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Production of lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ) within vertical farms is an expanding segment of controlled environment agriculture—precise manipulation of environmental parameters including mean daily temperature (MDT) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentration enables year-round production, alongside color, yield, and crop size regulation. Our objectives included 1) quantify how MDT and CO 2 interact to influence lettuce growth, development, and quality; 2) model lettuce growth under several MDTs and CO 2 concentrations. Green butterhead ‘Rex’ and red oakleaf ‘Rouxaï RZ’ seedlings were transplanted into hydroponic tanks under a photosynthetic photon flux density of 300 μmol·m ‒2 ·s ‒1 for 17-h·d ‒1 . CO 2 concentrations of 500, 800, or 1200 μmol·mol −1 and day/night and MDT setpoints of 22/15°C (MDT 20°C), 25/18°C (23°C), or 28/21°C (26°C) were maintained within growth chambers. ‘Rex’ fresh mass increased linearly with MDT, increasing by 18% from 20 to 26°C. ‘Rouxaï RZ’ fresh mass increased quadratically with MDT, with a 32% increase from 20 to 23°C, then a 7% increase from 23 to 26°C. Elevating CO 2 concentrations from 500 to 800 μmol·mol –1 increased ‘Rouxaï RZ’ and ‘Rex’ fresh mass by 33 and 16%, respectively, while fresh mass did not increase from 800 to 1200 μmol·mol –1 . Both cultivars had the greatest dry mass at 800 μmol·mol –1 CO 2 across temperatures. At a high MDT, ‘Rouxaï RZ’ foliage color became more light, vibrant, and green, while a low MDT induced darker, grayer, and redder foliage. Tipburn occurred on ‘Rex’ across treatments, while 25% of ‘Rouxaï RZ’ were afflicted at 500 μmol·mol −1 CO 2 and 67% at 1200 μmol·mol −1 . At the light intensity studied, we recommend growing ‘Rex’ and ‘Rouxaï RZ’ at an 800 μmol·mol −1 CO 2 concentration and MDT of 23°C for greatest biomass and leaf number, and slightly redder foliage in ‘Rouxaï RZ’ than at a 26°C MDT.

Radiation intensity and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentration can be precisely controlled to manipulate plant yield and quality. Due to increased plant densities during seedling production, fewer inputs per plant are required, creating the potential to increase production efficiency. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to: 1) quantify the extent radiation intensity and CO 2 concentration under sole-source lighting influence morphology and yield of sweet basil ( Ocimum basilicum ) seedlings, and 2) determine if differences in morphology, yield, and volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration persist after transplant in a common environment. Sweet basil ‘Nufar’ seedlings were grown in growth chambers with target CO 2 concentrations of 500 or 1,000 μmol·mol ‒1 under light-emitting diodes (LEDs) providing target photosynthetic photon flux densities ( PPFD ) of 100, 200, 400, or 600 μmol·m ‒2 ·s ‒1 for 16 h per day. After two weeks, seedlings were transplanted into a common greenhouse environment and grown until harvest. At transplant and three weeks after transplant (harvest), growth and developmental differences were quantified along with key terpenoid and phenylpropanoid concentrations at harvest. Radiation intensity and CO 2 interacted influencing many aspects of plant morphology, though CO 2 concentration effects were less pronounced than those of radiation intensity. As radiation intensity during seedling production increased from 100 to 600 μmol·m ‒2 ·s ‒1 , basil seedlings were 38% taller, had a 713% larger leaf area, and had 65% thicker stems; at harvest, plants were 24% taller, had 56% more branches, 28% more nodes, 22% thicker stems, and weighed 80% more when fresh and dry. Additionally, after growing in a common environment for three weeks, eugenol concentration was greater in plants grown under a PPFD of 600 μmol·m ‒2 ·s ‒1 as seedlings compared to lower intensities. Therefore, increasing radiation intensity during seedling production under sole-source lighting can carry over to increase subsequent yield and eugenol concentration during finished production.

A bstract We consider the potential of the Higgs boson pair production process to probe the light quark Yukawa couplings. We show within an effective theory description that the prospects of constraining enhanced first generation light quark Yukawa couplings in Higgs pair production are similar to other methods and channels, due to a coupling of two Higgs bosons to two fermions. Higgs pair production can hence also probe if the Higgs sector couples non-linearly to the light quark generations. For the second generation, we show that by employing charm tagging for the Higgs boson pair decaying to c c ¯ γγ , we can obtain similarly good prospects for measuring the charm Yukawa coupling as in other direct probes.

