In the agricultural industry, an evolutionary effort has been made over the last two decades to achieve precise autonomous systems to perform typical in-field tasks including harvesting, mowing, and spraying. One of the main objectives of an autonomous system in agriculture is to improve the efficiency while reducing the environmental impact and cost. Due to the nature of these operations, complete coverage path planning approaches play an essential role to find an optimal path which covers the entire field while taking into account land topography, operation requirements and robot characteristics. The aim of this paper is to propose a complete coverage path planning approach defining the optimal movements of mobile robots over an agricultural field. First, a method based on tree exploration is proposed to find all potential solutions satisfying some predefined constraints. Second, a Similarity check and selection of optimal solutions method is proposed to eliminate similar solutions and find the best solutions. The optimization goals are to maximize the coverage area and to minimize overlaps, non-working path length and overall travel time. In order to explore a wide range of possible solutions, our approach is able to consider multiple entrances for the robot. For fields with a complex shape, different dividing lines to split it into simple polygons are also considered. Our approach also computes the headland zones and covers them automatically which leads to a high coverage rate of the field.

Prognosis of infantile food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome to wheat: A case series Makoto Nishino1,2 | Noriyuki Yanagida1,3,* | Sakura Sato1 | Ken-ichi Nagakura3,4 | Kyohei Takahashi3 |Kiyotake Ogura3| Motohiro Ebisawa11 Clinical Research Center for Allergy and Rheumatology, National Hospital Organization Sagamihara National Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan2 Department of Pediatrics, Ushiku Aiwa General Hospital, Ibaraki, Japan3 Department of Pediatrics, National Hospital Organization Sagamihara National Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan4 Department of Pediatrics, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan*Corresponding author: Noriyuki YanagidaDepartment of Pediatrics, National Hospital Organization Sagamihara National Hospital,18-1, Sakuradai, Minami-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0392, JapanE-mail:[email protected] count: 1,191Number of figures: 2 Number of tables: 1

Dew is closely related to the micro-use of water and to large-scale hydrological processes. Dew formation on grasslands plays a particularly vital role in maintaining the ecohydrological cycle, however, its characteristics and sources were rarely reported. Here, stable isotope for dew, ambient water vapor, soil water, plant water, creek water, and precipitation were tracked to determine the characteristics of dew from ecohydrological processes in the meadow. The structural equation model was used to investigate how environmental factors affect dew formation. The Mix SIAR model in R was used to determine the sources of dew, and explore the dew transport route of six species of the graminoid-Kobresia meadow in an alpine graminoid-Kobresia meadow in northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Our results showed that the annual amount was about 37.92 ± 1.03 mm, acounting for 7.13% of precipitation. Both atmospheric pressure and temperature showed significant positive effects on dew formation, while wind speed had a negative effect. Evapotranspiration indirectly affected dew formation. The contribution rates of soil water, plant water, and ambient water vapor to dew formation were 48.20±5.46%, 38.30±5.07%, and 13.50±1.82%, respectively. The proportion of dew utilization by graminoid and Kobresia species showed no significant species differences, the mean value was 10.5±3.8%. Our statistical analysis determines the role of dew in an alpine graminoid-Kobresia meadow in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which provides an improved understanding of dew formation based on a stable isotope technology.

The combined study of C and O isotopes in plant organic matter has emerged as a powerful tool for understanding plant functional responses to environmental change. The approach relies on established relationships between leaf gas exchange and isotopic fractionation to derive a series of model scenarios that can be used to infer changes in photosynthetic assimilation and stomatal conductance driven by changes in environmental parameters (CO2, water availability, air humid-ity, temperature, nutrients). We review the mechanistic basis for a conceptual model, in light of recently published research, and discuss where isotopic observations don’t match our current understanding of plant physiological response to environment. We demonstrate that 1) the mod-el was applied successfully in many, but not all studies, 2), while originally conceived for leaf isotopes, the model has been applied extensively to tree ring isotopes in the context of tree physiology and dendrochronology. Where isotopic observations deviate from physiologically plau-sible conclusions, this mismatch between gas-exchange and isotope response provides valuable insights on underlying physiological processes. Overall, we found that isotope responses can be grouped into situations of increasing resource limitation versus higher resource availability. The dual isotope model helps to interpret plant responses to a multitude of environmental factors.

A major challenge in neuroscience is to pinpoint neurobiological correlates of specific cognitive and neuropsychiatric traits. At the mesoscopic level, promising candidates for establishing such connections are brain oscillations that can be robustly recorded as local field potentials with varying frequencies in the hippocampus in vivo and in vitro. Inbred mouse strains show natural variation in hippocampal synaptic plasticity (e.g., long-term potentiation), a cellular correlate of learning and memory. However, their diversity in expression of different types of hippocampal network oscillations has not been fully explored. Here, we investigated hippocampal network oscillations in three widely used inbred mouse strains: C57BL/6J (B6J), C57BL/6NCrl (B6N) and 129S2/SvPasCrl (129) with the particular aim to identify common oscillatory characteristics in inbred mouse strains that show aberrant emotional/cognitive behaviour (B6N and 129) and compare them to “control” B6J strain. First, we detected higher gamma oscillation power in the hippocampal CA3 of both B6N and 129 strains. Second, an increased incidence of hippocampal sharp wave-ripple (SW-R) transients was evident in these strains. Third, we observed prominent differences in the densities of distinct interneuron types and CA3 associative network activity which are indispensable for sustainment of mesoscopic network oscillations. Together, these results supports the notion that in vitro hippocampal network oscillations, similar to classical plasticity read-outs measured in hippocampal slices, can be used as robust reductionist models to study electrophysiological correlates of emotional and cognitive phenotypes. Importantly, we add further evidence to profound physiological differences among inbred mouse strains commonly used in neuroscience research.

A 69 years old Chinese female patient presented with independent HPV serous carcinoma uterine cervix. The genetic testing identified gene variants of PAX8 and TP53, microsatellite instability stable, TMB 7.33Muts/Mb. The patient had a good response to Docetaxel, carboplatin, and radiation with 18 months of free disease survival.

Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a new emergency department intervention for the management of epistaxis, aiming to reduce epistaxis admissions. Design Tranexamic acid (TXA) (500mg/ml) soaked NasoPore® packing was in the pathway for epistaxis which did not terminate following 10 minutes of simple first aid. The pathway was utilised for adult patients presenting with non-traumatic, anterior epistaxis. Pre- and post-implementation admission rates and re-attendance rates were recorded by retrospective audit at a large central London hospital. Results Epistaxis admissions were reduced by 51.7% (p<0.05) following the implementation of the TXA-soaked NasoPore® pathway. Conclusions The significant reduction in epistaxis admissions demonstrates that this intervention is beneficial for patient outcomes. This has the potential to be introduced in other A&E departments and also pre-hospital settings.

The role of betaine in the liver and kidney has been well documented, even from the cellular and molecular point of view. Despite literature reporting positive effects of betaine supplementation in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Schizophrenia, the role and function of betaine in the brain are little studied and reviewed. Beneficial effects of betaine in neurodegeneration, excitatory and Inhibitory imbalance, and oxidative stress in the central nervous system have been collected and analyzed with the aim of understanding the main role of betaine in the brain. There are many “dark” aspects needed to complete the picture. The understanding of how this osmolyte is transported across neuron and glial cells is also controversial, as the expression levels and functioning of the known protein capable to transport betaine expressed in the brain, betaine-GABA transporter 1 BGT-1, is itself not well clarified. The reported actions of betaine beyond BGT-1 related to neuronal degeneration and memory impairment are the focus of this work. With this review, we underline the scarcity of detailed molecular and cellular information about betaine action. Consequently, the requirement of detailed focus on and study of the interaction of this molecule with CNS components to sustain the therapeutic use of betaine.

Anthropogenic biological invasions represent major concerns but enable us to investigate rapid evolutionary changes and adaptation to novel environments. The goldfish Carassius auratus with sexual diploids and asexual triploids coexisting in natural waters, is one of the most widespread invasive fishes in Tibet, providing an ideal model to study evolutionary processes during invasion in different reproductive forms from the same vertebrate. Here, using whole-genome resequencing data of 151 C. auratus individuals from invasive and native ranges, we found different patterns of genomic responses between diploid and triploid populations during their invasion to Tibet. For diploids, although invasive individuals derived from two different genetically distinct sources and had a relative higher diversity (π) at the population level, their individual genetic diversity (genome-wide observed heterozygosity) was significantly lower (21.4%) than that of source individuals. Population structure analysis revealed that the invasive individuals formed a specific genetic cluster distinct from the source populations. Runs of homozygosity analysis showed low inbreeding only in invasive individuals, and only the invasive population experienced a recent decline in effective population size reflecting founder events. For triploids, however, invasive populations showed no loss of individual genetic diversity and no genetic differentiation relative to source populations. Regions of putative selective sweeps between invasive and source populations of diploids mainly involved genes associated with mannosidase activity and embryo development. Our results suggest invasive diploids deriving from distinct sources still lost individual genetic diversity resulting from recent inbreeding and founder events and selective sweeps, and invasive triploids experienced no genetic change owing to their reproduction mode of gynogenesis that precludes inbreeding and founder effects and may make them more powerful invaders.

Subvalvular aortic stenosis manifesting as a subaortic membrane predisposes to bacterial endocarditis, which typically affects the aortic valve or, less frequently, the left ventricular outflow tract. We present the case of a 60-year-old woman expressing an odd form of a subvalvular aortic membrane in conjunction with a left Valsalva sinus pseudoaneurysm as a result of an endocarditis complication.

In recent years, bacteria from genus Clostridia have attracted attention of research community because of their biofuel production capabilities. Present study reports comparative genomic (CG) analysis of 48 genomes of solventogenic and saccharolytic Clostridia. We have focused on central carbon metabolism and general stress response in the analysis. Comprehensive summaries on comparison of general genome features, COG categories, CDSs of the energy, catabolic, and sporulation pathways are given. Furthermore, we have proposed two new genome-scale metabolic (GSM) models iKK848 and iKK1425 for Clostridium pasteurianum DSM 525 = ATCC 6013 and Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824, respectively. These GSM models are most comprehensive in that they account for the largest number of reactions, metabolites, and genes as compared to previous models. Model quality and metabolic flux optimization for biomass growth using iKK1425 and iKK848 are compared with previous literature. Our models had the highest quality score of 61% and 77%.

In this work a self-configuration system and the frequency characterization for a fully integrated CMOS photodetector sensor is presented. The sensor is composed of pixels with programmable switches that allow each pixel to connect with its neighbors; in this way, an arbitrary detection pattern can be synthesized on it. The design was aimed to be part of an optical encoder based on a non-diffractive light beam, therefore, the purpose of the self-configuration routine is to find the center of the incident non-diffractive beam and then configure the detection pattern around it. The corresponding algorithm is implemented on a Zynq-7000 SoC allowing to automate the alignment of the beam with the detection pattern, without using micrometric positioning procedures. The frequency response of the analog front-end of the entire chip (the pixels and the amplification system) is addressed via SPICE simulations and experimental data, and is consistent with the classical mathematical models, allowing us to propose future improvements to the design.

Predictive modelling is fundamental to ecology and essential for objective biodiversity assessment. However, while predictive biodiversity models are generally well-developed, models for predicting patterns within and among ecosystems have not been adequately operationalized. We contend the scarcity of such models marks a concerning gap in the scientific community’s ability to make ecosystem predictions across landscapes, and more broadly for supporting the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. We propose ecosystem spatial pattern models (ESPM) to fill this gap in modelling capacity. Under our approach to ESPM, spatial patterns of ecosystem properties are the basis for resolving ecosystem organization at local and landscape extents. Our integrative modelling framework differs from others in that it accords biotic and abiotic constituents equally, based on with their joint mechanistic influence on ecosystem dynamics. Development of ESPM is especially timely for ecosystem assessment is undergoing a contemporary groundswell, as scientists and conservation groups propose ambitious targets for ecosystem conservation and restoration.

Environmental factors interact with biological and genetic factors influencing the development and well-being of an organism. The interest to better understand the role of environment on behavior and physiology led to the development of animal models of environmental manipulations. Environmental Enrichment (EE), an environmental condition that allows cognitive and sensory stimulation as well as social interaction, improves cognitive function, reduces anxiety and depressive-like behavior, and promotes neuroplasticity. In addition, it exerts protection against neurodegenerative disorders, cognitive aging and deficits aggravated by stressful experiences. Given the beneficial effects of EE on brain and behavior, preclinical studies focus on its protective role as an alternative, non-invasive manipulation, to help an organism to cope better with stress. A valid, reliable and effective animal model of chronic stress that enhances anxiety and depression-like behavior is the Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress (CUMS). The variety of stressors and the unpredictability in the time and sequence of exposure to prevent habituation, render CUMS an ethologically relevant model. CUMS has been associated with dysregulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis, elevation in the basal levels of stress hormones, reduction in brain volume, dendritic atrophy and alterations in markers of synaptic plasticity. Although numerous studies have underlined the compensatory role of EE against the negative effects of various chronic stress regimens (e.g., restraint, social isolation), research concerning the interaction between EE and CUMS is sparse. The purpose of the current systematic review is to present up-to-date research findings regarding the protective role of EE against the negative effects of CUMS.

On 19 September 2021, a new monogenetic volcano (Tajogaite) erupted on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain). After 86 days of strombolian eruption, with emissions of volcanic material, a pyroclastic cone 200 m high and 800 m in diameter was formed. Successive lava flows descended the western slopes and reached the sea on 29 September. On descending the coastal cliffs and entering the sea, the lava flows formed two lava deltas of 75 and 5 ha, on the submarine island shelf, backed by fossilized coastal cliffs. This work presents an approach, using comparative and numerical methods, to estimate the geoheritage value and support the conservation of a new volcanic landscape in an island territory with high anthropic pressure on land uses. In a first phase, a cartographic inventory was made of all the volcanic formations similar to the new volcano in the geological domain of the Canary Islands. In a second phase, their representativeness (A), rarity (R), diversity (D), integrity (I) and observability (O) was quantitatively measured by means of dimensional estimators. The results obtained show that the new volcano presents a geological value of the first order in the context of the Canary Islands, which is one of the most prominent hot-spot archipelago worldwide. Its value is based above all on its high conservation state with respect to the similar volcanoes in the Canary Islands. The high mismatch found between the intrinsic geological value and the environmental protection of this area, justifies the development and application of urgent basic guidelines for its protection, as well as the promotion of geotourism as opposed to alternative land uses.

We present a framework to model and provide numerical evidence for compartmentalization in the yeast endoplasmic reticulum. Measurement data is collected and an optimal control problem is formulated as a regularized inverse problem. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt in the literature to introduce a PDE-constrained optimization formulation to study the kinetics of fluorescently labeled molecules in budding yeast. Optimality conditions are derived and a gradient descent algorithm allows accurate estimation of unknown key parameters in different cellular compartments. For the first time, the numerical results support the barrier index theory suggesting the presence of a physical diffusion barrier that compartmentalizes the endoplasmic reticulum by limiting protein exchange between the mother and its growing bud. We report several numerical experiments on real data and geometry, with the aim of illustrating the accuracy and efficiency of the method. Furthermore, a relationship between the size ratio of mother and bud compartments and the barrier index ratio is provided.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and risks factors associated with electrode migration in cochlear implant (CI) recipients. Design: Retrospective cohort study of all CIs performed between 1 January 2018-1 August 2021 in a single tertiary adult and paediatric cochlear implant centre in the UK. Main outcome measures: The primary aim is to determine the prevalence of electrode migration, based on comparing intraoperative surgeon report and results of a routine plain X-ray performed 2 weeks after surgery. Electrode migration is defined as the detection of movement of 2 or more electrodes out of the cochlea from time of surgery. Multivariate analysis was performed to investigate risk factors including preoperative factors and intraoperative factors that might predispose to migration. Results: 465 patients, having 516 distinct surgery sessions, with 628 implants were analyzed. Electrode migration occurred in 11.5% of all implants. Pre-existing cochlear abnormality was an independent associated risk factor for electrode migration (OR:3.40<1.20-9.62> p=0.021). Demographics, surgical technique, usage of a precurved electrode, CSF leak, surgeon seniority and intraoperative telemetry did not influence risk of migration. There were 5 implants which migrated later than 2 weeks, median: 263days, for which head injury was a common precipitating factor. There was some difference between different lateral wall electrodes Conclusion: Electrode migration in the early postoperative period is a common occurrence and is more likely in implant recipients with obstructed or malformed cochleae. Keywords : Cochlear implants, Electrode migration, Risk factors, Cochlear abnormalities, Postoperative X-ray

Sensorimotor atypicalities are common in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and are often evident prior to classical ASD symptoms. Despite evidence of differences in neural processing during imitation in ASD, research on integrity of basic sensorimotor processing is surprisingly sparce. To address this gap in the literature, here we examined basic sensorimotor processing in autism by analyzing EEG data recorded from a large sample of children and adolescents while they performed an audio-visual speeded reaction time task. Using response-locked signal averaging, we investigated the neural processes associated with execution of a cued movement in a large sample of children and adolescents with ASD (n=84) and without ASD (n=84). Analyses focused on motor related brain responses that are well-characterized in adults: the late berichtsheft potential, the motor potential, and the reafferent potential. Group differences were examined in data parsed by age (6-9 years, 9-12 years, 12-15 years), sensory cue preceding the response (auditory, visual, bi-sensory audio-visual), and reaction time quartile. Overall, the data revealed robust sensorimotor neural responses in ASD. Nevertheless, subtle sensorimotor atypicalities were present in autistic children across all parcellations, and these differences were most prominent in the youngest group of children (age 6-9). Future studies focused on younger children are needed to understand if differences in basic sensorimotor processing are more prominent earlier in development in autism.