Phylogeographic pattern of the high-alpine plant species Eritrichium nanum (Boraginaceae) within the Carpathians

The Carpathians represent not only a European hotspot of plant diversity for both species richness and endemism, but also an important stepping-stone area in historical migrations between the flora of the Asian and European mountain systems and a starting point of postglacial recolonizations for many species. Yet, until recent years, phylogeographical studies for alpine or arctic-alpine plants were focused on the Alps, whereas peripheral mountain ranges, including the Carpathians, were either neglected or insufficiently sampled. In this study, we aimed to complement the Alpine phylogeographic structure of an emblematic high-alpine European endemic taxon, Eritrichium nanum, by focusing on the Carpathian range of the species. We sampled nine populations from the South-Eastern Carpathians and performed ITS1 sequencing and AFLP fingerprinting. In case of ITS1 region, all the populations, no matter of their geographic origin, presented the same ribotype. The AFLP analysis indicated that, within the Carpathians, the extant populations of E. nanum comprised two major allopatric lineages. One important result of the research was the discovery that the species’ sole important genetic break was located in the Southern Carpathians, separating populations of the Retezat Mountains from all the others in the Carpathians

Screening of the Romanian maize (Zea mays L.) germplasm for crtRB1 and lcyE alleles enhancing the provitamin A concentration in endosperm

Maize occupies a significant place in the world agriculture. Yellow kernel maize contains mainly non-provitamin A carotenoids: lutein and zeaxanthin. The accumulation of provitamin A carotenoids is regulated by favourable alleles of lcyE and crtRB1 genes and could be used for the enhancement of these carotenoids in the maize grain through breeding. In this study, molecular screening of the Romanian germplasm was performed, looking for favourable alleles of the crtRB1 and lcyE genes, and the level of carotenoids was determined in a few selected lines. A number of 2746 inbred lines from seven research stations were subjected to a PCR amplification of crtRB1 and lcyE genes in order to identify the favourable alleles. It was selected 27 lines carrying the favourable alleles and nine lines with unfavourable alleles (four groups in total), from which total carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, β-carotene and retinol equivalents were determined by HPLC. Out of 2746 inbred lines analysed, 23.53% contained one or both genes with favourable alleles. The favourable allele of the crtRB1 gene was the most widespread (584 lines), followed by the lcyE gene (55 lines), while alleles favourable for both genes were detected in only 7 lines. Inbred lines with the favourable allele of the crtRB1 gene showed the highest levels of β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin, while those with favourable allele of lcyE gene showed a high level of β-cryptoxanthin; the lines with favourable alleles for both genes had a level of β-carotene 60% higher than the lines with two unfavourable alleles

Characterization of a Novel Porcine CSN2 Polymorphism and Its Distribution in Five European Breeds

Here, we describe a novel porcine β-casein (CNS2) polymorphism, initially identified using the isoelectric focusing (IEF) technique, and provide its distribution in five European breeds. Porcine CSN2 cDNA samples, from sows identified using IEF as carriers of polymorphic variants, were sequenced, and based on the sequence alignments, a genotyping assay was developed. The distribution of the polymorphism was investigated by genotyping 167 sows. Population genetic indexes were computed using POPGENE32 version 1.32. Sequence alignments revealed that the mutation which caused the different β-casein IEF migration profiles was c.647G>A, a substitution located in exon 7, which modifies the amino acid from position 201 of the mature protein from arginine to glutamine. The frequency of the G allele was 0.965 in the investigated Landrace population (number of individuals genotyped n = 67), one in the Pietrain population (n = 40), 0.705 in the Large White population (n = 36), 0.885 in the Bazna population (n = 13), and 0.555 in the Mangalita population (n = 11). For all breeds, except Pietrain (monomorphic), the genotype distribution was in accordance with the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Given that β-casein is the most important protein in sows’ milk, a polymorphism like the one described here may prove interesting for marker-assisted selection

