Background and Aims
Viticulture will be particularly affected by increasing drought and heat waves in the future. It is of interest to find traits that indicate stress before symptoms become ...apparent. We investigated whether the commonly used traits, proline and abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis, are suitable markers for heat, drought or combined stress and whether gene expression of key enzymes of ABA biosynthesis is regulated in grapevine leaves under these stress conditions.
Methods and Results
Plant growth and gas exchange were measured to evaluate plant reactions to increased temperature and water deficit. Proline and ABA concentration in leaf material was measured, respectively, photometrically and with GC/MS. Gene expression analysis of NCED1, NCED2 and P5CS was done by real‐time quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction. Drought stress had a stronger effect on growth, gas exchange, proline, and ABA biosynthesis than heat stress. An interaction between heat and drought stress was observed for gas exchange and for proline biosynthesis.
Conclusions
Proline concentration and gene expression of P5CS are good markers for combined stress. The concentration of ABA is a suitable marker for drought stress and might be a suitable marker for combined stress. Gene expression of NCED1 in leaves was a good marker for drought stress and might be a suitable marker for combined stress, whereas NCED2 was not suitable.
Significance of the Study
These results provide insight into the response of grapevines to heat, drought and combined stress and show the suitability of ABA and proline as stress markers.
The anti-apoptotic BCL-2 protein family regulates cancer cell survival, thus it represents an important therapeutic target. Indeed, a drug class, called BH3-mimetics, have been developed to directly ...target BCL2 proteins and promote cancer cell death. Conventional wisdom suggests that the primary anti-cancer effect of BCL-2 inhibition is through induction of cancer cell death. However, a recent study by Zhao and colleagues describes that BCL-2 inhibition also enhances the function of classical dendritic cells, unleashing their role in immunosurveillance, promoting T cell immunity and tumour regression. Thus, inhibiting anti-apoptotic BCL-2 function may have a multi-pronged anti-tumour action.
A new methodology based on Diffusion Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DW-MRI) and Graph Theory is presented for characterizing the anatomical connections between brain gray matter areas. In a ...first step, brain voxels are modeled as nodes of a non-directed graph in which the weight of an arc linking two neighbor nodes is assumed to be proportional to the probability of being connected by nervous fibers. This probability is estimated by means of probabilistic tissue segmentation and intravoxel white matter orientational distribution function, obtained from anatomical MRI and DW-MRI, respectively. A new tractography algorithm for finding white matter routes is also introduced. This algorithm solves the most probable path problem between any two nodes, leading to the assessment of probabilistic brain anatomical connection maps. In a second step, for assessing anatomical connectivity between K gray matter structures, the previous graph is redefined as a K+1 partite graph by partitioning the initial nodes set in K non-overlapped gray matter subsets and one subset clustering the remaining nodes. Three different measures are proposed for quantifying anatomical connections between any pair of gray matter subsets: Anatomical Connection Strength (ACS), Anatomical Connection Density (ACD) and Anatomical Connection Probability (ACP). This methodology was applied to both artificial and actual human data. Results show that nervous fiber pathways between some regions of interest were reconstructed correctly. Additionally, mean connectivity maps of ACS, ACD and ACP between 71 gray matter structures for five healthy subjects are presented.
Opisthorchis felineus in cat: case report Oliveira, P.(Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias); Pires, M.A.(Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias); Rodrigues, P.(Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias) ...
Arquivo brasileiro de medicina veterinária e zootecnia,
08/2005, Letnik:
57, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Opisthorchis felineus foi encontrado em um gato admitido no Hospital Veterinário da Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. No momento de admissão, o animal apresentava-se em estado de choque, ...com hipotermia, desidratação e mucosas pálidas. As análises hematológicas revelaram linfopenia, eosinofilia e anemia moderada. À necrópsia observou-se distensão da vesícula biliar e intensa infestação parasitária no fígado. O estudo morfológico do parasita revelou tratar-se de Opisthorchis felineus.
•Experimental campaign about RC beam-column joints with PCC.•Epoxy resin and ground tire rubber used as partial cement replacement.•Good energy dissipation capacity of ERC joints.
The introduction of ...polymers in ordinary cement concrete in order to reduce the Portland cement consumption is gaining more attraction in the field of civil engineering. However, in order to promote the use of Polymer-Modified Concrete (PMC) in real works, in addition to the mechanical characterization of the material, the study of its structural behavior is necessary. Two Polymer Cement Concrete (PCC) with 5% and 15% of cement replacement (expressed in terms of polymer/cement mass ratio (p/c)) by Ground Tire Rubber and epoxy, respectively, have been considered. The above replacements of cement were considered as optimum in a previous research carried out by the authors. This paper reports the experimental behavior of Reinforced Concrete (RC) beam-column joints made with conventional and PCC subjected to quasi-static reversed cyclic loading. The specimens included a control, one reference specimen made of a traditional concrete, and another two ones in which the joint zone was casted with epoxy resin and ground rubber respectively as partial cement replacement. The influence of the two polymer-cement concretes on the overall structural behavior of the RC joints was studied in terms of load-carrying capacity, strength degradation, ductility, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation capacity, equivalent viscous damping ratio, joint damage level and pinching width ratio. The results revealed that the epoxy resin concrete exhibited a good structural behaviour. On the contrary, the results corresponding to ground tire rubber concrete discourage its use in structures.
