Tuber shape and eye depth variation in a diploid family of Andean potatoes.

BACKGROUND: Tuber appearance is highly variable in the Andean cultivated potato germplasm. The diploid backcross mapping population ‘DMDD’ derived from the recently sequenced genome ‘DM’ represents a sample of the allelic variation for tuber shape and eye depth present in the Andean landraces. Here we evaluate the utility of morphological descriptors for tuber shape for identification of genetic loci responsible for the shape and eye depth variation. RESULTS: Subjective morphological descriptors and objective tuber length and width measurements were used for assessment of variation in tuber shape and eye depth. Phenotypic data obtained from three trials and male–female based genetic maps were used for quantitative trait locus (QTL) identification. Seven morphological tuber shapes were identified within the population. A continuous distribution of phenotypes was found using the ratio of tuber length to tuber width and a QTL was identified in the paternal map on chromosome 10. Using toPt-437059, the marker at the peak of this QTL, the seven tuber shapes were classified into two groups: cylindrical and non-cylindrical. In the first group, shapes classified as ‘compressed’, ‘round’, ‘oblong’, and ‘long-oblong’ mainly carried a marker allele originating from the male parent. The tubers in this group had deeper eyes, for which a strong QTL was found at the same location on chromosome 10 of the paternal map. The non-cylindrical tubers classified as ‘obovoid’, ‘elliptic’, and ‘elongated’ were in the second group, mostly lacking the marker allele originating from the male parent. The main QTL for shape and eye depth were located in the same genomic region as the previously mapped dominant genes for round tuber shape and eye depth. A number of candidate genes underlying the significant QTL markers for tuber shape and eye depth were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Utilization of a molecular marker at the shape and eye depth QTL enabled the reclassification of the variation in general tuber shape to two main groups. Quantitative measurement of the length and width at different parts of the tuber is recommended to accompany the morphological descriptor classification to correctly capture the shape variation. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12863-015-0213-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Global report on preterm birth and stillbirth (4 of 7): delivery of interventions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The efficacious interventions identified in the previous article of this report will fail unless they are delivered at high and equitable coverage. This article discusses critical delivery constraints and strategies.</p> <p>Barriers to scaling up interventions</p> <p>Achieving universal coverage entails addressing major barriers at many levels. An overarching constraint is the lack of political will, resulting from the dearth of preterm birth and stillbirth data and the lack of visibility. Other barriers exist at the household and community levels, such as insufficient demand for interventions or sociocultural barriers; at the health services level, such as a lack of resources and trained healthcare providers; and at the health sector policy and management level, such as poorly functioning, centralized systems. Additional constraints involve weak governance and accountability, political instability, and challenges in the physical environment.</p> <p>Strategies and examples</p> <p>Scaling up maternal, newborn and child health interventions requires strengthening health systems, but there is also a role for focused, targeted interventions. Choosing a strategy involves identifying appropriate channels for reaching high coverage, which depends on many factors such as access to and attendance at healthcare facilities. Delivery channels vary, and may include facility- and community-based healthcare providers, mass media campaigns, and community-based approaches and marketing strategies. Issues related to scaling up are discussed in the context of four interventions that may be given to mothers at different stages throughout pregnancy or to newborns: (1) detection and treatment of syphilis; (2) emergency Cesarean section; (3) newborn resuscitation; and (4) kangaroo mother care. Systematic reviews of the literature and large-scale implementation studies are analyzed for each intervention.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Equitable and successful scale-up of preterm birth and stillbirth interventions will require addressing multiple barriers, and utilizing multiple delivery approaches and channels. Another important need is developing strategies to discontinue ineffective or harmful interventions. Preterm birth and stillbirth interventions must also be placed in the broader maternal, newborn and child health context to identify and prioritize those that will help improve several outcomes at the same time. The next article discusses advocacy challenges and opportunities.</p

Collaborating for Innovation: the socialised management of knowledge

Although the importance of diverse knowledge is widely recognised for open innovation, there may be a gap in our understanding of the social processes that shape how collaborators engage in knowledge exchange. This social gap may be significant because of the powerful, but largely unexplained, role attributed to trust as a social artefact. Moreover, we see trust as a process and that different types of trust are involved in the collaborative process. Thus, this paper uses a qualitative methodology to capture the experiences of innovation collaborators. As explanation of the dynamic interplays of knowledge and trust, we offer a description of phases in the process. Our analysis finds that the relationship moves from transactional to social. The early phases are characterised by technical knowledge, but the later and mature phases are identified with knowledge of the person and by personal trust. The success of innovation is a result of relationships with augmented trust. We found that a fabric of trust is woven from the weft of professional knowledge and the warp of personal knowledge to support innovation. We propose that this developing of relationships might be conceived as becoming more open in the sense of sharing with one another. If so, we seem to have described and offered a social dimension of open innovation

Germinal centre frequency is decreased in pancreatic lymph nodes from individuals with recent-onset type 1 diabetes.

Pancreatic lymph nodes (PLNs) are critical sites for the initial interaction between islet autoantigens and autoreactive lymphocytes, but the histology of PLNs in tissue from individuals with type 1 diabetes has not been analysed in detail. The aim of this study was to examine PLN tissue sections from healthy donors compared with those at risk of, or with recent-onset and longer-duration type 1 diabetes.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Additional Link above to access the full-text