Influence of salicylic acid on phytochelatin synthesis in Zea mays during Cd stress

Abstract: Presoaking maize (Zea mays) seeds in salicylic acid (SA) reduces damage caused by cadmium. In the present work the possible role of phytochelatins (PCs) in SA-mediated protection against Cd toxicity was investigated. Seeds were presoaked in 0.5 mM SA, and seedlings were grown in hydroponic solution containing 0, 0.01, 0.015, or 0.025 mM Cd. Treatment with Cd increased the PC levels in maize roots, but only slight changes were observed in the leaves. Long-term exposure to Cd decreased the phytochelatin synthase (PCS) activity in the roots and led to an increase in PCS and glutathione reductase (GR) activities in maize leaves. Although presoaking seeds in SA solution before exposure to Cd may reduce the level of heavy metal injury and has an effect on the composition of individual PCs, this protection is not directly connected with the altered regulation of PCs

REHABILITATION AFTER STROKE: TRADITION AND FUTURE

The measurement of the structural disorders after stroke can be carried out by estimating the personal deficit and then generalized as a degree of invalidity. The present study focused on 65 stroke patients. They were follow е d-up and underwent an early neurorehabilitation course. The analysis of an extensive body of literature and the results obtained from our clinical investigations enabled to discuss the relationship between the elements, e. g., diagnosis, planning, intervention and assessment involved in the management of the neurorehabilitation process. Based on the combination of standardized indices and scales the authors suggest a unified rehabilitation profile enabling them to evaluate and monitor the motor and cognitive deficit. Thus, objective prerequisites are established for determining the priorities, monitoring the efficacy and the possibilities for prognosis of terms and outcome of the conducted rehabilitation training

POLYMORPHISM OF ENDOSPERM PROTEINS IN AMPHIDIPLOIDS WITH THE G GENOME OF Triticum timopheevii (Zhuk.)

During evolution in Triticum the diversity of genes in T. aestivum L. was greatly reduced compared to its ancestors. This tendency restricted further improvement of productivity and quality in common wheat and narrowed the plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Wide hybridization resulted in synthetic genotypes that offered opportunities for introduction of new genes for useful traits in breeding. The objects of this study were two amphidiploids with G-genome inherited from tetraploid wheat relative T. timopheevii (2n=28, GGAuAu). Glutenin and gliadin allelic composition of the synthetic wheats H-68/44 and H-69/36 were analysed by SDS-PAGE and A-PAGE electrophoretic methods. New allelic variants in Glu-G1 loci, which are not characteristics for the spectrum of T. aestivum, were identified. In contrast to the high polymorphism of amphidiploids for high-molecular weight proteins, variation in the low-molecular glutenins was much less. More gliadin alleles in synthetic lines were found than in hexaploid wheat, due to the parent polymorphism. The results of this survey showed that synthetics with T. timopheevii genome might serve as an important sources of increased genetic variation for endosperm proteins in common wheat

A Possible Link between Turbulence and Plasma Heating

Erratum: A Possible Link between Turbulence and Plasma Heating (Astrophysical Journal (2021) 921 (65) DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac1942). Astrophysical Journal, Volume 923, Issue 2, 20 December 2021, Article number 282.Numerical simulations and experimental results have shown that the formation of current sheets in space plasmas can be associated with enhanced vorticity. Also, in simulations the generation of such structures is associated with strong plasma heating. Here, we compare four-point measurements in the terrestrial magnetosheath turbulence from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission of the flow vorticity and the magnetic field curlometer versus their corresponding one-point proxies PVI(V) and PVI(B) based on the Partial Variance of Increments (PVI) method. We show that the one-point proxies are sufficiently precise in identifying not only the generic features of the current sheets and vortices statistically, but also their appearance in groups associated with plasma heating. The method has been further applied to the region of the turbulent sheath of an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) observed at L1 by the WIND spacecraft. We observe current sheets and vorticity associated heating in larger groups (blobs), which so far have not been considered in the literature on turbulent data analysis. The blobs represent extended spatial regions of activity with enhanced regional correlations between the occurrence of conditioned currents and vorticity, which at the same time are also correlated with enhanced temperatures. This heating mechanism is substantially different from the plasma heating in the vicinity of the ICME shock, where plasma beta is strongly fluctuating and there is no vorticity. The proposed method describes a new pathway for linking the plasma heating and plasma turbulence, and it is relevant to in situ observations when only single spacecraft measurements are available.Peer reviewe

Development of an inkjet calibration phantom for x-ray imaging studies

Introduction: 3D anthropomorphic models of human tissues have become a requirement for conducting realistic virtual studies. One of the current directions in the research of X-ray imaging is the development of physical models with 3D printing techniques using specific materials aiming to obtain replica of the human body tissues with similar radiological characteristics.Aim: The aim of this study is to create a calibration phantom for establishing the X-ray properties of different cartridge infills and their suitability to represent the X-ray properties of different breast types.Materials and Methods: A physical calibration model consisting of 22 objects was designed and printed by using an inkjet printer. A mixture was obtained from 5 mL printer ink and 3 g of potassium iodide (KI), which was used to fill the printer’s cartridge and to print the model on a set of plain office paper. Experimental X-ray images of the physical model were acquired on radiographic system SEDECAL X PLUS LP+. The obtained attenuation coefficient of the printing mixture was evaluated and compared to the breast tissue coefficients corresponding to the used X-ray energy.Results and Discussion: The physical model was printed on ten office sheets and stacked above one another. The obtained attenuation coefficient of the printing mixture was found very similar to that of the glandular tissue of the breast for the used X-ray energy.Conclusion: The obtained printer ink-KI mixture is suitable for representing the glandular part of breast tissue. The method has the potential to be used for creation of a realistic physical breast model

Common and distinct lateralised patterns of neural coupling during focused attention, open monitoring and loving kindness meditation

Meditation has been integrated into different therapeutic interventions. To inform the evidence-based selection of specific meditation types it is crucial to understand the neural processes associated with different meditation practices. Here we explore commonalities and differences in electroencephalographic oscillatory spatial synchronisation patterns across three important meditation types. Highly experienced meditators engaged in focused attention, open monitoring, and loving kindness meditation. Improving on previous research, our approach avoids comparisons between groups that limited previous findings, while ensuring that the meditation states are reliably established. Employing a novel measure of neural coupling – the imaginary part of EEG coherence – the study revealed that all meditation conditions displayed a common connectivity pattern that is characterised by increased connectivity of (a) broadly distributed delta networks, (b) left-hemispheric theta networks with a local integrating posterior focus, and (c) right-hemispheric alpha networks, with a local integrating parieto-occipital focus. Furthermore, each meditation state also expressed specific synchronisation patterns differentially recruiting left- or right-lateralised beta networks. These observations provide evidence that in addition to global patterns, frequency-specific inter-hemispheric asymmetry is one major feature of meditation, and that mental processes specific to each meditation type are also supported by lateralised networks from fast-frequency bands

Estimation of errors in text and data processing

The company Adiss Lab Lts. obtained 1 000 000 medical reports that are either in free form text, or in XML format. One of the main goals of their development is to integrate an algorithm for information extraction (IE) in their platform. The verification of the algorithm’s output for a report is done by a medical doctor (MD) for a certain fee. Validating the correctness of all data would be overwhelming and very expensive. Hence, the problem, as presented by the company, is to provide a method (algorithm) which determines the minimum amount of reports that will validate the correctness of the IE algorithm and a procedure for selecting these reports. In order to solve the problem we have considered an algorithm-centric approach uses active learning and semi-supervised learning