Syngenta (Switzerland)

Background/Objectives: Managing acetabular fractures remains a surgical challenge, particularly in cases involving traumatic pelvic discontinuity (PD). The optimal method for achieving primary stability is unclear, and biomechanical evidence comparing established techniques is limited. The goal of this biomechanical study is to evaluate if a Ganz reinforcement ring with the addition of a posterior-column plate and anterior-column screw (GRP) provides stability comparable to a Burch-Schneider reinforcement ring (BSR) with an additional anterior- and posterior-column screws construct. Methods: The primary biomechanical stability of two acetabular "fix-and-replace" techniques-BSR versus GRP-using standardized 4th-generation Sawbones® hemipelvis models with T-type fractures (PD) was compared. Relative 3D micromotions at the fracture site (Zone 1: Posterior-column; Zone 2: Anterior-column; Zone 3: Oblique to transverse fracture, and Zone 4: Ischiopubic ramus) were measured under increasing cyclic loading (100 cycles per load level) at 200 N, 400 N, 800 N, and 1200 N using an optical motion tracking system. A detected fracture gap of 1000 µm or more during/after the cyclic load was defined as fixation failure. Results: Fixation failure was not observed in any of the six artificial hemipelves with treated (3 BSR, 3 GRP) T-type acetabular fractures. Under cyclic, increasing load (200-1200 N), the mean fracture gap remained small at 200 N and 400 N with no significant differences between techniques. At 800 N, GRP fixation showed a non-significant increase in micromotion. At 1200 N, significantly greater displacements were observed in Zones 2-4 with GRP compared to BSR (p < 0.005), whereas no difference was found in Zone 1 (p = 0.424). Modelled slope and intercept comparisons confirmed a significantly steeper increase in fracture gap with GRP in zones 2-4 at higher loads (≥800 N, p < 0.01) while remaining under 1000 µm. Conclusions: Both fixation methods demonstrated sufficient construct stability without catastrophic failure, with minimal displacement (<1 mm) and with no significant difference in stability at the posterior column.

ABSTRACT A simple method for determining water content in organic compounds has been demonstrated using Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ( 1 H‐NMR) Spectroscopy. The method has been successfully applied to measure water content in a diverse range of substances, including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), sugar molecules, commercial building blocks, and various solvents. Comparative analyses with Karl Fischer titration (KFT) demonstrate high consistency with this NMR approach, confirming its reliability as an adaptable alternative for water content determination in organic compounds. The current technique offers rapid execution, requires very small sample quantities, accommodates diverse substrates, and enables quantification without precise analyte measurements.

Abstract. Paslon Jr FV, Parlucha JA. 2025. Biology and predatory potential of Eocanthecona furcellata on semi-looper, Chrysodeixis eriosoma in Sarangani, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Biodiversitas 26: 6197-6204. Predatory bugs play an important role in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) by naturally regulating populations of agricultural insect pests. Their use promotes sustainable agriculture by enhancing biodiversity and minimizing environmental impact. This study documents the first recorded observation of a predatory stink bug, Eocanthecona furcellata in Sarangani Province, Mindanao Island, Southern Philippines, collected from Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) fields. The life cycle and predatory potential of E. furcellata were assessed under laboratory conditions using the corn semi-looper, Chrysodeixis eriosoma as prey. The freshly laid eggs of E. furcellata were initially white, gradually turning light brown, and measured 1 mm in length and 0.89 mm in width. Eggs became dark red just before hatching, with an incubation period of six days. The nymphs progressed through five instars, completing their development in an average of 15.7±0.46 days. Adult female E. furcellata were larger and lived up to 36.8±1.81 days, while male adult E. furcellata had a shorter lifespan of up to 32.3±1.34 days. Predation rates varied significantly among developmental stages, with the fifth-instar nymphs exhibiting the highest predatory efficiency, consuming an average of 23.27 second-instar C. eriosoma larvae within 48 hours. The results indicate that C. eriosoma serves as a suitable alternative prey for mass-rearing E. furcellata. Furthermore, the study highlights the potential of E. furcellata as an augmentative biological control agent for managing C. eriosoma populations in agricultural ecosystems.

With the rapid increase in drone adoption, the global agricultural drone market is forecasted to grow to $11.9 billion USD by 2028 from an approximate worth of $1.4 billion USD in 2021 (Research and Markets, 2023). Butts et al. explored the combined effects of various hydraulic nozzle types and spray volumes on coverage and deposits from remotely piloted aerial application systems (spray drones). They observed increased spray recovery in the center of the spray swath compared to ground spray equipment, and identified specific nozzles to improve deposits while mitigating off-target movement potential. Paul et al. observed similar weed control in rice from a spray drone application compared to a knapsack manual sprayer despite significant reductions in spray volume, coverage, and droplet deposits. Their findings highlighted the potential of spray drones to reduce both labor and pesticide exposure in direct-seeded rice production.Proper weed identification is a critical first step towards effective weed management efforts. Venkataraju et al. explored multiple algorithms, including machine learning, deep learning, and object detection, to correctly identify troublesome weeds such as Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.) and waterhemp [Amaranthus tuberculatus (Moq.) J. D. Sauer]. Their deep learning model was most successful, achieving 93% accuracy in identifying the two species.Innovative techniques also involve viable strategies for improving future weed management efforts. Somala et al. explored the capabilities of a fungal extract (Diaporthe spp.) to reduce growth characteristics of barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli P. Beauv.). Their laboratory research demonstrated greater than 80% reduction in barnyardgrass seed germination, root length, and shoot length. In other laboratory allelochemical research, Trespidi et al. identified that root exudates from Baccharis halimifolia L. reduced germination by 50-75% and reduced root length by more than 85% across all tested species. However, they noted the challenges of consistently translating laboratory allelochemical results to field applications, and thus further research is needed to refine the use of allelochemicals for effective weed management. Niklolić et al. investigated biological characteristics, including germination thresholds and seed properties, of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) across different European climatic conditions. Their research demonstrated high adaptability of common ragweed to varying weather patterns, further exemplifying the need for site-specific weed management strategies.Finally, understanding practitioners' perceived needs, current practices, and thoughts about novel technologies is vital for establishing stakeholder-driven research and providing meaningful outreach. Ugljic et al. surveyed 128 stakeholders across the U.S. Midwest to assess these values. Results revealed more than 75% of respondents were unsure of adopting innovative targeted spray technologies. Survey results also showed that nearly 50% of respondents indicated they needed additional information on targeted spray equipment, underscoring the importance of further innovative technology research in conjunction with effective outreach efforts.This collection of research works serves as a critical example of the innovative weed management research being conducted globally, and the need for continued exploration. Longterm career forecasts have predicted that there will be a need for professionals who understand weed biology, ecology, and management principles, while simultaneously comprehending sensors, automation, and engineering technologies (Westwood et al., 2018). Additional funding resources and support are also required in this critical agricultural research crossroad. Collaborations with industry partners are a necessity, but there is also a pressing requirement for state, federal, and international funding resources to evaluate innovative weed management technologies and techniques. These novel tools will be released commercially regardless of the research background; therefore, funding not tied to a specific company will be crucial to validate marketing claims, supply non-biased data, and disseminate recommendations through engagement and Extension outreach for the successful implementation of these tools.

Remanufacturing-as-a-Service promises scalable, lower-cost repair of metal components by coordinating distributed capabilities through a cloud platform. This paper formulates a quantitative, supply-chain optimization of cloud-enabled remanufacturing built on a hybrid additive–subtractive (ASM) repair cost model and evaluates three delivery scenarios: (i) centralized national hubs with hybrid ASM; (ii) collaborations with tier-one local facilities that own separate AM and SM equipment; and (iii) collaborations with tier-two local facilities that provide only partial capability, requiring multi-facility routing. Using a U.S. tooling and machinery case study, this paper quantitatively fuses stepwise ASM repair economics with strategic facility location under an explicit quality–cost trade-off, closing a gap between process modeling and supply-chain design in remanufacturing. Results show that across plausible freights and capital costs, decentralized collaborations remain within 5% of the cost optimum while improving regional responsiveness; longer planning horizons shift the near-optimal set toward 5–8 hubs, rather than a single national site. Sensitivity tests confirm that (a) higher transportation costs and longer horizons favor additional hubs, while (b) tighter accuracy thresholds steer volume to hybrid hubs or vetted tier-one partners. The model provides clear trigger points—based on accuracy targets, capital expenditures, and freight conditions—for deciding when to build new hubs versus contracting with local partners. It offers managers a robust tool to navigate the critical trade-offs between cost efficiency, service reach, and quality.

Aloe vera is a perennial evergreen herb belonging to Liliaceae Aloe, which is widely used in beauty, food, healthcare, and medicine (Kumar et al. 2019) and extensively cultivated worldwide due to its enormous commercial value. However, a stem rot disease severely restricts the development of A.vera cultivation in China (Ji et al. 2007). In 2023, the average disease incidence of A.vera Mill. with basal stem rot in Dajie Town, Daming County, Handan City, Hebei Province, was 20％. The disease initially appeared as translucent, water-soaked patches on the epidermis of basal stems. These lesions progressed from light brown to dark brown, with vascular bundles turning brown. Internal tissues softened into a soggy decay and emitted a foul odor. Nine diseased plants showing representative symptoms were collected from three greenhouses. The pathogen was isolated from diseased stems using a tissue separation method. The stem tissues were surface sterilized with 75% ethanol for 30 s, then rinsed three times with sterile distilled water, dried, transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) supplemented with 100 μg/ml of streptomycin sulfate, and incubated at 25℃ for 2 days. A total of six isolates with similar morphology on PDA were consistently isolated, and purified by single-spore isolation (Qiu et al. 2011). Colonies showed round, flat surfaces, white downy or powdery mycelium, clear on the reverse side. Hyphae were hyaline, septate and branched microscopically. Arthrospores were hyaline, cylindrical or oval-shaped, ranging in size from 2.5 to 7.2 μm × 0.1 to 6.2 μm (n=50). These morphological features matched those of Geotrichum candidum (Kai et al. 2021). To further confirm the identification, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1 -alpha (TEF1-α) regions were amplified and sequenced from two randomly selected isolates (BAI, BAI2) using the primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), EF1-1018/EF1-1620R (Stielow et al. 2015). BLAST analysis revealed that the ITS sequences (PV018630, PV168341) had 100% identity to that of G. candidum and TEF1-α sequences (PV469904, PV469905) had 100% and 99% identity to that of G. candidum. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on ITS and TEF1-α indicated that BAI and BAI2 clustered with G. candidum (Saitou and Nei, 1987). BAI and BAI2 were deposited in the Life Sciences Experimental and Practical Training Center. For pathogenicity testing, healthy 1.5-year-old A.vera Mill. plants were surface disinfected with 75% ethanol, and then two 2-mm-depth wounds were punctured on each basal stem using a sterilized toothpick. Ten plants were inoculated with 10 μl of a conidial suspension (5 × 10 5 conidia per ml) obtained from 7-day-old PDA cultures and eluted with sterile distilled water (Ding et al. 2015). Ten control plants were inoculated with 10 μl of sterile distilled water. All plants were incubated at 25℃ under a 12/12-h light/dark cycle. After 10 days, all plants inoculated with BAI and BAI2 developed basal stem rot symptoms that were similar to those observed in the greenhouses. While control plants remained healthy, G. candidum was reisolated from the inoculated stems and confirmed by morphological and molecular analysis, fulfilling Koch’s postulates. Tests were repeated with consistent results. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of G. candidum causing basal stem rot on A. vera in China. These findings will aid the cultivation of this economically important crop by enabling early diagnosis and targeted control strategies.

Targeted insertion (TIN) of transgenic trait cassettes has the potential to reduce timeline and cost for GM product development and commercialization. Precise genome engineering has made remarkable progress over the last several decades, particularly with the use of site-directed nucleases as core editing machinery. However, there are still many critical factors that can impact TIN efficiency including insertion site selection, nuclease optimization and expression, donor vector design, gene delivery, and stable event regeneration. Here, we develop workflows for target site sequence identification and gRNA screening for CRISPR-Cas12a system and demonstrate its successful application for TIN in maize with donor sequences up to 10 kilobase pairs (kb) in size. We first prioritize genomic regions for inserting transgenes in silico using bioinformatics tools and then test gRNA performance using a leaf protoplast transient assay. Despite its known low efficiency, we identify homology-directed repair (HDR) as the preferential pathway for directing targeted insertions of large sequences in immature embryos and demonstrate double-junction integrations at a rate of up to 4%. We further apply a molecular analysis workflow using large amplicon TaqMan assays and nanopore sequencing for streamlined identification and characterization of high-quality insertion events with intact large inserts. Analysis of TIN events across generations suggests that efficiency bottlenecks are not limited to donor targeted integration; attrition in efficiency also results from partial or additional donor insertion, chimerism, and close linkage with undesired sequence insertions such as those encoding the editing machinery. This work represents a major step forward in realizing the potential of precise genome engineering in maize for basic research and biotech trait development applications.

Abstract Background Pangenome variation graphs (PVGs), which represent genomic diversity through multiple genomes alignment, are powerful tools for studying genomic variations in populations. However, current tools often lack integration, efficiency, or require format conversions, to use them, hindering their usability. Results Here, we introduce GraTools, a fast and user-friendly command-line tool for manipulating PVGs using the original GFA file. After a one-time graph import, GraTools enables rapid subgraph extraction, fasta sequence retrieval, and comprehensive analyses, including core/dispensable genome ratio calculation or group-specific segment identification. The import step results in conversion in standard data formats (BAM/BED), enabling the reuse of well-optimized existing tools, allowing an efficient storage and the querying of the PVGs large complex data structures. Scalability is ensured by a modular architecture supporting parallel processing and asynchronous I/O operations. GraTools supports coordinates defined on both the primary reference as well as from alternative genomes within the graph without re-importing, and its outputs can be easily visualized or manipulated using external tools. Using an Asian rice pangenome graph (13 accessions), we demonstrate its ability to easily extract subgraphs, compute depth statistics, and identify subspecies-specific segments. An intuitive command-line interface, a real-time execution feedback and a detailed logging system make this tool suitable for a wide range of applications, from population genetics to breeding and genomic medicine, for both biologists and bioinformaticians. Conclusions Through its unified graph manipulation interface, GraTools offers an interesting alternative to the few existing tools for manipulating PVGs, facilitating rapid, efficient and flexible downstream analyses. It is available as an open-source tool (GNU GPLv3), with its documentation available at https://gratools.readthedocs.io .