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Amorphophallus paeoniifolius is an herbaceous perennial tuber crop distributed widely in many Asian countries. We isolated 19 polymorphic loci from A. paeoniifolius using a dual-suppression-PCR technique. These loci provide microsatellite markers with high polymorphism ranging from three to 24 alleles per locus. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.521 to 0.854 and from 0.766 to 0.930, respectively. This high allelic diversity indicates that our markers are suitable for a population study in A. paeoniifolius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune cells have intensely physical lifestyles characterized by structural plasticity and force exertion. To investigate whether specific immune functions require stereotyped mechanical outputs, we used super-resolution traction force microscopy to compare the immune synapses formed by cytotoxic T cells with contacts formed by other T cell subsets and by macrophages. T cell synapses were globally compressive, which was fundamentally different from the pulling and pinching associated with macrophage phagocytosis. Spectral decomposition of force exertion patterns from each cell type linked cytotoxicity to compressive strength, local protrusiveness, and the induction of complex, asymmetric topography. These features were validated as cytotoxic drivers by genetic disruption of cytoskeletal regulators, live imaging of synaptic secretion, and in silico analysis of interfacial distortion. Synapse architecture and force exertion were sensitive to target stiffness and size, suggesting that the mechanical potentiation of killing is biophysically adaptive. We conclude that cellular cytotoxicity and, by implication, other effector responses are supported by specialized patterns of efferent force.

The lime plant is a horticultural plant that grows in tropical regions. One of the cultivation maintenances to increase the production of lime fruits is pruning. However, the pruning technique of lime requires high production costs. In addition, phytohormones such as ethylene and abscisic acid have regulation to help drop leaves and branches. The study aimed to identify genes in lime involved in the self-pruning process during ethephon and abscisic acid treatments. Total RNA was extracted and subjected to long-read sequencing using a PCR-cDNA sequencing kit, Oxford Nanopore Technologies. The transcripts were produced 5,914 using the RATTLE program and ranged from 201 - 8,156 bp, and N50 was 1,292 bp. The RNA-seq dataset is available as a raw sequence read that scientists can further process and analyze, and this data can be helpful for lime breeding programs that can shed branches and leaves., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Mild shading has been reported to increase leaf production in kaffir lime ( Citrus hystrix ) through the improvement of agro-physiological variables, such as growth, photosynthesis, and water-use efficiency; however, there is still a knowledge gap concerning its growth and yield after experiencing severe pruning in harvest season. Additionally, a specific nitrogen (N) recommendation for leaf-oriented kaffir lime is still unavailable due to its lesser popularity compared to fruit-oriented citrus. The present study determined the best pruning level and N dose based on agronomy and the physiology of kaffir lime under mild shading. Nine-month-old kaffir lime seedlings grafted to rangpur lime ( C. limonia ) were arranged in a split-plot design, i.e., N dose as a main plot and pruning as a subplot. Comparative analysis resulted in 20% higher growth and a 22% higher yield in the high-pruned plants by leaving 30 cm of main stem above the ground rather than short ones with a 10 cm main stem. Both correlation and regression analysis strongly highlighted the importance of N for leaf numbers. Plants treated with 0 and 10 g N plant -1 experienced severe leaf chlorosis due to N deficiency, while those treated with 20 and 40 g N plant -1 showed N sufficiency; thus, the efficient recommendation for kaffir lime leaf production is 20 g N plant -1 .

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the relation between happiness perception of children and quality of sleep, appetite, dietary intake and nutritional status., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study evaluating happiness, quality of sleep, appetite, dietary intake and nutritional status in 296 Indonesian children less than five-years of age., Results: There was no significant difference on perceived happiness between urban and rural areas (P = 0.087). The proportion of children that are perceived as happy by mothers (55.1%) is significantly higher (p < 0.001) as perceived as happy by fathers (50.7%). A significant lower dietary energy intake with a higher percentage of dietary protein to total energy intake was observed among those children that are perceived as happy. However, after adjusted to body weight, there was no significant difference in the amount of protein intake between those perceived as happy and unhappy. Amongst the nutritional status indicators, this study found a significantly higher Height-for-Age Z score among the children that perceived as happy., Conclusion: Height-for-age Z score and dietary protein intake in children aged 2-5 years are associated with quality of sleep and appetite, and may therefore affect children's happiness. Not only parental care but also appropriate nutrient intakes influence the child's happiness., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Previous studies revealed the impact growing location has on the quantity and quality of essential oils derived from numerous Citrus spp., except on the kaffir lime. This study aims to analyze the relationship shared by agroclimatic variables and soil-plant nutrient status to kaffir lime leaves essential oil yield and main composition. The experiment was conducted between February and April 2019 in four growing locations, namely Bogor (6°36'36″ S, 106°46'47″ E), West Bandung (6°48'12″ S, 107°39'16″ E), Pasuruan (7°45'5″ S, 112°40'6″ E) and Tulungagung (8°6'27″ S, 112°0'35″ E). The highest essential oil yield was obtained from Bogor (1.5%), while the lowest one was from Tulungagung (0.78%). The yield was positively and significantly correlated with the rainfall, soil organic carbon, soil pH, and macronutrient levels, i.e., nitrogen, phosphorus, and magnesium. Citronellal, the major component in metabolites' profile of kaffir lime leaves essential oils, was significantly affected by the growing location. The absolute content of citronellal was positively and significantly correlated with the actual soil pH and leaf Ca content; furthermore, it negatively correlated with the leaf content of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu. Pearson correlation analysis also showed (i) a negative significant correlation between the relative percentage of citronellol and annual rainfall intensity; (ii) a negative significant correlation between altitude and relative percentage of caryophyllene, and (iii) a positive significant correlation between the relative percentage of linalool and leaf K content.

The impact of volatile anesthetics on cancer progression has been observed for decades, but sex differences have not been described. Male and female immune systems vary considerably, and the immune system plays an important role in limiting cancer growth. Currently, mouse models describing the impact of volatile anesthetics on cancer growth are limited to same-sex models. In this brief report, we describe a sex-specific impact of isoflurane on melanoma growth observed in wild-type but not in immune-deficient mice. Future experimental designs related to anesthesia and cancer should evaluate the biological variable of sex in a systematic manner.

The corms and leaves of elephant foot yams (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson) are important foods in the local diet in many Asian regions. The crop has high productivity and wide agroecological adaptation and exhibits suitability for the agroforestry system. Although the plant is assumed to reproduce via panmixia, a comprehensive study on the genetic background across regions to enhance wider consumer palatability is still lacking. Here, ten informative microsatellites were analyzed in 29 populations across regions in India, Indonesia and Thailand to understand the genetic diversity, population structure and distribution to improve breeding and conservation programs. The genetic diversity was high among and within regions. Some populations exhibited excess heterozygosity and bottlenecking. Pairwise FST indicated very high genetic differentiation across regions (FST = 0.274), and the Asian population was unlikely to be panmictic. Phylogenetic tree construction grouped the populations according to country of origin with the exception of the Medan population from Indonesia. The current gene flow was apparent within the regions but was restricted among the regions. The present study revealed that Indonesia and Thailand populations could be alternative centers of the gene pool, together with India. Consequently, regional action should be incorporated in genetic conservation and breeding efforts to develop new varieties with global acceptance.