Amimia is one of the most typical features of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, its significance and correlation with motor and nonmotor symptoms is unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate the ...association between amimia and motor and nonmotor symptoms, including cognitive status, depression, and quality of life in PD patients. We also tested the blink rate as a potential tool for objectively measuring upper facial bradykinesia.
We prospectively studied amimia in PD patients. Clinical evaluation was performed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and timed tests. Cognitive status, depression, and quality of life were assessed using the Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Rating Scale (PD-CRS), the 16-Item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR16), and the PDQ-39, respectively. Amimia was clinically evaluated according to item 19 of UPDRS III. Finally, we studied upper facial amimia by measuring resting blink frequency and blink rate during spontaneous conversation.
We included 75 patients. Amimia (item 19 UPDRS III) correlated with motor and total UPDRS (r: 0.529 and 0.551 Spearman), and its rigidity, distal bradykinesia, and motor axial subscores (r: 0.472; r: 0.252, and r: 0.508, respectively); Hoehn and Yahr scale (r: 0.392), timed tests, gait freezing, cognitive status (r: 0.29), and quality of life (r: 0.268) correlated with amimia. Blinking frequency correlated with amimia (measured with item 19 UPDRS), motor and total UPDRS.
Amimia correlates with motor (especially axial symptoms) and cognitive situations in PD. Amimia could be a useful global marker of overall disease severity, including cognitive decline.
Mutation is a source of genetic diversity widely used in breeding programs for the acquisition of agronomically interesting characters in commercial varieties of the Prunus species, as well as in the ...rest of crop species. Mutation can occur in nature at a very low frequency or can be induced artificially. Spontaneous or bud sport mutations in somatic cells can be vegetatively propagated to get an individual with the mutant phenotype. Unlike animals, plants have unlimited growth and totipotent cells that let somatic mutations to be transmitted to the progeny. On the other hand, in vitro tissue culture makes it possible to induce mutation in plant material and perform large screenings for mutant’s selection and cleaning of chimeras. Finally, targeted mutagenesis has been boosted by the application of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/Cas9 and Transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) editing technologies. Over the last few decades, environmental stressors such as global warming have been threatening the supply of global demand for food based on population growth in the near future. For this purpose, the release of new varieties adapted to such changes is a requisite, and selected or generated Prunus mutants by properly regulated mechanisms could be helpful to this task. In this work, we reviewed the most relevant mutations for breeding traits in Prunus species such as flowering time, self-compatibility, fruit quality, and disease tolerance, including new molecular perspectives in the present postgenomic era including CRISPR/Cas9 and TALEN editing technologies.
Working capital management in SMEs Baños-Caballero, Sonia; García-Teruel, Pedro J.; Martínez-Solano, Pedro
Accounting and finance (Parkville),
September 2010, Letnik:
50, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This paper analyses the determinants of Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) for small‐ and medium‐sized firms. It has been found that these firms have a target CCC length to which they attempt to converge, ...and that they try to adjust to their target quickly. The results also show that it is longer for older firms and companies with greater cash flows. In contrast, firms with more growth opportunities, and firms with higher leverage, investment in fixed assets and return on assets have a more aggressive working capital policy.
DNA methylation and histone post-translational modifications have been described as epigenetic regulation mechanisms involved in developmental transitions in plants, including seasonal changes in ...fruit trees. In species like almond (
(Mill.) D.A: Webb), prolonged exposure to cold temperatures is required for dormancy release and flowering. Aiming to identify genomic regions with differential methylation states in response to chill accumulation, we carried out Illumina reduced-representation genome sequencing on bisulfite-treated DNA from floral buds. To do this, we analyzed almond genotypes with different chilling requirements and flowering times both before and after dormancy release for two consecutive years. The study was performed using epi-Genotyping by Sequencing (epi-GBS). A total of 7317 fragments were sequenced and the samples compared. Out of these fragments, 677 were identified as differentially methylated between the almond genotypes. Mapping these fragments using the
(L.) Batsch v.2 genome as reference provided information about coding regions linked to early and late flowering methylation markers. Additionally, the methylation state of ten gene-coding sequences was found to be linked to the dormancy release process.
The physiology of Prunus fruit ripening is a complex and not completely understood process. To improve this knowledge, postharvest behavior during the shelf-life period at the transcriptomic level ...has been studied using high-throughput sequencing analysis (RNA-Seq). Monitoring of fruits has been analyzed after different ethylene regulator treatments, including 1-MCP (ethylene-inhibitor) and Ethrel (ethylene-precursor) in two contrasting selected apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) and Japanese plum (P. salicina L.) cultivars, ‘Goldrich’ and ‘Santa Rosa’. KEEG and protein–protein interaction network analysis unveiled that the most significant metabolic pathways involved in the ripening process were photosynthesis and plant hormone signal transduction. In addition, previously discovered genes linked to fruit ripening, such as pectinesterase or auxin-responsive protein, have been confirmed as the main genes involved in this process. Genes encoding pectinesterase in the pentose and glucuronate interconversions pathway were the most overexpressed in both species, being upregulated by Ethrel. On the other hand, auxin-responsive protein IAA and aquaporin PIP were both upregulated by 1-MCP in ‘Goldrich’ and ‘Santa Rosa’, respectively. Results also showed the upregulation of chitinase and glutaredoxin 3 after Ethrel treatment in ‘Goldrich’ and ‘Santa Rosa’, respectively, while photosystem I subunit V psaG (photosynthesis) was upregulated after 1-MCP in both species. Furthermore, the overexpression of genes encoding GDP-L-galactose and ferredoxin in the ascorbate and aldarate metabolism and photosynthesis pathways caused by 1-MCP favored antioxidant activity and therefore slowed down the fruit senescence process.
Summary
The Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.), a diploid species native to the mountainous regions of Central Asia, is the major walnut species cultivated for nut production and is one of the most ...widespread tree nut species in the world. The high nutritional value of J. regia nuts is associated with a rich array of polyphenolic compounds, whose complete biosynthetic pathways are still unknown. A J. regia genome sequence was obtained from the cultivar ‘Chandler’ to discover target genes and additional unknown genes. The 667‐Mbp genome was assembled using two different methods (SOAPdenovo2 and MaSuRCA), with an N50 scaffold size of 464 955 bp (based on a genome size of 606 Mbp), 221 640 contigs and a GC content of 37%. Annotation with MAKER‐P and other genomic resources yielded 32 498 gene models. Previous studies in walnut relying on tissue‐specific methods have only identified a single polyphenol oxidase (PPO) gene (JrPPO1). Enabled by the J. regia genome sequence, a second homolog of PPO (JrPPO2) was discovered. In addition, about 130 genes in the large gallate 1‐β‐glucosyltransferase (GGT) superfamily were detected. Specifically, two genes, JrGGT1 and JrGGT2, were significantly homologous to the GGT from Quercus robur (QrGGT), which is involved in the synthesis of 1‐O‐galloyl‐β‐d‐glucose, a precursor for the synthesis of hydrolysable tannins. The reference genome for J. regia provides meaningful insight into the complex pathways required for the synthesis of polyphenols. The walnut genome sequence provides important tools and methods to accelerate breeding and to facilitate the genetic dissection of complex traits.
Significance Statement
In walnut, nut and wood quality are highly influenced by polyphenolic diversity, but the biosynthetic pathways for polyphenols are poorly characterized. Here we describe a high‐quality draft genome sequence of the Persian walnut, Juglans regia, which will accelerate breeding and facilitate the genetic dissection of complex traits.
In this work, we developed a novel approach combining bioinformatics, testing of functionality and bottom-up proteomics to obtain peptide emulsifiers from potato side-streams. This is a significant ...advancement in the process to obtain emulsifier peptides and it is applicable to any type of protein. Our results indicated that structure at the interface is the major determining factor of the emulsifying activity of peptide emulsifiers. Fish oil-in-water emulsions with high physical stability were stabilized with peptides to be predicted to have facial amphiphilicity: (i) peptides with predominantly α-helix conformation at the interface and having 18-29 amino acids, and (ii) peptides with predominantly β-strand conformation at the interface and having 13-15 amino acids. In addition, high physically stable emulsions were obtained with peptides that were predicted to have axial hydrophobic/hydrophilic regions. Peptides containing the sequence FCLKVGV showed high in vitro antioxidant activity and led to emulsions with high oxidative stability. Peptide-level proteomics data and sequence analysis revealed the feasibility to obtain the potent emulsifier peptides found in this study (e.g. γ-1) by trypsin-based hydrolysis of different side streams in the potato industry.
No natural sources of resistance to
(PPV, sharka disease) have been identified in peach. However, previous studies have demonstrated that grafting a "Garrigues" almond scion onto "GF305" peach ...rootstock seedlings heavily infected with PPV can progressively reduce disease symptoms and virus accumulation. Furthermore, grafting a "Garrigues" scion onto the "GF305" rootstock has been shown to completely prevent virus infection. This study aims to analyse the rewiring of gene expression associated with this resistance to PPV transmitted by grafting through the phloem using RNA-Seq and RT-qPCR analysis. A total of 18 candidate genes were differentially expressed after grafting "Garrigues" almond onto healthy "GF305" peach. Among the up-regulated genes, a
homolog stands out, which, together with the differential expression of
- and
-homologs, suggests that the RNA silencing machinery is activated by PPV infection and can contribute to the resistance induced by "Garrigues" almond.
could be also relevant for the "Garrigues"-induced response, since its expression is much higher in "Garrigues" than in "GF305". We also discuss the potential relevance of the following in PPV infection and "Garrigues"-induced resistance: several pathogenesis-related proteins; no apical meristem proteins; the transcription initiation factor, TFIIB; the speckle-type POZ protein; in addition to a number of proteins involved in phytohormone signalling.
Corporate cash holding and firm value Martínez-Sola, Cristina; García-Teruel, Pedro J.; Martínez-Solano, Pedro
Applied economics,
01/2013, Letnik:
45, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
This study contrasts the effect of cash holding on firm value for a sample of US industrial firms during 2001-2007. The study tests empirically for the existence of an optimal cash level that ...maximizes firm value. Second, the study analyses whether or not deviations from the optimum cash level reduce firm value. The results show a concave relation between cash holding and firm value, verifying the existence of an optimum level of cash holding. Additionally consistent with the initial analysis, deviations above and below optimal cash holding decreases the firm value.
Accurate screening of new alternative antimicrobial compounds is essential for their use to control pathogens in swine production due to the replacement of antibiotics and zinc oxide. Most in vitro ...studies have separately reported the antimicrobial activity of organic acids and essential oils (EOs) using diverse methods for susceptibility testing. In addition, in vitro outcomes can help in the selection of the suitable antimicrobial compound and effective combinations of these compounds in the control of pathogens of interest in pork production. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determinate the antibacterial activity of six organic acids and six EOs against
,
spp. and
isolates, some of them multi-resistant to antibiotics, from swine origin. The synergistic effects between the products with higher activity for each bacteria were also calculated.
All products tested showed activity against at least one bacterial species, except for black pepper EO. The results showed that formic acid with the shortest chain length was the most effective against
and
spp.
while the sodium salt of coconut fatty acid distillates with long chain acids was the most effective against
. The susceptibility of isolates tested to EOs was similar, a result that demonstrates a similar activity of these products against phylogenetically unrelated pathogens. In addition, an additive effect was shown for carvacrol-oregano EO for
, formic acid-carvacrol and formic acid-thymol for
spp. and carvacrol-cinamaldehyde for
.
The susceptibility of isolates to EOs was similar, a result that demonstrates a similar activity of these products against phylogenetically unrelated pathogens in contrast to organic acids. In addition, an additive effect was shown for several combinations of these compounds.
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