Search

Thirty-two genotypes of chilli from three different sources (local dandicuts, AVRDC and PGRI PARC) were evaluated for the presence of genetic divergence among them for different agro-economic traits i.e., plant height, stem girth, fruit length, fruit girth, number of fruits per plant, number of seed per fruit, fresh fruit weight and dry fruit weight at Arid Zone Agricultural Research Institute, Umerkot, Sindh during 2018. All these genotypes were found to be significantly different from each other for all the studied traits. For further diversity analysis, multivariate analyses like principal component analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis were also performed to figure out the traits responsible for maximum variability and grouping of genotypes according to their similarities and differences for their future utilization in chilli breeding programs. PCA analysis showed that first four PCs exhibited 82.79% of the total variability among these 32 chilli genotypes. Cluster analysis showed four different sub-clusters and the genotypes from every single source merge in each sub-cluster, thus showing that chilli genotypes are from different geographical backgrounds. Based on these results, the chilli genotypes can be further utilized in future chilli improvement programs in Pakistan. Genotypes AZRI-DS-14, AZRI-DS-01 and AVPP-9804 showed better performance.

Banana bunchy top is one of the most damaging diseases in banana cultivation. However, the distribution and molecular diversity of banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) as well as its alternative hosts in Indonesia have not been reported since 1998. A total of 257 banana leaf samples were collected from the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua, Bali, Sumbawa, Timor, and Sumba from 2016 to 2019. The BBTV was detected through PCR in samples from all islands except Kalimantan. A molecular analysis showed that all BBTV isolates belonged to the South East Asian (SEA) subgroup. Based on the DNA-S and DNA-C analysis, the isolates from Sulawesi and Halmahera islands were closely related to those from the Philippines, while the remaining isolates were highly similar to those previously reported from Sumatra, Java, and Bali. Natural infection of BBTV was also recorded on abaca (Musa textilis), wild banana (M. acuminata subsp. sumatrana), ornamental pink banana (M. velutina), galangal (Alpinia galangal), and turmeric (Curcuma longa).

The characterization of garlic germplasm improves its utility, despite the fact that garlic hasn't been used much in the past. Garlic has an untapped genetic pool of immense economic and medicinal value in India. Hence, using heuristic core collection approach, a core set of 46 accessions were selected from 625 Indian garlic accessions based on 13 quantitative and five qualitative traits. The statistical measures (CV per cent, CR per cent, VR per cent) were used to sort the core set using Shannon-Wiener diversity index and the Nei diversity index. In addition, the variation within the core set was tested for 18 agro-morphological and six biochemical characteristics (allicin, phenol content, pyruvic acid, protein, allyl methyl thiosulfinate (AMTHS), and methyl allyl thiosulfinate (MATHS)). Further study of the core set's molecular diversity was performed using sequence related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers, which revealed a wide range of diversity among the core set's accessions, with an average polymorphism efficiency (PE) of 80.59 percent, polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.29, effective multiplex ratio (EMR) of 3.51, and marker index (MI) of 0.99. The findings of this study will be useful in identifying high-yielding, elite garlic germplasm lines with the trait of interest. Since this core set is indicative of total germplasm, these selected breeding lines will be used for genetic improvement of garlic in the future.

This investigation was carried out during 2018/2019 season in three locations Homs, Al-Swaida and Tartous belongs to the General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research in Syria, using 17 Italian, Syrian and Ethiopian wheat genotypes to estimate the potential diversity by principle component and cluster analysis, and to study the structural modeling between grain yield and other traits to define best traits as predictors and selection indexes of grain yield, and to determine the superior genotypes in grain yield. Results indicated a remarkable variation of 74% due only to the first four principle components with Eigen value > 1. PC Biplot showed that Tartous was the best location, and the genotype SD09 was superior in grain yield per plant followed by SH5 and IP39. Structural modeling results revealed that the total and fertile tillers number per plant were the best predictors for grain yield per plant, while fertile tillers per plant with grain weight per spike could be used as selection indexes of wheat grain yield because they had positive strong direct effect on grain yield per plant. Cluster analysis results confirmed the need to assess more various genotypes from different origins.

Multi-modal machine learning has been a prominent multi-disciplinary research area since its success in complex real-world problems. Empirically, multi-branch fusion models tend to generate better results when there is a high diversity among each branch of the model. However, such experience alone does not guarantee the fusion model's best performance nor have sufficient theoretical support. We present the theoretical estimation of the fusion models' performance by measuring each branch model's performance and the distance between branches based on the analysis of several most popular fusion methods. The theorem is validated empirically by numerical experiments. We further present a branch model selection framework to identify the candidate branches for fusion models to achieve the optimal multi-modal performance by using the theorem. The framework's effectiveness is demonstrated on various datasets by showing how effectively selecting the combination of branch models to attain superior performance.

Diversity in plant genetic resources (PGR) provides opportunity for plant breeders to develop new and improved cultivars with desirable characteristics viz., high yield, pest and disease resistance, photosensitivity and high oil quality. Genetic diversity is a ubiquitous feature of all species in nature. Therefore, different genotypes of sesame were used for diversity analysis. Different clustering techniques were widely used for the analysis of diversity. In this paper, Bayesian hierarchical clustering algorithm is applied which can be interpreted as a novel fast bottom-up approximate inference method. Finally, this method clusters the genotypes into various groups with their corresponding genotypes in respective clusters.

The present study was aimed at genetic characterization and diversity analysis of Pandharpuri buffalo population using the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended bovine microsatellite markers. Genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples of 50 unrelated animals and a total of 23 microsatellite loci were amplified using polymerase chain reaction. Among 23 recommended microsatellite markers, 14 markers (BM2113, BM1818, CSSM66, HEL13, INRA037, ILSTS05, HAUT27, INRA023, INRA035, HEL5, ETH3, NRA063, MM12 and ETH10) were found to be highly polymorphic in Pandharpuri population. The amplified products were run on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) apparatus along with a ladder; subsequently, the allele typing was done based on silver staining of the gel. The effective and observed number of alleles, heterozygosity (expected and unbiased) estimates and polymorphic information content (PIC) levels were estimated for each locus. A total of 87 alleles were secured for 14 polymorphic loci studied giving an overall average of 6.21 alleles per locus. The number of alleles ranged from 2 (INRA063) to 9 (BM1818 and HEL13). The mean effective number of alleles across all polymorphic loci was found to be 4.28. The overall mean expected heterozygosity and unbiased expected heterozygosity values were 0.77 and 0.76, ranging from 0.50 (INRA063) to 0.88 (BM1818) and 0.50 (INRA063) to 0.88 (BM1818), respectively. The average PIC estimate across all polymorphic loci was 0.73 ranging from 0.373 (INRA063) to 0.864 (BM1818). In the present study, the characterization and diversity estimates are reported for Pandharpuri population. It was found to maintain optimum diversity based on 14 polymorphic microsatellite markers.

Graphical abstract, Quantification of similarities between protein sequences or DNA/RNA strands is a (sub-)task that is ubiquitously present in bioinformatics workflows, and is usually accomplished by pairwise comparisons of sequences, utilizing simple (e.g. percent identity) or more intricate concepts (e.g. substitution scoring matrices). Complex tasks (such as clustering) rely on a large number of pairwise comparisons under the hood, instead of a direct quantification of set similarities. Based on our recently introduced framework that enables multiple comparisons of binary molecular fingerprints (i.e., direct calculation of the similarity of fingerprint sets), here we introduce novel symmetric similarity indices for analogous calculations on sets of character sequences with more than two (t) possible items (e.g. DNA/RNA sequences with t = 4, or protein sequences with t = 20). The features of these new indices are studied in detail with analysis of variance (ANOVA), and demonstrated with three case studies of protein/DNA sequences with varying degrees of similarity (or evolutionary proximity). The Python code for the extended many-item similarity indices is publicly available at: https://github.com/ramirandaq/tn_Comparisons.

The soft rot caused by Pectobacterium and Dickeya spp. is among the most important potato disease, responsible for outbreaks worldwide. In 2018, potato tubers (cultivar Lady Claire) with and without visible soft rot symptom, together with their geocaulospheres were sampled from the field in Bačka region (Serbia). The 16S rRNA Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of tubers with and without soft rot symptom and their corresponding soils was performed to detect differences in microbial diversity and, using this data to predict causal agent(s) of disease and which samples are potentially best for isolating biocontrol strains. The ubiquitous soil bacteria from the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were dominant in all samples. The sequences identified as Pectobacterium aroidearum, P. carotovorum, and P. polaris were present in all tested samples and it can be hypothesized that they caused soft rot. The K3 sample showed the presence of genera with potential antimicrobial activity (Pseudomonas, Arthrobacter, Chryseobacterium, Bacillus, and Exiguobacterium). This result shows that diversity analysis could be used for checking for the presence of potential antagonistic bacteria at infected sites. Also, following the presence or absence of particular taxa could point out a capacity of soil to endure a growth season without an outbreak of soft or to maintain it without significant losses. This is a new approach to interpreting the results of the diversity of bacterial communities of tubers and can be useful for screening the health status of the soil.

The caloric needs of the global population are solely dependent on only 30 crops including rice, wheat, and maize. It is important to diversify and ensure the global food supply by enhancing the wide adaptation of nutritionally important vegetable crops. Focusing on the underutilized and locally available vegetable crops would meet the need of eradicating malnutrition and food security for the local population and small-hold farmers. With the advent of long-read sequencing technologies, several orphan crops and crops with complex genetic nature are being explored and genome resources are made available for crop improvement. Moringa oliefera is a well-known medicinal and nutritive plant which is getting adequate attention in recent years. Functional analytical tools including genome, transcriptome, metabolome, and proteome were made available for moringa; besides diversity analysis, evolutionary and syntenic studies were also reported. With an objective of exploring the available resources of an important nutritive crop and evaluating the need to enhance the functional studies further, this chapter reviews the application of long-read sequencing and their application in moringa genomics for its wider utilization in pharma industries.

Pests and diseases are one of the obstacles in increasing production and productivity of shallots. The study was conducted in Subak Rejasa Klod, Rejasa Village, Penebel District, Tabanan Regency - Bali Province. Research was conducted in June-November 2019, using a split plot randomized block design. The main plot is shallot varieties (V) and the subplot of the technical culture innovation (P). The main plot (V) consists of 2 treatment shallots namely Bali Karet (V1) and Lokal Tabanan (V2) and the plot consisting of 3 treatment of technical culture namely existing (P1); improvement (P2); and introduction (P3). Data on growth components and crop yields are analyzed using diversity analysis and continued with the DMRT test. Analysis of farming businesses was analyzed using B/C ratio and MBCR analysis. The results showed that Spodopthera exigua and Altenaria porri at V1 are lower than V2. The highest dry weight per hectare was obtained in the Bali Karet (V1) of 20,89 tons/ha. Introduction technology (P3) is the best innovation of dry weight-weight producing per hectare on irrigation land.. The value of B/C ratio and MBCR is 1.73 and 3.06 for introduction technology. It was concluded that introduction technology was effective as innovation of pest controllers and main diseases and were able to improve the yield of the Bali Karet variety on irrigation land.

Since the first approval of a protein kinase inhibitor (PKI) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001, 55 new PKIs have reached the market, and many inhibitors are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. This is a clear indication that protein kinases still represent major drug targets for the pharmaceutical industry. In a previous work, we have introduced PKIDB, a publicly available database, gathering PKIs that have already been approved (Phase 4), as well as those currently in clinical trials (Phases 0 to 3). This database is updated frequently, and an analysis of the new data is presented here. In addition, we compared the set of PKIs present in PKIDB with the PKIs in early preclinical studies found in ChEMBL, the largest publicly available chemical database. For each dataset, the distribution of physicochemical descriptors related to drug-likeness is presented. From these results, updated guidelines to prioritize compounds for targeting protein kinases are proposed. The results of a principal component analysis (PCA) show that the PKIDB dataset is fully encompassed within all PKIs found in the public database. This observation is reinforced by a principal moments of inertia (PMI) analysis of all molecules. Interestingly, we notice that PKIs in clinical trials tend to explore new 3D chemical space. While a great majority of PKIs is located on the area of &ldquo, flatland&rdquo, we find few compounds exploring the 3D structural space. Finally, a scaffold diversity analysis of the two datasets, based on frequency counts was performed. The results give insight into the chemical space of PKIs, and can guide researchers to reach out new unexplored areas. PKIDB is freely accessible from the following website: http://www.icoa.fr/pkidb.

Seed traits of bread wheat, including the seed size that is considered to be associated with early vigor of the crop and end-use quality, are valuable to farmers and breeders. In this study, a collection of 789 bread wheat landraces, held in-trust at the genebank of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) were scanned for seed morphometric traits using GrainScan. Diversity analysis using the 12k DartSeq SNP markers revealed that these accessions can be grouped into five distinct clusters. To evaluate the performance for early selection from genebank accessions, we examined the accuracy of genomic selection models with genomic relationship that these landraces accounted for. Based on cross-validations, prediction accuracies for seed traits ranged from 0.64 for seed perimeter to 0.74 for seed width. The variability of prediction accuracies across random validations averaged at 0.14, with a range from 0.12 to 0.18, suggesting stable predictability and reproducible results even with a collection of much greater genetic diversity from genebank accessions. Adding the climatic relationship matrix between accessions based on passport information improved the predictive ability by 8%. Our results on seed traits demonstrated the capacity for estimating important agronomic phenotypes for genebank accessions directly based on genomic information, further advocating the advance in genomic technologies for identifying parental germplasm as potential donors of beneficial alleles for introgression.

Cultivation of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) in Tunisia is largely based on improved varieties of the crop. However, a few farmers continue to produce local cultivars or landraces. The National Gene Bank of Tunisia (NGBT) recently launched a collection project for faba bean landraces, with special focus on the regions of the North West, traditionally devoted to cultivating grain legumes, and where around 80% of the total national faba bean cultivation area is located. The seed phenotypic features of the collected samples were studied, and the genetic diversity and population structure analyzed using simple sequence repeat markers. The genetic constitution of the present samples was compared to that of faba bean samples collected by teams of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in the 1970s in the same region, and stored at the ICARDA gene bank. The results of the diversity analysis demonstrate that the recently collected samples and those stored at ICARDA largely overlap, thus demonstrating that over the past 50 years, little genetic change has occurred to the local faba bean populations examined. These findings suggest that farmers serendipitously applied international best practices for in situ conservation of agricultural crops.

While intimate feminine hygiene products are widely used as part of daily cleansing routines, little is known about how these products impact the vulvovaginal area and its microbiome stability. This 4 week clinical study assessed tolerance of a novel gel wash containing lactic acid (pH 4.2) for external daily use when used on the external genital area and its effects on skin moisturization, vulvar skin pH, and the vulvar microbiome. After a 7 day pre-study conditioning period, 36 healthy females in three balanced age groups (18&ndash, 29, 30&ndash, 44, and 45&ndash, 55 years) used the gel wash to cleanse their external genital area (mons pubis and vulva) and entire body at least once per day for 28 days. Skin tolerance of the gel wash was assessed by the gynecologist. Effects of the gel wash on vulvar skin microbiota were studied by performing bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) microbial richness and diversity analysis. Based on gynecologic assessment after 28 days of use, the gel wash showed acceptable tolerance, with no signs of increased dryness, redness, edema, itching, stinging, or burning. Use of the gel wash was associated with a significant increase in both short-term (single application) and longer-term (daily use for 28 days) skin moisturization. There was no significant change in vulvar skin pH over time with daily product use, and the gel wash did not significantly affect the natural vulvar microbiome species richness or diversity for bacteria or fungi. Results showed that this gel wash is a mild, moisturizing cleanser that maintains the natural pH and microbial diversity of vulvar skin. To our knowledge, this was the first study to assess the effect of an antimicrobial feminine gel wash on the natural pH and vulvar microbiome habitat of the skin using bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS genetic sequencing techniques.

Ricebean (Vigna umbellata (Thunb.) Ohwi and Ohashi), believed to be domesticated in Myanmar–Thailand region, is grown in the North-Eastern hills of India as a pulse, vegetable, and fodder crop. Depending on the farming system where it is grown, plant types vary. Sixty-five accessions collected from across the North-Eastern hills of India were characterized for ten quantitative and ten qualitative morpho-agronomic traits using a minimal descriptor. Different data transformation and dissimilarity calculation methods were used to assess diversity. Mean dissimilarity using the average taxonomic distance was 14.05 (0.141) and using Gower’s general coefficient was 0.249. Both methods identified four clusters where one of the clusters contained more than 70% of the accessions. One of the accessions, BKSB-40, was identified as a unique accession. Quantitative traits were further grouped into qualitative factors, which gave an idea of farmer's preference for plant type and indicated wide difference between accessions collected from areas bordering Myanmar and East Nepal.

Ethiopian shade coffee plantations are well documented to be bird-friendly and act as refuges for disappearing tree species. The extent to which these plantations support mammal conservation, as well as mammal sensitivity to coffee intensification, remain little studied. We studied the distribution and diversity of mammals under three coffee management systems of differing intensities (i.e., semi-forest, semi-plantation, and plantation) and in nearby natural forests in Belete-Gera Forest Priority Area, southwestern Ethiopia. We detected mammals using 30 infrared camera traps at 90 stations for a total of 4142 camera days. We used the Shannon-Wiener diversity index for diversity analysis, generalized linear mixed model for comparison of independent detection, and non-metric multidimensional scaling to show the mammalian community composition. We recorded 8815 digital videos and a total of 23 mammal species. The overall species richness, diversity, and detection of mammals did not differ between the two traditional shade coffee management systems and the natural forest but was lower in the plantation coffee system. The mammal community composition also shows variation in resilience to coffee management intensity, with primates appearing to be generally more tolerant to management intensification. We ultimately show that traditionally managed Ethiopian shade coffee farms shelter diverse mammal communities, comparable to those in nearby natural forests. Therefore, supporting traditional coffee management practices and certifying them as mammal-friendly should be implemented as strategies for the conservation of mammals, as natural forests continue to decline in Ethiopia.

In this paper, we propose an amplify-and-forward multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relaying scheme, which combines space shift keying (SSK) with the best and partial relay selection. In this scheme, SSK transmission is considered by using the source (S) transmit antennas. Besides the direct link transmission, a relay, which is selected according to the best or partial relay selection techniques, amplifies the data received from S and forwards it to the destination (D). Theoretical error probability expressions of the proposed cooperative SSK systems are derived and an asymptotic diversity analysis is also performed to demonstrate the achievable diversity orders of the systems. It is shown that the proposed SSK systems outperform the conventional cooperative single-input multiple-output (SIMO) systems. It is also revealed that there is an interesting trade-off between SSK with the best and the partial relay selection in terms of error performance and complexity as in conventional cooperative SIMO systems. However, it is shown that the partial relay selection provides an almost identical error performance compared to the best relay selection with a considerably lower complexity when the number of relays is less than or equal to the number of receive antennas at D in the cooperative SSK system. (C) 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The genetic diversity available in sweetpotato has not been explored to develop dual-purpose sweetpotato varieties (DPSVs). The objectives of this study were to assess the level of phenotypic diversity present among sweetpotato varieties grown in Rwanda, and to select suitable parents for breeding DPSVs. Fifty-one diverse sweetpotato genotypes were evaluated in field trials conducted at the Rubona and Karama experimental stations of the Rwanda Agriculture Board using a 6 × 9 unbalanced alpha lattice design with three replications. Genotypes and sites showed significant interaction (P

In recent years, air transportation networks have been studied with tools from complex networks theory. In this work, the Brazilian domestic air transportation network is analyzed in the period 2010–2018, considering a multiplex approach. Through a recently proposed quantifier, the Multiplex Efficiency Index \(\mathcal {E}\), the diversity of Brazilian air transportation routes is studied. Changes in the efficiency of the system are analyzed and discussed, especially considering airport privatization processes and events such as the exclusion of companies, with a case study of a company withdraw with real data. Alternatives for reorganizing routes between the remaining companies are considered to find the most efficient combination. Correlations between the \(\mathcal {E}\)-index, aircraft seat occupancy rate and airline ticket prices are investigated, highlighting topological features influenced by real factors.

Watu Joglo is one of the caves located in the row of the Sewu mountains, Gunung Kidul, Special Regency of Yogyakarta. Watu Joglo has various suitable microhabitats for herpetofauna. So far, the study about herpetofauna’s community structure and distribution has not been carried out in Watu Joglo. This study aimed to study and map the diversity, richness, evenness, and distribution of herpetofauna in Watu Joglo. Herpetofauna’s data sampling was carried out for three days. The study was conducted on 6-8 April 2018. The data of herpetofauna community were analyzed with Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Margalef richness index, and Pielou Evenness Index. The data of herpetofauna distribution were mapped and analyzed with Avenza and ArcGis. Based on the research conducted, we found 11 species of herpetofauna which consisted of five species from Ordo Anura, four species from Subordo Lacertilia, and two species from Subordo Serpentes. Herpetofauna in Watu Joglo was widely distributed around the river. According to diversity analysis, Watu Joglo has moderate diversity index, 1.667. Besides, Watu Joglo has high evenness index which is 0.85 but low richness index which is 2.83.

Diversity analysis of rapeseed accessions preserved in the Japanese Genebank can provide valuable information for breeding programs. In this study, 582 accessions were genotyped with 30 SSR markers covering all 19 rapeseed chromosomes. These markers amplified 311 alleles (10.37 alleles per marker; range, 3-39). The genetic diversity of Japanese accessions was lower than that of overseas accessions. Analysis of molecular variance indicated significant genetic differentiation between Japanese and overseas accessions. Small but significant differences were found among geographical groups in Japan, and genetic differentiation tended to increase with geographical distance. STRUCTURE analysis indicated the presence of two main genetic clusters in the NARO rapeseed collection. With the membership probabilities threshold, 227 accessions mostly originating from overseas were assigned to one subgroup, and 276 accessions mostly originating from Japan were assigned to the other subgroup. The remaining 79 accessions are assigned to admixed group. The core collection constructed comprises 96 accessions of diverse origin. It represents the whole collection well and thus it may be useful for rapeseed genetic research and breeding programs. The core collection improves the efficiency of management, evaluation, and utilization of genetic resources.

Genetic diversity among 35 rice varieties was investigated using 68 hyper variable polymorphic microsatellite markers to have more insights into the varietal diversity for future selection strategies in development of tailor made rice varieties suitable to different ecological niches of the state. In 68 polymorphic markers, a total of 298 alleles were detected with a range of 2 to 13 with an average allele number (Na) of 4.3 per locus. The Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) values ranged from 0.36 (RM24015) to 0.97 (RM 25310) with an average of 0.85. Overall estimation of number of alleles (Na) and genetic diversity index (He) indicated low to moderate level of diversity among the cultivars. The research station wise estimation on number of alleles (Na) and genetic diversity index (He) clearly indicated that the varieties developed from Rajendranagar varieties exhibited maximum while, Nellore varieties with minimum followed by Jagtial and varieties from remaining stations showed moderate values for both the parameters. The cluster analysis grouped 35 varieties into six clusters. The cultivars developed from Rajendranagar, Maruteru and Warangal tends to group together and the other station varieties are clustered in different groups. The results of this study revealed that genetic diversity among the varieties released from different research stations is moderate and thus warrants the breeders of particularly ARS, Nellore and RARS, Jagtial to broaden the genetic base by selecting diverse parents while making crosses.

Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) is a multipurpose crop used for food, fuel, housing materials, fencing and livestock feed. The major food types obtained from enset are kocho, bulla and amicho. Kocho is fermented starch obtained from decorticated (scraped) leaf sheaths and grated corms. Bulla is obtained by squeezing out the liquid containing starch from scraped leaf sheathes and grated corm and allowing the resultant starch to concentrate into white powder. Amicho is boiled enset corm pieces that are prepared and consumed in a similar manner to other root and tuber crops. Thirty-five cultivars of Ensete ventricosum were grown in RCBD (two replications) to study the different quantitative morpho-agronomic characters contributing to the diversity analysis at Areka and Chichu during 2012 to 2013 cropping season. Data on 10 quantitative traits were collected and exposed to statistical analysis. Analysis of variance revealed that there was significant difference between the two locations in all tested phenotypic characters. The mean squares due to cultivars, locations and cultivars x locations interaction were highly significant (P ≤ 0.001) for all the quantitative traits. The highest corm yields were recorded for varieties Chohot, Ashakit, Bose and Gazner. Farmers in the two locations ranked cultivar Ashakit first and Kataniya took second place whereas the first best performing cultivars (Chohot) was among the least preferred genotypes with low score (3). Among the studied character, phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation was highest for corm weight (36.17 and 27.28 tha-1 y-1). High heritability was estimate for plant height (77%). The phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of correlation indicated that corm yield ha-1 y-1 was positively correlated with most of the characters. The present study indicated a considerable amount of variability for the majority of the characters of interest in Ensete for exploitation. Key words: Corm, enset, genotype-by-environment interaction, quantitative traits.

Consensus clustering has emerged as a powerful technique for obtaining better clustering results, where a set of data partitions (ensemble) are generated, which are then combined to obtain a consolidated solution (consensus partition) that outperforms all of the members of the input set. The diversity of ensemble partitions has been found to be a key aspect for obtaining good results, but the conclusions of previous studies are contradictory. Therefore, ensemble diversity analysis is currently an important issue because there are no methods for smoothly changing the diversity of an ensemble, which makes it very difficult to study the impact of ensemble diversity on consensus results. Indeed, ensembles with similar diversity can have very different properties, thereby producing a consensus function with unpredictable behavior. In this study, we propose a novel method for increasing and decreasing the diversity of data partitions in a smooth manner by adjusting a single parameter, thereby achieving fine-grained control of ensemble diversity. The results obtained using well-known data sets indicate that the proposed method is effective for controlling the dissimilarity among ensemble members to obtain a consensus function with smooth behavior. This method is important for facilitating the analysis of the impact of ensemble diversity in consensus clustering. Fil: Pividori, Milton Damián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Investigación en Señales, Sistemas e Inteligencia Computacional. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Hídricas. Instituto de Investigación en Señales, Sistemas e Inteligencia Computacional; Argentina. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Santa Fe. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Ingeniería en Sistemas de Información; Argentina Fil: Stegmayer, Georgina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Investigación en Señales, Sistemas e Inteligencia Computacional. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Hídricas. Instituto de Investigación en Señales, Sistemas e Inteligencia Computacional; Argentina Fil: Milone, Diego Humberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Investigación en Señales, Sistemas e Inteligencia Computacional. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Hídricas. Instituto de Investigación en Señales, Sistemas e Inteligencia Computacional; Argentina

Tomato is one of the most economically important vegetable crops in the world. Objective of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of tomato based on its horticultural traits. Seventy-one tomato genotypes were planted and grown in two replications with randomized complete block design for two years. Diversity analysis produced six distinct clusters based on average-linkage method. Five principal components (PC) explained more than 92% of the phenotypic variation. Clusters produced in this analysis can be of importance for breeding programs developing specific fruit types based on consumer’s demand.

This article uses a bundle of bibliometric and text-mining techniques to provide a systematic assessment of the intellectual core of the Social Media-based innovation research field. The goal of this study is to identify main research areas, understand the current state of development and suggest potential future directions by analysing co-citations from 155 papers published between 2003 and 2013 in the most influential academic journals. The main clusters have been identified, mapped, and labelled. Their most active areas on this topic and the most influential and co-cited papers have been identified and described. Also, intra- and inter-cluster knowledge base diversity has been assessed by using indicators stemming from the domains of Information Theory and Biology. A t test has been performed to assess the significance of the inter-cluster diversity. Five co-existing research streams shaping the research field under investigation have been identified and characterized.

Background:Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multiple systemic autoimmune disease and its pathogenesis is still not fully understanding. In recent years, there has been reports on the relationship between SLE and intestinal flora.Objectives:To study the diversity and the intestinal flora intestinal microbes in patients with SLE and further provide new ideas for clinical treatment.Methods:The stool samples of 28 patients with SLE and 125 normal healthy adults were collected. The 16S rRNA in the specimen was sequenced using the Roche/45 high-throughput sequencing platform, and the differences between the two groups were compared at the level of the phylum and genus.Results:In SLE patients, as the picture show, the levels of fusobacteria, proteobacteria and TM7 were significantly higher (PFigure 1.the differences between patients with SLE and normal healthy adults were compared at the level of the phylumFigure 2.the differences between patients with SLE and normal healthy adults were compared at the level of the genusConclusion:The diversity of intestinal flora in patients with SLE altered from that of normal population. The differences are likely to be one of the pathogenesis of lupus, which might provide theoretical foundation for the regulation of intestinal flora to treat autoimmune diseases such as lupus.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Background:Behçet’s disease (BD) may be regarded as a polygenic autoinflammatory disease although adaptive immune system has also been implicated in pathogenesis. The specific components of the microbiota with BD that affect the host response leading to disease remain unknown. Regulation of intestinal microbiota would be able to provide new strategy and target for the treatment of BD.Objectives:To study the diversity and the intestinal flora of intestinal microbes in patients with BD and further provide new ideas for clinical treatment.Methods:The stool specimens of 13 BD patients were analyzed at the level of the Phylum, family and genus, and compared with that of 50 healthy controls(HC).Results:Compared with controls, the abundance of intestinal microbiota in patients with BD was significantly different.At the level of phylum, the abundance ofFirmicuteswas significantly reduced in BD patients compared with that of HC(PKlebsiella issignificantly increased (PClostridium IV, Lachnospiracea incertae sedis, Anaerostipes and Megasphaerawere significantly lower than that of healthy controls. (PTable 1.Demographic and Clinical Data of PatientsPatientDemographicsPhenotypeLaboratoryPrior Diagnosis(Dx) and Treatment1Age Onset: 63Age at YAOS Dx: 66Gender: FCaucasian: YesFever:High grade, lasting up to 36 hrsSkin:Patchy erythema on face, lasting up to 2 wksArthritis:Knee and ankleGI:Abd pain, non-bloody diarrhea. GI workup: negative for IBDSicca: YesAsthma: YesFamily history: NoESR)/CRP: NormalMEFV: Neg6-gene panel: positive for NOD2 IVS8 + 158, R702W, heterozygousFMF: YesColchicine(col):Transient response2Age Onset: 7Age at YAOS Dx: 49Gender: FCaucasian: YesFever:High gradeSkin:Patchy erythema on face, chest, abd, limbs, lasting up to 6 wksArthritis:Knee, ankle and toeGI:Abd pain, nonbloody diarrhea, lasting up to 4 d. GI workup: neg for IBDSicca: YesAsthma: YesFamily history: YesESR/CRP: NormalMEFV: Neg6-gene panel: positive for NOD2 IVS8 + 158, heterozygousFMF: YesCol:Good response3Age Onset: 15Age at YAOS Dx: 35Gender: FCaucasian: YesFever:Low gradeSkin:Patchy erythema on arms and legs, lasting a few dArthritis:Knee and shoulderGI:Abd pain with nausea and vomiting, lasting a few hrs. GI workup: neg for IBDSicca: NoAsthma: NoFamily history: NoESR/CRP: NormalMEFV: Neg6-gene panel: positive for NOD2 IVS8 + 158, 1007fs, heterozygousFMF:YesCol:Minimal responseFigure 1.the differences between patients with BD and normal healthy adults were compared at the level of the phylumFigure 2.the differences between patients with BD and normal healthy adults were compared at the level of the genusConclusion:The diversity and balance of bacterial community in intestinal microecological environment of patients with BD are significantly different from the healthy control. Intestinal microbiota disorder may be related to the pathogenesis of BD, which might provide theoretical foundation for the regulation of intestinal flora for disease intervention.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Despite being introduced to the Caribbean over 227 years ago to address issues of food insecurity, breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) has remained underutilized, which has been linked to the limited knowledge of the crop diversity and characterization in the region. An increased understanding of breadfruit diversity can support commercialization and better utilization by improving propagators' and growers' selection of accessions or types that will meet consumers and processors demand. This study focuses on the morphological characterization of 27 breadfruit accessions, which either have existed in the Caribbean since the 18th century or were introduced in the 1990s. All accessions were established in a field collection at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago. Results of the current study showed that breadfruit accessions were highly variable and that for several morphological characteristics, including fruit characters that are of economic importance, the recently introduced accessions have expanded the range for selection. Fruit characters such as skin texture, skin colour, shape and pulp colour were also the most useful for distinguishing among accessions. Descriptors related to leaf lobing were also important for distinguishing a few accessions. The results confirmed the usefulness of morphological traits for breadfruit germplasm characterization and also for combining with other methods of diversity analysis.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is an economically important crop providing a great source for vegetable oil and protein. Yield losses of soybean under current climate change keep increasing, despite the progressive increase in yield through breeding and management practices since the 1960s. Conventional breeding facilitated the development of high-quality soybeans with enhanced tolerance to severe environmental fluctuations such as drought, flooding, heat, and salinity. However, conventional approaches are laborious, time consuming, and looks inefficient to fulfill the increasing demands of the growing world population. The advances in marker-assisted and genomics-assisted breeding, sequencing technologies, and bioinformatics tools have enabled the soybean improvement at a faster pace. The rapidly accumulating genomic resources have enabled the development of molecular markers associated with many important quantitative trait loci, provided a clear picture of genomic variations in soybean germplasm, and identified key genes for genetic engineering. This knowledge is being utilized to facilitate the development of climate-smart soybeans. In this chapter, we discuss and summarize the advances in soybean improvement through conventional and genomics-assisted breeding, genetic engineering approaches, and available bioinformatics tools for soybean. This chapter also highlights soybean genetic resources, diversity analysis, association mapping, as well as recent strategies such as gene editing and nanotechnology application in soybean breeding programs. This information could facilitate the incorporation of climatic-smart traits in breeding for more stable soybean production with the changing climate.

Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus (CHBV) infection is a major cause of liver diseases. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are important for antiviral immunity in the liver, but the distinction between intrasinusoidal MAIT cells and peripheral MAIT cells in patients with CHBV infection remains unclear. Methods: PBMC were obtained from patients with CHBV infection (n=51) and age-matched controls (n=52). Liver-associated mononuclear cells (LMCs) were collected from donors (n=32) and explanted liver (n=23) of patients to perform phenotypic, functional and TCR diversity analysis. Results: The frequency of intrasinusoidal MAIT cells in the CHBV infection group was not changed compared to that of the MAIT cells in the CHBV-negative group. However, the frequency of peripheral blood MAIT cells was severely reduced in the CHBV infection group compared to the CHBV-negative group. Moreover, IFN-γ production was intact in the intrahepatic MAIT cells of the CHBV infection patients compared to those of the control subjects post IL-12 and IL-18 stimulation, while it was reduced in the peripheral blood MAIT cells of the CHBV infection patients. More importantly, our study showed that the expression level of HLA-DR in peripheral MAIT cells was higher than that in intrasinusoidal MAIT cells in CHBV infection patients. A distinct signature of TCR usage was found in the CHBV patients. Conclusions: By analysing the phenotype, function and TCR usage of MAIT cells in the PBMC and LMC populations of patients with CHBV infection, we found distinct functions and activities in the MAIT cells of the liver compared with those of the peripheral blood. Funding Statement: YG is supported by Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Grant number: 2018A030313019) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number:31800758). Declaration of Interests: All authors disclose no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was fully approved by the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University ethical board. All participants provided written informed consent before sample collection.

DRIED MATERIALS AND ORGANIC MATERIALS WHICH ARE SUPPLYING UREA MOLLASES MULTINUTRIENT BLOCKS OF (UMMB) FROM SEVERAL AGRICULTURAL WASTE AND EQUIPMENT GRASS. The common forages are given for ruminants in the form of grasses coming from pastures or lawns, bunds, and roadside. In addition, there are still sources of animal feed that has not been utilized optimally the agricultural waste. Some obstacles to the utilization of agricultural waste as animal feed is caused by the generally low quality of agricultural waste with high fiber content, low protein, and low digestibility so that when it is used as a basal feed it is necessary to add other feed ingredien ts that have good quality to meet the needs livestock in improving productivity. One way to optimize the nutritional value of agricultural waste is by providing feed supplements such as urea molasses multinutrient block (UMMB). The research was conducted in Tonsewer Village, Tompaso Barat District for 40 days starting from November 2016 until December 2016. The animals used in this study were male PO cattle, aged 12 - 18 months as many as 4 tails with weight ± 100 kg and feed given is field grass (RL), corn straw (JJ), rice straw (JP), and groundnut straw (JKT), and UMMB as a supplement feed. This study used a 4 x 4 Latin Square Design experiment with 4 cattle and 4 treatments. The results of this study indicate that the diversity analysis showed that the treatment had significantly different effect (P

Introduction This study examined the identity of the microbiome of deep dentinal caries and its correlation with the inflammation status of caries-induced pulpitis. Methods Seventy-five cases were diagnosed based on the American Association of Endodontics's diagnostic criteria and divided into 4 groups: normal pulp with deep caries (NP; n = 13), reversible pulpitis with only cold-evoked pain (CRP; n = 17), reversible pulpitis with both cold/heat-evoked pain (CHRP; n = 24), and symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (SIP; n = 21). Samples were sequenced by 16S rDNA. Alpha and beta diversity were determined. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis was used to detect intergroup differences, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to assess the role of the caries microbiome in caries-induced pulpitis. Results The 16S rDNA sequencing yielded 9100 operational taxonomic units. Lactobacillus had the highest relative abundance at the genus level among the 4 groups. There were significant differences in the distribution of the microbiome among the groups. In an alpha diversity analysis, species richness differed between the CRP group and the other groups. In a beta diversity analysis, the distribution of microorganisms in the SIP group was significantly different from those in the other 3 groups. LEfSe analysis indicated substantial differences in the microbiome among the groups, and the areas under the ROC curves (AUC) were all high (AUC: 0.734–0.952). Conclusions Characterization of the caries microbiome has the potential to become an auxiliary method for the diagnosis of pulpitis. This finding may prompt new research on diagnostic strategies for caries-induced pulpitis.

In the era of big data, many of the data that previously seemed hard to collect and use began to be utilized, resulting in an increase of millions of the data to be processed. In order to obtain valuable information, large-scale data can be processed and analyzed using a well-developed deep learning framework. This study introduces the concept of deep learning and three common deep learning models - Multilayer Perceptron, Convolutional Neural Network and Recurrent Neural Network, and analyzes the improvement of the model in dealing with large-scale data and gives the capacity and diversity analysis. Introducing the innovative application of deep learning in various fields under big data. Looking forward to the development of deep learning in the era of big data, the integration of big data and in-depth learning will make breakthroughs in various fields. Through constant innovation, they will gradually create more value for mankind.

Thirty three genotypes of chickpea including 9 kabuli and 24 desi types were evaluated for distinctiveness based on 13 qualitative and 7 quantitative morphological DUS descriptors. In desi type, only 4 traits were polymorphic whereas, in kabuli type, only 3 were polymorphic. Identification profiles were generated on the basis of grouping and essential characters prescribed by DUS Guidelines of PPV and FR Authority. However, out of twenty four desi genotypes, distinct profiles could be created only for sixteen varieties and in kabuli type, only three out of nine genotypes could be singled out individually. Image analysis using scanned images of flowers of desi types successfully complemented the morphological descriptors to establish genotypic identity based on differences in the petal colour intensity and venation pattern. Genetic parameters for all the quantitative traits revealed less environmental influence on the characters expression thus, signifying their utility in the varietal characterization. Seven agro-morphological traits were used to assess the variability using Ward’s Minimum Variance Cluster Analysis. Thirty three cultivars from both types were grouped into four cluster each, however, none of the clusters contained genotypes with all the desirable traits, which could be directly selected and utilized.

Strawberries contain high levels of vitamin C, cellulose and pectin, and produce anthocyanins which have important therapeutic values, including antitumor, antiulcer, antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities. There is a pressing need to develop reliable methods for identifying strawberry germplasm and for assessing genetic diversity/relatedness in berry genotypes for practical breeding purposes and proprietary-rights protection. The introduction of molecular biology techniques, such as DNA-based markers, allows direct comparison of different genetic material independent of environmental influences. This review presents the progress in-depth of various aspects of molecular diversity analyses in strawberries. Significant progress has been made in diversity analysis in strawberry cultivars and advanced lines developed in Canada. Inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers detected a sufficient degree of polymorphism to differentiate among strawberry genotypes, making this technology valuable for cultivar identification and for the more efficient choice of parents in the current breeding programs. The paper also discusses the issues that still need to be addressed to utilize the full potential of molecular techniques including expressed sequence tag-polymerase chain reaction (EST-PCR) analysis to develop improved strawberries environmental friendly cultivars suited to the changing needs of growers and consumers.

Wheat landraces cultivated in the Saharan oases have been submitted during centuries to drought, heat and salinity and are expected to have developed tolerance to these constraints. The different forms present in the oases of Libya, Algeria and Morocco have been collected and described by several authors who highlighted the peculiarity and diversity of this germplasm, on the basis of spike and grain morphology. The origin, date and way of introduction of wheat in the Saharan oases are however largely unknown. Most landraces may have been introduced from Egypt, possibly during wet climatic episodes. Spike morphological traits of some landraces suggest an Asiatic origin (Iran, Turkestan and Afghanistan). More recent introductions have also probably occurred. This lack of information as well as the potential interest of this germplasm for wheat improvement would merit further studies. Marker-based diversity analysis of Saharan wheats and comparison with North-African and Asian wheats might permit to precise their classification and confirm their origin. Evaluation for tolerance to abiotic constraints would allow a better understanding of their adaptation to the oases environments and identification of potential progenitors to be used by wheat breeders. Such studies are urgent considering the quick genetic erosion of this germplasm due to drastic ecological and socio-economic changes affecting Saharan oases and their cropping systems.

This letter investigates the secrecy performance of multiple-input single-output (MISO) wiretap channels when the eavesdropper channel is correlated with the main one. Assuming that the transmitter employs a transmit antenna selection (TAS) scheme, we derive a tight closed-form expression for the secrecy outage probability and analytically evaluate the secrecy performance. An asymptotic outage expression is also derived, from which a diversity analysis is carried out. We prove that correlation between channels works in favor at medium to high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), however it degrades the performance at low SNR.

