Mechanical activation of vinculin binding to talin locks talin in an unfolded conformation

The force-dependent interaction between talin and vinculin plays a crucial role in the initiation and growth of focal adhesions. Here we use magnetic tweezers to characterise the mechano-sensitive compact N-terminal region of the talin rod, and show that the three helical bundles R1-R3 in this region unfold in three distinct steps consistent with the domains unfolding independently. Mechanical stretching of talin R1-R3 enhances its binding to vinculin and vinculin binding inhibits talin refolding after force is released. Mutations that stabilize R3 identify it as the initial mechano-sensing domain in talin, unfolding at ~5 pN, suggesting that 5 pN is the force threshold for vinculin binding and adhesion progression

Visualising Systems as Stories and Narratives: Storyboards and comics

Designing involves making decisions that affect the living and non-living things of the world. It undertakes the responsibility of answering what to design, how, and why, and consequently, determines the lifecycle of artefacts. Designers are supposed to be aware of these responsibilities and evaluate the context and necessity of their designs by studying the footprint of their project in life, considering all related systems. studioSUSTAIN design studio course, founded in 2017 in the industrial design department at Istanbul Bilgi University, is based on this approach with sustainability at the centre of the design process. Each semester the studio takes a particular locality as the context of design activity. Students are presented with real-life conditions and situations in the local context. They research, experience, and be part of the locality in field trips planned as design camps. They collaborate, work, and live together for a while with locals and stakeholders, participating in their routines, learning local practices and production cycles, and understanding the details and dynamics of local life. They study the tangible and intangible things and processes, in other words, the systems, in the locality. Students are expected to think in terms of systems so that they can grasp and understand the local context with the complex social systems and the sociotechnical systems within. They use specific tools and methods for visualising their research on various aspects of the local systems. These tools and methods function both as means of making sense of the local information as well as of collaborating and communicating with locals and stakeholders. Students understand various parts of the local context in relation to sustainability topics. However, in comprehending existing local systems and in composing system designs, they have difficulty integrating and relating these parts and visualising them in system storyboards. Presented here are the early stages of ongoing research on a proposal for a framework for structuring and visualising systems and system designs. It is suggested that complex social systems or sociotechnical systems can be defined as stories, and their complexity can be grasped and communicated by visualising these system stories in established forms of visual narratives, namely comics and film storyboards. Stories and visual narratives would constitute both a common ground for a mutual understanding of systems as well as for designers to compose and develop system designs through collaboration with stakeholders. The proposal is accompanied by a selection of system storyboards by students of five semesters of studioSUSTAIN

Combining Ability and Heterosis for Yield and Yield Components in Sunflower

Field experiments were carried out during 2005-2007 in order to study the genetic structure of a hybrid sunflower population, to identify the parents and crosses showing superior general and specific combining ability and finally to evaluate F1 hybrid vigour. Six artificial hybrids were created using 3 CMS and 2 restorer lines in sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) According to the results, the ratios of GCA:SCA variance were lower than 1 for plant height and head diameter in the both years; for number of seeds per head and 1000 seed weight in 2007 and for seed yield in 2006. For all these characters, non-additive effects were more effective than the other types of polygenetic effects. The additive gene actions were significant for 1000 seed weight and number of seeds per head in 2006 and for plant height and seed yield in 2007, since the ratios of GCA:SCA variances for these characters were greater than 1. The parental lines CMS 10 and RHA 10 proved to be good combiners having the highest positive GCA effect in yield and certain yield components. The crosses CMS 10 x RHA 03, CMS 01 x RHA 10, CMS 10 x RHA 10 and CMS 23 x RHA 10 might be considered as promising hybrid combinations in terms of seed yield . The values of heterosis and heterobeltiosis values ranged from 109.8 to 218.3% for seed yield. All of the tested hybrids showed positive and significant heterobeltiosis for seed yield

Utility of continuous glucose monitoring for identifying silent hypoglycemia in fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase deficiency: a pilot prospective evaluation

Background and objectiveFructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) deficiency is a rare gluconeogenic disorder characterized by hypoglycemia, lactic acidosis, hyperuricemia, and ketosis, triggered by fasting or infection. Although dietary management aims to prevent hypoglycemia, accurate tools to monitor asymptomatic episodes are lacking. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has not been systematically evaluated in FBPase deficiency. This study aimed to assess the utility of CGM in detecting silent hypoglycemia and its relationship with dietary management.MethodsTen genetically confirmed patients underwent blinded CGM using the Medtronic iPro2™ system. CGM metrics included time below range (TBR <70 mg/dL [<3.9 mmol/L]), time in range (TIR 70–150 mg/dL [3.9–8.3 mmol/L]), and time above range (TAR >150 mg/dL [>8.3 mmol/L]). Correlations with biochemical, clinical, and nutritional variables were analyzed using Pearson or Spearman tests, and categorical comparisons were conducted with Fisher’s exact test. Multiple testing was controlled using the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure (significance at FDR-adjusted p<0.05).ResultsDespite using uncooked/modified cornstarch (UCCS/MCS) and frequent feeding (all but one patient), asymptomatic hypoglycemia occurred in some patients. Mean TBR was 11.2 ± 31.2% (Median: 1, Range:0-100). Higher UCCS/MCS dosing correlated with fewer annual metabolic attacks (ρ=−0.854, p-adj=0.002), higher TIR (ρ=0.899, p-adj=0.002), and lower TBR (ρ=−0.917, p-adj=0.003). Patients with TBR≥2% had more annual crises (p=0.003), lower UCCS/MCS dosing frequency (p=0.019), and more hepatic steatosis (p=0.048). Ketonuria correlated with attack frequency (r=0.846, p-adj=0.026). Hepatosteatosis was associated with greater annual attacks (p-adj=0.028).ConclusionThis, to the best of our knowledge, is the first systematic pilot study of CGM in FBPase deficiency, suggesting a potential role in detecting silent hypoglycemia and informing individualized dietary strategies

FORAGE AND GRAIN YIELD PERFORMANCES OF SOYBEAN LINES

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the yield and yield components of twelve soybean genotypes as a forage and a grain crop in Marmara Region of Turkey in 2003-2004 growing seasons. Forage and dry matter yield and yield components at one vegetative stage (V5) and two reproductive stages (R2, and R4) and seed yield was determined in all soybean genotypes. The experiments showed that the harvest stages had signifi cant effects on forage and dry matter yield, and R4 reproductive stage had the highest forage and dry matter yield. Dry matter partitioning of soybean plant parts was greatly affected by harvest stages, while the genotypes had little effect on dry matter partitioning of soybean plant parts. There were statistically signifi cant differences between soybean genotypes in seed yield, but the differences were small. The correlations between forage and dry matter yield and seed yield were not statistically signifi cant

Estabilidad de rendimiento de genotipos de canola (Brassica napus L.) a multi-ambientes usando el análisis biplot GGE

he GxE interaction (GEI) provides essential information for selecting and recommending cultivars in multi-environment trials. This study aimed to evaluate genotype (G) and environment (E) main effects and GxE interaction of 15 canola genotypes (10 canola lines and 5 check varieties) over 8 environments and to examine the existence of different mega environments. Canola yield performances were evaluated during 2015/16 and 2016/17 production season in three different locations (Southern Marmara, Thrace side of Marmara, and Black Sea regions) of Turkey. The trial in each location was arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The seed yield data were analyzed using GGE biplot and the yield components data were analyzed using ANOVA. The agronomical traits revealed that environments, genotypes, and GEI were significant at 1 % probability for all of the characters. The variance analysis exhibited that genotypes, environments, and GEI explained 21.6, 21.7, and 25.7 % of the total sum of squares for seed yield, respectively. The GGE biplot analysis showed that the first and second principal components explained 57.3 and 18.3 % of the total variation in the data matrix, respectively. GGE biplot analysis showed that the polygon view of a biplot is an excellent way to visualize the interactions between genotypes and environments

Factors affecting the adoption of electronic data interchange

Implementation of electronic data interchange (EDI) is thus more desirable and will be one of the major determinants of business success of a company. Despite the current pressure of the public sphere and all the benefits that the adoption of EDI provides, the expansion of this technology is still a minority in the Czech Republic. The aim of this paper is to identify the specifics of EDI adoption, quantify their significance, mutual conditionality and propose a new general model of EDI adoption in businesses. The conclusions of this document are based on the primary data collected through a questionnaire survey in 2015. There were the key factors influencing the likelihood of EDI adoption and their interconnectedness identified. This model reflects the main determinants of the adoption of exchange structured messages for businesses as perceived benefits, external pressure, readiness, attitude of CEO, type of product, participation of trading partners, character of company etc. This study provides a comprehensive survey of motives and barriers of EDI adoption for enterprises, which are aware of the necessary interoperability within the single European market and its highly competitive environment.O