Midday measurements of leaf water potential and stomatal conductance are highly correlated with daily water use of Thompson Seedless grapevines

A study was conducted to determine the relationship between midday measurements of vine water status and daily water use of grapevines measured with a weighing lysimeter. Water applications to the vines were terminated on August 24th for 9 days and again on September 14th for 22 days. Daily water use of the vines in the lysimeter (ETLYS) was approximately 40 L vine−1 (5.3 mm) prior to turning the pump off, and it decreased to 22.3 L vine−1 by September 2nd. Pre-dawn leaf water potential (ΨPD) and midday Ψl on August 24th were −0.075 and −0.76 MPa, respectively, with midday Ψl decreasing to −1.28 MPa on September 2nd. Leaf g s decreased from ~500 to ~200 mmol m−2 s−1 during the two dry-down periods. Midday measurements of g s and Ψl were significantly correlated with one another (r = 0.96) and both with ETLYS/ETo (r = ~0.9). The decreases in Ψl, g s, and ETLYS/ETo in this study were also a linear function of the decrease in volumetric soil water content. The results indicate that even modest water stress can greatly reduce grapevine water use and that short-term measures of vine water status taken at midday are a reflection of daily grapevine water us

Conduct disorder in girls: neighborhoods, family characteristics, and parenting behaviors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Little is known about the social context of girls with conduct disorder (CD), a question of increasing importance to clinicians and researchers. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between three social context domains (neighborhood, family characteristics, and parenting behaviors) and CD in adolescent girls, additionally testing for race moderation effects. We predicted that disadvantaged neighborhoods, family characteristics such as parental marital status, and parenting behaviors such as negative discipline would characterize girls with CD. We also hypothesized that parenting behaviors would mediate the associations between neighborhood and family characteristics and CD.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We recruited 93 15–17 year-old girls from the community and used a structured psychiatric interview to assign participants to a CD group (n = 52) or a demographically matched group with no psychiatric disorder (n = 41). Each girl and parent also filled out questionnaires about neighborhood, family characteristics, and parenting behaviors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Neighborhood quality was not associated with CD in girls. Some family characteristics (parental antisociality) and parenting behaviors (levels of family activities and negative discipline) were characteristic of girls with CD, but notll. There was no moderation by race. Our hypothesis that the association between family characteristics and CD would be mediated by parenting behaviors was not supported.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study expanded upon previous research by investigating multiple social context domains in girls with CD and by selecting a comparison group who were not different in age, social class, or race. When these factors are thus controlled, CD in adolescent girls is not significantly associated with neighborhood, but is associated with some family characteristics and some types of parental behaviors. However, the mechanisms underlying these relationships need to be further investigated. We discuss possible explanations for our findings and suggest directions for future research.</p

Immune Responses to Gene Product of Inducible Promoters

Efficient gene transfer has been achieved in several animal models using different vector systems, leading to stable transgene expression. The tight control of this expression is now an important outcome for the field of gene therapy. Such regulation is likely to be required for therapeutic applications and in some instances for safety reasons. For this purpose, several regulatable systems depending on small molecules have been developed. Among these, the tetracycline and the rapamycin dependent systems have been largely used. However, if long-term regulation of the transgene has been obtained in small animal models using these inducible systems, when translational studies were initiated in larger animals, the development of an immune response against proteins involved in transgene regulation were often observed. Such immune response was especially documented when using the TetOn tetracycline regulatable system in nonhuman primates (NHP). Humoral and destructive cellular immune responses against the transactivator involved in this regulation system were documented in a large majority of NHP leading to the complete loss of the transgene regulation and expression. This review will describe the immune responses observed in these different model systems applied for transgene regulation. Focus will be finally given on future directions in which such immune responses might be surmounted, enabling long-term transgene regulation in future clinical developments of gene transfer

Age and Crime

The relationship between age and crime is one of the oldest known in the criminological literature. This entry describes research on what is known as the “age–crime curve,” first by reviewing recent data, then discussing historical and theoretical work. The entry then discusses policy implications of the age and crime research. These implications differ according to whether one views the relationship between age and crime as a biological “invariant” phenomenon, or as one that can be explained at least partially by social factors. Both social and biological factors likely influence the age–crime curve, and policy should be developed accordingly