Aims: To study the diversity of traditional rice genotypes in Sri Lanka using cluster analysis and principle component analysis. Study Design: The experiment was carried out using one hundred rice genotypes with six modern rice cultivars and ninety four traditional rice cultivars. Rice genotypes were planted according to a randomized complete block design with four replications and 20 plants per plot with 15 cm X 20 cm spacing. Place and Duration of Study: A field experiment was carried out during 2011/2012 Maha season and 2012 Yala season at Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. Methodology: Plant height (cm), number of tillers/plant and number of productive tillers/plant were measured before harvesting. Panicle length (cm), panicle weight (g), number of spikelets/panicle, number of fertile spikelets/panicle, 100 grain weight (g) and Original Research Article

We assess the medicinal value and “drug-likeness” of ∼3200 compounds of natural origin, along with some of their derivatives which were obtained through hemisynthesis. In the present study, 376 distinct medicinal plant species belonging to 79 plant families from the Central African flora have been considered, based on data retrieved from literature sources. For each compound, the optimised 3D structure has been used to calculate physicochemical properties which determine oral availability on the basis of Lipinski's “Rule of Five”. A comparative analysis has been carried out with the “drug-like”, “lead-like”, and “fragment-like” subsets, containing respectively 1726, 738 and 155 compounds, as well as with our smaller previously published CamMedNP library and the Dictionary of Natural products. A diversity analysis has been carried out in comparison with the DIVERSet™ Database (containing 48 651 compounds) from ChemBridge. Our results prove that drug discovery, beginning with natural products from the Central African flora, could be promising. The 3D structures are available and could be useful for virtual screening and natural product lead generation programs.

Coal mine drainage (CMD) collected from Meitanba mine (Hunan province, China) was studied. Coal, sulfur, ferrous sulfate, and a mixture of sulfur and ferrous sulfate were employed as selective energy substrates to culture CMD cells, and the bacterial biodiversities of each group were investigated. Four groups, C group [coal (15%, m/v) + CMD], S group [sulfur (10%, m/v) + CMD], SF group [sulfur (5%, m/v) + ferrous sulfate (22.35%, m/v) + CMD], and F group [ferrous sulfate (44.7%, m/v) + CMD] were set up. A total of 211 clones were recovered and evaluated by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA). A total of 26 different ARDRA patterns were obtained and studied as operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The results showed that the F group could not be studied because of its extremely low cell concentration. The S, SF, and C groups all obtain their OTUs of 7, 8, and 11, respectively. Although they had the same original CMD, obvious differences were detected among these three groups. Additionally, A...

In this paper, we investigate performance of a multiple-input multiple-output scheme with spatial modulation (SM) and transmit antenna selection (TAS) in Nakagami-m fading channels. In this scheme, transmit antennas which maximize capacity of the system are selected for transmission and then SM is applied by using the selected transmit antennas. The closed-form outage probability of the SM system with TAS is derived in Nakagami-m channels for arbitrary values of m. The asymptotic diversity analysis is also performed to demonstrate the achieved diversity order of the system. It is shown that outage performance of the system improves when fading parameter m and/or number of transmit antennas increase. Our analytical results are validated by Monte Carlo simulations.

In this paper, the authors propose a naive methodology, IBeH, for detecting the community structure of the covert network. Unlike most of the existing methods, IBeH, considers the roles, contribution metric and similarity of the actor profiles. The proposed method computes the reciprocating factor among the actors using the contribution metric rather than the distance metric like density-based. It uses the novel profile diversity analysis to team the actors as a community. This research work also proposes DensCommun, a density based heterogeneous community detection algorithm which is compared with IBeH. The experimental results are derived from the 9/11 dataset. The comparative study significantly presents well-defined communities with minimal overlap using IBeH than DensCommun which inherits the features of the other state-of-art methods like DENGRAPH-IO and evolution in HOCTracker.

This work investigated the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) encoding resistance to sulfonamide and tetracycline antibiotics in nine swine feedlots located in Shandong Province of China, and examined their potential removal by various on-farm treatment processes. Results indicate that the target ARGs were widely distributed in swine wastes, with mean relative abundances ranging from 3.3 × 10 −5 ( tet C) to 5.2 × 10 −1 ( tet O) in swine manure and from 7.3 × 10 −3 ( tet C) to 1.7 × 10 −1 ( tet O) in swine wastewater. The mean relative ARG abundances ranged from 9.9 × 10 −5 ( tet W) to 1.1 × 10 −2 ( tet O) in soils and from 3.1 × 10 −4 ( tet W) to 1.1 × 10 −2 ( sul 2) in receiving river sediments, indicating that the farmland application of swine manure compost and the discharge of swine wastewater promoted the dissemination of ARGs into adjacent environments. Microbial fermentation bed (MFB) could reduce the relative ARG abundances by 0–1.18 logs. However, septic tank, biogas digester and natural drying methods were relatively ineffective for ARG removal, and the relative abundances of some ARGs (i.e., tet C, tet G, sul 1, and sul 2) even increased by 0.74–3.90 logs in treated wastes. Bacterial diversity analysis indicates that the evolution of bacterial communities in the MFB played a crucial role in eliminating the ARGs. This study helps the effective assessment and management of ecological risks arising from ARGs in swine feedlots.

We study the effect on diversity of using the sphere encoder-based vector perturbation (VP) technique of Peel and the lattice reduction-aided techniques (Babai approximations) of Windpassinger on a subset of the transmitted symbols. For a system with n diversity channels, we prove that the diversity order gap between the maximum diversity of n achieved by the full-size VP and the minimum diversity of 1 provided by linear precoding can be bridged by applying VP to a group of transmitted symbols. In particular, we prove that the diversity order is n-l , where l is the number of symbols that are not vector-perturbed. We show that this result holds true for lattice-reduction with both the rounding-off and nearest plane Babai approximations. The result shows that in terms of diversity, the group of vector-perturbed users counts as a single user. In fact, in a multiple-input and multiple-output Gaussian broadcast channel with l linearly precoded users, we can add up to n-l VP users and the diversity order for all users will decrease only by one, irrespective of how many VP users are added.

The functioning and features of the new software package VAT (Virulence Analysis Tool) are introduced. VAT provides a range of methods for the analysis of plant pathosystems. The techniques are applicable to other binary data sets that are organized in large two-way tables, e.g., molecular marker data. The main features are data entry, descriptive tools, and inference statistics by resampling. About 50 well-established or newly developed indices allow a detailed diversity analysis of sexually and asexually reproducing populations. VAT facilitates a comprehensive, effective, and logically consistent evaluation and presentation of virulence and resistance data. A translation option simplifies the comparison of results from differently coded pathotypes. The software package comes with a detailed manual and is freely available on the internet at tau.ac.il/lifesci/departments/plant_s/members/kosman/VAT.html and at va-tipp.de .