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Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the adaptive mechanism underlying the photosynthetic characteristics and the ion absorption and distribution of white willow (Salix alba L.) in a salt stress environment in cutting seedlings. The results lay a foundation for further understanding the distribution of sodium chloride and its effect on the photosynthetic system. Method A salt stress environment was simulated in a hydroponics system with different NaCl concentrations in one-year-old Salix alba L.branches as the test materials. Their growth, ion absorption, transport and distribution in the roots and leaves, and the changes in the photosynthetic fluorescence parameters were studied after 20 days under hydroponics. Results The results show that The germination and elongation of roots are promoted in the presence of 171mM NaCl, but root growth is comprehensively inhibited under increasing salt stress. Under salt stress, Na+ accumulates significantly in the roots and leaves, and the Na+ content and the Na+/K+ and Na+/Ca2+ root ratios are significantly greater than those in the leaves. When the NaCl concentration is ≤ 342mM, Salix alba can maintain relatively stable K+ and Ca2+ contents in its leaves by improving the selective absorption and accumulation of K+ and Ca2+ and adjusting the transport capacity of mineral ions to aboveground parts, while K+ and Ca2+ levels are clearly decreased under high salt stress. With increasing salt concentrations, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (E) and stomatal conductance (gs) of leaves decrease gradually overall, and the intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) first decreases and then increases. When the NaCl concentration is < 342mM, the decrease in leaf Pn is primarily restricted by the stomata. When the NaCl concentration is > 342mM, the decrease in the Pn is largely inhibited by non-stomatal factors. Due to the salt stress environment, the OJIP curve (Rapid chlorophyll fluorescence) of Salix alba turns into an OKJIP curve. When the NaCl concentration is > 171mM, the fluorescence values of points I and P decrease significantly, which is accompanied by a clear inflection point (K). The quantum yield and energy distribution ratio of the PSⅡ reaction center change significantly (φPo, Ψo and φEo show an overall downward trend while φDo is promoted). The performance index and driving force (PIABS, PICSm and DFCSm) decrease significantly when the NaCl concentration is > 171mM, indicating that salt stress causes a partial inactivation of the PSII reaction center, and the functions of the donor side and the recipient side are damaged. Conclusion The above results indicate that Salix alba can respond to salt stress by intercepting Na+ in the roots, improving the selective absorption of K+ and Ca2+ and the transport capacity to the above ground parts of the plant, and increasing φDo, thus shows an ability to self-regulate and adapt.

The intensity of malaria transmission is measured by parous rate, daily survival rate, human blood meal frequency, sporozoite rate, and entomological inoculation rates. Female parous status is a key index of vector competence, adult vector longevity, recruitment rate of adult, and the length of a gonotrophic cycle. Hence, the present study was aimed to investigate the parous rate and the longevity of Anopheles mosquitoes in Bure District, Northwestern Ethiopia. Parous rate was estimated as the number of mosquitoes with parous ovaries divided by the number of females dissected multiplied by 100. Mosquito life expectancy (longevity as d) was estimated by. One way- ANOVA was applied to confirm the presence of parous rate difference in the villages (p < 0.05). A total of 952 unfed hosts-seeking Anopheles mosquitoes was dissected for parous rate determination. The overall parous rate of An. arabiensis in the district was 52.0%, and the highest parous rate was recorded in Shnebekuma than other villages (F 2, 33 = 6.974; p = 0.003). Similarly, the parous rate of An. cinereus showed significant variation among villages (F 2, 33 = 5.044, p = 0.012) and the highest rate (63.0%) was recorded in Bukta. The mean longevity of An. funestus, An. arabiensis, An. coustani, An. squamosus, An. pharoensis, and An. cinereus was 6.5 days, 4.6 days, 3.5 days, 3.7 days, 2.7 days, and 2.2 days, respectively. The longevity of each species was not sufficient to complete the life cycle of malaria parasite for malaria transmission throughout the year because P. falciparum requires from 12–14 day.

Three commercial honey bee operations in Saskatchewan, Canada, with outbreaks of American foulbrood (AFB) and recent or ongoing metaphylactic antibiotic use were intensively sampled to detect spores of Paenibacillus larvae during the summer of 2019. Here, we compared spore concentrations in different sample types within individual hives, assessed the surrogacy potential of honey collected from honey supers in place of brood chamber honey or adult bees within hives, and evaluated the ability of pooled, extracted honey to predict the degree of spore contamination identified through individual hive testing. Samples of honey and bees from hives within apiaries with a recent, confirmed case of AFB in a single hive (index apiaries) and apiaries without clinical evidence of AFB (unaffected apiaries), as well as pooled, apiary-level honey samples from end-of-season extraction, were collected and cultured to detect and enumerate spores. Only a few hives were heavily contaminated by spores in any given apiary. All operations were different from one another with regard to both the overall degree of spore contamination across apiaries and the distribution of spores between index apiaries and unaffected apiaries. Within operations, individual hive spore concentrations in unaffected apiaries were significantly different from index apiaries in the brood chamber (BC) honey, honey super (HS) honey, and BC bees of one of three operations. Across all operations, BC honey was best for discriminating index apiaries from unaffected apiaries (p = 0.001), followed by HS honey (p = 0.06), and BC bees (p = 0.398). HS honey positively correlated with both BC honey (rs = 0.76, p < 0.0001) and bees (rs = 0.50, p < 0.0001) and may be useful as a surrogate for either. Spore concentrations in pooled, extracted honey seem to have predictive potential for overall spore contamination within each operation and may have prognostic value in assessing the risk of future AFB outbreaks at the apiary (or operation) level.

Results from sampling healthcare surfaces for pathogens are difficult to interpret without understanding the factors that influence pathogen detection. We investigated the recovery of four healthcare-associated pathogens from three common surface materials, and how a body fluid simulant (artificial test soil, ATS), deposition method, and contamination levels influence the percent of organisms recovered (%R). Known quantities of carbapenemase-producing KPC+ Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC), Acinetobacter baumannii, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, and Clostridioides difficile spores (CD) were suspended in Butterfield’s buffer or ATS, deposited on 323cm2 steel, plastic, and laminate surfaces, allowed to dry 1h, then sampled with a cellulose sponge wipe. Bacteria were eluted, cultured, CFU counted and %R determined relative to the inoculum. The %R varied by organism, from 1 log10 within the 60 min drying time. For all organisms, the %R was significantly greater if suspended in ATS than if suspended in Butterfield’s buffer (p

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, but therapeutic options are lacking. Despite long being able to effectively treat the ill-effects of pathology present in various rodent models of AD, translation of these strategies to the clinic has so far been disappointing. One potential contributor to this situation is the fact that the vast majority of AD patients have other dementia-contributing comorbid pathologies, the most common of which are vascular in nature. This situation is modeled relatively infrequently in basic AD research, and almost never in preclinical studies. As part of our efforts to develop small molecule, anti-inflammatory therapeutics for neurological injury and disease, we have recently been exploring potentially promising treatments in preclinical multi-morbidity contexts. In the present study, we generated a mouse model of mixed amyloid and hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) pathology in which to test the efficacy of one of our anti-inflammatory compounds, MW151. HHcy can cause cerebrovascular damage and is an independent risk factor for both AD dementia and vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia. We found that MW151 was able to partially rescue hippocampal-dependent spatial memory and learning deficits in this comorbidity context, and further, that the benefit is associated with a normalization of hippocampal metabolites detectable via magnetic resonance spectroscopy. These findings provide evidence that MW151 in particular, and potentially anti-inflammatory treatment more generally, may be beneficial in AD patients with comorbid vascular pathology.

Comparisons of histopathological features and microbiological findings between decedents with respiratory symptoms due to SARS-CoV-2 infection or other causes, in settings with high prevalence of HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infections have not been reported. Deaths associated with a positive ante-mortem SARS-CoV-2 PCR test and/or respiratory disease symptoms at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, South Africa from 15th April to 2nd November 2020, during the first wave of the South African COVID-19 epidemic, were investigated. Deceased adult patients had post-mortem minimally-invasive tissue sampling (MITS) performed to investigate for SARS-CoV-2 infection and molecular detection of putative pathogens on blood and lung samples, and histopathology examination of lung, liver and heart tissue. During the study period MITS were done in patients displaying symptoms of respiratory disease including 75 COVID-19-related deaths (COVID+) and 42 non-COVID-19-related deaths (COVID-). The prevalence of HIV-infection was lower in COVID+ (27%) than in the COVID- (64%), MTB detection was also less common among COVID+ (3% vs 13%). Lung histopathology findings showed differences between COVID+ and COVID- in the severity of the morphological appearance of Type-II pneumocytes, alveolar injury and repair initiated by SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the liver necrotising granulomatous inflammation was more common among COVID+. No differences were found in heart analyses. The prevalence of bacterial co-infections was higher in COVID+. Most indicators of respiratory distress syndrome were undifferentiated between COVID+ and COVID- except for Type-II pneumocytes. HIV or MTB infection does not appear in these data to have a meaningful correspondence with COVID-related deaths. Funding Information: This study was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (grant number INV-016202). There was also partial support from the Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation: South African Research Chair Initiative in Vaccine Preventable Diseases; and the South African Medical Research Council. Declaration of Interests: All other authors have nothing to disclose. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of the Witwatersrand (HREC approval number: M200313). Informed consent was obtained from relatives of the deceased.

Current SARS-CoV-2 serological assays generate discrepant results, and the longitudinal characteristics of antibodies targeting various antigens after asymptomatic to mild COVID-19 are yet to be established. This longitudinal cohort study including 1965 healthcare workers, of which 381 participants exhibited antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen at study inclusion, reveal that these antibodies remain detectable in most participants, 96%, at least four months post infection, despite having had no or mild symptoms. Virus neutralization capacity was confirmed by microneutralization assay in 91% of study participants at least four months post infection. Contrary to antibodies targeting the spike protein, antibodies against the nucleocapsid protein were only detected in 80% of previously anti-nucleocapsid IgG positive healthcare workers. Both anti-spike and anti-nucleocapsid IgG levels were significantly higher in previously hospitalized COVID-19 patients four months post infection than in healthcare workers four months post infection (p = 2*10(-23) and 2*10(-13) respectively). Although the magnitude of humoral response was associated with disease severity, our findings support a durable and functional humoral response after SARS-CoV-2 infection even after no or mild symptoms. We further demonstrate differences in antibody kinetics depending on the antigen, arguing against the use of the nucleocapsid protein as target antigen in population-based SARS-CoV-2 serological surveys.

Drought accompanied with reduced precipitation is one of the key manacles to global agricultural throughput and is expected to escalate further hence posing major challenges to future food safety. For a sustainable agricultural environment, drought resistant plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are new encouraging prospect, which are inexpensive and have no side effects, as those of synthetic fertilizers. In the present study, five strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the strain MK513745, strain MK513746, strain MK513747, strain MK513748, and strain MK513749 were used as drought tolerant PGPR with multiple traits of IAA production, N fixation, P solubilization, siderophore producing capabilities. The strain MK513745 and strain MK513749 produced higher quantities of indole acetic acid (116±0.13 and 108±0.26 μg ml-1). MK513749 yielded 12 different indole compounds in GCMS analysis. The strain MK513748 yielded maximum S.I. (3.33mm) for phosphate solubilizing test. Maximum nitrogen concentration was produced (0.18 μg ml-1) by strain MK513746. Percent siderophore units ranged from 2.65% to 2.83% as all five pseudomonas strains were siderophore positive. In all growth experiments of plant microbe interaction two varieties of Vigna radiata (AZRI-06, NM-11) plants inoculated with P. aeruginosa strains under drought stress responded significantly (P<0.05) better than control stressed plants. Maximum shoot length was enhanced up-to 125%, pod/plant 172%, number of grains 65%, 100 seed weight 95%, 100 seed straw weight 124% and total yield 293% were recorded in plants inoculated with drought stress tolerant PGPR in both varieties as compared to respective stressed control plants. Photosynthetic activity, membrane stability (45%), water content (68%) and antioxidant efficacy (19%) were improved with PGPR inoculations. The variety NM-11 (V2) was more tolerant to drought stress with inoculations of Pseudomonas strains than AZRI-06 (V1). Inoculations with these indole acetic acid producing strains would be suitable for plant growth promotion in areas facing water deficiency.

Latent class analysis is a widely used statistical method for evaluating diagnostic tests without any gold standard. It requires the results of at least two tests applied to the same individuals. Based on the resulting response patterns, the method estimates the test accuracy and the unknown disease status for all individuals in the sample. An important assumption is the conditional independence of the tests. If tests with the same biological principle are used, the assumption is not fulfilled, which may lead to biased results. In a recent publication, we developed a method that considers the dependencies in the latent class model and estimates all parameters using frequentist methods. Here, we evaluate the practicability of the method by applying it to the results of six ELISA tests for antibodies against the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus in pigs that generally follow the same biological principle. First, we present different methods of identifying suitable starting values for the algorithm and apply these to the dataset and a vaccinated subgroup. We present the calculated values of the test accuracies, the estimated proportion of antibody-positive animals and the dependency structure for both datasets. Different starting values led to matching results for the entire dataset. For the vaccinated subgroup, the results were more dependent on the selected starting values. All six ELISA tests are well suited to detect antibodies against PRRS virus, whereas none of the tests had the best values for sensitivity and specificity simultaneously. The results thus show that the method used is able to determine the parameter values of conditionally dependent tests with suitable starting values. The choice of test should be based on the general fit-for-purpose concept and the population under study.

Analysis of convalescent plasma derived from individuals has shown that IgG3 has the most important role in binding to SARS-CoV-2 antigens; however, this has not yet been confirmed in large studies, and the link between binding and neutralization has not been confirmed. By analyzing plasma pools consisting of 247–567 individual convalescent donors, we demonstrated the binding of IgG3 and IgM to Spike-1 protein and the receptor-binding domain correlates strongly with viral neutralization in vitro. Furthermore, despite accounting for only approximately 12% of total immunoglobulin mass, collectively IgG3 and IgM account for approximately 80% of the total neutralization. This may have important implications for the development of potent therapies for COVID-19, as it indicates that hyperimmune globulins or convalescent plasma donations with high IgG3 concentrations may be a highly efficacious therapy.

The aim of the study was to assess the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to analyse the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the population toward COVID-19. This population-based study was conducted in a group of 1,855 randomly selected individuals from all municipalities from 1 December 2020 to 15 January 2021. All individuals were asked to sign a consent form and to fill in a questionnaire, following which a blood samples were collected. Total anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were determined in serum specimens using the total Ab ELISA assay. The overall seroprevalence rate was 40.3%. Subjects aged

BackgroundIn the fight against SARS-COV-2, the development of serological assays based on different antigenic domains represent a versatile tool to get a comprehensive picture of the immune response or differentiate infection from vaccination beyond simple diagnosis.ObjectivesHere we use a combination of the Nucleoprotein (NP), the Spike 1 (S1) and Spike 2 (S2) subunits, and the receptor binding domain (RBD) and N-terminal domain (NTD) of the Spike antigens from the Syrius-CoViDiag® multiplex IgG assay, to follow the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection over a long time period and depending on disease severity.ResultsUsing a panel of 209 sera collected from 61 patients up to eight months after infection, we observed that most patients develop an immune response against multiple viral epitope, but anti-S2 antibodies seemed to last longer. For all the tested IgGs, we have found higher titers for hospitalized patients than for non-hospitalized ones. Moreover the combination of the five different IgG titers increased the correlation to the neutralizing antibody titers than if considered individually.ConclusionMultiplex immunoassays have the potential to improve diagnostic performances, especially for ancient infection or mild form of the disease presenting weaker antibody titers. Also the combined detection of anti-NP and anti-Spike-derived domains can be useful to differentiate vaccination from viral infection and accurately assess the antibody potential to neutralize the virus.

The effects of normal and altered intestinal microbiota on murine retroviral transmission via the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are diverse. The role of orally administered antibiotic treatment (ABX) on viral transmission, GIT microbial dysbiosis and subsequent pathogenesis of Moloney Murine Leukemia virus–temperature sensitive 1 (ts1) on BALB/c mice were studied. BALB/c mice were divided into four groups: ABXts1—Treatment/Infection; ABX—Treatment/No infection; ts1—No treatment/Infection; Ctrl (control)—No treatment/No infection. ABXts1 and ABX groups showed a significant phylogenetic shift (ANOSIM p-value = 0.001) in alpha and beta diversity comparisons for microbial community composition compared to Ctrl group. Mice in the ABXts1 and ABX groups showed megacolon compared to ts1 and Ctrl groups; ABXts1 and ts1 groups showed hepatosplenomegaly, thymus enlargement, and mesenteric lymphadenopathy compared to ABX and Ctrl groups. Ctrl group had no abnormal manifestations. ABX treatment and ts1 infection uniquely affect microbial community when compared to control: ABXts1 and ABX groups significantly reduce microbiome diversity by over 80% and ts1 group by over 30%. ABXts1 and ts1 groups’ viral load and clinical manifestations of infection were comparable; antibiotic treatment did not notably affect ts1 infection. Transmission and pathophysiology of ts1 infection were not significantly altered by the microbial composition of the GI tract, but ts1 viral infection did result in microbial dysbiosis independent of antibiotic treatment.

