Regeneration of zygotic-like microspore-derived embryos suggests an important role for the suspensor in early embryo patterning

Plant science

Inferior outcome of addition of the aminopeptidase inhibitor tosedostat to standard intensive treatment for elderly patients with aml and high risk mds

Treatment results of AML in elderly patients are unsatisfactory. We hypothesized that addition of tosedostat, an aminopeptidase inhibitor, to intensive chemotherapy may improve outcome in this population. After establishing a safe dose in a run-in phase of the study in 22 patients, 231 eligible patients with AML above 65 years of age (median 70, range 66–81) were randomly assigned in this open label randomized Phase II study to receive standard chemotherapy (3+7) with or without tosedostat at the selected daily dose of 120 mg (n = 116), days 1–21. In the second cycle, patients received cytarabine 1000 mg/m2 twice daily on days 1-6 with or without tosedostat. CR/CRi rates in the 2 arms were not significantly different (69% (95% C.I. 60–77%) vs 64% (55–73%), respectively). At 24 months, event-free survival (EFS) was 20% for the standard arm versus 12% for the tosedostat arm (Cox-p = 0.01) and overall survival (OS) 33% vs 18% respectively (p = 0.006). Infectious complications accounted for an increased early death rate in the tosedostat arm. Atrial fibrillation w

Linking Land Use Modelling and 3D Visualisation - a mission impossible?

Additional to the traditional land use maps 3D visualisation could provide valuable information for applications in the field of spatial planning, related to ecological and agricultural policy issues. Maps of future land use do not always reveal the appearance of the physical environment (the perceived landscape) as a result of land use changes. This means that 3D visualisations might shed light on other aspects of changed land use, such as expected differences in height or densities of new volume objects, or the compatibility of these changes with particular characteristics of the landscape or urban built environment. The Land Use Scanner model was applied for the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency's'Sustainability Outlook'to explore land use changes, followed by GIS analyses  to asses both the development of  nature areas and  the degree of urbanisation within protected national landscapes. Since it was felt that 3D visualisation could complement the resulting land use maps, the land use model output was coupled to 3D visualisation software in two different ways: 1) through Studio Max software in combination with iconic representation of the concerned land use types and 2) through 3D components of GIS software. However, the use of these techniques on a national scale level for the generation of semi-realistic 3D animations raised a number of conceptual and technical problems. These could be partly ascribed to the particular format and of the Land Use Scanner output. This paper discusses the methods and techniques which have been used to couple the output of the land use model to 3D software, the results of both approaches, and possible solutions for these problems

Synthetic lipid (DOPG) vesicles accumulate in the cell plate region but do not fuse.

Contains fulltext : 70893.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)The cell plate is the new cell wall, with bordering plasma membrane, that is formed between two daughter cells in plants, and it is formed by fusion of vesicles (approximately 60 nm). To start to determine physical properties of cell plate forming vesicles for their transport through the phragmoplast, and fusion with each other, we microinjected fluorescent synthetic lipid vesicles that were made of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)] (DOPG) into Tradescantia virginiana stamen hair cells. During interphase, the 60-nm wide DOPG vesicles moved inside the cytoplasm comparably to organelles. During cytokinesis, they were transported through the phragmoplast and accumulated in the cell plate region together with the endogenous vesicles, even inside the central cell plate region. Because at this stage microtubules are virtually absent from that region, while actin filaments are present, actin filaments may have a role in the transport of vesicles toward the cell plate. Unlike the endogenous vesicles, the synthetic DOPG vesicles did not fuse with the developing cell plate. Instead, they redistributed into the cytoplasm of the daughter cells upon completion of cytokinesis. Because the redistribution of the vesicles occurs when actin filaments disappear from the phragmoplast, actin filaments may be involved in keeping the vesicles inside the developing cell plate region

The EURURALIS study : technical document

EURURALIS is developed for policy makers dealing with the future of agriculture and other land use in the enlarged Europe of 25 member states. Expecting that major developments affect the rural areas in Europe pro-active rural policy has to be informed timely and in a targeted and crispy way. A scenario study was launched that built upon : I) recognizable and internationally authorized scenarios encompassing drivers such as global developments like world trade, climate change, demography, II) predicted transformations in land use (area, regions, intensity), III) impacts on the various domains of sustainability (People, Planet, Profit) and IV) possibilities of policy instruments. The study builds upon IPCC and related scenarios, though adapted for our goals, a global economy model (GTAP/LEITAP) linked to an environmental model (IMAGE) and thirdly a land use allocation model (CLUE). Modelling outcomes were generated for 30 years in 10 year time steps; indicators were selected from economical, socio-cultural and environmental/ecological domains respectively. Meta-indicators were added to offer overview. The product is tuned to non-specialists and offers many graphs, maps and texts for easy use in policy, research and education. This background document aims not to deliver the contents of the CD Rom in a hard copy version, but focuses on policy context, leading concepts, methods and data. It also offers discussions on desired improvements and ways to expand the current 1.0 version

Clinical assessment of ASD in adults using self and other report: psychometric properties and validity of the Adult Social Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ)

The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Adult Social Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ), a multidimensional Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) questionnaire that contains both a self report version and a version to be completed by someone close. Psychometric qualities, convergence between self report and other report ratings, and scores in a group diagnosed with ASD and multiple comparison groups were examined. Principal Component Analyses yielded a structure with six dimensions (reduced contact, reduced empathy, reduced interpersonal insight, violation of social conventions, insistence on sameness, and sensory stimulation/motor stereotypies) for both self- and other-report versions. Reliability estimates and correlations between self- and other-ratings were good and the score profile on the 44-item ASBQ differentiated a group with ASD from a non clinical group and patients with depression, schizophrenia and ADHD. We conclude that the ASBQ is a short and easy to apply questionnaire that captures the heterogeneous nature of ASD. It yields a score profile among six ASD problem domains both from the perspective of the patient and from a significant other. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved