Arabidopsis thaliana has proven a powerful system for developmental genetics, but identification of gametophytic genes with developmental mutants can be complicated by factors such as gametophyte-lethality, functional redundancy, or poor penetrance. These issues are exemplified by the Plant Intracellular Ras-group LRR (PIRL) genes, a family of nine genes encoding a class of leucine-rich repeat proteins structurally related to animal and fungal LRR proteins involved in developmental signaling. Previous analysis of T-DNA insertion mutants showed that two of these genes, PIRL1 and PIRL9, have an essential function in pollen formation but are functionally redundant. Here, we present evidence implicating three more PIRLs in gametophyte development. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that disruption of either PIRL2 or PIRL3 results in a low frequency of pollen morphological abnormalities. In addition, molecular analysis of putative pirl6 insertion mutants indicated that knockout alleles of this gene are not represented in current Arabidopsis mutant populations, suggesting gametophyte lethality may hinder mutant recovery. Consistent with this, available microarray and RNA-seq data have documented strongest PIRL6 expression in developing pollen. Taken together, these results now implicate five PIRLs in gametophyte development. Systematic reverse genetic analysis of this novel LRR family has therefore identified gametophytically active genes that otherwise would likely be missed by forward genetic screens.
The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an interactive radiology software application that we developed to enhance learning of normal canine radiographic anatomy. All first-year veterinary medical students were eligible to participate in this subject pre-test-post-test experimental design. When presented with the software application, all students had completed two terms of gross anatomy in which the complete anatomy of the dog had been taught using a combination of lectures and laboratory dissections, including radiographic examples. The software application was divided into four body regions: front limb, hind limb, skull/spine, and thorax/abdomen, each with a learning mode and a quiz mode. Quizzes were composed of 15 questions drawn pseudo-randomly without repeat from all structures within a region (median 206 structures). Students were initially given the software application with only the quiz mode activated. After completing four quizzes, one for each body region, students were given access to the software application with both learning mode and quiz mode activated. Students were instructed to spend 30 minutes using the learning mode to study the radiographic anatomy of each region and to retake each quiz. Quiz scores after using the learning mode were significantly higher for each body region (p<.001), with a large effect size for all four regions (Cohen's d=0.83-1.56). These results suggest that this radiographic anatomy software application is an effective tool for students to use to learn normal radiographic anatomy.
The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an interactive radiology software application that we developed to enhance learning of normal canine radiographic anatomy. All first-year veterinary medical students were eligible to participate in this subject pre-test-post-test experimental design. When presented with the software application, all students had completed two terms of gross anatomy in which the complete anatomy of the dog had been taught using a combination of lectures and laboratory dissections, including radiographic examples. The software application was divided into four body regions: front limb, hind limb, skull/spine, and thorax/abdomen, each with a learning mode and a quiz mode. Quizzes were composed of 15 questions drawn pseudo-randomly without repeat from all structures within a region (median 206 structures). Students were initially given the software application with only the quiz mode activated. After completing four quizzes, one for each body region, students were given access to the software application with both learning mode and quiz mode activated. Students were instructed to spend 30 minutes using the learning mode to study the radiographic anatomy of each region and to retake each quiz. Quiz scores after using the learning mode were significantly higher for each body region (p<.001), with a large effect size for all four regions (Cohen's d=0.83-1.56). These results suggest that this radiographic anatomy software application is an effective tool for students to use to learn normal radiographic anatomy.
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