Cold treatment breaks dormancy but jeopardizes flower quality in Camellia japonica L.

Camellia japonica L. is an evergreen shrub whose cultivars are of great ornamental value. In autumn, after flower bud differentiation, dormancy is initiated. As in many other spring flowering woody ornamentals, winter low temperatures promote dormancy release of both flower and vegetative buds. However, warm spells during late autumn and winter can lead to unfulfilled chilling requirements leading to erratic and delayed flowering. We hypothesized that storing plants at no light and low temperature could favor dormancy breaking and lead to early and synchronized flowering in response to forcing conditions in C. japonica ‘Nuccio’s Pearl’. Plants with fully developed floral primordia were stored at dark, 7∘C, and RH > 90% for up to 8 weeks. To monitor endodormancy release during the storage, we evaluated the content of abscisic acid (ABA) in flower buds and the expression profiles of five putative genes related to dormancy and cold acclimation metabolism in leaves and flower buds. In addition, the expression of four anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway genes was profiled in flower buds to assess the effect of the treatment on flower pigment biosynthesis. At 0, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of cold treatment, 10 plants were transferred to the greenhouse and forced to flower. Forced plant flower qualities and growth were observed. The ABA content and the expression profiles of two dormancy-related genes (CjARP and CjDEH) suggested that dormancy breaking occurred after 6–8 weeks of cold treatment. Overall, plants treated for 6–8 weeks showed earlier vegetative sprouting, enhanced, and homogeneous flowering with reduced forcing time. Prolonged cold treatments also reduced flower size and longevity, anthocyanin content, and pigment biosynthesis-related gene transcripts. In conclusion, the cold treatment had a promotive effect on dormancy breaking but caused severe drawbacks on flower quality

Forced response prediction of turbine blades with flexible dampers: the impact of engineering modelling choices

This paper focuses on flexible friction dampers (or “strips”) mounted on the underside of adjacent turbine blade platforms for sealing and damping purposes. A key parameter to ensure a robust and trustworthy design is the correct prediction of the maximum frequency shift induced by the strip damper coupling adjacent blades. While this topic has been extensively addressed on rigid friction dampers, both experimentally and numerically, no such investigation is available as far as flexible dampers are concerned. This paper builds on the authors’ prior experience with rigid dampers to investigate the peculiarities and challenges of a robust dynamic model of blade-strips systems. The starting point is a numerical tool implementing state-of-the-art techniques for the efficient solution of the nonlinear equations, e.g., multi-harmonic balance method with coupled static solution and state-of-the-art contact elements. The full step-by-step modelling process is here retraced and upgraded to take into account the damper flexibility: for each step, key modelling choices (e.g., mesh size, master nodes selection, contact parameters) which may affect the predicted response are addressed. The outcome is a series of guidelines which will help the designer assign numerical predictions the proper level of trust and outline a much-needed experimental campaign

The Determinants of HIV Treatment Costs in Resource Limited Settings

Background: Governments and international donors have partnered to provide free HIV treatment to over 6 million individuals in low and middle-income countries. Understanding the determinants of HIV treatment costs will help improve efficiency and provide greater certainty about future resource needs. Methods and Findings: We collected data on HIV treatment costs from 54 clinical sites in Botswana, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, and Vietnam. Sites provided free HIV treatment funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), national governments, and other partners. Service delivery costs were categorized into successive six-month periods from the date when each site began HIV treatment scale-up. A generalized linear mixed model was used to investigate relationships between site characteristics and per-patient costs, excluding ARV expenses. With predictors at their mean values, average annual per-patient costs were $177 (95$353 (255–468) for adult patients in the first 6 months of ART, and $222 (161–296) for adult patients on ART for >6 months (excludes ARV costs). Patient volume (no. patients receiving treatment) and site maturity (months since clinic began providing treatment services) were both strong independent predictors of per-patient costs. Controlling for other factors, costs declined by 43% (18–63) as patient volume increased from 500 to 5,000 patients, and by 28% (6–47) from 5,000 to 10,000 patients. For site maturity, costs dropped 41% (28–52) between months 0–12 and 25% (15–35) between months 12–24. Price levels (proxied by per-capita GDP) were also influential, with costs increasing by 22% (4–41) for each doubling in per-capita GDP. Additionally, the frequency of clinical follow-up, frequency of laboratory monitoring, and clinician-patient ratio were significant independent predictors of per-patient costs. Conclusions: Substantial reductions in per-patient service delivery costs occur as sites mature and patient cohorts increase in size. Other predictors suggest possible strategies to reduce per-patient costs

Molecular pathogenesis and targeted therapy of sporadic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Over the past few years, knowledge regarding the molecular pathology of sporadic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) has increased substantially, and a number of targeted agents have been tested in clinical trials in this tumor type. For some of these agents there is a strong biological rationale. Among them, the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor Everolimus and the antiangiogenic agent Sunitinib have both been approved for the treatment of PNETs. However, there is lack of knowledge regarding biomarkers able to predict their efficacy, and mechanisms of resistance. Other angiogenesis inhibitors, such as Pazopanib, inhibitors of Src, Hedgehog or of PI3K might all be useful in association or sequence with approved agents. On the other hand, the clinical significance, and potential for treatment of the most common mutations occurring in sporadic PNETs, in the MEN-1 gene and in ATRX and DAXX, remains uncertain. The present paper reviews the main molecular changes occurring in PNETs and how they might be linked with treatment options

One year of FBG-based thermo-hygrometers in operation in the CMS experiment at CERN

K

Co-existence in the Phoebetria albatrosses at Marion Island

Bibliography: pages 154-162.The aims of the present study are threefold. Firstly, the coexistence of the two closely related, normally allopatric, albatross species is investigated in their zone of overlap where interspecific competition for food resources and nesting space is likely to be most acute. Secondly, the genetic isolation of the two species is investigated, as co-existence implies increased interspecific social interaction with associated increased possibilities of hybridization. Thirdly, the two species' possible evolutionary histories are examined in relation to their ecologies. Logistical constraints prevented study of fusca and palpebrata on the feeding grounds, i.e. at sea, and feeding could be studied only indirectly