Identification of a major QTL for time of initial vegetative budbreak in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.)

In the Western Cape region of South Africa dormancy release and the onset of growth does not occur normally in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) trees during spring due to the mild winter conditions experienced and fluctuations in temperatures experienced during and between winters. In this region the application of chemicals to induce the release of dormancy forms part of standard orchard management. Increasing awareness of the environmental impact of chemical sprays and global warming has led to the demand for new apple cultivars better adapted to local climatic conditions. We report the construction of framework genetic maps in two F1 crosses using the low chilling cultivar ‘Anna’ as common male parent and the higher chill requiring cultivars ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Sharpe’s Early’ as female parents. The maps were constructed using 320 simple sequence repeats (SSR), including 116 new markers developed from expressed sequence tags (ESTs). These maps were used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for time of initial vegetative budbreak (IVB), a dormancy related characteristic. Time of IVB was assessed 4 times over a 6-year period in ‘Golden Delicious’ x ‘Anna’ seedlings kept in seedling bags under shade in the nursery. The trait was assessed for 3 years on adult full-sib trees derived from a cross between ‘Sharpe’s Early’ and ‘Anna’ as well as for 3 years on replicates of these seedlings obtained by clonal propagation onto rootstocks. A single major QTL for time of IVB was identified on linkage group (LG) 9. This QTL remained consistent in different genetic backgrounds and at different developmental stages. The QTL may co-localize with a QTL for leaf break identified on LG 3 by Conner et al. (1998), a LG that was, after the implementation of transferable microsatellite markers, shown to be homologous to the LG now known to be LG 9 (Kenis and Keulemans, 2004). These results contribute towards a better understanding regarding the genetic control of IVB in aplle and will also be used to elucidate the genetic basis of other dormancy related traits such as time of initial reproductive budbreak and number of vegetative and reproductive budbreak

The use of the Model of Occupational Self Efficacy in improving the cognitive functioning of individuals with brain injury: A pre- and post-intervention study

BACKGROUND: Individuals diagnosed with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) often experience major limitations in returning to work despite participating in rehabilitation programmes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine whether individuals who sustained a traumatic brain injury experienced improved cognitive functioning after participating in an intervention programme that utilizes the Model of Occupational Self-Efficacy (MOOSE). PARTICIPANTS: Ten (10) individuals who were diagnosed with a mild to moderate brain injury participated in the study. METHOD: The research study was positioned within the quantitative paradigm specifically utilizing a pre and post intervention research design. In order to gather data from the participants, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) was used to determine whether the individual with brain injury’s cognitive functioning improved after participating in a vocational rehabilitation model called the Model of Occupational Self Efficacy (MOOSE). RESULTS: All the participants in this study presented with an improvement in MOCA test scores. The results of the study revealed a statistically significant effect of the intervention (i.e. MOOSE) on cognitive functioning measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, F(4, 6) = 15.95, p = 0.002. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicated that MOOSE is a useful model to facilitate the return of individuals living with a TBI back to work. It is also suggested that cognitive rehabilitative activities be included as part of the vocational rehabilitation programme

The 2019 motile active matter roadmap

Activity and autonomous motion are fundamental in living and engineering systems. This has stimulated the new field of active matter in recent years, which focuses on the physical aspects of propulsion mechanisms, and on motility-induced emergent collective behavior of a larger number of identical agents. The scale of agents ranges from nanomotors and microswimmers, to cells, fish, birds, and people. Inspired by biological microswimmers, various designs of autonomous synthetic nano- and micromachines have been proposed. Such machines provide the basis for multifunctional, highly responsive, intelligent (artificial) active materials, which exhibit emergent behavior and the ability to perform tasks in response to external stimuli. A major challenge for understanding and designing active matter is their inherent nonequilibrium nature due to persistent energy consumption, which invalidates equilibrium concepts such as free energy, detailed balance, and time-reversal symmetry. Unraveling, predicting, and controlling the behavior of active matter is a truly interdisciplinary endeavor at the interface of biology, chemistry, ecology, engineering, mathematics, and physics. The vast complexity of phenomena and mechanisms involved in the self-organization and dynamics of motile active matter comprises a major challenge. Hence, to advance, and eventually reach a comprehensive understanding, this important research area requires a concerted, synergetic approach of the various disciplines