The identification of the periodic behaviour in an epidemic model

In this paper we study a method for the identification of the unknown parameter of the periodic function and also the first component of the state vector, in a mathematical model which describes the evolution of some diseases with an oro-fecal transmission.To solve the identification problem we use a numerical method to integrate the differential equations system, which reproduces the stability properties of the above mentioned continuous system.The numerical methods which we propose can be applied also to a spatial semi discretization of the reaction-diffusion model which is a diffusive generalization of the system that we consider in this paper.Finally, through an analysis on both the continuous and the discrete system we also obtain a necessary condition on the experimental data in order that a periodic trajectory of the system exists.Work supported by: Progetto Finalizzato Controllo Malattie da Infezione-CNR and by Ministero Pubblica Istruzione     

The apical control of lateral bud development in excised shoot tips of Cuscuta reflexa cultured in vitro

Excised shoot tips of Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. (dodder), a rootless and leafless angiospermic plant parasite, were cultured in vitro for the study of the control of lateral bud development by the apex. In a chemically defined medium lacking hormones, the basal bud alone developed into a shoot. The addition of coconut milk to the growth medium induced the activation of multiple lateral buds, but only a single bud developed further into a shoot. The decapitation of this shoot induced the development of another shoot and the process could be repeated. This showed the controlling effect of the apex in correlative control of bud development. Application of indole-3-acetic acid to the shoot tip explant delayed the development of the lateral bud. Gibberellic acid A₃ induced a marked elongation growth of the explant and reinforced apical dominance. The direct application of cytokinin to an inhibited bud relieved it from apical dominance. A basipetally decreasing concentration gradient of auxin may prevail at the nodes. Bud outgrowth is probably stimulated by cytokinin produced locally in the bud.     

Character selection in relation to the numerical taxonomy of some male Diaspididae (Homoptera: Coccoidea)

A quantitative comparison of the classifications of 24 species of male Diaspididae by principal component and principal coordinate analysis was extended to allow the comparison of classifications based on selected subsets of the 101 available characters. It was shown that subsets of 25–28 characters could be chosen numerically and used to construct classifications that resembled very closely the classification based on the reference set of characters. The conclusions are discussed in relation to other views on character-weighting and in relation to classifications of the Diaspididae based on traditional taxonomic characters provided by the females.     

Abscisic acid and apical dominance in Phaseolus coccineus L.

Abscisic acid (ABA) in lanolin, applied to the internode of decapitated runner bean plants enhances the outgrowth of lateral buds. The optimum concentration of the paste is 10^-5 M. The effect of ABA is counteracted by indoleacetic acid (IAA) but not by gibberellic acid (GA₃). There is no effect when ABA is applied to the apical bud or lateral buds of intact plants. However, 13.2 ng given to the lateral buds of decapitated plants stimulate their growth, whereas higher concentrations are inhibitory. Consequently, ABA enhances growth of lateral buds directly, but only when apical dominance is already weakened. The growth of the decapitated 2^nd internode was not affected by ABA. Radioactivity from [2-¹⁴C] ABA, applied to nonelongating 2^nd internode stumps of decapitated runner bean plants moves to the lateral buds, whereas [1-¹⁴C]IAA-and [³H]GA₁-translocation is much weaker. ABA transport is inhibited if IAA or [³H]GA₁ is applied simultaneously. In elongating internodes [¹⁴C]ABA is almost completely immobile. [¹⁴C]IAA-and [³H]GA₁-translocation is not affected by ABA. The amount of radioactivity from labelled ABA, translocated to the lateral buds, is highest during the early stages of bud outgrowth.Abbreviations ABA 2,4-cis, trans-(+)-abscisic acid - GA gibberellic acid - IAA indoleacetic acid - p.l. plain lanolin     

Brain endocast asymmetry in pongids and hominids: Some preliminary findings on the paleontology of cerebral dominance

Observations on petalial asymmetry for 190 hominoid endocasts are reported, and their statistical differences assessed. While all taxa of hominoids show asymmetries to various degrees, the patterns or combinations of petalial asymmetries are very different, with fossil hominids and modern Homo sapiens showing an identical pattern of left-occipital, right-frontal petalias, which contrasts with those found normally in pongids. Of the pongids, Gorilla shows the greater degree of asymmetry in left-occipital petalias. Only modern Homo and hominids (Australopithecus, Homo erectus, Neandertals) show a distinct left-occipital, right-frontal petalial pattern. Analysis by x² statistics shows the differences to be highly significant. Due to small sample size and incompleteness of endocasts, small-brained hominids, i.e., Australopithecus, are problematical. To the degree that gross petalial patterns are correlated with cognitive task specialization, we speculate that human cognitive patterns evolved early in hominid evolution and were related to selection pressures operating on both symbolic and spatiovisual integration, and that these faculties are corroborated in the archaeological record.     

A chemosystematic survey on wild relatives of Brassica oleracea L

AGUINAGALDE, I., GOMEZ-CAMPO, C. & SANCHEZ-YELAMO, M. D., 1992. A chemosystematic survey on wild relatives of Brassica oleracea L. A study on 12 taxa of n = 9, wild Brassica species (including wild B. oleracea) has led to the detection of 21 different flavonol-glycosides. Differential patterns have been obtained for each taxon. Seed proteins and five isoenzyme systems have been analysed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The presence of many bands common to ail species was the rule for seed proteins, but differences in polypeptide contents were observed. There were also clear qualitative differences in isoenzyme patterns. Interspecific differences were examined by including those phytochemical characters in a numerical analysis. While the maximum morphological variability occurs in Sicily, phytochemical diversity seems to be maximum further east, in the B. cretica group.     

Estimates of marker-associated QTL effects in Monte Carlo backcross generations using multiple regression

Summary The decision of whether or not to use QTLassociated markers in breeding programs needs further information about the magnitude of the additive and dominance effects that can be estimated. The objectives of this paper are (1) to apply some of the Moreno-Gonzalez (1993) genetic models to backcross simulation data generated by the Monte Carlo method, and (2) to get simulation information about the number of testing progenies and mapping density in relation to the magnitude of gene effect estimates. Results of the Monte Carlo study show that the stepwise regression analysis was able to detect relatively small additive and dominance effects when the QTL are independently segregating. When testing selfed families derived from backcross individuals, dominance effects had a larger error standard deviation and were estimated at a lower frequency. Linked QTL require a higher marker mapping density on the genome and a larger number of progenies to detect small genetic effects. Reduction of the environmental error variance by evaluating selfed backcross families in replicate experiments increased the power of the test. Expressions of the number of progenies for detecting significant additive effects were developed for some genetic situations. The ratio of the within-backcross genetic variance to the square of a gene effect estimate is a function of the number of progenies, the heritability of the trait, the marker map density and the portion of the genetic variance explained by the model. Different values (from 0 to 1) assigned to (relative position of the QTL in the marker segment) did not cause a large shift in the residual mean square of the model.     

A role of the Dufour's gland in the dominance interactions of the paper wasp,Polistes fuscatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

The Dufour's gland of the paper wasp, Polistes fuscatus,is a source of the cues used by dominant females to recognize the eggs laid by subordinates or nonnestmates on pre (worker)-emergence nests. When dominant wasps were presented with an egg covered with either (1) the Dufour's gland extract of a subordinate cofoundress, (2) the extract of an egg from the same subordinate, or (3) the solvent alone, the dominant female destroyed and replaced the eggs covered with the Dufour's extract significantly more frequently than the other eggs. Eggs with the extract of a nonnestmate's Dufour's gland were also eaten significantly more frequently than those with the solvent. Given similar choices, subordinates did not destroy any eggs. The Dufour's gland appears to have little or no role in communicating dominance directly among aggressively interacting cofoundresses.