Human resources for health in rural China : an assessment of the current situation and a proposed approach to project future needs; final report

The modeling method used here differentiates between medical need for healthcare and demand for healthcare, and carries out an analysis as detailed as the input data allows for. The method proves meaningful for exploring the under- and/or over-consumption of health care services associated with human resources for health (HRH) planning. It can also step further and provide an imbalance analysis, showing relationships between supply and demand to arrive at policy recommendations. The method thus offers a practical way to analyze and forecast medical doctors’ productivity, which is a key factor often neglected by other research on HRH planning

Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translated into practice. To overcome this bottleneck, we have established the RElevant LIterature SearcH consortium consisting of more than 1500 scientists from 84 countries, who have collectively annotated the relevance of over 180 000 PubMed-listed articles with regard to their respective seed (input) article/s. The majority of annotations were contributed by highly experienced, original authors of the seed articles. The collected data cover 76% of all unique PubMed Medical Subject Headings descriptors. No systematic biases were observed across different experience levels, research fields or time spent on annotations. More importantly, annotations of the same document pairs contributed by different scientists were highly concordant. We further show that the three representative baseline methods used to generate recommended articles for evaluation (Okapi Best Matching 25, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency and PubMed Related Articles) had similar overall performances. Additionally, we found that these methods each tend to produce distinct collections of recommended articles, suggesting that a hybrid method may be required to completely capture all relevant articles. The established database server located at https://relishdb.ict.griffith.edu.au is freely available for the downloading of annotation data and the blind testing of new methods. We expect that this benchmark will be useful for stimulating the development of new powerful techniques for title and title/abstract-based search engines for relevant articles in biomedical research.Peer reviewe

Identification and Expression Analysis of the NAC Gene Family in Coffea canephora

The NAC gene family is one of the largest families of transcriptional regulators in plants, and it plays important roles in the regulation of growth and development as well as in stress responses. Genome-wide analyses have been performed in diverse plant species, but there is still no systematic analysis of the NAC genes of Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner. In this study, we identified 63 NAC genes from the genome of C. canephora. The basic features and comparison analysis indicated that the NAC gene members increased via duplication events during the evolution of the plant. Phylogenetic analysis divided the NAC proteins from C. canephora, Arabidopsis and rice into 16 subgroups. Analysis of the expression patterns of CocNACs under cold stress and coffee bean development indicated that 38 CocNACs were differentially expressed under cold stress; six genes may play important roles in the process of cold acclimation, and four genes among 54 CocNACs showing a variety of expression patterns during different developmental stages of coffee beans may be positively related to the bean development. This study can expand our understanding of the functions of the CocNAC gene family in cold responses and bean development, thereby potentially intensifying the molecular breeding programs of Coffea spp. plants

Genome-Wide Analysis of Glycoside Hydrolase Family 1 β-glucosidase Genes in <i>Brassica rapa</i> and Their Potential Role in Pollen Development

Glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH1) &#946;-glucosidases (BGLUs) are encoded by a large number of genes, and are involved in many developmental processes and stress responses in plants. Due to their importance in plant growth and development, genome-wide analyses have been conducted in model plants (Arabidopsis and rice) and maize, but not in Brassica species, which are important vegetable crops. In this study, we systematically analyzed B. rapa BGLUs (BrBGLUs), and demonstrated the involvement of several genes in pollen development. Sixty-four BrBGLUs were identified in Brassica databases, which were anchored onto 10 chromosomes, with 10 tandem duplications. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 64 genes were classified into 10 subgroups, and each subgroup had relatively conserved intron/exon structures. Clustering with Arabidopsis BGLUs (AtBGLUs) facilitated the identification of several important subgroups for flavonoid metabolism, the production of glucosinolates, the regulation of abscisic acid (ABA) levels, and other defense-related compounds. At least six BrBGLUs might be involved in pollen development. The expression of BrBGLU10/AtBGLU20, the analysis of co-expressed genes, and the examination of knocked down Arabidopsis plants strongly suggests that BrBGLU10/AtBGLU20 has an indispensable function in pollen development. The results that are obtained from this study may provide valuable information for the further understanding of &#946;-glucosidase function and Brassica breeding, for nutraceuticals-rich Brassica crops

Mining of Brassica-Specific Genes (BSGs) and Their Induction in Different Developmental Stages and under Plasmodiophora brassicae Stress in Brassica rapa

Orphan genes, also called lineage-specific genes (LSGs), are important for responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, and are associated with lineage-specific structures and biological functions. To date, there have been no studies investigating gene number, gene features, or gene expression patterns of orphan genes in Brassica rapa. In this study, 1540 Brassica-specific genes (BSGs) and 1824 Cruciferae-specific genes (CSGs) were identified based on the genome of Brassica rapa. The genic features analysis indicated that BSGs and CSGs possessed a lower percentage of multi-exon genes, higher GC content, and shorter gene length than evolutionary-conserved genes (ECGs). In addition, five types of BSGs were obtained and 145 out of 529 real A subgenome-specific BSGs were verified by PCR in 51 species. In silico and semi-qPCR, gene expression analysis of BSGs suggested that BSGs are expressed in various tissue and can be induced by Plasmodiophora brassicae. Moreover, an A/C subgenome-specific BSG, BSGs1, was specifically expressed during the heading stage, indicating that the gene might be associated with leafy head formation. Our results provide valuable biological information for studying the molecular function of BSGs for Brassica-specific phenotypes and biotic stress in B. rapa

The effect of the ratio of standardized ileal digestible lysine to metabolizable energy on growth performance, blood metabolites and hormones of lactating sows

