Discrete nuclear domains of poly(A) RNA and their relationship to the functional organization of the nucleus

The functional organization of the nucleus was studied using a fluorescence microscopy approach which allowed integration of positional information for RNA, DNA, and proteins. In cells from sea urchin to human, nuclear poly(A) RNA was found concentrated primarily within several discrete transcript domains which often surrounded nucleoli. Concentrations of poly(A) RNA were coincident with snRNP antigen clusters, providing evidence for the localization of pre-mRNA splicing at these sites. The spatial relationship of transcript domains with respect to various classes of DNA was established, in that the poly(A) RNA-rich regions coincided with discrete regions of low DNA density and were non-randomly distributed with respect to specific DNA sequences. Centromeric DNA and late-replicating DNA did not overlap transcript domains, whereas a subset of early-replicating DNA may. Results indicate that transcript domains do not result directly from a simple clustering of chromatin corresponding to metaphase chromosomes bands. Finally, observations on the reassembly of these domains after mitosis suggest that the clustering of snRNP antigens may be dependent on the reappearance of pol II transcription. Implications of these findings for overall nuclear structure and function are considered, including a discussion of whether transcript domains may be sites of polymerase II transcription reflecting a clustering of active genes

Breeding for Resistance to Stem Borer ( Chilo partellus Swinhoe) in Sorghum

Stem borer (Chilo partellus Swinhoe) is the most important pest of sorghum. Progress has been made in developing borer-resistant breeding lines with moderate yield and acceptable grain quality. Sorghum variety, ICSV 700, has high levels of stem borer resistance across several seasons and locations. Borer resistance is a quantitatively inherited trait governed by additive and nonadditive genes. Epistatic gene effects are more pronounced under artificial borer infestation. Cytoplasmic effects appear to be present

Host-plant resistance to sorghum stem borer

Sorghum is an important cereal crop in the semi-arid tropics. In India it is grown during the rainy (Kharif) and the post rainy (rabi) seasons Grain yields under farmers conditions are generally low (500-800kg ha-1)one of the reasons for low yields is crop damage by insect pest. Nearly 150 insects species have been reported on sorghum (young and teetes 1977 Seshureddy and Davies 1979 b)of which most widespread and economically important pests are shoot fly stem borers, army worm, midge, head bugs, and head caterpillar

On the A-dependence of nuclear generalized parton distributions

We perform a microscopic evaluation of nuclear GPDs for spin-0 nuclei in the framework of the Walecka model. We demonstrate that the meson (non-nucleon) degrees of freedom dramatically influence nuclear GPDs, which is revealed in the non-trivial and unexpected A-dependence of DVCS observables. In particular, we find that the first moment of the nuclear D-term, d_A(0) ~ A^2.26, which confirms the earlier prediction of M.Polyakov. We find that in the HERMES kinematics, contrary to the free proton case, the nuclear meson degrees of freedom in large nuclei enhance the nuclear DVCS amplitude which becomes comparable to the Bethe-Heitler amplitude, and, thus, give the non-trivial A-dependence to the DVCS asymmetries: as a function of the atomic number the beam-charge asymmetry increases whereas the beam-spin asymmetry decreases slowly.Comment: Final version published in J. Phys. G. 17 pages, 9 figure

Breeding for resistance to Chilo partellus Swinhoe in sorghum

Host-plant resistance plays an important role in the insect-pest management either alone or in combination with other control methods. A number of sorghum genotypes showing varying levels of resistance to spotted stem borer, Chilo partellus Swinhoe have been identified using natural and artificial infestations. Major resistance mechanisms are antibiosis and tolerance, though some genotypes exhibit ovipositional non-preferences. There have been a number of factors involved in spotted stem borer resistance; a resistant genotype possesses either one or a combination of these traits. Progress has been made in developing borer resistant breeding lines with moderate yield and acceptable grain quality. Borer resistance is a quantitatively inherited trait governed by additive and non-additive genes. Epistatic gene effects are more pronounced under artificial borer infestation. Cytoplasmic effects appear to be presen

