, we give an algorithm for finding such a subspace. We show that this is at most a factor of $\Theta(\sqrt{n})$ from the best guaranteed, and when restricted to the technique used, is at most a factor of $\Theta(\sqrt{\log n})$ from the best guaranteed. We also show that a concrete function, majority, has algebraic thickness $\Omega\left(2^{n^{1/6}}\right)$.Comment: Final version published in FCT'201

Dual mechanism of brain injury and novel treatment strategy in maple syrup urine disease

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an inherited disorder of branched-chain amino acid metabolism presenting with lifethreatening cerebral oedema and dysmyelination in affected individuals. Treatment requires life-long dietary restriction and monitoring of branched-chain amino acids to avoid brain injury. Despite careful management, children commonly suffer metabolic decompensation in the context of catabolic stress associated with non-specific illness. The mechanisms underlying this decompensation and brain injury are poorly understood. Using recently developed mouse models of classic and intermediate maple syrup urine disease, we assessed biochemical, behavioural and neuropathological changes that occurred during encephalopathy in these mice. Here, we show that rapid brain leucine accumulation displaces other essential amino acids resulting in neurotransmitter depletion and disruption of normal brain growth and development. A novel approach of administering norleucine to heterozygous mothers of classic maple syrup urine disease pups reduced branched-chain amino acid accumulation in milk as well as blood and brain of these pups to enhance survival. Similarly, norleucine substantially delayed encephalopathy in intermediate maple syrup urine disease mice placed on a high protein diet that mimics the catabolic stress shown to cause encephalopathy in human maple syrup urine disease. Current findings suggest two converging mechanisms of brain injury in maple syrup urine disease including: (i) neurotransmitter deficiencies and growth restriction associated with branchedchain amino acid accumulation and (ii) energy deprivation through Krebs cycle disruption associated with branched-chain ketoacid accumulation. Both classic and intermediate models appear to be useful to study the mechanism of brain injury and potential treatment strategies for maple syrup urine disease. Norleucine should be further tested as a potential treatment to prevent encephalopathy in children with maple syrup urine disease during catabolic stress

Benchmark performance of low-cost Sb2Se3 photocathodes for unassisted solar overall water splitting

Determining cost-effective semiconductors exhibiting desirable properties for commercial photoelectrochemical water splitting remains a challenge. Herein, we report a Sb2Se3 semiconductor that satisfies most requirements for an ideal high-performance photoelectrode, including a small band gap and favourable cost, optoelectronic properties, processability, and photocorrosion stability. Strong anisotropy, a major issue for Sb2Se3, is resolved by suppressing growth kinetics via close space sublimation to obtain high-quality compact thin films with favourable crystallographic orientation. The Sb2Se3 photocathode exhibits a high photocurrent density of almost 30mAcm(-2) at 0V against the reversible hydrogen electrode, the highest value so far. We demonstrate unassisted solar overall water splitting by combining the optimised Sb2Se3 photocathode with a BiVO4 photoanode, achieving a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 1.5% with stability over 10h under simulated 1 sun conditions employing a broad range of solar fluxes. Low-cost Sb2Se3 can thus be an attractive breakthrough material for commercial solar fuel production. While photoelectrochemical water splitting offers an integrated means to convert sunlight to a renewable fuel, cost-effective light-absorbers are rare. Here, authors report Sb2Se3 photocathodes for high-performance photoelectrochemical water splitting devices

The Baculovirus Uses a Captured Host Phosphatase to Induce Enhanced Locomotory Activity in Host Caterpillars

The baculovirus is a classic example of a parasite that alters the behavior or physiology of its host so that progeny transmission is maximized. Baculoviruses do this by inducing enhanced locomotory activity (ELA) that causes the host caterpillars to climb to the upper foliage of plants. We previously reported that this behavior is not induced in silkworms that are infected with a mutant baculovirus lacking its protein tyrosine phosphatase (ptp) gene, a gene likely captured from an ancestral host. Here we show that the product of the ptp gene, PTP, associates with baculovirus ORF1629 as a virion structural protein, but surprisingly phosphatase activity associated with PTP was not required for the induction of ELA. Interestingly, the ptp knockout baculovirus showed significantly reduced infectivity of larval brain tissues. Collectively, we show that the modern baculovirus uses the host-derived phosphatase to establish adequate infection for ELA as a virion-associated structural protein rather than as an enzyme

The 'At-risk mental state' for psychosis in adolescents : clinical presentation, transition and remission.

Despite increased efforts over the last decade to prospectively identify individuals at ultra-high risk of developing a psychotic illness, limited attention has been specifically directed towards adolescent populations (<18 years). In order to evaluate how those under 18 fulfilling the operationalised criteria for an At-Risk Mental State (ARMS) present and fare over time, we conducted an observational study. Participants (N = 30) generally reported a high degree of functional disability and frequent and distressing perceptual disturbance, mainly in the form of auditory hallucinations. Seventy percent (21/30) were found to fulfil the criteria for a co-morbid ICD-10 listed mental health disorder, with mood (affective; 13/30) disorders being most prevalent. Overall transition rates to psychosis were low at 24 months follow-up (2/28; 7.1 %) whilst many participants demonstrated a significant reduction in psychotic-like symptoms. The generalisation of these findings may be limited due to the small sample size and require replication in a larger sample

Bright ligand-activatable fluorescent protein for high-quality multicolor live-cell super-resolution microscopy

We introduce UnaG as a green-to-dark photoswitching fluorescent protein capable of high-quality super-resolution imaging with photon numbers equivalent to the brightest photoswitchable red protein. UnaG only fluoresces upon binding of a fluorogenic metabolite, bilirubin, enabling UV-free reversible photoswitching with easily controllable kinetics and low background under Epi illumination. The on- and off-switching rates are controlled by the concentration of the ligand and the excitation light intensity, respectively, where the dissolved oxygen also promotes the off-switching. The photo-oxidation reaction mechanism of bilirubin in UnaG suggests that the lack of ligand-protein covalent bond allows the oxidized ligand to detach from the protein, emptying the binding cavity for rebinding to a fresh ligand molecule. We demonstrate super-resolution single-molecule localization imaging of various subcellular structures genetically encoded with UnaG, which enables facile labeling and simultaneous multicolor imaging of live cells. UnaG has the promise of becoming a default protein for high-performance super-resolution imaging. Photoconvertible proteins occupy two color channels thereby limiting multicolour localisation microscopy applications. Here the authors present UnaG, a new green-to-dark photoswitching fluorescent protein for super-resolution imaging, whose activation is based on a noncovalent binding with bilirubin