The period following seedling emergence is a particularly vulnerable stage in the plant life cycle. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the phytochrome-interacting factor (PIF) subgroup of basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factors has a pivotal role in regulating growth during this early phase, integrating environmental and hormonal signals. We previously showed that SPATULA (SPT), a PIF homolog, regul...

BACKGROUND Polymorphisms of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 and environmental factors may work together to influence insulin-like growth factor (IGF) levels and thus breast cancer (BC) risk. However, very few studies have investigated high-order interactions among these variables. METHODS A total of 277 newly diagnosed BC cases and 277 controls were recruited between October 2010 and July 2012. We collecte...

Background: Infertility is one of the major problems in reproductive health. This research was carried out to evaluate the relationship between infertility, attachment, identity, sexual function, and sexual self-esteem in married women. Methods: In this causal-comparative and correlational study, 300 voluntary married women (fertile=150, infertile=150) in Mashhad were selected through random s...

Angiosperms (flowering plants) evolved relatively recently and are substantially diverged from early land plants (bryophytes, lycophytes, and others [1]). The phytohormone gibberellin (GA) adaptively regulates angiosperm growth via the GA-DELLA signaling mechanism [2-7]. GA binds to GA receptors (GID1s), thus stimulating interactions between GID1s and the growth-repressing DELLAs [8-12]. Subseq...

Seeds monitor the environment to germinate at the proper time, but different species respond differently to environmental conditions, particularly light and temperature. In Arabidopsis thaliana, light promotes germination but high temperature suppresses germination. We previously reported that light promotes germination by repressing SOMNUS (SOM). Here, we examined whether high temperature also...

In this article, we report the results of 3 studies evaluating the psychometric properties of scores generated using the Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory (EPSI; Rosenthal, Gurney, & Moore, 1981) with emerging adults. In Study 1, a hybrid bifactor solution, consisting of an overall identity factor as well as of "method effects" factors for identity synthesis and identity confusion, provided ...