A regulatory network for coordinated flower maturation.

For self-pollinating plants to reproduce, male and female organ development must be coordinated as flowers mature. The Arabidopsis transcription factors AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 6 (ARF6) and ARF8 regulate this complex process by promoting petal expansion, stamen filament elongation, anther dehiscence, and gynoecium maturation, thereby ensuring that pollen released from the anthers is deposited on the stigma of a receptive gynoecium. ARF6 and ARF8 induce jasmonate production, which in turn triggers expression of MYB21 and MYB24, encoding R2R3 MYB transcription factors that promote petal and stamen growth. To understand the dynamics of this flower maturation regulatory network, we have characterized morphological, chemical, and global gene expression phenotypes of arf, myb, and jasmonate pathway mutant flowers. We found that MYB21 and MYB24 promoted not only petal and stamen development but also gynoecium growth. As well as regulating reproductive competence, both the ARF and MYB factors promoted nectary development or function and volatile sesquiterpene production, which may attract insect pollinators and/or repel pathogens. Mutants lacking jasmonate synthesis or response had decreased MYB21 expression and stamen and petal growth at the stage when flowers normally open, but had increased MYB21 expression in petals of older flowers, resulting in renewed and persistent petal expansion at later stages. Both auxin response and jasmonate synthesis promoted positive feedbacks that may ensure rapid petal and stamen growth as flowers open. MYB21 also fed back negatively on expression of jasmonate biosynthesis pathway genes to decrease flower jasmonate level, which correlated with termination of growth after flowers have opened. These dynamic feedbacks may promote timely, coordinated, and transient growth of flower organs.

[Archives de la Parole]. , Mage Durang : sung at the Mag-Feast season (Hō song) ; Ba Durang : sung at the flower-feast season (Hō song) / [Sir George Grierson], éd. ; Linguistic survey of India ; Choeur de femmes, chant ; accompagnement de percussions

[Traditions. Asie. Inde. Chotā Nāgpur]

Structure of bee-flower system in the coastal sand dune of Abaeté, northeastern Brazil

For twelve months (from January to December of 1996) we investigated bee-flower interactions in a sea coastal ecosystem in Bahia, Brazil. Samples were taken three times each month. 3983 individuals belonging to 49 bee species, grouped in 13 morph-functional categories, visited 66 plant species belonging to 39 botanic families. It was observed 310 interactions between bees and plants at species level. The use of floral resources by bees was not homogeneous; most of the plant species received a low number of visitors. No restricted plant-bee species relationship in resource use concerning the subset of analyzed interactions was detected. In Abaeté the generalist relationships predominated.

Miguel de Unamuno and Heraclitus: from ‘The Eternal Elegy’ (‘La elegía eterna’) to ‘The Cut Flower’(‘La flor tronchada’)

The aim of this brief article is to demonstrate and analyze the influence of Heraclitus’s thought on some of the poems written by Miguel de Unamuno, in particular ‘La elegía eterna’ and ‘La flor tronchada’. At times –as in ‘La elegía eterna’– Heraclitus merely serves as a sort of a walking stick, an aid to his efforts to poetically reveal his anxieties. On other occasions –as in ‘La flor tronchada’– he genuinely needs Heraclitus’s philosophy to illustrate his view of human life and its relation to God as unending warfare.

Evaluation of the inhalation technique in asthmatic children visiting a specialised outpatient clinic

Background and objective: Asthma is one of the most frequent chronic diseases affecting children and adolescents. Good compliance is indispensable for effective treatment since a suboptimal use of inhalation devices can result in decreased therapeutic efficacy and increased morbidity. The objective of this work was to evaluate the inhalation technique of paediatric patients visiting a specialized consultation clinic of a university hospital. Design: Observational prospective study during a 3-month period. Setting Specialized consultation clinic of a university hospital. Main outcome measures: This study involved 40 outpatient infants, children and adolescents visiting alone or with their parent(s). Patients' data (age, sex, weight, diagnostic, reason for consulting, previous consultations) and their medicines were compiled using an ad hoc form. Filmed sequences of the inhalation procedure used by each child were reviewed independently by members of an interdisciplinary team consisting in a physician, a pharmacist, a nurse and a physiotherapist. A score of 1 was assigned to each correct step in the procedure, and a score of 0 to an incorrect step. A perfect procedure implied 12 correct steps. Results: Thirty patients were treated with a metered-dose inhaler and an inhalation chamber (Babyhaler or AeroChamber Plus); ten other patients were treated with a dry powder inhaler (Diskus or Turbuhaler). The agreement between the members of the interdisciplinary team was considered satisfactory. Nine patients (22.5%) reached an average score lower than 7, 18 patients (45%) a score between 7 and 10 and 13 (32.5%) a score equal to or better than 10. No patient reached the maximum score of 12. Users of the metered-dose inhalers (average score = 9.2) showed a better technique than users of the dry powder inhalers (average score = 7.4). Disappointingly, the score was not improved during a second consultation or following regular consultations. Conclusions: Video recording is a simple method to evaluate the degree of mastery of an inhalation procedure in paediatric patients. The method allows a convenient and efficient identification of suboptimal procedure steps by the hospital staff, and opens the way to patient-specific teaching. In two-thirds of juvenile patients, their inhalation technique was suboptimal despite initial training. This study shows conclusively that the inhalation technique in paediatric patients must be monitored during each examination, and teaching measures taken to improve it when necessary.

Auxin response factors ARF6 and ARF8 promote jasmonic acid production and flower maturation.

Pollination in flowering plants requires that anthers release pollen when the gynoecium is competent to support fertilization. We show that in Arabidopsis thaliana, two paralogous auxin response transcription factors, ARF6 and ARF8, regulate both stamen and gynoecium maturation. arf6 arf8 double-null mutant flowers arrested as infertile closed buds with short petals, short stamen filaments, undehisced anthers that did not release pollen and immature gynoecia. Numerous developmentally regulated genes failed to be induced. ARF6 and ARF8 thus coordinate the transition from immature to mature fertile flowers. Jasmonic acid (JA) measurements and JA feeding experiments showed that decreased jasmonate production caused the block in pollen release, but not the gynoecium arrest. The double mutant had altered auxin responsive gene expression. However, whole flower auxin levels did not change during flower maturation, suggesting that auxin might regulate flower maturation only under specific environmental conditions, or in localized organs or tissues of flowers. arf6 and arf8 single mutants and sesquimutants (homozygous for one mutation and heterozygous for the other) had delayed stamen development and decreased fecundity, indicating that ARF6 and ARF8 gene dosage affects timing of flower maturation quantitatively.

Does a mandatory telemedicine call prior to visiting a physician reduce costs or simply attract good risks?

This paper aims to estimate empirically the efficiency of a Swiss telemedicine service introduced in 2003. We used claims' data gathered by a major Swiss health insurer, over a period of 6 years and involving 160 000 insured adults. In Switzerland, health insurance is mandatory, but everyone has the option of choosing between a managed care plan and a fee-for-service plan. This paper focuses on a conventional fee-for-service plan including a mandatory access to a telemedicine service; the insured are obliged to phone this medical call centre before visiting a physician. This type of plan generates much lower average health expenditures than a conventional insurance plan. Reasons for this may include selection, incentive effects or efficiency. In our sample, about 90% of the difference in health expenditure can be explained by selection and incentive effects. The remaining 10% of savings due to the efficiency of the telemedicine service amount to about SFr 150 per year per insured, of which approximately 60% is saved by the insurer and 40% by the insured. Although the efficiency effect is greater than the cost of the plan, the big winners are the insured who not only save monetary and non-monetary costs but also benefit from reduced premiums. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Malaria chemoprophylaxis recommendations for immigrants to Europe, visiting relatives and friends--a Delphi method study.

BACKGROUND: Numbers of travellers visiting friends and relatives (VFRs) from Europe to malaria endemic countries are increasing and include long-term and second generation immigrants, who represent the major burden of malaria cases imported back into Europe. Most recommendations for malaria chemoprophylaxis lack a solid evidence base, and often fail to address the cultural, social and economic needs of VFRs. METHODS: European travel medicine experts, who are members of TropNetEurop, completed a sequential series of questionnaires according to the Delphi method. This technique aims at evaluating and developing a consensus through repeated iterations of questionnaires. The questionnaires in this study included questions about professional experience with VFRs, controversial issues in malaria prophylaxis, and 16 scenarios exploring indications for prescribing and choice of chemoprophylaxis. RESULTS: The experience of participants was rather diverse as was their selection of chemoprophylaxis regimen. A significant consensus was observed in only seven of 16 scenarios. The analysis revealed a wide variation in prescribing choices with preferences grouped by region of practice and increased prescribing seen in Northern Europe compared to Central Europe. CONCLUSIONS: Improving the evidence base on efficacy, adherence to chemoprophylaxis and risk of malaria and encouraging discussion among experts, using techniques such as the Delphi method, may reduce the variability in prescription in European travel clinics.

Conductivity test in seeds of different passion flower species

The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of the conductivity test as a means of predicting seed viability in seven Passiflora species: P. alata, P. cincinnata, P. edulis f. edulis, P. edulis f. flavicarpa, P. morifolia, P. mucronata, and P. nitida. Conductivity of non-desiccated (control), desiccated, and non-desiccated cryopreserved seeds was determined and related to their germination percentage. The obtained results suggest that the electrical conductivity test has potential as a germination predictor for P. edulis f. flavicarpa seed lots, but not for the other tested species.

Influence of floral structure and flower bud quality on productivity and fruit shape in different apple cultivars

This study examines the relationship between floral structure and bud quality with the productivity and fruit shape of Gala, Fuji and Daiane apple cultivars under the mild winter conditions in Southern Brazil. Six different types of floral structures were characterized in field growing plants, according to their nature and bud size: spurs, short and long twigs with weak and vigorous buds. Variables related to the phenology and the productivity for these different structures were evaluated. Gala and Fuji cvs. showed earlier phenological development in the twigs, and cv. Daiane in the spurs. For the three cvs. the highest percentage of buds in each phenological phase was observed in the long twigs. The long twigs also showed the highest sprout and fruit set index, floral number per cluster, and leaf area in the three cvs., while the bud abortion was higher in the spurs than in the twigs. No difference was observed among the structures in cvs. Gala and Fuji regarding to the fruit shape. In the cv. Daiane, however, a tendency to higher length diameter ratio of the fruits produced by the long twigs was observed.

Re-visiting the health care luxury good hypothesis: Aggregation, precision, and publication biases?

[cat] Mentre que una creixent literatura que ha examinat la relació entre la renda i la despesa sanitària suggereix que els serveis sanitaris són un be de luxe (elasticitat renda superior a la unitat), aquesta conclusió es contínuament debatuda atesa l'heterogeneïtat dels resultats. Aquest article testa la hipòtesis dels serveis sanitaris com bens de luxe fent server anàlisi de meta- regressió, particularment analitzant l'existència de biaixos de selecció de publicació, precisió així com biaixos d'agregació. Els resultats apunten l'existència d'un biaix de publicació, robust independentment dels controls analitzats. Els biaixos de precisió i agregació semblen tenir un paper en la generació de les estimacions de l'elasticitat renda. Els nostres resultat suggereixen que l'elasticitat renda dels serveis sanitaris un cop corregir pels biaixos esmentat varien entre 0.26 i 0.84, però no podem rebutjar que la elasticitat renda es igual a la unitat en algunes estimacions de l'elasticitat corregides.

Re-visiting the health care luxury good hypothesis: Aggregation, precision, and publication biases?

[cat] Mentre que una creixent literatura que ha examinat la relació entre la renda i la despesa sanitària suggereix que els serveis sanitaris són un be de luxe (elasticitat renda superior a la unitat), aquesta conclusió es contínuament debatuda atesa l'heterogeneïtat dels resultats. Aquest article testa la hipòtesis dels serveis sanitaris com bens de luxe fent server anàlisi de meta- regressió, particularment analitzant l'existència de biaixos de selecció de publicació, precisió així com biaixos d'agregació. Els resultats apunten l'existència d'un biaix de publicació, robust independentment dels controls analitzats. Els biaixos de precisió i agregació semblen tenir un paper en la generació de les estimacions de l'elasticitat renda. Els nostres resultat suggereixen que l'elasticitat renda dels serveis sanitaris un cop corregir pels biaixos esmentat varien entre 0.26 i 0.84, però no podem rebutjar que la elasticitat renda es igual a la unitat en algunes estimacions de l'elasticitat corregides.

Germination and emergence of trumpet flower (tecoma stans) under different environmental conditions

The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of temperature and light intensity on trumpet flower seed germination, as well as the effect of seeding depth on its emergence. To study the influence of temperature, nine temperature intervals were evaluated, ranging from 15.0 to 40.0 ºC. A randomized block design experiment was used with five replications and 20 seeds per replication, and performed twice. To evaluate light intensity on seed germination, a randomized experimental design was used with eight replications and 25 seeds per replication. The treatments applied were: photoperiod with temperature alternation; photoperiod with constant temperature; darkness with temperature alternation; and darkness with constant temperature. The photoperiod consisted of 8 hours of light and 16 hours of darkness, and the constant temperature was 25 ºC. The treatments with temperature alternations were established with 8 hours at 30 ºC, and 16 hours at 20 ºC. Germination was assessed daily to calculate the total percentage of germination as well as the Germination Velocity Index (GVI). To study the influence of seeding depth on plant emergence, 25 seeds were seeded at 0, 20, 40, and 80 mm in pots with sieved soil. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with four replications. Seedling emergence was monitored daily until the 15th day after seeding. After that period, the total percentage of emergence was calculated for each experimental unit, as well as the Emergence Velocity Index (EVI). Formation of normal seedlings and the Germination Velocity Index were different among temperatures and higher germination percentages were observed between 20.3 ºC and 37.5 ºC. Tecoma stans seedlings did not germinate when planted at 40 and 80 mm depth. However, the seedlings placed on the soil surface had an emergence percentage of 72. At 20 mm depth, the emergence rate was 31%.

Fly pollination and pollinator sharing in two synchronopatric species: Cordia multispicata (Boraginaceae) and Borreria alata (Rubiaceae)

The floral biology of Cordia multispicata (Boraginaceae) and Borreria alata (Rubiaceae) was studied in natural populations in a fragment of the Atlantic forest in Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. Both species flower during almost the whole year. Cordia multispicata is a shrubby species with white, distylous and tubular flowers. Borreria alata is a herbaceous species. Its flowers are whitish, tubular and have a polymorphism in relation to the size of their style. Floral anthesis in both species begins at 6:00 a.m. Sugar concentration in the nectar was about 16% in C. multispicata and 30% in B. alata. Nine species of flies, mainly of the genus Palpada (Syrphidae), were observed visiting flowers of the two species. Seven of them were observed visiting and pollinating flowers of both C. multispicata and B. alata. Two species visited only flowers of C. multispicata, whereas no fly was exclusive to B. alata flowers. Both species have similar flower morphology, flowering time, habitats in the forest and establish populations very close to each other. These facts can favour the pollinators’ sharing and increase pollinator attraction.