•The correspondence between δ13C and plant water status and WUE is highly variable.•A more specific sampling procedure for δ13C determination is needed.•Pot and field experiments in grapevines were ...carried out for this propose.•δ13C measured in grapes at veraison-ripening shows the better correspondence with WUE and plant water status.
Dry mass Carbon isotope composition (δ13C) is a representative parameter of water use efficiency (WUE) in plants, as previously demonstrated by different authors for different species under different environmental conditions. Nevertheless, the relationship between δ13C and WUE in grapevines shows important variations among different experiments thus limiting its interest as indicator of water status or WUE. Our hypothesis was that such representativeness could be improved choosing an adequate sample and sampling time. Thus, the main objective of the present work was to identify the most representative sample and sampling time for a better assessment of grapevine water status and WUE by measuring: (i) the variability of WUE and δ13C in leaves and berries along growing season; (ii) the effect of water availability on WUE parameters and on δ13C; (iii) the relationships between leaf and plant WUE and the δ13C. Experiments were performed in the field at the Univertsity of Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Spain). The first experiment was carried out during the 2012 and 2013 seasons using cv. Tempranillo plants growing in 30-l pots under three levels of soil water content: (i) Control (100% of Field Capacity); (ii) Moderate water deficit (50% of Field Capacity) and (iii) Severe water deficit (25% of Field Capacity). The second experiment was performed under field-grown grapevines in the 2013 season, in cvs. Tempranillo and Grenache under two treatments: (i) Control (irrigation, 50% ETo) and (ii) No irrigation. In both experiments the correlation between the measured δ13C, in both young leaves (located in the middle zone of stem) and mature leaves (located in the basal zone of the stem) and berries in different growth stages and water use efficiency measured at the leaf level defined as intrinsic WUE (AN/gs) were studied, as well as at the whole plant level, defined as WUEplant (biomass increment/water consumed) and at the crop level, WUEc (yield/water applied). The best correlations were attained between δ13C and soil water status or intrinsic WUE (AN/gs). Berries at ripening showed to be the most appropriate organ to estimate both, the plant water status and the leaf and plant water use efficiency in grapevines.
An integrative approach is taken to mapping the field of research on information literacy in health sciences and social sciences. The objective was to identify the conceptual structure of these ...areas, and to determine their main research fronts and descriptors, and the relationships between them. A further objective is to determine whether information literacy is a consistent area. The basis of the study is the use of the program VOSViewer to analyse the co-occurrence of the areas’ descriptors, grouping them into clusters and generating a map of their connections. Information retrieval was by retrospective searches of the Web of Science (Thomson Reuters) and Scopus (Elsevier). The results for the health sciences area yielded four clusters. The centralmost descriptor was
Education
(with a total link strength of 1,470), which was strongly linked to the descriptor “
Information retrieval
”, and weakly linked to “
Information skills
”, “
Information seeking
”, and “
Information Science
”. In social sciences, there were six clusters. “
Information literacy
” was now the descriptor with most occurrences (812) as well as having the greatest weight—a total link strength of 2,340—followed by “
Education
” with 839 occurrences. The resulting maps provide a graphical identification of the main research issues and trends in information literacy in these two areas of expertise which, according to the data of the present study, correspond to lesser (health sciences) and greater (social sciences) scientific production. Information literacy was seen to be conceptually more consistent in health sciences than in social sciences. However, at least for the moment, it is a still growing conceptual space that is in need of solider indices of consistency and specificity.
Research in concentrated thermal solar power plants of all types and, in particular, those based on central receiver, namely solar tower plants, has experienced great impetus in the last decade, ...reaching full commercial operation with the PS10 plant in Spain. In spite of previous demonstration plants testing different receivers and power cycle layouts, this first commercial power plant adopted a cavity receiver generating saturated steam and therefore penalising cycle efficiency in order to gain plant reliability. According to the experience gained, if a competitive Levelised Cost of Electricity is to be reached, capital and maintenance costs must be reduced and efficiencies must be increased. To achieve these goals, modifying the power cycle is deemed essential, whether using superheated steam or alternative fluids.
In this work, the use of supercritical and transcritical carbon dioxide cycles for this application is proposed. Three different cycles are considered, the first two of which are stand-alone closed cycle gas turbines using carbon dioxide. The third proposal is a combined cycle that comprises a topping carbon dioxide gas turbine and a bottoming Organic Rankine Cycle. Preliminary results show that these cycles are promising technologies for solar tower plants, having the potential to compete in terms of efficiency and costs with other conventional technologies.
Previous studies have reported correlation of leaf hydraulic vulnerability with pressure–volume parameters related to cell turgor. This link has been explained on the basis of the effects of turgor ...on connectivity among cells and tissue structural integrity, which affect leaf water transport. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that osmotic adjustment to water stress would shift the leaf vulnerability curve toward more negative water potential (Ψₗₑₐf) by increasing turgor at low Ψₗₑₐf. We measured leaf hydraulic conductance (Kₗₑₐf), Kₗₑₐfvulnerability 50 and 80% loss of Kₗₑₐf(P₅₀and P₈₀); |Ψₗₑₐf| at 50 and 80% loss of Kₗₑₐf, respectively), bulk leaf water relations, leaf gas exchange and sap flow in two Vitis vinifera cultivars (Tempranillo and Grenache), under two water treatments. We found that P₅₀, P₈₀and maximum Kₗₑₐfdecreased seasonally by more than 20% in both cultivars and watering treatments. However, Kₗₑₐfat −2 MPa increased threefold, while osmotic potential at full turgor and turgor loss point decreased. Our results indicate that leaf resistance to hydraulic dysfunction is seasonally plastic, and this plasticity may be mediated by osmotic adjustment.
BlockChain Technology (BCT) has appeared with strength and promises an authentic revolution on business, management, and organizational strategies related to utilization of advanced software systems. ...In fact, BCT promotes a decentralized architecture to process management and the collaborative work between entities when these ones are working together in a business process. This paper aims to know what proposals exist to improve any stage of business process management using BCT because this technology could provide benefits in this management. For this purpose, this paper presents a systematic literature review in area of Collaborative Business Processes (CBP) in BCT domain to identify opportunities and gaps for further research. This paper concludes there is a rapid and growing interest of public bodies, scientific community and software industries to know opportunities that BCT offers to improve CBP management in a decentralized manner. However, although the topic is in early stages, there are very promising lines of research and relevant open issues, but there also is lack of scientific rigor in validation process into the different studies.
The metzincin family of metalloproteinases and the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are essential proteins required for biological processes during cancer progression. This study aimed ...to determine the role of TIMP-2 in ovarian cancer progression and chemoresistance by reducing TIMP-2 expression in vitro in Fallopian tube secretory epithelial (FT282) and ovarian cancer (JHOS2 and OVCAR4) cell lines.
FT282, JHOS2 and OVCAR4 cells were transiently transfected with either single or pooled TIMP-2 siRNAs. The expression of different genes after TIMP-2 knock down (T2-KD) or in response to chemotherapy was determined at the mRNA level by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) and at the protein level by immunofluorescence. Sensitivity of the cell lines in response to chemotherapy after TIMP-2 knock down was investigated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays. Cell invasion in response to TIMP-2 knockdown was determined by xCELLigence.
Sixty to 90 % knock down of TIMP-2 expression was confirmed in FT282, OVCAR4 and JHOS2 cell lines at the mRNA and protein levels. TIMP-2 knock down did not change the mRNA expression of TIMP-1 or TIMP-3. However, a significant downregulation of MMP-2 in T2-KD cells occurred at both the protein and activation levels, compared to Control (Cont; scrambled siRNA) and Parental cells (P, transfection reagent only). In contrast, membrane bound MT1-MMP protein levels were significantly upregulated in T2-KD compared to Cont and P cells. T2-KD cells exhibited enhanced proliferation and increased sensitivity to cisplatin and paclitaxel treatments. Enhanced invasion was observed in the T2-KD-JOSH2 and OVCAR4 cells but not in T2-KD-FT282 cells. Treatment with cisplatin or paclitaxel significantly elevated the expression of TIMP-2 in Cont cells but not in T2-KD cells, consistent with significantly elevated expression of chemoresistance and CSC markers and activation of STAT3. Furthermore, a potent inhibitor of STAT3 activation, Momelotinib, suppressed chemotherapy-induced activation of P-STAT3 in OVCAR4 cells with concomitant reductions in the expression of chemoresistance genes and CSC markers.
The above results suggest that TIMP-2 may have a novel role in ovarian cancer proliferation, invasion and chemoresistance.
Respiration processes are well recognized as fundamental for the plant carbon balance, but little attention has been paid to the relationships among respiration rates, environment and genetic ...variability. This can be of particular interest to understand the differences in net carbon balances in crops as grapevines. Night respiration (Rn) and its associated growth (Rg) and maintenance (Rm) components were evaluated during leaf expansion in two grapevine cultivars (Tempranillo cv. and Garnacha cv.) that differ in their plant growth pattern and carbon balance. Simultaneously, leaf traits as leaf mass area, nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) content were evaluated in order to relate to the respiratory processes and the leaf growth. The results showed the differences in respiration rates associated with the leaf expansion pattern. Tempranillo developed leaves with higher leaf area and lower dry weight per leaf unit than Garnacha. Although differences between cultivars were observed in terms of growth costs in expanding leaves, the maintenance costs were similar for both cultivars. Also, a significant linear regression was found between respiration rates and N content in expanding and mature leaves. The results indicate that differences in structure and nitrogen content of expanding leaves may lead to respiratory differences between cultivars. These results also demonstrate the importance of respiratory cost components in carbon balance calculations in grapevines.
The Collective Thomson scattering technique has been implemented to study the stagnation of a single liner gas-puff. The plasma parameters are determined by theoretically modelling the scattering ...form factor in combination with Bayesian inference to provide the set of the most probable parameters that describe the experimental data. Analysis of the data reveal that incoming flows are able to interpenetrate partially. Estimation of the mean free path shows a gradual transition from a weakly collisional to a collisional regime as the plasma gets to the axis. Furthermore, we find that the ion energy at Formula: see text is Formula: see text and is mostly kinetic in nature and represents Formula: see text of the total energy. This kinetic energy is far greater than the value on axis of Formula: see text which is Formula: see text of the total energy. Energy transfer to the electrons and radiation losses are found to be negligible by this time. A possible explanation for this energy imbalance is the presence of an azimuthal magnetic field larger than Formula: see text that deflect the ions vertically. The uncertainties quoted represent 68% credible intervals.
The tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs) and their associated metalloproteinase (MMPs) are essential regulators of tissue homeostasis and are essential for cancer progression. This study ...analyzed the expression of TIMP-1,-2,-3 and the associated MMPs (MMP-2,-9,-11,-14) in different Stages, Grades and World Health Organization (WHO) classifications of serous ovarian tumors, ascites, ascites-derived cells from chemo-naïve (CN) and relapsed (CR) patients, and in ovarian cancer cell lines. The status of TIMPs and associated MMPs in response to chemotherapy treatment was assessed in cancer cell lines; TCGA data was interrogated to gauge TIMPs and associated MMPs as prognostic and platinum-response indicators.
The levels of TIMP-1, -2 and -3 were assessed by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA expression of TIMPs and MMPs was quantified by real time PCR (qRT-PCR). The chemosensitivity (IC
values) to Cisplatin or Paclitaxel in cell lines was evaluated by MTT assay. The levels of TIMPs in ascites and cell lysates were analyzed by an ELISA assay.
The expression of TIMP-2 was significantly upregulated in Type 2 compared to Type 1 tumors and normal/benign ovarian tissues. TIMP-3 expression was significantly enhanced in Stage III, Grade 3 and Type 2 tumors compared to normal/benign ovarian tissues. The mRNA expression of MMP-9,-11 and -14 was significantly upregulated in Stage IV compared to normal/benign ovarian tissues. The expression of TIMP-1 was highest, followed by TIMP-2 and then TIMP-3 in CN ascites. At the cellular level, TIMP-2 mRNA expression was significantly higher in CN compared to CR epithelial cells in patients. The expression of TIMP-1 and -2, MMPs and cancer stem cells (CSCs) were upregulated in response to chemotherapy treatments in cancer cell lines. Interrogation of the TCGA dataset suggests shifts in platinum responses in patients consistent with genetic alterations in TIMP-2, -3 and MMP-2, -11 genes in tumors; and decreased overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with altered MMP-14 genes.
TIMPs and related MMPs are differentially expressed in serous ovarian tumors, ascites, ascites-derived cells and ovarian cancer cell lines. Chemotherapy treatment modulates expression of TIMPs and MMPs in association with increased expression of genes related to cancer stem cells.
The selection of genotypes best adapted to environmental conditions has traditionally focused on agronomic and grape composition parameters. However, to classify the genotypes most adapted to climate ...change conditions, the aim must be to focus on the ecophysiological responses that will ultimately determine their performance. The variability in water use efficiency of 13 Grenache genotypes over three‐seasons was assessed under field conditions at leaf, grape and plant level. Results showed a significant effect of genotype at all three levels, and despite the large interannual variability there was a remarkable consistency among levels. Furthermore, using genotype‐specific regressions it was possible to identify significant differences in the intrinsic water use efficiency response of each genotype as a function of the vine water status. The relationship between net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, as well as carbon isotope discrimination in grapes, were also confirmed as reliable physiological indicators for selecting grapevine genotypes to future environmental conditions. Therefore, the proposed multi‐level methodology was useful to quantify the intracultivar variability and the identification of more and less efficient genotypes within Grenache.
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