The effect of cultural and environmental factors on potato seed tuber morphology and subsequent sprout and stem development

Seed crops of the variety Estima were grown in each of 2 years using two planting dates, two harvest dates, two plant densities and two irrigation regimes to produce seed tubers which had experienced different cultural and environmental conditions. The effects of these treatments on tuber characteristics, sprout production and stem development in the ware crop were then determined in subsequent experiments using storage regimes of 3 and 10 °C. Time of planting the seed crop affected numbers of eyes, sprouts and above ground stems in the subsequent ware crop because environmental conditions around the time of tuber initiation appeared to alter tuber shape. Cooler, wetter conditions in the 7 days after tuber initiation were associated with tubers which were longer, heavier and had more eyes, sprouts and above ground stems. In contrast, the time of harvesting the seed crop did not affect tuber shape or numbers of above ground stems and there was no interaction with tuber size. The density of the seed crop had no effect on any character measured and irrigation well after tuber initiation did not affect tuber shape, numbers of sprouts or numbers of stems. Seed production treatments, which resulted in earlier dormancy break, were associated with tubers that produced more sprouts and above ground stems, in contrast to the conventional understanding of apical dominance. Storage at 3 °C gave fewer sprouts, a lower proportion of eyes with sprouts and fewer stems than storage at 10 °C. The major effects on stem production appear to result from environmental conditions at the time of tuber initiation of the seed crop and sprouting temperature

Differential expression of microRNA-206 and its target genes in pre-eclampsia

Objectives: Pre-eclampsia is a multi-system disease that significantly contributes to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. In this study, we used a non-biased microarray approach to identify novel circulating miRNAs in maternal plasma that may be associated with pre-eclampsia. Methods: Plasma samples were obtained at 16 and 28 weeks of gestation from 18 women who later developed pre-eclampsia (cases) and 18 matched women with normotensive pregnancies (controls). We studied miRNA expression profiles in plasma and subsequently confirmed miRNA and target gene expression in placenta samples. Placental samples were obtained from an independent cohort of 19 women with pre-eclampsia matched with 19 women with normotensive pregnancies. Results: From the microarray, we identified 1 miRNA that was significantly differentially expressed between cases and controls at 16 weeks of gestation and 6 miRNAs that were significantly differentially expressed at 28 weeks. Following qPCR validation only one, miR-206, was found to be significantly increased in 28 week samples in women who later developed pre-eclampsia (1.4 fold change ± 0.2). The trend for increase in miR-206 expression was mirrored within placental tissue from women with pre-eclampsia. In parallel, IGF-1, a target gene of miR-206, was also found to be down-regulated (0.41 ± 0.04) in placental tissue from women with pre-eclampsia. miR-206 expression was also detectable in myometrium tissue and trophoblast cell lines. Conclusions: Our pilot study has identified miRNA-206 as a novel factor up-regulated in pre-eclampsia within the maternal circulation and in placental tissue

Obsessive passion: a dependency associated with injury-related risky behaviour in dancers

Grounded in self-determination theory, obsessive passion for an activity has been associated with increased risky behaviour and rigid persistence, both symptomatic of dependence. However, it is unknown whether obsessive passion may predict the development of dependence, and furthermore, theoretically important relationships between basic need satisfaction, passion, exercise dependence and subsequent risky behaviour have not been fully explored. A sample of 100 professional dancers (50fs; 50ms; Mage = 20.88; SD = 2.69) completed self-ratings of risk-related behaviours (doctor visits; following treatment, and warming up), passion for dance and dance dependence. Findings supported the maladaptive nature of obsessive passion in relation to risky behaviour and as predicted dance dependence mediated this relationship. Interestingly, need satisfaction was positively related to both obsessive passion and harmonious passion. Results are discussed in the light of self-determination theory and dysfunctions of obsessive passion, suggesting that professional dancers are at risk of employing maladaptive behaviours if high in obsessive passion, which may be detectable via symptoms of dance dependence

Subtropical Banana Information Kit. Agrilink, your growing guide to better farming guide

Each Agrilink kit has been designed to be both comprehensive and practical. As the kits are arranged to answer questions of increasing complexity, they are useful references for both new and experienced producers of specific crops. Agrilink integrates the technology of horticultural production with the management of horticultural enterprises. REPRINT INFORMATION - PLEASE READ! For updated information please call 13 25 23 or visit the website www.daf.qld.gov.au This publication has been reprinted as a digital book without any changes to the content published in 2004. We advise readers to take particular note of the areas most likely to be out-of-date and so requiring further research: see detailed information on first page of the kit. Even with these limitations we believe this information kit provides important and valuable information for intending and existing growers. This publication was last revised in 2004. The information is not current and the accuracy of the information cannot be guaranteed by the State of Queensland. This information has been made available to assist users to identify issues involved in the production of subtropical bananas. This information is not to be used or relied upon by users for any purpose which may expose the user or any other person to loss or damage. Users should conduct their own inquiries and rely on their own independent professional advice. While every care has been taken in preparing this publication, the State of Queensland accepts no responsibility for decisions or actions taken as a result of any data, information, statement or advice, expressed or implied, contained in this publication

Controlling Reuse in Pattern-Based Model-to-Model Transformations

Model-to-model transformation is a central activity in Model-Driven Engineering that consists of transforming models from a source to a target language. Pattern-based model-to-model transformation is our approach for specifying transformations in a declarative, relational and formal style. The approach relies on patterns describing allowed or forbidden relations between two models. These patterns are compiled into operational mechanisms to perform forward and backward transformations. Inspired by QVT-Relations, in this paper we incorporate into our framework the so-called check-before-enforce semantics, which checks the existence of suitable elements before creating them (i.e. it promotes reuse). Moreover, we enable the use of keys in order to describe when two elements are considered equal. The presented techniques are illustrated with a bidirectional transformation between Web Services Description Language and Enterprise Java Beans models.Work partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, with projects METEORIC (TIN2008-02081) and FORMALISM (TIN2007-66523), and the R&D program of the Community of Madrid (S2009/TIC-1650, project “e-Madrid”). Moreover, part of this work was done during a post-doctoral stay of the first author at the University of York, and sabbatical leaves of the second and third authors to the University of York and TU Berlin respectively, all with financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant refs. JC2009-00015, PR2009-0019 and PR2008-0185).Publicad

Associations of sarcopenia components with physical activity and nutrition in Australian older adults performing exercise training

BACKGROUND: The risk of progressive declines in skeletal muscle mass and strength, termed sarcopenia, increases with age, physical inactivity and poor diet. The purpose of this study was to explore and compare associations of sarcopenia components with self-reported physical activity and nutrition in older adults participating in resistance training at Helsinki University Research [HUR] and conventional gyms for over a year, once a week, on average. METHODS: The study looked at differences between HUR (n = 3) and conventional (n = 1) gyms. Muscle strength (via handgrip strength and chair stands), appendicular lean mass (ALM; via dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) and physical performance (via gait speed over a 4-m distance, short physical performance battery, timed up and go and 400-m walk tests) were evaluated in 80 community-dwelling older adults (mean ± SD 76.5 ± 6.5 years). Pearson correlations explored associations for sarcopenia components with self-reported physical activity (via Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly [PASE]) and nutrition (via Australian Eating Survey). RESULTS: No differences in PASE and the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) were observed between HUR and conventional gyms, however HUR gym participants had a significantly higher self-reported protein intake (108 ± 39 g vs 88 ± 27 g; p = 0.029) and a trend to have higher energy intake (9698 ± 3006 kJ vs 8266 ± 2904 kJ; p = 0.055). In both gym groups, gait speed was positively associated with self-reported physical activity (r = 0.275; p = 0.039 and r = 0.423; p = 0.044 for HUR and conventional gyms, respectively). ALM was positively associated with protein (p = 0.047, r = 0.418) and energy (p = 0.038, r = 0.435) intake in the conventional gym group. Similar associations were observed for ALM/h2 in the HUR group. None of the sarcopenia components were associated with ARFS in either gym group. CONCLUSION: Older adults attending HUR and conventional gyms had similar self-reported function and nutrition (but not protein intake). Inadequate physical activity was associated with low gait speed and inadequate nutrition and low protein ingestion associated with low lean mas, even in older adults participating in exercise programs. Optimal physical activity and nutrition are important for maintaining muscle mass and function in older adults