Wheat: Its water use, production and disease detection and prediction

The author has identified the following significant results. Discussed in this report are: (1) the effects of wheat disease on water use and yield; and (2) the use of ERTS-1 imagery in the evaluation of wheat growth and in the detection of disease severity. Leaf area index was linearly correlated with ratios MSS4:MSS5 and MSS5:MSS6. In an area of severe wheat streak mosaic virus infected fields, correlations of ERTS-1 digital counts with wheat yields and disease severity levels were significant at the 5% level for MSS bands 4 and 5 and band ratios 4/6 and 4/7. Data collection platforms were used to gather meteorological data for the early prediction of rust severity and economic loss

Differentiation of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) isolates by cleavase fragment length polymorphism (CFLP) analysis of the major coat protein gene

A panel of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV, genus Closterovirus, family Closteroviridae) isolates of different origins and with different biological properties were compared for polymorphisms in the major coat protein (CP) gene by cleavase fragment length polymorphism (CFLP) and single stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. The similarity between the CFLP patterns, which consisted of 15 to 20 bands, was estimated by the Pearson coefficient. The clustering patterns from the CFLP data were very similar to those from sequence data in an experiment with 16 cloned standards of the CP gene. By SSCP analysis on the other hand, most of the clones were not clustered in the same way. To assess the ability of CFLP to analyse biological samples, which may consist of a mixture of genomic variants, the CP gene of 12 CTV isolates was obtained directly from infected plants by immunocapture/RT-PCR and analysed. With few exceptions, the isolates were correctly clustered according to the sequences of the variants composing the isolates. In artificial mixed infections of mild and severe isolates the patterns obtained were more closely related to the severe isolate. Thus the CFLP method was an accurate method for the identification, typing and clustering of CTV isolates. The usefulness of this technique as an alternative to SSCP analysis is suggested and discussed

Transcriptome analysis and systemic RNAi response in the African sweetpotato weevil (Cylas puncticollis, Coleoptera, Brentidae

<div><p>The African sweetpotato weevil (SPW) <i>Cylas puncticollis</i> Boheman is one of the most important constraints of sweetpotato production in Sub-Saharan Africa and yet is largely an uncharacterized insect pest. Here, we report on the transcriptome analysis of SPW generated using an Illumina platform. More than 213 million sequencing reads were obtained and assembled into 89,599 contigs. This assembly was followed by a gene ontology annotation. Subsequently, a transcriptome search showed that the necessary RNAi components relevant to the three major RNAi pathways, were found to be expressed in SPW. To address the functionality of the RNAi mechanism in this species, dsRNA was injected into second instar larvae targeting <i>laccase2</i>, a gene which encodes an enzyme involved in the sclerotization of insect exoskeleton. The body of treated insects showed inhibition of sclerotization, leading eventually to death. Quantitative Real Time PCR (qPCR) confirmed this phenotype to be the result of gene silencing. Together, our results provide valuable sequence data on this important insect pest and demonstrate that a functional RNAi pathway with a strong and systemic effect is present in SPW and can further be explored as a new strategy for controlling this important pest.</p></div

A role for vessel‐associated extracellular matrix proteins in multiple sclerosis pathology

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is unsurpassed for its clinical and pathological hetherogeneity, but the biological determinants of this variability are unknown. HLA‐DRB1*15, the main genetic risk factor for MS, influences the severity and distribution of MS pathology. This study set out to unravel the molecular determinants of the heterogeneity of MS pathology in relation to HLA‐DRB1*15 status. Shotgun proteomics from a discovery cohort of MS spinal cord samples segregated by HLA‐DRB*15 status revealed overexpression of the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, biglycan, decorin, and prolargin in HLA‐DRB*15‐positive cases, adding to established literature on a role of ECM proteins in MS pathology that has heretofore lacked systematic pathological validation. These findings informed a neuropathological characterisation of these proteins in a large autopsy cohort of 41 MS cases (18 HLA‐DRB1*15‐positive and 23 HLA‐DRB1*15‐negative), and seven non‐neurological controls on motor cortical, cervical and lumbar spinal cord tissue. Biglycan and decorin demonstrate a striking perivascular expression pattern in controls that is reduced in MS (−36.5%, p = 0.036 and − 24.7%, p = 0.039; respectively) in lesional and non‐lesional areas. A concomitant increase in diffuse parenchymal accumulation of biglycan and decorin is seen in MS (p = 0.015 and p = 0.001, respectively), particularly in HLA‐DRB1*15‐positive cases (p = 0.007 and p = 0.046, respectively). Prolargin shows a faint parenchymal pattern in controls that is markedly increased in MS cases where a perivascular deposition pattern is observed (motor cortex +97.5%, p = 0.001; cervical cord +49.1%, p = 0.016). Our findings point to ECM proteins and the vascular interface playing a central role in MS pathology within and outside the plaque area. As ECM proteins are known potent pro‐inflammatory molecules, their parenchymal accumulation may contribute to disease severity. This study brings to light novel factors that may contribute to the heterogeneity of the topographical variation of MS pathology

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