A new opening for wheat seed production Dixon, Laura E; Bencivenga, Stefano; Boden, Scott A
Journal of experimental botany,
01/2018, Volume:
69, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
This article comments on:
Okada T, Jayasinghe R, Nansamba M, Baes M, Warner P, Kouidri A, Correia D, Nguyen V, Whitford R, Baumann U. 2017. Unfertilized ovary pushes wheat flower open for ...cross-pollination. Journal of Experimental Botany 69, 399-412.
Temperature is a critical environmental signal in the regulation of plant growth and development. The temperature signal varies across a daily 24 h period, between seasons and stochastically ...depending on local environmental events. Extracting important information from these complex signals has led plants to evolve multiple temperature responsive regulatory mechanisms at the molecular level. In temperate cereals, we are starting to identify and understand these molecular mechanisms. In addition, we are developing an understanding of how this knowledge can be used to increase the robustness of crop yield in response to significant changes in local and global temperature patterns. To enable this, it is becoming apparent that gene regulation, regarding expression and post-transcriptional regulation, is crucial. Large transcriptomic studies are identifying global changes in spliced transcript variants and regulatory non-coding RNAs in response to seasonal and stress temperature signals in many of the cereal crops. Understanding the functions of these variants and targets of the non-coding RNAs will greatly increase how we enable the adaptation of crops. This review considers our current understanding and areas for future development.
Highlights • The 21-item Therapist Beliefs about Exposure Scale was constructed for this study. • The TBES demonstrated excellent psychometric properties in 3 therapist samples. • Higher TBES scores ...predicted negative reactions to 4 exposure therapy vignettes. • Higher TBES scores predicted cautious delivery style in an OCD case vignette. • TBES scores decreased by 50% following a day-long didactic workshop.
We have identified a role for two evolutionarily related, secreted metalloproteases of the ADAMTS family, ADAMTS20 and ADAMTS9, in palatogenesis. Adamts20 mutations cause the mouse white-spotting ...mutant belted (bt), whereas Adamts9 is essential for survival beyond 7.5 days gestation (E7.5). Functional overlap of Adamts9 with Adamts20 was identified using Adamts9(+/-);bt/bt mice, which have a fully penetrant cleft palate. Palate closure was delayed, although eventually completed, in both Adamts9(+/-);bt/+ and bt/bt mice, demonstrating cooperation of these genes. Adamts20 is expressed in palatal mesenchyme, whereas Adamts9 is expressed exclusively in palate microvascular endothelium. Palatal shelves isolated from Adamts9(+/-);bt/bt mice fused in culture, suggesting an intact epithelial TGFβ3 signaling pathway. Cleft palate resulted from a temporally specific delay in palatal shelf elevation and growth towards the midline. Mesenchyme of Adamts9(+/-);bt/bt palatal shelves had reduced cell proliferation, a lower cell density and decreased processing of versican (VCAN), an extracellular matrix (ECM) proteoglycan and ADAMTS9/20 substrate, from E13.5 to E14.5. Vcan haploinsufficiency led to greater penetrance of cleft palate in bt mice, with a similar defect in palatal shelf extension as Adamts9(+/-);bt/bt mice. Cell density was normal in bt/bt;Vcan(hdf)(/+) mice, consistent with reduced total intact versican in ECM, but impaired proliferation persisted in palate mesenchyme, suggesting that ADAMTS-cleaved versican is required for cell proliferation. These findings support a model in which cooperative versican proteolysis by ADAMTS9 in vascular endothelium and by ADAMTS20 in palate mesenchyme drives palatal shelf sculpting and extension.
There are many challenges facing the development of high-yielding, nutritious crops for future environments. One limiting factor is generation time, which prolongs research and plant breeding ...timelines. Recent advances in speed breeding protocols have dramatically reduced generation time for many short-day and long-day species by optimizing light and temperature conditions during plant growth. However, winter crops with a vernalization requirement still require up to 6–10 weeks in low-temperature conditions before the transition to reproductive development. Here, we tested a suite of environmental conditions and protocols to investigate whether the vernalization process can be accelerated. We identified a vernalization method consisting of exposing seeds at the soil surface to an extended photoperiod of 22 h day:2 h night at 10°C with transfer to speed breeding conditions that dramatically reduces generation time in both winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) and winter barley (Hordeum vulgare). Implementation of the speed vernalization protocol followed by speed breeding allowed the completion of up to five generations per year for winter wheat or barley, whereas only two generations can be typically completed under standard vernalization and plant growth conditions. The speed vernalization protocol developed in this study has great potential to accelerate biological research and breeding outcomes for winter crops.
A major bottleneck in crop research and breeding programs is the length of time to grow a plant generation. Despite recent advances in speed breeding technology, winter crops still require a prolonged period of cold to satisfy vernalization before plants can transition from vegetative to reproductive development. In this study, we report a vernalization method that uses warmer temperatures and extended photoperiod conditions to significantly reduce generation time when coupled with speed breeding.
Animal welfare assessments are essential for the identification of welfare hazards and benchmarking of welfare improvements, though welfare assessments for zoo species are lacking. Bears are commonly ...housed in zoos but currently no composite welfare assessment tool exists for captive bears. This study describes the development of such a tool for use across hibernating bear species. A draft tool was developed using indicators derived from the literature and a modified Delphi analysis with an international group of bear keepers. A total of 18 bear keepers from 12 zoos were recruited to trial the tool on 24 brown bears and American black bears. The participating keepers assessed their bears three times across a period of nine days. Intraclass correlation coefficients analysis was used to analyse inter-, intra-rater and item reliability. The inter- and intra-rater reliability showed good to excellent levels of agreement (>0.7,
< 0.05). Item reliability was also assessed and showed good to excellent levels of agreement (>0.75,
< 0.05). The resulting bear welfare assessment is an important step in identifying and understanding challenges to bear welfare in captivity.
Objective: Adverse consequences of binge drinking episodes are well-established, but fewer studies have investigated how incremental changes in daily alcohol use relate to well-being. We examined ...within- and between-person associations in alcohol use and next-day valued living to enhance our understanding of the impact of alcohol use on following-day outcomes in college students. Participants: During November 2018, 73 undergraduate participants (65.7% female) completed surveys through Qualtrics. Method: Using daily diary methodology, participants completed nightly surveys (N = 784) on their cellular devices over a two-week period. Results: Within-participant variations in evening alcohol use demonstrated a negative linear association with next-day valued living, controlling for relevant variables. Conclusions: Findings supplement other studies demonstrating the impact of individual variability in alcohol use on engagement in valued behaviors. Knowledge of the hazards of alcohol use within the context of valued living has the potential to inform alcohol use prevention and intervention programs.
Approximately one-third of adults with chronic respiratory disease (CRD) have comorbid depressive and anxiety disorders; yet these disorders are often unrecognized in this patient population. ...Transdiagnostic processes such as anxiety sensitivity (AS) are useful for identifying mechanisms underlying psychological and heath conditions. The Short-Scale AS Index (SSASI) is a brief self-report measure of AS which has potential clinical utility among CRD populations to evaluate psychological distress and inform comprehensive care. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the SSASI among adults with CRDs. Participants were recruited from a web-based panel of adults with CRDs (
n
= 768; 49.3% female; 57.8% White) including adults with asthma only (
n
= 230), COPD only (
n
= 321), or co-occurring asthma and COPD (
n
= 217). Participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing psychological and medical symptoms. Analyses were conducted to examine the factor structure and measurement invariance across CRD groups. Convergent validity and criterion validity of the SSASI were assessed within each group. Results supported partial measurement invariance across CRD groups. The SSASI demonstrated high reliability, convergent validity, and criterion validity with each CRD group. Findings from this study and existing work indicate that the SSASI is an effective and economical assessment tool for identifying patients CRD who may benefit from psychological interventions to reduce AS.
Highlights • Participants’ beliefs about exposure were manipulated to be positive or negative. • Negative beliefs about exposure caused a more cautious delivery of the treatment. • Participants with ...positive beliefs employed a more ambitious delivery of exposure. • Across conditions, empathic concern was predictive of cautious exposure delivery.
PDF
