Growth-Promoting Effect of Rhizobacterium (Bacillus subtilis IB22) in Salt-Stressed Barley Depends on Abscisic Acid Accumulation in the Roots

An ABA-deficient barley mutant (Az34) and its parental cultivar (Steptoe) were compared. Plants of salt-stressed Az34 (100 mmol m−3 NaCl for 10 days) grown in sand were 40% smaller than those of “Steptoe”, exhibited a lower leaf relative water content and lower ABA concentrations. Rhizosphere inoculation with IB22 increased plant growth of both genotypes. IB22 inoculation raised ABA in roots of salt-stressed plants by supplying ABA exogenously and by up-regulating ABA synthesis gene HvNCED2 and down-regulating ABA catabolic gene HvCYP707A1. Inoculation partially compensated for the inherent ABA deficiency of the mutant. Transcript abundance of HvNCED2 and related HvNCED1 in the absence of inoculation was 10 times higher in roots than in shoots of both mutant and parent, indicating that ABA was mainly synthesized in roots. Under salt stress, accumulation of ABA in the roots of bacteria-treated plants was accompanied by a decline in shoot ABA suggesting bacterial inhibition of ABA transport from roots to shoots. ABA accumulation in the roots of bacteria-treated Az34 was accompanied by increased leaf hydration, the probable outcome of increased root hydraulic conductance. Thereby, we tested the hypothesis that the ability of rhizobacterium (Bacillus subtilis IB22) to modify responses of plants to salt stress depends on abscisic acid (ABA) accumulating in roots.

Sustainable, Decentralized Sanitation and Reuse with Hybrid Nature-Based Systems

Nature (ecosystem) based processes for wastewater treatment include constructed wetlands (CWs), waste stabilization ponds, vegetated drainage ditches, buffer zones, instream or bankside river techniques, and mixotrophic systems, where light and CO2 are utilized, in addition to organic carbon compounds, by algal cultures. Algae-based systems can simultaneously remove organic matter, N, and P and may offer substantial energetic advantages compared to traditional biological treatment systems, require small spatial footprint, and contribute to biofuels production and CO2 emissions mitigation. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs) present characteristics compatible with the use in isolated realities for water and wastewater treatment with contextual energy recovery and may be combined with other nature-based process technologies to achieve good treatment and energy efficiencies. Despite that their application in real-scale plants has not been assessed yet, the most probable outcome will be the in situ/on site treatment (or pretreatment) of wastes for small “in house” plants not connected to the sewerage network. This paper focuses on the current practices and perspectives of hybrid nature-based systems, such as constructed wetlands and microalgae integrated phytoremediation plants, and their possible integration with microbial electrochemical technologies to increase recovery possibilities from wastes and positively contribute to a green economy approach.

Foxes Guarding the Hen House?

For the first time since the enactment of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008, New Zealand is applying regulated (or mandatory) product stewardship to several priority products. By making those who manufacture, sell and use products responsible for minimising the waste those products cause, well-designed product stewardship schemes can act as a critical tool in the transition to a circular economy. However, the New Zealand government has put its faith in industry to lead scheme design. Such an approach threatens to vitiate robust, ambitious schemes and foreground industry interests over those of wider society and the natural environment. This article juxtaposes the radical potential of product stewardship against the probable outcome of industry-led schemes, and recommends reforms that the minister for the environment should pursue in order to shift the dial towards more inclusive design of product stewardship schemes.

Weibull distribution of selective laser melted AlSi10Mg parts for compression testing

Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing process to fabricate three-dimen- sional structures by fusing powder particles using a computer-guided laser source. The SLM process can produce lightweight bespoke designs, having high strength comparable to con- ventional components. However, the developed surface texture and some of the mechanical properties are still sub-standard compared to the conventional components. The process un- certainty can produce inconsistency in parts’ properties, even those prepared concurrently, affecting SLM parts' repeatability and quality. Therefore, designing applications based on the most probable outcome of the desired properties can embrace process uncertainty. Weibull distribution is a statistical-based probability distribution method that measures the likelihood of the values’ occurrence of any random variable falling in a specific set of values. In this study, the Weibull distribution measured the relative likelihood (90% probability) of the compressive yield, and ultimate strength of the SLM prepared AlSi10Mg samples in a given 22 random sample size. The results showed that the compressive yield and ultimate strength fall between 321 MPa to 382 MPa and 665 MPa to 883 MPa.

Ivan A. Ilyin: The Social Ideal of “Aristocrat of the Spirit”

This author examines understanding of social ideal in the ethical and political theory of Ivan Aleksandrovich Ilyin, emigre and ideologist of the “white” movement. Ilyin thought that the best possible social structure would emerge as a probable outcome of the activity of so-called “aristocracy of the spirit”. The article doubts the possibility of creating the public ideal through the energies of an intellectual who lost touch with the people. The people charged with the duty of obedience and respect to authorities, and with a command to love each other, and believe in God, the Tsar and the Fatherland, all these considered the basis of national unity, are actually denied their dignity. Ilyin’s shady speeches, as well as his contacts with Nazis cast doubts on the appropriateness of his ideas to serve as a guiding light of present political reforms in Russia.

