A note on resistance to Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) [Diptera : Cecidomyidae] biotype L in tribe Triticeae

Quarante et une accessions de blés primitifs et indigènes (Triticum spp.), 16 accessions du genre Aegilops et 20 accessions ou cultivars du genre Agropyron ont été évaluées pour la première fois pour leur réaction au biotype L de la mouche de Hesse (Mayetiola destructor). Trois accessions du Triticum monococcum, 13 accessions du genre Aegilops et 13 accessions ou cultivars du genre Agropyron ont été trouvées résistantes de façon homogène. L'antibiose s'est manifestée dans certains cas mais dans certains autres, il est apparu une résistance physique attribuable à la présence de la pubescence foliaire ou de la ligule. La pubescence du Triticum boeoticum n'a pas été efficace afin de procurer de la résistance.Forty-one accessions of primitive and wild wheats (Triticum species), 16 accessions of Aegilops species, and 20 accessions or cultivars of Agropyron species were evaluated for the first time for reaction to biotype L of Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor). Three accessions of Triticum monococcum, 13 accessions of Aegilops species, and 13 accessions or cultivars of Agropyron species were found homogeneously resistant. Antibiosis was operative in some cases but in others there appeared to be physical resistance due to the presence of leaf pubescence or ligule. Pubescence of Triticum boeoticum was not effective in providing resistance

Genetics of resistance to Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) [Diptera : Cecidomyiida] biotype L in diploid wheat

La mouche de Hesse est un important ravageur de blé (Triticum spp.) et le biotype L de cette mouche est reconnu comme le plus virulent des biotypes connus. L'héritabilité de la résistance au biotype L de la mouche de Hesse a été étudiée à l'aide de croisements entre, d'une part, une lignée résistante de Triticum monococcum et, d'autre part, deux lignées sensibles de T. monococcum et une lignée sensible de T. boeoticum, tous des blés diploïdes. Les familles de plante F2 ou issues de rétrocroisements ont été évaluées au stade de semis par leur réaction à la mouche de Hesse et les ratios de ségrégation génétique des familles résistantes ou ségréguées par rapport aux familles sensibles ont été analysés par des tests d'ajustement du chi-carré. Il a été découvert que l'héritabilité est simple et sous le contrôle d'un ou deux gènes. Ceci est la première mention de l'héritabilité de la résistance à la mouche de Hesse chez les blés diploïdes de génome A et son contrôle génétique simple suggère la possibilité de transférer ce caractère aux blés cultivés.Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) is a serious pest of wheat (Triticum spp.) and of the reported biotypes of Hessian fly, biotype L is described as the most virulent. Inheritance of resistance to Hessian fly biotype L was investigated in crosses of a resistant accession of Triticum monococcum, and two susceptible accessions of T. monococcum and one susceptible accession of T. boeoticum, all diploid wheats. F2 and testeross (backeross) families were classified for reaction to Hessian fly in the seedling stage and analysed by Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests for genetic segregation ratios of resistant or segregating families to susceptible families. Resistance was found to be simply inherited, controlled by one or two genes. This is the first report on the inheritance of resistance to Hessian fly in A-genome diploid wheats, and simple genetic control indicates possibility of transfer of this trait to cultivated wheats

Relationships of psychosocial factors to dietary intakes of preadolescent girls from diverse backgrounds

Family and personal factors that might be related to the development of food selection and eating patterns have not been well studied in children. The aim of this study was to examine whether such psychosocial factors differ in girls from four culturally diverse Girl Scout troops and how these factors are associated with dietary intakes. The social measures and dietary assessments were all obtained at baseline on subjects who were participating in a small nutrition education programme. The programme enrolled girls and one parent for each girl from four Girl Scout troops in Detroit, Michigan. The social factors assessed included girls’ emotionality and use of food to regulate emotions, their general attitudes about health, eating and body image, and self-perceptions of their competence. Dietary intakes also were assessed in both the girls and their parents. There were large differences between troops in ethnicity and parent education level, and there were differences in dietary intakes as well. The psychosocial factors assessed in this study, however, did not differ significantly by troop. When the psychosocial factors were examined for their relationships to dietary factors, there was an indication that families which reported higher self-competence and academic competence in their daughters also had healthier eating patterns in their daughters. This was a small study, but the data suggest that simple comparisons between ethnic groups may not adequately capture the complexity of family and psychosocial factors contributing to good dietary practices.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73597/1/j.1740-8709.2006.00051.x.pd

Whole genome sequencing and the application of a SNP panel reveal primary evolutionary lineages and genomic variation in the lion (Panthera leo)

Background Previous phylogeographic studies of the lion (Panthera leo) have improved our insight into the distribution of genetic variation, as well as a revised taxonomy which now recognizes a northern (Panthera leo leo) and a southern (Panthera leo melanochaita) subspecies. However, existing whole range phylogeographic studies on lions either consist of very limited numbers of samples, or are focused on mitochondrial DNA and/or a limited set of microsatellites. The geographic extent of genetic lineages and their phylogenetic relationships remain uncertain, clouded by massive sampling gaps, sex-biased dispersal and incomplete lineage sorting. Results In this study we present results of low depth whole genome sequencing and subsequent variant calling in ten lions sampled throughout the geographic range, resulting in the discovery of >150,000 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). Phylogenetic analyses revealed the same basal split between northern and southern populations, as well as four population clusters on a more local scale. Further, we designed a SNP panel, including 125 autosomal and 14 mitochondrial SNPs, which was tested on >200 lions from across their range. Results allow us to assign individuals to one of these four major clades (West & Central Africa, India, East Africa, or Southern Africa) and delineate these clades in more detail. Conclusions The results presented here, particularly the validated SNP panel, have important applications, not only for studying populations on a local geographic scale, but also for tracing samples of unknown origin for forensic purposes, and for guiding conservation management of ex situ populations. Thus, these genomic resources not only contribute to our understanding of the evolutionary history of the lion, but may also play a crucial role in conservation efforts aimed at protecting the species in its full diversity.Environmental Biolog

Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b, leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W' boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe

Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV

A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Measurement of the Lambda(b) cross section and the anti-Lambda(b) to Lambda(b) ratio with Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda decays in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The Lambda(b) differential production cross section and the cross section ratio anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) are measured as functions of transverse momentum pt(Lambda(b)) and rapidity abs(y(Lambda(b))) in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurements are based on Lambda(b) decays reconstructed in the exclusive final state J/Psi Lambda, with the subsequent decays J/Psi to an opposite-sign muon pair and Lambda to proton pion, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.9 inverse femtobarns. The product of the cross section times the branching ratio for Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda versus pt(Lambda(b)) falls faster than that of b mesons. The measured value of the cross section times the branching ratio for pt(Lambda(b)) > 10 GeV and abs(y(Lambda(b))) < 2.0 is 1.06 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.12 nb, and the integrated cross section ratio for anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) is 1.02 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.09, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Search for new physics in events with opposite-sign leptons, jets, and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model (BSM) in final states with a pair of opposite-sign isolated leptons accompanied by jets and missing transverse energy. The search uses LHC data recorded at a center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 5 inverse femtobarns. Two complementary search strategies are employed. The first probes models with a specific dilepton production mechanism that leads to a characteristic kinematic edge in the dilepton mass distribution. The second strategy probes models of dilepton production with heavy, colored objects that decay to final states including invisible particles, leading to very large hadronic activity and missing transverse energy. No evidence for an event yield in excess of the standard model expectations is found. Upper limits on the BSM contributions to the signal regions are deduced from the results, which are used to exclude a region of the parameter space of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Additional information related to detector efficiencies and response is provided to allow testing specific models of BSM physics not considered in this paper.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Measurement of isolated photon production in pp and PbPb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV

Isolated photon production is measured in proton-proton and lead-lead collisions at nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energies of 2.76 TeV in the pseudorapidity range |eta|<1.44 and transverse energies ET between 20 and 80 GeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The measured ET spectra are found to be in good agreement with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions. The ratio of PbPb to pp isolated photon ET-differential yields, scaled by the number of incoherent nucleon-nucleon collisions, is consistent with unity for all PbPb reaction centralities.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters