Women's Health in Post-Soviet Russia: The Politics of Intervention

Women's Health in Post-Soviet Russia: The Politics of Intervention . Michele Rivkin-Fish. Indianapolis: University of Indiana Press, 2006. 253 pp.     

Responses to Water Stress in Adapted and Unadapted Carrot Cell Suspension Cultures

The responses of suspension-cultured cells of carrot to polyethyleneglycol (PEG)-induced water stress were studied after transferto culture medium containing PEG at concentrations between 0%and 25%. Growth characteristics, cellular osmotic potentialand organic solute concentration changes were followed in unadaptedcells and in cell lines adapted to growth in various PEG concentrations.A decline in fresh and dry weight increase occurred in unadaptedcells with decreasing water potential, while dry weight gainwas unaffected in adapted lines. Substantial osmotic adjustmentwas observed in adapted lines, due mainly to increased glucose,fructose and sucrose. Proline concentration increased up to40-fold in adapted and 12-fold in unadapted cells and otheramino acids including alanine, histidine and arginine showedsimilar, though smaller, responses. Polyamines and glycinebetainedid not increase significantly in either adapted or unadaptedcells. Changes leading to long-term adaptation to water stressare discussed in relation to short-term stress—shock responses. Key words: Water stress, cell culture, Daucus carota, osmotic adaptation, solute accumulation     

The Effects of Temperature and Daylength on the Rate of Development of Pigeonpea

Eleven cultivars of pigeonpea, representing five different maturitygroups, were grown under controlled conditions to determinehow the rate of development from sowing to flower bud initiation(FBI) and sowing to flowering was affected by temperature anddaylength, the two environmental variables thought to have mostinfluence on reproductive development. Both temperature and daylength had substantial effects overthe range 16–32 C and 10–14 h respectively. Comparisonswithin the 12 h daylength treatment showed no consistent patternwith mean temperature. A discrete-rate analysis was used todetermine the effect on development of each of the temperaturesmaking up the various treatment combinations of day and nighttemperature. The rate of development from sowing to FBI varied among cultivars.The responses to temperature were all strongly curvilinear withoptima between 20 and 24 C. The rate of development from sowingto flowering showed a similar pattern. The effect of daylengthon the rate of development was the greatest between sowing andFBI, with the greatest sensitivity between 12 and 14 h. For the range of conditions considered, temperature had at leastas great an influence as daylength on the rates of developmentfrom sowing to FBI and from sowing to flowering. Some of theresponses to time of planting that have previously been attributedto daylength effects may, in fact, have been due to temperature.The responses to temperature of reproductive and vegetativedevelopment are very different. Phenology, Cajanus cajan     

Genotype by environment interaction in the assessment of tolerance of partially resistant potato clones to potato cyst nematodes

Genotype by environment interactions in a number of field trials in different years are examined in relation to tolerance of potato cyst nematodes and the subsequent yield losses. A biplot technique is used to display the interaction effects graphically and facilitate identification of any patterns in the data. The results are assessed and discussed in relation to breeding strategies and the variation found between different nematode populations.