MiRNAs have emerged as key regulators of stress response in plants, suggesting their potential as candidates for knock-in/out to improve stress tolerance in agricultural crops. Although diverse ...assays have been performed, systematic and detailed studies of miRNA expression and function during exposure to multiple environments in crops are limited.
Here, we present such pioneering analysis in melon plants in response to seven biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Deep-sequencing and computational approaches have identified twenty-four known miRNAs whose expression was significantly altered under at least one stress condition, observing that down-regulation was preponderant. Additionally, miRNA function was characterized by high scale degradome assays and quantitative RNA measurements over the intended target mRNAs, providing mechanistic insight. Clustering analysis provided evidence that eight miRNAs showed a broad response range under the stress conditions analyzed, whereas another eight miRNAs displayed a narrow response range. Transcription factors were predominantly targeted by stress-responsive miRNAs in melon. Furthermore, our results show that the miRNAs that are down-regulated upon stress predominantly have as targets genes that are known to participate in the stress response by the plant, whereas the miRNAs that are up-regulated control genes linked to development.
Altogether, this high-resolution analysis of miRNA-target interactions, combining experimental and computational work, Illustrates the close interplay between miRNAs and the response to diverse environmental conditions, in melon.
Buffers have been commonly used as a production strategy to protect construction processes from the negative impact of variability. Construction practitioners and researchers have proposed several ...buffering approaches for different production situations and contexts. However, these solutions have been impractical for managing buffers. To overcome this, this study proposes a new site methodology for managing work-in-process (WIP) buffer in repetitive projects, on the basis of the reliable commitment model (RCM). RCM is a decision-making tool based on lean principles, which uses statistical models to develop more reliable work plans at the operational level. RCM helps to manage WIP buffer in work plans by using site information and planning reliability indicators that result in improved project performance, such as labor productivity and process progress. A repetitive building project was used as a case study. The main finding was that labor productivity, process progress, and waiting times improved when using larger WIP buffers than those typically used among crews. This shows the potential of RCM as a practical tool to manage WIP buffer sizes and to promote the use of lean production strategies at the operational level.
Introduction. The use of executive function (EF) instruments to assess children’s functional performance is obscured with a lack of consensus on which is most suitable to use within the occupational ...therapy profession. This review identifies EF instruments used by occupational therapists (OTs) for children and evaluates their measurement properties. Methods. This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020172107). We reviewed occupational therapy-related studies published until March 2021, to identify performance-based EF instruments used among children by OTs. Two review authors independently screened, extracted, and evaluated the methodological rigor of the included studies. Adequacy of the measurement properties was determined using the COSMIN, and the Terwee criteria were used for synthesis of best evidence. Results. Five EF assessments were found across eight study articles: Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children, Children’s Cooking Task, Children’s Kitchen Task Assessment, Do-Eat, and Preschool Executive Task Assessment. Adequacy of measurement properties and synthesis of best evidence varied, leading to a low GRADE rating on the certainty of evidence for the included instruments. Conclusions. There is limited evidence that supports the certainty of evidence on the measurement properties of the reviewed tools in helping OTs assess performance-based EF among children. Nevertheless, the authors conditionally suggest their use based on the critical need to measure children’s EF. Further research is needed to establish the measurement properties of these measures across different childhood populations.
Earthquake early warning (EEW) systems provide seconds to tens of seconds of warning time before potentially-damaging ground motions are felt. For optimal warning times, seismic sensors should be ...installed as close as possible to expected earthquake sources. However, while the most hazardous earthquakes on Earth occur underwater, most seismological stations are located on-land; precious seconds may go by before these earthquakes are detected. In this work, we harness available optical fiber infrastructure for EEW using the novel approach of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS). DAS strain measurements of earthquakes from different regions are converted to ground motions using a real-time slant-stack approach, magnitudes are estimated using a theoretical earthquake source model, and ground shaking intensities are predicted via ground motion prediction equations. The results demonstrate the potential of DAS-based EEW and the significant time-gains that can be achieved compared to the use of standard sensors, in particular for offshore earthquakes.
La macropropagación de plátano en cámara térmica es una tecnología económica, efectiva como método de limpieza fitosanitaria, y eficiente para potenciar la producción de plántulas. El objetivo del ...trabajo fue evaluar los efectos del tamaño de cormo (TC) y bencilaminopurina (BAP) sobre la proliferación del plátano en dos ambientes de propagación (AP). Los tratamientos consistieron de dos niveles de BAP (con y sin BAP), tres TC (2±0.5, 4±0.5 y 6±0.5 kg) y dos AP (cámara térmica y cantero). Las variables evaluadas fueron tiempo de brotación (días), tasa de multiplicación (TM) de plántulas por cormo y por m2. El tiempo de brotación fue influenciado significativamente (p < 0.05) por el AP, donde la cámara térmica adelantó la emergencia de brotes en 12 días, con respecto al cantero. Las tasas de multiplicación de plántulas por cormo y por m2, fueron influenciadas significativamente (p < 0.05) por BAP, TC y AP. Con BAP se produjo un 30 y 31% de incrementos de TM por cormo y por m2, respectivamente, en comparación al tratamiento sin BAP. Dentro de la cámara térmica la TM por cormo y por m2 se incrementó en un 44% con respecto al cantero. En cuanto al efecto del TC, los resultados indicaron una TM por cormo directamente proporcional al tamaño del cormo. Por el contrario, la TM por m2 mostró un comportamiento inversamente proporcional al tamaño del cormo. Se recomienda utilizar cámara térmica y BAP para masificar la producción de plántulas de plátano vía macropropagación.
Purpose. Spanish retina specialists were surveyed in order to propose actions to decrease deficiencies in real-life neovascular age macular degeneration treatment (nv-AMD). Methods. One hundred ...experts, members of the Spanish Vitreoretinal Society (SERV), were invited to complete an online survey of 52 statements about nv-AMD management with a modified Delphi methodology. Four rounds were performed using a 5-point Linkert scale. Recommendations were developed after analyzing the differences between the results and the SERV guidelines recommendations. Results. Eighty-seven specialists completed all the Delphi rounds. Once major potential deficiencies in real-life nv-AMD treatment were identified, 15 recommendations were developed with a high level of agreement. Consensus statements to reduce the burden of the disease included the use of treat and extend regimen and to reduce the amount of diagnostic tests during the loading phase and training technical staff to perform these tests and reduce the time between relapse detection and reinjection, as well as establishing patient referral protocols to outside general ophthalmology clinics. Conclusion. The level of agreement with the final recommendations for nv-AMD treatment among Spanish retinal specialist was high indicating that some actions could be applied in order to reduce the deficiencies in real-life nv-AMD treatment.
Purpose. To survey the management of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD) in Spain. Methods. An observational retrospective multicenter study was conducted. The ...variables analyzed were sociodemographic characteristics, foveal and macular thickness, visual acuity (VA), type of treatment, number of injections, and the initial administration of a loading dose of an antiangiogenic drug. Results. 208 patients were followed up during 23.4 months in average. During the first and second years, patients received a mean of 4.5±1.8 and 1.6±2.1 injections of antiangiogenic drugs, and 5.4±2.8 and 3.6±2.2 follow-up visits were performed, respectively. The highest improvement in VA was observed at 3 months of follow-up, followed by a decrease in the response that stabilized above baseline values until the end of the study. Patients who received an initial loading dose presented greater VA gains than those without. Conclusions. Our results suggest the need for a more standardized approach in the management and diagnosis of nvAMD receiving VEGF inhibitors. To achieve the visual outcomes reported in pivotal trials, an early diagnosis, proactive approach (more treating than follow-up visits), and a close monitoring might be the key to successfully manage nvAMD.
Beta vulgaris (sugar beet) is one of the most important industrial crops. Screening of a cDNA library for sugar beet genes able to confer cold tolerance upon overexpression in yeast identified a ...novel aquaporin, which we named BvCOLD1. The amino acid sequence of BvCOLD1 indicated that an acidic protein (pI 5.18) is similar to tonoplast intrinsic protein aquaporins. RNA expression analysis indicated that BvCOLD1 is expressed in all sugar beet organs. Confocal microscopy of a green fluorescent protein‐tagged version localized BvCOLD1 in the endoplasmic reticulum in yeast and in plant cells. Experiments in yeast showed that BvCOLD1 has an important role in transporting several molecules, among them is boron, one of the most limiting micronutrients for sugar beet cultivation. Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing BvCOLD1 showed enhanced tolerance to cold, to different abiotic stresses, and to boron deficiency at different developmental stages. Searches in databases only retrieved BvCOLD1 orthologues in genomes from the Chenopodioideae, a subfamily of the Amaranthaceae family that includes the closely related crop Spinacea oleracea and halotolerant plants such as Salicornia herbacea or Suaeda glauca. Orthologues share a conserved sequence in the carboxy terminus, not present in other aquaporins, which is required for the functionality of the protein.
In this report, we have identified BvCOLD1, a novel aquaporin from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris), which is only conserved in the Chenopodioideae family. BvCOLD1 is expressed in all plant organs investigated and located in the endoplasmic reticulum. Transport experiments in yeast indicated that BvCOLD1 is able to transport glycerol and boron, the most limiting oligoelement for sugar beet cultivation. Overexpression of BvCOLD1 in Arabidopsis thaliana plants conferred tolerance to cold, to different abiotic stresses, and to the ability to grow under boron limiting conditions; therefore, this novel aquaporin may be an important target to design new crops with enhanced boron homeostasis and abiotic stress tolerance.
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