Planting time for maximization of yield of vinegar plant calyx (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.)

Objetivou-se avaliar a produtividade de cálices de Hibiscus sabdariffa L., planta medicinal, em quatro épocas de plantio em Lavras M.G. Os tratamentos foram quatro épocas de plantio (18 de outubro; 15 de novembro; 18 de dezembro de 2001 e 15 de janeiro de 2002) e realizada uma colheita quando praticamente não existiam cálices em desenvolvimento, quase no final do ciclo da planta. Foram considerados os números de cálices por planta, as fitomassas frescas e secas dos cálices e a qualidade. Concluiu-se que a época de plantio influenciou o rendimento por planta e as fitomassas frescas e secas dos cálices, diferindo entre si pelo teste de Tukey a 5%. No plantio de outubro, houve maior rendimento (2.522 kg/ha), com produção de 5,24 vezes a mais em relação ao plantio do mês de janeiro (481 kg/ha). Os plantios nos meses de novembro e dezembro tiveram produções de 1.695 e 1.093 kg.ha-1 de cálices secos, respectivamente, e em relação ao mês de janeiro, a produção foi 3,52 e 2,27 vezes a mais.Deve-se realizar a colheita assim que os cálices estiverem maduros, a fim de preservar a qualidade

1920-21: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text

Delivered in the auditorium of Abilene Christian College, Abilene, Texas, February 1920-21 F.L. Rowe, Publisher, Cincinnati, Ohi

Regional Variation in RBM20 Causes a Highly Penetrant Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy

Background Variants in the cardiomyocyte-specific RNA splicing factor RBM20 have been linked to familial cardiomyopathy, but the causative genetic architecture and clinical consequences of this disease are incompletely defined. Methods and Results To define the genetic architecture of RBM20 cardiomyopathy, we first established a database of RBM20 variants associated with cardiomyopathy and compared these to variants observed in the general population with respect to their location in the RBM20 coding transcript. We identified 2 regions significantly enriched for cardiomyopathy-associated variants in exons 9 and 11. We then assembled a registry of 74 patients with RBM20 variants from 8 institutions across the world (44 index cases and 30 from cascade testing). This RBM20 patient registry revealed highly prevalent family history of sudden cardiac death (51%) and cardiomyopathy (72%) among index cases and a high prevalence of composite arrhythmias (including atrial fibrillation, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, implantable cardiac defibrillator discharge, and sudden cardiac arrest, 43%). Patients harboring variants in cardiomyopathy-enriched regions identified by our variant database analysis were enriched for these findings. Further, these characteristics were more prevalent in the RBM20 registry than in large cohorts of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and TTNtv cardiomyopathy and not significantly different from a cohort of patients with LMNA-associated cardiomyopathy. Conclusions Our data establish RBM20 cardiomyopathy as a highly penetrant and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. These findings underline the importance of arrhythmia surveillance and family screening in this disease and represent the first step in defining the genetic architecture of RBM20 disease causality on a population level

Genetic deficiency of aldose reductase counteracts the development of diabetic nephropathy in C57BL/6 mice

National Science Foundation of China [30770490]; 973 Program of China [2009CB941601]; Science Planning Program of Fujian Province [2009J1010]; Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province [2009J01180]; Fujian Provincial Department of Science and TechnoloThe aim of the study was to investigate the effects of genetic deficiency of aldose reductase in mice on the development of key endpoints of diabetic nephropathy. A line of Ar (also known as Akr1b3)-knockout (KO) mice, a line of Ar-bitransgenic mice and control C57BL/6 mice were used in the study. The KO and bitransgenic mice were deficient for Ar in the renal glomeruli and all other tissues, with the exception of, in the bitransgenic mice, a human AR cDNA knockin-transgene that directed collecting-tubule epithelial-cell-specific AR expression. Diabetes was induced in 8-week-old male mice with streptozotocin. Mice were further maintained for 17 weeks then killed. A number of serum and urinary variables were determined for these 25-week-old mice. Periodic acid-Schiff staining, western blots, immunohistochemistry and protein kinase C (PKC) activity assays were performed for histological analyses, and to determine the levels of collagen IV and TGF-beta 1 and PKC activities in renal cortical tissues. Diabetes-induced extracellular matrix accumulation and collagen IV overproduction were completely prevented in diabetic Ar-KO and bitransgenic mice. Ar deficiency also completely or partially prevented diabetes-induced activation of renal cortical PKC, TGF-beta 1 and glomerular hypertrophy. Loss of Ar results in a 43% reduction in urine albumin excretion in the diabetic Ar-KO mice and a 48% reduction in the diabetic bitransgenic mice (p < 0.01). Genetic deficiency of Ar significantly ameliorated development of key endpoints linked with early diabetic nephropathy in vivo. Robust and specific inhibition of aldose reductase might be an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of diabetic nephropathy

Lawrence Livermore Laboratory energy and technology review

Separate abstracts were written for the four sections of the report. One section was included in ERDA Research Abstracts but not in Nuclear Science Abstracts. (SFL

Let’s jam the reactable: peer learning during musical improvisation with a tabletop tangible interface

There has been little research on how interactions with tabletop and Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) by groups of users change over time. In this article, we investigate the challenges and opportunities of a tabletop tangible interface based on constructive building blocks. We describe a long-term lab study of groups of expert musicians improvising with the Reactable, a commercial tabletop TUI for music performance. We examine interaction, focusing on interface, tangible, musical, and social phenomena. Our findings reveal a practice-based learning between peers in situated contexts, and new forms of participation, all of which is facilitated by the Reactable's tangible interface, if compared to traditional musical ensembles. We summarise our findings as a set of design considerations and conclude that construction processes on interactive tabletops support learning by doing and peer learning, which can inform constructivist approaches to learning with technology

Parents reading with their toddlers: the role of personalisation in book engagement

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of personalised books on parents’ and children’s engagement during shared book reading. Seven native English parents and their children aged between 12 and 33 months were observed at home when sharing a book made specifically for the child (i.e. a personalised book), a comparable book with no personalised content, and a favourite book of the child. The interactions were videotaped and later coded to provide information about the frequency of behaviours that indicated engagement with the books. Statistical analyses revealed that children and parents showed significantly higher overall frequencies of smiles and laughs, with the personalised books in comparison to the non-personalised books and showed higher frequency of vocal activity with the personalised as opposed to child’s favourite book. In addition, there was significantly higher rate of children’s smiles and laughs with the personalised than with the non-personalised book. It appeared that most of the children’s positive affect with the personalised books was in response to the content of the book, while the parents' smiles occurred mostly in response to a smile or laugh of the child. These findings are among the first to suggest that personalised features of books result in specific, distinct responses in parents and children during shared book reading

The Xe 136 + Pt 198 reaction: A test of models of multi-nucleon transfer reactions

The yields of 42 projectile-like fragments (PLFs) and fission fragments and 36 target-like fragments (TLFs) were measured using off-line γ-ray spectroscopy in a thin target experiment involving the 136Xe+198Pt reaction. The center of target beam energy was 760.5 MeV (Ec.m.= 450 MeV). The reported yields are compared with those from previous measurements for this reaction and with predictions of the GRAZING, di-nuclear systems (DNS), and improved quantum molecular dynamics (ImQMD) models. The yields of the TLFs and PLFs are, in general, substantially smaller than those previously observed at a beam energy of 1085 MeV. Neither the GRAZING nor the DNS model correctly describes the measured TLF and PLF yields in this lower- energy reaction but the ImQMD model describes these yields adequately.This material is based upon work supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics under Awards No. DE-FG06-97ER41026 (OSU), No. DE-FG02-97ER41041 (UNC), No. DE-FG02-97ER41033 (TUNL), and No. DEFG02-94ER40848 (UMassLowell) and Contract No. DEAC02-06CH11357 (ANL)