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Before developing orchard management strategies, it is crucial to conduct architectural analysis at the shoot level for the specific type of fruit to be grown. The objective of this study was to analyze flowering patterns in 1-year-old long shoots of three apple cultivars ('Amasya,' 'Braeburn,' and 'Granny Smith') with different bearing behaviors. This analysis aimed to gain a better understanding of their growth dynamics and reproductive activities. The shoot was divided into three consecutive zones (proximal, median, and distal) based on node number. When comparing the number of floral and vegetative buds in the three zones along the shoot, less contrast was observed between alternate-bearing ('Amasya') and regular-bearing cultivars ('Braeburn' and 'Granny Smith'). However, a notable difference in floral bud quality variables was evident in shoot zones between biennial-bearing and regular-bearing cultivars. In 'Braeburn' and 'Granny Smith' with a regular bearing habit, floral bud quality variables remained stable along the shoot. In contrast, 'Amasya' shoots exhibited a gradual increase in floral bud quality from the proximal zone towards the distal zone. 'Amasya' had the fewest spur leaves per inflorescence, both in the proximal zone (0.89) and the median zone (2.87) of one-year-old long shoots, whereas they were nearly equal for ‘Braeburn’ (5.67 and 6.09, respectively) and ‘Granny Smith’ (5.55 and 6.59, respectively). In the proximal zone, 'Amasya' had a spur leaf size of 0.48, while 'Braeburn' and 'Granny Smith' exhibited similar spur leaf sizes of 3.39 and 3.59, respectively. This study underscores the significance of floral bud quality, especially the properties of spur leaves along the shoot, in ensuring optimal and consistent productivity. Finally, with the exception of internode length, morphometric traits did not significantly differ between cultivars when considering the entire shoot. However, these differences became apparent when examining successive zones along the shoot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to determine the effect of SA (salicylic acid) application on the yield, yield components, and fibre quality characteristics of cotton at different growth stages (squaring, flowering and squaring + flowering). The experiment was carried out at Siirt University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crop's experimental area during the 2022 cotton growing season. The experimental design was a split-plot design with four replications. The main plot and sub-plots consisted of SA applications [Control (0.0 mM), squaring (1.0 mM), flowering (1.0 mM), squaring (0.5 mM) + flowering (0.5 mM)] and varieties (MAY 455, Stoneville 468, Fiona), respectively. SA application and variety interactions were significant in terms of the first boll opening days and the number of nodes. There were significant differences between varieties, except for the number of monopodial branches, number of bolls, chlorophyll content value, normalised difference vegetation index value, and micronaire and fibre strength. The MAY 455 cotton variety had the highest values in terms of seed cotton yield (2993.1 kg ha-1) plant height (62.14 cm), boll weight (6.51 g), seed cotton weight per boll (4.90 g), number of seeds per boll (29.46), number of nodes to first fruiting branch (8.65), fibre yield (1361.0 kg ha-1) and 100-seed weight (8.82 g), while the Fiona variety came to the fore in terms of number of days to first boll opening (118.0 d), number of sympodial branches (7.56), number of nodes per plant (17.79), ginning percentage (46.45%), fibre length (828.52 mm) and fibre reflectance (82.18 Rd). There was a slight increase in yield (223.8 kg ha-1) compared to the control. SA application may show different effects on each cotton variety, and the positive effect may increase by applying SA at different intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network embedding techniques are powerful to capture structural regularities in networks and to identify similarities between their local fabrics. However, conventional network embedding models are developed for static structures, commonly consider nodes only and they are seriously challenged when the network is varying in time. Temporal networks may provide an advantage in the description of real systems, but they code more complex information, which could be effectively represented only by a handful of methods so far. Here, we propose a new method of event embedding of temporal networks, called weg2vec, which builds on temporal and structural similarities of events to learn a low dimensional representation of a temporal network. This projection successfully captures latent structures and similarities between events involving different nodes at different times and provides ways to predict the final outcome of spreading processes unfolding on the temporal structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out in the Research Unit of Cotton, Technical Agricultural College, Mosul, Iraq during the period (2017-2018). It aimed at studying the effect of three irrigation periods (namely, 4, 8 and 12 days) and the levels of adding nitrogen fertilizer (15, 30, 45 and 60 kg N/ donum) on the vegetative growth and yield components of local cotton plant. The results showed that the first irrigation period (every 4 days) significantly outperformed the second and third irrigation periods (8 and 12 days, respectively) in relation to the plant height and number of vegetation branches only. On the other hand, the second irrigation period significantly excelled regarding the components of cotton production compared with the first and third irrigation periods which did not show significant differences concerning branches number. As for the effect of nitrogen fertilizer, it demonstrated that adding (45 kg N/ donum) of nitrogen fertilizer resulted in a significant increase in the vegetative growth of cotton. However, it did not differ significantly from the level (60 kg N/ donum) in terms of branches number of vegetative and fruiting as well as the nodes number up to the first branch. Additionally, the highest production levels of cotton lint and flower (6.210 and 6.390 kg/ donum), respectively, resulted from the second irrigation period with adding (45 kg N/ donum) of nitrogen fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of vital nodes that maintain the network connectivity is a long-standing challenge in network science. In this paper, we propose a so-called reverse greedy method where the least important nodes are preferentially chosen to make the size of the largest component in the corresponding induced subgraph as small as possible. Accordingly, the nodes being chosen later are more important in maintaining the connectivity. Empirical analyses on eighteen real networks show that the reverse greedy method performs remarkably better than well-known state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the number of nodes for subsequent pod development by soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] may be an approach to improve yield. Land rolling is a common practice in soybean production to push rocks and corn (Zea mays L.) root balls back to the soil surface to protect combine harvesters. Limited research has been done to determine if land rolling can change plant architecture by breaking the apical dominance of soybean to induce lateral branching and provide greater node and pod numbers. The objective of this experiment was to determine if land rolling soybeans could break apical dominance to induce lateral branching, increase reproductive