Citrus Black Spot Symptoms on Fruit Exposed to Infections at Different Developmental Stages.

Citrus black spot (CBS), caused by , is an important fungal disease of citrus. Higher CBS severity has been associated with infections at the young and green stages of fruit. The length of the fruit susceptibility period may be influenced by the amount of inoculum and the climate of the citrus growing region.

Co-designing transport models as a heuristic planning tool.

Recently the transportation sector has witnessed several new technologically driven disruptions that have amplified the complexity of city planning and policymaking. Traditional well-established processes of decision-making in urban planning and transportation are proving insufficient to deal with this degree of complexity and uncertainty. This paper proposes an alternative approach, combining qualitative and normative urban design, with quantitative and predictive transport modelling.

Heat Attainment and Retention in Surfers with and without a Land-Based Warm-Up and Accompanying Passive Heat Retention.

Surfing is a growing, high-participation recreational and competitive activity. It is relatively unique, being performed on, in, and through water with a range of temperatures. In other sports, warm-up and heat retention have proved useful at augmenting performance and ameliorating injury risk.

Tuberculin skin test surveys and the Annual Risk of Tuberculous Infection in school children in Northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Tuberculin skin test surveys in primary school children can be used to quantify Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission at community level. KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, is home to 11.5 million people and suffers a burden of tuberculosis disease that is among the highest in the world.

Effect of dietary inclusion of Pennisetum purpureum (Napier) grass on growth performance, rumen fermentation and meat quality of feedlot sussex red steers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth performance, fermentation indices and meat quality of Sussex steers fed totally mixed rations that composed of graded inclusion levels of Napier grass (NP). Three experimental diets designated as diet 1 (0.0 g kg NP: Control), diet 2 (300 g kg NP grass) and diet 3 (600 g kg NP) were formulated.

Spiritual Holy Water Sites in Ethiopia: Unrecognized High-Risk Settings for Transmission of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Ethiopia is a high-tuberculosis (TB) burden country with 157 new cases per 100,000 people, with 23,800 TB-related deaths in 2020. In Ethiopia, TB patients have different healthcare-seeking behaviors. They frequently visit spiritual places, such as holy water sites (HWSs), to seek treatment for their illness spiritually.

Genetic diversity of strains isolated from spiritual holy water site attendees in Northwest Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study.

Background: The genetic diversity of complex (MTBC) strains was characterized among isolates from individuals with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) symptoms attended holy water sites (HWSs) in the Amhara region, Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was done from June 2019 to March 2020 to describe the genetic diversity and drug-resistance profiles of MTBC isolates. Sputum specimens were collected and cultured in the Löwenstein-Jensen culture medium.

Patterns and profiles of drug resistance-conferring mutations in genotypes isolated from tuberculosis-suspected attendees of spiritual holy water sites in Northwest Ethiopia.

Purpose: This study examined the patterns and frequency of genetic changes responsible for resistance to first-line (rifampicin and isoniazid), fluoroquinolones, and second-line injectable drugs in drug-resistant (MTB) isolated from culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) symptomatic attendees of spiritual holy water sites (HWSs) in the Amhara region.

Patients And Methods: From June 2019 to March 2020, a cross-sectional study was carried out. A total of 122 culture-positive MTB isolates from PTB-suspected attendees of HWSs in the Amhara region were evaluated for their drug resistance profiles, and characterized gene mutations conferring resistance to rifampicin (RIF), isoniazid (INH), fluoroquinolones (FLQs), and second-line injectable drugs (SLIDs) using GenoType®MTBDR VER2.

Genetic diversity of isolates from the central, eastern and southeastern Ethiopia.

Introduction: The population structure of complex (MTBC) in Ethiopia is diverse but dominated by Euro-American (Lineage 4) and East-African-Indian (Lineage 3) lineages. The objective of this study was to describe the genetic diversity of MTBC isolates in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Ethiopia.

Methods: A total of 223 MTBC culture isolates obtained from patients referred to Adama and Harar TB reference laboratories were spoligotyped.

Antimicrobial effects of Medicines for Malaria Venture Pathogen Box compounds on strains of .

Therapeutic options for are limited due to emerging global resistance. New agents and treatment options to treat patients with susceptible and multi-extensively drug-resistant is a high priority. This study used an approach to explore the antimicrobial potential, as well as synergistic effects of Medicine for Malaria Venture (MMV) Pathogen Box compounds against ATCC and clinical strains.

Profile and Frequency of Mutations Conferring Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in the Central, Southeastern and Eastern Ethiopia.

Purpose: Advances in molecular tools that assess genes harboring drug resistance mutations have greatly improved the detection and treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). This study was conducted to determine the frequency and type of mutations that are responsible for resistance to rifampicin (RIF), isoniazid (INH), fluoroquinolones (FLQs) and second-line injectable drugs (SLIDs) in (MTB) isolates obtained from culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients in the central, southeastern and eastern Ethiopia.

Patients And Methods: In total, 224 stored culture-positive MTB isolates from pulmonary TB patients referred to Adama and Harar regional TB laboratories between August 2018 and January 2019 were assessed for mutations conferring RIF, INH, FLQs and SLIDs resistance using GenoTypeMTBDRplus (MTBDRplus) and GenoTypeMTBDRsl (MTBDRsl).

A Global Assessment of the State of Plant Health.

The Global Plant Health Assessment (GPHA) is a collective, volunteer-based effort to assemble expert opinions on plant health and disease impacts on ecosystem services based on published scientific evidence. The GPHA considers a range of forest, agricultural, and urban systems worldwide. These are referred to as (Ecoregion × Plant System), i.

Drug Resistance in Ethiopia: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global public health issue, despite advances in diagnostic technologies, substantial global efforts, and the availability of effective chemotherapies. , a species of pathogenic bacteria resistant to currently available anti-TB drugs, is on the rise, threatening national and international TB-control efforts. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to estimate the pooled prevalence of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) in Ethiopia.

Discerning the global phylogeographic distribution of Phyllosticta citricarpa by means of whole genome sequencing.

Phyllosticta citricarpa is a fungal pathogen causing citrus black spot (CBS). As a regulated pest in some countries, the presence of the pathogen limits the export of fruit and is therefore of agricultural and economic importance. In this study, we used high throughput sequencing data to infer the global phylogeographic distribution of this pathogen, including 71 isolates from eight countries, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Eswatini, South Africa and the United States of America.

Monitoring Benzimidazole Resistance in Using a Molecular Assay Targeting Mutations in Codons 198 and 200 of the β-Tubulin Gene.

Citrus black spot (CBS), caused by , is an economically important disease, which is effectively controlled by repeated fungicide applications to protect fruit from infection. Systemic fungicides such as benzimidazoles are widely used for controlling CBS in South Africa, but the molecular mechanisms of benzimidazole resistance in . had not been investigated.

Prevalence of drug resistance-conferring mutations associated with isoniazid- and rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Globally, the incidence and mortality of tuberculosis (TB) are declining; however, low detection of drug-resistant disease threatens to reverse current progress toward global TB control. Multiple rapid molecular diagnostic tests have recently been developed to detect genetic mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) known to confer drug resistance. However, their utility depends on the frequency and distribution of resistance-associated mutations in the pathogen population.

Phenotypic characterisation of Meatmaster sheep using quantitative and qualitative trait analysis.

A phenotypic analysis of the Meatmaster breed was done, using linear body measurements, qualitative assessment, slaughter data and pedigree performance data. The linear body measurements and pedigree performance data were collected from 187 rams and 222 ewes of all age categories. The following means were recorded in rams and ewes respectively: Body weight (kg) (80.

Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone Changes in Male and Female Athletes Relative to Training Status.

Purpose: To establish if training volume was associated with androgen baselines and androgen responsiveness to acute exercise.

Methods: During a "high-volume" training phase, 28 cyclists (14 men and 14 women) undertook oxygen-uptake and maximal-work-capacity testing. Two days later, they completed a repeat-sprint protocol, which was repeated 3 weeks later during a "low-volume" phase.

'I'm doing it for myself': Using a smartphone-based exercise service during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

Background: Sufficient physical activity (PA) lowers poor health outcomes, with data showing these protective effects in populations under varying levels of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The advent of online PA programmes has created novel opportunities to offset the deleterious effects of inactivity. However, data are limited and the readiness and acceptance of such technology is unknown.

Classification and regression tree analysis to predict calving ease in Sussex heifers using pelvic area dimensions and morphological traits.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between pelvic measurements, namely pelvic height (PH), pelvic area (PA), and pelvic width, and linear body measurement traits, such as hindquarters width, rump length (RL), hip height (HH), body weight (BW), shoulder height, chest depth (CD), body length, and also calve birth weight (CBW) under different calving ease scores, namely no assistance, gently pull, and hard pull.

Material And Methods: A total of 51 first calf Sussex heifers at 24 months old, weighing approximately 440 ± 40.26 kg, were used for this study.

Default mode network activity in depression subtypes.

Depression continues to carry a major disease burden worldwide, with limitations on the success of traditional pharmacological or psychological treatments. Recent approaches have therefore focused upon the neurobiological underpinnings of depression, and on the "individualization" of depression symptom profiles. One such model of depression has divided the standard diagnostic criteria into four "depression subtypes", with neurological and behavioral pathways.

The Effects of Postharvest Treatments and Sunlight Exposure on the Reproductive Capability and Viability of in Citrus Black Spot Fruit Lesions.

Citrus black spot (CBS) is caused by , which is classified as a quarantine organism in certain countries whose concerns are that CBS-infected fruit may be a pathway for introduction of the pathogen. This study evaluated the reproductive capability and viability of . under simulated conditions in which the whole fruit, peel segments, or citrus pulp with CBS lesions were discarded.

Menstrual variation in the acute testosterone and cortisol response to laboratory stressors correlate with baseline testosterone fluctuations at a within- and between-person level.

Studies have compared HPA and HPG stress reactivity across the follicular and luteal phases to assess the menstrual impact of estradiol and progesterone fluctuations. Ovulatory shifts in baseline and stressor-induced testosterone among athletic women offer a new framework to explore these responses. Here we investigated menstrual variation in baseline testosterone as a predictor of the acute testosterone and cortisol response to laboratory stressors in female athletes.