Utilization of alien genes to enhance Fusarium head blight resistance in wheat – A review

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a destructive disease of wheat worldwide. Sources of resistance to FHB are limited in wheat. Search for novel sources of effective resistance to this disease has been an urgent need in wheat breeding. Fusarium head blight resistance has been identified in relatives of wheat. Alien chromatin carrying FHB resistance genes has been incorporated into wheat through chromosome addition, substitution, and translocation. Relatives of wheat demonstrate a great potential to enhance resistance of wheat to FHB.     

Sorption of pesticides in tropical and temperate soils from Australia and the Philippines

The sorption behavior of diuron, imidacloprid, and thiacloprid was investigated using 22 soils collected in triplicate from temperate environments in Australia and tropical environments in Australia and the Philippines. Within the temperate environment in Australia, the soils were selected from a range of land uses. The average KOC values (L/kg) for imidacloprid were 326, 322, and 336; for thiacloprid, the values were 915, 743, and 842; and for diuron, the values were 579, 536, and 618 for the Ord (tropical), Mt. Lofty (temperate), and Philippines (tropical) soils, respectively. For all soils, the sorption coefficients decreased in the following order: thiacloprid > diuron > imidacloprid. There were no significant differences in sorption behavior between the tropical soils from the Philippines and the temperate soils from Australia. Sorption was also not significantly related with soil characteristics, namely, organic carbon (OC) content, clay content, and pH, for any of the three chemicals studied. When the data were sorted into separate land uses, the sorption of all three chemicals was highly correlated (P < 0.001) with OC for the rice soils from the Philippines. Sorption coefficients for all three chemicals were highly correlated with OC in temperate, native soils only when one extreme value was removed. The relationships between sorption of all three chemicals and OC in temperate, pasture soils were best described by a polynomial. Sorption coefficients for imidacloprid and thiacloprid determined in the temperate pasture soils remained fairly consistent as the OC content increased from 3.3 to 5.3%, indicating that, although the total OC in the pasture soils was increasing, the component of OC involved with sorption of these two compounds may have been remaining constant. This study demonstrated that the origin of the soils (i.e., temperate vs tropical) had no significant effect on the sorption behavior, but in some cases, land use significantly affected the sorption behavior of the three pesticides studied. The impact of land use on the nature of soil OC will be further investigated by NMR analysis.     

Effect of sodium [36Cl]chlorate dose on total radioactive residues and residues of parent chlorate in beef cattle

The objectives of this study were to determine total radioactive residues and chlorate residues in edible tissues of cattle administered at three levels of sodium [36Cl]chlorate over a 24-h period and slaughtered after a 24-h withdrawal period. Three sets of cattle, each consisting of a heifer and a steer, were intraruminally dosed with a total of 21, 42, or 63 mg of sodium [36Cl]chlorate/kg of body weight. To simulate a 24-h exposure, equal aliquots of the respective doses were administered to each animal at 0, 8, 16, and 24 h. Urine and feces were collected in 12-h increments for the duration of the 48-h study. At 24 h after the last chlorate exposure, cattle were slaughtered and edible tissues were collected. Urine and tissue samples were analyzed for total radioactive residues and for metabolites. Elimination of radioactivity in urine and feces equaled 20, 33, and 48% of the total dose for the low, medium, and high doses, respectively. Chlorate and chloride were the only radioactive chlorine species present in urine; the fraction of chlorate present as a percentage of the total urine radioactivity decreased with time regardless of the dose. Chloride was the major radioactive residue present in edible tissues, comprising over 98% of the tissue radioactivity for all animals. Chlorate concentrations in edible tissues ranged from nondetectable to an average of 0.41 ppm in skeletal muscle of the high-dosed animals. No evidence for the presence of chlorite was observed in any tissue. Results of this study suggest that further development of chlorate as a preharvest food safety tool merits consideration.     

New mosquito larvicidal tetranortriterpenoids from Turraea wakefieldii and Turraea floribunda

The crude methanol extracts of the root barks of Turraea wakefieldii and Turraea floribunda were found to show mosquito larvicidal activity against third-instar larvae of Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto. Four new limonoids comprising a vilasininoid 1 and three havanensinoids 2-4 were isolated from the chloroform fractions of the methanol extracts of T. wakefieldii and T. floribunda, respectively. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy. Compounds 1, 2, and 4 had LD50 values of 7.1, 4.0, and 3.6 ppm, respectively, and were more potent than azadirachtin, which had an LD50 value of 57.1 ppm when tested against larvae of A. gambiae.     

