Interdisciplinarity in the Philippine Academia: Theory, History, and Challenges

Forum Kritika on Interdisciplinarity in the Philippine Academia discusses the history of how universities and academics construct their respective notions of disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity. Our decision to engage with this development in tertiary education takes off from a historical phase in our educational system. Questions on the character of disciplines have heightened in the last half-century, and this phenomenon does not only emerge out of the critical practice of the people who are part of universities, but the external world of the universities have started to knock on the university doors. Informed by the present situation of our universities and the educational system at large, we both argue that both disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity are modern constructs that should be understood by elucidating dialectics of theoretical and historical underpinnings. The tandem of history and theory provides the frames for us to better see the challenges when universities implement such paradigm, and this forum hopes to shed some light to our fellow academics as the Philippines undergo crucial changes, revamps, and overhauls in our educational system

Overexpression. of dehydrin tas14 gene improves the osmotic stress imposed by drought and salinity in tomato

[EN] One strategy to increase the level of drought and salinity tolerance is the transfer of genes codifying different types of proteins functionally related to macromolecules protection, such as group 2 of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins or dehydrins. The TAS14 dehydrin was isolated and characterized in tomato and its expression was induced by osmotic stress (NaCl and mannitol) and abscisic acid (ABA) [Godoy et al., Plant Mol Biol 1994;26:1921-1934], yet its function in drought and salinity tolerance of tomato remains elusive. In this study, transgenic tomato plants overexpressing tas14 gene under the control of the 35SCaMV promoter were generated to assess the function of tas14 gene in drought and salinity tolerance. The plants overexpressing tas14 gene achieved improved long-term drought and salinity tolerance without affecting plant growth under non-stress conditions. A mechanism of osmotic stress tolerance via osmotic potential reduction and solutes accumulation, such as sugars and K+ is operating in tas14 overexpressing plants in drought conditions. A similar mechanism of osmotic stress tolerance was observed under salinity. Moreover, the overexpression of tas14 gene increased Na+ accumulation only in adult leaves, whereas in young leaves, the accumulated solutes were K+ and sugars, suggesting that plants overexpressing tas14 gene are able to distribute the Na+ accumulation between young and adult leaves over a prolonged period in stressful conditions. Measurement of ABA showed that the action mechanism of tas14 gene is associated with an earlier and greater accumulation of ABA in leaves during short-term periods. A good feature for the application of this gene in improving drought and salt stress tolerance is the fact that its constitutive expression does not affect plant growth under non-stress conditions, and tolerance induced by overexpression of tas14 gene was observed at the different stress degrees applied to the long term. (C) 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through grant AGL2009-13388-C03 and by the Council of Science and Technology from the Region of Murcia (Spain) (Fundacion SENECA) through grant 04553/GERM/06.Muñoz Mayor, A.; Pineda Chaza, BJ.; García Abellán, JO.; Antón Martínez, MT.; García Sogo, B.; Sánchez Bel, P.; Flores, FB.... (2012). Overexpression. of dehydrin tas14 gene improves the osmotic stress imposed by drought and salinity in tomato. Journal of Plant Physiology. 169(5):459-468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2011.11.018S459468169

Growth and nutrient absorption of Cape Gooseberry (Physalis Peruviana L.) in soilless culture

"This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in [include the complete citation information for the final version of the article as published in the Journal of Plant Nutrition 2015 March, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/01904167.2014.934474."Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) is a solanaceous plant. The growth and time-course of nutrient accumulation of the plant and its partitioning between roots, stems, leaves, and fruits were examined. The study was conducted analyzing two nutrient solutions in soilless culture under greenhouse conditions during two consecutive seasons. The macronutrient contents were analyzed. On average, the yield was 8.9 t.ha(-1). Growth of the plant until 90 d after transplanting obeys an exponential function of time and the relative growth rate for this period was determined. Nitrogen (N) was the element that showed the highest concentration, corresponding to leaves (4.67%), followed by potassium (K) in stems (4.46%). The highest accumulations of N, phosphorous (P), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) were found in leaves and of K in the stems. Potassium showed the highest nutrient accumulation (29 g.plant(-1)) and the highest specific uptake rate.Torres Rubio, JF.; Pascual Seva, N.; San Bautista Primo, A.; Pascual España, B.; López Galarza, SV.; Alagarda Pardo, J.; Maroto Borrego, JV. (2015). Growth and nutrient absorption of Cape Gooseberry (Physalis Peruviana L.) in soilless culture. Journal of Plant Nutrition. 38(4):485-496. doi:10.1080/01904167.2014.934474S485496384Bellaloui, N., & Brown, P. H. (1998). Plant and Soil, 198(2), 153-158. doi:10.1023/a:1004343031242Bennett, J. P., Oshima, R. J., & Lippert, L. F. (1979). Effects of ozone on injury and dry matter partitioning in pepper plants. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 19(1), 33-39. doi:10.1016/0098-8472(79)90022-4CAUSTON, D. R. (1991). Plant Growth Analysis: The Variability of Relative Growth Rate Within a Sample. Annals of Botany, 67(2), 137-144. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a088112Convenio MAG-IICA (Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería. Institución Interamericana de Cooperación para la Agricultura). 2001. The cape gooseberry (Physalis peruvianaL.Physalis edulis). Subprograma de Cooperación Técnica, Ecuador. Available at: http://www.sica.gov.ec/agronegocios/Biblioteca/Convenio%20MAG%20IICA/productos/uvilla_mag.pdf (Accessed July 2007, in Spanish).El-Tohamy, W. A., El-Abagy, H. M., Abou-Hussein, S. D., & Gruda, N. (2009). Response of Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) to nitrogen application under sandy soil conditions. Gesunde Pflanzen, 61(3-4), 123-127. doi:10.1007/s10343-009-0211-0Fresquet, J., Pascual, B., López-Galarza, S., Bautista, S., Baixauli, C., Gisbert, J. M., & Maroto, J. V. (2001). Nutrient uptake of pepino plants in soilless cultivation. The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 76(3), 338-343. doi:10.1080/14620316.2001.11511373Heuvelink, E., Bakker, M. J., Elings, A., Kaarsemaker, R. C., & Marcelis, L. F. M. (2005). EFFECT OF LEAF AREA ON TOMATO YIELD. Acta Horticulturae, (691), 43-50. doi:10.17660/actahortic.2005.691.2Leskovar, D. I., & Cantliffe, D. J. (1993). Comparison of Plant Establishment Method, Transplant, or Direct Seeding on Growth and Yield of Bell Pepper. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, 118(1), 17-22. doi:10.21273/jashs.118.1.17Marcelis, L. F. M. (1993). Fruit growth and biomass allocation to the fruits in cucumber. 1. Effect of fruit load and temperature. Scientia Horticulturae, 54(2), 107-121. doi:10.1016/0304-4238(93)90059-yPuente, L. A., Pinto-Muñoz, C. A., Castro, E. S., & Cortés, M. (2011). Physalis peruviana Linnaeus, the multiple properties of a highly functional fruit: A review. Food Research International, 44(7), 1733-1740. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2010.09.034Radford, P. J. (1967). Growth Analysis Formulae - Their Use and Abuse1. Crop Science, 7(3), 171. doi:10.2135/cropsci1967.0011183x000700030001xRamadan, M. F., & Moersel, J. T. (2007). Impact of enzymatic treatment on chemical composition, physicochemical properties and radical scavenging activity of goldenberry (Physalis peruviana L.) juice. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 87(3), 452-460. doi:10.1002/jsfa.2728Ramadan, M. F., & Moersel, J.-T. (2009). Oil extractability from enzymatically treated goldenberry (Physalis peruvianaL.) pomace: range of operational variables. International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 44(3), 435-444. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.2006.01511.xSalazar, M. R., Jones, J. W., Chaves, B., & Cooman, A. (2008). A model for the potential production and dry matter distribution of Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.). Scientia Horticulturae, 115(2), 142-148. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2007.08.015Scholberg, J., McNeal, B. L., Jones, J. W., Boote, K. J., Stanley, C. D., & Obreza, T. A. (2000). Growth and Canopy Characteristics of Field-Grown Tomato. Agronomy Journal, 92(1), 152. doi:10.2134/agronj2000.921152xTrinchero, G. D., Sozzi, G. O., Cerri, A. M., Vilella, F., & Fraschina, A. A. (1999). Ripening-related changes in ethylene production, respiration rate and cell-wall enzyme activity in goldenberry (Physalis peruviana L.), a solanaceous species. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 16(2), 139-145. doi:10.1016/s0925-5214(99)00011-3Turner, A. (1994). Dry Matter Assimilation and Partitioning in Pepper Cultivars Differing in Susceptibility to Stress-induced Bud and Flower Abscission. Annals of Botany, 73(6), 617-622. doi:10.1006/anbo.1994.1077WILLIAMS, R. F. (1946). The Physiology of Plant Growth with Special Reference to the Concept of Net Assimilation Rate. Annals of Botany, 10(1), 41-72. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a083119Zapata, J.L., A. Saldarriaga, M. Londoño, and C. Díaz. 2002. Cape gooseberry Management in Colombia. Antioquia, Colombia: Rionegro, Programa Nacional de Transferencia de Tecnología Agropecuaria - Corpoica Regional Cuatro (in Spanish).Zerihun, A. (2000). Compensatory Roles of Nitrogen Uptake and Photosynthetic N-use Efficiency in Determining Plant Growth Response to Elevated CO2: Evaluation Using a Functional Balance Model. Annals of Botany, 86(4), 723-730. doi:10.1006/anbo.2000.123

