Expression of Genes Involved in ABA and Auxin Metabolism and LEA Gene during Embryogenesis in Hemp.

The level of phytohormones such as abscisic acid (ABA) and auxins (Aux) changes dynamically during embryogenesis. Knowledge of the transcriptional activity of the genes of their metabolic pathways is essential for a deeper understanding of embryogenesis itself; however, it could also help breeding programs of important plants, such as Cannabis sativa, attractive for the pharmaceutical, textile, cosmetic, and food industries. This work aimed to find out how genes of metabolic pathways of Aux (IAA-1, IAA-2, X15-1, X15-2) and ABA (PP2C-1) alongside one member of the LEA gene family (CanLea34) are expressed in embryos depending on the developmental stage and the embryo cultivation in vitro. Walking stick (WS) and mature (M) cultivated and uncultivated embryos of C. sativa cultivars 'KC Dora' and 'USO 31' were analyzed. The RT-qPCR results indicated that for the development of immature (VH) embryos, the genes (IAA-1, IAA-2) are likely to be fundamental. Only an increased expression of the CanLea34 gene was characteristic of the fully maturated (M) embryos. In addition, this feature was significantly increased by cultivation. In conclusion, the cultivation led to the upsurge of expression of all studied genes.

Lighten Up! Postural Instructions Affect Static and Dynamic Balance in Healthy Older Adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Increased fall risk in older adults is associated with declining balance. Previous work showed that brief postural instructions can affect balance control in older adults with Parkinson's disease. Here, we assessed the effects of brief instructions on static and dynamic balance in healthy older adults. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Nineteen participants practiced three sets of instructions, then attempted to implement each instructional set during: (1) quiet standing on foam for 30 s with eyes open; (2) a 3-s foot lift. "Light" instructions relied on principles of reducing excess tension while encouraging length. "Effortful" instructions relied on popular concepts of effortful posture correction. "Relax" instructions encouraged minimization of effort. We measured kinematics and muscle activity. RESULTS: During quiet stance, Effortful instructions increased mediolateral jerk and path length. In the foot lift task, Light instructions led to the longest foot-in-air duration and the smallest anteroposterior variability of the center of mass, Relax instructions led to the farthest forward head position, and Effortful instructions led to the highest activity in torso muscles. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Thinking of upright posture as effortless may reduce excessive co-contractions and improve static and dynamic balance, while thinking of upright posture as inherently effortful may make balance worse. This may partly account for the benefits of embodied mindfulness practices such as tai chi and Alexander technique for balance in older adults. Pending larger-scale replication, this discovery may enable physiotherapists and teachers of dance, exercise, and martial arts to improve balance and reduce fall risk in their older students and clients simply by modifying how they talk about posture.

Magnetic and Magneto-Optical Properties of Fe75-xMn25Gax Heusler-like Compounds.

Fe75-xMn25Gax Heusler-like compounds were investigated in a wide range of Fe/Ga ratios while keeping the Mn content constant and equal 25 at% in order to elucidate the interplay between magnetic properties and composition. Materials were prepared by arc-melting from pure elements and subsequently annealed. Experimental investigations were focused on magnetization behavior in a wide temperature range from 4 to 1000 K and magnetic field up to 9 T. Optical and magneto-optical (MO) measurements were employed to shed more light on the magnetic state and electronic structure of investigated materials. Magnetization measurements indicated that in the vicinity of stoichiometry (Fe2MnGa) the compounds are ferro/ferrimagnetic, whereas the Fe-deficient compound is paramagnetic and at high Fe concentration the antiferromagnetic interaction prevails. Theoretical calculations of corresponding ordered and disordered stoichiometric compounds were carried out and compared to the experiment on the level of net magnetic moment as well as magneto-optical spectra. This comparison suggests that the Heusler crystal structure, L21, is not present even close to stoichiometry. Moreover, the comparison of density of states (DOS) for ordered and disordered structures allowed us to explain missing martensitic transformation (MT) in investigated materials.

Telemedical Support for Military Medicine.

Introduction: U.S. military forces have engaged in combat in mature areas of operations (AOs) in Iraq and Afghanistan that allow for casualty evacuation to definitive surgical care within "The Golden Hour." Future combat casualty care will be complex and challenging. Facing the medical demand of the Multi-Domain Battlefield remains an uncertain problem set. What can be anticipated is that a near peer adversary will not allow freedom of movement, air superiority, or uninterrupted communications. Telemedicine is one solution that can aid in this environment because it can reduce the medical footprint in a theater of operation by bringing the remote expert's knowledge and experience to the point of need. Materials and methods: Telemedicine can augment the capabilities of caregivers in austere, operational settings using synchronous or asynchronous technology to optimize the care of casualties who are delayed in evacuation to higher levels of care. These technologies have been implemented and tested over the past 30 yr. We reviewed the historical literature about military telemedicine and assembled current leaders in military telemedicine to write this review. Results: This manuscript reviews the history of and current capabilities of military telemedicine. Conclusions: Broad implementation of telemedicine in the operational setting is challenged by network limitations and cyber security concerns. Reliable, high bandwidth, low latency, secure communications that is necessary for advanced telemedicine capabilities (i.e., procedural telementoring) will not likely be available at all times during future engagements. The military must develop and train a full spectrum of telemedical support options that include low-to-high bandwidth solutions. Telemedicine is not a substitute for deploying anticipated medical resources or optimizing training: telemedicine is plan B where plan A is training, deployment, and casualty evacuation. Nevertheless, when network and communications resources are sufficient, telemedicine brings advanced expertise to austere, resource-limited contexts when timely evacuation is not possible.

Limits of end-state planning.

The end-state comfort effect is the tendency to use an uncomfortable initial grasp posture for object manipulation if this leads to a comfortable final posture. Many studies have replicated the end-state comfort effect across a range of tasks and conditions. However, these tasks had in common that they involved relatively simple movements, such as picking up a dowel or sliding a pan from one place to another. Here we asked whether the end-state comfort effect extends to more complex tasks. We asked participants to grasp a transparent bowl and move the bowl to an instructed location, positioning it in an instructed orientation. We either found an initial-state comfort effect or equal degrees of comfort for end-grasps and start-grasps depending on task instructions. The end-state comfort effect was not consistently observed. The results suggest that the end-state comfort effect may be restricted to relatively simple grasping movements.