Genotypic and environmental variation in some colour characteristics of carrots

Five colour characteristics were studied in seventeen carrot trials in which four varieties of the Chantenay type and four of the Autumn King type were grown at two densities at several sites for 3 yr. The Chantenay type had lower percentages of green-topped and green-cored roots and a higher score for internal colour; the Autumn King type had a lower percentage of purple-topped roots. Differences between varieties within types were also detected. Large environmental effects mainly resulted from differences between individual trials. Percentages of discoloured roots were higher at the low density. Genotype × environment (GE) interactions of practical importance were detected for all characters except internal colour. Some of these interactions were adequately described in terms of different linear regression coefficients for the genotypes, when genotypic values were regressed on environmental means. The results indicate that a low density should be chosen when selecting for reduced discolorations. Broad-sense heritabilities, estimated from variance components for the genotypic, environmental and GE effects, show that the most efficient selection for a colour character, in one season and with four test plots per family, would be achieved when such plots were grown at four separate sites.     

Bolting in some carrot populations

Genetic differences in bolting resistance between types, between varieties within types and within varieties were demonstrated in some Chantenay and Autumn King carrots and populations derived from crosses between them. The Chantenay type gave a higher proportion of bolters than the Autumn King type. Effects of sowing date and plant density on bolting were also demonstrated, later sowing and higher densities giving lower proportions of bolters. Genotype-environment interactions were found and the responsiveness of the varieties to environment characterized by linear regression coefficients derived from a joint regression analysis. The most responsive variety tested was Red Cored Chantenay and the least responsive Rialto Improved. Implications of these findings for the breeding of new varieties with earlier harvest periods, and also for the seed multiplication of existing varieties are discussed.     

Nitrate Uptake and Partitioning by Corn {Zea mays L.) Root Systems and Associated Morphological Differences among Genotypes and Stages of Root Development

Pan, W. L., Jackson, W. A. and Moll, R. H. 1985. Nitrate uptakeand partitioning by corn (Zea mays L.) root systems and associatedmorphological differences among genotypes and stages of rootdevelopment.—J. exp. Bot, 36: 1341–1351 Nitrate uptake and partitioning by root systems of corn inbredlines were examined. Six-day-old root systems of decapitatedseedlings of seven corn inbred lines were shown to differ markedlyin their capacity for nitrate uptake and partitioning. The magnitudeof nitrate uptake ranged from 44–86 µmol NO^–₃g ^–1 fr. wt. during an 8 h period. Relative nitrate translocation(% of total uptake) also varied among the seven genotypes from4–25%, and differences in the proportions accumulated(28–73%) and reduced (22–58%) were observed. Threeof these genotypes were then examined at 5,6, and 8 d aftergermination to determine the effect of lateral root proliferationon the previously observed differences in nitrate uptake andpartitioning. Nitrate translocation per unit mass increasedwith root elongation and lateral root proliferation, and genotypicdifferences in this partitioning process were associated withdifferences in these morphological parameters. In contrast,differences among genotypes in their capability to accumulatenitrate were not correlated with these differences in morphology.Evaluations of genotypic differences in nitrate uptake and partitioningat the seedling stage should include the rate and characteristicsof morphological development Key words: Lateral root, root morphology, nitrate translocation     

DETECTION OF LISTERIA IN FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES BY IMMUNOMAGNETIC BEAD CAPTURE AND BY CULTURAL METHODS

Detection of Listeria by capture on antibody-coated magnetic beads has been shown to decrease test time and improve sensitivity, relative to cultural methods, in a study of spiked environmental samples (Mitchell et al. 1993). In this study, immunomagnetic capture was compared to standard cultural methods for detection of Listeria in a broad range of spiked and naturally contaminated food and environmental samples. Immunomagnetic capture was at least as sensitive as cultural methods for detection of Listeria in seafood, meats, dairy foods, and environmental samples. It was possible to determine the number of Listeria present in a sample, because immunomagnetic capture was carried out directly from the sample, without enrichment. These quantitative results were produced within 24 h, while cultural methods required 6–14 days to produce a qualitative result. Immunomagnetic capture was thus more rapid and as sensitive as standard cultural methods for detection of Listeria in the food and environmental samples tested.     

Accelerated Nitrate Uptake in Wheat Seedlings: Effects of Ammonium and Nitrite Pretreatments and of 6-Methylpurine and Puromycin

The experiments reported herein had two objectives. One was to determine if the slow rate of nitrate uptake which occurs upon initial exposure of nitrogen-depleted wheat (Triticum vulgare cv. Knox) plants to nitrate was the result of insufficient reduced nitrogen. The second was to determine the impact of restrictions in ribonucleic acid or protein synthesis on both nitrate uptake and nitrate reduction. Pretreatments of 14-day-old seedlings for a few hours in ammonium or nitrite did not result in an enhancement of the initial slow rate of nitrate uptake. Growth for two additional weeks in ammonium also failed to eliminate the induction period. The evidence indicates that the presence of nitrate, rather than a product of its reduction, was required to initiate development of the accelerated rate of nitrate uptake. Puromycin (400 μg ml^?1) and 6-methylpurine (0.5 mM) prevented development of the accelerated phase of nitrate uptake. With both compounds, the relative restriction of nitrate uptake was greater than that of nitrate reduction as revealed by incorporation of ¹⁵N from labeled nitrate into reduced forms. The proportion of reduction which occurred in the root system under the imposed treatments could not be delineated precisely, preventing an unequivocal determination of the extent to which the two processes are coupled in the root system. The data nevertheless indicate nitrate reduction was closely associated with nitrate uptake. Accumulation of nitrate in the shoots was markedly restricted in presence of 6 methylpurine. This effect most likely was a result of a severe restriction in the translocation of nitrate into the xylem, rather than an increase in the reduction rate in the shoots.     

Three-Dimensional Trabecular Alignment Model

The Shear-slip Mesh Update Method (SSMUM) is being used in flow simulations involving large but regular displacements of one or more boundaries of the computational domain. We follow up the earlier discussion of the method with notes on practical implementation aspects. In order to establish a benchmark problem for this class of flow problems, we define and report results from a two-dimensional viscous flow around a rotating stirrer in a square chamber. The application potential of the method is demonstrated in the context of biomedical design problem, as we perform an analysis of blood flow in a centrifugal left ventricular assist device, or blood pump, which involves a rotating impeller in a non-axisymmetric housing.     

CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR RESEARCH ETHICS WORKSHOPS FOR COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

To help ensure the ethical conduct of research, many have recommended educational efforts in research ethics to investigators and members of research ethics committees (RECs). One type of education activity involves multi‐day workshops in research ethics. To be effective, such workshops should contain the appropriate content and teaching techniques geared towards the learning styles of the targeted audiences. To ensure consistency in content and quality, we describe the development of a curriculum guide, core competencies and associated learning objectives and activities to help educators organize research ethics workshops in their respective institutions. The curriculum guide is divided into modular units to enable planners to develop workshops of different lengths and choose content materials that match the needs, abilities, and prior experiences of the target audiences. The content material in the curriculum guide is relevant for audiences in the Middle East, because individuals from the Middle East who participated in a Certificate Program in research ethics selected and developed the training materials (e.g., articles, powerpoint slides, case studies, protocols). Also, many of the activities incorporate active‐learning methods, consisting of group work activities analyzing case studies and reviewing protocols. The development of such a workshop training curriculum guide represents a sustainable educational resource to enhance research ethics capacity in the Middle East.