Breeding for improved responsiveness to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in onion

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play an important role in the uptake of nutrients and water from soil. Onions, Allium cepa L., are plants with a shallow root system. As a result, onion plants need a lot of fertiziler for their growth. Furthermore, onion plants are sensitive to drought. The aim of the current research project is to study the beneficial effect of mycorrhizal fungi on the growth and development of Allium species and to determine whether it is possible to improve onions for mycorrhizal responsiveness by means of breeding. Variation among Allium species and segregation observed in a interspecific tri-hybrid population indicate that selection and thus breeding for high responsiveness to AMF is possible

Country affect - scale development and validation

Die vorliegende Diplomarbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Thema ‚Länderaffekt‘ (vgl. ‚country affect‘). Dieser stellt eine Subkomponente des Länderimages (vgl. ‚country image‘) dar und wurde bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt in der Literatur nicht detailliert untersucht. Da sich bisherige Forschungsaktivitäten primär auf die Erforschung der kognitiven Komponente (vgl. ‚country beliefs‘) des Länderimages konzentriert haben, ist nur wenig über den Einfluss der affektiven Komponente auf die Kaufentscheidungen von Konsumenten bekannt. Um diese Forschungslücke zu schließen, beschäftigt sich die vorliegende Arbeit mit der Entwicklung einer Skala, mit welcher länderspezifische Emotionen gemessen und deren Einfluss auf verschiedene Konsumentenentscheidungen bestimmt werden kann. Der umfangreiche Prozess zur Entwicklung der Länderaffektskala basiert auf dem Leitfaden zur Skalenentwicklung von Netemeyer, Bearden und Sharma (2003). Beginnend mit einer Darstellung der aktuellen Literatur zu diesem Thema wird das Konstrukt des Länderaffekts näher untersucht und schlussendlich wie folgt definiert: „Länderaffekt umfasst positive oder negative Emotionen, andere subjektive Zustände sowie einen Zustand der Erregung, die Konsumenten gegenüber Ländern empfinden können und die im Weiteren zu bestimmten Handlungsintentionen oder expliziten Handlungen führen“. Wie aus der Definition hervorgeht, besteht Länderaffekt aus positivem Affekt, negativem Affekt und verschiedenen Erregungszuständen. Basierend auf dieser Definition und den zuvor gewonnenen Erkenntnissen aus der Literatur wird ein Forschungsmodell entwickelt, das sowohl die kognitive als auch die affektive Komponente von Länderimage berücksichtigt. Weiters umfasst das Forschungsmodell drei Ergebnisvariablen, nämlich Kaufintention, die Intention in ein Land zu investieren und die Intention ein Land zu besuchen. In Übereinstimmung mit diesem Forschungsmodell werden einige Forschungsfragen und Hypothesen formuliert, die im Laufe dieser Diplomarbeit beantwortet werden sollen. In einem ersten Schritt werden die notwendigen Schritte des Skalenentwicklungsprozesses genauer beschrieben. Dazu gehören unter anderem die Generierung eines Itempools, zahlreiche Experteninterviews und Probebefragungen, ein umfangreicher Prozess zur Eliminierung von unpassenden Items, als auch dieendgültige Festlegung der Länderaffektskala. Um eine Vergleichbarkeit der Ergebnisse zu ermöglichen, wird die Länderaffektskala in Hinblick auf das Lieblingsland, ein neutrales Land und ein Land gegen das man eine gewisse Feindseligkeit hegt, abgefragt. Damit die zuvor entwickelten Hypothesen überprüft werden können, wird ein entsprechender Fragebogen entwickelt. Anschließend wird eine Onlinebefragung unter 421 Österreichern durchgeführt. Eine explorative Faktorenanalyse führt schlussendlich zur finalen Struktur der Länderaffektskala, wonach die Skala aus 19 positiven Items, 15 negativen Items und vier Erregungs-Zuständen besteht. Zusätzlich wird die neu entwickelte Skala hinsichtlich ihrer Verlässlichkeit und Validität überprüft. Wie die Ergebnisse zeigen, kann die Länderaffektskala als verlässlich eingestuft werden, was auch durch sehr gute Werte für Cronbach’s Alpha bestätigt wird. Hinsichtlich der Validität der Skala kann sowohl eine klare Abgrenzung zur kognitiven Komponente des Länderimages erreicht werden als auch eine definitive Unterscheidung von Länderaffekt und Ethnozentrismus. Weiters kann der Großteil der entwickelten Hypothesen bestätigt werden. Obwohl die Ergebnisse minimal zwischen den drei verschiedenen Ländertypen variieren, kann Länderaffekt als wichtiges Kriterium bei der Entscheidungsfindung von Konsumenten gewertet werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sowohl Kognition als auch Affekt einen Einfluss auf die drei gewählten Entscheidungsvariablen haben. Während Kognition einen größeren Einfluss auf Produktkauf und auf Entscheidungen betreffend Investitionen hat, dominiert der Einfluss von Affekt wenn es um die Intention, ein Land zu besuchen, geht. Abschließend werden die erhaltenen Ergebnisse genauer diskutiert und praktische Konsequenzen dieser Studie erläutert. Um die gesamte Arbeit abzurunden wird am Schluss noch auf die Einschränkungen dieser Diplomarbeit eingegangen und Möglichkeiten für die zukünftige Forschung zu diesem Thema werden präsentiert.This diploma thesis investigates the construct of country affect, which is a subcomponent of country image and rather unexplored in the literature. As research concentrates largely on the exploration of the cognitive part of country image, little is known about the influence of the country images’ affective part on consumers’ buying decisions. Addressing this research gap, the aim of this thesis is the development of a scale that enables the measurement of country-related emotions and further gives insights into the importance and the influence of country affect. Concentrating on the recommended scale development procedure of Netemeyer, Bearden and Sharma (2003), the thesis starts with an extensive literature review on the constructs of interest. Based on this literature review, country affect is finally defined as “positive or negative emotions, other subjective states or also a state of arousal, which consumers can experience toward any (foreign) country and which further lead to particular action tendencies and explicit actions”. According to this definition and the findings from the literature, a research model is developed which contains country affect and country beliefs as well as the three outcome variables purchase intentions, intention to invest and intention to visit a country. Depending on the developed research model, several research questions are posed and adequate hypotheses are developed. In the next chapter, the extensive scale development process is described with regard to all necessary steps, which include the item pool generation, several expert screenings and pretests as well as the final item elimination procedure and the finalization of the country affect scale. In order to enable the comparability of results, it is decided to poll the country affect scale with regard to three different country types, namely an affinity country, a neutral country and an animosity country. To test for the developed hypotheses, a questionnaire is developed and presented to a sample of 421 Austrian respondents. Finally, by conducting an exploratory factor analysis, it can be concluded that three dimensions form the country affect scale: positive country affect (19 items), negative country affect (15 items) and arousal (4 items).Additionally, the scale is analyzed with regard to its reliability and validity. The scale is found to be working reliably with excellent Cronbach’s alpha values. Regarding the validity of the country affect scale, the results demonstrate that the country affect scale differs substantially from the constructs of consumer ethnocentrism and country beliefs. Furthermore, a good portion of the developed hypotheses can be confirmed, although the results differ across the three country types chosen. Country affect is found to have a substantial impact on consumers’ decisions in most cases. Regarding the importance of country affect and country beliefs, both constructs make a contribution to the various outcome variables. While country beliefs are found to be predominating when considering decisions concerning product purchase or the intention to invest in a country, country affect clearly dominates the intention to visit a country. To conclude this diploma thesis, the obtained results are discussed and theoretical as well as practical implications of this study are given. Finally, the limitation of the current study and possibilities for future research are presented

User-centered development of a web platform supporting community-based health care organizations for older persons in need of support : qualitative focus group study

Background: The ongoing changes in population demographics increase the relevance of dignified aging across Europe. Community-based health care (CBHC) organizations are necessary to provide sustainable strategies for organizing care for older persons in need of support. To support the digitalization of these organizations, new business models and suitable web platforms are necessary. Objective: This study, which is part of the European Active and Assisted Living (AAL) project called “ICareCoops”, aimed to explore concepts, approaches, and workflows of CBHC organizations to achieve a comprehensive understanding of extant services offered and relevant requirements to support these services with information and computer technology (ICT) solutions. Methods: A qualitative study with six focus groups (FGs) with 40 participants was conducted in Switzerland and Slovenia to identify potential stakeholders’ needs and requirements for the user-centered development of a web platform. Data were collected from three different stakeholder groups: (1) older persons in need of support as care receivers, (2) significant others of older persons in need of support, and (3) managers or care providers of CBHC organizations. A semistructured interview guide with open questions was used for data collection. FG sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the content of the FG sessions. To assist with further web platform development, the responses of the FG participants were translated into user stories to describe technical requirements. Results: By analyzing the transcripts, five main categories were identified: (1) ICT usage behavior of users, (2) challenges of web platform usage, (3) content and technical requirements for the web platform, (4) form and services of CBHC organizations, and (5) rationales of CBHC organizations. The main issues identified were the need for seniors to have individual contact with the CBHC organization and the possibility to coordinate routine services via the web platform, such as ordering meals-on-wheels or booking a caregiver to accompany an older person to the doctor. Conclusions: The majority of participants showed a lack of familiarity with the usage of ICT. Nevertheless, they were open-minded regarding web platform usage to facilitate workflows and to benefit CBHC organizations. Cooperatives as an organizational model demonstrate a high potential to address users’ needs. Therefore, the web platform offers an essential tool for innovative health care models in the future. Searching for care services, contacting care providers, and communicating with care providers was preferred via personal contact and seemed to be the key element for user acceptance and for the successful implementation of a web platform like “ICareCoops” to support CBHC organizations

