bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inflammation, Biomarkers and Personalized Therapies in Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Lee Belinda , Gibbs Peter
Published: March 2019

It is estimated that pancreatic cancer will be the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally by 2030, highlighting the ongoing lack of effective treatment options in this devastating condition. There is a lack of reliable prognostic or predictive markers in pancreatic cancer to guide management decisions, whether for systemic chemotherapy, molecularly targeted therapies, or immunotherapies. To date, the results for targeted agents and immunotherapies in unselected populations of chemo-refractory pancreatic cancer have not met expectations. The reasons for this lack of efficacy of immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer are incompletely understood. The challenges in pancreatic cancer include the physical barrier created by the dense desmoplastic stroma surrounding the tumor, chemokine-mediated exclusion of T cells, poor antigenicity, paucity of infiltrating T cells within the tumor, ultimately leading to an immunosuppressive microenvironment. A better understanding of the role of inflammation in pancreatic cancer, its tumor microenvironment and individualized patient-related features, be they molecular, clinical or histopathological would enable a more effective tailored approach to the management of pancreatic cancer. In this review, the role of inflammation, the immune tumor microenvironment and potential immune biomarkers in pancreatic cancer are explored.
Unscented Kalman Filtering for Nonlinear Systems with Colored Measurement Noises and One-Step Randomly Delayed Measurements
Authors: Wang Xinmei , Liu Zhenzhu , Liu Feng , Liu Wei ,   School of Automation, China University of Geosciences No.388 Lumo Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China,   Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Control and Intelligent Automation for Complex Systems No.388 Lumo Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
Published: March 2019

Traditional unscented Kalman filtering (UKF) cannot solve the filtering problem for nonlinear systems with colored measurement noises and one-step randomly delayed measurements. To fix this problem, a new UKF algorithm is proposed in this paper. First, a system model with one-step randomly delayed measurements and colored measurement noises is established, wherein a first order Markov sequence model for whitening colored noises and an independently identical distributed Bernoulli variable for modeling one-step randomly delayed measurements is introduced. Second, an UKF is proposed for the above established models through unscented transformation by calculating the nonlinear states posterior mean and covariance based on the Bayesian filter framework. Specially, the proportional symmetric sampling method is used in the new UKF algorithm. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method is verified via simulation.
Interaction Forces Identification Modeling and Tracking Control for Rehabilitative Training Walker
Authors: Sun Ping , Zhang Wenjiao , Wang Shuoyu , Chang Hongbin ,   School of Information Science and Engineering, Shenyang University of Technology No.111 Shenliao West Road, Shenyang 110870, China,   Department of Intelligent Mechanical Systems Engineering, Kochi University of Technology 185 Miyanokuchi, Tosayamada, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan
Published: March 2019

In this study, we propose a model and an adaptive backstepping tracking control method for omnidirectional rehabilitative training walker. The aim of the study is to design a stable tracking controller that can guarantee accurate tracking motion of the omnidirectional walker considering the interaction forces of the user and walker. A novel fuzzy model identification method was proposed to describe the interaction forces by using the reduced values of tracking performance. Further, an adaptive backstepping controller was developed to compensate the interaction forces on the basis of the identified model and adapt the change of user’s mass. The asymptotic stability of the trajectory tracking error and the velocity tracking error were guaranteed. As an application, simulation and experiment results were provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design procedures.
Adaptive Energy Control Strategy for a Hybrid Energy Storage System in a DC Micro-Grid of an Unmanned Surface Vehicle
Authors: Zheng Zhongjiu , Xu Yujia , Wang Ning , Zhao Hong ,   Center for Intelligent Marine Vehicles, School of Marine Electrical Engineering, Dalian Maritime University No.1 Linghai Road, Ganjingzi District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province 116024, China,   School of Mechanical Electronic and Information Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing) No.11 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
Published: March 2019

At present, the DC micro-grid power supply system based on new energy generation has become the primary developmental direction for improving the endurance of an unmanned surface vehicle (USV). In this study, an adaptive energy control strategy based on the moving average filtering algorithm is proposed to solve the severe impact of the pulsing load mutation on the hybrid energy storage system (HESS) in the DC micro-grid. The moving average filtering algorithm is used to filter the pulsating load power, and a battery slows the power change. Meanwhile, the super capacitor compensates for the instantaneous power mutation, optimizing the charge and discharge process of the battery. In addition, gain-varying adaptive control for the terminal voltage of the supercapacitor is adopted to stabilize it near the reference value, which solves the problem of voltage off-limit caused by the unequal output and absorption energy of the supercapacitor. The simulation results show that the proposed control strategy can effectively and quickly suppress the power fluctuation caused by the load mutation of the photovoltaic DC micro-grid system, improve the quality of the system output power, and enhance the reliability and stability of the system.
A Mixed Denoising Algorithm Based on Weighted Joint Sparse Representation
Authors: Hu Yu Ping ,   College of Basic Teaching, Chongqing Water Resoures and Electric Engineering College No.801, East Section of the Chang Zhou Avenue, Yongchuan, Chongqing 402160, China
Published: March 2019

