OBSERVATIONS ON THE OLEANDER SCALE, ASPIDIOTUS NERII BOUCHÉ (HEMIPTERA: DIASPIDIDAE) AND ITS NATURAL ENEMIES ON BLUELEAF WATTLE IN ADANA PROVINCE, TURKEY

OBSERVATIONS ON THE OLEANDER SCALE, ASPIDIOTUS NERII BOUCHÉ (HEMIPTERA: DIASPIDIDAE) AND ITS NATURAL ENEMIES ON BLUELEAF WATTLE IN ADANA PROVINCE, TURKEY. The biology of Aspidiotus nerii Bouché and the overall efficiency of its natural enemies (the aphelinid parasitoid Aphytus melinus DeBach and the coccinellid predators Chilocorus bipustulatus (L.) and Rhyzobius lophantae (Blaisdell)) were studied. Forty leaves were collected at weekly intervals from 5 blueleaf wattle trees (Acacia saligna) from four compass bearings; all live and dead A. nerii and the number and stage of all parasitised scales were counted. There were two population peaks of A. nerii per year, in May/June and July/August. The number of parasitoids, however, fluctuated considerably, especially during the autumn and winter. The scale stage parasitised was primarily the adult female, followed by the pupae and then a few 2nd- instar nymphs. First-instar nymphs were never attacked by parasitoids but predators fed on all stages. Key words: Acacia cyanophylla, damage, aspect, population density, mortality, shelter, wind breaks

Autoantibodies against type I IFNs in patients with life-threatening COVID-19

Interindividual clinical variability in the course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is vast. We report that at least 101 of 987 patients with life-threatening coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia had neutralizing immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies (auto-Abs) against interferon-w (IFN-w) (13 patients), against the 13 types of IFN-a (36), or against both (52) at the onset of critical disease; a few also had auto-Abs against the other three type I IFNs. The auto-Abs neutralize the ability of the corresponding type I IFNs to block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. These auto-Abs were not found in 663 individuals with asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection and were present in only 4 of 1227 healthy individuals. Patients with auto-Abs were aged 25 to 87 years and 95 of the 101 were men. A B cell autoimmune phenocopy of inborn errors of type I IFN immunity accounts for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in at least 2.6% of women and 12.5% of men

Classification of poplar trees with object-based ensemble learning algorithms using Sentinel-2A imagery

The poplar species in the forest ecosystems are one of the most valuable and beneficial species for the society and environment. Conventional methods require high cost, time and labor need, and the results obtained vary and are insu˚cient in terms of achieved accuracy level. Determination of poplar cultivated fields and mapping of their spatial sites play a vital role for decision-makers and planners to enhance the economic and ecological value of poplar trees. The study aims to map Poplar (P. deltoides) cultivated areas in Akyazi district of Sakarya, Turkey province using various combinations of the Sentinel-2A image bands. For this purpose, object-based classification based on multi-resolution segmentation algorithm was utilized to produce image objects and ensemble learning algorithms, namely, Adaboost (AdaB), Random Forest (RF), Rotation Forest (RotFor) and Canonical correlation forest (CCF) were applied to produce thematic maps. In order to analyze the effects of the spectral bands of the Sentinel-2A image on the object-based classification performance, three datasets consisting of different spectral band combinations (i.e. four 10 m bands, six 20 m bands and ten 10m pan-sharpened bands) were used. The results showed that the RotFor and CCF classifiers produced superior classification performances compared to the AdaB and RF classifiers for the band combinations regarded in this study. Moreover, it was found that determination of poplar tree class level accuracy reached to ~94% in terms of F-score. It was also observed that the inclusion of the six spectral bands at 20 m resolution resulted in a noteworthy increase in classification accuracy (up to 6%) compared to single 10m band combination

Novel non-synonymous polymorphisms in the COX-1 gene in Turkish pediatric patients with cardiovascular anomalies

Variation in the gene encoding cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) is involved in the process of aspirin resistance. This study investigated the genetic variations in the COX-1 gene. The 4 coding regions of the human COX-1 gene in 90 pediatric patients (median age of 6.5 months, 55% males) with cardiovascular anomalies were screened using DNA sequencing. Twenty coding-region variants causing amino acid substitutions as well as 2 new non-synonymous polymorphisms were identified. All variants were compared with an independent Caucasian population (N = 24 unrelated individuals). Most of the discovered polymorphisms were rare, although some variants resulted in amino acid changes occurring at a frequency >5% (W8R, P17L, Q41Q, Q240Q, D189E, and P188P). In addition, 2 new non-synonymous polymorphisms (F200L and D189E) were identified. These findings demonstrated novel genetic variants of the human COX-1 gene. Future studies characterizing the functional impact of these variants are warranted

The role of knowledge and perceived susceptibility in intentions to optimize fertility: findings from the International Fertility Decision-Making Study (IFDMS)

STUDY QUESTION What is the role of knowledge, perceived vulnerability and level of risk of infertility in women's intentions to take action to improve their chance of becoming pregnant (i.e. by seeking medical and/or non-medical help and making lifestyle changes)? SUMMARY ANSWER Women younger than age 35 were more likely to intend to take measures to improve their chance of conceiving when they were knowledgeable about fertility and felt susceptible to infertility; however, there was no such association in older women. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY The majority of young adults wish to become parents but many are jeopardizing their chances by engaging in behaviours that decrease fertility (e.g. smoking, not seeking timely medical advice when faced with problems conceiving). Research is needed to establish what motivates people to take steps to optimize their chances of pregnancy. The Health Belief Model (HBM) postulates that knowledge and beliefs about susceptibility to infertility are critical in whether people will engage in fertility-optimizing behaviours. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE AND DURATION This cross-sectional survey included 1345 childless women (trying to conceive and having never engaged in fertility medical treatment) from the International Fertility Decision-Making Study (IFDMS). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Infertility risk factors were determined using the FertiSTAT. The Cardiff Fertility Knowledge Scale (CFKS) assessed fertility knowledge. Perceived susceptibility was defined as whether a fertility problem was suspected. The outcome measure was intentions to optimize one's fertility by making lifestyle changes and/or seeking help. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE In this study, 75.5% of women had an infertility risk factor and 60.3% suspected a fertility problem. The average correct score on the CFKS was 51.9%. Intentions to optimize fertility were lower among women who were heavy smokers (P < 0.05) and who had been trying to conceive for a year or over (P < 0.01), while intentions to optimize fertility were greater among those with a higher body mass index or greater knowledge and those who suspected a fertility problem (all P < 0.001). These overall effects were qualified in some subgroups. Heavy smokers were more likely to intend to seek medical help when they had greater knowledge (P < 0.001) and women having difficulty conceiving were more likely to intend to seek medical help if they felt susceptible to infertility (P < 0.001). Heavy smokers who were knowledgeable intended to change their lifestyle only when they felt they had a fertility problem (P < 0.01). Intentions to change were not dependent on knowledge and perceived susceptibility in older women. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The data were cross-sectional and thus we cannot infer causality. The results may have been affected by the sample profile, which was biased towards high levels of perceived susceptibility and low levels of knowledge. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS To maximize impact, educational campaigns should take into account the presence and type of infertility risk factors in the target audience