Estimation of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Walking on a Photoelectric System: Validation on Healthy Children by Standard Gait Analysis.

The use of stereophotogrammetry systems is challenging when targeting children's gait analysis due to the time required and the need to keep physical markers in place. For this reason, marker-less photoelectric systems appear to be a solution for accurate and fast gait analysis in youth. The aim of this study is to validate a photoelectric system and its configurations (LED filter setting) on healthy children, comparing the kinematic gait parameters with those obtained from a three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry system.

Evaluation of sense of position and agency in children with diplegic cerebral palsy: A pilot study.

Purpose: This study explores non-motor impairment of the upper dominant limb in children with diplegic cerebral palsy (CP). Specifically, it firstly investigates sense of position without visual control, ability to compare visual and proprioceptive information, and capacity to recognize effects of self-movement. Secondly, it explores the possible association between these items with cognitive function, perceptual disorder (PD), and manual ability (Manual Ability Classification System -MACS).

The AtMYB60 transcription factor regulates stomatal opening by modulating oxylipin synthesis in guard cells.

Stomata are epidermal pores formed by pairs of specialized guard cells, which regulate gas exchanges between the plant and the atmosphere. Modulation of transcription has emerged as an important level of regulation of stomatal activity. The AtMYB60 transcription factor was previously identified as a positive regulator of stomatal opening, although the details of its function remain unknown.

Quantitative and Qualitative Running Gait Analysis through an Innovative Video-Based Approach.

Quantitative and qualitative running gait analysis allows the early identification and the longitudinal monitoring of gait abnormalities linked to running-related injuries. A promising calibration- and marker-less video sensor-based technology (i.e.

Testing the Performance of an Innovative Markerless Technique for Quantitative and Qualitative Gait Analysis.

Gait abnormalities such as high stride and step frequency/cadence (SF-stride/second, CAD-step/second), stride variability (SV) and low harmony may increase the risk of injuries and be a sentinel of medical conditions. This research aims to present a new markerless video-based technology for quantitative and qualitative gait analysis. 86 healthy individuals (mead age 32 years) performed a 90 s test on treadmill at self-selected walking speed.

Time-course of running treadmill adaptation in novice treadmill runners.

Studies on running biomechanics and energetics are usually conducted on a treadmill. To ensure that locomotion on a treadmill is comparable to locomotion overground, participants need to be expert in the use of the device. This study aimed to identify the number and duration of sessions needed to obtain stable measurements for spatiotemporal and metabolic parameters in unexperienced treadmill runners.

Relationship between Lower Limb Kinematics and Upper Trunk Acceleration in Recreational Runners.

Upper trunk (UT) kinematics in runners and its relationship with lower limbs has been poorly investigated, although it is acknowledged that dynamic stability of the upper body is a primary objective of human locomotion. This study aimed to explore UT kinematics according to gender and level of training and in relation to lower limb run patterns described through the presence of: overstriding, crossover, excessive protonation, and pelvic drop. Lower body variables chosen to describe running pattern were those that are frequently modified during gait-retraining with the goal of reducing injury risk.

Abscisic Acid Is a Major Regulator of Grape Berry Ripening Onset: New Insights into ABA Signaling Network.

Grapevine is a world-wide cultivated economically relevant crop. The process of berry ripening is non-climacteric and does not rely on the sole ethylene signal. Abscisic acid (ABA) is recognized as an important hormone of ripening inception and color development in ripening berries.

Comparative analysis of fruit aroma patterns in the domesticated wild strawberries "Profumata di Tortona" (F. moschata) and "Regina delle Valli" (F. vesca).

Strawberry is one of the most valued fruit worldwide. Modern cultivated varieties (Fragaria × ananassa) exhibit large fruits, with intense color and prolonged shell life. Yet, these valuable traits were attained at the cost of the intensity and the variety of the aroma of the berry, two characteristics highly appreciated by consumers.

The Arabidopsis thaliana MYB60 promoter provides a tool for the spatio-temporal control of gene expression in stomatal guard cells.

Plants have evolved different strategies to resist drought, of which the best understood is the abscisic acid (ABA)-induced closure of stomatal pores to reduce water loss by transpiration. The availability of useful promoters that allow for precise spatial and temporal control of gene expression in stomata is essential both for investigating stomatal regulation in model systems and for biotechnological applications in field crops. Previous work indicated that the regulatory region of the transcription factor AtMYB60 specifically drives gene expression in guard cells of Arabidopsis, although its activity is rapidly down-regulated by ABA.

Gene trap-based identification of a guard cell promoter in Arabidopsis.

Preserving crop yield under drought stress is a major challenge for modern agriculture. To cope with the detrimental effects of water scarcity on crop productivity it is important to develop new plants with a more sustainable use of water and capable of higher performance under stress conditions. Transpiration through stomatal pores accounts for over 90% of water loss in land plants.

Gene trap lines identify Arabidopsis genes expressed in stomatal guard cells.

We employed a gene trap approach to identify genes expressed in stomatal guard cells of Arabidopsis thaliana. We examined patterns of reporter gene expression in approximately 20,000 gene trap lines, and recovered five lines with exclusive or preferential expression in stomata. The screen yielded two insertions in annotated genes, encoding the CYTOCHROME P450 86A2 (CYP86A2) mono-oxygenase, and the PLEIOTROPIC DRUG RESISTANCE 3 (AtPDR3) transporter.