Modelling scenarios to identify a combined sediment-water management strategy for the large reservoirs of the Tuyamuyun hydro-complex

This paper introduces a combined modelling approach using a simple water budget model (THC-model) and a 3D reservoir sedimentation model (MOHID Water) to adapt reservoir operation and visualise their effects on the sediment deposition. By this, an effective combined sediment-water management can be identified under semi-arid conditions for dry, median and wet years. Results are presented for the reservoirs of the Tuyamuyun Hydro-Complex (THC), which is located in the lower Amu Darya River. The determination of the actual and usable reservoir storage volume shows that siltation will significantly adversely affect the ability of the in-stream Channel Reservoir to regulate seasonal demand for both irrigation and municipal water supply. However, modelling scenarios results confirm the effectiveness of adapted operation rules for the THC reservoirs and show that the operation of large dams could be modified according to a combined sediment-water management. The experience gained during this study emphasizes the fact that the concept of a combined reservoir management of sediments as well as water can be an efficient measure to improve the sustainable long-term use of reservoirs and to contribute towards a safe water supply in water crisis regions.     

Improving the health of the global poor

We analyzed the technical basis for a major global program to reduce disease among the poor. Effective interventions exist against the few diseases which most account for excess mortality among the poor. Achieving high coverage of effective interventions requires a well-functioning health system, as well as overcoming a set of financial and nonfinancial constraints. The annual incremental cost would be between $40 billion and $52 billion by 2015 in 83 low-income and sub-Saharan African countries. Such a program is feasible and would avoid millions of child, maternal, and adult deaths annually in poor countries.     

Infrared echoes near the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A

Two images of Cassiopeia A obtained at 24 micrometers with the Spitzer Space Telescope over a 1-year time interval show moving structures outside the shell of the supernova remnant to a distance of more than 20 arc minutes. Individual features exhibit apparent motions of 10 to 20 arc seconds per year, independently confirmed by near-infrared observations. The observed tangential velocities are at roughly the speed of light. It is likely that the moving structures are infrared echoes, in which interstellar dust is heated by the explosion and by flares from the compact object near the center of the remnant.     

Photoperiod manipulation of insect diapause: a method of pest control?

Extension of day length by artificial light in selected field plots in the fall prevented 76 percent of European corn borer [Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner)] larvae and 70 percent of codling moth [Laspeyresia pomonella (L.)] larvae from entering diapause. Nondiapausing insects cannot survive rigorous winter conditions.     

Hypertensive action of 18-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone

18-Hydroxydeoxycorticosterone is an adrenal steroid hormone causing salt and water retention and is secreted in greatly increased amounts in response to the pituitary hormone adrenocorticotropic hormone. Its production is abnormally high in some forms of hypertension in man and rat. Direct proof that 18-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone is capable of causing hypertension is present. Daily subcutaneous injections of 200 micrograms, a low physiological dose, significantly increase the blood pressure of unilaterally nephrectomized saline-treated rats after 2 weeks. This strengthens the hypothesis that 18-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone contributes to the etiology of hypertension, possibly by a mechanism involving stressinduced release of adrenocorticotropic hormone.     

Amygdalar and hippocampal theta rhythm synchronization during fear memory retrieval

The amygdalohippocampal circuit plays a pivotal role in Pavlovian fear memory. We simultaneously recorded electrical activity in the lateral amygdala (LA) and the CA1 area of the hippocampus in freely behaving fear-conditioned mice. Patterns of activity were related to fear behavior evoked by conditioned and indifferent sensory stimuli and contexts. Rhythmically synchronized activity at theta frequencies increased between the LA and the CA1 after fear conditioning and became significant during confrontation with conditioned fear stimuli and expression of freezing behavior. Synchronization of theta activities in the amygdalohippocampal network represents a neuronal correlate of conditioned fear, apt to improve neuronal communication during memory retrieval.