Application of Cry1Ab/Ac Bt strip for screening of resistance for Maruca vitrata in cowpea

Maruca vitrata is a significant constraint to cowpea production in most cowpea growing areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Yield losses caused by M. vitrata in these regions are estimated in millions of tons annually and the prevalence of M. vitrata infestation is steadily increasing. Recombinant DNA technology have led to development of some cowpea lines with Maruca resistance as well as other important agronomic traits but it is time-consuming and difficult to screen for the resistant trait especially in the segregating populations using conventional screening techniques, which will lead to delay in the development of Maruca resistant cowpea varieties. The use of allele-based selection tool will make it easier to select plant traits and reduce the time needed to develop new Maruca resistant cowpea varieties. In this study, the efficacy of using Cry1Ab/Ac Bt strip for detecting Maruca resistant transgene in transgenic cowpea was systematically investigated for the first time through field derived progenies. The results show that the Cry1Ab/Ac Bt strip was effective for detecting the presence of the resistant gene in cowpea genome. Maruca resistant plants were successfully screened from the segregating cowpea plants and the genetics of the gene was monitored. The Cry1Ab/Ac Bt strip was found to be suitable for genetic analysis of the Maruca resistant transgene in cowpea. This study has demonstrated the precision of using Cry1Ab/Ac Bt strips as a screening tool of transgenic lines containing Cry1Ab gene, this has an importance in the hybridization programme where genotypes having cry gene can be distinguished at seedling stage at lesser time, with the potential of putting the breeding process on a fast track and increase the efficiency of breeding activities.Keywords: Bacillus thuriengiensis, Cry1Ab/Ac Bt strips, transgenic cowpea, Maruca vitrata.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(40), pp. 5869-587

Nonatonic obstetric haemorrhage: effectiveness of the nonpneumatic antishock garment in egypt.

The study aims to determine if the nonpneumatic antishock garment (NASG), a first aid compression device, decreases severe adverse outcomes from nonatonic obstetric haemorrhage. Women with nonatonic aetiologies (434), blood loss > 1000 mL, and signs of shock were eligible. Women received standard care during the preintervention phase (226) and standard care plus application of the garment in the NASG phase (208). Blood loss and extreme adverse outcomes (EAO-mortality and severe morbidity) were measured. Women who used the NASG had more estimated blood loss on admission. Mean measured blood loss was 370 mL in the preintervention phase and 258 mL in the NASG phase (P < 0.0001). EAO decreased with use of the garment (2.9% versus 4.4%, (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.24-1.76)). In conclusion, using the NASG improved maternal outcomes despite the worse condition on study entry. These findings should be tested in larger studies

Impact of genetic transformation on morphological expression of transgenic cowpea

Two genetically engineered cowpea lines(TCL-709 and TCL-711) were evaluated under field conditions along with the original parental genotype (IT86D-1010) at confined field trial site Samaru Nigeria for expression of morpholgical traits. The present study was designed and conducted in order to understand whether genetic transformation of cowpea with Cry1Ab gene had led to unwanted changes on the morphological features of transgenic cowpea lines, by making comparative assessment between the transgenic lines and untransformed original parental genotype. The result showed that comparison made between transgenic cowpea line TCL-709 and original parental type showed non-significant differences in all the parameters compared. Similarly, comparison made between cowpea transgenic line TCL-711 and IT86D-1010 had significant differences for days to first flowering, days to first pod maturity and plant height while vegetative traits such as number of primary branches, yield attributes like total number of pods per plant at maturity were not significantly different from the original parent. The most important character in a crop-improvement programme is yield, the result indicated that the genotypes (TCL-709, TCL-711 and IT86D-1010) had non-significant differences among themselves regarding total number of pods per plant. It is therefore concluded that the introduction of Cry1Ab gene has not led to harmful changes on the gross morphological characteristics of cowpea plants, besides conferring insect resistance to Maruca pest.Keywords; Cry1Ab-Transgene, Genetic Transformation, Transgenic-Cowpe

Genetic variability and heritability studies of some reproductive traits in cowpea (Vigna unguiculate (L.) Walp.)

The success of most crop improvement programs largely depends upon the genetic variability and the heritability of desirable traits. The magnitude and type of genetic variability help the breeder to determine the selection criteria and breeding schemes to be used for improvement purposes. A screen house experiment was carried out at Samaru, Nigeria in 1999 and 2000 dry seasons to estimate the genotypic variability of some reproductive traits and their heritability in some selected cowpea varieties. Results of the study showed that there was considerable variation among cultivars for duration of reproductive phase and rate of photosynthate partitioning. Genotypic coefficients of variation were also high for days to first flower, 100-seed weight, plant height, and harvest index. Broad-sense heritability estimate (h2) was 98.9% for 100-seed weight, 94% for duration of reproductive phase, 84.5% for days to first flower, 83.9% for days to maturity, and 77.3% for harvest index. This information showed that there is sufficient genetic variance to warrant selection for improvement in the cowpea genotypes studied. We concluded that considerable progress in cowpea breeding could be achieved by exploiting these traits

The effects of acoustic vibration on fibroblast cell migration

Cells are known to interact and respond to external mechanical cues and recent work has 9 shown that application of mechanical stimulation, delivered via acoustic vibration, can be 10 used to control complex cell behaviours. Fibroblast cells are known to respond to physical 11 cues generated in the extracellular matrix and it is thought that such cues are important 12 regulators of the wound healing process. Many conditions are associated with poor wound 13 healing, so there is need for treatments/interventions, which can help accelerate the wound 14 healing process. The primary aim of this research was to investigate the effects of mechanical 15 stimulation upon the migratory and morphological properties of two different fibroblast cells 16 namely; human lung fibroblast cells (LL24) and subcutaneous areolar/adipose mouse 17 fibroblast cells (L929). Using a speaker-based system, the effects of mechanical stimulation 18 (0-1600Hz for 5 minutes) on the mean cell migration distance (μm) and actin organisation 19 was investigated. The results show that 100Hz acoustic vibration enhanced cell migration for 20 both cell lines whereas acoustic vibration above 100Hz acoustic vibration was found to 21 decrease cell migration in a frequency dependent manner. Mechanical stimulation was also 22 found to promote changes to the morphology of both cell lines, particularly the formation of 23 lamellipodia and filopodia. Overall lamellipodia was the most prominent actin structure 24 displayed by the lung cell (LL24), whereas filopodia was the most prominent actin feature 25 displayed by the fibroblast derived from subcutaneous areolar/adipose tissue. Mechanical 26 stimulation at all the frequencies used here was found not to affect cell viability. These results 27 suggest that low-frequency acoustic vibration may be used as a tool to manipulate the 28 mechano-sensitivity of cells to manipulate cell migration and which may be used to aid 29 wound repair

Estimation of hospital admission respiratory disease cases attributed to exposure to SO2 and NO2 in two different sectors of Egypt

Air Q 2.2.3 was used to predicted hospital admissions respiratory disease cases due to SO2 and NO2 exposure in two sectors of Egypt during December 2015 to November 2016. Levels were 19, 22 \u3bcg/m3 at Ain Sokhna sector and 92, 78 \u3bcg/m3 at Shoubra El-Khaima sector for SO2 and NO2, respectively. These levels were less than the Egyptian Permissible limits (125 \u3bcg/m\ub3 in urban and 150 \u3bcg/m\ub3 in industrial for SO2, 150 \u3bcg/m\ub3 in urban and industrial for NO2). Results showed that relative risks were 1.0330 (1.0246 - 1.0414) and 1.0229 (1.0171 - 1.0287) at Ain Sokhna sector while they were 1.0261 (1.0195 -1.0327) and 1.0226 (1.0169 - 1.0283) at Shoubra El-Khaima sector for SO2 and NO2, respectively. The highest cases of HARD were found in Shoubra El-Khaima sector; 311 cases at 120 - 129 \u3bcg/m3 of SO2 and 234 cases at 120 - 129 \u3bcg/m3 of NO2. While, in Ain Sokhna, HARD were 18 cases at 50 - 59 \u3bcg/m3 of SO2 and 15 cases at 60 - 69 \u3bcg/m3 of NO2. The excess cases found in Shoubra El-Khaima sector as compared to those in Ain Sokhna sector, may be attributed to the higher density of population and industries in Shoubra El-Khaima sector

A New Wavelet Completed Local Ternary Count (WCLTC) for Image Classification

To overcome noise sensitivity and increase the discriminative quality of the Local Binary Pattern, a Completed Local Ternary Count (CLTC) was developed by combining the Local Ternary Pattern (LTP) with the Completed Local Binary Count (CLBC) (LBP). Furthermore, by integrating the proposed CLTC with the Redundant Discrete Wavelet Transform (RDWT) to construct a Wavelet Completed Local Ternary Count, the proposed CLTC's discriminative property is improved (WCLTC). As a result, more accurate local texture feature capture inside the RDWT domain is possible. The proposed WCLTC is utilised to perform texture and medical image classification tasks. The WCLTC performance is evaluated using two benchmark texture datasets, CUReT and Outex, as well as three medical picture databases, 2D Hela, VIRUS Texture, and BR datasets. With several of these datasets, the experimental findings demonstrate a remarkable classification accuracy. In several cases, the WCLTC performance outperformed the prior descriptions. With the 2D Hela, CUReT, and Virus datasets, the WCLTC achieves the highest classification accuracy of 96.91%, 97.04 percent, and 72.89%, respectively

