Low soil available phosphorus level reduces cotton fiber length via osmoregulation

IntroductionPhosphorus (P) deficiency hinders cotton (Gossypium hirustum L.) growth and development, seriously affecting lint yield and fiber quality. However, it is still unclear how P fertilizer affects fiber length.MethodsTherefore, a two-year (2019-2020) pool-culture experiment was conducted using the split-plot design, with two cotton cultivars (CCRI-79; low-P tolerant and SCRC-28; low-P sensitive) as the main plot. Three soil available phosphorus (AP) contents (P0: 3 ± 0.5, P1: 6 ± 0.5, and P2 (control) with 15 ± 0.5 mg kg−1) were applied to the plots, as the subplot, to investigate the impact of soil AP content on cotton fiber elongation and length. ResultsLow soil AP (P0 and P1) decreased the contents of the osmotically active solutes in the cotton fibers, including potassium ions (K+), malate, soluble sugar, and sucrose, by 2.2–10.2%, 14.4–47.3%, 8.7–24.5%, and 10.1–23.4%, respectively, inhibiting the vacuoles from facilitating fiber elongation through osmoregulation. Moreover, soil AP deficiency also reduced the activities of enzymes participated in fiber elongation (plasma membrane H+-ATPase (PM-H+-ATPase), vacuole membrane H+-ATPase (V-H+-ATPase), vacuole membrane H+-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase (V-H+-PPase), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC)). The PM-H+-ATPase, V-H+-ATPase, V-H+-PPase, and PEPC were reduced by 8.4–33.0%, 7.0–33.8%, 14.1–38.4%, and 16.9–40.2%, respectively, inhibiting the transmembrane transport of the osmotically active solutes and acidified conditions for fiber cell wall, thus limiting the fiber elongation. Similarly, soil AP deficiency reduced the fiber length by 0.6–3.0 mm, mainly due to the 3.8–16.3% reduction of the maximum velocity of fiber elongation (VLmax). Additionally, the upper fruiting branch positions (FB10–11) had higher VLmax and longer fiber lengths under low soil AP. DiscussionCotton fibers with higher malate content and V-H+-ATPase and V-H+-PPase activities yielded longer fibers. And the malate and soluble sugar contents and V-H+-ATPase and PEPC activities in the SCRC-28's fiber were more sensitive to soil AP deficiency in contrast to those of CCRI-79, possibly explaining the SCRC-28 fiber length sensitivity to low soil AP

Prognostic Significance of Angiogenesis by Chalkley Counting in Node Negative Cancer of the Ampulla of Vater

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and metastasis. Currently, the Chalkley assay with CD34 immunostaining is the proposed standard method for angiogenesis quantification in solid tumor sections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of CD34 and its prognostic significance using the Chalkley method in node negative carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater. Between January 1997 and December 2006, 56 node negative patients who had curative resection for carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater were retrospectively reviewed. The Chalkley count was expressed as the mean value of the three counts for each tumor and further divided into two groups according to the mean value of the Chalkley count: low < 4 or high ≥ 4. The mean Chalkley count value was 4.0 (± 3.1). In the low Chalkley group, the 1- and 3-yr recurrence rates were 18.3%, 47.6% respectively; in the high Chalkley group, the 1- and 3-yr recurrence rates were 26.5% and 60.6% respectively. Only high Chalkley count had statistical significance as a factor in recurrence of node negative ampulla of Vater carcinoma. Assessment of angiogenesis may have an important role in the prognostic evaluation of node negative cancer of the ampulla of Vater

Perceção de mulheres grávidas relativamente à informação disponível acerca do consumo de álcool durante a gravidez

info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

Common variants of the beta and gamma subunits of the epithelial sodium channel and their relation to plasma renin and aldosterone levels in essential hypertension

BACKGROUND: Rare mutations of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) result in the monogenic hypertension form of Liddle's syndrome. We decided to screen for common variants in the ENaC βand γ subunits in patients with essential hypertension and to relate their occurrence to the activity of circulating renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. METHODS: Initially, DNA samples from 27 patients with low renin/low aldosterone hypertension were examined. The DNA variants were subsequently screened for in 347 patients with treatment-resistant hypertension, 175 male subjects with documented long-lasting normotension and 301 healthy Plasma renin and aldosterone levels were measured under baseline conditions and during postural and captopril challenge tests. RESULTS: Two commonly occurring βENaC variants (G589S and a novel intronic i12-17CT substitution) and one novel γENaC variant (V546I) were detected. One of these variants occurred in a heterozygous form in 32 patients, a prevalence (9.2%) significantly higher than that in normotensive males (2.9%, p = 0.007) and blood donors (3.0%, p = 0.001). βENaC i12-17CT was significantly more prevalent in the hypertension group than in the two control groups combined (4.6% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.001). When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, neither of the two ENaC amino acid-changing variants showed a significant difference in activity compared with ENaC wild-type. No direct evidence for a mRNA splicing defect could be obtained for the βENaC intronic variant. The ratio of daily urinary potassium excretion to upright and mean (of supine and upright values) plasma renin activity was higher in variant allele carriers than in non-carriers (p = 0.034 and p = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: At least 9% of Finnish patients with hypertension admitted to a specialized center carry genetic variants of β and γENaC, a three times higher prevalence than in the normotensive individuals or in random healthy controls. Patients with the variant alleles showed an increased urinary potassium excretion rate in relation to their renin levels

The value of manure - Manure as co-product in life cycle assessment

Research ArticleLivestock production is important for food security, nutrition, and landscape maintenance, but it is associated with several environmental impacts. To assess the risk and benefits arising from livestock production, transparent and robust indicators are required, such as those offered by life cycle assessment. A central question in such approaches is how environmental burden is allocated to livestock products and to manure that is re-used for agricultural production. To incentivize sustainable use of manure, it should be considered as a co-product as long as it is not disposed of, or wasted, or applied in excess of crop nutrient needs, in which case it should be treated as a waste. This paper proposes a theoretical approach to define nutrient requirements based on nutrient response curves to economic and physical optima and a pragmatic approach based on crop nutrient yield adjusted for nutrient losses to atmosphere and water. Allocation of environmental burden to manure and other livestock products is then based on the nutrient value from manure for crop production using the price of fertilizer nutrients. We illustrate and discuss the proposed method with two case studiesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK and PI3K/PTEN/Akt/mTOR Cascade Inhibitors: How Mutations Can Result in Therapy Resistance and How to Overcome Resistance

The Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK and PI3K/PTEN/Akt/mTOR cascades are often activated by genetic alterations in upstream signaling molecules such as receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK). Integral components of these pathways, Ras, B-Raf, PI3K, and PTEN are also activated/inactivated by mutations. These pathways have profound effects on proliferative, apoptotic and differentiation pathways. Dysregulation of these pathways can contribute to chemotherapeutic drug resistance, proliferation of cancer initiating cells (CICs) and premature aging. This review will evaluate more recently described potential uses of MEK, PI3K, Akt and mTOR inhibitors in the proliferation of malignant cells, suppression of CICs, cellular senescence and prevention of aging. Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK and Ras/PI3K/PTEN/Akt/mTOR pathways play key roles in the regulation of normal and malignant cell growth. Inhibitors targeting these pathways have many potential uses from suppression of cancer, proliferative diseases as well as aging

Impact of Patent Infringement Compensation Rules on Patent Quality Problems

Compensation rules for patent infringement greatly affect patent quality, which is closely related to R&D investments. In this study, A duopoly game model was developed to analyze innovative factories’ R&D investment and patent licensing behavior, as well as the strategic choices of potential infringers under different compensation rules for patent infringement. Furthermore, a comparative analysis was conducted to analyze the patent quality under different scenarios, ultimately finalizing an optimal sequence rule for patent infringement compensation. The results show that patent quality is influenced by the invention height of patent and R&D efficiency, while the amount of patent infringement compensation has a great effect on potential infringement behavior. Patent quality can be effectively improved if the court adopts a proper sequence rule for patent infringement compensation according to the market circumstances

Does the Connectivity of Urban Public Green Space Promote Its Use? An Empirical Study of Wuhan

A high greenness level can enhance green space use and outdoor physical activity. However, rapid urbanization and high-density development have led to the loss or fragmentation of green space, especially urban public green space (PGS). With the aim of increasing the health benefits from PGS, some planners and researchers suggest connecting existing PGSs to encourage urban residents to use the PGS, and thus, to improve public health. Does this suggestion stand with robustness? By taking 42 sub-districts in the inner area of Wuhan as the study objects, this paper examines the correlation between the connectivity of PGS and its use. We also explore how the characteristics of PGS and the facilities/functions in the neighboring areas influence this relationship by using Location Based Service data (WeChat-Yichuxing data), point of interest (POI) data, and remote-sensing image, etc. Using Regression Analysis, we found that there is no high correlation between PGS use and its connectivity. The possible causes might be attributed to the fact that PGS use is profoundly influenced by multifaceted competing impact factors, and no one can stand dominantly. It is interesting to see that the density of companies is positively, but slightly, related to PGS use