A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Visual mate preference evolution during butterfly speciation is linked to neural processing genes

Abstract: Many animal species remain separate not because their individuals fail to produce viable hybrids but because they “choose” not to mate. However, we still know very little of the genetic mechanisms underlying changes in these mate preference behaviours. Heliconius butterflies display bright warning patterns, which they also use to recognize conspecifics. Here, we couple QTL for divergence in visual preference behaviours with population genomic and gene expression analyses of neural tissue (central brain, optic lobes and ommatidia) across development in two sympatric Heliconius species. Within a region containing 200 genes, we identify five genes that are strongly associated with divergent visual preferences. Three of these have previously been implicated in key components of neural signalling (specifically an ionotropic glutamate receptor and two regucalcins), and overall our candidates suggest shifts in behaviour involve changes in visual integration or processing. This would allow preference evolution without altering perception of the wider environment

A complex gene regulatory architecture underlies the development and evolution of cuticle morphology in Drosophila

The cuticle of insects is decorated with non-sensory hairs called trichomes. A few Drosophila species independently lost most of the dorso-lateral trichomes on first instar larvae. Genetic experiments revealed that this naked cuticle phenotype was caused by the evolution of enhancer function at the ovo/shavenbaby (ovo/svb) locus. Here we explore how this discovery catalyzed major new insights into morphological evolution in different developmental contexts, enhancer pleiotropy in gene regulation and the functionality and evolution of the Svb gene regulatory network (GRN). Taken together this highlights the importance of understanding the architecture and evolution of gene regulatory networks in detail and the great potential for further study of the Svb GRN

Spectroscopy: An Alternative to Wet Chemistry for Soil Monitoring

The soil science community is facing a growing demand of regional, continental, and worldwide databases in order to monitor the status of the soil. However, the availability of such data is very scarce. Cost-effective tools to measure soil properties for large areas (e.g., Europe) are required. Soil spectroscopy has shown to be a fast, cost-effective, environmental- friendly, nondestructive, reproducible, and repeatable analytical technique. The main aim of this paper is to describe the state of the art of soil spectroscopy as well as its potential to facilitating soil monitoring. The factors constraining the application of soil spectroscopy as an alternative to traditional laboratory analyses, together with the limits of the technique, are addressed. The paper also highlights that the widespread use of spectroscopy to monitor the status of the soil should be encouraged by (1) the creation of a standard for the collection of laboratory soil spectra, to promote the sharing of spectral libraries, and (2) the scanning of existing soil archives, reducing the need for costly sampling campaigns. Finally, routine soil analysis using soil spectroscopy would be beneficial for the end users by a reduction in analytical costs, and an increased comparability of results between laboratories. This ambitious project will materialize only through (1) the establishment of local and regional partnerships among existent institutions able to generate the necessary technical competence, and (2) the support of international organizations. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission are well placed to promote the use of laboratory and field spectrometers for monitoring the state of soils

Combined effect of salinity and excess boron on plant growth and yield

The original publication can be found at www.springerlink.comPlants are likely to be affected by simultaneous salinity and boron (B) toxicity stresses due to exposure to soils with high levels of naturally occurring salinity and B, or due to irrigation with water containing high levels of salts, including B. Inadequate information regarding the response of plants to the combination of excess B and salinity on plant growth and yield is available, and there is no consensus concerning mutual relations between salinity stress and B toxicity. Growth and yield of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) were measured at different B and salinity levels in two greenhouse experiments. The results from these experiments and from published data for wheat, tomato and chickpea were analyzed according to the Abbott method to define the combined effect of B and salinity on plant growth and yield. Application of the Abbott method for the experiments on peppers generally implied an antagonistic relationship for excess B and salinity. In other words, toxic effects on growth and yield were less severe for combined B toxicity and salinity than what would be expected if effects of the individual factors were additive. Similar antagonistic characteristics were found using data from three of the five studies reported in the literature. The mechanism of relationships between B and salinity in plants is not clear and several options are discussed. Prominent among the possible explanations are reduced uptake of B in the presence of Cl and reduced uptake of Cl in the presence of B.U. Yermiyahu, A. Ben-Gal, R. Keren and R. J. Rei