Multi-locus genome-wide association studies reveal novel alleles for flowering time under vernalisation and extended photoperiod in a barley MAGIC population

Optimal flowering time has a major impact on grain yield in crop species, including the globally important temperate cereal crop barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Understanding the genetics of flowering is a key avenue to enhancing yield potential. Although bi-parental populations were used intensively to map genes controlling flowering, their lack of genetic diversity requires additional work to obtain desired gene combinations in the selected lines, especially when the two parental cultivars did not carry the genes. Multi-parent mapping populations, which use a combination of four or eight parental cultivars, have higher genetic and phenotypic diversity and can provide novel genetic combinations that cannot be achieved using bi-parental populations. This study uses a Multi-parent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) population from four commercial barley cultivars to identify genes controlling flowering time in different environmental conditions. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed using 5,112 high-quality markers from Diversity Arrays Technology sequencing (DArT-seq), and Kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) genetic markers were developed. Phenotypic data were collected from fifteen different field trials for three consecutive years. Planting was conducted at various sowing times, and plants were grown with/without additional vernalisation and extended photoperiod treatments. This study detected fourteen stable regions associated with flowering time across multiple environments. GWAS combined with pangenome data highlighted the role of CEN gene in flowering and enabled the prediction of different CEN alleles from parental lines. As the founder lines of the multi-parental population are elite germplasm, the favourable alleles identified in this study are directly relevant to breeding, increasing the efficiency of subsequent breeding strategies and offering better grain yield and adaptation to growing conditions

Antiulcer, wound healing and hepatoprotective activities of the seaweeds Gracilaria crassa, Turbinaria ornata and Laurencia papillosa from the southeast coast of India

Seaweeds have bioactive compounds of interest in the pharmaceutical industry. In India, seaweeds are used exclusively for phycocolloids production and have not yet received consideration as a dietary supplement. So, it has become imperative to explore the biomedical potential of seaweeds and promote their utilization as a functional food. The seaweeds Turbinaria ornata, Gracillaria crassa and Laurencia papillosa, collected from the Tuticorin coast of the Southeast coast of India and selected based on preliminary screening, were extracted with acetone and evaluated for antiulcer, wound healing and hepatoprotective activities. L. papillosa showed the highest level of gastric protection activity (81%) at 200 mg/kg, comparable to the standard drug ranitidine (90%). G. crassa followed with 76%. G. crassa and L. papillosa, showed marked wound-healing activity. G. crassa at 200 mg/kg, showed a marked effect on the serum marker enzymes indicating prominent hepatoprotective activity. The noteworthy wound-healing and hepato-protective properties of G. crassa besides anti-ulcer activity next to L. papillosa were indicative of its potential for further consideration

Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality and life expectancy, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

BACKGROUND: Assessments of age-specific mortality and life expectancy have been done by the UN Population Division, Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNPOP), the United States Census Bureau, WHO, and as part of previous iterations of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). Previous iterations of the GBD used population estimates from UNPOP, which were not derived in a way that was internally consistent with the estimates of the numbers of deaths in the GBD. The present iteration of the GBD, GBD 2017, improves on previous assessments and provides timely estimates of the mortality experience of populations globally. METHODS: The GBD uses all available data to produce estimates of mortality rates between 1950 and 2017 for 23 age groups, both sexes, and 918 locations, including 195 countries and territories and subnational locations for 16 countries. Data used include vital registration systems, sample registration systems, household surveys (complete birth histories, summary birth histories, sibling histories), censuses (summary birth histories, household deaths), and Demographic Surveillance Sites. In total, this analysis used 8259 data sources. Estimates of the probability of death between birth and the age of 5 years and between ages 15 and 60 years are generated and then input into a model life table system to produce complete life tables for all locations and years. Fatal discontinuities and mortality due to HIV/AIDS are analysed separately and then incorporated into the estimation. We analyse the relationship between age-specific mortality and development status using the Socio-demographic Index, a composite measure based on fertility under the age of 25 years, education, and income. There are four main methodological improvements in GBD 2017 compared with GBD 2016: 622 additional data sources have been incorporated; new estimates of population, generated by the GBD study, are used; statistical methods used in different components of the analysis have been further standardised and improved; and the analysis has been extended backwards in time by two decades to start in 1950. FINDINGS: Globally, 18·7% (95% uncertainty interval 18·4–19·0) of deaths were registered in 1950 and that proportion has been steadily increasing since, with 58·8% (58·2–59·3) of all deaths being registered in 2015. At the global level, between 1950 and 2017, life expectancy increased from 48·1 years (46·5–49·6) to 70·5 years (70·1–70·8) for men and from 52·9 years (51·7–54·0) to 75·6 years (75·3–75·9) for women. Despite this overall progress, there remains substantial variation in life expectancy at birth in 2017, which ranges from 49·1 years (46·5–51·7) for men in the Central African Republic to 87·6 years (86·9–88·1) among women in Singapore. The greatest progress across age groups was for children younger than 5 years; under-5 mortality dropped from 216·0 deaths (196·3–238·1) per 1000 livebirths in 1950 to 38·9 deaths (35·6–42·83) per 1000 livebirths in 2017, with huge reductions across countries. Nevertheless, there were still 5·4 million (5·2–5·6) deaths among children younger than 5 years in the world in 2017. Progress has been less pronounced and more variable for adults, especially for adult males, who had stagnant or increasing mortality rates in several countries. The gap between male and female life expectancy between 1950 and 2017, while relatively stable at the global level, shows distinctive patterns across super-regions and has consistently been the largest in central Europe, eastern Europe, and central Asia, and smallest in south Asia. Performance was also variable across countries and time in observed mortality rates compared with those expected on the basis of development. INTERPRETATION: This analysis of age-sex-specific mortality shows that there are remarkably complex patterns in population mortality across countries. The findings of this study highlight global successes, such as the large decline in under-5 mortality, which reflects significant local, national, and global commitment and investment over several decades. However, they also bring attention to mortality patterns that are a cause for concern, particularly among adult men and, to a lesser extent, women, whose mortality rates have stagnated in many countries over the time period of this study, and in some cases are increasing

