Rate of photosynthetic induction in fluctuating light varies widely among genotypes of wheat.

Crop photosynthesis and yield are limited by slow photosynthetic induction in sunflecks. We quantified variation in induction kinetics across diverse genotypes of wheat for the first time. Following a preliminary study that hinted at wide variation in induction kinetics across 58 genotypes, we grew 10 genotypes with contrasting responses in a controlled environment and quantified induction kinetics of carboxylation capacity (Vcmax) from dynamic A versus ci curves after a shift from low to high light (from 50 µmol m-2 s-1 to 1500 µmol m-2 s-1), in five flag leaves per genotype. Within-genotype median time for 95% induction (t95) of Vcmax varied 1.8-fold, from 5.2 min to 9.5 min. Our simulations suggest that non-instantaneous induction reduces daily net carbon gain by up to 15%, and that breeding to speed up Vcmax induction in the slowest of our 10 genotypes to match that in the fastest genotype could increase daily net carbon gain by up to 3.4%, particularly for leaves in mid-canopy positions (cumulative leaf area index ≤1.5 m2 m-2), those that experience predominantly short-duration sunflecks, and those with high photosynthetic capacities

Capturing, Restoring, and Presenting, the Independent Radar Investigation System (IRIS)

Part 9: Reconstruction Stories; International audience; This paper describes a recent project at The National Museum of Computing (TNMoC) to capture, restore to working order, and present to the public, an early air traffic control system. It discusses the importance of capturing an extensive range of information, relating to the system, at the point of donation, the value of this information within the restoration process, the techniques used within the restoration itself, and the value of expressing the social impact of the system in order to convey its relevance to the public. Document type: Part of book or chapter of boo

A very conscientious brand: A case study of the BBC's current affairs series Panorama

The reputation of British current affairs and documentary series such as the BBC's Panorama, Channel 4’s Dispatches or the now defunct Granada series World in Action have rested on an image of conscientious ‘public service’. These popular, long running series have, at various points in their history, acted as the ‘conscience of the nation’, seeking to expose social injustice, investigate misdemeanours by the powerful and take on venal or corrupt vested interest. The BBC’s flagship current affairs series Panorama is Britain’s longest running television programme and, according to the Panorama website, ‘the world’s longest running investigative TV show’. It has provided a template for other current affairs series both in Britain, Europe and around the world while undergoing several transformations in form and style since its launch in 1953, the latest and arguably most dramatic being in 2007. This article will chart the development of Panorama as a distinctive, ‘flagship' current affairs series over six decades. It will attempt to answer why the Panorama brand has survived so long, while so many other notable current affairs series have not. Using research and material from Bournemouth University’s Panorama Archive, the Video Active website, the BFI and other European archives this article explores the development of an iconic current affairs series that has, at different stages in its history, proved a template for other news and current affairs programmes. Various breaks and continuities are highlighted in Panorama’s history and identity, and an attempt will be made to characterise and specify the Panorama ‘brand’ and pinpoint the series’ successes and failures in reinventing itself in a rapidly changing media context

Diversity and Mega-Targets of Selection from the Characterization of a Barley Collection

Germplasm exchange is essential for assuring genetic gain in a breeding program. Two aspects of breeding programs are relevant to making them compatible for germplasm exchange: the amount of genetic diversity within programs and the identifi cation of breeding programs with similar breeding objectives and environments of selection (i.e., mega-targets of selection). The objective of this study was to develop a data-driven method to group breeding programs likely to be compatible for germplasm exchange and to use phenotypic characterization data of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) from breeding programs to illustrate this method. In two locations in Uruguay we evaluated 20 traits in 353 genotypes of barley from 23 private and public breeding programs distributed worldwide. We found signifi cant amounts of genetic diversity for all traits, but differences in diversity among programs for only seven traits. We identifi ed programs with high (Western Australia Department of Agriculture; University of Saskatchewan; and Svalöf Weibull Ab, Sweden) and low diversity (winter program of Osijek Agricultural Institute, Croatia; spring program of Osijek Agricultural Institute, Croatia; Saatzucht Josef Breun, Germany; Busch Agricultural Resources; USDA-ARS, Aberdeen, ID; and University of Minnesota). We developed a methodology that groups programs with similar performance and response to the environments. We used the methodology to group the 23 breeding programs of barley into sets that might benefi t most from germplasm exchange. The identifi cation of compatible programs for germplasm exchange could be relevant for improving genetic gains in breeding programs

