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Voices of biotech research
No full textWhat will be the most important areas of research in biotech over the coming years? Which technologies will be most important to advance knowledge and applications in these areas? Nature Biotechnology reached out to a set of faculty doing outstanding work in research areas representative of the journal’s remit and asked them to contribute their vision of where their fields are going
Seroprevalence and risk factors for foot‐and‐mouth disease in cattle in Baghlan Province, Afghanistan
Get PDFA serological study of 376 cattle from 198 herds and a concurrent survey of farmers were undertaken in 53 villages in Khinjan, Doshi and Puli Khumri districts of Baghlan province, Afghanistan to determine the seroprevalence of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and to identify risk factors for seropositive herds. A total of 419 cases of FMD were reported by the farmers in the year preceding the survey. The animal‐level population seroprevalence was estimated at 42.0% (95% CI, 37.0–47.2). The seroprevalence increased with age in the sampled cattle (6 years ‐ 52.2%). Herds were more likely to be seropositive if the farmers: had purchased cattle in the year prior to the survey (OR = 2.6; 95% CI, 1.37–4.97); purchased ruminants from unknown (potentially risky) sources (OR = 2.13; 95% CI, 1.13–4.03); and sold milk to the market (OR = 1.99; 95% CI, 1.09–3.63). Herds that had been vaccinated had a lower odds of being seropositive (OR = 0.33; 95% CI, 0.68–0.66). This was the first epidemiological study of FMD in Baghlan province and the findings provide valuable direction for disease control on FMD in this and other provinces in Afghanistan
“Summer sowing”: A successful innovation to increase the adoption of key species of annual forage legumes for agriculture in Mediterranean and temperate environments
No full textThis paper reports on the evaluation of “summer sowing,” an innovative approach to increase the adoption of recently domesticated species of hard seeded annual legumes in Mediterranean and temperate Agriculture. The research revealed that several species of annual legumes whose seed can be readily harvested on‐farm and which possess natural hard seed dormancy, may be sown into dry soil in late summer without additional processing. These studies proved that the hard seed dormancy was broken down sufficiently in the soil over 4–6 weeks to produce robust legume pastures with more than 150 seedlings per m2 following the first winter rains, in replicated field sites established across wide agro‐ecological zones in Western Australia (WA) and New South Wales (NSW). Ornithopus sativus Brot., O. compressus L. and Trifolium spumosum L. were suitable for summer sowing based on both hard seed breakdown patterns and subsequent seedling survival in WA. While in NSW, in addition to these legumes, Biserrula pelecinus L., T. vesiculosum Savi. and T. glanduliferum Boiss. were also suitable for summer sowing. A 1.5‐ to 10‐fold increase in herbage production was achieved relative to conventionally sown T. subterraneum L. This development represents a step change in forage legume development for renovated pastures in these environments. Importantly, the experiments revealed differences in G x E effects on seedling establishment, total herbage production and seed yield in different climatic zones. The summer sowing approach is presented as a revolutionary method for pasture renovation that overcomes significant barriers to adoption
Lurasidone for adolescents with complex mental disorders: A case series
No full textObjectives:
Lurasidone is a new second generation (atypical) antipsychotic agent with unique receptor affinity and side-effect profiles, but limited literature is available on its use in adolescent populations. Contrasting with research treatment trials which typically recruit patients by stringent selection criteria, this case series examined the effects and tolerability of using lurasidone in adolescents within real-life clinical settings in treating complex cases who had not responded to other therapy options.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective case-note audit of 6 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years old attending community child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) who were prescribed lurasidone.
Results:
Lurasidone had been prescribed for a range of “hard-to-manage” conditions with complex comorbidities, in adolescents in relation to specific use of lurasidone on the basis of clinical and pharmacological indications after exhausting more conventional treatment options. Case-note review suggested response to lurasidone was clinically positive in 3 cases, equivocal/marginal in 2 cases, and ineffective in 1 case. There were no cases of poor tolerance or adverse effects. Notably, positive responses for depressive and irritable mood symptoms were specifically recorded by prescribing clinicians, indicative of benefits on symptom improvement. No lurasidone attributed weight gain, galactorrhoea, metabolic abnormalities, sexual dysfunction or intolerance were reported. Pro-cognitive effects were not detected; but our findings were constrained by the non-systematic and incomplete information ascertainment, typical in retrospective case-note review.
