Marker development in ornamental plants

Development of markers for a new crop or development of additional markers for a crop where markers have been developed in the past raises the question of the intended use of the markers. Depending on the different objectives in mind one marker type may be better suited then another. In general one can think of two main objectives for the use of markers; variety identification and breeding applications. In view of recent developments in molecular genetics, and sequencing technologies in particular, within the 23rd International Eucarpia Symposium Section Ornamentals a workshop was devoted on molecular markers and their use in ornamentals. Within this paper an overview will be presented on the development of markers for identification of ornamental crops and on the importance of the new developments in marker and sequence technology for the use of markers in ornamental breedin

Do the Herschel cold clouds in the Galactic halo embody its dark matter?

Recent Herschel/SPIRE maps of the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds (SMC, LMC) exhibit in each thousands of clouds. Observed at 250 microns, they must be cold, T ~ 15 K, hence the name "Herschel cold clouds" (HCCs). From the observed rotational velocity profile and the assumption of spherical symmetry, the Galactic mass density is modeled in a form close to that of an isothermal sphere. If the HCCs constitute a certain fraction of it, their angular size distribution has a specified shape. A fit to the data deduced from the SMC/LMC maps supports this and yields for their radius 2.5 pc, with a small change when allowing for a spread in HCC radii. There are so many HCCs that they will make up all the missing Halo mass density if there is spherical symmetry and their average mass is of order 15,000 Mo. This compares well with the Jeans mass of circa 40,000 Mo and puts forward that the HCCs are in fact Jeans clusters, constituting all the Galactic dark matter and much of its missing baryons, a conclusion deduced before from a different field of the sky (Nieuwenhuizen, Schild and Gibson 2011). A preliminary analysis of the intensities yields that the Jeans clusters themselves may consist of some billion MACHOs of a few dozen Earth masses. With a size of dozens of solar radii, they would mostly obscure stars in the LMC, SMC and towards the Galactic center, and may thus have been overlooked in microlensing.Comment: Revised and corrected version, matches published version. Conclusions unchange

Genetic research in a public-private research consortium: prospects for indirect use of Elige breeding germplasm in academic research

The creation of a public¿private research partnership between plant breeding industry and academia can be beneficial for all parties involved. Academic partners benefit from the material contributions by industry and a practically relevant research focus, while industry benefits from increased insights and methodology tailored to a relevant set of data. However, plant breeding industry is highly competitive and there are obvious limits to the data and material partners are willing and able to share. This will usually include current and historic released cultivated materials, but will very often not include the elite germplasm used in-house to create new cultivars. Especially for crops where hybrid cultivars dominate the market, parental lines of hybrid cultivars are considered core assets that are never provided to outside parties. However, this limitation often does not apply to DNA or genetic fingerprints of these parental lines. We developed a procedure to take advantage of elite breeding materials for the creation of new promising research populations, through indirect selection of parents. The procedure starts with the identification of a number of traits for further study based on the presence of marker-trait associations and a priori knowledge within the participating companies about promising traits for quality improvement. Next, regression-based multi-QTL models are fitted to hybrid cultivar data to identify QTLs. Fingerprint data of parental lines of a limited number of specific hybrids are then used to predict parental phenotypes using the multi-QTL model fitted on hybrid data. The specific hybrids spanned the whole of the sensory space adequately. Finally, a choice of parental lines is made based on the QTL model predictions and new promising line combinations are identified. Breeding industry is then asked to create and provide progeny of these line combinations for further research. This approach will be illustrated with a case study in tomato

Feasibility of assessment of skeletal muscle mass on a single cross-sectional image at the level of the fourth thoracic vertebra

