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Unlocking Insights into Crop Growth and Nutrient Distribution: A Geospatial Analysis Approach Using Satellite Imagery and Soil Data
Get PDFAccurate monitoring of crop growth and nutrient distribution is crucial for optimizing agricultural practices, promoting a sustainable environment, and ensuring long-term food production. In this study, we propose a novel and comprehensive approach to monitor crop growth and nutrient distribution in large-scale agricultural landscapes. Our methodology combines advanced geospatial and temporal analysis techniques, providing valuable insights into the intricate relationships between crop health, soil nutrients, and other essential soil properties.
To monitor vegetation dynamics, we obtained data from the IBM EIS (Environment Intelligence Suite) and processed it using our HPC (High-Performance Computing) infrastructure. This is ingested into our CRADLE (Common Research Analytics and Data Lifecycle Environment). The IBM EIS consists of vast amounts of geospatial data curated from diverse sources, readily available for analysis. Leveraging the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) algorithm and MODIS Aqua satellite imagery, we classified vegetation on a daily basis, yielding a detailed assessment of land use and growth. Additionally, by integrating MODIS Aqua data with USDA Historical Crop planting data, we can identify the dominant crops in each region and monitor their growth and health across Texas and Ohio during 2019.
To investigate soil properties and their influence on crop health, we utilize prominent soil databases from IBM EIS such as The Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) and the World Soil Information Service (WoSIS). These databases provide essential information on key soil properties, including pH, texture, water holding capacity, and organic carbon. By correlating these properties with soil nitrogen content, we can assess their interdependencies and infer their impacts on crop health. Furthermore, we analyze the correlation between crop health and nitrogen content, gaining valuable insights into the effects of soil nitrogen on crop well-being.
By integrating remote sensing technology, soil science, and data science, this interdisciplinary study contributes to the development of sustainable agricultural management strategies. The findings of this research enhance food production capabilities and provide valuable information for policy decision-making, ultimately promoting environmental conservation within large-scale agricultural systems
Using the Hands to Learn About the Brain: Testing Action-Based Instruction in Brain Anatomy
Get PDFBrain anatomy is typically taught using static images. We asked participants to use their own hands to represent the brain and perform gestures during learning. We measured learning via a pretest/postest design. We compared five video trainings in which participants heard similar audio and repeated terminology aloud. Conditions were: (1) Image: Participants saw images of a physical model of the brain. (2) Physical model: Participants saw hands pointing to the physical model. (3) Physical model + action: Participants performed actions on the physical model. (4) Hand model: Participants saw images of hands being used to represent the brain. (5) Hand model + action: Participants performed gestures seen in the video. All trainings improved post-test performance. Performance in the hand model condition was worse compared to conditions with action. We connect these findings to the larger claim that gesture benefits learning
Transferring Jerusalem to Moscow: Maksim Grek’s Letter and Its Afterlife
Get PDFFew debates in late seventeenth-century Muscovy were as heated as the controversy over the naming of the Resurrection “New Jerusalem” Monastery (1656). This essay draws attention to an overlooked sixteenth-century source, a letter by the Greek-born Slavic translator Maksim Grek (d. 1556), which played an important role in shaping the Church’s thinking. Maksim’s letter helps to explain why Jerusalem ideology took a very different path in Russia than it did in Western Europe, and why replications of the Holy Sepulcher are only very rarely encountered in Muscovy. Maksim’s letter introduces several themes which foreshadow the course of the later debate: the irrevocability of Jerusalem’s name; the inalienable holiness of the loca sancta; and the connection between the holy sites and churches built on them. These themes, in turn, invite a reconsideration of the success of Jerusalem ideology in Muscovy, which has often been taken for granted. We first situate this contrarian text in its original context and then trace its mediation through important Ruthenian authors who guaranteed its wide reception in Moscow. Our study demonstrates that the Russian clergy and the Moscow Synod of 1666/67 based their critiques of the ‘New Jerusalem’ Monastery’s name on a reading of Maksim’s letter and its mediators
Microwave Regeneration and Thermal and Oxidative Stability of Imidazolium Cyanopyrrolide Ionic Liquid for Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide
Get PDFUnderstanding the oxidative and thermal degradation of CO2 sorbents is essential for assessing long-term sorbent stability in direct air capture (DAC). The potential degradation pathway of imidazolium cyanopyrrolide, an ionic liquid (IL) functionalized for superior CO2 capacity and selectivity, is evaluated under accelerated degradation conditions to elucidate the secondary reactions that can occur during repetitive absorption-desorption thermal-swing cycles. The combined analysis from various spectroscopic, chromatographic, and thermal gravimetric measurements indicated that radical and SN2 mechanisms in degradation are encouraged by the nucleophilicity of the anion. Thickening of the liquid and gas evolution are accompanied by 50 % reduction in CO2 capacity after a 7-day exposure to O2 under 80 °C. To prevent long exposure to conventional thermal heating, microwave (MW) regeneration of the CO2-reactive IL is used, where dielectric heating at 80 and 100 °C rapidly desorbs CO2 and regenerates the IL without any measurable degradation
Inpatient Epidemiology, Healthcare Utilization, and Association with Comorbidities of Turner Syndrome: A National Inpatient Sample Study
Get PDFWe aimed to investigate the prevalence, resource utilization, and comorbidities of patients with Turner syndrome (TS) hospitalized in the United States. We identified patients within the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from the year 2017 to 2019. A propensity-matched cohort of non-TS patients from the same database was constructed to serve as comparators. There were 9845 TS patients, corresponding to inpatient prevalence of 10.4 per 100,000 admissions. The most common admission diagnosis was sepsis (27.9%). TS patients had higher inpatient mortality (adjusted odds ratio 2.16, 95% confidence interval 1.57–2.96) and morbidity, including shock, ICU admission, acute kidney injury, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multi-organ failure. Increased risk of comorbidities, such as stroke, myocardial infarction, autoimmune diseases, and non-variceal gastrointestinal bleeding, was observed. TS patients had longer length of stay (LOS; 5.1 days vs. 4.5 days, p \u3c 0.01) and displayed a mean additional 20,083 (p \u3c 0.01) in total hospitalization charges. In conclusion, hospitalization of patients with TS was associated with a significantly higher inpatient morbidity, mortality, expenditures, and longer LOS compared to non-TS patients. Patients with TS had a higher risk of cardiovascular complications, autoimmune diseases, and gastrointestinal bleeding
Isolation of Genomic DNA from Mammalian Cells and Fixed Tissue
Get PDFExamination of DNA variation is central to understanding the function of mammalian cells, tissues, and whole bodies. Extraction of high‐quality DNA from cells and tissues is necessary for innumerable different experiments. We present protocols for the extraction of DNA from both fresh samples and formalin‐fixed tissue. Methods for extracting DNA have been standardized and streamlined over the past couple of decades and many extraction kits are available for a reasonable cost. In addition, many of the extraction procedures can also be automated for even higher throughput sample preparation
Differential Expression of Genes Involved in the Chronic Response to Intracortical Microelectrodes
Get PDFBrain-Machine Interface systems (BMIs) are clinically valuable devices that can provide functional restoration for patients with spinal cord injury or improved integration for patients requiring prostheses. Intracortical microelectrodes can record neuronal action potentials at a resolution necessary for precisely controlling BMIs. However, intracortical microelectrodes have a demonstrated history of progressive decline in the recording performance with time, inhibiting their usefulness. One major contributor to decreased performance is the neuroinflammatory response to the implanted microelectrodes. The neuroinflammatory response can lead to neurodegeneration and the formation of a glial scar at the implant site. Historically, histological imaging of relatively few known cellular and protein markers has characterized the neuroinflammatory response to implanted microelectrode arrays. However, neuroinflammation requires many molecular players to coordinate the response - meaning traditional methods could result in an incomplete understanding. Taking advantage of recent advancements in tools to characterize the relative or absolute DNA/RNA expression levels, a few groups have begun to explore gene expression at the microelectrode-tissue interface. We have utilized a custom panel of ∼813 neuroinflammatory-specific genes developed with NanoString for bulk tissue analysis at the microelectrode-tissue interface. Our previous studies characterized the acute innate immune response to intracortical microelectrodes. Here we investigated the gene expression at the microelectrode-tissue interface in wild-type (WT) mice chronically implanted with nonfunctioning probes. We found 28 differentially expressed genes at chronic time points (4WK, 8WK, and 16WK), many in the complement and extracellular matrix system. Further, the expression levels were relatively stable over time. Genes identified here represent chronic molecular players at the microelectrode implant sites and potential therapeutic targets for the long-term integration of microelectrodes. Statement of significance: Intracortical microelectrodes can record neuronal action potentials at a resolution necessary for the precise control of Brain-Machine Interface systems (BMIs). However, intracortical microelectrodes have a demonstrated history of progressive declines in the recording performance with time, inhibiting their usefulness. One major contributor to the decline in these devices is the neuroinflammatory response against the implanted microelectrodes. Historically, neuroinflammation to implanted microelectrode arrays has been characterized by histological imaging of relatively few known cellular and protein markers. Few studies have begun to develop a more in-depth understanding of the molecular pathways facilitating device-mediated neuroinflammation. Here, we are among the first to identify genetic pathways that could represent targets to improve the host response to intracortical microelectrodes, and ultimately device performance
Inhibition of Wnt/β‐Catenin Pathway Overcomes Therapeutic Resistance to Abiraterone in Castration‐Resistant Prostate Cancer
Get PDFAbiraterone acetate has been clinically approved for the treatment of patients with advanced‐stage prostate cancer. It reduces testosterone production by blocking the enzyme cytochrome P450 17 alpha‐hydroxylase. Despite improved survival outcomes with abiraterone, almost all patients develop therapeutic resistance and disease recurrence, progressing to a more aggressive and lethal phenotype. Bioinformatics analyses predicted activation of canonical Wnt/β‐catenin and involvement of stem cell plasticity in abiraterone‐resistant prostate cancer. Increased expression of androgen receptor (AR) and β‐catenin and their crosstalk causes activation of AR target genes and regulatory networks for which overcoming acquired resistance remains a major challenge. Here we show that co‐treatment with abiraterone and ICG001, a β‐catenin inhibitor, overcomes therapeutic resistance and significantly inhibited markers of stem cell and cellular proliferation in abiraterone‐resistant prostate cancer cells. Importantly, this combined treatment abrogated the association between AR and β‐catenin; diminished SOX9 expression from the complex more prominently in abiraterone‐resistant cells. In addition, combined treatment inhibited tumor growth in an in vivo abiraterone‐resistant xenograft model, blocked stemness, migration, invasion, and colony formation ability of cancer cells. This study opens new therapeutic opportunity for advanced‐stage castration‐resistant prostate cancer patients
A Novel Sorbicillinoid Compound as a Potent Anti‐Inflammation Agent Through Inducing NLRP3 Protein Degradation
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Chronic inflammation is pathogenic and contributes to human diseases, causing a significant threat to public health. The NLR family pyrin domain‐containing protein 3 (NLRP3) is the best‐characterized factor regulating inflammation. Therefore, targeting NLRP3 has the potential to treat inflammatory diseases and improve human health. Experimental Approach: Lipopolysaccharide was used to induce inflammation in cell cultures. Lipopolysaccharide/d‐galactosamine and dextran sulfate sodium salt were used to induce acute liver inflammation and ulcerative colitis respectively in C57BL/6J mice. Western blotting, immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, quantitative PCR and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to evaluate the activation of the inflammatory response in cell cultures and in mice. Key Results: JNUTS013, a novel sorbicillinoid compound recently synthesized by us, significantly inhibited inflammation both in cell cultures and in mouse models. Mechanistically, JNUTS013 induced proteasome‐dependent degradation of NLRP3. Hence, it suppressed the formation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the production of downstream inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. The inhibitory effect of JNUTS013 on NLRP3 protein expression was confirmed in mice. Importantly, JNUTS013 failed to ameliorate bowel inflammation in Nlrp3‐/‐ knockout mice, supporting NLRP3 as the biological target by which JNUTS013 inhibits inflammation. Further studies revealed critical chemical moieties of JNUTS013 required for inducing NLRP3 degradation. Conclusion and Implications: This study identifies a novel compound JNUTS013 that inhibits inflammation through inducing NLRP3 protein degradation in vitro and in vivo, which not only supports the development of JNUTS013 as an anti‐inflammation agent but also creates a new way for the treatment of inflammation by chemically inducing NLRP3 degradation
Flexible Multifunctional Titania Nanotube Array Platform for Biological Interfacing
Get PDFThe current work presents a novel flexible multifunctional platform for biological interface applications. The use of titania nanotube arrays (TNAs) as a multifunctional material is explored for soft-tissue interface applications. In vitro biocompatibility of TNAs to brain-derived cells was first examined by culturing microglia cells—the resident immune cells of the central nervous system on the surface of TNAs. The release profile of an anti-inflammatory drug, dexamethasone from TNAs-on-polyimide substrates, was then evaluated under different bending modes. Flexible TNAs-on-polyimide sustained a linear release of anti-inflammatory dexamethasone up to ~11 days under different bending conditions. Finally, microfabrication processes for patterning and transferring TNA microsegments were developed to facilitate structural stability during device flexing and to expand the set of compatible polymer substrates. The techniques developed in this study can be applied to integrate TNAs or other similar nanoporous inorganic films onto various polymer substrates. Impact statement: Titania nanotube arrays (TNAs) are highly tunable and biocompatible structures that lend themselves to multifunctional implementation in implanted devices. A particularly important aspect of titania nanotubes is their ability to serve as nano-reservoirs for drugs or other therapeutic agents that slowly release after implantation. To date, TNAs have been used to promote integration with rigid, dense tissues for dental and orthopedic applications. This work aims to expand the implant applications that can benefit from TNAs by integrating them onto soft polymer substrates, thereby promoting compatibility with soft tissues. The successful direct growth and integration of TNAs on polymer substrates mark a critical step toward developing mechanically compliant implantable systems with drug delivery from nanostructured inorganic functional materials. Diffusion-driven release kinetics and the high drug-loading efficiency of TNAs offer tremendous potential for sustained drug delivery for scientific investigations, to treat injury and disease, and to promote device integration with biological tissues. This work opens new opportunities for developing novel and more effective implanted devices that can significantly improve patient outcomes and quality of life. Graphical abstract: (Figure presented.)
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