Applications of dry chain technology to maintain high seed viability in tropical climates.

Seed storage life in tropical areas is shortened by high humidity and temperature and the general inaccessibility to dehumidifying and refrigeration systems, resulting in rapid decreases in seed viability in storage as well as a high incidence of fungal and insect infestations. The dry chain, based on rapid and deep drying of seeds after harvest followed by packaging in moisture-proof containers, has been proposed as an effective method to maintain seed quality during medium-term storage in humid climates, even without refrigeration. In addition, seed drying with zeolite drying beads can be more effective and economical than sun or heated-air drying under these warm, humid conditions.

Lentiviral vectors for precise expression to treat X-linked lymphoproliferative disease.

X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP1) results from gene mutations affecting the SLAM-associated protein (SAP). A regulated lentiviral vector (LV), XLP-SMART LV, designed to express SAP at therapeutic levels in T, NK, and NKT cells, is crucial for effective gene therapy. We experimentally identified 34 genomic regulatory elements of the gene and designed XLP-SMART LVs to emulate the lineage and stage-specific control of SAP.

Child Contact, Partner Conflict, and Psychological Distress Among Incarcerated Fathers: Testing the Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support.

The mechanism(s) through which child contact can lead to more positive mental health and romantic relationship outcomes among incarcerated fathers are not sufficiently studied. The present study tests whether the associations between frequency of child contact and later psychological distress and conflict in romantic relationships are mediated by perceived social support. Self-reported longitudinal data from a sample of incarcerated men who participated in a fatherhood education program ( = 2,096) were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Differences in testing for drugs of abuse amongst racial and ethnic groups at children's hospitals.

Objectives: Racial and ethnic differences in drug testing have been described among adults and newborns. Less is known regarding testing patterns among children and adolescents. We sought to describe the association between race and ethnicity and drug testing at US children's hospitals.

Intercorporeal Formations in Pediatric Dental Encounters With Patients Showing Distress: The Intertwine of Controlling and Comforting Touch.

Dental fear and anxiety are highly prevalent among children and have been shown to lead to irregular use of dental services. Previous research has suggested that while touch can alleviate the patient's stress and help in accomplishing dental procedures, it can also be a source of stress or used to restrain the patient. In this study, we explore the emergence and intertwine of controlling and comforting touch in pediatric dental clinic settings in which patients show signs of resistance, distress, or fear.

Application of Hydrothermal Time Models to Predict Sclerotial Germination of .

, causal agent of "southern blight" disease, is a soilborne fungal pathogen with a wide host range of more than 500 species. This study's objectives were to (i) quantify the effects of two environmental factors, temperature and soil moisture, on germination of inoculum (sclerotia), which is a critical event for the onset of disease epidemics and (ii) predict the timing of sclerotial germination by applying population-based threshold-type hydrothermal time (HTT) models. We conducted in vitro germination experiments with three isolates of isolated from peanuts, which were tested at five temperatures (), ranging from 17 to 40°C, four matric potentials (Ψ) between -0.

Leg-Length and Alignment Changes in Children and Adolescents After Transphyseal Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Soft Tissue Graft: Results at 1-Year Follow-up.

Background: Growth disturbance to leg length or coronal plane alignment are important considerations in pediatric anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR).

Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to investigate the lower limb alignment and leg length of pediatric patients preoperatively and at approximately 1 year after transphyseal ACLR. Our hypothesis was that there would be no significant change in leg-length discrepancy (LLD) or operated-side alignment at follow-up.

"No, It's You:" Dyadic perceived need for change predicts relationship education outcomes.

Relationship education (RE) efforts have been shown to help couples and individuals with a variety of family relationships. However, much still needs to be identified in terms of what factors are salient to outcomes. Drawing on therapeutic models of change, we have identified perceived need for change as one such potential factor.

PET-RAFT Polymerization of Star Polymers with Folded ortho-Phenylene Cores.

ortho-Phenylenes are one of the simplest classes of aromatic foldamers, adopting helical geometries because of aromatic stacking interactions. The folding and misfolding of ortho-phenylenes are slow on the NMR timescale at or below room temperature, allowing detection of folding states using H NMR spectroscopy. Herein, an ortho-phenylene hexamer is coupled with a RAFT chain transfer agent (CTA) on each repeat unit.

Chaplaincy Perspectives on the Role of Spirituality in Australian Health and Aged Care.

The aim of this study was to explore Australian chaplains' views of spirituality. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 16 participants. Participants relied heavily on metaphors and analogies to describe spirituality.

Economic distress and perceptions of sexual intimacy in remarriage.

Introduction: Economic distress and the relationship stability of remarried couples has been subject to some exploration, but less emphasis has been placed on how economic distress among remarried couples impacts other relationship domains, particularly sexual intimacy.

Methods: Through the lens of multidimensional family development theory (MFDT), this study utilizes longitudinal data over a three-year period to examine the links between economic distress, couple engagement, relationship satisfaction, and perceptions of sexual intimacy among remarried couples ( = 1,161 couples; 97% White).

Results: Through a dyadic structural equation model, results showed that wives' report of economic distress was directly related to their self-rejection of a partner's sexual advances.

Single versus double hamstring tendon graft in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in the paediatric patient: a single-blind randomised controlled trial study protocol.

Introduction: There is currently no clear indication in the literature regarding a single or double hamstring tendon (single bundle) autograft for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in the paediatric patient. The primary aim of this single blind randomised controlled trial is to determine whether a single or double hamstring tendon graft ACLR leads to superior clinical outcomes postsurgery in paediatric patients with ACL injury.

Methods And Analysis: Single site, prospective, single blind, randomised controlled trial with two parallel treatment arms.

An Actor-Partner interdependence model of parenting difficulties over time in stepfamilies.

Little research has examined the potential spillover of parenting difficulties in the coparental stepfamily subsystem. Using family systems theory as a guide, we longitudinally examined: (a) whether early parenting difficulties within stepfamilies persist 1 year later and (b) whether the parenting difficulties experienced by one partner impact the parenting difficulties of the other partner within remarriages. Copies of marriage licenses were used to identify remarried individuals.

Dug: a semantic search engine leveraging peer-reviewed knowledge to query biomedical data repositories.

Motivation: As the number of public data resources continues to proliferate, identifying relevant datasets across heterogenous repositories is becoming critical to answering scientific questions. To help researchers navigate this data landscape, we developed Dug: a semantic search tool for biomedical datasets utilizing evidence-based relationships from curated knowledge graphs to find relevant datasets and explain why those results are returned.

Results: Developed through the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) BioData Catalyst ecosystem, Dug has indexed more than 15 911 study variables from public datasets.

Aromatic foldamers as molecular springs in network polymers.

Polymer networks crosslinked with spring-like -phenylene (P) foldamers were developed. NMR analysis indicated the P crosslinkers were well-folded. Polymer networks with P-based crosslinkers showed enhanced energy dissipation and elasticity compared to divinylbenzene crosslinked networks.

Chemotherapy Can Synergize With Adoptive Immunotherapy to Inhibit Medulloblastoma Growth.

Background/aim: In the age of ever-increasing developments in targeted cancer treatments, new immune-based approaches for brain tumor therapy represent an attractive avenue. Despite encouraging pre-clinical data, results in patients have been sub-optimal, likely due to tumor-induced immune suppression and intrinsic resistance to immune attack. Chemotherapy and biologic agents may be able to disrupt these mechanisms and restore tumor sensitivity to immune attack.

Genetic Variation in Drought-Tolerance Traits and Their Relationships to Growth in D. Don Under Water Stress.

The selection of drought-tolerant genotypes is globally recognized as an effective strategy to maintain the growth and survival of commercial tree species exposed to future drought periods. New genomic selection tools that reduce the time of progeny trials are required to substitute traditional tree breeding programs. We investigated the genetic variation of water stress tolerance in New Zealand-grown D.

Seed germination and vigor: ensuring crop sustainability in a changing climate.

In the coming decades, maintaining a steady food supply for the increasing world population will require high-yielding crop plants which can be productive under increasingly variable conditions. Maintaining high yields will require the successful and uniform establishment of plants in the field under altered environmental conditions. Seed vigor, a complex agronomic trait that includes seed longevity, germination speed, seedling growth, and early stress tolerance, determines the duration and success of this establishment period.

A comparison of RAFT and ATRP methods for controlled radical polymerization.

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) are the two most common controlled radical polymerization methods. Both methods afford functional polymers with a predefined length, composition, dispersity and end group. Further, RAFT and ATRP tame radicals by reversibly converting active polymeric radicals into dormant chains.

Ubiquitous Nature of Rate Retardation in Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Polymerization.

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is one of the most powerful reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) processes. Rate retardation is prevalent in RAFT and occurs when polymerization rates deviate from ideal conventional radical polymerization kinetics. Herein, we explore beyond what was initially thought to be the culprit of rate retardation: dithiobenzoate chain transfer agents (CTA) with more active monomers (MAMs).

Ecological, (epi)genetic and physiological aspects of bet-hedging in angiosperms.

Bet-hedging is a complex evolutionary strategy involving morphological, eco-physiological, (epi)genetic and population dynamics aspects. We review these aspects in flowering plants and propose further research needed for this topic. Bet-hedging is an evolutionary strategy that reduces the temporal variance in fitness at the expense of a lowered arithmetic mean fitness.

Way of being and the therapeutic pyramid: Expanding the application of a common factors meta-model.

Common factors proponents have suggested the need for principle-based meta-models to explain how various factors interact with each other to produce change. The therapeutic pyramid is a common factors meta-model that outlines how therapeutic skills and techniques, the therapeutic alliance, and a therapist's way of being interactive to produce therapeutic change. Skills and techniques occupy the smallest top portion of the pyramid, with the therapeutic alliance in the middle and a therapist's way of being forming the foundation of the pyramid.

Sensory, physicochemical and volatile compound analysis of short and long shelf-life melon ( L.) genotypes at harvest and after postharvest storage.

Flavor is a key attribute defining melon fruit quality and driving consumer preferences. We characterized and compared fruit ripening patterns (ethylene, respiration), physicochemical properties (rind/flesh color, firmness, soluble solids, acidity), aroma volatiles, and flavor-related sensory attributes in seven melon genotypes differing in shelf life capacity. Fruits were evaluated at optimal maturity and after storage for six days at 5 °C plus one day at room temperature.