A conserved regulatory program drives emergence of the lateral plate mesoderm

Cardiovascular cell lineages emerge with kidney, smooth muscle, and limb skeleton progenitors from the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM). How the LPM emerges during development and how it has evolved to form key lineages of the vertebrate body plan remain unknown. Here, we captured LPM formation by transgenic in toto imaging and lineage tracing using the first pan-LPM enhancer element from the zebrafish gene draculin (drl). drl LPM enhancer-based reporters are specifically active in LPM-corresponding territories of several chordate species, uncovering a universal LPM-specific gene program. Distinct from other mesoderm, we identified EomesA, FoxH1, and MixL1 with BMP/Nodal-controlled Smad activity as minimally required factors to drive drl-marked LPM formation. Altogether, our work provides a developmental and mechanistic framework for LPM emergence and the in vitro differentiation of cardiovascular cell types. Our findings suggest that the LPM may represent an ancient cell fate domain that predates ancestral vertebrates

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours and neurofibromatosis 1: A case series and recommendations for care

Background: The incidence of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNST) in patients with neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is significantly higher than that of the general population. NF1-associated MPNST occur at a younger age and carry a worse prognosis than sporadic MPNST. Aim: This case series describes four cases of MPNST in patients with NF1. Setting: The study was performed in a public academic hospital in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Method: Demographics, disease status, histopathology, treatment and outcome data were collected retrospectively from medical charts and through review of histological slides. Results: The median age was 36.5 years. All tumours were > 5 cm at presentation and located on the trunk. One patient presented with metastatic disease. There was a mean delay of 3.5 months from presentation to initiation of treatment. Three patients underwent wide excision, with one receiving adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. At a median follow-up of 20 months from histological diagnosis only one patient was alive in clinical remission. Two patients had succumbed to progressive disease at 8 and 16 months from diagnosis and one patient with terminal metastatic disease was lost to follow-up. Conclusion: In this series the patients presented with advanced, often unresectable lesions for which single modality therapy was not curative. An adult NF1 health surveillance guideline for resource-constrained environments could lead to early diagnosis and treatment of MPNST and other complications in NF1 patients

Effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi on growth and development of onion and wild relatives

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi play an important role in the uptake of nutrients and water from soil. Onions, Allium cepa L., are plants with a shallow root system. As a result, onion plants need a lot of fertiziler for their growth. Furthermore, onion plants are sensitive to drought. The aim of the current research project is to study the beneficial effect of mycorrhizal fungi on the growth and development of Allium species and to determine whether it is possible to improve onions for mycorrhizal responsiveness by means of breeding

Cosmopolitan Species As Models for Ecophysiological Responses to Global Change: The Common Reed \u3cem\u3ePhragmites australis\u3c/em\u3e

Phragmites australis is a cosmopolitan grass and often the dominant species in the ecosystems it inhabits. Due to high intraspecific diversity and phenotypic plasticity, P. australis has an extensive ecological amplitude and a great capacity to acclimate to adverse environmental conditions; it can therefore offer valuable insights into plant responses to global change. Here we review the ecology and ecophysiology of prominent P. australis lineages and their responses to multiple forms of global change. Key findings of our review are that: (1) P. australis lineages are well-adapted to regions of their phylogeographic origin and therefore respond differently to changes in climatic conditions such as temperature or atmospheric CO2; (2) each lineage consists of populations that may occur in geographically different habitats and contain multiple genotypes; (3) the phenotypic plasticity of functional and fitness-related traits of a genotype determine the responses to global change factors; (4) genotypes with high plasticity to environmental drivers may acclimate or even vastly expand their ranges, genotypes of medium plasticity must acclimate or experience range-shifts, and those with low plasticity may face local extinction; (5) responses to ancillary types of global change, like shifting levels of soil salinity, flooding, and drought, are not consistent within lineages and depend on adaptation of individual genotypes. These patterns suggest that the diverse lineages of P. australis will undergo intense selective pressure in the face of global change such that the distributions and interactions of co-occurring lineages, as well as those of genotypes within-lineages, are very likely to be altered. We propose that the strong latitudinal clines within and between P. australis lineages can be a useful tool for predicting plant responses to climate change in general and present a conceptual framework for using P. australis lineages to predict plant responses to global change and its consequences