Frequency, type, and distribution of EST-SSRs from three genotypes of Lolium perenne, and their conservation across orthologous sequences of Festuca arundinacea, Brachypodium distachyon, and Oryza sativa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are highly informative and widely used for genetic and breeding studies in several plant species. They are used for cultivar identification, variety protection, as anchor markers in genetic mapping, and in marker-assisted breeding. Currently, a limited number of SSR markers are publicly available for perennial ryegrass (<it>Lolium perenne</it>). We report on the exploitation of a comprehensive EST collection in <it>L. perenne </it>for SSR identification. The objectives of this study were 1) to analyse the frequency, type, and distribution of SSR motifs in ESTs derived from three genotypes of <it>L. perenne</it>, 2) to perform a comparative analysis of SSR motif polymorphisms between allelic sequences, 3) to conduct a comparative analysis of SSR motif polymorphisms between orthologous sequences of <it>L. perenne</it>, <it>Festuca arundinacea, Brachypodium distachyon</it>, and <it>O. sativa</it>, 4) to identify functionally associated EST-SSR markers for application in comparative genomics and breeding.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>From 25,744 ESTs, representing 8.53 megabases of nucleotide information from three genotypes of <it>L. perenne</it>, 1,458 ESTs (5.7%) contained one or more SSRs. Of these SSRs, 955 (3.7%) were non-redundant. Tri-nucleotide repeats were the most abundant type of repeats followed by di- and tetra-nucleotide repeats. The EST-SSRs from the three genotypes were analysed for allelic- and/or genotypic SSR motif polymorphisms. Most of the SSR motifs (97.7%) showed no polymorphisms, whereas 22 EST-SSRs showed allelic- and/or genotypic polymorphisms. All polymorphisms identified were changes in the number of repeat units. Comparative analysis of the <it>L. perenne </it>EST-SSRs with sequences of <it>Festuca arundinacea</it>, <it>Brachypodium distachyon</it>, and <it>Oryza sativa </it>identified 19 clusters of orthologous sequences between these four species. Analysis of the clusters showed that the SSR motif generally is conserved in the closely related species <it>F. arundinacea</it>, but often differs in length of the SSR motif. In contrast, SSR motifs are often lost in the more distant related species <it>B. distachyon </it>and <it>O. sativa</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results indicate that the <it>L. perenne </it>EST-SSR markers are a valuable resource for genetic mapping, as well as evaluation of co-location between QTLs and functionally associated markers.</p

Utnyttja belysningen effektivt

I norra Europa är ljuset helt otillräckligt för odling under vinterhalvåret och ibland även på sommaren. Artificiell belysning har därför blivit allt vanligare inte bara vid odling av småplantor och krukväxter utan även för året-runt-produktion av olika grönsaker i växthus. Utvecklingen har gått från glödlampor, neonrör och kvicksilverlampor via metallhalogen till högtrycksnatriumlampor (HPS) som är dominerande än idag alltsedan 1970-talet. Stigande energipriser och ökande krav på miljöhänsyn har gjort att det idag finns ett stort behov av att effektivisera användandet av belysning i växthus. Tekniken utvecklas stadigt, HPS-lamporna har undan för undan fått allt bättre effektivitet med införandet av 600 och 1000 W lampor samt elektroniska drivdon. Dessutom har helt nya lamptyper som t.ex. LED-lampor och plasmalampor kommit på marknaden. Det finns dock mycket man kan göra för att effektivisera sin användning av belysning utan att nödvändigtvis göra en dyr investering i att byta hela utrustningen

The influence of interactions with students for the development of new academics as teachers in higher education

The aim of the current investigation was to provide an insight into how new lecturers in higher education develop as teachers and to identify some of the main influences upon this development. A qualitative, longitudinal design with three semi-structured interviews over a 2-year period was employed with eleven new teachers from a range of higher education institutions and settings. The analysis used case studies, alongside a thematic analysis, to provide fine-grained and idiosyncratic insights into the teachers’ development. The principal finding from the current study was the identification that instances of interactions with students, acted as a core influence upon the new teachers’ development. These instances appeared to provide the teachers with richer and fuller feedback about their teaching. This feedback supported their reflection and influenced the way in which they thought about teaching. Based on these findings it is suggested that teacher development could be enhanced by focussing upon specific instances of interactions with students as these instances provide specific and tangible moments that allow individuals to reflect upon and discuss their conceptions of teaching

Social marketing and healthy eating : Findings from young people in Greece

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12208-013-0112-xGreece has high rates of obesity and non-communicable diseases owing to poor dietary choices. This research provides lessons for social marketing to tackle the severe nutrition-related problems in this country by obtaining insight into the eating behaviour of young adults aged 18–23. Also, the main behavioural theories used to inform the research are critically discussed. The research was conducted in Athens. Nine focus groups with young adults from eight educational institutions were conducted and fifty-nine participants’ views towards eating habits, healthy eating and the factors that affect their food choices were explored. The study found that the participants adopted unhealthier nutritional habits after enrolment. Motivations for healthy eating were good health, appearance and psychological consequences, while barriers included lack of time, fast-food availability and taste, peer pressure, lack of knowledge and lack of family support. Participants reported lack of supportive environments when deciding on food choices. Based on the findings, recommendations about the development of the basic 4Ps of the marketing mix, as well as of a fifth P, for Policy are proposedPeer reviewe

A data support infrastructure for Clean Development Mechanism forestry implementation: an inventory perspective from Cameroon

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) forestry project development requires highly multi-disciplinary and multiple-source information that can be complex, cumbersome and costly to acquire. Yet developing countries in which CDM projects are created and implemented are often data poor environments and unable to meet such complex information requirements. Using Cameroon as an example, the present paper explores the structure of an enabling host country data support infrastructure for CDM forestry implementation, and also assesses the supply potential of current forestry information. Results include a conceptual data model of CDM project data needs; the list of meso- and macro-level data and information requirements (Demand analysis); and an inventory of relevant data available in Cameroon (Supply analysis). From a comparison of demand and supply, we confirm that data availability and the relevant infrastructure for data or information generation is inadequate for supporting carbon forestry at the micro, meso and macro-levels in Cameroon. The results suggest that current CDM afforestation and reforestation information demands are almost impenetrable for local communities in host countries and pose a number of cross-scale barriers to project adoption. More importantly, we identify proactive regulatory, institutional and capacity building policy strategies for forest data management improvements that could enhance biosphere carbon management uptake in poor countries. CDM forestry information research needs are also highlighted