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An operator of a wild blueberry harvester faces the fatigue of manually adjusting the height of the harvester's head, considering spatial variations in plant height, fruit zone, and field topography affecting fruit yield. For stress-free harvesting of wild blueberries, a deep learning-supported machine vision control system has been developed to detect the fruit height and precisely auto-adjust the header picking teeth rake position. The OpenCV AI Kit (OAK-D) was used with YOLOv4-tiny deep learning model with code developed in Python to solve the challenge of matching fruit heights with the harvester's head position. The system accuracy was statistically evaluated with R 2 (coefficient of determination) and σ (standard deviation) measured on the difference in distances between the berries picking teeth and average fruit heights, which were 72, 43% and 2.1, 2.3 cm for the auto and manual head adjustment systems, respectively. This innovative system performed well in weed-free areas but requires further work to operate in weedy sections of the fields. Benefits of using this system include automated control of the harvester's head to match the header picking rake height to the level of the fruit height while reducing the operator's stress by creating safer working environments., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

CRISPR-mediated genome editing has emerged as a powerful tool for creating targeted mutations in the genome for various applications, including studying gene functions, engineering resilience against biotic and abiotic stresses, and increasing yield and quality. However, its utilization is limited to model crops for which well-annotated genome sequences are available. Many crops of dietary and economic importance, such as wheat, cotton, rapeseed-mustard, and potato, are polyploids with complex genomes. Therefore, progress in these crops has been hampered due to genome complexity. Excellent work has been conducted on some species of Brassica for its improvement through genome editing. Although excellent work has been conducted on some species of Brassica for genome improvement through editing, work on polyploid crops, including U's triangle species, holds numerous implications for improving other polyploid crops. In this review, we summarize key examples from genome editing work done on Brassica and discuss important considerations for deploying CRISPR-mediated genome editing more efficiently in other polyploid crops for improvement., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Ahmad, Fatima, Mehmood, Zaman, Atif, Zhou, Rahman and Gill.)

The therapeutical attributes of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in both conditions (in vitro and in vivo) have been investigated using different plants. This study focused on the green chemistry approach that was employed to optimize the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Cleome brachycarpa aqueous extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The characterization of obtained CB -AgNPs was undertaken using UV-visible spectroscopy, Atomic-force microscopy (AFM), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Results suggest that CB -AgNPs synthesized via stirring produced small-sized particles with more even distribution. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were spherical with a 20 to 80 nm size range. In vitro studies were used to analyze antioxidant, antidiabetic, and cytotoxic potential under different conditions. The results also indicated that CB -AgNPs may have significant potential as an antidiabetic in low concentrations, but also exhibited potential antioxidant activity at different concentrations. Moreover, the anticancer activity against the breast cell line (MCF-7) with IC 50 reached up to 18 μg/mL. These results suggest that green synthesized silver nanoparticles provide a promising phytomedicine for the management of diabetes and cancer therapeutics.

Tomato plants are among the most widely cultivated and economically important crops worldwide. Farmers' major challenge when growing tomatoes is early blight disease caused by Alternaria solani , which results in significant yield losses. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained popularity recently due to their potential antifungal activity. The present study investigated the potential of green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for enhancing the growth and yield of tomato plants and their resistance against early blight disease. AgNPs were synthesized using leaf extract of the neem tree. Tomato plants treated with AgNPs showed a significant increase in plant height (30%), number of leaves, fresh weight (45%), and dry weight (40%) compared to the control plants. Moreover, the AgNP-treated plants exhibited a significant reduction in disease severity index (DSI) (73%) and disease incidence (DI) (69%) compared to the control plants. Tomato plants treated with 5 and 10 ppm AgNPs reached their maximum levels of photosynthetic pigments and increased the accumulation of certain secondary metabolites compared to the control group. AgNP treatment improved stress tolerance in tomato plants as indicated by higher activities of antioxidant enzymes such as PO (60%), PPO (65%), PAL (65.5%), SOD (65.3%), CAT (53.8%), and APX (73%). These results suggest that using green synthesized AgNPs is a promising approach for enhancing the growth and yield of tomato plants and protecting them against early blight disease. Overall, the findings demonstrate the potential of nanotechnology-based solutions for sustainable agriculture and food security.