node number, and improve yield. Field experiments were conducted in 2017 and 2018 in a randomized complete block design with five replications. Treatments consisted of a control that was not rolled, rolling beforeemergence, and rolling at the V2, V3, and V4 stages of development. Data included counts of main stems and branches, nodes on main stems, branches that did or did not have pods, pod numbers on main stems and branches, stand density, and grain yield. Land rolling decreasedmain stemnumbers, and reproductive nodes and pods onmain stems. Land rolling soybean after emergence consistently decreased stand density in 2018 but only decreased stand density on one of three post-emergence timings in 2017. However, land rolling did not influence branch numbers or branch nodes and pods. Land rolling influenced soybean plant architecture but did not influence yield when done before or after emergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new system model reflecting the clustered structure of distributed storage is suggested to investigate interplay between storage overhead and repair bandwidth as storage node failures occur. Large data centers with multiple racks/disks or local networks of storage devices (e.g., sensor network) are good applications of the suggested clustered model. In realistic scenarios involving clustered storage structures, repairing storage nodes using intact nodes residing in other clusters are more bandwidth consuming than restoring nodes based on information from intra-cluster nodes. Therefore, it is important to differentiate between intra-cluster repair bandwidth and cross-cluster repair bandwidth in modeling distributed storage. Capacity of the suggested model is obtained as a function of fundamental resources of distributed storage systems, namely, node storage capacity, intra-cluster repair bandwidth, and cross-cluster repair bandwidth. The capacity is shown to be asymptotically equivalent to a monotonic decreasing function of number of clusters, as the number of storage nodes increases without bound. Based on the capacity expression, feasible sets of required resources which enable reliable storage are obtained in a closed-form solution. Specifically, it is shown that the cross-cluster traffic can be minimized to zero (i.e., intra-cluster local repair becomes possible) by allowing extra resources on storage capacity and intra-cluster repair bandwidth, according to the law specified in the closed form. The network coding schemes with zero cross-cluster traffic are defined as intra-cluster repairable codes, which are shown to be a class of the previously developed locally repairable codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We continue to apply the notion of mean complexities to study dynamical networks. We show that the mean complexities can help to single out the nodes with similar features (and dynamical behavior) and to reveal some properties of the topology of the networks. We found that the nodes with the same degree (number of connections) have equal values of the mean complexities in the regime of full binding. At the same time, the mean complexities of nodes with different degree follow a descending order with respect to the degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural use of domestic waste water is a cheap way of its disposal as it is rich in organic materials and plant nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mn and Zn). Use of domestic waste water in agriculture may contribute considerable to alleviate the pressure in using fresh water resources. The present study has been carried out to study the effect of combined sewage and industrial effluent on rice crop. The observations revealed insignificant (p>0.05) stimulatory effect on shoot length, root length, no. of nodes, no. of leaves, no. of grains on panicle, dry wt. of whole plant, dry wt. of panicle and dry wt. of grains during Ist year study period and root length, no. of nodes, no. of leaves, dry wt. of whole plant and avg. wt. of grains during 2nd year study period. Whereas significant stimulatory effect was observed on avg. wt. of grains during 1st year study period and shoot length, no. of grains on panicle, dry wt. of panicle, dry wt. of grains during 2nd year study period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of extrusion on the structural and physicochemical properties of soluble dietary fiber (SDF) from non-extruded and extruded powders of lotus root nodes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), gas chromatography (GC) and rheological analysis. Results showed that extrusion affected the microstructure and molecular size of the node powder and SDF powder, leading to degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose in the dietary fiber as well as changes in monosaccharide composition and sugar ratio. Extrusion also improved SDF hydration properties such as swelling capacity, waterholding capacity and emulsibility. The overall results indicate that the structural and physicochemical properties of the dietary fiber were enhanced by the extrusion treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Genetic networks can characterize complex genetic relationships among groups of individuals, which can be used to rank nodes most important to the overall connectivity of the system. Ranking allows scarce resources to be guided toward nodes integral to connectivity. The greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a species of conservation concern that breeds on spatially discrete leks that must remain connected by genetic exchange for population persistence. We genotyped 5,950 individuals from 1,200 greater sage‐grouse leks distributed across the entire species’ geographic range. We found a small‐world network composed of 458 nodes connected by 14,481 edges. This network was composed of hubs—that is, nodes facilitating gene flow across the network—and spokes—that is, nodes where connectivity is served by hubs. It is within these hubs that the greatest genetic diversity was housed. Using indices of network centrality, we identified hub nodes of greatest conservation importance. We also identified keystone nodes with elevated centrality despite low local population size. Hub and keystone nodes were found across the entire species’ contiguous range, although nodes with elevated importance to network‐wide connectivity were found more central: especially in northeastern, central, and southwestern Wyoming and eastern Idaho. Nodes among which genes are most readily exchanged were mostly located in Montana and northern Wyoming, as well as Utah and eastern Nevada. The loss of hub or keystone nodes could lead to the disintegration of the network into smaller, isolated subnetworks. Protecting both hub nodes and keystone nodes will conserve genetic diversity and should maintain network connections to ensure a resilient and viable population over time. Our analysis shows that network models can be used to model gene flow, offering insights into its pattern and process, with application to prioritizing landscapes for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) regeneration frequency to a large extent depends on its genetic structure and its recalcitricity. In present study, the influence of silver nitrate (AgNO3) in combination with cytokinins such as 6-benzyl amino purine (BAP) and kinetin (KIN) to regenerate multiple shoots from cotyledonary node explants of A. esculentus were optimized. Cotyledonary node explants were excited from 10-days old okra in vitro seedlings and incubated on Murishage and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentration and the combination of