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Summary: The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) functions in the control of plant stress responses, particularly in drought stress. A significant mechanism in attenuating and terminating ABA signals involves regulated protein turnover, with certain ABA receptors, despite their main presence in the cytosol and nucleus, subjected to vacuolar degradation via the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) machinery.Collectively our findings show that discrete TOM1‐LIKE (TOL) proteins, which are functional ESCRT‐0 complex substitutes in plants, affect the trafficking for degradation of core components of the ABA signaling and transport machinery.TOL2,3,5 and 6 modulate ABA signaling where they function additively in degradation of ubiquitinated ABA receptors and transporters.TOLs colocalize with their cargo in different endocytic compartments in the root epidermis and in guard cells of stomata, where they potentially function in ABA‐controlled stomatal aperture.Although the tol2/3/5/6 quadruple mutant plant line is significantly more drought‐tolerant and has a higher ABA sensitivity than control plant lines, it has no obvious growth or development phenotype under standard conditions, making the TOL genes ideal candidates for engineering to improved plant performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess factors determining uterine rupture during labor after the previous cesarean section among mothers delivered at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital from September 2017 to September 2022.Methods: A facility-based unmatched case–control study was done by reviewing 105 patients, which included 35 cases and 70 controls in a 1:2 case-to-control ratio. The association between dependent and independent variables was sought with running binary and multivariate analyses by using the cut point of a p value < 0.05 and 95% CI.Results: The prevalence of uterine rupture is 1.6%. The factors significantly associated with uterine rupture after trial of labor are fetal weight > 3.8 kg (AOR: 5.21), antenatal care 4 (AOR: 3.6), labor duration > 15 hours (AOR: 10.7), and previous successful vaginal delivery (AOR: 3.4). Poor fetal-maternal outcomes like 91.4% fetal death, 29 hysterectomies, 22 blood transfusions, and 1 death.Conclusion: The prevalence is relatively higher than in developed countries. The number of antenatal care, labor duration, and lower fetal weight are not common findings associated with uterine rupture after trial of labor across the literature, so large-scale studies are needed to develop guidelines for the Ethiopian setup. Improving the quality of obstetrics care given in each level of health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paclitaxel (PTX) is frequently utilized for the chemotherapy of breast cancer, but its continuous treatment provokes hyposensitivity. Here, we established a PTX-resistant variant of human breast cancer MCF7 cells and found that acquiring the chemoresistance elicits a remarkable up-regulation of aldo-keto reductase (AKR) 1C3. MCF7 cell sensitivity to PTX toxicity was increased by pretreatment with AKR1C3 inhibitor and knockdown of this enzyme, and decreased by its overexpression, inferring a crucial role of AKR1C3 in the development of PTX resistance. The PTX-resistant cells were much less sensitive to 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal and acrolein, cytotoxic reactive aldehydes derived from ROS-mediated lipid peroxidation, compared with the parental cells. Additionally, the resistant cells lowered levels of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal formed during PTX treatment, which was mitigated by pretreating with AKR1C3 inhibitor, suggesting that AKR1C3 procures the chemoresistance through facilitating the metabolism of the cytotoxic aldehyde. The gain of PTX resistance additively promoted the aberrant expression of an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter ABCB1 among the ABC transporter isoforms. The combined treatment with AKR1C3 and ABCB1 inhibitors overcame the PTX resistance and cross-resistance to another taxane-based drug docetaxel. Collectively, combined treatment with AKR1C3 and ABCB1 inhibitors may exert an overcoming effect of PTX resistance in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gelveri bread is produced without the use of any additives; produced from whole wheat flour, yeast, salt, and water. The fermentation process in Gelveri bread is provided by sourdough. Lactobacillus spp. in the sourdough culture produces a large amount of lactic acid and acetic acid. This also gives a specific taste to sourdough bread. Gelveri bread has been registered with geographical indication. Güzelyurt has the characteristic lines of Kapadokya Region. The most important sign of this is the formation of rocks. Making Gelveri bread in ovens which are made of rocks is a tradition that local people are continuing for centuries. Gelveri bread known in Güzelyurt and near towns is also known for its stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies over the past two decades have investigated the neuropsychological deficits in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but much less has been done on adults. This study aimed to assess the deficits in executive functions of adults with ADHD, especially in the areas of attention, inhibition, impulsivity, and planning. Twenty-four adults (18 years and older) diagnosed with ADHD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition criteria, and also assessed with Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale, participated in the study. Executive functions in cases were compared with 20 matched controls through the three instruments of Tower of London (TOL), Continuous Performance Test (CPT), and Stroop test. Performance of cases was weaker than that of the control group in TOL. The difference was significant in subsequent thinking time in most of the trials and number of movements only at level 2. In CPT, the adults with ADHD made more commission errors. In addition, the ADHD cases made more errors in the word card of the Stroop test, and the time they spent reading all three cards was significantly longer than that of the control group. Our study suggests that several deficits in executive functions related to ADHD persist into adulthood, such as impairments in planning time and set shifting, response inhibition, impulsivity, and visuolingual processing. However, simple (visual-motor