Background Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) determined on computed tomography (CT) is emerging as a novel imaging biomarker. Cross-sectional area (CSA) of SMM at the level of the third lumbar vertebra (L3) on abdominal imaging is considered the clinical reference standard for measuring SMM. In certain patient groups, such as those with oncological or non-oncological lung disease like COVID-19, a chest CT may be available while an abdominal CT is not. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether determining SMM on a chest CT is a feasible alternative to abdominal CT.  Research question What is the correlation between SMM measurements at the level of L3 and the level of the fourth thoracic vertebra (Th4)?  Study design and methods  In this study we retrospectively analyzed abdominal and thoracic series of whole-body CT-scans of trauma patients (N = 47) and head and neck cancer patients (N = 194). All abdominal muscles were delineated on a single axial slice at the level of L3. The erector spinae, levator scapulae, rhomboideus minor and major and pectoralis minor and major muscles were delineated on a single axial slice at the level of Th4. CSA of the muscles at Th4 and the L3 level were compared using linear regression, and a multivariate linear regression model was established.  Results Muscle CSA at level Th4 strongly correlates with L3 muscle CSA (r = 0.791, p < 0.05). A multivariate model incorporating the patient characteristics arm positioning, age, sex, and weight achieved a stronger correlation (r = 0.856, p < 0.05). Interpretation: Skeletal muscle CSA measured at the level of Th4 is a feasible alternative to measurements at L3. This allows diagnosing low SMM using clinically available thoracic CT-scans. SMM measurements at the level of Th4 may become a prognostic or triage tool when faced with mechanical ventilator shortage

Integração entre os mapas físicos e molecular de uma população trihíbrida de Allium através da análise do componente haplóide.

A integração entre mapas físicos e moleculares em plantas de grande genoma tem sido feita em um número limitado de espécies porque, entre outros fatores, é complexo desenvolver populações específicas para este fim. Para contornar essa limitação, Allium foi escolhido para estudar uma nova estratégia para obtenção de populações adequadas:genótipos tri-híbridos com apenas um homeólogo recombinante em cada par de cromossomos.Resumo

Raamwerk voor omgaan met onzekerheid

In de nieuwe Wro staat dat nieuwe ruimtelijke plannen vanaf 1 januari 2010 digitaal en uitwisselbaar vervaardigd moeten worden. Het digitaliseren van het ruimtelijke ordeningsproces heeft een grote impact. Het zou het vergelijken van plannen eenvoudiger moeten maken, maar vooral onzekere planobjecten kunnen lastig zijn bij het vergelijken van plannen. De taxonomie voor onzekerheid in de ruimtelijke ordening is de basis voor het raamwerk. In het raamwerk worden alle bronnen van onzekerheid die in de ruimtelijke ordening aanwezig zijn besproken en er worden omgangsvormen aangeboden

Inhibition of all-TRANS-retinoic acid metabolism by R116010 induces antitumour activity

All-trans-retinoic acid is a potent inhibitor of cell proliferation and inducer of differentiation. However, the clinical use of all-trans-retinoic acid in the treatment of cancer is significantly hampered by its toxicity and the prompt emergence of resistance, believed to be caused by increased all-trans-retinoic acid metabolism. Inhibitors of all-trans-retinoic acid metabolism may therefore prove valuable in the treatment of cancer. In this study, we characterize R116010 as a new anticancer drug that is a potent inhibitor of all-trans-retinoic acid metabolism. In vitro, R116010 potently inhibits all-trans-retinoic acid metabolism in intact T47D cells with an IC50-value of 8.7 nM. In addition, R116010 is a selective inhibitor as indicated by its inhibition profile for several other cytochrome P450-mediated reactions. In T47D cell proliferation assays, R116010 by itself has no effect on cell proliferation. However, in combination with all-trans-retinoic acid, R116010 enhances the all-trans-retinoic acid-mediated antiproliferative activity in a concentration-dependent manner. In vivo, the growth of murine oestrogen-independent TA3-Ha mammary tumours is significantly inhibited by R116010 at doses as low as 0.16 mg kg−1. In conclusion, R116010 is a highly potent and selective inhibitor of all-trans-retinoic acid metabolism, which is able to enhance the biological activity of all-trans-retinoic acid, thereby exhibiting antitumour activity. R116010 represents a novel and promising anticancer drug with an unique mechanism of action

Three QTLs for Botrytis cinerea resistance in tomato

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is susceptible to grey mold (Botrytis cinerea). Partial resistance to this fungus was identified in accessions of wild relatives of tomato such as S. habrochaites LYC4. In order to identify loci involved in quantitative resistance (QTLs) to B. cinerea, a population of 174 F2 plants was made originating from a cross between S. lycopersicum cv. Moneymaker and S. habrochaites LYC4. The population was genotyped and tested for susceptibility to grey mold using a stem bioassay. Rbcq1, a QTL reducing lesion growth (LG) and Rbcq2, a QTL reducing disease incidence (DI) were identified. Rbcq1 is located on Chromosome 1 and explained 12% of the total phenotypic variation while Rbcq2 is located on Chromosome 2 and explained 15% of the total phenotypic variation. Both QTL effects were confirmed by assessing disease resistance in two BC2S1 progenies segregating for either of the two QTLs. One additional QTL, Rbcq4 on Chromosome 4 reducing DI, was identified in one of the BC2S1 progenies. F2 individuals, homozygous for the Rbcq2 and Rbcq4 alleles of S. habrochaites showed a reduction of DI by 48%. QTLs from S. habrochaites LYC4 offer good perspectives for breeding B. cinerea resistant tomato cultivars

Is home-based monitoring of ovulution to time frozen embryo transfer a cost-effective alternative for hospital-based monitoring of ovulation? Study protocol of the multicentre, non-inferiority Antarctica-2 randomised controlled trial

STUDY QUESTION: The objective of this trial is to compare the effectiveness and costs of true natural cycle (true NC-) frozen embryo transfer (FET) using urinary LH tests to modified NC-FET using repeated ultrasound monitoring and ovulation trigger to time FET in the NC. Secondary outcomes are the cancellation rates of FET (ovulation before hCG or no dominant follicle, no ovulation by LH urine test, poor embryo survival), pregnancy outcomes (miscarriage rate, clinical pregnancy rates, multiple ongoing pregnancy rates, live birth rates, costs) and neonatal outcomes (including gestational age, birthweight and sex, congenital abnormalities or diseases of babies born). WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: FET is at the heart of modern IVF. To allow implantation of the thawed embryo, the endometrium must be prepared either by exogenous oestrogen and progesterone supplementation (artificial cycle (AC)-FET) or by using the NC to produce endogenous oestradiol before and progesterone after ovulation to time the transfer of the thawed embryo (NC-FET). During an NC-FET, women visit the hospital repeatedly and receive an ovulation trigger to time FET (i.e. modified (m)NC-FET or hospital-based monitoring). From the woman’s point of view, a more natural approach using home-based monitoring of the ovulation with LH urine tests to allow a natural ovulation to time FET may be desired (true NC-FET or home-based monitoring). STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This is a multicentre, non-inferiority prospective randomised controlled trial design. Consenting women will undergo one FET cycle using either true NC-FET or mNC-FET based on randomisation. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Based on our sample size calculation, the study group will consist of 1464 women between 18 and 45 years old who are scheduled for FET. Women with anovulatory cycles, women who need ovulation induction and women with a contra indication for pregnancy will be excluded. The primary outcome is ongoing pregnancy. Secondary outcomes are cancellation rates of FET, pregnancy outcomes (including miscarriage rate, clinical pregnancy, multiple pregnancy rate and live birth rate). Costs will be estimated by counting resource use and calculating unit prices. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): The study received a grant from the Dutch Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw 843002807; www.zonmw.nl). ZonMw has no role in the design of the study, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data or writing of the manuscript. F.B. reports personal fees from member of the external advisory board for Merck Serono, grants from Research support grant Merck Serono, outside the submitted work. A.E.P.C. reports and Unrestricted grant of Ferring B.V. to the Center for Reproductive medicine, no personal fee. Author up-to-date on Hyperthecosis. Congress meetings 2019 with Ferring B.V. and Theramex B.V. M.G. reports Department research and educational grants from Guerbet, Merck and Ferring (location VUMC) outside the submitted work. E.R.G. reports personal fees from Titus Health Care, outside the submitted work. C.B.L. reports grants from Ferring, grants from Merck, from Guerbet, outside the submitted work. The other authors have none to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Dutch Trial Register (Trial NL6414 (NTR6590), https://www.trialregister.nl/). TRIAL REGISTRATION DATE: 23 July 2017 DATE OF FIRST PATIENT’S ENROLMENT: 10 April 201