Joint sparse representation is not ideal for the processing of outliers in image, so a weighted joint sparse representation model for image denoising is proposed. This model introduces a weighted matrix of common information shared by data samples and reduces the influence of outliers. The greedy algorithm based on weighted simultaneous orthogonal matching pursuit is used to approximate the global optimal solution of the model effectively. The weighted noisy image block is used to remove the mixed noise of the image by jointly coding the nonlocal similar image blocks. By combining global priori knowledge and sparse errors into one unified framework, the denoising performance is further improved. Experimental results show that the denoising performance of this method is better than the existing hybrid denoising methods.
Design of Laser Rangefinder for Obstacle Avoidance of Intelligent Robot in Cloud Computing Environment
Authors: Pan Li ,   Personnel Division, Zhengzhou Institute of Technology No.18 Yingcai Street, Huiji District, Zhengzhou, Henan 450044, China
Published: March 2019

In order to use intelligent robot to realize industrial automation, it is necessary to study the obstacle avoidance method of intelligent robot in cloud computing environment. The traditional obstacle avoidance method mainly uses fuzzy controller to realize the obstacle avoidance of intelligent robot. The problem of low recognition accuracy exists. In this paper, a design method of laser rangefinder for obstacle avoidance of intelligent robot in cloud computing environment is proposed. Firstly, the location problem of intelligent robot by laser rangefinder is modeled. Then, the obstacles are made feature extraction. Finally, the wavelet neural network classifier is used to identify obstacles. Experimental results show that the proposed method can realize the effective obstacle avoidance of intelligent robot.
Taşra Yavaşlığında Yavaş Kent Olmak: Yenipazar
Authors: AK Duygu
Published: March 2019

Çalışmada Yenipazar halkının sakin şehir olmaya
yönelik algılamalarını ortaya koymak amacıyla anket uygulanmıştır. Sakin şehir
algısını oluşturan bileşenler ve sakin şehir olmaktan duyulan memnuniyet düzeyi
arasındaki ilişkiyi analiz etmek için çapraz tablo analizi kullanılmıştır.
Bunun sonucunda sakin şehir olmaktan duyulan memnuniyet düzeyi değişkeni
üzerinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık bulgulanan değişkenler yaş,
ikamet süresi ve sürdürülen iş değişkenleri olarak; anlamlı farklılık bulgulanmayan
değişkenler cinsiyet, eğitim düzeyi ve yaşanılan mahalle değişkenleri olarak
tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca anket formunda yer alan ifadelere katılımcıların
verdikleri cevapların frekans analiziyle değerlendirilmesi sonucunda
katılımcıların yalnızca sakin şehir olmanın ekonomik kentsel yaşam kalitesine
yönelik olumlu olarak algıladıkları ifadeler olduğu; ancak bunun dışında
fiziksel/mekansal, çevresel, sosyal ve kültürel kentsel yaşam kalitesine
yönelik genel olarak algılamalarının olumsuz olduğu bulgulanmıştır. Ortaya
çıkan bu sonuçta Yenipazar’ın sahip olduğu taşra özellikleri de etkili
olmaktadır.
The Potential of Hydrolysate from Rabbit Meat Protein as an Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor
Authors: Permadi Edy , Jamhari Jamhari , Suryanto Edi , Bachruddin Zaenal , Erwanto Yuny
Published: March 2019

This research aimed to investigate the rabbit meat hydrolysate potential as an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. Indonesian local rabbit meats were used in this study. The research was conducted in Department of Animal Product Technology, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Gadjah Mada, from August 2016 to February 2017. The local rabbit meats were hydrolyzed by pepsin, trypsin, and pancreatic. The obtained hydrolysates were then analyzed to identify the water-soluble protein content. The molecular weight of the hydrolysates were also confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The ACE inhibitory properties of the hydrolysates were analyzed in vitro. The results showed that pepsin, trypsin, and pancreatic hydrolysis showed a significant effect on the water-soluble protein content of rabbit meat (p<0.05). The water-soluble protein of rabbit meat hydrolysed by pepsin, trypsin, and pancreatic were 9.41, 7.66, and 9.75 mg/mL respectively. The molecular weight of the rabbit meat hydrolysate were increased from 10 to 43 kDa; 17 to 43 kDa; and 10 to 43 kDa, after hydrolysed by by pepsin, trypsin, and pancreatic respectively. Furthermore, the ACE inhibitory properties ) of the hydrolysed rabbit meat by pepsin, trypsin, and pancreatic were 439, 170, and 380 μg/mL, respectively. The rabbit meat hydrolysate showed a potential to be ACE inhibitor after hydrolyzed with pepsin, trypsin and pancreatic. Moreover, it also showed a promising potential to be used as bioactive components in different pharmaceutical applications. The highest ACE inhibitory capability was showed on trypsin hydrolysis with the total of 65.45% and 170 μg/mL ACE inhibition
Clinical Variants and Evaluation of Clinical Severity of Guillain Barre Syndrome in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Nepal
Authors: Ojha Rajeev , Oli Krishna Kumar , Gajurel Bikram Prasad , Karn Ragesh , Rajbhandari Reema , Kharel Ghanshyam , Huang Dong Ya , Shigdel Rajesh
Published: March 2019

Background

Guillain Barre Syndrome(GBS) is an acute, frequently severe, and fulminant polyradiculoneuropathy that is autoimmune in nature. Our aim is to evaluate the grading of disability and outcome among different variants of GBS.

Methods

All consecutive patients recruited prospectively in the study were of age ≥16 years and were being admitted in department of Neurology of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal from 2016 March to 2017 February. All demographic, historical and clinical data were collected. Nerve conduction study, cerebrospinal fluid analysis along with clinical features were evaluated to assess the diagnostic certainty of Brighton Criteria. Overall disability sum score (ODSS) and GBS disability score were assessed in all patients. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Boards.

