Organelle Transcriptomes in Plants

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The genetic diversity and geographical separation study of Oncomelania hupensis populations in mainland China using microsatellite loci

© 2016 Guan et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor

Effects of soaking duration on germination and seedling growth of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill)

The effects of soaking duration on germination and seedling growth of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill) Roma VF, UC82B and Xina varieties were investigated. The treatments consisted of three soaking durations (12, 24, 36 h) and control replicated four times in a latin square design. Results indicated significant enhancement of germination by all soaking durations except for Xina variety where 36 h treatment showed no significant difference from the control. Maximum total germination (%) was obtained under 24 h treatment for all the seed varieties. Soaking durations of 12 and 24 h enhanced growth and dry matter accumulation for both Roma VF and UC82 B. The study has demonstrated the advantages of soaking seeds in water for about 24 h prior to sowing them in the field. Key Words: Seed, tomato, soaking duration, varieties, germination, seedling, growth. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.3(1) 2004: 47-5

Biomechanical Computed Tomography analysis (BCT) for clinical assessment of osteoporosis.

The surgeon general of the USA defines osteoporosis as "a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength, predisposing to an increased risk of fracture." Measuring bone strength, Biomechanical Computed Tomography analysis (BCT), namely, finite element analysis of a patient's clinical-resolution computed tomography (CT) scan, is now available in the USA as a Medicare screening benefit for osteoporosis diagnostic testing. Helping to address under-diagnosis of osteoporosis, BCT can be applied "opportunistically" to most existing CT scans that include the spine or hip regions and were previously obtained for an unrelated medical indication. For the BCT test, no modifications are required to standard clinical CT imaging protocols. The analysis provides measurements of bone strength as well as a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-equivalent bone mineral density (BMD) T-score at the hip and a volumetric BMD of trabecular bone at the spine. Based on both the bone strength and BMD measurements, a physician can identify osteoporosis and assess fracture risk (high, increased, not increased), without needing confirmation by DXA. To help introduce BCT to clinicians and health care professionals, we describe in this review the currently available clinical implementation of the test (VirtuOst), its application for managing patients, and the underlying supporting evidence; we also discuss its main limitations and how its results can be interpreted clinically. Together, this body of evidence supports BCT as an accurate and convenient diagnostic test for osteoporosis in both sexes, particularly when used opportunistically for patients already with CT. Biomechanical Computed Tomography analysis (BCT) uses a patient's CT scan to measure both bone strength and bone mineral density at the hip or spine. Performing at least as well as DXA for both diagnosing osteoporosis and assessing fracture risk, BCT is particularly well-suited to "opportunistic" use for the patient without a recent DXA who is undergoing or has previously undergone CT testing (including hip or spine regions) for an unrelated medical condition

Antihypertensive drug class and dyslipidemia: risk association among Chinese patients with uncomplicated hypertension

Factors associated with dyslipidemia in Chinese patients with uncomplicated hypertension were investigated in 1,139 patients newly prescribed a single antihypertensive drug in the public primary healthcare setting in Hong Kong, where their fasting lipid profiles were measured 4 to 16 weeks after the first prescription. Multivariate logistic regression showed that thiazide users were more likely (OR 3.67, 95% C.I. 1.13, 11.88, p=0.030) to have adverse (> 6.2mmol/l) total cholesterol (TC) compared with drugs acting on the renin angiotensin system (RAS), but the absolute difference in mean TC between thiazide users and all patients was small ( 0.14 mmol/l), while advanced age and male gender were also associated with some aspects of dyslipidemia. Clinicians should be aware of the increased risk of dyslipidemia in these groups, but the mild dyslipidemic profile associated with thiazides should not in itself deter its use as a possible first-line antihypertensive agent among Chinese patients

Reintroducing San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) to vacant or restored lands: identifying optimal source populations and candidate foxes

Endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) currently persist as a meta- population in central California consisting of 3 core and several satellite populations. Many of these populations are small and the meta-population is highly fragmented, which increases extinction risk. Translocation is a potential strategy for increasing the number of populations. Various factors would need to be considered when selecting source populations and candidate foxes for translocation. One such factor is behavioral attributes of individual foxes, as reflected by level of boldness, particularly in response to novel resources and potential threats. We compared behavioral attributes between and within populations of kit foxes in urban and non-urban habitats, and also examined the relationship of these attributes to survival and fitness. The overall goal of this project was to identify optimal source populations and individual foxes for relocation efforts, and in particular to determine whether urban foxes could be used in such efforts

An analysis of expertise in intelligence analysis to support the design of human-centered artificial intelligence

Intelligence analysis involves unpredictable processes and decision making about complex domains where analysts rely upon expertise. Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems could support analysts as they perform analysis tasks, to enhance their expertise. However, systems must also be cognisant about how expertise is gained and designed so that this is not impinged. In this paper, we describe the results of Cognitive Task Analysis interviews with 6 experienced intelligence analysts. We capture themes, in terms of their decision making paths during an analysis task, and highlight how each theme is both influenced by expertise and an influence upon expertise. We also identify important interdependencies between themes. We propose that our findings can be used to help design Human-Centered AI (HCAI) systems for supporting intelligence analysts

SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC EVALUATION OF NIMESULIDE IMPURITY D: 4-NITRO-2- PHENOXYANILINE USING 8-HYDROXYQUINOLINE AS OXIDATIVE COUPLING REAGENT

Objective: Spectrophotometric investigation of 4-nitro-2-phenoxyaniline (4N2PA), a probable intermediate during the synthesis of anti-inflammatory drug nimesulide, both in pure form and in the presence of nimesulide has been attempted. Methods: 4N2PA on diazotization followed by coupling with 8-hydroxyquinoline produces a crimson-colored complex which changes to deep violet on diluting with ethanol. Results: The complex showed maximum absorbance at 560 nm when evaluated spectrophotometrically with a detection limit of 0.005 μg/ml and quantification range of 0.05-3.0 μg/ml. The method has been statistically evaluated with respect to the International Council for Harmonisation guidelines and found to be accurate and precise. Conclusion: Pure tablet formulations of nimesulide do not respond to the method; however, the presence of minute amounts of 4N2PA in the drug as added impurity could be spectrophotometrically analyzed. Hence, the authors suggest that the reported technique could be a marker test for detecting the presence of 4N2PA in nimesulide formulations

Borneo, fANTastique!

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