High-density marker profiling confirms ancestral genomes of Avena species and identifies D-genome chromosomes of hexaploid oat

We investigated genomic relationships among 27 species of the genus Avena using high-density genetic markers revealed by genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). Two methods of GBS analysis were used: one based on tag-level haplotypes that were previously mapped in cultivated hexaploid oat (A. sativa), and one intended to sample and enumerate tag-level haplotypes originating from all species under investigation. Qualitatively, both methods gave similar predictions regarding the clustering of species and shared ancestral genomes. Furthermore, results were consistent with previous phylogenies of the genus obtained with conventional approaches, supporting the robustness of whole genome GBS analysis. Evidence is presented to justify the final and definitive classification of the tetraploids A. insularis, A. maroccana (=A. magna), and A. murphyi as containing D-plus-C genomes, and not A-plus-C genomes, as is most often specified in past literature. Through electronic painting of the 21 chromosome representations in the hexaploid oat consensus map, we show how the relative frequency of matches between mapped hexaploid-derived haplotypes and AC (DC)-genome tetraploids vs. A- and C-genome diploids can accurately reveal the genome origin of all hexaploid chromosomes, including the approximate positions of inter-genome translocations. Evidence is provided that supports the continued classification of a diverged B genome in AB tetraploids, and it is confirmed that no extant A-genome diploids, including A. canariensis, are similar enough to the D genome of tetraploid and hexaploid oat to warrant consideration as a D-genome diploid.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Professional development and sustainable development goals

Professional development is defined as a consciously designed systematic process that helps professionals to attain, utilize, and retain knowledge, skills, and expertise. It is simply a process of obtaining skills, qualifications, and experience that help in advancement in one’s career. In the field of education, it is defined as the process of improving staff skills and competencies needed to produce outstanding performance of students. It also refers to a process of improving an organization’s staff capabilities through access to education and training opportunities for better output. Professional development can include a variety of approaches such as formal and informal education, vocational, specialized, or skill-based training, or advanced professional learning

Saving Lives at Birth: The Impact of Home Births on Infant Outcomes

Abstract: Many developed countries have recently experienced sharp increases in home birth rates. This paper investigates the impact of home births on the health of low-risk newborns using data from the Netherlands, the only developed country where home births are widespread. To account for endogeneity in location of birth, we exploit the exogenous variation in distance from a mother’s residence to the closest hospital. We find that giving birth in a hospital leads to substantial reductions in newborn mortality. We provide suggestive evidence that proximity to medical technologies may be an important channel contributing to these health gains.

Rewetting CO2 pulses in Australian agricultural soils and the influence of soil properties

An incubation study determined the effect of one dry–rewetting (DRW) event on the turnover of carbon (C), phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). Thirty-two soils were collected from different climatic regions of southern Australia, varying in soil type, land use and agronomic management history. We hypothesised that respiration and nutrient pulses are related to soil physio-chemical properties. Respiration (CO2 release) was measured intensively for 90 h after rewetting. C mineralisation (C min) model fitting was used to describe the amount of mineralisable C (Co90 h) and the proportional mineralisation rate (k). Compared to constantly moist soils, 13 soils showed increases in both Co90 h and k, indicating that DRW increased the amount of mineralisable C and the rate at which C was mineralised over the 90-h period. In 17 soils, k was increased but not Co90 h, showing an increase in C mineralisation rate but no change in the amount of mineralisable C. Two soils showed a reduction in k with no change in Co90 h, possibly due to low C contents and small microbial biomass. Only one soil exhibited no change in either Co90 h or k. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the magnitude of the increase in mineralisable C in response to the DRW event (∆Co90 h = Co90 h DRW − Co90 h moist) was primarily explained by clay content (39%); however, inclusion of nine soil physio-chemical properties explained more of the variation in ∆Co90 h than any of the properties alone. Five of the nine physio-chemical variables present in the multiple-regression model were related to C content or composition. Pulses in available N and P were not related to ∆Co90 h.Clayton R. Butterly, Petra Marschner, Ann M. McNeill and Jeff A. Baldoc