Heterosis for flower and fruit traits in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

A study was conducted in tomato using an 8 × 8 diallel set excluding reciprocals to quantify the magnitude of heterosis for yield and its five yield components: number of flowers per cluster, number of fruits set per cluster, fruit length, fruit width, fruit weight and fruit yield per plant. Seven accessions and one locally approved variety were crossed in half diallel fashion and the resulting F1 progeny along with their parents were evaluated in a 6 × 6 Tripple Lattice Design at Agricultural Research Institute, Mingora (NWFP), Pakistan during 2007 - 2008 crop season. Highly significant differences were observed among the genotypes for all the studied traits. Highly significant heterosis of positive nature was foundfor flowers per cluster (53.1 and 37.2%), fruits per cluster (38.9%), fruit length (32.7 and 15.5%), fruit weight (48.7 and 45.0%) and yield per plant (34.9%) over the mid and better parents, respectively. Positive significant heterosis was observed for flowers per cluster (7.4%), fruits per cluster (10.0 and 10.0%), fruit length (8.9%), fruit width (8.7 and 7.9%), fruit weight (14.3 and 12.5%), yield per plant (24%) over the mid and better parents, respectively. Four hybrids possessed significantly usefulheterobeltiosis for fruit weight. Three single cross hybrids and four of the parental genotypes were selected for use in subsequent tomato breeding programmes

From genes to networks: in systematic points of view

We present a report of the BIOCOMP'10 - The 2010 International Conference on Bioinformatics & Computational Biology and other related work in the area of systems biology

Understanding heat tolerance in vegetables: Physiological and molecular insights, and contemporary genomic approaches for enhancing heat stress resilience

The increasing threat of heat stress in agriculture, fueled by the relentless rise in global temperatures, presents a formidable challenge for vegetable crops. High-temperature stress instigates intricate morphological, anatomical, and physiological changes in vegetables, resulting in a noticeable decline in yield and an overall compromise in quality. Mitigating these challenges necessitates the imperative development of heat-tolerant vegetable varieties, underscoring the need for a nuanced understanding of crop responses to the rigors of high-temperature stress. This comprehensive review systematically explores the multifaceted impacts of heat stress on vegetable crops, spanning morphological traits, physiological processes, and molecular dynamics. Beyond the identification of challenges, the review explores into the intricate adaptive mechanisms employed by vegetables to counteract the stresses imposed by elevated temperatures, besides exploring in detailed how these crops navigate and respond to the physiological disruptions caused by heat stress. Further, it also assesses the efficacy of diverse genomic approaches in the development of heat-tolerant vegetable varieties. In addition, the review explores genomic tools such as genomic selection, transgenic approaches, and genome editing technologies, which hold promise in expediting the development of vegetable varieties endowed with enhanced thermo-tolerance and heightened productivity. By synthesizing insights from diverse scientific realms, the review aspires to provide a comprehensive and integrative perspective on mitigating the adverse impacts of heat stress on vegetable crops, paving the way for sustainable agricultural practices in the face of escalating global temperatures

Diagnostic performance of CT with Valsalva maneuver for the diagnosis and characterization of inguinal hernias

PURPOSE Inguinal hernias are mainly diagnosed clinically, but imaging can aid in equivocal cases or for treatment planning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of CT with Valsalva maneuver for the diagnosis and characterization of inguinal hernias. METHODS This single-center retrospective study reviewed all consecutive Valsalva-CT studies between 2018 and 2019. A composite clinical reference standard including surgery was used. Three blinded, independent readers (readers 1-3) reviewed the CT images and scored the presence and type of inguinal hernia. A fourth reader measured hernia size. Interreader agreement was quantified with Krippendorff's α coefficients. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of Valsalva-CT for the detection of inguinal hernias was computed for each reader. RESULTS The final study population included 351 patients (99 women) with median age 52.2 years (interquartile range (IQR), 47.2, 68.9). A total of 381 inguinal hernias were present in 221 patients. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 85.8%, 98.1%, and 91.5% for reader 1, 72.7%, 92.5%, and 81.8% for reader 2, and 68.2%, 96.3%, and 81.1% for reader 3. Hernia neck size was significantly larger in cases correctly detected by all three readers (19.0 mm, IQR 13, 25), compared to those missed by all readers (7.0 mm, IQR, 5, 9; p < 0.001). Interreader agreement was substantial (α = 0.723) for the diagnosis of hernia and moderate (α = 0.522) for the type of hernia. CONCLUSION Valsalva-CT shows very high specificity and high accuracy for the diagnosis of inguinal hernia. Sensitivity is only moderate which is associated with missed smaller hernias

Parental mental illness: incidence, assessment and practice

The file attached to this record is the authors peer reviewed version. The publisher's version of fact can be found here: http://journals.rcni.com/journal/mhpBackground: Parental Mental Illness (PMI) increases risk of mental illness and other negative outcomes in children. Work on the family impacts of PMI can protect children’s mental health, but little is known about current assessment and practice. Methods: An audit of mental health service case notes was undertaken in one NHS Trust. A template was designed to code information on family mental health, assessment and referral for comparative analysis. Results: 60% CAMHS cases with data were children of parents with mental illness and 40% AMHS cases were parents of dependent children. Presence of PMI was poorly assessed: 32% CAMHS cases, 38% AMHS cases and 44% LD cases showed no evidence of assessment. Assessment of impacts of PMI on children and rates of referral to support services were very low. Conclusions: Mental health services should review practice in assessing, recording and treating cases where PMI might impact children’s mental health

Exploration of solitons and analytical solutions by sub-ODE and variational integrators to Klein-Gordon model

In this paper, we use the sub-ODE method to analyze soliton solutions for the renowned nonlinear Klein-Gordon model (NLKGM). This method provides a variety of soliton solutions, including three positive solitons, three Jacobian elliptic function solutions, bright solitons, dark solitons, periodic solitons, rational solitons and hyperbolic function solutions. Applications for these solitons can be found in optical communication, fiber optic sensors, plasma physics, Bose-Einstein condensation and other areas. We also study some numerical solutions by using forward, backward, and central difference techniques. Moreover, we discuss variational integrators (VIs) using the projection technique for NLKGM. We develop a numerical solution for NLKGM using the discrete Euler lagrange equation, the Lagrangian and the Euler lagrange equation. At the end, in various dimensions, covering 3D, 2D, and contour, we will also plot several graphs for the obtained NLKGM solutions. A contour plot is a type of graphic representation that displays a three-dimensional surface on a two-dimensional plane by using contour lines. Each contour line in the plotted function represents one of the function's constant values, mapping the function's value across the plane. This model has been studied across multiple soliton solutions using various methods in the open literature, but this model for VIs and finite deference scheme (FDS) is the first time it has been studied. Within the various numerical techniques accessible for solving Hamiltonian systems, variational integrators distinguish themselves because of their symplectic quality. Here are some of the symplectic properties: symplectic orthogonality, energy conservation, area preservation, and structure preservation