Genetic Structure of Modern Durum Wheat Cultivars and Mediterranean Landraces Matches with Their Agronomic Performance

A collection of 172 durum wheat landraces from 21 Mediterranean countries and 20 modern cultivars were phenotyped in 6 environments for 14 traits including phenology, biomass, yield and yield components. The genetic structure of the collection was ascertained with 44 simple sequence repeat markers that identified 448 alleles, 226 of them with a frequency lower than 5%, and 10 alleles per locus on average. In the modern cultivars all the alleles were fixed in 59% of the markers. Total genetic diversity was HT = 0.7080 and the genetic differentiation value was GST = 0.1730. STRUCTURE software allocated 90.1% of the accessions in five subpopulations, one including all modern cultivars, and the four containing landrace related to their geographic origin: eastern Mediterranean, eastern Balkans and Turkey, western Balkans and Egypt, and western Mediterranean. Mean yield of subpopulations ranged from 2.6 t ha-1 for the western Balkan and Egyptian landraces to 4.0 t ha-1 for modern cultivars, with the remaining three subpopulations showing similar values of 3.1 t ha-1. Modern cultivars had the highest number of grains m-2 and harvest index, and the shortest cycle length. The diversity was lowest in modern cultivars (HT = 0.4835) and highest in landraces from the western Balkans and Egypt (HT = 0.6979). Genetic diversity and AMOVA indicated that variability between subpopulations was much lower (17%) than variability within them (83%), though all subpopulations had similar biomass values in all growth stages. A dendrogram based on simple sequence repeat data matched with the clusters obtained by STRUCTURE, improving this classification for some accessions that have a large admixture. landraces included in the subpopulation from the eastern Balkans and Turkey were separated into two branches in the dendrogram drawn with phenotypic data, suggesting a different origin for the landraces collected in Serbia and Macedonia. The current study shows a reliable relationship between genetic and phenotypic population structures, and the connection of both with the geographic origin of the landraces.The research was funded by the Ministerio de Economía y competitividad project AGL-2006-09226-C02-01, and Dr. Jose Miguel Soriano is funded by Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (http://www.mineco.gob.es/)

Carbon and strontium isotope chemostratigraphy of the Neoproterozoic carbonates from the Amadeus Basin, NT.

This item is only available electronically.Stratigraphic sections that include Bitter Springs Group, Wallara Formation and Ringwood Member were selected from two cores in the Amadeus Basin, which are BR05DD01 and Wallara-1 to be examined, and evaluated using stable carbon isotopes (δ13Ccarb) and radiogenic strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotopes, together with major and trace elements, measured in carbonates. Correlation of acquired δ13CC and 87Sr/86Sr data with local and global C and Sr isotope records were explored and evaluated, and our results suggest that δ13Ccarb trend from studied cores showed strong correlation with presumably coeval global δ13C records, however most of our 87Sr/86Sr data appeared to be more radiogenic than global marine Sr isotope record. This in turn suggests that the depositional environment of the Amadeus Basin was predominantly restricted with respect to a coeval Neoproterozoic open ocean. Also, this proposed basin restriction became more enhanced with time (from Tonian to Cryogenian/Ediacaran), however some 87Sr/86Sr data from the Tonian Bitter Springs Group are very close to the expected global marine Sr isotope trend. This, on the other hand, is not the case for younger (Cryogenian, Ediacaran) carbonates from the Amadeus Basin (e.g., Ringwood Member, Olympic Formation) as these have systematically much more radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr signatures compared to the expected Neoproterozoic paleo-seawater 87Sr/86Sr trend. We also found a high abundance of rubidium (Rb) in studied carbonate rocks, which will cause higher production of radiogenic strontium (87Sr) within the bulk carbonates since their deposition. All our 87Sr/86Sr data were thus corrected for in-situ 87Rb decay, which caused the measured strontium isotopes to be additionally more radiogenic. Nevertheless, even after this correction for Rb decay, our 87Sr/86Sr trends from most of the studied carbonates are systematically more radiogenic than the global marine 87Sr/86Sr trend, further corroborating the above progressive restriction of the Amadeus Basin throughout the Neoproterozoic. Furthermore, based on C isotope constraints, we also argue that the formation carbonates in the top part of the BR05DD01 core correspond to the Aralka Formation and its carbonate-rich Ringwood Member. The paleo-redox conditions were constrained using rare earth element (REE) patterns, specifically based on the Ce anomaly (Ce/Ce*), wherein most of the results from studied Neoproterozoic carbonates showed a positive Ce anomaly. This in turn indicates that the seawater/local basin waters in the Amadeus Basin were predominantly anoxic during the deposition of both Bitter Springs Group (Tonian) and the Ringwood Member (Cryogenian). However, selected carbonates from Bitter Springs Group sampled from the Wallara-1 core showed a true negative Ce anomaly, and also have less radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr values (close to expected global ocean) which thus might suggest transient more oxic shallow-water conditions in marine-dominated evaporitic settings, compared to the rest of the studied Neoproterozoic carbonate records from the Amadeus Basin.Thesis (B.Sc.(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Physical Sciences, 201