Simulated Impacts of Climate Change on Current Farming Locations of Striped Catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus; Sauvage) in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

In Vietnam, culturing striped catfish makes an important contribution to the Mekong Delta's economy. Water level rise during rainy season and salt intrusion during dry season affect the water exchange and quality for this culture. Sea level rise as a consequence of climate change will worsen these influences. In this study, water level rise and salt water intrusion for three sea level rise (SLR) scenarios (i.e., +30, +50, and +75 cm) were simulated. The results showed that at SLR +50, the 3-m-flood level would spread downstream and threaten farms located in AnGiang, DongThap and CanTho provinces. Rising salinity levels for SLR +75 would reduce the window appropriate for the culture in SocTrang and BenTre provinces, and in TienGiang's coastal districts. Next to increasing dikes to reduce the impacts, the most tenable and least disruptive option to the farming community would be to shift to a salinity tolerant strain of catfish

Novel approach of using homoserine lactone-degrading and poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate-accumulating bacteria to protect <i>Artemia</i> from the pathogenic effects of <i>Vibrio harveyi</i>

Homoserine lactone-degrading and poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate-accumulating enrichment cultures (ECs) were obtained using glycerol as C-source and homoserine lactones as N-source, at a high C/N ratio (78). The kinetics of acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) degradation was established and the poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) content of the obtained ECs was determined. The ECs were characterised through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and the main bands were genetically identified by sequence analysis. In a Vibrio challenge test using Artemia as target organism, a distinct difference in survival of challenged Artemia between the treatments with and without the presence of ECs was observed (53% +/- 6; 69% +/- 5 and 58% +/- 8 versus 4% +/- 5; 4% +/- 5 and 25% +/- 21) in three independent experiments. There was a strong positive correlation between the relative percentage survival values of Artemia and the AHL degradation rate and the PHB content of the ECs. Challenge data with a quorum sensing mutant suggested that the quorum quenching ability of the ECs was less relevant in this Artemia model system, pointing to the importance of PHB. The potential of growing these beneficial ECs on glycerol released into the hatching medium of Artemia was an asset that still requires validation at hatchery level

Supplementary Material for: <i>Helicobacter pylori</i>-Negative Gastric Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma in a Girl

Introduction: Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) arises in a number of epithelial tissues, including the stomach, salivary gland, lung, small bowel, thyroid, ocular adnexa, skin, and elsewhere. It has also been called low-grade B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). MALT lymphoma predominantly occurs in adults and is rare in children. Case Presentation: We report a case of MALT lymphoma involving the stomach, which is the most common subtype, in a 12-year-old girl. Initially, the patient relapsed after antibiotic therapy but achieved successful treatment subsequently through irradiation. Conclusion: Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy should be given to all patients with gastric MZL, irrespective of stage. In patients who do not respond to antibiotic therapy, treatment options such as irradiation and systemic cancer therapies should be considered, depending on the disease stage

Removal of Congo red and malachite green from aqueous solution using heterogeneous Ag/ZnCo-ZIF catalyst in the presence of hydrogen peroxide

The bimetallic Zn/Co zeolitic imidazole frameworks (ZnCo-ZIFs) were successfully synthesized by a simple solvothermal method at room temperature. Silver elements were afterward doped onto the bimetallic frameworks to form Ag/ZnCo-ZIFs via a facile impregnation method in acetone solvent. The as-synthesized material was used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the removal reaction of Congo red (CR) and malachite green (MG) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Effects of catalyst dosage, H2O2 concentration, initial concentration of the contaminants, reaction temperature, and reaction time were conducted in this work. The results showed that more than 94% and 98% removal of CR and MG were, respectively, achieved within 45 and 30 min. The presence of Ag also enhanced the removal efficiency of CR and MG. The main mechanism of removal reaction of the organic contaminants could be oxidation via hydroxyl radicals. Moreover, the catalytic activity of the material remained over 90% after four recycling cycles. Due to the efficient reactivity as well as high stability, Ag/ZnCo-ZIFs can be a potential heterogeneous catalyst to remove hazardous dyes from aqueous solution