The diseases transmitted through vectors such as mosquitoes are named vector-borne diseases (VBDs), such as malaria, dengue, and leishmaniasis. Malaria spreads by a vector named Anopheles mosquitos. Dengue is transmitted through the bite of the female vector Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito. The female Phlebotomine sandfly is the vector that transmits leishmaniasis. The best way to control VBDs is to identify breeding sites for their vectors. This can be efficiently accomplished by the Geographical Information System (GIS). The objective was to find the relation between climatic factors (temperature, humidity, and precipitation) to identify breeding sites for these vectors. Our data contained imbalance classes, so data oversampling of different sizes was created. The machine learning models used were Light Gradient Boosting Machine, Random Forest, Decision Tree, Support Vector Machine, and Multi-Layer Perceptron for model training. Their results were compared and analyzed to select the best model for disease prediction in Punjab, Pakistan. Random Forest was the selected model with 93.97% accuracy. Accuracy was measured using an F score, precision, or recall. Temperature, precipitation, and specific humidity significantly affect the spread of dengue, malaria, and leishmaniasis. A user-friendly web-based GIS platform was also developed for concerned citizens and policymakers.

The meiosis-specific LINC complex, composed of the KASH5 and SUN1 proteins, tethers the moving chromosomes to the nuclear envelope to facilitate homolog pairing and is essential for gametogenesis. Here, we applied whole-exome sequencing for a consanguineous family with five siblings suffering from reproductive failure, and identified a homozygous frameshift mutation in KASH5 (c.1270_1273del, p.Arg424Thrfs*20). This mutation leads to the absence of KASH5 protein expression in testes and non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) due to meiotic arrest before the pachytene stage in the affected brother. The four sisters displayed diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), with one sister never being pregnant but still having dominant follicle at 35 years old and three sisters suffering from at least 3 miscarriages occurring within the third month of gestation. The truncated KASH5 mutant protein, when expressed in cultured cells, displays a similar localization encircling the nucleus and a weakened interaction with SUN1, as compared with the full-length KASH5 proteins, which provides a potential explanation for the phenotypes in the affected females. This study reported sexual dimorphism for influence of the KASH5 mutation on human germ cell development, and extends the clinical manifestations associated with KASH5 mutations, providing genetic basis for the molecular diagnosis of NOA, DOR, and recurrent miscarriage., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hou, Zeb, Dil, Zhou, Zhang, Shi, Muhammad, Khan, Zaman, Shah, Jiang, Wu, Ma and Shi.)