Transmission dynamics, responses, and clinical features for the first 1100 COVID-19 cases in South Batinah, Oman: Major lessons from a provincial perspective

الملخص: أهداف البحث: هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى استكشاف وتحليل الملامح الوبائية ورصد واستجابة كوفيد-19، وديناميكيات انتقالها وتشكل المجموعات. طرق البحث: تحليل استرجاعي لبيانات الرصد، بما في ذلك تتبع الاتصال، وعوامل الخطر، والمعلومات السريرية. أجريت تحليلات الانحدار اللوجستية الثنائية لتقييم احتمالات القبول، وتشكل المجموعات، وكونه حالة رئيسية. تم توضيح المجموعات باستخدام أنظمة البيانات الجغرافية وتحليل الشبكات وبرامج التصور. النتائج: تم تشخيص ١١٠٠ حالة إصابة بفيروس كوفيد-١٩ في الفترة من ٢٠ مارس إلى ٧ يونيو ٢٠٢٠، وكانت ١٤٤ حالة منها (١٣,١٪) بدون أعراض. كانت المدة المتوسطة من بدء الأعراض حتى القبول في المستشفى ٧ أيام (٤,٥ - ١٠)، ومدة الأعراض نفسها كانت ٥ أيام (٣ - ٩). تم تحديد 89 مجموعة تحتوي على ٧٣٦ مريضا. وتم تمييز ثلاث مراحل توضح إجراءات الرصد والسيطرة. بدأت المجموعات في المرحلة الثانية وزادت وضوحا في المرحلة الثالثة. المرضى الذين تجاوزوا سن ٥٠ عاما وأولئك الذين يعانون من الحمى لديهم فرصة أكبر للقبول في المستشفى، بنسبة ١٢,٨٥ (٩٥٪ م.م. ٥,١٣ – ٣٢,١٩) و ٢,٥٣ (٩٥٪ م.م. ١,٢٤ – ٥,١٧) على التوالي. وقد لوحظ تشكل المجموعات بين الإناث والمرضى الذين لم يظهروا أعراضا وبين سكان ولاية عوابي، بنسب ٢,٣ (٩٥٪ م.م. ١,٧ – ٣,١) و ٦,٣٩ (٩٥٪ م.م. ٢,٣٣ – ١٧,٢) و ٣,٥٤ (٩٥٪ م.م. ٢,٠٦ – ٦,٠٧) على التوالي. وكان لدى المرضى العاملين في قطاعات الشرطة والدفاع فرصة أعلى لكونهم حالة رئيسية، بنسبة ٧,٨٨ (٩٥٪ م.م. ٣,٣٥ – ١٨,٥٢). الاستنتاجات: يجب دعم التدخلات القائمة على الحالات من خلال التدابير الموسعة على مستوى السكان - خاصة قيود الحركة. يعد إنشاء فرق الوقاية أو وحدات المنطقة، أو من خلال الرعاية الأولية أمرا حاسما للسيطرة على الأوبئة المستقبلية. يجب أن تكون الوقاية دائما أولوية للفئات السكانية الضعيفة. Abstract: Objectives: This study was aimed at exploring and analyzing the epidemiological profile, surveillance, and response to COVID-19, including transmission dynamics and cluster formation. Methodology: This was a retrospective analysis of surveillance data, including contact tracing, risk factors, and clinical information. Binary logistic regressions were used to assess the likelihood of admission, cluster formation, and of each individual being an index patient. Clusters were demonstrated through geographic data systems, network analysis, and visualization software. Results: A total of 1100 COVID-19 cases were diagnosed from 20 March to 7 June 2020, of which 144 (13.1%) were asymptomatic. The median time from symptom onset to admission was 7 days (IQR, 4.5–10), and the median symptom duration was 5 days (IQR, 3–9). Eighty-nine clusters containing 736 patients were identified. The surveillance and control actions were divided into three phases. Clusters began to form in phase 2 and became more pronounced in phase 3. Patients ≥50 years of age and patients presenting with fever had relatively higher odds of admission: OR = 12.85 (95% CI 5.13–32.19) and 2.53 (95% CI 1.24–5.17), respectively. Cluster formation was observed among females, asymptomatic patients, and people living in Awabi: OR = 2.3 (95% CI 1.7–3.1), 6.39 (95% CI 2.33–17.2), and 3.54 (95% CI 2.06–6.07), respectively. Patients working in the police and defense sectors had higher odds of being an index patient: OR = 7.88 (95% CI 3.35–18.52). Conclusion: Case-based interventions should be supported by population-wide measures, particularly movement restrictions. Establishing prevention teams or district units, or primary care will be crucial for the control of future pandemics. Prevention should always be prioritized for vulnerable populations