In controlled environments, crop models that incorporate environmental factors can be developed to optimize growth and development as well as conduct cost and/or resource use benefit analyses. The overall objective of this study was to model growth and development of dill ‘Bouquet’ ( Anethum graveolens ), parsley ‘Giant of Italy’ ( Petroselinum crispum ), and watercress ( Nasturtium officinale ) in response to photosynthetic daily light integral (DLI) and mean daily temperature (MDT). Plants were grown hydroponically in five greenhouse compartments with MDTs ranging from 9.7 to 27.2 °C under 0%, 30%, or 50% shade cloth to create DLIs ranging from 6.2 to 16.9 mol·m ‒2 ·d ‒1 . MDT and DLI interacted to influence dill fresh mass and height, and watercress maximum quantum yield of dark adapted leaves (F v /F m ), height, and branch number while only MDT affected dill leaf number and watercress fresh mass and branch length. Besides dry matter concentration (DMC), parsley was influenced by MDT and not DLI. Increasing MDT from ≈10 to 22.4 °C (parsley) or 27.2 °C (dill and watercress), linearly or near-linearly increased fresh mass. For dill, increasing DLI decreased fresh mass when MDT was low (9.7 to 13.9 °C) and increased fresh mass when MDT was high (18.4 to 27.2 °C). DMC of dill, parsley, and watercress increased as MDT decreased or DLI increased, indicating a higher proportion of plant fresh mass is water at higher MDTs or lower DLIs. With these data we have created growth and development models for culinary herbs to aid in predicting responses to DLI and MDT.

Mean daily temperature (MDT) and daily light integral (DLI) can interact to influence growth and development of plants. Our objectives were to determine 1) the extent DLI and MDT influence growth and development of purple basil ‘Dark Opal’ ( Ocimum basilicum ), sage ‘Extrakta’ ( Salvia officinalis ), spearmint ‘Spanish’ ( Mentha spicata ), and sweet basil ‘Nufar’ ( Ocimum basilicum ) and 2) the influence on purple basil color. Young plants were transplanted into hydroponic systems in five greenhouse compartments with MDT set points of 23, 26, 29, 32, or 35°C and DLIs from 5 to 19 mol·m ‒2 ·d ‒1 , respectively. At harvest, growth, development, and leaf color was measured. Branch number of all genera increased as MDT increased from ~23 to 35°C. Sweet basil branch number increased as DLI increased from 5.5 to 13.2 mol·m ‒2 ·d ‒1 , but the effect of DLI was attenuated as MDT decreased. In contrast, increasing DLI from ~5–6 to ~18–19 mol·m ‒2 ·d ‒1 increased sage and spearmint branch number more when MDT was lower (~23°C) compared to ~35°C, while branch number of purple basil was not influenced by DLI. The optimal MDT (MDT opt ) for sage and spearmint fresh mass decreased from 27.5 to 23.5°C and from 30.4 to 27.8°C, respectively, as DLI increased from 6 to 18 mol·m ‒2 ·d ‒1 , while sweet basil fresh mass MDT opt increased from 32.6 to 35.5°C as DLI increased from 6 to 11 mol·m ‒2 ·d ‒1 . Purple basil was greener [hue angle (h°) = 99° to 138°] when MDT was ~35°C regardless of DLI, but when MDT was lower (~25°C), basil was more purple (h° = 335°) at a DLI of 18.7 compared to 5.0 mol·m ‒2 ·d ‒1 (h° = 98°). Taken together, MDT and DLI can have a large impact on plant growth, development, and color and can be manipulated to achieve desired characteristics.

Background In the Trastuzumab for GAstric cancer (ToGA) study, trastuzumab plus chemotherapy improved median overall survival by 2.7 months in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive [immunohistochemistry (IHC) 3+/fluorescence in situ hybridization-positive] gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer compared with chemotherapy alone (hazard ratio 0.74). Post hoc exploratory analyses in patients expressing higher HER2 levels (IHC 2+/fluorescence in situ hybridization-positive or IHC 3+) demonstrated a 4.2-month improvement in median overall survival with trastuzumab (hazard ratio 0.65). The ToGA study provides the largest screening dataset available on HER2 overexpression/amplification in this indication. We further analyzed correlation(s) of HER2 overexpression/amplification with clinical and epidemiological factors. Methods HER2-positivity was analyzed by histological subtype, tumor location, geographic region, and specimen type. Exploratory efficacy analyses were performed. Results The HER2-positivity rate was 22.1 % across analyzed tumor samples. Rates were similar between European and Asian patients (23.6 % vs. 23.9 %), but higher in intestinal- vs. diffuse-type (31.8 % vs. 6.1 %), and gastroesophageal junction cancer versus gastric tumors (32.2 % vs. 21.4 %). Across all IHC scores, variability in HER2 staining (≤30 % stained cells) was observed in almost 50 % of cases, with increasing rates in lower IHC categories, and did not affect treatment outcome. The polysomy rate was 4 %. Conclusions HER2 expression varies by tumor location and type. All patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer should be tested for HER2 status, preferably using IHC initially. Due to the unique characteristics of gastric cancer, specific testing/scoring guidelines should be adhered to.

