Molecular Marker-Assisted Breeding

The potential value of genetic markers, linkage maps and indirect selection in plant breeding has been known for over 80 years. However, it was not until the development of DNA marker technology in the 1980s, that a large enough number of environmentally insensitive genetic markers could be generated to adequately tag a range of important agronomic traits. Since this time DNA marker technology has promised to dramatically enhance the efficiency of plant breeding as molecular biology has already revolutionized research in the life sciences. Yet it is only now as we enter the new millennium that advances in automated technology present the convenience, speed and level of throughput that can finally offer relevance to modern plant breeding pro grams. The theoretical basis for molecular marker-assisted breeding is well established but still rapidly evolving with a wide array of published examples covering most crops of major economic importance. Meanwhile, dramatic advances are being made in applied genomics, which will undoubtedly fuel the development of Knowledge-led breeding schemes. However, beyond these scientific developments there is a particular paucity of studies addressing the practical and economic benefits of molecular breeding

Implementation, impact and costs of policies for safe staffing in acute NHS trusts

The aim of this research has been to describe the implementation of safe staffing policies in NHS general acute Trusts in England looking at costs and consequences, and examining the factors that have influenced implementation. A mix of qualitative and quantitative methods were used (national survey, analysis of national data, four case studies, realist evaluation) to examine the impact of policies nationally, and explore commonality and variation in local responses to safe staffing policies. The report is based on independent research commissioned and funded by the NIHR Policy Research Programme (“Implementation, Impact and Costs of Policies for Safe Staffing in Acute NHS Trusts”, PR-ST-1115-10017). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR, the Department of Health and Social Care, ‘arm’s length bodies’ or other government departments

Molecular marker-assisted selection: a novel approach for host plant resistance to insects in grain legumes

Grain such as chickpea, pigeonpea, cowpea, fieldpea, lentil, grams, beans, soybean, and groundnut play an important role in "the daily diets the people worldwide. Being a rich source of protein, they are damaged by. a large number of insect pests such as legume pod borer, corn earworm, pod borer, aphids, white fly, tobacco caterpillar, leafhoppers, thrips and bruchids. of resistance to insects in grain legumes have been identified long ago, but these have not been used. effectively in crop improvement because of the difficulties involved in screening and selection of the test material under conditions. Molecular markers can play an important role in accelerating the introgresslOn of genes conferring to target insects into high-yielding cultivars, understanding the nature of gene action, and reducing the deleterious effects introgressing unwanted genes from wild species through linkage drag. Molecular breeding also offers the opportunity to pyramid different sources of resistance that could not be effectively selected through conventional breeding due to identical phenotypes and thereby accumulate levels of resistance and/or create potentially more durable resistant cultivars. Considerable has been made in developing genetic linkage maps of chickpea, cowpea, and soybean, while much remains to be done in pigeonpea, beans, lentil, and fieldpea. Preliminary identification of molecular markers resistance to insects in soybean, chickpea, mungbean, fieldpea, and cowpea has been reported. However, no distinct advantage has been observed by using assisted selection resistance to insect pests over the conventional approach, and in most cases, the epistatic are also quite high. Thus, a new paradigm approach may be required to combine conventional approaches and marker-assisted selection in such way as to create systems better than either approach. This paper reviews current state-of-the-art concerning conventional and molecular breeding for pest resistance, and highlight the opportunities and con~traints for use of molecular markers for accelerating the pace of development of insectresistant culrivars in grain legumes

Development of a long life thermal cell Status report no. 1

Quality control program and cell construction flow chart for development of 50 ampere hour thermal cell with copper oxide cathod

Comparison of Structure and Properties of Femtosecond and Nanosecond Laser-Structured Silicon

We compare the optical properties, chemical composition, and crystallinity of silicon microstructures formed in the presence of SF6 by femtosecond laser irradiation and by nanosecond laser irradiation. In spite of very different morphology and crystallinity, the optical properties and chemical composition of the two types of microstructures are very similar. The structures formed with femtosecond (fs) pulses are covered with a disordered nanocrystalline surface layer less than 1 um thick, while those formed with nanosecond (ns) pulses have very little disorder. Both ns-laser-formed and fs-laser-formed structures absorb near-infrared (1.1 – 2.5 um) radiation strongly and have roughly 0.5% sulfur impurities.Engineering and Applied Science

Three Dimensional MHD Wave Propagation and Conversion to Alfven Waves near the Solar Surface. I. Direct Numerical Solution