Cognitive frailty: a brief review

Frailty syndrome and cognitive decline, conditions linked with aging, jeopardize health status and promote an individual’s dependence on daily living activities. Various models include cognition in the assessment of frailty, but recently a new term has been proposed, called “Cognitive Frailty’’, originally presented as a probable outcome of frailty, but later it has been proposed to be an early sign of the syndrome. Cognitive frailty encompasses both the physical and the cognitive domain, explored as a unique entity, and includes two subtypes, the reversible and the potentially reversible cognitive frailty. Most studies examine cognition as another domain of frailty, using different methods for the assessment of both frailty and the status of cognition. In the present article, various definitions of the frailty syndrome and cognitive frailty as well as screening tools are reviewed. The link between cognitive impairment and frailty, and the common pathophysiological mechanisms such as neuropathological, vascular and metabolic factors, inflammation, hormones and nutrition are explored. Finally, this review presents the effects of multi-domain and single domain interventions, conducted in physical and/or cognitively frail populations that may be applied to the prevention and management of cognitive frailty.

Daily Low Dose of Erythropoietin and Neuroinflammation

Neuroinflammation, defined as inflammatory reactions mediated by cytokines, chemokines, reactive oxygen species, and secondary messengers in the central nervous system (CNS) including the brain and spinal cord is the basis of many neurological disorders [1] Recently, erythropoietin (EPO) has been considered and studied as a modulator of neuroinflammation.[2-4] On this article minireview of pathophysiology of neuroinflammation and the neuroprotective effects of EPO is discussed and a case of subacute huge subdural hematoma with double mydriasis operated urgently, treated with low daily dose (vs high dose once or twice a month in the literature) of EPO and recovered fully and discharged home with good consciousness is reported. In addition, the probable outcome of erythropoietin administration in patients with neuroinflammation in COVID19 is considered.

Belgium likely to focus on green and tax policies

Subject Belgium's elections. Significance Belgium's federal elections will take place on May 26. With polls forecasting Flanders' nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) to emerge as the largest party, a right-wing coalition is the most probable outcome. However, protracted coalition talks are inevitable and will worsen the policy inertia ongoing since December. Impacts Belgium is unlikely to meet its NATO defence spending obligations as all possible coalitions will have other spending priorities. Belgium's caretaker government may still be in place on October 31, limiting its abilities to respond to Brexit-related issues. Strong results for the N-VA may affect the degree to which Belgium adheres to the UN migration pact. The implementation of climate taxes combined with a slowing economy may increase the scope for protest marches. Belgium must wait for a newly elected government to use its own investments and lower taxes to boost the country's slow-growing economy.

Surprisingly unsurprising! Infants’ looking time to improbable events is modulated by others’ expressions of surprise

Research in diverse disciplines suggests that agents’ own prediction errors enhance their learning. Yet, human learners also possess powerful capacities to learn from others. Here we ask whether infants can use others’ expressions of surprise as vicarious prediction error signals to infer hidden states of the world. First, we conceptually replicated Xu & Garcia (2008), showing that infants (12.0-17.9 months) looked longer at improbable than probable sampling outcomes (Experiment 1). Then we added emotional cues to the design (Experiment 2). Before revealing an outcome to an infant, the experimenter looked at the outcome and showed either an unsurprised or surprised emotional expression. While infants still looked longer at the improbable than the probable outcome following the experimenter’s unsurprised emotional expression, this trend was reversed following the experimenter’s surprised expression. Thus, although for decades infants’ looking time has been assumed to be longer for events that are unexpected or surprising, these results suggest that infants’ inferential abilities in social contexts are powerful enough to make surprising events “surprisingly unsurprising.”

The haploinsufficient tumor suppressor Tip60 negatively regulates the oncogenic Aurora B kinase

The Aurora kinases represent a group of serine/threonine kinases which are crucial regulators of mitosis. Dysregulated Aurora kinase B (AurkB) expression, stemming from genomic amplification, increased gene transcription or overexpression of its allosteric activators, is capable of initiating and sustaining malignant phenotypes. Although AurkB level in cells is well-orchestrated, studies that relate to its stability or activity, independent of mitosis, are lacking. We report that AurkB undergoes acetylation in vitro by lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) belonging to different families, namely by p300 and Tip60. The haploinsufficient tumor suppressor Tip60 acetylates two highly conserved lysine residues within the kinase domain of AurkB which not only impinges the protein stability but also its kinase activity. These results signify a probable outcome on the increase in “overall activity” of AurkB upon Tip60 downregulation, as observed under cancerous conditions. The present work, therefore, uncovers an important functional interplay between AurkB and Tip60, frailty of which may be an initial event in carcinogenesis.