European perspectives of organic plant breeding and seed production in a genomics era.

For further optimisation of organic agricultural systems, more focus is required on organically produced seeds and the development of better adapted varieties. Organic plant breeding and seed production need to comply with the concept of naturalness as applied in organic agriculture, which not only includes the nonchemical and agro-ecological approaches, but also the integrity of life approach. As organic environments are less controllable and are more variable, breeding should aim at improved yield stability and product quality by being adapted to organic soil fertility as well as sustainable weed, pest and disease management. Also the ability to produce economicacceptable seed yield avoiding seed-borne diseases should be included. On the short term, organic plant production can gain better yield stability by increasing within-crop diversity by the use of mixtures of conventionally bred varieties or crop populations. Because of expected genotype by environment interaction more research is needed to define the best selection environment for selecting organic varieties. To arrive at better adapted varieties for organic farming systems the role of practical participatory plant breeding may be crucial. Although organic farming is clear on excluding the use of genetically modified organisms and their derivates, the use of molecular markers is still under debate. Questions arise with respect to their efficiency in selecting the most important organic traits, such as yield stability, and on the compounds and substances to produce and apply them. A major concern for a GM-free organic agriculture is an increasing contamination with genetically modified organisms in organic production and products, i.e., the problems related to co-existence of GM and non- GM agriculture. This paper discusses some important factors with regard to possible impact of co-existence on organic farming. Perspectives to a global scale of organic plant breeding and seed production are given from a European point of view

Transcriptional and post-transcriptional suppression of P450IIC11 and P450IIC12 by inflammation

AbstractInduction of inflammation in rats by treatment with endotoxin or turpentine is known to suppress levels of hepatic mRNAs for P450IIC11 and P450IIC12. We report that transcription of CYP2C12 in female rats is not significantly reduced from control levels; suppression of this gene during inflammation appears to be mediated post-transcriptionally. In contrast, transcription of CYP2C11 in male rats is reduced to 23% and to 5% of control levels by turpentine and by endotoxin, respectively. Sex-specificity of CYP2C11 expression is also regulated transcriptionally, whereas sex-specificity of CYP2C12 expression appears to be regulated by a post-transcriptional mechanism

Narrative and persistence

Many philosophers say that the nature of personal identity has to do with narratives: the stories we tell about ourselves. While different narrativists address different questions of personal identity, some propose narrativist accounts of personal identity over time. The paper argues that such accounts have troubling consequences about the beginning and end of our lives, lead to inconsistencies, and involve backwards causation. The problems can be solved, but only by modifying the accounts in ways that deprive them of their appeal

The Consumption and Utilization of Leaves of Host Plants in Fifth Instars of Bunaea Alcinoe Stoll [ Lepidoptera Saturniidae]

The palatability of most host plants of the Niger Delta edible moth larvae, Bunaea alcinoe, the Saturnid moth larvae account for the defoliation and skeletonization of tender stems, leaves and fruits plants. Also the nutrient compositions of such plants attracted the gravid female moths to oviposit on plants of preference. All instars were voracious feeders especially the first four instars. B. alcinoe larvae were exposed to two host plants which they attach both in rainy and dry seasons. Fifty grams of fresh leaves of Terminalia catappa and Gmelina arborea were respectively offered to thirty fifth instar larvae in the laboratory at 27.5OC and 88.5%Rh in order to assess their consumption and digestibility indices as well as their efficiency of conversion digested food into body matter. There were no significant differences in their consumption indices, though significant differences occurred in their approximate digestibility and in their efficiency of conversion of digested food into body matter. Keywords: Bunaea alcinoe, Leaf consumption, digestion and Food conversion, host plants

On the thermodynamics of first-order phase transition smeared by frozen disorder

The simplified model of first-order transition in a media with frozen long-range transition-temperature disorder is considered. It exhibits the smearing of the transition due to appearance of the intermediate inhomogeneous phase with thermodynamics described by the ground state of the short-range random-field Ising model. Thus the model correctly reproduce the persistence of first-order transition only in dimensions d > 2, which is found in more realistic models. It also allows to estimate the behavior of thermodynamic parameters near the boundaries of the inhomogeneous phase.Comment: 4 page

How Do You Like Me in This: User Embodiment Preferences for Companion Agents

We investigate the relationship between the embodiment of an artificial companion and user perception and interaction with it. In a Wizard of Oz study, 42 users interacted with one of two embodiments: a physical robot or a virtual agent on a screen through a role-play of secretarial tasks in an office, with the companion providing essential assistance. Findings showed that participants in both condition groups when given the choice would prefer to interact with the robot companion, mainly for its greater physical or social presence. Subjects also found the robot less annoying and talked to it more naturally. However, this preference for the robotic embodiment is not reflected in the users’ actual rating of the companion or their interaction with it. We reflect on this contradiction and conclude that in a task-based context a user focuses much more on a companion’s behaviour than its embodiment. This underlines the feasibility of our efforts in creating companions that migrate between embodiments while maintaining a consistent identity from the user’s point of view

Outcomes of ovulation induction-intrauterine insemination in lean, overweight, and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective: To compare pregnancy rates between lean, overweight, and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) undergoing ovulation induction-intrauterine insemination (OI-IUI). Design: Retrospective cohort study Setting: Academic training program Patient(s): All women with PCOS undergoing OI-IUI from January 2000 to November 2013. Interventions: Ovulation induction-intrauterine insemination with oral (oral OI-IUI) or combined oral and injectable (combined OI-IUI) agents. Main Outcome Measures: Clinical pregnancy rates (CPR) per IUI were compared in 198 women undergoing oral OI-IUI and combined OI-IUI. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate the odds of clinical pregnancy while adjusting for potential confounders. Results were expressed as adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), using lean women as the referent population. Results: In lean PCOS patients undergoing combined OI-IUI, the unadjusted CPR was 52%; CPR was comparatively lower in overweight (22%), obese (27%) and morbidly obese (21%) women for all cycles. Adjusting for age and duration of infertility, the odds of clinical pregnancy after combined OI-IUI was significantly diminished in overweight (OR=0.27 CI=0.12-0.63), obese (OR=0.41, CI=0.20-0.83) and morbidly obese women (OR=0.33 CI=0.14-0.78) as compared to the lean PCOS referent. A similar but non-significant trend was identified in women undergoing oral OI-IUI. Conclusion: Lean women with PCOS have a higher CPR after combined OI-IUI as compared to their overweight, obese, and morbidly obese counterparts. Patients with a lean PCOS phenotype may preferentially benefit from this treatment approach

A CLINICAL STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AVARTHAKI CHOORNA IN PRAMEHA W.S.R. TO DIABETES MELLITUS

With a prevalence rate of 424.9 million globally and 72.9 million in India, the disease Diabetes Mellitus affects a large population in our society. The prospective understanding of this disease from etiology to complication is when understood, retrospective analysis of the same in Ayurvedic perspective is characterized by Prabhoota and Avila Mootrata due to the accumulation of excess Medas in Basti leading to Prameha. The same can be understood by the theory of Osmtic diuresis in Diabetes Mellitus. The drug Virapreeta Lajjalu explained in Rajanighantu is used in the study, which has direct reference for Prameha and has not been evaluated yet. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of Avarthakichoorna in the management of Prameha w.s.r to Diabetes Mellitus and to evaluate the quality of life. Materials and Methods: A single blind clinical study where 21 patients were given the Avarthaki Choorna for a period of 14 days. Observation and Results: The statistical analysis of study revealed that the intervention was beneficial in Prabhoota Mootrata with a p value <0.001 and for Avila Mootrata it was clinically observed even though the p value 0.008. The blood glucose levels FBS and PPBS was also improved with a p value <0.001 for both. The life style assessment did also seem to be giving positive results with a p value <0.001. Conclusion: The drug Avarthaki Choorna was found to be effective in treating the Diabetes Mellitus or Prameha in terms of subjective and objective parameters. It also improves the lifestyle of a person

Unitarity of the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov-Bernard connection and the Bethe Ansatz for the elliptic Hitchin systems

We work out finite-dimensional integral formulae for the scalar product of genus one states of the group $G$ Chern-Simons theory with insertions of Wilson lines. Assuming convergence of the integrals, we show that unitarity of the elliptic Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov-Bernard connection with respect to the scalar product of CS states is closely related to the Bethe Ansatz for the commuting Hamiltonians building up the connection and quantizing the quadratic Hamiltonians of the elliptic Hitchin system.Comment: 24 pages, latex fil