The efficacy of fast/slow MHD mode conversion in the surface layers of sunspots has been demonstrated over recent years using a number of modelling techniques, including ray theory, perturbation theory, differential eigensystem analysis, and direct numerical simulation. These show that significant energy may be transferred between the fast and slow modes in the neighbourhood of the equipartition layer where the Alfven and sound speeds coincide. However, most of the models so far have been two dimensional. In three dimensions the Alfven wave may couple to the magneto-acoustic waves with important implications for energy loss from helioseismic modes and for oscillations in the atmosphere above the spot. In this paper, we carry out a numerical ``scattering experiment'', placing an acoustic driver 4 Mm below the solar surface and monitoring the acoustic and Alfvenic wave energy flux high in an isothermal atmosphere placed above it. These calculations indeed show that energy conversion to upward travelling Alfven waves can be substantial, in many cases exceeding loss to slow (acoustic) waves. Typically, at penumbral magnetic field strengths, the strongest Alfven fluxes are produced when the field is inclined 30-40 degrees from the vertical, with the vertical plane of wave propagation offset from the vertical plane containing field lines by some 60-80 degrees.Comment: Accepted for the HELAS II/ SOHO 19/ GONG 2007 Topical Issue of Solar Physic

The mammalian cone visual cycle promotes rapid M/L-cone pigment regeneration independently of the interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein

Rapid regeneration of the visual pigment following its photoactivation is critical for the function of cone photoreceptors throughout the day. Though the reactions of the visual cycle in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) that recycle chromophore for rod pigment regeneration are well characterized, the corresponding mechanisms that enable rapid regeneration of cone pigment are poorly understood. A key remaining question is the relative contribution of the recently discovered cone-specific retina visual cycle and the classic RPE-dependent visual cycle to mammalian cone pigment regeneration. In addition, it is not clear what role, if any, the abundant interphotoreceptor matrix protein, IRBP, presumed to facilitate the traffic of chromophore, plays in accelerating mammalian cone pigment regeneration. To address these issues we used transretinal recordings to evaluate M/L-cone pigment regeneration in isolated retinas and eyecups from control and IRBP-deficient mice. Remarkably, the mouse retina promoted M/L-cone dark adaptation 8-fold faster than the RPE. However, complete cone recovery required both visual cycles. We conclude that the retina visual cycle is critical for the initial rapid regeneration of mouse M/L-cone pigment during dark adaptation whereas the slower RPE visual cycle is required to complete the process. While the deletion of IRBP reduced the amplitude and slowed the kinetics of mouse M/L-cone photoresponses, cone adaptation in bright steady light and the kinetics of cone dark adaptation were not affected in isolated retina or in intact eyecup. Thus, IRBP does not accelerate cone pigment regeneration and is not critical for the function of mouse M/L-cones in bright light

Resolving the Azimuthal Ambiguity in Vector Magnetogram Data with the Divergence-Free Condition: Application to Discrete Data

We investigate how the divergence-free property of magnetic fields can be exploited to resolve the azimuthal ambiguity present in solar vector magnetogram data, by using line-of-sight and horizontal heliographic derivative information as approximated from discrete measurements. Using synthetic data we test several methods that each make different assumptions about how the divergence-free property can be used to resolve the ambiguity. We find that the most robust algorithm involves the minimisation of the absolute value of the divergence summed over the entire field of view. Away from disk centre this method requires the sign and magnitude of the line-of-sight derivatives of all three components of the magnetic field vector.Comment: Solar Physics, in press, 20 pages, 11 figure

NEXUS/Physics: An interdisciplinary repurposing of physics for biologists

In response to increasing calls for the reform of the undergraduate science curriculum for life science majors and pre-medical students (Bio2010, Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians, Vision & Change), an interdisciplinary team has created NEXUS/Physics: a repurposing of an introductory physics curriculum for the life sciences. The curriculum interacts strongly and supportively with introductory biology and chemistry courses taken by life sciences students, with the goal of helping students build general, multi-discipline scientific competencies. In order to do this, our two-semester NEXUS/Physics course sequence is positioned as a second year course so students will have had some exposure to basic concepts in biology and chemistry. NEXUS/Physics stresses interdisciplinary examples and the content differs markedly from traditional introductory physics to facilitate this. It extends the discussion of energy to include interatomic potentials and chemical reactions, the discussion of thermodynamics to include enthalpy and Gibbs free energy, and includes a serious discussion of random vs. coherent motion including diffusion. The development of instructional materials is coordinated with careful education research. Both the new content and the results of the research are described in a series of papers for which this paper serves as an overview and context.Comment: 12 page