Since they were first introduced to the United States more than 50 years ago, invasive carp have rapidly colonized rivers of the Mississippi River Basin, with detrimental effects on native aquatic species. Their continued range expansion, and potential for subsequent invasion of the Great Lakes, has led to increased concern for the susceptibility of as-yet uncompromised lotic and lentic systems in the central United States. Because invasive carp eggs and larvae must drift in the river current for the first several days following spawning, numerical drift modeling has emerged as a useful technique for determining whether certain river systems and reaches have the potential to support suspension-to-hatching survival of invasive carp eggs, a critical first step in recruitment. Here we use one such numerical modeling approach, the Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg), to estimate bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) egg hatching success and larval retention in a 47.8-kilometer (km) reach of the multi-thread St. Croix River, Minnesota and Wisconsin, United States. We explore three approaches for obtaining the hydraulic data required by FluEgg, parameterizing the model with either (a) field hydraulic data collected within the main channel during a high-flow event, or hydraulic data output from a one-dimensional hydrodynamic model with both (b) steady, and (c) unsteady flows. We find that the three approaches, along with the range of water temperatures and discharge used in simulations, produce vastly different predictions of streamwise transport and in-river egg hatching probability (0% for field data, 0 to 96% for steady-state hydraulic modeling, and 1.8 to 65% for unsteady modeling). However, all FluEgg simulations, regardless of the source of hydraulic data, predicted that no larvae reach the gas bladder inflation stage within the study reach where nursery habitat is abundant. Overall, these results indicate that the lower St. Croix River is suitable for invasive carp spawning and egg suspension until hatching for a range of discharge and water temperatures. These results highlight the role of complex channel hydraulics and morphology, particularly multi-thread reaches, and their inclusion in ecohydraulic-suitability modeling to determine susceptibility of river systems for invasive carp reproduction. Our work also emphasizes the scientific value of multi-dimensional hydrodynamic models that can capture the spatial heterogeneity of flow fields in geomorphically complex rivers. This work may help to guide management efforts based on the targeted monitoring and control and improve invasive carp egg and larvae sampling efficiency.

Introduction Disseminated intravascular Coagulation (DIC) is a thrombotic microangiopathy which may complicate a number of severe disease processes including sepsis. Development of microvascular thromboses results in consumption of coagulation factors and platelets and ultimate bleeding. Patients with HIV infection (PWH) often present with baseline dysregulation of the coagulation system which may increase severity and derangement of DIC presentation. Previously, we have shown that HIV is a significant risk factor for development of DIC. Methodology We conducted a retrospective record review of all DIC screens submitted to our tertiary coagulation laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa, over a one year period and compared the laboratory presentation of DIC in PWH with presentation of DIC in patients without HIV infection. Results Over the year, 246 patients fulfilled the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) diagnostic criteria for DIC– 108 were confirmed HIV-infected and 77 were confirmed uninfected. PWH and DIC presented at a significantly earlier age (41 vs 46 years respectively, p9/l) were significantly lower in PWH. PWH also showed significant synthetic liver dysfunction and higher background inflammation. Conclusion PWH who fulfil the diagnostic criteria for DIC show significantly more dysregulation of the haemostatic system. This may reflect baseline abnormalities including endothelial dysfunction in the context of inflammation and liver dysfunction.

Food processing methods may influence the health of dogs. However, previous studies have mostly been based on a comparison of several commercial dog foods with different ingredients. In this study, eighteen adult beagles of the same age and health status (assessed by routine blood tests) were used in the experiments. This study analyzed the effects of the following different processing methods: raw, pasteurized, and high temperature sterilization (HTS) made with the same ingredients and nutrients (based on dry matter) on serum parameters, apparent total-tract macronutrient digestibility, fecal microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content in beagle dogs. The data showed, after a test lasting 56-days, the apparent digestibility (ATTD) of protein and fat in HTS food was 91.9%, which was significantly higher (P< 0.05) than that in dry food (89.2%, P < 0.05). The serum content of triglyceride increased in beagles fed HTS food (P < 0.05), and the number of neutrophils in beagles fed raw food and pasteurized food increased significantly (P < 0.05), and the platelet count in beagles fed raw food showed an increasing trend compared with the beagles fed HTS food. Different processing methods had an impact on the intestinal microbiota and SCFA of beagles; at least 14 genera were significantly affected by the food produced using different processing methods. In particular, the abundance of Allprevotella, Escherichia-Shigella and Turicibacter, and the total acid content were lower in beagles fed the raw diet, whereas Streptococcus, Collinsella, Bacteroides and Ruminococcus gnavus were more abundant following the HTS diet, and Lactococcus showed the highest abundance in beagles fed the pasteurized diet. This study showed that dog food produced by different processing methods affected the health of adult beagles.

The cell orientation characteristics of the natural combs of honey bees have received much research attention. Although natural combs have been shown to be composed of cells with three orientations—vertical, intermediate (oblique), and horizontal—the proportion of comb cells in these three orientations varies. Knowledge of the comb-building preferences of honey bees is essential for the installation of wax comb foundations, and clarification of the cell orientation characteristics of natural honey bee combs is important for beekeeping. The purpose of this study was to determine the cell orientation characteristics of natural combs of Eastern honey bees (Apis cerana cerana) and Western honey bees (Apis mellifera ligustica). Newly built combs were used to measure the orientation of hexagonal cells and calculate the proportion of cells in different orientations relative to the total number of cells. The number of eggs laid by queens in the cells of different orientations was also determined. The orientation of cells in the natural combs of Eastern and Western honey bees was determined based on the value of the minimum included angle between the pair of parallel cell walls and a vertical line connecting the top and bottom bars of the movable frame in the geometric plane of the comb: 0°≤θ≤10°, 10°

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), can manifest with varying disease severity and mortality. Genetic predisposition influences the clinical course of infectious diseases. We investigated whether genetic polymorphisms in candidate genes ACE2, TIRAP, and factor X are associated with clinical outcomes in COVID-19. Methods We conducted a single-centre retrospective cohort study. All patients who visited the emergency department with SARS-CoV-2 infection proven by polymerase chain reaction were included. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in ACE2 (rs2285666), TIRAP (rs8177374) and factor X (rs3211783) were assessed. The outcomes were mortality, respiratory failure and venous thromboembolism. Respiratory failure was defined as the necessity of >5 litres/minute oxygen, high flow nasal oxygen suppletion or mechanical ventilation. Results Between March and April 2020, 116 patients (35% female, median age 65 [inter quartile range 55–75] years) were included and treated according to the then applicable guidelines. Sixteen patients (14%) died, 44 patients (38%) had respiratory failure of whom 23 required endotracheal intubation for mechanical ventilation, and 20 patients (17%) developed venous thromboembolism. The percentage of TIRAP polymorphism carriers in the survivor group was 28% as compared to 0% in the non-survivor group (p = 0.01, Bonferroni corrected p = 0.02). Genotype distribution of ACE2 and factor X did not differ between survivors and non-survivors. Conclusion This study shows that carriage of TIRAP polymorphism rs8177374 could be associated with a significantly lower mortality in COVID-19. This TIRAP polymorphism may be an important predictor in the outcome of COVID-19.

Tumor progression locus 2 (Tpl2) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates the expression of inflammatory mediators in response to Toll-like receptors (TLR) and cytokine receptors. Global ablation of Tpl2 leads to severe disease in response to influenza A virus (IAV) infection, characterized by respiratory distress, and studies in bone marrow chimeric mice implicated Tpl2 in non-hematopoietic cells. Lung epithelial cells are primary targets and replicative niches of influenza viruses; however, the specific regulation of antiviral responses by Tpl2 within lung epithelial cells has not been investigated. Herein, we show that Tpl2 is basally expressed in primary airway epithelial cells and that its expression increases in both type I and type II airway epithelial cells (AECI and AECII) in response to influenza infection. We used Nkx2.1-cre to drive Tpl2 deletion within pulmonary epithelial cells to delineate epithelial cell-specific functions of Tpl2 during influenza infection in mice. Although modest increases in morbidity and mortality were attributed to cre-dependent deletion in lung epithelial cells, no alterations in host cytokine production or lung pathology were observed. In vitro, Tpl2 inhibition within the type I airway epithelial cell line, LET1, as well as genetic ablation in primary airway epithelial cells did not alter cytokine production. Overall, these findings establish that Tpl2-dependent defects in cells other than AECs are primarily responsible for the morbidity and mortality seen in influenza-infected mice with global Tpl2 ablation.

BackgroundPeople living with HIV (PLHIV) co-infected with tuberculosis (TB) have a distinct clinical presentation and poorer treatment outcomes compared to HIV-seronegative TB patients. Excluding low CD4 count, innate immune factors associated with TB are not fully elucidated. We, therefore, characterised and compared the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-10 in whole blood of treatment naïve TB patients stimulated with heat-killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis stratified by HIV status and the level of CD4 count.ResultsWe recruited 39 HIV seropositive and 31 HIV seronegative TB patients. Median (IQR) age was 35(28–42) years and 31(25–36) years respectively, and a majority had pulmonary tuberculosis i.e. 38(95%) and 30(97%), respectively. The two groups were significantly different in the distribution of CD4 count, 563 [465–702.5 cells/mm3] vs 345 [157–483 cell/mm3] in HIV negative vs HIV positive respectivelyp= p= 0.0360. TNF-α and IFN-γ were highly expressed in HIV negative TB patients compared to the HIV positive though not statistically significant. We only observed higher expression of IL-6 in HIV negative patients in comparison to the HIV positive when stratified by level of CD4 counts as < 500 and ≥ 500 cell/mm3for both cohorts. 21,953 [8,990–24,206 pg/ml] vs 9,505 [5,400–15,313 pg/ml],pvalue = 0.0585 in patients with CD4 count < 500 cell/mm3and 13,168 [7,087–22,584 pg/ml] vs 10,413 [7,397–14,806 pg/ml],pvalue = 0.3744 for patients with CD4 count of ≥ 500 cell/mm3 respectively. We found a positive pairwise correlation between TNF-α -alpha and IL-6 in both HIV positive and HIV negative patients, r = 0.61 (95% CI 0.36–0.72;p< 0.0001) and r = 0.48 (95% CI 0.15–0.68;p= 0.005) respectively. The IFNγ/IL-10 ratio was higher in HIV negative when compared to HIV positive individuals, 0.052 [0.0–0.28] vs 0.007 [0–0.32] respectively;p= 0.05759. IL-6 independently reduced the probability of TB/HIV, Adjusted odds ratio 0.99,pvalue 0.007.ConclusionsThis study suggests that HIV seronegative TB patients have a higher pro-inflammatory response to MTB than HIV seropositive TB patients. Further, it also shows that the level of CD4 influences immunomodulation. The findings suggest that the difference in cytokine expression may be responsible for the distinct patterns of TB presentation between HIV positive and HIV negative patient.

