Casuarina equisetifolia L. commonly called whistling pine is an economically and industrially important tree species with global significance. Although species possess versatile importance worldwide, efforts imparted for selection and designing a robust model of selection index are inadequate. The selection process, based on quantitative and qualitative traits, identified 15 superior trees from the eastern coastal plain of Odisha. These superior trees showcased exceptional qualitative and quantitative attributes. Correlation analysis highlighted key similarities among various traits like volume and above ground biomass (AGB), volume and diameter at breast height (DBH), DBH and AGB, DBH and Tree Height (TH), crown length (CL), height, AGB and height. Principal component analysis emphasized substantial contributions of traits like DBH, height, CL, crown width, AGB and volume across different clusters. Furthermore, culmination resulted in a comprehensive selection index, integrating both qualitative and quantitative characters, reaching 52.04, signifying superior performance among specific accessions. The current study provides valuable insights into selection and designing optimal selection index of C. equisetifolia, guiding future decisions concerning optimal wood production and resource management.

The geochemistry of lake sediments provides valuable information on environmental conditions and geochemical processes in polar regions. To characterize geochemical composition and to analyse weathering and provenance, 26 lakes located in six islands of the South Shetland Islands (SSI) and James Ross Archipelago (JRA) were analysed. Regarding major composition, the studied lake sediments correspond to ferruginous mudstones and to a lesser extent to mudstones. The weathering indices indicate incipient chemical alteration (Chemical Index of Alteration = 52.6; Plagioclase Index of Alteration = 57.6). The La-Th-Sc plot shows different provenance signatures. SSI lake sediments correspond to oceanic island arcs, whereas those of JRA denote a signal of continental arcs with mixed sources. In James Ross Island lake sediments are of continental arcs (inland lakes), oceanic island arcs (coastal lakes) and a middle signature (foreland lakes). Multi-elemental analysis indicates that the sediments are enriched from regional basalts in Ba, Rb, Th, Cs and U (typical of silica-rich rocks) and depleted in Cr and Co due to mafic mineral weathering. The geochemical signals identified by principal component analysis enable us to group the sediments according to the studied islands and their geomorphological characteristics. This study underlines the importance of knowing the geochemical background levels in pristine lake sediments to evaluate potential future anthropogenic effects.

Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don) is a vital summer season perennial semi-shrub and multipurpose drought-resilient flower crop of the tropical region of the Indian subcontinent. This industrially dominant crop is primarily used as border, bedding and pot culture in landscaping. There is a lack of information on the genetics of important traits and its correlation with quantitative characters like flower yield and understanding the co-segregation of these traits might be useful in crop improvement. Therefore, the present study was performed using 30 F2 segregating lines of Catharanthus developed from diallel crossing of six genetically dissimilar parents varied in many traits. Phenotyping of population was executed for 12 morphological traits. Results indicated that a significant positive association between days to flowering and plant height (0.753**), and leaf area and number of branches (0.463**) was recorded. Flowers per plant exhibit significantly positive correlation with all attributes except flower diameter (−005). The path coefficient analysis reported solely two traits, such as number of seeds per follicle (0.357) and corolla tube length (0.308) exerted positively significant direct effects on flower yield per plant. The scrutiny of principal components showed that the first three components demonstrated a cumulative variability of 70.1%. The dissipating of F2 plants in bi-plot is impenitent to our prior reports that six inbred lines were genetically diverse and quite different for the characters under study. The current research might be useful in breeding programmes for selection and hybridization of periwinkle in future.

Obesity is a multifactorial pathophysiological condition with an imbalance in biochemical, immunochemical, redox status and genetic parameters values. We aimed to estimate the connection between relative leucocyte telomere lengths (rLTL) – biomarker of cellular ageing with metabolic and redox status biomarkers values in a group of obese and lean children. The study includes 110 obese and 42 lean children and adolescents, both sexes. The results suggested that rLTL are significantly shorter in obese, compared with lean group (P < 0·01). Negative correlation of rLTL with total oxidant status (TOS) (Spearman’s ρ = –0·365, P < 0·001) as well as with C-reactive protein (Spearman’s ρ = –0·363, P < 0·001) were observed. Principal component analysis (PCA) extracted three distinct factors (i.e. principal components) entitled as: prooxidant factor with 35 % of total variability; antioxidant factor with 30 % of total variability and lipid antioxidant – biological ageing factor with 12 % of the total variability. The most important predictor of BMI > 30 kg/m2 according to logistic regression analysis was PCA-derived antioxidant factor’s score (OR: 1·66, 95th Cl 1·05–2·6, P = 0·029). PCA analysis confirmed that oxidative stress importance in biological ageing is caused by obesity and its multiple consequences related to prooxidants augmentation and antioxidants exhaustion and gave us clear signs of disturbed cellular homoeostasis deepness, even before any overt disease occurrence.