The clinical features of C9orf72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a Finnish cohort

C9orf72-geenin toistojaksopidentymä on yleisin amyotrofista lateraaliskleroosia (ALS) ja frontotemporaalidementiaa (FTD) aiheuttava geenimutaatio. Tämän syventävän työn tarkoitus on kartoittaa C9orf72-geenimutaatioon liittyvän amyotrofisen lateraaliskleroosin taudinkuvaa suomalaisessa väestössä. Tutkimusaineisto koostui 37:sta C9orf72-geenin osalta positiiviseksi todetusta ALS-potilaasta. Tutkimusjoukon potilasteksteistä kirjattiin taudin alkamistyyppi ja -aika, taudin kesto, ylemmän ja alemman motoneuronin oireet, dementia ja muistioireet, parkinsonismi, psykoosisairaudet sekä sukutausta. Koko potilasryhmän lisäksi näitä muuttujia tarkasteltiin tilastollisesti myös sukupuolen ja taudin alkamistavan sekä sukutaustan mukaan. Potilaiden sairastumisikä oli keskimäärin 60,0 vuotta (vaihteluväli 33,3–80,8). 37,5 %:lla oli bulbaarisia oireita taudin alkaessa. Taudin kesto oli keskimäärin 39,9 kuukautta (vaihteluväli 10,0–249,0). Taudin keston pituudessa ei ollut eroa sukupuolten välillä, mutta miehillä oli selkeästi suurempi varianssi kuin naispotilailla (p=0,017). 37,8 %:lla potilaista oli lisäksi FTD ja yhteensä 59,5 %:lla joko dementia tai kognitiivisten kykyjen laskua. Miehillä FTD oli yleisempi (55,0 %) kuin naisilla (17,6 %) (p=0,04). Kolmella potilaalla taudin kesto oli huomattavan pitkä (110,0–249,0 kuukautta). Yhdellä potilaalla taudin alkamistapa oli käsiin rajoittuva ns. flail arm, ja yhdellä spastinen parapareesi. Ylemmän motoneuronin oireista huomattavasti yleisin oli refleksien vilkkaus. Tutkimus vahvistaa aiempia käsityksiä C9orf72-geeniin liittyvän ALS:n ilmiasun monimuotoisuudesta, johon sisältyy myös hyvin pitkä taudin kesto osalla potilaista. Mahdollisia sukupuolieroja taudin fenotyypin suhteen on syytä tutkia jatkossa

Phytogeography and the stoichiometric niche: exploring their interplay in Sulawesi

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi is comprised of a mosaic of soil types including the largest ultramafic outcrops in the tropics (ultramafic soils are macronutrient low and phytotoxic heavy metal rich). The island’s ontogeny is also distinctive, whereby it has formed only recently < 2 million years ago via agglomeration from a number of proto-islands. How the island’s phytogeography is influenced by the dual impact of edaphic heterogeneity and island ontogeny is unknown. Equally, how the numerous metal elements influence plant-soil interactions scale up to determine phytogeography is not well understood. I show here that tree communities in Sulawesi are both influenced by dynamics of island formation and edaphic chemistry. I identify the effect of soils upon foliar metal concentrations of tree communities. This manifests as many species existing within a similar/core stoichiometric niche space (defined by leaf metal axes) irrespective of soil chemistry, but on heavy metal rich soils, species also occupy distinctive niche space far from most other members of the community. As such, I find that soil metals drive the differences in niche space occupied by communities rather than plant macronutrients. I also find that species found across both different soil types and regions in Sulawesi tend to occupy a broader stoichiometric niche than those species restricted to a region and or soil type. Conversely, clades that are overrepresented across different soil types and regions do not show greater niche breadth than those overrepresented on a single soil type and or region, indicating that occupying both a conserved and broad niche can promote dispersal. This work provides evidence for the interacting roles of island ontogeny and edaphic heterogeneity upon biogeography and the interrelationship with the plant stoichiometric niche

Rust resistance in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) : status and strategies for improvement

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is an important grain legume used as food and feed. Its production is threatened by abiotic stresses and diseases, of which rust (Uromyces viciae-fabae) is one of the major diseases in East and North Africa, China and the northern grain growing region of Australia. Understanding the genetic and physiological mechanisms of rust resistance in faba bean is in an early phase. The presence of seedling and adult plant resistance genes has been observed. The resistance most frequently utilised in applied plant breeding is race-specific, where the interaction between resistance genes in the host and avirulence genes in the pathogen confers resistance. The main drawback of using race-specific resistance is lack of durability, when deployed singly. Slow rusting or partial resistance, controlled by multiple genes of small effect, is generally non-race specific, so it can be more durable. We present the current knowledge of host resistance and pathogen diversity and propose rational breeding approaches aided with molecular markers to breed durable rust resistance in faba bean.Peer reviewe

Dietary niche differentiation facillitate coexistence of two large carnivores

An animal’s diet is an important attribute of its niche, and affects the role that it plays in the ecosystem. Comparing the diets of sympatric species reveals the level of dietary niche overlap between them, which can be used to gauge the potential for competition, as well as each species’ vulnerability to competitive exclusion. Because of a morphology adapted to predation, sympatric carnivores can have particularly aggressive and dangerous competitive interactions; the intensity of which may be directly related to the amount of overlap in prey species consumed. Using predator scat analysis and prey survey techniques, we analyse and compare the underlying mechanisms of prey selection – prey body size and group size – between sympatric populations of leopard Panthera pardus and lion Panthera leo, to test for possible means of competitive avoidance between them. Because leopard and lion differ in both size and social structure, we controlled for the differing prey handling ability of each species, and found that there was still a significant difference in mean prey body size preference between the two carnivores (P = 0.050), despite a relatively high level of dietary niche overlap (0.717). Both species avoid prey in larger groups, but the tendency is more pronounced for leopards. Where intraguild competitors overlap spatiotemporally, dietary niche segregation such as this may be a mechanism through which competition is avoided and, in the case of carnivores, could reduce the frequency of potentially costly interactions

Australia’s innovation in youth mental health care – the headspace centre model:The headspace centre model

AIM: headspace is Australia's innovation in youth mental healthcare and comprises the largest national network of enhanced primary care, youth mental health centres world-wide. headspace centres aim to intervene early in the development of mental ill-health for young people aged 12 to 25 years by breaking down the barriers to service access experienced by adolescents and emerging adults and providing holistic healthcare. Centres have been progressively implemented over the past 12 years and are expected to apply a consistent model of integrated youth healthcare. Internationally, several countries are implementing related approaches, but the specific elements of such models have not been well described in the literature. METHOD: This paper addresses this gap by providing a detailed overview of the 16 core components of the headspace centre model. RESULTS: The needs of young people and their families are the main drivers of the headspace model, which has 10 service components (youth participation, family and friends participation, community awareness, enhanced access, early intervention, appropriate care, evidence-informed practice, four core streams, service integration, supported transitions) and six enabling components (national network, Lead Agency governance, Consortia, multidisciplinary workforce, blended funding, monitoring and evaluation). CONCLUSION: Through implementation of these core components headspace aims to provide easy access to one-stop, youth-friendly mental health, physical and sexual health, alcohol and other drug, and vocational services for young people across Australia