<p>Abstract</p> <p>A total of 335 lactating sows (Landrace × Large White) were used in two experiments to determine the optimum ratio of standardized ileal digestible lysine (SID-Lys) to metabolizable energy (ME) for mixed parity sows during lactation. In Exp. 1, 185 sows (weighing an average of 256.2 ± 6.5 kg and having an average parity of 3.4 ± 0.3) were allocated to one of six experimental diets in a completely randomized block design within parity groups (1, 2, and 3+). The experimental diets were formulated to contain 3.06, 3.16, 3.20, 3.25, 3.30 or 3.40 Mcal/kg of ME and each diet was fed to the sows throughout a 28 day lactation. All diets provided a similar SID-lysine level (0.86%). As a result, the diets provided a SID-Lys:ME ratio of 2.81, 2.72, 2.69, 2.65, 2.61 or 2.53 g/Mcal ME. Sow feed intake was significantly (<it>P </it>< 0.01) affected by the energy content of the diet as well as by sow parity. Using regression analysis, feed intake was shown to be maximized at 3.25, 3.21, 3.21 and 3.21 Mcal/kg of ME for parity 1, 2, 3+ sows and the entire cohort of sows respectively (quadratic; <it>P </it>< 0.01). In addition, the result of feed intake can be expressed as 2.65, 2.69, 2.69 and 2.68 g/Mcal based on analysis of SID-Lys:ME ratio. Litter weight gain was affected by dietary treatment for parity 3+ sows and the entire cohort (<it>P </it>< 0.01). Based on regression analysis, litter weight gain was maximized at 3.25 and 3.24 Mcal/kg of ME for parity 3+ (quadratic; <it>P </it>< 0.01) and the entire cohort (quadratic; <it>P </it>< 0.01). Similarly, the result of litter weight gain could be expressed as 2.65 and 2.66 g/Mcal of SID-Lys:ME ratio. Therefore, 3.25 Mcal/kg of ME was selected for Exp. 2 in which 150 sows (weighing 254.6 ± 7.3 kg and having an average parity of 3.4 ± 0.4) were allocated to one of five treatments in a completely randomized block design within parity (1, 2, and 3+). The experimental diets were formulated to contain 2.1, 2.4, 2.7, 3.0 or 3.3 g/Mcal of SID-Lys:ME ratio with all diets providing 3.25 Mcal/kg of ME. The diets were fed to the sows throughout a 28 day lactation. Sow body weight loss was affected by dietary treatment (parity 3+ sows, <it>P </it>= 0.02; entire cohort, <it>P </it>< 0.01) and by sow parity (<it>P </it>< 0.01). Litter weight at weaning and litter weight gain were affected by dietary treatment for parity 1, 2, 3+ sows and the entire cohort (<it>P </it>< 0.01) as well as by sow parity (<it>P </it>< 0.01). Plasma urea nitrogen (<it>P </it>< 0.01), creatinine (<it>P </it>< 0.01) and non-esterifide fatty acids (<it>P </it>= 0.04) were decreased as the SID-Lys:ME ratio of the diet increased. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (<it>P </it>= 0.02), estradiol (<it>P </it>< 0.01) and luteinizing hormone (<it>P </it>= 0.02) were increased as the SID-Lys:ME ratio in diet increased. Based on a broken-line model, the estimated SID-Lys:ME ratio to maximize litter weight gain was estimated to be 3.05 g/Mcal.</p

Comparative energy digestibility of protein feed ingredients in crossbred barrows in different growing stages

This study was conducted to determine the effect of different growing stages on digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) in soybean meal (SBM), cottonseed meal (CSM), rapeseed meal (RSM), corn gluten meal (CGM), and corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) fed to crossbred barrows. Thirty-six growing barrows (GS 1: 29.1 ± 2.85 kg BW), 36 growing barrows (GS 2: 59.2 ± 4.91 kg BW), and 36 finishing barrows (GS 2: 105.4 ± 6.91 kg BW) were allotted to 6 diets in a completely randomized design with 6 replicated pigs per diet per growth stage or BW. Faecal and urine samples were collected for 5 days after a 12-day adaption period. The results showed that the concentration of DE in corn for pigs at GS 3 was greater (P < .05) than that for pigs at GS 1. The concentration of DE and ME in CSM were lower (P < .05) fed to pigs at GS 1 and 2 compared with those at GS 3. Similar effects of BW were observed with corn DDGS. In conclusion, different DE values for corn, and DE and ME values for CSM and corn DDGS, should be used when formulating diets for growing and finishing barrows

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of Warming-Related Genes in Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis

For sustainable crop cultivation in the face of global warming, it is important to unravel the genetic mechanisms underlying plant adaptation to a warming climate and apply this information to breeding. Thermomorphogenesis and ambient temperature signaling pathways have been well studied in model plants, but little information is available for vegetable crops. Here, we investigated genes responsive to warming conditions from two Brassica rapa inbred lines with different geographic origins: subtropical (Kenshin) and temperate (Chiifu). Genes in Gene Ontology categories &ldquo;response to heat&rdquo;, &ldquo;heat acclimation&rdquo;, &ldquo;response to light intensity&rdquo;, &ldquo;response to oxidative stress&rdquo;, and &ldquo;response to temperature stimulus&rdquo; were upregulated under warming treatment in both lines, but genes involved in &ldquo;response to auxin stimulus&rdquo; were upregulated only in Kenshin under both warming and minor-warming conditions. We identified 16 putative high temperature (HT) adaptation-related genes, including 10 heat-shock response genes, 2 transcription factor genes, 1 splicing factor gene, and 3 others. BrPIF4, BrROF2, and BrMPSR1 are candidate genes that might function in HT adaptation. Auxin response, alternative splicing of BrHSFA2, and heat shock memory appear to be indispensable for HT adaptation in B. rapa. These results lay the foundation for molecular breeding and marker development to improve warming tolerance in B. rapa