Relationship among growth curve, nutrient consumption and genetic transformation efficiency of 'Albariño' (Vitis vinifera) cell suspensions

Embryogenic cell suspensions of grapevine (Vitis sp.) have been proposed as the best target to approach genetic transformation challenges. However, optimal phase and growth period of cell suspensions for successful gene transfer have not been investigated. Here, a step by step protocol to initiate and establish cell suspensions of 'Albariño' (V. vinifera) in only 4 weeks is presented. Growth kinetics, cell viability and nutrient consumption (phosphates and nitrates) as well as the number of transient transgenic events (using the uidA reporter gene) were studied in 'Albariño' cell suspensions grown for an 18-days period. Based on biomass growth, the exponential phase of cell suspensions was reached between days 3 to 6. Nutrient uptake results point to the exhaustion of phosphate in the culture medium at day 6. Moreover, the highest number of transgenic events after biolistic bombardment was obtained from cell suspensions grown for 6 days (4032 ± 695 blue spots), compared to 12 and 18 days of continuous culture. Plant regeneration percentage varied depending on the age of the culture and the selected embryo type. In conclusion, this paper shows for the first time the relationship between growth curve and nutrient consumption of embryogenic cell suspension with efficiency in genetic transformation and plant regeneration of grapevine

Social Media Exposure: Its Relationship to Contingencies of Self-Worth and Happiness of Generations X and Y Nurses

Social media or social networking sites have been widely used to get connected with familyand friends and stay up-to date with the recent news, research, and many more. The effect,however, created an impact whether it brings positive or negative result to the end users. Thisstudy was conducted to determine the relationship of social media exposure to thecontingencies of self-worth and happiness of Generations X and Y nurses. Nurses, despite thework demands, have to carry on with the responsibility of identification, analysis,interpretation and dissemination of nursing knowledge within the health care system. Theresearchers used a descriptive correlational design. A modified version of Crocker’sContingencies of Self-worth Scale, Oxford Scale of Happiness and a self-constructed socialmedia exposure questionnaire were used to measure the variables being studied. Data from125 respondents comprising of both generation X and Y respondents were analyzed andinterpreted using mean, standard deviation, Kruskal Wallis test, and Pearson correlation.Results showed that Facebook was commonly used by the respondents followed byInstagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, respectively. Facebook was used for an average of at leastone to three hours. Contingencies of self-worth and happiness were both high. Furthermore,the results showed that there is no significant relationship between social media exposure ofGeneration X and Y nurses and contingencies of self-worth and happiness. Those belongingto the Generation X are happier than Generation Y regardless of their age and gender. Thosewith low income have been found out to have low levels of happiness. The researchersrecommend that one must be matured enough before they can be allowed to engage in socialmedia exposure so that negative influences will be avoided

The modified 2VO ischemia protocol causes cognitive impairment similar to that induced by the standard method, but with a better survival rate

Permanent bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries (2VO) in the rat has been established as a valid experimental model to investigate the effects of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion on cognitive function and neurodegenerative processes. Our aim was to compare the cognitive and morphological outcomes following the standard 2VO procedure, in which there is concomitant artery ligation, with those of a modified protocol, with a 1-week interval between artery occlusions to avoid an abrupt reduction of cerebral blood flow, as assessed by animal performance in the water maze and damage extension to the hippocampus and striatum. Male Wistar rats (N = 47) aged 3 months were subjected to chronic hypoperfusion by permanent bilateral ligation of the common carotid arteries using either the standard or the modified protocol, with the right carotid being the first to be occluded. Three months after the surgical procedure, rat performance in the water maze was assessed to investigate long-term effects on spatial learning and memory and their brains were processed in order to estimate hippocampal volume and striatal area. Both groups of hypoperfused rats showed deficits in reference (F(8,172) = 7.0951, P < 0.00001) and working spatial memory [2nd (F(2,44) = 7.6884, P < 0.001), 3rd (F(2,44) = 21.481, P < 0.00001) and 4th trials (F(2,44) = 28.620, P < 0.0001)]; however, no evidence of tissue atrophy was found in the brain structures studied. Despite similar behavioral and morphological outcomes, the rats submitted to the modified protocol showed a significant increase in survival rate, during the 3 months of the experiment (P < 0.02)

TRPA1- FGFR2 binding event is a regulatory oncogenic driver modulated by miRNA-142-3p

YesRecent evidence suggests that the ion channel TRPA1 is implicated in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) where its role and mechanism of action remain unknown. We have previously established that the membrane receptor FGFR2 drives LUAD progression through aberrant protein-protein interactions mediated via its C-terminal proline rich motif. Here, we report that the N-terminal ankyrin repeats of TRPA1 directly bind to the C-terminal proline rich motif of FGFR2 inducing the constitutive activation of the receptor, thereby prompting LUAD progression and metastasis. Furthermore, we show that upon metastasis to the brain, TRPA1 gets depleted, an effect triggered by the transfer of TRPA1-targeting exosomal microRNA (miRNA-142-3p) from brain astrocytes to cancer cells. This downregulation, in turn, inhibits TRPA1-mediated activation of FGFR2 hindering the metastatic process. Our study reveals a direct binding event and characterizes the role of TRPA1 ankyrin repeats in regulating FGFR2-driven oncogenic process; a mechanism that is hindered by miRNA-142-3p.Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds, Wellcome Trust Seed Award, Royal Society Research Grant RG150100, MR/K021303/1, Swedish Research Council (2014-3801) and the Medical Faculty at Lund University