Results

A total of 46 patients were included: male patients being predominant (70% vs 30%), mean age= 36.5±16.2, range = 16 - 80 years. Thirty-two patients (70%) were an axonal variant, acute motor axonal neuropathy being more common (18 patients), and 14 patients were acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy. Fourteen patients (30%) were demyelinating type, out of which 11 patients had both motor and sensory features, and only 3 patients were pure motor demyelinating type. Axonal variants were found to have higher ODSS during nadir (p=0.024) and discharge(p=0.004), and also higher GBS disability score during nadir (p=0.012) and discharge (p=0.021). Acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) had higher GBS disability score than acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) at nadir (p=0.034) and discharge (p=0.039).

Conclusions

Axonal neuropathy variants are predominant among the Nepalese population and are clinically severe than demyelinating variants. Further, prospective study of longer duration to include larger number of patients will be needed.
Changes in Retinal and Choroidal Vascularity in Eyes with Acute Central Serous Chorioretinopathy Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Authors: Guo Jingli , Ding Xinyi , Zhang Yongjin , Xu Gezhi , Wu Haixiang
Published: March 2019

Background

To compare the vascular changes of superficial capillary layer (SCP) and deep capillary layer (DCP) in retina and choriocapillary layer in eyes with acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) between at baseline and 3 months.

Methods

Prospective case series; Twelve patients (12 eyes) with acute CSCR at the baseline and 3 months were included. All patients underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examinations. Subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) and central macular thickness (CMT) were evaluated by swept domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). The foveal avascular zone (FAZ), the microvascular morphology and density of SCP and DCP, and the choroicapillary morphology were assessed by OCTA and Image J software.

Results

The mean CMT (p=0.018), the mean SFCT (p=0.013), the mean microvascular density of DCP (p<0.001) and choroicapillary layer (p<0.001) at baseline were different from the ones at 3 months. The density of DCP was increased and the areas of choriocapillaris flow signal void was shrinked at 3months in the process of self-resolve. Two eyes exhibited flat pigment epithelial detachment by OCT and OCTA demonstrated the formation of vascular in choroicapillary layer at 3 months. The en-face OCT can illstrate the area of ellipsoid zone (EZ) disruption.

Conclusions

OCTA enables the visualization of microvascular features of the DCP and choroidcapillary in eyes with acute CSCR in the process of self-resovle to help elucidate the pathophysiology. Flat pigment epithelial detachment presented by OCT in acute CSCR eyes can be revealed vascular structure in choroicapillary layer by OCTA. OCTA imaging seems to be a useful tool in the identification of acute CSCR.
Genetic Variation of Spring Frost Damage in 3-year-old Fraser Fir Christmas Tree Plantations
Authors: Emerson Jennifer L. , Frampton John , McKeand Steven E.
Published: March 2019

A series of open-pollinated progeny tests of Fraser fir [Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir.] was analyzed to determine genetic variation of spring frost damage to the terminal leader and lateral branches after a late season frost in May of the third year in the field. The level of spring frost damage was also compared with bud flush dates that had been measured in the nursery before field planting. Seed sources differed significantly for lateral branch frost damage, and families within source differed significantly for both terminal leader and lateral branch frost damage. Greater terminal and lateral frost damage were significantly associated with greater height for all years. As expected, parent elevation was negatively associated with progeny height. Less lateral frost damage was also associated with later terminal and lateral bud flush dates in the nursery. In addition, higher parent elevation was associated with later lateral bud flush dates of progeny in the nursery. Terminal and lateral bud flush dates in the nursery showed high individual tree within-population heritability values of 0.85 and 0.73, respectively. Similar heritability values for the frost damage measurements were low, 0.045 for terminal leader damage and 0.14 for lateral branch damage. Many of the fast-growing families quickly made up for any loss of height from frost damage so that frost damage should not greatly affect the rotation length.
Crop Load Affects Vegetative Growth Flushes and Shoot Age Influences Irreversible Commitment to Flowering of `Hass' Avocado
Authors: Salazar-García Samuel , Cossio-Vargas Luis E. , Lovatt Carol J. , González-Durán Isidro J.L. , Pérez-Barraza María H.
Published: March 2019

Several studies were undertaken in commercial nonirrigated `Hass' avocado orchards under the subhumid semiwarm subtropical climate of the state of Nayarit, Mexico, with the following objectives: 1) to determine the frequency and intensity of vegetative shoot flushes and their contribution to the production of floral shoots, 2) to quantify the effect of tree fruit load on the occurrence of vegetative shoot flushes during the year and the relationship between vegetative and reproductive shoot number during flowering, and 3) to determine the time when apical buds borne on the major vegetative shoot flushes reached irreversible commitment to flowering (floral determination) through the use of shoot defoliation and girdling. Data trees were selected in two orchards based on their current crop load. Four to five branches per tree were tagged, and the number and intensity of vegetative flushes that developed during 2 years, as well as the type of growth produced by apical buds of shoots of different ages, were recorded at the end of the winter bloom periods for two separate years, 1999 and 2001. In a separate experiment using a different set of trees, winter and summer flush shoots were defoliated (year 1) or defoliated and girdled (year 2) at different stages of bud development from September to January in each case. Four vegetative flushes occurred each year. The winter flush that emerged in Feb. 1998 made the greatest contribution to the 1999 winter bloom—76.5% of the shoots produced floral shoots. Contributions of the summer 1 (late July 1998), summer 2 (early Aug. 1998), and summer 3 (late Aug. 1998) flushes to flowering were intermediate. A total of 30.6%, 36.4%, and 19% of the shoots produced floral shoots respectively. All four vegetative flushes produced a similar number of vegetative shoots during winter bloom. Evaluation of the 2001 winter bloom for trees with high (>95 kg fruit/tree) and low (<70 kg fruit/tree) crops showed no effect of tree fruit load on the production of vegetative or floral shoots by winter or summer vegetative flushes. Irrespective of time of treatment (shoot defoliation and girdling) or shoot age, irreversible commitment to flowering of apical buds occurred by 15 Oct., and this stage was associated with an average of 27.5 chilling days (temperature, ≤19 °C) for both years. Buds irreversibly committed to flowering were closed and pointed, with partial senescence of bud scales. Anatomically, the buds showed a convex primary axis meristem and four secondary axis floral shoot meristems.
Growth and Carbon Partitioning in Cranberry Uprights as Influenced by Nitrogen Supply
Authors: Vanden Heuvel Justine E. , Davenport Joan R.
Published: March 2019

