Cloning and Functional Identification of SlPG49 in Solanum lycopersicum

The modification and degradation of pectin in cell walls are necessary for the fruit softening process, which involves a series of pectin-modifying enzymes. Polygalacturonases (PGs) are a major group of pectin-hydrolyzing enzymes, which participate in fruit maturation, organ shedding, pollen development, and other processes by catalyzing the degradation of polygalacturonic acid. However, their function in plants has not yet been fully elucidated. In this paper, a full-length cDNA encoding SlPG49 was cloned from a tomato. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that SlPG49 contains four typical conserved domains and belongs to clade E in PG classification. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that SlPG49 was highly expressed in fruits during the softening stage, indicating that SlPG49 may be involved in fruit softening. Subcellular localization results revealed that SlPG49 was located in the cell membrane and the cell wall. In addition, an in vitro enzymatic activity assay confirmed that SlPG49 does have the ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of polygalacturonic acid. These results indicate that SlPG49 is a newly discovered PG gene involved in tomato fruit softening, and provide an experimental basis for elucidating the biological functions of plant PGs during fruit softening.

Quantitative Characterization of Tidal Couplets in Oil Sands Reservoir, the Upper McMurray Formation, Northeastern Alberta, Canada

The McMurray Formation, NE Alberta, Canada, is one of the most significant bitumen bearing deposits worldwide. This formation deposited and reworked in fluvial, tidal, or estuarine environments results in a huge number of tidal couplets (TCs) which is consisted of mm-cm scale sandy and muddy interlayers. These couplets not only increase the geologic heterogeneity of the oil sand reservoir but also make it hard to predict the performance of in situ thermal processes. In this paper, based on literatures, lab analysis, core photos, logging, and drilling data, a quantitative characterization procedure for mm-cm scale tidal couplets was proposed. This procedure, which includes identification, classification, quantitative description, and spatial distribution prediction, was presented. Five parameters, thickness, mud volume, laminae frequency, spatial scale, and effective petrophysical properties, were selected to describe the TCs quantitatively. To show the procedure practically, TCs in the oil sand reservoir of McMurray Formation, Mackay River Project, and CNPC, were selected to demonstrate this procedure. The results indicate that the TCs are in mm-cm thickness, densely clustered, and in a variety of geometries. Based on geologic origins, these couplets were divided into four types: tidal bar couplets (TBCs), sand bar couplets (SBCs), mix flat couplets (MFCs), and tidal channel couplets (TCCs). The thickness, mud volume, and frequency were calculated by mathematical morphological processed core photos. The spatial scale of TCs was estimated by high-density well correlations. The effective petrophysical properties were estimated by bedding scale modeling and property modeling via REV. Finally, the spatial distribution of TCs was predicted by object-based modeling.

Cognitive and pragmatic characteristics of the poem genre (based on the material of M.Yu. Lermontov’s poem “Borodino” in Russian and English)

The article is devoted to a complex cognitive-pragmatic study of the poem genre based on the material of M.Yu. Lermontov’s “Borodino” in Russian and two translations in English, performed by modern interpreters: Robin Kallsen and D. Ben-Lemeshev. A number of tasks was outlined for achieving the goal of the article. A comparatively-confrontative analysis of M.Yu. Lermontov’s “Borodino” text was carried out simultaneously with two translations by using the similarities and differences of the lexical and semantic components in the poem. The main terminological and semantic contents of the work were determined. The next stage of the research was the identification and classification of nouns and adjectives. Tables were constructed to show the classifications and the numbers of lexical examples found by the help of a continuous selection from the text versions of the poem. Metaphors were highlighted and interpreted in all variants of the studied material. It was revealed that the poet had reported quantitatively more information despite of the lexical and grammatical meaning of the sentence structure. An informative, semantic increment was amounted to the implicit meaning of the embedded author’s statements in the poem. The following methods were used during the research process: comparatively-confrontative, classification, quantitative, calculation and interpretation.

Rural Tourism Network Evaluation Based on Resource Control Ability Analysis: A Case Study of Ning’an, China

Organization of rural tourism resources is important for optimizing rural land use based on rational resource classification. Quantitative analysis was performed to evaluate the resource control ability of rural tourism networks. This was achieved by determining the resource control relationship and assessing the structure of the rural tourism network. The ability of resource control was analyzed via resource abstraction, which included the extraction of resource nodes and corridors, control scope analysis, and network structure level evaluation. The proposed approach was applied to the Ning’an in Heilongjiang Province, China, and proved to be effective for exploring the network degree and development trends in rural tourism resources. By examining the resource control ability, the spatial characteristics and development trend in rural tourism networks were quantitatively analyzed, especially the connection mode of key tourism resources, network structure analysis, and resource linking ability. The core resources showed a lack of outward ability in the network, and the secondary resource expansion ability was limited. Via resource control ability analysis, this study focused on areas with rich tourism but an unbalanced spatial structure, combining the directional characteristics of the network to provide suggestions for the optimization rural tourism resources network in other regions of the world.