The past decade has witnessed a rapid evolution in identifying more versatile clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) nucleases and their functional variants, as well as in developing precise CRISPR/Cas-derived genome editors. The programmable and robust features of the genome editors provide an effective RNA-guided platform for fundamental life science research and subsequent applications in diverse scenarios, including biomedical innovation and targeted crop improvement. One of the most essential principles is to guide alterations in genomic sequences or genes in the intended manner without undesired off-target impacts, which strongly depends on the efficiency and specificity of single guide RNA (sgRNA)-directed recognition of targeted DNA sequences. Recent advances in empirical scoring algorithms and machine learning models have facilitated sgRNA design and off-target prediction. In this review, we first briefly introduce the different features of CRISPR/Cas tools that should be taken into consideration to achieve specific purposes. Secondly, we focus on the computer-assisted tools and resources that are widely used in designing sgRNAs and analyzing CRISPR/Cas-induced on- and off-target mutations. Thirdly, we provide insights into the limitations of available computational tools that would help researchers of this field for further optimization. Lastly, we suggest a simple but effective workflow for choosing and applying web-based resources and tools for CRISPR/Cas genome editing., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Abiotic stress, particularly drought, will remain an alarming challenge for sustainable agriculture. New approaches have been opted, such as nanoparticles (NPs), to reduce the negative impact of drought stress and lessen the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that are an inevitable problem these days. The application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) has been recognized as an effective strategy to enhance plant growth and crop production during abiotic stress. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of ZnO NPs in drought stress management of drought-susceptible Coriandrum sativum L. ( C. sativum ) in two consecutive seasons. Drought regimes (moderate drought regime-MDR and intensive drought regime-IDR) were developed based on replenishment method with respect to 50% field capacity of fully irrigated (control) plants. The results showed that foliar application of 100 ppm ZnO NPs improved the net photosynthesis (Pn), stomatal conductance ( C ), and transpiration rate ( E ) and boosted up the photosynthetic capacity associated with photosynthetic active radiation in MDR. Similarly, 48% to 30% improvement of chlorophyll b content was observed in MDR and onefold to 41% in IDR during both seasons in ZnO NP-supplemented plants. The amount of abscisic acid in leaves showed a decreasing trend in MDR and IDR in the first season (40% and 30%) and the second season (49% and 33%) compared with untreated ZnO NP plants. The ZnO NP-treated plants showed an increment in total soluble sugars, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content in both drought regimes, whereas the abaxial surface showed high stomatal density and stomatal index than the adaxial surface in foliar-supplied NP plants. Furthermore, ZnO NPs improve the magnitude of stomata ultrastructures like stomatal length, stomatal width, and pore length for better adaptation against drought. Principal component analysis revealed the efficacy of ZnO NPs in inducing drought tolerance in moderate and intensive stress regimes. These results suggest that 100 ppm ZnO NPs can be used to ameliorate drought tolerance in C. sativum plants., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Ahmed, Khan, Abbasi, Haq, Hina, Mohiuddin, Tariq, Afzal, Zaman, Ng and Li.)

The GRAS gene family is one of the most important families of transcriptional factors that have diverse functions in plant growth and developmental processes including axillary meristem patterning, signal-transduction, cell maintenance, phytohormone and light signaling. Despite their importance, the function of GRAS genes in pitaya fruit ( Selenicereus undatus L.) remains unknown. Here, 45 members of the HuGRAS gene family were identified in the pitaya genome, which was distributed on 11 chromosomes. All 45 members of HuGRAS were grouped into nine subfamilies using phylogenetic analysis with six other species: maize, rice, soybeans, tomatoes, Medicago truncatula and Arabidopsis. Among the 45 genes, 12 genes were selected from RNA-Seq data due to their higher expression in different plant tissues of pitaya. In order to verify the RNA-Seq data, these 12 HuGRAS genes were subjected for qRT-PCR validation. Nine HuGRAS genes exhibited higher relative expression in different tissues of the plant. These nine genes which were categorized into six subfamilies inlcuding DELLA ( HuGRAS-1 ), SCL-3 ( HuGRAS-7 ), PAT1 ( HuGRAS-34 , HuGRAS-35 , HuGRAS-41 ), HAM ( HuGRAS-37 ), SCR ( HuGRAS-12 ) and LISCL ( HuGRAS-18 , HuGRAS-25 ) might regulate growth and development in the pitaya plant. The results of the present study provide valuable information to improve tropical pitaya through a molecular and conventional breeding program.

Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is a severe factor of male infertility; it affects approximately 1% of the global male population and accounts for 40% of male infertility cases. However, the majority of NOA cases remain idiopathic. This is the first study using whole-exome sequencing (WES) to identify a novel missense mutation in the DND1 gene (c.212A>C, p. E71A) from a Pakistani family, that includes three males with NOA. This mutation is predicted to cause DND1 protein misfolding and weaken the DND1 interaction with NANOS2, a significant regulator in primordial germ cell development. Our study identified a DND1 pathogenic mutation in NOA patients and highlighted its critical role in male fertility in humans., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Xie, Khan, Zubair, Khan, Khan, Zhou, Zhang, Said, Khan, Zaman, Murtaza, Khan, Liu, Hou, Zhang, Xu, Jiang, Bai and Shi.)