BAP alone and in combination with KIN. The highest percentage of shoot bud regeneration (75%) was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mgL-1 BAP. Highest percentage of shoot multiplication and proliferation (85%) with 6.75 shoots per explant having 3.75 cm length was obtained on MS medium containing 1.5 mgL-1 BAP + 1.5 mgL-1 KIN + 3.0 mgL-1 AgNO3. On the other hand, non-containing AgNO3, the combination of 1.5 mgL-1 BAP + 1.5 mgL-1 KIN, a maximum of 53% shoot multiplication with 2.3 shoots per explant having 3.75 cm length was recorded. Individual shoots were elongated on MS medium supplemented with 1.5 mgL-1 BAP + 1.5 mgL-1 GA3 (Gibberellic acid) (shoot length 5.60 ± 0.70a cm) and rooted on half strength MS medium + 1.0 mgL-1 IBA (Indole 3-butiric acid) + 200 mgL-1 AC (Activated charcoal), with highest root formation 83% with 5.20 roots per shoot having 4.8 cm length was achieved. The current protocol will be useful for the development of okra transgenic plant as a result of genetic transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is being considered for commercial production in the southeastern USA, but very little is known about its potential and the appropriate management practices required to achieve sustainable yield potential in the area. This study thus aims to determine the optimal planting date and row spacing for several sesame cultivars. Traits examined were yield, plant height, number of nodes on the main stem, number of branches, height to first capsule on the main stem, and number of plants per meter. A first trial investigated three planting dates in Citra, FL (May, June, and July); whereas a second one examined several row spacings at two locations: 19 and 38.1 cm in Citra; and 19, 38.1, and 76.2 cm in Live Oak, FL. The May planting date showed higher yields, number of nodes, and taller plants than the other dates. Accumulated air and soil growing degree days (GDDs), rainfall, and solar radiation values were calculated for each planting date in both years. Soil GDDs provided similar results to air GDDs; thus, either model would seem appropriate for predicting crop development in this region. Plant height, number of nodes with capsules, and number of branches were increased at wider row spacings in the Live Oak trials as compared with narrow rows. These two trials illustrated the potential of sesame for attaining economically sustainable yields in the southeastern USA, but further exploration and modeling of agronomic traits will be needed to reach the crop’s full yield potential in these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The maize nodal root system plays a crucial role in the development of the aboveground plant and determines the yield via the uptake of water and nutrients in the field. However, the genetic architecture of the maize nodal root system is not well understood, and it has become the ‘dark matter’ of maize genetics. Here, a large teosinte‐maize population was analyzed, and high‐resolution mapping revealed that 62 out of 133 quantitative trait loci (QTLs), accounting for approximately half of the total genetic variation in nodal root number, were derived from QTLs for flowering time, which was further validated through a transgenic analysis and a genome‐wide association study. However, only 16% of the total genetic variation in nodal root number was derived from QTLs for plant height. These results gave a hint that flowering time played a key role in shaping nodal root number via indirect selection during maize domestication. Our results also supported that more aerial nodal roots and fewer crown roots might be favored in temperate maize, and this root architecture might efficiently improve root‐lodging resistance and the ability to take up deep water and nitrogen under dense planting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the consensus control problem for multi-agent systems with agents characterized by high-order linear continuous-time systems subject to communication delays between neighbouring nodes in the network. A new consensus protocol is proposed. It requires communication between neighbouring agents only at certain sampling points, rather than at all times. It is also unique in the sense that it is nonlinear in the continuous-time domain but linear when the agents are viewed in the sampled-data domain. Under the proposed consensus protocol, marginally stable multi-agent systems can reach consensus for any large delay. Unstable multi-agent systems achieve consensus when the time delay is within a certain range. Moreover, in the single-input case, we give an optimal control gain which yields the fastest consensus speed. The proposed technique is expected to pave a new way for new theoretical studies on network properties required for consensus control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In experiments, it is important to evaluate sufficient number of plants, so that inferences have the desired precision. The objective of this research was to determine the sample size (i.e., number of plants) required to estimate the mean of jack bean traits (Canavalia ensiformis) with precision levels. In experimental area of 10 × 16 m (160 m2), 194 plants were collected randomly at 202 days after sowing. The morphological (plant height, stem diameter, number of nodes, and number of leaves) and productive traits (number of pods, fresh matter of pods, fresh matter of aerial part without pods, fresh matter of aerial part, dry matter of pods, dry matter of aerial part without pods, and dry matter of aerial part) were measured in each plant. Measures of central tendency, variability, skewness, and kurtosis were calculated for each trait. The sample size was determined by resampling with replacement of 10,000 resamples. In order to estimate the mean of morphological and productive traits of jack bean with the amplitude of the confidence interval of 95% equal to 40% of the estimated mean, 114 plants are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The micro-network structure and functional properties of sanxan, a novel polysaccharide produced by Sphingomonas sanxanigenens NX02, were investigated. Transparent hydrogel sanxan was a high acyl polymer containing 8.96% acetyl and 4.75% glyceroyl. The micro-network structure of sanxan was mainly cyclic configurations composed of side-by-side intermolecular associations, with many rounded nodes found. Sanxan exhibited predominant gelation behavior at concentrations above 0.1%, which was enhanced by adding cations, especially Ca 2+ . The gel strength of sanxan was much higher than that of low acyl gellan, but slightly lower than that of high acyl gellan. Furthermore, the conformation transition temperature was increased in the presence of added cations. Moreover, sanxan showed excellent emulsifying and emulsion stabilizing properties. Consequently, such excellent functional properties make sanxan a good candidate as a gelling, stabilizing, emulsifying, or suspending agent in food and cosmetics industries, and in medical and pharmaceutical usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new head pose estimation technique based on Random Forest (RF) and texture features for facial image analysis using a monocular camera is proposed in this paper, especially about how to efficiently combine the random forest and the features. In the proposed technique a randomized tree with useful attributes is trained to improve estimation accuracy and tolerance of occlusions and illumination. Specifically, a number of features including Multi-scale Block Local Block Pattern (MB-LBP) are extracted from an image, and random features such as the MB-LBP