Accumulation and erosion of Mars' south polar layered deposits

Mars' polar regions are covered with ice-rich layered deposits that potentially contain a record of climate variations. The sounding radar SHARAD on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mapped detailed subsurface stratigraphy in the Promethei Lingula region of the south polar plateau, Planum Australe. Radar reflections interpreted as layers are correlated across adjacent orbits and are continuous for up to 150 kilometers along spacecraft orbital tracks. The reflectors are often separated into discrete reflector sequences, and strong echoes are seen as deep as 1 kilometer. In some cases, the sequences are dipping with respect to each other, suggesting an interdepositional period of erosion. In Australe Sulci, layers are exhumed, indicating recent erosion.     

Genetic variability for protein content and S-aminoacids in broad-beans (Vicia faba L.)

Summary Approximately 600 different samples of the broad bean collection have been evaluated for crude protein content of the seeds.111 samples were also evaluated for S-aminoacids. The values ranged from 19.5 to 34.0 for protein content and 0.97 to 1.45 for half-cystine and 0.62 to 0.99 for methionine. Protein content was negatively correlated with seed weights, highest values been found in the small seeded samples of Ethiopia and Afghanistan. Mediterranean samples exibited quite large variability. S-aminoacid per protein unit were negatively correlated with the protein content and determination coefficients had intermediate values. Sulphur aminoacids expressed as % of dry seed weight were positively correlated with protein content, but determination values were rather low. Analyses of protein and sulphur aminoacids in seeds from a 10×10 diallel cross scheme gave information on genetic mechanisms involved in the character's control; additive and non additive components of variance were significant, indicating difficulties in practical breeding programmes.

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Genetische Variabilität des Gehalts an Rohprotein und schwefelhaltigen Aminosäuren bei Ackerbohnen (Vicia faba L.)

Zusammenfassung Fast 600 Sortimentsnummern der Ackerbohnenkollektion wurden auf den Rohproteingehalt der Samen untersucht, 111 auch auf den auf Gehalt an schwefelhaltigen Aminosäuren. Der Rohproteingehalt schwankt von 19,5 bis 34,0%, der Gehalt an Cystein von 0,97 bis 1,45% und der an Methionin von 0,62 bis 0,99%. Der Rohproteingehalt war negativ mit dem Samengewicht korreliert, die höchsten Werte wurden bei den kleinsamigen Sippen aus Äthiopien und Afghanistan gefunden. Die Sippen aus dem Mittelmeergebiet zeigen eine sehr große Variabilität. Der relative Gehalt an S-haltigen Aminosäuren war negativ mit dem Rohproteingehalt korreliert und das Bestimmtheitsmaß hatte mittlere Werte. Der absolute Gehalt an S-haltigen Aminosäuren war positiv mit dem Rohproteingehalt korreliert, aber das Bestimmtheitsmaß war niedriger.Die Analysen des Rohproteingehaltes sowie des Gehaltes an schwefelhaltigen Aminosäuren der Samen (von F₁-Pflanzen) aus einem 10×10 Diallel-Kreuzungsschema ergaben Informationen über genetische Mechanismen in der Kontrolle der Merkmale; die additive und die nicht additive Varianzkomponente waren signifikant und offenbaren die Schwierigkeiten in den praktischen Züchtungsprogrammen.

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, , (Vicia faba)

600 . 111 , (-). 19,5 34,0%; — 0,97 1,45%, — 0,62 0,99%. ; . . - , . - , . - f₁ ( 10× 10) , ; , .

     

Wood colour in Lapacho (Tabebuia serratifolia): chemical composition and industrial implications

This study is aimed at relating the colour of Tabebuia serratifolia (Bignoniaceae family) wood to its chemical composition and technological characteristics, such as hardness and gluing, important for the manufacture of wood flooring. Samples with standard wood colour and evident chromatic anomalies were subjected to CIELAB colorimetric and gas-chromatography analyses. Red and yellow wood colour is associated with the presence of lapachol and dehydro-α-lapachone, respectively, whereas large amounts of polyphenols were found in black parts, together with other quinone compounds. Wood is hardest where lapachol gives rise to a yellow chromatic zone (L1). Delamination tests have shown that polyphenols affect lamella bonding strength. The results may be used by the wood flooring industry to identify the chemical constituents of T. serratifolia according to its colour and foresee possible problems during the production process.     

Effects of intertrochanteric varus osteotomy on Norberg angle and percent coverage of the femoral head in displastic dogs

This study was conducted to assess the effects of femoral varus osteotomy on joint congruency in dogs affected by early stage hip dysplasia. Preoperative planning to move the femoral head within the acetabulum was carried out. Varisation of the femoral inclination angle (fIA) was achieved by Intertrochanteric Osteotomy (ITO). Norberg angle (NA), percent coverage (PC) of the femoral head by the acetabulum and fIA was measured from preoperative, immediate postoperative and first and second recheck radiographs of seven dogs that underwent an ITO (joint n = 9). There was significant (p < 0.05) improvement of both NA and PC in all patients as indicated by a change in the mean ± standard deviation of 78.9° ± 7.5 and 36.9% ± 5.2 to 92.2° ± 6.7 and 50.6% ± 8.3, respectively. No significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed between the values of the planned femoral inclination angle (pfIA) of the femur and the effective femoral inclination angle (efIA) obtained after surgery (115.9° ± 2.5 and 111.3° ± 6.4, respectively). These findings could encourage the use of ITO in veterinary practice and indicate that intertrochanteric varus osteotomy should be re-considered for the treatment of early stage hip dysplasia in dogs with radiological signs of joint incongruency.     

Wildlife sinks: Quantifying the impact of illegal bird trade in street markets in Brazil

Illegal wildlife trade is a widespread activity with direct impacts on biodiversity and street markets are frequently pointed out as hotspots in the wildlife trade route. However, due to its illegal character, it is difficult to accurately estimate how many individuals and how much money are handled by traders. Precise data on the number of individuals and species involved, and the drivers behind the illegal wildlife trade are essential for fighting it. We use the example of the metropolitan area of Recife, in northeastern Brazil, a well-known route of illegal wildlife in the country, to access the extent and impact street markets may have on biodiversity. We present quantitative and qualitative information on the illegal trade of wild birds in eight street markets in the area, indicating which species are preferred and why, estimating the number of animals and the volume of money involved, and quantifying the impact that the removal of those animals may have. We observed a high and diversified species offer, biased towards adult male songbirds, with birds of 15 families and 55 species on sale. Birds are kept in poor conditions and some individuals are sold for as little as US$ 1.00. However, we projected that up to 50,000 wild birds may be sold annually in the markets surveyed, including possibly 16,800 individuals of Sporophila nigricollis (the yellow-bellied seedeater), the most frequently observed species. The activity is profitable and may deal with significant amounts of money (up to nearly US$ 630,000.00/year). The numbers involved indicate that street markets are significant wildlife sinks, with a large and frequently ignored impact that must be taken into account in the control and conservation of the biodiversity, not just in Brazil but elsewhere.     

Cytotoxic Polyketide Metabolites from a Marine Mesophotic Zone Chalinidae Sponge-Associated Fungus Pleosporales sp. NBUF144

Two new polyketide natural products, globosuxanthone F (1), and 2′-hydroxy bisdechlorogeodin (2), were isolated from the fungus Pleosporales sp. NBUF144, which was derived from a 62 m deep Chalinidae family sponge together with four known metabolites, 3,4-dihydroglobosuxanthone A (3), 8-hydroxy-3-methylxanthone-1-carboxylate (4), crosphaeropsone C (5), and 4-megastigmen-3,9-dione (6). The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectra (HRESIMS) data. The absolute configuration of 1 was further established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Compounds 1–5 were evaluated for cytotoxicity towards CCRF-CEM human acute lymphatic leukemia cells, and it was found that 1 had an IC₅₀ value of 0.46 µM.     

QTLs for barley yield adaptation to Mediterranean environments in the ‘Nure’ × ‘Tremois’ biparental population

Multi-environment trials represent a highly valuable tool for the identification of the genetic bases of crop yield potential and stress adaptation. A Diversity Array Technology^®-based barley map has been developed in the ‘Nure’ × ‘Tremois’ biparental Doubled Haploid population, harbouring the genomic position of a gene set with a putative role in the regulation of flowering time and abiotic stress response in barley. The population has been evaluated in eighteen location-by-year combinations across the Mediterranean basin. QTL mapping identified several genomic regions responsible for barley adaptation to Mediterranean conditions in terms of phenology, grain yield and yield component traits. The most frequently detected yield QTL had the early flowering HvCEN_EPS2 locus (chromosome 2H) as peak marker, showing a positive effect from the early winter parent ‘Nure’ in eight field trials, and explaining up to 45.8 % of the observed variance for grain yield. The HvBM5A_VRN-H1 locus on chromosome 5H and the genomic region possibly corresponding to PPD-H2 on chromosome 1H were significantly associated to grain yield in five and three locations, respectively. Environment-specific QTLs for grain yield, and clusters of yield component QTLs not related to phenology and or developmental genes (e.g. on chromosome 4H, BIN_09) were observed as well. The results of this work provide a valuable source of knowledge and tools for both explaining the genetic bases of barley yield adaptation across the Mediterranean basin, and using QTL-associated markers for MAS pre-breeding and breeding programmes.     

A 314-bp SINE insertion in the ZNF2 promoter region may act as a repressor related to regulation of fat deposition in pigs

Retrotransposons, a type of DNA fragment that can mobilize itself on genome, can generate genetic variations and develop for molecular markers based on the insertion polymorphism. Zinc finger proteins (ZNFs) are among the most abundant proteins in eukaryotic animals, and their functions are extraordinarily diverse and particularly important in gene regulation. In the current study, bioinformatic prediction was performed to screen for retrotransposon insertion polymorphisms (RIPs) in six ZNF genes (ZNF2, ZNF3, ZNF7, ZNF8, ZNF10 and ZNF12). Six RIPs in these ZNFs, including one short interspersed nuclear element (SINE) RIP in intron 1 and one long interspersed nuclear element 1 (L1) RIP in intron 3 of ZNF2, one SINE RIP in 5′ flanking region and one SINE RIP in intron 2 of ZNF3, one SINE RIP in 3′ UTR of ZNF7 and one L1 RIP in intron 2 of ZNF12, were discovered and their presence was confirmed by PCR. The impact of the SINE RIP in the first intron of ZNF2, which is close to the core promoter of ZNF2, on the gene activity was investigated by dual-luciferase assay in three cell lines. Our results showed that the SINE insertion in the intron 1 of ZNF2 repressed the core promoter activity extremely significantly (P<0.01) in cervical cancer cells and porcine primary embryonic fibroblasts (HeLa and PEF), thus SINE may act as a repressor. This SINE RIP also significantly (P<0.05) affected the corrected back fat thickness in Yorkshire pigs. The corrected back fat thickness of individuals with SINE insertion in the first intron of ZNF2 was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of individuals without SINE insertion. In summary, our data suggested that RIPs play important roles in the genetic variations of these ZNF genes and SINE RIP in the intron 1 of ZNF2 may provide a useful molecular marker for the screening of fat deposition in the pig breeding.     

Post-infection activity of fungicides against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phytophthora infestans</Emphasis> on tomato (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum lycopersicum</Emphasis> L.)

Late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans is the most devastating disease of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and causes important economically losses if not properly controlled. Control is achieved mainly by preventive fungicide applications. However, even if curative applications are discouraged because they increase the risk of resistance development in the target pathogens, in practice fungicides may be applied also when the disease is already present, a situation that commonly occurs in the field. The aim of this work was to study the curative activity of several fungicides toward P. infestans to determine their efficacy when applied after the infection process. Nine trials were performed in greenhouse using potted tomato plants that were treated 24 h after inoculation. Disease severity was assessed three times from the development of the symptoms on the untreated plants and data analysed using a linear mixed model. Differences in post-infection control between the different chemical classes were found. Metalaxyl-M and cymoxanil showed the best curative activity while among the CAA fungicides, a good efficacy was expressed by dimethomorph. Interestingly, evidence of synergy between active ingredients having different modes of action was observed such as in the mixtures containing dimethomorph?+?ametoctradin, dimethomorph?+?pyraclostrobin and fosetyl-Al?+?propamocarb. This study provided useful information on the post-infection activity of some fungicides used to control tomato late blight and should be taken into account to perform more in depth studies at the field level and to improve the management strategies of the disease.