The ability to provide adequate nutrition is considered a key factor in evaluating the sustainability of foods and diets. Nutrient indices are used as functional units (FU) in life cycle assessment of foods to include nutritional performance in the environmental assessment of a product. Several general and food-group-specific nutrient indices exist but many lack validation, particularly when used as FU. In addition, the nutrient selection strategies and reference units for nutrient intake can vary considerably among studies. To validate intake-based product-group-specific nutrient indices previously developed for protein (NR-FIprot) and carbohydrate (NR-FIcarb) foods and for fruits and vegetables (NR-FIveg), we applied principal component analysis to investigate correlations between nutrients in foods and dishes representing a typical Finnish diet. The reference amounts for meal components were based on a plate model that reflected Finnish dietary recommendations. The portion sizes for the different food groups were anchored at 100 g, 135 g and 350 g for proteins, carbohydrates and fruits/vegetables, respectively. Statistical modelling largely validated the NR-FI indices, highlighting protein foods as sources of niacin, vitamin B12 and Se, carbohydrate foods as sources of Mg, Fe and phosphorous, and fruits/vegetables as sources of potassium, vitamin K, vitamin C, fibre and thiamine. However, in contrast to the intake-based approach applied in NR-FIprot, the dietary recommendation-based validation process suggested that fruits and vegetables should be favoured as sources of riboflavin and vitamin B6.

Drought is a major abiotic stress worldwide limiting chickpea yield drastically. Low heritability and high genotype × environment interactions make the trait-based breeding strategy an unreliable approach. This study was planned to identify the drought-tolerant lines by evaluating yield-based selection indices in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from an inter-specific cross between drought-tolerant genotype GPF 2 (Cicer arietinum L.) and drought-sensitive accession ILWC 292 (C. reticulatum) at two locations in India (Ludhiana and Faridkot). A total of six yield-based selection indices were calculated and significant variation was observed in the RILs and their parents for yield-based selection indices at both locations. A holistic approach across association analysis and principal component analysis identified drought tolerance index, mean productivity, geometric mean productivity and harmonic mean productivity as key selection indices, which could be used for indirect selection of drought-tolerant lines. Overall, on the basis of these approaches, a total of 15 promising RILs were identified for their use in chickpea breeding programme for developing drought-tolerant cultivars.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease involving the colon and rectum. One of the most modifiable environmental factors affecting UC severity is the patient’s dietary pattern. Although the role of dietary patterns on UC aetiology has been investigated previously, its relationship with disease severity has not yet been elucidated. This study examined the association between UC patients’ dietary patterns and disease severity. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 340 UC patients. Using an FFQ, food patterns were assessed. Twenty-five food categories were categorised based on the similarity of the nutrient composition of the food using the factor analysis method. A simple clinical colitis activity index was used to determine disease severity. Three dietary patterns were identified based on the factor analysis: healthy, unhealthy and Western dietary pattern. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, patients who were in the highest tertile of healthy dietary pattern compared with the lowest tertile were 92 % less likely to have severe UC (OR: 0·08; 95 % CI: 0·03, 0·22). Also, those in the highest tertile of the Western dietary pattern were 3·86 times more likely to have severe UC than those in the lowest tertile (OR: 3·86; 95 % CI: 1·86, 8·00). Even after controlling for confounding variables, unhealthy dietary pattern did not increase the risk of severe UC. Our data indicate the beneficial role of healthy dietary pattern in amelioration of disease severity in UC patients. To confirm this association, more studies are needed, especially prospective cohort studies.

Efficiently distinguishing various Syzygium cumini L. Skeels (jamun) accessions holds practical significance for selection purposes. This study concentrated on 15 superior genotypes of jamun from the North Western Indian Himalayas, selected for their pivotal horticultural traits. Drawn from a pool of 82 collected genotypes and assessed across two consecutive years (2019 and 2020), these genotypes underwent morphological evaluations utilizing a randomized block design replicated thrice. Concurrently, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were employed for molecular analysis. Substantial variations surfaced among genotypes, both in morphological traits and fruit biochemistry. Notably, tree 43 exhibited promise across multiple horticultural facets, encompassing fruit weight, length, pulp weight, pulp-to-seed ratio and pulp percentage. Conversely, tree 49 excelled in elevated levels of total soluble solids, total sugar and reducing sugar. While principal component analysis and cluster analysis unveiled modest genetic variability, RAPD and ISSR markers unveiled pronounced molecular-level polymorphism. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering delineated the genotypes into five distinct clusters. Cluster I encompassed two genotypes, cluster II embraced five while the largest group, cluster III, included six genotypes. Clusters IV and V highlighted individual genotypes, trees 43 and 54 respectively. In the molecular analysis, UPGMA clustering yielded two primary clusters, spotlighting the noteworthy similarity between genotypes trees 49 and 52 whereas, trees 40, 43, 44 and 48 stood distinct. The observed genetic diversity stands as a valuable resource with substantial potential to enrich diverse breeding initiatives. These salient genetic variations underscore the richness within the studied population, offering a valuable asset for focused future pursuits.

The lack of excellent wheat germplasm resources on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has led to a gradual decrease in genetic diversity and an increasingly narrow genetic background in wheat grown in this region. Rational use of excellent genes from wheat relatives is important to increase genetic diversity, broaden the genetic base and achieve high yield and quality in common wheat. The objective of this study was to use principal component and cluster analyses of 13 important agronomic traits of 44 Polish wheat varieties over 3 years and comprehensively evaluate them to screen for excellent germplasm resources, thus providing the basic material for broadening the genetic base of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau wheat germplasm resources.

This article analyzes raw driving data of passenger cars in the city of Semnan in Iran, with the objective of understanding the impact of traffic conditions at different times of day (morning, noon, evening, and night). For this study, two cars, the Toyota Prius and the Peugeot Pars (or the IKCO Persia), were used, and the data of speed, longitude, latitude, and altitude of the vehicles were acquired. This data was collected over a week (July 21–28, 2022) for a distance of 670 km (13 hr), with the help of the Global Positioning System application, and were presented for both cars. In addition to this, the data on fuel consumption and average speed, based on the Electronic Control Unit in the Prius, was also collected. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was done on the features of the raw data, based on the Principal Component Analysis method.

We evaluated the possibility of increasing the storage temperature of raw milk for Provolone Valpadana cheesemaking, to identify the most suitable conditions of time and temperature for a pre-maturation process. We used Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to analyze the overall effects of different storage conditions on chemical, nutritional and technological characteristics of the raw milk. Four different thermal storage cycles, two at fixed temperature/time (6 and 12°C for 60 h) and two with two-phase thermal cycle (10 and 12°C for 15 h, followed by refrigeration at 4°C for 45 h) were studied. Although a moderate heterogeneity among raw milks from the 11 producers of Provolone Valpadana cheese was observed, PCA revealed the critical aspects of the extreme storage conditions (60 h of refrigeration). Some samples resulted in anomalous behaviors, probably related to unexpected fermentation phenomena occurring with increasing storage temperature. The acidification and the increase in the contents of lactic acid, soluble calcium, and degree of retinol isomerization observed in the anomalous samples can compromise the technological functionality of milk. Conversely, the storage with a two-phase thermal cycle did not lead to variations in any measured characteristic, suggesting that mild refrigeration conditions (10 or 12°C for 15 h followed by 4°C for 45 h) could be a good compromise in favoring milk pre-maturation without altering its quality characteristics.

Genetic diversity is essential for the development of more efficient plant types. In the present study, 529 chickpea accessions were evaluated for their agronomic performance, genetic divergence and identification of promising accessions through the use of a simple lattice design. These accessions varied widely in all agronomic traits. The first three principal components (PCs) explained 78.35% variation. The PC1 and PC2 explained 38.05 and 24.30% of total variations. Three traits namely, branches per plant, pods per plant and seed yield per plant contributed to maximum variation. The hierarchical clustering analysis carried out on PCs grouped the accessions into eight clusters. Among 127 selection indices formulated, higher relative efficiency (422.52%) coupled with high genetic advance (34.31%) was exhibited by the combination involving six characters. Based on the index score of greater than 100, 15 genotypes were promising for improving the grain yield. The results of both PC analysis (PCA) and selection indices suggested that branches per plant, pods per plant and 100-seed test weight traits have to be considered for any genetic yield gains. Both the techniques (PCA and selection indices) identified three genotypes (GAG 0733, IC 268988 and IC 269031) as the best performers, suggesting that the two techniques are equally efficient in the identification of superior germplasm that can be used in chickpea hybridization programmes for yield improvement.

Subglacial melt has important implications for ice-sheet dynamics. Locating and identifying subglacial lakes are expensive and time-consuming, requiring radar surveys or satellite methods. We explore three methods to identify source regions for lakes using seven continent-wide environmental characteristics that are sensitive to or influenced by ice-sheet temperature. A simple comparison of environmental properties at lake locations with their continent-wide distributions suggests a statistical relationship (high Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic) between stable lake locations and ice thickness and surface temperatures, indicating melting under passive conditions. Active lakes, in contrast, show little correlation with direct thermally influenced parameters, instead exhibiting large statistical differences with horizontal velocity and bedrock elevation. More sophisticated techniques, including principal component analysis (PCA) and machine learning (ML) classification, provide better spatial identification of lake types. Positive PCA scores derived from the environmental characteristics correlate with stable lakes, whereas negative values correspond to active lakes. ML methods can also identify regions where subglacial lake melt sources are probable. While ML provides the most accurate classification maps, the combination of approaches adds deeper knowledge of the primary controls on lake formation and the environmental settings in which they are likely to be found.