Cross-Species Transferability of Specific SSR Markers from <i>Carex curvula</i> (Cyperaceae) to Other <i>Carex</i> Species

Microsatellites are codominant markers that, due to their high polymorphism, are a common choice for detecting genetic variability in various organisms, including fungi, plants, and animals. However, the process of developing these markers is both costly and time-consuming. As a result, the cross-species amplification has become a more rapid and more affordable alternative in biological studies. The objective of this study was to assess the applicability of 13 SSR markers, originally designed for Carex curvula, in other 14 species belonging to different sections of the genus. All the markers were successfully transferred with a mean of 90.76%, and 100% transferability was reached in two species (C. baldensis and C. rupestris). The lowest transferability was registered in the G165 marker, which did not produce amplification in six species. Together, the microsatellites amplified a total of 183 alleles, ranging from 10 to 19 alleles per locus, with an average of 14.07. The mean number of different alleles ranged from 0.846 to a maximum of 2.077 per locus. No significant departures from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium were detected in polymorphic loci. The transferability of the 13 SSR markers proved highly successful in various Carex species, across different clades and sections of the genus

Time Trends Analysis of Cervical Cancer Incidence in Cluj County, Romania, Using Data from a Population-Based Cancer Registry

(1) Background: Romania has one of the highest cervical cancer incidence rates in Europe. In Cluj County, the first screening program was initiated in 1998. We aimed to investigate the time trends of cervical cancer incidence in women from Cluj County and to evaluate the data quality at the Cancer Registry. (2) Methods: We calculated time trends of standardized incidence rates in the period 1998–2014 and the Annual Percent Change (APC%). To assess data quality, we used the indicators: mortality/incidence ratio (M/I), percentage of cases declared only at death (DOD%), and percentage of cases with pathological confirmation (PC%). (3) Results: The standardized incidence rate increased steadily, from 23.74 cases/100,000 in 1998, to 32/100,000 in 2014, with an APC% of 2.49% (p &lt; 0.05). The rise in incidence affected both squamous cell carcinoma (APC% 2.49%) (p &lt; 0.05) and cervical adenocarcinoma (APC% 10.54%) (p &lt; 0.05). The M/I ratio was 0.29, DOD% 2.66%, and MC% 94.8%. The last two parameters are within the silver standard concerning data quality. (4) Conclusions. Our study revealed an ascending trend of cervical cancer incidence, more consistent for adenocarcinoma, in the context of a newly introduced screening program and partially due to the improvement of the quality of case reporting at the Cancer Registry from Cluj

Particularities of the <i>Hermetia illucens</i> (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) Ovipositing Behavior: Practical Applications

The industrial rearing of Hermetia illucens offers sustainable solutions to the acute challenges of modern society associated with the accumulation of increasing amounts of organic waste, the substantial reduction of natural ocean fish stocks, and the imminent food crisis. Detailed knowledge of the reproductive particularities and reproductive behavior of the species is essential for increasing the efficiency of the breeding technology. This study aimed to identify the affinity shown by females regarding the size of the oviposition slots (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 mm), the vertical distribution of the ovipositing rate, and the influence of the substrate’s moisture on ovipositing behavior (dry matter/water: 1:0.5; 1:1; 1:1.5; 1:2). Over 90% of females oviposited in the 1-, 2- and 3-mm slots, with most of the eggs (58.57%) being oviposited in the 1-mm slots. There was a positive correlation between the size of the oviposition slots and the average weight of the clutches (r = 0.985). The vertical distribution of ovipositing followed a fluctuating trend, with a tendency to oviposit closer to the attractive substrate. The females avoided ovipositing close to substrates with low humidity (1:0.5); indeed, only 6.8% oviposited under these conditions, the differences being significant compared to substrates with higher humidity (p p H. illucens, which allow for a differentiated harvest of large-sized clutches, providing practical applications with significant impact on the economic efficiency of the species’ industrial growth technology