Media's mixed messages on trans fat and sodium reductions during the policy making process

Background During the mid-2000's, reductions in the population intake of trans fat and sodium were commitments of the Government of Canada to reduce population risk for chronic disease. During the policy making process, various stakeholders interpreted and applied evidence in a range of ways to suit their interests. Media as a stakeholder has a powerful role in shaping both political will and public opinion. Methods A media analysis was conducted from 2004 - 2013 to access how trans fats and sodium reduction was portrayed in the Canadian media. Qualitative thematic analysis captured key subject areas including political ideology, personal responsibility/freedoms, industry tactics, evidence updates/disputes and health harms. Overall tone was assessed to be neutral, opposed or in favour of policy regulation. The number of quotes from key stakeholders contributed to the tone classification. Quantitative assessments compared the tone between trans fat and sodium cases. Results Trans fat and sodium were portrayed very differently by the media. Preliminary results show that trans fat was depicted as a harmful industry ingredient, used to extend profits at the expense of public health. On the other hand, communications around sodium research and evidence was not consistent. Media often pitted members of the scientific community against each other and reported on new studies that were outliers to the evidence base. Conclusions The media has an important role to play in shaping public perspectives on nutrition issues and related policy development. The media's mixed messages on sodium reduction may have contributed to the lack of political will and government's policy inaction. Public health practitioners and researchers should consider building in knowledge translation strategies into nutrition advocacy campaigns and research releases. Without these important strategies, the media's framing of nutrition issues could be counter-intuitive to public health aims. Key messages Media seems to have played a key factor in the the development of both trans fat and sodium reduction policies in Canada. Framing of nutrition research results and advocacy messages should align with public health policy goals.

The assessment and treatment of pain syndromes in neurorehabilitation

Persistent pains associated with injuries or disease involving the central nervous system (CNS), are common. In order to optimally manage persistent pain, the primary underlying mechanisms need to be determined and the treatment targeted to these. A comprehensive pain evaluation including symptoms, sensory function/dysfunction, and psychosocial factors is critical to the translation of research into the clinical pain management, to increasing the understanding of the contributory mechanisms and factors, and to the development of effective pain management. This chapter focuses on the assessment of pain and sensory status, associated psychosocial factors, and pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain management after CNS injury and disease. Principles and utility of the various types of pain-related assessments and examinations including pain report, pain classification, quantitative sensory testing, and psychological factors are discussed. Finally, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options for these persistent pain conditions are reviewed and discussed in the context of putative mechanisms.

Characteristic and help-seeking behavior of patients with infections who called the medical helpline 1813: a mixed methods study

Early identification of patients with serious infections is a clinical challenge for both medical helplines and emergency departments (ED). Serious infections might be difficult to identify as some patients present unspecific symptoms and a normal body temperature. It is therefore important to describe characteristics and help-seeking behaviour (HSB) with the aim to identify infections earlier. The study population was part of a data collection carried out between 24.01-09.02 2017, at the Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen (Medical Helpline 1813). Among 11,340 patients in contact with the Medical Helpline, we identified adult patients seen in the EDs with a diagnosis of infection (ICD-10 classification). Quantitative and qualitative (recorded voicelogs) data were extracted and a mixed methods study (convergent design) was performed. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression was used for the quantitative data strand. Thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data strand. Both data strands were integrated to describe the characteristics of the HSB of patients with infections. In total 3,614 adult patients were triaged to an ED, and 753 (20.8%) were diagnosed with infection of which 83 (11%) were hospitalized. ED patients with infection were younger (Median: 42 vs 47 years, p=<0.001), more often without comorbidity (68.5% vs 74.5%, p=0.006) and more often females (64.1% vs 53.2%, p=<0.001) compared to ED patients without infection. Hospitalized patients with infection were older (71 vs 40 years, p=<0.001), and had more comorbidity (60.2% vs 39.8%, p=<0.001) than those with infection who were not hospitalized. Fever was presented by 18 out of 32 hospitalized patients (56.3%) in the voicelogs. Some described that fever appeared with breathing difficulties, cough, and general weakness. Several patients had tried to self-manage their infection, but most calls (71.2%) were made by a close relative who was concerned. This illustrates that patients did not seek health professional help before their relatives were sufficiently concerned. Hospitalized patients with infections were older and had more comorbidity compared to the non-hospitalized patients with infections. Among hospitalized patients with infections, fever was frequently presented in 1813-calls. Characteristic like self-management and concerned relatives are important to understand the HSB of hospitalized patients with infections.

Detailed Precision of Computed Tomography Angiography Compared to Invasive Angiography in Different Coronary Vessels: Overestimate, Underestimate, or Concordance?

Background: Quantitative analysis of stenosis lesions by Computed Tomography angiography (CTA) show good correlation with Invasive Coronary Angiography (ICA) examination. However, detailed precision whether CTA overestimate or underestimate have not been explored thoroughly. Objectives: This research is performed to analyze the precision of CTA compared to ICA. Materials & Methods: There are 195 patients examined by both CTA and ICA from October 2014 until December 2015 in our hospital. CTA was analyzed by a team of cardiovascular imaging cardiologists. Quantitative grading of stenosis was determined visually using 2014 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) guidelines classification. Quantitative measurement of stenosis during ICA was classified with the same criteria so that it can be comparable. The final comparison of both tests was clas­sified as concordance, overestimate and underestimate. Results: Lesion of stenosis was found in 573 coronary vessels. Coronary vessels are significantly associated with detailed precision of quantitative analysis comparison in CTA and ICA. LM coronary stenosis quantification from CTA is predominantly overestimate (concordance in 6% vessels and overestimate in 75.9% vessels), while stenosis analysis by CTA in other major coronary vessels is spread without conspicuous domination (p<0.001). Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of CTA to detect obstructive lesion (stenosis ≥ 50%) found by ICA is 81.4%, 80.4%, 73.9%, and 86.3%, respectively (780 vessels). Conclusions: Degree of stenosis in LM is predominantly overestimate by CTA. The precision of stenosis grading in CTA in different coronary vessels is not the same. Abstrak Latar Belakang: Analisis kuantitatif lesi stenosis pada pembuluh koroner menggunakan modalitas Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) memiliki korelasi yang baik dengan pemeriksaan Invasive Coronary Angiography (ICA). Namun, presisi CTA terhadap ICA masih belum ter­eksplorasi dengan baik. Terutama dari sisi apakah CTA menunjukkan presisi yang overestimate atau underestimate. Tujuan: Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menganalisis presisi CTA terhadap ICA dalam mendeteksi lesi stenosis pada pembuluh koroner. Metode Penelitian: Terdapat 195 pasien yang diperiksa menggunakan CTA dan ICA sejak Oktober 2014 hingga Desember 2015 di RS Jan­tung dan Pembuluh Darah Harapan Kita, Jakarta. Analisis kuantitatif CTA dilakukan oleh tim kardiolog pencitraan kardiovaskular. Klasifikasi derajat stenosis ditentukan secara visual menggunakan pedoman dari Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) 2014. Analisis kuantitatif lesi stenosis dari pemeriksaan ICA diklasifikasikan menggunakan pedoman yang sama sehingga keduanya dapat diperbandingkan. Data hasil perbandingan kedua modalitas diklasifikasikan sebagai concordance, overestimate dan underestimate. Hasil Penelitian: Lesi stenosis ditemukan pada 573 pembuluh koroner. Pembuluh koroner yang berbeda secara signifikan berhubungan dengan perbandingan klasifikasi analisis semi-kuantitatif CTA dan ICA. Pembuluh koroner LM terutama menunjukkan lesi dengan kategori overestimate (75.9%). Sementara analisis stenosis pada pembuluh koroner lainnya tidak menunjukkan perbedaan yang mencolok (p < 0,001). Sensitivitas, spesifisitas, PPV, dan NPV CTA dalam mendeteksi lesi koroner obstruktif (stenosis ≥50%) terhadap ICA adalah sebesar 81.4%, 80.4%, 73.9%, dan 86.3% (780 pembuluh kroner). Kesimpulan: Analisis stenosis semi-kuantitatif pada LM terutama adalah overestimate berdasarkan pemeriksaan CTA. Presisi analisis perband­ingan derajat stenosis CT angiografi pada setiap pembuluh koroner tidak sama.

The Recipient Venule in Supermicrosurgical Lymphaticovenular Anastomosis: Flow Dynamic Classification and Correlation with Surgical Outcomes

Background Venules have been usually neglected in the literature on lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA). The aim of this study was to analyze the flow dynamic of recipient venules in LVA and their impact on the surgical outcomes. Patients and Methods Data from 128 patients affected by extremity lymphedema, who underwent LVA, were collected in two institutions from August 2014 to May 2016. Recipient venules were classified according to their flow dynamic into backflow, slack, and outlet (BSO classification). Quantitative (lower extremity lymphedema/upper extremity lymphedema index) and qualitative outcomes (needing of compression garment and compression garment class) were evaluated. Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used for categorical variables and independent-samples t-test for continuous variables. The association between lymphatic collector degeneration status (normal, ectasis, contractile, sclerotic type [NECST]) and BSO classification with the outcomes was analyzed by the Mantel–Haenszel test. Results On a total of 128 patients, 37 suffered from upper and 91 from lower limb lymphedema. An average number of four LVA were performed for each patient (range: 2–8). A significant association was observed between NECST and BSO categories and the outcomes were evaluated. Patients with contractile and sclerotic collectors had 2.24 times the odd of having poor composite outcome compared with those with normal-to-ectasis collectors (p < 0.05). Patients with backflow venules had 3.32 times the odd of having poor composite outcome compared with those without outlet or slack pattern (p < 0.05). Conclusion The subtype of recipient venule flow dynamic has a significant impact on the surgical outcome of patients undergoing LVA for the treatment of lymphedema, regardless of the lymphatic collector degeneration status. Locating favorable venules in the preoperative mapping might enhance the surgical outcomes.