Combined effect of soil practices and chemical treatments on weeds growth, soil features, and yield performance in field wheat crop under Mediterranean climate

Received: September 3rd, 2022 ; Accepted: November 15th, 2022 ; Published: December 7th, 2022 ; Correspondence: [email protected] management techniques influence the biological and physicochemical properties of the soil and lead to changes in soil quality and cover and thus on crop profitability and yield. In this study, the effects of short-term tillage and no-tillage methods combined with a chemical treatment using Glyphosate on weed abundance, selected soil physical properties and yield components were evaluated in durum wheat under Mediterranean climatic conditions. The no-tillage (NT) treatment resulted in higher weed community density during wheat cultivation and moisture consumption than the conventional tillage treatment. The tillage practice and the application of Glyphosate showed a very high efficiency on weeds. Furthermore, the results obtained showed a significant variation and effect of the treatments on the soil characteristics. The application of the no-tillage technique induced a small increase in soil moisture at the seed germination stage (25.6%), while at the last sampling a small increase was recorded in the CT treatment (9.5% for CT and 8.8% for NT). The results of the soil porosity, showed during the whole test period high values in the conventional technique (with or without herbicide application); but for the resistance to soil penetration, the results showed higher values in the no-till technique. Finally, the effect of the tillage system on crop yield was evaluated. In our study, the results showed that significant increases in the number of heads per m2 (351.3 heads per m2 ), the number of grains per head (45.8) and the weight of 1,000 grains (41.2 g) were obtained with the tillage treatment combined with glyphosate application. When comparing the two tillage methods, the highest values were always revealed with the tillage technique

MP3D: Highly Scalable Video Coding Scheme Based on Matching Pursuit

This paper describes a novel video coding scheme based on a three-dimensional Matching Pursuit algorithm. In addition to good compression performance at low bit rate, the proposed coder allows for flexible spatial, temporal and rate scalability thanks to its progressive coding structure. The Matching Pursuit algorithm generates a sparse decomposition of a video sequence in a series of spatio-temporal atoms, taken from an overcomplete dictionary of three-dimensional basis functions. The dictionary is generated by shifting, scaling and rotating two different mother atoms in order to cover the whole frequency cube. An embedded stream is then produced from the series of atoms. They are first distributed into sets through the set-partitioned position map algorithm (SPPM) to form the index-map, inspired from bit plane encoding. Scalar quantization is then applied to the coefficients which are finally arithmetic coded. A complete MP3D codec has been implemented, and performances are shown to favorably compare to other scalable coders like MPEG-4 FGS and SPIHT-3D. In addition, the MP3D streams offer an incomparable flexibility for multiresolution streaming or adaptive decoding

Proteomic analysis of post mortem brain tissue from autism patients: Evidence for opposite changes in prefrontal cortex and cerebellum in synaptic connectivity-related proteins

BACKGROUND: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired language, communication and social skills. Although genetic studies have been carried out in this field, none of the genes identified have led to an explanation of the underlying causes. Here, we have investigated molecular alterations by proteomic profiling of post mortem brain samples from autism patients and controls. The analysis focussed on prefrontal cortex and cerebellum as previous studies have found that these two brain regions are structurally and functionally connected, and they have been implicated in autism. METHODS: Post mortem prefrontal cortex and cerebellum samples from autism patients and matched controls were analysed using selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (SRM-MS). The main objective was to identify significantly altered proteins and biological pathways and to compare these across these two brain regions. RESULTS: Targeted SRM-MS resulted in identification of altered levels of proteins related to myelination, synaptic vesicle regulation and energy metabolism. This showed decreased levels of the immature astrocyte marker vimentin in both brain regions, suggesting a decrease in astrocyte precursor cells. Also, decreased levels of proteins associated with myelination and increased synaptic and energy-related proteins were found in the prefrontal cortex, indicative of increased synaptic connectivity. Finally, opposite directional changes were found for myelination and synaptic proteins in the cerebellum. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest altered structural and/or functional connectivity in the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum in autism patients, as shown by opposite effects on proteins involved in myelination and synaptic function. Further investigation of these findings could help to increase our understanding of the mechanisms underlying autism relating to brain connectivity, with the ultimate aim of facilitating novel therapeutic approaches

