Methods of increasing resistance of crop plants to heat stress and selecting crop plants with increased resistance to heat stress

Methods of increasing the resistance of a crop plant to heat stress and in particular methods of improving the grain yield and quality of crop plants grown under heat stress in the form of increased minimal temperatures are provided. The methods include selecting plants with increased expression of HYR and growing these plants in regions expected to experience minimal temperatures above 25.degree. C. during the growing season. Methods of screening plants for increased resistance to heat stress and methods of producing grain in regions having minimal temperatures of 25.degree. C. or more are also provided

Methods of increasing resistance of crop plants to heat stress and selecting crop plants with increased resistance to heat stress

Methods of increasing the resistance of a crop plant to heat stress and in particular methods of improving the grain yield and quality of crop plants grown under heat stress in the form of increased minimal temperatures are provided. The methods include selecting plants with increased expression of HYR and growing these plants in regions expected to experience minimal temperatures above 25 degree C. during the growing season. Methods of screening plants for increased resistance to heat stress and methods of producing grain in regions having minimal temperatures of 25 degree C. or more are also provided

The NevoLineTM manufacturing system: Intensification & integration of upstream and downstream processing in a low-footprint, automated platform for viral production

These guidelines have been prepared in the format that should be used for the abstract submission. Authors should replace the text of this template in order to prepare their abstracts. Fonts, sizes and spacing should be used as they are used in this document. Page size is US 8.5 inch x 11 inch, top and bottom margin 0.8 inches, left and right margin 0.8 inches. Body text should be written in Arial, 10 pt, single spacing. The Abstract, in English, should introduce the proposed paper’s subject, summarize its contents, explain any unique aspects, and clearly indicate the specific relevance to the themes of the Conference. Do not sub-divide the text into separate sections. References may be included at the bottom. The world is facing an under-supply of some key vaccines due to poor synergies between growing market demands and aging production models. In this light, we have developed a proof of concept of a vaccine manufacturing platform aiming at increasing availability and affordability of vaccines - the NevoLineTM system. This simulated continuous and automated platform integrates both USP[1] and DSP[2] processes and is encapsulated into an isolator, making it a self-contained production unit (6m²). The technology relies on a single-use, high-density fixed-bed bioreactor operated in perfusion chained with downstream filtration, clarification and polishing steps to (a) decrease batch time, (b) reduce equipment utilization, (c) optimize utilities consumption and (d) intensify operations. By optimizing single-use technologies we are able to drastically reduce CAPEX[3], CoGs[4] and footprint and increase production capacity. Such manufacturing platform can easily be implemented into flexible facilities with simplified infrastructure, increasing adaptability in production and capacity for record time-to-market. This study will present the platform proof of concept on Vero line and trivalent inactivated polio vaccine (sIPV) production, achieving low CoGs (0,28$/dose for a trivalent sIPV) and large capacity. The presentation will feature the description of engineering development, but also results of cell growth, infections and product quality, as well as a description of the CAPEX, CoGS and capacity calculations. This manufacturing platform is undergoing sIPV process scale-up and pre-clinical bulk production. The NevoLine system is expected to produce any type of viral vaccine at a very low cost and large capacities to face global health challenges. [1] Upstream [2] Downstream [3] Capital expenditure [4] Cost of good

UTILITIES AND LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT ANIMAL MODELS OF DEPRESSION

  Depression is one of the most debilitating medical conditions in the world today, yet its etiologies remain imprecise, and current treatments are not wholly helpful. Depression is more than just a feeling of sadness. Depression can affect the daily routine of an individual disrupting work, play, and overall ability to concentrate. People with depression usually experience a lack of interest and enjoyment in daily activities, notable weight loss or gain, sleeplessness or excessive sleeping, lack of energy, inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness or shame, and recurrent thoughts of suicide (diagnostic and statistical manual-V). It is projected to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide by 2020. It is estimated that depression currently affects 350 million people from around the world. There are a number of drugs of different pharmacological classes being used in the treatment of clinical depression. Animal models are indispensable tools in the search to identify new antidepressant drugs and to provide insights into the neuropathology that underlies the idiopathic disease state of depression. Animal models of depression can be used for a variety of purposes, including use as a tool for investigating aspects of the neurobiology and pathophysiology of depression, as an experimental model for studying the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs and for screening antidepressant activity. None of existing animal models currently fulfil the existing criteria for an ideal animal model, and therefore, demands an insight view of the existing models of depression. This article attempts to review the most widely used animal models and highlights their important features with respect to different pharmacological classes of antidepressant drugs

Recent advances in gene function prediction using context-specific coexpression networks in plants [version 1; referees: 2 approved]

Predicting gene functions from genome sequence alone has been difficult, and the functions of a large fraction of plant genes remain unknown. However, leveraging the vast amount of currently available gene expression data has the potential to facilitate our understanding of plant gene functions, especially in determining complex traits. Gene coexpression networks—created by integrating multiple expression datasets—connect genes with similar patterns of expression across multiple conditions. Dense gene communities in such networks, commonly referred to as modules, often indicate that the member genes are functionally related. As such, these modules serve as tools for generating new testable hypotheses, including the prediction of gene function and importance. Recently, we have seen a paradigm shift from the traditional “global” to more defined, context-specific coexpression networks. Such coexpression networks imply genetic correlations in specific biological contexts such as during development or in response to a stress. In this short review, we highlight a few recent studies that attempt to fill the large gaps in our knowledge about cellular functions of plant genes using context-specific coexpression networks