Outbreak of severe vomiting in dogs associated with a canine enteric coronavirus, United Kingdom

The lack of population health surveillance for companion animal populations leaves them vulnerable to the effects of novel diseases without means of early detection. We present evidence on the effectiveness of a system that enabled early detection and rapid response to a canine gastroenteritis outbreak in the United Kingdom. In January 2020, prolific vomiting among dogs was sporadically reported in the United Kingdom. Electronic health records from a nationwide sentinel network of veterinary practices confirmed a significant increase in dogs with signs of gastroenteric disease. Male dogs and dogs living with other vomiting dogs were more likely to be affected. Diet and vaccination status were not associated with the disease; however, a canine enteric coronavirus was significantly associated with illness. The system we describe potentially fills a gap in surveillance in neglected populations and could provide a blueprint for other countries

An insertional mutagenesis programme with an enhancer trap for the identification and tagging of genes involved in abiotic stress tolerance in the tomato wild-related species Solanum pennellii

Salinity and drought have a huge impact on agriculture since there are few areas free of these abiotic stresses and the problem continues to increase. In tomato, the most important horticultural crop worldwide, there are accessions of wild-related species with a high degree of tolerance to salinity and drought. Thus, the finding of insertional mutants with other tolerance levels could lead to the identification and tagging of key genes responsible for abiotic stress tolerance. To this end, we are performing an insertional mutagenesis programme with an enhancer trap in the tomato wild-related species Solanum pennellii. First, we developed an efficient transformation method which has allowed us to generate more than 2,000 T-DNA lines. Next, the collection of S. pennelli T0 lines has been screened in saline or drought conditions and several presumptive mutants have been selected for their salt and drought sensitivity. Moreover, T-DNA lines with expression of the reporter uidA gene in specific organs, such as vascular bundles, trichomes and stomata, which may play key roles in processes related to abiotic stress tolerance, have been identified. Finally, the growth of T-DNA lines in control conditions allowed us the identification of different development mutants. Taking into account that progenies from the lines are being obtained and that the collection of T-DNA lines is going to enlarge progressively due to the high transformation efficiency achieved, there are great possibilities for identifying key genes involved in different tolerance mechanisms to salinity and drought

Principles of 3D chromosome folding and evolutionary genome reshuffling in mammals.

