Non-Destructive Monitoring of Crop Fresh Weight and Leaf Area with a Simple Formula and a Convolutional Neural Network.

Crop fresh weight and leaf area are considered non-destructive growth factors due to their direct relation to vegetative growth and carbon assimilation. Several methods to measure these parameters have been introduced; however, measuring these parameters using the existing methods can be difficult. Therefore, a non-destructive measurement method with high versatility is essential.

Translating CO[Formula: see text] variability in a plant growth system into plant dynamics.

Plant growth occurs owing to the continuous interactions between environmental and genetic factors, and the analysis of plant growth provides crucial information on plant responses. Recent agronomic and analytical methodologies for plant growth require various channels for capturing broader and more dynamic plant traits. In this study, we provide a method of non-invasive growth analyses by translating CO[Formula: see text] variability around a plant.

Stone Wool Substrate Cover Incision Impacts on the Root-Zone Water Content, Temperature, and Yield of Tomato Cultures.

Standardized cultivation systems are crucial for establishing reproducible agronomic techniques. Especially stone wool-based cultivation is governed by standardized specifications and provides a controllable root-zone environment. However, the effects of stone wool cover incision on root-zone variability have rarely been studied.

Nutrient Dosing Framework for an Emission-Free Urban Hydroponic Production.

The urban hydroponic production system is accelerating industrialization in step with the potentials for reducing environmental impact. In contrast, establishing sustainable fertilizer dosing techniques still lags behind the pace of expansion of the system. The reproducibility of root-zone nutrient dynamics in the system is poorly understood, and managing nutrients has so far primarily relied on periodic discharge or dumping of highly concentrated nutrient solutions.

Theoretical and Experimental Analyses of Nutrient Control in Electrical Conductivity-Based Nutrient Recycling Soilless Culture System.

An electrical conductivity (EC)-based closed-loop soilless culture system is practical for in-field deployment. Literature on the closed-loop soilless culture nutrient management premise the limitations in managing recycled nutrients under dynamic changes in individual nutrient uptake concentrations. However, recent systems analysis studies predicting solutions for nutrient fluctuation stabilization in EC-based closed-loop soilless culture systems suggest that the system may have a deterministic side in nutrient variation.

Long short-term memory for a model-free estimation of macronutrient ion concentrations of root-zone in closed-loop soilless cultures.

Background: Root-zone environment is considered difficult to analyze, particularly in interpreting interactions between environment and plant. Closed-loop soilless cultures have been introduced to prevent environmental pollution, but difficulties in managing nutrients can cause nutrient imbalances with an adverse effect on crop growth. Recently, deep learning has been used to draw meaningful results from nonlinear data and long short-term memory (LSTM) is showing state-of-the-art results in analyzing time-series data.

Forecasting Root-Zone Electrical Conductivity of Nutrient Solutions in Closed-Loop Soilless Cultures via a Recurrent Neural Network Using Environmental and Cultivation Information.

In existing closed-loop soilless cultures, nutrient solutions are controlled by the electrical conductivity (EC) of the solution. However, the EC of nutrient solutions is affected by both growth environments and crop growth, so it is hard to predict the EC of nutrient solution. The objective of this study was to predict the EC of root-zone nutrient solutions in closed-loop soilless cultures using recurrent neural network (RNN).

Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Canopy Photosynthesis Modeling Using 3D Plant Architecture and Light Ray-Tracing.

Canopy photosynthesis has typically been estimated using mathematical models that have the following assumptions: the light interception inside the canopy exponentially declines with the canopy depth, and the photosynthetic capacity is affected by light interception as a result of acclimation. However, in actual situations, light interception in the canopy is quite heterogenous depending on environmental factors such as the location, microclimate, leaf area index, and canopy architecture. It is important to apply these factors in an analysis.

Investigation of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates producing SHV-12 and SHV-11 beta-lactamases in Korean hospitals.

Of 143 clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae collected from Korean non-tertiary hospitals, 24 (16.8%) showed an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-positive phenotype. PCR and sequence analysis revealed the presence of TEM-116 (n=13), CTX-M-3 (n=5), CTX-M-14 (n=2), CTX-M-15 (n=3), and SHV-12 (n=16).

Acanthamoeba healyi: expressed gene profiles with enhanced virulence after mouse-brain passage.

The virulence of Acanthamoeba can be attenuated by long-term in vitro cultivation, and can be recovered by serial mouse-brain passage via intranasal inoculation. Recovery is concomitant with changes in expression of virulence-related genes. To investigate the virulence factors of Acanthamoeba, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from two kinds of cDNA libraries-long-term in vitro cultivated A.

Construction of EST database for comparative gene studies of Acanthamoeba.

The genus Acanthamoeba can cause severe infections such as granulomatous amebic encephalitis and amebic keratitis in humans. However, little genomic information of Acanthamoeba has been reported. Here, we constructed Acanthamoeba expressed sequence tags (EST) database (Acanthamoeba EST DB) derived from our 4 kinds of Acanthamoeba cDNA library.

Characterization of a cryptic plasmid from an alpha-proteobacterial endosymbiont of Amoeba proteus.

A new cryptic plasmid pAP3.9 was discovered in symbiotic alpha-proteobacteria present in the cytoplasm of Amoeba proteus. The plasmid is 3869bp with a GC content of 34.

Acanthamoeba castellanii: gene profile of encystation by ESTs analysis and KOG assignment.

The trophozoite of Acanthamoeba transforms into a cyst, the resistant form under harmful environments such as starvation, cold and certain chemicals used in medical treatment. To investigate the factors mediating encystation, ESTs of encystation-induced A. castellanii were analysed and compared to those of trophozoites.

The dps gene of symbiotic "Candidatus Legionella jeonii" in Amoeba proteus responds to hydrogen peroxide and phagocytosis.

To survive in host cells, intracellular pathogens or symbiotic bacteria require protective mechanisms to overcome the oxidative stress generated by phagocytic activities of the host. By genomic library tagging, we cloned a dps (stands for DNA-binding protein from starved cells) gene of the symbiotic "Candidatus Legionella jeonii" organism (called the X bacterium) (dps(X)) that grows in Amoeba proteus. The gene encodes a 17-kDa protein (pI 5.

Induction of thioredoxin is required for nodule development to reduce reactive oxygen species levels in soybean roots.

Nodules are formed on legume roots as a result of signaling between symbiotic partners and in response to the activities of numerous genes. We cloned fragments of differentially expressed genes in spot-inoculated soybean (Glycine max) roots. Many of the induced clones were similar to known genes related to oxidative stress, such as thioredoxin and beta-carotene hydroxylase.

Phylogenetic characterization of Legionella-like endosymbiotic X-bacteria in Amoeba proteus: a proposal for 'Candidatus Legionella jeonii' sp. nov.

The X-bacteria which initiated organismic association with the D strain of Amoeba proteus in 1966 as parasites have changed to obligate endosymbionts on which the host depends for survival. Owing to the difficulty in cultivating the bacteria in vitro, the identity of X-bacteria has not been determined. As the life cycle of X-bacteria is similar to that of Legionella spp.

A transcription terminator in the groEx gene of symbiotic X-bacteria expressed in Escherichia coli.

The over-expressing groEx gene of symbiotic X-bacteria in Amoeba proteus has unique nucleotide motifs (Tx), containing two hairpins and a C-rich region at its 3'-end. To investigate the role of Tx as a transcription terminator, we mutated Tx and analyzed the effects on the expression of an upstream-located lacZ in E. coli.

Hantaan virus enters cells by clathrin-dependent receptor-mediated endocytosis.

The cellular entry of Hantaan virus (HTN) occurs through interactions with beta(3) integrins as cellular receptors. However, the process of HTN infection following attachment to the cell surface is not well understood. Our data indicate that overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant dynamin inhibits HTN internalization and that compounds that block clathrin- but not caveolae-dependent endocytosis also reduce HTN infectivity.