Contact lens usage has contributed to increased incidence rates of Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), a serious corneal infection that can lead to blindness. Since symptoms associated with AK closely resemble those incurred by bacterial or fungal keratitis, developing a diagnostic method enabling rapid detection with a high degree of Acanthamoeba-specificity would be beneficial. Here, we produced a polyclonal antibody targeting the carboxylesterase (CE) superfamily protein secreted by the pathogenic Acanthamoeba and evaluated its diagnostic potential. Western blot analysis revealed that the CE antibody specifically interacts with the cell lysates and conditioned media of pathogenic Acanthamoeba, which were not observed from the cell lysates and conditioned media of human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells, Fusarium solani, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. High titers of A. castellanii-specific antibody production were confirmed sera of immunized mice via ELISA, and these antibodies were capable of detecting A. castellanii from the cell lysates and their conditioned media. The specificity of the CE antibody was further confirmed on A. castellanii trophozoites and cysts co-cultured with HCE cells, F. solani, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa using immunocytochemistry. Additionally, the CE antibody produced in this study successfully interacted with 7 different Acanthamoeba species. Our findings demonstrate that the polyclonal CE antibody specifically detects multiple species belong to the genus Acanthamoeba, thus highlighting its potential as AK diagnostic tool.

The equine neonate is considered to have impaired glucose tolerance due to delayed maturation of the pancreatic endocrine system. Few studies have investigated insulin sensitivity in newborn foals using dynamic testing methods. The objective of this study was to assess insulin sensitivity by comparing the insulin-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (I-FSIGTT) between neonatal foals and adult horses. This study was performed on healthy neonatal foals (n = 12), 24 to 60 hours of age, and horses (n = 8), 3 to 14 years of age using dextrose (300 mg/kg IV) and insulin (0.02 IU/kg IV). Insulin sensitivity (SI), acute insulin response to glucose (AIRg), glucose effectiveness (Sg), and disposition index (DI) were calculated using minimal model analysis. Proxy measurements were calculated using fasting insulin and glucose concentrations. Nonparametric statistical methods were used for analysis and reported as median and interquartile range (IQR). SI was significantly higher in foals (18.3 L·min-1· μIU-1 [13.4–28.4]) compared to horses (0.9 L·min-1· μIU-1 [0.5–1.1]); (p < 0.0001). DI was higher in foals (12 × 103 [8 × 103−14 × 103]) compared to horses (4 × 102 [2 × 102−7 × 102]); (p < 0.0001). AIRg and Sg were not different between foals and horses. The modified insulin to glucose ratio (MIRG) was lower in foals (1.72 μIUinsulin2/10·L·mgglucose [1.43–2.68]) compared to horses (3.91 μIU insulin2/10·L·mgglucose [2.57–7.89]); (p = 0.009). The homeostasis model assessment of beta cell function (HOMA-BC%) was higher in horses (78.4% [43–116]) compared to foals (23.2% [17.8–42.2]); (p = 0.0096). Our results suggest that healthy neonatal foals are insulin sensitive in the first days of life, which contradicts current literature regarding the equine neonate. Newborn foals may be more insulin sensitive immediately after birth as an evolutionary adaptation to conserve energy during the transition to extrauterine life.

Numerous CCT genes are known to regulate various biological processes, such as circadian rhythm regulation, flowering, light signaling, plant development, and stress resistance. The CCT gene family has been characterized in many plants but remains unknown in the major cereal wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Extended exposure to low temperature (vernalization) is necessary for winter wheat to flower successfully. VERNALIZATION2 (VRN2), a specific CCT-containing gene, has been proved to be strongly associated with vernalization in winter wheat. Mutation of all VRN2 copies in three subgenomes results in the eliminated demands of low temperature in flowering. However, no other CCT genes have been reported to be associated with vernalization to date. The present study screened CCT genes in the whole wheat genome, and preliminarily identified the vernalization related CCT genes through expression analysis. 127 CCT genes were identified in three subgenomes of common wheat through a hidden Markov model-based method. Based on multiple alignment, these genes were grouped into 40 gene clusters, including the duplicated gene clusters TaCMF6 and TaCMF8, each tandemly arranged near the telomere. The phylogenetic analysis classified these genes into eight groups. The transcriptome analysis using leaf tissues collected before, during, and after vernalization revealed 49 upregulated and 31 downregulated CCT genes during vernalization, further validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Among the differentially expressed and well-investigated CCT gene clusters analyzed in this study, TaCMF11, TaCO18, TaPRR95, TaCMF6, and TaCO16 were induced during vernalization but decreased immediately after vernalization, while TaCO1, TaCO15, TaCO2, TaCMF8, and TaPPD1 were stably suppressed during and after vernalization. These data imply that some vernalization related CCT genes other than VRN2 may exist in wheat. This study improves our understanding of CCT genes and provides a foundation for further research on CCT genes related to vernalization in wheat.

Dengue viral (DENV) infections can lead to acute pancreatitis and associated tissue damage. This study examined the pancreas from two fatal cases of DENV for histopathological changes as well as for the detection of cytokines, and other inflammatory mediators. Tissue sections were prepared for examination by ultrastructural and histopathological techniques. Sections from the pancreas of non-infected individuals were prepared in parallel as a control. The presence of viral replication in macrophages was detected by co-staining for the proteins NS3 and CD68 by immunofluorescence. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect cells that expressed cytokines and inflammatory mediators to characterize the inflammatory response. Edema, acinar necrosis and fibrosis areas associated with a mononuclear infiltrate were found in infected tissues. The major site of virus replication appeared to be macrophages based on their exclusive presentation of the viral protein NS3. Pancreatic tissues from the infected individuals also displayed increased levels of high mobility group box-1, caspase-3, gelatinase B and tumor necrosis factor alpha compared to controls. The presence of virus replicating macrophages in the pancreas was associated with multiple changes in tissue structure that included elevated levels of cytokines and inflammatory markers that may differentiate acute pancreatitis due to DENV infections from other causes.

Background Performance of the SD Biosensor saliva antigen rapid test was evaluated at a large designated testing site in non-hospitalized patients, with or without symptoms. Method All eligible people over 18 years of age presenting for a booked appointment at the designated SARS-CoV-2 testing site were approached for inclusion and enrolled following verbal informed consent. One nasopharyngeal swab was taken to carry out the default antigen rapid test from which the results were reported back to the patient and one saliva sample was self-taken according to verbal instruction on site. This was used for the saliva antigen rapid test, the RT-PCR and for virus culture. Sensitivity of the saliva antigen rapid test was analyzed in two ways: i, compared to saliva RT-PCR; and ii, compared to virus culture of the saliva samples. Study participants were also asked to fill in a short questionnaire stating age, sex, date of symptom onset. Recommended time of ≥30mins since last meal, drink or cigarette if applicable was also recorded. The study was carried out in February-March 2021 for 4 weeks. Results We could include 789 people with complete records and results. Compared to saliva RT-PCR, overall sensitivity and specificity of the saliva antigen rapid test was 66.1% and 99.6% which increased to 88.6% with Ct ≤30 cutoff. Analysis by days post onset did not result in higher sensitivities because the large majority of people were in the very early phase of disease ie Conclusion Overall, the potential benefits of saliva antigen rapid test, could outweigh the lower sensitivity compared to nasopharyngeal antigen rapid test in a comprehensive testing strategy, especially for home/self-testing and in vulnerable populations like elderly, disabled or children where in intrusive testing is either not possible or causes unnecessary stress.

Salmonid fish raised in hatcheries often have lower fitness (number of returning adult offspring) than wild fish when both spawn in the wild. Body size at release from hatcheries is positively correlated with survival at sea. So one explanation for reduced fitness is that hatcheries inadvertently select for trait values that enhance growth rate under the unnatural environment of a hatchery, but that are maladaptive in the wild environment. A simple prediction of this hypothesis is that juveniles of hatchery origin should grow more quickly than fish of wild origin under hatchery conditions, but should have lower survival under wild conditions. We tested that hypothesis using multiple full sibling families of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) that were spawned using either two wild parents (WxW) or two first-generation hatchery (HxH) parents. Offspring from all the families were grown together under hatchery conditions and under semi-natural conditions in artificial streams. HxH families grew significantly faster in the hatchery, but had significantly lower survival in the streams. That we see this tradeoff after only a single generation of selection suggests that the traits involved are under very strong selection. We also considered one possible alteration to the hatchery environment that might reduce the intensity of selection among families in size at release. Here we tested whether reducing the fat content of hatchery feed would reduce the variance among families in body size. Although fish raised under a low-fat diet were slightly smaller, the variation among families in final size was unchanged. Thus, there is no evidence that reducing the fat content of hatchery feed would reduce the opportunity for selection among families on size at release.

