Transformation, Somatic Embryogenesis and Whole Plant Regeneration Method for Glycine Species

A method for somatic embryogenesis of soybean, (Glycine max), Glycine soja and other Glycine species is provided using immature cotyledon tissue, preferably with the embryonic axis removed, comprising culturing said tissue on a medium containing auxin, preferably NAA at a concentration of at least about 15 mg/l. A further method for such somatic embryogenesis is provided wherein the culture medium contains a synergistically acting lowered carbohydrate and auxin concentration. Particularly embryogenic cells of such tissue are identified and improved maceration methods for contacting such cells with regeneration and transformation media are disclosed. Methods for transforming somatic tissue from soybean and other Glycine species are also provided. Whole, fertile, transformed plants are obtained

The UK risk assessment scheme for all non-native species

1. A pest risk assessment scheme, adapted from the EPPO (European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation) scheme, was developed to assess the risks posed to UK species, habitats and ecosystems by non-native taxa. 2. The scheme provides a structured framework for evaluating the potential for non-native organisms, whether intentional or unintentional introductions, to enter, establish, spread and cause significant impacts in all or part of the UK. Specialist modules permit the relative importance of entry pathways, the vulnerability of receptors and the consequences of policies to be assessed and appropriate risk management options to be selected. Spreadsheets for summarising the level of risk and uncertainty, invasive attributes and economic impact were created. In addition, new methods for quantifying economic impact and summarising risk and uncertainty were explored. 3. Although designed for the UK, the scheme can readily be applied elsewhere

Dyslexia and substance use in a University Undergraduate Population

Background: A number of cognitive deficits are associated with dyslexia. However, only a limited amount of research has been performed exploring a putative link between dyslexia and substance use. As substance use is thought to involve a cognitive component, it is possible that the pattern of substance use would be different for dyslexic participants, when compared to nondyslexic controls. During the current study, a guiding hypothesis was that people with dyslexia would demonstrate less substance use than nondyslexic controls. Theories of memory activation, automaticity, and attentional bias in substance use suggest that cognitive components of substance use are important in the development and maintenance of continued substance use and it is thought that, at least some of these components, would be impaired in a dyslexic population. Objectives: If the cognitive deficits displayed by dyslexics somehow impair the development of cognitive components of substance use, substance use for dyslexic participants may be less pronounced. This paper therefore examines this hypothesis by comparing substance use within dyslexic and nondyslexic participants, from an undergraduate population. Methods: This was an exploratory questionnaire-based study. Dyslexic participants (n = 35) were compared to control participants (n = 62) on a series of questions designed to measure their substance use history. Results: The results provided preliminary evidence of a difference between dyslexic and nondyslexic substance use. Dyslexics reported a substance use history that was significantly lower than nondyslexic controls. Conclusions/Importance: These results are interpreted in terms of cognitive deficits within dyslexia and with reference to the cognitive model of substance use

Perovskite-perovskite tandem photovoltaics with optimized bandgaps

We demonstrate four and two-terminal perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cells with ideally matched bandgaps. We develop an infrared absorbing 1.2eV bandgap perovskite, $FA_{0.75}Cs_{0.25}Sn_{0.5}Pb_{0.5}I_3$, that can deliver 14.8 % efficiency. By combining this material with a wider bandgap $FA_{0.83}Cs_{0.17}Pb(I_{0.5}Br_{0.5})_3$ material, we reach monolithic two terminal tandem efficiencies of 17.0 % with over 1.65 volts open-circuit voltage. We also make mechanically stacked four terminal tandem cells and obtain 20.3 % efficiency. Crucially, we find that our infrared absorbing perovskite cells exhibit excellent thermal and atmospheric stability, unprecedented for Sn based perovskites. This device architecture and materials set will enable 'all perovskite' thin film solar cells to reach the highest efficiencies in the long term at the lowest costs