Rice has been a dietary staple for centuries, providing vital nutrients to the human body. Brown rice is well known for its nutrient-dense food profile. However, owing to multiple causes (anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic), it can also be a potential source of toxic heavy metals in the diet. Brown Hassawi rice samples were collected from the Al-Ahsa region and analyzed for its content of toxic metals. The results reveal that all the tested metals varied significantly in the brown rice samples, while As and Pb in all three samples exceeded their respective maximum allowable limits (MALs), followed by Cd, which nearly approached the MAL in two samples out of three. Brown rice samples were cooked in rice:water systems, viz., low rice:water ratios (1:2.5, 1:3.5) and high rice:water ratios (1:5, 1:6), along with soaking as a pre-treatment. Soaking was unproductive in removing the heavy metals from the rice, whereas cooking dissipated all metals from the rice, except for Cd, which was statistically non-significant. The high-water cooking of the rice was more effective in the dissipation of metals from the rice as compared to low-water cooking conditions. Through the consumption of rice, the estimated daily intake (EDI) of heavy metals is 162 g per person per day for As, which is above the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) regardless of cooking circumstances. The hazard risk index (HRI) also highlighted the fact that As can be a potential health hazard to rice consumers in the Al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia. These results indicate the potential health risks caused by the consumption of this rice by humans. Regular monitoring is recommended to manage and control elevated concentrations and related health hazards as a result of the use of Hassawi rice contaminated by the accumulation of metals and metalloids.

Introduction Adequacy of postoperative hip and knee radiographs has a direct impact on its interpretation. We undertook a quality improvement project by creating local standards to meet the arthroplasty team expectations for a satisfactory radiograph. The purposes of the study are 1. Assessment of the adequacy of radiographs according to defined criteria, and 2. Correlation of system and patient factors with inadequate radiographs. Methods Stage I: We conducted a single centre, retrospective audit to check the adequacy of a postoperative radiography following a total hip or knee replacement. A total of 100 radiographs were assessed against the nine criteria laid out with the consensus of orthopaedic surgeons and radiologists. Stage II: We created a quality improvement proforma for use in the radiology department. We re-assessed 100 radiographs during the second cycle against the nine criteria to check the adequacy of hip and knee arthroplasty radiographs, Results Stage I: Of 100 radiographs, 51 were from the knee and 49 from the hip arthroplasty group. Sixty-nine radiographs were adequate considering overall criteria, and 31 radiographs were inadequate. The inadequacy in radiographs was related to the visibility of prosthesis, cement or relevant anatomy. Stage II: We created a quality improvement performa for use in radiology department, highlighting the nine initial criteria. One hundred radiographs of hip and knee arthroplasty were re-assessed. Overall, 84 radiographs fulfilled the criteria of being adequate. Conclusion Adequacy of knee and hip arthroplasty radiographs is essential in picking up pathologies that can be missed otherwise. We present simple criteria to improve the adequacy of x-ray and prevent repetition of radiographs., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Faraz et al.)

Plant growth and productivity are limited by the severe impact of salt stress on the fundamental physiological processes. Silicon (Si) supplementation is one of the promising techniques to improve the resilience of plants under salt stress. This study deals with the response of exogenous Si applications (0, 2, 4, and 6 mM) on growth, gaseous exchange, ion homeostasis and antioxidant enzyme activities in spinach grown under saline conditions (150 mM NaCl). Salinity stress markedly reduced the growth, physiological, biochemical, water availability, photosynthesis, enzymatic antioxidants, and ionic status in spinach leaves. Salt stress significantly enhanced leaf Na+ contents in spinach plants. Supplementary foliar application of Si (4 mM) alleviated salt toxicity, by modulating the physiological and photosynthetic attributes and decreasing electrolyte leakage, and activities of SOD, POD and CAT. Moreover, Si-induced mitigation of salt stress was due to the depreciation in Na+/K+ ratio, Na+ ion uptake at the surface of spinach roots, and translocation in plant tissues, thereby reducing the Na+ ion accumulation. Foliar applied Si (4 mM) ameliorates ionic toxicity by decreasing Na+ uptake. Overall, the results illustrate that foliar applied Si induced resistance against salinity stress in spinach by regulating the physiology, antioxidant metabolism, and ionic homeostasis. We advocate that exogenous Si supplementation is a practical approach that will allow spinach plants to recover from salt toxicity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Soil contamination with toxic cadmium (Cd) is becoming a serious global problem and poses a key hazard to environments and the health of human beings worldwide. The present study investigated the effects of foliar applications of three forms of silicate chemicals (calcium silicate, sodium silicate, and potassium silicate) at four rates (0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1.0%) at tillering stage on rice growth and the accumulation of Cd under Cd stress (30 mg kg -1 ). The results showed that Cd stress reduced the yield-related traits and enlarged Cd contents in different rice organs. The leaf gas exchange attributes and yield traits were enhanced, and the Cd accumulation and bioaccumulation factor in rice organs were reduced, especially in grains, through silicon application. In shoots, roots, and grains, foliar spray of Si reduced Cd contents by 40.3%, 50.7%, and 47.9%, respectively. The effectiveness of silicate compounds in reducing Cd toxicity varied with the kind of chemicals and doses of foliar applications. Foliar application of potassium silicate, at a rate of 0.5%, at tillering stage, showed the best effectiveness in improving grain yield, while mitigating Cd accumulation in rice grains. The outcome of this study provides a promising practicable approach in alleviating Cd toxicity in rice and preventing the entrance of Cd into the food chain.

Genome editing (GE) has revolutionized the biological sciences by creating a novel approach for manipulating the genomes of living organisms. Many tools have been developed in recent years to enable the editing of complex genomes. Therefore, a reliable and rapid approach for increasing yield and tolerance to various environmental stresses is necessary to sustain agricultural crop production for global food security. This critical review elaborates the GE tools used for crop improvement. These tools include mega-nucleases (MNs), such as zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), and transcriptional activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR). Specifically, this review addresses the latest advancements in the role of CRISPR/Cas9 for genome manipulation for major crop improvement, including yield and quality development of biotic stress- and abiotic stress-tolerant crops. Implementation of this technique will lead to the production of non-transgene crops with preferred characteristics that can result in enhanced yield capacity under various environmental stresses. The CRISPR/Cas9 technique can be combined with current and potential breeding methods (e.g., speed breeding and omics-assisted breeding) to enhance agricultural productivity to ensure food security. We have also discussed the challenges and limitations of CRISPR/Cas9. This information will be useful to plant breeders and researchers in the thorough investigation of the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to boost crops by targeting the gene of interest.

This study evaluated the impact of conventional practices (fertilizer alone) and diverse farming approaches (such as green manuring, farmyard manure application, rice-residue incorporation, residue mulching, residue removal and residue burning) on soil attributes. A total of thirty-five farm sites were selected, with five sites (replications) for each farming approach system, which were used over the past three years in the study farms. Characterization of rice residues of all cultivars, green manure crop (sesbenia: Sesbania sesban ) and decomposed farmyard manure samples showed differential behaviours for macronutrients and micronutrients. Continuous application of inorganic fertilizers significantly influenced soil attributes, especially electrical conductivity, nutrient contents, bacterial and fungal population and soil enzymatic attributes. The crop residue treatments favourably influenced the soil parameters over the control. Crop residue incorporation or burning significantly increased soil available potassium, microbial biomass, enzymatic activities and organic carbon when compared with applications of chemical fertilizer alone, while total nitrogen content was increased by residue incorporation. However, green manuring and farmyard manure applications showed inferior responses compared with residue management treatment. It is therefore recommended that bioresources should be managed properly to warrant improvements in soil properties, nutrient recycling and the sustainability for crop productivity, in order to achieve sustainable development goals for climate action.

The present study aims to investigate the impact of remittances on CO2 emission by incorporating financial development, economic growth, industry value added, and agriculture value added in it. This research covers the 37 years of panel data of five countries, i.e., India, the Philippines, Egypt, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, from 1980 to 2016. The data were collected from the World Bank database. The panel cointegration technique and panel autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) model have been employed to check long-run relationships. The estimated result of the panel cointegration approach confirms the existence of a long-run relationship among remittances received, financial development, economic growth, industry value added, agriculture value added, and CO2 emission. The findings of the study indicate that an increase in received remittances, economic growth, and value-added agriculture help in mitigating carbon emissions from the selected panel countries. However, improving the financial system and adding more industries result in the high emission of CO2. On the contrary, the short-run ARDL estimation shows that CO2 emission increases at a significant level with the increase of remittances inflow and agriculture value added, while in the case of financial development, economic growth, and industry value added, this increasing effect in CO2 is at an insignificant level. Moreover, dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) is used in this study for robust analysis and found the same long run result like ARDL. Additionally, this study also provides some important recommendations to economic policymakers to reduce CO2 emission in the selected remittance-receiving countries., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Brassica napus is the most important oil crop plant for edible oil and renewable energy source worldwide. Yield loss caused by pod shattering is a main problem during B. napus harvest. In this study, six BnSHP1 and two BnSHP2 homoeologs were targeted by the CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9) genome editing system and multiple SHP1 and SHP2 mutated lines were identified for evaluating the contribution for pod-shattering resistance. Our data suggest that BnSHP1A09 is probably a promising homoeolog for controlling lignin contents at dehiscence zone. Simultaneous mutation of BnSHP1A09/C04-B/A04 and BnSHP2A05/C04-A exhibited reduced lignified layer and separation layer adjacent to valves and replum. The pod-shattering resistance index (SRI) subsequently increased to 0.31 in five homoeolog mutation lines compared with the wild type (SRI = 0.036), which provide the theoretical basis for breeding of commercial pod-shattering resistance variety.

The dynamics of poverty have become a controversial issue and one of the most common socio-economic problems in global economies, especially in developing economies as a whole. As per the importance of precise dilemma, the current study examines single as well as multidimensional poverty in the agro-climatic zones of Punjab, Pakistan, for the last 8 years from 2011-2012 to 2018-2019 by utilizing four available latest HIES (Household Integrated Economic Survey) datasets taken from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). This study uses a couple of indexing methods, namely FGT (1984) and Alkire and Foster (2007). Temporal analysis of the first measure of poverty demonstrates that with a shorter (longer) time gap, poverty presents a hybrid (declining) trend in the uni-dimensional spectrum in the province of Punjab and its agro-climatic zones. While population decomposition for uni-dimensional poverty validates that residences of cotton-wheat Punjab and lower intensity Punjab is the major contributor to overall province poverty. Thus, to diminish poverty in a single-dimensional context, it is the need of time to take emergency steps like uplift economic growth, lessen income inequalities, and create job opportunities by the government for the improvement of the living standard of the residences of the overall province with special consideration on both these most affected zones. Similarly, calculations of the second measure of multidimensional poverty reveal that poverty also presents a hybrid (declining) trend with a shorter (longer) span of time in the overall province and all agro-climatic zones with the exception of the wheat-rice zone. However, dimensional decomposition for multidimensional poverty index demarcates that education and health are the major contributors to MDP, and declining the households' deprivation in both these dimensions is relatively helpful to nippy fall in poverty in the study area.

This study explores the relationship between remittances received, education expenditure, energy use, income, poverty, and economic growth for a panel of the nine selected remittance-receiving countries (Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Philippines). World Development Indicator database is used for retrieving data from the period of 1990 to 2014. Panel cointegration technique is used to test the long-run relationship among studied variables. Furthermore, the autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) model is applied to confirm the presence of a long-run and short-run relationship. The findings of the ARDL model indicate that remittances received positively influence economic growth, and there is a significant relationship between remittances received and economic growth during the long-run. Education expenditure, energy use, and income also positively and significantly impact economic growth during the long-run. In contrast, final household consumption used in this study as a proxy of poverty showed a significant negative effect on economic growth during the long-run, which indicates that increasing poverty will reduce economic growth; on the other hand, reducing poverty will boost economic growth in the selected countries during the long-run.

Purpose: Researchers have shown great interest in the relationships among a toxic workplace environment, workplace stress, and project success, which have led to an expansive body of research on the topic. In light of this work, the current study explores the effects of a toxic workplace environment (TWE) and workplace stress (WS) as determinants of project success in the renewable energy projects of Pakistan. Based on the resource-based view (RBV) theory, the study proposes and tests a model with organizational support as a moderating variable., Research Methodology: A 30-item questionnaire survey was administered among staff of ten renewable energy project companies located in the vicinity of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad (Pakistan). The target population was senior managers, middle-level managers, and administrative staff. Structural equation modelling was used to estimate the predictive power of the model., Results: A toxic workplace environment was found to have negative relationships with project success and workplace stress. Organizational support served as a moderator in the relationship between a toxic workplace environment and workplace stress and thus contributed to the success of a project., Conclusion: Toxic workplace environment and the resulting workplace stress have a negative effect on project success. Projects undertaken in the energy sector have tight deadlines, which create stress that leads to a range of mental and physical health problems. Workers facing these problems can ultimately suffer from such diseases as depression, anxiety, and insomnia. These issues lower morale and, thus, negatively affect productivity. The provision of organizational support can mitigate the negative effects., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2020 Wang et al.)

Thousands of genes are involved in spermatogenesis, however, the functional roles of most these genes for male fertility remain to be discovered. This research focused to explore the function of evolutionarily conserved and testis-specific expressed gene 4930524B15Rik, which is known as C5orf47 in human. We generated 4930524B15Rik knockout mice by CRISPR/Cas9 technology and found 4930524B15Rik -/- mice were fertile. Furthermore, no averted abnormalities were observed in testis morphology, epididymal sperm contents and sperm morphology in 4930524B15Rik knockout mice. Subsequently, histological analysis of testicular tissue revealed intact structure of seminiferous tubules along with the presence of all types of germ cells in 4930524B15Rik -/- mice similar to wild type. Additionally, cytological analysis of spermatocytes displayed no significant differences in the prophase I progression of meiosis, further indicating that 4930524B15Rik have no essential function in mammalian spermatogenesis. Altogether, these results indicated that 4930524B15Rik is dispensable for fertility of male mice and these findings will help researchers to avoid future research overlap and to focus on genes that are crucial for spermatogenesis and reproduction.

In general, requirements expressed in natural language are the first step in the software development process and are documented in the form of use cases. These requirements can be specified formally using some precise mathematical notation (e.g. Linear Temporal Logic (LTL), Computational Tree Logic (CTL) etc.) or using some modeling formalism (e.g. a Kripke structure). The rigor involved in writing formal requirements requires extra time and effort, which is not feasible in several software development scenarios. A number of existing approaches are able to transform informal software requirements to formal specifications. However, most of these approaches require additional skills like understanding of specification languages additional artifacts, or services of domain expert(s). Consequently, an automated approach is required to reduce the overhead of effort for converting informal requirements to formal specifications. This work introduces an approach that takes a use case model as input in the proposed template and produces a Kripke structure and LTL specifications as output. The proposed approach also considers the common use case relationships (i.e., include and extend). The generated Kripke structure model of the software allows analysis of software behavior early at the requirements specification stage which otherwise would not be possible before the design stage of the software development process. The generated LTL formal specifications can be used against a formal model like a Kripke structure generated during the software development process for verification purpose. We demonstrate the working of the proposed approach by a SIM vending machine example, where the use cases of this system are inputs in the proposed template and the corresponding Kripke structure and LTL formal specifications are produced as final output. Additionally, we use the NuSMV tool to verify the generated LTL specifications against the Kripke structure model of the software, which reports no counterexamples thus validating the proposed approach., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: This study examines the role of the agriculture and foreign remittances in mitigating rural poverty in Pakistan., Methods: The data used relate to the period 1980-2017 and are sourced from the World Bank and the Economic Survey of Pakistan produced annually by the Ministry of Finance. The ARDL technique was used to calculate the effects of agriculture and foreign remittances on rural poverty., Results: The results of this study indicate that agriculture helps to mitigate rural poverty in the long run, but that foreign remittances are more effective in reducing rural poverty in the short run. In this paper, results confirm the existence of correlations between agriculture, foreign remittances and rural poverty., Conclusion: The outcomes of this study support the call for the government to introduce agricultural credit schemes for the rural population of Pakistan. Moreover, the government should take steps to enhance diplomatic relations with other countries and simplify policies and visa application procedures for Pakistani workers. Finally, this study suggests the government should simplify procedures for the transfer of foreign remittances to Pakistan., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2020 Liu et al.)

Silique length (SL) is an important yield trait and positively correlates with seeds per silique and seed weight. In the present study, two double haploid (DH) populations, established from crosses Zhongshuang11 × R11 (ZR) and R1 × R2 (RR), containing 280 and 95 DH lines, respectively, were used to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for SL. A high-dense genetic map from ZR population was constructed comprising 14,658 bins on 19 linkage groups, with map length of 2,198.85 cM and an average marker distance of 0.15 cM. Genetic linkage map from RR population was constructed by using 2,046 mapped markers anchored to 19 chromosomes with 2,217-cM map length and an average marker distance of 1.08 cM. Major QTL qSL_ZR_A09 and qSL_RR_A09b on A09 were identified from ZR and RR populations, respectively. Both QTL could be stably detected in four environments. QTL qSL_RR_A09b and qSL_ZR_A09 were located on 68.5-70.8 cM and 91.33-91.94 cM interval with R 2 values of 14.99-39.07% and 15.00-20.36% in RR and ZR populations, respectively. Based on the physical positions of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers flanking qSL_ZR_A09 and gene annotation in Arabidopsis , 26 genes were identified with SNP/Indel variation between parents and two genes ( BnaA09g41180D and BnaA09g41380D ) were selected as the candidate genes. Expression analysis further revealed BnaA09g41180D , encoding homologs of Arabidopsis fasciclin-like arabinogalactan proteins (FLA3), as the most promising candidate gene for qSL_ZR_A09 . The QTL identification and candidate gene analysis will provide new insight into the genomic regions controlling SL in Brassica napus as well as candidate genes underlying the QTL., (Copyright © 2019 Wang, Zaman, Huang, Mei, Liu, Wang, Ding, Hao, Fu, Cheng and Hu.)

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis also known as Churgg-Strauss syndrome is a systemic multi system vasculitis. Neurological involvement is mostly in the form of peripheral nervous system disease. Central nervous system involvement is relatively uncommon with most cases being secondary to ischaemic infarctions. Intra cerebral haemorrhage is rare and is usually in the form of solitary haemorrhagic lesions. Multiple intra cerebral haemorrhages are exceptionally rare with only one case documented in medical literature. Here, we present the case of a middle aged male who presented to us with multiple intra cerebral haemorrhages, mono neuritis multiplex, renal and respiratory tract involvement and peripheral blood eosinophilia. Upon fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology criteria, he was diagnosed as an exceptionally rare case of EGPA with multiple intra cerebral haemorrhages. He was treated with intra venous corticosteroids and immune suppressants, and made a good recovery.