Soil health encompasses the effects the uppermost part of the land have on human wellbeing in a broad sense, because soil is where most food ultimately comes from, and because it more inconspicuously fulfils other ecological functions, as important as feeding, for our planet’s welfare, which is ours. Viticulture exploits the soil’s resources from which wine, its most valuable produce, boasts to obtain some of its unique quality traits, which are wrapped within the terroir concept. However, using conventional methods, viticulture also has harsh impacts on the soil, thus jeopardizing its sustainability. How long will the terroir expression remain unchanged as vineyard soil degradation goes on? While this question is difficult to answer because of the complex nature of terroirs, it is undeniable that conventional soil management practices in viticulture leave, in general, ample room for improvement, in their impact on vineyards as much as on the environment. In response, viticulture must adopt practices that enable the long-lasting preservation of its grounds for both on-farm and off-farm benefits. In this regard, the increase in the soil’s organic matter alongside the enhancement of the soil’s biological community are key because they benefit many other soil properties of a physical, chemical, and biological nature, thus determining the soil’s healthy functioning, where the vines may thrive for a long time, whereas its surroundings remain minimally disturbed. In the present review, the importance of soil health as it relates to vineyards is discussed, the soil degradation factors and processes that threaten winegrowing areas are presented, successful soil-health enhancement practices are shown, and future research trends are identified for the benefit of researchers and stakeholders in this special agricultural industry.

The material properties of thermoplastic polymer parts manufactured by the extrusion-based additive manufacturing process are highly dependent on the thermal history. Different numerical models have been proposed to simulate the thermal history of a 3D-printed part. However, they are limited due to limited geometric applicability; low accuracy; or high computational demand. Can the time–temperature history of a 3D-printed part be simulated by a computationally less demanding, fast numerical model without losing accuracy? This paper describes the numerical implementation of a simplified discrete-event simulation model that offers accuracy comparable to a finite element model but is faster by two orders of magnitude. Two polymer systems with distinct thermal properties were selected to highlight differences in the simulation of the orthotropic response and the temperature-dependent material properties. The time–temperature histories from the numerical model were compared to the time–temperature histories from a conventional finite element model and were found to match closely. The proposed highly parallel numerical model was approximately 300–500 times faster in simulating thermal history compared to the conventional finite element model. The model would enable designers to compare the effects of several printing parameters for specific 3D-printed parts and select the most suitable parameters for the part.

Gliomas are the second most common primary brain tumor in dogs and although they are associated with a poor prognosis, limited data are available relating to the efficacy of standard therapeutic options such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Additionally, canine glioma is gaining relevance as a naturally occurring animal model that recapitulates human disease with fidelity. There is an intense comparative research drive to test new therapeutic approaches in dogs and assess if results translate efficiently into human clinical trials to improve the poor outcomes associated with the current standard-of-care. However, the paucity of data and controversy around most appropriate treatment for intracranial gliomas in dogs make comparisons among modalities troublesome. To further inform therapeutic decision-making, client discussion, and future studies evaluating treatment responses, the outcomes of 127 dogs with intracranial glioma, either presumed ( n  = 49) or histologically confirmed ( n  = 78), that received chemotherapy as leading or adjuvant treatment are reviewed here. This review highlights the status of current chemotherapeutic approaches to intracranial gliomas in dogs, most notably temozolomide and lomustine; areas of novel treatment currently in development, and difficulties to consensuate and compare different study observations. Finally, suggestions are made to facilitate evidence-based research in the field of canine glioma therapeutics.

This study aimed to analyze and compare the match running performance during official matches across four seasons (2015/2016–2018/2019) in the top two professional leagues of Spanish football. Match running performance data were collected from all matches in the First Spanish Division (Santander; n = 1520) and Second Spanish Division (Smartbank; n = 1848), using the Mediacoach® System. Total distance and distances of 14–21 km·h−1, 21–24 km·h−1, and more than 24 km·h−1, and the number of sprints between 21 and 24 km·h−1 and more than 24 km·h−1 were analyzed. The results showed higher total distances in the First Spanish Division than in the Second Spanish Division (p < 0.001) in all the variables analyzed. Regarding the evolution of both leagues, physical demands decreased more in the First Spanish Division than in the Second Spanish Division. The results showed a decrease in total distance and an increase in the high-intensity distances and number of sprints performed, although a clearer trend is perceived in the First Spanish Division (p < 0.001; p < 0.01, respectively). Knowledge about the evolution of match running performance allows practitioners to manage the training load according to the competition demands to improve players’ performances and reduce the injury rate.