Information on growth and carbon partitioning of cranberry uprights in response to soil N application is lacking. Therefore, two experiments were initiated on `Stevens' uprights to determine the effect of soil-applied N on tissue N, growth, net carbon exchange (NCER), and nonstructural carbohydrate production of uprights of `Stevens' cranberry. Tissue N concentration increased linearly with increasing soil N but was greater in vegetative uprights than in fruiting uprights. Current season growth on vegetative uprights was more responsive to tissue N than on fruiting uprights. Although chlorophyll concentration and NCER increased with increased soil N, upright starch concentration and often total nonstructural carbohydrate concentration decreased with increased soil N at midfruit development and preharvest, especially in vegetative uprights.
Soil Amendments in Transition to Organic Vegetable Production With Comparison to Conventional Methods: Yields and Economics
Authors: Russo V.M. , Taylor Merritt
Published: March 2019

Many producers who have used conventional production methods for vegetables, and who want to convert to organic production, will have to pass through a 3-year transition period before their land can be qualified for organic certification. This transition can produce unique challenges. Use of several amendments has received interest for inclusion in organic production. How these affect vegetable production during the transition period was examined. Land was taken from perennial pasture and converted to production of the vegetables: bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), cv. Jupiter; processing cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), cv. Earli Pik; and sweet corn (Zea mays L.), cv. Incredible (se endosperm genotype) using organic materials and methods with comparison made to production using conventional methods. Conventional and transition to organic portions of the field were separated by 25 m with the buffer zone planted with the same sweet corn cultivar used in the experimental plots and minimally maintained by addition of organic fertilizer. To the organic portion of the field, three levels of humates (0, 112, and 224 kg·ha–1) and three levels of corn gluten meal (0, 448, and 896 kg·ha–1) were applied in nine combinations. Yields for all crops were determined for all years. In the first year, bell pepper yields for plants under conventional production were higher than for the plants in the transition plots. In the remaining 2 years, bell pepper yields were similar under the two production systems. In the first 2 years, cucumber yields for plants under conventional production were higher than for the plants under transition to organic production. In the last year, cucumber yields were similar under the two production systems. In all years, sweet corn yields for plants under conventional production were higher than for plants under transition to organic production. Humates and corn gluten meal did not benefit yields of crops. An economic analysis comparing yields, prices, and costs of production of the crops under conventional and the transition to organic indicated that conventional practices generally provided more net revenue than did transition to organic production. Net revenue for the three species under the transition to organic for the 3 years was $2749 for three hectares. Net revenue for the three crops under conventional production for 3 years was $61,821, a difference of $59,072. Costs, yield, and prices will have to be considered when decisions are made concerning the adoption of organic practices.
Seasonal Change of Nitrate and Oxalate Concentration in Relation to the Growth Rate of Spinach Cultivars
Authors: Kaminishi Aiko , Kita Nobuhiro
Published: March 2019

Reduction of nitrate and oxalate content in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) has become the major concern in terms of their toxicity to human health. The primary objectives of this study were 1) to determine the seasonal change in nitrate and oxalate concentrations and 2) to elucidate the relationship between growth rate and concentration of nitrate and oxalate in spinach. In a replicated field experiment in Hiratsuka, Japan, the authors grew 182 cultivars of spinach over four growing seasons (winter, spring, summer, and fall) under the nitrogen application rate of 100 kg N·ha–1. The average number of days required for harvest was the shortest in summer (32.7days) and was longest in the winter (85.7 days). Mean nitrate concentration in spinach was significantly low in the winter (3797 mg·kg–1 fresh weight) compared with the other three seasons (4122–4328 mg·kg–1 fresh weight) in which no significant differences were found in mean nitrate levels. In contrast, oxalate concentrations showed a distinct seasonal variation, being the lowest in the fall (6149 mg·kg–1 fresh weight), followed by the summer (7525 mg·kg–1 fresh weight) and the spring (8903 mg·kg–1 fresh weight), and was the highest in the winter (10,929 mg·kg–1 fresh weight). Relative nitrate concentration showed a moderate negative correlation with relative days required for harvest (r = 0.411, P < 0.001), whereas relative oxalate concentration showed a strong positive correlation with relative days required for harvest (r = 0.566, P < 0.001). Accordingly, a moderate negative correlation (r = 0.325, P < 0.001) was detected between nitrate and oxalate concentrations. Moreover, fast-growing cultivars contained higher nitrate and lower oxalate, whereas slow-growing cultivars contained lower nitrate and higher oxalate. These results indicate that the growth rate primarily accounts for the nitrate and oxalate concentration in spinach, and nitrate and oxalate might play a counterrole to each other.
Gibberellic Acid Inhibits Flowering and Reduces Hand Thinning of `Redhaven' Peach
Authors: Coneva Elina , Cline John A.
Published: March 2019

