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The construction sector is one of the strongest sectors supporting economic growth in Indonesia. Studies conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) show that construction is in the third main source of Indonesia's economic growth, noting that this sector's gross domestic product (GDP) contributed 10.44% to the national GDP of IDR 16.97 quadrillion in 2021. According to the Probolinggo City Government's Electronic Procurement Service, at least 101 jobs have been auctioned. The certificate of occupancy (Sertifikat Laik Fungsi/SLF) is a statement that the feasibility of a building's function has been completed. Laik Fungsi requires that abuilding meets administrative and technical standards according to the specified building function. So without SLF, a building can be legal but illegal for its utilization. The purpose of this research is to analyze the quality of services provided by CV Meter Consultant Company in meeting customer needs and satisfaction. This research uses a qualitative approach, i.e case study research. Data collection techniques include conducting observations, interviews, and documentation of objects and informants. The data interview collected was from 5 informants. The results of this study are that there are several indicators that have not been fulfilled, including the tangible dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-incompatibility (SI) is a crucial mechanism that prevents self-fertilization and inbreeding in flowering plants. Citrus exhibits SI regulated by a polymorphic S -locus containing an S-RNase gene and multiple S -locus F-box (SLF) genes. It has been documented that S-RNase functions as the pistil S determinant, but there is no direct evidence that the SLF genes closely linked with S-RNase function as pollen S determinants in Citrus. This study assembled the genomes of two pummelo (Citrus grandis) plants, obtained three novel complete and well-annotated S -haplotypes, and isolated 36 SLF or SLF-like alleles on the S -loci. Phylogenetic analysis of 138 SLFs revealed that the SLF genes were classified into 12 types, including six types with divergent or missing alleles. Furthermore, transformation experiments verified that the conserved S6-SLF7a protein can lead to the transition of SI to self-compatibility by recognizing non-self S8-RNase in 'Mini-Citrus' plants (S 7 S 8 and S 8 S 29 , Fortunella hindsii), a model plant for citrus gene function studies. In vitro assays demonstrated interactions between SLFs of different S haplotypes and the Skp1–Cullin1–F-box subunit CgSSK1 protein. This study provides direct evidence that SLF controls the pollen function in Citrus , demonstrating its role in the 'non-self recognition' SI system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with unilateral spatial neglect (USN) are unable to explore or to report stimuli presented in the left personal and extra‐personal space. USN is usually caused by lesion of the right parietal lobe: nowadays, it is also clear the key role of structural connections (the second and the third branch of the right Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus, respectively, SLF II and III) and functional networks (Dorsal and Ventral Attention Network, respectively, DAN and VAN) in USN. In this multimodal case report, we have merged those structural and functional information derived from a patient with a right parietal lobe tumour and USN before surgery. Functional, structural and neuropsychological data were also collected 6 months after surgery, when the USN was spontaneously recovered. Diffusion metrics and Functional Connectivity (FC) of the right SLF and DAN, before and after surgery, were compared with the same data of a patient with a tumour in a similar location, but without USN, and with a control sample. Results indicate an impairment in the right SLF III and a reduction of FC of the right DAN in patients with USN before surgery compared to controls; after surgery, when USN was recovered, patient's diffusion metrics and FC showed no differences compared to the controls. This single case and its multimodal approach reinforce the crucial role of the right SLF III and DAN in the development and recovery of egocentric and allocentric extra‐personal USN, highlighting the need to preserve these structural and functional areas during brain surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Lycorma delicatula (White) continues to spread across the United States, more winegrapes are potentially susceptible to damage from this pest. Lycorma delicatula , spotted lanternfly, is primarily associated with Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, a tree from its native range that is now globally distributed. While L. delicatula is a known pest of cultivated Vitis spp. in South Korea, its relationship with the specific grape species grown in the United States is unclear. This study assessed L. delicatula survivorship and development on 5 Vitis species, including 2 winegrape V. vinifera L. varieties, 'Pinot Noir' and 'Chardonnay', Concord grape, Vitis labrusca L. River grape, Vitis riparia Michx. and muscadine grape, Vitis rotundifolia Michx. var. 'Carlos'. A diet of A. altissima served as a positive control. Lycorma delicatula provided with a diet of V. riparia or V. vinifera 'Pinot Noir' yielded the highest survivorship and fastest rates of development among grape diets and were statistically equivalent to those provided with A. altissima. Vitis rotundifolia did not support L. delicatula growth past the third-instar life stage, indicating this species is a poor host for the early development of this pest. Our results indicate that both V. riparia and V. vinifera are favorable hosts for L. delicatula and may provide the means for this insect to invade and establish in new regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Developmental dyslexia (DD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are highly comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders. Individuals with DD or ADHD have both been shown to have deficits in white matter tracts associated with reading and attentional control networks. However, white matter diffusivity in individuals comorbid with both DD and ADHD (DD + ADHD) has not been specifically explored. Methods Participants were 3rd and 4th graders (age range = 7 to 11 years; SD = 0.69) from three diagnostic groups ((DD (n = 40), DD + ADHD (n = 22), and typical developing (TD) (n = 20)). Behavioral measures of reading and attention alongside measures of white matter diffusivity were collected for all participants. Results DD + ADHD and TD groups differed in mean fractional anisotropy (FA) for the left and right Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (SLF)-Parietal Terminations and SLF-Temporal Terminations. Mean FA for the DD group across these SLF tracts fell between the lower DD + ADHD and higher TD averages. No differences in mean diffusivity nor significant brain-behavior relations were found. Conclusions Findings suggest that WM diffusivity in the SLF increases along a continuum across DD + ADHD, DD, and TD.

The increasing use of wireless communication and IoT devices has raised concerns about security, particularly with regard to attacks on the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL), such as the wormhole attack. In this study, the authors have used the trust concept called PCC-RPL (Parental Change Control RPL) over communicating nodes on IoT networks which prevents unsolicited parent changes by utilizing the trust concept. The aim of this study is to make the RPL protocol more secure by using a Subjective Logic Framework-based trust model to detect and mitigate a wormhole attack. The study evaluates the trust-based designed framework known as SLF-RPL (Subjective Logical Framework-Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks) over various key parameters, i.e., low energy consumption, packet loss ratio and attack detection rate. The achieved results were conducted using a Contiki OS-based Cooja Network simulator with 30, 60, and 90 nodes with respect to a 1:10 malicious node ratio and compared with the existing PCC-RPL protocol. The results show that the proposed SLF-RPL framework demonstrates higher efficiency (0.0504 J to 0.0728 J out of 1 J) than PCC-RPL (0.065 J to 0.0963 J out of 1 J) in terms of energy consumption at the node level, a decreased packet loss ratio of 16% at the node level, and an increased attack detection rate at network level from 0.42 to 0.55 in comparison with PCC-RPL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Developmental dyslexia (DD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are highly comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders. Individuals with DD or ADHD have both been shown to have deficits in white matter tracts associated with reading and attentional control networks. However, white matter diffusivity in individuals comorbid with both DD and ADHD (DD + ADHD) has not been specifically explored. Methods: Participants were 3rd and 4th graders (age range = 7 to 11 years; SD = 0.69) from three diagnostic groups ((DD (n = 40), DD + ADHD (n = 22), and typical developing (TD) (n = 20)). Behavioral measures of reading and attention alongside measures of white matter diffusivity were collected for all participants. Results: DD + ADHD and TD groups differed in mean fractional anisotropy (FA) for the left and right Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (SLF)-Parietal Terminations and SLF-Temporal Terminations. Mean FA for the DD group across these SLF tracts fell between the lower DD + ADHD and higher TD averages. No differences in mean diffusivity nor significant brain-behavior relations were found. Conclusions: Findings suggest that WM diffusivity in the SLF increases along a continuum across DD + ADHD, DD, and TD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand the impact of farmers’ risk attitude on livelihood assets and their livelihood adaptation strategies to cope with climatic changes. An interview-based survey with farmers is conducted in China and Pakistan, using probit regression models to analyze the data. The results confirm that Pakistani growers’ natural and policy risks, whereas technology and information risks in China, are the main livelihood risks to farm production. Farmers’ natural, physical, social, and human assets in China and Pakistan’s financial, physical, and social assets can protect their livelihoods from farm risks. Pakistan’s physical, social, and economic assets and China’s physical, human, and social assets show contradictory effects. Although farmers in China adopted agrotechnical support, off-farm production, crop variety adjustment, and agricultural engineering, Pakistan’s growers adopted agricultural finance, fertilizer/water management, and adjustment of crop varieties to deal with risks. In addition, social, natural, human, and physical assets revealed significant and positive impacts on Pakistani growers; physical and financial assets positively affect Chinese farmers’ attitudes. Despite Chinese growers’ human, social, and natural assets, Pakistani farmers’ financial and natural assets show comparatively weak effects to adapt and deal with climatic risks. Furthermore, this study recommends agricultural policy measures to cope with climate awareness and adaptive attitudes, and potential practices can be introduced in both studied areas.

The increasing use of wireless communication and IoT devices has raised concerns about security, particularly with regard to attacks on the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL), such as the wormhole attack. In this study, the authors have used the trust concept called PCC-RPL (Parental Change Control RPL) over communicating nodes on IoT networks which prevents unsolicited parent changes by utilizing the trust concept. The aim of this study is to make the RPL protocol more secure by using a Subjective Logic Framework-based trust model to detect and mitigate a wormhole attack. The study evaluates the trust-based designed framework known as SLF-RPL (Subjective Logical Framework-Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks) over various key parameters, i.e., low energy consumption, packet loss ratio and attack detection rate. The achieved results were conducted using a Contiki OS-based Cooja Network simulator with 30, 60, and 90 nodes with respect to a 1:10 malicious node ratio and compared with the existing PCC-RPL protocol. The results show that the proposed SLF-RPL framework demonstrates higher efficiency (0.0504 J to 0.0728 J out of 1 J) than PCC-RPL (0.065 J to 0.0963 J out of 1 J) in terms of energy consumption at the node level, a decreased packet loss ratio of 16% at the node level, and an increased attack detection rate at network level from 0.42 to 0.55 in comparison with PCC-RPL.

