Research Notes: Determinate-Dt2 Effects on Soybean Characteristics.

Bernard (1972) studied a gene, Dt2, which hastened the termination of apical stem growth and decreased both plant height and number of nodes per plant. In a \u27Harosoy\u27 background, a Dt2 isoline had a 15% reduction in height and was three days earlier maturing but was similar in yield to Harosoy . There was some reduction in weight per seed associated with the Dt2 effect

Research Notes: Soybean Gene Resources Recently Received from China

Forty soybean cultivars were received from the Peoples Republic of China in a number of exchanges between June 1973 and June 1974. The first eight cultivars that we received were grown in row tests at Harrow, Woodslee and Ridgetown in 1975, along with \u27Harlen,\u27 \u27Harosoy 63,\u27 and \u27Harcar.\u27 These eight, plus the next seven that we received, had been tested in hill plots at Harrow in 1974, along with Hardome, Harlen, Harosoy 63, and \u27Harwood.\u27 The highest and lowest cultivar values are given for each of a number of characteristics within each group of cultivars as an indication of the potential value of the new germplasm

Cardiac taurine and principal amino acids in right and left ventricles of patients with either aortic valve stenosis or coronary artery disease:the importance of diabetes and gender

Free intracellular taurine and principal α-amino acids (glutamate, glutamine, aspartate, asparagine and alanine) are abundant in human heart. They are cellular regulators and their concentration can change in response to disease and cardiac insults and have been shown to differ between hypertrophic left ventricle (LV) and the relatively “normal” right ventricle (RV) in patients with aortic valve stenosis (AVS). This difference has not been shown for coronary artery disease (CAD) and there are no studies that have simultaneously compared amino acid content in LV and RV from different pathologies. In this study we investigated the effect of disease on taurine and principal amino acids in both LV and RV, measured in myocardial biopsies collected from patients with either AVS (n = 22) or CAD (n = 36). Amino acids were extracted and measured using HPLC. Intra- and inter-group analysis was performed as well as subgroup analysis focusing on gender in AVS and type 2 diabetes in CAD. LV of both groups has significantly higher levels of taurine compared to RV. This difference disappears in both diabetic CAD patients and in male AVS patients. Alanine was the only α-amino acid to be altered by diabetes. LV of female AVS patients had significantly more glutamate, aspartate and asparagine than corresponding RV, whilst no difference was seen between LV and RV in males. LV of females has higher glutamate and glutamine and less metabolic stress than LV of males. This work shows that in contrast to LV, RV responds differently to disease which can be modulated by gender and diabetes

Runners’ Engagement and Social Support Practices: Exploring the Uses and Role of Online Activities

Tracking technologies that monitor exercise and health have grown in popularity, while online communities have emerged to encourage healthier lifestyles. Runners display high engagement levels with these technologies, however, studies are inconclusive about the effectiveness of these tools, and half of tracking device owners stop use within three months. This exploratory study analyses the engagement practices of UK based long distance runners with tracking technologies and online communities in order to explore how these provide social support for runners. Data were derived from nine interviews. Findings identify distinct use practices associated with social networking sites, running club online communities and tracking applications. Social support is not as prominent as social comparison, identity formation, motivation and information gathering for runners. The nature of the community, co-present connections between individuals and running experience have implications for engagement and support practices, while emotional attachment to data represents an opportunity for development

The advantages of UK Biobank's open access strategy for health research

Ready access to health research studies is becoming more important as researchers, and their funders, seek to maximize the opportunities for scientific innovation and health improvements. Large‐scale population‐based prospective studies are particularly useful for multidisciplinary research into the causes, treatment and prevention of many different diseases. UK Biobank has been established as an open‐access resource for public health research, with the intention of making the data as widely available as possible in an equitable and transparent manner. Access to UK Biobank's unique breadth of phenotypic and genetic data has attracted researchers worldwide from across academia and industry. As a consequence, it has enabled scientists to perform world‐leading collaborative research. Moreover, open access to an already deeply characterized cohort has encouraged both public and private sector investment in further enhancements to make UK Biobank an unparalleled resource for public health research and an exemplar for the development of open‐access approaches for other studies