Adjusting the crop load of peaches [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] by hand thinning is currently required to ensure marketable size of most cultivars grown in Ontario. A novel approach to adjust cropping by inhibiting flowering using gibberellic acid (GA3) was tested in an orchard experiment in which GA3 was applied at 7, 10, and 13 weeks after full bloom to mature `Redhaven' peach trees. Late GA3 treatments increased soluble solids concentration (SSC) in the season of application. A significant interaction between GA3 rate and time of application was observed on increased fruit firmness in the current season. Increasing rates of GA3 decreased flowering the following season in a quadratic fashion, resulting in a 41% to 90% diminished requirement for hand thinning. This translated into lower crop loads and yields for GA3-treated trees at harvest compared with untreated control trees. However, GA3-treated trees had larger mean fruit size and improved fruit size distribution the year after GA3 application. Advanced fruit ripening was also evident by increased fruit SSC and decreased fruit firmness, likely an indirect effect of GA3 on crop load. GA3 application timing significantly increased overall tree growth measured by the changes in trunk cross-sectional area.
Trunk Sprouting and Growth of Citrus as Affected by NAA, Aluminum Foil, and Plastic Trunk Wraps
Authors: Stover Ed , Ciliento Scott , Myers Monty
Published: March 2019

In spring 1999, a commercial NAA (1-naphthaleneacetic acid) preparation for trunk sprout inhibition was compared with a corrugated plastic trunk wrap, aluminum foil wrap, bimonthly hand removal of sprouts, use of NAA preparation plus bimonthly hand removal when sprouts appeared, and a nontreated control. Three recently planted groves on three different rootstocks [`Midsweet' orange (Citrus sinensis)] on Swingle citrumelo (Citrus paradisi × Poncirus trifoliata), `Valencia' orange on Volkamer lemon (Volk, Citrus limon), and `Minneola' tangelo (Citrus paradisi × C. reticulata) on Smooth Flat Seville (SFS, Citrus hybrid) received each of the treatments in a randomized complete block experimental design with trees blocked by initial height and circumference. Every 2 months, sprouts were counted on each tree and removed from the hand removal treatments. After 1 year, all sprouts were removed and counted and height and circumference of trees was determined. Across all experiments, 82% to 100% of nontreated trees produced trunk sprouts and all sprout control methods significantly reduced sprouts per tree. NAA treatments were never significantly less effective at sprout suppression than the wraps at the P = 0.05 level, although in two experiments, wraps were more effective than NAA at P = 0.10. Time of sprout appearance varied between the three experimental blocks. Plastic and foil trunk wraps enhanced development of trunk circumference compared with nontreated controls in `Midsweet'/Swingle and `Valencia'/Volk. Greater trunk circumference resulted from use of wraps versus NAA in all three experiments, which appeared unrelated to differential sprout suppression. In these experiments, it appears that either wraps enhanced tree development beyond the suppression of sprouts or NAA influence on tree metabolism somewhat reduced trunk growth. The economics of the sprout suppression methods are also discussed.
Air Temperature and Illumination During Transportation Affect Quality of Mature Tomato Seedlings
Authors: Kubota Chieri , Kroggel Mark
Published: March 2019

Increasing numbers of greenhouse vegetable growers purchase transplants from specialized transplant propagators. Possible deterioration of transplants during transportation limits the market size as well as the potential sources of high-quality transplants. To determine the best conditions for transportation of seedlings, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., cv. Durinta) seedlings with visible flower trusses were placed for 4 days inside growth chambers to evaluate the effects of short-term exposure to different air temperatures (6, 13, or a conventional transportation temperature of 19 °C) under darkness or illumination at 12 μmol·m–2·s–1 PPF. Plants were evaluated for visual quality, photosynthetic ability, growth, and fruit yield. Lower temperatures and illumination significantly maintained visual quality of the seedlings. Lower temperature maintained high photosynthetic ability of seedlings during the 4-day treatment. After transplanting in the greenhouse, a significant number of trusses exhibited flower abortion or delayed fruit development when seedlings were treated at 19 °C regardless of light intensity. Results suggested that 6 to 13 °C was the best transportation temperature for up to 4 days, which was later validated by an actual transportation trial between British Columbia and Arizona.
Effects of Colchicine and Oryzalin on Callus and Adventitious Shoot Formation of Euphorbia pulchurrima `Winter Rose'
Authors: Pickens Kimberly A. , Cheng (Max) Z.-M. , Kania Stephen A.
Published: March 2019

The mitotic inhibitors, colchicine and oryzalin, were evaluated for their effects on callus, adventitious shoot formation, and tetraploid induction of Euphorbia pulchurrima `Winter Rose'. In vitro grown leaf sections were placed on various media supplemented with either colchicine or oryzalin at various concentrations for 1 to 4 days. Colchicine was less damaging to leaf tissues than oryzalin. On various colchicine-containing media, prolific calluses were produced and adventitious shoot formation was observed. Regenerated shoots were found to be diploid as determined by flow cytometry. On media supplemented with oryzalin (28.9 μm to 144 μm), leaf tissues produced callus but failed to form adventitious shoots. Samples of calluses produced on oryzalin-containing media were subject to analysis using flow cytometry and were found to be diploid. These results suggest that the colchicine is less toxic on poinsettia tissues and shoot induction than oryzalin. Additional experiments are needed to establish a protocol for in vitro induction of poinsettia tetraploid with colchicine and oryzalin.
Propagation of Sciadopitys verticillata (Thunb.) Sieb. & Zucc. by Stem Cuttings and Properties of Its Latex-like Sap
Authors: Yates David I. , Earp Brandi L. , Levy Foster , Walker Elaine S.
Published: March 2019

To improve the success of vegetative propagation of Sciadopitys verticillata, stem cuttings were subjected to three treatments designed to minimize the accumulation of a latex-like sap at the cut ends of stems. A 24-hour soak in water before a hormone dip significantly enhanced rooting success and root mass. The water soak pretreatment was more beneficial to hardwood cuttings compared with softwood cuttings. Cuttings from shade-grown source trees showed the highest rooting success, but source tree age, height, and place of origin were not important factors. The water-insoluble latex-like sap had strong antibacterial activity against 3 of 11 bacterial species tested, but activity was not related to bacterial Gram reaction or the bacterial natural environment. In contrast, pine resins and latexes from selected angiosperms showed no antibacterial activity. The antibacterial component of the Sciadopitys latex-like sap was heat stable and therefore probably not protein based.
Predicting Need for Phosphorus Fertilizer by Soil Testing During Seeding of Cool Season Grasses
Authors: Hamel Stephanie C. , Heckman Joseph R.
Published: March 2019

Recent changes in soil testing methodology, the important role of P fertilization in early establishment and soil coverage, and new restrictions on P applications to turf suggest a need for soil test calibration research on Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb), and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Greenhouse and field studies were conducted for 42 days to examine the relationship between soil test P levels and P needs for rapid grass establishment using 23 NJ soils with a Mehlich-3 extractable P ranging from 6 to 1238 mg·kg–1. Soil tests (Mehlich-1, Mehlich-3, and Bray-1) for extractable P were performed by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP). Mehlich-3 extractable P and Al were measured to evaluate the ratio of P to Al as a predictor of need for P fertilizer. Kentucky bluegrass establishment was more sensitive to low soil P availability than tall fescue or perennial ryegrass. Soil test extractants Mehlich-1, Bray-1, or Mehlich-3 were each effective predictors of need for P fertilization. The ratio of P to Al (Mehlich-3 P/Al %) was a better predictor of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass establishment response to P fertilization than soil test P alone. The Mehlich-1, Bray-1, and Mehlich-3 soil test P critical levels for clipping yield response were in the range of 170 to 280 mg·kg–1, depending on the soil test extractant, for tall fescue and perennial ryegrass. The Mehlich-3 P/Al (%) critical level was 42% for tall fescue and 33% for perennial ryegrass. Soil test critical levels, based on estimates from clipping yield data, could not be determined for Kentucky bluegrass using the soils in this study. Soil testing for P has the potential to aid in protection of water quality by helping to identify sites where P fertilization can accelerate grass establishment and thereby prevent soil erosion, and by identifying sites that do not need P fertilization, thereby preventing further P enrichment of soil and runoff. Because different grass species have varying critical P levels for establishment, both soil test P and the species should be incorporated into the decision-making process regarding P fertilization.
Boron Toxicity in Grapevine
Authors: Yermiyahu Uri , Ben-Gal Alon , Sarig Pinchas
Published: March 2019

Table grape production has recently become popular in arid and semiarid regions where conditions of salinity and excess boron (B) can be prevalent. This study addresses B toxicity in grapevine to define toxicity symptoms and evaluate growth, production, and B accumulation. The effect of excess B on grapevines (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Sugraone) was evaluated in a 4-year study in Israel's Jordan Valley. Vines were grown in 60-L perlite-filled containers and irrigated with complete nutrient solutions with four B concentrations: 0.03, 0.12, 0.21, and 0.31 mm. Vines were monitored for growth, yield, and B accumulation. Boron accumulation in leaves correlated with B toxicity symptoms that materialized as chlorosis and necrosis of leaves beginning at their margins, reduced leaf size, and reduced internodal distance between adjacent leaves. Boron accumulated in grapevine leaves linearly as a function of increased B in irrigation solution with time and with age of leaves. The highest B levels were found at the end of each season and in the oldest leaves. No long-term (multiyear) effect of exposure to B was observed because similar accumulation patterns and levels were found in each year of the experiment. Hence, consistently sampled diagnostic leaves and time of sampling for B analysis is seen to be critical to provide valid comparisons between vines or over time. Boron supply influenced vine growth. At low levels of B (0.03 mm), canopy development was restricted but trunk size was not. At high levels of B (0.21 and 0.31 mm), substantial visual symptoms of B toxicity were observed, and the rate of trunk growth was reduced, but pruning biomass was not influenced. Despite severe visual toxicity damage and reduced overall growth rates, commercial fruit yield of the vines remained unaffected by high environmental B levels.
Kinetyka PSA u pacjentów z rakiem gruczołu krokowego leczonych hipofrakcjonowana radioterapią stereotaktyczną SBRT
Authors: Konkol Marek
Published: March 2019