Persistent stuttering is a prevalent neurodevelopmental speech disorder, which presents with involuntary speech blocks, sound and syllable repetitions, and sound prolongations. Affected individuals often struggle with negative feelings, elevated anxiety, and low self‐esteem. Neuroimaging studies frequently link persistent stuttering with cortical alterations and dysfunctional cortico‐basal ganglia‐thalamocortical loops; dMRI data also point toward connectivity changes of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and the frontal aslant tract (FAT). Both tracts are involved in speech and language functions, and the FAT also supports inhibitory control and conflict monitoring. Whether the two tracts are involved in therapy‐associated improvements and how they relate to therapeutic outcomes is currently unknown. Here, we analyzed dMRI data of 22 patients who participated in a fluency‐shaping program, 18 patients not participating in therapy, and 27 fluent control participants, measured 1 year apart. We used diffusion tractography to segment the SLF and FAT bilaterally and to quantify their microstructural properties before and after a fluency‐shaping program. Participants learned to speak with soft articulation, pitch, and voicing during a 2‐week on‐site boot camp and computer‐assisted biofeedback‐based daily training for 1 year. Therapy had no impact on the microstructural properties of the two tracts. Yet, after therapy, stuttering severity correlated positively with left SLF fractional anisotropy, whereas relief from the social–emotional burden to stutter correlated negatively with right FAT fractional anisotropy. Thus, posttreatment, speech motor performance relates to the left dorsal stream, while the experience of the adverse impact of stuttering relates to the structure recently associated with conflict monitoring and action inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rod-like mesogens with the rigid core constituted by a combination of phenyl and thiophene moieties reveal interesting orientational ordering behavior. In this article, four rod-like mesogens constructed with a terminal alkoxy chain on only one side of the mesogenic core with the other end terminated with either a phenyl or thiophene ring have been investigated using 13C NMR spectroscopy. The mesogen with the terphenyl moiety in the core exhibited polymesomorphism with nematic, smectic C, and smectic I mesophases with very high clearing temperatures. The replacement of terphenyl with terthiophene moiety resulted in suppression of polymesomorphism, with only nematic mesophase being observed. Mesogens with single terminal thiophene connected to two phenyl rings in the core also showed only the nematic mesophase for both the possibilities of linking the core to the thiophene ring at the 2- and 3- positions. One- and two- dimensional 13C NMR spectra have been obtained in the mesophases from which the alignment induced chemical shifts of the ring carbons and 13C-1H dipolar couplings, as well as the local order parameters, have been obtained. The considerable difference in 13C chemical shifts and the 13C-1H dipolar couplings of thiophene ring with change in position of the linking unit is attributed to the difference in the order parameters of the thiophene moiety between the two cases. The data obtained on the ordering of phenyl and thiophene rings in the core units offered information into the effect of replacing the phenyl ring with the thiophene ring. So also, the change of position of the link to the thiophene moiety provided important insights into the orientational behavior in the liquid crystalline phase and on the molecular structure.

The tendency to show the renewal effect of extinction appears as an intra-individually stable, reproducible processing strategy associated with differential patterns of BOLD activation in hippocampus, iFG and vmPFC, as well as differential resting-state functional connectivity between prefrontal regions and the dorsal attention network. Also, pharmacological modulations of the noradrenergic system that influence attentional processing have partially different effects upon individuals with (REN) and without (NoREN) a propensity for renewal. However, it is as yet unknown whether REN and NoREN individuals differ regarding microstructural properties in attention-related white matter (WM) regions, and whether such differences are related to noradrenergic processing. In this diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis we investigated the relation between microstructural properties of attention-related WM tracts and ABA renewal propensity, under conditions of noradrenergic stimulation by means of the noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine, compared to placebo. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was higher in participants with noradrenergic stimulation (ATO) compared to placebo (PLAC), the effect was predominantly left-lateralized and based on the comparison of ATO REN and PLAC REN participants. In REN participants of both treatment groups, FA in several WM tracts showed a positive correlation with the ABA renewal level, suggesting higher renewal levels were associated with higher microstructural integrity. These findings point towards a relation between microstructural properties of attention-related WM tracts and the propensity for renewal that is not specifically dependent on noradrenergic processing. • The renewal effect of extinction is an intra-individually stable processing strategy. • The study explores the role of attention-related white matter tracts for renewal. • FA is higher after noradrenergic stimulation only in persons showing renewal. • Overall, FA in several WM tracts is positively correlated with ABA renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial load forecasting (SLF) is important for regional power infrastructure construction planning and power grid management. However, for rapidly developing urban regions, SLF is generally inaccurate due to insufficient historical data. Hence, it is important to introduce the spatial load density (SLD) from similar regions to improve the accuracy of SLF. To select similar regions appropriately and acquire SLDs with limited available auxiliary data, this study proposes a spatial electric load forecasting method based on the high-level encoding of high-resolution remote sensing images called SELF-HE. In particular, SELF-HE introduces high-level ground object features as a key index to describe the characteristics of electric loads in a region and can establish connections between the remote sensing image features and SLD similarity. Based on this functionality, SELF-HE achieves more accurate SLF in regions with insufficient historical data. In the experiments, SELF-HE was compared with four traditional methods, and the results revealed that SELF-HE achieved improved SLF accuracy. Given that the high-resolution remote sensing images fully covered urban areas and were readily obtained, the proposed method can improve the accuracy of SLF with extremely low data collection costs and is applicable to rapidly developing urban regions.

Summary: In self‐incompatible Petunia species, the pistil S‐RNase acts as cytotoxin to inhibit self‐pollination but is polyubiquitinated by the pollen‐specific nonself S‐locus F‐box (SLF) proteins and subsequently degraded by the ubiquitin‐proteasome system (UPS), allowing cross‐pollination. However, it remains unclear how S‐RNase is restricted by the UPS.Using biochemical analyses, we first show that Petunia hybrida S3‐RNase is largely ubiquitinated by K48‐linked polyubiquitin chains at three regions, R I, R II and R III. R I is ubiquitinated in unpollinated, self‐pollinated and cross‐pollinated pistils, indicating its occurrence before PhS3‐RNase uptake into pollen tubes, whereas R II and R III are exclusively ubiquitinated in cross‐pollinated pistils.Transgenic analyses showed that removal of R II ubiquitination resulted in significantly reduced seed sets from cross‐pollination and that of R I and R III to a lesser extent, indicating their increased cytotoxicity. Consistent with this, the mutated R II of PhS3‐RNase resulted in a marked reduction of its degradation, whereas that of R I and R III resulted in less reduction.Taken together, we demonstrate that PhS3‐RNase R II functions as a major ubiquitination region for its destruction and R I and R III as minor ones, revealing that its cytotoxicity is primarily restricted by a stepwise UPS mechanism for cross‐pollination in P. hybrida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SLF and KD-S SiC fibers were used to fabricate SiC f /SiC composites by precursor impregnation and pyrolysis (PIP) method. To simultaneously improve both the mechanical and electromagnetic wave absorption properties of SiC f /SiC composites, the SiO 2 fillers were mixed into the PSC/xylene precursor solution as inert filler. In this research, the effects of SiO 2 filler on the micro morphologies, XRD patterns, mechanical and dielectric property were investigated. The results exhibit that the flexural strength of the SLF and KD-S SiC f /SiC composites was improved from 167.69 MPa to 241.95 MPa and 248.16 MPa–324.87 MPa with SiO 2 filler, respectively. The lower complex permittivity and better impedance matching are attributed to a broken conductive network in the SiC matrix, which is caused by SiO 2 filler. Therefore, the reflection loss values of SLF SiC f /SiC composites with SiO 2 filler were approach at −40 dB, and the KD-S SiC f /SiC composites with SiO 2 filler of that over −12 dB. The effective absorption bandwidths of SLF and KD-S SiC f /SiC composites with SiO 2 filler are 3.44 GHz and 2.75 GHz, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper evaluates variations in solar activity and their impact on the human nervous system, including the manner in which human behavior and decision-making reflect such effects in the context of (symmetrical) social interactions. The relevant research showed that solar activity, manifesting itself through the exposure of the Earth to charged particles from the Sun, affects heart variability. The evaluation methods focused on examining the relationships between selected psychophysiological data and solar activity, which generally causes major alterations in the low-level electromagnetic field. The investigation within this paper revealed that low-level EMF changes are among the factors affecting heart rate variability and, thus, also variations at the spectral level of the rate, in the VLF, (f = 0.01–0.04 Hz), LF (f = 0.04–0.15 Hz), and HF (f = 0.15 až 0.40 Hz) bands. The results of the presented experiments can also be interpreted as an indirect explanation of sudden deaths and heart failures.

Interactions of particulate matter (PM) and respiratory tract play a crucial role in PM-related respiratory diseases. The majority of the work focuses on the oxidative stress induced by reactions between PM-borne redox-active components and lung lining fluid (LLF). The effects of PM-borne biological components are largely unknown. Of all PM-borne biologicals, bacteria, as living microorganisms, are closely related with inflammatory immune responses. However, its inhalation risk is usually determined without considering the respiratory physiological conditions. In this study, a surrogate lung fluid (SLF) with four typical antioxidants was applied to characterize the ambient bacteria, including concentrations of total bacteria/viable bacteria/culturable bacteria, metabolic activity, bacteria-derived endotoxin, as well as the community structure. Comparing to those determined by SLF, we find that use of PBS leads to an underestimation of the bacterial culturability and metabolic activity. No effect was seen regarding the number of total bacteria and viable bacteria (with intact membrane). Population structure change was seen for bacteria cultured from SLF-collected samples, when compared to that from PBS. Spore-forming bacteria, e.g., genus Bacillus , were found to be easily recovered with SLF. This implies that use of PBS could underestimate the bacteria inhalation risk, especially those bacterial endospores. Our work highlights the necessity to consider the respiratory airway environment when evaluating microbial inhalation risk. Unlabelled Image • Surrogate lung fluid (SLF) was applied to assess the lung-bioaerosol interaction. • Bacterial aerosols were characterized with SLF under different levels of air quality. • The culturability and metabolic activity of bacterial aerosols were enhanced by SLF. • Spore-forming bacteria are prone to recover and outgrow within SLF. • Bacterial exposure risk was underrated without considering lung fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) is an important factor affecting fruit development and is one of the important mechanisms of seedlessness in citrus. Although many studies have investigated the mechanisms of SI, this process remains unclear in "Xiangshui" lemon (C. limon). In this study, we cloned one S-RNase homologous gene and one SLF homologous gene from the "Xiangshui" lemon, designated as ClS1 (pistil-specific expression) and ClF-box (pollen-specific expression), which contain open reading frames (ORFs) of 534 and 810 bp, respectively. The expression pattern of these two genes was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and the results showed that the expression pattern of these two genes was significantly upregulated after self-pollination compared to that after cross-pollination. Through pollination in transgenic tobacco, we found that the pollen tubes grew slowly and became twisted after cross-pollination of ClS1♀ and ClF-box ♂ transgenic tobaccos, but the pollen tubes of control, self-pollination ClS1 and cross-pollination ClS1♂, and ClF-box ♀ grew normally. Furthermore, significantly fewer pollen tubes of ClS1♀ and ClF-box ♂ entered the ovules than that in other combinations, and the seed number of cross-pollination ClS1♀ and ClF-box ♂ transgenic tobaccos was significantly reduced. These results indicated that the ClS1 and ClF-box genes contribute to the self-incompatibility of the "Xiangshui" lemon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of the study: The objective of the work is to manitor the phytochemicals present in methanolic extract of Lycopersicum esculentum after treatment with different concentrations of seaweed liquid fertilizer (SLF). Methods: In this study SLF treated L.esculentum were characterized through gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy to identify the phytochemicals constituents and functional groups of the compounds. Results: Preliminary phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenols, carbohydrates, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, terpinoids. Among the thirty nine phytochemical constituents octa decanoic acid, stigmasterol, hexa decanoic acid and Vitamin E are relatively present in higher yield. The active phytochemical compounds and their constituents were identified with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The retention time, percentage of area, molecular weight and chemical formula of phytochemical compounds were determined with help of NIST08 and WILEY8 libraries. The functional groups identified from the spectrum techniques are alcohol, aldehyde, iso cyanides, alkyl compound and chloro compounds. Accordingly hexadecanic acid, beta.-amyrin, gamma sisterol, octodecanic acid, phytol, stigmasterol, vitamin E, lupeol were derived from SLF treated i.e. compared to control plants. Conclusion: The results of this study offer a platform of using SLF treated L.esculentum has an alternative source for various biological studies and it can be used as functional and pharmaceutical purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, methodological factors influencing the dissolution of metal(loid)s in simulated lung fluid (SLF) was assessed in order to develop a standardised method for the assessment of inhalation bioaccessibility in PM 2.5 . To achieve this aim, the effects of solid to liquid (S/L) ratio (1:100 to 1:5000), agitation (magnetic agitation, occasional shaking, orbital and end-over-end rotation), composition of SLF (artificial lysosomal fluid: ALF; phagolysosomal simulant fluid: PSF) and extraction time (1–120 h) on metal(loid) bioaccessibility were investigated using PM 2.5 from three Australian mining/smelting impacted soils and a certified reference material. The results highlighted that SLF composition significantly (p < 0.001) influenced metal(loid) bioaccessibility and that when a S/L ratio of 1:5000 and end-over-end rotation was used, metal(loid) solubility plateaued after approximately 24 h. Additionally, in order to assess the exposure of metal(loid)s via incidental ingestion of surface dust, PM 2.5 was subjected to simulated gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) solutions and the results were compared to extraction using SLF. Although As bioaccessibility in SLF (24 h) was significantly lower than in simulated GIT solutions (p < 0.05), Pb bioaccessibility was equal to or significantly higher than that extracted using simulated GIT solutions (p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the efficiency of seaweed liquid fertilizer (SLF) prepared from combinations of different seaweeds (Sargassum polyphyllum, Turbinaria ornata, Gelidiopsis sp., Padina tetrastomatica, Gracilaria corticata) as a stimulant for the growth of Vigna radiata (Mung) as well as its antagonistic activity against fungal pathogens (Alternaria solani, Rhizoctonia solani., Sarocladium oryzae). 100% SLF was prepared, which was further diluted to 60%, 40%, and 20%. Seeds were soaked in four different concentrations of the SLF (20%, 40%, 60%, and 100%) for 12 hr and planted. After 60 d, the root and shoot length were increased by 14% and 16%, respectively, with SLF (100%). The carbohydrate and protein concentrations were also increased by 70% and 86%, respectively, at 100% SLF. The concentration of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids were found to be increased by 20%, 43%, and 28%, respectively, with 100% SLF. Further, the SLF (60% and 100%) successfully inhibited the growth of fungal pathogen A. solani but the other tested strains were found to be resistant. The present study indicates that 100% SLF concentration acts as both biostimulant and biofungicide for A. solani and thus, this SLF could be used as a potential alternative to the chemical fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-incompatibility ( SI) is a self/non-self discrimination system found widely in angiosperms and, in many species, is controlled by a single polymorphic S-locus. In the Solanaceae, Rosaceae and Plantaginaceae, the S-locus encodes a single S- RNase and a cluster of S-locus F-box ( SLF) proteins to control the pistil and pollen expression of SI, respectively. Previous studies have shown that their cytosolic interactions determine their recognition specificity, but the physical force between their interactions remains unclear. In this study, we show that the electrostatic potentials of SLF contribute to the pollen S specificity through a physical mechanism of 'like charges repel and unlike charges attract' between SLFs and S- RNases in Petunia hybrida. Strikingly, the alteration of a single C-terminal amino acid of SLF reversed its surface electrostatic potentials and subsequently the pollen S specificity. Collectively, our results reveal that the electrostatic potentials act as a major physical force between cytosolic SLFs and S- RNases, providing a mechanistic insight into the self/non-self discrimination between cytosolic proteins in angiosperms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Several major association fiber tracts are known to be part of the language processing system. There is evidence that high angular diffusion-based MRI is able to separate these fascicles in a constant way. In this study, we wanted to proof this thesis using a novel whole brain 'global tracking' approach and to test for possible lateralization. Methods: Global tracking was performed in six healthy right-handed volunteers for the arcuate fascicle (AF), the medial longitudinal fascicle (MdLF), the inferior fronto-occipital fascicle (IFOF), and the inferior longitudinal fascicle (ILF). These fiber tracts were characterized quantitatively using the number of streamlines (SL) and the mean fractional anisotropy (FA). Results: We were able to characterize the AF, the MdLF, the IFOF, and the ILF consistently in six healthy volunteers using global tracking. A left-sided dominance (LI > 0.2) for the AF was found in all participants. The MdLF showed a left-sided dominance in four participants (one female, three male). Regarding the FA, no lateralization (LI > 0.2) could be shown in any of the fascicles. Conclusion: Using a novel global tracking algorithm we confirmed that the courses of the primary language processing associated fascicles can consistently be differentiated. Additionally we were able to show a streamline-based left-sided lateralization in the AF of all right-handed healthy subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorinated calamitic thermotropic liquid crystals represent an important class of materials for high-tech applications, especially in the field of liquid crystal displays. The investigation of orientational ordering in these systems is fundamental owing to the dependence of their applications on the anisotropic nature of macroscopic optical, dielectric, and visco-elastic properties. NMR spectroscopy is the most powerful technique for studying orientational order in liquid crystalline systems at a molecular level thanks to the possibility of exploiting different anisotropic observables (chemical shift, dipolar couplings, and quadrupolar coupling) and nuclei (2H, 13C, and 19F). In this paper, the basic theory and NMR experiments useful for the investigation of orientational order on fluorinated calamitic liquid crystals are reported, and a review of the literature published on this subject is given. Finally, orientational order parameters determined by NMR data are discussed in comparison to those obtained by optical and dielectric anisotropy measurements. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple lifting computation could be performed for block processing of two‐dimensional (2D) discrete wavelet transform (DWT) by combined‐lifting (CLF) or separated‐lifting (SLF) approaches. CLF and SLF have the same computational complexities but they differ by their register requirements. In this study, the authors have chosen CLF for row processing and SLF for column processing, and suggested an efficient scheduling scheme for the computation of block‐based lifting 2D DWT. Based on this approach, the authors have derived a parallel‐pipeline structure for high‐throughput implementation of one‐level lifting 2D DWT. The authors have partitioned the multilevel 2D DWT computation appropriately and mapped that to a folded structure where the frame‐buffer size is independent of input block size. The proposed structure requires 3N on‐chip memory words, which is the lowest among all the existing similar structures. Compared with the best of the existing block‐based structures for the one‐level DWT, the proposed structure involves less on‐chip memory words, requires the same number of multipliers and adders and offers the same throughput rate. The application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) synthesis result shows that the proposed structure involves significantly less area‐delay‐product and less energy per image than those of the best of the available designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To avoid endogamy many flowering plants evolved a mechanism to recognize and reject their self-pollen, which is known as self-incompatibility (SI) system. In many cases the SI is genetically controlled by a single and highly polymorphic locus known as the S-locus. This DNA region carries two tightly linked transcriptional units. One of them encodes the female determinant (pistil expressed) and the second one the male determinant (pollen expressed). In this review, we discuss the most relevant advances in the SI mechanism in S-RNase based systems, which are present in Solanaceae, Rosaceae and Plantaginaceae. In these families, the female determinant encodes a ribonuclease named S-RNase and the male determinant encodes a protein called SLF/SFB (5-locus F-Box). We finally describe the role of the role of modifier genes, not coded by S-locus, in the pollen rejection response and propose a model including the main events so far described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S-RNase-based self-incompatibility (SI) is an intraspecific reproductive barrier to prevent self-fertilization found in many species of the Solanaceae, Plantaginaceae and Rosaceae. In this system, S- RNase and SLF/SFB ( S- locus F- box) genes have been shown to control the pistil and pollen SI specificity, respectively. Recent studies have shown that the SLF functions as a substrate receptor of a SCF (Skp1/Cullin1/F-box)-type E3 ubiquitin ligase complex to target S-RNases in Solanaceae and Plantaginaceae, but its role in Rosaceae remains largely undefined. Here we report the identification of two pollen-specific SLF-interacting Skp1-like (SSK) proteins, PbSSK1 and PbSSK2, in Pyrus bretschneideri from the tribe Pyreae of Rosaceae. Both yeast two-hybrid and pull-down assays demonstrated that they could connect PbSLFs to PbCUL1 to form a putative canonical SCF (SSK/CUL1/SLF) complex in Pyrus. Furthermore, pull-down assays showed that the SSK proteins could bind SLF and CUL1 in a cross-species manner between Pyrus and Petunia. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis revealed that the SSK-like proteins from Solanaceae, Plantaginaceae and Rosaceae form a monoclade group, hinting their shared evolutionary origin. Taken together, with the recent identification of a canonical SCF complex in Prunus of the tribe Amygdaleae of Rosaceae, our results show that a conserved canonical SCF complex is present in Solanaceae, Plantaginaceae and Rosaceae, implying that S-RNase-based self-incompatibility shares a similar molecular and biochemical mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional neurological changes after surgery combined with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography can directly provide evidence of anatomical localization of brain function. Using these techniques, a patient with dysgraphia before surgery was analyzed at our hospital in 2011. The patient showed omission of kana within sentences before surgery, which improved after surgery. The brain tumor was relatively small and was located within the primary sensory area (S1) of the inferior parietal lobe (IPL). DTI tractography before surgery revealed compression of the branch of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) by the brain tumor. These results suggest that the left SLF within the S1 of IPL plays a role in the development of dysgraphia of kana omission within sentences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mate choice is an essential process during sexual plant reproduction, in which self-incompatibility (SI) is widely adopted as an intraspecific reproductive barrier to inhibit self-fertilization by many flowering plants. Genetic studies show that a single polymorphic S-locus, encoding at least two components from both the pollen and pistil sides, controls the discrimination of self and non-self pollen. In the Solanaceae, Plantaginaceae, and Rosaceae, an S-RNase-based SI mechanism is involved in such a discrimination process. Recent studies have provided some important clues to how a decision is made to accept cross pollen or specifically to reject self pollen. In this review, the molecular features of the pistil and pollen S-specificity factors are briefly summarized and then our current knowledge of the molecular control of cross-pollen compatibility (CPC) and self-pollen incompatibility (SPI) responses, respectively, is presented. The possible biochemical mechanisms of the specificity determinant between the pistil and pollen S factors are discussed and a hypothetical S-RNase endosome sorting model is proposed to illustrate the distinct destinies of pollen tubes following compatible and incompatible pollination. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Functional neurological changes after surgery combined with data from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies can provide direct evidence of anatomical localization of brain function. The goal of the present study was to characterize mechanisms of spatial neglect using these techniques by analyzing two patients with development or worsening of left neglect after surgery at our hospital in 2008. In both cases, the surgical approach was via the right inferior parietal lobes, and damage to the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) was demonstrated after surgery by DTI tractography. By contrast, neither the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) nor the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) was damaged. These results suggest that damage to the right SLF in the inferior parietal lobe plays a critical role in the development of spatial neglect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Schizophrenia can be classified into two separate syndromes: deficit and nondeficit. Primary, enduring negative symptoms are used to define the deficit form of the illness, which is believed to have a unique neurobiological substrate. Previous research suggests that an aberrant prefrontal–thalamic–parietal network underlies deficit schizophrenia. In this study we conducted diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) fiber tracking to assess the integrity of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), the major white matter tract that connects prefrontal and parietal cortical regions, in deficit and nondeficit people with schizophrenia. We also used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to assess neurochemistry in the left middle prefrontal and left inferior parietal cortical regions. A total of 20 subjects with schizophrenia (10 deficit and 10 nondeficit) and 11 healthy subjects participated in this study. Results revealed reduced fractional anisotropy (FA), an index of white matter integrity, in the right hemisphere SLF and frontal white matter in the deficit subjects. There were no differences in MRS metabolite concentrations among groups. To our knowledge, this is the first DTI study to show compromised integrity of the major white matter tract that connects frontal and parietal regions in deficit schizophrenia. These findings provide further support for altered frontal–parietal network in deficit schizophrenia.Neuropsychopharmacology (2009) 34, 1514–1522; doi:10.1038/npp.2008.207; published online 3 December 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charles Darwin made extensive observations of the pollination biology of a wide variety of plants. He carefully documented the consequences of self-pollination and described species that were self-sterile but that could easily be crossed with other plants of the same species. He believed that compatibility was controlled by the ‘mutual action’ of pollen and pistil contents. A genetic model for self-sterility was developed in the early 1900s based on studies of the compatibility relationships among, what are now referred to as, self-incompatible (SI) Nicotiana species. Today, it is believed that SI in these species is controlled by an interaction between S-RNases produced in the pistil and F-box proteins expressed in pollen and, moreover, that this S-RNase-based SI system is shared by a great diversity of other plant species. Current research is aimed at understanding how the mutual actions of these S-gene products function in the physiological context of pollen tube growth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The measurement of hetero-nuclear dipolar coupling using two-dimensional separated local field (SLF-2D) NMR experiments is a powerful technique for the determination of the structure and dynamics of molecules in the solid state and in liquid crystals. However, the experiment is sensitive to a number of factors such as the Hartmann–Hahn match condition, proton frequency off-set and rf heating. It is shown here that by the use of phase alternated pulses during spin-exchange the effect of rf mismatch on the dipolar coupling measurement can be compensated over a wide range of off-sets. Phase alternation together with time and amplitude modulation has also been considered and incorporated into a pulse scheme that combines spin exchange with homonuclear spin decoupling based on magic sandwich sequence and named as SAMPI4. Such time and amplitude averaged nutation experiments use relatively low rf power and generate less sample heating. One of these schemes has been applied on liquid crystal samples and is observed to perform well and yield spectra with high resolution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An improved pulse sequence for SLF experiments based on the magic sandwich (MS) scheme for homo-nuclear dipolar decoupling is proposed. The sequence incorporates a double MS, both on I and S spins and has been named as EXE-MS2. The proposed scheme which has a scaling factor of 1 is observed to be free from low intensity artifacts and provides better line-widths particularly for S spins labeled at multiple sites. The pulse sequence which has been applied on static oriented samples incorporates the EXE scheme where direct polarization of the S spin in the field is utilized in the place of polarization inversion and is observed to perform well without any loss of sensitivity while ensuring considerable reduction in rf power input into the sample. The EXE scheme has also been tested for solid samples under MAS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Simulations and experiments on simple oriented systems have been used to estimate the relative ratio of cross-peak to axial-peak intensities in 2D-SLF experiments based on dipolar oscillations during cross-polarization (CP). The density matrix prior to dipolar evolution is considered and for an isolated spin pair, it is shown that direct calculations of the ratios match well with simulations and experimental results. Along with the standard CP pulse sequence, two other pulse sequences namely CP with polarization inversion (PI–CP) and another novel variation of the standard CP experiment (EXE-CP) reported recently have been considered. Inclusion of homonuclear dipolar coupling has been observed to increase the axial-peak intensities. In combination with Lee–Goldburg (LG) decoupling, experiments on an oriented liquid crystalline sample have been carried out and the performance of the pulse schemes have been compared. The applicability of the new pulse sequence for different samples and different nuclei is discussed. Such studies are expected to lead to a better understanding of the experiments and to the design of useful pulse sequences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The S-locus F-box (SLF/SFB) protein, recently identified as the pollen determinant of S-RNase-based self-incompatibility (SI) in Solanaceae, Scrophulariaceae and Rosaceae, has been proposed to serve as the subunit of an SCF (SKP1–CUL1–F-box) ubiquitin ligase and to target its pistil counterpart S-RNase during the SI response. However, the underlying mechanism is still in dispute, and the putative SLF-binding SKP1-equivalent protein remains unknown. Here, we report the identification of AhSSK1, Antirrhinum hispanicum LF-interacting P1-like1, using a yeast two-hybrid screen against a pollen cDNA library. GST pull-down assays confirmed the SSK1–SLF interaction, and showed that AhSSK1 could connect AhSLF to a CUL1-like protein. AhSSK1, despite having a similar secondary structure to other SKP1-like proteins, appeared quite distinctive in sequence and unique in a phylogenetic analysis, in which no SSK1 ortholog could be predicted in the sequenced genomes of Arabidopsis and rice. Thus, our results suggest that the pollen-specific SSK1 could be recruited exclusively as the adaptor of putative SCFSLF in those plants with S-RNase-based SI, providing an important clue to dissecting the function of the pollen determinant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]