Development of mPing-based activation tags for crop insertional mutagenesis

Modern plant breeding increasingly relies on genomic information to guide crop improvement. Although some genes are characterized, additional tools are needed to effectively identify and characterize genes associated with crop traits. To address this need, the mPing element from rice was modified to serve as an activation tag to induce expression of nearby genes. Embedding promoter sequences in mPing resulted in a decrease in overall transposition rate; however, this effect was negated by using a hyperactive version of mPing called mmPing20. Transgenic soybean events carrying mPing-based activation tags and the appropriate transposase expression cassettes showed evidence of transposition. Expression analysis of a line that contained a heritable insertion of the mmPing20F activation tag indicated that the activation tag induced overexpression of the nearby soybean genes. This represents a significant advance in gene discovery technology as activation tags have the potential to induce more phenotypes than the original mPing element, improving the overall effectiveness of the mutagenesis system

A mechanistic investigation of the N-hydroxyphthalimide catalyzed benzylic oxidation mediated by sodium chlorite

A detailed investigation into the mechanistic course of N-hydroxyphthalimide catalyzed oxidation of benzylic centers using sodium chlorite as the stoichiometric oxidant is reported. Through a combination of experimental, spectroscopic, and computational techniques, the transformation is interrogated, providing improved reaction conditions and an enhanced understanding of the mechanism. Performing the transformation in the presence of acetic acid or a pH 4.5 buffer leads to extended reaction times but improves the catalyst lifetime, leading to the complete consumption of the starting material. Chlorine dioxide is identified as the active oxidant that is able to oxidize the N-hydroxyphthalimide anion to the phthalimide-N-oxyl radical, the proposed catalytically active species, which is able to abstract a hydrogen atom from the substrate. A second molecule of chlorine dioxide reacts with the resultant radical and, after loss of hypochlorous acid, leads to the observed product. Through a broad variety of techniques including UV/vis, EPR and Raman spectroscopy, isotopic labeling, and the use of radical traps, evidence for the mechanism is presented that is supported through electronic structural calculations

A mechanistic investigation of the N-hydroxyphthalimide catalyzed benzylic oxidation mediated by sodium chlorite

A detailed investigation into the mechanistic course of a N-hydroxyphthalimide catalyzed oxidation of benzylic centers using sodium chlorite as the stoichiometric oxidant is reported. Through a combination of experimental, spectroscopic and computational techniques the transformation is interrogated providing improved reaction conditions and an enhanced understanding of the mechanism. Performing the transformation in the presence of acetic acid or a pH 4.5 buffer leads to extended reaction times but improves the catalyst lifetime leading to complete consumption of starting material. Chlorine dioxide is identified as the active oxidant which is able to oxidize the N-hydroxyphthalimide anion to the phthalimide-N-oxyl radical, the proposed catalytically active species, which is able to abstract a hydrogen atom from the substrate. A second molecule of chlorine dioxide reacts with the resultant radical, and after loss of hypochlorous acid, leads to the observed product. Through a broad variety of techniques including UV/vis, EPR and Raman spectroscopy, isotopic labelling and the use of radical traps evidence for the mechanism is presented which is supported through electronic structural calculations

Genetic counseling for congenital heart disease – Practice resource of the national society of genetic counselors

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is an indication which spans multiple specialties across various genetic counseling practices. This practice resource aims to provide guidance on key considerations when approaching counseling for this particular indication while recognizing the rapidly changing landscape of knowledge within this domain. This resource was developed with consensus from a diverse group of certified genetic counselors utilizing literature relevant for CHD genetic counseling practice and is aimed at supporting genetic counselors who encounter this indication in their practice both pre- and postnatally

Predicting Crystallization of Amorphous Drugs with Terahertz Spectroscopy.

There is a controversy about the extent to which the primary and secondary dielectric relaxations influence the crystallization of amorphous organic compounds below the glass transition temperature. Recent studies also point to the importance of fast molecular dynamics on picosecond-to-nanosecond time scales with respect to the glass stability. In the present study we provide terahertz spectroscopy evidence on the crystallization of amorphous naproxen well below its glass transition temperature and confirm the direct role of Johari-Goldstein (JG) secondary relaxation as a facilitator of the crystallization. We determine the onset temperature Tβ above which the JG relaxation contributes to the fast molecular dynamics and analytically quantify the level of this contribution. We then show there is a strong correlation between the increase in the fast molecular dynamics and onset of crystallization in several chosen amorphous drugs. We believe that this technique has immediate applications to quantify the stability of amorphous drug materials.JS and JAZ would like to acknowledge the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for funding (EP/J007803/1).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from ACS at http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5b0033