Prostate-specific antygen (PSA) pozostaje najlepszym biomarkerem do monitorowania pacjentów z rakiem prostaty po zakończeniu radykalnego leczenia. Kinetyka jego spadku oraz osiągane nadiry podlegały licznym badaniom w klasycznej radioterapii oraz brachyterapii, sugerując ich znaczenie jako ważnych czynników prognostycznych. W dobie rozwoju radioterapii stereotaktycznej, wysoce hipofrakcjonowanej, istotne jest zrozumienie zachowania PSA po tej formie leczenia. Praca prezentuje aktualne dane literaturowe w tym zakresie wykazujące charakterystyczną kinetykę spadku PSA (gwałtowny spadek w 1 roku oraz dalszy, wolniejszy w latach kolejnych) oraz wysokie odsetki nadirów PSA <0.5 ng/ml (ponad 70%). Prace ukazują także dość częste (ok 30-40%) występowanie zjawiska PSA bounce analogicznie do brachyterapii.
Komórki macierzyste i reprogramowanie komórek somatycznych – wybrane zagadnienia
Authors: Wróblewska Joanna P.
Published: March 2019

Historia badań nad komórkami macierzystymi (embryonic stem cells, ES) sięga początków XX wieku. Już wtedy obserwowano komórki, które w organizmie myszy tworzyły specyficzny, wysoce zróżnicowany guz nowotworowy - potworniak. Jednakże dopiero druga połowa XX wieku przyniosła znaczący postęp w badaniach, co zaowocowało uzyskaniem pierwszych linii komórek macierzystych w hodowli in vitro. Poznanie cech charakterystycznych i potencjału komórek ES wzbudziło ogromne nadzieje na wykorzystanie komórek macierzystych nie tylko w badaniach podstawowych, ale przede wszystkim w nowo rozwijającej się gałęzi medycyny – medycynie regeneracyjnej. Jednakże ze względu na etyczne kwestie związane ze sposobem pozyskiwania komórek ES, badania tego typu nie miały większych szans na powodzenie. Przełom nastąpił w 2006 roku, po opracowaniu metody uzyskiwania indukowalnych komórek pluripotentnych (induced pluripotent stem cells, iPSC) na drodze reprogramowania komórek somatycznych. Komórki iPS posiadają wszystkie zalety komórek ES, jednakże ich pozyskiwanie nie jest obarczone restrykcjami prawnymi i etycznym. Daje to nadzieję na szybki postęp badań z zakresu medycyny regeneracyjnej i terapii komórkowej, zwłaszcza w przypadku chorób dotychczas uznawanych za nieuleczalne.
Combination of radiation and immunotherapy – current scientific research
Authors: Deja Adam
Published: March 2019

In recent years, it has been noted that the combination of radiation and immunotherapy is more benefitial than both modalities used separately. The interactions between immune checkpoint inhibitors and high-dose radiotherapy are curently an important topic of ongoing scientific trials. This review highlights some of the presented papers during the ESTRO 37 congress in 2018.
Testy kontroli jakości obrazowania megawoltowego akceleratora TomoTherapy oraz ich ocena w oprogramowaniu ARTISCAN do półautomatycznej analizy obrazów
Authors: Romański Piotr , Pawałowski Bartosz , Radomiak Dawid , Matuszewski Krzysztof , Szweda Hubert
Published: March 2019

Stosowanie megawoltowej tomografii komputerowej (Megavoltage Computed Tomography - MVCT) w aparatach TomoTherapy wymaga testowania poprawności działania systemu detekcyjnego. Prawidłowa praca detektora warunkuje precyzyjne ułożenie chorego na stole terapeutycznym oraz dokładne dostarczenie zaplanowanej dawki do napromienianego obszaru poprzez precyzyjne odwzorowanie kształtu planowanej objętości terapeutycznej (Planning Target Volume - PTV) oraz narządów krytycznych. Kontrola jakości (Quality Assurance - QA) pracy detektora jest zatem niezbędna dla zapewnienia poprawności realizacji planów leczenia. Do analizy danych otrzymanych z testów coraz częściej wykorzystuje się programy komputerowe. Celem niniejszej pracy było uzasadnienie wdrożenia oprogramowania ARTISCAN do półautomatycznej analizy parametrów MVCT oraz wskazanie sposobu wyznaczenia tolerancji i ich ustalenie dla wybranych własności fizycznych opisujących jakość obrazów tomograficznych oraz określenie ich precyzji.
Wdrożenie urządzenia QuickCheck firmy PTW do codziennej kontroli stabilności wydajności akceleratorów medycznych
Authors: Borowska Patrycja , Sobocka-Kurdyk Urszula , Pawałowski Bartosz
Published: March 2019

Codzienna weryfikacja stabilności pracy akceleratora medycznego poprzez pomiar dawki jest podstawowym testem zapewniającym kontrolę jakości pracy aparatu podczas realizacji leczenia radioterapeutycznego.  Celem pracy było wdrożenie oraz zweryfikowanie możliwości zastosowania urządzenia QuickCheck (QCh) firmy PTW Freiburg do codziennej kontroli jakości akceleratorów medycznych.  Dokonano porównania dwóch metod pomiarowych wydajności akceleratora, dotychczasowej polegającej na pomiarze z wykorzystaniem komory jonizacyjnej umieszczanej w w fantomie wodnym z urządzeniem QuickCheck. Analiza za pomocą tego urządzenia dostarcza dodatkowych informacji m.in. o charakterystyce wiązki promieniowania jonizującego. Zebrane pomiary za pomocą urządzenia QCh odniesiono do wyników referencyjnych (otrzymanych z pomiarów przeprowadzonych w fantomie wodnym). Na podstawie przeprowadzonej analizy badane urządzenie zostało wdrożone do weryfikacji stabilności wydajności akceleratorów w ramach testów codziennych zgodnych z Rozporządzeniem Ministra Zdrowia w sprawie warunków bezpiecznego stosowania promieniowania jonizującego dla wszystkich rodzajów ekspozycji medycznej. Wyznaczono odpowiednie współczynniki przejścia pozwalające przeliczać uzyskiwane przy pomocy urządzenia QCh wyniki pomiarów na warunki odniesienia w fantomie wodnym.
Response of neural stem cells to ionizing radiation
Authors: Kulcenty Katarzyna Ida , Wróblewska Joanna Patrycja , Suchorska Wiktoria Maria
Published: March 2019

Adult neurons are believed to be in a state of growth arrest. The generation of neurons is complete at the time of birth in most of the brain regions. However neurogenesis is present through life in the dentate gyrus of hippocampus and the lateral ventricles due to the presence of neural stem cells (NSC). This postnatal neurogenesis in hippocampus plays a critical role in cognitive development mainly in learning and memory functions. NSC are self-renewing, multipotent cells that generate the neurons and glia of the nervous system. Due to their high proliferation, NSC are highly sensitive to ionizing radiation. This review describes the current knowledge on impact of ionizing radiation on neural stem cells biology. Widening the knowledge of mechanisms involved in radiation-induced neurotoxicity at the level of NSC may help to overcome in the future the side effects occurring after anti-cancer therapies of the brain and help to protect and maintain neurogenesis.
Ocena wpływu dawki i mocy promieniowania jonizującego na komórki raka piersi. The assessment of the effect of ionizing radiation dose and dose rate for breast cancer cells
Authors: Musielak Marika
Published: March 2019

Rak piersi jest najczęściej występującym typem nowotworu wśród kobiet. Ze względu na odmienne typy histologiczne guzów, stosuje się różne podejście terapeutyczne. Najczęściej jest to leczenie skojarzone, obejmujące chirurgiczne usunięcie ogniska nowotworowego, radioterapię oraz leczenie cytostatykami. Jednakże, głównym celem każdej stosowanej terapii jest zniszczenie komórek nowotworowych przy odpowiednio niskim uszkodzeniu tkanek  zdrowych. Celem pracy była ocena wpływu stosowanych klinicznie schematów napromieniania radioterapeutycznego, za pomocą wiązki promieniowania jonizującego.Zbadano wpływ wielkości dawki (ang. Dose, D) 0 Gy; 1,0 Gy; 2,0 Gy; 4,0 Gy oraz mocy dawki (ang. Dose Rate, DR) 300 i 600 cGy/min. W doświadczeniu wykorzystano dwie linie komórkowe raka piersi MDA–MB–231 oraz MDA–MB–468, zaliczające się do typu raka piersi potrójnie negatywnego (ang. triple negative breast cancer, TNBC). Przy pomocy testów klonogennych obliczono  frakcję przeżywalności (ang. surviving fraction, SF) dla poszczególnych dawek oraz wykreślono krzywe przeżycia będące zależnością SF(D). Wykazano, że wraz ze wzrostem dawki, przeżywalność komórek maleje, zgodnie z założeniami modelu liniowo-kwadratowego. Porównując obydwie linie komórkowe, zaobserwowano różnice w krzywych przeżywalności obejmujący niskie dawki promieniowania. W przypadku MDA-MB–231, w przedziale dawki poniżej 2 Gy, stwierdzono znaczne obniżenie przeżywalności, które sugeruje wystąpienie zjawiska hiperwrażliwości na promieniowanie. Odmienna wyniki zaobserwowano dla linii MDA–MB–468 w zakresie <2 Gy, gdzie współczynnik SF przeżycia przekraczał wartości powyżej 1.0, co może świadczyć o wzmożonej stymulacji proliferacji.Śledząc wykreślone zależności SF(D), można jednoznacznie określić, jak dany typ linii nowotworowej odpowiada na traktowanie różnymi schematami promieniowania. Nie wykazano istotnych różnic pomiędzy zastosowaniem dwóch różnych mocy przy tej samej dawce. Poprzez zwiększenie DR, skraca się czas trwania ekspozycji. W konsekwencji pacjent otrzyma podobną dawkę w krótszym czasie, co skutkuje podwyższeniem komfortu podczas leczenia.
Parameter sensitivity analysis of SWAT model for streamflow simulation with multisource precipitation datasets
Authors: Guo Jing , Su Xiaoling
Published: March 2019

Streamflow in the Shiyang River basin is numerically investigated based on the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT). The interpolation precipitation datasets of GSI, multisource satellite and reanalysis precipitation datasets including TRMM, CMDF, CFSR, CHIRPS and PGF are specially applied as the inputs for SWAT model, and the sensitivities of model parameters, as well as streamflow prediction uncertainties, are discussed via the sequential uncertainty fitting procedure (SUFI-2). Results indicate that streamflow simulation can be effectively improved by downscaling the precipitation datasets. The sensitivities of model parameters vary significantly with respect to different precipitation datasets and sub-basins. CN2 (initial SCS runoff curve number for moisture condition II) and SMTMP (base temperature of snow melt) are found to be the most sensitive parameters, which implies that the generations of surface runoff and snowmelt are extremely crucial for streamflow in this basin. Moreover, the uncertainty analysis of streamflow prediction indicates that the performance of simulation can be further improved by parameter optimization. It also demonstrates that the precipitation data from satellite and reanalysis datasets can be applied to streamflow simulation as effective inputs, and the dependences of parameter sensitivities on basin and precipitation dataset are responsible for the variation of simulation performance.