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Drought stress poses a significant threat to fertile soils worldwide, triggering profound physiological, biochemical, and molecular changes in plants that adversely impact agricultural productivity. This study explores the potential of nanotechnology, specifically Calcium Oxide Nanoparticles (CaO NPs) and Graphene Oxide (GO), to ameliorate the negative effects of drought stress on two distinct alfalfa ecotypes. Seeds from Erzurum and Konya regions were regenerated in the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, and ensuing callus formation was induced through 1 mg L−1 2,4-D and 1 mg L−1 kinetin MS medium. The callus samples underwent a one-month treatment with varying concentrations of mannitol (50 and 100 mM), CaO NPs, and GO (0.5 and 1.5 ppm). Results revealed a decrease in dry/wet weight with increasing mannitol concentration, contrasting with an increase in weight under CaO NPs and GO treatment. Proline, DNSA, MDA, and H2O2 exhibited proportional increases under drought stress, while CaO NPs and GO treatments mitigated these effects. Physiological and biochemical analyses identified optimal conditions for Erzurum as 50 mM mannitol/2 CaO NPs/0.5 ppm GO, and for Konya as 50 mM mannitol/0.5 ppm GO. Gene expression analysis indicated up-regulation of mtr-miR159 and mtr-miR393 with heightened drought stress, with down-regulation observed in CaO NPs and GO treatments. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) confirmed Ca2+ accumulation in alfalfa tissues. In conclusion, CaO NPs and GO treatments exhibited a significant reduction in the adverse effects of drought stress on alfalfa callus under tissue culture conditions. This research sheds light on the potential of nanotechnological interventions to alleviate the impact of environmental stressors on crop plants, opening avenues for sustainable agriculture in the face of changing climatic conditions. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and scalability of these findings for field applications.Key messageCaO NPs and GO enhanced the tolerance of M. sativa callus under drought stress improving biochemical activity, miRNA gene expression, confocal laser scanning, and electronic scanning analysis.

Background: Patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) often develop severe disability despite low levels of abnormality on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This may relate to diffuse pathological processes occurring in normal appearing brain tissue (NABT) involving both white matter (NAWM) and grey matter (NAGM). Magnetisation transfer imaging (MTI) is capable of identifying these processes and may be particularly informative when applied to patients with early PPMS. Aim: To assess the relationship between abnormalities in NABT identified by MTI and disability and other radiological data in patients with early PPMS. Methods: We studied 43 patients within 5 years of disease onset and 43 controls. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) were scored. Magnetisation transfer ratios (MTR) of NABT, NAWM, and NAGM were calculated and the following MTR parameters were measured: mean, peak height, peak location, and MTR value at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles. Proton density, T2, T1, and gadolinium enhancing lesion loads were also calculated. Results: Differences were found between patients and controls in mean, peak height, and peak location of NAWM and NAGM (p⩽0.001). Weak to moderate correlations were found between MTR parameters and disability in both NAWM and NAGM. Strong correlations between MTR parameters and lesion loads were found, particularly in NAWM. Conclusion: MTR abnormalities are seen in NAWM and NAGM in early PPMS and both are associated with disability. NAWM MTR abnormalities are more closely related to conventional MRI measures than those seen in NAGM.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of focal or diffuse myelin damage or remyelination may provide important insights into disease progression and potential treatment efficacy in multiple sclerosis (MS). We performed post‐mortem MRI and histopathological myelin measurements in seven progressive MS cases to evaluate the ability of three myelin‐sensitive MRI scans to distinguish different stages of MS pathology, particularly chronic demyelinated and remyelinated lesions. At 3 Tesla, we acquired two different myelin water imaging (MWI) scans and magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) data. Histopathology included histochemical stainings for myelin phospholipids (LFB) and iron as well as immunohistochemistry for myelin proteolipid protein (PLP), CD68 (phagocytosing microglia/macrophages) and BCAS1 (remyelinating oligodendrocytes). Mixed‐effects modelling determined which histopathological metric best predicted MWF and MTR in normal‐appearing and diffusely abnormal white matter, active/inactive, inactive, remyelinated and ischemic lesions. Both MWI measures correlated well with each other and histology across regions, reflecting the different stages of MS pathology. MTR data showed a considerable influence of components other than myelin and a strong dependency on tissue storage duration. Both MRI and histology revealed increased myelin densities in inactive compared with active/inactive lesions. Chronic inactive lesions harboured single scattered myelin fibres indicative of low‐level remyelination. Mixed‐effects modelling showed that smaller differences between white matter areas were linked to PLP densities and only to a small extent confounded by iron. MWI reflects differences in myelin lipids and proteins across various levels of myelin densities encountered in MS, including low‐level remyelination in chronic inactive lesions.