Wheat is an important cereal crop, which is adversely affected by water deficit stress. The effect of induced stress can be reduced by the application of salicylic acid (SA). With the objective to combat drought stress in wheat, an experiment was conducted in greenhouse under hydroponic conditions. The treatments consisted of (a) no drought (DD0 = 0 MPa), mild drought (DD1 = -0.40 MPa) and severe drought (DD2 = -0.60 MPa) by applying PEG-8000, (b) two contrasting wheat varieties Barani-17 (drought tolerant) and Anaj-17 (drought-sensitive), and (c) foliar treatments of salicylic acid (0, 50 mM, 75 mM, and 100 mM). Evaluation of wheat plants regarding biochemical, physiological, and morphological attributes were rendered after harvesting of plants. Statistically, maximum shoot and root fresh and dry weights (18.77, 11.15 and 1.99, 1.81 g, respectively) were recorded in cultivar Barani-17 under no drought condition with the application of SA (100 mM). While, minimum shoot and root fresh and dry weights (6.65, 3.14 and 0.73, 0.61 g, respectively) were recorded in cultivar Anaj-2017 under mild drought stress without SA application. The maximum shoot length (68.0 cm) was observed in cultivar Barani-2017 under no drought condition with the application of SA (100 mM). While, maximum root length (59.67 cm) was recorded in cultivar Anaj-17 under moderate drought stress without application of SA. Further, minimum shoot length (28.67 cm) was recorded in Anaj-17 under moderate drought stress without SA application. Minimum root length (38.67 cm) was recorded in cultivar Barani-17 under no drought condition without SA application. Furthermore, maximum physio-biochemical traits, including membrane stability index (MSI), chlorophyl content, photosynthetic rates, stomatal conductance, antioxidant enzymatic activities and relative water content (RWC) were found highest in cultivar Barani-17 under no drought stress and SA application at 100 mM. However, minimum values of these traits were recorded in cultivar Anaj-17 under severe drought stress without SA application. Our results also demonstrated that under severe drought, application of SA at 100 mM significantly increased leaf nitrogen (N), phosphrus (P) and potassium (K) contents and cultivar Barani-17 demonstrated significantly higher values than Anaj-17. The obtained results also indicated that the cultivation of wheat under drought stress conditions noticeably declines the morphological, physiological, and biochemical attributes of the plants. However, the exogenous application of SA had a positive impact on wheat crop for enhancing its productivity.

Cicer arietinum is the 3rd most important cool season legume crop growing in vast arid and semi-arid regions of the world. A lab experiment was designed using hydrothermal time model (HTT) to investigate the chickpea seed germination (SG) behavior, cardinal temperatures and germination responses across fluctuating temperatures (Ts) and water potentials (Ψs). Seeds of chickpea var. NIFA 1995 were germinated at six constant Ts (7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42°C) each having the following five water potentials: 0, -0.2, -0.4–0.6 and -0.8 MPa. Germination percentage (G%) decreased significantly at (*P ≤ 0.05) from 86.7% at 28°C in -0.2 MPa to 10% in -0.2 MPa at 7°C. The germination rate (GR = 1/t50) against different T percentiles exhibited that linear increase was observed in the GR pattern above and below the To. Based on the confidence intervals of the model coefficients and (R2: 0.96), the average cardinal temperatures were 4.7, 23 and 44.2°C for the base (Tb), optimal (To) and ceiling (Tc) temperatures respectively. θT1 value was observed maximum at 28°C in -0.2 MPa and decreases with decreasing Ψ (-0.8 MPa). In comparison with control, the θT2 value was also highest in -0.2 MPa at 28°C. The thermal time (TT) concept is well fitted to germination fraction data in distilled water with an R2 value increasing 0.972. The hydro time constant (θH) increased with an increase in T to To and then decreased when T>To. The ѱb(50) irregularly varied with increasing T, σΨb was also recorded lowest (0.166 MPa) at 28°C and highest (0.457 MPa) at 7°C. Based on the statistical analysis, cardinal temperatures, hydrothermal time constant (θHTT) and germination findings the HTT gives an insight into the interactive effect of T and Ψ on seed germination time courses under varying environmental conditions.

Enrichment of rearing environment with natural elements has been suggested to improve the welfare and post-release survival of cultured fish. We studied the combined effects of shelter structures, periodical water flow and water level changes on pre- and post-release performance of critically endangered landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar m. sebago). Relative to standard (plain) rearing tanks, provision of enrichment improved fish condition factor and survival during the first year of rearing when most mortality was attributable to parasitic and bacterial infections. The consequent higher density in enriched tanks probably induced greater growth variation and more dorsal fin damages than found in fish of standard tanks. Possibly this was partly due to the applied changes in water level. Experimentally determined smolt migration tendency at age 3 did not differ, on average, between the rearing groups, but enriched-reared fish showed clearly less variation in total movement activity than standard-reared fish. Experimental angling in earthen ponds did not suggest divergent vulnerability between the differentially reared fish at age 3, but decreased condition during the preceding growth season increased vulnerability to fishing. Based on long-term post-stocking tag returns in large-lake fisheries, fish length at release but not rearing method affected the capture rates of fish released at age 2. When released at age 3 the fish grown in enriched environment had a higher risk to be captured with stationary gears and earlier by hook and line gears compared to standard-reared conspecifics. Earlier time of maximal smolt migration activity was associated with an increased risk of being captured. We suggest that environmental enrichment may modulate growth- and behavior-related qualities that indirectly increased the vulnerability to fishing in natural conditions but not in experimental setting. The favorable effects of enrichment on early survival encourages adopting enriched rearing practices in supportive breeding of landlocked salmon.

Dehydration Responsive Element Binding (DREB) regulates the expression of numerous stress-responsive genes, and hence plays a pivotal role in abiotic stress responses and tolerance in plants. The study aimed to develop a complete overview of the cis-acting regulatory elements (CAREs) present in S. tuberosum DREB gene promoters. A total of one hundred and four (104) cis-regulatory elements (CREs) were identified from 2.5kbp upstream of the start codon (ATG). The in-silico promoter analysis revealed variable sets of cis-elements and functional diversity with the predominance of light-responsive (30%), development-related (20%), abiotic stress-responsive (14%), and hormone-responsive (12%) elements in StDREBs. Among them, two light-responsive elements (Box-4 and G-box) were predicted in 64 and 61 StDREB genes, respectively. Two development-related motifs (AAGAA-motif and as-1) were abundant in StDREB gene promoters. Most of the DREB genes contained one or more Myeloblastosis (MYB) and Myelocytometosis (MYC) elements associated with abiotic stress responses. Hormone-responsive element i.e. ABRE was found in 59 out of 66 StDREB genes, which implied their role in dehydration and salinity stress. Moreover, six proteins were chosen corresponding to A1-A6 StDREB subgroups for secondary structure analysis and three-dimensional protein modeling followed by model validation through PROCHECK server by Ramachandran Plot. The predicted models demonstrated >90% of the residues in the favorable region, which further ensured their reliability. The present study also anticipated pocket binding sites and disordered regions (DRs) to gain insights into the structural flexibility and functional annotation of StDREB proteins. The protein association network determined the interaction of six selected StDREB proteins with potato proteins encoded by other gene families such as MYB and NAC, suggesting their similar functional roles in biological and molecular pathways. Overall, our results provide fundamental information for future functional analysis to understand the precise molecular mechanisms of the DREB gene family in S. tuberosum.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with endothelial activation and coagulopathy, which may be related to pre-existing or infection-induced pro-thrombotic autoantibodies such as those targeting angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R-Ab). Methods We compared prevalence and levels of AT1R-Ab in COVID-19 cases with mild or severe disease to age and sex matched negative controls utilizing multivariate logistic and quantile regression adjusted for comorbidities including hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. Results There were trends toward increased prevalence (50% vs. 33%, p = 0.1) and level of AT1R-Ab (median 9.8 vs. 6.1 U/mL, p = 0.06) in all cases versus controls. When considered by COVID-19 disease severity, there was a trend toward increased prevalence of AT1R-Ab (55% vs. 31%, p = 0.07), as well as significantly higher AT1R-Ab levels (median 10.7 vs. 5.9 U/mL, p = 0.03) amongst individuals with mild COVID-19 versus matched controls. In contrast, the prevalence (42% vs. 37%, p = 0.9) and level (both medians 6.7 U/mL, p = 0.9) of AT1R-Ab amongst those with severe COVID-19 did not differ from matched controls. Conclusions These findings support an association between COVID-19 and AT1R-Ab, emphasizing that vascular pathology may be present in individuals with mild COVID-19 as well as those with severe disease.