Distrust Profiles: Identifying the Factors That Shape Journalism's Credibility Crisis

Trust in news is declining globally and has been for some time a phenomenon that has been amplified in the context of a global pandemic, the rise in anti-media populism, and social and political unrest. Overall, public trust in journalism remains low (44% globally), according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021. Building on a growing body of research on predictors of (dis)trust among news audiences, this study examines survey data from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021 to explore distrust profiles - comparative profiles of users based on their relative distrust in news in general, news they consume, and news accessed through digital intermediaries like social and search - across distinct news environments: India, South Korea, and the US. We conclude that, across all three countries, there are large segments who either trust everything or distrust everything, suggesting a trust polarization phenomenon. Moreover, the results identify segments of swing trusters, users who trust some news and distrust other types but do not indicate a blanket tendency to trust or distrust everything. Normative expectations about the institution of journalism (i.e., folk theories) seem to be the most powerful factors in explaining the relative likelihood of membership in all profiles, where expectations regarding impartiality, concern about fake news, and fair coverage were important indicators of (dis)trust, with varying degrees depending on the media, political, and technological contexts in which they are situated. These findings suggest that to regain trust, journalists should consider how they can change people's folk theories when it comes to news by comprehensively taking into account the unique trajectory of a given country's media system

Terrestrial laser scanning: an operational tool for fuel hazard mapping?

Fuel hazard estimates are vital for the prediction of fire behaviour and planning fuel treatment activities. Previous literature has highlighted the potential of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) to be used to assess fuel properties. However, operational uptake of these systems has been limited due to a lack of a sampling approach that balances efficiency and data efficacy. This study aims to assess whether an operational approach utilising Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) to capture fuel information over an area commensurate with current fuel hazard assessment protocols implemented in South-Eastern Australia is feasible. TLS data were captured over various plots in South-Eastern Australia, utilising both low- and high-cost TLS sensors. Results indicate that both scanners provided similar overall representation of the ground, vertical distribution of vegetation and fuel hazard estimates. The analysis of fuel information contained within individual scans clipped to 4 m showed similar results to that of the fully co-registered plot (cover estimates of near-surface vegetation were within 10%, elevated vegetation within 15%, and height estimates of near-surface and elevated strata within 0.05 cm). This study recommends that, to capture a plot in an operational environment (balancing efficiency and data completeness), a sufficient number of non-overlapping individual scans can provide reliable estimates of fuel information at the near-surface and elevated strata, without the need for co-registration in the case study environments. The use of TLS within the rigid structure provided by current fuel observation protocols provides incremental benefit to the measurement of fuel hazard. Future research should leverage the full capability of TLS data and combine it with moisture estimates to gain a full realisation of the fuel hazard

Evaluating Sorghum Genotypes For Multiple Insect Resistance

A technique was developed in Andhra Pradesh, India, in which sorghum entries were subjected to an array of pest combinations to identify and separate genotypes with resistance to one or more insects. Using this technique, 220 resistance sources and breeding lines were evaluated for multiple insect resistance. Less than 10% of Atherigona soccata resistance sources had acceptable resistance (8. Similarly, all C. sorghicola resistant sources were highly susceptible to A. soccata but less so to Chilo partellus. IS 22464 was the best Contarinia sorghicola-resistant line with a score of 3 for Chilo partellus resistance. Advanced breeding lines showed a wider range of resistance to these 3 species, with a higher frequency for resistance to C. partellus. PS 28060-3 and PM 14388-1 were the most promising breeding lines

Sorghum Improvement for Pest Resistance at ICRISAT

ICRISAT has identifiocl four major pests on sorghum as priority for its research. These are shootfly, stem borer, rniclgc and headbugs. Sources of resistance have been identified for shootfly, stern borer and niidge, and are being utilized in the breeding program. Headbug resistant sources are being searched for