Studying the similarities and differences in genomic interactions between species provides fertile grounds for determining the evolutionary dynamics underpinning genome function and speciation. Here, we describe the principles of 3D genome folding in vertebrates and show how lineage-specific patterns of genome reshuffling can result in different chromatin configurations. We (1) identified different patterns of chromosome folding in across vertebrate species (centromere clustering versus chromosomal territories); (2) reconstructed ancestral marsupial and afrotherian genomes analyzing whole-genome sequences of species representative of the major therian phylogroups; (3) detected lineage-specific chromosome rearrangements; and (4) identified the dynamics of the structural properties of genome reshuffling through therian evolution. We present evidence of chromatin configurational changes that result from ancestral inversions and fusions/fissions. We catalog the close interplay between chromatin higher-order organization and therian genome evolution and introduce an interpretative hypothesis that explains how chromatin folding influences evolutionary patterns of genome reshuffling. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Insulin resistance and its association with the components of the metabolic syndrome among obese children and adolescents

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insulin resistance is the primary metabolic disorder associated with obesity; yet little is known about its role as a determinant of the metabolic syndrome in obese children. The aim of this study is to assess the association between the degree of insulin resistance and the different components of the metabolic syndrome among obese children and adolescents.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An analytical, cross-sectional and population-based study was performed in forty-four public primary schools in Campeche City, Mexico. A total of 466 obese children and adolescents between 11-13 years of age were recruited. Fasting glucose and insulin concentrations, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured; insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome were also evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Out of the total population studied, 69% presented low values of high density lipoprotein cholesterol, 49% suffered from abdominal obesity, 29% had hypertriglyceridemia, 8% presented high systolic and 13% high diastolic blood pressure, 4% showed impaired fasting glucose, 51% presented insulin resistance and 20% metabolic syndrome. In spite of being obese, 13% of the investigated population did not present any metabolic disorder. For each one of the components of the metabolic syndrome, when insulin resistance increased so did odds ratios as cardiometabolic risk factors.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Regardless of age and gender an increased degree of insulin resistance is associated with a higher prevalence of disorders in each of the components of the metabolic syndrome and with a heightened risk of suffering metabolic syndrome among obese children and adolescents.</p

Effects of ranolazine on astrocytes and neurons in primary culture

Ranolazine (Rn) is an antianginal agent used for the treatment of chronic angina pectoris when angina is not adequately controlled by other drugs. Rn also acts in the central nervous system and it has been proposed for the treatment of pain and epileptic disorders. Under the hypothesis that ranolazine could act as a neuroprotective drug, we studied its effects on astrocytes and neurons in primary culture. We incubated rat astrocytes and neurons in primary cultures for 24 hours with Rn (10−7, 10−6 and 10−5 M). Cell viability and proliferation were measured using trypan blue exclusion assay, MTT conversion assay and LDH release assay. Apoptosis was determined by Caspase 3 activity assay. The effects of Rn on proinflammatory mediators IL-β and TNF-α was determined by ELISA technique, and protein expression levels of Smac/Diablo, PPAR-γ, Mn-SOD and Cu/Zn-SOD by western blot technique. In cultured astrocytes, Rn significantly increased cell viability and proliferation at any concentration tested, and decreased LDH leakage, Smac/Diablo expression and Caspase 3 activity indicating less cell death. Rn also increased anti-inflammatory PPAR-γ protein expression and reduced pro-inflammatory proteins IL-1 β and TNFα levels. Furthermore, antioxidant proteins Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD significantly increased after Rn addition in cultured astrocytes. Conversely, Rn did not exert any effect on cultured neurons. In conclusion, Rn could act as a neuroprotective drug in the central nervous system by promoting astrocyte viability, preventing necrosis and apoptosis, inhibiting inflammatory phenomena and inducing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents