Pathogenicity and aggressiveness of Macrophomina phaseolina isolates to sorghum in Australia’s northern grains region

M. phaseolina, a soilborne pathogen, causing charcoal rot in more than 500 crop species Splitting sorghum stalks will show ash grey tissue or microsclerotia, the survival structure of the fungus, giving the internal stalk tissue a peppered look Causes major sorghum stalk rotting, which can lead to plant lodging Common during seasons with prolonged hot, dry weather or when other unfavourable environmental conditions stress the plant Despite the lack of formal quantification in Australia, significant yield losses have been associated to prevailing hot dry conditions resulting to widespread high incidences of charcoal rot and subsequent lodging The present work aims to compare pathogenicity and aggressiveness of isolates, from sorghum and other hosts from the northern region, to sorghu

Customer emotions in service failure and recovery encounters

Emotions play a significant role in the workplace, and considerable attention has been given to the study of employee emotions. Customers also play a central function in organizations, but much less is known about customer emotions. This chapter reviews the growing literature on customer emotions in employee–customer interfaces with a focus on service failure and recovery encounters, where emotions are heightened. It highlights emerging themes and key findings, addresses the measurement, modeling, and management of customer emotions, and identifies future research streams. Attention is given to emotional contagion, relationships between affective and cognitive processes, customer anger, customer rage, and individual differences

Research priorities for global food security under extreme events

International audienc

Upscaling models, downscaling data or the right model for the right scale of application? : abstract

Plant epidemiological models are used in a range of applications, from detailed simulation models that closely follow pathogen infection and dispersal, to generic template-based models for rapid assessment of invasive species. There is increasing interest in applying small scale models - e.g., based on tissue, organ or whole plants - using remotely collected daily data, to generate regional risk information (e.g., maps). The assumption made is that such small scale models “scale-up” appropriately to regional, continental or even global scale. However, these models are often constructed using locally collected, hourly data. By necessity data available are often at much coarser scale, both temporally and spatially, than the data used to develop the model. Computational requirements increase considerably when more detailed models that require fine resolution data (if available) are applied to large areas, while small scale models often add little useful information at these scales and may lead to error propagation. Ideally, detailed models should be used at small temporal and spatial scales and less detailed models used for larger temporal and spatial scales. This paper presents examples of different approaches for changing scales - including upscaling models, downscaling data, and developing new models - and the issues that these approaches create or solve, along with ideas about how we can ensure that the scale of model and data match the desired application

Overexpression of PLIN5 in skeletal muscle promotes oxidative gene expression and intramyocellular lipid content without compromising insulin sensitivity

Aims/hypothesis: While lipid deposition in the skeletal muscle is considered to be involved in obesity-associated insulin resistance, neutral intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) accumulation per se does not necessarily induce insulin resistance. We previously demonstrated that overexpression of the lipid droplet coat protein perilipin 2 augments intramyocellular lipid content while improving insulin sensitivity. Another member of the perilipin family, perilipin 5 (PLIN5), is predominantly expressed in oxidative tissues like the skeletal muscle. Here we investigated the effects of PLIN5 overexpression - in comparison with the effects of PLIN2 - on skeletal muscle lipid levels, gene expression profiles and insulin sensitivity. Methods: Gene electroporation was used to overexpress PLIN5 in tibialis anterior muscle of rats fed a high fat diet Eight days after electroporation, insulin-mediated glucose uptake in the skeletal muscle was measured by means of a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp. Electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and lipid extractions were performed to investigate IMCL accumulation. Gene expression profiles were obtained using microarrays. Results: TAG storage and lipid droplet size increased upon PLIN5 overexpression. Despite the higher IMCL content, insulin sensitivity was not impaired and DAG and acylcarnitine levels were unaffected. In contrast to the effects of PLIN2 overexpression, microarray data analysis revealed a gene expression profile favoring FA oxidation and improved mitochondrial function. Conclusions/interpretation: Both PLIN2 and PLIN5 increase neutral IMCL content without impeding insulin-mediated glucose uptake. As opposed to the effects of PLIN2 overexpression, overexpression of PUNS in the skeletal muscle promoted expression of a cluster of genes under control of PPAR alpha and PGC1 alpha involved in FA catabolism and mitochondrial oxidation. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Is Rice Improvement Still Making a Difference? Assessing the Economic, Poverty, and Food Security Impacts of Rice Varieties Released from 1989 to 2009 in Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines

This is one of the three proposals funded through a competitive call for proposals to evaluate the links between agricultural research and poverty in 2011. More background on the SPIA project (Social impacts: poverty and hunger http://impact.cgiar.org/impacts/poverty) can be found here (http://impact.cgiar.org/impacts/poverty). The productivity impact of the initial diffusion of modern varieties (MVs) of rice across Asia during the 1960s through the 1980s, as part of the “Green Revolution”, is one of the most documented successes of international development assistance in agriculture. However, much less is known about whether continued efforts to further improve rice varieties are making similar contributions to on farm productivity. This study assesses the degree to which post 1989 MVs of rice have led to increased agricultural productivity, economic surplus, welfare for the poor, food security and environmental benefits in Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines