Large-scale strain-rates in Europe derived from observations in the European geodetic VLBI network

n/

Etablierung eines neuen Hybridsystems zur Züchtung von Möhren mit spezifischer Anbaueignung unter Trocken- und Salzstressbedingungen in Zentralasien

Establishment of a new hybrid system for carrot breeding with enhanced drought and salt stress tolerance in Central Asia ZusammenfassungDie Züchtung neuer Möhrenhybriden mit verbesserter Trocken- und Salzstresstoleranz kann einen nachhaltigen Beitrag zur Steigerung der Anbaufläche, höhere Ertragsstabilität und eine wesentliche Qualitätsverbesserung des Erntegutes leisten. Ziel des Projektes ist es ein neues Hybridsystem zu etablieren und geeignete Hybridpartner auf der Basis wissenschaftlicher Evaluierungsdaten zu selektieren. Zur Evaluation und Selektion von trocken- und salzstresstoleranten Möhren-Genotypen wurde ein Prüfverfahren in Topfkultur unter Klimakammerbedingungen entwickelt. Die Ergebnisse der ersten Versuche sollen vorgestellt werden.Stichwörter: Möhren, Hybridsystem, Trocken- und SalzstresstoleranzAbstractPlant breeding of a new carrot hybrid with an enhanced drought and salt stress tolerance may lead to a sustained increase the global carrot production, stabilization of yield and quality. It is the goal to establish a new hybrid system and to select suitable hybrid partners based on scientific evaluation. A laboratory test (climate chamber) was developed to evaluate and select carrot cultivars with salt stress tolerance. The results of the first experiments will be presented. Keywords: carrot, hybrid, drought tolerance, salt stress toleranc

Modeling associations between genetic markers using Bayesian networks

Motivation: Understanding the patterns of association between polymorphisms at different loci in a population (linkage disequilibrium, LD) is of fundamental importance in various genetic studies. Many coefficients were proposed for measuring the degree of LD, but they provide only a static view of the current LD structure. Generative models (GMs) were proposed to go beyond these measures, giving not only a description of the actual LD structure but also a tool to help understanding the process that generated such structure. GMs based in coalescent theory have been the most appealing because they link LD to evolutionary factors. Nevertheless, the inference and parameter estimation of such models is still computationally challenging

Modeling associations between genetic markers using Bayesian networks

Motivation: Understanding the patterns of association between polymorphisms at different loci in a population (linkage disequilibrium, LD) is of fundamental importance in various genetic studies. Many coefficients were proposed for measuring the degree of LD, but they provide only a static view of the current LD structure. Generative models (GMs) were proposed to go beyond these measures, giving not only a description of the actual LD structure but also a tool to help understanding the process that generated such structure. GMs based in coalescent theory have been the most appealing because they link LD to evolutionary factors. Nevertheless, the inference and parameter estimation of such models is still computationally challenging

2015 Update on Acute Adverse Reactions to Gadolinium based Contrast Agents in Cardiovascular MR. Large Multi-National and Multi-Ethnical Population Experience With 37788 Patients From the EuroCMR Registry

Objectives: Specifically we aim to demonstrate that the results of our earlier safety data hold true in this much larger multi-national and multi-ethnical population. Background: We sought to re-evaluate the frequency, manifestations, and severity of acute adverse reactions associated with administration of several gadolinium- based contrast agents during routine CMR on a European level. Methods: Multi-centre, multi-national, and multi-ethnical registry with consecutive enrolment of patients in 57 European centres. Results: During the current observation 37788 doses of Gadolinium based contrast agent were administered to 37788 patients. The mean dose was 24.7 ml (range 5–80 ml), which is equivalent to 0.123 mmol/kg (range 0.01 - 0.3 mmol/kg). Forty-five acute adverse reactions due to contrast administration occurred (0.12 %). Most reactions were classified as mild (43 of 45) according to the American College of Radiology definition. The most frequent complaints following contrast administration were rashes and hives (15 of 45), followed by nausea (10 of 45) and flushes (10 of 45). The event rate ranged from 0.05 % (linear non-ionic agent gadodiamide) to 0.42 % (linear ionic agent gadobenate dimeglumine). Interestingly, we also found different event rates between the three main indications for CMR ranging from 0.05 % (risk stratification in suspected CAD) to 0.22 % (viability in known CAD). Conclusions: The current data indicate that the results of the earlier safety data hold true in this much larger multi-national and multi-ethnical population. Thus, the “off-label” use of Gadolinium based contrast in cardiovascular MR should be regarded as safe concerning the frequency, manifestation and severity of acute events

CarrotDiverse : understanding variation in a wild relative of carrot

Genebanks and other ex situ collections have a significant role in the conservation, management and use of crop genetic diversity, including that of crop wild relatives. Efficient management and use depends on insight into the patterning and distribution of genetic diversity as well as obtaining baseline information on phenotypic characters and traits. Wild carrot (Daucus carota L.) is the closest wild relative of cultivated carrot (Daucus carota L. subsp. sativus (Hoffm.) Arcang.), and is a potential source of useful traits for crop improvement. There are over 900 accessions of D. carota described as wild in European genebanks, however associated phenotypic and genotypic characterization data are sparse. The influence of environment on phenotype is also not well understood in this taxon, meaning that it is difficult to ascertain how data collected at different locations can be compiled and collated. We present initial results of CarrotDiverse, a collaborative project in which wild D. carota accessions are undergoing detailed phenotypic and morphological characterization in parallel at three sites of varying latitude across Europe located in Portugal, France and Sweden. This will allow us to understand which traits are affected by environmental variables. Basic phenotypic information is being collected on a further 150 accessions. Furthermore, resistance screening to Alternaria species and polyacetylene profiling will be included in the evaluation. A Genotyping by Sequencing approach will be used to generate knowledge about genetic background and trait associations. The project will result in a significant data set which will facilitate the use of crop wild relatives in carrot breeding and improvement

The Slavic NBN founder mutation: a role for reproductive fitness?

The vast majority of patients with Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome (NBS) are of Slavic origin and carry a deleterious deletion (c.657del5; rs587776650) in the NBN gene on chromosome 8q21. This mutation is essentially confined to Slavic populations and may thus be considered a Slavic founder mutation. Notably, not a single parenthood of a homozygous c.657del5 carrier has been reported to date, while heterozygous carriers do reproduce but have an increased cancer risk. These observations seem to conflict with the considerable carrier frequency of c.657del5 of 0.5% to 1% as observed in different Slavic populations because deleterious mutations would be eliminated quite rapidly by purifying selection. Therefore, we propose that heterozygous c.657del5 carriers have increased reproductive success, i.e., that the mutation confers heterozygote advantage. In fact, in our cohort study of the reproductive history of 24 NBS pedigrees from the Czech Republic, we observed that female carriers gave birth to more children on average than female non-carriers, while no such reproductive differences were observed for males. We also estimate that c.657del5 likely occurred less than 300 generations ago, thus supporting the view that the original mutation predated the historic split and subsequent spread of the 'Slavic people'. We surmise that the higher fertility of female c.657del5 carriers reflects a lower miscarriage rate in these women, thereby reflecting the role of the NBN gene product, nibrin, in the repair of DNA double strand breaks and their processing in immune gene rearrangements, telomere maintenance, and meiotic recombination, akin to the previously described role of the DNA repair genes BRCA1 and BRCA2

Testing the impact of trait prevalence priors in Bayesian-based genetic prediction modeling of human appearance traits

The prediction of appearance traits by use of solely genetic information has become an established approach and a number of statistical prediction models have already been developed for this purpose. However, given limited knowledge on appearance genetics, currently available models are incomplete and do not include all causal genetic variants as predictors. Therefore such prediction models may benefit from the inclusion of additional information that acts as a proxy for this unknown genetic background. Use of priors, possibly informed by trait category prevalence values in biogeographic ancestry groups, in a Bayesian framework may thus improve the prediction accuracy of previously predicted externally visible characteristics, but has not been investigated as of yet. In this study, we assessed the impact of using trait prevalence-informed priors on the prediction p