Anthrax is a worldwide zoonotic disease. Anthrax has long been a public health and socio-economic issue in Mongolia. Presently, there is no spatial information on carcass burial sites as a potential hazard of future anthrax outbreaks and possible risk factors associated with anthrax occurrences in Mongolia. Here, we analyze retrospective data (1986–2015) on the disposal sites of livestock carcasses to describe historical spatio-temporal patterns of livestock anthrax in Khuvsgul Province, which showed the highest anthrax incidence rate in Mongolia. From the results of spatial mean and standard deviational ellipse analyses, we found that the anthrax spatial distribution in livestock did not change over the study period, indicating a localized source of exposure. The multi-distance spatial cluster analysis showed that carcass sites distributed in the study area are clustered. Using kernel density estimation analysis on carcass sites, we identified two anthrax hotspots in low-lying areas around the south and north regions. Notably, this study disclosed a new hotspot in the northern part that emerged in the last decade of the 30-year study period. The highest proportion of cases was recorded in cattle, whose prevalence per area was highest in six districts (i.e., Murun, Chandmani-Undur, Khatgal, Ikh-Uul, Tosontsengel, and Tsagaan-Uul), suggesting that vaccination should prioritize cattle in these districts. Furthermore, size of outbreaks was influenced by the annual summer mean air temperature of Khuvsgul Province, probably by affecting the permafrost freeze-thawing activity.

Weed infestation is a persistent problem for centuries and continues to be major yield reducing issue in modern agriculture. Chemical weed control through herbicides results in numerous ecological, environmental, and health-related issues. Moreover, numerous herbicides have evolved resistance against available herbicides. Plant extracts are regarded as an alternative to herbicides and a good weed management option. The use of plant extracts is environmentally safe and could solve the problem of herbicide resistance. Therefore, laboratory and wire house experiments were conducted to evaluate the phytotoxic potential of three Fabaceae species, i.e.,Cassia occidentalisL. (Coffee senna),Sesbania sesban(L.) Merr. (Common sesban) andMelilotus albaMedik. (White sweetclover) against seed germination and seedling growth of some broadleaved weed species. Firstly, N-hexane and aqueous extracts of these species were assessed for their phytotoxic effect against lettuce (Lactuca sativaL.). The extracts found more potent were further tested against germination and seedling growth of four broadleaved weed species, i.e.,Parthenium hysterophorusL. (Santa-Maria),Trianthema portulacastrumL. (Pigweed),Melilotus indicaL (Indian sweetclover). andRumex dentatusL. (Toothed dock) in Petri dish and pot experiments. Aqueous extracts of all species were more toxic than their N-hexane forms for seed germination and seedling growth of lettuce; therefore, aqueous extracts were assessed for their phytotoxic potential against four broadleaved weed species. Aqueous extracts of all species proved phytotoxic againstT.portulacastrum,P.hysterophorus,M.indicaandR.dentatusand retarder their germination by 57, 90, 100 and 58%, respectively. Nevertheless, foliar spray ofC.occidentalisextract was the most effective againstT.portulacastrumas it reduced its dry biomass by 72%, whileM.albawas effective againstP.hysterophorus,R.dentatusandM.indicaand reduced their dry biomass by 55, 68 and 81%, respectively. It is concluded that aqueous extracts ofM.alba,S.sesbanandC.occidentaliscould be used to retard seed germination ofT.portulacastrum,P.hysterophorus,M.indicaandR.dentatus. Similarly, aqueous extracts ofC.occidentaliscan be used to suppress dry biomass ofT.portulacastrum, and those ofM.albaagainstP.hysterophorus,R.dentatus. However, use of these extracts needs their thorough testing under field conditions.

Recent studies forecast that many ectothermic animals, especially aquatic stenotherms, may not be able to thrive or even survive predicted climate change. These projections, however, generally do not call much attention to the role of behavior, an essential thermoregulatory mechanism of many ectotherms. Here we characterize species-specific locomotor and respiratory responses to acute ambient warming in two highly stenothermic Antarctic Notothenioid fishes, one of which (Chaenocephalus aceratus) lacks hemoglobin and appears to be less tolerant to thermal stress as compared to the other (Notothenia coriiceps), which expresses hemoglobin. At the onset of ambient warming, both species perform distinct locomotor maneuvers that appear to include avoidance reactions. In response to unavoidable progressive hyperthermia, fishes demonstrate a range of species-specific maneuvers, all of which appear to provide some mitigation of the deleterious effects of obligatory thermoconformation and to compensate for increasing metabolic demand by enhancing the efficacy of branchial respiration. As temperature continues to rise, Chaenocephalus aceratus supplements these behaviors with intensive pectoral fin fanning which may facilitate cutaneous respiration through its scaleless integument, and Notothenia coriiceps manifests respiratory-locomotor coupling during repetitive startle-like maneuvers which may further augment gill ventilation. The latter behaviors, found only in Notothenia coriiceps, have highly stereotyped appearance resembling Fixed Action Pattern sequences. Altogether, this behavioral flexibility could contribute to the reduction of the detrimental effects of acute thermal stress within a limited thermal range. In an ecologically relevant setting, this may enable efficient thermoregulation of fishes by habitat selection, thus facilitating their resilience in persistent environmental change. Funding for the field work was provided by the National Science Foundation grant ANT 1341602 to Dr. Elizabeth L. Crockett (Ohio University, USA). Acquisition of equipment for behavioral experiments and all other activities throughout the study including the time and effort of Drs. Ismailov, Scharping and Friedlander were supported by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC operational funds. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Published version

In this paper, a new mathematical model is formulated that describes the interaction between uninfected cells, infected cells, viruses, intracellular viral RNA, Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs), and antibodies. Hence, the model contains certain biological relations that are thought to be key factors driving this interaction which allow us to obtain precise logical conclusions. Therefore, it improves our perception, that would otherwise not be possible, to comprehend the pathogenesis, to interpret clinical data, to control treatment, and to suggest new relations. This model can be used to study viral dynamics in patients for a wide range of infectious diseases like HIV, HPV, HBV, HCV, and Covid-19. Though, analysis of a new multiscale HCV model incorporating the immune system response is considered in detail, the analysis and results can be applied for all other viruses. The model utilizes a transformed multiscale model in the form of ordinary differential equations (ODE) and incorporates into it the interaction of the immune system. The role of CTLs and the role of antibody responses are investigated. The positivity of the solutions is proven, the basic reproduction number is obtained, and the equilibrium points are specified. The stability at the equilibrium points is analyzed based on the Lyapunov invariance principle. By using appropriate Lyapunov functions, the uninfected equilibrium point is proven to be globally asymptotically stable when the reproduction number is less than one and unstable otherwise. Global stability of the infected equilibrium points is considered, and it has been found that each equilibrium point has a specific domain of stability. Stability regions could be overlapped and a bistable equilibria could be found, which means the coexistence of two stable equilibrium points. Hence, the solution converges to one of them depending on the initial conditions.

The aim of this study was to estimate genotype by time-lagged heat stress (HS) variance components as well as main and interaction SNP-marker effects for maternal HS during the last eight weeks of cow pregnancy, considering milk production traits recorded in the offspring generation. The HS indicator was the temperature humidity index (THI) for each week. A dummy variable with the code = 1 for the respective week for THI ≥ 60 indicated HS, otherwise, for no HS, the code = 0 was assigned. The dataset included test-day and lactation production traits from 14,188 genotyped first parity Holstein cows. After genotype quality control, 41,139 SNP markers remained for the genomic analyses. Genomic animal models without (model VC_nHS) and with in-utero HS effects (model VC_wHS) were applied to estimate variance components. Accordingly, for genome-wide associations, models GWA_nHS and GWA_wHS, respectively, were applied to estimate main and interaction SNP effects. Common genomic and residual variances for the same traits were very similar from models VC_nHS and VC_wHS. Genotype by HS interaction variances varied, depending on the week with in-utero HS. Among all traits, lactation milk yield with HS from week 5 displayed the largest proportion for interaction variances (0.07). For main effects from model GWA_wHS, 380 SNPs were suggestively associated with all production traits. For the SNP interaction effects from model GWA_wHS, we identified 31 suggestive SNPs, which were located in close distance to 62 potential candidate genes. The inferred candidate genes have various biological functions, including mechanisms of immune response, growth processes and disease resistance. Two biological processes excessively represented in the overrepresentation tests addressed lymphocyte and monocyte chemotaxis, ultimately affecting immune response. The modelling approach considering time-lagged genotype by HS interactions for production traits inferred physiological mechanisms being associated with health and immunity, enabling improvements in selection of robust animals.

Introduction PDL1 and its interaction with PD1 is implicated in immune dysfunction in TB and HIV. The expression of PDL1 on multiple subsets of monocytes as well as their associations with cytokines and microbial products have not been well studied. Method HIV (TB-HIV+), TB (TB+HIV-) and TB/HIV co-infected (TB+HIV+) patients as well as apparently healthy controls (TB-HIV-) were recruited. TB and HIV patients were treatment naïve while TB/HIV patients were both ART naïve and experienced but not yet started TB therapy. Monocyte subsets were evaluated for PDL1 expression by flow cytometry; plasma TNFα, IL6, IP10, IFNγ and IL10 were measured by Luminex; and cytokine mRNA from purified monocytes quantitated by qPCR. The association of PDL1 with cytokines, clinical and microbial indices, including HIV viral load, TB smear microscopy and TB urinary lipoarabinomannan (LAM) were assessed. Results Monocyte expression of PDL1 was significantly higher in TB, HIV and TB/HIV co-infected patients compared with healthy controls (p = 0.0001), with the highest levels in TB/HIV co-infected patients. The highest expression of PDL1 was on intermediate (CD14+CD16+) monocytes in all participant groups. PDL1 strongly correlated with HIV viral load in TB/HIV while weakly correlated in HIV. PDL1 levels moderately correlated with plasma TNFα, IL6, IP10, IFNγ and IL10 level in TB subjects whereas weakly correlated with TNFα and IP10 in HIV patients. However, cytokine mRNA from purified monocytes showed no association with either plasma cytokines or monocyte PDL1 expression, implying that if cytokines modulate PDL1, they are likely not originating from circulating monocytes themselves. These results underscore the importance of further characterization of multiple monocyte subsets and their phenotypic and functional differences in different disease states.

Fishways have been widely used for upstream passage around human-built structures, but ‘success’ has varied dramatically. Evaluation of fishway success has typically been conducted at local scales using metrics such as fish passage efficiency and passage time, but evaluations are increasingly used in broader assessments of whether passage facilities meet population-specific conservation and management objectives. Over 15 years, we monitored passage effectiveness at eight dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers for 26,886 radio-tagged spring-summer and fall Chinook Salmon O. tshwaytscha, Sockeye Salmon O. nerka, and summer steelhead O. mykiss during their migrations to spawning sites. Almost all fish that entered dam tailraces eventually approached and entered fishways. Tailrace-to-forebay passage efficiency estimates at individual dams were consistently high, averaging 0.966 (SD = 0.035) across 245 run×year×dam combinations. These estimates are among the highest recorded for any migratory species, which we attribute to the scale of evaluation, salmonid life history traits (e.g., philopatry), and a sustained adaptive management approach to fishway design, maintenance, and improvement. Full-dam fish passage times were considerably more variable, with run×year×dam medians ranging from 5–65 h. Evaluation at larger scales provided evidence that fishways were biologically effective, e.g., we observed rapid migration rates (medians = 28–40 km/d) through river reaches with multiple dams and estimated fisheries-adjusted upstream migration survival of 67–69%. However, there were substantive uncertainties regarding effectiveness. Uncertainty about natal origins confounded estimation of population-specific survival and interpretation of apparent dam passage ‘failure’, while lack of post-migration reproductive data precluded analyses of delayed or cumulative effects of passing the impounded system on fish fitness. Although the technical fishways are effective for salmonids in the Columbia-Snake River system, other co-migrating species have lower passage rates, highlighting the need for species-specific design and evaluation wherever passage facilities impact fish management and conservation goals.

PurposeTuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of infectious disease related mortality, and only 10% of the infected individuals develop active disease. The likelihood of progression of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) to active TB disease is high in HIV infected individuals. Identification of HIV+ individuals at risk would allow treating targeted population, facilitating completion of therapy for LTBI and prevention of TB development. NK cells have an important role in T cell independent immunity against TB, but the exact role of NK cell subsets in LTBI and HIV is not well characterized.MethodsIn this study, we compared the expansion and function of memory like NK cells from HIV-LTBI+ individuals and treatment naïve HIV+LTBI+ patients in response to Mtb antigens ESAT-6 and CFP-10.ResultsIn freshly isolated PBMCs, percentages of CD3-CD56+NK cells were similar in HIV+LTBI+ patients and healthy HIV-LTBI+ individuals. However, percentages of CD3-CD56+CD16+NK cells were higher in healthy HIV-LTBI+ individuals compared to HIV+LTBI+ patients. HIV infection also inhibited the expansion of memory like NK cells, production of IL-32α, IL-15 and IFN-γ in response to Mtb antigens in LTBI+ individuals.ConclusionWe studied phenotypic, functional subsets and activation of memory like-NK cells during HIV infection and LTBI. We observed that HIV+LTBI+ patients demonstrated suboptimal NK cell and monocyte interactions in response to Mtb, leading to reduced IL-15, IFN-γ and granzyme B and increased CCL5 production. Our study highlights the effect of HIV and LTBI on modulation of NK cell activity to understand their role in development of interventions to prevent progression to TB in high risk individuals.

Zika virus (ZKV) infection in a pregnant woman, especially during the first trimester, often results in congenital anomalies. However, the pathogenic mechanism is unknown and one-third of ZKV infected pregnancies are asymptomatic. Neutralizing antibodies against ZKV has been reported in 70% of Thai adults, but the prevalence among pregnant women is unknown. Currently, vaccines and specific treatments for ZKV are under development. A better understanding of the immune status of pregnant women will increase the success of effective prevention guidelines. The prevalence of ZKV infection in pregnant women in antenatal care clinics was investigated during the rainy season from May to October 2019 at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. We recruited 650 pregnant women (39.42% first, 52.26% second and 7.36% third trimester) and found that 30.77% had ZKV-specific IgG, and 39.81% had neutralizing antibodies (nAb) against ZKV (titer ≥10). Specific and neutralizing antibody levels varied by maternal age, trimester, and month. We further characterized the cross-reaction between ZKV and the four Dengue virus (DENV) serotypes by focused reduction neutralization test (FRNT) and found that cross-reactions were common. In conclusion, about 60% of pregnant women who living in central Thailand may be at risk of ZKV infection due to the absence of neutralizing antibodies against ZKV. The functions of cross-reactive antibodies between related viral genotypes require further study. These findings have implications for health care monitoring in pregnant women including determining the risk of ZKV infection, assisting the development of a flavivirus vaccine, and informing the development of preventative health policies.

Motivating rodents to perform cognitive tasks often relies on the application of aversive stimuli. The Vibration Actuating Search Task (VAST) is a novel open-field task in which gradient floor vibration provides motivation for the rodent to navigate in the direction of diminishing vibration to an unmarked target destination. Using floor vibration as a motivational stimulus may overcome several of the potential confounds associated with stimuli used in other tasks. In a series of three experiments, we determined whether (1) rats exhibit place preference for floor vibration over other aversive stimuli (i.e., water, foot shock, and bright light), (2) exposure to floor vibration is associated with a lower corticosterone response than exposure to these other stimuli, (3) rats successfully acquire the VAST, and (4) VAST performance is sensitive to 6 h of sleep deprivation (SD). Our results showed that rats exhibited place preference for vibration over water, foot shock, and bright light environments, and that corticosterone levels were lower in rats exposed to vibration than those exposed to water. VAST performance also significantly improved over two days of testing for some metrics, and SD impaired VAST performance. Overall, we conclude that (1) rats exhibit place preference for vibration over other stimuli commonly used to motivate task performance, (2) the vibrations employed by the VAST produce lower concentrations of circulating corticosterone than forced swimming, (3) rats can learn to use gradient floor vibration as a mode of performance feedback within two days of testing, and (4) VAST performance is substantially impaired by SD. Thus, the VAST is an effective and practical testbed for studying the mechanisms by which SD causes deficits in feedback-dependent decision making.

Sperm morphology is generally uniform within a species due to selective pressures that act to achieve better fertilization outcomes under postcopulatory competitive circumstances. Therefore, polyandry that intensifies post-mating sperm competition should constrain intraspecific sperm polymorphism. Contrary to this paradigm, we previously found that a polyandrous squid, Heterololigo bleekeri, produces dimorphic eusperm (flagellum length dimorphism; FLD), which is closely associated with alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs); large males (consorts) transfer their spermatophores inside the female’s mantle cavity, while small males (sneakers) do so outside the mantle. Thus, FLD was considered as the consequence of different insemination strategies that arise from different modes of sperm competition, sperm storage and the fertilization environment. However, in other squid species showing ARTs, the choice of mating behaviour is rather conditional (i.e., switching mating tactic between consorts and sneakers), which poses the question of whether sperm FLD could have evolved. Here, we investigated five species in the family Loliginidae that exhibit ARTs and found that all species showed sneaker-biased FLD. However, in a species with conditional ARTs, we found FLD rather ambiguous and the testicular somatic index to be nearly continuous among individuals at transitional state, suggesting that plasticity in mating behaviour compromises the disruptive selection on a sperm morphological trait.

The growth of fishes and their metabolism is highly variable in fish species and is an indicator for fish fitness. Therefore, somatic growth, as a main biological process, is ecologically and economically significant. The growth differences of two closely related salmonids, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and maraena whitefsh (Coregonus maraena), have not been adequately studied as a comparative study and are therefore insufficiently understood. For this reason, our aim was to examine muscle growth in more detail and provide a first complex insight into the growth and muscle metabolism of these two fish species at slaughter size. In addition to skeletal muscle composition (including nuclear counting and staining of stem and progenitor cells), biochemical characteristics, and enzyme activity (creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase) of rainbow trout and maraena whitefish were determined. Our results indicate that red muscle contains cells with a smaller diameter compared to white muscle and those fibres had more stem and progenitor cells as a proportion of total nuclei. Interestingly, numerous interspecies differences were identified; in rainbow trout muscle RNA content, intermediate fibres and fibre diameter and in whitefish red muscle cross-sectional area, creatine kinase activity were higher compared to the other species at slaughter weight. The proportional reduction in red muscle area, accompanied by an increase in DNA content and a lower activity of creatine kinase, exhibited a higher degree of hypertrophic growth in rainbow trout compared to maraena whitefish, which makes this species particularly successful as an aquaculture species.

