Planting in Metallized Reflective Mulch Did Not Significantly Benefit Development of New Hybrid Citrus Seedlings

The U.S. Department of Agriculture citrus scion breeding program is urgently working on developing huanglongbing (HLB; pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus)-tolerant cultivars with excellent fruit quality and productivity when HLB-affected. The slow process of assessing new citrus hybrids is a major impediment to delivery of these much-needed cultivars. We generate thousands of hybrids each year, germinate the seedlings, grow them for 2 years in the greenhouse, plant them at high density in a field where the disease HLB is abundant, grow them for 5 to 10 years, and make selections based on tree performance and fruit quality of these HLB-affected trees. Based on promising reports of accelerated citrus growth when grown in a metallized reflective mulch (MRM) system, we tested the hypothesis that the MRM system may accelerate growth and selection of new hybrid seedlings compared with conventional soil culture (CSC). In the MRM system, tree rows are covered with a layer of metallized plastic film and drip irrigation is installed beneath the plastic. In 2 years of analysis, tree canopy volume was significantly greater with MRM in 2020 (27% greater than CSC) but not in 2021, and MRM tree height was greater in 2021 (7% greater than CSC). Mortality was significantly greater with MRM in both 2020 and 2021(in 2021: 32% vs. 17% under CSC), and MRM trees had more chlorotic leaves. Because of staff limitations, plant debris and soil were not routinely cleared from MRM, thus diminishing any benefit from the reflective surface. Better maintenance might have resulted in more sustained evidence of MRM growth benefits. With the current resource availability, the MRM system does not appear to accelerate the assessment of hybrid seedling trees.

Inclusion and Withdrawal Criteria for Growth Hormone (GH) Therapy in Children with Idiopathic GH Deficiency—Towards Following the Evidence but Still with Unresolved Problems

According to current guidelines, growth hormone (GH) therapy is strongly recommended in children and adolescents with GH deficiency (GHD) in order to accelerate growth rate and attain normal adult height. The diagnosis of GHD requires demonstration of decreased GH secretion in stimulation tests, below the established threshold value. Currently, GHD in children is classified as secondary insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) deficiency. Most of children diagnosed with isolated GHD presents with normal GH secretion at the attainment of near-final height or even in mid-puberty. The most important clinical problems, related to the diagnosis of isolated GHD in children and to optimal duration of rhGH therapy include: arbitrary definition of subnormal GH peak in stimulation tests, disregarding factors influencing GH secretion, insufficient diagnostic accuracy and poor reproducibility of GH stimulation tests, discrepancies between spontaneous and stimulated GH secretion, clinical entity of neurosecretory dysfunction, discrepancies between IGF-1 concentrations and results of GH stimulation tests, significance of IGF-1 deficiency for the diagnosis of GHD, a need for validation IGF-1 reference ranges. Many of these issues have remained unresolved for 25 years or even longer. It seems that finding solutions to them should optimize diagnostics and therapy of children with short stature.

Sustainable Utilization of Sewage Sludge through the Synthesis of Liquid Fertilizer

In a world with a growing human population, resources are becoming increasingly scarce. To ensure food supply, fertilizers are often used to accelerate growth when planting agricultural products. Sewage sludge (SS), containing as high as 10–15 wt% Phosphorus (P), can be synthesized into liquid fertilizer. P species in SS can generally be classified into four types: inorganic phosphorus (IP), organic phosphorus (OP), nonapatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP), and apatite phosphorus (AP). However, OP is not leached out by wet chemical methods and NAIP is not bioavailable. This study investigated the P-form conversion (OP and NAIP to AP) in SS by adding 8 wt% CaO at 300 °C. SS through pretreatment can easily leach out P when combined with organic acid. The content of heavy metals is in accordance with fertilizer regulations in a leaching solution. The solution was mixed with potassium and ammonia compounds to synthesize a liquid fertilizer. To ensure the safe and efficient use of liquid fertilizer and undertake an analysis of heavy metals, an aquatic organisms (D. magna) toxicity test, and the growth of plants test were both used. The liquid fertilizer can be demonstrated to accelerate the growth of plants while not causing the death of D. magna in short time, as the liquid fertilizer has enough nutrients to help the D. magna to survive.

Antibiotics accelerate growth at the expense of immunity

Antibiotics have long been used in the raising of animals for agricultural, industrial or laboratory use. The use of subtherapeutic doses in diets of terrestrial and aquatic animals to promote growth is common and highly debated. Despite their vast application in animal husbandry, knowledge about the mechanisms behind growth promotion is minimal, particularly at the molecular level. Evidence from evolutionary research shows that immunocompetence is resource-limited, and hence expected to trade off with other resource-demanding processes, such as growth. Here, we ask if accelerated growth caused by antibiotics can be explained by genome-wide trade-offs between growth and costly immunocompetence. We explored this idea by injecting broad-spectrum antibiotics into wood tiger moth ( Arctia plantaginis ) larvae during development. We follow several life-history traits and analyse gene expression (RNA-seq) and bacterial (r16S) profiles. Moths treated with antibiotics show a substantial depletion of bacterial taxa, faster growth rate, a significant downregulation of genes involved in immunity and significant upregulation of growth-related genes. These results suggest that the presence of antibiotics may aid in up-keeping the immune system. Hence, by reducing the resource load of this costly process, bodily resources may be reallocated to other key processes such as growth.

On the issue of the development of domestic tourism in the Russian Federation

The article considers the problematic issues of the development of the tourism industry in the Russian Federation. In the context of global challenges, the tourism sector of the Russian Federation retains significant potential to accelerate growth and strengthen its role in the development of the economy. On the example of individual tourist projects, the author summarizes and identifies possible areas of activity of public authorities. The study makes comprehensive proposals for the development of the tourist destination at the territorial level, including in the preparation of strategic documents, the adoption of regulatory measures on the business activities of the self-employed in the tourism sector, increasing the revenue base of local budgets through the development of tourism through the introduction of an additional fee.

Features of metropolitan area governance models

The article develops a methodological basis for choosing the optimal model for managing the agglomeration of settlements. The existing agglomeration problems and the need to accelerate growth due to the agglomeration effect form a challenge to the agglomeration governance system. For an adequate response it is important to understand the capabilities of governance models. These capabilities can be expressed through the description of the features of the models.For a large-scale description of the features of models, it is necessary to form groups of features, characterize each feature, compare the models according to the degree of its manifestation, and, if possible, explain the reason for the differences. The article investigates research papers within the framework of the theory of municipal reformers, the theory of public choice, in particular on the issues of centralization / decentralization of municipalities, intermunicipal cooperation, the efficiency of the economy of the public sector. The authors used general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, grouping, comparison.The revealed features make it possible to assess the governance model in terms of what the agglomeration will receive from its implementation. All features are combined into five groups: economic, social, administrative efficiency, democratization, stability. The study revealed 29 features, presented their explanation and degree of development, depending on the type of governance model.As a result of the study, the possibilities for justifying the feasibility of introducing models have increased. The authors represented scientific novelty by a more complete list of the features of models, a more detailed presentation of them, the approach of presenting information “from features”, a convenient grouping that allows you to use the characteristic to assess the effectiveness of the activities of government authorities. The study can be useful for civil servants in charge of agglomeration processes.

Knockout of Putative Tumor Suppressor Aldh1l1 in Mice Reprograms Metabolism to Accelerate Growth of Tumors in a Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) Model of Liver Carcinogenesis

Cytosolic 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (ALDH1L1) is commonly downregulated in human cancers through promoter methylation. We proposed that ALDH1L1 loss promotes malignant tumor growth. Here, we investigated the effect of the Aldh1l1 mouse knockout (Aldh1l1−/−) on hepatocellular carcinoma using a chemical carcinogenesis model. Fifteen-day-old male Aldh1l1 knockout mice and their wild-type littermate controls (Aldh1l1+/+) were injected intraperitoneally with 20 μg/g body weight of DEN (diethylnitrosamine). Mice were sacrificed 10, 20, 28, and 36 weeks post-DEN injection, and livers were examined for tumor multiplicity and size. We observed that while tumor multiplicity did not differ between Aldh1l1−/− and Aldh1l1+/+ animals, larger tumors grew in Aldh1l1−/− compared to Aldh1l1+/+ mice at 28 and 36 weeks. Profound differences between Aldh1l1−/− and Aldh1l1+/+ mice in the expression of inflammation-related genes were seen at 10 and 20 weeks. Of note, large tumors from wild-type mice showed a strong decrease of ALDH1L1 protein at 36 weeks. Metabolomic analysis of liver tissues at 20 weeks showed stronger differences in Aldh1l1+/+ versus Aldh1l1−/− metabotypes than at 10 weeks, which underscores metabolic pathways that respond to DEN in an ALDH1L1-dependent manner. Our study indicates that Aldh1l1 knockout promoted liver tumor growth without affecting tumor initiation or multiplicity.

Champions during Crises Scenarios: High Growth and Persistent High Growth Firms

Our paper aims to participate to the growing policy discussion on high-growth firms (HGFs) by analyzing persistence of high growth patterns over crisis. During downturn periods, such as post pandemic one, policy makers seek sources to maintain competitiveness and accelerate growth. Being dynamic players in economic growth and job creation, persistent high-growth firms are notable candidates for assuming that role under such circumstances. Therefore, in this study we explore the determinants and characteristics of HGFs and persistent high-growth firms (PHGF) in a crisis scenario.We use a sample of 190,247 firms from 2007 to 2014. We estimate a multinomial probit model with independent idiosyncratic components across the different categories (i.e. HGFs, PHGFs and other firms) using full maximum likelihood. In a second phase we explore which characteristics of HGFs affect the probability of being a PHGFs.HGFs are characterized by higher productivity and leverage, and PHGFs systematically differ from other HGFs only in what regards degree of international involvement. HGFs probability of maintaining high growth rates is very low.HGFs are essentially one-hit wonders and it is debatable whether policymakers can enhance economic results by targeting them. Policy makers should be directed towards those firms which have in principal the potential to be winners, but only through policy intervention these aided firms can realize their great potential (i.e. pick and build winner).

Poland’s Catching-up Process in the European Union against the Background of Other Visegrad Countries

The aim of the assessment in the paper is to verify a hypothesis, constructed by theorists of international economics, that regional integration is an opportunity for the caching-up countries to accelerate growth as well as diminish the economic and technological gap.

Export, Political Stability, and Growth in Developing-8 Countries

The relationship between growth in export and economic growth is still a current issue in both the theoretical and empirical literature. Besides, there are also non-economic factors that determine economic growth in a country, namely political stability. This study aims to examine the impact of export and political stability on economic growth in D8 member countries. The research on the development of the D8 country's economy is still minimal, so this research expected to be able to contribute to drafting policies for D8 member countries. By using panel regression, this research finds that there is no impact between export on economic growth. However, political stability had an impact on economic growth in developing-8 countries. This result implies that the government should increase political stability to accelerate growth