In the Multilateral Interoperability Programme (MIP), 25 nations and NATO develop consensus-based, system-independent specifications to achieve semantic interoperability among distributed and heterogeneous command and control information systems (C2ISs). Implementing a distributed system is a complex and error-prone task. Therefore, extensive and efficient testing of the nationalMIP implementations is critical to ensure interoperability. For MIP baseline 3, Research Institute for Communication, Information Processing, and Ergonomics (FKIE) develops a test system that checks the conformance of national C2ISs with regard to the MIP specifications. It aims at reducing the testing effort and in- creasing the quality of MIP-compliant C2IS by automating the testing process. For that purpose, formal and executable test cases are specified. The test system is used as the MIP Test Reference System (MTRS) for the official MIP system level tests. In this paper, we motivate the development of the MTRS and describe the underlying testing approach. The client-server architecture and the test language are described in detail. Finally, the status quo and an outlook on future enhancements are given.

In order to join efforts to develop high-fidelity multi-physics tools for research reactor analysis, the KIT is conducting studies to modify the coupled multi-physics codes developed for power reactors. The coupled system uses the Monte Carlo Serpent 2 code for neutron analysis and the Subchanflow code for thermo-hydraulic analysis. Serpent treats temperature dependence using the target motion sampling method and Subchanflow was previously extended and validated with experimental data for plate-type reactor analysis. This work present for the first time the steady-state and transient neutron and thermo-hydraulic analysis of an MTR core defined in the IAEA 10 MW benchmark using Serpent2/Subchanflow. Important global and local parameters for nominal steady-state conditions were obtained, e.g., the lowest and highest core plate/channel power/temperature, the radial and axial core power profile at the plate level, and the core coolant temperature distribution at the subchannel level. The capabilities of Serpent2/Subchanflow to perform transient analysis with on-the-fly motion of the control plates were tested, namely with fast and slow reactivity insertion. Based on the unique results obtained for the first time at the subchannel and plate level, it can be stated that the coupled Serpent2/Subchanflow code is a very promising tool for research reactor safety-related investigations.

In this paper we describe a 2-year (2021-2022) dataset of bird traffic rate measured with the avian vertical-looking radar BirdScan MR1, installed near the Bolle di Magadino Natural Reserve protected area (Switzerland), an important stop-over site on the northern shore of Lake Maggiore. The dataset includes over 200,000 records of hourly traffic rates measured from 0 to 3000 m above ground level, with altitude bins of 100 m. This dataset is available on Zenodo, under an “Attribution-NonCommercial” Creative Commons 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0) at doi:10.5281/zenodo.7783993 .

Background The presence of diffuse brain damage in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) and gray matter (NAGM) in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) remains controversial. We aimed to address this controversy by applying a multiparametric MRI approach. Additionally, the association between MRI metrics and clinical variables was explored. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we prospectively evaluated aquaporin-4-IgG positive NMOSD patients and healthy controls (HC) matched for age and sex. The clinical variables of interest were collected for each participant. The mean values of T1-w/T2-w ratio, magnetization transfer ratio (MTR), fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), mean diffusivity (MD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were obtained in NAWM, NAGM, as well as in global and hypointense lesion masks. Global lesions refer to those typically associated with aquaporin-4-IgG positive NMOSD. Hypointense lesions were defined as areas of hypointense signal in both T1-w and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Results In total, we included 105 participants (59 NMOSD patients and 46 HC). T1-w/T2-w ratio was lower in NAWM of NMOSD patients versus HC (1.83 ± 0.14 vs 1.89 ± 0.14; p  = 0.029), while no significant differences were found in NAWM or NAGM across the other metrics: ( p range: 0.079 to 0.973). Hypointense lesions showed lower T1-w/T2-w ratio, MTR, and FA, and higher diffusivity metrics as compared to global lesion masks ( p  < 0.001). T1-w/T2-w ratio in NAWM was inversely correlated with time to start immunosuppressive therapy ( r  =  − 0.278; p  = 0.036) and with MD ( r  =  − 0.325; p  = 0.014). Conclusion Microstructural integrity loss seems to be confined to focal tissue damage in NMOSD. Decreased T1-w/T2-w ratio in NAWM may reflect subclinical water accumulation due to astrocyte and blood–brain barrier dysfunction. Hypointense lesions have shown a severe degree of microstructural damage.

Background Epidemiological studies have reported that polymorphisms of folate-metabolizing genes have a significant impact on male infertility. However, the results of published studies have come to different conclusions. Objective To determine an association between folate-metabolizing gene polymorphisms and the risk of male infertility. Methods The meta-analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 statement. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023412251). Studies were searched from PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library up to 24st October2023. Articles that satisfied the inclusion criteria were evaluated for their quality using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Data were extracted from the eligible studies and were analyzed for pooled up odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 12. Results Forty-six case–control studies were included in the meta-analysis which comprised 20,639 participants. The pooled analysis revealed that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism was significantly associated with male infertility and abnormospermia.Three-fifths of the model showed there was a significant association between the MTR A2756G polymorphism and male infertility. Both MTHFR A1298C and MTRR A66G polymorphisms were not significantly associated with male fertility. Furthermore, subgroup analysis revealed a significant association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and male fertility in Asian countries. Conclusion This meta-analysis suggests that the MTHFR C677T and MTR A2756G polymorphisms may be a potential risk factor for male infertility.

Metformin, a medication primarily used to treat diabetes, has gained attentions for its potential antiaging properties. Although the metabolic and cellular pathways behind its longevity effects have been widely studied, few studies have explored the epigenetic regulatory effects of metformin, which are a crucial factor in aging processes. In this study, we examined the antiaging effects of metformin using the Brachionus rotifer as a model, focusing on the regulation of mRNA N6–methyladenosine (m6A), a key RNA modification involved in mRNA stability, translation, and splicing. We found metformin significantly extended the rotifers' lifespan, mimicking the effects of dietary restriction (DR), a well–established antiaging intervention. Both metformin and DR modulate m6A dynamics, with a notable reduction in the m6A modification of MTR (5–methyltetrahydrofolate–homocysteine methyltransferase). This reduction led to decreased MTR expression and lowered levels of S–adenosylmethionine (SAM), a critical metabolite in the one–carbon cycle. We propose that the downregulation of MTR through m6A modification limits methionine synthesis and imposes methionine restriction, a key factor in promoting longevity. Our findings reveal a novel epitranscriptional regulatory model by which metformin and DR modulate m6A to extend lifespan, highlighting MTR as a central regulator of aging and suggesting potential therapeutic strategies for healthy aging through m6A and methionine metabolism. Metformin and dietary restriction modulate m6A to extend lifespan of rotifer, highlighting MTR as a central regulator of aging through methionine metabolism.

Recently, T2* imaging at 7Tesla (T) MRI was shown to reveal microstructural features of the cortical myeloarchitecture thanks to an increase in contrast-to-noise ratio. However, several confounds hamper the specificity of T2* measures (iron content, blood vessels, tissues orientation). Another metric, magnetization transfer ratio (MTR), is known to also be sensitive to myelin content and thus would be an excellent complementary measure because its underlying contrast mechanisms are different than that from T2*. The goal of this study was thus to combine MTR and T2* using multivariate statistics in order to gain insights into cortical myelin content. Seven healthy subjects were scanned at 7T and 3T to obtain T2* and MTR data, respectively. A multivariate myelin estimation model (MMEM) was developed, and consists in (i) normalizing T2* and MTR values and (ii) extracting their shared information using independent component analysis (ICA). B0 orientation dependence and cortical thickness were also computed and included in the model. Results showed high correlation between MTR and T2* in the whole cortex (r=0.76, p<10−16), suggesting that both metrics are partly driven by a common source of contrast, here assumed to be the myelin. Average MTR and T2* were respectively 31.0+/−0.3% and 32.1+/−1.4ms. Results of the MMEM spatial distribution showed similar trends to that from histological work stained for myelin (r=0.77, p<0.01). Significant right-left differences were detected in the primary motor cortex (p<0.05), the posterior cingulate cortex (p<0.05) and the visual cortex (p<0.05). This study demonstrates that MTR and T2* are highly correlated in the cortex. The combination of MTR, T2*, CT and B0 orientation may be a useful means to study cortical myeloarchitecture with more specificity than using any of the individual methods. The MMEM framework is extendable to other contrasts such as T1 and diffusion MRI.