Artisanal fish fences pose broad and unexpected threats to the tropical coastal seascape

Gear restrictions are an important management tool in small-scale tropical fisheries, improving sustainability and building resilience to climate change. Yet to identify the management challenges and complete footprint of individual gears, a broader systems approach is required that integrates ecological, economic and social sciences. Here we apply this approach to artisanal fish fences, intensively used across three oceans, to identify a previously underrecognized gear requiring urgent management attention. A longitudinal case study shows increased effort matched with large declines in catch success and corresponding reef fish abundance. We find fish fences to disrupt vital ecological connectivity, exploit > 500 species with high juvenile removal, and directly damage seagrass ecosystems with cascading impacts on connected coral reefs and mangroves. As semi-permanent structures in otherwise open-access fisheries, they create social conflict by assuming unofficial and unregulated property rights, while their unique high-investment-low-effort nature removes traditional economic and social barriers to overfishing

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Combination of the W boson polarization measurements in top quark decays using ATLAS and CMS data at s = 8 TeV

Abstract: The combination of measurements of the W boson polarization in top quark decays performed by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations is presented. The measurements are based on proton-proton collision data produced at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 20 fb−1 for each experiment. The measurements used events containing one lepton and having different jet multiplicities in the final state. The results are quoted as fractions of W bosons with longitudinal (F0), left-handed (FL), or right-handed (FR) polarizations. The resulting combined measurements of the polarization fractions are F0 = 0.693 ± 0.014 and FL = 0.315 ± 0.011. The fraction FR is calculated from the unitarity constraint to be FR = −0.008 ± 0.007. These results are in agreement with the standard model predictions at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics and represent an improvement in precision of 25 (29)% for F0 (FL) with respect to the most precise single measurement. A limit on anomalous right-handed vector (VR), and left- and right-handed tensor (gL, gR) tWb couplings is set while fixing all others to their standard model values. The allowed regions are [−0.11, 0.16] for VR, [−0.08, 0.05] for gL, and [−0.04, 0.02] for gR, at 95% confidence level. Limits on the corresponding Wilson coefficients are also derived

Search for light long-lived neutral particles from Higgs boson decays via vector-boson-fusion production from pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is reported for long-lived dark photons with masses between 0.1 GeV and 15 GeV, from exotic decays of Higgs bosons produced via vector-boson-fusion. Events that contain displaced collimated Standard Model fermions reconstructed in the calorimeter or muon spectrometer are probed. This search uses the full LHC Run 2 (2015–2018) data sample collected in proton–proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 f b − 1 . Dominant backgrounds from Standard Model processes and non-collision sources are estimated using data-driven techniques. The observed event yields in the signal regions are consistent with the expected background. Upper limits on the Higgs boson to dark photon branching fraction are reported as a function of the dark photon mean proper decay length or of the dark photon mass and the coupling between the Standard Model and the potential dark sector. This search is combined with previous ATLAS searches obtained in the gluon–gluon fusion and WH production modes. A branching fraction above 10% is excluded at 95% CL for a 125 GeV Higgs boson decaying into two dark photons for dark photon mean proper decay lengths between 173 and 1296 mm and mass of 10 GeV

Determination of jet calibration and energy resolution in proton–proton collisions at s = 8 TeV using the ATLAS detector

Abstract: The jet energy scale, jet energy resolution, and their systematic uncertainties are measured for jets reconstructed with the ATLAS detector in 2012 using proton–proton data produced at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 20fb-1. Jets are reconstructed from clusters of energy depositions in the ATLAS calorimeters using the anti-kt algorithm. A jet calibration scheme is applied in multiple steps, each addressing specific effects including mitigation of contributions from additional proton–proton collisions, loss of energy in dead material, calorimeter non-compensation, angular biases and other global jet effects. The final calibration step uses several in situ techniques and corrects for residual effects not captured by the initial calibration. These analyses measure both the jet energy scale and resolution by exploiting the transverse momentum balance in γ + jet, Z + jet, dijet, and multijet events. A statistical combination of these measurements is performed. In the central detector region, the derived calibration has a precision better than 1% for jets with transverse momentum 150GeV<pT< 1500 GeV, and the relative energy resolution is (8.4±0.6)% for pT=100GeV and (23±2)% for pT=20GeV. The calibration scheme for jets with radius parameter R=1.0, for which jets receive a dedicated calibration of the jet mass, is also discussed