processing) and sustained attention might improve with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xinkan, Jicaquean, and Lencan language families are isolates. However, they show similarities in their vowel co-occurrence restrictions within morphemes. This paper compares and contrasts the harmonic patterns in each of these language families and concludes that similarities are likely due to contact between their speakers. This suggests that Xinkan, Jicaquean and Lencan speakers existed in a sort of micro-language area, a small-scale scenario of contact that shows unique indications of contact near or within the more dispersed scenarios of contact and borrowing acknowledged throughout Mesoamerica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We examine the impact of heart rate variation on fMRI during the Stroop and ToL task. [•] Both tasks show significant task-related changes in heart rate. [•] The fMRI BOLD signal shows significant sensitivity to these changes in heart rate. [•] However, fMRI main task effects are marginally influenced by the heart rate changes. [•] We conclude that heart rate changes do not impact strongly on fMRI task effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defining structural features of IDPs (intrinsically disordered proteins) and relating these to biological function requires characterization of their dynamical properties. In the present paper, we review what is known about the IDPs of colicins, protein antibiotics that use their IDPs to enter bacterial cells. The structurally characterized colicin IDPs we consider contain linear binding epitopes for proteins within their target cells that the colicin hijacks during entry. We show that these binding epitopes take part in intramolecular interactions in the absence of protein partners, i.e. self-recognition, and consider the structural origins of this and its functional implications. We suggest that self-recognition is common in other IDPs that contain similar types of binding epitopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined effects of perceptual features of the Tower of London (TOL) Test on planning performance by means of manipulating visual properties of the beads used to make planned movements. The same planning problems were used in three different versions of the TOL. That is, they were solved by exactly the same successive moves but each version had different target configurations that consisted of two dimensional (color and shape) or one dimensional (color) beads. In the two-dimensional TOL (2D-TOL test), the planning problems were solved according to either color or shape dimensions of four beads, whereas in the Tower of Conflict Test (TOC), participants were required to discriminate their four beads as two beads to be matched in shape and two in color to a problem configuration. The results revealed that performance on the TOL with one-dimensional beads significantly differed from those on the TOC and the 2D-TOL indicating that planning and execution of movements were influenced by mental shifts between two dimensions (color and shape) of the beads and stimulus discrimination processes. In addition. same problem was solved 4 times in succession by a control group, who did not shift between the two dimensions, and by a mental shift group, who were required to shift to the other dimension after solving a problem two times in succession, and trend analyses were used to examine changes due to mental shift. Polynomial contrasts revealed only a significant linear trend for the control group, while quadratic and cubic trends were observed across the repeated measures of same planning problem for the mental shift group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many Genesis interpreters view Gen. 11.27-12.9 as the foundation of the Abraham narrative (Gen. 11.27-25.11) and the opening response to the Primeval History (Gen. 1-11). Employing a narrative critical approach that is sensitive to diachronic issues, this article proposes that 11.27-12.9 also functions as a response to the preceding Tower of Babel episode (11.1-9). The Tower of Babel scene leaves readers with substantive gaps in their knowledge about the fate of the divine-human relationship. The suspense generated by such knowledge gaps is initially resolved in the introduction to the Terah-Abram narrative (11.27-12.9). This article first offers a literary rationale for reading Gen. 11.27-12.9 in light of 11.1-9, and then considers how suspense and partial resolution are expressed through verbal repetition of 'reputation', plot equivalencies, and contrasts related to migration and settlement, and a variation on the theme of capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:To assess maternal postpartum and neonatal outcomes associated with previous method of delivery.Study Design:We analyzed prospectively collected maternal and neonatal data from July 2002 to December 2003. Data were collected from dedicated perinatal database and neonatal database from discharge and procedure codes. Groups were: (i) multiparous, prior vaginal delivery (VD), and (ii) multiparous, prior cesarean (CS). This group was subdivided by subsequent pregnancy trial or no trial of labor (No TOL). Results were compared with χ2-analysis; significance P<0.05.Results:There were 17 406 births. Prior CS patients without trial of labor (TOL) required more blood transfusions, intensive care unit admissions and hospital readmissions than women with a prior VD. Prior CS patients with TOL required more aminoglycosides for postpartum infection. Term neonates of (CS) mothers without a TOL were more likely to have prolonged hospitalization and require ventilatory support.Conclusions:In their subsequent delivery, women with a prior CS delivery are at significant risks for postpartum maternal and neonatal morbidities compared with parous patients who experienced a prior VD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tol system is a five-protein assembly parasitized by colicins and bacteriophages that helps stabilize the Gram-negative outer membrane (OM). We show that allosteric signalling through the six-bladed β-propeller protein TolB is central to Tol function in Escherichia coli and that this is subverted by colicins such as ColE9 to initiate their OM translocation. Protein–protein interactions with the TolB β-propeller govern two conformational states that are adopted by the distal N-terminal 12 residues of TolB that bind TolA in the inner membrane. ColE9 promotes disorder of this ‘TolA box’ and recruitment of TolA. In contrast to ColE9, binding of the OM lipoprotein Pal to the same site induces conformational changes that sequester the TolA box to the TolB surface in which it exhibits little or no TolA binding. Our data suggest that Pal is an OFF switch for the Tol assembly, whereas colicins promote an ON state even though mimicking Pal. Comparison of the TolB mechanism to that of vertebrate guanine nucleotide exchange factor RCC1 suggests that allosteric signalling may be more prevalent in β-propeller proteins than currently realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of the current study was to explore the effects of problem structure, namely goal hierarchy and number of optimal solution paths, on the neural architecture that supports problem-solving and planning. Here, six-move problems with both an unambiguous and ambiguous goal hierarchy and single and multiple optimal solution paths were examined. In the task used, participants were encouraged to generate a solution plan before execution. The behavioral results revealed that problem-solving time and accuracy were both affected by both problem parameters. The fMRI activation results revealed three major findings. First, the right prefrontal cortex revealed a significantly different activation pattern than the other regions examined. This was the only region that revealed a larger response during the execution phase than the planning phase. Second, the effect of goal hierarchy was strongest during the execution phase. Finally, while there was no main effect of number of optimal solution paths, this parameter interacted with goal hierarchy in a number of regions across the brain. The present study also suggests that the minimum number of moves may not be the best measure of problem difficulty and that greater care be taken in the selection of TOL problems for both experimental studies as well as clinical assessment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Eleven cultivars of durum wheat from Argentina and Chile were analysed for their endosperm storage protein allelic composition and for industrial quality characteristics. For the HMW glutenin subunits, all cultivars carried the null allele Glu-A1c, and four variants were observed at Glu-B1: Glu-B1b (encoding subunits 7+8), Glu-B1d (subunits 6+8), Glu-B1e (subunits 20+20y) and Glu-B1z (subunits 7+15). For the Glu-3 encoded B-LMW glutenin subunits, alleles Glu-A3a (subunit 6), Glu-A3b (subunit 5), Glu-B3a (subunits 2+4+15+19), Glu-B3b (8+9+13+16) and Glu-B3c (2+4+14+15+19) were observed, and for the Glu-B2 encoded B-LMW glutenin subunits, Glu-B2a (subunit 12) and Glu-B2b (null allele). A B-LMW glutenin subunit not previously reported was observed in the cultivar Buck Cristal and provisionally designated subunit 6.1. A wide range of values for the characters gluten index, SDS-sedimentation volume and the Farinograph parameters energy level and tolerance was obtained from grain harvested from field trials sown in Argentina. There were strong correlations between these characters, and less strong correlations with grain protein and gluten content. While some cultivars varied for quality performance between years, others were relatively consistent for both extremes of performance. The analyses suggested that the gene pool represented by the cultivars investigated comprises useful variation for future breeding programmes, and provides pointers for directions that such programmes could take. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The sequence elements determining the binding of the σ54-containing RNA polymerase (σ54-RNAP) to the Pu promoter of Pseudomonas putida have been examined. Contrary to previous results in related systems, we show that the integration host factor (IHF) binding stimulates the recruitment of the enzyme to the −12/−24 sequence motifs. Such a recruitment, which is fully independent of the activator of the system, XylR, requires the interaction of the C-terminal domain of the α subunit of RNAP with specific DNA sequences upstream of the IHF site which are reminiscent of the UP elements in σ70 promoters. Our data show that this interaction is mainly brought about by the distinct geometry of the promoter region caused by IHF binding and the ensuing DNA bending. These results support the view that binding of σ54-RNAP to a promoter is a step that can be subjected to regulation by factors (e.g. IHF) other than the sole intrinsic affinity of σ54-RNAP for the −12/−24 site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel vertical field plate (VFP) structure with low specific on‐resistance (Ron,sp) is proposed. The VFP is inserted in the field oxide of the drift region with heavily doped N pillar parallel to the trench oxide layer (TOL), which depletes fully the drift region to decrease Ron,sp effectively and enhances the bulk field (ENBULF). The VFP optimises the bulk electric field to increase the breakdown voltage (BV). The BV of VFP is 668 V with an Ron,sp of 44.7 mΩ cm2, which is much lower than the silicon limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Virial coefficients for binary mixtures TOL + 1-alkanol were calculated. • Effect of alcohols chain length on different properties is discussed. • Mutual diffusion in binary mixtures are calculated and explained by the molecular interactions. In this study, to obtain useful information about the structure of binary mixtures, identify the governing interactions and investigate the influence of alcohol chain length on the structure and nature of interactions in the binary mixtures of toluene (TOL) with 1-pentanol up to 1-decanol, values of second and third virial coefficients for the above binary mixtures were calculated regarding the Peng-Robinson-Stryjek-Vera (PRSV) cubic equation of state. Estimation of the thermodynamic factor for the binary systems was performed by the COSMO-RS model, and results indicate that the considered mixtures exhibit a positive deviation from the Raoult's Law. Besides, the diffusion coefficients for the binary mixtures in the whole composition range were determined regarding the experimental viscosities. Findings demonstrate that the weak dispersion forces (induced dipole-induced dipole attraction) between TOL and 1-alkanol are the most frequent type of interactions, and change with the alcohol chain length. The collected information from the mentioned parameter has been shown that increasing the alcohol chain length reinforces the strength of intermolecular interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]