•Experimental campaign about vibration in eight deteriorating footbridges.•New proposal of normalised single-footstep force functions for walking and running.•Vibration discomfort and deterioration ...were compared by using VDI and DI indices.
This paper presents the results of the assessment of the dynamic characteristics and vibration performance of eight deteriorating footbridges. The bridges examined, part of the public infrastructure of the city of Tunja (Colombia), present an evident state of deterioration, showing excessive vibration under service loadings. A consistent evaluation methodology based on vibration tests and numerical analyses was implemented. After completing a deterioration assessment, an experimental modal characterization was carried out, the results of which were used to update numerical structural models. Uniform vibration tests for different pedestrian loading scenarios were conducted. Then, pedestrian crossing simulations for a typical range of walking and running frequencies were performed using a step-by-step load model with a new proposal of normalised single-footstep force functions. Results showed elevated vibrations in most of the footbridges for temporary and exceptional loading conditions, which are unsafe for some of the structures. Discomfort and deterioration were compared using a vibration discomfort index (VDI) and a deterioration index (DI). High vibration discomfort levels were found to be consistent with the degree of deterioration of the structures evaluated.
•A coupled system heliostat-light-pipes for energy savings in tunnels is studied.•The heliostat is fixed above the road before the portal gate of the tunnel.•It continuously seeks the orientation to ...inject parallel rays in the pipes.•The rays are guided through the light-pipes and distributed on the threshold zone.•The improvement of the efficacy of light-pipes and savings is remarkable.
A coupled system consisting on a heliostat and a matrix of light-pipes inside one road tunnel where the heliostat injects sunlight, is proposed. Its reliability and efficiency from theoretical calculations and a mock-up, is analyzed as a function of tunnel orientation. The heliostat is fixed above the road some meters before the portal gate of the road tunnels. It continuously seeks the correct orientation so that the angle between sun, heliostat and light-pipes in the portal gate, injects of parallel sunrays every moment. Then, these rays are guided through the light-pipes and distributed on the road in the threshold zone with a remarkable improvement of the efficacy of light-pipes and the relevant savings in electrical consumption and number of luminaries. The results of calculations and measurements on mock-up, that show energy savings above 20% in the most favorable tunnel orientations and 14% in arbitrary orientations, as well as a discussion about the most accurate tunnel orientations are analyzed and presented.
Background and Aims
Measuring the carbon assimilation and respiration during vine phenology can provide an understanding of the dynamics of carbon fluxes from different organs and their relationship. ...Most field studies to date do not consider the respiratory losses of different plant organs and their variability under environmental, genetic and phenological changes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of genotype and water regime on carbon assimilation, respiration and allocation during vine phenology.
Methods and Results
Field trials were carried out during 2013 and 2014 to study the effect of genotype and water status on carbon assimilation, respiratory losses from leaves, shoots, fruits and roots during the vine phenological cycle, and on biomass production. Carbon respiration varied during plant phenology and represented a significant proportion of the total vine carbon assimilation. The integrated carbon respiratory loss in leaves, fruits and roots was greater in irrigated vines than in non‐irrigated vines. Tempranillo recorded the highest carbon assimilation, leaf and stem respiration, as well as the highest above‐ground biomass. Garnacha showed a higher root respiration loss and allocated more biomass to the permanent organs. Accumulation of above‐ground biomass was influenced by plant carbon budgets during the growing season.
Conclusions
Vine phenology, cultivar and plant water status affected carbon assimilation, carbon loss and carbon allocation. Non‐irrigated vines had a higher respiratory carbon loss in respect to the total carbon assimilation by photosynthesis. Above‐ and below‐ground carbon fluxes were coupled during vine phenology.
Significance of the Study
The present work illustrates the importance of respiratory processes on the carbon balance and the relationship among different carbon balance components during vine phenology.
•The introduction of polymers in concrete is gaining more traction in civil engineering.•Concrete with ground tyre rubber presents a flatter post-peak branch in the stress-strain.•Concrete mixtures ...with epoxy without hardener has shown the highest durability.
In this research, the compressive behavior of concrete mixtures incorporating epoxy resin with and without hardener and ground rubber (tyre powder) as cement replacement was investigated. Various experimental mixes were produced varying the polymer/cement mass ratio. A general design criteria was adopted in the design of the mixtures in order to have a fair comparison between polymer-cement and traditional concretes. Concrete mixes were characterized through mechanical and durability tests. Mechanical tests included compressive and flexural strength. Durability was evaluated through the study of chloride ingress into the concrete matrix. Results indicate that the use of polymer-cement concrete modifies the post-peak slope of the stress-strain curve, showing a better ductility, having a special interest in earthquake engineering.
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