MIGHTEE : total intensity radio continuum imaging and the COSMOS/XMM-LSS Early Science fields

Please read abstract in the article.The UK Science and Technology Facilities Council; the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory; the Leverhulme Trust through an Early Career Research Fellowship; the South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology; the National Research Foundation; the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT, Portugal); the UK STFC ; the South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Innovation; the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF); the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; the South African Department of Science and Technology’s National Research Foundation (DST-NRF).https://academic.oup.com/mnrashj2022Physic

The Cholecystectomy As A Day Case (CAAD) Score: A Validated Score of Preoperative Predictors of Successful Day-Case Cholecystectomy Using the CholeS Data Set

Background Day-case surgery is associated with significant patient and cost benefits. However, only 43% of cholecystectomy patients are discharged home the same day. One hypothesis is day-case cholecystectomy rates, defined as patients discharged the same day as their operation, may be improved by better assessment of patients using standard preoperative variables. Methods Data were extracted from a prospectively collected data set of cholecystectomy patients from 166 UK and Irish hospitals (CholeS). Cholecystectomies performed as elective procedures were divided into main (75%) and validation (25%) data sets. Preoperative predictors were identified, and a risk score of failed day case was devised using multivariate logistic regression. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to validate the score in the validation data set. Results Of the 7426 elective cholecystectomies performed, 49% of these were discharged home the same day. Same-day discharge following cholecystectomy was less likely with older patients (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.15–0.23), higher ASA scores (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.15–0.23), complicated cholelithiasis (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.48), male gender (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.58–0.74), previous acute gallstone-related admissions (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.48–0.60) and preoperative endoscopic intervention (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.34–0.47). The CAAD score was developed using these variables. When applied to the validation subgroup, a CAAD score of ≤5 was associated with 80.8% successful day-case cholecystectomy compared with 19.2% associated with a CAAD score >5 (p < 0.001). Conclusions The CAAD score which utilises data readily available from clinic letters and electronic sources can predict same-day discharges following cholecystectomy

Genome-wide analysis and identification of genes related to potassium transporter families in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Potassium (K+) is an important macronutrient and the most abundant cation in higher plants which plays a key role in various cellular processes. Its accumulation from soil and its distribution throughout diverse plant tissues is mediated by transporter proteins. In plants, different transport systems are known to be involved in the uptake and release of K+ from the cells. Though most of the information about the putative K+ transporters and their phylogenetic relationships is available in Arabidopsis, it is not the best model for plants with agronomic applications. Recent completion of rice genome sequencing project offered the opportunity to make an inventory of all putative K+ transporter proteins. More than 5% of the rice genome appears to encode membrane transport proteins. Unfortunately, several hundreds of putative transporter proteins have not yet been assigned to any families or subfamilies or functions. Therefore, phylogenetic relationships of many K+ transporters in rice are analyzed since rice is considered as a model plant because of its high degree of co-linearity with other cereals. Phylogenetic analysis of all K+ transporters in rice revealed that they fall into five major branches. Phylogenetic trees of each family define the evolutionary relationships of the members to each other. In each family, closely related isoforms and separate subfamilies existed, indicating possible redundancies and specialized functions. The HAK family is represented by 26 genes and formed the tightest and most distinct branch in the phylogenetic tree. Around 14 genes with conserved P-loop were found in K+ channel family out of which 11 genes belong to 1P/6TM (Shaker-type), and three genes to the 2P/4TM (ORK-type). On searching rice genome, it was found that nine genes belonged to Trk family. In rice, K+/H+ antiporter family is represented by a single gene. Comparative analysis of rice K+ channels with that of Arabidopsis, wheat and maize revealed that while cereals are closely related, Arabidopsis appeared quite distant from rice

Translational genomics in agriculture: Some examples in grain legumes

Recent advances in genomics and associated disciplines like bioinformatics have made it possible to develop genomic resources, such as large-scale sequence data for any crop species. While these datasets have been proven very useful for the understanding of genome architecture and dynamics as well as facilitating the discovery of genes, an obligation for, and challenge to the scientific community is to translate genome information to develop products, i.e. superior lines for trait(s) of interest. We call this approach, “translational genomics in agriculture” (TGA). TGA is currently in practice for cereal crops, such as maize (Zea mays) and rice (Oryza sativa), mainly in developed countries and by the private sector; progress has been slow for legume crops. Grown globally on 62.8 million ha with a production of 53.2 million tons and a value of nearly 24.2 billion dollars, the majority of these legumes have low crop productivity (<1 ton/ hectare) and are in the developing countries of sub Saharan Africa, Asia and South America. Interestingly, the last five years have seen enormous progress in genomics for these legume crops. Therefore, it is time to implement TGA in legume crops in order to enhance crop productivity and to ensure food security in developing countries. Prospects, as well as some success stories of TGA, in addition to advances in genomics, trait mapping and gene expression analysis are discussed for five leading legume crops, chickpea (Cicer arietinum), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) and soybean (Glycine max). Some efforts have also been outlined to initiate/ accelerate TGA in three additional legume crops namely faba bean (Vicia faba), lentil (Lens culinaris) and pea (Pisum sativum)