Promising two-row covered cultivars for increasing yield and quality of barley grain in conditions of the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia

Agroclimatic features of the regions of barley cultivation necessitate the creation and cultivation of cultivars characterized by adaptability to local bioand abiofactors. Such cultivars are able to form a stable high-quality crop regardless of the conditions prevailing during the growing season. The developing of potentially high-yielding cultivars is a priority task of barley breeding in the West Siberian region. Two-row barley is characterized by grain equalization, reduced husk content and increased extractive content, compared to sixrow barley. The aim of the study was to characterize the new promising cultivars of barley (two-row covered group) selected in Omsk Agrarian Scientific Center. The research was conducted in the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia in 2012-2019. 8 cultivars of coverd two-row barley selected in Omsk Agrarian Scientific Center were studied. There are new promising cultivars among them: Omskiy 100 (included in the Russian State Register in 2019) and Omskiy 101 (sent to the State Registration Service in 2018). The standard cultivar was Omskiy 95 (2007). The biochemical parameters of grain were determined: protein content, crude fat, starch, husk content. Barley selection from 2000 to 2019 focused on the developing of drought-resistant cultivars, which formed increased productivity and quality of grain in dry and arid periods of vegetation in conditions of optimal moistening. New promising cultivars - Omskiy 100 and Omskiy 101 were characterized by the formation of increased indicators of grain quality and productivity in vegetation periods that were contrasting in climatic characteristics. Due to increased yield and grain quality, cv. Omskiy100 had increased protein (+57.91 kg/ha), starch (+0.3 t/ha) and fat (+11.7 kg/ha) harvest compared to the standard. Cv. Omskiy 101 increased protein harvest by 84.9 kg/ha in comparison to the standard.

Influence of National Essential Public Health Services Policy on Expenditure for Hypertension in China: A Difference-in-Difference Analysis

Background: The prevention and control of hypertension should be an effective way to reduce deaths and it has been a high priority in China. The Chinese government issued the National Essential Public Health Services Package (NEPHSP) in 2009; this initiative provides free public health services to meet the challenges posed by hypertension. It includes health education, regular health checkups, and regular follow-ups provided to patients with hypertension aged ≥ 35. This study explored the influence of the NEPHSP on outpatient and inpatient expenditure among patients with hypertension. Methods: Data were mined from the 2011–2015 Harmonized China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The dependent variables were the outpatient and inpatient expenditure of patients with hypertension. The independent variable was defined as whether covered by the NEPHSP in 2013 or 2015. Using propensity score matching (PSM) to match the individual characteristics of hypertension in the NEPHSP-covered group and the NEPHSP-uncovered group, Tobit regression models with difference-in-differences (DID) were used to analyze the outcomes. Results: After PSM, of the 1,956 hypertensive participants, 369 had physical exams covered by the NEPHSP in 2013 and 2015. In 2013 and 2015, the outpatient and inpatient expenses of patients with hypertension increased compared with 2011. A DID estimate for the NEPHSP-covered service was associated with a marginal significant decrease of RMB 319.79 (p = 0.586) and RMB 1072.02 (p = 0.068) in hypertension inpatient expected expenditure in 2013 and 2015, respectively. The DID estimate showed no significant change among outpatient expected expenditure. Conclusions: The NEPHSP may reduce inpatient expenditure among patients with hypertension. Further strengthening of the NEPHSP may reduce their burden.

EVALUATION OF THE ETIOLOGIES AND OUTCOME OF PRETERM LABOUR

Objective : This is a Prospective cohort study carried out in department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hi-Tech Medical College & Hospital, Bhubaneswar, a tertiary care centre, with the objective of knowing the etiology and outcome of preterm labour and formulate measures to prevent the onset of preterm labour and deal with complications arising from preterm labour. Materials and methods : A total of 112 patients with preterm labour were included in the study. The investigations required to identify the etiology and also other routine investigations were carried out . The study was conducted over a two year period i.e. from November 2018 to October 2020 at Hi-Tech Medical College & Hospital, Bhubaneswar. Results : Majority of the patients were in the age group of 20-24 years. Among them, majority of the patients belonged to the gestational age group of 28-34 weeks . Infection was the commonest cause of preterm labour. There is signicant improvement in neonatal outcome in steroid covered group if gestational age is less than 34 weeks . Conclusion: Preterm labour has major impact on neonatal mortality and morbidity. Hence identication of risk factors and etiologies of preterm labour and timely interventions in the form of investigations and management and preparedness to tackle the maternal and neonatal complications are vital for a good maternal and neonatal outcome.

PSIX-40 Exogenous carbohydrases improve carcass characteristics of Nellore beef cattle grazed in tropical conditions

The objective was to evaluate the effects of feeding levels of an exogenous carbohydrases blend on performance and carcass characteristics of grazing Nellore beef cattle. A total of 168 bulls were distributed to twenty Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés paddocks (8 or 10 animals/paddock) in a randomized complete block design, with five replicates (paddocks) per treatment. Bulls were assigned according initial BW (IBW; 369.07±21.13 kg) to receive treatments for 231 days: 1) Control (basal mineral-protein-energetic supplement, no enzyme; PES), Carb1 (PES + 0.83 g of xylanase, RONOZYME® WX; and 3.09 g of beta-glucanase, RONOZYME® VP, both offered/kg PES), Carb2 (PES + 1.65 g of xylanase and 6.18 g of beta-glucanase/kg PES) and Carb3 (PES + 3.30 g of xylanase and 12.38 g of beta-glucanase/kg PES). Evaluated parameters were final BW (FBW), average daily gain (ADG), supplement intake, hot carcass weight (HCW) and dressing %. IBW and FBW were measured after a 12-hour fastening period. Treatments were offered daily in covered group feeders located in each paddock. Animals had free access to supplements and water. Supplements and enzymes were provided by DSM Nutritional Products. Data were analyzed using MIXED procedure of SAS® 9.3, being each paddock the experimental unit. Orthogonal contrasts were used to detect linear and quadratic effects on enzyme levels, with values P ≤ 0.05 considered significant. No linear or quadratic effects (P > 0.05) were observed on supplement intake (2.11 kg/animal/d), FBW (492.03 kg) and ADG (0.532 kg/day). However, a quadratic effect was observed for HCW and dressing %, with animals fed Carb1 presenting 5.69 kg heavier carcass (272.67 vs. 266.98; P = 0.039) and 1.4 p.p. higher dressing % (55.3% vs. 53.9%, P < 0.001) compared with control group. In conclusion, to use carbohydrases enzyme blend improves carcass characteristics and is an interesting technology for Nellore beef cattle grazed in tropical conditions.

Managing Diversity: The Challenges of Inter-University Cooperation in Sustainability Education

One of the main challenges in sustainability discourse is its multifaceted nature often requiring that many different disciplines must cooperate in order to achieve progress. This issue also concerns sustainability education. In the article, we highlighted the experiences from the international cooperation of university teachers and researchers with highly diverse professional backgrounds who worked together on developing educational materials for university students in sustainability-oriented courses. The study is based on qualitative, participatory evaluation research, applying two rounds of open-ended questionnaires distributed to the same respondents (n = 18). For the analysis, we used the open-coding procedure for identifying the main categories. The results show some of the opportunities and barriers that emerged in the process of this cooperation. In particular, we discuss the issues related to the high heterogeneity of the group, such as the clashes of the different perspectives on the topics covered, group dynamics issues, trust, facilitation challenges, and also opportunities that such heterogeneity offers. We highlight the importance of open reflectivity in sustainability-oriented educational projects as the key to their successful implementation. Finally, we believe that results of this participatory study are useful in designing new projects aiming at further improvement of academic education in sustainability and sustainable development.

Biological Effects of High-Voltage Electric Field Treatment of Naked Oat Seeds

In order to study the mechanism of high-voltage electric field (HVEF) biotechnology, corona discharge produced by a multi-needle-plate HVEF was used to treat naked oat seeds, each treatment dose was divided into two groups, one group was covered with a petri dish cover, the other group was directly exposed to HVEF without a petri dish cover. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) results show that the etching degree of the uncovered group was more serious than that of the covered group, it indicates that ion wind etching has a greater impact on the micro-morphology of seed coat, being covered can effectively reduce the etching degree of discharge plasma on seed. Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of the seed coat shows most of the HVEF treatment group can form a new absorption peak at 1740 cm−1, which is closely related to the hydrophilicity of the seed. Comprehensive analysis shows that HVEF treatment can improve the hydrophilicity of seeds, whether they are covered or not. Being covered can reduce the degree of etching of the seed coat, but increase the hydrophilicity of the seed, indicating that the non-uniform electric field has a greater impact on the hydrophilicity of the seed. Our study showed that ion wind had an effect on the micro-morphology of seeds, but this effect didn’t translate into a macroscopic effect. This study provides ideas and experimental data support for the study of the biotechnological mechanism of HVEF.

A prospective analysis of the risk factors and the perinatal outcome of preterm labour

Background: Preterm labour is a challenging complication encountered by obstetricians. The dictum prevention is better than cure well applies for preterm labour also, hence the importance of knowing the risk factors. Infection is one treatable, thus preventable risk factor.Methods: Prospective cohort study involving 75 antenatals at gestational age from 28 to 36+6 weeks. After getting clearance from institutional ethical committee detailed history including history of UTI, excessive vaginal discharge, previous abortions and previous preterm labour and medical complications were collected. Two doses of injection Betamethasone 12 mg 24 hours apart were given for all patients. High vaginal swab was taken from all subjects and results analysed. Neonates are then followed up till discharge.Results: The incidences were higher in primigravidas compared to multiparas. Late preterms (34-36+6 weeks) were the majority in the group. PPROM was the major cause for late preterm births, this was followed by UTI and vaginal infections. Among the high vaginal swab 30.7% were culture positive. E Coli was the most common organism isolated followed by Staphylococcus Aureus, Klebsiella, and MRSA. Hyperbilirubinemia was the most common neonatal complication. Out of 7 neonatal deaths 6 were due to RDS and one was extremely preterm newborn. Women who delivered at least 24 hours after initiation of steroid were considered steroid covered group. Steroid covered group had lesser incidence of RDS with P value of 0.001which was statistically significant.Conclusions: UTI and vaginal infections were major risk factors for preterm labour and should be tackled antenatally. High vaginal swab should be taken for threatened preterm labour especially early preterm. Betamethasone administration causes a definite reduction in the incidence of RDS. Induce PPROM after 36 weeks to reduce late preterm complications provided there is no chorioamnionitis.

Abstract 12673: Placement of Proximal Edge on TCFA and Calcification Correlates With Inadequate Neointimal Coverage of Struts After Drug Eluting Stent Implantation

Introduction: Inadequate neointimal coverage of the stent struts is one of the risks for late stent thrombosis, especially in DES. Using OCT, we studied the morphological characteristics of coronary segment of both proximal and distal edges, and evaluated their influence on the neointimal coverage of the strut in chronic phase. Methods: Of 111 culprit coronary lesions in 91 patients, baseline OCT tissue characteristics were evaluated at both proximal and distal edges after DES implantation. The second OCT examination was performed on 9.1 months after implantation, and neointimal coverage of struts was assessed within 5mm inner segments from each stent edge. An uncovered strut was defined as having the signal thickness less than 30 μm from the center of strut. Results: Of 10995 apposed stent struts, uncovered struts were detected in 5.3% within distal and 6.8% within proximal edges. For further statistical analysis, edge segments were classified into two categories according to the ratio of uncovered struts, as the poorly-covered group (highest quartile with % uncovered struts), and the well-covered group (the remaining lower quartiles with % uncovered struts). As to OCT tissue characteristic, 1) fibrous plaque was significantly less observed in the poorly-covered group at both distal and proximal edges (p=0.0031 and p=0.0046, respectively). 2) Lipid pool was more frequently observed in the poorly-covered group than the well-covered group at both distal and proximal edges (p=0.0037 and p=0.0061, respectively). 3) Thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) and calcification were also more frequently observed in the poorly-covered group than the well-covered group (p=0.0025 and p=0.0070, respectively) at proximal stent edge. Logistic regression analysis revealed that existence of calcification at proximal edge was an independent predictor for uncovered struts (OR: 5.48, 95%CI: 1.46-23.46, p=0.0119). TCFA at proximal edge was also an independent predictor (p=0.0044). Conclusions: TCFA and calcification at proximal edge were predictors of uncovered struts. Although mechanism should be further elucidated, placement of proximal edge on such tissue characteristics should be avoided.

Bone Morphometric Evaluation around Immediately Placed Implants Covered with Porcine-Derived Pericardium Membrane: An Experimental Study in Dogs

Objective. To investigate whether porcine-derived bioresorbable pericardium membrane coverage enhances the osseointegration around implants placed in fresh extraction sockets.Study Design. Twenty-four commercially available endosseous implants were placed in the fresh extraction sockets of the mandibular first molar of mature beagles (n=6). On one side, implants and osteotomy sites were covered with porcine-derived bioresorbable pericardium membranes, whereas on the other side, no membranes were used. After 6 weeks, samples were retrieved and were histologically processed for histomorphometric analysis.Results. The histological observation showed that bone loss and soft tissue migration in the coronal region of the implant were evident for the control group, whereas bone fill was evident up to the neck of the implant for the membrane-covered group. Bone-to-implant contact was significantly higher for the membrane-covered group compared to the control group, 75% and 45% (P<0.02), respectively.Conclusion. The experimental membranes proved to regenerate bone around implants placed in fresh extraction sockets without soft tissue intrusion.

Human Cartilage Tissue Engineering with Pluronic and Cultured Chondrocyte Sheet

Despite many outstanding research works on cartilage tissue engineering, actual clinical application is not quite successful because of the absorption and progressive distortion of tissue engineered cartilage. We have developed a new method of cartilage tissue engineering comprising chondrocyte mixed Pluronic F-127 and cultured chondrocyte cell sheet which entirely cover the cell-Pluronic complex. We believe the addition of cultured chondrocyte cell sheet enhances the efficacy of chondrogenesis in vivo. Human ear cartilage piece was enzymatically dissociated and chondrocyte suspension was acquired. Chondrocytes were cultured and expanded as the routine manner. Cultured chondrocytes were plated in high-density monolayer and cultured with Chondrogenic media in 5% CO2 incubator. After 3 weeks of culture, chondrocyte cell sheet was formed and complete single sheet of chondrocyte could be harvested by gentle manipulation of culture plate with a cell scraper. Chondrocyte-Pluronic complex was established by mixing 1x 106 cells with 0.5 of Pluronic F- 127. Chondrocyte-Pluronic complex was completely covered with a sheet of cultured chondrocyte. The completed tissue engineered constructs were implanted into the subcutaneous tissue pocket of nude mice on the back. Tissue engineered constructs without cultured cell sheet were used as control. Samples were harvested at 8 weeks postoperatively and they were subjected to histological analysis and assayed for glycosaminoglycan (GAG), and type II collagen. Grossly, the size of cartilage specimen of cultured chondrocyte cell sheet covered group was larger than that of the control. On histologic examination, the specimen of cultured chondrocyte cell sheet covered group showed lacunae-containing cells embedded in a basophilic matrix. The chondrocyte cell sheet covered group specimen resembled mature or immature cartilage. The result of measurement of GAG and type II collagen of cartilage specimen of cultured chondrocyte sheet covered group was higher than that of the control. In conclusion, the new method of cartilage tissue engineering using chondrocyte cell sheet seems to be an effective method providing higher cartilage tissue gain and reliable success rate for cartilage tissue engineering.