Phytochrome A mediates blue-light enhancement of second-positive phototropism in Arabidopsis

Hypocotyl phototropism of etiolated Arabidopsis seedlings is primarily mediated by the blue-light receptor kinase phototropin 1 (phot1). Phot1-mediated curvature to continuous unilateral blue light irradiation (0.5 µmol m-2 s-1) is enhanced by overhead pre-treatment with red light (20 µmol m-2 s-1 for 15 min) through the action of phytochrome (phyA). Here, we show that pre-treatment with blue light is equally as effective in eliciting phototropic enhancement and is dependent on phyA. Although blue pre-treatment was sufficient to activate early phot1 signalling events, phot1 autophosphorylation in vivo was not found to be saturated, as assessed by subsequently measuring phot1 kinase activity in vitro. However, enhancement effects to red and blue pre-treatment were not observed at higher intensities of phototropic stimulation (10 µmol m-2 s-1). Phototropic enhancement to red and blue pre-treatments to 0.5 µmol m-2 s-1 unilateral blue light irradiation was also lacking in transgenic Arabidopsis where PHOT1 expression was restricted to the epidermis. Together, these findings indicate that phyA-mediated effects on phot1 signalling are restricted to low intensities of phototropic stimulation and originate from tissues other than the epidermis

Status of marine protected areas and fish refugia in the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem

The report reviews the status of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Fish Refugia in the Bay of Bengal. Baseline studies are presented and current and potential linkages between MPAs and fisheries management discussed. Feedback from a a workshop in Penang is also presented

Implementation of Standardized Handoff Report in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit

BACKGROUND: Handoff communication is a critical event as it involves the transfer of patient details, authority, and responsibility from one clinician to another. The variations in handoff can lead to increased opportunities for clinician error due to the distinct possibility of the anesthesia providers omitting critical patient information. LOCAL PROBLEM: The site for this quality improvement project is an academic medical center in the Southeastern region. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a standardized anesthesia handoff tool for anesthesia providers. The aim of this project was after one month of implementation, the mean anesthesia handoff time will decrease from 70 seconds to 55 seconds and anesthesia handoff will be 65% complete using the WHAT tool. METHODS: The Johns Hopkins’s Evidence-Based Practice model was used as the framework for this project. Education was provided to all anesthesia providers regarding the project design and description of the tool. The outcome measures for data collection included mean handoff time and completeness of the handoff tool pre- and post-implementation. INTERVENTIONS: The SRNA project team members observed and recorded the handoff that occurred between the anesthesia providers pre- and post-implementation. The completeness of the WHAT tool and handoff time data was compiled and analyzed. RESULTS: The average recorded time it took to complete hand off decreased from 67.9 seconds to 48.9 seconds post implementation, which met our aim. When looking at completed tools turned in over the entire course of the project, the completeness of the tool rose from 3.8/8 (or 47.5%) to 6.4/8 (or 80%), which also surpassed our aim. CONCLUSIONS: The results produced from the project showed that the implementation of a standardized handoff tool has positive impacts on the handoff process. When considering the improved efficiency and the low economic impact of the handoff tool, the tool can feasibly be integrated into the standard of care

An Apple Extract Beverage Combined with Caffeine Can Improve Alertness, Mental Fatigue, and Information Processing Speed

The psychological effects of low-dose caffeine combined with polyphenols from apples have rarely been explored scientifically yet synergistic effects are plausible. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over experiment was used to test the psychological effects of apple extract beverages combined with 10, 20, 37.5, and 75 mg caffeine. Comparisons were made to both a placebo drink that was artificially sweetened and colored to mimic the test beverages and a positive control drink with 75 mg caffeine but without apple extract. Compared to placebo, it was hypothesized that dose-dependent improvements in cognitive performance, mood, and motivation would be realized after consuming the beverage with apple extract containing added caffeine. Outcomes were assessed before, 60 to 110, and 125 to 175 min post-beverage. The positive control beverage resulted in more serial seven subtractions, greater motivation to perform cognitive tasks, and reduced feelings of fatigue (all p \u3c .005). The study found that psychological effects (i) were not observed for beverages containing apple extract and 10 or 20 mg caffeine, (ii) of the apple extract beverage containing 75 mg caffeine generally mimicked the effects of the positive control drink and significantly increased serial seven processing speed, and (iii) of the apple extract beverage containing 37.5 mg improved feelings of alertness and mental fatigue. In sum, effects of apple extract combined with caffeine were not dose-dependent; the apple extract beverage containing 75 mg caffeine improved information processing speed and the apple extract beverage with 37.5 mg caffeine improved feelings of alertness and mental fatigue

Non-contrast renal magnetic resonance imaging to assess perfusion and corticomedullary differentiation in health and chronic kidney disease

AIMS Arterial spin labelling (ASL) MRI measures perfusion without administration of contrast agent. While ASL has been validated in animals and healthy volunteers (HVs), application to chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been limited. We investigated the utility of ASL MRI in patients with CKD. METHODS We studied renal perfusion in 24 HVs and 17 patients with CKD (age 22-77 years, 40% male) using ASL MRI at 3.0T. Kidney function was determined using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). T1 relaxation time was measured using modified look-locker inversion and xFB02;ow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery true-fast imaging and steady precession was performed to measure cortical and whole kidney perfusion. RESULTS T1 was higher in CKD within cortex and whole kidney, and there was association between T1 time and eGFR. No association was seen between kidney size and volume and either T1, or ASL perfusion. Perfusion was lower in CKD in cortex (136 ± 37 vs. 279 ± 69 ml/min/100 g; p < 0.001) and whole kidney (146 ± 24 vs. 221 ± 38 ml/min/100 g; p < 0.001). There was significant, negative, association between T1 longitudinal relaxation time and ASL perfusion in both the cortex (r = -0.75, p < 0.001) and whole kidney (r = -0.50, p < 0.001). There was correlation between eGFR and both cortical (r = 0.73, p < 0.01) and whole kidney (r = 0.69, p < 0.01) perfusion. CONCLUSIONS Significant differences in renal structure and function were demonstrated using ASL MRI. T1 may be representative of structural changes associated with CKD; however, further investigation is required into the pathological correlates of reduced ASL perfusion and increased T1 time in CKD

Book reviews

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

In pursuit of happiness : Creation of an academic hospitalist wellness committee and well-being survey

Physician burnout poses a critical threat to the delivery of healthcare. A solution to this problem is a leadership imperative. Managing demands on physicians can prevent burnout and foster engagement. This study assesses stress and burnout within an academic hospitalist group and identifies areas to focus interventions on both personal and systemic levels.Includes bibliographical reference

Values of Exemplary Jesuit College Graduates

What values do undergraduates adopt and internalize as a result of their college experiences at a Catholic Jesuit college/university? In an attempt to answer this question, the authors chose 21 exemplary graduates from 2000-2007 at a Catholic, Jesuit college in the northeastern part of the United States and conducted a ten question intensive interview with each of them. After transcribing and coding the interviews, it was discovered that these graduates had a strong grasp of such Jesuit ideals as “men and women for others,” “educating the whole person,” “cura personalis,” and “magis,” but apparently a weaker grasp of the more recent Jesuit emphasis on diversity and social justice. Faculty and members of the campus ministry staff had a strong influence on helping these graduates to develop a better sense of Jesuit values. Campus ministry activities, service and immersion trips, and research with faculty helped those interviewed to learn and practice Jesuit values

Occlusion-free Camera Control for Multiple Targets

International audienceMaintaining the visibility of target objects is a fundamental problem in automatic camera control for 3D graphics applications. Practical real-time camera control algorithms generally only incorporate mechanisms for the evaluation of the visibility of target objects from a single viewpoint, and idealize the geometric complexity of target objects. Drawing on work in soft shadow generation, we perform low resolution projections, from target objects to rapidly compute their visibility for a sample of locations around the current camera position. This computation is extended to aggregate visibility in a temporal window to improve camera stability in the face of partial and sudden onset occlusion. To capture the full spatial extent of target objects we use a stochastic approximation of their surface area. Our implementation is the first practical occlusion-free real-time camera control framework for multiple target objects. The result is a robust component that can be integrated to any virtual camera control system that requires the precise computation of visibility for multiple target

Occlusion-free Camera Control

Computing and maintaining the visibility of target objects is a fundamental problem in the the design of automatic camera control schemes for {3D} graphics applications. Most real-time camera control algorithms only incorporate mechanisms for the evaluation of the visibility of target objects from a single viewpoint, and typically idealise the geometric complexity of target objects in doing so. We present a novel approach to the real-time evaluation of the visibility of multiple target objects which simultaneously computes their visibility for a large sample of points. The visibility computation step involves performing a low resolution projection from points on pairs of target objects onto a plane parallel to the pair and behind the camera. By combining the depth buffers for these projections the joint visibility of the pair can be rapidly computed for a sample of locations around the current camera position. This pair-wise computation is extended for three or more target objects and visibility results aggregated in a temporal window to mitigate over-reactive camera behaviour. To address the target object geometry idealisation problem we use a stochastic approximation of the physical extent of target objects by selecting projection points randomly from the visible surface of the target object. We demonstrate the efficiency of the approach for a number of problematic and complex scene configurations in real-time for both two and three target objects