Flower-specific KNOX phenotype in the orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii

The KNOTTED1-like homeobox (KNOX) genes are best known for maintaining a pluripotent stem-cell population in the shoot apical meristem that underlies indeterminate vegetative growth, allowing plants to adapt their development to suit the prevailing environmental conditions. More recently, the function of the KNOXgene family has been expanded to include additional roles in lateral organ development such as complex leaf morphogenesis, which has come to dominate the KNOX literature. Despite several reports implicating KNOX genes in the development of carpels and floral elaborations such as petal spurs, few authors have investigated the role of KNOX genes in flower development. Evidence is presented here of a flower-specific KNOX function in the development of the elaborate flowers of the orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii, which have a three-lobed labellum petal with a prominent spur. Using degenerate PCR, four Class I KNOX genes (DfKN1–4) have been isolated, one from each of the four major Class I KNOX subclades and by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), it is demonstrated that DfKNOXtranscripts are detectable in developing floral organs such as the spur-bearing labellum and inferior ovary. Although constitutive expression of the DfKN2 transcript in tobacco produces a wide range of floral abnormalities, including serrated petal margins, extra petal tissue, and fused organs, none of the vegetative phenotypes typical of constitutive KNOX expression were produced. These data are highly suggestive of a role for KNOX expression in floral development that may be especially important in taxa with elaborate flowers

A Framework for Dimensioning VDL-2 Air-Ground Networks

This paper describes a framework developed at MITRE for dimensioning a Very High Frequency (VHF) Digital Link Mode 2 (VDL-2) Air-to-Ground network. This framework was developed to support the FAA's Data Communications (Data Comm) program by providing estimates of expected capacity required for the air-ground network services that will support Controller-Pilot-Data-Link Communications (CPDLC), as well as the spectrum needed to operate the system at required levels of performance. The Data Comm program is part of the FAA's NextGen initiative to implement advanced communication capabilities in the National Airspace System (NAS). The first component of the framework is the radio-frequency (RF) coverage design for the network ground stations. Then we proceed to describe the approach used to assess the aircraft geographical distribution and the data traffic demand expected in the network. The next step is the resource allocation utilizing optimization algorithms developed in MITRE's Spectrum ProspectorTM tool to propose frequency assignment solutions, and a NASA-developed VDL-2 tool to perform simulations and determine whether a proposed plan meets the desired performance requirements. The framework presented is capable of providing quantitative estimates of multiple variables related to the air-ground network, in order to satisfy established coverage, capacity and latency performance requirements. Outputs include: coverage provided at different altitudes; data capacity required in the network, aggregated or on a per ground station basis; spectrum (pool of frequencies) needed for the system to meet a target performance; optimized frequency plan for a given scenario; expected performance given spectrum available; and, estimates of throughput distributions for a given scenario. We conclude with a discussion aimed at providing insight into the tradeoffs and challenges identified with respect to radio resource management for VDL-2 air-ground networks

High Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) and competitions: How motives differ by length of participation

High Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) is a unique fitness method that promotes an active lifestyle and has seen exponential and continual growth over the last two decades. Motivation to exercise is likely to change over time as individuals’ motives to initiate exercise may be different than those which motivate them to maintain an exercise program. The purpose of this study was to examine the motivational factors reported by individuals who actively engage in HIFT with varying length of participation and competition levels. 737 adults (32.4 ± 8.2 years) with more than three-months of HIFT experience completed an online version of the Exercise Motivation Inventory (EMI-2) survey. Those who had greater length of participation reported more motives associated with relatedness (i.e., affiliation, competition) and enjoyment, while those with less HIFT participation were more motivated by body-related variables (i.e., weight management). Further, motivational variables (e.g., social recognition, affiliation, challenge) varied depending on whether or not individuals had competed in an online qualifier. Understanding these differences in motivation may aid in exercise promotion, initiation, and adherence, and moreover promote long-term physical and mental health benefits

Supraglacial forcing of subglacial drainage in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

On the effectiveness of natural hedging for insurance companies and pension plans

Natural hedging is one possible method to reduce longevity risk exposure for an annuity provider or a pension plan. In this paper, we provide an assessment of the effectiveness of natural hedging between annuity and life products, using the correlated Poisson Lee–Carter model, Poisson common factor model, product-ratio model, and historical simulation. Our analysis is based on the mortality experience of UK assured lives, pensioners, and annuitants, and the national population of England and Wales. We consider a range of different scenarios, and find that the level of risk reduction is significant in general, with an average of around 60%. These results have important implications for those insurers, reinsurers, and pension plan sponsors who are seeking ways to hedge their unwanted risk exposures

Title page Regulation of Inflammatory Pain by Inhibition of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH)

Abstract Although cannabinoids are efficacious in laboratory animal models of inflammatory pain, their established cannabimimetic actions diminish enthusiasm for their therapeutic development. Conversely, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the chief catabolic enzyme regulating the endogenous cannabinoid N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), has emerged as an attractive target to treat pain and other conditions. Here, we tested WIN55,212-2, a cannabinoid receptor agonist, as well as genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of FAAH in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mouse model of inflammatory pain. WIN55,212 significantly reduced edema and hotplate hyperalgesia caused by LPS infusion into the hind paws, though the mice also displayed analgesia and other CNS effects. FAAH (-/-) mice exhibited reduced paw edema and hyperalgesia in this model, without apparent cannabimimetic effects. Transgenic mice expressing FAAH exclusively on neurons continued to display the anti-edematous, but not the anti-hyperalgesic, phenotype. The CB 2 receptor antagonist, SR144528, blocked this non-neuronal, anti-inflammatory phenotype, and the CB 1 receptor antagonist, rimonabant, blocked the anti-hyperalgesic phenotype. The FAAH inhibitor, URB597 attenuated the development of LPS-induced paw edema and reversed LPS-induced hyperalgesia through respective CB 2 and CB 1 receptor mechanisms of action. However, the TRPV1 receptor antagonist, capsazepine, did not affect either the anti-hyperalgesic or antiedematous effects of URB597. Finally, URB597 attenuated levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α in LPS-treated paws. These findings demonstrate that simultaneous elevations in non-neuronal and neuronal endocannabinoid signaling are possible through inhibition of a single enzymatic target, thereby offering a potentially powerful strategy to treat chronic inflammatory pain syndromes that operate at multiple levels of anatomical integration

Exocrine Proteins Including Trypsin(ogen) as a Key Biomarker in Type 1 Diabetes

   Objective Proteomic profiling can identify useful biomarkers. Monozygotic(MZ) twins, discordant for a condition represent an ideal test population. We aimed to investigate and validate proteomic profiling in twins with type 1 diabetes and in other well characterised cohorts. Research Design and Methods A broad, multiplex analysis of 4068 proteins in sera from MZ twins concordant (n=43) and discordant for type 1 diabetes (n=27) identified major differences which were subsequently validated by a trypsin(ogen) assay in MZ pairs concordant (n=39) and discordant (n=42) for type 1 diabetes, individuals at-risk (n=195) and with type 1 diabetes (n=990), as well as with non-insulin requiring adult-onset diabetes diagnosed as either autoimmune (n=96) or type 2 (n=291). Results Proteomic analysis identified major differences between exocrine enzyme levels in discordant MZ twin pairs despite strong correlation between twins, whether concordant or discordant for type 1 diabetes (p Conclusions Type 1 diabetes is associated with altered exocrine function, even before onset. Twin data suggest roles for genetic and non-genetically determined factors. Exocrine/endocrine interactions are important under-investigated factors in type 1 diabetes.</p

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes