The Domestication Process and Domestication Rate in Rice: Spikelet Bases from the Lower Yangtze

The process of rice domestication occurred in the Lower Yangtze region of Zhejiang, China, between 6900 and 6600 years ago. Archaeobotanical evidence from the site of Tianluoshan shows that the proportion of nonshattering domesticated rice (Oryza sativa) spikelet bases increased over this period from 27% to 39%. Over the same period, rice remains increased from 8% to 24% of all plant remains, which suggests an increased consumption relative to wild gathered foods. In addition, an assemblage of annual grasses, sedges, and other herbaceous plants indicates the presence of arable weeds, typical of cultivated rice, that also increased over this period

Clean air in europe for all: taking stock of the proposed revision to the ambient air quality directives. A Joint ERS, HEI, and ISEE Workshop Report

Ambient air pollution is a major public health concern and comprehensive new legislation is currently being considered to improve air quality in Europe. The European Respiratory Society (ERS), Health Effects Institute (HEI), and International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) organised a joint meeting on May 24, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium, to review and critically evaluate the latest evidence on the health effects of air pollution and discuss ongoing revisions of the European Ambient Air Quality Directives (AAQDs). A multi-disciplinary expert group of air pollution and health researchers, patient and medical societies, and policy representatives participated. This report summarises key discussions at the meeting

Phytolith Analysis for Differentiating between Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) and Green Foxtail (Setaria viridis)

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is one of the oldest domesticated cereal crops in Eurasia, but identifying foxtail millets, especially in charred grains, and differentiating it from its wild ancestor, green foxtail (Setaria viridis), in the archaeobotanical remains, is still problematic. Phytolithic analysis provides a meaningful method for identifying this important crop. In this paper, the silicon structure patterns in the glumes, lemmas, and paleas from inflorescence bracts in 16 modern plants of foxtail millet and green foxtail from China and Europe are examined using light microscopy with phase-contrast and a microscopic interferometer. Our research shows that the silicon structure of ΩIII from upper lemmas and paleas in foxtail millet and green foxtail can be correspondingly divided into two groups. The size of ΩIII type phytolith of foxtail millet is bigger than that from green foxtail. Discriminant function analysis reveals that 78.4% of data on foxtail millet and 76.9% of data on green foxtail are correctly classified. This means certain morphotypes of phytoliths are relatively reliable tools for distinguishing foxtail millet from green foxtail. Our results also revealed that the husk phytolith morphologies of foxtail millets from China and Eastern Europe are markedly different from those from Western Europe. Our research gives a meaningful method of separating foxtail millet and green foxtail. The implications of these findings for understanding the history of foxtail millet domestication and cultivation in ancient civilizations are significant

Sinocurculigo, a New Genus of Hypoxidaceae from China Based on Molecular and Morphological Evidence

, with eight species are distributed in China. Recently, we have found a hypoxid-like plant in China that is quite different in floral structure from any of the three genera and even of the known taxa in Hypoxidaceae. regions of 59 taxa in Hypoxidaceae and its alliance. Findings of the molecular investigation is consistent with those of the morphological analysis.

RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN NIGHT-TO-DAY BLOOD PRESSURE RATIO AND BLOOD PRESSURE DIPPING IN HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS

Soolim Jeong, Braxton A. Linder, McKenna A. Tharpe, Zach J. Hutchison, Meral N. Culver, Olivia I. Nichols, Thomas E. Fuller-Rowell, Austin T. Robinson. Auburn University, Auburn, AL. BACKGROUND: Night-to-day blood pressure (BP) ratio and BP dipping pattern are prognostic of future cardiovascular events and morbidities. Prior studies have demonstrated racial disparities in night-to-day BP ratio and BP dipping in middle-aged and older adults, but when these disparities emerge remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to determine whether racial disparities in night-to-day BP ratio and BP dipping exist in healthy young adults using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). METHODS: 41 adults (19M/22F) including 16 Black (age 21.4±0.6 yrs, BMI 25.4±4.3 kg/m2, screening BP 108±10/66±10 mmHg; Mean±SD) and 25 White (age 21.2±0.7 yrs, BMI 25.2±3.8 kg/m2, screening BP 106±9/62±7 mmHg) adults participated in this study. For ABPM (Suntech Oscar2), participants wore a 24-hour brachial cuff on their upper left arm which measured BP every 20 minutes during awake hours and every 30 minutes during sleep hours (self-reported). We defined daytime as 1000 to 2000 and nighttime as 0000 to 0600. Participants with at least 20 daytime and 7 nighttime readings (n=41) were included in the analysis. Primary outcomes included night-to-day BP ratio (nighttime/daytime BP) and nocturnal BP dipping (awake-asleep mmHg). We instructed participants to wear a waist-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X-BT) for seven days to assess moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and step count to account for ABPM differences due to physical activity. Statistical procedures included multivariate analysis of variance with Hotelling’s trace, and Pearson’s correlation (a priori α\u3c0.05). RESULTS: Significant racial differences (Black vs White) existed for night-to-day BP ratios whereby Black participants had a higher brachial systolic BP ratio (0.92±0.06 vs 0.86±0.05, p\u3c0.001), diastolic BP ratio (0.87±0.08 vs 0.78±0.10, p=0.002), central systolic BP ratio (p=0.003), and central diastolic BP ratio (p=0.002). Racial differences also existed for BP dipping whereby Black participants had a lower nighttime brachial systolic BP dip (7±6 vs 11±5 mmHg, p=0.008) and diastolic BP dip (11±8 mmHg vs 18±8 mmHg, p=0.017). Daily time spent in MVPA (7.5±3.0%) and steps (6581±3652) were not correlated with ABPM primary outcomes nor different between racial groups (p\u3e0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary findings suggest a racial disparity in night-to-day BP ratio and BP dipping in healthy young adults