scale parameters, a block coordinate, and a layer of an image pyramid in the feature pool are used for training the tree. The randomized tree aims to maximize the information gain at each node while random samples traverse the nodes in the tree. To this aim, a split function considering the uniform property of the LBP feature is developed to move sample blocks to the left or the right children nodes. The trees are independently trained with random inputs, yet they are grouped to form a random forest so that the results collected from the trees are used for make the final decision. Precisely, we use a Maximum-A-Posteriori criterion in the decision. It is demonstrated with experimental results that the proposed technique provides significantly enhanced classification performance in the head pose estimation in various conditions of illumination, poses, expressions, and facial occlusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study measured the water vapour diffusion resistance factor of the Moso bamboo specimens in all directions of the cylindrical coordinate system at both internode parts and node parts. The measurement was conducted by the dry cup method. Major findings included three aspects. The water vapour diffusion resistance factor results of Moso bamboo specimens present a decreasing trend from the external surface to the internal surface in the radial directions. This fact may be attributed to the more densified fibre cells and low quantity of pits at the external surface. The water vapour diffusion resistance factor of bamboo specimens is remarkably lower in the longitudinal direction than in the radial and tangential directions. The large diameter, high interconnectivity and straight structure of the vascular bundle vessel influence the lower water vapour diffusion resistance factor in the longitudinal direction. The majority of the node specimens demonstrated lower water vapour diffusion resistance factor values than the internode specimens in the radial and tangential directions. The irregular orientation of vascular bundle vessels in different directions can be considered as the reason. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The notion of centrality is used to identify "important" nodes in social networks. Importance of nodes is not well-defined, and many different notions exist in the literature. The challenge of defining centrality in meaningful ways when network edges can be positively or negatively weighted has not been adequately addressed in the literature. Existing centrality algorithms also have a second shortcoming, i.e., the list of the most central nodes are often clustered in a specific region of the network and are not well represented across the network. Methods: We address both by proposing Ablatio Triadum (ATria), an iterative centrality algorithm that uses the concept of "payoffs" from economic theory. Results: We compare our algorithm with other known centrality algorithms and demonstrate how ATria overcomes several of their shortcomings. We demonstrate the applicability of our algorithm to synthetic networks as well as biological networks including bacterial co-occurrence networks, sometimes referred to as microbial social networks. Conclusions: We show evidence that ATria identifies three different kinds of "important" nodes in microbial social networks with different potential roles in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncovering underlying community structures in complex networks has received considerable attention because of its importance in understanding structural attributes and group characteristics of networks. The algorithmic identification of such structures is a significant challenge. Local expanding methods have proven to be efficient and effective in community detection, but most methods are sensitive to initial seeds and built-in parameters. In this paper, we present a local expansion method by density-based clustering, which aims to uncover the intrinsic network communities by locating the structural centers of communities based on a proposed structural centrality. The structural centrality takes into account local density of nodes and relative distance between nodes. The proposed algorithm expands a community from the structural center to the border with a single local search procedure. The local expanding procedure follows a heuristic strategy as allowing it to find complete community structures. Moreover, it can identify different node roles (cores and outliers) in communities by defining a border region. The experiments involve both on real-world and artificial networks, and give a comparison view to evaluate the proposed method. The result of these experiments shows that the proposed method performs more efficiently with a comparative clustering performance than current state of the art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remobilization of stored dry matter in the stem of wheat is an important contributor to grain filling especially under harsh environmental conditions. Changes in traits related to carbon accumulation and remobilization resulting from breeding in Iranian wheat cultivars were studied. Eighty-one wheat cultivars released from 1930 to 2006 were examined under well watered condition at Parsabad-Moghan during 2013-2014 growing season. Improvement in main stem grain yield was 8 mg spike-1 y-1. Large variations were found for internodes weight at 16 days after anthesis (16 DAA). There were no significant associations between peduncle and penultimate weight measured at 16 DAA and year of cultivar release. But, the lower internodes and main stem weight marginally decreased with year of release. Averaged among cultivars, remobilization of stored dry matter from peduncle, penultimate, and the lower internodes were 62, 88, and 93 mg, respectively. Release of dry matter from different internodes did not change significantly from old to modern cultivars. The same trend was observed for remobilization efficiency. Changes over time in the contribution of mobilized dry matter to the main stem grain yield were not significant in the case of the upper internodes. But when the lower internodes were considered, this parameter decreased from old to modern cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategies to prevent postharvest losses include the use of genotypes that have a longer life. The objective of this study was to develop a screening test for the estimation of cut flower postharvest life and the response to exogenous ethylene of different carnation cultivars at an early stage of plant growth. Ethylene sensitivity and production in different cut flower cultivars was evaluated, and a similar response in the vegetative stage was studied. Also, the possible relationship between the morphological parameters of cuttings and flower postharvest life was studied. Ethylene production of cuttings may be a useful tool for estimating ethylene production of cut flowers. There is a strong relationship between cut flower vase life and the root length of cuttings, as well as cut flower ethylene sensitivity and the number of internodes the cuttings have. Applications of exogenous ethylene to cutting cultivars have an effect on the growth parameters of the cuttings, but the response to ethylene in cut flowers does not behave in the same way in the vegetative stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because traditional decision tree (DT) induction methods cannot efficiently take advantage of geospatial knowledge in the classification of remotely sensed imagery, several researchers have presented a co-location decision tree (CL-DT) method that combines the co-location technique with the traditional DT method. However, the CL-DT method only considers the Euclidean distance of neighborhood events, which cannot truly reflect the co-location relationship between instances for which there is a nonlinear distribution in a high-dimensional space. For this reason, this paper develops the theory and method for a maximum variance unfolding (MVU)-based CL-DT method (known as MVU-based CL-DT), which includes unfolding input data, unfolded distance calculations, MVU-based co-location rule generation, and MVU-based CL-DT generation. The proposed method has been validated by classifying remotely sensed imagery and is compared with four other types of methods, i.e., CL-DT, classification and regression tree (CART), random forests (RFs), and stacked auto-encoders (SAE), whose classification results are taken as “true values.” The experimental results demonstrate that: (1) the relative classification accuracies of the proposed method in three test areas are higher than CL-DT and CART, and are at the same level compared to RFs; and (2) the total number of nodes, the number of leaf nodes, and the number of levels are significantly decreased by the proposed method. The time taken for the data processing, decision tree generation, drawing of the tree, and generation of the rules are also shortened by the proposed method compared to CL-DT, CART, and RFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multigene phylogenetic analyses were directed at resolving the earliest divergences in the red algal subclass Rhodymeniophycidae. The inclusion of key taxa (new to science and/or previously lacking molecular data), additional sequence data ( SSU, LSU, EF2, rbcL, COI-5P), and phylogenetic analyses removing the most variable sites (site stripping) have provided resolution for the first time at these deep nodes. The earliest diverging lineage within the subclass was the enigmatic Catenellopsis oligarthra from New Zealand (Catenellopsidaceae), which is here placed in the Catenellopsidales ord. nov. In our analyses, Atractophora hypnoides was not allied with the other included Bonnemaisoniales, but resolved as sister to the Peyssonneliales, and is here assigned to Atractophoraceae fam. nov. in the Atractophorales ord. nov. Inclusion of Acrothesaurum gemellifilum gen. et sp. nov. from Tasmania has greatly improved our understanding of the Acrosymphytales, to which we assign three families, the Acrosymphytaceae, Acrothesauraceae fam. nov. and Schimmelmanniaceae fam. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) is a routing algorithm in agricultural wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs) that includes two kinds of improved protocol, LEACH_D and LEACH_E. In this study, obstacles were overcome in widely used protocols. An improved algorithm was proposed to solve existing problems, such as energy source restriction, communication distance, and energy of the nodes. The optimal number of clusters was calculated by the first-order radio model of the improved algorithm to determine the percentage of the cluster heads in the network. High energy and the near sink nodes were chosen as cluster heads based on the residual energy of the nodes and the distance between the nodes to the sink node. At the same time, the K-means clustering analysis method was used for equally assigning the nodes to several clusters in the network. Both simulation and the verification results showed that the survival number of the proposed algorithm LEACH-ED increased by 66%. Moreover, the network load was high and network lifetime was longer. The mathematical model between the average voltage of nodes (y) and the running time (x) was concluded in the equation y=-0.0643x+4.3694, and the correlation coefficient was R2=0.9977. The research results can provide a foundation and method for the design and simulation of the routing algorithm in agricultural WMSNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Neurofibromin 1-mutant (NF1-mutant) cancers are driven by excessive Ras signaling; however, there are currently no effective therapies for these or other Ras-dependent tumors. While combined MEK and mTORC1 suppression causes regression of NF1-deficient malignancies in animal models, the potential toxicity of cotargeting these 2 major signaling pathways in humans may necessitate the identification of more refined, cancer-specific signaling nodes. Here, we have provided evidence that MAPK-interacting kinases (MNKs), which converge on the mTORC1 effector eIF4E, are therapeutic targets in NF1-deficient malignancies. Specifically, we evaluated primary human NF1-deficient peripheral nervous system tumors and found that MNKs are activated in the majority of tumors tested. Genetic and chemical suppression of MNKs in NF1-deficient murine tumor models and human cell lines potently cooperated with MEK inhibitors to kill these cancers through effects on eIF4E. We also demonstrated that MNK kinases are important and direct targets of cabozantinib. Accordingly, coadministration of cabozantinib and MEK inhibitors triggered dramatic regression in an aggressive genetically engineered tumor model. The cytotoxicity of this combination required the suppression of MNK-induced eIF4E phosphorylation and was not recapitulated by suppressing other cabozantinib targets. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that combined MNK and MEK suppression represents a promising therapeutic strategy for these incurable Ras-driven tumors and highlight the utility of developing selective MNK inhibitors for these and possibly other malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] To research the effects of preculture on the cryopreservation by encapsulation-vitrification of Dioscorea opposita Thunb. cv. Tiegun. [Methods] Tissue culture method was adopted; all the preculture tests were carried out under4 °C. [Results] Sucrose concentration ' penetrant types ' preculture time and preculture method had significant impacts on the relative survival rate and regeneration rate of D. opposita nodes after cryopreservation by encapsulation-vitrification. The appropriate sucrose concentration and precultured time were 0. 2 mol/L and 3 d, respectively. When 0.1 mol L sucrose + 0.1 molL glycerol was taken as the penetrant, the relative survival rate and regeneration rate were the maximum after cryopreservation by encapsulation-vitrification. Effect of direct preculture for 3 d on MS+0.1 mol/L sucrose + 0. mol/L glycerol was the best, which could obtain the highest relative survival rate (89%) and regeneration rate (52%) after cryopreservation. Therefore, plantet nodes of D. opp. Thunb. cv. Tiegun should be precurtured on MS + 0.1 mol/L sucrose + 0.1 mol/L glycerol for 3 d at 4 °C. [Conclusions] This research provides a technology system for vitrification, and the method is simple and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Root angles are widely recognized to play an important role in determining rooting depth and drought tolerance in crop plants. But there has been no report revealing any association between root angle and yield performance under drought conditions in maize. There is also no simple method available to screen root angles. The objectives of this study were to evaluate genetic variation in seminal and nodal root angles in maize in greenhouse condition and their association with drought tolerance in field condition. Methods: Eighteen hybrids, of which nine were higher-yielding and nine were lower-yielding under water-stressed condition in field, were evaluated for root angle variation. Root angle was estimated as the distance between the horizontal soil surface line and