Obstetric hemorrhage and shock management: using the low technology Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment in Nigerian and Egyptian tertiary care facilities

Abstract Background Obstetric hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal mortality globally. The Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG) is a low-technology, first-aid compression device which, when added to standard hypovolemic shock protocols, may improve outcomes for women with hypovolemic shock secondary to obstetric hemorrhage in tertiary facilities in low-resource settings. Methods This study employed a pre-intervention/intervention design in four facilities in Nigeria and two in Egypt. Primary outcomes were measured mean and median blood loss, severe end-organ failure morbidity (renal failure, pulmonary failure, cardiac failure, or CNS dysfunctions), mortality, and emergency hysterectomy for 1442 women with ≥750 mL blood loss and at least one sign of hemodynamic instability. Comparisons of outcomes by study phase were assessed with rank sum tests, relative risks (RR), number needed to treat for benefit (NNTb), and multiple logistic regression. Results Women in the NASG phase (n = 835) were in worse condition on study entry, 38.5% with mean arterial pressure <60 mmHg vs. 29.9% in the pre-intervention phase (p = 0.001). Despite this, negative outcomes were significantly reduced in the NASG phase: mean measured blood loss decreased from 444 mL to 240 mL (p < 0.001), maternal mortality decreased from 6.3% to 3.5% (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.35-0.89), severe morbidities from 3.7% to 0.7% (RR 0.20, 95% CI 0.08-0.50), and emergency hysterectomy from 8.9% to 4.0% (RR 0.44, 0.23-0.86). In multiple logistic regression, there was a 55% reduced odds of mortality during the NASG phase (aOR 0.45, 0.27-0.77). The NNTb to prevent either mortality or severe morbidity was 18 (12-36). Conclusion Adding the NASG to standard shock and hemorrhage management may significantly improve maternal outcomes from hypovolemic shock secondary to obstetric hemorrhage at tertiary care facilities in low-resource settings

Oral Anti-Tumour Necrosis Factor Domain Antibody V565 Provides High Intestinal Concentrations, and Reduces Markers of Inflammation in Ulcerative Colitis Patients.

V565 is an engineered TNFα-neutralising single domain antibody formulated into enteric coated mini-tablets to enable release in the intestine after oral administration as a possible oral treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Following oral administration, ileal recovery of V565 was investigated in four patients with terminal ileostomy. Intestinal and systemic pharmacokinetics were measured in six patients with Crohn's disease and evidence of target engagement assessed in five patients with ulcerative colitis. Following oral administration, V565 was detected at micromolar concentrations in ileal fluid from the ileostomy patients and in stools of the Crohn's patients. In four of the five ulcerative colitis patients, biopsies taken after 7d dosing demonstrated V565 in the lamina propria with co-immunostaining on CD3+ T-lymphocytes and CD14+ macrophages. Phosphorylation of signalling proteins in biopsies taken after 7d oral dosing was decreased by approximately 50%. In conclusion, enteric coating of V565 mini-tablets provided protection in the stomach with gradual release in intestinal regions affected by IBD. Immunostaining revealed V565 tissue penetration and association with inflammatory cells, while decreased phosphoproteins after 7d oral dosing was consistent with V565-TNFα engagement and neutralising activity. Overall these results are encouraging for the clinical utility of V565 in the treatment of IBD

Design of a Load Frequency Controller Based on an Optimal Neural Network

Data Availability Statement: Not applicable.A load frequency controller (LFC) is a crucial part in the distribution of a power system network (PSN) to restore its frequency response when the load demand is changed rapidly. In this paper, an artificial neural network (ANN) technique is utilised to design the optimal LFC. However, the training of the optimal ANN model for a multi-area PSN is a major challenge due to its variations in the load demand. To address this challenge, a particle swarm optimization is used to distribute the nodes of a hidden layer and to optimise the initial neurons of the ANN model, resulting in obtaining the lower mean square error of the ANN model. Hence, the mean square error and the number of epochs of the ANN model are minimised to about 9.3886 × 10−8 and 25, respectively. To assess this proposal, a MATLAB/Simulink model of the PSN is developed for the single-area PSN and multi-area PSN. The results show that the LFC based on the optimal ANN is more effective for adjusting the frequency level and improves the power delivery of the multi-area PSN comparison with the single-area PSN. Moreover, it is the most reliable for avoiding the fault condition whilst achieving the lowest time multiplied absolute error about 3.45 s when compared with the conventional ANN and PID methods.Funding: This research received no external funding