Background Around 30% of the HCV infected patients can spontaneously clear the virus. Cumulative evidence suggests the role of neutralizing antibodies in such spontaneous resolution. Understanding the epitope specificity of such antibodies will inform the rational vaccine design as such information is limited to date. In addition to conformational epitope targeted antibodies, linear epitope specific antibodies have been identified that are broadly cross reactive against diverse HCV strains. In this study, we have characterized the potential role of three conserved linear epitopes in the spontaneous clearance of HCV. Methods We tested the reactivity of sera from chronic patients (CP) and spontaneous resolvers (SR) with linear peptides corresponding to three conserved regions of HCV envelope protein E2 spanning amino acids 412–423, 523–532 and 432–443 using ELISA. Subsequently, we characterized the dependency of HCV neutralization by the reactive serum samples on the antibodies specific for these epitopes using pseudoparticle-based neutralization assay. In ELISA most of the CP sera showed reactivity to multiple peptides while most of the SR samples were reactive to a single peptide suggesting presence of more specific antibodies in the SR sera. In most of the HCVpp neutralizing sera of particular peptide reactivity the neutralization was significantly affected by the presence of respective peptide. HCV neutralization by CP sera was affected by multiple peptides while 75% of the HCVpp neutralizing SR sera were competed by the 432 epitope. Conclusions These findings suggest that individuals who spontaneously resolve HCV infection at the acute phase, can produce antibodies specific for conserved linear epitopes, and those antibodies can potentially play a role in the spontaneous viral clearance. The epitope present in the 432–443 region of E2 was identified as the primary neutralizing epitope with potential role in spontaneous viral clearance and this epitope potentiates for the design of immunogen for prophylactic vaccine.

Background Mexico is one of the countries with the highest number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic. In spite of this high mortality, in Mexico the number of confirmed cases and diagnostic tests per million population are lower than for other comparable countries, which leads to uncertainty about the actual extent of the pandemic. In Mexico City, healthcare workers represent an important fraction of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We performed a cross-sectional study whose objective was to estimate the frequency of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and identify associated factors in healthcare workers at a large hospital in Mexico City. Methods We conducted a serological survey in a non-COVID national referral teaching hospital. The study population included all the personnel that works, in any capacity, in the hospital. From this population we selected a representative sample of 300 individuals. Blood samples were collected and questionnaires were applied between August 10th and September 9th, 2020. Results ELISA results indicate a serological prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection of 13.0%. Working in the janitorial and security groups, having an educational level below a university degree, and living with a larger number of people, were all identified as sociodemographic factors that increase the probability of having SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conclusions Less favored socioeconomic groups face significantly higher prospects of experiencing SARS-CoV-2 infection and in institutions such as ours, providing janitorial and security workgroups with additional testing and counseling could help to limit the spread of contagion. The rate from the official number of confirmed cases in Mexico City is substantially smaller than the seropositive rate identified in this work.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic which is characterized by respiratory illness and severe pneumonia, and currently accounts for > 2.5 million deaths worldwide. Recently, diverse mutations in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 were reported in United Kingdom (Alpha) and South Africa (Beta) strains which raise concerns over the potential increase in binding affinity towards the host cell receptor and diminished host neutralization capabilities. In order to study the effect of mutation in the binding efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) with anti-SARS-CoV/CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), we have produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD and two variants SARS-CoV-2 RBD (Alpha RBD and Beta RBD) in Nicotiana benthamiana by transient expression. Plant-produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD-Fc, Alpha RBD-Fc and Beta RBD-Fc exhibited specific binding to human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor determined by ELISA. Intriguingly, the binding of plant-produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD proteins to plant-produced mAbs CR3022, B38, and H4 was found to be different depending on the variant mutation. In contrary to the plant-produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD-Fc and Alpha RBD-Fc, Beta RBD-Fc variant showed weak binding affinity towards the mAbs. The result suggested that the Beta RBD variant might have acquired partial resistance to neutralizing antibodies compared to other variants. However, further studies with sera from convalescent or vaccinated individuals are required to confirm this finding.

Introduction Khat is a flowering plant with stimulant effect on the nervous system and produce psychological dependence. Despite its harmful effects, the ingestion of khat has been part of cultural norms and the legality of khat varies by region. Objective This systematic review aimed at critically evaluating the available evidence on the risk factors of khat chewing among adolescents. Methods A systematic review was conducted on published research studies from five databases Scopus, PubMed, Science-direct, Ovid and google scholar using keywords khat chewing OR qat chewing AND associated factors OR risk factors OR contributing factors AND adolescents OR teenagers. Articles included were either cross-sectional, cohort, case-control or qualitative studies which were published between the year 1990 till present. Excluded articles were the non-English written articles, descriptive studies and irrelevant topics being studied. Results Out of 2617 records identified and screened, six were included for the analysis and interpretation of the data. All included studies were cross-sectional study design. All six studies reported having family members who chewed khat significantly predict khat chewing among adolescents, followed by five articles for friends or peers who also chewed khat and four articles for male gender. Smoking was also found to have the highest odds (OR = 18.2; 95% CI: 12.95–25.72) for khat chewing among adolescents. Conclusion The review highlights the crucial role of family members, friends or peers and male gender to predict khat chewing among adolescents. Effectiveness of health promotion programs to educate and reduce khat chewing among adolescents will require active participation of family members and friends.

Water mites are diverse aquatic invertebrates that provide potentially important ecosystem and economic services as bioindicators and mosquito biocontrol; however, little is known about water mite digestive physiology, including their diet in nature. Water mites, much like their spider relatives, liquefy their prey upon consumption. This results in the absence of morphologically identifiable prey in water mite mid-gut. Previous studies have reported associations in the field of water mites with presumed prey and laboratory observations of water mites feeding on specific organisms offered for ingestion; however, the present work aims to determine what water mites have ingested in nature based on molecular studies of gut contents from freshly collected organisms from the field. To elucidate water mite prey, we used next-generation sequencing to detect diverse cytochrome oxidase I DNA barcode sequences of putative prey in the guts of 54 specimens comprising two species ofLebertiaand a few specimens ofArrenurus(2) andLimnesia(1). To our knowledge this is the first molecular study of the diets of water mites as they feed in nature. While the presence of chironomid DNA confirmed previous observations of midge larvae as part of the diets ofLebertia, we also found the DNA of diverse organisms in all four species of water mites, including the DNA of mosquitoes in 6 specimens ofLebertiaand a large number of previously unknown prey, especially from oligochaete worms. These studies thereby reveal a greater diversity of prey and a potentially broader significance than previously appreciated for water mites in aquatic food webs. Molecular studies like this can detect water mite predators of mosquito larvae and add knowledge of water mite predatory contributions to freshwater food webs.

COVID-19 serological test must have high sensitivity as well as specificity to rule out cross-reactivity with common coronaviruses (HCoVs). We have developed a quantitative multiplex test, measuring antibodies against spike (S) proteins of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and common human coronavirus strains (229E, NL63, OC43, HKU1), and nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV viruses. Receptor binding domain of S protein of SARS-CoV-2 (S-RBD), and N protein, demonstrated sensitivity (94% and 92.5%, respectively) in COVID-19 patients (n = 53), with 98% specificity in non-COVID-19 respiratory-disease (n = 98), and healthy-controls (n = 129). Anti S-RBD and N antibodies appeared five to ten days post-onset of symptoms, peaking at approximately four weeks. The appearance of IgG and IgM coincided while IgG subtypes, IgG1 and IgG3 appeared soon after the total IgG; IgG2 and IgG4 remained undetectable. Several inflammatory cytokines/chemokines were found to be elevated in many COVID-19 patients (e.g., Eotaxin, Gro-α, CXCL-10 (IP-10), RANTES (CCL5), IL-2Rα, MCP-1, and SCGF-b); CXCL-10 was elevated in all. In contrast to antibody titers, levels of CXCL-10 decreased with the improvement in patient health suggesting it as a candidate for disease resolution. Importantly, anti-N antibodies appear before S-RBD and differentiate between vaccinated and infected people—current vaccines (and several in the pipeline) are S protein-based.

Screening for drought tolerance requires precise techniques like phonemics, which is an emerging science aimed at non-destructive methods allowing large-scale screening of genotypes. Large-scale screening complements genomic efforts to identify genes relevant for crop improvement. Thirty maize inbred lines from various sources (exotic and indigenous) maintained at Dryland Agriculture Research Station were used in the current study. In the automated plant transport and imaging systems (LemnaTec Scanalyzer system for large plants), top and side view images were taken of the VIS (visible) and NIR (near infrared) range of the light spectrum to capture phenes. All images were obtained with a thermal imager. All sensors were used to collect images one day after shifting the pots from the greenhouse for 11 days. Image processing was done using pre-processing, segmentation and flowered by features’ extraction. Different surrogate traits such as pixel area, plant aspect ratio, convex hull ratio and calliper length were estimated. A strong association was found between canopy temperature and above ground biomass under stress conditions. Promising lines in different surrogates will be utilized in breeding programmes to develop mapping populations for traits of interest related to drought resilience, in terms of improved tissue water status and mapping of genes/QTLs for drought traits.