slope of the root at 2 cm position from root base using a protractor. Results: Significant phenotypic variation was observed among hybrids for seminal and nodal root angles and primary root diameter. These root traits showed strong positive correlations with grain yield under drought condition. All the higher-yielding hybrids had steeper root growth angle than the lower-yielding hybrids. A strong correlation between seminal and nodal root angles was observed. A strong correlation was also observed between 5th and 4th node nodal root angles. Conclusion: Either seminal or nodal root angle could be used for selection for the improvement drought tolerance. The current screening system for root angle is simple and inexpensive, and could be used for screening a large number of genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite substantial recent progress, ecologists continue to search for methods of measuring the structure of ecological networks. Several studies have focused on nestedness, a pattern reflecting the tendency of network nodes to share interaction partners. Here, we introduce a new statistical procedure to measure both this kind of structure and the opposite one (i.e. species' tendency against sharing interacting partners) that we call 'node segregation'. In addition, our procedure provides also a straightforward measure of modularity, that is, the tendency of a network to be compartmented into separated clusters of interacting nodes., This new analytical measure of network structure assesses the average deviation between the observed number of neighbours shared by any pair of nodes (species), and the expected number, that is computed using a probabilistic approach based on simple combinatorics. The measure can be applied to both bipartite networks (such as plant-pollinators) and unimode networks (such as food webs). We tested our approach on several sets of hypothetical and real-world networks., We demonstrate that our approach makes it possible to identify different kinds of non-random network configurations (nestedness, node segregation and modularity). In addition, we show that nestedness in ecological networks is less common than previously thought, and that most ecological networks (including the majority of mutualistic ones) tend towards patterns of segregated associations., Our analyses show that the new measure of node overlap and segregation can efficiently identify different structural patterns. The results of our analyses conducted on real networks highlight the need to carefully reconsider the assumption that ecological networks are stable due to their inherent nestedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of arsenic (As) accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is important for minimizing As transfer to the food chain. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of rice nodes in As storage and distribution. Synchrotron μX-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) was used to map As distribution in the top node and internode of a lsi2 mutant defective in silicon/arsenite efflux carrier and its wild-type (WT) grown in soil. Lsi2 expression in different tissues during grain filling was investigated by quantitative RT-PCR. Arsenite or dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) was supplied to excised panicles to investigate the roles of Lsi2 and phytochelatins (PC) in As distribution. μ-XRF mapping revealed As storage in the phloem of different vascular bundles in the top node and internode. Soil-grown plants of lsi2 had markedly decreased As accumulation in the phloem compared with the WT. Lsi2 was strongly expressed, not only in the roots but also in the nodes. When excised panicles were exposed to As(III), the lsi2 mutant distributed more As to the node and flag leaf but less As to the grain compared with the WT, while there was no significant difference in DMA distribution. Inhibition of PC synthesis by l-buthionine-sulphoximine decreased As(III) deposition in the top node but increased As accumulation in the grain and flag leaf. The results suggest that rice nodes serve as a filter restricting As(III) distribution to the grain. Furthermore, Lsi2 plays a role in As(III) distribution in rice nodes and phytochelatins are important compounds for As(III) storage in the nodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plastome sequences for 18 species of the PACMAD grasses (subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Chloridoideae, Micrairoideae, Arundinoideae, Danthonioideae) were analyzed phylogenomically. Next generation sequencing methods were used to provide complete plastome sequences for 12 species. Sanger sequencing was performed to determine the plastome of one species, Hakonechloa macra, to provide a reference for annotation. These analyses were conducted to resolve deep subfamilial relationships within the clade. Divergence estimates were assessed to determine potential factors that led to the rapid radiation of this lineage and its dominance of warmer open habitats. Results: New plastomes were completely sequenced and characterized for 13 PACMAD species. An autapomorphic ~1140 bp deletion was found in Hakonechloa macra putatively pseudogenizing rpl14 and eliminating rpl16 from this plastome. Phylogenomic analyses support Panicoideae as the sister group to the ACMAD clade. Complete plastome sequences provide greater support at deep nodes within the PACMAD clade. The initial diversification of PACMAD subfamilies was estimated to occur at 32.4 mya. Conclusions: Phylogenomic analyses of complete plastomes provides resolution for deep relationships of PACMAD grasses. The divergence estimate of 32.4 mya at the crown node of the PACMAD clade coincides with the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT). The Eocene was a period of global cooling and drying, which led to forest fragmentation and the expansion of open habitats now dominated by these grasses. Understanding how these grasses are related and determining a cause for their rapid radiation allows for future predictions of grassland distribution in the face of a changing global climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphology and chemical distribution of wheat straw stem, including nodes and internodes, were profiled and thoroughly analysed through a combination of qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques. It was found that the morphology across node area has great variety when the longitudinal profile was investigated in the upwards direction to the grain head; the node core morphology revealed a very dense zone with elliptical shaped rings organised in order to provide the mechanical strength to the overall stem. ATR-FTIR results for the chemical functional groups of outer and inner surfaces of node and internode also showed differences in terms of concentration of functional groups present in each section. It was revealed that the outer surface of wheat straw stem has a higher concentration of aliphatic fraction of waxes compared to the inner surface, with the highest being in the node area. EDX-SEM results were averaged for node and internode and also for inner and outer surfaces for quantitative comparison. It was found that the outer surface of wheat straw had considerable higher Si contents than the inner surface. Also higher content of C in the node outer surface is an indication of high quantity of wax which is in agreement with ATR-FTIR results. The crystallinity of node and internode was investigated using XRD; it was found that node is more amorphous than internode with the crystallinity index of 34.73% compared to 45.00% of internode. The profile