Conclusion:
This case series provides preliminary data supporting lurasidone’s potential use in adolescents of complex clinical needs (but without a clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder) within real-life clinical settings. Lurasidone appears to show a weight-sparing effect, in addition to improving mood symptoms in some cases. Lurasidone deserves further study for its use in the adolescent population (outside the remit of FDA) given its potential more favorable risk-benefit profile in young people. The favorable tolerability appear to be borne out by the pharmacodynamic predictions in our complex patients who would be excluded in formal clinical trial studies
Identifying linguistic markers of CEO hubris: A machine learning approach
No full textThis paper explores the potential of machine learning for recognizing and analysing linguistic markers of hubris in CEO speech. This research is based on three assumptions: hubris is associated with potentially destructive leader behaviours; linguistic utterances are a way of distinguishing between leaders who are likely to exhibit such behaviours; identifying hubris at‐a‐distance using machine learning techniques provides a reliable, automated and scalable method for the identification and prevention of destructive outcomes emanating from CEO hubris. Using machine learning techniques, we analysed spoken utterances from a sample of hubristic CEOs and compared them with non‐hubristic CEOs. We found that machine learning algorithms have the ability to identify automatically hubristic versus non‐hubristic speech patterns. One of the main implications of this study is building a foundation for future studies that are interested in the application of machine learning in the fields of hubristic and other forms of destructive leadership, and in the study of the role that language plays in management and organizations more generally. We discuss the implications of automated data extraction and analysis for the prediction of CEOs’, and other employees’, category membership, intentions and behaviours. We offer recommendations for how hubristic and destructive leadership in organizations can be managed and curtailed more effectively, thereby obviating their negative consequences
Ammonia emissions in poultry houses and microbial nitrification as a promising reduction strategy
Get PDFHigh ammonia (NH3) levels (>25 ppm) in poultry houses reduce the body weight gain, feed conversion, survival ability, carcass conviction rate, and immune system of birds. High NH3 levels can also cause pain, eye-inflammation, and increased oxidative stress. The volatility rate of NH3 in poultry litter depends on the pH, humidity, ventilation rate, air velocity, manure nitrogen (N) content, and temperature. The litter's pH is a major factor regulating the volatilization of NH3because it specifies the volatile ammonium (NH4+)/NH3 ratio between their ionic and nonvolatile forms. High NH3 levels damage birds' respiratory systems' mucous membranes, thereby increasing their susceptibility to respiratory infections, particularly to Escherichia coli infection. In this review, the existing knowledge on soil-nitrifying bacteria and NH3 nitrification approaches for advancing poultry manure microbial nitrification and environmental implications of using various NH3 emission control techniques were summarized. Although few studies have focused on reducing NH3 volatilization by nitrification, nitrification is deemed a sustainable approach for reducing N excretions and controlling NH3 emissions in poultry houses. However, further studies are required to determine the most suitable soil nitrification bacteria to increase microbial nitrification
Robust control of reaction wheel bicycle robot via adaptive integral terminal sliding mode
No full textIn this paper, the modelling of a reaction wheel bicycle robot (RWBR) is identified from a second-order mathematical model which is similar to an inverted pendulum, and an adaptive integral terminal sliding mode (AITSM) control scheme is developed for balancing purpose of the RWBR. The proposed AITSM control scheme can not only stabilize the bicycle robot and reject external disturbances generated by uncertainties and unmodelled dynamics, but also eliminate the need of the required bound information in the control law via the designed adaptive laws. The experimental results verify the excellent performance of the proposed control scheme in terms of strong robustness, fast error convergence in comparison with other control schemes
Sodium (Na) stimulates barley growth in potassium (K)-deficient soils by improved K uptake at low Na supply or by substitution of K at moderate Na supply
No full textSodium (Na) can alleviate potassium (K) limitations by either increasing K uptake or by substitution of K functions in plants, but there is limited information about the levels of soil Na and K at which these separate Na effects operate in cereals. Barley was grown in two sandy soils to assess plant growth and nutrient uptake responses with varying soil Na (5–95 mg kg−1) and K (30, 90 mg kg−1) treatments. Compared with very low Na (5 mg kg−1), low Na (35, 65 mg kg−1) enhanced barley tillering in low K soil (30 mg kg−1) up to 6 weeks after sowing (WAS). Low K with 95 mg Na kg−1 or adequate K (90 mg kg−1) with 65 mg Na kg−1 also produced more tillers at 6–7 WAS. Shoot dry weight of low K plants was significantly improved by low Na at 7 and 9 WAS and even by 95 mg Na kg−1 at 9 WAS. While low Na increased shoot K concentration and the K/Na ratio in low K plants, 95 mg Na kg−1 mainly increased shoot Na concentration at 7 and 9 WAS. By comparison, soil Na had less effect on shoot K concentration and dry weight of adequate K plants. Barley growth at low soil K was stimulated by increasing K uptake at low Na (35–65 mg Na kg−1), but mainly by Na substitution of K at 95 mg Na kg−1, i.e. the beneficial effect of Na on response of low K plants was attributed to two distinct mechanisms that operated at different soil Na levels
Morphological and molecular description of a new species of Isospora (Apicomplexa) from a New Holland honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae)
No full textA new Isospora species is described from New Holland honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae). Sporulated oocysts (n = 25) were characterised as subspheroidal, 29–32 × 28–31 (29.8 × 29.4); length/width (L/W) ratio 1.01–1.02 (1.01). Wall bi-layered, 1.3–1.6 (1.5) thick, outer layer smooth, c.2/3 of total thickness. Micropyle and oocyst residuum absent, but usually two polar granules are present. Sporocysts (n = 25) ovoidal, 18–19 × 12–14 (18.4 × 12.3); L/W ratio 1.42–1.53 (1.50). Stieda body present, flattened, c.0.5 deep × 2.5 wide; sub-Stieda present, rounded, c.2.5 deep × 3.5 wide; para-Stieda body absent; sporocyst residuum present, usually a distinctly irregular body consisting of numerous small granules that appear to be membrane-bound. Sporozoites vermiform, with robust anterior and posterior refractile bodies. Molecular characterization was conducted at the 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA and the mitochondrial (mt) cytochrome oxidase (COI) loci. Phylogenetic analysis of genomic 18S and mt COI sequences indicated that Isospora phylidonyrisae n. sp. was genetically similar to Isospora coronoideae, isolated from an Australian raven (Corvus coronoides) in Western Australia, with a 99.3% and 98.4% homology, respectively. The 28S rRNA sequence was most similar to Isospora anthochaerae (KF766053) and Isospora manorinae (KT224381), both with a 98.2% genetic similarity. Based on morphological and genetic data, this isolate is a new species of Isospora, which is named Isospora phylidonyrisae n. sp. after its host
Dynamic responses of barley root Succinyl-Proteome to Short-Term phosphate starvation and recovery
Get PDFBarley (Hordeum vulgare L.)—a major cereal crop—has low Pi demand, which is a distinct advantage for studying the tolerance mechanisms of phosphorus deficiency. We surveyed dynamic protein succinylation events in barley roots in response to and recovery from Pi starvation by firstly evaluating the impact of Pi starvation in a Pi-tolerant (GN121) and Pi-sensitive (GN42) barley genotype exposed to long-term low Pi (40 d) followed by a high-Pi recovery for 10 d. An integrated proteomics approach involving label-free, immune-affinity enrichment, and high-resolution LC-MS/MS spectrometric analysis was then used to quantify succinylome and proteome in GN121 roots under short-term Pi starvation (6, 48 h) and Pi recovery (6, 48 h). We identified 2,840 succinylation sites (Ksuc) across 884 proteins; of which, 11 representative Ksuc motifs had the preferred amino acid residue (lysine). Furthermore, there were 81 differentially abundant succinylated proteins (DFASPs) from 119 succinylated sites, 83 DFASPs from 110 succinylated sites, 93 DFASPs from 139 succinylated sites, and 91 DFASPs from 123 succinylated sites during Pi starvation for 6 and 48 h and during Pi recovery for 6 and 48 h, respectively. Pi starvation enriched ribosome pathways, glycolysis, and RNA degradation. Pi recovery enriched the TCA cycle, glycolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation. Importantly, many of the DFASPs identified during Pi starvation were significantly overexpressed during Pi recovery. These results suggest that barley roots can regulate specific Ksuc site changes in response to Pi stress as well as specific metabolic processes. Resolving the metabolic pathways of succinylated protein regulation characteristics will improve phosphate acquisition and utilization efficiency in crops