Shade Promotes Phototropism through Phytochrome B-Controlled Auxin Production.

Phototropism is an asymmetric growth response enabling plants to optimally position their organs. In flowering plants, the phototropin (phot) blue light receptors are essential to detect light gradients. In etiolated seedlings, the phototropic response is enhanced by the red/far-red (R/FR)-sensing phytochromes (phy) with a predominant function of phyA. In this study, we analyzed the influence of the phytochromes on phototropism in green (de-etiolated) Arabidopsis seedlings. Our experiments in the laboratory and outdoors revealed that, in open environments (high R/FR ratio), phyB inhibits phototropism. In contrast, under foliar shade, where access to direct sunlight becomes important, the phototropic response was strong. phyB modulates phototropism, depending on the R/FR ratio, by controlling the activity of three basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors of the PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTORs (PIFs) family. Promotion of phototropism depends on PIF-mediated induction of several members of the YUCCA gene family, leading to auxin production in the cotyledons. Our study identifies PIFs and YUCCAs as novel molecular players promoting phototropism in photoautotrophic, but not etiolated, seedlings. Moreover, our findings reveal fundamental differences in the phytochrome-phototropism crosstalk in etiolated versus green seedlings. We propose that in natural conditions where the light environment is not homogeneous, the uncovered phytochrome-phototropin co-action is important for plants to adapt their growth strategy to optimize photosynthetic light capture

Mixture of Fluids involving Entropy Gradients and Acceleration Waves in Interfacial Layers

Through an Hamiltonian action we write down the system of equations of motions for a mixture of thermocapillary fluids under the assumption that the internal energy is a function not only of the gradient of the densities but also of the gradient of the entropies of each component. A Lagrangian associated with the kinetic energy and the internal energy allows to obtain the equations of momentum for each component and for the barycentric motion of the mixture. We obtain also the balance of energy and we prove that the equations are compatible with the second law of thermodynamics. Though the system is of parabolic type, we prove that there exist two tangential acceleration waves that characterize the interfacial motion. The dependence of the internal energy of the entropy gradients is mandatory for the existence of this kind of waves. The differential system is non-linear but the waves propagate without distortion due to the fact that they are linearly degenerate (exceptional waves).Comment: 30 page

Las restricciones al velo islámico: neutralidad estatal y derechos humanos.

Abstract. In the last years the Islamic veil has been the object of intense debate, especially in some European countries. Religious neutrality or the lay State, religious freedom in its positive and negative facets and the principle of tolerance, among others are tightly interwoven in this debate. Within that context, on the basis of national court rulings and decisions of international human rights organizations, this work attempts to reflect the main legal aspects related to the restrictions imposed on the use of the Islamic veil in public educational institutions. Furthermore, this paper draws the fundamental guidelines for a critical examination of the topic from the human rights perspective, particularly religious freedom and the principle of tolerance.Resumen. El velo islámico ha sido objeto en los últimos años, especialmente en algunos países europeos, de un intenso debate en el que se entrecruzan la neutralidad religiosa o la laicidad del Estado, la libertad religiosa en sus facetas positiva y negativa y el principio de tolerancia, entre otros. En tal contexto, este trabajo intenta reflejar, con apoyo en pronunciamientos de tribunales nacionales, y de organismos internacionales encargados de la protección de los derechos humanos, los principales problemas jurídicos relacionados con las restricciones impuestas al uso del velo islámico en instituciones educativas públicas. Además, desde la perspectiva de los derechos humanos, en particular de la libertad religiosa, y del principio de tolerancia se trazan las líneas fundamentales para un examen crítico del tema

Proyecto de investigación: Implantación de un programa de primeros auxilios para el alumnado de secundaria de Xirivella.

Introducción. El conocimiento por parte de la población de los primeros auxilios sigue siendo a fecha de hoy una asignatura pendiente; habiéndose encontrado experiencias previas que mejoran éstos al ser implantadas acciones formativas en diferentes grupos de edad. Objetivo. Se plantea analizar la modificación de los conocimientos en Primeros Auxilios del alumnado de E.S.O de los institutos de Xirivella al implantar un curso de Primeros Auxilios. Metodología. Se valora la realización de una acción formativa en el alumnado de ESO de Xirivella, realizando una medición pre y post mediante la utilización de un cuestionario que previamente había sido validado en el profesorado. Resultados y Conclusiones. Al tratarse de un proyecto de investigación no se pueden establecer resultados y conclusiones de éste, no obstante, la búsqueda bibliográfica previa indica que la implantación de un programa formativo permite la capacitación del alumnado en la atención inicial en primeros auxilios

Histological evidence for a supraspinous ligament in sauropod dinosaurs

Supraspinous ossified rods have been reported in the sacra of some derived sauropod dinosaurs. Although different hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin ofthis structure, histological evidence has never been provided to support or reject any of them. In order to establish its origin, we analyse and characterize the microstructure of thesupraspinous rod of two sauropod dinosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina. The supraspinous ossified rod is almost entirely formed by dense Haversian bone. Remains ofprimary bone consist entirely of an avascular tissue composed of two types of fibre-like structures, which are coarse and longitudinally (parallel to the main axis of the element) oriented. These structures are differentiated on the basis of their optical properties under polarized light. Very thin fibrous strands are also observed in some regions. These small fibres are all oriented parallel to one another but perpendicular to the element main axis. Histological features of the primary bone tissue indicate that the sacral supraspinous rod corresponds to an ossified supraspinous ligament. The formation of this structure appears to have been a non-pathological metaplastic ossification, possibly induced by the continuous tensile forces applied to the element.Fil: Cerda, Ignacio Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro; ArgentinaFil: Casal, Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia; ArgentinaFil: Martínez, Rubén Darío. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia ; ArgentinaFil: Ibiricu, Lucio Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentin

A rapid landscape review of postpartum anaemia measurement: challenges and opportunities

BACKGROUND: Anaemia is a reduction in haemoglobin concentration below a threshold, resulting from various factors including severe blood loss during and after childbirth. Symptoms of anaemia include fatigue and weakness, among others, affecting health and quality of life. Anaemic pregnant women have an increased risk of premature delivery, a low-birthweight infant, and postpartum depression. They are also more likely to have anaemia in the postpartum period which can lead to an ongoing condition and affect subsequent pregnancies. In 2019 nearly 37% of pregnant women globally had anaemia, and estimates suggest that 50-80% of postpartum women in low- and middle-income countries have anaemia, but currently there is no standard measurement or classification for postpartum anaemia. METHODS: A rapid landscape review was conducted to identify and characterize postpartum anaemia measurement searching references within three published systematic reviews of anaemia, including studies published between 2012 and 2021. We then conducted a new search for relevant literature from February 2021 to April 2022 in EMBASE and MEDLINE using a similar search strategy as used in the published reviews. RESULTS: In total, we identified 53 relevant studies. The timing of haemoglobin measurement ranged from within the immediate postpartum period to over 6 weeks. The thresholds used to diagnose anaemia in postpartum women varied considerably, with < 120, < 110, < 100 and < 80 g/L the most frequently reported. Other laboratory results frequently reported included ferritin and transferrin receptor. Clinical outcomes reported in 32 out of 53 studies included postpartum depression, quality of life, and fatigue. Haemoglobin measurements were performed in a laboratory, although it is unclear from the studies if venous samples and automatic analysers were used in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: This review demonstrates the need for improving postpartum anaemia measurement given the variability observed in published measures. With the high prevalence of anaemia, the relatively simple treatment for non-severe cases of iron deficiency anaemia, and its importance to public health with multi-generational effects, it is crucial to develop common measures for women in the postpartum period and promote rapid uptake and reporting

A Fuzzy Criticality Assessment System of Process Equipment for Optimized Maintenance Management.

yesIn modern chemical plants, it is essential to establish an effective maintenance strategy which will deliver financially driven results at optimised conditions, that is, minimum cost and time, by means of a criticality review of equipment in maintenance. In this article, a fuzzy logic-based criticality assessment system (FCAS) for the management of a local company’s equipment maintenance is introduced. This fuzzy system is shown to improve the conventional crisp criticality assessment system (CCAS). Results from case studies show that not only can the fuzzy logic-based system do what the conventional crisp system does but also it can output more criticality classifications with an improved reliability and a greater number of different ratings that account for fuzziness and individual voice of the decision-makers

Heat dissipation mechanisms in hybrid superconductor-semiconductor devices revealed by Joule spectroscopy

Understanding heating and cooling mechanisms in mesoscopic superconductor-semiconductor hybrid devices is crucial for their application in quantum technologies. Owing to the poor thermal conductivity of typical devices, heating effects can drive superconducting-to-normal phase transitions even at low applied bias, observed as sharp conductance dips through the loss of Andreev excess currents. Tracking such dips across magnetic field, cryostat temperature, and applied microwave power, which constitutes Joule spectroscopy, allows to uncover the underlying cooling bottlenecks in different parts of a device. By applying this technique, we analyze heat dissipation in devices based on full-shell InAs-Al nanowires and reveal that superconducting islands are strongly susceptible to heating as their cooling is limited by the rather inefficient electron-phonon coupling, as opposed to grounded superconductors that primarily cool by quasiparticle diffusion. Our measurements indicate that powers as low as 50-150 pW are able to fully suprpress the superconductivity of an island. Finally, we show that applied microwaves lead to similar heating effects as DC signals, and explore the interplay of the microwave frequency and the effective electron-phonon relaxation time.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure