On the relation between weather variables and sorghum ergot infection

Sorghum ergot (Claviceps africana) has had a significant impact on seed production and breeders’ nurseries in Australia since it was first found in 1996. In this paper, 3 distinct key development stages of sorghum that are related to ergot infection were identified: flag leaf stage, pollen starch accumulation stage, and flowering period. Relationships between weather variables during these 3 stages and ergot severity as well as pollen viability were analysed using observed data from 2 field trials, a serial planting trial and a genotype trial, conducted at Gatton, Queensland. The duration of the flag leaf stage and of the flowering period was estimated from thermal time. An infection factor was introduced and calculated based on hourly temperature during the flowering period. This infection factor and the mean relative humidity at 0900 hours during the flowering period were the main factors influencing ergot infection. Mean daily minimum temperature during flag leaf stage also had a significant effect on ergot severity, although no significant relation was found between this mean daily minimum temperature and pollen viability. A linear regression model using the above 3 factors accounted for 94% of the environmentally caused variation in ergot severity observed in the genotype trial

Snap evaporation of droplets on smooth topographies

Droplet evaporation on solid surfaces is important in many applications including printing, micro-patterning and cooling. While seemingly simple, the configuration of evaporating droplets on solids is difficult to predict and control. This is because evaporation typically proceeds as a “stick-slip” sequence—a combination of pinning and de-pinning events dominated by static friction or “pinning”, caused by microscopic surface roughness. Here we show how smooth, pinning-free, solid surfaces of non-planar topography promote a different process called snap evaporation. During snap evaporation a droplet follows a reproducible sequence of configurations, consisting of a quasi-static phase-change controlled by mass diffusion interrupted by out-of-equilibrium snaps. Snaps are triggered by bifurcations of the equilibrium droplet shape mediated by the underlying non-planar solid. Because the evolution of droplets during snap evaporation is controlled by a smooth topography, and not by surface roughness, our ideas can inspire programmable surfaces that manage liquids in heat- and mass-transfer applications

Highly redundant neuropeptide volume co-transmission underlying episodic activation of the GnRH neuron dendron.

The necessity and functional significance of neurotransmitter co-transmission remains unclear. The glutamatergic 'KNDy' neurons co-express kisspeptin, neurokinin B (NKB), and dynorphin and exhibit a highly stereotyped synchronized behavior that reads out to the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuron dendrons to drive episodic hormone secretion. Using expansion microscopy, we show that KNDy neurons make abundant close, non-synaptic appositions with the GnRH neuron dendron. Electrophysiology and confocal GCaMP6 imaging demonstrated that, despite all three neuropeptides being released from KNDy terminals, only kisspeptin was able to activate the GnRH neuron dendron. Mice with a selective deletion of kisspeptin from KNDy neurons failed to exhibit pulsatile hormone secretion but maintained synchronized episodic KNDy neuron behavior that is thought to depend on recurrent NKB and dynorphin transmission. This indicates that KNDy neurons drive episodic hormone secretion through highly redundant neuropeptide co-transmission orchestrated by differential post-synaptic neuropeptide receptor expression at the GnRH neuron dendron and KNDy neuron

Highly redundant neuropeptide volume co-transmission underlying episodic activation of the GnRH neuron dendron.

The necessity and functional significance of neurotransmitter co-transmission remains unclear. The glutamatergic 'KNDy' neurons co-express kisspeptin, neurokinin B (NKB), and dynorphin and exhibit a highly stereotyped synchronized behavior that reads out to the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuron dendrons to drive episodic hormone secretion. Using expansion microscopy, we show that KNDy neurons make abundant close, non-synaptic appositions with the GnRH neuron dendron. Electrophysiology and confocal GCaMP6 imaging demonstrated that, despite all three neuropeptides being released from KNDy terminals, only kisspeptin was able to activate the GnRH neuron dendron. Mice with a selective deletion of kisspeptin from KNDy neurons failed to exhibit pulsatile hormone secretion but maintained synchronized episodic KNDy neuron behavior that is thought to depend on recurrent NKB and dynorphin transmission. This indicates that KNDy neurons drive episodic hormone secretion through highly redundant neuropeptide co-transmission orchestrated by differential post-synaptic neuropeptide receptor expression at the GnRH neuron dendron and KNDy neuron

Localized Wounding by Heat Initiates the Accumulation of Proteinase Inhibitor II in Abscisic Acid-Deficient Plants by Triggering Jasmonic Acid Biosynthesis

Abstract To test whether the response to electrical current and heat treatment is due to the same signaling pathway that mediates mechanical wounding, we analyzed the effect of electric-current application and localized burning on proteinase inhibitor II (Pin2) gene expression in both wild-type and abscisic acid (ABA)-deficient tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and potato (Solanum phureja) plants. Electric-current application and localized burning led to the accumulation of Pin2 mRNA in potato and tomato wild-type plants. Among the treatments tested, only localized burning of the leaves led to an accumulation of Pin2 mRNA in the ABA-deficient plants. Electric-current application, like mechanical injury, was able to initiate ABA and jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation in wild-type but not in ABA-deficient plants. In contrast, heat treatment led to an accumulation of JA in both wild-type and ABA-deficient plants. Inhibition of JA biosynthesis by aspirin blocked the heat-induced Pin2 gene expression in tomato wild-type leaves. These results suggest that electric current, similar to mechanical wounding, requires the presence of ABA to induce Pin2 gene expression. Conversely, burning of the leaves activates Pin2 gene expression by directly triggering the biosynthesis of JA by an alternative pathway that is independent of endogenous ABA levels.</jats:p

Situational judgment tests as measures of 21st century skills: Evidence across Europe and Latin America

Over the years, various governmental, employment, and academic organizations have identified a list of skills to successfully master the challenges of the 21st century. So far, an adequate assessment of these skills across countries has remained challenging. Limitations inherent in the use of self-reports (e.g., lack of self-insight, socially desirable responding, response style bias, reference group bias, etc.) have spurred on the search for methods that could complement or even substitute self-report inventories. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) have been proposed as one of the complements/alternatives to the traditional self-report inventories. SJTs are low-fidelity simulations that confront participants with multiple domain-relevant situations and request to choose from a set of predefined responses. Our objectives are twofold: (a) outlining how a combined emic-etic approach can be used for developing SJT items that can be used across geographical regions and (b) investigating whether SJT scores can be compared across regions. Our data come from Laureate International Universities (N = 5,790) and comprise test-takers from Europe and Latin America who completed five different SJTs that were developed in line with a combined emic-etic approach. Results showed evidence for metric measurement invariance across participants from Europe and Latin America for all five SJTs. Implications for the use of SJTs as measures of 21st century skills are discussed

Identification of multiple root disease resistant wheat germplasm against cereal nematodes and dryland root rot and their validation in regions of economic importance

História da literatura portuguesa coordenada por Giulia Lanciani - primeiras páginas de um total pp. 7-108)História literária do século XVIII portuguêsGoverno de Portuga

11th International Wheat Genetics Symposium 2008 (IWGS 2008)

Soil Borne Pathogens (SBPs), including dryland cereal root rots and cereal nematodes are a major constraint to cereal production worldwide, particularly where cereals dominate rotations, and sub-optimal growing conditions and or cultural practices are common

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13