The M-Term Pursuit for Image Representation and Progressive Compression

This paper introduces a sparse signal representation algorithm in redundant dictionaries, called the M-Term Pursuit (MTP), with an application to image representation and scalable coding. The MTP algorithm belongs to the framework of the matching pursuit (MP); it expands the image into a linear combination of atoms, selected from a large collection of spatial atoms. The MTP relies on the concept of dictionary partitioning, i.e., as splitting the dictionary into $L$ disjoint sub-dictionaries, each carrying some specific information. Then, it iteratively finds a $K$-term approximation, by selecting $M$ atoms at a time, where $

Design and Simulation of InGaN -Junction Solar Cell

The tunability of the InGaN band gap energy over a wide range provides a good spectral match to sunlight, making it a suitable material for photovoltaic solar cells. The main objective of this work is to design and simulate the optimal InGaN single-junction solar cell. For more accurate results and best configuration, the optical properties and the physical models such as the Fermi-Dirac statistics, Auger and Shockley-Read-Hall recombination, and the doping and temperature-dependent mobility model were taken into account in simulations. The single-junction In 0.622 Ga 0.378 N (Eg = 1.39 eV) solar cell is the optimal structure found. It exhibits, under normalized conditions (AM1.5G, 0.1 W/cm 2 , and 300 K), the following electrical parameters: sc = 32.6791 mA/cm 2 , oc = 0.94091 volts, FF = 86.2343%, and = 26.5056%. It was noticed that the minority carrier lifetime and the surface recombination velocity have an important effect on the solar cell performance. Furthermore, the investigation results show that the In 0.622 Ga 0.378 N solar cell efficiency was inversely proportional with the temperature

Scalable Motion-Adaptive Video Coding with Redundant Representations

This paper presents a scalable video coding scheme (MP3D), based on the use of a redundant 3-D spatio-temporal dictionary of functions. The spatial component of the dictionary consists of directional and anisotropically scaled functions, which form a rich collection of visual primitives. The temporal component is tuned to capture most of the energy along motion trajectories in the video sequences. The MP3D video coding first finds motion trajectories. It then applies a spatio-temporal decomposition using an adaptive approximation algorithm based on Matching Pursuit (MP). The coefficients and the function parameters are quantized and coded in a progressive fashion, under multiple rate constraints, allowing for adaptive decoding by simple bit stream truncation. The motion fields are losslessly coded and transmitted as side information to the decoder. The multi-resolution structure of the dictionary allows for flexible spatial and temporal resolution adaptation. This scheme is shown to yield comparable rate-distortion performances to state-of-the-art schemes, like H.264 and MPEG-4. It represents a promising alternative for low and medium rate applications, or as a flexible base layer for higher rate video systems

Human leukemia cells (HL-60) proteomic and biological signatures underpinning cryo-damage are differentially modulated by novel cryo-additives

Cryopreservation is a routinely used methodology for prolonged storage of viable cells. The use of cryo-protective agents (CPAs) such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), glycerol, or trehalose is paramount to reducing cellular cryo-injury, but their effectiveness is still limited. The current study focuses on establishing and modulating the proteomic and the corresponding biological profiles associated with the cryo-injury of human leukemia (HL-60) cells cryopreserved in DMSO alone or DMSO +/-novel CPAs (e. g., nigerose [Nig] or salidroside [Sal]). Findings: To reduce cryo-damage, HL-60 cells were cultured prior and post cryopreservation in malondialdehyde Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium-1640 media +/- Nig or Sal. Shotgun proteomic analysis showed significant alterations in the levels of proteins in cells cryopreserved in Nig or Sal compared to DMSO. Nig mostly affected cellular metabolism and energy pathways, whereas Sal increased the levels of proteins associated with DNA repair/duplication, RNA transcription, and cell proliferation. Validation testing showed that the proteome profile associated with Sal was correlated with a 2.8-fold increase in cell proliferative rate. At the functional level, both Nig and Sal increased glutathione reductase (0.0012 +/- 6.19E-05 and 0.0016 +/- 3.04E-05 mU/mL, respectively) compared to DMSO controls (0.0003 +/- 3.7E-05 mU/mL) and reduced cytotoxicity by decreasing lactate dehydrogenase activities (from -2.5 to -4.75 fold) and lipid oxidation (-1.6 fold). In contrast, only Nig attenuated protein carbonylation or oxidation. Conclusions: We have identified key molecules and corresponding functional pathways underpinning the effect of cryopreservation (+/- CPAs) of HL-60 cells. We also validated the proteomic findings by identifying the corresponding biological profiles associated with promoting an anti-oxidative environment post cryopreservation. Nig or Sal in comparison to DMSO showed differential or additive effects in regard to reducing cryo-injury and enhancing cell survival/proliferation post thaw. These results can provide useful insight to cryo-damage and the design of enhanced cryomedia formulation83CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP460 289/2014–42014/14 881–1; 2013/0 8711–3; 2014/10 068–4This work was supported by the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology research fund. J.S.C. and D.,M.S. are funded by FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation, grants 2014/14 881–1, 2013/0 8711–3, and 2014/10 068–4) and CNPq (the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, grant 460 289/2014–4

Investigating structure, magneto-electronic, and thermoelectric properties of the new d0 quaternary Heusler compounds RbCaCZ (Z = P, As, Sb) from first principle calculations

818-824The ab initio calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) using the self-consistent full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FPLAPW) method were performed to explore the electronic structures, magnetic and thermoelectric properties of quaternary alloys RbCaCZ (Z = P, As, Sb) with quaternary Heusler structure. Results showed that FM-Y3 is the most favorable atomic arrangement. All the compounds are found to be half-metallic ferromagnetic materials with an integer magnetic moment of 2.00 μB, which predominantly derives from the strong spin polarization of p channels of C hybridized with Z elements. The predicted minority (half-metallic) band gaps were found to be 1.86 (0.87), 1.72 (0.78), and 1.78 (0.71) eV for Z = P, As, and Sb, respectively. Thermoelectric properties of the RbCaCZ (Z = P, As, Sb) materials are additionally computed over an extensive variety of temperature and it is discovered that all compounds demonstrates higher figure of merit. The half-metallic structures of these compounds with large band gaps and adequate Seebeck coefficients mean that they are suitable for use in spintronic and thermoelectric device applications

Dapagliflozin Monotherapy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients With Inadequate Glycemic Control by Diet and Exercise: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

OBJECTIVE - Dapagliflozin, a highly selective inhibitor of the renal sodium-glucose co-transporter-2, increases urinary excretion of glucose and lowers plasma glucose levels in an insulin-independent manner. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin in treatment-naive patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - This was a 24-week parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Patients with A1C 7.0-10% (n = 485) were randomly assigned to one of seven arms to receive once-daily placebo or 2.5, 5, or 10 mg dapagliflozin once daily in the morning (main cohort) or evening (exploratory cohort). Patients with A1C 10.1-12% (high-A1C exploratory cohort, it n=73) were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive blinded treatment with a morning close of 5 or 10 mg/day dapagliflozin. The primary end point was change from baseline in A1C in the main cohort, statistically tested using an ANCOVA. RESULTS - In the main cohort, mean A1C changes from baseline at week 24 were -0.23% with placebo and -0.58, -0.77 (P = 0.0005 vs. placebo), and -0.89% (P < 0.0001, vs. placebo) with 2.5, 5, and 10 mg dapagliflozin, respectively. Signs, symptoms, and other reports suggestive of urinary tract infections and genital infection were more frequently noted in the dapagliflozin arms. There were no major episodes of hypoglycemia. Data from exploratory cohorts were consistent with these results. CONCLUSIONS - Dapagliflozin lowered hyperglycemia in treatment-naive patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. The near absence of hypoglycemia and an insulin-independent mechanism of action make dapagliflozin a unique addition to existing treatment options for type 2 diabetes