of wheat straw morphology in the nodes has never been reported; the results of the quantitative and qualitative structural analysis through in-depth microstructure interpretation, and detailed and accurate chemical composition improved the understanding of straw biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mikania micrantha H.B.K., one of the top 10 worst weeds in the world, is now spreading quickly in southern China. Disturbance can fragment and spread the stolons of M. micrantha. A greenhouse experiment was conducted in order to assess the regeneration capacity of single-node fragments with varying stolon thickness (diameters of 3.01, 2.49 and 1.96 mm), internode lengths (2 and 8 cm) and leaf presence status (with and without leaves). The results indicated that an increasing stolon thickness, internode length and the presence of leaves all increased the survival rate of the clonal fragments. An increasing stolon thickness, internode length and the presence of leaves also increased the growth of the clonal fragments and the presence of leaves exhibited the strongest effect. An increasing internode length and the presence of leaves also reduced the amount of time that was needed for emergence, while the effect of the stolon thickness was not significant. None of the effects of the interactions was significant, although the interaction between the stolon thickness and the internode length was nearly significant for fragment survival. These results suggest that M. micrantha has developed a strategy to cope with disturbance by storing reserves in the stolons and leaves, which could increase its regeneration capacity after fragmentation. Currently, the management of M. micrantha (such as manual or mechanical control) should avoid the generation of the small clonal fragments of M. micrantha, while repeated control with short time intervals is necessary in order to prevent reinvasion from the stolon fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterization of grape GA signalling components and GA quantitation unveil the berry-size regulating DELLA, and show that differential organ responses stem from both VvDELLAs and endogenous GA levels.Gibberellins (GAs) regulate numerous developmental processes in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) such as rachis elongation, fruit set, and fruitlet abscission. The ability of GA to promote berry enlargement has led to its indispensable use in the sternospermocarpic (‘seedless’) table grape industry worldwide. However, apart from VvGAI1 (VvDELLA1), which regulates internode elongation and fruitfulness, but not berry size of seeded cultivars, little was known about GA signalling in grapevine. We have identified and characterized two additional DELLAs (VvDELLA2 and VvDELLA3), two GA receptors (VvGID1a and VvGID1b), and two GA-specific F-box proteins (VvSLY1a and VvSLY1b), in cv. Thompson seedless. With the exception of VvDELLA3-VvGID1b, all VvDELLAs interacted with the VvGID1s in a GA-dependent manner in yeast two-hybrid assays. Additionally, expression of these grape genes in corresponding Arabidopsis mutants confirmed their functions in planta. Spatiotemporal analysis of VvDELLAs showed that both VvDELLA1 and VvDELLA2 are abundant in most tissues, except in developing fruit where VvDELLA2 is uniquely expressed at high levels, suggesting a key role in fruit development. Our results further suggest that differential organ responses to exogenous GA depend on the levels of VvDELLA proteins and endogenous bioactive GAs. Understanding this interaction will allow better manipulation of GA signalling in grapevine. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Submerge tolerant genotypes and genotypes representing wide range of ecosystems were compared in normal and prolonged flooding situation during 2011 and 2012. Discriminant function analysis discriminated tolerant from intolerant genotypes by shoot length, grain yield per plant, number of tillers, EBT and number of nodes per stem. Cultivar-by-biplot analysis revealed that grain yield strongly correlated with filled grains per panicle, number of EBT, number of nodes, spikelet fertility percent or basal culm girth under prolonged flooding. Further, based on biplot analysis, two rice genotypes – Puzhuthiikar and IR 72593 were selected for pot experiment to study their physiological mechanisms of escape from prolonged flooding by evaluating photosynthesis, transpiration, inter cellular CO 2 and morphometric traits. Under prolonged flooding, cv Puzhuthiikar exhibited significant increase in leaf blade length, sheath length and area and decrease in leaf blade area. Consequently, photosynthetic rate, transpiration and intercellular CO 2 were increased. Therefore, breeders who involved in breeding rice cultivars for prolonged flooding situation should emphasize on parameters leaf blade length, sheath length and area to breed genotype suitable for prolonged flooding condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Arsenic (As) is a chronic poison that causes severe skin lesions and cancer. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a major dietary source of As; therefore, reducing As accumulation in the rice grain and thereby diminishing the amount of As that enters the food chain is of critical importance. Here, we report that a member of the Oryza sativa C-type ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter (OsABCC) family, OsABCCI, is involved in the detoxification and reduction of As in rice grains. We found that OsABCCI was expressed in many organs, including the roots, leaves, nodes, peduncle, and rachis. Expression was not affected when plants were exposed to low levels of As but was up-regulated in response to high levels of As. In both the basal nodes and upper nodes, which are connected to the panicle, OsABCCI was localized to the phloem region of vascular bundles. Furthermore, OsABCCI was localized to the to-noplast and conferred phytochelatin-dependent As resistance in yeast. Knockout of OsABCO in rice resulted in decreased tolerance to As, but did not affect cadmium toxicity. At the reproductive growth stage, the As content was higher in the nodes and in other tissues of wild-type rice than in those of OsABCCI knockout mutants, but was significantly lower in the grain. Taken together, our results indicate that OsABCCI limits As transport to the grains by sequestering As in the vacuoles of the phloem companion cells of the nodes in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedum kiersteadiae is a locally common succulent of rocky, often ultramafic substrates at mid to high elevations, narrowly endemic to the western Klamath region of northern California. It is recognized by its widely spreading yellow petals and its relatively loose rosettes with visible internodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the degree to which herbivory contributes to phenotypic variation in autumn phenology for deciduous trees, red maple ( Acer rubrum) branches were subjected to low and high levels of simulated herbivory and surveyed at the end of the season to assess abscission and degree of autumn coloration. Overall, branches with simulated herbivory abscised ∼7 % more leaves at each autumn survey date than did control branches within trees. While branches subjected to high levels of damage showed advanced phenology, abscission rates did not differ from those of undamaged branches within trees because heavy damage induced earlier leaf loss on adjacent branch nodes in this treatment. Damaged branches had greater proportions of leaf area colored than undamaged branches within trees, having twice the amount of leaf area colored at the onset of autumn and having ∼16 % greater leaf area colored in late October when nearly all leaves were colored. When senescence was scored as the percent of all leaves abscised and/or colored, branches in both treatments reached peak senescence earlier than did control branches within trees: dates of 50 % senescence occurred 2.5 days earlier for low herbivory branches and 9.7 days earlier for branches with high levels of simulated damage. These advanced rates are of the same time length as reported delays in autumn senescence and advances in spring onset due to climate warming. Thus, results suggest that should insect damage increase as a consequence of climate change, it may offset a lengthening of leaf life spans in some tree species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] GAs are central nodes in complex growth-regulating networks. [•] GA responses are highly context-dependent and dynamic. [•] Networks involving GAs are primarily regulated at the protein level. [•] Modeling and tissue-specific interactome and transcriptome analyses are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shoot pruning could cause short-term damages to vines. In response to damage, tyloses develop in shoot xylem vessels interfering free water and mineral transportation. In this study, the tylosis development at different nodes of the current-year and perennial shoots of sixty three-year-old grapevines ( Vitis vinifera L.) after pruning was investigated. The results showed that tyloses at the nodes closest to the trunk developed rapidly; and tylosis development initiated at the time when the size of vessel-ray pit was greater than that of parenchyma cell-parenchyma cell pit. In current-year shoots, tyloses were formed in up to 87% of the vessels, and 40% of the vessels were completely blocked by tyloses. In wound-induced perennial shoots, 30% of the vessels were completely blocked by tyloses. When few vessels were blocked by tyloses, new vessels could differentiate, and water transportation system may be restored. However, when tyloses developed in a large number of vessels and the large number of the vessels were blocked, the original capability of water transport was decreased (the largest decrease was 21.1% in this study), resulting in dehiscence or shrinkage cracking in this area. The study proved that the tylosis formation in functional vessels limited the water transport efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main agronomic characteristics of 33 soybean materials were studied under relay intercropping systems. The results showed that average height of materials reached 122. 98cm with relatively less node number and prolonged node length. Branches were extremely important to yield formation , the average branch number of materials was 5. 05 , while branch yield accounting for 81. 1% of plant yield. Correlation analysis showed that yield of relay intercropping soybean was significantly positively correlated with seed weight of branch , height of the highest branch , effective branch numbers , average branch length , number of node on main stem , growth period and length of vegetative period. The strong capability of branching and bearing were essential for higher yield in relay intercropping soybean. Principal component analysis showed that the branching factor , stem factor , yield factor and pod factor altogether contribute 77. 28% to the variation rate. Results of this study provided theoretical basis for selection and breeding of special soybean varieties for relay intercropping planting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades switchgrass has received increasing attention as a promising bioenergy feedstock. Biomass is the principal trait for improvement in switchgrass breeding programs and tillering is an important component of biomass yield. Switchgrass inbred lines derived from a single parent showing vast variation in tiller number trait was used in this study. Axillary buds, which can develop into tillers, and node tissues, which give rise to axillary buds, were collected from high and low tillering inbred lines growing in field conditions. RNA from buds and nodes from the contrasting inbred lines were used for transcriptome profiling with switchgrass Affymetrix genechips. Nearly 7% of the probesets on the genechip exhibited significant differential expression in these lines. Real-time PCR analysis of 30 genes confirmed the differential expression patterns observed with genechips. Cluster analysis aided in identifying probesets unique to high or low tillering lines as well as those specific to buds or nodes of high tillering lines. Rice orthologs of the switchgrass genes were used for gene ontology (GO) analysis with AgriGO. Enrichment of genes associated with amino acid biosynthesis, lipid transport and vesicular transport were observed in low tillering lines. Enrichment of GOs for translation, RNA binding and gene expression in high tillering lines were indicative of active metabolism associated with rapid growth and development. Identification of different classes of transcription factor genes suggests that regulation of many genes determines the complex process of axillary bud initiation and development. Genes identified in this study will complement the current ongoing efforts in quantitative trait loci mapping of tillering in switchgrass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of genetic correlations between fiber length (Len), strength (Str), micronaire, and 12 other traits was conducted using the additive (A)-dominance (D) genetic model, which considers genotype × environment interaction effects, in intraspecific upland cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) hybrids to effectively improve the quality of cotton cultivars in high planting density cases. Decision-making coefficients were computed based on the genetic correlation and path analysis of three fiber quality traits. The decision-making coefficient analysis of three fiber traits in cross breeding was beneficial for the improvement of Len by increasing the additive effects of Str and length of boll (LB) and decreasing lint percentage (LP), boll number of the top three fruit-bearing branches. The analysis was also beneficial for the improvement of Str and fiber fineness by increasing or decreasing the additive effects of other traits. Utilizing heterosis in hybrids was beneficial to the heterosis of Len by selecting the high dominance effects of number of nodes of the 1st fruit-bearing branch and LB and decreasing the dominance effects of diameter of boll (DB) and LP and for improving Str by increasing the dominance effects of DB and decreasing the dominance effects of number of fruit-bearing branches and number of nodes of the main stem (NNMS). Utilizing heterosis was also beneficial for improving fineness by increasing the dominance effects of LB, Str, and lint yield and decreasing the dominance effects of NNMS and Len. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The present report describes a rapid and efficient protocol for direct multiple shoot bud regeneration from axillary node explants of Gymnema sylvestre. [•] This in vitro propagation method could be used for production of uniform Gymnema sylvestre plants in a relatively short period and with high multiplication rate. [•] This protocol can be utilized for commercial scale propagation and conservation of this important medicinal plant species. [•] The regeneration protocol described in this study will be highly useful for large scale production of this important medicinal plant to the pharmaceutical industry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]